Completed Alpine Getaway

[Nathaira]

She kept on his arm as they walked. She liked the closeness, it still gave her a queasy feeling in her stomach that was paradoxically pleasant. She enjoyed feelings just how wide his arm was, how firmly it held her close... and she enjoyed signaling to the world that this beautiful man was hers. Only when they entered the dim and filthy room did she finally slide free and waltz forwards as the serpentine malefactor she was.

She pushed back her hood and shook free her thick cords of mossy-green hair. She didn't need to hide in here, and she tugged down her scarf and smirked so that a single fang hung free. This was an environment where she enjoyed the stares she got. Challenging eyes were met with a viper's stare that said "I dare you," and fearful reactions to her ophidian features only boosted her confidence.

She leaned over the bar to get the attention of the dwarf behind it. He was a squat, bat-faced man with beady eyes, a flat nose, and large jagged ears. He did not appear pleased to see the two of them. Still riding the high from the strange breakfast beverage, she asked him, "Got anything hot?"

 

[Kasimir]

As his partner strode forward to talk with the bartender, Kasimir's orange eyes swept the room for a person that might fit the description they had been given. The adjectives short, overweight and with a beard were decidedly unhelpful when it came to scanning the dwarfish inn, but the fact the man was meant to have a scar did narrow it down some. He came to lean against the bar beside Nat and there was a flicker by his hand as the butterfly shadow detached itself and went fluttering about the room.

He left Nat to carry on her conversation, turning round to face the room with his back against the bar as though he were bored waiting for their order. In truth he was listening to the shadows. It didn't take long before his eyes moved to the darker back of the room where the dwarf fitting their description was sitting, studiously keeping his eyes away from the two newcomers. There was a tenseness to his shoulders and a waver in the way he put the spoon to his lips that was the rest of the confirmation Kas needed.

"There," he murmured to Nat and inclined his head in the general direction the man was sitting before heading in that direction himself. It wasn't long before he slid himself into the booth opposite their underrealm contact.

 

[Nathaira]

The batty little man answered her question with a scowl, and seemed thoroughly upset that she had broken the precious silence of his establishment. When he got up, it was immediately clear that the true reason for his displeasure was that he had to get up and walk. His right leg seemed nearly incapable of bending, and he shambled over before grumbling an answer.

"We got forgefire."

Nathaira's blank expression spoke for itself, but the ever expanding silence forced her to reply anyway. "I'm not familiar with that." The dwarf scoffed with an evil smirk.

"If ye ain't heard offit, ye can't handle it."

Nathaira narrowed her eyes at the wrinkly old fool, but decided she was better off not imbibing anything that came out of this place. As Kasimir pointed out their mark, though, she said pointedly, "Give me one." The barkeeper shook his head and raised his eyebrows in a face that said "your funeral," and pulled a large and cloudy glass jug from beneath the bar. The liquor inside was clear as ice, but as he poured out the measure, orange glints shimmered through it like sparks. She took it and gave it a little swirl, watching the glittering that occurred whenever the liquid rippled. How interesting.

She would give Kasimir and their contact a moment before joining. She glanced up at the butterfly, and gave it a wink.

 

[Kasimir]

The dwarf opposite him was unremarkable in most ways. Standard height, build and judging by the dirty look, temperament too. But then all of that made him the perfect candidate to slip unnoticed through the shadows. The pair stared at each other for a moment, neither staying a word, until finally Kasimir folded his hands on top of the table and leaned forward.

"You know why we are here," the man hesitated a moment, clearly weighing up whether or not it would be worth his life to deny a Forsaken. Though Dreadlords were a terrifying prospect to come knocking on your door, the Forsaken were in a way far, far worse. Removed from the shackles of politics and needing to act human they could move as freely as they liked. Do what they liked as long as it progressed the mission.

Eventually he nodded.

"Aye but I don't want tae get caught up in yer Dreadlord shit."

