Leviathans

They walked in silence for a few minutes. After crossing the bridge, they passed underneath the arch in the wall beyond it. As they approached, Rayne saw the carvings decorating the keystone. Five shapes, carved around a central, spherical crystal. One of the five was too similar to the leviathan Rayne had seen to be coincidence.

Her heart sped up in her chest. “Leviathans” she breathed, and Richard glanced up at the carvings. “It’s interesting how far back the legends go” he said, and Rayne nodded. “Legends. Right” she answered, clutching at the two stones in her pocket. Their warmth was greater than it had ever been.

They heard statements of disbelief echoing from ahead of them in the tunnel, incredulous. Rayne, Richard, and Lucy shared a quick glance, and hastened their steps. The company had come to a stop again. “Excuse me, please” Richard called forward, and the mercenaries parted hesitantly for him to pass, never sparing him a glance. Rayne followed him to a ledge guarded by a small stone wall at waist height. The top third was set with crystals, and carved much in the same fashion as the arch had been. The floor at the base of the wall had the same script that they had followed this far running along it both ways.

Neither of these things, however, were what was impressive. Rayne looked down into the cavern, and found a collection of stone buildings spread out like a small town. Their vantage point was like being at the top of a hill. Sweeping, pointed architecture filled the valley formed by the cavern’s descent. Lanterns were spread evenly throughout the buildings, but only a few of them seemed to work, and patches of darkness covered her vision.

At what looked like the exact center, a single tower stood. It’s twisting sides climbed upwards like grasping fingers, intertwining until they crashed into the ceiling like the spreading roots of a tree. Lanterns hung along the side illuminated the entire structure with their flameless light. “By the ancients” Lynn breathed, breaking the silence that had descended on all of them. “If what we’re lookin fer isn’t in tha’ tower, Ah’ll eat mah boots” Heinric added in disbelief. Lucy snorted out a laugh. Richard was lost in his own excitement. The smile on his face was infectious, but it lasted for only a moment. “Now is when this will become dangerous” He said, the somber statement not enough to entirely wipe out his excitement.

“Leave that to us, Perin.” Karm said, motioning his men further along the path. It wound down towards the edge of the town. The mercenaries spoke sporadically, but were quickly silenced by Karm. Their hands were on the hilts of their blades. The air around them had changed. Whatever awaited them below, it was entirely different from anything they had seen so far. Of that, Rayne was certain.

Stone dust had settled in a thick layer over everything and every step they took in this place released small puffs of it. It clung to their feet and the edges of their clothing, leaving clear signs of their passage. Dull creaking had come to fill the prior silence of the cavern. Rayne and Lucy were certain it was mechanical in nature. It sounded like metal rubbing against metal. The tower loomed above them and it’s light, far from being welcome, was oppressive. Hackles rose along the back of Rayne’s neck, and she felt not for the first time during this delve like the eyes of some great predator were watching her.

Old constructs were spread throughout the roads cutting through the city. More kinds than Rayne had ever seen. Some were squat, almost hunched over. Rarely, they would see some that spider-like, their hexagonal bodies taller than even Heinric. Another type seemed to be standing in positions of importance, their imposing stature emphasized by stone carved into the shape of sweeping armor. The deeper they went, the more there were. Rayne wanted to stop to examine them all. The wealth of information, and material, that could be extracted from them was a difficult lure to resist.

Richard, however, insisted they press on. “There will be time to go back over these at length once we return. Our objective here is the runestone.” He said, eyes rising towards the tower. Rayne followed his gaze, and shuddered. Still, she forced down her curiosity and followed the steps of those ahead of her.

Aria fell into step beside Rayne and Lucy. Her face was calm and expressionless, but Rayne could see the tension in her body. Every hair was standing on end, and the warrior’s hands drifted closer to the hilts of her weapons than normal. As Lucy watched the columns of people that advanced before them, she had a thought “Shouldn’t we be up front? in case they need us to look at anything? We’ve seen traps in places like this before” Lucy asked. Aria cocked her head, and nodded. “probably a good idea. come on” she said, grabbing Rayne’s hand to pull her forward.

They skirted the mercenaries, and came close to one of the constructs. The light above them flickered. The warrior-construct shifted with a loud creak. Aria grabbed reflexively at one of her weapons and put herself between it and the others. The mechanical movements of the other technomagical machines surrounding them sounded out. The one ahead of them reached for it’s weapon, stone fingers parting into sections. Aria leapt at it with a roar, slamming the blade of her axe into the center of it’s face.

Rayne ran towards another of the awakening defenders, her heart threatening to burst as she dove under a swing of the two handed slab of metal it used as a sword. She rolled to her feet, and threw herself onto it’s arm, clambering onto it’s back. Her frantic breaths filled her ears as it tried to shake her off, but Rayne held on grimly with strength born from years of her work. She reached for the knife at her side and began to hack into the conduits in the construct’s neck.

