While the Knights of Ulk seem to be rather rude, one of the Scholar type people seems to be trying to pacify the Knights.
Those ‘Knights’ are nothing like the Telk Knights. Their powers are more in reinforcement as I can feel. Heavy Infantry brimming with inhuman powers but not enough for… I ramble again.
“We are scouting the Ruins further south west from here, what about it?”
“Commoners do not have the authority to go there!”
“That would be true if they were on Ulks land, but most of it are in the Grassy plains of the People showing us the way, are they not?”
“You! Those Ferrals do not have…”
“Now, now. Please abate your anger Gilbert. If they want to go there, just let them. That place is dangerous and a few people more would help out, don’t you think?”
Somehow those nice words seem to have a kind of undertone I can’t put my finger on it, but he is right. If others are there too, we could help each other in need, right?
“Since when are you so… Wait, I understand. You! We enlist you for the scouting of the place with us. Afterwards you get the reward you deserve.”
My alarm bells are ringing, but why? Whatever, no matter what I have somehow more the creeps of the two deer people for some odd reasoning too, so maybe I got over the time a bit oversensitive?
…
A true ‘Party’ we are not. Snow is in her human form as we noticed them way earlier and she just adjusted her look to be more like that. She hates it, as no tail makes her complain about the balancing being off, but she is still as athletic as with it, so maybe only feeling like that?
Back to the Party problem. The Knights with the Archaeologists stay with themselves, the deer guys are with us but we keep them also a bit distant. Like this we look more like three groups working only reluctant together.
Seeing the place I understand why only now they seem to want to look into the Ruins. A landslide made the place visible and is only now known to exist. So that place is never been searched for? Curious… Wait! How do the deer people know what I am searching is in here if they never… Ah, I was tricked, wasn’t I? They just wanted a better remuneration. I will make their lives hell, if I do not get out anything valuable afterwards though!
…
The work is rather obviously us being bait! The first who have to go in were we, and every Room is our team of four to be the first to go in. Complaining would be an easy fix, but to look as some kind of Adventurers, who have paid some pacified Beast men, we can not go too overboard with our backtalk. Why not taking them out right away? I am no murderer who kills senselessly.
Intriguingly the whole place seems to be powered off. No Mana and all the security systems are more or less deactivated. Gates were still an issue and the breaking open needs hours per door. Sometimes we were in luck and the bolts were not in place, but not often. That place goes deep and no Miasma or anything other. What is this place?
When we were further down finally we notice magical circuitry slightly working. Maybe residue or a emergency power? What it means would be at the same time easier passage and also more problems. While some defences are not powered, not all of them are offline and those are mean! We talk about Lasers, disintegration fields and even turrets!
“So, you are from the City near this place, knew those Fe… People from a while before and they gave you this Information for a fee? Interesting, but I can not understand why you would work with them to begin with.”
The Archaeologist who were pacifying that Gilbert person talks to us while we have our rest. It is nice to see some interpersonal relationships growing. It is more tedious, if we can not even talk with each other.
“Well, they are different, but as we live as Neighbours I just have a better hang to them, even if it is not that good and more of the kind of not killing each other, if we see us hunting in the same place for prey.”
“Yes, I also notice many slavers not visiting this area any more. The F… Beast People further south are easier to handle than those in the North. I wonder why that is…”
“Nothing to do with us, I assure you. Those guys seem to work on their abilities to fight more and more. That is the reason I even thought of trying a distant truce. Too many injured and dead in the northern towns and that after the Stampede is not really productive.”
“You have a sharp mind. So sad you were not born a Scholar, oh well. After you help us with this place you will have our thanks and your rewards. Be assured of it.”
…
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Nine days are we now down here. It is more than only a scouting job for now and while I anticipated the long time the Knights were wondering why we are still here, as normally the first few chambers were already enough. Especially as we did not even show much interest in the findings.
What is there to be happy about? Just rotten reagents and while the Books might be worth Mithril in price, those show less information than I really need.