"We just need to know more about the prison, strengths, weaknesses, how we can get someone... out," he raised a brow. The dwarf opposite him looked incredulous and then he began to laugh. He ran a hand over his face.

"Yer askin' for trouble."

 

[Nathaira]

And that moment was long enough. She moved across the dirty room, making a point to avoid the shards of glass that littered the floor. Kasimir looked oddly suited to this place in his dark clothing and demonic silhouette, and his confidence in the situation was obvious. The ordinary dwarf across from him had just laughed as Nathaira approached.

"Yer askin' for trouble."

"Yess, but we're good at it," she said as she dropped herself next to Kasimir and set the drink unceremoniously at the center of the table. It flickered as the liquid settled.

"Ah've no doubt you are, lass, but it can't be done. Prisons ain't built to keep folks out, breakin' in is easy enough... but no one ever busted themselves free once they's inside."

Nathaira's raised an eyebrow, her face a mask of benign amusement as she leaned against Kasimir. "And why iss that?" she asked after a brief pause. What defenses did this place have that made him so certain their task could not be completed.

"Because it's a vault," he answered, and there was almost a glint of dwarven pride in his eye as he said it. "It's built into a mountain with all the holding cells below ground, that means no coming in or out from below. The only way in or out is on top, and that's guarded day and night by some of Belgrath's finest watchmen. Not that they're needed, the doors are two-foot iron with runic reinforcement." He leaned forwards. "If a dwarf don't open that door for you, it ain't opening."

 

[Kasimir]

Kasimir rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his fingers scratching over the evening shadow over his jaw. If they managed to get the dwarf from his cell they would technically have a dwarf with them when they left. But would he know how to get the doors open? Would he even be in a fit enough state to do it? After a moment of quiet contemplation he leaned forward to, his hands clasping together in front of him on top of the table.

"Does every dwarf have this knowledge?" It would not be hard to find one to help on their scheme whether willingly or not. If the Dreadlords wanted this dwarf so bad they would be willing to pay for aid if the Forsaken required it.

But then again, the Forsaken constantly did the impossible.

"Some are better at it than others," the dwarf said slowly with a note in his tone that suggested he was beginning to get the uncomfortable impression he knew where this was going. "But, ye, it's like a sense," he took a sip of ale and watched them suspiciously. Kas' eyes flickered to Nat.

 

[Nathaira]

The dwarf showed a little less than the usual amount of discomfort at the Forsakens’ appearances. His eyes wandered to Kasimir’s horns and bright eyes and drifted over Nathaira’s vertical pupils and the lines of scale on her cheekbones. He didn’t seem overly put off by it, but maybe that was because he looked fairly put off to begin with. Even before Kasimir had sat across from him his expression had been sour.

Nathaira found his answer curious. ”Why would a prison full of dwarves have a door that can be opened by any dwarf? Seems like they may as well hand keys to each inmate.”

Their contact turned hard eyes to her. “Because that door is heavily guarded and is only one of the obstacles you’d face. And because each inmate is shackled with a restraining bracelet. Pass the threshold wearing one of those and...” he held up and fist and opened it suddenly to mimic an small explosion. “...won’t be nothin’ left.”

Nathaira’s air of levity darkened, that was a problem. Vel Anir wanted Berodo alive and well, and they were coming up against more obstacles by the minute.

”How do we remove that? I don’t ssuppose it sslides off?”

The dwarf fidgeted uncomfortably. “I may have something to help with that.” His eyes avoided theirs. He had indeed been given a tool for this very problem, but he had hoped they would not be smart enough to ask for it. It was worth quite a lot.

Begrudgingly, he slid something over the table under his palm to Kasimir.

 

[Kasimir]

Kasimir wasn't one to show emotion on his face very often which would probably be a sign to Nat just how unhappy the latest revelation made him. It was becoming a more difficult mission by the minute and he was beginning to understand why the Dreadlords had needed more help. Just how hard was it going to be to get this dwarf out of there? He was lost in his own thoughts for a moment until he caught the movement of the other dwarfs hand sliding across the table towards him.

