Spirit Taming

Chapter 298: Locked Room

The damaged and twisted metal marionette was completely useless now. It was still trying to move but it was at the very end of its life. Clark knew that a truly skilled craftsman could fix it but that knowledge was lost. There was also the fact that there was no further potential for a man made beast like this.

It was better to call them tools than actual beasts, however, the system still qualified them as beasts.

The room they had made it in to was the most odd out of all of them. The spikes had been triggered by a clear pressure plate on the ground. It had been the cause of the death of multiple people but the rune carver that the group was after was still not there.

"There are more tools here at least." Maria was avoiding looking at the bodies. She had already glanced at them to see that the spatial rings were gone. Someone had been here to take away the valuables and leave the remaining things. It seemed that the person had not been able to stay long, most likely because of the metal marionettes and the fear of another trap.

"We can grab some of the better tools. The common ones we can leave." Clark was using the analysis on every single spot he could set his eyes on. He didn't see a single trap or even a hint of a trap. Just a room full of tools that could be used by others. "If the spatial rings were here I doubt they would be valuable since we already found the apprentice rine carver's tools."

"Wait, so there aren't more traps here?" Reese was sure that Clark had a way to check. He was already catching on to the casual and calm demeanor that Clark had when he knew what they were in for.

"Not that I can sense or see. It actually seems like whoever was here left us things out of fear rather than anything else." With this, everyone was in motion. Taking the tools was a low move since they were not valuable. But they would be useful in establishing things of their own. Specifically, because Clark and Maria already had a beast analysis and growth business with Isa and Ella.

The only thing that this room had was another path that seemed to move back further. But the path seemed to be a dead end of sorts. Clark couldn't feel any airflow from it at all. It seemed to just stop there for no reason. Even Devi was wondering why it was there in the first place since it was not lit at all. Just dark and spooky.

But the smell of a rotting body was clearly strong there. And as Clark moved down it using a single, easily lit torch from his supplies, he managed to see that it was a set of stairs. The dust of the floor was moved around in a panicked way while a single set of footprints followed them.

"These are the prints of the person that found them first and took the rings while those older faded prints are the apprentice rune carver," Clark mumbled to himself as he followed them closely. The stairs seemed a little off since they had sat for a while. If the dungeon's magic had not kept them solid he was certain that they would have fallen apart by now.

Right at the top of the stairs, Clark found the fallen body that had slowly rotted away here for however long. It was clear that the finger the spatial ring had been taken from had been broken off from the body. Whoever had been exploring her was ruthless, but it was true that the dead would not need their possessions.

"Clark, did you find anything ?" Maria called up to him wondering if it was alright to come up after him. She was sure that he had made it safely but was stuck in thought now.

"Yes, I found the body of the apprentice rune carver. He stopped at the top of the stairs. I guess this is technically the fourth floor again but not really since it's just a single…" Clark saw a tough metal door that looked like it had not been touched at all. There were a few footprints around it and some clearly kicked stones.

Someone had tried to get in but failed before giving up and rushing away. "There's a door!"

'Rune carved door- uncommon

The rune carved door was made to protect a high class craftsman's personal residence. These used to be more common but have been replaced with beasts and other means of defense through the years. This door has runes that have kept the quality and defenses intact to protect what is inside. It requires the ambient spiritual energy to remain functioning.

When it loses the ambient spiritual energy within the runes it will cease to work.'

"Devi, bite the door and get rid of the spiritual energy inside. See if you can absorb enough to weaken it before we pull it open." Brad and Reese heard what Clark was saying and realized that he was already motioning for them to grab the metal handle with him.

"ready…one…two…three…PULL!" The first pull, while Devi was using the chilling bote skill to pull out the spiritual energy from the rune on the door, caused the door to shake. It was more than just the shake of a door stuck in position. It was the whisper of a door opening to reveal treasures.

The three boys looked at each other with small grins. They repeated their teamwork as Maria watched them ready to stop them from tumbling down the stairs if they let go during their pull on the door. As the last tug shook the door, a clang of metal rang out before the door fell off the hinges completely.

The three were able to catch the metal door realizing that it had actually been thinner than they expected. They didn't end in the most graceful positions, however, making Devi and Maria laugh slightly before everyone looked at the new room which was surprisingly illuminated.

' altered spiritual crystals- uncommon

These spiritual crystals have been altered to gather ambient spiritual energies so that they can glow and light the area they are placed.'

The system did not give much of an explanation but it was simple, to begin with. This was a good thing though since Clark didn't want to light another torch from his supplies. They were best used at night while keeping watch. Torches were an important item for any traveler to know how to make and light in a pinch.

"It looks like things here are way more preserved." Maria looked at the bookshelves full of notes and other things that the rune carver that lived here had left behind to one day return to. Unfortunately, they would have never known that the city they lived in would go through a tragedy. Later to be turned in to a dungeon of four parts and spread through the lands.

Clark had looked carefully using the system analysis to see if the floors or the bookshelves held any traps. But from what he could tell, this was the safest place yet. It had been protected with higher class tools, books, and even had a very good storage set of runes on the walls.

The runes were the amazing thing. Any rune carver would have jumped at the chance to find this palace. Even the hints that this place existed would make a rune master want to travel here. Now Clark knew what the apprentice rune carver was after. Not the knowledge on the bookshelves, but the preservation runes on the walls. They could last years!

"There are some random crystals here of all types separated in to small chests." The small chests were easy for Reese to carry. He showed them off to the others. They were full of small energy crystals of many different types that a rune carver would use.

"Hey Reese!" Clark had sneakily taken out the explorer's sheath he had gotten from the system earlier. "This looks perfect for your abyssal sword partner. A nice home to keep it comfortable."

When Reese saw the sheath his eyes lit up. There was a slight vibration in the abyssal sword as well since it could perceive the better sheath.

The sheath that Reese had used was older and very worn. It was a training sheath that would not impress anyone in any fashion. But the moment that Reese took it from Clark the abyssal sword started to vibrate even more with excitement.

As it fell in to the sheath, both Reese and the abyssal sword looked and felt calm. There was an aura around them that put everyone a little more at ease.

"It's too perfect. I can tell we are both going to get stronger just using this. And there are no visible runes. It's amazing. Maybe even too good." Reese was all together very happy. Clark had planned this perfectly.

The perfect passive way for Reese and the abyssal sword to get stronger even though they didn't have the materials to help it grow to another level at the moment.

"Let's see what else we can find. There are some desks and drawers here." Clark gave Reese a pat on the shoulder to snap him out of his thoughts.