Chapter 114

The light faded as the Teleportation Array carried the last of the archaeologists away from the expedition dig site to Ur.

No one, not even the guards, had chosen to stay, not after the rampage he had gone on. After witnessing the depravity at the tavern, he had forced the guards through the Array, with a promise from Sorla that she would report everything that was happening here and see to it that the Guild made changes.

The Betrayer was nearly comatose, the result of his broken oath, although Wil suspected that it wasn’t permanent. The Guild would also deal with him, both for his actions here and the betrayal of his companions.

As for Wil himself, he was sure that the Guild would also have something to say to him when he returned. Although his cause was just, he had still caused significant damage to the settlement, and the barrier that protected it.

‘Maybe Amora can smooth things out.’ Wil thought, foisting the problem onto his mentor’s back.

Leaving the array, he walked through the deserted village, the Elemental had returned to its emerald and he now carried it in his pack once more. Looking around, he was about to leave when he felt a faint pull, a strange call that seemed to echo with something inside him.

Curious, he followed the calling, drawing towards the source. It was a square, stone structure, still half submerged in an excavation. Figures and reliefs had been carved into the walls, faded, and aged with time until he could barely make any of them out.

The discarded tools and evidence of work indicated that the archaeologists had been interrupted from their efforts by his arrival, abandoning everything when he ordered them to leave. Not bothering to use a ladder, Wil leapt from the edge of the excavation, drifting gently downwards using ‘Feather Fall’.

A small puff of dust was disturbed by his boots upon his landing, and he swiftly walked across the pit, his gaze locked onto the building in front of him. He could feel it call to him, like it was pulling on his body.

Stopping in front of the large doors, he studied the Elvish scripture that covered it, but, aside from a scattered word, most were unintelligible. Placing his hand against the stone, he was about to trace the writing with his hand, hoping that his touch could reveal more of the script than his eyes could, when he felt a response from the enchantments within the building.

The calling grew stronger, his entire body practically vibrating at a frequency to match the structure in front of him. On impulse, he conjured a small dagger made of crude iron. Cutting his hand, he watched the red blood trickle down his skin, before wiping it on the stone.

With a shudder, the stone doors opened silently, the entrance leading to a set of stone steps. Wrapping a cloth around his hand, he let the dagger fade away. Conjuring his small orb of light, Wil descended into the darkness.

The air grew colder the deeper he traveled, his steps echoing off the stairway walls. The dull grey stone was bare and unadorned, the ceiling was low enough that Wil was forced to hunch over. After a few dozen steps, the stairway ended, leading to an open room, with a higher ceiling.

The room was empty, but the stone walls were covered in etching and reliefs. Commanding the orb to float higher, Wil stepped closer to observe them.

They depicted a society of elves, beautiful and elegant, gathered around a large tree, its branches reaching high into the air, nearly covering the entire sky.

“Elvenhome.” Wil whispered, his voice cutting through the silence. He recognized the location, few things changing even in the thousands of years since this was painted. For the long-lived Elves, the passage of time meant little.

Moving to the next, this one was a painting of an army, led by an Elf wearing amour, silver and gold. He held a long sword in his hand, pointing it forward as he led his army. The enemy they marched against wasn’t shown, the painting ending with a black cloud in the distance.

Curious, Wil crossed the room, wondering if the story would continue. He didn’t know much about Elvish history, no one outside of their race knew much about them. There was evidence of their expansion in Illyria, and here in Lund, but nothing written about what happened, why they had retreated.

Talah had mentioned internal corruption and outside threats, but was that merely speculation, or had they found text or evidence to support it?

The third painting was the strangest of all. The elves were lined up in ranks, their spears pointed forward as an enemy charged against them. The elf leader stood at the forefront, the painting capturing him in battle with a large demon, its skin black and wielding a sword with black flames erupting from the blade.

The foe the Elves faced was an army of demons, each bizarre and terrifying. In the sky above, the Black Moon hung suspended ominously over the heads of the Elves. The painting seemed to have the Elves making a last stand, the bodies of Elf and Demon covering the ground.

Studying it for a final moment, Wil turned to the last painting. This one was much brighter, the Twin Suns shining overhead, with a blue sky and field of green plants and colorful flowers. The Elves were constructing the building he was currently in, with a courtyard of statues and newly planted trees.

The statue in the center was of the Elf leader he had seen in the other paintings, and Wil recognized that they were building a shrine to their dead.

“This isn’t a tomb, it’s a monument to their fallen and a record of their victory over the demons. They must have sealed it to preserve it. But why didn’t it open for the others…” Wil mused, looking at his injured hand, before looking around the tomb.

‘My Elven ancestry.’ Wil thought. The tomb was sealed against other races, the elves considering them barbaric and worried they would deface or destroy what they found here. But Wil had small traces of Elven blood, evidently enough to pass through the seal.

Taking a final look around the room, Wil was about to leave when an oddity on the far wall caught his eye. This was the only bare wall remaining in the room, without a painting or decoration of any kind.

Curious, he walked forward, placing his uninjured hand against the grey stone and reaching out with his senses. The wall contained some sort of mechanism, similar to the door outside. Using a small thread of mana, he triggered the device inside.

Silently, the wall split in two, both halves retracting to create an opening in the stone. Inside, Wil could see rows of equipment, swords and spears, armor, and magical items. The room was neat and orderly, without a speck of dust or dirt to defile the items within.

Stepping inside, Wil was taken aback by the strength of the protective enchantments within. To him, and his Rank 10 strength, they were unbreakable, and they surrounded every item in the room. Studying the magic carefully, he knew that if he was even to attempt to break the spell, or grab an item, it would mean his death.

‘The equipment of the fallen? Why place it here it at all if they didn’t want anyone to use it?’ Wil thought, walking slowly around the room.

In a far corner, he stopped, feeling the enchantments that covered everything weaken as he approached.

The protected item was a set of Elven Armor, made of leather and silver chainmail. The beautiful black leather was interlaced with a layer of chain and Wil could feel the strength of the enchantments imbued into the armor even after thousands of years.

Tentatively reaching out, Wil placed his hand again the leather, almost expecting a backlash from the enchantments. Surprisingly, nothing happened, and he was able to lift the armor from its storage rack.

Wil swiftly donned the armor, the fit perfect as he tightened the final strap. His old, blue leather armor was placed in his bag of holding.

The armor was light, almost as if he was wearing normal clothing, rather than thick leather and chain. He could see it was enhanced for protection, provided armor equal or greater than the heaviest plate mail.

Determined to test it further later, Wil left the shrine. Returning to the surface, he bowed in respect to the monument, before leaving the settlement.

Donning his Azure Dragon mask once more, Wil crossed the barrier surrounding the expedition site. It was time to travel to Blood Tree and meet with the others.