As it turned out, where the first floor was primarily for housing, living areas, basic lecture halls, and a couple libraries, the second floor was a bit different. First of all, the elaborate carvings into the stone had only gotten more detailed and this second floor seemed to resemble a place of worship all the more. Worrying about threats was also completely unnecessary as not a single soul resided in these depths other than the miscellaneous arachnid or insect that found some form of comfort in the cold dark ruins.
Looking through room after room, it quickly became clear that this second floor was dedicated to experimentation and rituals. Hell, even the large bath house that they stumbled on earlier seemed to be arranged more for the sake of cleansing the body rather than leisurely bathing.
Short chapter today, sorryyy. It was originally one chapter but it got too long and I cut it into smaller parts. Thankfully, this felt like a natural place to leave off.
Anyway, I'm very sleepy so I need to head to bed. As always though, I hope you're having a wonderful day!