Dark Traveler Part 2

(OOC; Party Limit is 3. This thread continues directly from Dark Traveler)

It had been two days since Merkaba's annoying misadventures with the silly named girl Alphabet Chocolate. Now she would log in and find herself where she left off in the Inn. During her last journey, Elizabeth had planned to explore a riverside ruin that was said to be a good gathering area for ritual items and a place to slay some monsters for their wonderful souls. Merkaba had never reached her planned destination however due to the antics of her foolish follower at the time. Learning from the mistake of being gentle with the unworthy, Merkaba would not travel with a incompetent sort again. She would fare better alone....

Taking the time to make sure her items and equipment were set in proper slots. It was such a chore how this dimension had to follow these ridiculous rules by the technology that enslaved it. Seeing everything was well and good. The dark witch made her way out of the room, down the stairs and with a look of relief from the Innkeeper behind his desk, out of the Inn. The bright light of the outside caused the dark ladies eyes to squint slightly. Elizabeth would have to stay outside a bit more to undue the poor handling of daylight that Merkaba had. Creating a purely dark compatible body would do that. Not that it could not be adapted to other environments. That too was part of her journey's goal.

Once again she passed by frightened villagers and idiot fisherman. The village was like it was stuck in it's own type of limbo. She could probably massacre the entire place for souls and it would not be noticed by anyone. Such a reclusive little place. Maybe she would do just that once she had grown in more power. Reaching the outskirts of the village her mind began to think of the new spells she was going to try. A few new very special rituals were just waiting to be used and her scythe abilities had grown enough to properly begin to fuse her attacks with her dark energy. Of course, ailments were something she wanted to try as well. The energy and soul drain ritual Merkaba had set up against the Jolly Roger pirates was only the tip of her eventual power. Although, she still lacked something very important. There was little to know true dark masters in this world that she could learn more from. No places of dark worship to praise her gods so that they would grant her more power. Perhaps the upcoming ruin would solve that, but it was highly unlikely.

It may be becoming time for her to actively seek others that were fully committed to the dark art. So that she may learn and surpass them. For now however, as always, there was a task for then and a task for now. Now she would get some experience for herself. The stronger she was once she did find what she sought, the easier things would be. Her journey into the forest of Adecus began again. This time she would hopefully reach the ruin entrance without being disturbed.

 

The trip to the riverside ruin entrance would be uneventful. No wolves or idiot girls to interfere with Merkaba's journey. Soloing was something she was likely to do regularly considering the amount of idiots around. Merkaba would find the ruin entrance less than amazing to look upon. It was just a bunch of stones built into a square entry way. Moss and vines covered the sides. The entrance literally dipped into the ground under the river. So it was like a subway entrance. Merkaba kept her scythe in hand while she stepped into the dark entrance. The dank smell of swampish water rose up from within. This hopefully was not a wrong choice. This was more of a hydromancy users dream than a malefimancy users. She would have to be careful of moronic dark mage advice in the future it seemed. Well... she was here so why not head down and check it out a bit more?

Her descent was gradual down a set of vine covered steps. Upon reaching the bottom. Merkaba would focus her mana onto herself. Causing her entire body to glow like a ghost with dark energy. This would be a source of light, a bit dim, but light regardless, for this trek. She walked for a while down the dark corridors. Water dripped from above and the occasional hanging vine had to be brushed aside. The dungeon was proving dull for the most part. A occasional Mold Ooze and Bat enemy. Nothing a quick set of scythe swings couldn't handle. Her magic was not even needed yet. Eventually she would come to a wider chamber of sorts. Beneath the floor was a underground river. The room had a strange feel to it. At first Merkaba was unable to tell exactly what the feeling was.

She made her way through the chamber watching carefully where she stepped. The floor of old mossy stone rose up out of the water. This place was either flooded or intentionally built this way. Due to the way the holes of water were arranged. It made the trip through the room longer than it should have been. The water had strange, sudden shifts in it's ferocity. Sometimes speeding up and splashing unto the floor. Other times silent and still. Merkaba continued to have the odd feeling throughout the room. Making it to the other side she looked back for a moment. What was that she felt? Was something else in there? No matter, she was past it. It did not have a feeling akin to darkness so it was irrelevant to the witch. Moving along...

More steps, this time they lead to a long hall of broken pillars. Every one of them was shattered. The walls of the hall were broken at the top. Showing the hollowed out cavern that the ruin seemed to built into. Many small waterfalls were flowing both up and down the sides of the distant cave walls. It was impossible due to the ruins walls to see where the water was flowing to and from. It was a surreal sight that broke common sense for how water falls worked. Obvious magic was in play here. Although again... water magic, not dark magic. This was not Merkaba's element. The hall had a set of monsters she had not yet seen elsewhere. Two headed dogs, living gargoyles, and some floating blue sphere's that cast magic on her if she stepped too close. They seemed to be able to sense her presence even when behind them, or what seemed to be behind them.

The place from this point on was growing taxing. However Merkaba kept pushing. If the rumors of a raid coming soon were true. It would be unacceptable to allow herself to be at other's level. She carefully picked her battles as the hall of broken pillars went along, twisting and turning. Near the end of the hall the pillars were suddenly standing full again. Was this a sign that the ruins ahead were less decayed? Perhaps something useful was still worth pursuing here... Entering another flight of stone steps. Merkaba had to imbibe a energy potion as she reached what she could tell was floor three. This room was large and circular. Four steel bared gates surrounded the room. The center of the chamber had a large bottomless pit with four of those differently flowing waterfalls in it's center. Merkaba made her way to each of the gates. Checking for ways to open them. Curses, did she come all this way for nothing? She would not be impeded! However there was no switch, no hint, nothing. The gates lacked any kind of pulley and there was nowhere to insert a key, not that Merkaba had one.

What in Babylon's name was this folly? Elizabeth wondered if maybe she had arrived at the other side of another location. Such as a castle basement or another dungeon. The stone did seem more gray now rather than the tan of previous floors. That would explain the impassible gates. They may be impossible to open from this side. That would be unfortunate. Merkaba also had no idea where the other side was coming from, and there were technically four other sides if each gate went somewhere else. This assumption was partly debunked in the end because the witch checked by lighting the halls beyond the gates with some dark magic shots. There were no switches or pulleys there either. Giving the room one last check. Merkaba's eyes went to the water falls.

She watched how they went up and down as if pulled by magic. If there was a spell or magical device at work here. It was throughout the entire ruin. It explained the uneven tides of the floor one water as well. So... did she miss something? After a time of mulling over how to proceed. Merkaba was sadly left with no choice. Her wretched needs meter limiters were getting low and her supplies were getting less. Some paradise for a dark mage this turned out to be. At least she was able to get some practice in. Soloing was so much better for her than dealing with imbeciles. This trip would have been terribly frustrating with that silly girl for before. Alphabet Chocolate... urgh, ridiculous fool will probably still be punching things with her elbows if Merkaba see's her again. Which will not happen if the dark witch can help it.

Time for a trip back. This place may need a revisit but she would get nowhere with this right now. There was better ways to spend time. Much better.

[COMPLETE]