Corvayne felt Nyxion had a knack for driving the truck. He suspected Grunt would be excellent at it as well, but Nyx seemed to get that with the size of the vehicle and the supposed power that Mosh had put into it, when faced with something that should stop a normal vehicle like, for example, a stream bed with six foot sandy banks, you just had to go fast enough that the relative drop didn't matter to the momentum you had. In that way, he had established the route back by battering the truck through the soil and forming his own set of ramps. Needless to say, the card players in the back were not thrilled the first time he did this with no warning.
“Front end what's the situation!?” Lady Blood Claw called out via radio.
Corvayne could see Nyx smirking from his seat beside him. “Speed bump. Over and out.”
The village girl guiding them, Kirae, had a look between alarm and wonder at the truck. “I thought you'd get this thing stuck.”
Nyx looked to Corvayne. “Did she need us to turn sooner?”
“No. She just is surprised, as most of us are, that a shallow stream wasn't the ultimate end to the truck.”
Nyx shook his head. “Tell our temp worker mere rivers will not stop this... the... this beast.”
Corvayne didn't bother passing it on, instead heading out the back of the cab and scaling the ladder on the middle section to check and make sure Wick was still strapped into her chair above. She saw him and gave a thumbs up and big smile, so Corvayne hurried down and got inside as Nyx started speeding up. Realizing what was about to happen, Corvayne activated gravity and planted himself on the ground, standing upright through the ensuing twin jolts as Nyx threw them down another embankment then plowed through the other side.
Mosh came on the radio then. “Hey Lord Clownly! I'm going to have to check the whole freakin' truck for damage! I hope you enjoy playing errand boy for a few hours when we stop!”
“Copy that Chief mechanic Mosh. Given the circumstances, I can't possibly get in more trouble if we try a third time?”
Corvayne quickly scrambled into his seat and this time applied his power to the whole truck, causing it to hit the other side in one massive bump instead of two. He could swear he heard the engine make a funny noise, but it also might have been a low sound of distress from the village girl gripping the dashboard with one hand and her seat belt with another, knuckles nearly white.
From the bed in the cab he could hear Seru wooping, clearly enjoying the ride. Gary's voice came on the radio. “Oh man! That was sick! Do you think this juggernaut goes through walls?”
Nyx slammed his hand on the dashboard. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a name! The Juggernaut!”
Scattered applause from Seru and whoever was hiding up in the other bed.
Corvayne cleared his throat. “I'm glad we thought of a name right before you total it, Nyx.”
The exiled noble flicked his hand dismissively. “Pfft. I'm just getting us there faster.”
The Source was visible a few minutes later, at first an unimpressive lump on the horizon. It was only three streams and twenty minutes of driving later that the form started to grow, and eventually it dominated the landscape, which was increasingly made up of shallow streams. Thankfully, the ground was harder and so the rocky crossings were pretty smooth by the time they passed the first toppled walls, black piles of stone growing out of the brown and yellow of dirt and scrub grass. The Source itself was dark stone as well, a mix of obsidian blacks and the wet red of what must have been part of a mesa the entire place was built from. Or an entire mountain: Corvayne guessed the structure was several miles around.
From afar it didn't look man made, but up close there was no mistaking that it was made from a jumbled mass of blocks and pillars, many of them collapsed and spewing out water to cascade down the sides. In places he could see shockingly green moss flanking the outflow of water, a patch of color and life in what otherwise was an imposing ruin.
Most of the group took the stop as a sign to get out. Wick, having the high ground, whistled and called everyone but Mosh, Nyx, Varia and June to one side of the truck. Those four were already laying out tools and working on removing a small boulder from the front bumper.
Wick, for as small as she was, had been blessed with a loud voice. “Okay listen up! We are going to make 2 groups who go in, a third who stays with the truck. Who wants to stay with the truck?”
Grunt raised his hand, as did Horton.
“Fine, Grunt you get up here as lookout, Horton help fix shit or get some rest.”
Wick looked around.
“Okay, groups are, Me, Corvayne, Hari, Gary, Seru, Brines. Corvanye ask if Kirae wants to go in or stick with the truck.”
Gary pumped his fist. “YES! Cool kids group!”
Everyone stared at him but he ignored them and ran over to Corvayne, practically bouncing and waving his hand around for a high five. Corvayne held his hand out and let Gary slap it, then with a finger directed his unasked-for disciple to pay attention.
“Other group: Lady Blood Claw, Spears, Ears, Reaper, Bearer, Mister I.”
LBC mused. “I think we've discovered a one Mosh problem. We have two people who are trained to Mend but one of them also fixes the truck.”
Mister I smiled. “Wouldn't that be a one Mosh one Monk problem?”
Wick nodded. “I've been working on a trick with my magic but it's rough, which is why I took the two people least likely to get hurt exploring, and a bunch of people who they can probably carry out.”
Hari still looked ill, having been made to take Mister I's miracle hangover cure again. Whatever that was, it looked like it's own effects were worse than the ailment it was made to address. Corvayne resolved to never get drunk again, especially if there was an operation coming up.
Corvayne went up to their guide.
