Ulgrin stared at his newly repaired set of armor. Patches of it were just slightly off, a shade lighter in spots.

He’d had to convince the local smiths to help him work on it. None of them were redsmiths, and they lacked the expertise to work bronze that well. Still, with his half-baked knowledge of the art, repairs were possible.

Still, it did make for an odd patch-work appearance. Something about the ratio of the alloy was slightly different, making for entire sections of differently colored armor. As much a scar as the new ones on his flesh. Would his armor be the same at the end of all of this? He wasn’t much of a philosopher.

Shrugging off the urge to consider such things, he pulled it on. Ensuring all the straps were tight, he performed a few stretches. Fit well enough. Definitely could use the touch of a master smith, but it’d serve his purposes well enough.

Leaving his room, he found his fellow adventurers lounging around.

They had suffered greatly under the effects of a massive hangover, but swiftly recovered thanks to a bit of ingenious alchemical cure by Alyss. Two days had passed for rest and recuperation. Still had plenty of leftovers. At a certain point you could only gorge yourself so much on rich draconic meat before getting sick of it.

Still, the celebration had increased their standing in the town quite a bit. Not only had the group slain a monster, they had fed them. The best way to one’s heart was through their stomach. He’d earned a hefty discount on repairs, which was nice.

“Well?” Ulgrin asked, sheathing his warhammer in its loop. “Are ye all ready?”

“Saezz has had enough waiting. He will grow fat if this goes on for too much longer.” The lizardfolk patted his belly, yet still brought a slice of freshly salted meat up to his maw.

Their drow stretched and gave a little groan. “Yeah, it’s about damn time we get out there.”

Alyss nodded in response. “My potions are done brewing. Got a few, new kinds! Those Lindwurm parts worked very well. Er. Once I figured out how to avoid poisoning myself.”

“Then let’s get out there.”

With much aplomb, the group left. Thorn was joining them this time, happily excited to experience new smells. Ulgrin left behind his fancy new steel ballista bolt, finding it far too cumbersome to bring. Still, the giant pillar had barely been dented by the strike. A testament to the makers who had left it behind.

Setting out into the forest was much the same as it had been only a few days ago. Springtime was progressing smoothly. Creatures emerged from their dens and began the cycle once again.

Morning passed, and soon so too did the afternoon.

Finding they’d made good progress, the group set about making camp. Raelza aided greatly, finding a brook for them to drink from and a nice open space, if somewhat rocky. Tents were set up and a watch established.

Ulgrin felt a deep sense of unease as the sun began to set. His own low-light vision enabled him to see far, but that meant little in the dense forest terrain. Bushes and brambles were everywhere. Something could be hiding a mere thirty feet away and he would never notice.

Dusk was the most dangerous time, as many predators were crepuscular and only active at twilight and beyond.

Darkness was their domain. Once the party had finished, they settled in for a long night. When the sun finally set and cast the world in shadow, most of them tried to get some sleep. After a short nap, Ulgrin found himself on the second watch. Straws had been drawn, and he got one of the worst.

Still, they’d practiced more than enough so far to get used to it. He cast aside his fatigue and focused on watching their surroundings.

Thorn sad by his side, the rusthound’s eyes glowing slightly. His kind possessed a magical vision that made them capable of seeing in a pitch-black tunnel. While the creature seemed wary, they were at ease. He trusted Thorn’s senses to act as another line of defense.

With only the flame of a campfire illuminating the clearing, he sat on an island of light safety. Sounds of almost alien nature filled the woods. Distant rumbling as something large disturbed the ground. As they progressed deeper into the forest, the trees had only grown larger.

Some had diameters of at least ten feet, with trunks stretching high into the sky. There was ample space between trees for large predators to lurk, now. Megafauna, the term was.

But his worrying only served to help grow future gray hairs, as the time passed swiftly. The three moons light penetrated the canopy and he awoke Alyss for her turn. With a worried heart, he went back to bed. Sleep came swiftly, as it usually did after a long day of walking and traveling.

The day dawned soon enough, leaving them no worse for wear.

Packing up camp, the group set off into the forest and continued their journey. The first sign that they were getting close was the remains of a tower.

Or at least he assumed it was a tower of some kind. The circular structure emerged from the forest floor, casting off dirt like a giant removing their blanket. Entirely made of the smooth metal they’d found in the pillar. This structure, however, had collapsed in half. Part of it had fallen to the ground, leaving only a portion still rising ten feet into the sky.

Time had weathered the insides, leaving nothing for them to find. They might have been able to find more if they dug, but that would be a future endeavor. For now, they marked it down and moved on.

