DORULL STORIES - PRISONER OF THE AMULET
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The tunnel extended to the left and
downwards, in a slight slope for some two hundred meters, where it abruptly
intersected into a narrow ravine. This wasn’t a coincidence. Quite visible
marks of pick-axes and other similar tools, stretching over the walls
of the tunnel were clear indicators this passage was handmade. The miners were aiming
for this specific location. And it became clear why, once Sanomis glanced over
the edge of the crevice.
Copious amounts of diverse ore
veins oozed from the smooth walls above and below him, forming a stream of
intertwined magnificence, which could only be compared with the finest natural
wonders of the universe. Or so Sanomis thought. But then again he had a
geological bias towards this sort of place.
The chasm was way too deep for him
to even see the ground. Similar to the ceiling, that was hidden somewhere high
above, in the shroud of darkness, through which even his visual enhancer, for
whatever reason, could not break through. Occasional breeze of cold air, coming
from somewhere to the right, only enhanced the uneasiness that Sanomis suddenly
began developing. Something seemed wrong with this place in more ways than one.
So why was he still sticking around?
Blocked tunnel, alongside with the
untouched fortunes of this ravine, meant that dwarves surely ran away from this
place. Who, or what, could possibly force them to do that? They were very well
known for their bravery. And even more so, for their need to accumulate the
riches. They wouldn’t just leave. Sanomis made a reminder in his notes, to ask
for an opinion about this, from sociological and anthropological experts, as
soon as he was to return to Shteint. Their points of view could very well be of
great help, in uncovering what truly is behind this.
Barely audible rustle suddenly
came from the bottom of the gorge, to the left of Sanomis. Something in between
the whisper and a gust of wind. He immediately checked his device, not knowing
what to expect. But the new reading also came back as before. There was nothing
here. Or at least the sensors thought so. They were telling him it was safe.
So, naturally, he should be feeling safe. Only, for whatever reason, he wasn’t.
And it was getting worse, with every passing second. To the point, he was
starting to worry. He felt something was here. Something, not even the sensors could
pick up.
It would be more than reasonable
to leave this pit. Even more so, because he was without the support. Besides,
he already had plenty of samples. A few more wouldn't make any difference. But
he had to keep on going. To see what’s hiding behind the next bend. In the next
branch. It was that exploratory gene of his. Making him do what he does, even
if it wasn’t all that wise to proceed. And it was doing the same thing right
now. Especially after he noticed the narrow stairs, carved against the edge of
the gorge, some thirty meters from the exit of the tunnel.
The stairs descended in a
steep angle for more than two hundred meters, where it abruptly, but
seamlessly, leveled with the bottom of the ravine. Although probably made in a
hurry, every single one of the steps was the same height and depth. Every
single step was flat, even and smooth. Every single one was flawless. The
reflection of the craftsmanship which would put a shame on even the best of the
vard builders. Even more so, because they all used rather advanced tech while
doing their work. This, on the contrary, was built by hand.
Every uncertainty regarding the
former explorers of this cave disappeared as soon as Sanomis reached the
bottom. There, not even four paces away from the swell, he set his eyes on
dwarven skeletal remains. The body was lying flat, on its belly. Caught in an
awkward side step, in an attempt to flee from something. Something that was
frightening enough, the dwarf couldn’t think of anything else. Something, that
instantly and rather violently, prevented him from doing so. Something that
undoubtedly possessed exceptional power and strength, judging by the crater it
left on the backside of this unfortunate dwarf. He was missing half of it.
Ten paces further, Sanomis noticed
the body of another dwarf. And then one more. By the time he reached the end of
the ravine, he counted twenty four skeletal remains. All killed in the exact
same way. All with similar, fatal wounds. All of them trying to flee from this
horrible pit. They dug their way in here searching for resources, not knowing
they are actually digging a way to their own graves. And this place, beside the
abundance of varied ores that adorned the walls, seemed more of a tomb than the
mine.
