Kael Ronson stood on guard duty in the makeshift camp, the humid jungle buzzing with life around him. As a knight in House Il’Vathar’s employ, he was duty-bound to protect the camp from threats both man or monster that originated in the Expanse. It was hot, humid work, but there wasn’t much risk so far. Even if something like a Bloodbeast showed up, the knights would make short work of most threats as a group. It was unlikely that any men would attack as well, few knowing about the expedition and most of those knowing that it was unlikely to be profitable. Watch lasted eight hours, each man alert for the entirety of their shift before another man would come to relieve them.

Kael shifted in his armor, the weight of his sword a familiar comfort on his waist. The camp itself was quiet save for the constant chirping of insects. The Ruins of Talmorath loomed just beyond the campline, ancient stone structures barely visible through the undergrowth. The expedition had been focused on uncovering relics buried deep within the jungle, and though it had been peaceful so far, Kael knew better than to let his guard down.

Talmorath was an infamous ruin site–whispers of old magic and forgotten curses had followed the expedition since they left the safety of civilization. The trees here seemed to twist in unnatural ways, their branches curling towards the ruins as if drawn by some unseen force. There was something unnerving about the air itself, like a weight pressing down on his shoulders, a sense of foreboding he couldn’t shake since they had made camp near the ancient city.

Torches flickered, casting long shadows over the crumbling stonework. Vines snaked their way through cracks in the walls, reclaiming land that had once been home to a civilization long forgotten.

A distant rustling in the jungle snapped him to attention, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword. He loosened it in the scabbard, making sure that it was readily available if needed. The rustling sounded again, the noise piercing through the natural buzz to reach Kael’s ears. His eyes narrowed, searching for whatever was out there.

The sound happened again, closer, and Kael started as a creature leapt from the undergrowth. He stepped backward, sword half unsheathed as he prepared to slash apart his sudden foe–-a juvenile Thornspine Boar that snorted as it burst into view, looking at him with wild eyes before turning and running. Kael paused in his action, feeling very silly as he turned to watch the boar run back into the jungle, quickly disappearing from view.

“I’m jumping at shadows,” Kael chuckled to himself.

“Better than dying to them,” a voice said next to him, startling the young knight. He jumped to the side, fumbling with his sword as his eyes locked onto the stranger now standing beside him. He was a man, lanky and wearing fine clothes beneath a ragged brown duster coat. He idly checked a pocket watch attached to a brass chain, pocketing it a moment later. The stranger’s eyes flicked around the jungle as though searching for something, the same way that Kael’s had been a moment ago.

“Who are you?” Kael demanded. He didn’t recognize the man from the expedition team, but the man was too clean and finely dressed for the jungle climate. The pocket watch returned to the man’s hand and he glanced down before answering.

“I’m part of the expedition team. Late arrival, just got in, the roads were cluttered, etcetera etcetera,” the man said, airily waving a hand to accompany the explanation. Kael frowned, his grip on the sword tightening.

“I’ll need a name to accompany that explanation, Sir. Do you have your expedition badge?” Kael maintained a respectful tone of voice, but inwardly he was on edge. Was the man a mage? It was possible he was an illusionist, and that was how he’d snuck up on the young knight.

The stranger looked at him head-on now, a small smile quirking his mouth and one eyebrow raised.

“You have badges for this little trip? That’s cute,” The stranger chuckled.

“I’d love to stay and chat– no, really, I would– but I have an urgent appointment with ancient secrets better left alone,” He said, beginning to walk past Kael, who jumped backwards now with his sword fully unsheathed.

“The ruins?! They’re sealed, and I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. I’m bringing you to the expedition team,” Kael declared, leveling his sword against the interloper. One hand reached down to snap the alarm talisman on his belt, alerting the expedition team that he was in need of assistance.

“That’s a good stance–great posture, good grip on the hilt, and I can tell you oil that blade–but I’d really prefer you stepped aside. I wasn’t kidding about my business being rather urgent,” The man continued walking forward, Kael stepping back to stay between the interloper and the camp.

“I’m warning you. Stop moving forward, or I will be forced to cut you down where you stand.” Kael warned.

“Stand? I’m not standing, I’m walking,” The man said lightly, continuing to walk forward. He snapped his fingers once as he stepped forward, and Kael finally planted his feet. He began a basic stab toward the man’s legs, intending to render him immobile, but he suddenly lurched to the side as a strange force yanked on his body. He stumbled, and the man walked past him smoothly.

“Good try,” the man nodded, “I appreciate that you didn’t go for the killing blow immediately. Most knights your age are too headstrong, all too eager to kill any old stranger that shows up in the middle of nowhere. Killing a noble is generally not good for anyone’s career aspirations outside of a duel.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Kael scowled, regaining his footing and stabbing again. Without looking, the stranger stepped to the side so that the strike hit only air. Kael paused in his attacks, now.

“I’ve already alerted the expedition team. They’ll be rousing the other knights and coming to stop you now,” Kael informed the man, “Give up and come with us peacefully.”

The man paused, before shaking his head. He still wasn’t looking at Kael.