“Kirae, you can come with us if you really want to, but otherwise we figure you'd be fine staying inside our Truck.”
She thought about it. “What's my split of anything we find?”
Corvayne glanced at Wick. “What's her split?”
“One seventh. She can go with either group.”
Corvayne translated for her. Kirae listened, thought about it, then started looking at both groups. She pointed at Lady Blood Claw's group. “Someone there can translate?”
Hari rubbed her head, eyes carrying dark circles. “What the hell, where's your loyalty?”
“Always go with the... more interesting group of adventurers, they are probably stronger. Thanks, good luck!”
Wick looked puzzled. “I thought our groups were pretty even, HEY! Tell me why she's going over there.”
Hari spoke for Corvayne. “She picked the weirder group.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Wick nudged Corvayne. “Take off your workout pants.”
“Do I have to?”
Wick snapped. “Yes! I want the local guide with me!”
“Then why even ask her what she wanted to do?” Corvayne sighed. He yanked his pull-away workout pants off, revealing the bright red Jam-Jammies to the world.
Kirae possibly broke some sort of land speed record wheeling back, as she already shaking Wick's hand. “I'll be in your care.”
“I'll have you know these are an artifact.” Corvayne said dryly.
Kirae nodded. “Obviously Sir Adventurer. Why else would someone wear something like that?”
Corvayne didn't think he cared much for his own pride, but he felt a little better that she got it. The groups took devices from Mosh to help 3D map the ruins, and a pair of high powered radios. There were two entrances, with LBC leading her group to a lower one across a flooded plaza, and Corvayne taking a steep rocky path near a waterfall. He was treated to a moss and tree draped covered terrace, water flowing over stonework to form the falls as it fell through ruined stone railings. The smell of damp mixed with the scent of something like mint, perhaps one of the hardy plants growing from the rocky terrace.
Wick tested the radio and make sure everyone was on the same channel, then tucked it into a belt she was wearing over her robe. “Magic communication should be on our list. Right up there with arcane Wi-Fi so we can browse the net on the road.”
Gary added. “Uh, but you'd probably have a set of items and you'd probably have to drive back to Cascadia to get on their network. At least, if it wasn't just a 'wish' artifact.”
Corvayne tuned out Wick's response, instead splashing over to the railing and looking out at the arid landscape, trying to ignore a bit of chilly water soaking through his ankles. There were hints of ruined walls stretching at least a mile out, a few jutting mesas, and dark lines where streams flowed, with a few showing hints of green.
He just let his eyes play over the land, then froze when he caught movement. Black shape. A few miles off. He caught it again, impossibly far from where he first saw it. He was pretty sure it was skittering. He only relaxed a little as he watched for another few seconds and saw it wasn't bee-lining for him. Whatever it was, it was faster than the truck but not kicking up dust as it moved.
“Wick, got binoculars? I think I see it.”
He ignored her yelp and kept tracking the thing. It was not bipedal, for sure. It had a flat outline. As he watched, it's color changed and he only spotted it a brief moment before he lost track of it.
“I didn't see it!” Wick whined a little, clearly more excited to see the monster rather than the potential threat it was.
Corvayne tried to guide her to where he thought it might go. “Dark. Low to the ground. Can change color. Skips distances. Might be like Argyle was.”
“Well, you have experience fighting him.”
“This thing has a higher continuous speed. Also, Argyle killed us in a moment of inattention. All of us.”
Wick wiggled a finger. “They threat level we've seen is taking out lone people and goats. If it's you vs the monster, I'd bet on you every time.”
Corvayne looked around. “I feel like honestly, UFOs and everything aside, we should have skipped this place.”
Hari was huffing. “I would have liked to... hah... wait a day.”
Corvayne helped her stand upright. “Sorry we keep upsetting your stomach.”
“It's not you... it's the stupid quack doctor.” Hari frowned and glanced back to where the other group was no doubt heading in.
Wick patted them on the shoulder. “We need to be here. I feel like the UFO was a sign. And I got a feeling that if we DON'T go in, we'll regret it.”
Corvayne nodded. “Okay. I trust you Wick. I'll take point. Hari, can you watch our back? Gary, up front with me. Brines stick with Wick. Seru in the back with Hari.”
“Yeah!” Seru happily started patting Hari's back, and the elf had to hold a hand up.
“Please don't rock me.”
Seru looked concerned. “I'm not going to get a back full of desert porcupine quills?”
Wick laughed. “Not unless you start making out with Hari.”
Seru shook her head. “Don't swing that way. Also, she's pretty close to throwing up. Honestly Hari, just get it over with, you'll feel better.”
Hari flipped a segmented staff open, locked it, and used it to support herself. “Seru, please.”
Brines couldn't help but put his hands on his hips. “Instead of drinking so much, maybe have a fruit smoothie?”
Hari glared at him and Brines moved to take cover behind Wick. “Miss elf if you eat natural you'll feel really good, trust me...”
“I'm an elf, what is you think I've eaten for my whole life? Salad, salad, and salad! Ahhh.” Hari hissed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Seru rubbed her back. “I think you meant to say 'what is it that you think I've-'”
Hari turned and looked daggers at her. “You try talking and thinking in three languages with fucking hangover!”
