Hammer had followed the priests that had left, but was trying to remain behind them; he doubted they would welcome the encounter. The tunnel was darkening, the ion globes that had lit it before fading. That wasn't a problem with the technology, the fact that they were all fading together pointed to a problem with the power source. He remembered the tunnel was long and he wanted to avoid straining himself; he had no water and hadn't eaten in hours, with no prospect of doing so again in the near future. A small black thing wriggled past his foot at a surprising speed given its size. It looked like a cross between a worm and a beetle, but with teeth. A little uncomfortable, and not wanting to get caught in the dark with that thing, he increased his speed a little; he was well behind the priests. He passed a few more worm beetles, but they seemed wary of him, scurrying along on the opposite side of the tunnel.
He eventually reached the great hall. The doors had been flung open by the priests, and this room sported few dozen worm beetles, apparently moving in a manner which only they could comprehend; some walked in circles, others walked until hitting an obstacle then turned and walked in a different direction, still others followed random walks around the room, changing direction arbitrarily.
Cautiously, Hammer made his way through the exit; this was where he was likely to find the priests. Trying to remember his way out, he quickly became lost. He checked his notepad, to see if he could find a map. It wouldn't turn on. Things just didn't seem to be working any longer. In fact, the lights had been growing steadily dimmer, they were now little more than a faint glow. Soon they would start flickering as the power required to run them dropped too low and their capacitors stopped filling correctly.
Something was ahead of him. Tall, feathered, yet skeletal, as if it were the animated corpse of a bird. Or was it more like a crocodile with a short snout and feathers. It eyed him arrogantly, head tilting in a reptilian fashion, then turned and ran off with celerity. Hammer followed, though at a slower pace than the creature. It was stopped at a corner, waiting for him. When he arrived, he recognised the intersection. The bird began walking one way, but it wasn't the right way.
“Not that way!” He said.
The bird stopped, cocking its head again, and began to continue its path.
“Do what you like.”
Hammer went the other way, heading outside. After a few steps, he felt the bird at his side. Surprised, he raised his sword, and the bird shied back. Good. Within a few minutes, they were outside in the daylight.
***
Rajin saw the man with the energy-infused blade. She eyed it curiously. It was the same one that fought against the ones she had fought against, but she hadn't noticed the blade before. She didn't want to get on the wrong side of this one; that sword looked nasty. Protective. Besides, there was something different about this one. Its resistance pattern was more complete. No, she did not want to get on the wrong side of this one. She tried a path she had not yet taken, running off. She noticed the man following her, so she waited at the next intersection. She eventually followed it out, and decided to stay with it. Perhaps she could learn something.
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