Ray expression turned to great curiosity as he continued investigating the room. Strange pieces of metal were scattered across a table, with varying degrees of darkness. Some were a bit gray, some a bit purple-ish.
Tools were present too, seemingly ones for digging and carving into something rather than ones for creating. The same disruptive energy wafted from these metal pieces with a density similar to Steam Cannon.
Ray saw a crude box to the side which he presumed was used to store this piece of metal originally. Ray picked up and examined the box to find nothing particular of note, but used his rapier to place the few metal pieces inside and closed the box, putting it inside of his bag.
He then glanced at the large altar in the middle before looking around for anything else. He chose to save that for last. However he found nothing else in the room and so Ray turned his expectant gaze towards the altar.
It was purple, and black. Large and imposing, with a sinister atmosphere around it, and in the middle of the altar, akin to the remains of a sacrifice, Ray saw black ash and dust.
'This really does not bode well with me...'
A perturbed feeling crept up from within him but he chose to ignore it. His sheer curiosity was not to be underestimated.
He tested the altar and dust by tapping it with his rapier, and then poking them with his fingers, before finally deciding that they were safe enough.
As Ray's fingers traced along the altar and its contours, shape, material and feel, he realized it was completely makeshift in nature. No special materials were used for the main body, at most scraps. However the part were the sacrifice, or dust, was kept felt much higher quality and the cloth covering parts of the altar also seemed very high quality.
The dust was skin to burned or grounded up pieces of the metal Ray had found. It was giving off large amounts of the disruptive energy.
And then he placed his hands on the sacrificial area, feeling it properly. He then felt a tug in his mind, as if something lay deeper within the altar.
He hesitated for a moment but daringly chose to see what's underneath. He brushed past the disruptive energy and forced himself into the altars depths.
Psychic energy and shadow energy were used in tandem to inspect the altar simultaneously, along with Ray's physical senses.
'The disruptive energy is... Disruptive of everything it feels like, or atleast everything I've sent at it. My senses, shadows, psychic energy, intent, everything!'
'And further... There's a wall'
The wall seemed to allow only certain individuals or people of power. And then a sliver of ancient aura was released by Ray causing the wall to crumble and open at the same tune, surprisingly quick.
'It feels like... The gold is related to feeling confident? No... Arrogance? No no... More like... More like... Pride?'
And just as he thought so the walls to his side blast open and a powered up Steam Cannon aimed his hand at Ray and fired a pre-prepared, condensed blast of steam.
-BOOM!
The blast exploded everything in the room upon impact, destroying other walls and demolishing the tables, yet somehow the altar remained unaffected.
Ray was sent crashing through a wall with the attack having caused internal damage. The pure heat of the steam had burned his skin.
The disruptive energy also destabilized the supernatural powers within him, though not to a great extent.
'Crap–! I got careless!'
He skidded across the ground, the impacts sending tides of pain throughout his body but he held on, untill he was finally able to barely land and regain his footing.
He barely created a large mound of shadows infront of him before blasts of steam hit them. It bought him just enough time to leap away before they were blasted apart. Ray hid behind some rubble but then intuitively felt that he couldn't hide for long.
'I have traces of the energy on me, and its almost like a signal to him! That means my stealth is basically useless for now, tch. I should've just dealt with him first, my curiosity got the better of me!'
Although he wasn't entirely sure of why he was so adamant on checking the building before attacking Steam Cannon, he suspected it may have been Eribos affecting him somehow.
[It's too harsh to blame me for your own undoing, and your friend's]
Ray's eyes widened as he realized immediately what Eribos meant.
"Fuck, Feyd!"
Steam Cannon who was about to pinpoint Ray's position snapped his head towards the source of the sound and blasted steam towards it.
Ray had already preemptively rolled away and started running towards where Feyd and Steam Cannon fought. He observed the area for a few seconds before his eyes trailed the traces they had left behind.
'They engaged in close combat but then, Feyd's disadvantage was too great to overcome. I did what I did expecting Feyd to call out for help if he needed it, but I didn't consider his change! It's all my fault, crap!'
Ray's eyes darted to the ruins of buildings, with holes carved into them from what seemed to be... Steam blasts.
And at the end of it all, Ray's keen eyes saw an elf with red hair lying on the floor heavily damaged.
Ray's emotions grew calmer instead of stronger, and his focus intensified. His body was damaged, yes, but he could still survive. Something that was uncertain for Feyd.
As Ray rushed towards Feyd he continuously used Shadow energy to block steam blasts and even counter attack Steam Cannon to limited success, however the shadows he now produced were... Different.
The ancient feel they had seemed to be temporarily staved away, and instead they had a much more fluid feel. If before the shadows were somehow more corporeal and solid, these shadows were more flowy and ethereal.
The shadow energy flowing within Ray's body had changed properties mostly, with their essence now more attuned to Ray than Eribos. However Ray noticed nothing, instead he used his shadow and psychic senses to determine Feyd's condition and assess what he had to help him.
'His consciousness is still there, though he's currently knocked out. The lingering effects of whatever affected him has begun to fade, but the thing seems... Powerful, and deeply linked with Feyd', Ray unconsciously frowned.
