We soon made it to the bottom of the stairs and to the next floor. What we found shocked us even more than before.
It was some kind of weapons shop, or a gallery of sorts with different and intricate weapons on display. And, just like with the library, this place gave off a strong aura of mana. That means the weapons here are enchanted.
First magic books, now enchanted weapons and items. At this point, I'm not really surprised, but I can't shake the nervous chill I get about this place.
The floor didn't seem as big as the secret Library upstairs. If I had to guess, I would have to say that this floor was likely half the size. Still, though, it was pretty big, so there would be plenty of dangerous weapons here, I'm sure.
"Wow, Desmond really went all out, huh?" I voiced my thoughts out loud. The sheer sight of this floor put me in awe, though not all of it was entirely in a good way.
"Judging from how strong the mana is here, I'd have to say that the majority of these weapons were enchanted. I'm sure a blacksmith would be drooling at the sight of this." Zemmi ran her eyes around the gallery floor, possibly thinking of what was in store for her.
To be honest, I'm starting to regret coming down here, just like with the secret library. At first, I thought it would be fun, but knowing the full extent of everything that Desmond created, I feel more anxious that excited.
Why couldn't Desmond had build something else. Maybe a vending machine or gaming consoles? Anything that doesn't involve slashing, bashing, or mutilating, really.
"Just look at all these weapons," Vlad looked around. "It reminds me of a blacksmith shop in the city."
"Well, Desmond was Vuthar's Champion, so this was expected, I guess. Though, something is still bothering."
"What do you mean?" I asked Zemmi.
"Well, during the war, Desmond always made weapons with higher durability and better sharpness. But, none of the weapons he made for his gods' followers were like these."
Hmm, that seems a little weird. Though, then again, thinking about the secret library, maybe these weapons were too dangerous.
Which makes me question why he made them in the first place if he didn't plan on using them. I think that's kind of a waste, really.
Seriously, what in the world was Desmond thinking when he made all this stuff? Was he preparing for something but never got the chance too? This is all too confusing for me.
For now, though, we should check out what kind of weapons this guy made. If they're anything like the Grimoires, we're in trouble.
I told the others to look around and check out the weapons on display. Since this floor wasn't as big as the library, we could split up without being in groups.
I decided to check the right side of the floor. From there, I saw swords, Gauntlets, and Chest pieces on display. They all gave off an intense aura, which likely means that they were enchanted.
Sadly, though, I couldn't tell what kind of enchantments were on them. There didn't seem to be a sign explaining what each weapon or armor piece could do. Though, there were name tags for a specific object.
Still, it doesn't help me figure out what kind of enchantments these weapons have.
During some of my magic lessons with Amy, she explained to me that you could tell what kind of enchantment a item has by reading the set of runes on it. Sadly, I didn't get that far in the Rune translation part yet, so I didn't know much.
"Let's give it a try anyway," I muttered to myself while trying to read the inscriptions on one of the swords on the wall. "Yep...I can't read it."
Figures. I couldn't understand a single word of it. This kind of sucks because now I don't know what the heck these things are capable of doing.
Hmm, you know, now that I look at them, these inscriptions look familiar. In fact, they kind of look like the ones on the Armored Vehicle made by Leonardo.
I wasn't sure I was right on that assumption, so I decided to get a second opinion. "Amy, could you come over here for a second?"
"Is something wrong, master?" Amy walked over towards me with a puzzled face.
"Could you tell me what those inscriptions are?" I pointed at one of the swords.
The blade I pointed at looked more like a giant fishing hook of some kind. It had a curved blade that could be used to reel in its enemy and slice it up in the process. The name of this hook blade was Aberdeen.
Amy nodded her head and examined the weapon on the wall rack. Shortly after, her eyes went wide with shock.
"I-it's in the Elder Language. Just like with that artifact from the Mansion library."
I figured as much. Considering the grimoires that's supposedly dated from the Elder period, I'm not surprised that some or maybe all the weapons here were enchanted with Elder-grade magic.
"What kind of enchantment does the blade have?" I asked.
"It seems to have the ability to summon a great gust of wind with a strong swing of its blade. It's basically a wind blade attack imbued with the sword, though the attack itself seems to be stronger by three to four times."
I see. It doesn't seem all that much, but knowing Desmond, this weapon could likely cause some major damage.
I wonder what else this guy created in this place. Though, I'm not entirely looking forward to it.
While examining the other weapons or armor on my side, I noticed some really weird names. One of the gauntlet pairs I stumbled upon were called Fists of Fury, one of the swords were called Durandal, and I think I saw a Chest piece that was called Achilles Armor.
Despite the weird names, Amy informed me that they all had special abilities that were even greater than that hooked blade from before.
