Episode 50

Silent beams of afternoon light squeeze through the thick canopy above and wander upon the rough incline. Crumbling chunks of ancient pavement collapse beneath Dretphi's heavy armored boots. Pausing to pat the ground under the thick soles, Dretphi rubs through the mix of materials in the loose layer of forest cover. "There used to be a walkway... Very... long ago."

Cideeda nods, points a claw tip towards worn, rocky blocks framing a fractured ramp, and motions towards the rusty ring indentations. "This place must have been pretty significant and established. Those look like the anchor points for metal handrails in the concrete."

Drifting back down, Sebastian floats alongside the group and crosses his arms in thought. "That makes sense. From what I've seen above, the width of the path is really consistent. Even with the twists and turns, you can see they regraded some parts of the run."

Bach glances over to Sebastian and curiously lifts an eyebrow. "Hey. Did you see the entrance yet?"

With a squint, Sebastian shakes his head and stares forward. "Not yet, bro. Between all the small valleys, outcroppings, and leaves on these trees, I haven't gotten a clear view up there from here."

Reviewing paragraphs of notes upon a tablet, Aristespha ponders, idly tapping the screen bezel. She lifts her stare from the screen and surveys the area. "I believe we are fairly close. From what Faelatelia described..."

Twitching her very long, pointed ear with a faint breeze, she tilts her head and narrows her gaze into the surrounding forest. "We have passed the last significant landmark she remembered seeing."

She slowly scans the trees and focuses her glowing violet eyes at different features in the surrounding scenery. "There are still no recent signs of spirits in the area. And, the ambient magic feels..."

With hands on her belt of pouches, Sotalia picks at the cover flap for a container and grimaces uneasily. "Weird. It's just off. Gods, I can't say why..."

Tossing her fiery orange, wavy hair back, she combs the stray strands over her swept back horns and sighs into a grumble. "Damn. It just feels odd. Just enough in the background I can't quite pick it out."

She glances over her shoulder at the downwards path behind the team and stares in surprise at the distant difference in altitude. Gritting her teeth, she hisses out her breath. "Anyway... I hope the entrance isn't too far away. Because, it's already not going to be a fun hike back, in the dark, from this high up."

Dretphi briefly turns her helmeted head back, twists her mouth in deliberation, and nods uneasily to Sotalia. "In this situation. Yes. This forest is strange. Will be trying to travel at night."

The team climbs up the ruins of another set of ancient concrete stairs and follows the scattered remnants of a trail around an obscuring curve between two ridges. Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia navigate a collapsed brick walled gorge and exit out into a large, cracked pavement covered clearing. Opposite from the group, across the ruined courtyard, a pair of partially opened, massive security doors stand, slips of light highlighting the ages of rust. Throughout the purposely engineered field, piles of debris reside in disarray. Within the years of overgrowth, glimmers of shattered crystal bound by broken stone reflect the swaying sunlight. A breeze blows old leaves around the many incomplete, articulate, mechanical limbs with faded magical inscriptions. The wind shifts the vegetation, revealing broken stone and metal masses resembling midsections, upper bodies, heads, and hips. Aristespha gawks in awe at the scene and blinks back to awareness from her shock. "Oh. My. Gods..."

Pausing with the surge of recognition, she furrows her brow. "These are all golem parts. Extremely old golem parts."

Bach slowly scans the area, releases an uneasy breath, and grits his teeth. "Yeah. Uh, yeah. I mean, there's no doubt. It's a practical junkyard here."

Squatting down, Cideeda focuses her investigative, emerald gaze upon a nearby fractured golem hand. "While I can't comment on the magic side of things..."

Perking an eyebrow briefly, she curls a faint smirk. "Yet..."

She squints at the mechanical pieces and wrestles an unimpressed frown. "None of these parts look like they're... In that great of shape? These look worse than half the stuff my dad would turn away from his scrapyard."

Standing back up, she flicks a claw point over to a bulky, rusted out golem torso. "That. The thing looks like it'd fall apart if you gave it a dirty look."

An uncomfortable grimace rises upon Bach, and he narrows his suspecting stare out into the vicinity. "Yeah... But... Still have to be careful. There could be some residual magic despite appearances. And, at this point, it'd probably be completely unpredictable."

Aristespha slowly closes her eyes and opens them to a glowing violet. Bach blinks to a blue illumination. Glancing at Bach and Aristespha, Sotalia contorts her face in concentration and squints out a golden light from her eyes. The three mages cautiously step forth into a line and cautiously scan the scattered piles in the courtyard. Tense minutes later, Bach relaxes his posture with a relieved sigh. "Well. Good news. I'm at least not seeing anything obviously active."

Nodding in agreement, Aristespha draws in a long breath and rolls the tension out of her shoulders. "I can confirm. I do not see any leftover magical traces. Well, at the very least, in anything out here."

Sotalia blinks her eyes a number of times, the golden glow flickering out. She flexes the facial muscles around her eyes and rubs her temples. "Oh good. I was worried I wasn't doing it right. Anyway, I haven't felt anything new. Just the same weird, eerie ambient feeling as before."

