86. Some Kind of Secret

Jason, Humphrey, and Clive explore an ancient brick complex beneath the swamp, noting mortarless construction like the Sky River Aqueduct. Empty rooms suggest the site was stripped long ago. They find warped, spike-covered stairs indicating earth- or stone-shaping defenses and choose intact stairs to descend.

On the lower floor, heavy battle scarring and stripped corpses of multiple species imply a large, old conflict and post-battle looting. Blocked stairwells of melted green stone force them to breach a wall. Jason provides a Stonebreaker Hammer, and Humphrey opens a hole that releases foul, wet air.

They anchor a rope and drop to a flooded level. Debris, burrows, and stronger battle damage reinforce the idea of a past siege and later monster intrusion. Clive’s tracking stone confirms the missing adventurer lies on this level, ahead and to the right.

Detecting iron-rank auras from a large hall, they choose to neutralize potential threats before proceeding. Inside, they find rotted banners, statues, racks, and twenty-eight animated, mannequin-like combat dummies radiating auras. Clive buffs Jason and Humphrey with Mantle of Retribution and Rune Mantle, then supports at range with wand fire and Onslow’s lightning.

Humphrey cleaves through clustered dummies while Jason skims the water’s surface for swift strikes and uses explosive darts to escape swarms. Clive detonates a rune trap to shatter pursuers. They destroy all dummies, plan to salvage one for study, and note the dummies mimic Jason’s fighting style—hinting at a deeper, ancient origin—as they resume the search for the fallen adventurer.