Mage And Wolf
Chapter 206

Chapter 206: Chapter 206

What they’ve found is an open air cemetery. There’s bodies in every state of dead around this building. Some so recent I can still smell the blood and rot, no more than a year or two old.

"If you step past that point drawn on the ground your cultivation is sealed and a Golem attacks you every time you touch a new tile." John frowns and I notice all the others are injured.

"What if more of us step on the same tile?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"You just get more Golems, and they’ll follow you out of the area. But if you carry another you only get one Golem."

I notice a dragon skeleton is resting on the roof, looking down at the courtyard. It must have cast this spell to protect the area before it died. I wonder again what sort of massive battle happened here. A remnant of the war the Nephilim mentioned where Dragons razed their cities?

"Was this a dragon stronghold?" I ask curious.

"During the war, yes. But the relic was brought here by them after that we believe." That gives me an idea. If it’s meant to keep others out, it should let someone in. As the green Priestess nearby is injured, that suggests species isn’t enough. But a High Priestess or Dragon Noble might be alright.

I change from my High Priestess garb to Royal Robes and feel myself float the half inch off the ground that is customary for this outfit. With a steady confidence I don’t feel I continue forward towards the gates while the rest wait anxiously. If the Golems start coming it’s a lot of tiles back to them, and I’m sealed to Foundation level cultivation.

The doors are wide open, but my new bracelet chimes when I walk through the barrier that is still active. Maybe it’s a key?

The inside of the building is a single large room with a dias at the end and treasures along the walls. I fold my hands in front of me, resisting the urge to touch and inspect all the things. First up is to inspect that dias, with any luck it holds the relic.

It definitely used to. I can see the outline of three pieces of a disc formed into the cushion, but they’re gone now. All that’s left is a single sliver of onyx. They must have missed it, or damaged the relic while removing it. I pull it in to my storage and wait for something to happen. No response.

Goal achieved, I look around the room, finding the protective barrier around the treasures is still active. One in particular draws my attention, a black Dragon Scale. It’s the size of a dinner plate and in perfect shape, despite its age. It doesn’t seem to be anything special, but it calls to me.

Carefully I make my way to it, checking for any sort of movement, traps or barriers, but finding nothing except the barriers protecting the treasures. I examine the area carefully, committing the contents to memory before tempting fate by reaching out to touch the barrier around the Black Dragon Scale.

The barrier fades away upon contact with my finger leaving the scale exposed. Gently, I try to pick it up but the minute my fingers touch it the Scale is absorbed into my body, leaving no trace it has ever been there.

I blink, trying to take in what had just happened and find myself outside the front door, facing two Terra Cotta Golems with Spears blocking the doorway to the building.

"Well, that was unexpected. The relic is gone, I found the location it was kept though." I call back to the others, still looking at the door guards. What’s the deal with them anyhow? Is there a one shiny object per visitor limit?

"If it’s gone, we should get out of here. If the moon goes down we will be locked in here until tomorrow and who knows what will come out looking for us when we can’t escape." A Priestess says. Well that would have been important information to know in advance.

"So no time to fully check the library?" I ask as everyone starts waking towards the exit.

"We will send a full team here later. First we need to find the missing relic though. We’ve got a few leads on where it might have been brought, they’re just a little further away than this one." John says.

"Fair enough, mission first, shiny objects second." I say.

"Food second, shiny objects third, or possibly fourth." John corrects with a hearty chuckle.

We exit back out through the cavern and update our notes, getting ready to head on to the next location. Instead of picking a direction to run to, Beta John turns to one of the others who has a relic of some sort in his hand and nods. The Lycan warrior opens a portal and we all jump through quietly, not wanting to alert whatever might be in the area.

When they said the next was a bit further they weren’t joking either. This isn’t even the same world. The Divine energy isn’t as dense, but there’s more regular energy in the air. It has a unique flavor too, a sense of growth and life, like an old forest.

"The next location isn’t abandoned as far as we know. So we might need to negotiate with whoever is here, assuming they’ve got the relic." The lead Priestess tells us.

"No problem, I’m very good at negotiating." I smile and Beta John places a finger across my lips.

"Common sense says you never lead off by letting the Death God’s representative negotiate. You can step in if things go wrong." He says solemnly and all the others laugh.

Spoilsport.

We move cautiously through the forest, heading in the direction indicated by the Green Dragons. They say they can sense signs of a Dragon Relic in the area and we’re getting closer, so I’m going to have have to trust their senses on this one.