Leaning towards the line up, Dretphi cranes her helmeted head around towards the mage trio in front and furrows a curious brow under her full face visor. "Safe for exploration?"

Bach glances over, rocks his head with the internal deliberation, and nods slowly. "Yeah. It should be. I mean, I wouldn't recommend poking anything too intact without checking it over first."

Sebastian drifts out in front of the team and glances at Aristespha with a reserved grin. "So, nothing I might accidentally set off, dear? Just want to be sure since this all looks like it used to be A LOT of magically reactive stuff."

With a calming tone, Aristespha presents an assuring smile to Sebastian. "I do not believe there is anything out here that would react to you, Sebastian."

Mustering back his confidence, Sebastian floats out towards the middle of the decayed plaza. "Okay. So, let's keep to this area for now and see if we can find anything that can tell us what the actual hell went on here."

The group carefully spreads out across the area. Cideeda's intrigue leads her to a half assembled humanoid golem laid out upon the paved ground. Cautiously kneeling down next to it, she cranes her gaze over into an opened compartment door and angles her stare inside. Moments later, she straightens her posture in thought and waves Bach over. "Hey, Bach! Could you magically double-check this for me?"

Bach quickly steps over, aims his glowing stare at the partial golem, and shakes his head, his eyes dimming back to normal. "Nothing active, and nothing residual. So, no magic to worry about right now."

Cideeda flips up a pocket cover on her vest. "Thank you."

She pulls out a flashlight with a click and shines it inside the construct. "Okay... So, this is really weird here."

Exploring the space within, she points a claw tip to a disturbed section within. "There it looks like parts scraped against each other. Definitely seems like the work of someone who was having a hard time prying pieces out with a.. Screwdriver. Definitely a screwdriver."

Swaying with the view and light, she grimaces and furrows her light brown brow. "And there's NOT a lot of weathering inside here. Far less than the outside."

Rapping her claws upon the mechanical hull of the golem, she turns her head up towards Bach with a wary smirk. "I think someone parted this thing out in the last few months."

With Cideeda highlighting via flashlight, Bach angles his head around the opening. "Holy shit. You're right. Yeah, that seems like what happened. I don't know that much about golems... But... I don't think it should be this empty inside."

Cideeda sits down on the old, cracked pavement, stretching her legs out. Flicking her ears in thought, she uses her clawed fingers and combs through her short, multicolored hair. "Okay... So, I've been meaning to ask this."

Lifting a curious eyebrow, she glances up to Bach and motions at the magical, mechanical husk. "What's the exact purpose of binding a spirit to a golem? Because, these things look mechanically similar to some robots I've seen. Really. It looks like they could work on their own without anything that magical."

Scratching the back of his head of longer brown hair, Bach twists his mouth unsure and ponders out loud. "Well... By default, most golems operate very simply and follow REALLY simple instructions. They need a lot of adjustments and tweaks to keep in working order. And... Are actually really limited in what they can do magically."

He glances around the area, spots Aristespha, and waves her over. "You know, let's ask Aristespha. She'd know more about this."

Aristespha walks quickly over and curiously gazes at Bach and Cideeda. "Yes?"

Shrugging, Bach glances over to the golems parts. "You'd know this better than me. What are the reasons you'd bind a spirit to a golem? I know they do a lot, but I've just forgotten all the details from that one class I took a long time ago."

Crossing her arms, Aristespha searches the top of her head and counts off with her fingers. "Certainly... First, you get an intelligence of some kind controlling the major functions of the golem. That replaces the very simplistic control spells and other devices people use. Second, the spirit typically learns to maintain the structure of the golem with some capable of enacting repairs upon the physical components and magical constructs."

She pauses a moment and furrows her ivory brow. "Third, an advanced spirit can vastly improve what the golem is capable of in general, especially magically. Unoccupied golems have very limited magical effects that are simple enchanted modules with limited power. Without a will or mind, no new magical flows can be manipulated. A spirit can address that."

Resting her hands on her hips, she smiles at Cideeda. "Those are the major reasons. There are a few other minor factors, but those depend on the specific purpose of the golem."

With interest sated for the moment, Cideeda nods and stretches her arms out behind her. "Okay. I see. So, without a spirit, the golem is just a dumb, one trick drone that's prone to falling apart."

Aristespha grins amusedly and snickers with a humored roll of her eyes. "THAT has often been my experience. Hence, why golems see limited use today when you have access to robotics and artificial intelligence."

Cideeda carefully examines the craftsmanship of the parted-out golem's humanoid arm, and her emerald green eyes spark with fascination. "That makes sense. But... Still, there's a certain quality to this..."

Bach glances over to Aristespha with a smile, and both watch Cideeda inspect the golem thoroughly.

