MysticBuilds
The Call
The sound only increased as Arthur moved closer to the vault. A piercing ringing that stabbed into his mind.
Trying to remain focused he calmly placed two fingers on both of his temples. At least trying to massage his head in a vain attempt to soothe the pain.
He sighed in frustration, the pain only subsiding briefly. He continued pacing down the stairs that spiralled through the tower. The pale light emitting from the ornately decorated lamps that were affixed to the walls, guiding him deeper down.
At last he reached the large circular doorway that was the entrance to the vault. A heavy, solid metal door, copper in colour. Engraved with strange symbols and patterns.
Arthur hurriedly pulled out the key from his pocket, sliding it into the lock. He twisted it around, as he did he could feel the clicking and whirring of the locks reverberating through the door.
The heavy door groaned as it began to open, the triangular segments that formed the door retracting into the walls.
He stepped forward, approaching the smaller, secondary wall. For this one however, there was no key. Arthur merely raised his hand up towards the door.
'Open' he commanded.
The door clicked and opened inwards, allowing Arthur into the vault.
As the lights began to flicker on, the contents of the vault were revealed. It was a large circular room with a grated metal walkway circling around the entirety of the vault. Each of the walls featured a tall arched alcove that contained shelves filled with strange metallic objects, glowing stones and crystals, mechanical devices and other oddities. In some of the alcoves bizarre weapons hung on display, in others hung tapestries, scrolls, books, suits of armour, helmets and even taxidermied heads of strange and unusual creatures.
'Incredible that I've even been able to store all this' Arthur mused to himself, looking around the vault.
His eyes turned to an alcove on the far side of the vault, there were no shelves there. Only a large glass tank that glowed and pulsated with a sickly green liquid. Large tubes snaked from the top of the tank, pumping nutrients to what lurked within.
Though the tank itself was fogged with a faint mist, Arthur could see the silhouette of the entity within, a large, bearish sized bulk.
Though he could not see it's eyes, he knew it was watching him.
'Another time' he muttered.
He made his way towards the spiral staircase nearby. Which took him down to the lower level of the vault. Large wooden crates were stacked and piled here and there. Though the lighting illuminated the various other objects around the area. Stone carvings and statues, as well as an ancient obelisk from Egypt. A worn suit of the royal guard and a strange, metal machine that looked like an oversized pepper pot.
Arthur however turned his attention to the golden mask that sat on a nearby pedestal, as he did the noise in his head returned.
'This is a first' he said, walking over to the mask.
'You've never been one to cause a commotion, not since Orkney' He added.
'Something is wrong' The mask cried, glowing rapidly.
'What is it?' Arthur asked.
'Someone is reaching out!' The mask cried.
Worriedly, Arthur moved over to the pedestal.
'It's alright, just talk to me' Arthur said calmly.
'How? How is this possible?' the mask cried, panicking further.
'What is it? Tell me' Arthur replied.
'I have to show you!' the mask cried. As it did it leapt forward from the pedestal, rotating around and placing itself on Arthur's face.
A surge of energy burned through Arthur, he staggered back as he frantically tried to take the mask off.
'You have to see!' The mask said, reverberating through Arthur's mind.
As it spoke Arthur's surroundings shifted and warped, the room span in a dizzying blur. Before changing into an unfamiliar location.
The room Arthur was in was dark, tall columns ascended into nothingness. In the centre of the room stood a large, metallic dome like structure. Circular patterns engraved onto each section. Glowing with a pale blue light.
Standing next to the structure was a humanoid figure.
'Hello?' Arthur called out.
The figure moved slightly, suddenly aware of Arthur's presence. It turned towards him.
The figure was slightly hunched in appearance, wearing some sort of decorative robe. In it's right hand it held a staff that it seemed to use like a walking stick. On top of the staff was a glowing orange light that illuminated the features of the humanoid.
Arthur looked in confusion.
The figure was mechanical, wearing a curved orange mask that had an narrow elongated lower section that Arthur assumed to be it's mouth.
