The Dead Seekers' Camp (1)
–I need help decoding it. · Atlas replied, laying out the scroll.The woman frowned, carefully unfolded the parchment and ran her finger along the lines.
[You have delivered the "Message of the Fugitives."]
[Decryption begins. It will take some time.]
She was silent, reading the text.A minute passed. Then another one.
Atlas found himself clenching his fist.Finally, the woman raised her head.
Finally, the woman raised her head.
–That's... unusual.This text belongs to a group of people who were called the "Pilgrims of the Night." They were driven out of the central lands many centuries ago. Their medallions were the keys to a certain "forgotten path."
Atlas tensed.The forgotten crypt.Frescoes with people holding medallions.
It's all connected.
–But I can't read everything. – The woman continued. – The last part of the letter is magically encrypted.
She looked at Atlas:
–If you want to decipher it completely, you'll have to find an Old Magician who understands such seals.
[Unique Quest updated!]
[Find a Magician who can remove the magic seal from the text.]
–Where can I find him?
The woman shrugged her shoulders.
– He used to live in Dra'Myr – She thought about it: – Some people say he went to the Mountains in the South to look for something important.
Atlas sighed: –Sure.
Why do magicians never stay in comfortable places?
Atlas left the library, slowly reflecting on the information he had received.
[ Mountains [ ??? ] South [???]: Blocked – character level is insufficient]
[ Recommendations for opening a location: level 20 ]
If he needs level 20 to get to the Magician, then he needs to get stronger first.And he already had a plan.The first step is to clean the crypt to 100%.Then – go to the "Dead Seekers' Camp".
[Goal updated: Explore the crypt to the end.]
He was too weak right now.But it can be fixed.
When he returned to the old ruins, the sun was already setting.Sin hovered quietly nearby, her body flickering with a faint light every few seconds.
Atlas crossed the ruined entrance and plunged back into the dark corridors.The warmth of daylight had disappeared, giving way to dampness and cold stone.It was still quiet here, but now he knew that there was still a mystery deeper in the crypt.
He walked through the familiar halls until he found himself in front of that very collapse again.An ancient altar with a fragment was waiting at the back of the corridor.
Atlas inhaled.
He now had a full supply of mana.He slowly walked over and stretched out his hand towards the artifact.
[You are about to remove the magic seal.]
[Mana cost: 40/80]
[Confirm?]
Atlas clenched his teeth and confirmed.As soon as the mana flowed into the seal, the shackles on the shard glowed with a dim blue light.
A discharge passed through the air – the skin was covered with goosebumps, and the air was filled with the smell of ozone.
[You have removed the magic seal.]
[Item received: Night Pilgrim Shard (2/3).]
Atlas quickly grabbed the artifact before it disappeared into the shadows again.
The rabbit slowly looked around once more.The air shark circled silently above him, as if it was also looking for something.
The feeling that he was missing something did not leave him.But after going through all the rooms, checking every corner, he saw a familiar notification in front of him.
[Congratulations! The Forgotten Crypt location has been 100% explored.]
[No additional hidden zones have been found.]
Atlas exhaled: –Well, at least you didn't come in vain.
He glanced at the fragment of the Pilgrim of the Night, which was now in his inventory.Two out of three.A little more — and he will solve this riddle.
Trying not to waste his energy on unnecessary skirmishes, Atlas headed for the exit.
His footsteps echoed loudly in the empty corridors, and the faint light of the entrance slowly approached.As soon as he came to the surface, a new notification appeared in front of his eyes.
[Assignment updated: Go to the "Dead Seeker Camp".]
He stretched, feeling his body warming up under the sun after a long stay in the dungeon.The day is not over yet.
It's time to move on.Atlas did not linger in the Dra'Myr.
He checked his gear, made sure everything was in order, and headed straight for the camp.
The air shark hovered quietly nearby, as if it could sense its master's tension.
[New Assignment: Explore the camp and find out what happened to the Seekers.]
The journey took a couple of hours.The trails became wilder and wilder, and the air was filled with a strange, oppressive silence.
The forest around them made no familiar sounds—no birds, no insects.
Something was wrong.Atlas slowed his pace and looked around.
Dilapidated tents could be seen somewhere ahead.
It was a camp.
[You have reached the "Dead Seeker Camp" location.]
[Explore the area and find clues.]
Atlas stopped at the edge of the camp, carefully scanning the surroundings.The dark skeletons of the tents swayed in the wind, weathered and dilapidated.There were boxes, scraps of paper, and pieces of broken equipment on the ground.
But not a single body.Not a single movement.Sin froze in the air, also feeling the growing tension.
[The area looks abandoned, but something is wrong here.]
[Explore the area carefully.]
[Initial observations: The camp looks like it was abandoned in a hurry.
There were no signs of battle–no blood, no weapons, no bodies.
Some things are abandoned, but not looted.]
Atlas frowned.If it had been an attack by monsters or bandits, the tracks would have been different.Here... it's like people just disappeared.
[You have received a new goal: To find the traces of the Seekers.]
Atlas raised his hand, giving a silent signal to Sin: – Climb higher, see if there is anything strange.
The beast soared up obediently, its body gently shimmering in the evening light.Atlas squinted, watching her movements.
She made wide circles, gliding over the tents and remnants of the camp.
[The Aerial Shark uses "Territory Survey".]
A few seconds passed.And then the beast jerked sharply in the air.
[An object has been detected! Unidentified footprint in the center of the camp.]
Atlas tensed.
The aerial shark began to descend, pointing its fins at the middle of the camp, where something strange was lying.My heart started beating a little faster.
[You've found a clue.]
[Come closer to examine it.]
Atlas was in no hurry to go to the center of the camp.
– Well, no, I've watched some horror movies too suspiciously.
No bodies, no blood, just the disappearance of a whole group of Seekers.And the footprint is in the very center.
"No, let's check the perimeter first."
The air shark gently circled above him, as if agreeing with the owner's caution.Atlas began his rounds, carefully examining everything around him.
After that, he found: Footprints leading into the camp, but none coming out; In some places there were strange marks on the ground, as if someone had dragged something heavy; Several torn pages from the diary, but the text had been washed away by the rain; The smell was a light, barely perceptible smell of burning.
Atlas grew more and more gloomy.
"The camp was obviously abandoned in a hurry–but why?"
The wind rustled through the tents, and the silence became even more oppressive.But now there was no doubt that something had happened here.And the only clue is the footprint in the center of the camp.
[You have completed the perimeter inspection. Now we can approach the find.]
Atlas finally made up his mind and headed for the very center of the camp.The air here was... different.Colder, denser.
It was as if something was hanging in space, invisible but palpable on the skin.The aerial shark hovered a little higher, its fins twitching as if it sensed something unusual.
Atlas stopped at the very foot of the trail.There was a black print on the ground, right among the scattered things.
Not a shoe mark.Not a campfire stain.But something else.
It's like someone got up here and just... disappeared.The ground in this place was scorched and dehydrated, but not like a fire.
It's more like some kind of magic.
[You have found the trail of the Seekers' disappearance.]
[Explore it to get more information.]
To be continued, please like and save…