Chapter 6. Timing

Deeper and deeper, they descended into the mountain. At times Jeremiah thought they’d see daylight and exit out the other side by way of some as-of-yet undiscovered cave. But each time they should have been nearing the limits of the mountain’s body, they would find a switch back and go down deeper still.

“We must be below the mountain by now,” said Allison.

“Just below,” confirmed Delilah. “But I’m so confused about these tunnels. Clearly they were dug out, but why is it so empty? A single trap near the entrance and nothing else?”

“I’ve been wondering that too,” said Bruno. “From that fancy epitaph at the entrance, I thought this place would be chock full of nonsense. Instead it’s just a long, boring walk.” He was, of course, making the walk even longer and more boring by continuing to diligently inspect every surface of the tunnels, despite their barrenness of any objects of interest.

More clues appeared after another hour of trudging. All at once, the roughly hewn cave walls gave way to uniform, level surfaces. Further ahead still, ceramic tile began to appear on the floor, caked with dust and grime but smooth and thoughtfully laid. The walls showed the beginnings of carved pillars, and even some sketches of artistic reliefs.

They caught up to Bruno who was carefully inspecting an overhang of stone with a mirage of a grinning face carved into it. “They never finished,” he said. “Looks like they dug all the way down and had just started fancying the place up. I’m guessing the farther down we go, the more finished it’ll get. I suppose the trap at the beginning was just a security measure.”

“That trap ever end up telling you anything?” asked Jeremiah.

“Yes actually,” said Bruno prodding at the eyes of the relief. “It says to me that we're likely done with traps. I’ll keep looking, of course, but I won't bet on finding any more."

"An unfinished dungeon—is that typical?" asked Jeremiah. He traced a faint swirl carved in the wall.

"Extremely," said Delilah. "Most dungeons are either repurposed structures, or naturally formed cave systems. The creation of a dungeon is a huge investment of time and resources. The expertise and manpower to create them is hard to find and maintain as well. They tend to be made at the whims of men who are averse to good investments or project planning. So it just becomes a money pit till the patron either dies or loses interest."

"So…why make them?" asked Jeremiah. He was becoming cognizant of the sheer amount of rock that must have been moved to reach this far into the mountain.

Delilah laughed. "Cause they’re nuts. Or they’re tyrants without access to a banking system, so they need alternative security to protect their wealth."

"Tyrants don't have bank accounts, huh?" Asked Bruno. He gave the relief a friendly pat on the cheek before moving on.

"Well…tyranny has come a long way since then," said Delilah, a flicker of disapproval crossing her face.

As they continued, the decor grew more and more ornate. One wall was dominated by an vast tile mosaic, flanked on either side by carved pillars, spiraling like twisted taffy. The mosaic depicted a scene of a woman lying supine on an altar, surrounded by six tall figures. More striking, though, was the enormous human face depicted overhead, its mouth stretched open as though preparing to swallow the scene below. The expressions of the woman and the figures were devoid of emotion

Bruno inspected the mosaic, then reached up to press his thumbnail into the eyes of the gaping face. Out popped two small glassy stones,  each the size of a pinky nail. They flashed with brilliance when Bruno held them up to lantern light. “Diamonds.” From the body of the woman on the altar he popped a sizable scarlet stone. “Ruby, nice one. Whoever was bankrolling this place spared no expense.”

"Honestly surprised that wasn’t trapped," said Allison, prodding a loose mosaic tile.

"First of all, jinx," said Bruno. "Second of all, it was supposed to be." He poked at the spot where the diamonds were removed, there was a tiny hole that disappeared deeper into the wall. "Bet if you fished around in there, you'd find a poison dart or something."

The hallway took a sharp right, leading to a T junction—the first choice of directions they’d encountered since entering the dungeon, Jeremiah realized.

"Okay, this I don't like," Bruno said, peering around the corner.

"What do you see?" asked Allison.

"Trap finding is as much about intuition as it is perception,” said Bruno. He crouched in the intersecting hallway, running his hands over the large flagstones of the floor. “You begin to get a feel for where traps are going to be. This is weird. The floor here is too smooth, and look—it’s been worn away.”

Jeremiah craned his neck to see over Allison’s shoulder. The center of the intersecting hallway bowed downward, as though something passing had a smooth groove behind.  "Should we look out for a giant rolling boulder?" he asked.

Bruno chuckled. "Those are a myth. Huge pain in the ass to make a rock that big into a sphere and hoist it up. You're better off just smelting an iron ball and release that down a ramp. Break everyone's legs in a dungeon and you've probably won."

Delilah shoved past Jeremiah and Allison. who started doing something he had never seen before. She leaned into the hall, and her ears began to move. It was subtle, but they angled and rotated just a little. Jeremiah stifled a laugh. It made her look like a cat.

