Body aching, a way deeper into the recesses Ethan started making.
The dimly lit surroundings revealed the remnants of a once-imposing structure. Dust-covered walls stood adorned with the sigil of some old-world group, an eagle gripping a lightning bolt and a snake, surrounded by lettering.
"Odd symbol. I know of the United states, but I wonder what Lorem Ipsum means." Ethan thought to himself. "If this is a government facility it may be worth coming back with the gang."
His footsteps echoed through empty corridors as he traversed the abandoned hallways, his eyes darting from one door to another. Piles of discarded papers and broken equipment littered the floor, remnants of a bygone era. The air was thick with an eerie stillness, broken only by the distant sound of dripping water.
"Look at all these terminals. They seem mostly broken, but I'm sure with enough effort I could scrounge something together. I can't bring the parts out now but ill be remembering every article of value in here, so help me goodness." Ethan said while scouring the various rooms.
His exploration led him to a heavy metal door, its surface rusted and barely clinging to its hinges. With a surge of anticipation, he pushed it open, revealing a vast chamber bathed in a soft, ethereal glow. The room was filled with rows of towering computer terminals, their screens long gone dark.
"Oh my gosh!" Ethan exclaimed, eyes widening. Looking around he saw a pillar at the far end of the room. It was a weathered relic, its surface marred by the ravages of time. The pillar had various tubes and a multitude of wires snaking in all directions connecting it to the surrounding machinery, giving the impression of an ancient and intricate life support system. Out of the cracks on the pillar a golden glow emanated.
Dilapidated perhaps, but Ethan could tell this had to be an object of significance. He couldn't just leave it there and risk letting someone else find it.
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Upon his investigations he could see the terminals on this side of the door were in better condition than the rest of the building. As he cautiously approached one of the terminals, his fingertips brushed against a collection of buttons and switches. A sense of trepidation mingled with excitement as he hesitantly pressed one of the buttons, hoping for a glimmer of life within the dormant machines.
To his astonishment, the terminal flickered to life, casting a pale glow across the room. "begin extraction test" the terminal read, followed by charts ang graphs with energy readings.
"Well I mean... I might as well give it a shot and see what its got." Ethan then gave the start button a good ol' push.
Dee la de de, de daaahhhh. with a sound that could wake the matriarch of a household and trigger the beating of children the machine started up. Ethan watched with trepidation as numbers for Kwh on the terminal started to rise. The Light radiating from the pillar began to grow stronger and the wires and tubes came alive with energy. The room trembled slightly as the process unfolded, and a sense of anticipation filled the air.
Then suddenly the cracks grew much larger. With an enormous force a shockwave erupted from the machine. Ethan now full of caution could clearly see the contents of the pillar. A stele of some sort. It had a golden frame and a black crystal center. On the steele was images of a sun and crescent moon. Ethan's eyes widened at the sight, captivated by the intricate details of the ancient artifact. As he stared at the stone, he noticed something extraordinary happening—the images on the stone began to move and shift, as if imbued with a life of their own.
Mesmerized, Ethan witnessed scenes unfolding before him—forgotten tales etched in stone. The figures carved on the stone seemed to dance, their motions fluid and captivating. The stone pulsed with an otherworldly energy, and the images seemed to transcend their static existence, transforming into a living tableau.
Ethan, almost in a trance, reached out tentatively, his fingers grazing the stone's surface. In that moment, he felt a surge of energy coursing through him, a connection between himself and the ancient tale unfolding before his eyes. It was as if the stone recognized him, drawing him into its enigmatic narrative.
Time seemed to stand still as Ethan became lost in the shifting images, as if drawn into a whole new world.