The ghost system

4: A Strange Core

Rhys slowly ascended the winding staircase. Right now what he wanted to do was reach the highest point in the castle so that he could look at the surroundings and see if there was a second way to get across the lake. A hidden bridge, a boat, something...

The further Rhys went into the castle the more complicated this place seemed to get. Halls that opened onto staircases and windows that opened into secret rooms. The higher Rhys climbed the more cautious he became. So far he had been able to memorise the path he was taking, but the higher he went the more confusing it got. Not to mention that this place was giving him the creeps. It was so quiet that the only noise he could focus on was the sound of his breathing and his wet sneakers squeaking against the floors. As he walked through the castle, he could not help but feel that someone was watching him.

Thinking about it now, he realised that the exterior of the castle was so different from the interior. The exterior looked medieval, the product of a race that wasn't that technologically advanced. However the inside was the complete opposite as the materials used for the floors and walls looked like a refined type of metallic rock, the architecture was impossibly clever, it was as if this place was designed for people to get lost. A honey trap of sorts.

Rhys found himself walking up a cylindrical tower, there were no windows but there were huge crystal gems embedded into the walls, lighting the black tower up like stars. Just from a glance, Rhys could tell that the gems were a low grade but a good quality. If Barrow saw these he would be pretty happy but Rhys was not particularly interested in seeing Barrow happy, so he ignored the gems and kept on walking. Surely there would be a lookout point at the top of the tower.

To his surprise, the tower steps stopped right in front of a sleek black door. There was no handle or groove to pull it open with, so for a solid moment, Rhys stared at the door helplessly. He stepped forward and poked it, hoping that it would magically open since there were no handy levers he could pull down.

Rhys placed his hand on the door and leaned on it for a moment to let himself think. If he could not get this door open should he try to find another tower where he could view the castle from? Or should he just go downstairs and try his luck with swimming across the lake?

Suddenly the door against Rhys's hand slid open causing Rhys to fall straight into the room.

He fell face-first into the room and winced as his burn mark made contact with the hard floor. When he opened his eyes and looked down, he could see some smudges of his blood on the white floor. While grimacing from the pain, he turned around to see that the door had shut behind him. He slowly got up while trying to ignore the pain and scanned the room around him.

This room looked to be the complete opposite of the rest of the castle. It was made out of smooth white marble-like material, the exact opposite of the black walls and floors outside the room. Although Rhys was disappointed to find no windows, he felt his convictions sway as he saw what this room was filled with: crystal crates filled to the brim with gemstones, and shelves of books that looked like scripts. Rhys blinked in disbelief at the treasure trove in front of him. A collection of such precious materials this vast was gobsmacking.

Rhys rushed over to the nearest glass crate and dug his hand inside. He pulled out a handful of beautiful red gemstones and from one glance he could tell they were at least B grade. One of these gems could easily sell for 100 000 Zen, enough to feed, clothe and house a large family in the good parts of district twenty for at least a decade. As amazing as this find was, Rhys knew it was worth nothing if he died there, however, he could not resist walking around the room looking at the gems.

He was shocked to find that there were even better crystals than B grade in the glass crates. He had managed to find two A grade crystals which pretty much melted his resolve. He couldn't help but slide the two A grade crystals into his pocket. It was no wonder to him now why Barrow had been so adamant about going through the black portal, with a raid like this anyone would go a bit crazy.