"Something's coming," she said, and Jeremiah’s humor evaporated. They scrambled back around the corner with the mosaic and set up for combat, Allison taking the point position. The cave rumbled. Jeremiah could feel it in his bones. The rumbling grew louder until he could make out a steady rhythm, like beats on a massive drum, so loud they rattled his teeth. His mind summoned an image of a giant marching towards them, relentless in its approach.

The footsteps became near deafening. Jeremiah clung to his spear to resist the urge to cover his ears. Louder. Closer. Nearly here.

Then, without changing tempo, they began to move away. It was almost indistinguishable at first, but gradually Jeremiah started to be able to hear his own thoughts again. After a few minutes, the footsteps faded beyond the limits of his perception.

Without speaking, Bruno slipped away from them into the dark, silent as a bird on the glide. He was gone before anyone could object.

"What do we do now?" asked Jeremiah.

"We wait. He'll be back," said Allison.

They waited, continually at the ready. The sound of their breathing grew louder as the memory of the thundersteps faded. Then, without turning his head to look at her, Jeremiah told Delilah, “You can wiggle your ears.”

"Hush," she said.

“I won’t, that's too cute," said Jeremiah.

"I saw too, that was super cute,” said Allison. “I didn't know you could do that.” 

"All elves can, shut up!" Delilah hissed. They went silent.

"So, do they wiggle when you're happy?” Jeremiah asked. Allison twitched and snorted, holding in a laugh.

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“Shh," Delilah shushed them again, but this time they could feel the threat in it. Moments later, Jeremiah detected the same escalating rumble as before. Once again it grew to nearly unbearable levels, once again it began to fade.

Bruno whipped around the corner and was nearly murdered by his friends. "There’s a giant stone man,” he said, hands raised at spear point. “The hallway makes a big loop, and the stone man is just following it. There's a door on the opposite side to us, halfway through the circuit. It’s locked, but I think I can get it open before the stone man comes around.”

"A man made of stone?” asked Allison. “Is it alive? Can we just destroy it?"

"No idea, it's covered in markings," Bruno said. He shrugged and pushed the spear tips away.

Recognition sparked in Jeremiah’s brain. “Oh, it’s a golem!”

“Let me guess—those are entirely harmless, right?" Allison said sarcastically.

“Nope! It’s an elemental spirit bound to a body of enchanted stone. Very rare and difficult to make." Despite the danger, Jeremiah was excited to put his enchanting knowledge to use. “Depending on the density of the stone used, they can be specially attuned to pick up minute vibrations, so they can be really effective guards.

"Weaknesses?" asked Allison.

"Uhh, smashing it with a magic hammer? Limited intuition and programming?" Jeremiah said. “Like. they will react to threats and stuff, but just by chasing and attacking. They’re not going to be able to follow advanced strategies.”

"I mean, can you…I don't know, turn it off or something?"

"Probably, yes,” said Jeremiah. “That is, if you can convince it to lie down so I can work on it.”

“Uh-huh,” said Allison. She drew and hefted her mace. “How strong is this thing exactly?” 

"Strong enough that your armor isn’t going to help much," said Jeremiah. “The bodies of golems are magically strengthened rock, nothing can withstand them for long.”

Allison returned her mace to its holster with a sigh. “Alright, then. Options?" She looked to Delilah.

"I have a few tricks, but certainly not any answers for something like that," Delilah said. She browsed her many pockets, frowning at them when no solutions appeared.

Allison looked to Jeremiah next, who shrugged. "Got nothing,” he said.

To Bruno. ”Avoid it altogether,” suggested Bruno. “If we’re patient, I can work on the door in spurts. This thing seems stuck on a circuit. So I work when it’s leaving, I move when it’s approaching, Work, move, repeat. When it's unlocked, I’ll come get you and we’ll all go together.”

The party digested the idea. “Okay by me," said Allison finally, "but be conservative. This thing has been walking for centuries. You have all the time in the world."

They waited by the mosaic as Bruno slipped away again. The deafening footsteps continued their cycle. Half an hour passed with no sign of Bruno. Jeremiah resisted the urge to steal a peek at the magical marvel each time the golem stomped by. 

At last Bruno returned, his face shining with sweat.

"Alright, the door’s unlocked. But I’ll need everyone’s help to open it, it's stone and ridiculously heavy. We should wait until its as far away as from us as possible before we move, otherwise it’s too risky it would detect you guys.”

"That's six minutes from its passing," said Delilah. “Its loops are exactly twelve minutes each.”

"You've been timing it?" asked Jeremiah. He wondered what it would be like to focus his attention on something for that long.

"Some of us have better things to do than tease others about their superior physical abilities," said Delilah. She stared at Jeremiah, and her ears flicked.

