Conquering the dungeon (Part 4)

We soon finished the short walk to the entrance of the dungeon, the entrance was big as hell and it had these ancient designs on it.

As we neared the entrance of the dungeon, I was amazed by the size and grandeur of the structure. The ancient designs engraved on the entrance were truly remarkable and I felt like I was stepping into a different world.

I decided to ask her more about the entrance itself, curious to understand its history and how it was built.

"Calia, do you know anything about this entrance? It's so different from the rest of the structures on this expedition zone. Its designs are truly interesting and it's amazing how well-preserved it is, considering its age."

"The designs on this entrance are actually ancient hieroglyphs carved by a long-forgotten civilization," the kid explained.

"In their mythology, this dungeon was created by the gods themselves to test their mortal subjects. They filled it with a myriad of mysterious and powerful secrets, and those who were able to traverse it were said to possess the wisdom of humanity's ancient gods.

"The hieroglyphics that you see are their final message to mankind, warning us not to disturb the balance of the world, otherwise it would lead to our doom."

I couldn't help but feel awe-inspiring when hearing Calia describe the history of this location.

It was fascinating to think about the ancient civilization that had created the hieroglyphs on this entrance. Their message of warning to humanity made me feel a chilling sensation.

"So the gods themselves built this dungeon?" I asked, still in disbelief.

"Yeah but they abandoned it and it eventually got buried in the ground"

I was somewhat confused by her statement. How could the gods themselves create the dungeon, but also abandon it?

Was the existence of this dungeon the reason why the gods of this world had vanished without a trace?

"Why did the gods abandon it? Is it because of the danger of disturbing the balance of the world?"

"I dunno" Calia replied plainly

I was a little taken aback at her straightforward response.

Was she really that ignorant of these things, or did she just not want to divulge too much information?

"So you don't actually know why the gods abandoned this dungeon then?"

"Well according to the ancient manuscripts in the city libraries, this dungeon has been more longer than the existance of humanity"

"So even I am an ancient one, don't know the origins of this dungeon"

This dungeon predating the very existence of human civilization itself was certainly a shock.

Even for someone as ancient as her, it must have been truly mind-boggling.

But what did she specifically mean by her last statement?

"Wait, do you mean that you're an ancient being as well? Just how old are you?!"

"About twenty thousand years old"

I immediately stopped in my tracks, my eyes widening with disbelief at her revelation.

Twenty thousand years old? Did she just say TWENTY THOUSAND YEARS OLD? That was...Impossible..

This kid was far older than I had originally thought, and possibly one of the most ancient beings I had ever encountered in my life.

"Well, I'm sure that you're surprised at my age but we need to enter the dungeon now"

I didn't even have time to recover from my shock before Calia had begun moving forward towards the dungeon entrance. I needed to snap out of it and not let my disbelief distract me.

At the moment, the more pressing matter was to follow Calia and explore the dungeon ahead.

I quickly put on my 'explorer hat' and ran to catch up with her, ready to go into the unknown depths of this mysterious dungeon.

On the other hand,the groups that started way before me had arrived in the dungeon more earlier than us in 4 days . Claire got paired up with the group and was really disappointed that she didn't get paired with me.

"I miss Elliot"

She couldn't just walk still thinking about Elliot's condition.

Despite her disappointment, Claire still did her best to keep up with the rest of the group. However, she couldn't help but feel uneasy about Elliot's absence and how it would affect their progress in the expedition.

She couldn't let her feelings for him distract her from the task at hand, but she couldn't stop herself from worrying about his condition.

She tried to put on a brave face, but she could feel the anxiety building up inside her.

While she struggled to maintain her composure, the rest of the group continued to make progress in exploring the dungeon.

They came across what seemed like an enormous chamber filled with ancient statues covered in cobwebs. The statues were carved from stone and depicted individuals wielding various weapons, some with sharp edges while others seemed more blunt in design.

The whole scene was eerie and unsettling, and it was apparent that the statues had remained undisturbed for a very long time.

"Is something wrong Claire?" Said Elowan with a concerned look

Claire felt startled when Elowan suddenly appeared beside her and asked if she was okay.

"Oh, uh...I'm fine." she responded with a nervous smile.

She tried to keep her focus on the expedition and not let her feelings for Elliot distract her.

"I was just thinking about someone."

She kept her words vague and didn't elaborate further on her thoughts, hoping to keep their conversation short and avoid further questions.

Elowan gave her a brief and skeptical look. It seemed like she could see right through her and could tell that she was hiding something.

"Are you sure that everything's okay? You seem a bit distant."

Despite Claire's efforts, Elowan seemed determined to get to the bottom of her concerns.

Elowan could see right through Claire's attempt to brush her concerns aside. Her uneasiness was apparent from her body language and tone of voice.

"You know, you really do look quite troubled, even if you insist on denying it," Elowan pointed out.

At this point, it seemed like Elowan wasn't going to drop the subject until she admitted that something was wrong.

Claire felt trapped in this situation and didn't know how to get out of this uncomfortable conversation.

She didn't want to divulge too much and reveal her true feelings for Elliot, but at the same time, she didn't wish to be so secretive and dismissive toward Elowan either.

She felt stuck in an awkward dilemma between opening up and keeping quiet.

Elowan looked at Claire with a sympathetic gaze, her visible discomfort was apparent to her.

"Look, if it's really nothing important then I won't press the issue any further. But from my pov, it does seem like something is bothering you."

Elowan continued, not giving Claire a chance to respond.

"Is it due to anxiety about the expedition or is there something else concerning you?"

Elowan's words made Claire feel even more uneasy. She felt like Elowan was trying too hard to dig deeper into her feelings and was not going to tolerate any more denial.

It was clear that Elowan was genuinely concerned about her and wanted to find out more about what was troubling her.

Claire took a deep breath and decided to open up somewhat. She couldn't hide her emotions any longer.

"I...it's...there's someone I care about deeply and I'm...scared that they might not make it through this expedition.

Elowan's expression immediately changed when she revealed the reason behind her uneasiness. She now appeared even more concerned about her and the situation with the someone she cared about.

"And who's that? "

Although Elowan was curious about this person who had captured Claire's heart, she kept his tone non-judgmental and sympathetic.

Claire looked away from Elowan, not knowing what to say next.

She just felt like the situation was still too personal for her to reveal too much too soon.

She couldn't deny her strong feelings for Elliot and the fear she felt for his safety. She was still unsure about how she could express her feelings fully without letting on too much information about Elliot.

"I...would really prefer not to say any more."

Elowan seemed to understand Claire's predicament and was willing to respect her boundaries.

She gave her a comforting look and spoke with a gentle tone, attempting to reassure her.

"It's okay, I won't press the matter further. Just remember that I'm here to listen if you ever feel the need to talk to someone."

Elowan offered her a slight smile and then looked away.

"Guys look,a map of the dungeon" Eris interrupted pointing The Map lying on the ground .

Eris's sudden intervention helped break the tense and somewhat awkward atmosphere that had settled between Elowan and Claire.

Eris's discovery of the map provided a welcome change of topic, as the group gathered around the map to examine its details.

It was certainly interesting to see the dungeon's layout and its many different chambers and hallways.

It would surely be helpful in properly coordinating their expedition and ensuring that none of them got lost in this vast and imposing dungeon environment.

"Look, this chamber right here is where we are right now. So I think this hallway here should connect to the next chamber. But..."

Eris pointed out the complex structure of the dungeon as she tried to analyze it. The map seemed like a complex web of different sections, hallways, and chambers, with multiple interconnected levels and rooms.