Curiously he put his hand down to smother whatever it was in the dwarfs hand and took it. After a brief glance around he slowly lifted his hand to look at the odd little key. At least... it looked like a key. It was a two pronged thing that was clearly meant to go in a hole but the runes on it were strange and not ones he recognised.

"This disrupts the runes," Kas stated rather than asked. "Does it get the cuffs off or just render the runes useless?"

"It should take them off," the dwarf said slowly, shuffling uncomfortably in his seat. "But there ain't no guarantee."

 

[Nathaira]

The key was fascinating, although the dwarf's explanation was not very reassuring. Still, it was better than anything they could have found on their own, so Nathaira figured they should be grateful. "Thank you for thiss... do you have anything elsse that may be helpful?"

The dwarf, again, looked bothered to be asked. Luckily his fear of Anirian retribution was greater, and so he quickly handed her a small metal tube. It was bronze, or at least of bronze color, and it was capped on either end with a red, pointed crystal. More runes had been emblazoned on it.

"Put it away!" Their contact hissed, and Nathaira stowed it in her coat, casting a glance to the side to ensure no other patrons had seen it. "What iss it?" she whispered.

"It is a control rod. The prison has a few constructs wandering about. That can overpower them, even put them under your will for a moment or two. It is small, though, not meant for such powerful things. I'd guess you'll get two or three uses out of it, tops." Nathaira's face twisted, as though it was not sure whether to appear grateful or disappointed.

She looked back through the greasy windows, noting the changing light. "We ought to catch our tour, then," she said with look to her fiery companion. "The drink's on us," she said, nudging the glass of forgefire towards their helper as she stood and watching it flicker again as the liquid was disturbed.

 

[Kasimir]

Kasimir stood in one slow graceful movement, inclined his head politely, then followed Nat out of the bar.

He was deep in thought.

The plans they had been going over the night before ran through his mind as they walked, his brows pulling down into a tighter, deeply knitted frown. Little markings were beginning to make sense. Markings he hadn't understood but that he now wondered whether they were indicators of control panels for the doors hidden into the walls. Every door was going to cost them time getting out and every bit of time cost was a chance for something to get wrong. Their... target, for lack of a better word, would at least be able to walk and he might be able to help them but it would still be a tricky operation.

There had to be a better way out.

Kas had been quiet for their whole walk back to the market where they had agreed to meet their guide but he seemed to realise himself and slid back into their facade marriage like stepping into a new skin. His arm slid about Nat's waist in the casual way he had observed others doing and he painted a lazy smile across his face as they approach the group. He hadn't thought there would be quite this many for there were at least 10 already there and the dwarf had a clipboard.

"Ah there you two are," he huffed and scribbled something off on said clipboard. "We're waiting on a few more then we'll be off for our Grandest Tour today!" he pitched his voice a little louder than strictly necessary and Kas wondered if it was to try and get more custom.

 

[Nathaira]

The pair were quiet on their way back to the tour group, for Nathaira's mind was also a flurry of thought. The map, now memorized, seemed to take a different shape. The reality of its depths were now clear, and the stacked levels felt much further apart now than they had before. Plan after plan was formed and scrapped in rapid succession. Perhaps they could impersonate guards? Ridiculous, they could never pass. Use their magic to slip in and out unseen? That would not solve the door problem, nor transporting their "cargo." They couldn't fight their way out, at least not until they had almost escaped, so how to remain stealthy until then? She fondled the control rod in her pocket idly as she thought, but her thoughts were pleasantly interrupted by Kasimir's arm around her waist as they neared their destination.

It would be nice to pretend all the time. To go on tours to actually see the sights. To learn the history just for history's sake, not strategy. She looked around, noting that almost everyone was of non-dwarven description. Most appeared human, or close enough, and she was surprised to see a single orc in the mix... or perhaps a half-orc? He was slimmer than would be expected and was wearing glasses, which he kept using his scarf to defrost. The last couple to arrive, though, were indeed dwarven.

