JungleBook/Session03
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The enormous python slides forward, his reticulated sepia body barely disturbing the thick vegetation.
"I will take these two into custody," he informs Pumbaata softly. "You and your deputies should return to the search for the jaguar. He rarely leaves the side; his whereabouts now are a question of great interest to me."
"Yes, Magistrate," replies Pumbaata. He turns and pushes his way back into the underbrush, his deputies following him.
"With me," the snake suggests, his body drawing a wide loop around both humans before he sets off, apparently not looking to see if they're following.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir follows, keeping an eye on the bird King, who is seeming more and more a fop.
Ana gives Vaschir an uncharacteristically chipper wink, especially considering their fight earlier.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir half smiles for a moment in response
They follow the snake out of the shimmering glade and back into the stifling heat of the rainforest.
Kaa glides along the forest floor, wending his way around trees and through underbrush.
His head must be a dozen yards ahead of Ana and Vaschir -- and it looks like the tip of his tail must be an equal distance behind them.
His sinuous path ends in a ferny hollow, in the shadow of a fallen tree's roots.
Two razorback guards come to attention smartly as the snake-god and his guests arrive.
As the two humans' eyes adjust to the shadow, Omabwa comes into view.
Or at least, his head does. The rest of him is wrapped up tightly in coil after coil of a very large boa constrictor.
The rest of the snake's body is looped through the gnarled, dirt-clumped roots; the young wildman dangles some four feet off the ground.
Kaa loops around, raising his head up to inspect the bound Solar. "Has our young guest provided any revelations?" he inquires of the boa.
The boa's purple tongue flicks in and out of its mouth. "No, great one. He is most resolute." His tone holds grudging respect. "Also very resilient."
To emphasize his point, the boa's coils shift against one another, winding tighter. Omabwa grunts, obviously straining against the constrictor's grasp, but makes no other sound.
His eyes widen slightly when he sees Ana and Vaschir, but he is obviously too preoccupied with not being squeezed to death to say anything to them.
Kaa slithers around until his body forms a complete circle around Ana and Vaschir.
<dissolvegirl> "Thank you for your concern for my emotional well-being, but it's fine-- I don't need a hug."
<CaptainVaschir> waiting until he's in Kaa's blind spot, Vaschir shoots Omabwa the 'touch the side of your nose' sign of general commiseration and mutual deviousness.
Water slowly drip-drip-drips from an overhanging leaf into the center of a very large flower, whose pungent odor mixes with that of soil and moss, hanging heavy in the moist air.
Omabwa raises his eyebrows at Vaschir, a hopeful gesture.
Kaa loops his head inward, drawing up to Ana and Vaschir.
"So," he murmurs, "you see that we have already taken your... colleague... into custody."
"I would interrogate you as well, but it seems like it would be a waste of effort. My sources tell me that you only arrived a day ago."
He regards the two coolly, his pale yellow eyes unblinking.
<dissolvegirl> "So why are we in custody in the first place? Obviously, we have nothing to do with this."
<CaptainVaschir> "...whatever this is, seeing as no one's yet clued either of us in on what's gone down, exactly."
Kaa's tongue flickers between his scaly lips.
"In your short time here, perhaps the young one spoke to you of the gods of this island? One imagines he would have been eager to strike up friendship with the only other two-legs on the island."
<CaptainVaschir> "He didn't go into details, other than some didn't care for humans much outside the role of ambulatory snacks."
<dissolvegirl> "He spoke highly of Ombalu, but that was the only god he mentioned specifically. Why do you ask?"
Kaa's reptilian face betrays no emotion. "Then you do not recall him making any mention of Khan, his great enemy?"
<CaptainVaschir> "I have no recollection of that, no."
<dissolvegirl> "Just Ombalu."
<dissolvegirl> "Again, why do you ask?
Kaa's heavy-lidded eyes slide over to regard Omabwa, who narrows his own eyes in response to the snake's piercingly disinterested gaze. "One supposes he also failed to speak of the recent disappearance of the Tiger King, which strangely coincided with the blossoming of his... new powers."
Omabwa scowls at the implicit accusation; Kaa's eyes drift back to the other two humans.
<CaptainVaschir> "Not a word."
<dissolvegirl> "So, what, you think Omabwa made him disappear?"