The ravine was narrowing with
every next step. Until, some three hundred meters further, the walls became so
cramped, Sanomis could only squeeze through it sideways. And even then by
force. The cold, coarse stones pressed his back and his chest. Every single
breath caused him discomfort. He knew he would feel the pain for the days to
come. But he had to stay calm and collected. To move in a slow and calculated
manner. He could not force his way through. Long speleological experience
taught him that. Which was easier said than done. Because he had a constant
feeling the walls were closing around him.
“Scan the passage.” Sanomis issued
a command.
His unit promptly responded.
“Scan completed.” the
device informed him.
“Show me.” Sanomis said.
Holographic projection appeared on
his visor. At first, revealing his near surroundings. But soon after, it spread
through the entire passage, following the geologist’s view. Ten meters. Twenty
meters. Projection showed the ravine wasn’t narrowing anymore. Fifty meters.
The passageway was bending slightly to the left. Hundred meters. The floor
itself was becoming steeper. Two hundred meters. The passage eventually begins
widening into a rather large cavern.
How exactly large, Sanomis could
not know precisely. His module reached its range limitations. For the
examination of a wider area, he would’ve to use a more potent and precise
mapping device. But he didn’t have one. Nor did he need one. He rather wanted
to figure things out on his own. To discover what‘s hiding there, in the deep
dark, underneath the surface. It became an urge. An urge he inherited from his
mother, who taught him everything he knew about speleology.
The urge was now impelling Sanomis
to continue squeezing through the narrow gap, in order to see what’s on the
other side. So he did. In a calculated and slow manner. Centimeter by
centimeter. Until eventually, some half an hour later, he found himself in a
rather spacious cavern. It was an oval shaped chamber, some hundred meters wide
and ten to fifteen tall. Smooth, harmonious walls were seamlessly fused between
ceiling and the floor. The ground was gently inclined towards the middle,
forming a shallow puddle. Two symmetrical, natural pillars stood on the sides
of the pool, out of which exact center protruded transparent, bluish crystal.
It seemed as if the formation
sprouted and grew from there. As if it was the living thing. The crystal was
almost twice the size of the geologist. Some four meters tall, and wide enough,
he couldn’t wrap his arms around it. As Sanomis approached closer, he noticed
the threadlike, mineral veins, spreading over the water-covered ground. They
looked somewhat similar to the tree roots, but just in shape. Every similarity
stopped, as soon as they started pulsating in mild, white light. The phenomenon
wasn’t just a visual one. Which became evident, once Sanomis noticed a slight
rippling of the water. Even more so, when he realized they are concurrent with
every new pulsation of the light. Crystal emitted some kind of energy.
“Examine the crystal.” Sanomis
issued a command.
Just to be sure, he decided to
stay at a distance. He couldn’t know if this phenomenon has any harmful
effects. And he certainly wasn’t intending to find out that by exposing his
body to it.
“Analysis completed.” The
module informed him immediately “The formation shows partial similarities to
the kyanite, the sort of aluminosilicate mineral common in and around pegmatite
and sedimentary stones.”
“What can you tell me about this
pulsating light?” Sanomis asked.
“The occurrence is unknown.”
his module answered after three point eight seconds.
A tad strange, Sanomis thought to
himself. The unit was capable to search through the entire database in less
than two seconds.
“Did you just scan the data
twice?” Sanomis asked.
“Affirmative.” the module
answered.
“And still you couldn’t find a
thing?”
“Again, affirmative.”
“Is there anything I should be
worried about?” Sanomis decided to activate the entire spectrum of detectors.
“All clear.” the unit
informed him “No traces of radiation. No traces of harmful gases. No traces
of harmful particles.”
“But?” Sanomis asked.
“The phenomenon is emitting
something.”
“What?”
“Something unknown.”
“You are a proper comedian.”
Sanomis muttered “I could reset you to the basic settings, you know?”
“I doubt that.” his unit answered
“You’d miss my company.”
Geologist smiled, knowing very
well that might be the truth. His unit was now much more than a simple helping
tool, since he decided to upgrade it. Ever since it became aware.