"Alright, everyone here? Good! Now keep close, we have much to explore! First stop: The old mines. Dug untold ages ago and used up until the last 200 years, what better place to begin?" The stout man started off, and Nathaira enjoyed watching him draw a few shapes with his fingers in the air before a glowing red rune began to hover in the air above him, making the guide visible to everyone in the group and easier to follow.

Percivil, now seemingly sober (or acting very well) began to describe the city's early history. Nathaira did not recognize most of the names or events that he used as reference points, but she gathered that Belgrath had been a city long before Vel Anir had been a thought.

She saw one of the younger human couples walking with their hands intertwined. She reached over with her inside arm and held Kasimir's hand that was on her waist. She couldn't feel much through her thick mitten, but she knew he was there. That was enough.

 

[Kasimir]

Kasimir almost forgot he was meant to be working as the tour started. He was absolutely enthralled by it all. In Vel'Anir they were taught barely anything about the other races and their histories unless it was about how how the city had crushed them. As they walked through the mines he couldn't help but wonder what other things the Anirian's had hidden from their people. Were the elves that bad?

Had the wars been... righteous?

He was snapped out of his thoughts as he felt Nat's hand wing about his own. For a moment he blinked down at her with a blank expression. What was she doing? Then his orange eyes drifted very slowly to the direction her own lingered and he too noticed the humans holding hands. Something clicked. The clogs turned. And slowly he curled his hand about her mittened one and gave it a small squeeze.

"It is beautiful here," he murmured low enough for just Nat to hear, his eyes turning up to the rock formations above their head that twinkled with gems.

 

[Nathaira]

It really was beautiful. Nathaira had no qualms about being below ground, and she suspected Kasimir didn’t either. Much of her life had been spent in darkness, dark halls, and caves. Never were the caves so stunning, however. Gemstones and crystals of all descriptions clung to the stalactites above their heads and danced along the walls to their sides. She wondered why so much wealth had been left behind, and almost as if he heard her thoughts, Percivil spoke up.

“We are in the Jeweled Hall,” he said, and his voice reverberated through the cavern. “It is beautiful, no? The kings of left much of the opening unmined because they wished to display the wealth of their kingdom. That, and they didn’t want the buildings above crashing down into it!”

Much of the tour guests seemed to be imagining the weight of the mountain above collapsing upon them, and Nathaira smirked at their fear. There were many worse ways to die, at least the gemstones were pretty.

”What building are above?” she asked suddenly, deliberately clipping the “s” off of her words to avoid a hiss.

“Oh, many!” Percivil answered, seemingly glad to have been asked. “And used for many purposes over the ages. The nearest, of course, is now Dhustratir prison. Don’t want murderers and traitors raining down on you, do you?” He laughed to himself and turned to continue the tour, while Nathaira looked up quickly to Kasimir with a fresh predatory gleam in her eyes.

 

[Kasimir]

Kasimir tried to look merely intrigued and not as though this had suddenly opened up another avenue for their true purpose of being here. Perhaps if they couldn't go through the prison they could find a way down here. It was just finding whether there was already a place that could offer them that. It would take a lot of magic or an age for them to do it manually and as far as he was aware neither of them had the kind of magic that could move gemstone and rock like that.

"I will have a look," he said low so that only Nat could overhear, having caught sight of what he was doing. There was a ripple along his skin and for a moment the shadowy dogs that occupied his back usually appeared as real solid things. Then, in a blink, they were just shadows on the wall that could have been a flicker of the candle flame.

He put a hand on the small of her back and gently guided her on. "Do you have any tricks up your sleeves that could help?"