Kaa absently wraps his coils around one of the nearby trees.
We gods of
<CaptainVaschir> "I'd say that's pretty obvious, although equally mistaken"
"We gods of this place have little love for men, as you already know," he states offhandedly.
"The bear is quite learned, and holds an important office, so his choice to keep a human pet was tolerated."
<dissolvegirl> "That doesn't answer my question, and in fact, has little to do with the issue at hand. If all of this is about you disliking men, why not give us Omabwa and send us on our way to a friendlier island?
"But now, that pet seems to have been touched by the power of the sun itself, which is a matter of some concern. Memories here are long, and there is not great love for the Princes of the Earth."
He flicks his tongue.
<CaptainVaschir> "Even less love for them than for humans?"
Kaa bobs his head sinuously to one side, in a snaky shrug. "One man is a nuisance that can be ignored. One of the Exalted, on the other hand... even though he is yet weak, his powers would one day be great enough to be worrisome."
"In answer to your question," he loops about to face Ana, "why let anyone who discovered this isle live to spread the tale? Surely you have noticed that it is strewn with wondrous ruins, which many two-legs scavengers would dearly love to plunder."
"As long as no one knows to look for the island, it is far enough out of the way to avoid notice."
"But once they know something desirable exists, men become maddeningly persistent in searching for it."
His lazy eyes drift over both humans before him.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir conceals his unease at the snake's incredibly accurate analysis of his character behind a poker face.
"Truth be told, when I last went to sleep, I was rather hoping I would wake up to find that the race of man had finally succeeded in destroying itself. It would have made my existence so much more... relaxed."
"But alas."
dissolvegirl quirks an eyebrow, unimpressed.
- dissolvegirl is now known as Ana
<Ana> "Your lack of contact with the rest of the world is painfully obvious. The world is in turmoil, and man has many more pressing matters to attend to than piles of old rocks and surly, man-hating god-beasts."
Kaa's tongue flickers. "And yet here I wake from my slumber to find not one, or two, but *three* humans traipsing about my island, and all of them with the scent of power upon them."
"What is one to *do* with the first Chosen of the Sun to be seen in a millenium?"
<Ana> "Get out of their way, would be my wager."
"You threaten me?" Kaa's voice is very soft, like silk stropping a razor.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir takes half a step back, and away from Ana.
<Ana> "No, I do not. I am simply saying that Chosen of the Sun deserve more respect than you are obviously giving them."
"Rather than blustering and throwing about your birthright, it might be wiser for you to consider how you might make my life easier, so that I might be less inclined to side with those who feel we should disregard the bear's wishes and slay you all."
<CaptainVaschir> "So lay it out then, what's the job?"
"The Unconquered Sun is mightiest among gods, and I see no reason to antagonize him by persecuting his Chosen... but then again, he has long turned his face from Creation." The snake-god's body ripples, in what might be a weighing gesture if he possessed hands.
"For now, I favor a cautious approach."
He twists around, to regard Vaschir.
"Ah, I see you are a man who has had his share of dealings with the law."
<CaptainVaschir> "You have no idea."
Kaa's scales rustle against the ferns, his head circling the two as he slithers around them.
"This matter of the Tiger King is one of great concern to me; it was, in fact the reason I was awakened, some years before I had planned."
"My last meal is still sitting heavily in my stomach, and that being the case, I confess the notion of chasing about the island, conducting an investigation, does not fill me with joy."
He hisses softly, the first time the humans have heard him make any characteristically snakelike sound.
<CaptainVaschir> "So why not send the boar-squad out to do it, isn't that their job?"
"Pumbaata is powerful, but he does not have a flexible mind." Kaa apparently does not care that two of the boar-god's underlings are standing nearby.
<CaptainVaschir> "Maybe also you're not absolutely certain that they weren't in on it, and need a disinterested party you know couldn't have done it to investigate?"
Kaa inclines his head slightly toward the ragged pirate captain. "Just so. I am also a great believer in letting problems resolve themselves."
<CaptainVaschir> "So how above-board is this going to be? I can't see anyone taking us at all seriously, or even not attacking us for our impertinence, without some manner of official mandate from your office."
"Ideally, I would release the boy and give him the task of proving his innocence. Unfortunately, in this case the law works against me; I must hold him unless a neutral party vouches for him by rendering bond."
