In front of him rose the greatest ruin of a city that he had ever seen. No, he came from a world of gigantic cities, but it is probably one of the most interlaced cities he has ever seen. In his opinion, that should have been the case earlier.
The buildings were innumerable, seeming to form different levels. Like a pyramid, the buildings grew larger and larger towards the center and you could even see the mighty palace in the center from the outskirts. It was hard to believe that these Naga-like creatures were such builders.
It was still unclear to them where the portal to be closed was, but if you let him guess three times, he would think that it was still a suicide mission.
The first few buildings were almost as plain as the other buildings further out on the plateau. Their whole style exuded the atmosphere of a working class. The buildings were kept very simple inside and out. However, there was one major difference. Various stone-shaped golems were scattered in the streets, which Bard was studying very closely.
It even appeared that he was collecting some samples. The patterns were neatly noted by Lark, then the next moment the corpse disappeared. At least that was what told him he wasn't the only one with a memory! At the same time, the looks, as well as that of their leader, indicated that these options were probably unaffordable. Perhaps their quests included such a memory for everyone? Maybe just money, or even some system-provided skill? If this were possible it would be almost as valuable alongside knowledge.
He also wanted to collect one of these corpses for his own research, but he had to do it more skillfully. Above all, not everyone should know what he was interested in, because this knowledge could almost certainly be used in more than one way.
Unfortunately it seemed that Lark, or at least one of the others, kept an eye on him, because apparently they trusted him as little as he trusted them. Probably everyone you met out there had some history or problems with them. The only thing they seemed to trust was that everyone had enough interest in their own reward not to endanger the group as a whole.
Whenever he was alone, he put, packed and stowed pieces of metal that were still intact or entire bottles with caps in his backpack, where he then stashed them in his attic. His coat caught the slight glow of his arm when he walked out enough so that no one was suspicious.
Only once did he make something disappear in a shop that might once have been an alchemy shop. He had seen the shop from afar before, and no one but himself seemed interested in it.
The flacons on the sign on the shop, as well as the exhaust pipes on the back, looked very promising to him. As with so many buildings, the roof had become unstable. The floor was covered by a massive layer of dust, and the smell when stepping on revealed some rotten mixtures that had not withstood the ravages of time.
The building was still in the working class area, but a little deeper in the city, which meant that the buildings slowly improved, despite presumably workers. The mercenaries vented their disappointment several times after they couldn't find any coins. Yes, coins usually had a real value! As a rule, they had a certain amount of gold, which, after asking the group leader, could still be extracted, sold or the coins converted into neutral coins.
Presumably the liquids with their glasses had all become unusable. At least everything that was in front of his eyes was on display, so he ignored it. Here, too, he found no cash register or any other proven means of payment, which made him wonder what these people paid with. On the other hand, he shrugged his shoulders, because did it really matter? The workshop itself was a bit of a mess, because a roof beam was apparently broken at an angle in the middle of the room.
There were countless unused small drinking bottles on the shelves against the walls. Some of them had broken, scattering shards around the room, but the majority of them seemed to have been usable. Since he felt unobserved for once, he immediately began to stow as much of the glasses as he could, while he did not overlook the large brewing kettle in the corner, which had a lid on which something like an opening should have been to add herbs to the mixture, some other devices whose purpose he did not yet know, whereby one very clearly reminded of a still, a couple of tightly closed metal chests, as well as some other little things. The kettle could certainly still be used, but the other devices, let alone the still, had to be checked on another occasion.
The laboratory room wasn't particularly big. Perhaps the size of two shipping containers, with a huge amount of rotten herbs in a small annex. Leica kept guard outside so that she could inform him about troublemakers via her link. With a grin under his mask, he left the laboratory area, which he had practically swept empty before.
Very soon the buildings became more and more outstanding in their construction, the simplicity decreased more and more. They got bigger, the material better, the work on them gave them a more sophisticated flair, creating the feeling of a middle class, as we knew it in the old world. Maybe even the bourgeoisie? Unfortunately, the feeling of being observed also increased, although this time it did not come from the group. No, this time they were shadowed by the parasitic beings. Although it was not possible for him to make out where the eyes were coming from, he could still feel them on him.
The majority of the mercenaries, their leader, the knights, even the young lord himself seemed to be shadowed as well. It made it clear to him that they were approaching a real threat and he was not alone with it! His instinct, his gut feeling, everything about him screamed him inside to leave this cursed place as soon as possible.
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Unfortunately it was too late for that. Right before his eyes some of the mercenaries broke into the ground, whereupon they disappeared into a dark tunnel. The group leader immediately stormed towards the break-in point, but could no longer see her people there. A moment later, the noise of battle rang up from somewhere below. They couldn't mind anything from start to finish, but it seemed clear that whatever they had encountered they were just busy tearing their people apart. Just as quickly as the noise began, it disappeared again and the young lord knowingly could only shake his head.
[System: Your rewards have been increased slightly.]
This news dealt him the next blow, as it did not confirm the death of the mercenaries, but also something he had feared all along from the start. The difficulty of this task could only be mastered by a group of people and the loss of group members made the task more difficult.
