Ash stared back into the dark tunnel. She could smell the lingering, cloying stench coming from inside. Maybe it was just the rotting Lizardman within, but somehow it felt deeper. Like the whole temple was infused with decay.

  “Ready?” Ash asked, questioning herself just as much as the others.

  “I do not like this, but yes.” Spear replied simply.

  “You’ve been this way before, correct?” Scholar said, sounding more apprehensive now. “We should just be retracing your steps. So, no need for concern.”

  Hearing the other’s nervousness built upon her own. Ash cast a glance back at the landscape, taking in the vibrant vista of the jungle spread out behind her. It had taken them a difficult climb to get up here, as the main steps were crumbled and overgrown. Now they were poised to enter this ruined temple that both lizardmen tribes seemed to fear. It was enough to make her reconsider.

  She took a deep breath and cast glow on her new weapon. It shone brightly in her hands, and she pushed it forwards into the dark, illuminating the same passageway. The same entry hall she had walked though mere days before.

  This is fine. I’ve literally been here before. It’s exactly the same ruin it’s always been. Ash reminded herself, steadied her resolve, then stepped forward into the dark.

  Seeing her lead, the others followed after, entering the first chamber together and looking around.

  Scholar was instantly drawn to the murals on the walls, hurrying over and casting a spell that made the tip of his finger light up, using it to see the carved script better.

  “Be careful!” Ash warned in Saurian “There are traps and I may not know where they all are. There’s definitely a... trap step here by the way onwards though, so don’t step there.”

  Ash had been practicing the language all the way here, Scholar occasionally giving her a few extra words or tips. It finally paid off as another notification flashed up

  You have reached Level 15 in Saurian Language

  The welcome improvement increased her confidence and she headed over to check what Scholar was investigating. Spear seemed more interested in the trap Ash had pointed to on the floor, and had crouched down to examine it.

  “What have you found?” She asked

  “These inscriptions are fascinating. It is like they are writing in this... rune language. Here and there I get snatches of meaning, some characters are almost the same as Saurian. It is clearly telling of the history of this place, and the people here. I will have to note this all down and study it further. I hope to soon discover the meaning behind all of this!”

  Ash had lent him a slate and chalk, and Scholar was already scribbling down the carvings, writing as small as possible to fit it all in.

  “The mural itself is quite faded” Ash commented “but perhaps the text will allow us to interpret it better.”

  “Yes, though some of the text has gone too. See here, there must have been some water flow as this whole section is smoothed and hard to discern.”

  Ash nodded, noting the path the trail must had followed down the wall, smoothing the stone as it passed. She could even see a small droplet forming on the ceiling.

  It was moments like this that Ash could only marvel at. The detail that was present in this game was astounding. Not only is there an ancient language to be deciphered, but there was historic water damage from what could be centuries of slow erosion. She wondered at who had modelled all that, or had the game’s AI merely filled in expected details? Modern game development is crazy, I don’t know how Benajmin does it.

  “Ah! Got you.” Ash turned to see Spear had pulled up one of the stones on the floor was fiddling with a mechanism beneath. She straightened, placed the stone back, then stepped on it. Nothing happened.

  “You... deactivated the trap?” Ash asked.

  “No. I stopped this only.” Spear replied “There is still a trap, but no trigger. Should be safe.”

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  “Wow. I didn’t know you could do that. I might have to get you to teach me!”

  “Sure. If you don’t mind the risk.”

  Ash paused at that. How exactly does one practice disarming traps? What would happen if I practiced here... and failed. These traps had proven themselves to be deadly, one bisecting a fairly strong lizard-man instantly. Ash could mess up in practice and end up dead. Presumably Spear had learned on safer contraptions first. That or she was reckless and lucky, or at least had access to a good healer.

  Once Scholar had finished copying down all the carved script, they continued forwards. Ash still stepped over the deactivated pressure plate but noticed Scholar and Spear both trusted that it had been properly disarmed, stepping on it casually.

  They progressed on until Ash pointed out the tripwire, and the shape of the corpse beyond.

