A few days had passed since Grayson had left with Alex and Kupa to fight off the impending,supposed invasion from Gladya. As to be expected things fell still and calm as a power space formed in the land. It was a privilege to be able to live freely yet again. For many nothing had even changed,other than the legend of a man running amok.
By now Diane and her platoon had arrived at the Golden Computer's temple,at a blizzard whipped peak. She looks up to the temple,then to a map with carefully detailed instructions of what to do.
"This is suicide..." Diane muttered.
"Whats the matter in being gloomy about it?" One of the teammates asked.
"It matters when you have something 30 times your size waiting to send you to the heavens. Thankfully this thing is some kinda golem that sleeps during blizzards. Legends say that the computer controls the weather timing,so we will need to be careful..."
A deep,low bellow emits as the group finds
cover among the trees and rocks. A very large,tall,black and purple creature loomed.
"Ho. Ly. Shhhhhit-" Another teammate comments..
"Keep your voice low..."
The creature was near monumental,yet small enough to comfortably patrol the peak. Purple fires emitted from varying vents on the creature's slender body,dancing in the gentle wind as it trailed behind Its source. Its footsteps echoed deeply as it patrolled nearby,the land surrounding the temple had become flattened and gravelly from years of the creature's relentless pacing,but the temple had become overgrown.
The creature zones out as a snow storm approached,its purple colored flames fading,and emitting stoney crackles.
With that the group scrambled out onto the flat land. The crunch of gravel,under the cover of swift and aggressive wind filled the air,though only for so long.
The blizzard fell to a near standstill suddenly.
"Find cover!"
They scrambled for the few large rocks they could find,hiding as deeply as they could into the cracks as the titan resumed patrolling with a deep growl. As everyone waited,the deep and even footsteps and occasional bellow made for an eerie ambience.
The group remained quiet,awaiting the grace of the Blizzard's return. For many hours they could only wait..
Kisses of frost began to develop on their armor..
The creature passed near the gathering of rocks,almost suspiciously. As it came to stand there it began zoning out again,it's fires dimming yet again as the blizzard passed back through. It emitted its sounds of falling still..
The group scrambled for the temple,only a very brief run away,though as quickly as the blizzard had come,yet again it stopped,exposing the group to the titan.
"SHIT! GOGOGOGOGOGO!!!!!"
The group began fleeing for the temple as the creature emits a loud roar,beginning to chase them,trying to trample them under it's foot. Diane and two of her troops made it in,the third tripping on a rock and coming to a sliding hault.
She rolls over to be quickly trampled with a deep rumble that shook the mountain...
It fell silent as the mourning winds of the mountains quickly whipped around yet again,allowing the group to make up for lost time to take cover in the temple...
"Wait.." Diane ordered,coming to lean on a wall to catch her breath. She turns to count her heads..
"1..2..wait..where is Nala?'
The group looks at her solemnly...
"She....didnt make it in time. She was trampled.."
"I...She'll resurrect soon...back home..I hope...In the meantime we can't lollygag. The Titan now knows we are here,it'll only be a matter of time before it tears the temple apart."
The group kept moving,treading deeper into the temple,and into the dark..
A member of the team,Pyrra,lights a fireball in her hand,exposing 'ancient' depictions of The War of Krubis' legend painted on the walls. She began reading the story aloud;
"A very long time ago,Man and Woman lived in an everlasting,highly satisfying peace,without war,or famine. One was free to do as they pleased short of criminality or immorality,and all were permitted the privilege of true freedom in that oath. One day,an End Queen,the first to intrude our lands,came to discover this realm. She established a crude ruling,one that began driving the wedge between our species,by simply restricting the respective jobs by gender. The public narrowly rejected her ruling,when she launched into a tyrannical campaign that raged through the land,one that swept up those unruly few into ruling alongside her. The war that ensued was violent,and claimed almost all living males before a decade's end. Immorality spread faster as men had grown to become near extinct,possibly cursed to be hunted.
A brief light of hope was had when a magical sanctuary was built to protect the male population againt the Queen's tyranny. It too was snuffed out,and turned into a prison for the criminally condemned. Just like that,the male species vanished. The Golden Temple was erected as a final memorial to a gender now aligned with the past. The Queen attempted to send a titan to destroy it,though the magic and technology prevented this. The Titan now waits,ever patiently for the Temple's barrier to fall. In the depths of these tombs lay the only thing to truly restore balance,The Golden Computer,protected by 3 riddles.