What surprised Arthur were it's eyes, though this appeared to be a machine, it's eyes glowed with emotion, wisdom and warmth. Like that of a wise elder.
'Ah, there you are' the figure said.
'Who are you?' Arthur asked.
'Who I am is of no concern at the moment' the figure replied. 'Our connection here is short'.
'The mask is allowing me to communicate with you?'.
'Indeed' the figure nodded. 'But you are too far. The connection here is very weak, any second now we could be cut off'.
As he said that Arthur began to notice that the room was starting to fade.
The figure noticed too.
'I will keep this brief' The figure said 'You must take the mask to the coliseum! That way I will be able to contact you properly'.
'The coliseum? What do you mean?'
'The mask will know! Let it guide you!' the figure replied. The room was warping, turning back into the vault.
'Please, help us!' the figure called out before dissapating.
As the vault returned Arthur tore the mask off, gasping as if his lungs had been held in a vice.
'What in the hell was that?!' He wheezed, staggering backwards.
The mask levitated slightly, resting itself back on the pedestal.
'They're still alive!' the mask exclaimed 'They survived!'.
'That was one of them? The people of the world you came from?' Arthur asked.
'That was. I don't know how, but if he survived. Then there's hope' the mask said, sounding somewhat confident.
Arthur winced in pain, as an image flickered in his mind. A star filled void filled his mind, in the centre glowed a bright red star.
'That same star again' he whispered.
'We have to find them!' the mask exclaimed 'They need our help'.
'He said to go to the coliseum, but I don't know what he means by that. He said you would know'.
'It's a place from my world, in some way I am connected to it'.
'Would you be able to take us there?' Arthur replied.
'I can, if it is indeed still standing' the mask said hesitantly 'But I will need your help'.
Arthur took a deep breath, pondering the situation at hand.
'I will help you' he said 'But we need to prepare for this journey first'.
The mask fell silent, it too was pondering.
'Agreed' it replied.
'I will start packing' Arthur said. Moving towards the staircase.
As he reached the doorway, the mask called out to him.
'Thank you' it said.
The Call
The sound only increased as Arthur moved closer to the vault. A piercing ringing that stabbed into his mind.
Trying to remain focused he calmly placed two fingers on both of his temples. At least trying to massage his head in a vain attempt to soothe the pain.
He sighed in frustration, the pain only subsiding briefly. He continued pacing down the stairs that spiralled through the tower. The pale light emitting from the ornately decorated lamps that were affixed to the walls, guiding him deeper down.
At last he reached the large circular doorway that was the entrance to the vault. A heavy, solid metal door, copper in colour. Engraved with strange symbols and patterns.
Arthur hurriedly pulled out the key from his pocket, sliding it into the lock. He twisted it around, as he did he could feel the clicking and whirring of the locks reverberating through the door.
The heavy door groaned as it began to open, the triangular segments that formed the door retracting into the walls.
He stepped forward, approaching the smaller, secondary wall. For this one however, there was no key. Arthur merely raised his hand up towards the door.
'Open' he commanded.
The door clicked and opened inwards, allowing Arthur into the vault.
As the lights began to flicker on, the contents of the vault were revealed. It was a large circular room with a grated metal walkway circling around the entirety of the vault. Each of the walls featured a tall arched alcove that contained shelves filled with strange metallic objects, glowing stones and crystals, mechanical devices and other oddities. In some of the alcoves bizarre weapons hung on display, in others hung tapestries, scrolls, books, suits of armour, helmets and even taxidermied heads of strange and unusual creatures.
'Incredible that I've even been able to store all this' Arthur mused to himself, looking around the vault.
His eyes turned to an alcove on the far side of the vault, there were no shelves there. Only a large glass tank that glowed and pulsated with a sickly green liquid. Large tubes snaked from the top of the tank, pumping nutrients to what lurked within.
Though the tank itself was fogged with a faint mist, Arthur could see the silhouette of the entity within, a large, bearish sized bulk.
Though he could not see it's eyes, he knew it was watching him.
'Another time' he muttered.
