Zalindra sniffed the air. She could smell the vermin in here. The creature had tried to invade her territory several times, only escaping Zalindra's wrath by jumping into the river the last time. She sniffed again and saw the Cowled One lying on the table, seemingly asleep. His pet was at his feet, snoring and wheezing with each breath.

She pushed her way into the room, which was large and smelled of the old cookfires she remembered from her cubhood when her parents and the Great Ones had been in their temple. She sniffed again as the intruder's scent became fainter. The trespasser was fleeing through the small door, a passage too narrow for Zalindra to follow. She sniffed at the cowled one, then nudged the table away with her large nose until he fell onto the floor next to his pet.

Zalindra looked around and decided that this spot would do just fine. She circled twice, positioned herself at just the right angle, and then lay beside her new friend. Content and still full from the wonderful gifts he had given her earlier that day, she yawned once and then laid her head down to sleep.

***

G hears his alarm music playing, he must be late for class by now because this is the fourth song from his alarm!

Every moring when I wake up yawning

I'm still far away

Trucks still rolling through the early morning

To the place we play

Boy you'are home, you're dreaming, don't you know

The tour's still far away

Boy you'are home, you're dreaming, don't you know

You're having just

G wasn't ready to get up yet; he was warm and comfortable, and the sound of the crackling fireplace filled his ears. He was simply having a bad dream. But then he realized he didn't have a fireplace.

G spoke quietly out loud, "Tocai? Why are you playing music? I told you I'm taking a hiatus from college for now."

"G, you're awake! You need to take the ring off right now. It's affecting your mind. Let's burn it off in the fireplace," replied a frantic-sounding Tocai in G's mind.

That startled G awake, and he felt around, touching the fur blanket he was using. Wait, no, he slowly opened his eyes and saw the massive, bear-like head of the Grurenderer resting heavily on his legs. The sound of its loud snoring echoed through the small room, making him feel as though he was trapped in a cave with a wild beast.

G tried to move his legs slowly and carefully, hoping not to disturb the sleeping creature. He shifted his weight, trying to slide out from under her massive head, but the Grurenderer's head felt like a heavy boulder on his legs, making it difficult to move. The strong, musty smell from its fur was a bit overwhelming this close to it.

As he struggled to free himself, G felt a moment of terror as he realized that one sudden move could wake the massive, dangerous creature. He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm, knowing that any sudden movements could spell disaster.

With slow and steady motions, G managed to slide his legs out from under Grurenderer's head, finally freeing himself from her heavy weight. He slowly lowered her head to the ground as he slipped out. He stood up, breathed a sigh of relief, and looked for a way out. Then he saw Crewton curled up under one of the huge creature's paws as if it were a new dog bed. G cast an unsummon spell on Crewton and watched as his companion faded out of sight. The giant paw smacked the ground, and Grurenderer yawned, shifted, and then opened her eyes, looking straight at G.

G tried not to panic, realizing the paws on this creature were as wide as his chest. "It's ok; nobody needs to get hurt," said G in his calmest voice, though a tremor of fear still laced through it.

The Grurenderer slowly stood, one paw at a time. G had images of how a cat creeps up on a mouse. He closed his eyes as he realized he hadn't reset his spawn point in many days. It was still back in the supply closet in the remains of Area 51. Then something unexpected happened—the giant bear-like creature rubbed its head against his chest and the sides of its face against him, pushing him backward into the corner by the window. Not knowing what to do, he reached up and hesitantly began to pet it on top of its huge head, then moving between its ears. The massive creature seemed to enjoy it, and G, still with a face of trepidation, decided it was best to keep scratching lest the wild creature loses patience. He did this for several minutes before the creature turned, walked to the other side of the room, and sat on its rump, looking at him. It sat there like a giant panda, moving its paws around in the air.

Tocai spoke, "I think it's trying to be friendly."

"Umm… Yeah. No," he said, still more than a little terrified.

