This was only my second time inside one of these hideaways. The first time was when Punch and Line and I were loitering around Skenzek’s Beacon of Hope during our journey. My ring reacted to me sliding my hand back and forth against the stone; all I wanted to do was clean off some curry that I clumsily flicked onto the rock with my fork.
Punch gave me a lesson on the Beacons while I was dodging arrows and climbing platforms the first time around. The structures were apparently collaborations between Phaestus and his wife, Yasuin, the goddess of games and trickery. The Beacons were carved decorative gifts to most humans, but mysterious treasure troves for mortals that could find their way. And for some reason, the ring given to me by my adoptive mother allowed me to access the secrets held within.
Losing myself in my thoughts was my only solution to the endless monotony that was climbing down this staircase. It seemed to go down for miles. A part of me wanted to back right out and go about my day. Every step made me think of how much of a pain in the ass it’ll be going back up.
At long last, I found myself entering a room with a regal-looking rug that extended from myself to the door at the other end. The walls were indented, as if they could shift open to other rooms. As I stepped onto the carpet, I felt a pressure plate lower below me, and the doors opened by unseen mechanisms. The gears were likely magically enchanted to stand the test of time. Behind all four sliding wall doors were skeleton knights that jostled. The clicking of bones and floating dust filled the room as they woke up from their slumber and approached me. Dammit, I’m not really in the mood for a fight, but we really need some funds to get what's necessary for our likely confrontation with Reshien.
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The skeleton knights lunged at me simultaneously. One of them shambled and missed its blow. Another I dodged and countered with ease. The third was able to graze my neck. Had it lopped off my head, I don’t think even Punch and Line would be able to save me. I tackled the last on the ground and crushed its skull with a few punches. I ripped another’s head off and stomp and punted it into a wall. The other two were easily dispatched in a similar fashion. I rushed through the door, eager to get out of there.
My foolhardiness was severely punished. The next room featured a giant pool of water between me and the door. As I barged through the door, I tripped on what seemed to be a wooden oar that was on the ground. An electric current zapped through my body as I struggled to pull myself out back onto solid ground. Thankfully, it seems that the power in the water had weakened over time, but I swore my heart damn nearly stopped.
A tiny raft laid nearby, I piloted it across to the end of this room where I was greeted with a treasure chest and an orb stuck in a strange, claw-like podium. I approached and touched the orb first, curious as to what it was. My vision seemed to spiral and twist as the scene changed around me. When I came to, I noticed that the staircase I descended down was right behind me. I was in a cramped room with the chest and the orb in front of me.
Fuck, that was all illusion magic? Stupid dungeon. I wasted no time opening the chest to be greeted by gold coins of old print that could be salvaged for their material. Gems, trinkets, and baubles spilled out the chest. This was most likely good enough for everything we needed. That electric lake made me realize that I would need to find a way to nullify Reshien’s lightning attacks if I didn’t want my heart to stop beating. A fight against a god is suicide enough. I needed to be more prepared. I recalled hearing about a world class tailor in Reanth.
“Time to pay them a visit.”