Level Up Legacy

Chapter 1253  Altar and Hypnosis

As Arthur, Diana, and Rain ventured deeper into the ancient city of West Sourna, the air grew heavy with an unsettling stillness. The ruins, once grand and bustling with life, now lay eerily silent. Vegetation had overtaken the buildings, and the streets were empty. The only sound was the soft crunch of their footsteps on the gravel paths.

"This place feels abandoned," Rain remarked, her voice barely above a whisper. "But it's strange—these houses don't look like they were left willingly."

Arthur nodded, his heightened senses on high alert. "Something happened here, and we need to find out what." He paused, focusing his mana into a set of runes that shimmered faintly in the air. "I'll use my runes to trace any magical disturbances or residual energies. Let's start by examining the houses."

The group approached the nearest house, its wooden door hanging precariously on its hinges. Arthur stepped inside first, his hands raised as he activated a rune of detection. [Rune of Detection: This rune allows the user to sense residual magical energy and trace its origins.]

As the rune glowed softly, Arthur's senses were flooded with images and sensations from the past. He saw faint outlines of people moving through the house, their actions hurried and frantic. "They left in a rush," he murmured, "but there's no sign of a struggle."

Diana and Rain followed him inside, their eyes scanning the room for any clues. The furniture was overturned, and personal belongings were scattered across the floor. Rain picked up a broken picture frame, the glass cracked and the photo inside torn. "This looks like it was done by someone searching for something," she said thoughtfully.

Arthur moved to the wall, where he noticed faint streaks of red. He frowned, activating another rune. [Rune of Blood Detection: This rune can detect traces of blood, even if they are invisible to the naked eye.]

The rune illuminated the bloodstains on the wall, forming a pattern that led towards the back of the house. "There was blood here," Arthur said grimly. "We need to follow this trail."

They moved through the house, tracing the bloodstains to a hidden door in the back. Arthur pressed his hand against the door, activating a rune of unlocking. [Rune of Unlocking: This rune can unlock any door or mechanism, provided it is not sealed by a higher-level magic.]

The door creaked open, revealing a narrow staircase descending into darkness. The group exchanged wary glances before Arthur led the way down, his runes casting a soft glow to light their path.

At the bottom of the stairs, they found themselves in a small, dimly lit room. The air was musty, and the walls were lined with shelves filled with dusty tomes and strange artifacts. In the center of the room lay a large, wooden table, stained with what looked like old blood.

Diana stepped forward, her fingers brushing against the surface of the table. "What happened here?" she wondered aloud.

Arthur activated another rune, this one designed to recreate scenes from the past. [Rune of Illusion: This rune creates illusions that depict events that occurred in a specific location, allowing the user to witness past events as if they were happening in real-time.]

The air shimmered, and the room transformed before their eyes. Ghostly figures appeared, moving around the table in a frantic dance. They saw a group of people, their faces twisted with fear and desperation, performing some kind of ritual. The illusion flickered, showing flashes of violence and chaos, before fading away.

"Whatever they were doing, it didn't end well," Arthur said, his voice heavy with concern. "We need to find more clues."

They left the house and continued to explore the city, following similar trails of blood and signs of disturbance. Each house they entered told a similar story—abandoned in haste, belongings scattered, and traces of blood leading to hidden rooms or secret passages.

At one point, Rain stopped in front of a house with its door ajar, her expression thoughtful. "Do you think they were searching for something specific?" she asked.

Arthur nodded slowly. "It's possible. There seems to be a pattern to the disturbances—almost as if they were systematically searching each house."

As they delved deeper into the city, they encountered more signs of madness. Walls were covered in strange symbols and writings, scrawled in blood and charcoal. The symbols were unfamiliar to them, but they all carried an aura of malevolence.

Arthur paused in front of one particularly disturbing mural, activating another rune to analyze the symbols. [Rune of Translation: This rune translates unknown languages and symbols, providing the user with their meanings.]

The symbols glowed faintly as the rune worked its magic, revealing a chilling message: "The mountain calls to us. We must ascend to the source of madness."

"The mountain..." Diana echoed, her eyes widening. "Do you think that's where the answers lie?"

