The moment Kaizen and his fellow explorers paid attention to where they were after the situation with the goblins, they could feel an even more abrupt change in temperature than when they entered the forest where this cave was located.
The environment was a bit colder, and the air was heavier, as if it was harder to breathe in the depths of this cave.
The narrow, dark passage from before was left behind, and they advanced along the wide ravine that lay in their path. For some reason, the ceiling in this part of the cave was very high, a few dozen meters, and part of that ceiling had given way long ago, letting in some sunlight as well as rain, which explained how much water there was in this place.
As they advanced, they heard the sound of their voices echoing off the rock walls and the rustle of bats' wings. The cave, though partially lit, had dark corners, with some passages that probably branched off to other places.
The light from the torches cast strange shadows on the cave walls, and Kaizen felt the tension grow as they went deeper.
Korgrak warned the psykers that although they had wiped out the kobold colony here, it was not uncommon to find more of them, as had happened when they had crossed the rift. Therefore, they had to stay alert and ready to fight, and not make the same mistake as before.
The atmosphere was tense, but also exciting for Kaizen, as he hadn't explored a place on Midgard with a group since the day he defeated the Gorgon Steno.
Kaizen and the others moved cautiously down the ravine, and soon they were able to reach the huge building wedged into the wall of the cave, barely visible from the narrow passage they had entered. It was an ancient ruin, its walls weathered and cracked by time.
The guild members approached, again marveling at the sight, and Kaizen could not help but be in awe as well. The building was imposing, with elaborate high columns, and a series of sculptures of hooded men adorned the outer walls. It was an ancient building, seemingly forgotten by time. Kaizen approached the entrance and studied the strange inscriptions carved into the walls. Thanks to his title of Master of Languages, he recognized a few words in an ancient language, but he couldn't quite decipher the full meaning of the words because they seemed to be unrelated to each other.
"Are we going in now?" Kaizen asked, sounding like an anxious child.
"Yes, but do the honors, go ahead." Korgrak said, taking off her helmet and swinging her white hair. She had a sincere smile on her face.
Kaizen nodded without a second thought, for even if there was danger, he could easily be the vanguard of the group.
The guild members followed Kaizen into the building, and when Kaizen saw the dark and dusty interior, the walls covered with cobwebs and moss, Anfrid, Salles' wife, released a ball of light from her staff that flew out and illuminated the entire central corridor. Then, looking down that corridor, Kaizen saw that there were a series of doors on either side of the corridor, each with a different symbol carved into its surface. There was a strong musty smell and a feeling of oppression in the air that made Kaizen feel uncomfortable.
"What is this place?" asked Kaizen a little nervously.
"We're not sure, but it might be an old elven building," Korgrak replied, looking around with an investigative eye.
At that moment, Kaizen turned around and said:
"I've always had a question in my mind, but I've never met the right people to ask. How can elves be so mysterious and rare, and yet be options for us to choose from when we create our avatars?"
This question made everyone a little surprised. They knew that Kaizen had only been playing for a short time compared to them, but they still found him impressive, and seeing him ask something they already knew made them feel like veterans.
Salles stepped forward to explain Psyker's question. "Kaizen, I'm sure you already know two very important things about the world of Rise Online. The first is that there are multiple worlds, and depending on the initial race the newbie chooses for their avatar, they can be born on any of the worlds except Asgard. In the history of the game, this division of worlds by race happened a long, long time ago. And to override this rule of separate worlds, there are the evolved, powerful players who can travel between worlds."
"Well, I already knew all that, but that doesn't explain why I was able to find Ricroar, for example. He is an Elf, and I am sure he is not an Evolved." Kaizen explained.
"Ricroar's case is completely different. He is a Drow or a Dark Elf, whatever you want to call it. The race of Drows is theoretically a weaker race because they are significantly fewer in number and are a different race than elves. Come on, Alfheim is where players who choose the elven race are born, but there are other races there, like fairies, you know? Each world has several races, and it may be that in the future, when the Evolved are more numerous, there will be a mixed society.
Kaizen almost laughed inwardly, because not long ago he had been in a city where he could find multiple races. Anyway, Kaizen was satisfied with these answers for now. As they continued down the hallway, examining the doors and symbols with their eyes, Kaizen noticed that there was a larger and more elaborate door at the end of the hallway. The symbol carved into the door was different from the others, looking more complex and intricate, but with a hole in the center.
Kaizen looked back and didn't even have to say anything to Korgrak, who nodded. This was exactly where they wanted to go.
"Finally, the real main entrance," Jeewok said, looking at the symbol with interest as he warmed his knees.
The Psyker could sense that good things were not what awaited them behind this door, so he opened his inventory and began to equip himself. Though the indomitable shield was broken, he still had his worn armor to protect him.
"We must prepare ourselves, people. When I place the Peacemaker Orb in the door slot, there is no way to predict what will happen. The door might open in front of us, or the ground beneath us instead. Who can predict, right? So I am counting on the attention of all of you, and you too," Korgrak said, putting her hand on Kaizen's shoulder and then whispering to him. "Besides, we don't know what's on the other side of that door, so if anything attacks us, I'm counting on its massive damage."
Kaizen nodded and looked at the door with a mixture of emotions. He was excited to find out what was on the other side, but he was also afraid of what he might find. It would suck if the entrance to the Lost Garden was actually a boss' room.
"You guys already explored the other doors, right?" Kaizen asked.
"No, they are all locked and indestructible. They probably won't open until we're done with this one." Salles lightly tapped twice on the large main door, which briefly echoed with a hollow sound.
Kaizen approached the door and looked up. It was imposing, with a series of strange letters that were neither runes nor an elven language like Kaizen had seen in some of Alina's books, and just as before, he could not make sense of the unrelated words, as if the words 'car' and 'jello' were forming a sentence.
As Psyker played with the letters, the guild members approached, ready and willing to find out what was behind this door.
Korgrak took a deep breath and pulled the Peacemaker Orb from her inventory. It was a crystal orb, and she held it tightly, feeling the energy pulsing through her hands. The other players cleared a path for her, and then Korgrak placed the orb in the slot of the door.
A bluish glow streamed through the door, and a thunderous noise filled the hall. The door began to move, opening slowly, and a strong smell of mold and rot filled the air. Kaizen took a step back, pulling the hood of his cloak over his head to protect himself from the smell. As the door opened, a strong light shone from the other side, revealing what appeared to be a large chamber with a light as strong as the sun.
"Lets go." Korgrak said, swinging her sword with determination.
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
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