Chapter 2: Expedition to Farsky

"Things are getting bad, Hashia. This trip... There's people saying that you shouldn't have come." Eunbyeol sounds worried, but her tone suddenly shifts to a brighter one. "I'm here to help you prove them wrong!"

Lucina gives Eunbyeol a quick hug as well, "Good timing!" she says, "They're all dead wrong and we'll make sure they realize it, don't you worry."

Hashia lowers her chin a touch. "I couldn't watch it all slide away any longer. Besides, if they can do better, we all prosper, right? This way we'll find out sooner."

She points at the entrance. "Okay, ladies, show me this tech I've been hearing so much about. I don't fancy running into those marauders when they realize how much they have to gain."

As Aduan takes the staff from the Marauder's cold, dead hands, the creature lurches and grabs hold of him. It removes its gas mask, revealing a woman with striking skin colourations that all Marauders bear. She spits a curse in Aduan's face as she dies, then slumps down into the drit. Aduan acquires the two Marauder staves, one charged and one uncharged. These aren't the first Marauder staves Tarshu has acquired, but nobody has figured out how the Marauders charge them (yet).

The Krem Beetle squadron lands at your location, the captain making sure you're alright before taking to the air again. Three split off to reconnoitre the Marauders, while the remaining 4 hover nearby and escort you to the Junction. Within an hour you arrive at the beacon, which is now surrounded by a hardened synth palisade. Guard towers rise above, manned by archers. Above it all, a flag flies from the now-unlit beacon that reads in big, bold letters Fort Slurge.

As you pass through the gates, the defenders of Fort Slurge give the group a rousing cheer. These folks defend the Junction because they believe in the Junction, and are among Hashia's strongest supporters.

You step inside, and pass by the now-familiar placard, behind perfectly blended glass, that states:You ride the platform, which now has a built-in speed limiter (despite Desoto's protests), deep into the earth. You stride through the ambient lit halls and arrive at the Junction. Mick is making the final adjustments.

"Alright, she's all warmed up and the telemetries are holding stable. Here's the oculator."

Mick hands over a metallic pyramid with protruding lenses and a leather carrying strap.

"The oculator will allow you to record the Oracles' verdict so we can settle this once and for all. But, you know, it's been seventy years since we've seen them so just in case, you should be prepared for the possibility that you'll have to operate the observatory yourselves. You know, in case they're all dead or something."

Hashia greets the defenders, touching hands and asking after their families' well being. She mentions the marauders to them, and asks them to be vigilant.

On the trip down, her warm veneer vanishes, and she prepares for the worst.

"Thank you, Mick," she says taking the device. She repeats the operation instructions back to him. "Who knows what we'll find. Perhaps endless slurges?"

"Let's hope not," Lucina says, "Those things were awful..."

Aduan still carries the Marauders' weapons with him, his mind racing with the input of all the new knowledge now facing him.

Mick fires up the Junction and sends you to your stations, each taking a place in the cage apparatus. The massive screen suddenly sparks alive and after some adjustments, it displays an island high in the sky. Mick adjusts some dials and the island magnifies; you see an old stone bridge attached to a stark, stone building topped with domed structure.Another deft manipulation of the instrument panel and the vast screen displays the bridge itself.

"Okay, I think that's about as good as it gets. Safe journey!"

And with that the caged mechanism silently and gracefully moves the set of cages through the screen, the screen sparkling harmlessly as solid matter passes through it.

You emerge on the other side of the screen and climb out of your cages onto the stone bridge. The air is cool and thin, and sharp wind whips at your clothes. Your ears pop as you adjust to the new altitude. Looking back, you see that from this side the screen is a suspended, gleaming rectangle. The apparatus begins retreating back to the Junction, and from within you hear Mick call to you.

"Okay, we'll have to recharge the batteries, should have your exit back up and running in four to six hours! Stay safe, have fun!"

The rectangle fades and is soon gone as if it had never existed. Behind you, the bridge leads to ruin and drops off into sea of clouds. Ahead is a large pair of double doors. They are metallic and completely smooth, with no handles. Ingraved across the two doors are a grid of one-inch squares arranged in a wave-like pattern.What you would like to do?

"I saw a pattern like that once, running across the display of a piece of tech that played some music."

"It still exists. Good news there." after stepping out of the cage, she checks to make sure everybody made it. Suddenly, she looks up eyes darting all around. She's heard the story of the giant bird.

"Music? Can you sing that?"

"Well, the pattern I saw was different, but it was the same kind of pattern, I think." Desoto says, peering at the engraving. "The music I heard sounded like this though..." Desoto tries to whistle the tune he heard all those years ago.

As you begin to sing, the pattern on the door begins to change. The pattern shifts and sways, the squares seamlessly retreat and emerge to create new waves that dance along to Desoto's tune. The gridded wave begin to glow, soon becoming so bright that looking directly at it is uncomfortable. The door itself vibrates in harmony with Desoto's song, singing haunting reciprocation. After a minute of whistling the door's physical form fades into a field of blue and orange energy, pulsing along to the beat. Through the field, you see a stair the leads upward into darkness.

"Huh. I didn't expect that to work!"

As soon as you stop whistling the door immediately rebounds back to being solid metal solid. There is a loud 'crack' as the air molecules in that space are suddenly displaced, sending echoes dancing across the ancient stone.

"Wow. Something wants you to KEEP singing. Unexpected."

"Go ahead and sing," Lucina says against her better judgment, "While the door is open, we can go through. I'll lead the way in."

As she draws her sword (just in case), she thinks, "Well, let me go in first to make sure that it can be opened from the inside. Never know with this old tech."

Myrage draws his hwhip, but keeps it coiled in his hand, ready to follow behind Lucina.

"Ah man, too bad I never learned how to whistle, ja? Otherwise, I'd probably join ya, Desoto!"

"Yeah, okay." Desoto licks his lips and resumes whistling.

Shrugging his shoulders Aduan steps near the door as if to feel the texture of the magic as the door begins to dissolve.