Vizo expression had stayed astonished, his brow furrowed in concentration as he analyzed the complex markings of the door, "It appears like the door want us to channel our Zephyra into it," he said, his bold words undermined by the uncertainty lingering in his voice. "But I'm not quite sure exactly what will happen."
Indra nodded, her mind grappling the cryptic message as she began to summon Zephyra once more. Her hand tingled, and small gusts of wind raced around her fingers, the energy building with every second that passed.
Her thoughts started to drift to the creature she had slain just moments ago, she remembered how even such a small amount of Zephyra could deal lethal damage. The gravity of her newfound power began to unsettle her stomach. This gift-dangerous, unpredictable-left her feeling unsure of what she had unlocked in herself.
As her mind flickered with thoughts, the wings around her hand grew wilder, swirling faster. Noticing the change, she forced herself to refocus, for now she pushed aside her doubts. There were more appropriate times to worry it.
As she steadied her breath she concentrated the Zephyra into her palm, then placed it gently onto the center of the door. The winds she conjured into her hand began to brush dust off of it's ancient surface, and Indra couldn't help but wonder: How long could this door have been sealed? Has anyone ever managed to even open it? Doubts began to race through her mind once more.
Just moments later, she felt the Zephyra be taken from her hand, seeping into the door. The glow began to fade, and an ominous sound of cracking and rumbling echoes through the dungeon, filling their ears as the ancient door began to shift.
As the door groaned open, the whisper of ancient mechanisms shifting echoed through the room. Dust fell in small streams from the edges of the doorway, which revealed a dark room beyond. A faint glow from the Zephyra-infused symbols barely lit the space ahead. It casted eerie shadows against the stone walls.
Vizo exchanged a quick glance with Indra, his face filled with caution and determination. "Stay on your guard. Whatever's been sealed in here for this many years has likely gone mad," he whispered to her, as he drew his dagger from his side.
Indra nodded back to him, her senses were sharp as the two stepped cautiously through the threshold. Inside, the air was heavy, and thick with the energy of the Zephyra that had kept the door sealed. As they moved deeper into the chamber, faint scuttling sounds echoed from the shadows in front of them. Sending chills down Indra's spine.
Vizo's eyes narrowed, detecting movement in the darkness. "We're not alone."
Just as the words left his lip, a sharp screech pierced through the air, from the far corners of the room several creature emerged-twisted, insectoid monsters with shiny carapaces and stretched limbs. Their glowing eyes reflect the faint light, which made them look like predators in the night.
Without any delay, the largest of the creatures jumped at them, its claws scraped against the stone floor with a sickening screech. In a blur, Vizo infused his dagger with Zephyra, creating a faint crimson glow. He met the create in mid-air, and slashed it with precision. "Netherflame: Ember Slice." he said calmly, his dagger trailing a burning arc as it cut through the monster's armored shell, and sent it crashing to the ground in a spiral of flames.
A smaller monster lunged at Indra, it's mandibles snapping viciously. Instinctively, she summoned Zephyra, the wind swirled through her hands with a familiar rush. This time, she didn't hesitate for even a moment. She thrust her palm forward, and sent out a powerful gust that knocked the creature off balance. As she projected the Zephyra, it unleashed a concentrated blast of air the sliced through the creature's legs, sending it crashing into the wall.
More creatures of the deep emerged from the darkness, their numbers grew as the fight went on. Vizo dodged one of the monster's swiping claws and countered with a barrage of slashes, each strike left trails of embers in the air. Indra, on the other hand, more focused on leveling the battle field, used bursts of wind to keep the creatures pushed away, throwing them off balance and creating opportunities for Vizo to attack.
After a few minutes of tense combat, the last creature fell to the floor, its body crumbled to the ground and it let out a final, rasping scream. Indra, panting hard, wiped sweat from her brow as she surveyed the onslaught.
"Are you alright?" Vizo asked, panting slightly but still giving a grin.