Across the way, Dretphi steps slowly towards the tall, massive security doors, and carefully examines the opposing door edges. Staring through the doorway into the darkness, her attention shifts down to the concrete floor around the door tracks. Her steely gray eyes trace many long scratches and deep gouges into the surface. She follows the trails through a path of cleared debris and disturbed forest refuse, walking towards a thinned section of overgrowth. With a firm grip upon draping ivy, she draws back the tattered, natural curtain, and reveals a worn path leading north. She pivots in place, waves with her free hand, and calls out. "I have found recent activity!"

The rest of the team gather around Dretphi's discovery and collectively investigate it. Dretphi ponders a moment. "This is recent. Purposeful."

Visually tracing back the drag marks, she wanders her stare through the cleared path. "Many people have used it. Transporting significant cargo."

Sebastian bites his lip contemplatively, crosses his arms, and ethereally sighs. "That's not a good sign. I just know it."

Bach briefly grits his teeth and regretfully informs Sebastian. "Yeah... That's not the only thing. Cideeda found a golem that looks like it's been parted-out."

Nodding, Cideeda rests her hands on her hips and frowns. "Pretty thoroughly, too. From all the tool marks I saw, they took their time and struggled to get every little thing they could out of it."

Aristespha sidesteps, gazing upon the fresher trail, and visually plots the route. She cocks her head to the side, memory prompting, and retrieves a tablet from her backpack. "Interesting... Where does this lead..."

Seconds of locating their position on the map later, she orientates herself and notices the rough direction the path goes with an unamused sigh. "Oh... Gods dammit... It looks like it is going right towards the commune."

Flexing her fingers, Sotalia stares annoyed into the dark void between the entry doors and groans. "Great... Looks like they found an easier route for hauling off whatever they were looting. Oh, I bet that Meredosia bitch decided to change up plans once Faelatelia tried to escape."

Aristespha shakes her head slowly and agrees in tone. "If she could not convince someone to bring spirits here, she brought what is here to the spirits."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighs into a vague grimace. "I am NOT really happy about the possibilities. Gods. I just hope they are incompetent enough to only be unsuccessful at anything they are trying. I loathe to think what they could accidentally manage."

Sebastian's ghostly visage assumes a stern stance and serious tone slips into his address of the team. "Okay... As much as I'd hoped we would find the place and save the rest for tomorrow, I really think we NEED to delve a little deeper on this one today. We HAVE to at least find out what was taken, so we know what to be on the lookout for."

Dretphi firmly nods. "Agreed. We will need to inform authorities."

Bach sighs to an uneasy grin. "Yeah. I'd kind of would like to know what a splinter group of a bunch of crazy extremists got from here."

Rolling her golden eyes, Sotalia shakes her head with a grumble. "Oh, I'm certain it's nothing they should have their hands on. Nothing worse than crazy with crazy things."

Aristespha and Cideeda indicate similar sentiments with uncomfortable frowns. Sebastian floats over towards the large security doors, stands confidently, and glances over a shoulder to the team with a grin. "Okay. Let's form up and explore this place a bit more. I'm sure we'll find some answers..."

Deflating to an awkward smile, he shrugs his shoulders. "Whether we like it or not."

The group shares sardonically tinged chuckles and snickers, forming up and entering into the dark void between the massive sliding doors.

---

Walking along an old, mossy cobblestone road, Daedrican aims his fully helmeted head to his left and waves at a pair of lightly armored Chrome Crusader troopers along another parallel walkway. He resumes facing ahead, and Tassilda slinks up in pace next to him. She smiles confidently and perks a sly brow. "It is certainly a nice change of pace to clear out this rest area. Nice, pleasant walks through lovely scenery."

A calm chuckle leaves Daedrican, and he glances over to Tassilda. "I agree, my lady. But, I would still recommend being careful. The main areas of the rest stop receive some maintenance, but the outer park leaves... Quite a bit to be desired."

With a slow shrug of her shoulders, Tassilda grins and gazes out into the tall grasses of the nearby fields. "Yes. I suppose so. But, I am certain there's not much out here that would cause a problem for..."

She flashes a suggestive smirk at Daedrican and punctuates it with a sway. "You."

A long, amused sigh escapes Daedrican, and he shakes his helmeted head. "Oh, you might be surprised. I've had a few troubling moments with the most unlikely enemies."

Intrigue piques Tassilda's attention, and she focuses an inquisitive, light blue on black gaze upon Daedrican. "Oh! Really? Do tell me one."

With a laugh, Daedrican rocks his head momentarily back, a bit of embarrassment slipping out. "Zone Parrots."

Nearly missing a step, Tassilda blinks in confusion and narrows her surprise at Daedrican. She guides a raven lock of hair over her swirling horns and bites her lower lip. Hooking a finger, she tugs uncertainly upon a horn. "Zone Parrots? Those wonderfully colorful birds that have beautiful songs?"

Briefly bowing his head forward, Daedrican sighs and shakes his head. "Yes. I'm afraid so. It turns out, they have an annoying habit of sneaking into tents and vehicles when it is cold at night. Once comfortable, they get VERY territorial. Which leads to rude awakenings by claws and bites. I've had the misfortune of being forced out of my tent to escape the wrath of one."

