The Gorleans stood in quiet anticipation, their eyes fixed on Linry as she rummaged through her satchel. Each of the four companions waited with practiced patience, knowing better than to interrupt her process.
'Found it,' she declared at last, her arm buried deep within the sack.
Riniock leaned forward, curiosity etched across his face. 'What is it?' he asked, trying to discern the nature of the object now cradled in her hand. It was unfamiliar to him – something not found in any of his studies.
Dangling from a bail, Linry revealed a curious medallion. Its craftsmanship was modest, forged from a dull, low-grade metal. Circular in shape, it bore the engraving of an eye at its centre. Nestled within the eye was a small metallic pebble, round and slightly unsettling in its stillness.
'That's called an Eye of Tuoscq,' Linry explained, noting their blank expressions.
'An eye of…tosk?' Ulred repeated, fumbling with the pronunciation.
'Tuoscq,' she corrected gently.
'What does it do?'
In response, Linry produced a tuning fork from her satchel. It was a slender instrument with two pointed tines and a small foot piece at the base of its handle. 'With this,' she said, 'you tap the centre of the eye. The device will begin to search for nearby signatures – traces of odh.'
She demonstrated, striking the medallion with the fork. A low, resonant hum spread outward, deep and slow. It wasn't just audible – it was felt. The vibration seemed to pass through their bones, subtle yet undeniable.
'I can sense several signatures in the vicinity,' Linry murmured. 'But the one we need to isolate is Irgod's.'
The hum lingered briefly, then faded. Linry closed her eyes, focusing intently. Unlike the others, she was intimately familiar with Irgod's unique odh signature. If the Eye of Tuoscq resonated with it, she would recognise it instantly.
She struck the medallion again. This time, the resonance was warmer, almost comforting. But as it persisted, a sharpness crept in – a prickling sensation in their chests, a tingling behind their eyes.
Linry's concentration deepened. Veins bulged at her temples; her face flushed with effort. Then, suddenly, her eyes snapped open.
'Got it,' she said, affixing the foot piece to the medallion.
The device reacted violently. It began to pulse with rhythmic waves, vibrating without further need of the tuning fork. Each wave carried a strange duality – heat and sting, comfort and pain. The resonance tore through them, disorienting and relentless.
'What now?' Ulred asked, rubbing his eyes.
'Now,' Linry replied, 'whoever holds the device will be able to detect any trace connected to Irgod's signature within a certain radius. But…'
'But Irgod will feel it,' Riniock finished for her.
'Not just him,' she said. 'Any creature or person within the radius will sense the probing. Tuoscq – the medallion's creator – was a resonarch. This was one of his early designs. It's effective, but flawed.'
They gathered their gear and approached the door. Linry disabled the trap mechanism, allowing them to exit safely, then reactivated it behind them.
She pointed towards a crumbling section of the ruins.
'The first trace leads that way.'
'So now every bodd in here will come after us?' Ulred asked.
'Every bodd,' Linry confirmed, 'and likely every other monster lurking in these depths.'
'She's right,' Hadfarr said grimly. 'This is dangerous.'
'Staying hidden was never a long-term solution,' Linry replied. 'We have a lead now. It's time to move.'
'Then let's go.'
The group ventured deeper into the ruins of Ranzomeron, following the medallion's guidance. They wound through narrow alleys and broken streets, the skeletal remains of hundreds scattered around them.
'This place is massive,' Lodras observed. 'Larger than most towns. How did so many people die here?'
'Monsters,' Ulred muttered.
'If my theory holds,' Riniock said, 'these people weren't just killed – they were stripped clean. Nothing left but bone.'
Ulred raised his eyebrows. 'Stripped clean? What kind of monsters do that?'
'My best guess? Slimes.'
'Slimes?' the others echoed.
Riniock nodded. 'This place is crawling with bodds – spawn of Aceria, according to Linry. It wouldn't surprise me if other creatures of her ilk were here too. Slimes fit the pattern.'
The Gorleans exchanged uneasy glances. The logic held, and the implications were grim.
They had been walking for some time now, the Eye of Tuoscq still pulsing, its resonance spreading through the underground.
Every step forward increased the risk of detection. The ruins offered little protection – crumbling walls and collapsed buildings made ambushes all too easy.
They fell into a tense silence.
'Are we getting closer to Irgod?' Lodras asked.
'Too early to say,' Linry replied. 'There are too many obstructions. The resonance can't reach him directly.'
'So we follow the traces, one by one?'
'It's the only way –'
A thunderous boom interrupted her. The ground trembled, and dust cascaded from the ruined structures. Some buildings on the other hand collapsed entirely.
'What in Murat's name…' Lodras shouted, covering his ears.
'There!' Riniock pointed towards the direction they had come from.
Smoke rose into the air, tinged with flickers of flame. The explosion had illuminated the sky above the site.
'That was the enchantment trap!'
Someone – or something – had tried to enter their former hideout and triggered the explosive ward. Whatever it was, it had likely been obliterated. But its intent was clear: it had been drawn by the resonance.
'We need to move,' Hadfarr urged. 'If those were hostile creatures, they may be faster than us.'
'Agreed. Linry, come on –'
She waved him off, eyes closed once more. 'I need to concentrate. The signal's shifting.'
'Well, hurry,' Riniock said, pointing again towards the hideout. 'I see dust clouds…'
The others turned to look. Their expressions darkened.
'That's not just one or two,' Lodras said. 'That's a horde.'
'Less talking, more walking!' Ulred barked.
And with that, the Gorleans pressed forward, the Eye of Tuoscq humming in Linry's hand, guiding them deeper into danger – and closer to Irgod.