The quiet of the Sirens Belt felt unsettling. It wasn't calm; it was emptiness. No breeze sung through the ravine no faint sounds of off creatures not even the buzz of their own gear managed to break the dense stillness. Sierra guided them down an uncovered trail of smooth rock her steps tight, with tension.
"Lorelei isn't gone " she whispered, her tone loud. "Simply… silenced. The quiet envelops her like a veil. Yet her bodily protections remain active."
The gateway to Glitterdelve stood as a testament, to the opulence before the fall—a blast door crafted from shaped alloy camouflaged as a cascade of light currently watched over by six vigilant Keth'rak warriors their gaze piercing the recently quiet path.
"An outright attack is loud " Morgan murmured, watching the guards. ". Valentina anticipates a spectacle."
"I'll sketch them " Cassiathon declared. The emptiness left by producing the message disappeared substituted by the now-familiar wound-up strain of the inner ceasefire. "Not to battle. To observe."
Before anyone could object he emerged from the canyons shade. Strolled serenely toward the entrance his palms facing outward at his sides.
The sentries immediately stood at attention raising their weapons. They identified him.
"Stop, Abysswalker!" the commander shouted, its tone a rasp.
"I'm looking for Valentina " Cassiathon shouted, pausing twenty yards off. "She asked me to come don't forget? Let her know I'm fed up with the mountain breeze."
It was a imprudent move. Yet it succeeded.
The guards exchanged signals quietly with two entering through the door. The other four maintained their weapons aimed. Their attention was fully, on him. They were experts. Also intrigued. The Queens treasure, stepping willingly into their hold.
Sierra advanced from the canyon face. Of firing a single shot she made several precise measured tosses. Glass spheres, containing a gel crafted by Celeste broke upon the guards feet. The gel did not detonate; it expanded into a noise-muffling mist infused with a potent non-fatal neuro-inhibitor derived from deep-sea sponges.
The sentinels stumbled, their cries swallowed by the fog. They shot aimlessly energy blasts sputtering uselessly in the haze.
Morgan and Sierra rushed out from shelter employing taser-prods to immobilize the stunned demons with precise quiet blows. Within fifteen seconds the entryway was free.
"Classy " Morgan smiled, stepping past a sleeping guard.
"Tanias formulas " Celeste mentioned as she appeared holding a compact spray container to clear the lingering haze. "She's been comparing -fall biochemical knowledge with alchemical traditions. Named this one 'Quietus Mist.'"
They entered the entrance into the heart of Glitterdelve. The inside presented a contrast: the smooth lavish design of a billionaire's doomsday shelter now covered in Abyssal flags and illuminated by hovering spheres of purple fire. The quiet of the Belt was absent here; the atmosphere buzzed with running machines and far-off deliberate footsteps.
Valentinas voice resonated from concealed speakers, smooth, as always. "Welcome. I have to say, eliminating Lorelei with … imaginative finesse was surprising. Please make your way to the atrium. I've commanded the automated defenses to deactivate. Temporarily."
"It's a snare " Sierra declared plainly her gun sweeping the hallways.
"Obviously," Cassiathon said, leading the way. "But it's the only game in town."