The writing zoned off,until they reached a door.
"Pyrra keep up!" Diane ordered.
"Right! Right!"
They entered a room with a sand pit,and no other doors except for the entry.
A sign was seen on the far wall.
In order to traverse,you must reverse Miner's Law."
"The hell does that mean?" Diane asked.
"What's the one rule of thumb in being a Miner?" Pyrra asked.
"Don't dig straight down?" Diane answered.
"There are shovels over here!" A soldier said.
"All right. Lets get digging,then. Mind the fall if we fall." Pyrra said as she grabs a shovel with the rest of the group.
They began digging,forming stairs to climb out if it was a dead end. The pit emits sounds of strain over time as the sand was dug up..
"Uh...Diane..?"
"Yeah,Gene?"
Before anything could be said,a shovel was heard striking sandstone,followed by the collapse of the sandbox.
The sand cushioned the falls of the group,with Diane the last to fall through. Once they were free,they began dusting themselves.
"Ugh...im gonna be having sand in my hair for weeks.." Pyrra gently groans.
"Be glad it's not soul sand.." Gene comments.
Diane was already exploring the dim room,their only light being the torches of the previous chamber. On the far side of the room,in the darkest corner was a dark oak sign,with orange writing.
Survival starts with a handshake and smile.
Diane runs her hand over the sign before looking around the room. Something muscular was rising from the sand with glowing red eyes...
"GET OVER HERE!!" Diane warned,though a touch too late. Gene was smacked to one side of the room as the rest of the group bolted for Diane.
The Golemesque creature roared as it broke free of the sand,revealing that it was a male iron golem. He paused as they regrouped...
They were scrutinized by the large being...
"Why do you sully our sacred grounds,females?" It growls,looking to Diane..
"(So thats how it feels..man I feel kinda sorry for Grayson..)" Pyrra muttered.
Diane struggled to find an answer as she was interrogated by the being. The Golem falls to his fists,approaching with some speed before getting in her face,"Answer me. Now."
"W-we have been sent by Grayson the Last on a pilgrimage to retrieve an artifact called The Golden Computer. He needs it to get home."
The creature growls..
"That soldier over there. What is her name?" He asked,pointing to the motionless soldier he had hit.
"G-gene..."
"That soldier threatened your plans. She was not fit to grace the temple...Nor should you..if you weren't honest.." He said as he approached Gene,picking her up and setting her in a cell.
"You should know.."
Diane looked down slightly..
Pyrra put a hand on her shoulder..
"Then...We wish to make amends on behalf of the females." Pyrra said,stepping in front of her commander.
The golem turns to her,approaching to loom over.
"The Test of Hands. Give me your hand." He said,extending his hand..
"M-mind telling me what that is..?" Pyrra asked..
"The Test of Hands is a return of pain,and a test to your honesty. All you have to do...Is endure."
Pyrra puts her hand into his,forming a firm handshake. The Golem began to slowly squeeze her hand...
"Your apologies ring of truth. This is simply a proof of change...A test requested of me to prevent the theft of the Artifact."
Crunch
"I-i know....It hurts t-to face the consequences.." Pyrra groans,as the hand tightened,turning her fingers red and beginning to fold her hand.
The golem gives a VERY firm squeeze before releasing her...
"You pass. The riddle of the next chamber awaits you."
Pyrra gently grasps her wrist as she looked to Diane..
"Come on...we have a device to retrieve.." Diane said as she led Pyrra into a dark hallway..
There was a yellow glow at the end of the tunnel,which turned into an almost blinding room of quartz and gold,well lit by glowstone. At the foot of a godlit statue was a simple HP Laptop with gold casing. The statue that loomed depicted an armored male with sword and shield in hand,his face indecernable from his helmet. Built into the foundation was a lectern with a book.
It had a golden title,"Steve the One".
"No....fucking way....Pyrra do you know who this is?!" Diane said in astonishnent.
"Steve The One,a legendary immortal..the first human to exist here." Pyrra said,setting an uninjured hand on the statue.
"Ive read a lot about him. He and the first humans carved this world. Id certainly hate to be like him,finding out how this world went to shit.."
"Yeah we really fucked up..."
Diane carefully collects the computer,putting it in her messenger bag.
The temple's walls withdrew the glowstone lights,suspending them in near total darkness. A hall splits the statue open,revealing the room to be perfectly level with the foot of the mountain.
The remaining 2 soldiers left the temple in silence.