Chapter 276: Cabin Fever (2/2)

The elf was silent for a few moments before replying. ”Do you know what that language is?”

Something about the question struck him as a bit odd, and he quickly realized that his Communication Magic had been working while he was focused on keeping the cover intact. ”Honestly, no, but that doesn't mean I can't read it. I'm not sure if I ever told you, but one of my skills lets me understand and use languages. It's the reason we've been able to communicate like this.”

She nodded. ”I suspected that it was something of that nature, but I didn't wish to pry. I assume it also applies to the ancient magic languages, right? That would explain a number of your more outlandish deeds.”

”It does.”

Tal paused for a few seconds, her emotionless face becoming more opaque than usual. Finally she shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. ”My apologies, I was simply marveling at the way I've become numb to the outrageous. It appears that my association with you has warped my common sense to a rather distressing degree. In any event, would you perhaps be willing to discuss the details of your skill with me?”

As she spoke, he could almost sense a sort of tension in the air. Despite the somewhat off-hand way she asked about it, it was clear that this was an important matter to her. Saying the wrong thing here would be bad.

[Kind of wish I had something like dialogue options in situations like these, since I'm already living in a game-like world, but I guess that's asking too much.]

Mike hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was a good idea to share this kind of information, since it technically related to his reincarnation and the Ancient One who made it happen. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that it would be fine to tell her some of it. He trusted Tal, and didn't think that the revelation would change anything about their relationship.

”I can do that, but I don't think now is the best time to be talking about it. We still have to explore the rest of this cabin at the moment. However, once we are done we can continue this conversation.”

”Very well, I'll hold you to it.” She replied simply. Walking towards the door, she shot a look back at him. ”Shall we move on to the next room?” Her agitation had faded and been replaced by her usual calm demeanor, causing Mike to relax a bit in turn.

[Maybe it's time to tell everyone?] He contemplated while following Tal to the next door. This one belonged to yet another guest room. It was a bit hard to tell with all the decay, but he got the impression that it was used more often than the ones downstairs.

”Perhaps the previous owner was a traveling scholar or adventurer.” The elf suggested after they determined that it had the same layout as the others. ”She would only need so many rooms if she planned on journeying with companions. Judging from the nature of the carvings on the support columns, I suspect that she was a devotee of Lysande, and might have even been one of his clergy. It would make sense if that was the case, since they often travel in groups.”

”What makes you say that?” Mike asked as he looked over one of the columns in question.

”See the image of an eye laying atop an outreached hand?”

He nodded, finding the carving a bit creepy.

”That is a common theme in artistry dedicated to Lysande, as it represents the accumulation of knowledge even at the expense of oneself.”

”That sounds a bit...fanatical.” He muttered, not really expecting an answer.

”Priests of the creator gods are frequently quite intense in their dedications, but I've encountered several over the years that are fairly reasonable outside of their faith.”

”You make it sound as if faith is somehow unreasonable. I mean, we know the gods exist. Isn't worshiping them to be expected?”

Tal gave him a look that would have been incredulous, if her face was capable of forming the expression. ”The gods are irrational beings who will act as they see fit, regardless of whether or not you worship them. This is especially true in the case of the creator gods. You may receive some benefit for your devotion, but outside of Divine Magic users, few will be rewarded for their efforts. While I do not wish to condemn anyone for their faith, it seems the height of folly to sacrifice one's own life to serve an uncaring being.”

[Hm, I didn't take her for the irreligious type, but perhaps that makes sense given her background. I imagine that the persecution she suffered for being a Spirit Mage was partially motivated by her people's religious beliefs.]

He let the topic drop, and they continued down to the basement in silence. Rather than the exterior entrance, they decided to use the stairs in the kitchen. As soon as they began descending, Mike noticed a soft, low-pitched hum that grew louder the farther they went.

At the bottom of the stairs, they encountered a solid metal door that had survived the passage of time without any sign of deterioration. A quick Appraise told Mike that it had been enchanted to both resist corrosion, and bar entry to anyone save the owner of the demi-realm.

Signalling Tal to be ready, he reached out and grabbed the handle, noting that the humming seemed to be coming from within. Steeling himself, he pushed the door open in a rush before taking a step back. As soon as he did, the noise he'd been hearing stopped, and in its place came a voice.

”Ah! Visitors! It's been so long since I've had visitors! Please come in!”