Trinity of Magic

Chapter 31: The Baumgarten Underground Empire I.

As the sun rose above the horizon, Zeke and Viola were already making their way toward what Zeke would describe as a still unknown entrance to the underground ruins. They had set out early, eager to make the most of their time. Zeke had consulted dozens of descriptions in the library, pouring over ancient texts and maps, and had uncovered a few references to this particular entrance. According to his research, it was the closest path to the center of the ruins.

Their journey was not an easy one, as they had to navigate through dense forests and rugged terrain. But Zeke was determined, driven by the possibility of uncovering long-lost knowledge and treasures hidden within the ruins.

The rain was coming down in sheets, making it difficult for Zeke and Viola to see as they made their way toward the small iron mine on the outskirts of town. They had both donned raincoats, but they were quickly becoming drenched as they hurried through the deluge. The mining operation was their destination, and it was here that the hidden entrance to the underground ruins had been discovered years ago.

As they reached the mine, Zeke and Viola could see the entrance of the tunnel, a dark and ominous opening in the side of the main mining tunnel. Zeke had heard the rumors of the accidents that had plagued the mining operations in this tunnel, and it was why this section had been closed and entry for the workers had been forbidden. But Zeke was convinced that this was the closest path to the center of the ruins, and he was determined to find out for sure.

As they stepped out of the rain and took off their raincoats, Viola turned to Zeke and asked, "How do you know that this entrance is the closest to the center?" Zeke explained that he had consulted countless reports in the library, cross-referenced ancient tomes and maps, and had uncovered a few mentions to this particular entrance.

With a quick flick of a flint, Zeke lit a torch and motioned for Viola to follow him as he began to explain his reasoning. "There's a book in the library," he said, "that has a collection of texts and phrases brought back by adventurer expeditions. The author of the book had only been able to decipher a small part of the collected text, but I was able to use that part to fuel my spell [Language Comprehension]. It allowed me to quickly learn more about the language."

As they walked deeper into the tunnel, Zeke continued, "My mastery of the tongue is not perfect yet, but I can roughly translate what most of the texts mean. I believe that this tunnel leads to the center of the ruins, and I discovered the location of what I believe to be a city in the center of all those tunnels. I'm convinced that we'll find something of great importance down there."

Viola was skeptical, but she trusted Zeke's knowledge and expertise. Together, they ventured into the dark and forbidding tunnel, ready to uncover the secrets that lay within. The tunnel was dark and damp, and the only light besides their torch came from the faint glow of the luminescent moss growing on the walls. But Zeke's eyes were drawn to something else, something that set his heart racing. Carved into the stone at the back of the tunnel was a symbol, one that matched the ancient text he had found in the library.

With a sense of triumph, Zeke pointed it out to Viola and smirked at her, "We're in the right place." Farther down the tunnel, Zeke and Viola came across a fork in the road. The tunnels split off in two different directions, both leading into the darkness. Viola paused for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She then pointed to one of the tunnels and said to Zeke, "I can feel an airflow in that tunnel. It must lead outside."

Zeke nodded, understanding her reasoning, and they decided to take the other tunnel instead. As they walked, Zeke continued to explain his findings to Viola. "I found references to something called 'the heart' in the texts," he said. "And from the location of the texts, and how they referred to the position of the heart as either north, west, east, or south, I was able to triangulate the position of the heart somewhat."

Viola listened intently, impressed by the depth of Zeke's research, it had only taken him three hours to find all that out. She knew that finding the important parts of the ruins would be a monumental task, but with Zeke's knowledge and her own intuition, she felt confident that they would be successful.

"Viola," Zeke called out, his voice low and serious. "We must be careful, for this is not a known entrance to the ruins. No other adventurers have come before us to secure a passage." He paused, a frown creasing his brow. "I must also tell you of the mysterious disappearances in the mine. There were hints about this in those texts that spoke of what they called 'the heart'." He looked at her intently. "The texts spoke of how the heart would call out to people, luring them towards it, and then test whether they were worthy to receive its blessing."

"The disappearances in the mine match this description perfectly," he continued. "There was no struggle, no fight. It's as if the people simply dropped their mining equipment and walked off."