Tilting his head, his obscuring visor faces Tassilda, and a competitive hint tints his voice. "So... What has been the most troublesome combatant for you so far, my lady?"

Blinking blankly, Tassilda averts her gaze away momentarily, and a flush reddens her gray cheeks. She bites her lower lip and mumbles out a coy response. "Slimes."

She holds a finger up to Daedrican and dons a more assertive tone. "Because... They are absolutely frustrating things. They are resilient to anything short of the right amount of force. After which, they are annoyingly..."

Twisting her grimace, she grits her teeth. "Splatter prone."

Tassilda pauses in thought a moment and aims another query at Daedrican with a happy smile. "I am a bit curious. Why did you ever join up with the Chrome Crusaders?"

Daedrican ponders a few moments, gently rocking his head side to side contemplatively. "After school, I decided I wanted to travel and experience the world for a bit. While I don't come from a small town, I had never left the area I was raised in. The Chrome Crusaders seemed to be a well established group with principles I could agree with. And..."

He chuckles faintly. "They happened to be in the area when I was running out of money."

Craning his head towards Tassilda, genuine curiosity colors his tone. "So, my lady, why did you sign up with the Next Adventurers of Nexus?"

A wide eyed stare overtakes Tassilda, and she struggles for her composure. She regains her confidence and approaches an answer. "Well... Similar reasons to yours. I would like to make a name for myself. Either join a good organization, or maybe form my own group. But, THAT requires you to have a great deal of experience and recognition. And..."

Embarrassed pink tints her gray face to the outer edge patterns, and she briefly grits her teeth. "One of the audition events just happened to be nearby when my finances were not the best. To be completely honest, I was facing the possibility of having to move back in with my mother."

Daedrican warmly chuckles with an understanding nod. A sly smirk graces Tassilda, and she narrows an inquiring stare at Daedrican. "Another question. You're not some kind of heroic orphan, are you?"

Laughing, Daedrican shakes his head. "Oh! No. I have a lovely mother and proud father still together after many renewals of their marriage contract. And, I have a younger brother and sister."

He tilts his head to the side and watches Tassilda, the two walking along the cobblestone path. "So, what family do you have, my lady?"

A faint wave of unease radiates through Tassilda, and she suppresses an overall cringe. Seconds later, she sighs with a staid tone. "I have a wonderful mother and father. They did not choose to renew their marriage contract when I was six. I lived with my mother, while my father remarried. As for siblings, I have a younger... half... sister."

Slightly shifting his stance, Daedrican tilts his head with a bright tone. "Well, I'm certain she's quite the lady, if she's of any relation to you."

Tassilda stares ahead distantly, and her attention drifts elsewhere. Gradually, a warm smile lightens her expression, and she states happily. "That she is."

Daedrican nods and cocks his helmeted head curiously. "Pardon for jumping order, but who got you interested in the study of magic?"

Tassilda blinks back to awareness, reassuming her confident exterior. "Oh! My mother. She is an amazing mage, and she certainly wasn't about to have a daughter who strayed from that path. Thankfully, I thoroughly enjoyed the practice after she pushed me to learn the basics. Admittedly, I hate to think what would have become of me if I hadn't."

A commiserating sigh escapes Daedrican, and he nods. "I know how THAT can be. It took my own mother a few attempts to get me on a good path. Well, at least one that'd result in a career that paid well."

He eloquently recites an emin colloquialism in his dialect. Tassilda relays nearly the same exact phrase in her dialect. Daedrican laughs into a snort. "Of course, THAT saying ALWAYS stays the same."

Smiles contentedly at Daedrican, Tassilda nods with a giggle.

---

Wind blows small flecks of debris across the rough path through the passage of trees, gradually smoothing the loose layer of dirt. Walking by himself, a figure nonchalantly travels down the trail and secures his backpack. Isaac grabs hold of his blue scarf waving wildly in the wind and loops the slack around his neck. With the breeze settling, he gazes up into the green canopy and guides wisps of white hair out of his gray eyes. An intrigued smile appears on his face, and he lifts up the old camera hanging by a strap around his neck towards the treetops. He presses a button to a mechanical click and ratchets a small crank to a stopping point.

With the task distracting, his heavy leather boot steps into a deep depression in the road, and Isaac stumbles awkwardly. Recovering his balance, he glances down at the ground. Pausing in thought, he cocks his head to the side and squints in surprise. Inside the worn pot hole, a clear, fresh impression of a large, tire track contrasts the weathered soil bordering. Isaac kneels down, carefully feels out the impression with his leather gloved fingers, and slowly raises his direly inquisitive stare ahead. His eyes dart between other signs of recent activity, and he gradually stands back up. He sidesteps swiftly off the road and out of sight.