Venturing forwards, it took the better part of a day to arrive at what must have been their destination.

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A sinkhole at least a mile across had formed in the forest. Ruined structures peppered and dotted its interior, most of them crumbling and in dire straights. Water pooled at the bottom, partially flooding the buildings. Younger trees grew, some partially in the almost vertical walls of the hole.

Whatever tectonic event had caused this place to form, it had exposed much of the past with it. An entire city, or at least a town. Ulgrin could see the remnants of what must have been roads, a crumbling black-stone paving clear sections and divisions. An architect had planned this place, that much was sure.

He and his party stood at the edge, staring down at least a hundred feet. Jaws agape, they took in the scene. It was an awe-inspiring sight, a testament to the past’s engineering that it had survived not only time but such a collapse. Buildings seemed formed of the same metal or in some places an entirely smooth dark purple stone.

They had collapsed in many places, but some structures remained sound. The architecture was rigid, defined. Straight lines were their forte.

Raelza suddenly let out a hiss and raised a hand. “There’s something in the ruins. Right at the center. That tree isn’t a normal one.”

Ulgrin’s eyes widened and he cast his gaze towards it. What might have been a thorny, vine covered tree turned out to be no such thing. It sat on the edge of the sinkhole’s lake, drinking up moisture. Normally one would mistake the movement of its branches as the wind, but it was a trick of the eye. Something large inside it was breathing.

Upon further inspection, he could see a brown section of carapace just beneath the trunk. “What is that?” He squinted his eyes. “Is that a crab?”

Raelza nodded. “I believe it’s a type of Fortress Crab. Normally they hollow out the remains of large creatures, or copy rock crabs and take a boulder as their shell. This one’s got an entire tree on its back.” She let out a sigh. “I don’t think it’ll come after us, but we shouldn’t go close.” A good thing, as the creature looked to be at least thirty feet tall and that wasn’t including the sprawling tree on its back. A truly massive specimen.

“Damn. That’s where most of the intact buildings are.” He grumbled in response.

Saezz gestured to the southern side of the city. “There is a cluster in that zone. Perhaps we should investigate it first.”

“Aye, it wouldn’t do to get ahead of ourselves and mess with something we can’t handle.” Ulgrin cast his gaze around the edge of the sinkhole, searching for a place to get down easier.

Finding a path, he guided the six of them to a more stable looking incline. After securing ropes and their climbing gear, the party made their descent.

It wasn’t very difficult, especially for the natural climber Wreath.

Reaching the bottom of the sinkhole, they found themselves amidst the wreckage of the past. Much of it had been ground to dust by time’s passage, but some had remained for them to find. Seeing it like this, Ulgrin felt a sense of pride well up inside him. This was what he had come for.

“Looks like I’ve made it, Grandfather.” He murmured to himself, eyes wandering over the environment. “Hope you are proud.”

Casting aside his prayers, he led the group farther in. They took a momentary break to search the inside of a ruined building. Ulgrin found an assortment of what seemed little more than junk. Metal had rusted entirely away, wood had splintered and turned to mildew, and leather had turned rotten.

Some things had lasted, though. He carefully hefted a glass receptacle. Shaped with a cylindrical base and a tapering, thin neck. What was its purpose? Vanity? It might have looked nice once upon a time, but dirt covered the purple material. How it hadn’t shattered, he had no idea. Ulgrin carefully set it back down upon the metal shelf it rested against. Later.

One of his first assessments was that this was indeed a town. Judging by the room layout, the building they had stepped into must have been residential. Or at least he assumed their ancestors slept in beds and had homes. Some things were universal, he mused. The world hadn’t changed that much.

Some metal objects hadn’t rusted, being made of the same steel alloy. Alyss hefted a small knife, similar to the kind you would use to carve wood. “Neat. I suppose the Ancients had hobbies, too?” While the wooden handle had fallen off long ago, the metal remained still whole, but the blade looked too blunt for actual work. Rounded.

“Saezz believes such a tool was used for ritual sacrifice,” the lizardfolk said with a straight face.

“Don’t be a fool,” Ulgrin responded with a grin. “It clearly was used only for cheese.”

“Ritualistic cheese sacrifice?” Saezz replied, meeting him halfway.

“We can agree on that, at least.”

Moving along, they traveled deeper into the city. The setting sun cast long shadows on the buildings, and a sense of unease hit them all. Still, they had hours of sunlight left. Better to make use of it now than retreat. He was too excited to wait for the morning.

