Tepo allowed himself to smirk, interrupting his seriousness for a moment. Carefully, he approached the desk.
Laying on the two couches with its front towards the ceiling, the desk had seen better days. Its surface showed some cracks and one of its legs barely hung on. But all in all, the cushions did a good job softening its fall.
Tepo bowed down, picking up some papers which slipped from the wooden surface. A quick scan was enough to let Tepo know that he wouldn't learn much here. Whatever was written was not in a language he understood.
Now that I think about it. I didn't comprehend a different language when I arrived in the World of Carrying Winds.
Tepmodus didn't know what to feel as this thought came to his mind. This might be a good or a bad sign.
Focusing on the present, Tepo jumped on a sofa. Ignoring the unspoken temptation to take a nap, the young man inspected the desk. His hand carefully glided over the wooden material. It was no cloud or anything, but simply the familiar smoothness.
Not noticing anything abnormal, Tepo began rumagging through the drawers. He carefully opened one. Immediately the investigator's eyes lit up in excitement when his eyes fell on the first object he found.
Who would have expected that a handgun would appear in this place? Tepo hurriedly took it out, examining it.
Compared to his preferred model this one was a bit older. But nevertheless, it was in good condition. The barrel wasn't damaged, and the magazine was in place. Unfortunately, it only came with five bullets. Tepo lamented his misfortune, wishing for more ammunition. It was good nobody could hear him.
Ultimately the young man was greatly motivated by his finding. With his favorite weapon in hand, he felt a lot more secure. In his new, unblemished body he was confident that five bullets could take five lives.
In a great mood Tepo continued searching the desk, eager to unearth more treasures. But his luck had already run out. He only found more papers in a language he couldn't understand. Only the last drawer contained something mildly interesting. A small booklet.
From its structure Tepo recognized it to be a diary. In fact, it was a pity that the young man had just started his dungeon diving career.
A seasoned warrior might have randomly or intentionally learned the language spoken in this place before. Then, they would have the ability to study the diary, find notes about the experiments, and completed the quest immediately.
This was one more reason why a dungeon's difficulty could hardly be gauged. Because different warriors had different levels of preparation.
Unfortunately, Tepo had no preparation to speak of. Thus, he could only blankly browse the diary, gaining minimal information. Like a child the investigator was only able to study pictures.
This still helped him to form some ideas, however, as they appeared more than familiar. The circles with all kinds of runes contained within them naturally depictured cores, while a portrait of Lord Hoftal was drawn on the last site.
Doing a short double check, Tepo was confident he had found everything the desk could give him. Guessing that it might be of importance, Tepo tucked the diary into his pocket before deciding to leave the room.
The young man turned to the right, approaching the only wall with a door. Left and right of it, bookcases adorned the wall, with all kinds of decorations on top of them.
Since they were only a little over two meters high, Tepo was confident he could climb on top of it. Thus, he carefully studied its reactions. Looking at a certain row of the shelf wich was filled to the brim with books, the investigator nudged one of it, ready to retreat at a moment's notice.
As soon as the books were touched, gravity affected them. They sagged down, closing any gaps, forming an orderly stack. Fortunately, they didn't tip over but stood still.
Tepo already wanted to confirm the results of his test when a chain reaction ensued. As if gravity had just now noticed the bookcase and remember its job, the entire bookcase was suddenly affected.
The wooden structure was fortunately close to the ground already. With a few creaks, the only thing that changed was that it was now supported by its broad side wall.
But the same couldn't be said for the objects it contained. With the bookcase's change, it affected everything it touched. Decorations fell to the ground, clanging obnoxiously. Books toppled over. Some small glass displays shattered on the floor.
Smiling wryly Tepo looked at the mess he had caused. Well, at least the bookcase still stood where he needed it, willing to assist him in reaching the door.
Not in the mood to clean up, Tepo bent his knees slightly. He gathered momentum with a swing of his arms, jumping as high as he could. His hands grabbed the edge and with one smooth motion he pulled himself on top of the bookcase, ducking his body.
The other bookcase was only a meter or so above him. Hitting his head on it might already end his journey early.
Moving as if on a tightrope, Tepo robbed to his left, reaching for the doorknob. He turned it slowly, hoping that no key was needed. Fortunately, luck was on his side today. The door opened.
Affected by gravity the heavy wooden door immediately threatened to push Tepo off the bookcase. The young man drew a sharp breath. Pressing his body against it, he only allowed it to open a tiny gap. Next, he awkwardly moved backwards on all four, supporting the door with his body.
A heavy load scraped against his back. Tepo ignored the pain until he finally reached the part of the bookcase, which was originally above the door. With tense arms and straining his abdominal muscles the young man did his best to hold back the door until he pulled his head away. All the while concentrating not to touch the other bookcase.
Fortunately, no one was present to watch this comical display.
Finally, Tepo took a deep breath. He had made it out of the door's way, controlling it to sink down until it stopped.
Filled with curiosity and apprehension, Tepo carefully peeped into the next room. But what he found was a completely empty room with gray walls and another opening in one corner.
Tepo raised his eyebrow. At least he could relax for a few seconds. Sitting down at the edge of the door the young man shook his legs and arms before jumping down into the study.
He picked up a book form the ground, carefully threw it through the door and climbed back up. Next, he dropped down into the other room, his book in hand.
Acting decisively, Tepo aimed and thrusted the book precisely at the other bookcase.
With a loud rumbling the wooden structure suddenly couldn't keep in place anymore. It crashed downwards, colliding with the door. The latter squeaked in its hinges, but it somehow held on. Only the books continued tumbling towards the ground while the bookcase sealed the opening shut.
Tepo smiled, satisfied, as the room he was in dimmed. Only the single opening at the corner still allowed light to shine in.
Ready to move on Tepmodus advanced towards the light. The opening wasn't too big, forcing the young man on his knees once again. Fortunately, Tepo didn't hold onto some weird pride, or he would've needed to enlarge the opening with his bare hands.
Constantly reminding himself not to get overconfident, the young man carefully studied the other room.
A few dirty lamps horizontally stuck to the wall on the left, the former ceiling. Sparkling under their light, a lot of clean, smooth metal utensils hung from many hooks all around the right wall.
At their center was a big, sturdy working station with a luxurious stove.
Obviously Tepo had found the kitchen.
Since looks might be deceptive, Tepo didn't blindly advance into the next room, with was slightly tilted compared to the former. He took off his red scarf and held it through the opening.
Only after he made sure that it dropped towards the left wall was Tepo reassured and finally entered the kitchen.
By now the young man was more confident about the rules in this place. Before exploring further, he stepped towards the right, his eyes transfixed on a long, sharp kitchen knife. His pistol only had five bullets so another weapon was a must.
Reaching out, he grabbed the knife, leading to another chain reaction. Tepo cringed. A sharp sound entered his ears as the knives hanging form the same rack fell on the tiled floor.
Suddenly, however, a different sound seemed to mix in. Tepo narrowed his eyes. He had an ominous feeling as a faint buzzing sounded out.
Discerning its source, the young man approached a hole in the ground. It was an open door leading to a long hallway covered in darkness. But suddenly something moved.