Stepping forward, he moves slowly through the thicker undergrowth and quickly through open patches. Simmering unease tenses his body and sharpens his cautious scans. Minutes later, Isaac arrives at the perimeter of the rectangular clearing and stealthily peers through the vegetation. His suspicion piques, and his stare locks onto the parked humvee. A surge of shock washes over Isaac. His gray eyes darting between a flurry of thoughts, Isaac firmly slides his blue scarf over his face and wraps another loop of slack around.

Noxian stands up, steps out into the strange clearing, and postures sternly. With an assertive demeanor, he walks close to the humvee and glares upon the area. Searching the ground around, he finds two sets of heavy tracks, two sets of lighter boot prints, and the faintest outline of feet with toe claw marks. Noxian traces the tracks and settles his suspecting stare upon an ancient set of stairs through the disturbed vegetation. Walking over slowly, he visually follows the rough trail up the tall incline leading up the mountain. He stands in the quiet surrounding. Noxian crosses his arms and lowers his head in thought.

The eerie silence of the forest looms over. Blinking to attention, his attention wanders, and he searches the woods around. He lifts his head back up and examines the surrounding scenery. A dim glow emits from his gray eyes, and he squints out into the distance around him. Pausing upon sections of the woods, Noxian's discomfort grows more visible across his body, tension building. A few more passes later, the illumination dims from his eyes, and he stares resolutely up the incline. He cinches up the strap of his camera, tightens the harness of his backpack, and steps upon the stairs. Thoughtfully gazing ahead, Noxian draws in a long, determined breath, and sighs with hints of irritation and regret. The blue scarf waves in the wind during the hike up the mountain.

---

A bright, illuminating orb glides up towards the high, rocky ceiling above stone and metal walkways. Spots from flashlights dart around the dome of the cavernous area. Natural and carved sections blend together, and reinforcement structures divide the grand space. Down upon the mix of natural and artificial floor, Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia search out into the dark chamber. Sotalia holds up a brightly glowing orb above her head and flexes her fingers, threads of magical flow condensing upwards from her palm. The light beams out further into the surrounding darkness, and the visible perimeter swells out. Cideeda and Dretphi bounce flashlights between curious, shady outlines and cautiously watch still objects emerging from the shadows. Bach flicks out blue orbs of light, tagging distant objects and walls in the murky shade. Sebastian drifts up above the group and squints out into the dim details. Aristespha rests the beam of a flashlight upon a nearby control console surrounded by a protective metal tube cage. "What would THAT go to?"

Glancing over, Cideeda furrows her brow, flicks her furry ears in thought, and slides her attention up. Moments of searching later, she spots a large hook hanging from a massive crane assembly. "It probably controls that overhead crane system. That seems really heavy duty."

The collection of light sources highlight the outlines of partially constructed golems and scattered parts. Each new shape seizes the attention of the group until the next freshly illuminated artifact. Cideeda's trepidation gives way to awe, and she studies a nearby bay of support structures, tools, and parts. "They must have made golems here. Well... They at least assembled them. You have parts, tools, and assembly bays. I would guess this is a full service shop here."

Nodding in full agreement, Aristespha focuses her curiosity upon a small building in the middle of the large, open area. "You are absolutely correct. This had to have been a secret assembly plant. Though..."

Her violet eyes swiftly dart around into the murky perimeter. "I still have many serious questions about the location and construction."

Glancing over to Aristespha, Dretphi directs a light upon the rocky ceiling above and motions with an armored gauntlet towards the ceiling. "Natural cavern. Signs of excavation. Some reinforcement. Some construction. Likely convenient to build upon."

Behind her face visor, her mouth twists with faint dissatisfaction. "Still a strange choice for such a purpose. Space, yes. Hidden, indeed."

Cideeda gradually nods and gazes wide eyed at a large arm of hybridized mechanics and magic secured upon a stout platform. "Yeah. Thinking about that..."

She furrows her brow and narrows her emerald eyes. "How the hell do you even get something this large up the path we took? Especially without someone figuring out what you are doing up here? There must have been another entrance, or something."

Sotalia smirks and sighs with a trailing grumble. "You would think something like THIS would have gotten a bit more attention than a few off hand mentions. To be fair, with a little bit of magic, you could hide moving a few big things."

She slowly pivots and incredulously waves her hands out at the surrounding masses of parts and constructs. "But, all THIS?"

Glancing over in agreement, Bach sends another light orb towards another dark spot at the edge of view. "Yeah... But, I mean, working golems move on their own. So, you could just use visual transparency spells and the cover of night to move one out of here."

Pausing in thought, he shrugs with the distant memory rising up in mind. "And honestly... You don't even need nightfall. A good fog, some heavy rain, or even a good snow might be enough to make it really hard to spot anything clearly from a distance with even a little obfuscation magic."

A sly grin graces Sebastian's ghostly visage, and he floats down next to Bach. He lightly chuckles and softly directs his voice to Bach. "Funny the useful things we learned from our... past exploits..."

Bach suppresses a smirk, rolls his eyes at himself, and whispers. "Yeah..."

