Lucian's Hesitation
Lucian was troubled as to whether he should venture into the cave. The cave was made of mysterious alloys and metals he had never seen before, and it was quite dark inside, even with the faint glow from lights here and there. The air felt a little damp and cold.
The cave somewhat resembled Automara to him because it was made of unfamiliar alloys, lights, and advanced technologies with designs that looked like circuits. Worried that the cave might be dangerous, he hesitated to enter.
But deep inside, he knew that if he couldn't muster the courage to explore a simple cave, how could he hope to discover Automara and uncover its secrets?
Courage and Discovery
He mustered up his courage and barged in. The place was full of overgrown plants and vines, clearly abandoned—just like the village. But unlike the village, it wasn't falling apart. Other than the overgrown plants, the place was completely intact.
Lucian was confused. He had seen in this place and the village that it had been abandoned for at least a few decades. So, how was it possible that the place still had enough energy to keep some lights working and flashing?
Lucian ventured further inside the cave. The gates were wide open and probably couldn't be closed, although he didn't try to find out if they worked. It would have been a foolish way to die.
The cave expanded, getting bigger and wider. He stepped into a hall with four doors, all of which were closed.
The Four Gates
The four gates each had different symbols carved into them:
The first gate had an "S" symbol carved into it.The second gate had a coin symbol carved into it.The third one had nothing marked on it.The fourth one had a figure of a person carved into it.Lucian tried to open them, but there was no power, and it wasn't possible to force them open. That's when he noticed marks on the doors that indicated previous attempts to open them by force.
Mysterious Murals
Just then, he noticed that the walls were covered in murals. He was shocked to find that someone had carved these murals into the metal walls, as his dagger couldn't even leave a scratch on them.
The murals were partly covered by vines and moss, but they were still partly understandable. There was a small robot carved into the wall with four spider-like legs and a body that was mostly an eye. It looked like a surveillance robot, likely designed to detect humans.
"Why would anyone need a surveillance robot? Were the people who made this spying on someone, or trying to keep people out?" he wondered, questioning the purpose of their creation.
Lucian cleared away some of the vines and moss to get a better look at the murals. They depicted many robots, but none of them seemed aggressive or harmful. Most of them looked alike and shared similar features.
"A place with so many robots… it's surely connected to Automara," Lucian said, his voice barely a whisper.
The Girl and the Robots
But then, he saw something strange. The robots were all bowing to a girl whose body was covered in lines that resembled circuits, as if she wasn't human—or was partly a robot.
"I thought Automara didn't allow humans to enter. Why is there a girl here, and who is she to command authority over the robots?" Lucian thought, confused.
"How is it that, being human, she seems devoid of any emotions or feelings? Why is her body covered in such complex lines and circuits?"
"Is she some kind of experiment? Is she human, or a robot?"
Questions filled Lucian's mind with no answers in sight.
The Ring's Reaction
Suddenly, his ring started pulsating, converting into its original form. Lucian was shocked because it had never converted like this before, and it had never pulsated so quickly and brightly.
He began looking around, trying to find what could have made it react this way.
Then, there was a flash of light on the girl's finger. The light was in the shape of a ring. Lucian reached out to touch it, and suddenly, a gate opened.
It was the third gate that had opened.
The Mysterious Room
The newly opened room had a strange smell and dryness to it, different from the rest of the cave. It was the only room with no symbols carved on it, so Lucian couldn't guess what it held.
He wasn't sure about entering, as it could be a trap, but his ring seemed to be drawn to whatever was inside the room.
Lucian decided to go inside, and to his surprise, the room was completely clean and seemed to have power. There was no moss, vines, or even any sign of aging. It was odd, but the room seemed to have a light fluctuating in the same pattern as his ring.
Inside, he saw another ring, similar to his, but with a different design. The two rings pulsated slowly as if they were alive, but the other ring—the one belonging to the girl—pulsated in a different pattern.
More Murals, More Questions
The walls in this room also had murals. This time, they depicted a boy and a girl. The girl appeared more human, full of emotion. The robots seemed to be happy and celebrating. There was also an image of Automara, much brighter and more vibrant, with fireworks in the sky.
It seemed like a festival, a grand celebration for something he couldn't figure out.
"Just who are they, and why is there a celebration?" Lucian wondered aloud.
"What are the surveillance robots for?"
"Who made this cave? The madman?"
"Why would he need to make a cave?"
So many questions surfaced, but there were no answers. Now filled with ambition to find answers, Lucian was more determined than ever to reach Automara.
Leaving the Cave
He explored the room, but the remaining doors remained shut. With nothing left to uncover, Lucian decided to leave the cave. The fog surrounding Vapora seemed endless as he wandered aimlessly, searching for a way out. Hours passed before he noticed the mist thinning, revealing the distant lights of Ironclad.