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira felt a tingle as the shadows crept from Kasimir's skin. The dogs, once terribly intimidating, did not appear quite so ferocious to her now. The images of them tearing throats free of their hosts were fond, not frightening. She wished them well on their hunt.

She frowned a little at Kasimir's question, her eyes turned down in thought. There wasn't much she could do at the moment. Nathaira was very good at sneaking and killing, but the most she could offer at this point would be turning invisible and sneaking off to have a look around. She doubted that would be any more useful than continuing the tour as she was, and she suspected that leaving the path might trigger some security measures. Surely the dwarves knew someone might try to steal these gems.

She caught a glimpse of something in the corner of her vision, and turned to it. There was nothing there, nothing that ordinary folk could see, anyway. A small burst of heat had come from the ground in a liquid fountain. A tiny hot spring, perhaps. The splashing was audible, but the shadows made it quite invisible. Even as Nathaira's heat-sensing organs saw the water flowing, it faded rapidly until it was naught but darkness.

She looked back up to Kasimir and whispered "If there is a passage that connects, I may see warmer air moving from it." The caves were indeed frigid, and although she doubted the prison would be too much better, they wouldn't want their inmates freezing to death... she assumed.

She scanned the ceiling. It was only dark. "There is nothing here, yet."

 

[Kasimir]

Kasimir nodded the barest of fractions; unless someone was looking for it they would have missed the action altogether. He leaned his head down towards her as if he were sharing some private joke by the way his lips curled at the corners and his hand snaked about her waist to pull her close.

"No pressure, if you see something just point it out," he would have the shadows investigate further if there was a possible opening. There was no point in either of them breaking their cover in order to poke around when he had them under his command. The caves in particular were rife with shadows and he could feel their whispers, their deals, that they whispered in his ear as all the others had done over the years.

He kept his hand about her waist as they continued on their tour. They wound down narrow tunnels and finally came out into a large circular room where two thrones were carved into the very walls in front of them. Their blue leader proudly announced this was the old throne room of the dwarfish kingdom and went on to tell them about the rich history of murdering one another the kings enjoyed so much.

"Perhaps, we are not all that different," Kas said quietly after a while. Vel'Anir liked to think itself better than the other races but his time here was showing, to him at least, that they were actually far more similar than they wanted to admit.

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira slid into his grasp like butter, her sinuous waist slinking against his side eagerly. The touch was stoking some primal fires within her, fulfilling needs that had previously been unknown. His voice close to her ear evoked similar feelings, and she tasted the air as he leaned down to absorb his scent.

Her eyes had dilated wide in the dim caverns and her pupils could almost have looked human. Almost. In any case, the thrones were an imposing sight. Stark, hard, and cold, with as much bloodshed behind them as any kingdom... more even. Nathaira was having trouble understanding just how old this place was. She could not imagine a time before the imposing towers of Vel Anir... it was such an absolute power in her life. To think of the ages before and the grand empires that had risen and fallen...

It made the Anirian kingdom feel somehow smaller. A creeping concept began to form and was quickly quashed by the rune’s intervening hand, but before it sputtered out it gave one single thought: if ancient empires could fall, then modern ones could too. Kasimir's words made her lips turn up. "Death, the truest constant."

It was actually warmer down here than in the open air of the city above. The thick layers of rock above them kept this air insulated and constant, but it was not uniform. Behind the thrones were two tunnels, and one of them appeared to be much warmer than the other. It was faint, and difficult to see from so far away, but there was no mistaking that something was creating heat back there.

With a final flourish, Percivil announced that their tour had ended. "This is as far as the mine tour goes! I hope you all enjoyed yourself, and if you wish to delve even deeper might I suggest joining our deep caverns tour in three days time. Follow me back to the surface, please, and remember, tips are appreciated."

Nathaira turned to face Kasimir, raised herself up on her toes, and moved to feel his lips on hers again. To onlookers it would be a simple gesture, nothing worth gawking at, but when their faces parted she would ask, "Should we sstay? Have they found anything?"