Indra gave a small smile back, still catching her breath. "Yeah, I think I'm finally getting used to this... fighting thing."
The two exchanged a brief smile before their attention was taken to the far end of the room. At it's center, beneath many layers of debris and dust, stood a pedestal, on which something gleamed faintly in the dim light.
Their curiosity piqued, and they approached the pedestal with caution. Lying on it was an ornate, the glowed with a faint blue light-pulsing with the unmistakable energy of Zephyra. The object was cradled in between a set of stone hands carved from the pedestal, as if it had been waiting for decades to find someone worthy.
Vizo furrowed his brow again, and examined the artifact closely, "This... isn't an ordinary relic," he said softly, his voice was full of reverence.
Indra felt the same strange pull toward the object that she had when she first entered Elysia. The Zephyra in the room seemed to resonate with it, as if the relic was somehow tied to the base of the dungeon itself.
"Could this be what the door was guarding?" she asked, her voice remaining quiet.
Vizo nodded slowly. "Could be. But what exactly is it?" He reached out carefully, his hand hovered over the relic. "It feels... overwhelming."
Just as he was about to touch it, the ground beneath them shook slightly, and a low rumbling sound caused vibrations through the chamber. It was like the dungeon was reacting to their presence.
"We should be careful," Indra warned, her body stepped back instinctively. "This place is alive with Zephyra. With one wrong move, we could-"
Before she was able to finish speaking, the relic pulsed with a powerful light, and the tremors stopped. Silence fell on the room once more, leaving only the faint singing of the crystal-like object lying in front of them.
Vizo drew his hand back, his expression fell serious. "What the hells is this thing, and why is it down here. For some reason I feel like this is part of something bigger."
Quickly exchanging a glance, the weight of the relic's power was heavy around them. The pulsing light coming from the object flickered as if it what responding to their presence. For a moment, Indra hesitated but nodded toward the relic, "We should take it. Whatever it is, clearly it's important."
Vizo agreed, he extended his hand over the crystal-like object again. "Let's hope its worth the trouble."
Carefully, he grasped the artifact, he felt its warmth and power briefly surge through his palm. The moment he lifted it from the pedestal, the blue light vanished. The chamber fell silent once more, and Vizo slid the relic into his satchel and stepped back.
"Wasn't so bad after all," Vizo said, flashing a relieved smile.
But just as he finished speaking, another rumble echoes through the room. Chill's crept down Indra's spine, and instinctively she assumed a fighting stance. "Seems there's more yet," she muttered.
The walls began to tremble again as a faint, distant cry vibrated the walls from deeper within the dungeon. Vizo's eyes darkened. "Looks like we have an invitation."
They exchanged a brief nod and, after gathering the composure, ventured forward. The dim light from the symbols on the walls guided them through the dungeon's twisting paths. The air felt denser with each step, as if the dungeon was alive and watching their every move.
Their path narrowed, leading into another chamber, larger than the first. As they crossed the threshold, the space opened up into a monstrous room, it was dimly lit by more glowing symbols carved into the walls. At the far end of the room, similar to the first was another pedestal-but this time, something else was waiting for them.
Vizo tensed, his eyes flicking over the room's details. "Be ready," he warned.
Just as Indra stepped forward, a series of low growls filled the chamber, reverberating off the stone walls. And from the shadows more creatures emerged, but these was different. Larger, and more imposing. Their grotesque forms lumbered forward, their glowing eyes fixated on Vizo and Indra with murderous intent.
"Great," Indra muttered under he breath, "More of them."
The first monster, a large, hulking beast with jagged spikes protruding through its back, charged at them with frightening speed. Vizo moved like lighting, drawing his dagger once again, and quickly infusing it with his burning flames. A familiar red glow enveloped his weapon, and as he slashed at the creature's side a burning gash was left.
"Netherflame: Scorched Edge." he calmly said as the creature relled back, grunting in pain.