  “This trap is truly dangerous” she said, turning to Spear “Do you think you can disarm it safely? I need to keep watch on that corpse, as it may get up.”

  “What do you mean ‘get up’?” Scholar asked as Spear crouched down over the trap.

  Ash quickly explained how the dead lizardmen in here seemed to reanimate every time she came back into the temple, which only served to make him more nervous.

  “It is done.” Spear announced, coiling up the tripwire rope and placing it carefully on one side of the corridor. “It is safe. Don’t touch the edges.” she finished, straightening and pointing them out.

  “Right. Let’s get this out of the way then.” Ash responded, stepping determinedly into the room. “Spear, go stab the legs. I’ve got the torso”

  Needing no more encouragement, both women laid into the two halves of the corpse. The torso began to rise as they approached, but was quickly knocked back down with a glow empowered hit from Ash’s new hammer. The legs sprung up and tried to run, but the lizard-woman's spear tracked it easily, pumping it full of holes. With a final decisive hammer strike, both halves slumped lifelessly back to the floor.

  “Ugh. Gross.” Ash commented, lifting her weapon and wiping off most of the gore on a nearby wall. “Good thing I just waxed this.” Now the zombie had been disarmed, and with Spear backing her up, the fight had been trivial. Especially for the amount of exp it had awarded.

  You have slain 1 Level 4 bisected lizardman zombie. You have received 204 Exp

  Moving onto the next room, she saw the trap had been reset. With a quick swing, she knocked the waiting skeleton to the side, killing it with that single hit. Damn, I’m hitting these for 31 with just my new maul and glow! Ash thought as the kill notification appeared instantly after her strike.

  You have slain 1 Level 2 lizardman skeleton. You have received 18 Exp!

  She was getting close to levelling up after those, and thought she may have to come back here soon and pick up the practically free exp. Especially with Spear having disarmed the traps to get here.

  Scholar tentatively entered the room after her.

  “Is it safe?” He asked, looking around.

  “Not exactly” Ash replied, then gestured to the carvings on the wall, explaining the gist of the trap room. “...So anyway the first answer was 3, then 9, 16 and 22.” She finished. Stepping forward towards the number 3 tile.

  Just before her foot was about to connect, she heard a cry from behind

  “Stop!” Scholar hissed in alarm “This doesn’t look right. The first answer is not 3.”

  “What?” Ash said in confusion, managing to stumble backwards just in time. “But it definitely...”

  Then she turned, looking at the script. Referencing the numbers with those on the floor, she realised the carving on the wall had indeed changed.

  “It is different!” She gasped. “Damn. Good catch. But how can a carved message like this just... change?”

  “I do not know.” He replied, noting down the text on the back of his chalkboard.

  Though the number had changed, the puzzle had not become more difficult. They quickly determined that the sequence was now 4, 11, 18, 24 and carefully followed the new path across. The door stood open once more and they descended into the room that held the two skeletons. Well, now it housed the smashed-up pieces of two skeletons. Ash poked at them with the tip of her maul, even smacking one of the larger shards, but it seems the pair were too damaged to reanimate.

  She took them through to her old room, leaving Spear investigating the dart trap while Scholar noted down the inscriptions for the door and the mural at the side, both sides of his chalkboard rapidly filling with tight scribbles.

  “This is fascinating” Scholar said excitedly “If we combine you and your companions understanding of the runes with the ones I can find parallels for in my language... With this much text, hopefully we can create a workable translation.”

  Ash nodded, sharing in his enthusiasm.

  “Is this all?” He asked finally, finishing the last of his notes

  “As far as I managed.” Ash shrugged “I think there could be something more with the previous room, but I couldn’t figure it out.

  Together they returned to the square skeleton room, shards of bone crunching underfoot.

  Scholar crouched down, examining the stone pillar with his small finger light. Ash retreated to the side of the room. Raising her hammer high and leaning against a wall as she scanned over the stone room, once again noting no obvious markings or signs of another exit.

  Sighing she shifted her position to rest on her other shoulder. Her feet moving slightly to the left.

  Click.

  “Oh shi-”

  Ash’s cry was abruptly cut off as the trap activated.