Lucy followed Rayne, but found herself staring down a third construct lumbering towards them both. Panic shot through her, threatening to freeze her limbs. She watched as the stone beast took a step, and then another. Lucy forced herself to move, locking her panic away behind a wall of desperation. Lucy hefted her crossbow, grabbing a sphere from a pack hanging at her waist. A moment to confirm the contents, and it was loaded into the crossbow. Lucy braced herself, tuning out the screams and sounds of combat behind her as she fired. The sphere sailed through the air and collided with the automaton, coating the stone armor that served as its chest in a viscous liquid.

Rayne stabbed downward, cutting through the metallic mesh that covered the conduits. The construct had begun ignoring her, marching towards Aria. The respite from its mad attempts at dislodging her should have been welcome, but the path it now took filled her instead with dread. Rayne refused to let the construct reach Aria. A swift cut, the rainbow pattern on her knife glimmering brightly in sparks that sang from the conduit. Magic poured outwards, and ice began to coat her glove.

Aria stepped to the side, tilting her body to avoid a slash that would have cleaved her in half. The sword sang past her, close enough that she felt the rush of air following it. Her opponent’s blade crashed into the floor, shards of stone flying to either side. Aria hefted her axe in both hands and brought it down on the inside of it’s elbow. The strike bit deeply into the stone, but the armor held. A frustrated scream tore itself from her throat as Aria rushed forward. The automaton tried to bring its weapon to bear once more, but the woman was inside its guard.

Lucy grabbed another sphere and fired it at the construct. She let herself pause for an instant, watching as it burst, the contents mixing with the one she had fired before. The front of the construct instantly supercooled, freezing. Lucy needed one more shot. A steadying breath filled her lungs. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she thought. She reached for another of her spheres, and saw one of the defenders approach from the side. It was nearly on top of her. She watched, horrified, as it raised it’s weapon and brought it down on her. Lucy screamed, raising the carapace shield to defend from the blow.

Aria planted a foot on her opponent’s knee and pushed upwards. She soared above the construct, hanging in the air for just a moment. Her face was one of elation, filled with lines telling of excitement. The construct, if it could, would have recognized the expression as battle-frenzy. Instead, its face followed her path upwards, the crack she had left in it with her first attack letting out occasional puffs of raw magic. Aria fell, jamming her curved knife into the gash across its face. It pulled away, and Aria landed lightly on her feet. She grinned manically as the stone plating along the construct’s face fell away, revealing the mechanical innards with her knife still buried in them.

Rayne tore the hole she had made wider. She looked away from her work for a brief moment. The construct was getting closer to Aria, and she was distracted by her own fight. Rayne’s muscles threatened to stop working as an image of Aria being cut neatly in two by the construct filled her mind’s eye. She quickly forced the image away. She refused to let it happen. Rayne finished slicing the conduit, and it snaked crazily in the air for a moment before her hand found it. It thrummed with the electric power of the magic within. Rayne shoved the end into a gap between the stone plating surrounding its head and the underlying machinery.

Lucy was thrown to the side, the blow against her shield vibrating against her arm. She slid along the ground, and rose quickly to her feet. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her breaths ragged. Both constructs approached her, their steps thundering against the ground. Panic threatened to fill her again. Suddenly, an armored figure ran past her, multicolored hair streaming behind it. Lynn engaged the automaton closest to Lucy, freeing her to bring her weapon to bear on the one she had first fired at. Clarity cut through her, and Lucy grabbed the most powerful explosive in her arsenal and loaded her crossbow. With a clang, it sailed through the air and burst against the frozen chest of the construct. The supercooled stone exploded into dust and the construct fell backwards.

Lynn engaged a hidden trigger on the back of his sword’s hilt with a thumb, and the capacitor set into the blade whined in response. His face was calm as he threw himself forward, swiping across the construct with a powerful swipe. The construct caught the strike on its blade and the metal of the thing’s weapon shattered like cheap glass. Lynn brought his sword to bear once more. His side was to the construct, and both hands were on the blade, holding it so that its point faced the construct. Lynn took a deep breath that was mirrored by his blade sucking magic from the air.

Aria ducked out of the way of one of the construct’s swipes. In each swing of its blade she saw the possibility of her death, and the promise of victory. Aria dove once more into its guard. She brought her axe down in another powerful blow against the construct’s inner elbow. This time, she tore through the stone with a roar of triumph. Her axe bit deeply into the conduits and machinery underneath, and a grim satisfaction filled her. Another strike, and the construct’s arm fell away. It seemed to stare at the stump for a moment, and Aria leapt at the chance. She turned her axe so the head faced away from the construct and used it like a hammer to drive her knife deeply into its face. Raw magic exploded outwards, and the construct fell to the floor.

