Chapter 320: Aftermath (2/2)
“There should be treasure.” Ilea said, “I’ve been inside of a great hall before. Don’t underestimate the traps, nearly killed me back then.” When I was just a wee lass, unable to tank a Praetorian’s scythe.
“Good.” Terok said, pointing behind him towards the shattered throne, only bits and pieces remaining, “Then we can start with the hidden room behind this one.”
Maro laughed at that, “Had to get your armor done first?”
The dwarf chuckled and started walking towards the wall, “Of course, wouldn’t want to get left behind. Although you two deserve most of everything here. Anybody disagree?”
Neiphato waved him off, “Of course not. We would all be dead without them.”
“I do ask to see what we find at least, if it has great relevance to me I would like to offer a trade.” Niivalyr suggested, neither Ilea nor Maro replying in any way.
They’re taking this way too seriously. There’s plenty more dungeons with loot around. She looked at Maro who didn’t seem to care much either. They still had the treasury and armory in Tremor left to open, likely holding quite a bit of stuff as well.
They stopped in front of the wall, Ilea not sensing anything wrong with it. She didn’t know if her old Hunter’s Sphere would have let her sense anything. Considering her arcane sight didn’t reveal the secret either, she doubted it. “There’s enchantments here. Illusion, strong skill disruption, shielding and a bunch more, all defensive in nature. Maro what do you think?”
“I don’t see half the things you mentioned.” The man said, surprising the dwarf as he cocked his head to the side, shrugging a moment later.
Terok turned to the elves waiting behind the group, Heranuur and Seviir punching each other every couple seconds, giddy and apparently highly uninterested. “You two can go clear out more of the Taleen.” Niivalyr suggested, both of them grinning before Ilea interrupted.
“Don’t enter any of the side paths from the main hall. I don’t want to clean off your corpses from a bunch of spikes.” They nodded and vanished, bickering amongst themselves as they left the throne room. Ilea rolled her eyes, Maro watching her with a grin.
“You’re a good mother you know.” He said, crossing his arms as Ilea pondered about punching him. It would only add fuel to the fire so she refrained.
Still didn’t have our bout.
“As I was about to ask.” Terok said, “Do you have runic knowledge or experience with enchantments?”
Neiphato shook his head and Niivalyr spoke, “Only elven.Though I can read the Taleen language if that is any help.”
“Seven hundred years and he doesn’t know his runes.” The dwarf murmured, getting to work.
“Niivalyr. I have something for you that I’d like to have translated and transcribed.” Ilea said, looking at the elf who looked back with interest. She hadn’t trusted him enough but their actions today ranked at least him and Neiphato quite a lot higher than before. She summoned her big crate of stuff and rummaged through, her sphere allowing her to find what she was looking for quickly.
A little leather bound diary, worn by age, any color gone from it. Yet it had survived and now she had found someone that claimed to know the language. “It’s something I found on a dwarven skeleton, Taleen likely. The gearon him was named Legate Guardian Armor. Also where I got this.” She tapped the necklace with the Guardian like head.
Niivalyr smiled brightly, “And yet again I fall deeper into your debt, Ilea. I had been wondering about that necklace but deemed it inappropriate to pry. May I?” He held out a hand before she handed over the small book.
“Did you find that in a Taleen dungeon too?” Neiphato asked, looking at her necklace. She nodded, Niivalyr summoning a table and chair before he carefully opened the book. Carefully moving through it, he grumbled and hissed time and time again.
“Most of it is faded. It is a diary.” He said. Ilea felt like he was missing glasses to top off his look.
“Any of the most recent entries remaining?” Maro was the one to ask.
“Yes. Let’s see… 3rd cycle, the year eight hundred and sixteen… Some of the numbers are faded, it might not be exactly that. Still I am afraid. Questioning every day if it was the right decision to make, even if it had meant our doom. Surrendering control, long theorized yet hardly tested. I fear for my brothers and sisters, their children and those to come after. Still, we must fight, must prevail. My duty will soon be irrelevant, replaced by the Guardians assigned. Either that or the enemy will hunt us down, slaughter each and everyone of us.
May the One without form prevail. I will guard the Tungsten key with my life.”
He looked up, “That is one of the later ones. Some more entries talk about hunger, sleep and death. I suppose survival priorities had sneaked up on the dwarf. Yet still, he had remained at his post.” Niivalyr concluded. He looked at Ilea with sharp eyes, turning on his chair a little, “Did you find the Tungsten key?”
When she didn’t reply he continued, “Supposedly Cerithil hunters have found several such keys, each pertaining to a specific metal. The runework and complexity surpasses anything they had ever seen. Yet these stories are mere legends I suppose. The Cerithil hunters lack resources as well as mages to even start to study such a thing. Yet it was deemed important enough for this dwarf to guard with his very life.”
Ilea nodded, “Well let me know if you find out more about it.” She didn’t mention the key itself but everyone present could guess at the location. Especially her not denying the possession.
Niivalyr nodded, moving back to the book. “It is safer with you to be sure. If it is in fact in your possession. I will let you know once I have found their purpose.” He hesitated, tapping the wooden table with one sharp nail, “You don’t suppose we could see it?”
She sighed, “You said your understanding of runes is bad? Let’s go with this, once you all hit three hundred I’ll think about it. Sound interesting?”
He grinned, “Well I thought more about paying you your human currency. Or perhaps offering anything else you would be interested in. Yet once again you surprise me. Do come back here at some point, we will be sure to meet your requirement in a reasonable time. Likely not as fast as you have but we cannot take the same risks.” He looked over his shoulder towards the entrance, “They don’t count.”
“Of course they don’t.” Ilea said and chuckled, Terok cursing near the wall as a sizzling noise resounded. “You plan to stay then? Clean out the whole place?”
Niivalyr looked at Neiphato then her, “I don’t know yet. There is much to be learned in this place and the Centurions will be enough to let us advance to the next evolutions. You have laid the groundwork.”