You know me. Can't walk six feet without running into a veritable adventure.
[sometimes the adventure is bandits, sometimes it's politics. sometimes it's waking up on a spaceship in another dimension. sometimes it's running into someone he thought he'd never see again. he'd thought that, perhaps, his days of high-octane, chaotic adventure could be over... but it's clear to him, now, that the Gods are not done with whatever They have planned.
there comes a point where Robin has to let go of Tek's hand so that they can both climb safely--as the wall to their right falls away to reveal an open view of the world they're passing by. from here, Tek can see a massive, spiraling network of houses and buildings and strange structures built up from the ground. very little wood makes it down here, but there's a strong theme of scrap-metal and stone. the crowds are denser and far more lively.
the wall fills in again, first as reaching stalactites and then, eventually, as more solid rock. another tunnel takes them into a large, wide-open chamber with an arching ceiling. the floor is the smoothest they've found yet. groups of people congregate near the walls, chatting, laughing, catching up after a long day--but otherwise, this room has no purpose other than to connect one path to another. Robin leads him to another set of stairs, this one wide and well-constructed.
they climb again. with each progressive level, the structures and the people within them appear healthier and more lively. color and art come back into the world. the chill in the air starts to wane. the buildings start to look like residences mixed with businesses, game halls, restaurants, and other shops. each chamber seems a little wider than the last, with massive supportive columns of stone serving as more latching-on points for houses and stairs to other parts of the city.
and then, finally, they hit flat ground again. down a hallway, they go through one door that opens into a wide room filled with large, metal creates stacked up in huge towers all around them. various things are marked on the boxes--and several people are standing guard around them, dressed in armor and very obviously armed with clubs and swords. a female guard (with an impressive axe strapped to her back) steps forward to start asking them questions, but Robin reaches into his pocket and flips open a wallet, revealing some kind of badge.]
Sorry, officer, we're just taking a short cut.
[the woman, realizing what's on the badge, steps off immediately. she even smiles apologetically and waves them through. another guard, a male one, laughs and speaks up as the two of them pass.]
Heeey, Robin! You catch that crazy serial killer yet?
[Robin spins around, of course, to answer--but never stops walking, even backwards.]
Trust me, Rich, you'll be the first one to know when I do.
["Rich" the guard just laughs. maybe this is some joke they have between them, but the subject of a serial killer really doesn't seem all that dire to the people in this room. Robin takes them through another door and across one more large, crate-filled room... where an elevator is waiting for them at the end.]
Finally. [he sighs, relieved.] This thing will take us most of the rest of the way.
[he pushes a button for "up". somewhere, a bell rings. they have a moment of pause while the mechanisms and gears in the empty shaft in front of them start to turn and click together, slowly lowering the lift from somewhere high above.]
no subject
You know me. Can't walk six feet without running into a veritable adventure.
[sometimes the adventure is bandits, sometimes it's politics. sometimes it's waking up on a spaceship in another dimension. sometimes it's running into someone he thought he'd never see again. he'd thought that, perhaps, his days of high-octane, chaotic adventure could be over... but it's clear to him, now, that the Gods are not done with whatever They have planned.
there comes a point where Robin has to let go of Tek's hand so that they can both climb safely--as the wall to their right falls away to reveal an open view of the world they're passing by. from here, Tek can see a massive, spiraling network of houses and buildings and strange structures built up from the ground. very little wood makes it down here, but there's a strong theme of scrap-metal and stone. the crowds are denser and far more lively.
the wall fills in again, first as reaching stalactites and then, eventually, as more solid rock. another tunnel takes them into a large, wide-open chamber with an arching ceiling. the floor is the smoothest they've found yet. groups of people congregate near the walls, chatting, laughing, catching up after a long day--but otherwise, this room has no purpose other than to connect one path to another. Robin leads him to another set of stairs, this one wide and well-constructed.
they climb again. with each progressive level, the structures and the people within them appear healthier and more lively. color and art come back into the world. the chill in the air starts to wane. the buildings start to look like residences mixed with businesses, game halls, restaurants, and other shops. each chamber seems a little wider than the last, with massive supportive columns of stone serving as more latching-on points for houses and stairs to other parts of the city.
and then, finally, they hit flat ground again. down a hallway, they go through one door that opens into a wide room filled with large, metal creates stacked up in huge towers all around them. various things are marked on the boxes--and several people are standing guard around them, dressed in armor and very obviously armed with clubs and swords. a female guard (with an impressive axe strapped to her back) steps forward to start asking them questions, but Robin reaches into his pocket and flips open a wallet, revealing some kind of badge.]
Sorry, officer, we're just taking a short cut.
[the woman, realizing what's on the badge, steps off immediately. she even smiles apologetically and waves them through. another guard, a male one, laughs and speaks up as the two of them pass.]
Heeey, Robin! You catch that crazy serial killer yet?
[Robin spins around, of course, to answer--but never stops walking, even backwards.]
Trust me, Rich, you'll be the first one to know when I do.
["Rich" the guard just laughs. maybe this is some joke they have between them, but the subject of a serial killer really doesn't seem all that dire to the people in this room. Robin takes them through another door and across one more large, crate-filled room... where an elevator is waiting for them at the end.]
Finally. [he sighs, relieved.] This thing will take us most of the rest of the way.
[he pushes a button for "up". somewhere, a bell rings. they have a moment of pause while the mechanisms and gears in the empty shaft in front of them start to turn and click together, slowly lowering the lift from somewhere high above.]