I checked the other side of the secret door and found a simple mechanism to open it. After Vel had entered, I left the door slightly open behind us as I didn't want to resume the perception blocking enchantment. The seam would be difficult to spot from the outside without close examination.
"Did we just find a secret chamber?" Vel whispered.
"I think we did," I whispered back enthusiastically.
"How did the scouts miss this?"
"There was a protection against perception skills, I felt a big void in my sphere while it was active. And I think I could only see the lock because of Magic Perception, lots of other skills would have missed it."
"So we got very lucky."
"Yes we did. Now that the door is open, my sphere can see through it."
The two rooms to the right of the hallway looked like storage rooms. The first was empty of anything worthwhile, just half-rotten crates and lots of dust. The second had a stash of weapons. Swords and shields, spears, bows, and so on. I didn't recognize the material they were made of, a dark metal with a silvery sheen.
Out of curiosity, I tried to identify through my sphere.
Identify
[Nefril Steel Sword (???)]
I frowned, it looked like my Identify was too low level. The skill was notoriously hard to level and the guides Breknir had given us recommended using skill points to increase it. Since I had enough points to get it to the second tier, I went for it.
System Action
Increase [Identify (I)] to level 20 for 13 SP
Increase [Identify (I)] to rank II, level 7 for 7 SP
Cost: 20 SP, Left: 35 SP
Confirm [Y/N]
I tried to identify the sword again.
Identify
[Nefril Steel Sword (Sharpness, Durability)]
This time, I saw the enchantments on the blade. Nothing spectacular, my dagger had the same. But there were a few dozens of each weapon type. It would definitely be a good idea to bring back a few to the village.
On the other side of the hallway was a long room. The walls were lined with shelves. Most were empty but there were a few that contained books and one that had several items on display. At the center were two sets of wooden desks, empty.
"Let's go to the armory first," I said, "second door to the right."
"You found some goodies?"
I gave her a smile.
----------------------------------------
"That's a lot of weapons," Vel said, "and they are high quality too."
We had opened several crates and my girlfriend was trying out a short sword. She went through a few quick movements and the blade looked to almost flow in her hands.
"Ever heard of Nefril Steel?" I asked.
"No, but I'm not a blacksmith."
She placed the blade back in its scabbard and started to tie it to her waist. On my side, I pried open one of the crates containing bows. They were placed in a rack and had likely been protected with some sort of packing material if the sad pile of dust at the bottom was any indication.
Identify
[Nefril Composite Bow (Power, Durability)]
I gave the weapon a detailed look, it was definitely made of composite materials, the limbs were made of a type of wood I had not seen before and were augmented by nefril steel. At the extremities, there was a mechanism that almost looked like a pulley bow but without the multiple strings. The handle was made of metal and had a wrapped grip that felt like rubber. Attached to the handle were sights. I looked through the metal ring and found a lens with markings, as I adjusted the bow the markings seemed to shift like a reflex sight on a gun.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
If I kept any weapon from her for myself, it would be this one. I took some arrows from another crate, also made from the same composite material, and added them to my quiver.
"You're taking the sword?"
"Yes," Vel said, "it's better than anything I've tried in the village. You're taking the bow? It looks weird."
"It looks like some of the high performance bows from my world," I said.
"I'll get one too I think."
I nodded. I took a pair of daggers for myself. We were operating in tight quarters and having more options to stab enemies with would be a good thing. Without an expanded backpack or a storage item, I was limited in what I could carry so those items would have to suffice as proof.
----------------------------------------
The desk room was far more interesting. Most of the shelves were empty and however long they had been sitting there, any hint of what they had contained was long gone. The few books I found were written in a language I couldn't understand. The script looked roughly similar to dark elven but the words were all nonsense. I put a few of them in my pack to bring them back to the village.
The biggest discovery was in the last shelf. Instead of books, it had several wooden boxes which all contained the same items placed on a velvet cushion. The first looked like a metal fingerless glove with several crystals embedded inside. A lens-shaped purple crystal was in the palm of the hand, three rounded crystals were on the back, and two button-shaped ones were on the wrist. The second was a simple bracelet of the same metal with only three crystals.
