His heart tightened, and cold sweat broke out across his back. Instinctively shielding Miss Valente behind him, Lynch raised his cane high, aiming it toward the massive face.
However, though only seven days had passed, Lynch was no longer the novice he used to be. At the very least, he wouldn't be thrown into a panic by every sudden surprise. As he raised his cane, he noticed that the face hadn't changed expression at all. Furthermore, when the light hit it, there was an unnatural sheen.
It probably wasn't a living creature.
Listening closely, dead silence still enveloped their surroundings. The appearance of the light hadn't drawn any enemies. Breathing a sigh of relief, he held the light in one hand and his cane in the other, stepping closer for a better look.
But his arm was immediately grabbed. The noble lady pressed tightly against his back, her breathing quick and tense. Lynch patted the hand on his arm, intending to offer a word of comfort, when a bright beam of light, like a searchlight, burst from Miss Valente's hand, shining directly onto the massive face and illuminating every detail of its surroundings.
Phew, no need to walk over after all. It was clearly a stone carving, somewhat humanoid, with a thick build, a head full of hair, and a mouth packed with razor-sharp fangs, giving it a truly ferocious look.
Lynch and Miss Valente stood in the middle of a circular, enclosed hall. The space around them was empty, except for six stone statues of various shapes standing upright.
Seeing no immediate danger, Lynch finally had the leeway to inspect the glowing object in Miss Valente's hand.
It was a thumb-thick prismatic crystal. A beam of light shot out from one end, as brilliant as sunlight. Lynch stared blankly at it. It definitely wasn't a flashlight—electricity hadn't been invented in this world yet. Nor was it a mystery relic; today, he had only sensed a single fear grade mystery relic on Miss Valente—a jewelry box named Nara—and this clearly wasn't that.
“Sorry, I'm a bit afraid of the dark and got overly nervous,” Miss Valente said apologetically, her face flushing as she shoved the crystal into Lynch's hand. “Having light makes it much better.”
She then magically produced another from nowhere and lit it up.
“You've never used one of these? I thought you were using a lighter for some special reason. This is a Torch of Light made by the priests of the Sun themselves. It's infused with the authority of light, and each one can provide illumination for an hour. The clergy in their church live very meagerly, so they make these to sell to outsiders. They're very convenient and quite cheap. I made sure to bring a dozen this time.”
As she spoke, she shoved two more into Lynch's hands.
I've never even heard of these? Lynch sighed with a self-deprecating chuckle. Compact and lightweight, these were even better than flashlights and undoubtedly ideal for investigations.
“How much are they? If we make it out alive this time, I'll buy a few myself.”
“Oh, very cheap. Only two pounds each.”
The beam of light sweeping around the room suddenly froze.
One month of my rent for a one-hour flashlight? You call that cheap?
Lynch shot Miss Valente a bizarre look, quietly deciding right then and there that he would do everything in his power to keep her alive on this trip.
Ever since I heard you say 'cheap,' you've been my friend for life.
“Ah, right, there's also this.” Miss Valente pulled out a conch shell the size of an infant's fist from her small bag and stuffed it into Lynch's pocket. “Twin Conch Shells, used for short-distance communication. If we get separated, keep an eye out for its vibrations at all times. They're actual mystery creatures and quite rare, so I only brought this one pair.”
Hearing that, Lynch gave up asking how much it cost. Expressionless, he put away his lighter, tucked his cane into his belt, and held the Torch of Light in a reverse grip like a tactical flashlight. With his other hand, he drew his revolver, crossed his wrists in a tactical stance he had seen on TV, signaled Miss Valente to follow, and crouched low, quickly moving against a nearby wall.
Just like the buildings in Maya's dream city, this place was constructed from megaliths and earth, with extremely tight seams between the wall stones. The entire room lacked windows, truly built like a catacomb.
“This is their arena hall. There should be six to eight of them in Zur Baha Sahr,” Miss Valente said, having caught up and habitually lowering her voice.
“You recognize this?”
Lynch was a bit surprised. He had graduated in archaeology and natural history, but with his level of secondary education, his archaeological knowledge extended at most to the Dawn Era of the Fourth Age. The Third Age was far beyond his expertise. He hadn't expected Miss Valente to recognize it.
Miss Valente pressed her lips together, staying silent.
“Understood. I get it.”
