136 Mausoleum of Shamans

Water dripped from the ceiling like a metronome. The droplets splashed on the wet stone. My pants and socks were damp.

The ruins were a proper maze of halls. We turned many times as we progressed. However, I knew we were getting closer.

Spaced evenly on the walls were stone bowls. They might have been used as braziers long ago. Some had a slight residue of soot remaining. Others had water pooled within them.

We had been down here for several hours by then. Hundreds of feet likely separated us from the surface. Fortunately, I could still sense our goal.

Slowly, a yearning sensation crept through my mind as we approached a rotunda. We exited the hallway into this round room.

This cylindrical chamber was distinctly different from the other chambers we had encountered thus far. It had a domed ceiling that was dozens of feet above the floor. There were especially intricate carvings that covered the full faces of massive stone blocks. More of the stone bowls from the hallway were spaced across the room.

I approached one of the stone blocks and examined the carvings. There was a muscular man holding a staff with a shining crystal on the end. Opposite him was a cowering woman in what appeared to be rags. Despite the wear of time, I could tell that the woman was meant to be portrayed as evil due to her posture and body language. However, something felt off about the depiction.

I moved on to the next block. This one showed two men wielding swords. They were in a deadlock. There were lines carved around the swords, giving the impression that they had a slight glow. There were more of such lines around the hilts of the swords centered around what looked like a crystal.

I shook my head in confusion. "This doesn't make any sense."

Leighton walked over with curiosity filling his mind. "What's wrong with it?"

I pointed to the swords. "These appear to be force imbued blades."

Leight tilted his head. "I've never heard of that."

I ran my finger along the carvings, reminiscent of my master. "When I was a padawan, my master taught me some of the history of the Jedi Order. In ancient times, before the lightsaber was invented, Jedi and Sith alike used force imbued blades as their weapons. They were basically regular swords with kyber crystals embedded in or strapped to them just like in these carvings. What doesn't make sense is that they stopped using them over 20,000 years ago."

Leighton tenses up. This revelation was truly unsettling. "That can't be right. These were Incan ruins, right?"

I shook my head. "I don't think that's the case. The Incans weren't around until less than a thousand years ago... wait!"

I rushed back over to the first carving and pointed at the staff with the crystal on the end. "I think the leader of the tribe we met outside had one of these!"

Olivia then walked over. She appeared to be more irritated than usual. "Kyle, what is the holdup? They are closing in."

I spun around excitedly. "Have you taken a look at these..."

I fell silent as my eyes fell upon a set of massive stone doors on a side of the room that I had yet to look at. I felt a strong pull towards them. It was almost overpowering whatever had pulled me here in the first place.

I pointed at the doors. "We have to get in there."

Olivia looked at the doors and paused for a moment before looking back. She had a bitter expression. "We tried. They won't budge."

I shook my head. "Let me give it a try."

She shrugged. "Alright, fine. But if you can't get the open, we must keep moving."

I nodded before briskly walking to the doors. They towered over me and were easily three times my height. My fingers ran through the deep crevices that adorned the hulking stone slabs from which the doors were made.

My palm rested flat on one of the doors as I closed my eyes. My mind cleared with little effort as I placed my focus upon the doors.

I felt the hulking stone slabs. They appeared to be almost breathing with how they pulsed. My senses flew through them without any resistance.

Then, I felt something else. A mechanism? There was a large stone plate that was sticking out of the door frame and into the door. There was a similar mechanism on the other door. Was this how the doors stayed locked?

I stepped back and raised both of my hands. Using my mind, I reached out through the force and gripped the internal plates. Then, I pushed my hands outwards.

The plates moved without much difficulty. Stone grinded against stone as they squeezed out.

Then, there was a loud click. The plates were entirely out of the doors and wouldn't retreat any further. The click was accompanied by the sound of flowing liquid. It was too thick to be water though.

Crackles of steam and bursts of heat filled the room as the stone braziers ignited. One by one they were filled with flames, covering the room with a gentle and flickering glow.

As the room was illuminated, the square channels that were carved into the door began glowing with a gentle white light. The ground rumbled as the doors parted, opening inwards.

Cold, dry, stale air trickled from behind the doors as more braziers ignited. Once fully open, they revealed a room about the size of a hockey rink. The walls were smooth and uncarved and nothing inside was wet.

There were two rows of five stone sarcophagi with their short ends facing a central walkway. Each sarcophagus had a stone pedestal next to it with a polished metal plaque. No two sarcophagi were alike. Each one was adorned with intricate carvings that were in pristine condition.

I found myself in a daze. This room was undoubtedly special. Aimlessly, I walked through the now open doors.

Olivia whistled behind me. "Defensive positions! We are stopping here for a bit."