Chapter 868 868 Relic Of War
Once they landed, all the representatives filed out of the aircraft and spread out to check the area for treasures that might have lost enough of their magic that they weren’t able to be located just by their presence.
It wasn’t often that they got to go on an actual treasure hunt, but that was what this was. If they could find a memory crystal left by the Magi, or even a few scrolls, they might be able to glean some exceptional magical knowledge.
The Magi of old were geniuses in their use of power, and not just renowned for their power. There were never many of them, and this world had been off limits to both the Fae and the Demons for the longest time, so this was a chance that nobody had ever received before them.
They had all looked around their home territories for such relics, but there was so little left after the war that it seemed hopeless. The witches and humans had destroyed everything that might possibly remind anyone of the Magi.
But this was different. Nobody had been here since the war. It had that feeling of absolutely wild magic, where no civilized force had interfered with the monsters’ influence for many years.
None of them wanted to touch the null stone that they could feel in the distance, but it all seemed to be gathered in the ruins of the buildings, and there weren’t any scattered through the forest that they could tell.
The monsters would instinctively avoid it, which would make the ruins seem like a safe area to human invaders. That was a good thing, as it would encourage them to come here, where they could be observed, and where the feral Fae and Demons that they were going to introduce could find them.
That difference between the behaviour of the monsters and the feral tribes would keep the invaders in fear of constant attack, as one or the other would want to attack them, no matter where they were.
The monsters might have even attacked their group, if they weren’t utterly terrified by the amount of power possessed by the group.
Wolfe considered ordering the helicopter to take off so that nothing attacked it, but they had a solid barrier spell on the aircraft, and he didn’t sense anything near it at the moment.
All the monsters had fled at least a kilometre or two from their position, just to be safe.
“It looks like they really did a number on this place.” The younger Elf noted as they reached the former villa.
“Yeah, they made a point of destroying everything with Antimagic ammunition everywhere they went. If there were Magi here at the time of the purge, there will likely be further signs of the interior having been destroyed before it was left to the ravages of time.” Wolfe explained.
“Wait, they destroyed the places even when there was nobody there? I thought that the point was to get rid of the threat that they thought the Magi posed?” She asked.
“It was. That was why they tried to get rid of history. The real threat was that everyone would find out that the Magi didn’t start the war, and in fact, very few of them even fought back. Most of the sites that have been recorded still had some sort of defensive barriers active that the survivors couldn’t destroy.
Almost all the Saints died before the war was over, so there was nobody who could break the stronger barriers after the war ended.
I came across one that still had the bodies of the family inside the barrier, trapped by a Witch Curse that damages the soul. It couldn’t break their barrier, but the Magi inside couldn’t break the curse, so they were unable to leave.
I managed to get through the barrier with the help of Stephanie, the Familiar Cat, and recovered a memory crystal. It’s in Forest Grove if you are interested in history.
There is more than just history on it, but that likely won’t activate for anyone but another Magi. They often safeguarded their knowledge so that it wasn’t misused by others.” Wolfe explained.
The Demons nodded, while the Fae rolled their eyes in frustration.
“See, we do the same thing, and they call us tricksters, evil spirits, bad influences. I swear, being power hungry is just part of their innate genetic makeup. But I must say, they never went as far against the Fae as they did against the Magi.
Even after the war, they just sent them back to Faerie, and burned down the forests.” One of the Fae Representatives noted.
“I would say maybe they learned their lesson, but they really didn’t. It took them a couple of generations. But, it looks like this place was uninhabited when it was attacked. I have [Detect Hidden] active, and I don’t see any signs of bones at all.
The army wouldn’t have buried them, and it doesn’t appear that anyone else has been here. So, let’s look and see if we can’t find a crystal or two, maybe a depleted magical item.” Wolfe replied.
He moved forward, picking up the Null stone rounds that were still sitting on the ground and tossing them into a cloth bag for disposal. They were planning to leave some, but not hundreds of rounds out in the open.
The ruins were just an old stone house, little more than a farm house, and one outbuilding that could have been a shed, also made of the local stone. Both showed signs that they were knocked over by force, and they didn’t collapse naturally, but other than that, there was nothing.
One of the Demons prodded at a loose stone with his foot. “I found something. Well, not a valuable thing, but a clue. There is charcoal under here. The building was burnt before it was knocked over.”
“Well, that’s something. I wonder if the carving of the defensive array survived.” Wolfe suggested.
That caught everyone’s attention. The arrays on the Magi homes were well known for their ingenuity, and these Continental Representatives hadn’t seen one in centuries. If they could find it, it would make this whole location much more valuable than it was as a mere dungeon target.
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