Lucy reached for another one of her orbs, the smooth glass surface nearly slipping out of her hands. She loaded it into her crossbow with a curse as the construct she had knocked down stood up. She pulled the trigger with desperate strength, and the sphere sailed through the air before colliding with the construct. Acid drenched it, eating away at the now-exposed conduits across its chest. They popped one after another, bathing the area around the construct in the impossible color of magic. It abruptly stopped moving and fell to the side.

Rayne held the conduit firmly as the magic within poured out into the inside of the construct’s head. It began to shake, its steps more haphazard. Rayne could feel the cold even through her gloves, the bluish-yellow of the raw magic surrounding her hands. Every step brought the machine closer and closer to her lover. As Aria felled her opponent, Rayne shouted her name. Aria turned to face her, and dropped into a crouch. The construct raised its blade, and stopped. The conduit gave a few final puffs as whatever machinery that drove the guardian froze. Rayne dropped from her perch, breathing heavily.

Lynn Thrust his blade forward, his armor responding to the motion with a burst of energy, enhancing the power of the attack. The construct in front of him attempted to block the strike with an arm but Lynn’s sword cut into the stone, skewering the arm and biting into the armored chest behind it. He thumbed the trigger again, twisting at the hilt of his sword. The capacitor in his blade thrummed and abruptly stopped, releasing the power contained within. Electricity bounded along the blade and the construct shook wildly. Lynn extracted his weapon and then twisted, bringing it down in an arc, every movement strengthened by his armor. It sliced deeply into the construct’s chest, nearly cutting it in two. He pushed it off the blade with a swift kick. A breath escaped his lips.

The four of them turned almost simultaneously back towards the group of mercenaries. Most of the constructs had been felled. One or two were left standing, but they were also quickly brought down. Visceral screams of pain came after the metallic sounds of combat. Richard and the doctor attached to the mercenary company attended to the wounded. The four of them, with Heinric joining them soon after the end of the battle, watched. They all knew there was nothing they could do to help. There was a time when more hands made things more difficult.

Rayne held Aria’s hand firmly in her own. Now that the fighting was over, Aria eyed the fallen somberly. “Now we’re going to wonder if that’ll happen every time we walk past one of them” Aria pointed out. The others made various sounds of acknowledgement. “Best we all be prepared then” Lynn said after a moment. “It is likely that guardian constructs be the least of what we find in these ruins” he added, looking around slowly. Lucy, still shaking, approached him. “Thanks for saving me” She told him, and he shook his head. “Not at all, Magi. It was my pleasure” He said with a smile and a small bow.

Heinric pat Lucy’s head, smothering her hair. “Ye did well! yer inventions work fantastically” he said proudly. Lucy beamed up at him. “Before I forget, I need to restock, want to help?” she asked. “Gladly” Heinric answered with a nod. They retreated some distance and began their careful work. Rayne followed them with her eyes as they went, and then her gaze fell on Lynn. His multicolored braid stood out against the silver of his armor, and Rayne realized she had never asked what it meant. She resolved to solve that problem immediately. “Lynn, what do the colors in your hair mean?”

Lynn turned to face her, eyebrow raised. “I was curious when you would ask, Magi” he answered, brushing a few stray strands of hair from his face with a gauntleted finger. “Each color represents mastery over one part of the Altressan school of warfare. Four of them are schools of combat, three are schools of strategy” he explained.

“Most citizens achieve mastery in one or two of them during their three year term of service. Generally, those in higher military offices acquire more. The royal family adds the eighth color, white. They are prodigious warriors, each and every one.” Lynn finished, looking back towards the gathered mercenaries. “Oh, thanks” Rayne replied. Richard, who appeared to have finished treating the wounded, waved them forward.

“We don’t have time to rest. If the constructs are active, no where here is truly safe” he said, wiping sweat from his brow nervously. His gaze wandered up to the tower. “We continue on, but I would have all of you accompany me at the head of the company. It would be better to have us stay together” He said, gesturing for Heinric and Lucy to join them. Soon afterwards the mercenary company was shouted into order by their captain, leaving behind the buried bodies of two of their number as they began marching.

What little murmured conversation there had been before, had now ceased entirely. The silence was eerie and each time one of the hanging lanterns blinked on or off, Rayne found herself looking around frantically for danger. The tower continued to loom above them, and it felt like they were getting no closer. Lit as it was, from all angles, the structure looked strangely flat and shadowless. Each time Rayne looked up at it, she was again struck with the feeling that she was being watched.

