The sound of raindrops hitting the ground and the scurrying of rats contrasted the eery quietness of whatever it was that they found.

Michal took another hesitant step downward, when he saw something glittering next to his feet. He bent down to pick it up.

A small silvery sphere rested in his hand, and he pocketed it to study later.

Then another step.

His companion still floated at the entrance, deep in thought before hushing into his shadow.

Michal knew they should call their parents, or ask the old wizard for help but jet something was drawing them deeper. Maybe it was curiosity, or the wonders of old magic and forgotten relics that were ever so present in the games he played in his old world.

The only thing he could do at this point was not to say it out and jinx the situation any further.

Hesitance transformed into eagerness and wonder as they decedent deeper and deeper, only flickering torches still providing light.

“Considering the angle of the staircase, we should be somewhere below the Center of the city by now.”

The wrath pointed out.

How the fuck did he keep track of that?

“Yeah I think so too.”

Michal muttered.

Before his companion had any chance to reply, not that he would have done that, the narrow hallway opened into a grand, ancient hall lying beneath them.

It might have been a natural cave once, but floor was smooth and the walls filled with blue shimmering runes.

The stone statue of a great serpent coiled itself around a shrine at the wall left of them, but its head was decapitated and the wooden structure almost entirely rotten away.

The stairway continued descending in front of them until it reached the floor, from where a path of braziers led towards an old iron door.

Some of the braziers were topped over, and only a few of them still burned with a pale blue flame.

Wow, I hope we find something that can upgrade my next class evolution.

The ethereal touch of his companion ripped Michal out of his reverie.

A shadowy tendril pointing towards something far more interesting than the door and runes. A small brown tent, with a burning campfire in front of it straddled in the corner between wall and stairway.

His companion whispered “We could try and…” The rebel cut him of and jumped down, involuntarily taking his companion stuck in his shadow with him.

I don’t know what you experienced in your past life to make you so suspicions but if you are nice and willing to talk most people will at least tolerate you.

“Hey, it seems we are not alone here. Lets share information.”

For a moment nothing happened, then they could hear chaos, a short yelp and shuffling. Finally girl roughly their age emerged from the tent. Disheveled black hair green iris and deep eyebags. She was dressed in a simple gamberson, a simple spear way to big for her leaned against he shoulder.

“How did a bunch of kids find there way into here?”

Michal ignored the fact that he was likely three times older than her, and instead chuckled.

“Same way as you I suppose, through the entrance.”

He chucked the small metal sphere towards here.

”This is yours I suppose?”

Her face went from a scowl to confusion to recognition and ended in an even deeper scowl.

“Dammit.”

She raised her hand to throw the ball to the ground, before resigning and placing it into her pocket.

“Okay, that was the disrupter to stop the stairway from closing up again. Now there are hundreds of tonnes of stone between us and the surface. With now way out other than getting to the heart of the matter.”

She let her fingers glide through her hair in a vain attempt to straighten it.

“More than that actually.” My companion muttered.

“What did ya say?”

She looked Michal in the eye, and his companion receded into the shadows again.

“Oh I think my companion was just complaining you underestimated the amount of rock above us.”

That at least he had found out about his companion, the wrath was a little know-it-all.

For a moment an awkward silence decedent, before the women moved towards him blue chakra swirling around her.

Half forgotten reflexes and a sickening amount of training made him activate [Dash(1)] immediately to flicker a few meters away.

As he felt his chakra drain away, as his amber flared. It was only a trickle, less than a whole point.

With a bit of awkwardness Michal held his heater shield before him, the rough handle of his sword clutched in his hand.

A single drop of sweat ran along his eyebrow.

She is damn fast, the moment I even attempt to draw a focus she will be on me. I should trade injury's and hit her hard with [sweep], than recover with [Heroic Turnaround].

“A sorry, that was rude wasn't it.”

She scratched her cheek and the tension deflated somehow.

“It was just, your companion is entirely unnoticeable, even though I have a skill to detect presence.”

A shadow crossed over her face.

“I’ve had bad experiences, doesn’t mean I should take it out on ya. The grave is dangerous alone, no need to die before even going in.”

Yeah, I bet he has to have a skill to escape notice.

Michal shrugged his shoulder. He was still irked but fighting would be disastrous.

Now way someone without a system could move like that.

“Well he seems similar to your own companion then, cant see him anywhere.”

For a moment the silence stretched on.

“Because he doesn’t exist that is, and before you open your mouth, don’t.”

“My name is Arya by the way. Lets cooperate to get out of here.”

She held out her hand, covered in a strange leather glove. After a moment of hesitation Michal grasped the offered alliance.

“So you have been down here since yesterday?”

Arya nodded while she bit into the roasted potato sprinkled with salt.

“How did you get in here and how did you know the entrance would collapse? Just curious you know.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“How did you manage to go down here? I found mention of the place in the archives, and a journal of an adventurer who once visited. Jet it still took me half a day to open the damn door.”

His summon seemed to finally take an interest in the conversation, forming a face over his shoulder.

“My friend here found the place, you should ask him.”

All eyes fell on the Wrath.

“The place was too clean, looking suspiciously like a secret passage. Once I knew where to search what the rest was pretty standard. Any even remotely competent mage could have figured out as much.”

His red eyes bore on the girl.

“But you said you have an adventures journal, where did you find it? And what does it say?”

Arya shrugged her shoulders.

“It’s nothing amazing. The existence of the Crypt had been relatively well known before the reconquering.”

A strange tension hung in the air, before his familiar shook himself in a way that might be laughter.

“Though as much, so it was constructed by a Hexenmeister from Kotor a millennia ago.”

Michal nodded and smiled. He understood not a word.

The women beamed a smile.

“Exactly. And you know what that means?”

This time it took a bit longer for his summon to answer.

“Sadly the only books I had were lacking in regards to Kotor. But I suppose deadly traps, sacrifice fuelled golem’s and some necromantic constructs?”

Arya pulled out an old leather bound book, weathered and bloodied.

“Exactly, all to guard chambers full of plundered gold artefacts and priceless magic from the time of the ever hungry serpent.”

Michal stared into the dancing flame.

“I am as enamoured with ancient treasures as you are, but realistically what are our chances? I have no idea about history so correct me if I am wrong, but a man who could have controlled such an area must have at least been of the Blaze Order. Even if dead that's not something we can take. Or have you already advanced to candlelight?”

His companion spoke up.

“Contrary to popular believe old magic isn't stronger. Its most of the time just that old. Sure, we would never even beat a single functioning golem but the focus lies on functional. The most I expect are a few half broken machines and long since activated traps.”