Ruined, opportunity

Bardeelus did not want to cooperate, and was close to embracing murder too! Yet at the same time, it wouldn't make sense to attack these couple of ladies.

They helped him escape, regardless of how odd that fact sounded. For that matter, it was fair to spare their lives for now, on the count that they wouldn't try anything stupid.

He tried to relax, and enjoy the ride too. They had flown over two kilometers away from the camp in no time, and were somewhat safe now. What didn't let him relax entirely, however, was that he still didn't know where these ladies wanted to go!

They weren't flying around randomly, which was what made him nervous. Both of these ladies were powerful enough, and they could do as they pleased in most scenarios. 

Under the right circumstances, Bardeelus wouldn't even be a threat to them, so he couldn't help debating with himself over the matter. 

He thought, "I'd be surprised if this goes well, but… I'm not going down without a fight. They either want to sell me to some random magician, or have some fetishes of their own. Either way, I will not be abused!"

"Quit that, jackass." Audera suddenly scolded.

Bardeelus felt stunned for a second, and even feared for his life, but thankfully the situation didn't escalate. They were over eighty meters above the ground right now, so it wouldn't be fun if these ladies decided to drop him!

Audera just continued to scold him instead, "I can read your mind, so quit planning all that dumb shit. You should be thanking me, I was trying to save your life from the beginning, but you wouldn't pick up my obvious hints!"

"You kept calling me gay. How is that a hint?" He countered, and didn't really know what the main topic was.

"That was just an encrypted warning, so you'd avoid the camp. I could read Kutal's mind the whole time, he wanted to put your ass on a stick, man!" She argued.

"Okay, fair enough. Can't believe I forgot that you can read minds." He finally gave in.

Once more, it was proven that Bardeelus was like a goat lost at sea. He had no idea what went on most of the time, had terrible judgment too, and shouldn't be in this environment to begin with. This was an accurate, metaphorical description.

Goats don't like fish, and Bardeelus can't pick up obvious hints. He felt embarrassed, but thankfully these ladies weren't giving up on him.

Moments later, they landed on the ground, only to stay this time. Erdeta, at least, seemed very aware of where she was, even within this pressuring darkness, so she likely came here with a plan!

Slowly, she introduced something interesting. "The Promonus Ruins are nearby, have you heard of them? They've been terrifyingly evil even before the wars."  

"So that's what I saw last time, huh? I've been here before, and probably heard a ghost or two." Bardeelus said.

Afterwards he nervously added, "Why the hell would you bring me back here? I treated both of you well, why won't you be nice!"

Half of those sentences were a joke from his side, but one thing was for sure, he was petrified by these ruins. He panicked even more once he imagined the size of these ruins, there was no telling what they'd find around here!

"You weren't so nice," Erdeta corrected, "Also, you're a necromancer now, right? These ruins shouldn't scare you, because you're practically immune around here."

Bardeelus was skeptical about that, and for once he also figured something out. "Not even sure what I am, but that doesn't matter, you're just trying to save your own ass here. Let me guess, that fever was not a fever? You got possessed, and helped me escape just because of that; You think I can play around with the ghost in your head?"

Erdeta wasn't so shy about the matter, she said. "Yes, that sums it up. Could swear that I told you all that already. There's either a demon or a ghost inside me, and you'll guide us through these ruins so I can get cleansed. You'll help keep us alive, but that's about it."

"Heh, and you're calling me stupid. I can only resurrect normal people, that like, I killed myself. We won't be so lucky against ghosts or skeletons." He said.

Audera knew a fraction of the plan, so she added. "Doesn't matter what you can do. There could be plenty of dark mages down there, necromancers too, and they might respect you. We don't have to fight anyone, iff they see you as a friend."

"Hmm… I could use a necromancer friend." He said.

After this point, they found common grounds. Bardeelus finally understood what he was brought here for, and acknowledged the benefits too. Of course he knew how dangerous this place was, but he really had nothing to lose!

The team of three started sneaking within the ruins in no time, each with a goal in mind. These two ladies came even more prepared, as they had torches with them which made this task a lot easier. 

Once light was shed upon this place, they could see why it was considered evil. The structure seemed pretty complex, as if it was rigged with countless deadly traps!

Half of its exteriors featured short, brickstone walls that were covered with moss. Some of these short walls featured a whole, sturdy room. It seemed interesting, but it was buried below the dirt. 

"Looks like an endless drop," Audera said, once she reached out through a hole in the wall, and shone a torch into this sturdy room.

The lower portions were equipped with metal poles too, although they were only a foot or so wide. They were small, but pointed out that someone tried to keep this place intact!

The team felt confused by that and a bit irritated too, especially since they haven't found a safe entrance yet. It was difficult to figure this place out. 

Overall, these ruins featured three towers as well, which looked like they were built randomly. There was nothing symmetrical about this place, and it wasn't any better how each spot was used in a weird, unrelated way too. 

One of the towers was like a mini graveyard, for example. It had an entrance, but its flooring was more like a ditch, which had plenty of old skeletons! They couldn't take a single step there. 

Bardeelus saw a sword near this tower's entrance, and grabbed it fearlessly. He had been stripped of weapons when he was tossed in that well, so now, even a rusty sword seemed good enough for him!

Anyway, right after, out of frustration he had to ask. "Can't you talk to your demon buddy, Erdeta? You can't say that it didn't talk to you. It brought us all the way here, so maybe it knows where the entrance is? I don't want to fall in some hole."

"It doesn't work like that," She said, "Besides… where there's a hole, there's an opportunity. Dark magicians are great at staying hidden, we gotta check out every hole ourselves..."