Raven had leveled that night. A 6th level in [Body Adept] giving her the [Powerful Strike] skill. After what they had just been through it seemed like the better choice. She could have picked up that [Healer] class, but what would be the point? The magic she had already saved the life of her companion. He needed someone able to take down the monster before it could reach him, not more healing after if this happened again.

  She woke to such thoughts, hearing the sounds of a guttural yet liquid language being spoken. The sisters were in a heated discussion, trying to be quiet as they stood on the upper ramp landing in the guard hall. Jace was gently snoring by the small fire they had made on the floor. With the high ceilings, ramps, and an opening to the sky a room above the smoke was being carried away from them.

  “Oh, you’re awake.” Veshy’s eyes swiveled Raven’s way as the orath switched to the common tongue.

  “Mmmf, even with bedrolls this floor is hard.” The paracrest stretched, pushing herself to her feet. “Any trouble on watch?”

  “A fews rats came arounds buts we frightened thems away.” Isky told her, moving back towards the fire. “Waitings nows for Jace to wake ups to see hows he is.”

  Raven popped a ration into her mouth before moving towards the prone human. She crouched, listening to his breathing. Pretty normal to her and she didn’t see the sweat one would expect from a budding infection. That was a good sign.

  Jace’s breathing changed, eyelids fluttering. Raven sat back, conjuring a bit of water for a clean cup. “How are you feeling?” She asked him, offering the drink.

  He pushed up on his elbows, blinking up at her. From his expression she doubted he expected her to be looming over him this way. She was right not to pick the offered [Healer] class. She had a terrible bedside manner.

  “I’m feeling ok. Sore but, who wouldn’t be after that fight?” He sat up more, taking the offered cup.

  “Good.” Veshy moved over to them, “Wouldn’t want our lock and trap expert to be unable to continue. We don’t get paid by the guild if we don’t clear this place out, and they’ll still expect a small cut of the salvage as part of our dues.”

  A crooked smile twisted Jace’s face. “Wouldn’t want that would we ladies?”

  Raven smothered what was left of the fire before cleaning up her gear. After everyone had done what they needed to for the morning the four of them headed back down the ramp. The night before, after they’d killed the burrowmaw they found that the ramp down to floor five was blocked by some kind of heavy door. Jace had been in no shape to open it then, but he was now.

  Floor four had been checked through after the fight, revealing what was likely a food prep and storage area. Two half mummified bodies were curled up in the furthest chamber, probably wrapped up together in death. A paracrest and a hillsec. It made Raven think of her her old boyfriend Ssanic. If they were in a bunker together about to die would they have been like this too? Probably.

  In the present, by the door, Jace got to work with his tools. “Not trapped.” He muttered. Everyone had cloth over their faces. First rule about opening thick doors in cases like this was that the air did not circulate and could be unsafe to breath. The cloth would help before Raven got her magic involved to make it safe if she found there was a problem beyond.

  When Jace finally got the door it didn’t swing like most do, instead there was a grinding, whirring noise as it slid down into the floor. A puff of dust spread from the tiny gaps the door slid into, filling the air for just a moment. Beyond the door, more ramp lead into the silent depths.

  The other floors had at least some life to them. The faint buzzing of insects. The far off squeaking of rats. This passage had none of that. It was a place where nothing had moved in over a thousand years.

  The air was very stale but it did not seem that it was anything that a few minutes of standing in the old mess hall wouldn’t help. Jace was in the lead once they got moving, going slow. The upper ramps had already showed them that traps had once been set. They had likely been triggered either by the burrowmaw or something else that had used the burrow tunnel to get in. Such creatures had not gotten past that door though, so further traps were less likely to have been sprung.

  After a few false stops, Jace finally found a trap near the landing of floor five. As much as the group wanted to keep him safe in case they were wrong about nothing lurking in the dark down there the rest of the part backed up to the turn in the ramp as he worked just to be safe. When they did get the all clear, Raven heard Jace’s whistle before she saw him again.

  “This is amazing!” He remarked, shining his light around at what looked like piles of junk. She took his word for it as she started her own search. Stone slabs covered in metal bits filled the space. As she looked closer at the metal though she finally understood what made the [Tinker] so excited. Copper cogs, almost perfectly preserved, littered the area.

  “A sealed workshop!” Jace said, excitement clear in his voice. “Everything looks perfect still! We’ve got the mother load here. The Engineering Guild will pay big for all this. If there are any surviving documents we need to do what we can to preserve those.”

