As the sun rose higher in the sky, the camp slowly came to life. The adventurers moved about with purpose, preparing for the final leg of their journey. Within an hour, everyone was ready to go, and only the thin wisps of smoke from their morning fire marked their brief stay.
The journey's end was near. In just a couple of hours, they had reached the old ruins. It was mid-afternoon when Josh, the strongest among them, finally cut through the last of the thick vines with his machete. The ruins, hidden for so long, suddenly appeared before their eyes.
As the magnificent sight came into view, a collective gasp escaped their mouths. They had finally reached the end of their journey.
The ruins were built between three towering mountains, so ancient that without prior knowledge of their existence, it would have been nearly impossible to spot them. Once gleaming white marble walls were now a yellowish hue, overtaken by nature. Green vines and countless trees had grown up through the crumbling stone, forming deep cracks in the structure. The decay was everywhere, a testament to time's relentless march.
At the entrance, two giant statues loomed. One held a spear and shield, the other a sword and shield. Both wore helmets, their massive weapons crossed with each other, indicating the only passage into the ancient site.
"Ha, this is magnificent! Don't you think, guys? In ancient times, when technology wasn't even close to what we have now, they managed to carve this place out of the mountains. All done by sheer human power," Moros marveled. His voice brimmed with amazement as he examined every rock, every crack, every brick.
As Moros continued his enthusiastic investigation, Misa followed close behind, clearly fascinated by his every word. The others spread out, doing their own tasks.
Sandro, Josh, and Hanz were preparing for the first exploration. "Hey, guys, what do you think about the ruins I found? Pretty amazing, right?" Sandro said, throwing Josh one of the tools.
"Yeah, they're great! Can't wait to see what's inside," Josh replied, catching the tool with ease. Hanz, who was a man of fewer words, simply nodded and added, "Yes, they are incredible."
Meanwhile, Voltra and Spinell had paired up, wandering around the ruins to explore the open areas. "Hey, this is the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" Voltra exclaimed. "Hey, Spinell, wanna hear a joke about ruins?"
Spinell, a bit annoyed, sighed. "Alright, go ahead. Surprise me."
Voltra grinned, unable to contain his excitement. "Why don't ancient ruins ever get new furniture?"
Spinell rolled his eyes, though he was curious. "I don't know, what's the answer?"
"They're too set in their old ways!" Voltra said with a laugh, thoroughly amused with himself.
Spinell looked at him, shaking his head in disbelief. "Your jokes are as stupid as you are," he muttered, turning to continue walking.
Voltra, still chuckling, ran to catch up with him, not deterred by Spinell's criticism in the slightest.
Lawless and Solutus, another pair, didn't seem to be enjoying each other's company quite as much. They were bickering as usual. Lawless was the first to speak up. "Why am I always stuck with you, Mister 'Perfection'?" he asked sarcastically, his irritation evident.
Solutus, who always loved to mock Lawless, looked down at him from his greater height. "Oh, look who's talking! Gnome, you're just wearing that ridiculous top hat to make yourself look taller," he scoffed, grinning as if he had made the cleverest joke in the world.
Too busy laughing at his own wit, Solutus didn't notice the giant hole in the ground directly ahead of him. He nearly fell into it before Lawless, with surprising quickness, grabbed his arm and pulled him back to safety.
Lawless smirked. "No need to thank me. See? It's not so bad having a 'gnome' as your partner, huh?"
Solutus, his face flushed with embarrassment, muttered, "Thanks, I owe you," before rushing off toward the camp without looking back.
An hour later, everyone had returned to the camp and was making the final preparations for their exploration. Before they set off, Moros called everyone together for one last assembly.
"Finally, we're here. We made it together, and now it's almost over," Moros said with a smile. He looked around at the group and continued, "We'll split into two teams. In the first group will be me, Misa, Josh, and Hanz. The second group will be Sandro, Lawless, Voltra, Solutus, and Spinell. Sandro will explain the plan from here."
"Thanks, Moros," Sandro said, stepping forward. "The first group will handle installing the teleport device. That's mostly on Moros, but Josh will be guarding them, and the others will assist where needed. The second group will go directly into the ruins to explore, leaving marks along the way to help the first group find us."
Everyone cheered in unison, "Hooray, let's do our best!" With that, they finally began their venture into the ruins.
"Let's not waste time. We need to get this teleport installed quickly," Moros clapped his hands, signaling Josh to come over. "Josh, come help me. This thing's heavy."
"Yes, captain," Josh replied with a mock salute, jogging over.
The teleportation device was a two-meter-wide circle, built with futuristic technology, and designed by Moros himself. It weighed about 200 kilos and was divided into six parts for easier transport and assembly. It required solar energy to function, and the team installed sun-powered batteries to make it operational.
The work took about three hours. In the middle of the job, a wild panther appeared, sneaking up behind them. Just as it was about to strike, its head exploded in a sudden burst. Josh, an old marine, had noticed it and used his specialized glove to blast it with an energy pulse.
The glove was another one of Moros's inventions. Metallic and equipped with an energy-blast function, GPS, and tools for exploring the ruins, it was a marvel of modern technology.
"Ha, this thing is amazing!" Josh said, admiring the glove. "Back in my day, all we had were bullets. It's incredible how far technology has come."
Moros smiled, clearly pleased with the praise. "Thanks for appreciating my work. Now, let's finish this up quickly."
Finally, after hours of labor, Moros wiped the sweat from his brow. "Phew, we're done with the installation," he announced, exhausted but satisfied. "Let's take a break and join the others."
Just as he finished speaking, a voice crackled over the radio."Moros, we've found something. It's big, possibly ancient magic. Follow the middle path." Sandro's voice was filled with excitement, clearly having stumbled upon something mysterious within the ruins.