Lynch sighed, realizing the noble lady harbored a deep obsession with this city. He pressed no further and began moving swiftly along the wall, trying to locate an exit.
Surprisingly, there were no doors. However, sharp-eyed as he was, Lynch quickly spotted an unusual stone slab on the floor with grooves meant for pulling. It was likely a trapdoor.
“Step back. Turn off your light first.”
“This can't be turned off, but I can put it away,” Miss Valente said, and the light in her hand vanished entirely.
Tsk, that jewelry box mystery relic of hers is probably a spatial mystery relic. There really are so many weird and bizarre mystery relics in this world. Is poverty truly limiting my imagination?
“Ready,” Miss Valente said, gripping her folding fan with both hands after a metallic click. “My authorities are Protection and Compassion. I can defend and heal, but my combat ability isn't very strong. I'm sorry.”
“Mine is Concealment. I'm going to cover the light now. Protect yourself, and don't be scared when it goes dark.”
“Mm.”
As he spoke, Lynch bit down on the crystal, parting his lips slightly so only a faint sliver of light escaped. Finally, switching to his cane, Blood Elegy, he placed his hand into the groove.
According to the archaeological knowledge inherited from the original owner of his body, ancient tombs were often rigged with traps, but urban ruins almost never were. Cities were built for living. Unless it was a war-torn ruin, no right-minded person would fill their own home with lethal traps. Feeling relatively at ease, Lynch exerted force with his arm, attempting to pull open the stone trapdoor.
It was a thick slab of bluestone and quite heavy. Fortunately, it wasn't sealed shut by soil. Exerting all his strength, Lynch finally pulled it open, immediately crouching behind the stone to listen cautiously for any movement below.
Light spilled downward, yet all remained quiet, indicating there were likely no wild beasts or sensitive mystery creatures nearby. Opening his mouth fully, Lynch let the beam of light shine straight down. Once he confirmed nothing was amiss below, he signaled Miss Valente behind him to stay alert, then dropped lightly into the lower floor like a cat.
The moment he leapt, he closed his mouth, plunging their surroundings into pitch blackness while simultaneously activating his lurking ability. Upon landing, he rolled several times to clear the spot immediately before opening his mouth to sweep the bright beam across where he had landed. The movement wasn't blazing fast, but it was smooth enough—clearly something he had rehearsed in his mind more than a few times.
Halfway through sweeping the light, Lynch's heart tightened.
The area below was much larger. It couldn't really be called a room, as there were no surrounding walls; instead, a row of stone pillars supported the ceiling, much like ancient Greek architecture. Three stone statues stood tucked between the pillars, set in odd, out-of-the-way positions for reasons unknown.
What triggered Lynch's tension were the several corpses lying on the stone floor. Blocked from view from above, he only noticed them now.
“Come down, it's safe,” Lynch whispered into the Twin Conch Shells. “Watch your step when landing. There are corpses down here, so don't be startled.”
Speaking softly into the conch shell, Lynch felt a bit silly, as if his intelligence had reverted to that of a six-year-old. But a voice soon came through the shell, crisp and clear:
“Alright... Also, I'm a trauma nurse.”
A dark figure flashed as Miss Valente dropped gracefully to the floor with surprising agility. She immediately closed in beside Lynch, standing back-to-back with him as she used her own Torch of Light to illuminate their surroundings.
“I want to inspect the corpses,” Miss Valente whispered once she confirmed it was safe.
“Alright, I'll keep watch.”
The three bodies on the floor were already mummified remains. Lynch poked them with his cane to confirm they were completely dead before holding up his light to scan the area while Miss Valente bent down to inspect them.
“The physical features match the statues, so they were likely residents of the city. But something is wrong with their bodies,” Miss Valente observed. “Nearly all their bones are crushed, as if repeatedly run over by something extremely heavy. However, this environment shouldn't cause such damage. Given the state of their bones, there's no way they could have moved here on their own after death—unless something brought them...”
The more Lynch listened, the more uneasy he felt. Clichés from horror movies he had seen in his past life flashed through his mind. Without even thinking, he instinctively tackled Miss Valente from behind, wrapping his arms around her as they rolled several times away from the spot.
The next instant, with a dull thud, a massive mass of darkness landed heavily right where the two had been standing.
Rate on N.U.
