[Arc 1 - No Light Left For Us]
…
"This fruit is really good. I'd almost forgotten what it's like to eat good food. Fuck, my taste buds are actually screaming in joy right now," cried Mist.
The two of them strolled around the garden.
Soon, they spotted Archer, who was furrowing his brows at what appeared to be a locked door.
Archer muttered, "The trail ends here."
"So that's where our mysterious guy is, huh? Interesting." Mist took a closer look at the door. "It's locked from inside and outside. Probably via some magic mechanism."
Using her innate skills, Mist told, "Yea, there's something there, alright. I can sense the moving blood. It's a monster."
Archer frowned. "Yeah, I figured that out. What concerns me is why would a monster lock itself in? I don't suppose it was out of the goodness of its heart."
"Who knows? Forget it," Mist shrugged.
The trio decided to ignore the locked door and turned back towards the garden.
That, in itself, was already a success for the expedition.
The garden was packed with food. Enough to last them months, maybe even longer.
But therein lies the problem.
They couldn't take everything, not even half the amount within the limited deadline.
So, they decided for one of them to report to the camp, while the other two would continue their search. There was a good chance of finding more food or even better.
Raven was needed due to his [Seventh Sense]. He could sense the chimes of the moon, and was their only way of knowing when it wasn't safe anymore. Thus, he couldn't be the one sent back.
Archer's sigil was just as valuable, leaving Mist the odd one out.
She didn't take that nicely. "Ahh fuck me. I also want to explore. Where's the fun in going back?"
"It's the only way we save time. We have to move out now," Archer gently cajoled.
Mist clicked her tongue. "Fine."
"I… guess I will be responsible for bringing the others. They better not be ungrateful bastards," said Mist.
She grabbed a handful of fruits and walked out, leaving Archer and Raven all by themselves.
"There's nothing else here. Where to now?"Raven asked.
Since they had limited time, they had to pick their targets wisely. But the problem with foreign architecture is that, to the blind eye, they all looked the same.
It would be better to pick at random than think too hard.
As the two of them walked out, Archer gazed at the distance with a twinkle in his eye. "About that…"
He pointed towards his line of sight. "Let's go for that one."
Raven followed the finger to a particular mound that stood out even among the towering mound.
It was less intact than most of them, but with its sheer size tripling the others, if anything important existed here…
It would probably be there.
Raven rolled his eyes as they left the premises. "Of course, it's always about size. In the end, the bigger, the better."
…..
Entering the mound, Raven and Archer navigated their way past the fractured floors until they reached what looked like another elevator chamber.
The journey down wasn't exactly graceful.
The floors they had passed had floors split open and walls torn wide with gaping holes, collapsing in on themselves. It was a miracle they remained even remotely stable.
Raven observed the broken constructs in the magic elevator room that appeared after their arrival.
It seemed really damaged.
"I can't say I'm surprised." He looked at Archer with a shrug.
"Uppers levels are basically gone. But looks like this place has underground floors. It runs below ground."
Archer nodded. "Well, there was no use going up, anyways. There's nothing there but crumbling and gaping walls. Let's go down."
They took the magic elevator, vanishing into specks of light.
…..
In the blink of an eye, they reappeared in an old elevator chamber.
The lighting seemed dimmer here, but the structural design was quite cold and sharp, like a newly moved-in apartment, filled with only what appeared to be necessities. It was extremely brutalistic.
This floor wasn't probably not as simple as it appeared.
Raven led Archer out of the chamber, strolling around the hallway with caution.
"Be careful. There's something up ahead," cautioned Raven.
"What is it?"
Raven responded, "I don't know. It doesn't seem ominous, but… just be careful."
The omen he was receiving indicated no danger, or maybe little to no danger. It was hard to discern.
But he didn't think the source of this feeling was a monster. Usually monsters felt obvious— sharp, invasive, like ants crawling up his skin. Yet, this time around, what he felt was akin to a cool wave brushing against his face.
They soon arrived at a door, which they pushed open.
Reflecting in their eyes was a massive room
At its center stood a large, circular table surrounded by evenly spaced seats. Each position bore a distinct insignia, mirrored by the banners hanging along the wall.