The stone of the winding streets clicked against the armored boots of the mercenaries behind them as they slowly advanced. More constructs rose, but this time they were prepared. Each skirmish tired them, but they had no more casualties. They pressed forward, their mood grim. Eventually, after what felt like hours, the street they followed disgorged them into a large circular plaza surrounding the tower.

Geometric carvings spread out along the floor from their entry point, crashing against a single line carved at the halfway point between them and the tower as if it were a wall. The line curved in either direction, and Rayne assumed it made a circle around the tower. Rayne shifted her gaze upwards along the tower, trying to protect her eyes from some of the light with her hand. From this distance, she now saw that the runic lanterns hung off of ornate metal sconces along the entire length of the tower above them. She looked back down at a series of constructs - or as Rayne found upon further examination, their remains - were scattered haphazardly ahead of them. It looked like they had been ripped to shreds.

“’at te ’ell are those?” a mercenary asked, his accent so thick Rayne could barely make out the words. The man in question pointed at a pile of what looked like… flags? Rayne shook her head, that couldn’t be right. There must’ve been around two dozen or so of the things. A central pole with a bar across the top, decorated above that with a spiked circle. The blueish fabric of the flags hung from each side of the cross-bar, so thick with dust that it was nearly impossible to discern any details.

“Whatever they are, let’s stay away from them” Karm said dismissively, stepping forward towards the tower’s doors. As he passed the halfway point, Rayne felt a thrum shoot through the air. She opened her mouth to shout a warning, but before she could the pile of flags shifted. “Wait!” her voice rang through the air and Karm stopped in his tracks. They all stared mesmerized at the flags, which now slowly floated up off the floor. The fabric moved as if it were alive, snapping in quick circles to throw off the collected dust of centuries. Gold trim decorated the edges of the blue fabric in thick runes.

The thirteen flags shot towards Karm, who yelped and scrambled backwards in surprise. The fabric that the lead flag controlled like an arm extended towards Karm. His left hand reached the hilt of his sword as the fabric wrapped around his other wrist. With a quick movement the fabric cut through his wrist, and Karm’s scream filled the air. The rest of the flags surrounded him. The screaming died abruptly as the flags tore into him.

Rayne watched, horrified. She suppressed a retch, coughing into her hand. Lucy, as well as others, were not as successful. As the flags slowly ceased their movement, Heinric was the first to act. he lobbed two spheres through the air at the gathered group, hoping to destroy all the flags simultaneously. The first struck the floor near them, loosing a cloud of gas. The second burst into flames, and the gas in the air combusted. The explosion threw dust into the air, obscuring their vision. Silence followed, as their group collectively their breath.

The dust cloud parted, and out came the flags. “Oh tha’s jus’ not fair” Heinric complained. “Forward!” Lynn commanded, and the mercenaries shouted war cries as they ran to avenge their commander. Lynn and Aria advanced with them. The flags twisted their way past swings, using their arms to ensnare weapons and tear apart flesh and armor alike. Lucy and Heinric supported the fighting where they could, trying desperately to find one of their concoctions that would work. Batari, now recovered from his earlier efforts, was in a daze of concentration as he tried to strike the flags with bolts of lightning that he weaved around his allies.

Rayne, for her part, watched. This was not an enemy driven by conduits and generators, by runic technology. She was useless. And so, Rayne watched. She watched in what felt like slow motion as the flags tore apart a soldier, ripping into him with their arms. As Aria dodged out of the way of a whirlwind of attacks, one of them cutting across her cheek. As Lynn spun deflecting a blow meant to take off his head away and countering with a strike of his own, all while he shouted orders and encouragement. As Heinric and Lucy tried to call targets so they wouldn’t hit anyone.

It was almost like a mesmerizing dance, and Rayne was enthralled. Her heartbeat pulsed in her ears, blocking out sound. She watched, fascinated, as magic coalesced around the flags like a second skin. She knew instinctively it was protecting them. driving them. And from each flag, a line of magic flowed outwards, like a puppeteer’s string. Rayne followed the magic to it’s source as the strings moved along with the flags. The strings of magic gathered at a rune etched into the wall.

As Rayne watched, waves of magic shot out of the rune along the lines, and where they went the flags moved. The magic shimmering along the flags pulsed in time with the rune. Rayne ran towards Batari. She closed the distance between them as quickly as her legs would carry her. He was in the midst of gathering the magic needed for another spell. Arcs of magic shot out of his fingers, as if seeking targets according to his will. “Batari” she called, and he looked as if he had just been shaken awake.