Seru blinked. “You slipped into Elvish again.”
Corvayne had heard enough and ironically found himself glad Gary was there to walk with him as he lead the way into the ruins. Kirae followed, and Wick was calling to wait up, meaning she was on the way. The air was even cooler inside The Source, though hints of warm air sometimes flowed past him. Corvayne's boots of running were waterproof, which was good because the entire passage was a gentle stream a finger-length deep, flowing over tiles and around rocks strewn in what would otherwise be a large hall.
Gary sputtered a little and turned on a flashlight, so Corvayne stepped a few paces ahead to avoid losing his night vision. A glow ahead illuminated the first set of branching paths, a elevated octagonal space with broken stone columns supporting a vaulted ceiling above. Corvayne could see pictures above the passages, lit by glowing stone laid around the room bathing everything in blue. Someone had slashed the walls half-heartedly, but he could see images of tall figures, walking, fending off monsters, and following a road. Spinning around, he saw the mural was a sort of spiral, figures growing larger as they moved around the circle.
Wick startled him a little. “Oh, so it's a journey they kept doing, and it made them stronger? Or added more? You can see there are crowds, and the figures get bigger.”
Gary snorted. “The worlds oldest profession. Grinder.”
Hari looked confused. “I thought it was Archer?”
Corvayne folded his arms. “Bandit.”
Wick slapped him playfully, then shone her own light down the passages, and then at the floor. “The flow varies, but most of them are flowing into the room.”
“Ones flowing in should lead us up. Or do we go down?” Corvayne was sure she'd suggest up. The UFO was in the sky, it made sense you'd want a high vantage point.
Wick looked conflicted. “Up. No wait! Down. It's down.”
Corvayne raised an eyebrow. “It?”
Hari gestured. “Corvayne, Kirae... come look.”
She was by a flat stone. Someone had used it as a camp, as there was a burnt out pile of sticks there. There were also wet boot prints. Lots of big ones.
“Someone else must be here... can't be more than a few hours as the camp is warm.” Hari spoke while dipping a hand in the cool water and splashing it on her forehead.
Kirae looked between them. “Look, some of the fuel for the fire was dried goat dung... the missing girl might be here.”
Corvayne nodded. “Who else would the other boots belong to?”
Kirae looked at them. “Perhaps Bandits? Sometimes groups of men are pushed out here by the law. Most of the time they are half starved deserters who don't know a thing about living off the land, and usually we find them lost and frozen if at all.”
Corvayne frowned and related what Kirae said, spending some time looking down each passage as he spoke, looking for a hint of light. He didn't feel like he was being watched, but the number of potential dangers had just jumped up, again. “There must be at least ten, and they looked at the camp, then all went a particular way. Wick, are we going to look for trouble?”
Wick cracked her knuckles “Damn straight. They probably know where the treasure is. Or are chasing the girl. Either way, whatever I want is down.”
Brines held a finger up, looking nervous. “Perhaps they are also monster hunters, and we'll make friends.”
Wick sneered. “That's a poor theory, and coming from me that makes it pretty damn dire.”
Following the other stream leaving the room, Corvayne lead them down steps. He slowed down, as the footing with a little bit of running water was slick, and there were points where the stones had been worn smooth. Corvayne nearly fell himself when a bit of crud Mister I had missed started jabbing the inside of his arm like an angry hornet, and he had to stop, roll his sleeve up, and pull out another black shard.
“If this keeps up I am going to have my own body weight in black crystals.” Corvayne muttered.
Wick looked at the wound, and smirked. “Watch this!”
She uttered a word. “[Rewind harm]” And the bleeding stopped. Until the shard appeared again and once more stung it's way out of Corvayne. Wick looked confused. “That should have worked, it moves your physical state back in time.”
“Hence the shard was in me a few seconds ago. A good lesson for trying to use it to undo something already happening I suppose.” Corvayne now had two bloody shards. Which didn't make sense, wouldn't the spell have put the old shard back... whatever. He flicked them into the stream as the path leveled out after a long shallow decent.
“Remember if you get lost, to go upstream to that room.”
He heard either Gary or Brines (perhaps both) gulp.
“You know Corvayne, perhaps I should stay with the truck...” Brines started to speak.
Corvayne held up a hand, then started creeping forward as he spotted the end of the tunnel and a figure sitting off to the side.
Gary asked “What's the hand gesture mean?”
Wick hissed behind him. “It means SHUT UP.”
Corvayne guessed that whoever was there must have heard them anyway, but wasn't moving. A little closer and the reason was obvious; He saw that the figure was had a slit throat, as well as a hole punched into his skull. The stream flowed out of the tunnel off a ledge that circled an open space, and Corvayne could see other bodies, some bisected, others stabbed, and at least two more with punched skulls.
Hari groaned. “Dead bandits.... I bet the monster did it.”
When she said that, Gary and Brines started throwing up, which started Hari throwing up.
Corvayne could hear their guide mutter “I picked the wrong group.” and he couldn't find himself entirely disagreeing.