The gauntlets have a blazing effect which activates when the user gets angry enough. In fact, from what Amy could make out, the angrier the user got, the hotter and more effective the gauntlets were.
Geez, if you give those to some fighter with a temper issue, he'll likely punch holes leaving burn marks all over the place. Hell, he might even instantly engulf his opponent in flames.
That sword called Durandal wasn't a joke either. Not only was it unbreakable, it had a special skill that made it incredibly sharp. The enchantment used on the sword surprasses any other with sharpness enchantment.
I wonder what would happen if Thana went up against Durandal. I honestly want to do a little test, but now wasn't the time.
Last but not least was that Achilles Armor. Apparently, like Durandal, it was unbreakable, and it's special skill allows it to create a barrier when the user puts it on. Amy told me that judging from the enchantment, no weapons could damage it unless it was godly ranked, and even then, it would be a close match.
Man, having just one of these things could cause a problem, and there's a whole floor full of them! What in the hell were you thinking, Desmond!
Trying to keep my headache at bay, I kept looking at the weapons on display and found more and more weird names but with insane abilities. I'm pretty sure that I went cross-eyed halfway through.
I got to the point that any weapon or armor I locked onto, I knew instantly that it was dangerous and didn't want to know anything more than that. All this looking around is making my head hurt even more, so I think I'll stop for now.
Just as I was about to quit inspecting, Thana called out to me with an enthusiastic tone. "Hey, master, check this out!"
Curious about what got Thana so worked up, Amy and I went over to her to see what was up. She started pointing at one of the pedestal display cases with a bright smile.
"Look, look! This weapon looks my new form that you used against that Korgan guy!"
At first, I didn't know what she meant by this, but when I saw what she was pointing at, I soon realized what she was talking about. The weapon currently displayed on the pedestal was something that shouldn't be in a fantasy world.
It was a gun. It was as recognizable as the Armored Vehicle and the Tesla Coil, both of which were from my original world.
It seems that the type of gun that was displayed looked similar to Thana's gun mode, which was a revolver. The type of revolver seems to be a colt, another similar feature I have for Thana's form.
As I stared at the gun, I felt a mixture of emotions I didn't expect when I saw it.
Why is something like this here? Why did Desmond make something like this? If this gun was here in front of us, then doesn't that mean there's more?
Questions like these started to swarm around my head. And more complicated questions showed up, making things even more stressful.
"Master, are you alright?" Amy, her voice filled with concern, tugged my sleeve, bring me back to reality.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine." I knew I wasn't fine, but I had to put on a brave face to prevent her and the others from worrying.
Stay focus, Damien. You discovered something crucial, and you need to investigate further on this.
"Thana," I turned to face her. "Did you see anything else similar to this gun?"
Thana quickly nodded, confirming my suspicions. "Over here."
She then pointed behind her where I saw a small little area filled with weapons similar to the one Thana previously showed us. The three of us slowly walked over there, and we got a better view of what was on display, though some of the modern weapons I saw made my blood go cold.
"Are these also weapons from your world, master?" Amy asked while looking at the gun display with a little bit of interest.
"...No doubt about it." I did my best to mask the fear and anxiety in my voice.
Aside from the colt revolver, I recognized some more modern weapons like Machine Guns, assault rifles, shotguns, even...is that grenade launcher? I took a closer look, and...yep, that was definitely a grenade launcher.
This just got a lot more complicated, huh? Yep, it most certainly has.
All these otherworldly weapons were standing before us, in an underground floor. All made by a Champion who could make swords that can likely cut a building in half with a single slash.
...Please tell me that he didn't enchant these things. Fearing for the worse, I looked closely at one of the guns, and noticed intricate inscriptions for enchanting.
My legs practically gave out on me. I just sat there with a pale dumbfounded expression after witnessing something that was supposed to and should be impossible.
"You've gotta be kidding me. Goddamnit." I swore as I placed my hand on my face, trying to hide my bewildered expression.
This is just ridiculous. I can understand the Grimoires. Hell, I can even understand making enchanted medieval weapons, but why? Why on earth did this guy have to make weapons from our old world, and not only that, enchant them with elder-level magic?
Why?! I just don't get it!
A single one of these damn things could obliterate massacre an entire town, maybe even a city! You give enough of these to an army and it's game over. There's nothing that can stop them.
Yet, despite this, they're just stuck here, collecting dust. I should be happy that no one got their hands on them, but I also can't help but feel frustrated and confused by why Desmond made them and not use them.
Damn you, Desmond Graves. Just what the hell were you planning to do with all of this?
If that guy was still alive, I'd hunt him down and get my answers one way or another. I'll even kill him and bring him back to life if that's what it takes.
