Volume 10 Chapter 5 Ancient Ruins Exploration Part I
Al carefully approached the huge stone building.
There shouldn't be many Barbarians who can attack from the sky, but once, when he joined Naresh's expedition, there was a Goblin Mage with a Lizardman. They might shoot 'Magic Missiles' at them, and if 'Dispel Magic' cancels the 'Fly' spell, it would be a disaster.
Al sent the 'Floating Eye' ahead to check that there were no Barbarians around, then landed near the entrance on the south side. Joanna quickly stood up from Al's 'Carrier' chair, drew her sword, and looked around cautiously. What is this stone building? The place where they landed had broken stone railings, looking like a balcony. They could see a hallway leading deeper inside. It seemed like there was a large open space ahead.
"I'm sure there won't be any light inside, so I'll give you both 'Night Sight' with 'Sensory Boost.' Make sure to accept it, okay?"
Al said this and used the 'Sensory Boost' spell on both of them. He also explained some things to be careful about with the 'Flash' spell.
"I see, so we can see well even in the dark. This is useful. 'Sensory Boost' spell, huh? I heard it wasn't very useful to learn, but it seems I was wrong."
Joanna murmured in admiration and peeked down the hallway. Patricia, trying to hide behind her, also looked in the same direction.
"I thought the Barbarians were using this place as their hideout, but it doesn't seem like it. It's really quiet."
At Joanna's words, Al nodded and sniffed the air. The Lizardmen had a body odor that smelled like rotten fish. If they were living here, that smell should be strong, but it wasn't very noticeable.
The building tilted, creating about a 2-meter (� 6.56 feet) gap from the balcony to the water's surface. It wouldn't be impossible to climb down, but it would be a bit difficult.
"It feels like we can only get in from above. I'll go first. Ms. Joanna, please protect Patricia."
Al led the way down the hallway, and the three of them entered a large open space surrounded by a 30-meter (98.4ft) square corridor with railings. Water was pooled inside, but it was murky, so they couldn't tell how deep it was. To their left, on the west side, stairs led down along the wall.
The outer edge of the corridor had regular room entrances lined up. Across the open space, a passage went further in, but part of it was submerged in water. It likely connected to the entrance on the north side. The stone path was muddy, and scattered eggshells--similar to those of Lizardmen--lay around. The eggs were a bit old.
"It seems like they used to lay eggs here."
Joanna and Patricia frowned and shook their heads as if they had seen something unpleasant after Al's explanation. Al and the others moved down the corridor, checking each room lined up along the outer edge. The rooms were bare, with no furniture left behind. Since it was said that this ruin had already been investigated, everything must have been taken away. Inside the rooms, there was only mud and scattered eggshells on the floor, just like in the hallway.
"There are signs that Lizardmen were here, but they seem a bit old. They probably aren't around now. Also, what's strange is that this building has no entrance. Is it submerged in water?"
Maybe the first floor of this building is completely underwater, and the place we are in now is the second floor, or even higher.
"What should we do? Should we wait here to see what they do? In a location surrounded by water like this, people would need to fly or get a boat to come here. There are eggshells, and I'm not too keen on that..."
Al nodded at Joanna's words. It's true that those spies from the Tempest Kingdom would need a boat to reach this ancient ruin, but it's hard to believe they could get one in such a remote area. So, if only magicians who can fly come in, then maybe they can ambush them using the method that didn't work yesterday.
"Sounds good. We have water and food. Let's wait here for a while. But if we do that, we should check the bottom of the puddle in the middle just to be safe."
Right now, they thought there were only 2 entrances, but there's a high chance that the entrance to this building is at the bottom of the puddle. They should check if the Lizardmen can get through there.
"That said, it looks deep, right, Al? And we don't know what's in the water. Diving could be dangerous."
Joanna's words made Patricia look worried.
"It's okay. The 'Floating Eye' can go underwater."
Even though the 'Floating Eye' is transparent, it has a physical form, and it's well-known that it can't pass through closed doors or windows. However, just like it can move through the air, it can also move through water. The downside is that, even if it's transparent, it can be faintly seen in the water.
"Is that so? Then, can you check it out for me?"
Al nodded and sent the 'Floating Eye' down into the water that had collected in the center of the building.
The water was murky, and visibility was poor. Once fully submerged, he could barely see the bottom, which was about 5m (� 16.4 ft) deep. The stairs on the west side spiraled around the open area, and Al realized they were on the third floor.
The first and second floors were similar, with a corridor surrounding the open area and rooms arranged in a regular pattern. On the floor below, there were remnants of tables, chairs, scattered eggshells, and bones, all covered in thick mud.
Al tried to explore the room by lowering the 'Floating Eye' closer to the floor. There, he found a faint light in the mud that seemed to react to his 'Magic Sense.'
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)