Viola listened intently, feeling a sense of unease creeping over her. She knew that they were walking into the unknown, and that they were facing something that they did not yet understand.

Zeke was aware of the danger of the unknown, but he already felt as though the heart of the ruins was calling to him, and it seemed to promise endless riches if he were to prove himself worthy of its blessings. He carefully watched the walls and the ground for any signs of where this strange feeling was coming from, while Viola used her intuition to sense any potential dangers. They were both aware of the risks, but their lust for adventures and their trust in each other kept them going. They ventured deeper into the tunnel, believing themselves ready for whatever the heart of the ruins would throw at them.

As they walked deeper into the tunnel, Zeke kept a careful watch on the walls, scanning for any signs of traps or hidden dangers. He turned to Viola and said, "I can already feel the heart's call. It's a powerful pull, and I can tell that it's using mind magic."

Viola turned to look at Zeke, surprised by this revelation.

"The heart is most likely a magical construct that uses mind magic to control and lure people," Zeke explained. "That's why the workers just walked off without a struggle. Regular people without a magic core have no defenses against mind magic. I can feel its call because I am a mind mage. Mind mages are more sensitive to mind spells, but it also gives us better defense against them. That's why I am not worried about me being controlled by the heart's call."

Viola nodded, understanding the implications of what Zeke had said. She knew that they were walking into a dangerous situation and that she, especially, needed to be vigilant. She also knew that Zeke's expertise in mind magic would be a valuable asset in understanding how the mind magic of the heart worked.

As they continuously walked deeper into the tunnel without being hindered by anything, Zeke and Viola were initially surprised to find that they didn't come across any traps at all. Zeke thought about it and realized that it made sense. How could there be active traps around here if the heart had called down the miners? They would have seen corpses before now. Viola also agreed with his reasoning, but neither of them dropped their guard as they walked deeper into the tunnel.

The walls started to change little by little as they continued their descent. The once rough and natural-looking stone walls were getting more even and artificial-looking. There were even carvings on the walls that looked like they had been done by an artist. The carvings depicted scenes of people and creatures that neither of them recognized, but they were intricate and detailed. It was clear that whoever had built this place had put a lot of time and effort into the construction.

Viola and Zeke looked at each other, both feeling a sense of awe and wonder at what they were seeing. They knew that they were getting closer to the center of the ruins, and they were both excited to see what lay ahead. They walked on, their guard still up, and their senses alert for any sign of danger. The tunnel was dark, but the light from the torch and the luminous moss on the walls provided enough light for them to see. The heart's call was growing stronger with each step, but that didn't stop them, they were determined to uncover the secrets of the ruins.

After walking for around 30 minutes, they came across an open stone gate. Behind it lay a room, but it was pitch dark inside and Zeke could not see far into it. They searched the arch of the gate as well as the nearby walls for any indication of what may lay ahead and found that there were a lot of scenes depicting combat.

Zeke looked at Viola with serious eyes, her eyes were equally serious, but she still nodded at him. He knew that she was ready for whatever lay ahead, and he felt a sense of relief knowing that he had her by his side. He took a deep breath and stepped into the room, holding the torch in front of him. As they walked deeper into the room, the light from the torch illuminated the walls, revealing more carvings of people and creatures locked in combat.

Zeke and Viola entered the chamber, ready for anything. The moment they stepped through the gate, the doors swung shut silently, but with surprising speed. But before they could even react to this new development, the entire chamber lit up. They found themselves in a colossal cavern, the light coming from crystal contraptions that were embedded in the ceiling at regular intervals, lighting up the entire space as if they were outside on a cloudless day.

Zeke and Viola were flabbergasted by this turn of events and looked at each other in amazement. But their attention was still focused in the center of the room, where a humanoid figure stood. The figure looked at them and said in a deep and powerful voice, "Sustio, ad loca probationis."

Viola looked at Zeke wordlessly, one eyebrow raised. She was trying to understand what the figure had said, but it was not in a language that she was familiar with. Zeke thought for a moment, and then gave her his best guess of what the figure had said, "Welcome, to the proving grounds."

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