He made his way towards the spiral staircase nearby. Which took him down to the lower level of the vault. Large wooden crates were stacked and piled here and there. Though the lighting illuminated the various other objects around the area. Stone carvings and statues, as well as an ancient obelisk from Egypt. A worn suit of the royal guard and a strange, metal machine that looked like an oversized pepper pot.
Arthur however turned his attention to the golden mask that sat on a nearby pedestal, as he did the noise in his head returned.
'This is a first' he said, walking over to the mask.
'You've never been one to cause a commotion, not since Orkney' He added.
'Something is wrong' The mask cried, glowing rapidly.
'What is it?' Arthur asked.
'Someone is reaching out!' The mask cried.
Worriedly, Arthur moved over to the pedestal.
'It's alright, just talk to me' Arthur said calmly.
'How? How is this possible?' the mask cried, panicking further.
'What is it? Tell me' Arthur replied.
'I have to show you!' the mask cried. As it did it leapt forward from the pedestal, rotating around and placing itself on Arthur's face.
A surge of energy burned through Arthur, he staggered back as he frantically tried to take the mask off.
'You have to see!' The mask said, reverberating through Arthur's mind.
As it spoke Arthur's surroundings shifted and warped, the room span in a dizzying blur. Before changing into an unfamiliar location.
The room Arthur was in was dark, tall columns ascended into nothingness. In the centre of the room stood a large, metallic dome like structure. Circular patterns engraved onto each section. Glowing with a pale blue light.
Standing next to the structure was a humanoid figure.
'Hello?' Arthur called out.
The figure moved slightly, suddenly aware of Arthur's presence. It turned towards him.
The figure was slightly hunched in appearance, wearing some sort of decorative robe. In it's right hand it held a staff that it seemed to use like a walking stick. On top of the staff was a glowing orange light that illuminated the features of the humanoid.
Arthur looked in confusion.
The figure was mechanical, wearing a curved orange mask that had an narrow elongated lower section that Arthur assumed to be it's mouth.
What surprised Arthur were it's eyes, though this appeared to be a machine, it's eyes glowed with emotion, wisdom and warmth. Like that of a wise elder.
'Ah, there you are' the figure said.
'Who are you?' Arthur asked.
'Who I am is of no concern at the moment' the figure replied. 'Our connection here is short'.
'The mask is allowing me to communicate with you?'.
'Indeed' the figure nodded. 'But you are too far. The connection here is very weak, any second now we could be cut off'.
As he said that Arthur began to notice that the room was starting to fade.
The figure noticed too.
'I will keep this brief' The figure said 'You must take the mask to the coliseum! That way I will be able to contact you properly'.
'The coliseum? What do you mean?'
'The mask will know! Let it guide you!' the figure replied. The room was warping, turning back into the vault.
'Please, help us!' the figure called out before dissapating.
As the vault returned Arthur tore the mask off, gasping as if his lungs had been held in a vice.
'What in the hell was that?!' He wheezed, staggering backwards.
The mask levitated slightly, resting itself back on the pedestal.
'They're still alive!' the mask exclaimed 'They survived!'.
'That was one of them? The people of the world you came from?' Arthur asked.
'That was. I don't know how, but if he survived. Then there's hope' the mask said, sounding somewhat confident.
Arthur winced in pain, as an image flickered in his mind. A star filled void filled his mind, in the centre glowed a bright red star.
'That same star again' he whispered.
'We have to find them!' the mask exclaimed 'They need our help'.
'He said to go to the coliseum, but I don't know what he means by that. He said you would know'.
'It's a place from my world, in some way I am connected to it'.
'Would you be able to take us there?' Arthur replied.
'I can, if it is indeed still standing' the mask said hesitantly 'But I will need your help'.
Arthur took a deep breath, pondering the situation at hand.
'I will help you' he said 'But we need to prepare for this journey first'.
The mask fell silent, it too was pondering.
'Agreed' it replied.
'I will start packing' Arthur said. Moving towards the staircase.
As he reached the doorway, the mask called out to him.
'Thank you' it said.