Chapter 349 - If only there was music
“…For a relic of the ancient Zuver, this thing’s kinda slow, isn’t it?” Kat remarked dryly, arms crossed as the woman glanced around the platform.
Scarlett gave her a brief look before returning her attention to the engraved panel embedded in the pedestal before her. Its surface shimmered with intricate glyphs and partially decipherable shaft-like diagrams. Around their group, sheer stone walls glided silently upwards as the wide circular terrace descended smoothly beneath their feet.
They had boarded the platform at the far end of the convergence chamber, and it was now steadily carrying them deeper into Beld Thylelion. In the game, these transport platforms showed up here and there, offering access to the different levels of the dungeon. Given that they were inside an ancient Zuverian complex—created by perhaps the greatest mage to have ever lived—Scarlettfound it somewhat peculiar that Beld Thylelion relied upon these semi-mechanical lifts rather than more magical means of transportation.
From a game design standpoint, though, it made sense not to let players skip straight to the final chamber.
Based on what she could gather from the panel, this particular platform would only take them to the next level. How deep that was exactly, she wasn’t sure. But so long as they were going down, they were on the right path.
Even so, it was surprising just how long it took to drop a single level. The descent itself was smooth enough, but as Kat pointed out, they weren’t moving particularly fast. That said, Beld Thylelion clearly also stretched deeper than most would expect. Certainly deeper than Lake Rellaria.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned to appreciate about the Zuver and their creations,” Rosa said, tugging one ear with a wince, “it’s that you really shouldn’t expect consistency in…anything, really.” She grimaced. “Aaaand my ear just popped again. This is starting to get annoying.”
“The Zuverian civilisation is believed to have undergone several major upheavals and shifts throughout its history,” Shin added, peering up towards the dark shaft above. “It’s generally accepted that their architecture and enchantment styles varied significantly between different cities and enclaves under the diviniarchs — let alone across different eras. From what I’ve seen, the design here resembles the structures from the Ascendant Court in Elystead more than the ruins found in the southern parts of the empire.”
He gestured lightly to the platform beneath them. “And lifts like this are actually more efficient than teleportation magic, in most cases. Most mage towers use similar constructs.”
“Know-it-all,” Allyssa teased, standing beside him.
Shin gave her an unimpressed look. “…Should I apologise for having read more than the preface of a book?”
Allyssa shrugged, flipping her blonde hair with one hand and adjusting the strap of her bandolier. “No one’s forcing you to apologise. But I won’t stop you either.”