" What? " A man questions in a tone akin to a growl from a wild beast preparing for a strike. " What did you just say? "
The second man glances at his interrogator who is much more geriatric than him and repeats himself. The apprehension skyrockets as the two enter a staring battle with neither one of them willing to concede.
You take a step between the two, making sure this does not escalate more than it already has.
" Move old man," the one to your left continues to growl, the veins on his neck and forearms becoming more perceptible.
You look to your right to see the man who claims the person of interest is his brother. He looks at you with a stoic face. He finally takes a step back and this only draws out an irritated grunt from the other one.
" My brother," the younger man says. " He was deep in deficit and was most likely swayed by a proposal he could not decline. I think I know where we might find him."
He looks at you as though he was waiting for your reaction. You nod and he begins to walk away with you close behind. The structure seems to have been brought under control. Whatever the Cleric did must have worked.
The man leads you up a flight of stairs and onto a deck that is seemingly unaffected by all the chaos that came about. He walked up to a door and knocked on it. A sound emanated from within but silence quickly superseded it.
Someone or something was in there but did not want to be noticed. The man knocked again, harder this time.
" Brother," he called out. " It is me, Fram."
There is movement from within. Fram veers around to look at the group behind him. He says nothing for a brief moment before letting out a sigh.
There is a click and the door slowly begins to swing inward. A robbed figure slowly reveals itself. One of their hands is behind them but for some reason, you know a weapon is in that hand. Two orbs dart around before settling on Fram who stands at the front of the group. The figure attempts to retreat into the room but Fram intercepts them and pulls down the hood of their robe.
In front of you is a young scrawny man with frizzles dotted around his face. Brown hair sits atop his scalp and dances as he cowers back in apprehension, shielding his face as he does so.
" What did you do? " Fram questions in an eerily calm tone as he holds the scrawny man in place.
The man does not answer and simply tries to pry open Fram's iron grip on him. Fram leans in closer and whispers something to his captive who immediately goes still.
" You can't, " the man finally speaks. " You wouldn't dare! " He shouts, his voice beginning to crack and quiver as his eyes begin to bulge. Whatever Fram said must have hit too close to home.
Fram says nothing and simply watches him. The man breaks and reveals what he knows. According to him, someone paid him a significant amount of money to place a device in one of the enclosures in the engine room. He never bothered to question why as he was blinded by the substantial amount of money which was a hefty bag of gold.
With Fram directly behind him, he leads you all to the spot where he positioned the contraption. The room it is in is nothing short of a technological wonder. Numerous chutes line the wall and a myriad of valves and dials cover most of the walls. The object in question is a small, black spherical object with markings etched onto it. He gently removes it and the moment it comes free, a loud wailing noise is heard from somewhere within the structure.
" Does anyone know what this is? " Valindra inquires of the group as it is held out by Fram's brother.
A man steps forward. His aged face tells that he has been through many things and seemingly knows what this device is.
" That is a Parallax sphere, " he says in a gruff voice. " A very powerful and precarious tool. Its origin is an enigma among Archaeologists. "
He looks at the culprit, his hazel eyes watching him with an unreadable aura. He returns his gaze to the device and explains its use from what he knows.
Only a small number of these things exist and for good reason. According to what he could recall, it could distort reality to an extremely ludicrous level when activated. Had this one been triggered, the amount of devastation that would have been unleashed would be nothing less than staggering.
" What is the trigger? " Fram asks the elderly man. He ponders for a while before admitting that not even he knew what it could be.
" But I do know that we cannot afford to make any sudden movements," he finishes.
Slowly everyone starts to exit the room. You wait for everyone to leave before starting to leave. As you are about to cross the still, you feel a burning sensation to examine the device.
You attempt to resist the urge but it grows stronger the more you attempt to resist its lure. It becomes so strong that the world around you is consumed by darkness.
A beam of light cuts through the gloaming dark like a blade through parchment. It lands on the contraption which is now floating a few above the ground, a haze surrounding it.
A clang is heard from the darkness, the sound of something metallic striking the ground. You turn in the direction it came from. Another clang emanates from the darkness, then another and another. Soon it is all around you, coming from every direction.
The cacophony reaches a mind-breaking crescendo in seconds before unexpectedly stopping. Something with considerable weight drops onto your shoulder, an armored hand.
There is a flash of light and you find yourself among the same group from your earlier vision. They stand in front of a fire pit with some performing gestures towards those closest to them.
" Are you alright? " A monotone voice inquiries and your body reacts without you in control. " Come, we must be on our way. "
You rise and follow the figure who leads you further into what seems to be a camp. You see more of them around yet you neither hear no voices nor do you see anyone of them without their helm. The entire camp is eerily silent save for the metallic clang of boots.
The figure leads you into a tent where there are few of them stand around a table with a very similar device sitting on it. You walk closer and they create a space for both of you.
A voice speaks up; " It is done, brethren. That is what we will use to purge the nations to the East."
Another voice is heard; " What is it and what does it do? "
" A solution. One that bends the rules of existence to our will. "
" What are your thoughts? " The voice asks you. All heads turn in your direction with inhuman synchrony.
A voice emanates from within you. It is yours but at the same time, it is not.
" How can it be activated? " You hear yourself ask. So that is what your inner voice sounds like.
" You will know when the time comes, " the voice replies.
You nod and begin to walk out of the tent. The moment your foot crosses the threshold, the scene changes. You are back in the engine room and standing directly in front of the device.
Concentrating you send a telepathic message to your companion, a signal of sorts, and he sends one back.
" Are you alright?" Valindra asks from behind. " Ahresdorf has regained control of the ship and has been informed of the recent events. Draalsar is nowhere to be found though. "
You nod. Perhaps he was doing something of his own. You focus your attention back on the device.
' You will know when the time comes. '
You ponder over that statement. Perhaps a gesture of some sort could be the key. Could it even be moved without being triggered?
" I have found the one responsible for the explosions, " Draalsar's voice resonates within your head. " They have not spotted me yet. Follow the trail. "
A trail of golden light reveals itself. It exits the room and bends around the corner. Bits gently flake off the main body and dissipate moments after only to be replaced by another. The immediate area around the trail is bathed in a golden glow and there is a faint sound, something akin to a chime heard around it.
You look to Valindra who is focused on the object as well. You gesture toward the line but she is unable to perceive it or is playing a very persuading act of not being able to see it.
Following the trail leads you to a new part of the deck where no one is present. The thrumming sound generated by the still-active substructures is quite loud here. But you can discern a voice, then another.