Crossing over the hill, I finally spot it, the entryway, marked by a blue arch, just as it was described to me, tucked within the recesses of two tan crags. Pulling my scarf tighter, I brace against the biting winter wind, hiking toward the jagged mountain peaks, snow crunching loudly beneath my feet, emerald eyes scanning the surrounding wildness, on high alert for any movements.
Fortunately, the area seems sufficiently inhospitable that no additional monsters impede my path.
Arriving at the base of the cliffs, rough rocks looming high overhead, my eyes immediately catch sight of a metallic object, buried in a frost of snow. Brushing it clear with bare hands, a silvery plate is revealed, on which is etched:
ᚵᚷᚴᚯᚪᚨᚹ ᚩᚺᚳᚬᚪᚴᚳ ᚨᚴᚷᚪ
PROJECT DUNGEON CORE
MT. WHITNEY RESEARCH CENTER
Touching the letters, I mumble softly to myself, “Finally found you.” Then reaching into a coat pocket, I pull out a small plastic card, sliding it into a slot within the silvery panel. A second later, and the letters change, reading:
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
DR. ALBERT OPPENHEIMER
As this happens, I hear a “click” sound, followed by the grinding of metal. Then suddenly, the large rock in the archway rolls aside, revealing a dark tunnel into the mountain.
Bloodstained sword still in hand, I peer inside, and with my dark vision, see that it is a short passageway into a large cavern. Entering, the area illuminates, as if by magic, revealing a ring of odd looking metallic contraptions.
Touching one, it suddenly activates, and I spend a long moment studying it, before I finally match it to something I’ve read from the Archives.
A “computer”. And the hum I hear in the background is “electricity”. And the glow in the cavern are “lightbulbs”. All Lost Technologies from before the Apocalypse. But most important of all-
My gaze shifts to the center of the room, where a large sapphire egg sits, atop a glass pedestal.
“Dungeon Core,” I mumble, and as I approach, I place a hand on its cold, crystalline surface, wondering how something so small can simultaneously destroy humanity as well as be its salvation, “What are you?”
As if in reply, the egg glows a vibrant blue, and I hear a voice echo into the cavern, robotic and monotonous, which says, “Admin acknowledged. Initialize DUNGEON CORE PROTOCOL?”
To be honest, I’ve never once cared about the fate of humanity, if it is saved or destroyed. But Athena did. And I loved her. And I suppose that’s reason enough.
I nod my head, and immediately, it feels like I’m falling, surrounded by endless darkness, what appear to be stars and entire galaxies flashing by, until finally, I’m plummeting into a black hole.
The last thing my conscious mind perceives is a glowing blue box, which reads:
[DUNGEON CORE MKII] activation complete.