Kael stood at Level 12: 6680 / 7000 EXP. He was practically vibrating with stored potential, needing just a sliver more experience to tip over into the next level. Beside him, Roric looked pale but alert, steadying himself against the empty sarcophagus. The faint whispering that had haunted the lower ruins seemed momentarily silenced, replaced by a high-pitched hum emanating from the very air around them.
Then the world dissolved into chaos. The swirling patterns on the pillars flared violently, the floor pulsed with blinding blue light, and the air pressure spiked, making Kael's ears pop. It felt less like a collapse and more like the chamber itself was folding inwards, contracting around a point of impossible energy. Kael instinctively shielded his face and braced himself, pulling Roric down behind the sarcophagus just as a wave of disorienting force washed over them.
Silence. Abrupt and absolute.
The blinding light faded. Kael blinked, his vision swimming. The chamber looked… different. The sarcophagus was still there, but the lid now lay sealed shut, smooth and seamless. The intricate carvings on the pillars seemed sharper, clearer, pulsating with a slow, steady blue rhythm instead of the frantic energy from before. Where one of the massive pillars had stood near the back wall, there was now a gaping hole, revealing a dark passage that hadn't been there moments ago. The destructive energy seemed to have safely imploded that section inward, creating an opening.
"What in the Architect's name was that?" Roric gasped, pushing himself up. He looked shaken but unharmed.
Kael checked himself – no damage. He glanced at the Tablet of Binding Wards still clutched in his hand. It felt warm now, and the symbols etched on its surface glowed more intensely, pulsing in sync with the chamber's pillars. It hadn't shattered or been consumed; it seemed activated or attuned by the event.
"I don't know," Kael replied, hefting the Tablet. "But I think this thing triggered it." He looked towards the new opening. "Maybe it also made us a way out?"
It was their only option. They approached the opening cautiously. Smoothly carved rock, unlike the crumbling masonry elsewhere, spiraled downwards. It felt less like a ruin and more like part of a deliberately constructed complex beneath the ruins.
As they stepped into the passage, a faint shimmer coalesced ahead – another Restless Spirit, perhaps drawn by the energy release. It drifted towards them, chilling the air. Roric instinctively drew a dagger Kael hadn't noticed he possessed, but Kael waved him back.
"Let me," he said. He needed just a little more EXP.
Compared to the Guardian, the spirit felt almost trivial now. Kael closed the distance swiftly. His Dexterity allowed him to easily sidestep its incorporeal lunge, and his fist, imbued with immense Strength, hammered into its form. Disruptive energy crackled with each hit. The spirit dissipated even faster than the one on the stairs.
[System]: Restless Spirit defeated! +350 EXP! [System]: Loot Drop: Spectral Essence x1 [System]: Spectral Essence detected. Transmuting via Absolute Assimilation... +90 EXP! [System]: Total EXP Gain: 440 EXP. Applying 3x Multiplier... +1320 EXP!
The influx, though relatively small, was more than enough.
[System]: Congratulations! You have reached Level 13! +15 Stat Points available. Health and Mana fully restored. Level 13: 1000 / 8500 EXP
The familiar surge of power and healing flowed through him. He felt stronger, faster, tougher. He mentally flagged the 15 stat points, planning to allocate them later – likely continuing his STR > VIT > DEX focus. Right now, exploring this new path was paramount.
"Nice work," Roric commented, clearly impressed by Kael's quick dispatch of the spirit, though likely attributing it to skill rather than sheer statistical power, given Kael's Level 3 display. "Let's keep moving. I don't want to stick around if more of those show up."
They descended the smooth passage. It wound deeper underground, the air growing strangely clean and still. There were no more side tunnels, just the single path downwards. The blue crystals providing light became more frequent, embedded in perfectly symmetrical patterns along the walls.
After several minutes, the passage opened into another vast cavern. This one, however, was clearly artificial. The walls were smooth, metallic-looking alloy, inscribed with complex circuit-like patterns that glowed faintly blue. In the center of the cavern sat a huge, dormant mechanism. It consisted of interlocking rings, crystal conduits, and focusing lenses, all aimed at a central pedestal. The entire device hummed with latent power, the same energy signature Kael felt from the Tablet.
"By the Architect..." Roric breathed, awestruck. "What is this place? It doesn't look like the ruins at all."
Kael approached the central mechanism. The Tablet in his hand grew warmer, vibrating slightly. The symbols on its surface seemed to mirror some of the patterns on the machine. This device… it felt like the source of the energy in the ruins, perhaps the 'containment' system the Guardian had mentioned protecting. But what was it containing? And why was it draining Roric?
He looked at Roric, then back at the machine, then down at the Tablet. He had the quest item, he'd found the scout, but he was further than ever from getting back to Silverhaven to report. And now he was faced with a potentially world-altering piece of ancient technology he didn't understand, holding what might be the key. What was he supposed to do now?