After the final armored enemy fell, the two teams reunited and finally had time to rest and tend to their injuries. Misa moved from person to person, her hands glowing softly as she healed her wounded allies. Meanwhile, Moros and Sandro found a quiet moment to talk.
"How did you manage to get here so quickly? I thought it would take much longer," Moros asked, curiosity glinting in his eyes.
Sandro crossed his arms, smirking slightly. "Nothing special. The road was slow because we had to defuse all the traps, but on the way back, we moved faster since the path was cleared." His tone turned more serious, and he fixed Moros with a piercing stare. "But what happened here? I told you not to mess with the armors! What did you guys do?"
Moros shook his head, frustration clear on his face. "We didn't touch the armors, and your message wasn't delivered fully. As soon as I entered, a massive rock blocked the entrance, and the armors activated. We were trapped and had no choice but to fight our way out."
Sandro sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. Voltra, who had been standing nearby, overheard their conversation and clapped his hands loudly. "If we're stuck here," he announced, a grin spreading across his face, "then let's make the most of it. There's a final door up ahead—maybe it leads to an exit."
The others perked up at the suggestion, agreeing it was their best option. After taking some time to rest and recover, they fashioned a stretcher for Josh, who was still unconscious, and set out for the door. As they moved through the corridors, they passed hundreds of pieces of shattered armor scattered across the ground. Voltra shook his head in disbelief, muttering to himself, "Such masterpieces… wasted. This place could have been a true monument."
Before long, Josh stirred on the stretcher, coughing as he opened his eyes. "Huh… so we're still alive," he mumbled, a weak smile playing on his lips. Misa was at his side in an instant, pressing him back down gently but firmly as he tried to sit up.
"Stay still, Josh. You're still too weak to move around," she chided, her eyes full of concern. "Think about your health for once!"
Josh gave a small chuckle, lying back obediently. His waking brought a new wave of energy to the group, and they continued toward the looming doors with renewed hope. After another half-hour, they finally arrived. The massive stone doors towered above them, covered in ancient runes that seemed to pulse with a faint, otherworldly glow. Moros stepped forward, almost as if in a trance, and placed his hand against the cold stone.
Suddenly, a deep, resonant chime echoed through the ruins, as if ancient bells had been struck. The doors shuddered, then slowly swung open, revealing a vast room on the other side. A rush of air, stale and heavy, whooshed out, knocking the team off balance. They waited as the air pressure settled, then carefully made their way inside.
The room was colossal, its ceiling lost in shadow. A massive pentagram had been carved into the floor, and towering bookshelves lined the walls, sagging under the weight of ancient tomes. At the room's center stood an enormous black orb, dark tendrils of energy radiating from it. Thick cables connected the orb to various parts of the ruins, pulsing with the same black material they'd seen animating the armors.
Each member of the group was awestruck. Sandro, the group's expert in ancient lore, wasted no time, rushing over to the bookshelves to examine the old volumes. "These texts… they're older than anything I've seen. This place must have been a center of power," he muttered, pulling down books and rifling through their pages.
Misa directed the others to lay Josh down in a safe corner where she could continue healing him, and everyone began exploring different parts of the room. It was Voltra who discovered a side door, slightly ajar. He couldn't contain his excitement and shouted, "Come here, quickly! I found something incredible!"
The others gathered around, and Voltra beamed at them. "There's a blacksmithing forge in here!" He didn't wait for a response, disappearing into the room before anyone could stop him.
Spinell shook his head with a resigned sigh. "Why did we even expect him to find anything else?"
After a few moments, the sound of a hammer striking metal echoed through the chamber. Solutus groaned, looking at the door with a scowl. "That boy… always up to something ridiculous," he muttered. "But I suppose I can't deny he's the best at what he does. No one else has truly earned the title of 'Hammer of Niflheim.'"
In the ancient forge, Voltra stripped to the waist, his bronze muscles glistening in the fierce glow of the fire. Shadows danced as he gathered metal fragments from the defeated armors, each one infused with a mysterious dark essence. With precision and intensity, he placed the materials in the roaring flames, stoking them higher until the heat became almost unbearable.
Raising his hammer, he struck the molten metal, each blow echoing like a heartbeat through the chamber. Sparks flew with every strike, illuminating his sweat-drenched face as he molded the piece. The dark energy within the metal pulsed in time with his hammer, giving the alloy an otherworldly glow.
Finally, he plunged the arm into a vat of hissing, bubbling liquid, steam rising as it hardened to a deep black sheen. Voltra stepped back, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction as he held his masterpiece.
After nearly five hours, he emerged from the forge, cradling a new, gleaming black arm. He strode directly to Josh, who was dozing, and without a word, attached the arm to Josh's severed limb. Josh jerked awake in shock as Voltra grinned down at him.
"It's a new arm I made just for you," he said proudly. "I used one of the armor's hands and, with some help from Moros's techniques, crafted it into something truly special. After all," he added with a grin, "I am the greatest blacksmith in the world."
Josh, still stunned, began inspecting his new arm. His fingers flexed with surprising ease, the dark metal moving as if it were part of his own flesh. When he pressed a small button on the arm, a blade shot out, nearly catching Voltra in the face.
"Hey! Watch it, idiot! That thing's dangerous!" Voltra yelped, taking a step back.
Josh laughed sheepishly. "Sorry! But… thanks. This is incredible." He tested the arm again, accidentally scratching the wall with its sharp edges, though he looked as pleased as a kid with a new toy.
Before he could say more, Sandro's voice rang out from across the room. "Everyone, come here quickly! I've found something!"
The group gathered around Sandro, who was sweating and clutching a large, ancient tome bound in dark leather. His fingers trembled as he turned the pages, his face pale with awe and fear. "This book… it holds records of this place. I think I finally understand where we are."
Everyone leaned in, eyes fixed on the worn pages filled with strange symbols and faded ink. Sandro took a deep breath, his eyes flickering with a mixture of dread and excitement. "We're standing in the Palace of Doom!"