Strangely enough, the round entrance led to a square tunnel. The walls weren’t completely smooth, and it was a little difficult to tell if they were made out of hard packed dirt, stone, or something else.

Warm amber light glowed in halos around occasional rocks embedded in the sides. Up ahead, the tunnel bent left, and Brindle’s tail disappeared around the wall and out of sight.

He let out a sigh as he signaled his character to trot instead of walk. Keeping up with her now would be easier than trying to find her later.

Once he turned the corner, he saw Brindle further up ahead. He increased his pace until he finally traveled beside her again. The tunnel started glowing brighter as they went, coming from whatever light source appeared to be at the end.

‘I see the light at the end of the tunnel. And hopefully it’s not a train…’ He snorted as that old joke ran through his head, and a tiny smile remained on his face for the next minute or so. It was nice to be reminded of when he was younger and used to feel happy because of something as simple as discovering a new quip.

……

Clicking and whirring sounds grew louder and louder as they reached the end -- a room that held more brightness in it than the tunnel.

A grandfather clock ticked away in a corner. Low tables full of mechanical parts stood neatly against the walls and on the left side of the room. To the right, a dais held up a short table filled with orderly piles of metal and tools. On the floor on the other side of it, a pale creature peered at a project through a set of spectacles.

Cravens were very dark, so this must be a Spire. Spires didn’t harm players, and they needed to talk to one for their quest. So, he steered his character over to it. Brindle followed, occasionally seeming to glance around the room as if to take in all the details of this new place.

The dais held the Spire up to his eye level. Upon further inspection, the beast was long and weasel like, with dull off white fur and a thick band of purer white along its back.

As soon as it looked up and acknowledged them, a text box appeared above its head.

Silver :: Oi...not that I mind visitors, but you're a long way off from qualifying to be a Craven or Spire.

What? He frowned as he typed out a reply. What was this thing talking about?

That’s not why we’re here. We’re trying to complete our first quest, which is to have a conversation with a Craven and a Spire at the same time. |SevenAteEight|

Silver :: Ah, I see. In that case, find a Craven and bring him here.

We did find one. He said to bring a Spire to him. Then he fell asleep. I don’t think he’s willing to come all the way here. |SevenAteEight|

Silver :: Well, I’m sorry, but my work is more important than hanging out with a monster like that. You’ll have to find a way to convince him.

Spires were supposed to be the ‘good’ creatures, so why did this one feel less cooperative than the ‘devious’ Craven they met earlier? Then again, Waif didn’t cooperate either. Silver’s stubbornness probably only felt worse because it was now the only thing standing between them and completing their goal.

He sighed and glanced at Brindle. Her character tilted its head. Virtual reality headsets tended to be able to detect head movement, so it transferred head tilts and turns into character movements. Expressions and other body movements weren’t detected by VR headsets, though, so it was hard to decode her gesture. That particular head tilt could have meant anything from a shrug to an indication that she shared his exasperation.

He glanced back at Silver’s chatbox and noticed a typing symbol blinking on and off.

|Brindle_Fox244| Spires are supposed to assist players, and they try to reduce emotional distress and make things less chaotic, right? Well, not being able to get you or that Craven to cooperate is causing us distress, so it’s your duty as a Spire to come with us and help.

A few moments passed, then the reply came.

Silver :: Ah, yes, sorry. Busy or not, I probably should help still. Let me get to a stopping point and I’ll come with you.

Wait, that worked? He leaned back in his chair and reread the conversation. Silver was probably programmed to respond this way based on certain keywords and persuasion types. Apparently, appealing to the supposed function of Spires was what they were supposed to do, and Brindle figured that out. Well, yay for her. Especially since she just saved them a lot of time and frustration..

A notification appeared in the Set chatbox, showing that several of Brindle’s stats jumped a point higher.