The two brothers reminisce momentarily, stopping when inquisitive and scrutinizing attention focuses upon them. Sebastian coughs with an ethereal echo and musters up his composure. Bach rotates his glance through the stares, stiffens his posture, and resumes his previous thought. "Uh... But... Yeah. Hauling ALL these parts up here, that'd still be really rough, even with magic."

Donning a more serious expression, Sebastian surveys the illuminated area. "That is a good point. Also... This is a nightmare of logistics."

Cideeda nods, crosses her arms, and taps her toe claws on a foot, thinking out loud. "There's not just truck loads of materials up here. We're talking multiple convoys. You might be able to pull something like that off NOW if you are really, really careful. But not if you had any civilization paying attention to this place when it was active."

Aristespha rests a hand on her hip and draws a long breath in, puzzling. "Yes. That is the confusing part of all this. This is a large-scale operation in a logistically problematic place. That... That does NOT make sense."

With a comforting smile to Aristespha, Sebastian quirks an eyebrow. "Probably something more to this place, dear?"

With a bit of comfort, Aristespha smirks in amusement and sighs. "Yes, Sebastian."

She focuses ahead to a small building in the middle of the large open area and narrows her stare upon it. "Sebastian. Could you scout that building out? I think we need to investigate it."

Sotalia gestures her hand to the light orb above and focuses a portion of the light ahead. "Now that you mention it... That is weird. Why would you have an enclosed building in an already enclosed space like this? I haven't seen any other buildings around."

Dretphi furrows her brow with a slight frown. "Containment."

A silent, wary acceptance of the possibilities spreads throughout the group. Moments later, Sebastian sighs, dons a brave stance, and grins back to the group. "Well, can't leave it alone now. I'll go ahead and see if I find anything... Or, something tries to find me."

He flies ahead and coasts his ghostly visage near the small building. Circling around the exterior, he glides close to the occasional window and peers in. He flies around the structure to the side opposite of the group and spots a scattered mess of debris and broken containers piled around a compromised, sliding metal door. Peeking in through the doorway, he cautiously assesses the entry. In the very dim ambient light, the flickers of gouges and reflections of bent metal around the lock highlight the door's demise. Sebastian hums ethereally, jets off into view of the team, and waves them on over. The group moves up. Dretphi's eyes catch the glint from deep scratches upon the floor, and she points out the developing trail. "Something was moved."

Illuminating the ground with her flashlight, she tracks the disruptions of the dust upon the floor, impressions of shoes, and hand prints. "These are recent. Similar to outside."

The team gathers around Sebastian and surveys the chaotic piles of refuse. Cideeda snarls her upper lip and rolls her eyes at the defeated metal door. "Fucking amateurs. Gods. They were so lucky no one bothered to trap that thing or there wasn't anything inside there they needed to seal back in."

Bach and Aristespha's eyes glow blue and violet, respectively, and examine the mounds of broken equipment. Sotalia leans closer for a better view of an item in a pile and cocks her head in surprise. "Wait. Those are alchemical containers and... Magical isolation chambers?"

Tapping Aristespha's shoulder, she points a long-nailed finger to the end of an elaborate device sticking out of a haphazard stack. "Is THAT a recrystallizer? It looks like one."

Aristespha glowing violet eyes widen, and she slowly nods in bewilderment. "Yes. It is... That is interesting. Why would they have such a thing here? It would make sense if you were creating magical energy cells, but that would require raw materials..."

Shifting her attention, Cideeda shines a light onto a nearby collection of shadowy outlines. Her furry ears perk up in surprise. The fresh illumination reveals rows of industrial lathes, presses, mills, hammers, and other equipment. She blinks in astonishment and twists a grimace with her thoughts. "Oh. They weren't just assembling golems. They MADE the parts here."

Bach crosses his arms, blinks his eyes to normal, and ponders out loud. "But... If I remember correctly, most golems require specific materials with certain magical conductivity and capacitance properties that aren't easy to find. Unless..."

Dretphi stoically peers down the main walkway towards a massive tunnel archway and into the dark void obscuring the full depth of the passage. "THAT is why they choose THIS place."

Exchanging a confirming glance with Dretphi, Bach forms a glowing blue orb in his hand. He stares ahead and releases the glowing ball down the tunnel. Gliding down the hall, the spell casts light upon the floor and reveals sets of light boot prints in the dust. The team attentively watches the trail continue forth towards the tunnel archway. At the mouth of the entry, sets of huge, exact paw prints litter the tunnel floor and mix with the other prints. Cideeda stares warily at the distant floor details beneath the floating, glowing orb. The orb sticks to a distant doorway, and Cideeda tenses with her nervous energy. "O-o-okay... Something REALLY big has been here."

Drifting ahead of the group, Sebastian spots a branch of foot prints from the thick of activity. Dretphi steps carefully next to Sebastian, kneels down, and inspects the tracks. "Not as recent. One person. A set going ahead. Returning."

Aristespha draws a sharp breath in and growls out. "Meredosia. It was probably her when she first found this place."