“What are you doing?” he yelled at her, she grabbed his arm, her grip like a vice. “Shut up and do what I tell you!” she yelled back. Batari closed his mouth, and the anger fled from his expression. For a few precious seconds, Batari’s gaze swept Rayne’s face. They lingered on her eyes. Apparently satisfied, he nodded. “Guide me” he assented. Rayne turned and pointed straight at the rune inscribed on the wall. “Destroy that section of the wall! the rune! Tear it down!” she commanded. He barely paused to consider the words. He pursed his lips, and nodded. He took a deep breath, and Rayne watched the magic gathering around him, pouring towards him in great waves.

The magic collected in a massive ball around Batari’s hands, which he shot forward with a flick of his wrist. He infused an inscribed piece of paper with magic and threw it with unerring accuracy at the rune on the wall. He brought his arms down like he was trying to pry the wall apart with his bare hands. The magic he had collected swirled around the rune before forming into two claw-like hands and ripping savagely into it, tearing deep furrows into the wall and spraying chunks of stone into the air.

Rayne whirled around in time to see the flags all collapse to the floor, as if the strings of magic she had seen earlier had been cut. The combatants took a few moments to realize they were safe, still swinging their weapons at the now-still fabric. Finally, everything was still. Rayne desperately looked for her companions. She found Lynn helping a limping mercenary walk towards an uninjured Richard. Lucy and Heinric walked among the soldiers, distributing what medical compounds Heinric had. Aria sat on the floor, her legs spread out in front of her as she panted from exhaustion. Rayne ran to her.

“Are you okay?” she asked worriedly, looking over Aria’s wounds. The woman’s blood flowed from a myriad of cuts, and bruises were already beginning to form. “I’m alright” Aria breathed heavily before looking up at Rayne. “Woah” Aria said, as Rayne fussed over her. “Rayne, your eyes are glowing” Aria pointed out, and Rayne shook her head. She didn’t care. She wanted to make sure that Aria was taken care of first and foremost, ripping apart a nearby flag with her knife and carefully wrapping them around Aria’s wounds.

Rayne heard footsteps approaching, and Aria’s gaze moved upward from Rayne’s face. “More than you appear” Batari said, his voice pained. Rayne turned to face him, and he took a sharp breath. “Remarkable” he continued, jutting his face forward, grabbing Rayne by the chin to better examine her eyes. “Back off” Aria growled. Batari glanced at her, and took a quick step backwards. The man winced, reaching into his pocket for more of the same liquid Richard had given him before. he drank from the small bottle, grimacing at the taste.

“The rune. How did you know it would work?” he asked, and Rayne shook her head. “I saw something connecting it to the flags. I hoped it was the obvious answer” Rayne told him, too tired to care that it made her sound crazy. In all her time in the tower. In all the time she spent reading, she had never come across anything quite like what she could do. “I can see the way you gather magic too. I can see you shape it” Rayne continued, turning away from him to care for Aria.

“Guess we all owe you one, huh?” Aria said gently, a smile touching her lips. “Incredible. You see magic? True magic? Not harvested?” Batari questioned intensely. Rayne shook her head “I don’t know what you mean. I can see magic that hasn’t gone through a generator, if that’s what you’re talking about” Rayne responded, tying off the last of the makeshift bandages around Aria’s arm. Aria glared up at Batari, forestalling any further questions “Thanks Rayne” Aria said, giving her a short kiss. “You can ask her questions after we’re done with this delve Batari. Right now they’d just distract you both” Aria said firmly. Batari opened his mouth to argue, but bit back the retort. “Very well”

Rayne helped Aria stand as Batari walked away, muttering under his breath. The two approached a small gathering composed of Lynn, Richard, and the others. “The longer we spend resting, the more exposed we become” Lynn said as they approached. “We leave some to guard and treat the wounded, and continue with our task” He finished smoothly. Richard nodded slowly. “It sounds like the best plan we have. How are your supplies Heinric?” Richard asked, looking over at the alchemist. “Low, but enough” he answer shortly “Very well. Gather the mercenaries Lynn, I leave the details to you. We enter the tower in ten minutes” Richard commanded. “What should we do?” Aria asked, jerking a thumb towards Rayne. “Prepare” Richard answered curtly.

Rayne took the small amount of time that they had been given and checked on her tools, making sure they were all in place. Lucy found her a few minutes after she started, and began the same process. Aria sat cross legged nearby, honing the edges on her weapons. She muttered complaints to herself as she worked, cursing the stone constructs for chipping the edges of her axe and dagger as she worked. Rayne looked up as her hands went through the automatic task of making sure each tool was in working order.

Lynn stood at the head of the remaining mercenaries. There were only thirteen of them that were still in fighting order, and it looked like they were all more than comfortable taking their orders from Lynn. He split them up into two groups, gesturing at three of the men to stand guard over the two injured who were to stay behind. Heinric was busy organising what was left of his materials, while Richard ministered to the soldiers who had been injured in the attack.