'His physical state is bad, he took multiple hits from steam blasts and an extremely powerful one. The disruptive energy seems to have been forcibly suppressed somehow but it has weakened his natural healing factor'
Ray touched his bag where a few broken bottles remained strapped to it. Only one was left. Most of his healing potions seemed to have been destroyed by Steam Cannon's attack.
A shadow blurred past Ray and towards Feyd as it began to apply the healing potion to him. Ray then formed membraneous shadows as a support for the damaged muscles and body, and to stop the bleeding in a few locations.
And finally after everything was done he turne towards Steam Cannon who seemed to have a strangely amplified anger in his gaze. Steam Cannon's eyes were now completely a dark purple, and the gold specks within seemed to have disseapeared and mixed within his very being.
He was no longer calm nor prideful, instead he seemed to have an irrational wrath bubbling from within.
Ray felt his reservoir of shadow energy- more than before yet still not enough. He used his psychic energy to perform Telekinisis, sensing rubble and other random objects at high speeds towards Steam Cannon.
Shadows rippled in the area around Ray and Steam Cannon before they smoothly, and quickly, turned into spikes and launched towards Steam Cannon.
Steam Cannon began to rapidly blast the objects and spikes by releasing steam from his palms, while moving around to dodge the ones he couldn't.
However although the Telekinis that moved the objects could only be used by Ray for simple, straight forward attacks, the Shadow Spikes were different.
Before they might have been solid and rigid in a way, seemingly a solidified shadow of an actual solid spike, like a stalagmite. But these new Shadow Spikes were somehow both hard and tensile, able to flex and bend midair and change directions while whipping towards Steam Cannon like... Well a whip.
The continous barrage of attacks continued to pressure Steam Cannon but it didn't seem to be deadly. Although a few more wounds accumulated the improved power of Steam Cannon allowed him to survive this onslaught he previously couldn't have.
Steam Cannon then opened his mouth to say something but a silver glint flashed in the corner of his vision as he was barely able to redirect the steam necessary for defending himself and channel it towards the sneak attacker in a large blast.
Shadow Spikes pierced deep into Steam Cannon and rubble spammed into him, but he was content with the result. He then sent another wave of steam to destroy the incoming attacks and escape the impaling Shadow Spikes as he briefly recalled what had just transpired.
A jet black rapier with a single point of silver almost hit him. It would've pierced his brain if he hadn't sent the blast of steam, however even after the steam blast whoever was attacking him still managed to pierce through most of the force and almost hit him.
Ray leaped away from the settling steam as shadows melted from his body, ones that had just took the brunt of the force. Shadow trailed along his feet and rapier while behind him was a dissipating spring board like shadow construct.
He landed briskly on the ground before dissapearing into the battlefield once again, keeping Steam Cannon distracted with more shadow and telekinetic attacks.
Steam Cannon could no longer detect Ray using the traces of purple energy left on Ray since it had already been neutralized and dispelled.
Steam Cannon blocked every incoming attack as he seemed to remember something. He didn't know who was attacking him, nor why.
"Hey, who are you? Why're you coming after me?"
Ray's eyes narrowed at his words and pondered for a moment whether to respond, and how to. And just as Steam Cannon thought that Ray was going to remain silent, thus prompting him to attempt speaking again, a voice from nowhere spoke up.
"My name is Ray, and I dragged my friend here for no good reason"
Call it a whim, or maybe his intuition telling him that it wouldn't make a difference, but Ray chose to answer Steam Cannon.
Steam Cannon's brows furrowed but he asked nothing more. There was no need to talk in a life-or-death battle, nor did he feel the want to.
'I can feel my energy diminishing, and I'm sure it's similar for him too. After all he already fought Feyd', Ray decided to continue barraging Steam Cannon untill his energy reserves dwindled to a very low amount before engaging in melee.
Actually Steam Cannon would've run out of energy long ago, maybe even before the attack against Ray, but after the purple energy emerged it seemed to be able to substitute for some of the energy needed by Steam Cannon for his attacks and actions, thus reducing energy use.
And so the same situation continued. Ray launched barrage of attacks while Steam Cannon blocked or dodged most attacks while keeping an eye out for any sneak attack Ray might do. More injuries began to accumulate on him but Ray eventually began to run out. And after only a few drops were left did he stop.
Immediately rushing in for a sneak attack with his rapier he noticed a smirk on Steam Cannon's face. He then aimed his hand rewards Feyd and blasted steam towards him.
He had expected Ray to get angry and begin to cry or wail, but nothing such happened. Instead Ray's eyes grew colder and a chilling anger appeared.
The last bits of shadow energy left within Ray and telekinetic force was used to deflect the attack away from Feyd, and so the attack barely missed.
"You really shouldn't have done that", Ray spoke with a venomous gaze. If looks could kill, Steam Cannon would've died a dozen times over.
Ray thrusted his rapier at Steam Cannon who attacked with small blasts of steam. Their attacks sent blotches of liquid shadows and wisps of steam throughout the battlefield.
And as the two grew engrossed in their fight none of them noticed that one of Feyd's fingers twitched slightly.