"The Scouting Spheres have infiltrated 70% of the corridors down to the penultimate floor, but the moment they enter the bottom floor, we lose all contact with them. So, we know nothing beyond the map Erik showed us earlier. On the other hand, our food supplies are depleting at a rate 13% faster than expected, while the efficiency of potion creation is 9% higher."
Several days later, sitting around a table in the middle of the first floor of the portable shelter, Ethan, Chen, Christine, Elara, Tomás, and Erik were looking at Zoe, who was reading a report with a serious expression. At that moment, Elara let out a small sigh and commented in a grave tone.
"Everyone has been working really hard, so they need much more food than usual."
The others could only nod in agreement with Elara's comment, at which point Christine spoke up with a serious voice.
"But there's something that worries me about all this. At the beginning, we saw two people from other factions, so it's possible that outsiders were teleported inside. But even though we've searched almost every corner of this place, we've found nothing but Golems. Could it be that we're the last survivors? Is there no one else left alive in this ruin?"
"I wouldn't be surprised. This place is a damn hellhole. If it weren't for Erik, we'd all be dead by now." Tomás replied with a solemn voice, to which everyone nodded seriously. But at that moment, Erik finished eating a cookie and took a sip of his tea, then commented in a calm tone.
"I highly doubt we're the only survivors. If there are no more people in this strange labyrinth, it's probably because we're weak. An Illuminated-level with some effort should have been able to carve a path through the Golems and reach the exit. We're certain there's at least one of them in the 'garden,' with strong suspicions of a second. Besides, we don't know if there are other places like this, which is quite likely since several pillars of light rose when the basilisk awakened."
"That's true. Plus, we still don't know what the hunters were looking for. Even though we've searched every nook and cranny, we haven't found anything, which is a bit concerning. We have very little information." Zoe commented in a serious tone, to which Ethan replied while pouring himself a cup of tea.
"I'm willing to bet that whatever they were looking for is on the last floor."
"It sure looks that way. So, we need to be prepared. Anything can happen on that floor." Erik commented in a calm voice. Elara nodded, before commenting seriously.
"But we can't wait any longer. The ruin deteriorates every day, the activation periods are getting shorter and more spaced out, and the Golems are becoming clumsier. If this place collapses, it might take our only way out with it. We have to move."
"Yes, we have to take the risk. Start getting ready; let's take advantage of this 'period of activity' and head out as soon as it ends; that will give us a few hours to move freely." Erik announced in a serious tone as he swept his gaze across everyone present, who were filled with resolve and nodded.
"Then let's get moving." Tomás said as he stood from his chair with a serious tone, to which Erik nodded calmly. Chen also got up from his chair while asking.
"By the way, are we leaving the formations as they are here?"
"Yes. They'll serve as a Plan B in case we need to retreat, though I'll be carrying the shelter with me." Erik replied calmly, to which everyone nodded before saying their goodbyes, leaving behind Erik, who was eating a cookie with the wolves on his lap, and Zoe, who poured him a cup of tea.
"No need to bother with that anymore, Zoe. Get ready with the others. We can't afford to let our guard down from now on." Erik commented, looking at Zoe while picking up his teacup. The beautiful knight nodded calmly, then looked at Erik and commented with a small smile.
"You're right, though it's been a pleasure to assist you these past few days. If the opportunity arises, I'd love to do it again."
"Hahaha, I'll consider it." Erik said amusedly before bringing the cup to his lips. Zoe smiled calmly, then gave a slight bow and walked outside while commenting playfully.
"Fufu, how prim…"
Once Zoe left, Erik sat in silence, watching the young people leave his workshop one by one. They had been helping him with potion production and some artifacts over the last few days. As the last young person exited the workshop, Erik bit into a cookie, then looked up at the ceiling with a deep, reflective gaze, completely lost in thought.
"It's time to risk my life again… I hope I'm not making a mistake…"
After a while, just as the 'activation period' was about to end based on what he had learned over the past few days, Erik let out a heavy sigh. Then he finished his tea and stood up from his seat, at which point the wolves jumped onto his shoulders.
With calm and almost deliberate steps, Erik walked to his workshop, where he gave everything a final check, then went up and headed toward the exit as the orbs of light illuminating the place went out one by one. Upon reaching the door, Erik looked at the shelter one last time, almost as if to engrave it in his poor memory, since, whether things went well or badly, this might be the last time he'd use it.
After stepping outside, Erik stood on the Myst platform with stairs that served as the entrance, then conjured a set of runes and placed his hand next to the doorway. Soon, the outer runes of the shelter began to glow, at which point Erik pulled his hand away and destroyed the Myst staircase, then directed the platform downward.
Upon reaching the 'ground,' which was actually a metal and wood platform hanging from the ceiling with something called 'Silme rock' and thick cables, Erik looked up, where he could see the shelter slowly rotating and shrinking. Soon, the shelter turned into a small sphere that fell into his hands, which he quickly tied to a chain and slipped into his pocket, no longer willing to trust spatial artifacts to store it.
