As Kael helped Roric into the brightly lit, smooth-walled tunnel revealed by the Resonator's beam, the accumulated energy from defeating the cluster of Energy Sentries finally resolved within his system. The last bit of EXP needed, and much more, flooded his core.
[System]: Congratulations! You have reached Level 14! +15 Stat Points available. Health and Mana fully restored.
The familiar warmth of the level-up washed over him, erasing any lingering fatigue from the recent battles. Excellent timing. He quickly checked his status bar. The fight had yielded 10800 EXP, far exceeding the 7500 needed.
Level 14: 3300 / 10500 EXP
He mentally allocated the new points immediately, sticking to the pattern that had served him well: 8 more into Strength, 4 into Vitality, and 3 into Dexterity. Every increment made him feel more capable, more solid.
Name: Kael
Level: 14
Class: Novice (Potential paths available)
HP: 1180/1180
MP: 80/80
Title:
Stats: (Including +1 Title & Lvl 12/13/14 Allocations)
Strength (STR): 136 (120 + 8 Lvl13 + 8 Lvl14)
Dexterity (DEX): 25 (19 + 3 Lvl13 + 3 Lvl14)
Vitality (VIT): 91 (83 + 4 Lvl13 + 4 Lvl14)
Intelligence (INT): 11
Wisdom (WIS): 11
Stat Points Available: 0
"Feeling better?" Kael asked Roric, noting the scout seemed less shaky now that they were out of the oppressive chamber.
"Much," Roric confirmed, breathing the clean air of the tunnel. "That place... it felt like it was sucking the life right out of me. Whatever you did back there, Kael... thank you. You saved my life." He looked at Kael properly now, taking in the basic undergarments and bare fists. "Though I still don't understand how you fought that thing... or those constructs... like that. Especially looking like..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "Doesn't matter. You were there."
Kael just shrugged: "Just good timing. Let's focus on getting out."
The tunnel ascended steadily. It was clearly not part of the original ruins but a later, or perhaps earlier, construction of advanced design. Embedded light strips provided even illumination. The air circulated cleanly. They passed occasional alcoves containing deactivated robotic arms or panels showing complex, unreadable schematics. It felt like a service corridor for the Resonator complex below.
"This must be an Architect-era access tunnel," Roric mused, his scout instincts kicking back in despite his weakness. "Untouched by the Sundering, perhaps. Or maybe built after, for maintenance? Strange."
They walked in silence for a while, the only sound their footsteps on the smooth floor.
"That Tablet you picked up," Roric eventually asked, "the one that reacted to the machine... what is it?"
"The system called it a 'Tablet of Binding Wards'," Kael said, hefting the warm stone in his hand. It still pulsed faintly. "It wouldn't transmute. Seems connected to this place."
"Binding Wards..." Roric murmured. "Perhaps related to containing whatever that machine does? Or containing the Blight itself? Captain Valerius needs to know about this. The Loremasters Guild, too." He looked at Kael again. "They'll want to talk to you, Kael. You were the one who found this place, who activated the device, who holds that Tablet."
Kael felt a familiar unease. Attention. Questions he couldn't easily answer without revealing his impossible secret. "We'll see," he said noncommittally. "First, let's get you back safely."
The tunnel continued upwards for what felt like a long time, curving gently. Eventually, the smooth walls transitioned back to roughly hewn stone, then to natural rock. The embedded lights disappeared, replaced by faint daylight filtering from ahead. They emerged, blinking, from the mouth of a narrow cave, almost completely hidden behind a thick growth of thorny bushes on a rocky hillside.
Pushing through the bushes, they stood on the windswept plateau again. And there, in the distance, nestled in its valley, was Silverhaven Outpost. They had made it out, and seemingly not too far from where they needed to be.
Relief washed over Roric. "We did it," he breathed, a wide grin spreading across his face despite his fatigue. "Architect's grace, we actually did it."
They started walking towards the outpost, Roric leaning on Kael less now, his strength slowly returning. Kael glanced back at the hidden cave mouth, then down at the Tablet in his hand. He had completed the quest, rescued the scout, gained levels, and found an artifact intrinsically tied to the game's deepest lore. But reporting back meant exposure. Roric owed him his life and knew his name. How much would the scout reveal? And how would Kael navigate the questions that were sure to follow, all while maintaining the secret of the EXP Glutton? The ruins were behind him, for now, but a different kind of challenge lay ahead in Silverhaven.