Framework of the Frontier, Sain Artwell [read me a book .TXT] 📗

before Rulu could say anything. “Sure. This is the reason you came here, so take your time.”

“Thank you,” Ember said with a pleasant lilt. And she took her time.

Their delve became a cataloging tour of the dungeon’s architecture and life-forms. Both grew in weirdness further in.

Square arches and spiraling pillar structures began to tilt in odd curving angles, which changed each time William looked at them. Most of the grooves in the stone were beds to writhing plants, lilac growths resembling inverted lungs and odd corals with serrated leaves that looked like the wings of swallowtail butterflies. Tiny worms reminiscent of moth antennae swam through the air around them in small swarms. Light of the lantern glistened off of their oily black skin.

Ember had to keep swatting those little ones from flying in her eyes. “Pthyi, pthu. Wow! Look at them. They must be attracted to magic.”

“It could be your beautiful eyes,” William said, with an exaggerated husky tone.

Her giggle was cut by a surprised gasp. “My spell? It’s gone.” The critters flew from Ember’s face towards her sword. “Ohhh no-no-noo, you don’t.” She kept moving it away from the slowly following bug.

“Shh!” Rulu hissend, flashing her colors. “A golem approaches from behind us.”

They went quiet.

William too could hear the heavy lazy thuds behind them. “Let’s ambush it.”

“The alcoves ahead are deep.” Rulu pointed at the darkness.

They huddled in the hole. William blocked the lantern, leaving himself in complete darkness. He heard nothing but the shuffling of the two women, his own breathing, and the surely approaching steps of a golem.

“Tell me when,” he whispered.

“Waaait,” Ember replied slowly.

Each thumping step was closer. William’s heart prepared for a quick battle. He went through the sequence of blessing in his head, visualized the swings of hammer he would need to deliver. But then, the steps.

“It’s paused at the weird plant things,” Ember narrated. “Those wigglers are all over its face. It’s… Hide, keep hiding, it’s going to blast.”

A flash of pink lit the corridor all the way through, illuminating a look of surprise on the faces of Ember and Rulu. Stench of ozone filled the air.

“It is cleansing the hallway,” Rulu observed.

“Wow. Look, the wall thingies are turning invisible. That’s cool, and the flying ones are hiding underneath them. Clever little buggers.”

William wanted to peek too. “Should we jump it?”

Flashes of light stopped.

“Wait, please,” Ember said, “It’s… staring at the wall? Oh, I think I know what it’s doing. Yes, it’s doing it now. It’s opening a door. No, a hallway. And now it went in.”

“Change of plans. Let’s see where that goes. Tell me when it’s safe to move.”

“Now,” said Rulu.

Charred remains of the creatures sizzled in blue embers, which the tiny flyers nibbled on. A new hallway had appeared, similar to the one they had entered the Maze through. At its end, maybe two hundred feet from where William peeked around the corner, the door opened. The golem’s silhouette basked in daylight for a moment, after which, the door and hallway disappeared both, leaving behind nothing but a wall of stone.

“Aww crap.” A realization hit him.

Rulu gave him a puzzled look. “Do not weep, William. There will be more golems to capture.”

“That’s not it… Aww, fuuuu…” Realization simmered into a claustrophobic thought, gnawing at the base of his gut. “Let’s head back and check the way we came in, in case the hallway was removed by that guy.”

“Uh-oh. Well, I did make notes of the surrounding area, sort of. They’re more observations on the decor. But maybe we can still find it.” Ember sounded uncertain.

Rulu remained calm. “Won’t reopening the hallway be a simple matter, given that we possess the eye of a golem already?”

William licked his lips and found them dry. “Maybe. If we can find it. That’s two too many maybes.”

17

Time passed, an hour or maybe two. William had lost track.

“This has to be the spot, I’m sure of it.” Ember traced her fingers along the seams between the rocks. “Will, could you help me get the eye. Let’s try again.”

“Whilst I admire your tenacity, is this not the point at which optimism succumbs to futility.” Rulu yawned, swinging her tail about as she lounged on the floor.

Ember frowned at her. “You can’t give up Rulu. We have to find a way out.”

“Yeah, but it’s probably not going to be the way we came in.” William exhaled, trying to blow out the frustration that had begun to cinch his chest. It didn’t help. “Let’s find another golem and jump it after it opens an exit. Rulu, can you take the lead again?”

“We have yet to discover any weapons of note and you are already in a hurry to leave.” She shook her head, not hiding her disappointment and began to move forward. “Are your convictions for stepping here so flimsy as to falter at the first challenge?”

“Aren’t you afraid at all?” Ember asked her.

“Me? Afraid?” Rulu spat out a snarky ‘hah’. “The fears I have left are reserved for demons of my own making. A derelict ruin, however ancient, is but a derelict ruin.”

“Eyeballing the rations, we have a week until we need to start eating the local critters, assuming we don’t get eaten in our sleep,” William said, still keeping his steps and voice quiet. He closed the chest after giving their rations a second count. “I’d be more comfortable mapping it all out slow and steady, now that we have a way in. This place gives me some creepy vibes.”

“Uhu. Those faun faced tentacle things were hideous.” Ember shivered.

“Faun? Their features resembled an aboleth’s.”

“Looked pretty human to me.”

Ember began to cross examine the two of them as they inched forward, finding the right direction much the same as the left.

They passed many