Meanwhile, two smaller creatures darted at Indra. She summoned her Zephyra without hesitation, the wind swirled violently around her hands. With a precise motion, she sent a vortex of wind toward them. "Ardent Vortex!!" She exclaimed, the blast of air collided with the creatures, knocking them back and slicing through their limbs. One of the two fell, writing, and the other lunged at her again.
This time, Indra focused more Zephyra into her hands, the wind coiled into a tighter, more precise force. She thrusted her hand forward, and a concentrated vortex of wind shot out, cutting the creature with lethal precision. It crumpled to the ground.
"Why the hell did you shout that?!" Vizo called out confused, his breath was labored as he dodged the spiked beast's attacks.
With one final swoop of his blade, Vizo's Zephyra-infused slash cut through the beast's neck, and sent its massive body crashing to the floor. Once again silence filled the room, the only sounds begin their heavy breathing.
Indra wiped the sweat from her brow, casting a sharp glance at Vizo. "What do you mean? You get to shout those weird attack names all the time? Why can't I do it too!" she huffed, her voice tinged with frustration
Vizo smirked, shaking his head slightly. "You think I just shout them for fun? No, it's not like that." He paused, his tone grew more serious. "Once you learn your specialization and connect with your Zephyra Spirit, calling out the attack name is what channels its power. Without that, the techniques won't work properly. It's how we control the energy, you fool!"
Indra shot Vizo a confused look, "But I've been able to use Zephyra without shouting things like that!"
Vizo let out a sigh of frustration, "What you're doing is just raw energy, focusing it into your hands and blasting it out. That's not a special technique, it's basic control! Once you bond with your Zephyra Spirit, then you'll understand what your real power is."
Finally taking time to wipe the sweat from her brow, shaking her head to move on from the conversation, she shot a quick glance at the second pedestal at the end of the room. "Looks like there's a second one."
Cautiously, they approached the pedestal. Resting on it was another artifact, this one was similar in shape but was glowing with a soft violet hue. Vizo examined it closely, a frown crossed his face. "Two artifacts, both sealed behind vicious monsters... Whatever these are, there's some connection."
Indra reached out, and like before, it responded to her touch. She could feel the familiar pull of Zephyra immersing it. "We should take it," she said. "Chances are we will need it later."
Vizo nodded, and handed her the satchel. Indra carefully placed the second artifact inside, its violet glow faded as soon as it left the pedestal. They both stared into the chamber, waiting for any sign of another tremor or disturbance. But this time, nothing came.
"We better keep going," Vizo said, his voice firm. "Knowing how dungeons are this can't be the end."
They continued further into the dungeon, the corridors narrowed once more, the air grew colder and more oppressive. Indra's pulse sped up once more, and a sense of foreboding crept over her as they descended further into the depths. The light from the walls grew stronger, and the hum of Zephyra in the air grew louder.
Finally, the reached a wide, open chamber. The ceiling arched high above them, and at the far end of the room, and enormous stone gate lied. But standing between them and the exit was something far more intimidating.
A massive creature, towering both of them, stood guard in front of the gate. It's body was made of stone and Zephyra, pulsating with a dull glow. It's eyes, burning with a red light, locked onto Vizo and Indra as soon as they entered the chamber.
Vizo's breath got caught in his throat. "A Dungeon Guardian," he muttered. "This is going to be an issue."
The creature clenched it's stone fists, and it let out a low, guttural growl that echoed throughout the dungeon. It's massive form shifted as it stepped forward, the ground trembled beneath it's weight.
Indra's hand instinctively went to her side, ready to summon Zephyra once again. "We've fought worse," she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt.
Vizo gave her a quick, tense smile. "Me, maybe. You, definitely not, but maybe luck will be on our side today."
The Guardian took another step forward, it's gaze fixated on them, unwavering and deadly. The weight of the moment hung heavy between them as they prepared to face their toughest challenge yet.