The low, mechanical drone of the elevator was all that could be heard. It loudly reverberated through the small interior. Within, the being sat, leaning up against the wall. He had been stuck inside of it for what felt like hours, though he had little sense of time. He watched through the gate as metal piping flew by. The pipes were densely packed together as though they were the walls surrounding the shaft, twisting and bending together in an almost organic manner like roots cutting through soil. Occasional lights flew by, their blueish glow peeking through the cracks between the pipes.
The being felt himself drift in and out of sleep several times throughout the journey. The gashes left on his face by the creature had now stopped bleeding, though he was still covered in blood, both his and its. A fair bit of it had gotten on the floor as well, joining the far older bloodstains which dotted the bottom of the elevator. He wondered where they might have come from, from who. The wound stung slightly, he found the painful sensation strange, as he had not felt such a thing yet, the constant aching.
He looked at the glowing orb he clutched in his hand, torn from the maw of the creature he faced. The encounter intrigued him. He wondered what the creature was, where it came from, and what this orb he now held was. He looked at it closer. Its surface was incredibly smooth with a complete lack of imperfections. He found it odd how perfect it was compared to the mangled, chaotic nature of the creature. Upon lightly tapping it, a soft ringing could be heard followed by a low hum. He found the gentle glow that it emitted to be quite useful, having navigated through the dark town with it, using it to illuminate his surroundings.
A loud mechanical groan interrupted his thoughts as the box began to slow its movement. He took notice to this sudden shift and became alert, standing up and looking through the gate. He found the elevator now in a much wider tunnel. The pipes lining the walls were more sparse, and the tunnel extended outwards to either side, blending into darkness far into the distance.
With a loud creak from an unseen mechanism, the elevator began its movement once more, only this time moving to the side. He was briefly taken off balance by the sudden acceleration before standing back up again to try to get a look at where the elevator was going. He pressed his face against the gate, but could only see darkness ahead, occasionally illuminated by a pale lamp.
The elevator continued its movement in the same direction. The pipes which covered the walls became sparser and denser as it traveled; a cold, pale lamp periodically flew by, briefly illuminating the box's interior.
The elevator traveled into a smaller section of the tunnel, briefly trapping the being in total darkness before the tunnel opened up to a large cavern, washing the elevator in blue light. The being looked forward to gaze upon the incredible sight before him.
A vast city aglow with neon light rested within the center of the colossal cavern. Nestled in between great jagged cliffs of stone were immense steel buildings lit up with a euphony of light. Rays of electric colors sliced through the haze which lay over the city. Spectral holograms of light pulsed and flickered, forming symbols of some unknown language. Massive crystalline columns stretched upwards to the ceiling, their pale blue glow painted the walls of the cavern. From the columns, waterfalls flowed, the fluids blown away into mist which gathered above the city. Large flowering vines draped from each column, subtly glowing an otherworldly purple, swaying and pulsing as though they were breathing, sprawling overhead the subterranean city. A vast web of rails connected overhead the city, stretching from either side of the cavern. Elevators sped along these rails, traveling across the city at great speeds. Some outer sections of the city were darker, comprised of large, geometric concrete structures. Lining the walls of the cavern were small groups of buildings seemingly carved into the stone itself, lit up by pale light. Small silhouettes of other beings could be seen navigating along the winding pathways connecting them.
A soft, cold wind flowed outwards from the city, causing the being to shiver. He was filled with wonder at the great city, the neon lights dancing about, the elevators flying across its skyline. He stared at it, taking in the incredible view for what brief moments he beheld it.
Shortly thereafter, the elevator slipped into another tunnel, its interior going dark once more. The being tried to get another glimpse at the great city, but to no avail. The elevator whirred through winding tunnels, sharply changing direction, knocking the being about within it. It began to slow down, and ahead, the being could see a bright light. The elevator grinded to a halt as it entered a small room, letting out an airy hiss from some unseen valve. A reverberating tone signaled the elevator's arrival. The gate opened with a loud creak and the being stepped out, stumbling with dizziness from the long ride. He glanced around at the room before him.
The room was a warm white, evenly lit by fluorescent lights which quietly buzzed. The low pitched hum of a slow-spinning fan in the wall joined this buzz, creating an atmosphere of soft white noise. Pipes lined the walls, white in color and more matte than the rough metallic pipes of the elevator shafts. At the opposite side of the room was a large, sleek metal door. In the corner of the room was a potted plant, its long, pale leaves stretched out into various directions. Adjacent to it was a small desk where another being sat.
Its face was comprised of a singular large eye, hurriedly looking about at the screen of a device in front of it as it typed away on its keyboard, producing a quiet clacking sound. It hardly glanced up as the being approached it with curiosity.
The being looked at the device by which the eyed being was so entranced. It had a small, rectangular screen which glowed a solid white. He couldn't figure what it was about it that caused the other being's eye to dart about it so hurriedly. The eyed being suddenly ceased its typing, glancing up at the being facing it. It looked at him ponderingly before extending one of its hands, contorting it in various ways, seemingly attempting to communicate.
The being stared at the eyed being's gesturing hand, trying to make sense of the strange movements. The creature's single eye, unblinking and wide, remained focused on him, as though expecting a response. The being tilted his head at him in confusion, prompting the eyed being to close its eye, furrowing its brow and placing its hand over its face in frustration. It reached over to a smaller device sitting on the desk and pressed a button, producing a short buzzing sound which echoed slightly throughout the small room. The eyed being resumed its typing, ignoring the other being.