Corpses were strewn in the courtyard, and the smell of death was in the air. Before, they had moved along before it was too much of a problem. Here however, they were forced to stew in it while they made preparations. Rayne watched as blood pooled around the corpses, snaking into crevices and along the ridges of the inscription on the floor. The face of the Haralam that had been thrown off their airship, what felt like years ago, leapt unbidden to Rayne’s mind. She shuddered, and fought back a retch.

Lucy studiously ignored their surroundings, focusing all of her energy on carefully reviewing all of her explosives and chemical spheres as well as her tools. Rayne watched as a tear streaked down Lucy’s face, and reached out a hand to comfort her. Lucy turned to Rayne, and gave her a strained smile before pulling away silently.

After what felt at once like too soon and not soon enough, Richard announced they were to enter the tower. Their group, now reduced to just seventeen in number, stood in front of the doors of the tower. The colossal stone structure loomed above them. Each of the remaining mercenaries had their weapons drawn. Aria stood in front of Rayne, teeth bared. They were ready. Richard reached out his hand, pausing only a foot or so away from the great carved doors. His hand trembled in the light of the lanterns above them, and the nerves showed on his face. He drew his hand back, and took a deep breath, steeling himself, and then pushed the doors open.

The doors open backward at his touch, balanced perfectly. They revealed behind them an open space, much like a warehouse. Rayne’s jaw dropped. An uncountable amount of runic technology, in all of its parts and pieces, gathered dust. Metal and crystal glittered in the light that spilled into the room. “Oh my” Richard said in disbelief. Rayne had to fight against herself to keep from jumping into the tower. Lucy grabbed her hand “This is amazing” Rayne’s friend said, her eyes shining.

The realization that what they had found was enough to power a city hit Rayne like a thunderbolt. Carvings ran along the walls. Abstracts of people surrounding monstrously large constructs. Leviathans. Each leviathan had drawn within it a series of stylized crystals that looked like living flame. The warmth in Rayne’s pocket grew, and she could’ve sworn the gems she carried grew heavier. Rayne’s eyes found a spiral staircase rising in the center of the tower, disappearing above. This was still the first floor.

They carefully streamed into the circular room, the dust of centuries billowing up around them with every step. Richard held his lantern aloft, looking around the room. His smile grew as he found the carving depicting the runestones. “This is it. We’ve found it” He said. Lynn seemed to tremble with emotion for a moment as Richard spoke, but whatever it was, he suppressed it quickly. “Shall we advance, then?” He asked, and Richard nodded vigorously.

Rayne still stared at the wealth of technology that sat around them. Were they to collect even a fraction of it to sell, they would have enough money to live out the rest of their lives in lavish comfort. “What about this stuff?” She asked aloud, gesturing around herself. “This, we can always return to collect during another delve, or on the way out. For now, our objective is something else” Richard explained, his voice filled with certainty.

Rayne nodded, brushing some of the dust off a small generator, about the size of her palm. She permitted herself a moment to marvel at the craftsmanship, fingers gently caressing the surface, before she slipped it into her pocket for safekeeping. It was always handy to have a spare. Rayne looked around one last time, and while her gut told her that not all of the artifacts they were so casually observing now were functional, it would still be enough to last a lifetime. Rayne took a breath, and pulled Lucy forward, towards the spiral staircase. Lucy was marveling, much like Rayne was. It was, to them, like having their entire lives condensed into this one room.

The echoes of their footsteps were muffled by dust as they climbed up the staircase. It opened into another room much like the first, with larger quantities of Runic technology than Rayne had ever seen strewn about the floor. They spent even less time on this floor than in the first, and continued their climb upwards. Four more floors, until finally they reached the last. The lanterns in this final room still worked. They lit the room so exhaustively that everything seemed flat, and shadowless. The effect was surreal.

Rayne’s eyes surveyed the carvings as she had on every floor. They had all been slightly different. Once she had looked past the Leviathans and the runestones, she had found towers much like this one dominating the carvings. She couldn’t help but compare it to the one in her own town, and found herself considering that she had never once read anything about the origin of their city. Before she could bring this up to Lucy, however, she found what everyone else was staring at.

A singular construct sat atop a wide, semi-circular stone platform on the far end of the room. It was hunched over, making it look like its head was in the center of its chest. Deep red eyes glowed from behind the cracked stone mask of a face. Vines and moss had grown around and into it, and they looked like a prisoner’s chains. They all stopped and stared. The construct stared back. It’s head swung slowly from one side to the other, as if examining them. A patch of thin vines grew out of its head, and it looked like hair hanging haphazardly over the thing’s face. It cocked its head to one side.

