Chapter 3) Exploring the Ruins

//The second chapter for today, don't get used to this.//

The wizards materialized at the designated meeting spot and proceeded to meticulously check their equipment one last time.

"Pay attention, my disciple. Although you have accompanied me on previous ruin explorations, the ruins of the gods are exceptionally perilous, and therefore we must take special precautions. But before that, describe to me the standard equipment of a ruin explorer."

"Master, I have been through this before, must I go through it again?"

"Enough bickering. Follow my instructions."

"Very well. The first and foremost item we require is our magic wand. It is crucial for defense and also essential in exploring the ruins, with spells like Lumos to light the way, and spells that remove dirt and dust. We also have specialized dragon gloves for handling cursed artifacts, measuring instruments for checking angles and distances, and finally, cloaks that protect us from the vagaries of the weather in the ruins and any protective spells cast by the owner of the ruins."

"I'm pleased to see that you're mindful of your safety during the expedition, but you have overlooked the cursed artifact storage containers and food and water supplies. After all, we never know how long we may be stranded in the ruins."

"Consider that as basic knowledge."

"That is precisely why you must be aware of it. Take a closer look."

The wizard retrieved a small box from his pocket, which immediately expanded in size. He opened it and displayed its contents to his apprentice.

"These are the three most important potions required for exploring the ruins of the gods: the Liquid Luck potion, the potion of Cold Reason, and the potion of Sensitivity. Without these potions, it is never wise to venture into such ruins, especially without the Liquid Luck potion. Without it, one is doomed."

The disciple gazed upon the Liquid Luck potion with awe, realizing how rare and expensive it was to manufacture. He couldn't fathom the thought of requiring an entire bottle of it for every ruin left by the gods.

"Now that you have confirmed your equipment, drink the potions, and we shall enter."

One by one, the wizards consumed their potions and then passed through an invisible membrane that safeguarded the ruins.

As soon as the wizards entered the ruins, they were met with the sight of an abandoned military camp. The camp consisted of several buildings that were poorly imbued with magic. Although these structures resembled houses that could be found in the largest cities for wealthy citizens, the wizards knew that they were just tents for warriors.

Inside the tents, there were only beds, racks for weapons, and cooking areas. The structures were made to look like houses for several reasons. Firstly, in case of a sudden attack, these tents were strong enough to protect the warriors. Secondly, if enemy scouts explored the area, the magic of suggestion would make the camp seem like a small town that posed no threat. The large space inside served for the personal training of warriors.

Although building such a camp may seem unnecessary and expensive, highly developed civilizations considered it a mere trifle, especially for divine civilizations capable of a wide range of magic.

"We will divide into teams of three and check the standard structures. I want everyone to check the standard protection charms and weapons if there are any left. We hope that the divine warriors will be either of Greek or Egyptian origin," Budim said.

The people began to disperse and explore the charms and insides of the tents. Meanwhile, one of the students asked the teacher, "Why are we hoping for these two pantheons?"

"We are well acquainted with the Greek and Egyptian gods, and they possess knowledge about medicine and military-type artifacts. The Greek gods are not strict about their weapons, so we can obtain powerful artifacts and divine copper, which is of great value."

"What about the new Scandinavian pantheon? Wouldn't they be more valuable because of their rarity?" the student inquired.

"The Scandinavian pantheon is indeed valuable because of the opportunity to study their runes, but I hope that we have not stumbled upon them. Let's not forget which god this military camp belongs to."

"The God of Death?" the student asked.

"That's right. And with her protection, even a luck potion won't save us."

The student fell silent at the teacher's remark, not fully understanding the danger posed by the next god of death, even if of Scandinavian origin.

Entering the nearest building, they found a standard bed and a rack of weapons, although it was empty. "Unfortunate." There were no cooking facilities, suggesting the warrior who lived there ate elsewhere. As expected, the building had a lot of empty space, with sword marks visible on the walls and floor.

After checking the building's charms, they concluded that a strong warrior had lived there, as even protective charms could not fully negate the blows of a warrior.

Moving from building to building, the teacher suddenly stopped. "Not good, very bad."

"What's wrong, Teacher?"

"The aura of death and blood. It's gradually increasing, let's go back."

The man turned and began to retreat, the student following closely, holding his magic wand and keeping an eye out for potential enemies.

After about ten minutes, the man stopped and surveyed the area. "Building illusions is very bad. Damn, we're already trapped."

"I'm scared," said the student.

The man looked at his student and noticed his hand shaking. He realized that his disciple was unable to withstand the aura of blood and murder in the air. Placing his hand on the student's shoulder, he looked him in the eye and said, "Calm down. We will definitely get out, but you need to control yourself."

"Yes, Teacher," the student replied.

The man waved his wand, and a transparent shield surrounded them. The student immediately calmed down and regained his composure. The man was not satisfied with this and quickly laid out the artifacts on the ground. He also drank two potions that increased his magic and heightened his sensitivity to its peak.

"Student, keep watch and attack with a deadly spell at the slightest movement," the teacher instructed.

"Yes, Teacher," the student replied, scanning the area and keeping a close eye on every shadow.

Turning on the measuring artifacts, the teacher noticed that the level of the aura of death was increasing not just steadily, but at an ever-increasing rate. At this rate, no traps are needed, they will die from the aura of death literally in 3 hours, maximum 4.

The artifacts placed on the ground started working and the student immediately noticed that he felt his mind becoming even cleaner and his reaction increased to the peak possible for a person to reach. Also, his minor wounds began to heal little by little and the shield created by his teacher not only became more stable and strong, but it continues to strengthen little by little.

"Okay, now I need to unravel the illusory formation. After that, we will have to quickly escape without looking back. "

"Don't worry, Teacher, I'll cover for you while you work."

The man wasn't as confident as his disciple, because they hadn't seen any of the beasts and guard golems that usually visited such camps. They not only perfectly keep order in the platoon, but can also quickly help wounded soldiers.

"Okay, then I'll start..."

Before the teacher could answer, one black arrow flew in their defense, a quick touch and the entire defensive formation fell.

"Damn it, this is her camp!!!"

"The teacher of whom..."

No sooner had the disciple finished speaking, than another arrow flew and hit him exactly in the heart. The student did not have time to say anything more to his teacher, because he quickly aged right in front of his teacher and crumbled to dust.

The third member of their group sent a fiery tornado toward the attacker, but an earthen spike rose from under him, which quickly executed him.

The teacher looked at the one who used the earthen spell and saw one of the teachers of their group, but instead of the usual look, his eyes were filled with bloody rage and his body was slowly decomposing.

Wasting no time, he sent out a holy spell and killed the walking corpse. But before he could run far away, another deadly spell flew into him and he fell. The light in his eyes is gone and he will never get out again.

In other places, there was about the same picture, the band members either killed each other, or they were killed by arrows filled with the energy of death.

While all this mess was going on. In the center of the camp, there was a building twice as large as the rest, and inside the building, there was a black blade. A Necrosword, but not an ordinary one, blood-red runes were carved on its hilt and blade.