The sound of footsteps echoed down the long, decrepit hallway, the faint creaks and groans of the old floors adding to the eerie atmosphere as kururin and Cillian moved cautiously forward.
The air felt thick with dust, and the distant sound of dripping water made the silence even more oppressive.
kururin led the way, her every step deliberate, but her senses were alert, constantly scanning for any signs of danger. Behind her, Cillian walked, his face set in a serious expression as he carefully observed the surroundings.
As they continued deeper into the ruin, the hallway began to widen, and eventually, they reached a point where the path diverged.
A fork in the road, and an unsettling this was like the third one in this maze like ruins. kururin stopped, glancing at Cillian, who had already come to a halt beside her, his gaze narrowing in concentration.
The man's posture suggested that he wasn't just walking aimlessly, but rather, that he was very familiar with this place or at least, its dangers.
Cillian, recalling his past life spoke, before going ahead.
"Stop, lets go left, the right stinks of corruption."
kururin raised an eyebrow at his words. Corruption? Corruption was the main enemies that players or rather hunters hunt as seen from the trailers.
Its not like the standard beasts or monsters like goblins that can be found on other fantasy games, each corrupted individual is a unique abomination.
She could feel the subtle shiver of discomfort run down her spine at the idea of a corrupted entity just roaming on the right side of the ruins.
"Understood."
She replied, her voice steady. Without hesitation, she turned to the left, following Cillian.
The two of them proceeded down the left path, but the atmosphere remained tense. Every step they took felt heavier, as if the weight of the ruin's history pressed down on them.
The air was thick with the scent of decay, and the faint sounds of distant movements whispers or footsteps kept her on edge.
kururin glanced over her shoulder at Cillian, whose attention was focused on the hallway ahead, his dead eyes are scanning every detail, as though he were anticipating something.
For some reason she feels uncomfortable.
Something feels wrong.
kururin thought, trying to shake the unsettling feeling gnawing at her. She had been paying attention to the situation, and though Cillian seemed like an experienced guide, there was something strange about his behavior.
He never lifted a finger to help her. All the work like the disarming of traps, the exploring, the navigating had been left to her.
To be fair, he's a guide so that what he does, just guiding, however kururin couldn't shake the feeling away
Could it be!?
The sudden thought hit her, and she froze mid step, her eyes snapping back to Cillian. He hadn't noticed her pause as he continued forward, his frock cloak trailing slightly behind him as though it were caught by a draft.
It wasn't the cloak that caught her attention, though. It was the way he moved, the movements feels weird like its not animated nor alive at all.
She had been too distracted earlier, but now, as she took a closer look, something about him felt... off. Cillian's form was weird and uncanny, looking at the way he moved, she could see no visible signs of life everything feels robotic.
Wait a minute..
she thought, a realization slowly dawning on her.
A chill ran through her as the truth clicked into place.
This isn't a man at all. He's not human. He's a puppet!
The very thought of it shocked her. She had seen this in the trailers powerful entities in the game. gods, fallen beings, entities with powers beyond comprehension.
But to think that one of them might be hiding in plain sight as a puppet, controlling an inanimate body through mystical means, was something she hadn't expected.
kururin stood there, frozen for a moment as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
This is unbelievable! I seem to have stumbled upon a greater being in disguise, how fortunate!
kururin was a bright individual. Before buying the game, she had watched and analyzed every trailer, teaser, and closed beta test footage.
The premise of the game intrigued her, it was set in an industrial age period, with in game nations that mirrored real world countries from that time period, but with added mystical and fantastical elements.
What really caught her attention, however, was the game's unique approach to religion. Instead of the Catholic Church and other religions common in that era, the game featured seven divine churches, each led by a powerful deity.
There were also countless smaller churches, each worshipping minor deities that weren't recognized by the main churches, which added a nice touch of originality.
The game has multitudes of magic variants but the central feature, Authority, stood out the most. It wasn't magic or science but something completely different. The game promised players complete freedom, whether they wanted to become a ruler of a nation, a god, or something else entirely.
With endless possibilities, the game allowed players to carve their own paths, making it an exciting experience that kururin couldn't resist.
And her suspicion right now is, this man right here is one such god, a fallen god to be exact, she concluded that the deity in question is sealed, bound or has it's divinity stripped off from it, which explains why he cant interact with the physical world and only uses puppets to communicate.
She deduced that she had discovered a main story quest, or something of similar level, which answers her initial question before, she can roughly guess that the following quests will probably lean towards helping to unseal or regain the deities divinity.
This game is an iceberg of lore and history just waiting to be discovered..
As a professional history and mystery nerd, this game gives her the tingles that she so much desire, she hasnt even gotten the chance to yap about the mention of Canute in the game, a well known king that unified the english, danish and nordic realms back in the real world, that same great ruler unified the north and apparently fought off against the giants from the north! yes giants! hehehehhehhhehehhe...
Seeing kururin giggling creepily, Cillian became concerned.
Have I perhaps, attracted the attention of someone crazy?
Cillian feels uncomfortable, for some reason kururin keeps stealing glances at him. It resulted in him feeling awkward, trying his best to act normal.
Of course as the best actor around, instead of looking normal he ended up looking robotic instead. Its ultimately the result of two socially awkward people getting locked in a confined space.
Cillian decided to ignore her odd outburst for the moment, focusing instead on the task at hand. The path was about to lead them into the heart of the ruin.
After a few more minutes of walking, they finally reached the entrance to the boss room, a massive weathered door that loomed before them, its surface etched with ancient symbols and runes.
"It seems this is as far as we can go for now, I sense something sinister beyond that gate. Rest, we shall open the door and proceed after a while"
kururin, still buzzing from her discovery, nodded. Her mind was racing, but she understood the need for caution.
The upcoming encounter would require all her focus, and she had no intention of letting the excitement cloud her judgment.
"Alright"
They stood in silence for a moment, each lost in their thoughts, as the eerie silence of the ruin pressed in around them.