"I trust Delilah's timing," said Allison. "We follow Bruno's lead on her count."

Bruno began tightening Allison's armor while Jeremiah and Delilah walked back and forth. He tilted his head as he listened. "Jay, keep on your toes. Your heels are too heavy. Delilah, you’re tinkling, clicking, and, I think, clunking. Ditch whatever is doing that.”

Delilah brushed a black tarry paste onto the soles of Allison's boots. It cured into a squishy film that deadened the sound of her footsteps to almost nothing. Everyone else got a lighter coating of the remnant.

Each time the golem passed, their activities would still. Six minutes after each pass, Delilah would whisper, "Mark."

They finished preparing. The golem passed. The thunderous steps grew quieter and then disappeared altogether.

They waited, tense. Jeremiah became aware of the sounds of their breathing, of the sweat on his brow, of a growing ache spreading across his neck. He thought he heard Delilah take a breath, and his muscles jerked. But she didn’t say anything.

They were frozen on the verge of action. The moment was coming.

"Mark," Delilah finally said, and they moved as one.

The hallway was a blur. Jeremiah was utterly fixated on the sounds they made. He saw more signs of half finished doors and hallways only one or two feet deep into the wall. The hallway was large and twisted at odd, seemingly random angles. Jeremiah imagined this creature taking up the whole of it, shoulders a hair's breadth from the wall, designed to be unavoidable.

Finally they came to a grand stone entry. A solid stone door was ornately carved with images of a man standing before crowds of prostrate worshippers. He was wreathed in flame and flanked by impaled bodies. The door told Jeremiah everything he needed to know about the man it was built for—a man who was both life and death, to be loved and feared, worshipped and obeyed. Jeremiah despised him.

The sprout of metallic thorns on the seam of the door showed Bruno's workspace. Silently, they arranged to push against the heavy door. Even the slightest rasp of Allison's gauntlets made Jeremiah’s heart race. He kept glancing back the way they’d come, expecting at any moment something immense and terrible would come barreling around the corner like an avalanche.

Once everyone was in position, Bruno counted them off on his fingers. They pushed.

Jeremiah chewed the insides of his cheeks to keep from making noise while straining. Their faces reddened with the effort as they strained against the immense door. Slowly, it began to move, utterly silent. The door hung perfectly balanced on invisible hinges, and as they pushed, it slowly glided open.

There was a rush of stale air from above them, Jeremiah looked up just in time to see the mouths of brass horns built into the ceiling, revealed by the moving door.

"Oh," said Bruno.

There was a blast of deafening trumpets. The door moved, and the brass horns bellowed as air rushed through them. It was a victorious announcement that the door was opening, likely audible throughout the entire dungeon.

They could hear the footsteps then, a pulsing percussion accentuating the horns. It was fast, and growing louder.

"Push!" Allison screamed. They threw themselves against the door with renewed might and urgency. The blaring trumpets sounded louder and louder the faster the door opened. Jeremiah could feel the ground shivering, he didn’t dare look towards the bend in the hallway.

Delilah thrust the point of her spear into the frame, levering it against the door. Allison grabbed on with her, the spear wood bending and groaning. Jeremiah followed suit with his own, Bruno aiding him. The earthquake grew louder. Jeremiah could hear Bruno hissing through his teeth, "I didn't get us killed, I didn't get us killed, I didn't get us killed!"

A sliver of space appeared beyond the door. “Good enough, move!" yelled Allison. Her voice was nearly drowned out by the rapid approach of a juggernaut.

Bruno slipped through first, followed by Jeremiah. Jeremiah felt his ribs flex as necessity forced the air from his lungs. Bruno grabbed his arm and yanked him through. Delilah’s bulky padded armor compressed as she squeezed into the gap, then stuck fast.

Jeremiah and Bruno each grabbed one of Delilah’s arms and Allison pushed from behind. Then a flash of Allison’s dagger and leather strips parted from her expert cut. Various glass and earthen containers fell from Delilah as Jeremiah and Bruno pulled. Jeremiah felt a pop as something gave in Delilah’s wrist. Delilah screamed, but they kept pulling.

Then she was through. Allison barreled after her, armor sparking as she ground against the stone. The thudding of the golem’s approach reached a crescendo, matching the wild fury of Jeremiah’s panicked heart. He thought he glimpsed a shadow fall across the hallway outside, then Allison was yelling, “Close it, close it!” and he threw himself against the door and shoved with all his might.

Jeremiah’s senses were overwhelmed by thunder and panic, but somehow the door was moving. His eyes were screwed shut but he could feel the golem was right there, it was reaching for him, it was about to crush him and all his friends in a massive outstretched hand—then the door clicked shut and everything fell utterly silent.