![]() “What in blood’s name is this?” Hijros demanded as he narrowly evaded the sharp jet of burning steam to his right and nearly walked into a second. Behind him, Keller and Meilos were doing a better job of evading the jets of dangerous steam, but just barely. Ahead, he could make out the bobbing form of Geegaaliim vanishing into the pipes and machinery, while poor Leukan hummed to keep himself calm as the steam jets managed to find various parts of his large form. “Geegaaliim said it’s machinery,” Leukan managed to break his concentration long enough to pass the message along, “like what they have at the Refined City.” “Is there a way out?” Hijros was suddenly starting to feel cramped, and the panic at being confined was quickly trying to overtake his senses.
“There’s another ladder,” Leukan breathed, “One in the ceiling and one going down.” “If she hasn’t picked one yet, tell her to go down!” Hijros sputtered the command out in one quick breath, trying to keep his calm. A part of his brain, the part that reminded him of the responsibilities of leadership, told him to check on Keller and Meilos. But the other part of his brain, the one focused on survival, told him to move as quickly as possible and leave them to fend for themselves. The leader in him won out, however, and he paused just long enough to spare a backward glance. To his surprise, Keller and Meilos were nearly pressed up against him. “What are you waiting for?” Keller snapped, “A formal invitation? Get your metal ass moving!” Hijros stepped up the pace, making a mental note that he owed Keller a sarcastic comment in the future. Ahead, he could see Leukan’s hulking form vanishing into the ground. He didn’t stop to find the ladder as he reached it, making a jump and grasping for the rungs as he fell. At the bottom, Geegaaliim was already attending to Leukan’s numerous steam burns. A quick appraisal of the party told Hijros that Leukan truly suffered the brunt of the steam. “He’ll be okay,” Geegaaliim assured, “I added a little silver to help heal the burns quicker.” Leukan didn’t say anything during her ministration, adopting a crossed legged meditation pose and closing his eyes. “My gods,” Keller breathed. The awe in her voice gave Hijros pause, and he turned to give their new surroundings a better look. Gold covered every square inch of the place. Walls, floor, ceiling, everything was coated in a smooth, seamless blanket of gold. It shimmered and sparkled in a dazzling manner, though Hijros could not identify a true light source anywhere. “Is it… real?” he asked, reaching to stroke the nearest wall and feel the smooth metal beneath his hands. Meilos shrugged, “I’m not a dwarf. It looks real, though.” “Well, I’m a gnome!” Geegaaliim declared, “And I can assure you, it is real.” “Something tells me we shouldn’t touch it,” Keller warned, “The magic in this place is like nothing I’ve ever encountered, I wouldn’t trust anything to be as it seems.” “Now this is interesting,” Meilos said, approaching a portion of the wall where the solid gold was disturbed by the sharp lines and folded bumps of a relief carving. A semitransparent field of sparkling pink energy blocked the entirety of the wall from floor to ceiling. Meilos kept well clear of it, trying to inspect the relief from afar. “Have you ever seen magic like this, Keller?” Meilos asked. Before the sorceress could answer, the tinkling of metal and whir of machinery echoed loudly as a small, flitting form flew haphazardly through the air. There was an awful crunching sound, the kind that told you something had gone horribly wrong, and the pixie shaped creature veered in midair and careened right into the field of pink energy. The pink light sputtered fitfully before vanishing altogether, and the mechanical pixie fell to the ground in a jumble of tinkling and clatters. The entire party froze where they stood, uncertain what to make of what they just witnessed. Meilos moved first, taking tentative steps towards the wall. When nothing happened, the rest of the party moved in for a closer look. The relief depicted the edge of a forest, where a river ran along and under the spreading arms of an oak, separating the woodlands from an open field. Standing beside the stream was a dryad, her arms outstretched towards the oak’s boughs as if offering it something. That “something” seemed to be missing, a smooth indent was all that was left. Meilos twisted his head from side to side, “It… it looks like an acorn is supposed to go here.” He touched the indent gingerly, anticipating something unexpected to happen. But nothing did, and he ran his fingers over the indent with more assurance. “Hold on,” said Geegaaliim, “I think I see something…”
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