It was much larger than the multiple constructs they had ought outside the tower.Not styled to look like it was wearing armor, and with pieces of the stone that encased it missing, it looked like an emaciated old man.

“My, my. Late, aren’t you?” the Automaton chided them in a raspy, metallic voice. It’s inflection was strange, as if whatever it was that generated the voice didn’t quite remember how to speak. “Alrigh’ can we all agree this is tha weirdes’ thing we’ve seen?” Heinric said. Murmurs of agreement from their group were interrupted by a rusty laugh from the construct, and silence descended upon them. “There there, no need to be shy. I know what you seek” The automaton spoke again, its inflection still nearly too strange to understand.

“The Runestone” Richard answered, stepping towards it. The construct lifted its thick arm, shaking vines off as it made a gesture of dismissal “A Runestone. One of many” it responded “But yes. I have been watching” It continued, eyes glittering. “Very carefully” It finished, settling its gaze directly on Rayne. She felt a chill run up her spine.

“Where is it?” Richard asked, taking another step forward. The Automaton looked slowly back at him. “In me, of course” It answered. Richard seemed taken aback for a moment, and then grimaced. Before he could speak, the construct shook its head. “I will not fight you. the stone is yours. I ask only for… time” it said. Richard looked back at Lynn. Lynn was trembling again, and jerked his head quickly into a nod. “To do what?” Richard asked quickly.

The construct answered with another laugh. “To tell the technomages what must be done. When I told your forefathers to guard me well, I did not mean for even them to forget my purpose. It seems they performed their jobs all too well, Altressan” it said off-handedly, looking at Lynn. “They must be maintained. Or the calamity they once prevented will rise anew” the automaton said. It stared directly at Rayne and Lucy. “Your order may have forgotten its purpose. Or been deviated from it. It matters not.” Lucy and Rayne looked at each other, confused.

“What are you talking about?” Lucy asked it, and it shook its head in frustration. “I cannot tell you if you do not know. I do not have information on ‘what’ must be maintained. only why it is important to do so” the thing said, and then cocked it’s head. “I have mused as to why my creators did not impart unto me the knowledge you wish for. It would seem they were not convinced your order, technomage, would remain untainted”

“How are we supposed to know what it is we need to do if you won’t tell us?” Rayne asked, and the Automaton turned its head to look at her. “You misunderstand. it is not that I will not tell you. It is that I myself do not know. Still, you will undoubtedly see the consequences of your inaction soon enough, if you do not already. Earthquakes. Eruptions of lava. Storms the like of which have never been seen” It continued.

Rayne and Lucy shared another look, this time of recognition. “So you’re saying that whatever it is we need to… maintain, it’s related to all that? it can stop it?” Lucy asked. The Automaton nodded gravely. “There is little else for me to tell you. I was constructed to pass on the knowledge I was created with. I have delivered it. I would be cautious, however, Technomage. It is likely that not all of your brethren share the view my creators did. That we deserve a second chance.”

Richard cleared his throat, and the construct turned to face him once more. “We don’t have much time, I’m afraid. Even now it’s possible that whatever other defenses that are in the city are awakening.” The doctor said, trying to move things along.

“Very well then. I have been here for three thousand years. I am tired. Take the Runestone, and do with it what you will.” The Automaton said, and Richard began to move forward. “Wait” Lynn called, and Richard paused. They all turned to face him. “Do you control the city’s defenses?” he asked and the Automaton shook its head.

“No. I merely watch. The defenders act of their own accord. Perhaps after so long they cannot distinguish friend from foe” it answered, and Lynn nodded. “We may need to fight our way out then” he told Richard. “We’ll do as we must, no?” The doctor said, approaching the construct. As he moved a small click sounded, and the Construct’s face split in two. in a bed of conduits behind the stone, sat a singular gem, much like the one’s Rayne carried with her

Richard reached out carefully, fingers brushing against the facets. He pulled it out, and the construct slumped, supported now only by the vines. Richard stared at it, sheer disbelief on his face. His hand shook. He made a fist around the gem, holding it tightly. Lucy and Aria stepped towards Richard, wanting to see the Runestone as well. Heinric and Batari followed soon after, with Rayne trailing behind them.

They gathered around Richard, who triumphantly presented the stone. Questions swirled around Rayne’s mind. About the Leviathans, who were definitely related to this tower, and to the construct. Maybe that’s what it was talking about? maintain the leviathans? She was also curious about the Runestones. With the construct deactivated, she hadn’t had the chance to ask it what they were, or how they were supposed to help. “Come then, we should make our exit” Richard said proudly, turning to leave.