"It is trying to be friendly." Tocai paused, then his voice changed, more affirmative, "Fine, but you made me do this, G. The Grurenderer is trying to be your friend. It's a good plan if you were to also try to be friendly to it, so we can go out that doorway over there to those stairs," said his familiar.

G thought about that for a moment, feeling much better about the situation. The creature was friendly; he should make it his friend. "You're right. How could I have missed it?" Then he slowly and calmly approached the creature, touched its paw, and in a few moments, he was scratching its back as it sat there, mewing like a giant rumbling kitten. Its fur was soft and smelled of the forest.

Tocai sent a feeling of exasperation and eye-rolling. "You know what would be a good idea? You tell your new friend to stay while you go through that small door and go up those steps as fast as possible."

"Agreed, another great idea.Thanks!" Then he spoke out loud in his kindest-sounding voice, "Friend, I need you to stay here for a while. I have to see what's in that room over there."

The Grurenderer sat there on her haunches, still sitting up, watching G go through the door and up the stairs that wound their way up out of sight in the center of the stalactite tower.

G climbed for dozens of minutes before frowning and spoke, "You know, I need to get this ring off."

"Really? You think?" said Tocai with the voice of someone who was still not happy.

"Yes, I do. I think I understand what you did there, and if someone else does that, they might be able to convince me to jump off a ledge or into lava or something. The effect of the ring appears to be getting worse, not better. Strong emotion seems to override it somewhat, or I would have put my hand in the fire when you suggested it. Why would a priestess want something like this on her finger? Do you think it controlled her in the end?" he asked.

Tocai was quiet for a few more steps as G continued to climb, "Possibly, or perhaps she controlled it. Have you thought about that?"

"No, but it makes sense. Hey, can you play music now?" asked G.

"I can remember music, and I can transfer that to you, but I cannot play music. I can't even make noise," said Tocai.

"Why did you pick that playlist from college?" he asked, pausing to look up through the center opening and running up the stairs to the top.

"I tried others; they didn't work. I was beginning to think that wouldn't work either, but then you woke up," his familiar said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot something," said G as he paused and pulled out his soulbinding crystal. He looked around, walked to the outer wall of a wide step, and activated it. It pulsed once, and he set this as his new bind location. He took the crystal from the air and placed it back in his inventory. Now, if he died, at least he wouldn't have to find his way back here, a task he didn't think he could do alone and naked.

He cast See Invisible and Soundless Passage. "How many songs do you still remember?"

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"All of them," responded Tocai.

"What? Really, how many is that?" asked G.

"Almost four thousand. Your entire collection, everything you listened to on any streaming service through me, and any music video I played," said Tocai.

"Dang, what else do you remember?" he asked.

"I remember everything I had in my memory as an AI. I didn't lose any memories, although some of them are garbled now. Many of the science book's past basic things are gone or are blurry when I try to interact with them. I assume that is part of our transition. For example, I can remember how gravity works and an object's acceleration speed when falling, but when I try to compute that against, say, the gravity of a planet or mass of any size, it comes back as nothing. Not a zero; just nothing comes back. The universe is different for me now, probably more so than for you. For example, I fear to die. You have lives; even Crewton will not truly pass if you're still alive. On the other hand, I can die just by continuing to exist if I do not find a home for what I am to become." Tocai finished the last part with a bit of sadness that G hadn't heard from him before.

"Yeah, I already told you I'm going to finish this quest for you. Perhaps you should be the one wearing the ring," said G half-heartedly. Then he had an idea, "Can you use th--"

"No, I can't use the ring, or the cloak, or the mace. I've looked at all of them several times. The vessel has to be empty, I think. I suppose I'm a magical hermit crab now. We need to find something that housed great magic but is now not doing so." He paused a moment, "Of course, removing magic from an item will most assuredly destroy said item."

"Well, once we find Mirbor, we will find you something, even if I have to fight the whole city to get it," said G. He was certain he would do that, even if he died trying.

