The garnet drops were heavier than I expected, and it reminded me of the weight added by the caged sphere pendant that still sat magically bound around my neck. I had gotten used to moving my limbs through the added difficulty. Still, as I gazed at the earrings more, the heavier they seemed to get. I decided to tuck them away in one of my pouches until I found my next resting spot.
I jumped down from the statue, and found my way onto the floor. The courtyard was very open, and surrounded by the gaping pit. Like a small animal exposed, I stood unaware of the dangers in the darkness.
A jolt of energy shot through my spine, which propelled me towards the only doorway in the distance, calmly lit by two faint torches. When I got through the doorway, I was abruptly greeted by a rounded stone wall.
Once I had recovered, I found myself inside a spiraling staircase. The steps proceeded both up, and down. However, the stairs leading up offered a warm light compared to the cold darkness the stairs leading down held.
The light was somehow familiar, and reminded me of founder nights. I started my way up the lengthy process. The steps, for some reason, were very wide, and flat, elevating only a few inches around the spiral. Several people could stand on one step comfortability, which made for a very tiring climb.
I made the mistake of clutching the hand rail for support. Immediately the steps began flying downward, taking me away from what I had just worked for. I passed the door I originally came through, and was soon catapulted down the steps. I found out why when I reached the bottom.
The revolving step mechanism was jammed up by some worn wooden debris that had piled up at the base of the stairs. It was caught in a small gap where the steps disappeared into the wall.
A doorway seemed hastily widened, and held two large hinges with rotting wood still attached to the stone. Inside the bottom chamber, it was quite smelly. It seemed to be coming from a few large piles of what looked like meat that were scattered around. An ancient mildew still feasting on the mummified remains.
Besides the smell, the room held dozens of claw marks, carved deep into its stone walls. The room reads as a prison, and the shattered door tells of a break.
The markings continue all the way up the staircase tower. I found that grabbing the hand railing on the left side will move the stairway up, whereas clutching it on the right side sends the user to the pits. It was awkward to use, until I switched the sunstone ring to my left hand.
I rode the steps up past the original doorway once again. This time the movement was at an easier pace to keep my balance. The ride still took several minutes, but I eventually made it to the next floor up. It wasn’t a very quick mode to travel, but it was easier on the knees.
I took several hours, and a long rest, exploring the second floor. It was a mess of shelving, tables, and hooks holding an endless collection of machinery. Each one offered some unique function when picked up. As I went through a pile, I found that most of the contraptions were only half finished.
Four other floors had a similar look to them. The items were stacked high, and were arranged in some sort of organised fashion. Mixed into the machinery was a collection of books, hand tools, drinking cups, and ancient food scraps too old for a rat to eat. The care that was put into storing these items, coupled with the sheer mass of the collection, made even a finished piece seem worthless.
The fifth floor up had a different feel to its room. It read more as a resting area. Not necessarily a bedroom, but there was room to stretch out. The cozy, familiar light had managed to make its way into the fireplace stationed in the corner of the room, and it gave the space a very calming hue.
I decided I couldn’t pass up a good resting spot, so I sat down on a couch. It wasn't a few minutes before I was laying down. I could barely keep my eyes open, until I saw something out of place on the dark red rug.
A stark white moonstone set inside a copper frame… I had felt this energy before, but it was forigne to this tower. I danced the stone in my fingers, and saw it had captured a blue light across the face. My fingers began to tingle, and a coldness engulfed them. Then, a jolt shot through me, and I could almost hear a loud clicking sound in the distance.
It was a little concerning, but the couch’s comfort was too consuming. I layed there listening to the rhythmic ticking sound coming from a distant room. As I faded away, I could swear the mechanical sounds began getting louder.
The sound carried over to my dream. I stood in front of a large pendulum clocking. Back and forth the knob swings, allowing the different gears to mesh together. I felt as though I could pull a message from this, but the sound continued to get louder, and louder, drowning out my thoughts.
My anger I awoke with was quickly snapped to fear, as a shiney, metallic, spider broke through the doorway into the room. I tried staying still, in the hopes that it wouldn’t see me. After all it just had one red, swiveling eye atop its body,
It crawled into the room, making a small clanking noise as it contacted the ground. It scanned around, and eventually washed over me. It paused for a moment, then continued closer to me. The sentry creature was right on top of me.
I tried to wriggle out from underneath it, to try and make it to the door, but as my hands moved, I revealed what I assumed the creature was looking for.
The moonstone pendant fell from my grip, and bounced back on the floor where I found it. This caused the creature to produce a massive screech, and its eye to begin to glow. For whatever reason, I refused to give up the moonstone. I couldn’t help myself from picking it back up.
The creature's focus was now on me, and it quickly lept from its position over the couch.
It slammed me hard into the ground, leaving me short of breath, but somehow the creature fell over me. I scrambled back to hide behind the couch, however, the creature had already recovered, and launched at me again.
I was pinned to the ground… but I found it was not because of the creature itself. It was indeed on top of me, held back by an invisible barrier. Walking above me like it was on a crate, occasionally striking down with one of its legs. Each strike offered no damage, but a heavier weight was put on my body. I was helpless, but safe for the time being.
Eventually the creature began to run out of energy. Its movements became sluggish, and sloppy from its elegant ways at the start. After an hour or so it tired itself out, and collapsed in the corner.
The weight slowly lifted and I sat up to get a good breath. The sphere inside of the cage that laid trapped around my neck, offered a joyful jingle as it struck its bindings. As if signally a job well done. As I touched the piece around my neck, I could still feel it vibrating at a low frequency.
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