  Raven looked again at the place, seeing it for the money the human did. The cogs might as well be piles of gold coins. They’d have to be careful though, do what they could not to damage their hall. She turned back to Jace. “Perhaps take a sample for now, continue our exploration of this place, and come back after? We have first right of salvage of this location. Until we turn it in with the guild we can come back for a second trip.”

  That sounded reasonable to her. They had bags they could stash most normal equipment in but delicate things like these? No, they should clear the place out, hire some transport help and come back before turning in the quest. She heard him make a long sigh as he pocketed a few of the gears. “Yea,” He said at last, “You’re right. If we just dumped these all in a bag it might damage them. This is fine exacting work and I wouldn’t want them damaged.”

  ———————

  The fifth floor was dedicated to building. In one of the rooms Raven found her first real magic artifacts. An air purifier between two doors. It was for a foundry where metal was refined and poured into molds. She didn’t want to pry it off the wall but marked the artifact in her notes. The job was to leave the walls intact after all, though not every group heeded the order.

  Jace practically jumped he was so giddy with each new discovery. “Gear molds!” He cried out in joy, peering down at one of the tables. “We cannot let this break. Do not touch it. We will come back for it when we can move it safely. This is worth even more than those gears, combined! Well, almost combined. With it they can make new gears more easily, if they have the right alloys.”

  Raven wasn’t sure what the [Tinker] was going on about but trusted that it was worth a lot as long as it was intact. That was all that mattered in the end. He had a notebook out sketching their discovers right as Raven was making her own notes about the enchantment in the room. It was as she was finishing that she noticed what was likely a desk far away from the forge. It was stone, carved with various notches and inside those were scrolls. She knew better than to touch them as she put her own notebook away after adding this discovery to her list.

  “We should probably come back here with the library’s reconstructionist. They’ll know how to handle those scrolls properly.” She said, causing Jace to whip around.

  “Raven, we’re going to be so rich after this if they contain what I hope they do. I know I keep saying that but it has been a dream to see these kind of artifacts. It was rumored that at the end of the Amber Empire they’d cracked such wonders. Hells, some are thought to still roam the land out near Varcalis, but it has never been recreated. Now we just might have the tools!”

  The paracrest continued to feel lost as the human spoke. It was like he was having half a conversation with her since she couldn’t figure out what he was talking about. “Enough to travel with, get better equipment, that sort of thing?”

  “If this is all the wonders here than yes. If it has more each of us could retire from the adventuring world if we wanted.”

  “Good.” Veshy called out, coming into the forge room, “It should be enough wealth for my sister and I to find good homes after this for our year of recovery.”

  Raven studied the orath. More things she did not understand, but this one she didn’t want to let go of. “Recovery?” She inquired. There were small breaks along Veshy’s shell that were not there before. Injuries that the burrowmaw had put on them. The [Fighter] hadn’t complained so the paracrest thought she was fine. Isky had some too, having been battered by the creature while protecting Jace from lethal harm.

  “Yes. My sister and I both have broken shells, which means it is time to molt them and be in a home for a year. We will take what most cultures call a husband, one each, and recover in their homes. With money we can ensure that who we pick will be the best and not have to settle.”

  A husband for a year? Orath were quiet different, not just in looks but in culture. Then she realized that it meant the Seeker sisters would be leaving after this quest. And there was a good chance Jace would leave too. She might be alone again, since she still wanted to move to Dacathus full time. Well then, she’d just have to talk Mazen into joining her here. The engineering guild seemed like the place to get a new working arm for him. She had no wish to retire right now, even if they ended up with enough money to found a new guild.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  ———————

  Raven’s thoughts went back to the library once more as they got down to the sixth floor. It was like a small library of several rooms to itself. Desks with more scrolls. Collapsed books in rows on shelves alongside much sturdier stone and metal squares. And then there were the artifacts. In the furthest room on this level Raven found several magical repositories. They were spherical with various capabilities, storing information, even voices and images. Very expensive and magically delicate. The Scholar’s Hall would pay a lot for them. She made sure they were in her bag before Jace worked on the next door.

  That one, unlike the one for the fifth or sixth floors, was trapped and much harder to deal with. So much so that after an hour Jace stepped back. He wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to the others. “I’m afraid this door is too much for me. The good news is, that if there are dangers behind that door they can’t get out either. Hopefully the guild will pay us out for that.”

  “Ats this rate our guilds dues mights covers the pays.” Isky commented. “I agree thats we should come backs with people who can transports the delicate things safely. For a cuts.”

  To Raven that sounded like a good plan. “I’ll go by the library and explain what we need. We can offer a bonus on any profits on the scrolls to the library along with a tiny share of the remaining to whoever helps. Maybe do the same for whoever helps with the gears and mold?”