Kaa eyes the two humans speculatively.
Ana tries not to roll her eyes. "And what would make a good bond?"
<CaptainVaschir> "Is that going to entail us getting killed as well should we fail to clear him?"
"You are currently under Ombalu's protection, but should it be found that his ward committed violence against the Tiger King, that protection would be worth little."
Kaa says this matter-of-factly.
"His loss of stature would be great enough that he would definintely be unable to block the court from ruling that you should be dealt with in the traditional way."
<CaptainVaschir> "How much time before the court runs out of patience and goes for the violence plan?"
"The law mandates five days for the accused, or his representatives, to gather what evidence they wish to present."
"If that evidence is sufficiently compelling, I, as Chief Magistrate, may declare the case null."
"Otherwise, the court enters deliberations to determine the appropriate punishment."
<Ana> "And what must we give you in order to appropriate Omabwa's assistance in clearing him?"
Kaa winds his body about a tree; his head does not move, but his neck now curves up toward a low-hanging branch, instead of down to the ground.
"There is a thing I desire -- a jewel which makes visible the echoes of the heart's emotions. At the bottom of a lake, two hours' journey from here, there exists such a thing. If you were to bring it to me, it would make certain matters much... simpler."
<CaptainVaschir> "So what's the catch, other than my continuing inability to breath water?"
Behind Kaa, wrapped in the boa's coils, Omabwa listens closely to what is being said. At the mention of the lake, his eyebrows go up slightly.
"To the best of my knowledge, the lake is not infested by monsters or anything of that sort," Kaa smoothly assures Vaschir. "It is a place of strong water essence, but it should not be overly dangerous."
<CaptainVaschir> "So go grab a jewel after some heroic breath-holding, sure. What could possibly go wrong?"
"Various considerations prevent me from visiting it myself, but I am sure they do will not apply to you."
<Ana> "Such as?"
Kaa pauses, as though considering his answer carefully. "It is thought that, beneath the lake, is the final repose of one of the ancient Solar Exalted. As I said, the Unconquered Sun is a mighty god, and I would not lightly enter the tomb of one of his Chosen."
"But surely he will not mind that one of his own returns to take what is rightfully hers?" the snake murmurs, giving Ana a sly look.
<CaptainVaschir> "Any idea if the tomb itself is flooded as well, or is the entrance just submerged?"
"One certainly hopes it is not completely flooded," Kaa says, in an uncaring tone. "Otherwise, it would be rather difficult for you to obtain bond for the boy."
<CaptainVaschir> "Rather."
The snake looks at him with yellow eyes. "Then we understand one another. I shall send a guide to take you to the lake."
<Ana> "We are overjoyed."
<CaptainVaschir> "Works for me."
He slithers up the tree trunk, his coils winding past for a long time before vanishing into the canopy far above.
<CaptainVaschir> "Well that was considerably more informative than I had anticipated"
<Ana> "Let's get this over with."
A vermilion serpent, not much longer than Ana's forearm, wriggles out from a hollow among the fallen tree's roots, and slithers up to the pair's feet.
<CaptainVaschir> "Guide on, guide."
After pausing to make sure they've noticed it, it slips off to the east.
It takes a bit more than two hours to reach the lake. By the time Ana and Vaschir emerge from the forest and step onto its shore, the sun is deep in the west, its light making the edges of the broken glass dome shine orange and crimson.
A heavy column of smoke cuts across the sunset sky, remnants of the explosion which bloomed at the island's peak only minutes ago.
The roughly circular lake looks to be fairly small, no more than a thousand feet across. Its shore is fairly steep, overgrown with ferns and other leafy plants.
The water laps gently against exposed tree roots. As the dusk deepens, it becomes obvious that the water has some rather curious properties -- it seems to glow with a blue light that has nothing to do with reflection from the sky.
The leaves of the plants which line the shore shine with the same dim luminescence.
<Ana> "So, how long can you hold your breath?"
<CaptainVaschir> "Pretty long, you?"
<Ana> "
<Ana> "No idea. There's only one way to find out." Taking the deepest breath she can muster, she dives in, swimming downward as quickly as she can.
The red guide-snake curls itself up on the trunk of a tree which leans drunkenly over the water.
