Chapter 121: Chambers of the Lost (2/2)

Trian just walked next to the mind weaver and used his magic to activate the runes. He winced and Ilea blinked next to him and healed while he continued to push electric mana inside. The runes on the table lit up with the same orange red Ilea already hated before a holographic map formed over the table.

“Oh wow that’s cool, a hologram. Hold it Trian, let’s draw that down.” Ilea said, summoning her notebook and moving her leg closer to his to keep the connection for her healing spell.

“It… hurts...” the man said through grinding teeth.

“Perfect, you can level your Pain Tolerance. Now I’m jealous, this is actually useful to you.” Ilea said in a dry tone. “Trust me the second stage is worth it.” she finished and started drawing.

“You h… have the second s… stage?” Trian made big eyes, partially because of the pain flowing through him. Ilea didn’t respond and just kept merrily sketching, glad the man didn’t stop until she was done.

“Alright, I tried to make it as 2D as possible. Here’s the first floor, here’s the second and here’s the third.” Ilea said as Trian released his connection to the table. “I think we’re supposed to be here...” she pointed to a dot she had painted that had been blinking when the map was still holographic.

“2D? Holographic? Are you secretly interested in rune magic?” Trian asked, wringing his hands where the runes had injured him.

“It’s more light magic I think. I learned about some things from this crazy old teacher in our village.” she answered. ‘It’s nice that these guys weren’t that keen on security… seeing how some dumb fuck noble can just access the maps. Might be a fake map or lacking secrets but still…’ she thought. Seeing how the mind weaver couldn’t activate the map then perhaps the ones who built this didn’t see a threat of anybody ever seeing it. The demon could use the smaller tools as they just ran on mana and not elemental energy like Trian had used.

“Light magic… well that seems pretty advanced, never came across anything like it. Then again your own class isn’t standard either… where should we go then? There’s several bigger rooms but it’s hard to say how big the whole facility is.” the man finished.

“Well we haven’t come across anything so far so I doubt there are traps or enemies. Of course there could be some waiting but if I’m at the front I’ll be find from nearly all surprise attacks that would take me out immediately.” Ilea said. Trian understood and nodded, looking to the demon and then to Ilea.

“He can climb your back?” she asked, laughing as his expression turned sour.

“It’s safer, he’d die if I get engulfed in flame or something.” she argued and watched Trian nod in resignation.

“Hey demon, how fast can you run… or float?” Trian asked. The speed they had traveled together before was less than thrilling, at least to the two mercenaries.

“I’m fast humans.” he said.

“Show me black eyes...” Ilea said, gesturing for the demon to start. The mind weaver turned around and sped through the corridor they had come from, Ilea looking to Trian a couple seconds later.

The man avoided her gaze and just gulped. “Alright… alright I’ll hold him. Do you have some clothes at least, he’s covered in blood…” Ilea smiled at his answer and summed some dwarven clothes she still had left.

“You’re wearing armor, it’s not like he touches you. Not that even that should bother you.” Ilea said, basking in his discomfort.

“Well it does.” Trian said as he walked to the returning demon, throwing the clothes at him. “Get those on, ask her if you need help. I’ll carry you.” he finished and walked into the corridor, waiting for the two to finish. The demon looked to the man and then at the bundle of clothes in his clawed hands. Finally he looked up to Ilea.

“How can you look like a puppy with those terrifying features?” she said and smirked, walking towards the demon and taking the clothes, explaining the concept to him. It took a while to get them on without damaging them badly, too many claws and bones.

“There you go. You look much more sophisticated now but I think a cloak or something would be better. Maybe a big coat.” looking up at the demon’s face she furrowed her brow. “Maybe a full plate helmet as well.” she smiled brightly at the man and summoned her helmet again. She had some dwarven helmets left but didn’t want to give him anything yet, not like anybody here cared about the demon. She thought about the existence of racism in Elos and decided that should the demon get out with them, he would get a helmet from her. Otherwise it would be killed in mere days. If it decided to not attack them after they get out. In that case she would destroy the guy’s face.

Trian grudgingly got the demon on his back, both of them visibly uncomfortable. ‘Proud powerful men.’ Ilea thought and smiled brightly under her helmet. “Let’s go then.” she said and started running.

The first big hall was empty as the hallways and rooms had been before, the sheer scale of it an indicator of how big this whole facility truly was. Ilea slowed down as she looked up, feeling small in the presence of this old and truly awesome architecture, their steps the only sound in the vicinity. Ilea wasn’t sure anymore if she was prepared to meet whoever built this place, especially not if they were hostile.

“What the hell have we found here… demon, do you think we’re still in the same realm?” Trian asked his backpack, time having resolved the discomfort of their arrangement.

“I do not know human… the Lost… they surprise me again. In my years I haven’t seen something like this…” the demon commented, still sitting on Trian’s back. The clothes made the humanoid look less like the monster they’d found him as. The constant mind magic coming from him just for the sake of communication was getting more and more normal as well, just a buzz in the back of their minds by that point. Ilea glanced over to the demon, quite glad they had a mind mage with them in this unexplored place, an asset that could save their lives, or kill them in an opportune moment.

“The Lost… do you know anything about them? Why aren’t they here?” Trian asked as they continued to walk through the hall. The demon looked over and then back to the front.

“They were before… we have found artifacts of them all over the great emptiness but none could activate anything until now… until you.” the demon explained in an elated tone.

“I’m sure we’re not the only ones… have you never met one of them? Are they even something you could meet?” Ilea asked, thinking of perhaps something otherworldly that couldn’t be perceived with the human senses.

“It is told… there were meetings, sightings. Not for many hundreds of years but we are certain they are a people of some kind. You are the first ones to activate something that I know of. The chance of course exists that there were others… that there are others. You spoke of something that came here, perhaps that something can manipulate the artifacts as well.” the demon answered.

“Speaking of...” Trian said and pointed to one of the faraway walls where a massive alignment of metal shapes had started moving at a more and more rapid pace until finally a pulse of orange red energy formed from the wall behind them, shooting into the alignment and away into the dark void that opened up behind it. Ilea couldn’t imagine the energy required for a beam that big, she was pretty sure it wasn’t just light.

“Well either that is something that happens periodically or somehow in reaction to our intrusion or someone else is fucking with things...” Ilea commented.

“Let’s find out, can you tell where that beam went?” Trian asked and motioned for the demon to get on his back again. Ilea opened her notebook and looked through the sketches, finding the place that was most likely the destination of the light beam should it simply have continued onwards in a straight line.

“Yea, another big hall. Seems like it’s the middle of the middle floor. At least of what we saw in that map, might not have been a complete one.” she said and activated her buffs, her wings spreading.

“We have a goal then. Hold on demon and I swear if you try anything stupid you’re fried meat.” Ilea said and could see the demon gulp with her Sphere. At least he knew he was outclassed. Perhaps he had found some respect for them with the successful activation of the artifacts, or fear.