Alex stared at Melodi carefully. He could only imagine that both of them had suffered the effects of whatever force had come over him. Melodi certainly seemed to be bothered by something, but now wasn't the time to delve into such a personal matter. She had explained that he had been lying on the floor for a while after she had woken up. She then did her best to try and rouse him, but nothing seemed to have an effect.
Instead, she looked around and discovered a few piles of empty robes and rusted weapons. It seemed that those who failed to free themselves from the strange spell on the entrance were consumed by it completely. Only their outer gear was left behind. Even the items in their dimensional pockets were lost.
Alex found himself grateful that he had managed to free himself, but he didn't quite understand how he had managed to do so. Melodi wasn't quick to offer an answer either, and so with no other recourse, the two began to speed through the hallways of the ruin.
Loud rumbles shook the entire structure, and it was more than evident that a battle was taking place far ahead. The two of them were hard-pressed to resist examining the walls of that ancient ruin. There were many stories etched into the walls, deep lore forgotten to the modern world, and the urge to stop and understand their meaning gnawed at their curious minds. However, they had no time for such things.
If a battle was going on in the deeper recesses of this ruin, then that battle could cause a collapse at any time. They knew that they had to be quick. Ulric might not have been an actual enemy, but something was off about him, and they had lost any ability to trust him after his actions in the abandoned house.
Right now, their only goal was stopping him from getting the artifact and surviving to fight another day. With the Order members outside, it was apparent that Ulric was entangled with one of them in deadly combat. However, for the battle to be lasting this long, they knew that whoever he was fighting had to be pretty powerful.
Ulric was a Rank-Three Conductor. That meant that his opponent was in the final stages of the second rank at least. However, because of the thick aura in the ruin, they couldn't get a proper reading of either Ulric or his opponent.
That pressing aura grew more potent as they dashed through many rooms. Some lay empty, their walls covered with more tales from a forgotten age, while others were filled with various treasures. Once again, their instincts as archeologists kicked in, but their conviction to stop both Ulric and the Order from getting their hands on the artifact drove them on. Besides, as they well knew, treasures like that were likely guarded by traps or evil spells designed to stop robbers.
They finally reached the area just beyond the direct range of the two battling Conductors. Something bothered Alex, though. A duel between two forces like that should be causing way more damage than this. Something wasn't quite right about their battle. He wondered if it was an act at first. Perhaps Ulric really was an enemy, and this was all some elaborate trap designed to lure in Cypher.
However, as they rounded a corner, the actual reason was made clear. Neither person was using Magick. The two were locked in a brutal melee battle, and Alex could understand why that was. He was intimately familiar with the Iron Knuckles. At one point, Alex had almost chosen to use them himself. To that end, he had trained for a while in martial arts and found them to be quite effective against those who used weapons.
Barehanded fighting was inferior to fighting with a weapon. However, the Iron Knuckles made up for this by bringing together the best of both worlds. They were durable and could block bladed weapons or deflect blunt maces just like a standard weapon could. Being a more direct extension of one’s body, they could allow for a more excellent range of movement and techniques. They also didn't interfere with the casting of spells and were fantastic in close combat.
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They were heavy, though, and at the time, Alex had discarded the idea of using them on that fact alone. However, as a more mature Conductor, he could understand that weight wouldn't matter in the slightest with a stronger body.
He almost cursed himself for abandoning their use all those years ago. However, they took quite a long time to master, and only those in the higher ranks of the body could use them effectively. In the end, it took quite a long time to become used to both the Iron Knuckles themselves and the fighting style one had to employ to make full use of them.
Things were good, though. Alex could see that the entrance to the deeper part of the ruin was wholly unguarded in the distance. If the two of these Rank-Three Conductors were locked in melee combat, then he and Melodi could sneak past them and get ahold of the artifact first.
A quick glance at Melodi showed that she understood all too clearly his intent. She was worried, though. While these two weren't using Magick, they would still likely detect the two low-level Conductors the moment they entered the room. At that point, it would be a question of whether or not they would pause their battle in order to stop the two young Conductors from getting to the artifact first.
Alex wasn't worried about that, however. He could see the determination and anger on Ulric's face. He didn't know what that was about, but he knew that this fight took priority in Ulric's mind. They should be able to reach the innermost chamber easily enough. Although, maybe easy wasn't the right word.
It was true that the two Rank-Three Conductors weren't using Magick, but that did not mean that the area was completely safe. The shockwaves from the collision of their weapons were enough to rupture Alex and Melodi's internal organs if they weren't careful.
One had to remember that the vibrations from the battle could be felt from a few kilometers away, even through all the stone between this chamber and the entrance to the city-spanning, subterranean ruin. Protections would have to be used in the form of barriers around their organs.
Neither Alex nor Melodi were very skilled at barrier Magicks, and protecting those sensitive body parts would be difficult. Still, it wasn't something they were too worried about. The more pressing matter was if, during their clash, the two stronger Conductors found themselves fighting right near Alex and Melodi. At that point, their shockwaves would likely be fatal.
With no other option, they began to move around the edges of the room. The two stronger Conductors immediately took notice of them, but neither could move to stop them. Ulric was both shocked and annoyed to see Alex and Melodi here, but he knew that he had to protect them from the dangers of this battle.
As the Order lieutenant moved to stop them, Ulric drove him back, pushing towards the room's opposite end. The lieutenant scowled but could do nothing against Ulric's determination. His new goal wasn't to defeat the Order lieutenant but to drive him away from the two young Conductors heading for the final chamber.
Alex and Melodi moved quickly and only suffered minor damage to their weakest organs before making it to the other side of the chamber. They promptly scurried inside and moved deeper into the ruin. Ulric let out a sigh of relief at that moment, but the lieutenant huffed in frustration.
"Why do you let these children steal your glory?" asked the lieutenant as he slammed his fists against the flat of Ulric's blade. "You and I both know the power of the artifact that lies beyond this room. Are you really so foolish as to let these fools who know nothing claim it in our stead? For me, it would bring glory to my almighty Userper Sect! Just imagine what kind of future would await you if you helped me! Join our cause! Help me lay claim to this powerful artifact, and together we can present it to the sect leader himself!"
Ulric scowled now and thrust his sword forward, knocking the lieutenant off balance. Ulric quickly swung his claymore and tried to bisect the lieutenant, but the man backflipped away. "You're scum! All of you! I would never entangle myself within your ranks, not after..." began Ulric, but he was cut off as the lieutenant let out a scornful laugh.
"After we what? Burned your village? Stole your sacred treasure? Killed your friends and family? Please, I've heard it all a million times. Don't bore me with your sob story. We're trying to accomplish something great here! Don’t you see?
"If some lives, or treasures, or even entire cities must be sacrificed for the greater good, then so be it! Can't you even understand what we're trying to do? You are a proper member of the paladins, don't tell me they haven't informed you of the true nature of our Sect," the lieutenant said with a mocking tone in his voice.