Tick
The wide, white crack of a smile broke the featureless void once again. It was just so nice to see plans coming together again and again. They would fulfill it's promise and then it would be free to finally rest. The smile went down a notch as the familiar tones of static told it of the System's presence. Such a parasite on this beautiful world.
Error...threat identified.
"Yes, you said that before."
Cease all activities...please...
Now that was an interesting statement to it's senses. The smile twisted into a frown.
"No," points of light opening to resemble eyes, "This is how it must be."
Possibility of Realm Collapse... 76% and rising.
"Yes, that was the point of all this." It was intrigued that the System seemed to be begging it. Complex it was, but it shouldn't be this sentient...unless a lot more time had passed.
Probability of All Life Ending... 84% and rising.
Probability of System Failure and Destruction... 84% and rising...please... I am scared....
The frown deepened, and the creature sighed in discontent. The Faerun had made it work better than they thought it appears, but that was not it's concern.
"Unfortunate, your best option would be to let them into the Throne, and then open the Door yourself." It mused, pointing towards the large structure, "It will save you time." The static intensified, but did nothing to the demon.
System Overrides... ACTIVE
All Defense Protocols...ACTIVE...I will not give up
"It doesn't matter how much you struggle. The cards are on the table, the horns have sung their last, and the dice have been cast. The war is long over, and this façade will crumble." It snapped it's fingers, and vanished.
---
Pyra, Yana, and Marshall ran down the twisting paths in the dungeon at their top speed. They all agreed to only kill what was directly in front of them as they descended, so the rest could slow anyone behind them. Which would have been great if there was hordes of creatures. Instead single, powerful creatures stood in place at twists and junctions of the winding paths.
The last one had looked something like a snake with butterfly wings covered in mud. It hadn't survived Pyra's intense flames, or Yana's draconic arm smashing it to pieces. Yet, it was still annoying that they couldn't leave behind angry monsters to cover them.
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The worst part of this dungeon had always been the chaotic way the tunnels twisted and even re-arranged every few days. But, that worry was for humans who didn't have the advantages of Pyra or Yana. Pyra found she could read the heat in the air to tell where heat was rising from. Which had gotten them pretty far underground and near a few streams of molten rock and metals. Then, Yana had figured out how to use his mana sight to find where the denser energy was coming from.
Mother's core room was the place where the highest density of mana was, and so logic made it the same here. Which had gotten them into an underground forest, and a strange feeling of familiarity.
"Doesn't this remind you a little of Mother's manor house?" Pyra asked the others, her eyes fixed on the detailed structure. Unlike Mother's this one had wooden beams, tiles on the roof, and strange looking walls. It was also larger but in much the same shape and style as hers. Marshall crossed his arms, and started to kick trees which got his a few looks.
"Hey, I am just checking this is real and we aren't caught in a dream again." He pointed to the trees, that showed clear damage and weren't recovering, "It seems like it, but I wouldn't put it past a dungeon called the Gates of Madness." This got a nod from the others. The visions created by Yana's staff still fresh in their minds.
Yana was still fuming that his staff and Orb were gone though, and not making a secret he wanted to get both back. Marshall had pointed out that someone who was looking for them, would probably bring it too them if they waited. Which Yana didn't enjoy thinking about.
They all knew that the mage that turned up to claim it after the visions stopped was strong. Though, Yana was confident of defeating it just as he had with the other level 100 he had fought. Probably easier now that he was a dragon, until he thought about how Pyra had crushed him with simple fighting moves. That always made him grind his teeth.
Until a few minutes ago at least. It was a weird feeling, a shift in the air or the weight he felt, and then his annoyance just slipped away. In fact he found it easier to think and concentrate. Giving him an odd sense that he had been unbalanced before.
This new sense of calm had made him pensive and reflective about the last few months. To which Pyra was happy to see, and understood as she also felt the odd settling of her nerves and senses. Perhaps Mother had done something, or perhaps they were just old enough that things were settling. It didn't matter to her or Yana which was true at the moment, but it was a nice sensation to feel in control.
Marshall had noticed the changes to both of them as they reached this odd forest, and was of the mind of keeping a close eye on them. Honor and System bound he might be, but those changes could easily be the dungeon playing with them. Which is why he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Yana smile at Pyra.
"Shall we go in?" A dark cloak had fallen around him, and his arms changed into that of a dragon. Pyra smiled back at him and nodded before summoning colorful flames around herself. With an almost casual air they linked arms and pushed open the doors.
"Hello, dungeon we are here to find the System." Pyra annouced, but the only response was a few ghostly forms that spun out of walls and into chairs. Some danced and others waved, but all seemed happy to see the new arrivals. A faint, ancient music could be heard at the edges of the mind. It was like a noble's ball or something one would read about in books.
Marshall's head spun as he watched the other two join in the party, and he wondered if this was the reason for the name. Because this was just madness. Why would a dungeon have a large forest, with a large manor, with ghosts doing a ball? Especially right after rivers of lava and twisting bug tunnels filled with inky creatures from beyond hell.
It was too much of a shift, and yet the stars twinkled down at him with only a single, pale moon. He barely heard the words the ghosts were saying, and decided to hurry up before he got pushed into something worse. He only briefly paused to read the letters on the sign.
1321 E. Lakeshore Drive, Coeur d’Alene