Arriving at the stretch of intact buildings, they peered up at the five story structure that was the largest. Shaped like an ‘H’, the place had several wings. Windows lined its walls, but some kind of metal shutter covered them. Perhaps an administrative or a guard barracks building? It was hard to tell. The group arrived at a pair of metal doors. After a bit of testing, they proved jammed shut.

“Saezz?” Ulgrin asked, letting him do the honors. “Try not to be too destructive.”

The lizardfolk nodded, taking a few steps back and then charging at the door. His shoulder hit it hard and Saezz grunted. “It is tough. Two more attempts and he should be done.”

With the second and last shoulder charge, the door finally gave away, the hinges far weaker. A cavalcade of dust erupted from within and the party retreated, coughing and spluttering. Once it had cleared, they got their first glimpse of the Ancient’s home as it was intended.

Marble tiles lined the floor of what must have been a reception area. Pillars rose in equidistant spots. Hallways branched off of it, and two staircases lead upwards into the higher floors. Oddly enough, each stairway possessed a second set of stairs. Both sides were oddly proportioned, with their steps being in radically different places. A ridged metal covered each step, presumably for better traction.

Ignoring the weird stairs, he cast his gaze over the semi-circular desk at the far end of the building. An ugly blue mold covered part of its surface, still growing despite the odds. He approached and put on a cloth covering, being the best one to avoid getting sick. Not much of use to be found, aside from bits and baubles.

Ulgrin lifted a metal object. Two halves were joined by the rear. It seemed designed to be pushed together, but he found it doing nothing of interest as he clicked it. Perhaps the striking surface on its inner lip meant it was some kind of way to make fire? The ‘tooth’ didn’t make sense, though. Why would it need that?

He tucked it away into his bag and continued on, removing his mask. “Strangeness all around, today. Which way should we go first? It would probably be best to search the ground floor first.”

Alyss withdrew a coin. “Anvil, we go left. Hammer we go right.” She flipped it and promptly missed the catch. Cheeks flushing pink, she knelt down and picked it up. “Looks like Hammer.” Embarrassed, she turned away. “Shut up. Don’t say anything.”

“Wasn’t gonna say nothing,” Raelza said with an amused tone. “Now, should we spin the coin again to determine which of the branches?”

“Nay.” Ulgrin replied, arbitrarily picking the leftmost. “This way. Let’s keep a good pace.”

Venturing down the wide hallway, they found numerous rooms branching off. Numerous doors had been left open, letting them casually peer inside. Wood had petrified in the dry conditions, leaving strangely colored desks and tables. Ulgrin surmised this place to be one of learning and study.

Places dedicated for experimentation could be found. The tell-tale signs of ritual chambers, albeit ones far more advanced than he knew of. Even at a glance he could see the floor sigils to be made in perfect ratios and at great complexity. The system was alien to him, but the fundamentals were still there.

Movement in the next chamber caused them all to freeze and hide.

A being constructed of steel and brass ‘stood’ in the chamber ahead. Rather than standing on two feet, it possessed a large sphere upon which it rolled, somehow staying upright. Ulgrin could see its steel frame floating slightly above the entity’s ball. A narrow waist emerged and from which sprouted two bulky arms.

Three large, basic digits allowed the thing to grasp objects. Above that, a head jutted out. Similar in shape to a parasaur’s crest, it had a single ‘eye’. Just a glowing narrow rectangular portion that recessed from its mask-like skull. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. It was like an elemental, but constructed. Rather than a collection of the element in question, it was of solid build.

It wandered inside what must have been a library, repeatedly moving books from one shelf to another. Seemingly trapped in an endless task.

But it suddenly stopped. Each of them froze as the pale blue light turned towards them. Then it turned red.

Sorry for the lack of chapter yesterday, I needed a break. But I've got my creative juices flowing once again and hopefully will keep it going. To whoever can guess the identity of what objects Ulgrin finds you earn a virtual cookie.

Lexicon of Words and Terms Used:

Redsmith - A smith who primarily works copper, brass, tin, and bronze. Typically for jewelry, vanity objects, and cookware.

Megafauna - Large animals whose mass weighs over several hundred pounds. Usually referring to extinct creatures, but in this world there is no lack for megafauna.

Fortress Crab - A freshwater crustacean species that never stops growing. Old enough specimens can reach 'fortress' sizes, and have in the past chosen to steal humanoid structures for their own shells. Smaller ones use the bones of other creatures, typically. It's not an uncommon sight to see one lugging around the corpse of a Brachiosaurus.