With a bit of fear, Sotalia grimaces and contorts her face warily. "Okay. So, what the fuck do those other tracks belong to?"

Uncertainty and worry grip Aristespha, and she sighs out her nerves, regaining some of her usual composure. "I... Don't know, exactly. Faelatelia never got this far in. I would not be surprised if it was a golem given everything we have seen. But..."

She fights against a frown. "I do NOT know for sure."

Sebastian stares off at the distant blue orb upon the doors at the end of the tunnel and ethereally breathes out his worry. "Okay. I think we've explored enough today. We don't need to take any unneeded risks at this point. It looks like the big whatever hasn't gone past the archway, and Meredosia's tracks are old. And, we've got a decent idea of what the Terra Priests have taken."

Glides away, he coasts back towards the distant, dimming glow of sunlight leaking through the gap between the heavy entry doors. "Let's call it a day. We'll hike down, secure the camp, and rest for the night. And... Try to figure out how to proceed tomorrow."

He pauses and pivots with his arms out towards the group. "Any questions? Objections?"

The team shows no contest, agrees, and follows up behind Sebastian. With the team heading out, a powerful force presses against the heavy double doors at the end of the tunnel. Air jets out through every crack, and the pressure pushes open a gap between the join of the two huge doors. An eerie, faint light seeps out into the tunnel. The wave of air rushes out and blows around the team. Immediately freezing in place, Sotalia's entire body tenses sharply. "OH. What. The. Fuck..."

Cideeda shudders reflexively, and Dretphi visibly feels a chill down her spine. Aristespha stiffens her posture, and Sebastian spooks, his visage warping briefly. Halting in place, Bach slowly turns around. The group exchanges awkwardness and turns their attention to the new strange light. Sebastian sighs, bows his head down, and grumbles. "Well... Change of plans everyone..."

---

Sebastian's ghostly form phases through one of the two large doors. Pausing, he gawks in awe. Moments later, he regains his senses and directs his astonishment through the wide gap between the doors. "You HAVE to see THIS."

Dretphi and Cideeda slip in first and instinctively take cover positions behind nearby debris coated crates and rock formations. Searching the immediate area for threats, the scenery captures their full amazement. Aristespha, Bach, and Sotalia slink through and stop, beholding the area with glowing eyes. Bach's jaw hangs open, and he blinks in bewilderment. "What... is THIS place?"

In front of the team, a deep, dark hole drops down to unnatural depths under a massive, natural cavern dome. An ambient light paints the space in a dim blend of many hued sources from the starry field of crystalline formations above. Surrounding the over hundred meter wide mouth of the pit, aged flood lamps flicker light upon the huge, carved outer perimeter of rock floor. Enormous girders of synthetic materials jutting from anchor points support a twenty meter wide, circular platform structure above the center of the hole. A single arching bridge connects the structure to the outer rim. Disappearing into the dark, deep depths, a series of thick, metallic cables sway almost imperceptibly with the breezes rising up the pit. The air pressure escapes through the gap between the doors. Sotalia shudders and briefly cringes. "Okay. So, I think we've found the source of that weird feeling I've been having. Now... What the actual hell is it?"

Aristespha wanders her gaze upwards and shakes her head in disbelief. "I... I do not know. It could be many things at this point..."

Focuses her analytical, violet glowing stare at the hole and center structure, she furrows her brow and tilts her head of silvery blue hair. Sotalia aims her golden, illuminated squint down, spots a small blue tinted crystal, and kneels down. Carefully craning her head close, she examines it, thinks a moment, and reaches a cautious hand out. With a bit of concentration, a gentle flow of magical energy swirls around her forearm and eases to the crystal. The mineral specimen lights up softly and shifts under the direction of Sotalia's finger movements. Recognition dawns upon Sotalia's face, and she glances up to the rest of the team. "Gods... They DID get their raw materials here. This feels like it has the right properties."

Bach peeks over Sotalia's shoulder and nods, his blue lighted gaze gleaning information. "Yeah..."

He swings his stare towards the ancient, heavy machinery parked around the perimeter and the industrial safety railing encircling the hole. "I'm guessing this whole place was some kind of mining, refinement, and production operation for golems."

Stepping out from behind a rusty container box, Cideeda cautiously approaches the lip of the pit. She stops at the guard rail, reaches into a vest pocket, and retrieves a small rectangular device. With a click of a button, a red dot appears faintly upon the distant, opposite side of the hole with faint shimmers of red outlining a laser beam path. Cideeda guides the dot downwards, aiming well into the black void below. After another click, she steps cautiously away from the pit's edge and inspects the reading on the laser range finder. Pivoting around, she returns to the group with wide emerald green eyes. "So... That pit is OVER three hundred meters deep. I actually can't get an exact number as the rangefinder only goes TO three hundred."

Dretphi blinks in surprise and surveys the route around the perimeter. "There must have been valuable deposits. It is not trivial to go that deep."