  “Agreed.” Veshy turned back to the up ramp. “Let us take the metal salvage from the upper floors and sell that for the seed money to hire help. We can then use the future sales to pay them more.”

  ————

  When I next saw Raven she came into the library around midday as I was putting books onto shelves. She seemed to be in a heated conversation with Marigold as I worked. My sensitive ears picked up some of it, something about a delicate touch and another expedition. They must have found something good in the ruins.

  Before I could drift closer to the conversation my boss spoke up, “Hey Ramjack, come over once those books are put away.” I was slightly worried that she might be mad that I was listening in. I hadn’t meant to but I have more sensitive hearing than most around here and even when someone is talking quietly I can usually hear them across a room.

  Shelving the last book I headed to the front desk, ears a bit flat in concern. “Yes ma’am?” I asked tentatively.

  “Go and fetch Tick please. We have some interesting work ahead of us all.”

  I was relieved that I was not being scolded for listening. With ears still flat I moved as fast as I could on the stairs, calling out “Tick!” As I got to the bottom.

  Her antenna whirred, spinning without turning her head. ~Yes? Why so agitated?~

  “Oh, sorry, Marigold just wanted me to fetch you. There’s an adventurer upstairs and I think she probably found something that needs the library on her latest quest.” I couldn’t help but sound like a giddy kid, the nervousness turning into anticipation. My ears even went back up as I waited for the terrisian to face me.

  The diligent woman set her tools aside before rising slowly to her feet. I rarely saw her not seated at the desk and it was easy to forget just how tall she was. Her main set of eyes had to look down to meet mine. ~Very well, if she thinks it is that important to interrupt my work here I shall go see her.~

  She lead the way back up the stairs as I took my time, regaining my composure. Tick stood there behind Marigold’s desk, all four arms folded as she fixed her gaze on the adventurer. I stood next to her, waiting for whatever would come next.

  “Good. Now Tick, I know your current jobs are important down there but they can wait. The adventurers found an old Amber Empire bunker, mostly intact, including the record rooms. The records will need to be removed and brought somewhere safe as soon as possible. The floor in question has been made safe by the adventuring team but they will be there just in case.”

  “We also have some other help assisting us on the floor above.” Raven told us, “We found an intact workshop full of old tools still in good shape. My team has agreed to pay fees upfront for the transport as well as split some of the profits of any sales of the records level artifacts. I also imagine the library will benefit from being able to transcribe the surviving scrolls, books, and such.”

  I was glad that Marigold could not say no to this deal. She instantly jumped at it, offering both Tick and myself for the project. Tick had skills that would let her handle fragile scrolls and the like while my [Perfect Transcription] would be able to quickly write down anything I saw that might be too difficult even for Tick’s skills to save.

  ——————

  There was a whole crew heading with us to the bunker. Tick and I from the library alongside several members of the Engineering guild. I really needed to educate myself more on the guild system around here as I didn’t know one existed. They were talking excitedly about the gears their guild had already been presented with and the chance to acquire a working mold to make more. That was very old technology back home and wouldn’t have the first clue how to make it work. Apparently it was a lost art here, at least of the kind they were talking of.

  “Now remember” Veshy told everyone as we started our descent down into the bunker, “The top 6 floors have been cleared of dangerous traps and creatures. One of the floors had become a den for a burrowmaw and its body and entry hole have been sealed. Jace will open the doors to the lower floors so we can work. We need to get as much as we can but as per the terms of our quest we cannot break walls so nothing nailed down ok?”

  The orath gave clear instructions. I had some of my own from the library. I was to copy down writing I found on walls, marking which floor they were on and if I could, which room. I wasn’t to pick things up on my own, just assist Tick in her duties. We were to go down to the sixth floor of the bunker where the records were with Raven and Veshy while Jace and Isky showed off the workshop.

  The forest had been dark those months ago when I first got to this world. This was a whole other level. I took hold of my own light stone, glad I didn’t have a sputtering torch like I might have used in a video game. Raven came to my side, pointing out the writing she had seen on the walls of the first room. ‘Protect’ was written there, along with ‘Self’. I wrote it down while holding the stone in my mouth so I could see. Not the best place for it but I was loath the let it go.

  By the time we had gotten down to the records level I was having trouble. I had never been so far down underground before. I was used to tall buildings, looking out a window to see the sky, or at least the reflections off the building across from my own. Sometimes a sky vehicle would zip by to change the view. Nothing like this enclosed dark space. Even with the light stone I had trouble seeing. Zagarieans are not known for their night vision, let alone seeing in dark spaces.

  Tick had no such trouble, her people having been forged in the undergrounds of her world. She had a light stone too in one of her lower hands, but it was more for reading than seeing where she was going. She didn’t seem to notice my distress as she started looking over her challenge.