Yes, I have partially encoded the old scripture, and can on the faded title see how worthless those things are. ‘Inventory Stock List’, ‘Shift lists’, ‘The adventures of the flying Bard’, ‘Weather protocol’… That place is only a written database for useless crap! The one book out of order was obviously a forgotten Novel someone read while supposedly working and was the most damaged one, as it was not made out of super resilient materials like those scrolls and books.
For being just a Document storage facility this place is way too secure, so something is off!
…
“Yes! This might be the right place! Finally, we are close.”
The Leader Erdigal, the only Archaeologist who talks to us is suddenly very exited. I wonder why…
“What are you referring to?”
“Oh, we have Information about this place, but is a high secret, so do not worry about it too much. Can you maybe scout the hallway to the right, while we organize the Informations we have?”
I can read the signs on the walls and we are going to the… Meeting Room? Visitor Room? Still not truly connecting all those glyphs with their Words, but it sounds more like a place to welcome guests, but the high security shows more how that place is a defunct bunker with no entry for anyone.
This is some really strange place. While Buck an Twig are at the front we go the place, that shows the most promise, a security gate. The first door is slightly open and we can slide those doors into the reinforced walls but inside are definite signs of Mana.
“Be careful, this place is active. We do not want to die uselessly.”
Buck snorts and just goes inside. What a rude guy, I wanted to warn him!
Nothing happened and we all are going in. The other door is obviously sealed. Breaking it open will take time, but the defence grid is active and would start eliminating us right away.
“Well, this is it Buck. We finally made it to the promised place. Are you as excited as I am?”
Buck nods, and I wonder what in the Void they are talking about!?
“Void Walker. It was an honour to see you in the flesh, while we are just some simple gears in the machine of time. This place can not be used again, please make sure about it.”
“What are you talking about? Are you suddenly going hostile?”
“We would be no match for you, but there are things, we need to apologize in advance.”
Wait, when did Buck go to the strange terminal plate on the closed door? With a punch that broke his hand in a bloody pulp, while he damaged it and the Security starts up. WHAT THE VOID!!!
“INTRUDERS DETECTED. ELIMINATING INTRUDERS IN THREE MINUTES WITHOUT ARREST FROM SECURITY.”
While speaking those ominous words the way out just closed and sealed shut. Not only that but a field draws over it.
“We have not much time…”
“What did you DO!”
“Please listen. The Door back is not possible, but the ventilation has a broken security system. You can enter from there.”
“SNOW! Check it out immediately!”
I am not worried about Nemo. But Snow is with me, and I do not want to see her hurt. Those bastards will PAY!
“You will pay for this!”
“We already have. There is no way for a human body to go through there.”
He points at the ventilation shaft that is at most a small pipe for a bit of airflow, but nothing more. Even that thing has a security shell, that luckily did not close up. Broken down and inoperable. What luck!
“So please just go with a small body through and leave us here to die. We finally can be at peace.”
Their smile is like they are more relieved than… Those guys, don’t tell me…
“You are Cultists!”
“Yes, we never said we weren’t. You would not have come immediately if we told you as cultists as Fate had written it before.”
Those guys! Why in the Void did they made it so elaborate!
“Questions are answered, if you see what is down here. Be sure Fate is watching you amused and we can not disobey, we are sorry.”
Insane! They are totally insane!!!
“Null! That way leads to a strange Room, other ways are taking my rats out without remorse!”
“We have to go fast! This place will not leave anything afterwards, so take in Nemo and give me Surge!”
With a body change, I get ready to crawl that place up to the pipe, but not before Snow is through with all of her Rats she can transform in.
“Thank you Null. Please let the present in the Room abate your anger towards our humble people.”
If there is nothing you will see your whole Cultist Clan on the other side right after, you bastards!
“Let me remind you, dying is not the worst thing for us. It is the agony to know what will happen until we are dying, that shows only relieve at the end.”
Those Nutjobs need to SHUT UP! Snow is through, I can go now!
“At last… Peace…”
Those were the last words I heard. Never came a countdown. Maybe the Countdown broke or the System would never tell their Captured any Information, but right after entering I heard the Grid activate. I do not know how many attacks were done, but it was thorough. I heard so many different noises one after the other, I could not count them all. They were not only dying, they were being erased without a trace!