Sebastian hovers in place, strokes his hand over his chin, and ponders out loud. "This actually makes sense when you put all this together. Having a mine out here is useless if you want to keep a low profile. Having a refinement plant is pointless if you don't want to be found out. And, having a golem assembly plant out here would attract a lot of attention. But..."

Slowly spinning around to the team, he waves his arms out to the space with a facetious smirk. "If you have the entire production chain in one spot, then... The whole system is FAR easier to conceal."

Sotalia picks up the crystal chunk, places it in a pouch, and stands back up with a wry grin. "Also, if anyone did figure out what you were doing, I doubt they'd really want to cause you too much trouble."

Resting her hands on her hips, Aristespha tosses back her silvery blue hair and groans. "A golem army tends to have that effect."

Rising concern colors Sebastian, and he glances at Dretphi. "Before we do anything more here... Dretphi, is there any sign of those big tracks here?"

Dretphi searches the area, steps out to signs of wear on the perimeter pathway, and drops to a knee. Thoroughly investigating the spot, she visually traces routes clockwise and counterclockwise around the pit and twists her face in frustration. Seconds of deliberation later, she glances back to the group. "Something large has been here. I can not tell when. The air flow. The environment. Traces disturbed recently. Repeatedly in the past. Hard to discern."

Sebastian nods understandingly with an appreciative smile to Dretphi. "Thank you. I was afraid of that."

Floating towards the edge of the pit, he glances over to Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, and Sotalia. "Okay. Gods... I think we're pushing our luck enough as it is."

Bach perks his brow, points towards the center structure, and shrugs his shoulders. "You know, I think that platform is about the only thing worth checking out here. Maybe you can do a quick flyover to see if it's worth all the fuss?"

Cideeda nods in agreement, frowning uneasily. "That sounds good to me. I don't see anything that really sticks out on the perimeter. It just seems like typical mining equipment. So, if there's nothing up on the platform, I'm good with going home."

Dretphi motions towards numerous shady tunnels splintering off from points along the perimeter. "Days could be spent here. Many possible routes to explore. Significant chances for danger. May not be worth it."

Sotalia crosses her arms with a humored grin. "Well... If I was a self-righteous bitch looking for the most important thing in this place, I'd cross the bridge and see what's over there."

Aristespha smiles at Sebastian and dons a lighter tone. "That works for me. If there is anything, we will literally and figuratively cross that bridge. I will be content with compiling this report from the comfort of the living room couch otherwise."

Gliding away from the group, Sebastian shines a happy grin and gives a thumbs up. He spins himself around and jets across the deep, dark pit. Seconds later, his ethereal form flies above the central platform and drops swiftly out of sight from the low perspective. The rest of the team waits patiently. A minute later, Sebastian's visage reforms next to Aristespha. Sighs reluctantly to the team, he slowly nods his head and grits his teeth. "Yeah. We need to check it out. There's a circular, rune covered dais that looks just like the others we've been finding. And, there's other strange artifacts and documents."

A silent, determined agreement passes through the team. Sebastian musters an appreciative smile and leads the way. Walking around the perimeter to the entry point, the team gingerly crosses the bridge to the platform structure. They reach the central point and gather around a circular dais of hybrid materials with uniquely familiar rune carvings. Nearby, a divided wooden box of decayed, broken amulets catches the attention of Sotalia, and she notices an empty spot in the packaging. "Huh. I bet this is where Meredosia got her amulet that Faelatelia mentioned."

Aristespha irritably taps her foot and balls her fists with her frustration. "Gods damn that woman! This certainly explains a lot about Faelatelia's and Chelindia's stories about Meredosia. She has gotten something she has no idea about the danger of."

Hovering nearby, Sebastian slowly shakes his head. "Well, that's DEFINITELY not a good sign. I hate to think what she's planning. Oh well. We'll have to contend with that another time. Okay. Let's grab up what we can and get out of here soon."

The team splits up quickly. Dretphi packs up documents and items. Aristespha and Bach quickly scan the area with their mage sights. Sotalia walks around, taking photos with her aetherphone. Sebastian hovers around the structure and investigates the heavy equipment below. Cideeda starts to examine a control console, and her furry ears perk up towards a single source. Freezing, she slowly turns her head and faces the direction of a low, thumping noise. "HOLD. UP. I HEAR something."

The team halts mid task and watches the rising din. A mechanical beast of stone, metal, and magic stomps out from a branch tunnel onto the perimeter main path. Walking on all fours, a dire wolf shaped golem slowly travels the outer rim walkway. The green glow from the enchanted machine's magical energies illuminate its immediate vicinity. Aristespha, Bach, Cideeda, Dretphi, Sebastian, and Sotalia settle into hiding behind equipment, structures, and containers. The dire wolf golem stops, lifts its head up, and stares towards the center platform. A bright white light erupts in its eyes, and thin streams of white energy scatter across surface channels in its body, condensing into particular parts. Bach shivers in wide eyed fear, witnessing the magical activity with his mage sight. The sword at Aristespha's side vibrates, and Sebastian's visage warps.

"ACTIVE. ENERGY. DETECTED."