It took some persuasion skills on the part of the young lord so that the troop leader did not jump after her soldiers and ruin her whole procession with her. Nobody was eager to jump into that literal snake pit.
From here on, no one moved carelessly forward. The quiet conversations fell silent, attention was paid to every vibration in the floor, avoidance of excessively lit buildings, with Bard apparently always on the lookout for golem workshops. It didn't take long until Bard finally found what he was looking for and almost enthusiastically stormed inside the building, which was brightly lit. There were also some collapsed golems made of fine metal in front of the shop. The better area thus also revealed the pinnacle of these technologies. If Lark hadn't stopped him, he would probably have rushed straight into the store.
At Lark's instructions, the knights formed a close formation around Bard before going inside together. Though he would have liked to go, the technology seemed to have some practical advantages. After all, laziness was one of the main drivers of mankind when it came to inventing something.
Magna preferred to swarm with the mercenaries, sticking to the group leader and trying to initiate a conversation.
Magna: I'm sorry for your people.
Sam answered him still very harshly: You knew the risk, that's the job. It was clear from the start that some would not make it back.
As she did so, she was constantly eyeing Leica, like a potential threat, instead of eyeing him more.
Magna: I didn't ask to be involved in this whole bunch. I would never have done this damn job if it had been up to me.
Sam seemed visibly surprised by this other side of him. On the other hand, the sudden honesty might surprise her. Magna knew this type of person relatively well. Sam was a very simple person. Very honest, direct and confrontational.
Magna: I just want to say that it's a shitty situation and it would be better if we worked a little better together. I don't give a shit what you do afterwards, I even give a shit about this task. I only want to get off this plateau in one piece, but I have this gut feeling that this task will cost us all our necks in the end.
Sam: Well, don't be so shy. Where did the change of heart come from?
Magna: Oh, I can be shy, but sometimes it's better not to show all of your cards.
At his demonstration he began to work the healing on her. It wasn't a particularly powerful skill, but with it she could be sure that at least some healing was there.
Magna: Bard wasn't lying. I can heal a little, and I even have a reliable method of dealing with some of these beings. But in the end, I'm still a magician, not a fighter.
Sam: Magicians? So not completely useless ballast, did you already have your first evolution?
Magna: Probably? Didn't you identify me
Sam: Identified? You mean the gift of observation? Assess? So. I own it, but it may be perceived as an attack or harassment.
The whole situation just created more and more confusion for him? What were evolutions? And why did they speak of a gift instead of a skill? How widespread was knowledge really? How did you end up perceiving the system?
Sam: You really have a strange way of expressing yourself. No offense, that doesn't mean that I trust you now.
Magna: I didn't expect that either. You can't buy trust, trust is earned. Just like you earn loyalty and respect. You are not born with any of these things.
Sam seemed to accept this only with a nod. At least he hoped to have collected a few points with her, if it only tips the scales, she could still tip in his favor. Meanwhile, Bard came back from the workshop, accompanied by his guard knights and Lark. Whatever they found, the lightened mood betrayed that they certainly did not end up empty-handed.
Bard then believed to have the most success in the center with the task of the gods, whereupon the entire group advanced with a steady progress into the inner city. Over time, the buildings changed again, suggesting a more upscale clientele. Up until now he had to wonder where forges were, because where there was metal, there had to be forges too? Was there such a thing as an industrial district? Were there libraries? Banks? Where were all these buildings that probably had their very own treasures?
The feeling of being shaded only increased on the way to the city center. It felt to him as if countless eyes were watching him. An unpleasant goose bumps spread over his skin, which could also have originated in the colder night. Autumn should have set in completely soon. Would you avoid the day if the outside temperature wasn't right? Could it be that they didn't like ice cream? Presumably the reptile-like inhabitants of this city weren't necessarily the first choice for the parasites?
With these recurring thoughts he looked for ways to have more than one weapon at hand in a new conflict. Fluctuations in mana and cold. It wasn't much, but at least it was something he still had to test the latter in a real fight. Nor was it that the parasites themselves were strong. They simply occupied strong bodies while not seeming to be in full control. They couldn't use mana, they could only use the body's natural defenses. Maybe they could understand just enough so that they could use the eye for perception?
The next thing he did he wished he could undo. Unconsciously, he let a light wave of mana sweep through his area, to which the others in the group did not even react, instead he received countless feedback from buildings in which strong lights were burning. Presumably they would be overrun at sunrise if there was no place to rest or defend.
Not much longer and they stood in front of the massive structure in the middle of the plateau, but contrary to expectations from a distance it seemed less of a palace. Although some structures reminded him of temples, the building must have served a different purpose. If they were a magical society, could it be the center of their magic?
It was revealed to be a pyramid-like building of titanic proportions. Directly above hovered a stone halo in the middle of which a glittering portal glistened, spreading a bright shimmer. Out of it fell incredible amounts of water, which flowed down on the four sides of the building. The flat pyramid had no top and the sides had indentations that were the beginning of this aqueduct.
The result of another mana wave seemed to surprise him, because it simply pearl off the building. Without a chance to look inside beforehand, the doors were opened by the mercenaries.