  Raven did though. The paracrest woman was at my side, making the area brighter with her own staff. “Are you ok?” She asked softly.

  I swallowed hard, my ears flattened to my skull as I looked around at the dark shelves. “I… I’ve never been underground before. I feel… trapped.” I also don’t recall ever stuttering like that before either. My ears heated and tail dipped on top of everything else.

  Her hand rested gently on my arm. It was warm and comforting, staying there as I regained my breathing. My chest was still a bit tight as I closed my eyes. I tried to picture the archives I worked in with Tick. That was underground too but it never caused me this distress. I pictured it as I breathed in and out slowly. All the while Raven kept her hand on my arm, not saying anything.

  I did not open my eyes till the tightness reseeded just a bit. Swallowing again I stared right at the closest shelf where Tick waited with a transfer bag. She had been quiet during my panic too, letting me deal at my own pace even as she waited for my help. She had four arms but with such a delicate task she wasn’t going to risk holding the bag and taking the content of the shelves at the same time.

  Raven let go, her sail flagging as my own ears pulled up from my head. “Alright. Lets get to work.”

  With that I did my job. It helped that Tick was there, able to trick my subconscious into thinking I was just in the back of the archives. They were not too different from this. Many delicate scrolls and old books on shelves with catalog markers. That’s where original copies of things were kept if they couldn’t be repaired for public use. I wasn’t to touch anything back there but I had helped with tagging shelves with items that needed to be examined while Tick was busy at her table.

  I held the transfer bag as the terrisian used all four delicate hands to carefully take things a shelf at a time. The bags had some kind of stasis magic on them ensuring that they would be in the same condition coming out as going in. Each bag had expensive enchantments but were old, having clearly been used by the library for generations at least. I’d only seen a bag like this when I worked at the warehouse once and it had been holding some kind of eggs.

  It felt like hours passed like this. The task distracted me from the discomfort of being underground. Each bag packed needed to have its shelf marked on it so we could recreate the order if need be. I was in charge of keeping note of the order, going so far as sketching the room and the shelves and marking them with what would be tagged on each bag.

  Our real work wouldn’t begin until we got this back to the library. It could take months if not years of work to copy the scrolls. And that wasn’t all. Maybe in part to distract me as we started on the return trip up the ramps Raven told us of the spheres she had recovered as well. Magic repositories she called them. To me they sounded like private data interfaces. Something a person might keep on them outside of the world net for privacy. At first the thought of how a magical version of the world night might function kept me from realizing what she was really getting at. They had recordings, images and voices, of things from that era.

  It wasn’t until we were back outside, heading back to Dacathus that I put that all together. “Those spheres, if they have images from that era, the history professor will love it. And not just that, it might have other things. Better written accounts. Maybe schematics?”

  “Yes. I have not done more then verify they still have function. I found four of them. They might all have the same information or they might be different. I just need to figure that out before they can be sold.”

  A nearly had a jerk reaction of saying such information should be shared till I remembered that this was one of the main ways that the adventurers made their money. Also, the library was getting paid by this sale as well. “I’m sure the library would be interested in the information as well.”

  She laughed, “Yes, and if they are all the same I will be happy to sell one to the library at a deep discount. I hope to get all the sales for what we found down there done as soon as possible. I know that the Scholar’s Hall is already asking to buy any and all historical accounts in that collection. The Engineering guild wants the schematics and anything else pertaining to the copper cogs we found. We’ve already agreed to sell the ones you guys are transporting. The repositories are another matter. They are not part of the current agreements.”

  “Do you really need to sell them right away? Why not hold off till you know what is on them?”

  “The sisters are headed back to their homelands. They need the money for their recovery period. Both broke their shells. As for Jace, I don’t know if he has any big need for the money right away but I do. I need to go back to Terath, get my things and hope to convince my injured friend he should move here with me. Then use the rest of the money for us both to come back.”

  I felt I should have kept my mouth shut the moment I said anything but I couldn’t help it “Well, if you have enough for the current sales to go back and forth why not make sure the sisters get paid while Jace evaluates how much the repositories are worth? He can then send the remainder off to the sister and pay you your share when you get back.”

  She was quiet for a while after, hence me feeling like I had overstepped. I wasn’t really used to talking finances with anyone. Back home I had been saving most of what I was earning from writing, which wasn’t much. I also shared some with my folks, not that they needed extra money. It was just expected since I still had a room in their home. Much like I shared with Hestern and Lemet.

  “You know what?” Raven said at last, “That’s not a bad idea. I will talk to the others about it.”