Soon after, Erik turned to look at the entire group gathered, now wearing perfectly functional armor and weapons along with storage pouches on their belts, and commented seriously.
"We're heading into what might be our final adventure in this damn place. Give it everything you've got. Survival is within our grasp."
"Yes!!" the group announced in unison, which made Erik nod in satisfaction. He then took Kaiser from his shoulder and commented with a small smile.
"Well, Kaiser, it's time to gear up."
The little wolf grumbled reluctantly as he jumped to the ground and grew in size. Something Erik calmly ignored as he pulled out several pieces of armor specially made for the wolf from a storage pouch tied to his right leg. Soon, Kaiser had a thick metal helmet on his head, along with a sort of bracers on all four legs and the base of his tail.
"You're ready. This should help you avoid detection by the Golems in their inactive state. Even so, stay alert and be ready to enter elementalization mode at any time." Erik said in a serious tone, to which the silver wolf howled in agreement. At that moment, Erik turned to the group and spoke while conjuring two magic circles that created Myst constructs.
"As we discussed, you'll split into two teams: one for close combat assault and the other for ranged attacks. So, board the corresponding Myst constructs."
After nodding, the young people divided into two groups, one consisting of the mages along with two knights, before boarding the Myst constructs, which turned out to be near-perfect imitations of doorless flying cars. Once inside the Myst vehicles, everyone took out a potion specially made by Erik, then waited with their gazes fixed on the walls, still glowing from the 'activation period.'
After a few minutes, the music began to fade as Erik checked a crystal tablet in his hands, displaying a detailed 3D map of the entire labyrinth, the result of the Scouting Spheres' exploration. Having decided on the route to advance, Erik stored the tablet in his storage pouch, then announced loudly as the others downed their potions in one gulp.
"Let's move out!"
After giving one last look at the place, Erik drank his own potion, then ordered Kaiser to advance. Instantly, Kaiser was surrounded by electric arcs and shot forward, riding on Myst platforms created by Erik.
Meanwhile, at the back, everyone held onto whatever they could to avoid being thrown backward by the inertia, while Hiyori, sitting next to Zoe, looked at Erik's back with deep eyes. But the fox spirit wasn't the only one; practically everyone was doing the same. Soon, however, their eyes sharpened, and they gripped their weapons while focusing their gaze on the Golems.
To everyone's relief, the measures they had taken over the past few days proved effective. After days of studying the Golems, Erik managed to develop a new potion that could hide them more effectively from them, though it only worked well when they were 'inactive.' When the strange geometric labyrinth activated, even though they could confuse the Golems a bit, they were still able to determine their relative position.
…
…
…
"Bring in more Master-levels, battleships, and anything that can blow this damn place to pieces!!! My Erik can't stay in there for a single damn second longer!!!!"
In the middle of a meeting room aboard a massive spaceship, Sigrún slammed her fist, surrounded by blue fire, onto the table, her eyes practically bloodshot and her murderous intent fully unleashed. The director looked at Sigrún, then at the silent Eleonora and the shadowy assassin in a discreet corner, before commenting in a heavy tone.
"That would end up killing everyone inside, and you know it, Sigrún. We have to think calmly about what to do."
"How do you expect me to stay calm, old man?! The soul tracer on my Erik cracked—do you not get it?! He's in danger! I have to get him out of there now!!!"
Sigrún shouted back, full of panic and rage, which caused the dangerous glint in Eleonora's eyes to visibly worsen, while a thick, murderous intent from the shadow in the corner filled the room.
"I know, which is why I called her. She's on her way."
The director replied with an incredibly serious tone, causing Sigrún and Eleonora's eyes to widen as they looked at him with a hint of surprise. But in less than an instant, Eleonora narrowed her eyes and asked in a voice devoid of any emotion.
"How confident is 'she' in being able to get my Erik out of there?"
"Without her personally studying the ruin, it's hard to say, but if even she can't do it, there's really not much we can do." The director commented with a deep, meaningful look, causing Sigrún and Eleonora to bite their lips hard, blood trickling down their chins, while the shadow in the corner trembled visibly.
"The Order's secret weapon is going to show up?"
Jessica, who had a pale expression though slightly calmer than the trio, asked in a serious tone. Thalia, sitting not far away, looked at her grandfather with disbelief as he nodded heavily.
"This situation is too delicate. Too many of our talented young people have died inside, so we have to do everything possible to prevent a greater disaster."
As a deafening silence took over the room, a spark of fire materialized next to Sigrún, then began to take the shape of a beautiful phoenix. This caused everyone present to turn and look at the fire, while Sigrún, Eleonora, and Seraphina clenched their fists tightly, a terrible premonition looming over them.
***
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