When Linus saw the open passage on the other side of the chamber, he was surprised. Linus moved closer and saw that the passage led to a dark, narrow corridor that seemed to lead down.
He looked at Kaizen curiously and said:
"How did you find this place?"
Kaizen quickly explained how he used the guide ring to find the statue of the young warrior and decipher the inscription on the ceiling. "And finally, the secret door opened after I answered the riddle. It seems that courage is the key to pass through it."
Linus nodded. "Well, let's go ahead and see what awaits us on the other side."
Even before they crossed the threshold between the chamber of statues and the dark corridor, they encountered an atmosphere that made their hearts beat a little faster and the tension in the air rise again. The corridor before them seemed long and dark, with rough stone walls and a cold, damp atmosphere. There were unlit torches in the walls, but the only source of light was a soft glow from the mana crystal in the room they were in, forming an arc of light that the two men's shadows used to expand.
Linus and Kaizen exchanged glances, wary. They didn't know what awaited them at the end of this corridor, but something in their gut told them they were about to discover something important, something that could change the course of the mission against the Eye of Hermodr, something with the potential to put the Order of Dalamyr two steps ahead.
The tension in the air was palpable, and their breathing became heavy. Without saying a word, the two cautiously approached it, ready to find out what awaited them.
As soon as Linus and Kaizen stepped through the secret door, the light from the chamber was left behind, plunging them into almost complete darkness. Kaizen snapped his fingers, creating a ball of fire that lit part of the way to them.
The air was cold, and the smell of mold and damp earth hung over this corridor, as well as the smell of dust. This place seemed to have been guarded for a long time, but it smelled different than the corridors of the labyrinth above; it did not smell of blood and death.
As Linus and Kaizen made their way down the dark, narrow corridor, the feeling of tension increased with each step. The air seemed denser and heavier, making it difficult to breathe. The silence was absolute, except for their own footsteps echoing off the stone walls.
The light from the fire seemed both weak and strong, intermittently causing a new part of the corridor to appear with each step, revealing a little more of their destination.
Linus soon had an idea and pulled out one of the unlit torches on the walls. He then held the torch out to Kaizen, who was a bit confused and forced Linus to explain his idea.
"Put fire in this torch. Don't use your mana more than necessary, because if we have to face an enemy as strong as that little girl, you'll need your full power."
Kaizen nodded and agreed, even though the <Free Manipulation of Flames> skill didn't consume much of his MP.
After a few more minutes of walking, the torchlight revealed the worn, cracked stone walls covered in moss and lichen. The corridor seemed endless, and there was no light at the end, but it was definitely changing.
Yet Kaizen sensed something was wrong, a feeling he couldn't explain. Ever since Psyker realized that the Eye of Hermodr was not only interested in the Minotaur, but also in something they had not yet discovered, he felt a little uneasy, and the deeper they went into this corridor, the stronger that feeling became. He looked at Linus and they exchanged a tense look. That was how they knew they both had the same feeling.
Torch in hand, Linus led the way, while Kaizen followed close behind, looking for any sign or clue. The corridor was still narrow and winding, and the tension grew with each step they took. They followed the corridor for about an hour, and then found a large spiral staircase at its end. As they descended the seemingly endless spiral staircase, they noticed that the musty smell increased with each step. After several minutes, they reached the end of the stairs and came to another large, massive stone door.
Kaizen tried to open it, but it was locked. He looked around and saw a lever on the wall.
Linus looked at him and said:
"Go ahead, if that's the only way."
There was a chance that this lever was another trap, opening a hatch under his feet. Still, as Linus said, if there was no other way, this was their only option.
That being the case, Kaizen pulled the lever and the door creaked open slowly. When it finally opened, they entered a large underground chamber that was also a bit dark.
With the torch in Linus' hand and the fire in Kaizen's, they took a few steps inside and found a large hall with stone columns, a fountain of crystal clear water in the center, and a throne at the end of the room.
The throne was made of solid gold and decorated with gems and emeralds. It was an imposing and magnificent object, but something about this place made Kaizen uneasy. He felt that something was watching them, something that should not be there. He looked at Linus and saw that the other felt the same way.
They decided to approach the throne to investigate, but before they could take a step, something happened. The stone columns began to shake, the fountain began to bubble, and then they saw a hand touch one of the columns and appear in the main corridor, a metallic hand, more specifically the gauntlet of black armor, and the being that appeared before the throne was a huge knight, over ten feet tall, dragging a large sword across the floor and wearing a torn red cloak on his back.
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