They were also packed to the brim with enchantments, especially the gems. The mesh of magic was so dense I had trouble making out the individual parts.
Identify
[Ravri Ritual Bracer (Bound, Durability, Key, Spell Slots, Mana Battery, ???; 0/9 spells, 0/1000 MP)]
[Ravri Ritual Bracelet (Bound, Durability, ???)]
I raised an eyebrow at the result of identify. An epic-tier bound item. Those were rare, enough that I had never seen one before today. The additional question marks at the end raised even more questions. Were there some enchantments I couldn't identify?
"What are those?" Vel said from behind me, "I get only question marks."
I had taken the boxes to the nearest desk and opened them there. It was strange that there hadn't been any locks on the cases, only a stasis enchantment. Items of this quality should have been more protected. But maybe they had been. The lock on the door hadn't been easy to open and I now had an inkling I had forced my way through. The bracer had an enchantment called key which was likely to open the door.
"Ravri Ritual Bracer and Bracelet," I said, "they are bound items. The bracer has a bunch of powerful enchantments including spells slots and mana battery. I get question marks too so there is more than that. The bracelet is only question marks"
"That's so weird."
"Yup." I paused for a moment. "I want to try them."
"Isn't that … dangerous? You don't know what it does. The unknown enchantments could be dangerous."
"I have a feeling they aren't," I said. "At worst it won't work."
Vel stayed silent.
I unstrapped my right arm guard and pulled my sleeve back. I gently lifted the bracer from its cradle, the metal was slightly cool to the touch and I turned it over a few times. Finally, I gathered my courage and slipped it on my arm. What I thought had been the wrist guard was actually multiple rings held together by two spiraling metal bands.
Once I put on the bracelet on my other wrist, a message chimed up.
System Action
Bind Item [Ravri Ritual Bracer]
Bind Item [Ravri Ritual Bracelet]
Cost: 500 MP
Confirm [Y/N]
I confirmed and felt a chunk of my mana disappear. Instead of a loose fit, the two now hugged my skin with pleasant warmth. They almost felt like a part of me. In a sense they were. Bound items were special, when they were bound to someone, it was impossible for anyone else to use them. And if damaged, they would slowly reform if fed mana. They were the gold standard in terms of items.
"Well, I'm still alive," I said, "and not cursed."
"That you know of," Vel said.
"That I know of," I admitted.
I picked up a second box and gave it to her.
"This one is yours. I'll take the last box and give it to Breknir."
She eyed them box suspiciously but still put it in her backpack and I did the same with mine.
"I think we've found everything here," I said, "let's go find what we were here for."
Vel nodded. We left the secret chamber and I sealed the door behind us, the bracer was indeed a key.
----------------------------------------
We made out way up the stairs and to the jail part of the basement. Above us was the ground floor which hosted a few more storage rooms and a big open area with access to the courtyard. It had probably been a stable at some point but everything except the stone had rotted away.
Kobold activity was more pronounced on this level. The stairway closest to the stable entrance was frequently used by kobolds who went to and from the tents in the courtyard to the upper levels. On the upper levels, activity increased once more. Several rooms had been converted into makeshift barracks and even a dining hall.
I scanned for our quarry and finally found her on the third floor. She was dressed differently from the rest of the kobolds present who had only crude furs on. The kobold priestess had an elaborate dress slash armor on, made of wool and treated leather. She was in the company of several other kobolds, all better dressed than most. The golden bracelet hung loose on her wrist.
Identify
[Kobold (Rank 3, Level 2; Cleric 4)]
[Kobold (Rank 2, Level 32)]
[Kobold (Rank 2, Level 34)]
[Kobold (Rank 2, Level 31)]
[Kobold (Rank 2, Level 29)]
'Found target,' I signed, 'third floor. Five present.'
'Strategy?'