"Yes, I know, then I'll be stuck where you died, and you will be here again," said Tocai with a mental frown.

"It will work out, buddy, you will see," said G. He actually thought it would, and he didn't even think the ring was influencing that bit of thought.

"Hey, how do you think I can take control of this ring or remove it without permanently maiming myself?" he asked.

"It's magic; you know magic, your class is about magical items, and you have a potential subclass that will offer even more power over magical artifacts. That's what I know, but how to do it, I don't know," said Tocai.

"Yeah, I just need to stay alive long enough to get that subclass, then perhaps we can ask Riclos more about it. Oh man, I had forgotten about those two, Kargan is alive, and his contract is still active, so is this promise I made to Riclos. I can see them as icons. We need to find them; we said we'd meet at that crossroads from the road I was supposed to take. Then we would go find his friend in the goblin slums near the warrens. What was that guy's name again?" he asked.

"His name was Grerkag, his tavern is called The Rotten Worm," responded his familiar.

"All right then, we make for Mirbor, sneak in, and find this tavern and hopefully, Kargan and Riclos are there waiting for us. If we have to stay a few nights, we have gold now and hopefully we will find what we need in one of the shops there for you and your quest," he said. He left the other part unsaid; he would have to confront Ryan and somehow beat him, not just beat him, but end him. He had no idea how he would do that yet.

"Hey, can you play music while I walk? We must be a couple of thousand steps into this thing," he asked.

"No, it takes most of my concentration and would distract you from paying attention," said Tocai.

"Ok, we'll work on it later," said G with a smile. He sure could use a good distraction, but Tocai was right. Just hearing part of that one song from Earth made him homesick.

"Well, at least I got some sleep and a good meal, that's good, right?" he asked, still smiling.

Tocai mentally sighed, "Yes, you did."

"Yeah, and I made a friend. Sure, I'll never see it again, but it all worked out fine," said G.

They ascended the stairs, and G decided to stop every hour for a rest. He had never gone up so many stairs. He remembered taking a trip to a lighthouse on Earth that was only sixty meters up, and most of the teachers and parents couldn't make it to the top without stopping for a rest or two.

When they arrived at the final few steps several hours later, G paused. He had his two spells refreshed and was in his stealth crouch. He looked over the ledge and into the large room. He had seen the platform from below. Now from the top, G found a working platform lift hanging from a chain and a lever with a slight magic shimmer. After examining it, he was certain it would allow them to go up and down the stalactite tower without having to exhaust themselves on the stairs. It's probably what Phan took and why they didn't see any evidence of her passing on the way up the stairs.

The room had a single door leading out. It was a large stone door hung on a metal rod for a hinge. A wide lip acted as the door's stop, preventing him from seeing around the side when the door was closed. On the door was a large, simple iron bolt that could be thrown to lock the door from this side.

G carefully examined the room, finding nothing of interest. The area contained only broken, empty decayed wooden crates and a pile of dried mushroom stalks used for making fires near a cooking pit on the floor. Above the pit, a small vent tube led out of the room. It was a spartan space that may have once housed a small garrison or work team, but that must have been long ago, judging by the layer of dirt caked on the floor. G noticed a set of footprints in the dust that led back and forth from the door, likely belonging to Phan, who lived below.

Before opening the door, he listened at the crack and inspected it for any potential traps left by Phan. Finding none, he slowly pushed the door open, revealing another room with several hallways branching off. The air was heavy with dust and the scent of decay, the mustiness of old age and rotting wood. There was no lichen here, and He relied on his darkvision to see in the dim space. The air was dry and cooler than both the tower and the forest below. He paused, listening intently for any signs of movement.

Unable to detect anything physically or magically amiss, G asked his familiar, "Do you see anything special in here?"