<CaptainVaschir> Pausing to take off his boots and coat first, Vaschir follows her into the water.
The water is shockingly cool in contrast to the muggy tropical forest.
It also seems to be, in some undefinable way, more liquid than normal water.
Ana opens her eyes underwater, hoping the glow from the liquid will be enough to guide herself by.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir dunks his head under, checking to see if the bottom is visable or not.
The glow makes the water somewhat murky, but Ana can make out a large, dark mass near the center of the lake, with a brighter patch above it.
The dropoff is fairly steep, but the lake itself appears to be shallow -- it can't be more than fifty or sixty yards deep.
At its deepest.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir heads towards the center, then dives, searching for either the tomb itself or any entrance that might lead to it.
The bottom looks dark and silty, but blue light sparkles up from it in spots.
Ana swims towards the mass in the center, while trying to discern what's in the bright patch.
Stroking out to the center of the lake, Vaschir and Ana notice the water's glow growing brighter; there also seems to be a slight current rippling out from the lake's middle.
The glow there is dense enough to almost completely obscure the ruins.
Luckily, once underwater, it becomes much clearer.
A crystalline structure stands on the lake bottom; a tower with a splintered top, surrounded by three domes, connected to one another by what looks like a covered walkway.
The domes look to be made of blue stained glass.
Their irregularly faceted surfaces glisten and shimmer bluely in the water's glow.
The current the swimmers noticed earlier seems to be emanating up from the tower's jagged top.
Swimming deeper, Vaschir sees that one of the domes is damaged; it's missing several panes.
It's not easy to tell if the domes are filled with air or not -- but it's a safe bet that at least part of the damaged one is flooded.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir heads for one of the damaged panes to take a look inside, as his air supply allows
Ana follows suit.
Ana and Vaschir's ears pop as they swim deeper. The water down here is murkier, but still suffused with the eerie blue light.
A layer of silt billows off the glass as they touch the broken dome.
From down here, it is clear that the causeways connecting the domes are not enclosed -- they're just roofed-over walkways.
Clambering their way across the dome, leaving dark clouds of silt in their wake, Ana and Vaschir approach the broken panes.
The break is large enough for several men to fit through comfortably, but fairly small compared to the size of the dome itself, which is about twenty yards in diameter.
A glance inside shows a flooded room, walled off with intact sheets of clear glass.
The wedge-shaped room seems to comprise about one quarter of the dome; the damaged area is near the base of the wall.
Further exploration is curtailed by the burning sensation building in both Solars' lungs.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir heads back towards the surface for air
Ana swims back to the surface, catches her breath, and after refilling her lungs, goes back towards the covered walkways.
As she approaches the bottom, her movements stir up a great deal of silt, which billows smokelike around the arches lining the walkway.
The path looks about wide enough for three people to walk abreast; as Ana swims along toward the dome, she sees that the walkway leads up to a set of rectangular glass panes.
Ana touches the panes hesitantly, trying to find a way in.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir heads back down to the dome, searching for a way into the intact and hopefully air-filled section
The panes don't budge, although they look like they are hinged to swing outward; a glance through the thick glass shows that the accumulation of sediment has raised the level of the lakebed almost a yard and a half above that of the dome's floor.
Avoiding the broken stubs of black girder which once held the missing crystal panes, Vaschir swims inside the dome. The blue light, distorted by the wavy glass, casts confusing patterns all over.
<Ana> Experimentally, Ana begins digging with her hands and feet, skittering the silt away from the door with gusto, causing the water around her to darken considerably with her efforts.
However, a quick look upward makes his heart leap: there is a bubble of air trapped at the top of the room.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir heads towards it, checking to see if it's actually breathable or not.
Ana quickly raises such a quantity of sediment that she is totally unable to see. Unfortunately, it seems to become much denser the deeper it goes; she easily clears away about a foot of it, but has trouble getting purchase on the claylike substrate.
<Ana> Scowling, Ana goes back up for air before attempting to hunt down Vaschir.
Vaschir's head pops up into the "bubble," which is about ten feet across, and equally deep. Taking a cautious breath, he discovers that the air, while stale, seems breathable.
Blue light shimmers and ripples across the glass walls.
<CaptainVaschir> With a fresh lungful, he dives again, looking again for any way into the intact part of the ruins.