Sentient. Something Sanomis hasn't planned, let alone expecting to
happen. Chances for that were close to zero, to begin with. In his search, he
found only four recorded cases. Out of which, all of them ended in failure,
moments after the activation. And for two of the unfortunate recipients of those
devices, fatal.
But Sanomis’ device worked
flawlessly from the very beginning. And with the potential, he soon realized,
was far beyond his comprehension of the tech. Which was understandable, since
he had no idea how this even happened, to begin with. He suspected his
exceptional intelligence was somehow the culprit for the transformation of his
processing unit. But without the extensive examinations, he couldn’t know for
sure. And that would mean turning the finding over to the specialists. Which
was the last thing on his mind for many reasons. Mostly because that would
spell the end of his life as he wanted. They would force their will on him.
Lock him into a lab. Turn him into a test subject. Perhaps even for good.
Therefore he decided to keep this unusual accident, this gift, just to himself.
And what a gift it was. Not only
the technical specifications after the upgrade showed a significant rise, it
became apparent the module had changed as a whole. It became sentient,
immediately acknowledging Sanomis’ role in its evolution. Giving him the
necessary respect, by recognizing its place in this symbiotic relationship.
Understanding that the geologist is the one in charge.
At the same time, Sanomis realized
that this experiment of his might’ve taken a much different, and indubitably
dangerous turn. The newly acquired awareness could have easily been the reason
for the module’s malfunction. Leading to the slew of unforeseen consequences,
and one that was present in other failed device upgrades. The one that ended in
both deaths of operators, and the machines.
The gift of Sanomis’ module wasn’t
only noticeable in the increase of processing speeds, or its elevated
capabilities, but in something much more important. For whatever reason it
managed to fill the void he felt from a young age. It somehow completed him.
Gave him another opinion, whenever he needed help in his research. Gave him
another voice, whenever he felt the need to talk. And ultimately, gave him a
friend.
That was the main reason he wasn’t
willing to share this happy accident with anyone. Why would he disclose the
existence of the sentient module? He knew that would mean the risk of losing
it. And he knew that would lead to him losing his freedom. He didn’t owe
anything to anyone. Especially not after all the troubles he endured in the
university, defending his integrity from his colleagues and the professors.
Envious of Sanomis’ unusually high
intellectual capacity, they tried to undermine his specialization in every
possible way. Tried to prove he was using some sort of forbidden or illegal
assists. Tried to prove he was a cheat. A fraud. Fortunately, they failed in
doing so. Although, their slanderous accusations left a bitter taste in his
mouth. And a warning for the future. Sanomis often wondered how much envy would
the knowledge about his module generate. He certainly hoped he would never find
that out.
“So it is safe?” Sanomis asked,
taking a few empty, sterile containers from his backpack.
“Affirmative.” his module
answered “I think it is.”
“You think?” geologist halted in
mid stride “Or you know?”
“I know.” the device
corrected itself “I apologize. The unknown element confused me for a moment.”
“And?”
“It is safe.”
That was good enough for Sanomis.
It was all he needed to hear. He trusted his module more than anyone else. He
knew it would keep him safe. Sometimes even better than he did himself. Which
was most of the time. Sanomis approached the crystal formation, kneeling down
to scoop some water in one of the containers. And then in another one. He
carefully sealed and marked them, both on the lid and in the corresponding
document opened in the background program.
He proceeded to take another pair
of sterile containers, before pulling the sonic drill from one of the side
pockets. The drill was a specialized tool, made for extracting samples from all
sorts and types of stones. He checked the power levels, and flipped the switch
a couple of times, to make sure it works properly. Once he was sure it does, he
moved closer towards the crystal.
Under the guidance and
recommendations of every vard geological expert, for obtaining the sample of a
highest quality, it was necessary to extract it from the center mass of the
object. For Sanomis, that practice was much too intrusive. Often damaging the
aesthetics, or even entirely destroying the targeted object of the research. He
would never do such a thing. If for nothing else but the fact that he couldn’t
forgive himself afterwards. Especially not when dealing with such a unique and
beautiful specimen.
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