Arthur nodded, his expression grim. "It seems so. We need to find this mountain and uncover what happened to the people of this city."

The trail of blood and madness led them to the edge of the city, where a steep, ancient staircase carved into the rock face ascended towards the mountain. The path was narrow and treacherous, lined with jagged rocks and overgrown with thorny vines.

"Stay close," Arthur instructed, leading the way up the staircase. "And be prepared for anything."

As they climbed higher, the air grew colder and thinner, and the sense of unease deepened. The vegetation became sparser, replaced by bare rock and twisted, skeletal trees. The mountain loomed above them, its peak shrouded in dark clouds.

Partway up the mountain, they encountered a group of people. At first, Arthur's heart lifted with hope that they might find survivors. But as they drew closer, it became clear that these people were not in their right minds. Their eyes were wild, and their movements jerky and erratic. They muttered to themselves, their voices a cacophony of incoherent babble.

"They're hypnotized," Diana whispered, her voice tinged with fear. "What could have done this to them?"

One of the hypnotized citizens suddenly lunged at them, wielding a crude weapon. Arthur reacted swiftly, deflecting the attack with a barrier of magical energy. The others quickly followed suit, attacking with a ferocity that spoke of their madness.

The group fought back, their movements coordinated and precise. Rain used her agility to dodge and weave between the attackers, disarming them with swift, calculated strikes. Diana wielded her dual elements with deadly efficiency, freezing one attacker in place while incinerating another's weapon.

Arthur activated a defensive rune, creating a protective barrier around them. [Rune of Protection: This rune creates a barrier that repels physical and magical attacks, providing temporary safety for the user and their allies.]

The barrier gave them a moment to regroup, and Arthur quickly scanned the attackers for any signs of what might be controlling them. His eyes landed on a small, glowing amulet around the neck of one of the citizens. "Those amulets," he called out. "They're the source of the hypnosis!"

Diana and Rain focused their efforts on removing the amulets, using precise strikes and spells to dislodge them. As the amulets were destroyed, the citizens collapsed, their eyes clearing as they were freed from the spell.

"We need to get to the source of this madness," Arthur said, his determination unwavering. "Let's keep moving."

They continued their ascent, the path growing steeper and more treacherous. The air was thick with an oppressive energy, and the sense of unease grew stronger with each step. The mountain seemed to pulse with a dark power, its malevolent presence almost tangible.

At the top of the staircase, they found themselves at the entrance to a vast, ancient maze carved into the mountainside. The stone walls were covered in intricate carvings and symbols, and the air was filled with a low, ominous hum.

Arthur activated another rune, this one designed to navigate through mazes and labyrinths. [Rune of Navigation: This rune provides guidance and direction in complex and confusing environments, helping the user find their way.]

The rune glowed softly, creating a faint path of light that led deeper into the maze. "Stay close and follow the light," Arthur instructed. "This will guide us to the heart of the maze."

As they ventured further into the labyrinth, the air grew colder, and the sense of unease deepened. The walls seemed to close in around them, and the low hum grew louder, resonating in their bones.

They encountered more signs of madness—symbols scrawled on the walls, pools of dried blood, and broken weapons scattered on the ground. The maze was a place of chaos and violence, a reflection of the madness that had consumed the city's inhabitants.

At the center of the maze, they found a large, open chamber. The walls were covered in more symbols, and the floor was stained with blood. In the center of the chamber stood an altar, surrounded by more of the hypnotized citizens.

The citizens turned to face them, their eyes wild with madness. They attacked without hesitation, their movements erratic and frenzied. Arthur and his companions fought back, their skills and coordination honed by their previous battles.

Arthur activated a powerful offensive rune, sending out waves of energy that incapacitated the attackers. [Rune of Energy Wave: This rune releases a powerful wave of energy that can incapacitate multiple targets, providing a temporary advantage in combat.]

As the last of the attackers fell, Arthur approached the altar. The symbols carved into its surface pulsed with a dark energy, and the air around it was thick with malevolence. He activated a rune of analysis, trying to understand the source of the power. [Rune of Analysis: This rune allows the user to analyze and understand complex magical structures and energies.]