There is a rectangular, hinged pane located at the midpoint of one wall; like the door Ana discovered outside, silt has accumulated fairly deeply outside it.
<CaptainVaschir> Not knowing he's likely to hit hard clay, Vaschir attempts to dig it out as well.
A pile of debris rests against the other wall; some pieces of broken glass, as large as a man, are jumbled together.
Black particulate matter swirls around Vaschir, producing much mess but little result,.
Ana swims inside the dome, and looks about for Vaschir. Spotting a cloud of sediment in the air, she shakes her head sadly and goes to join him.
<CaptainVaschir> Seeing as this door's sealed, Vaschir heads towards the rubble heap to see what secrets it conceals
Ana searches for a smaller piece of glass, from anywhere between the length of her arm or leg.
The slabs of glass look to be as large as, or larger than, the panes making up the doors. They are jumbled up against the wall; the outermost ones are still connected to the dome by bent girder. Others appear to have snapped off completely.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir prods at them carefully, attempting to figure out if the fall can be cleared without compromising the structure or crushing him.
Ana finds a smallish shard, attached to a bit of girder which seems about ready to snap off from the main framework.
It looks like it would be possible to move the larger, loose shards with some effort, but they're firmly seated enough to resist casual pushing.
Through the thick, ripply glass, Vaschir can see the outlines of another door-pane.
It looks like the shards are stacked in such a way that they've prevented much sediment from building up right in front of it.
<CaptainVaschir> Being careful not to entangle himself, Vaschir starts shifting the larger shards out of the way, trying to clear enough space to reach the concealed door.
Ana snaps off the piece of glass from its girder, tears off a strip from the lower part of her pantleg, and wraps it around one end of the glass as a handle. She moves to the door once more, utilizing the debris as a makeshift plow, digging into the clay in the hopes of success.
Ana's improvised shovel seems to cut into the dense sediment better than her hands did, but the going is rough. She soon needs to surface for more air.
Vaschir pushes and pulls at the shards, careful not to cut himself on their sharp edges, and gets them to shift a little -- but the effort quickly uses up his air.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir heads back up to the bubble to recharge, and upon returning checks for any fallen girder pieces that might serve as levers
Ana heads towards the air pocket, and lets out an exasperated sigh before replenishing her lungs.
Vaschir's quick search turns up a piece of girder sticking up from the bottom, devoid of sharp glass except for a couple small bits near the middle.
Ana swims back to the door, and goes after the clay with renewed zeal.
<CaptainVaschir> With his makeshift prybar, he heads back to the rubble and tries to lever the junk aside.
A silty cloud still billows around Ana's dig site; it's impossible to see how deep she actually dug, but she certainly did manage to stir up a lot of dirt. The whole inside of the flooded room is getting rather murky.
With a water-muffled groan, one of the largest panes of glass tilts away from the wall.
Ana turns towards the noise, making sure nothing is about to fall ontop of her.
As the sound of Vaschir's efforts reverberates through the chamber, Ana's glass blade strikes something harder than clay.
<CaptainVaschir> Reinvigorated by his minor success, Vaschir continues against those slabs still in his way.
Ana tries the door once more, hoping she hit pavement.
Swimming a bit out of the silt so that she can see, she notices that the captain has managed to move one of the slabs. It slowly topples over, the currents of its passage creating whorls in the floating silt.
Ana motions to Vaschir, trying to get him to come over to the door so that they can try it together.
Groping along the bottom, Ana feels stone.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir points upwards a couple of times, indicating he needs more air, and then heads up to the bubble for a lungful.
Ana follows him, figuring more air is always a good thing.
The great quantities of sediment drifting in the water paint dark swirls through the blue-glowing water.
<Ana> "I think I can get that door open now-- but I don't want to have to open it twice, since it might be a bit hard to shut."
<CaptainVaschir> "Depends which way it opens. If it's outward the inward rush of water should make keeping it open harder than closing."
<Ana> "In which case, we should be quick, and I might need your help opening it. You ready?"
<CaptainVaschir> "Let's give the silt a little while to settle before we try it anyway, it'd be nice to be able to see what we're doing."
The water laps against the glass walls of the chamber, leaving quickly-fading sheens of light clinging to the glass.