 

[Kasimir]

The shadows shifted and a grinning face appeared on the wall for a brief moment before taking the form of the black dog and slinking back to Kasimir's side like a faithful hound. In a whispered hush it disappeared and once more roamed across his red skin back to the place it sat on his chest. Kasimir tilted his head as if listening to something and then his eyes flickered to one of the tunnels; the one where Nat had spotted the warmer air.

"Perhaps," he sounded somewhat amused by what had been discovered but not discouraged. His orange eyes burned bright in the darkness of the caves and he turned them slowly towards the group making their way after their intrepid guide, then back to Nat and the tunnels beyond. He of course knew of her gifts to turn invisible of a sort and it was to those gifts he was hinting at her using when he said. "Shall we?" and nodded to the tunnel.

In a blink he was gone.

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira watched the dog slink from the darkness, watched it meld back into Kasimir and find its place on his skin. "Good boy," she whispered with an affectionate finger tracing over Kasimir's jacket near the spot she thought the dog had been before.

She gave a short, quiet gasp of surprise as Kasimir vanished from sight. She could still feel his body near her, until he moved away. How long had he been able to do that?? She swept the shadows with her eyes, was he hiding in there? She smiled and shook her head, wondering if she would ever learn all of Kasimir's secrets.

Taking his cue, she vanished from sight. The tourists were well enough distracted by Percivil's attempts at getting tips that they didn't seem to notice or care that two people had left their number. Nathaira moved swiftly and quietly towards the tunnel, and the closer she got the more vivid the warmth appeared. She could taste moisture on the air as well. It was not the earthy, mossy wetness of caves but the sterile and metallic tang of steam.

She made sure to pace herself across the cavern, as moving made staying out of sight more taxing. As she neared the cavern she let her cloak slip a bit so that she would appear as a translucent shadow or mirage. From this far away and in the dim light it wouldn't matter, and she could breath a little easier.

She could hear it now, the gentle hiss of water and steam within pipes, coming from inside the tunnel. "Kasimir?" she whispered, peering around.

 

[Kasimir]

"Yes?"

Kasimir stepped out of the shadow closest to her left shoulder, leaning down to murmur in her ear. He knew it was a risk with her lightning reflexed but there was a hint of playfulness to his tone, in the quirk of his lips, and the light in his eyes. He trusted his own abilities to catch any punch or move quick enough to avoid a hidden blade from piercing his flesh. His tail lashed the ground as he moved to stand in front of her and safely out of her reach in case she was angry at him for his game.

"The Shadows say there is an opening down here up into the prisoner bathrooms that might provide an alternative route out of the prisons. I'm not sure how big a gap it is though," he frowned a little, trying to make sense of the images the Shadow had given him. He began to meander his way down the alley, coat flapping about his ankles as he did so.

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira felt a shiver as Kasimir's breath hit her ear, but it was not unpleasant. Still, she she grasped behind her, hoping to catch his collar. She missed, and settled for giving him a wide grin that was equal parts playful participation and reminding him of what her teeth could do.

She came into full view and walked behind him, grateful that the cold was at least somewhat alleviated in here. "You don't name them?" she asked as they moved further down the cavern. "You jusst call them 'the shadows.' Ssuch a good dog should have a name, don't you agree?" She didn't mean to tease (too much) as she was genuinely interested in this dark world that Kasimir got to travel freely. She couldn't help but be a little envious, having a private place to hide seemed like a nice thing, but then again Kasimir hadn't exactly spoken of the place with fondness.

The cavern widened slightly and grew lighter. It wasn't torchlight, though, it was white and clear. Sunlight. How could light have reached so far down? The room that greeted them was filled with long, vertical tubes. Some were tiny and seemed to twist around for no reason at all, while the largest Nathaira thought she would almost be able to stand inside of. Looking up, the source of the light was clear. A series of mirrors had been set along the sides of the pipes as they shot endlessly upwards, and these directed the sunlight above into the cavern. "Exxtraordinary..." she mused. There was space in between the pipes, the light could not penetrate otherwise, but Kasimir's concerns had been legitimate. It looked narrow at best, not to mention it would be a very long climb.