Lynn, sword drawn, stood between them and the exit. Richard’s face hardened. “Yes, Lynn?” he asked, his voice steady. “Please hand me the Runestone, Richard” Lynn answered calmly. Richard sighed “Must we, Lynn?” he complained, letting some of the exhaustion show on his face. Rayne stared at Lynn, and then at the mercenaries, her heart hammering. Whatever happened, she would need to make sure that Lynn didn’t find out about the two Runestones in her pocket.

“It is the key to the end of my exile. The key to returning to the woman I sacrificed my honor to keep safe. You will give it to me” Lynn answered forcefully. “You will still be paid, Richard. I merely ask to present it to the Empress and her daughter” he pleaded, among exclamations of surprise from the gathered mercenaries.

Richard’s expression turned to anger for a moment before settling back on careful neutrality. “That won’t be possible. I need the Runestone, Lynn. You know that better than anyone else here.” Richard told him. “Lynn, listen to me. This runestone is just the first step. If what this construct said was true, there is more happening here that we didn’t consider. Please, let me take it. I need to know what it does, what my family crucified themselves for” the man continued.

Lynn paused, and then shook his head. “That is not enough, Richard. This stone is here. In front of me. You ask me to ignore it? to ignore my salvation?” Lynn asked, taking a step forward. Richard opened his arms. “No, Lynn, I don’t want you to ignore it. Think of what else we can find! This is only the first step!”

Lynn’s laughter filled the air for a few moments before he answered “No Richard, I am done with travelling and exploring. I merely wish to return home. And a man I call friend is standing in my way”

Richard gripped the stone tightly again. “Lynn I am a man of my word, as are you. I promise I will give you the stone once I am finished with it. I will help you present it to the Empress. Please, don’t do this” Richard begged. Lynn’s eyes filled with emotion before he shook his head. “That isn’t good enough, Richard. Not this time.”

Lucy watched out of the corner of her eye as Heinric stepped forward. She gripped Rayne’s hand tightly, breath caught in her chest. “Lynn, git out of the way. What do ye think ye’re doin?” Heinric yelled. “Not even ye can fight us all” Heinric threatened, and Lynn smiled grimly. “You’re right, which is why these mercenaries here are going to help me should it come to that. They know who really paid for their service. It need not come to that, however. Simply give me the Runestone” Lynn responded, his sword still raised.

Richard shook his head. “I can’t, Lynn. If you don’t step aside this will come to blows” Richard said. Lynn took a step forward. Aria stepped between them. “This isn’t what you said would happen, Lynn” She said darkly. Richard’s eyes went wide, and Rayne’s heart fell. “Aria?” Rayne asked, and Aria looked at her like a whipped puppy. “Care to explain yourself?” Richard questioned dryly, arms crossed. Aria shrugged. “You said you weren’t going to hurt anyone. you said the gem was going to bring trouble. you didn’t say it would be from you” She said, turning back to face Lynn.

Lynn shook his head “Blame lies with Richard. He is being… adamant” Lynn answered, his eyes flashing dangerously. Batari shifted to Rayne’s left, and Lynn pointed the sword point at him. “Move a single muscle, Elementalist, and we will find out whether your magic or my blade are faster” Lynn growled. Batari faltered, and Lynn took another step forward. “Give me the Runestone, Richard” Lynn said again.

“Just give it to him” Lucy pleaded with Richard. Richard glanced at her, taking a step back away from Lynn. “No, Lucy, I’m sorry. It’s my decision, and it’s no” Came his firm answer. Lynn made a noise low in his throat, half way between a roar and a growl. Heinric raised a hand “Ye all seem ta be fergettin’ somethin’ important” the alchemist said, a hand inside the sack of explosives at his side. Lynn glanced at him “You won’t hit me, Heinric” the man said matter of factly, and Heinric laughed grimly, stopping everyone in their tracks. “Tha’s not even close” he smiled.

Heinric pulled out two orbs, and hefted them in one hand. “If I throw these at the ceiling and floor, wha’ do ye think happens?” he said. “Let us pass, or I bury ye all in rubble” He threatened. “Ye don’ get ta threaten tha ones I like” Heinric added, glancing at his allies. Lynn shook his head. “You wouldn’t risk it. I know you” He said, and Heinric grimaced, lifting the orbs. Everyone followed them with their eyes. “Try me, brat”

The two men, one giant and one armored soldier, stared at each other. The moment seemed to stretch forever. Lynn’s eyes went from Heinric’s face, to the explosives, to the Runestone in Richard’s hand. Heinric’s gaze never left Lynn. Lynn sighed and in the moment that Heinric began to lower his arm, Lynn charged. Heinric threw himself to the side, heaving one explosive into the ceiling and another into the floor. Rayne felt the floor shift underneath her, and then the light of smoke and flames gave way to the black of unconsciousness.