<Ana> "Omabwa is going to owe us for this."
<CaptainVaschir> "I was hoping this jewel dealie isn't the only loot in this tomb, actually"
<Ana> "That certainly would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath. No pun intended."
<CaptainVaschir> "all right, let's give it a shot"
<Ana> With another deep breath, Ana heads back to the door.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir follows
By now, it seems like the silt has largely subsided; a hazy layer lingers along the floor, but the water above is mainly clear.
The door looks like it consists of two large panes, each one composed of many smaller bits of stained glass, in patterns meant to evoke ocean waves.
Hinges of some silvery metal run the whole length of either side.
Ana gestures between the two doors for Vaschir to pick one.
On the right side, the hinge glistens in the water; on the left, it shimmers on the other side of the glass.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir points at the lefthand door, presuming it opens outward, and looks for anything that would serve as handhold.
- righthand
Ana nods to Vaschir, and attempts to wedge the door open partway with her glass stick.
The door appears to be tightly sealed -- obviously, if the water hasn't been able to push it open.
Near the top of the door, along the middle seam, there's a small bar arrangement.
It consists of two small but stout hooks, with a silver bar laid across them.
Ana removes the bar.
A similar arrangement is visible at the foot of the door, just above the layer of settling silt.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir grabs that one
Without the bars holding the door closed against the water pressure, the left-hand pane swings violently inward! Vaschir and Ana are both swept in; air billows out in a storm of bubbles.
Ana scrambles to shut the door behind them.
The two Exalted hit the stone floor; water is rapidly gushing through the open door.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir attempts to throw his weight against the door as well
Water sprays out along the seams of the door as the two throw their weight against it, forcing it shut against the water pressure.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir looks for an inside set of hooks to set with the bar he took from outside
Luckily, the setup on this side is the same as on the other -- except whoever last used the door (fortunately) didn't see the need to fasten this side as well.
Ana replaces the bar she took from the other side. "That was fun."
With the bars replaced, the door creaks ominously but holds steady.
Water swirls around the pair's ankles.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir tuns to examine the inside of this place
<Ana> "Obviously, the magistrate was embarassed to admit you need arms to get in."
Ana looks around curiously.
Muddy water swirls around low stone benches.
Aside from the benches, it doesn't look like any furnishings remain in the chamber, which is roughly the same size and shape as the other.
The glowing water outside makes the dome's panes of blue glass appear to brighten and dim in soothing patterns.
Off to one side, there is the sound of running water -- and the level of water sloshing around Ana and Vaschir's feet seems to be dropping quickly.
<CaptainVaschir> "think we've found a tunnel down" Vaschir says, pointing in the direction of the retreating water
Sure enough, closer inspection reveals that the water is cascading down a stairway, which quickly descends beneath ground level.
<Ana> "Interesting. I suppose down is as good a place to start as any."
It curves to the left; it's not possible to see what's at its terminus.
<CaptainVaschir> "Hope this glowing deal keeps up, since lighting a torch is just this side of absurd at the moment"
<Ana> "Quite true."
As they descend the gently-curving stair, the light actually gets brighter. Something around the bend is casting a silvery-blue light, brighter than that of the water outside.
Rounding the bend, they step into a circular chamber.
<CaptainVaschir> "that's either a good sign or an incredibly bad one"
In its center, a pillar of radiant water, five yards across, flows straight up. Light ripples across the glass walls of the chamber; the air seems charged with moist energy.
Power crackles and drips from the mosaic tiles underfoot; their pattern is a sunburst, centered on the column of water.
<Ana> "If you had some sort of magical jewel, does this look like the place you'd keep it?"
<CaptainVaschir> "I wouldn't, but for anyone else it makes a certain sense
<CaptainVaschir> "My bet it's what's causing the water-column thing, and we're in for a dowsing when we find and grab it"
Two arches, spaced equidistant around the curving wall, lead to stairways like the one which the pair just descended.
<CaptainVaschir> Vaschir looks up, hoping to confirm that they're now in the broken tower in the middle of the domes that he saw from above.
It certainly looks that way. The high ceiling is made of glass, and he thinks he can see the outlines of the tower's broken walls, silhouetted against the bright glow of the water.
When he looks back down, he and Ana are no longer the only people in the room.
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