Tocai replied, "I see dust and signs of neglect. Footprints lead to that large doorway. It has no handle or lock, which suggests they're on the other side, and the door is closed. The side passages branch off in four directions. This was likely a loading or trading center serving the tower and the forest below. Given its condition and that of the previous buildings we saw in the forest, I can only assume it's been abandoned."

G studied the carvings on the walls and doors. The doorway had the same half-octagon Tudor arch shape as the dwarven columns, indicating the dwarves of Mirbor likely created it. Several meters above him, the room's ceiling featured a ribbed arch structure with the same octagon-shaped carvings.

He approached the large door, finding a single handhold near the edge. He tried pulling it open, but it refused to budge. Phan's footprints led through this door. G attempted to pry the door open with a wooden handle from his inventory, but the sturdy oak splintered under the pressure. He then took a few steps back, inhaled deeply, and cast two Mana Bolts at the door. The heavy stone remained unscathed, save for a small discolored spot. G noticed a single hole in the door with a slight curve a few centimeters in. He attempted to cast a Whip Vine spell into the hole, but the vine vanished as soon as it appeared.

Then he took out some heavy copper wire and attempted to navigate it past the curve in the hole, but he couldn't see what was obstructing it. He tested the stone door with his palm, realizing that his mace would be useless against the thick stone.

"Alright, let's check the other passages," G suggested. He began with the leftmost one and planned to explore the others in a clockwise direction.

G cautiously entered the first passage, relying on his night vision to guide him through the rough-hewn walls and uneven floor. The passage seemed to continue for dozens of meters, twisting through the dark stone.

The passage eventually opened up into a small chamber, barely large enough for him to stand. In the center, a stone pedestal stood empty, bearing the impression of a curved rod or stick. He pondered if it could be the key to the door. He left the chamber and proceeded to the second passage.

He moved slowly to avoid tripping on the uneven floor. As he neared a bend, he heard a faint sound like metal scraping against stone. Tense, he waited for several seconds before cautiously peeking around the corner. He discovered an abandoned dwarven dormitory filled with stone furniture and beds. The mattresses had long since decayed, leaving only dust and an eerie atmosphere. He rummaged through the stone furniture, finding a brass belt buckle and a few iron nails, likely from a shoe sole. He wondered about the age of the place and continued onward, unsettled by the remnants of the long-gone dwarves.

The third passage proved more interesting, featuring octagon-shaped groin arch ceilings, resting rooms, and an old privy. G decided to take a break and sat on a stone bench, catching his breath. He surveyed the ancient furnishings, imagining the dwarves who had once lived here. However, his contemplation was interrupted by a sudden noise. He stood and stealthily listened to the clacking sound, reminiscent of wind blowing through winter trees.

He followed the faint sound, his elven ears able to discern it amid the overwhelming silence of the ancient waystation. The noise led him to the final passage, which differed from the others. A few meters in, the tunnel was blocked by a large collapsed wall, revealing a more natural tunnel—or at least one carved in a different style. He followed the winding path, his own footsteps echoing back to him like a warning as the clacking ahead ceased.

In this area, large stone sarcophagi with stone lids were evenly spaced in a vast square chamber. G mentally asked Tocai, "Is this what I think it is?"

"If you think it's a crypt, then yes," Tocai confirmed as red dots appeared on G's mini-map. G heard grating noises as some of the lids slid sideways, while others seemed to have something pounding on the inside, though the lids remained in place.

"Aw, crap," G muttered, slowly backing up, hoping that whatever was inside hadn't spotted him. But he feared it wouldn't matter as the first skeletal hand gripped the edge of an open sarcophagus, and the stone lids crashed to the floor one after another.

"Yeah, that's not good. How many?" G asked, glancing at the red dots on his screen.

"Twelve, although five of the coffin lids have not been moved off their respective tombs," Tocai informed him.

One of the skeletons sat up in its coffin. The hollow eye sockets stared into the darkness as its head spun on its bone neck and orientated on him. Its skeletal jaw opened as if to say something then it gnashed its teeth, making a clattering noise.