If you're confused by why I'm so worked up, it's because Desmond created weapons from our old world, modern weapons that can kill anyone with ease, and gave them more firepower. The world we were living in isn't as developed as Earth.
Zerris told me when she sent me to this world that it's current development was around our medieval times, plus magic and monsters. Long story short, guns shouldn't exist in this world yet.
And yet, here they are. These weapons may be encased in some underground lair, but what if one of them was missing? What if Desmond lost a blueprint and it's currently in the hands of some warlord, secretly creating a lot of them, preparing for some war?
Do you realize how scary that is? Can you imagine the amount of carnage that could be caused by this?
Plus, considering that I'm a Champion, I'm going to get roped into that chaos! I'll have to go and likely stop some maniac that's killing thousands of people with some enchanted machine gun that has exploding bullets!
That is absolutely the worst scenario for me. I don't want to get involved in that kind of crap. Not now, not ever!
We've gotta destroy these things. I don't care if I have to create a mini black hole or something. I just need to get rid of these things now!
I don't want the responsibility of holding onto any of them killing machines. I might as well get rid of them before it's too late.
Just as I was about to put my plan into action, Zemmi and the rest showed up.
"Whoa, what the heck are these things? They don't look like any weapons I've seen." Zemmi looked at the gun display with great curiosity. I wouldn't be surprised if she just picked one up to get a closer look at it.
"They seem to be the weapons from master's old world," Thana explained. "Master actually turned me into one of them, which was awesome!"
"Really? Well, considering that Desmond and Damien were from the same world, I guess I can see that happening. Desmond likely did this because he felt homesick, or maybe just felt nostalgic."
"Sadly, I don't think that's the case," I voiced my opinion to the dragon warrior, to which she tilted her in in confusion.
I'm not surprised why she acted like that. She's not from my world, so she doesn't know anything about its history or culture.
"In my old world, these firearms were one of our many advanced achievements. One of these weapons could kill a two or three people in a second. And, if Desmond really did go all out, he likely made even more disastrous weapons that can top even these."
Zemmi's curious expression was replaced with an anxious and pale look. Looks like she's starting to get what I'm saying.
"J-just how far could Desmond have gone, and how bad it that?"
I thought about it for a moment, and I too went pale with fear. "If that guy went as far as I believed, he likely created a weapon that can nuke an entire city and then some. Hell, with the enchantments, it could even destroy an entire country and a portion of it's neighbors."
Upon hearing this, Zemmi began to shake with fear. I noticed that Vlad turned even paler than usual after hearing it.
Please, Desmond. For the love of everything that's holy, please tell me that you did not make a nuclear bomb. I'm begging you!
Praying that such a calamity didn't happen, Kenos called out to us from a distance away.
"Hey, guys~ There seems to be another relic like the other two."
Another otherworldly relic...that means there's more floors?! You gotta be kidding me!
All of us ran over to where Kenos was, and I saw something really strange yet familiar. The relic in front of us seemed to be...a phone?
It wasn't one of those handheld cellphones, but one of the wired ones with the number buttons. I think they called it a push-button or touchtone phone. Either way, seeing something so old-school was a little surreal.
"Whoa! What's that?" Thana rushed over to the phone and examined it with great interest. I could even see her eyes sparkling.
She was about to handphone, but I stopped her in the neck of time. "Don't touch anything, alright?"
Thana simply nodded her head, acknowledging my order. After she backed away from it, I approached the relic to see what the deal was.
It wasn't like the armored vehicle or Tesla coil. It seemed way too modern, and I don't even know who the inventor of this thing was.
Well, if it's like the other two relics, that means I have to do something to activate it. So then, should I pick up the phone?
I hesitated for a moment before I grabbed the handphone and pulled it to my ear. There was static for a moment until I heard a voice.
"If you've got me, you want to share me; if you share me, you haven't kept me. What am I?" The voice was male, it wasn't hoarse or anything, and he sounded young.
Could the voice be Desmond?
I wanted to ask this, but I had to answer the questions, so I did. It was pretty simply, really. "A secret."
"...Congratulations." This was all the voice said before the wall behind it started to open up, revealing another staircase.
Once again, we have to go down the darkness to head to the next floor. Let's hope that it's the last one.
Honestly speaking, after the last two floors, I am not looking forward to what's down there. If possible, I would like to just head back to the mansion, close up this place and never come back again.
But I've gotten too far to back out now, so I'll just see this through the end. I'll likely regret, but whatever.
Author's Note:
Before you ask, yes, there are other mythological weapons in the Arsenal floor. I could tell you, but you can probably figure it out yourself.
See Ya!