She approached a large metal box that was covered in a series of dials and gauges. "Ssomeone must manage thesse," she said in a low hiss, "How do they get here? Ssurely not the miness every time."

((Perception roll 18))

Nathaira eyed the surrounding cavern, looking for anything like a door or perhaps a secret staircase. She did not see any, but she did see a strange, tiny box on the stone wall. It was metal, and had a singular button. She approached it, held out a finger to press it, then hesitated. "Should we rissk it?" she asked.

 

[Kasimir]

For a brief moment, Kasimir frowned.

"It is hard to explain..." he gently ran a thumb across his skin where a shadow sat. It came nearer when it sensed his touch, the head of a serpent of some kind, bumping its scaly head against its masters thumb like a dog would its owner. "They do have names but their names are like... another language. They are hard for many to pronounce and they are also rather... picky about who know what they are called. Names carry power," he put his hands back in his pockets at they walked, eyes scanning their surroundings every now and then. As they drew further into the cavern Kasimir grew quiet once more as he took in the sight of the cavern.

"I would imagine there is an entrance from the prison..." he mused quietly to her open speculation about who managed the gauges below. With a few quick steps he walked further into the cavern, still listening to what it was Nat was doing and for any possible danger. He was looking for something, anything, to indicate an opening. When she queries about the button Kas shrugged a little.

"I see no harm, all they will find down here are shadows."

 

[Nathaira]

Kasimir's explanation sent a small shiver running down her spine. She trusted the shadows because she trusted Kasimir, but she had seen what they could do. She had no desire to feel them turned against her, nor to give them any reason to dislike her. "I ssee."

The button beckoned her curiosity, and with a deep breath, she pressed it. There was a small click and then a long silence. Nathaira tilted her head with a frown, had it not worked? Then a loud, hollow clank from somewhere within the cavern sounded, and a low steady rumbling began. She stepped back from the box, the vibrations coming from that wall. It sounded like heavy chains moving and creaking.

The sound lasted for a couple of minutes, getting louder as something was lowered to them. Finally the sheer stone wall by the box simply slid to the side to reveal a small metal room. It was lit by dim glowstone, and had a small box on the interior wall that matched the one Nathaira had pressed.

There was also a large, metal, spiderlike creature inside.

x
​

 

[Kasimir]

Kasimir instinctively drew closer to Nat when the clinking and clanking of the intricate mechanisms began in the cavern walls. His orange eyes kept darting back the way they had come in case somebody came to investigate the noises but nobody came. Perhaps the cave was just always full of odd sounds that the dwarfs hardly noticed anymore. When he was finally convinced they were not going to have to fight off any guards or the such he returned his attention to what had appeared before them.

Curiosity filled him. He had never seen something of the sort before and that thrilled him.

"I wonder what it does?" Kas asked out loud as he wandered closer. It hadn't attacked them, nor moved at all in fact since it had been revealed. Carefully he reached out and touched it.

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira was likewise intrigued, but not at all to the same degree as Kasimir. Her appreciation for history was just that, an appreciation. Perhaps if she had been permitted schooling beyond murder she would have a finer eye for such things. What else would she have taken interest in? It didn't do to dwell on such thoughts, her life was what it was.

She did not stop Kasimir from touching the spider, but she took a step back and stood tense, doing her best not to make a sound.

At Kasimir's touch, the small crystal atop the spider's body lit up. It jerked to a more upright position, and gave three short whistles. It turned left, then right, and then angled itself up as if looking right at Kasimir.

It gave a loud buzz, the crystal atop its head turning a deeper red, and took a small step towards Kasimir, holding out an open claw. It appeared to be waiting, like it wanted Kasimir to hand it something.