The moment they entered the room, flickers of light came to life, adorning the chamber with a mysterious glow.
"Is that—-"
Raven and Archer were more focused on a particular item, ignoring almost everything else.
They shared excited looks, bolting towards the item mounted along the far wall.
Observing the item once more, they couldn't hide their sheer smile of triumph.
"A fucking map!" Archer laughed, joyous beyond comprehension.
This was exactly what they needed the most.
No more would they needlessly wander. They could use this to do a lot of things.
Raven felt its texture. It was strange— almost responsive as though it was alive.
He could feel its rough edges and markings. The rivers felt cool to touch, faintly damps, while the terrains shifted subtly beneath his fingers.
"This is exquisite." Raven said.
Archer rolled the map and tied it to his back. Exquisite or not, it was theirs now.
"Hey, what's this?"
The round table was completely devoid of any object, except for a hand-sized device. It was a silver mechanical device with a single button and a globe at its center.
Raven fiddled with the object before finally pressing the button.
For a brief second, the globe lit up. Holographic lights spilled outwards, resembling rough outlines of humanoid beings, but bits of the light particles dissolved in thin air.
The projection struggled to hold.
Then it spoke.
A warped voice echoed in the alien tongue.
"What's it saying, Archer?" Raven asked.
"Give me a minute. I need to… wrap my head around it."
Archer took hold of the device, replaying its message over and over again.
Each time, his expression changed, becoming darker and darker until it finally became indescribable.
Archer turned to Raven, "It is a war proclamation."
He went on. "This isn't just a meeting room. It's a war chamber. The seats should represent the many influential figures in the community. They were likely coordinating with other communities during the crisis. Some kind of alliance."
Archer's gaze darkened. "And judging by everything we've seen… I'm guessing this convention was assembled shortly before everything fell apart."
"What does it say?" Raven asked.
Archer didn't hesitate.
He recited.
『
The ancient gods have left us, and in the hollow of their absence, the devil's rot festers.
Wicked Hell rises with vivacious lust.
The sinner hath lain his ears unto its whisperings;
And thus are our fields made desolate and our soils made unclean.
Hark! The enemy tolls the bells of revelation.
Unrust thy blades. Sharpen thy bolts. Gird thy loins for the coming woe.
Take them to arms, ye children of the dust.
For the songs of battle have fallen upon our sky.
We shall not yield to the shadow of despair.
We shall not cower beneath the rising wake of Wicked Hell.
Unsheathe thy conquest.
For the sake of the morrow, we must return unto the ancient path—
Unto the ways trod upon by our forebearers.
If gods may be felled like flies before the swatter,
then so too shall the Devil bleed and crack.
And in the end, only dust shall remain.
』
Raven went into deep thoughts as they searched the war chamber for more items.
Archer's deduction might be right.
Whoever made the proclamation didn't seem like he was from this community. Because if that was the case, then why use a holographic message?
This was a broadcast.
A call to arms.
The very proof that a war had once occurred on this land before they ever set foot here.
The previous inhabitants fought against something truly monstrous and they lost.
A race of magically and technologically advanced beings lost to the enemy— something they called Wicked Hell.
"Wicked Hell… that's a pretty specific name." Raven pondered aloud. "It was inscribed on the pillar back at camp. I;m starting to wonder just how they are connected to the monsters. There must be a link."
"I don't suppose we will get more answers, " Archer shook his head. "There is nothing more here—what are you doing?"
Amidst his wandering, Raven found himself against one of the walls.
He mumbled, "Something's off…"
He ran his fingers along its surface.
There was something weird about it, something about its structure and placement… like a false replica. It was good enough for the regulars, but not for the trained eye.
Raven followed his instincts, lending an ear to his senses, and pressed his hand on one of the tiles.
A contraption echoed out, whirring through many rotten and rigid cogs behind the wall.
Finally, the wall split wide, revealing a hidden cellar of magical supplies— cold blades, magical guns, explosive items.
Rows of them.
Archer chuckled as he inspected the items, "Weapons—man's best friend. You can never go wrong with that."
Raven and Archer couldn't hide their excitement.
Mist was definitely missing out.