The journey south from Silverhaven took Kael through increasingly desolate terrain. The rolling foothills gave way to a rocky, windswept plateau sparsely covered with resilient brush. Ancient, weathered flagstones occasionally peeked through the dirt, hinting at a long-forgotten road. The air felt thin and carried a peculiar stillness.
The local wildlife reflected the harsh environment. Kael fought off packs of Stone Scrabblers – six-legged lizards with stony hides that blended almost perfectly with the rocks. Their hides were tough, but his Strength cracked them after a few solid blows. He also encountered solitary Ruin Sentinels – roughly humanoid constructs of crumbling stone animated by a dim, internal blue light. They were slow but hit incredibly hard, forcing Kael to rely on his Vitality and the improved (though still limited) agility his Dexterity offered to weave between their ponderous swings.
[System]: Ruin Sentinel defeated! +250 EXP! [System]: Loot Drop: Sentinel Core Fragment x1 [System]: Sentinel Core Fragment detected. Transmuting via Absolute Assimilation... +80 EXP! [System]: Loot Drop: Ancient Stone Shard x3 [System]: Ancient Stone Shard detected. Transmuting via Absolute Assimilation... +75 EXP! (25 per shard) [System]: Total EXP Gain: 405 EXP. Applying 3x Multiplier... +1215 EXP!
Level 11: 3150 / 5500 EXP
The EXP was good, pushing him steadily towards the next level. After several hours of travel and intermittent combat, the plateau began to dip downwards, revealing the sprawling expanse of the Old Ruins.
They were magnificent and melancholic. Not just a single structure, but the bones of what must have once been a significant complex. Crumbling walls, some several stories high, etched with faded carvings, snaked across the landscape. Arches stood like lonely sentinels against the sky. Towers lay in ruin, their stones scattered like fallen teeth. Everything was overgrown with tenacious vines and moss, nature slowly reclaiming the works of a forgotten age. A palpable sense of silence hung over the place, deeper than the mere absence of sound. It felt ancient, heavy with unspoken history – an echo of creation, perhaps, long since faded.
Remembering the quest, Kael began his search near the perimeter, looking for signs of the missing scout, Roric. It didn't take long. Near a collapsed section of the outer wall, almost hidden by thorny bushes, he found scuffed earth indicating recent passage. Leading away from the scuffs, deeper into the ruins, were distinct boot prints – likely Roric's. Nearby, half-buried under rubble, was a metallic glint. A standard-issue Silverhaven waterskin. Kael reached for it instinctively before remembering – useless. He couldn't pick it up. He could only observe the scuff marks around it, suggesting it was dropped during a struggle or hasty retreat. The footprints continued unevenly, sometimes dragging, heading towards a large, shadowed archway that seemed to mark an entrance into the more intact central structures.
Taking a deep breath, Kael passed under the archway. Inside, the air grew cooler, damper. Crumbling corridors branched off, leading into darkness. Vine-choked courtyards opened to the sky above, sunlight struggling to penetrate the gloom. Strange symbols, similar to those he'd heard described in the tavern, adorned some of the walls – intricate geometric patterns that seemed to pulse with a faint, almost imperceptible energy.
The silence here felt different – not empty, but watchful. He heard a faint, ethereal whisper that vanished when he tried to focus on it. Then, a scraping sound echoed down a nearby corridor. Kael tensed, fists ready.
Materializing from the stonework itself was a Stone Golem. Larger and more defined than the Sentinels outside, this one stood nearly ten feet tall, its body formed of massive, interlocking blocks, its eyes glowing with a more intense blue light. It radiated an aura of territorial protection. This was likely Level 13 or 14, a serious threat.
The Golem lumbered forward, swinging a colossal stone fist. Kael darted back, the wind of the passage buffeting him. The fist smashed into the flagstone floor where he'd been standing, cracking it loudly. He circled, looking for weaknesses. Its movements were slow but powerful. He threw a punch at its leg – thud. Barely a scratch. Its stone hide was incredibly resistant to physical force.
He tried dodging another slam, rolling aside, and aimed a powerful blow at the Golem's knee joint. CRACK! A small fissure appeared. The Golem paused, turning its slow gaze towards him. It raised both arms, preparing to slam them down in an area attack. Kael didn't wait. He leaped forward, inside the Golem's reach, and unleashed a flurry of punches against the cracked knee joint. Each impact widened the fissure.
With a grinding groan, the Golem's leg buckled. It stumbled, off-balance. Seizing the opportunity, Kael jumped, using a low wall for leverage, and hammered his fists against the glowing blue core visible in its chest cavity. The Golem shuddered violently.
[System]: Stone Golem defeated! +400 EXP! [System]: Loot Drop: Golem Core x1 [System]: Golem Core detected. Transmuting via Absolute Assimilation... +150 EXP! [System]: Loot Drop: Rune-Etched Stone x2 [System]: Rune-Etched Stone detected. Transmuting via Absolute Assimilation... +120 EXP! (60 per stone) [System]: Total EXP Gain: 670 EXP. Applying 3x Multiplier... +2010 EXP!
Level 11: 5160 / 5500 EXP
He was close to leveling up. The fight had been intense, requiring him to exploit a weak point rather than relying purely on overwhelming the enemy's defenses.
As the Golem crumbled into inert stone and dust, Kael caught his breath. His eyes scanned the chamber the Golem had been guarding. The boot prints – Roric's prints – led directly towards a heavy stone door at the far end of the chamber, slightly ajar. And etched onto the door, glowing faintly with the same blue energy as the Golem's core, was one of the strange symbols he'd seen on the walls, larger and more intricate here.
The trail was clear. Roric had come this way, likely disturbed the Golem, and judging by the dragged footprints near the door, hadn't left willingly. Kael pushed the heavy door open further, revealing a dark passage leading downwards. The faint whispering sound seemed stronger now, beckoning from the depths. The investigation was leading him deeper into the heart of these ancient, dangerous ruins.