“No, I’m going to head down into the ruins,” He said before continuing to walk away.

“Oh, and I stopped your alarm from going out, so there’s no need to wait for them. In fact, you can just pretend I was never here and no one will know,” He explained.

At this point, Kael was seriously concerned. They’d been walking as Kael failed to stop him, and they were now close to one of the known entrances to the ruins. The man had taken a slightly circuitous route, and so they had avoided any of the tents where people were sleeping or other guard posts.

Kael launched a couple more half-hearted slashes and stabs, but the man either lazily dodged them or snapped his fingers, causing the strange distortion to send Kael stumbling away. Finally, the man stopped and turned to look at Kael.

“Look, I’m not exactly known for my patience, and I think I’ve been fairly welcoming to you. Stop trying to attack me. I’ll be out of your hair soon enough,” He said, as though Kael was the one in the wrong.

“I can’t let you go to the ruins. For one, they’re sealed. But if you have a way to get inside, you need to share it with the expedition,” Kael said, but he sheathed his sword. The man sighed.

----------------------------------------

Drake Arkwright sighed. He had hoped that the young man following him would just leave him alone, but that didn’t appear to be the case. He’d come to the Ruins after one of his informants had told him that one of the groups sponsoring the expedition was a cult. He didn’t know exactly which one, but he was generally opposed to any cults acquiring something they really wanted. It was even worth his personal involvement, as the expedition was a relatively significant expenditure of resources, which hinted that it was important somehow.

The ruins were squat at this location, rising to just over 14 feet at the tallest point. In front of the duo was a stone door carved with religious symbols. The ancient civilization that built these ruins had been wiped out by a magical plague of their own creation, which itself then died out after killing everyone on the continent. Before they had perished, though, they had purportedly been doing extensive research into the creation of magical creatures and self-replicating magical effects–hence the plague. It would be best if no cults got their hands on that research.

This door was sealed with both mechanical locks and a self-sustaining ward scheme, magical protections that blocked teleportation, destructive magic, and even physical bypasses. One of the wards even pulled stone from a reservoir in the ruins to repair damage and erosion. It was tricky to bypass and nearly impossible for just about everyone to penetrate forcibly, but just about everyone didn’t include Drake Arkwright.

Drake took out what looked like an iron ring that he had specifically prepared for scenarios like this. He tossed it towards the wall, where it grew and hovered in the air spinning about a half inch away from the wall.

After a moment, a scene flickered into view: a stone hallway, past the sealed door. Drake stepped forward and through the portal. Before it had a chance to close, Kael stepped through after him.

“Wh-What did you just do?! How did you get through the door?!” Kael demanded, a look of astonishment on his face. He stared in wonder at the ruins around him. Drake rolled his eyes–once you got over the fact that these ruins hadn’t been seen by human eyes in several hundred years, it was easy to look at them for what they were: a collection of old stone tunnels and buildings that weren’t any more impressive than what was around today.

“I’m better at magic than the people in your expedition team,” Drake said by way of explanation. He didn’t need to look back to see that Kael wasn’t satisfied by that, so he continued.

“It’s a tool I prepared specifically for a situation like this. It opened up a Gate through the door,” Drake continued.

“Gates don’t just work like that through warded areas! You didn’t do any calculations or anything,” Kael spluttered.

“Well, looks like someone knows a little bit about spatiomancy, hmm?” Drake responded, stepping forward and ducking easily to avoid a scythe that swung from the wall towards his head. Standing up, he continued forward as Kael threw himself to the ground.

“My ring can’t get me into a warded area, you’re right. But they didn’t ward the whole area, they just warded the door. I didn’t go through it, I went around. The ring handles the calculations required to go someplace I haven’t been frequently, and brute forces a bunch of Gate spells until it detects the edge of the warded area. It’s a common way of getting around wards, it’s just normally more time consuming and difficult for mages. But I’m me,” Drake elaborated. Kael closed his mouth, his face settling into a now-familiar frown.

Now ignoring the younger man, Drake turned and strode down the hallway after snapping his fingers once.

“Don’t follow me,” He called over his shoulder. Kael followed him and Drake sighed. He flicked a hand backwards and Kael was pushed backwards right as a thin length of razor wire slipped out of a crack in the floor, slicing through where Kael had been a half second prior. A second later, a portal flared to life next to both Drake and Kael.

“I said don’t follow me because you don’t know where the traps are,” Drake said slowly. Kael gulped.

“How do you know where the traps are?” Kael asked.

“I don’t,” Drake shook his head, “I just choose to walk on a path that means I don’t get hit by traps.”

Kael looked at him blankly, and Drake chose to continue down the hall, humming merrily to himself. Kael made certain to step exactly where Drake stepped and mirror his movements as best he could.

Soon enough, they reached a wide, circular room with three tunnels coming off of it in addition to the one the duo exited to enter the room. In the center was a humanoid stone figure, kneeling on the floor. The moment they stepped into the room, the figure stood.

“Hold, intruders. You are unrecognized, and therefore untested. Pass my challenge to continue unmolested. Fail, and you will not leave.”