The large mechanical door at the opposite end of the room suddenly opened with a short metallic groan. From it stepped another being. He was slightly taller than the two others, a subtle air of confidence to him. He had six pitch black eyes that bulged out in an insect-like manner. On either side of his head were horns which curled inwards towards a slitted mouth.
He walked up to the being, looking at him in a rather confused way. "What brings you here, friend?" He spoke with confidence, his voice deep and clear. The being, despite never hearing any spoken language before, could understand what he was saying, though he lacked the ability to properly communicate back. He attempted to make some kind of gesture, ending up awkwardly shrugging. The horned being seemed to think for a moment before turning towards the eyed being.
"You have any idea about this guy?" The eyed being shook its head, making a series of gestures with its hand. "Ah, that would explain it then," the horned being replied before turning back to the being. "Are you able to use sign language?" The being shook its head.
The horned being studied him for a moment, scratching his chin. "Interesting... well, it seems you're quite the mystery." He paced around the being, as if trying to piece together something. The being looked back at him with curiosity.
"Did you... mean to come here?" The horned being said. The being shook his head once more.
"Well this is certainly strange to say the least. It has been quite some time since I met someone voiceless who couldn't use sign language." The horned being looked back at the eyed being, shrugging.
"On another note," the horned being said, turning back to the being, "it seems you are... covered in blood." The being looked down at himself, his arms and legs covered in blood, both his and the creature he once fought. The horned being stepped closer. "And judging by those scars on your face," he said, "and that orb in your hand, you've had an encounter with a screamer. And a successful one, at that." The being tilted his head, raising the glowing orb up to show him.
"Well, they go by a handful of names, depending on where you're from. Screamers, gloomers, terrors, and a few others. They've got dark, twisted flesh; huge mouths with teeth sticking out in all directions," he said, mimicking the screamers' facial movements with his hands. The being looked at him, nodding. "They're quite troublesome so its rather impressive that you, someone so clueless, have managed to kill one by yourself, am I correct?" The being nodded, somewhat excited at the praise.
"I think you'll be a good addition to this complex. I believe we have a few room to spare, I'll show you there, come." The horned being gestured to follow, leading the being through the door.
The two walked down a hallway, it was a little more dimly lit than the previous room, a yellow tint lying over every object from the lights. Quiet sounds of liquids flowing through pipes along the walls echoed through the hallway. Another being walked by, briefly glancing at the being's blood covered body.
The two turned a corner into a larger area. The hissing of air could be heard emanating from various mechanical devices being operated by large groups of beings. Large mechanical hammers pounded molten alloys into different shapes. Gears along the walls turned, moving conveyors that carried various parts from one section of the vast room to another. The air was thick with heat, and the glow of molten metal illuminated contours of metallic structures and scaffolds.
"This is our forge room," the horned being said. "Here, we produce materials used mainly for structural purposes." The being nodded, looking about the room in awe. "It's one of the many purposes of this complex. We also perform research, manufacture weaponry, and we have a small unit dedicated to hunting screamers." The horned being looked at the being. "Come, this way." The two continued walking, turning into another hallway.
The hallway was dark, lit dimly by small lamps along the walls. One side of the hallway was lined with large, mechanical doors. The two walked down for a small time before stopping in front of one of the doors. The horned being turned the handle, opening up the door into a small room.
Inside the room, the air was stale, and the atmosphere was filled with a layer dust. In the corner sat a small, slightly damp, cot. Opposite of it, a rusted showerhead extended outwards from the wall. A drop of brownish water periodically fell from it, producing a quiet plunk as it hit the drain below.
"Apologies for the... less than adequate state of the room," the horned being said, "I'll have someone come in here and clean it out shortly. But for now, wash yourself off and get some rest. The water should clear up after a moment or so." The being, shuddering in slight disgust, stepped into the room. "Ah, I almost forgot," the horned being said from behind him. The being turned around. "My name's Tusk," he said extending a hand. The being gripped his hand firmly and shook it. "I look forward to working with you," Tusk said, exiting the room and shutting the door behind him with a loud creak.
Now alone in the room, the being glanced around at the dingy surroundings. The room was illuminated in a harsh yellow-orange by an industrial vapor lamp strung to the wall. An absent panel revealed a dense lattice of pipes within the walls. He could hear a faint, muffled, mechanical creaking and clicking through the opening. Sounds of fluids sloshing and flowing periodically came from the pipes. The soft hiss of air being released from some valve joined this cacophony on occasion. The floors and walls were stained with a faded brown hue. Rust covered the more metallic elements.
The being placed the orb he had been holding on a small metal shelf before stepping over to the weathered showerhead, turning a small valve. A grungy stream of water flowed out from it. He quickly stepped backwards, watching the color, as Tusk had said, slowly become clear.
He stepped back under the faucet after a short moment, letting the lukewarm water fall over him. Streams of black blood were washed off his body, tainting the water before flowing into the drain below.
After a few minutes, he shut the water off, letting what remained drip off of his body. Around the drain, some residual blood remained, having seeped into the rough metal. He walked over to the small cot in the corner. It was covered in faded, brownish water stains. He flopped down onto the mattress, looking up to the ceiling, the cracked coating on the metal appearing as though it were a vast network of interconnected webs of rust. Exhaustion took hold of him as he drifted off to sleep, the quiet hum and dim light of the lamp seeming to fade away into nothingness.