Chapter 47: Getting Detailed
Bee had hoped Void would catch up to her soon, but there was still no sign of her master. This left her in an awkward position. She poked her head around the corner into the catacombs level. Even knowing its capabilities, she might have started to worry. Still, there was no sign of any skeletons coming up from behind her. Indeed that was a good sign.
Looking into the massive room, she could make out much more this time. The oppressive darkness from when they had first entered this room seemed to be gone. Her light source still didn't illuminate the entire cavern, but it no longer felt muted and contained. She would need to do some research when she returned to the library because it seemed that once the skeletons had left, so had the oppressive doom.
It was really disappointing, but she would have to go through it alone. Ordinarily, she would have just waited for Void. The tunnel had been safe so far. But she was low on food and water and probably needed to get out sometime today or tomorrow morning before she started having issues. So without second guessing herself anymore, she crept out into the open. Of course, sneaking might have been pointless if her enemies had life sense, and she was carrying a massive light in her hand anyway, but still, she did her best not to make a sound. It wasn't entirely rational, but it made her feel more secure.
Bee stayed near the center of the room, away from the walls. If there were still skeletons in the cubbies, she didn't want to risk raising them. Best not to disturb them if she didn't have to. She remembered that they hadn't actually explored the center of this room. So she was equal parts curious and cautious as she worked her way toward it. It took her a minute or two of quiet walking before she saw there was indeed something in the center. It wasn't a mausoleum this time, but it looked like a raised dais with an altar on top. The dais was maybe six feet high, and there were no stairs. From this side, she couldn't see any way up. She also couldn't make out what, if anything, lay at the top.
This side of the dais was entirely blank and smooth. It didn't even have any natural patterns or marks from tools. Edging carefully around the corners, the other sides were similarly featureless.
Bee had a choice: keep investigating the dais or leave and continue up. It might be a rash, but many of the things she had done recently were rash. In many ways, it might be the only way she felt in control of her life at this point. So instead of continuing for the exit, she took a closer look.
She had confirmed there was no easy way up, so she looked for alternatives. Looking for a place she could climb up or something she could use as a stool, Bee paused and remembered what had happened in the mausoleum with the trap.
Something was odd about this. Not just that she couldn't read the language but the letters themselves. They were too perfect, almost like they were carved into stone. She doubted that a human's hands could have made them. Closely examining the book from every angle, she couldn't see anything besides a leather-bound book on top of a simple stone surface.
With an abundance of caution, Bee reached out and flipped the cover open to a random page. The lettering was square and blocky. Every line was perfectly straight, with the exact same amount of spacing between it and the next one. Every letter was exactly the same width. There were no places where the ink wavered as a hand cramped or a quill needed refreshing. Who wrote this book?
—
It was slow going as I made my way up this ever-increasing incline. I didn't realize how much I had grown used to Beatrice's company. While cleaning, I could dive into myself and enjoy my work, but this was boring. I had to limp up the hallway. I moved at a plodding pace. I didn't even have the luxury of a job well done. I tried to clean as I went, and the same happened when I tried to use my light or exercise my arm. My repair timer started increasing, and I did not want to wait longer than I had to before I was back at full functionality.
By the time I reached the first level, I could feel my repairs had made significant progress. I still had several hours, but my state didn't hinder me nearly as much as it did previously. My pace increased too, and I had started going faster than I knew Beatrice could comfortably maintain, so I could catch up with her soon. I hoped she was okay. It was nice to see that she had apparently managed to skirt past the group of skeletons in the second layer without being noticed. Still, I didn't believe her luck would last.
I was using my advanced scanners to watch the area around me. That was the only thing I could do that didn't seem to increase my repair time further. However, I couldn't extend them for a very long distance yet. But every hour or so that I kept them on, I noticed I could reach a little further. I would have liked precise numbers on my range to increase, but it seemed somewhat variable. Either that or I still needed to collect enough data to have an exact correlation between the time used and any range increases. The expansion rate also seemed to change when I investigated different things with my sensors, so it might have been in vain to even hope for such a formula.
When I first rolled onto the first level's room, I didn't notice anything. But as I moved towards the center, I caught Beatrice on my sensors. Oh good, she was fine and safe. However, as I got closer, I realized she might be in a slight predicament. There was a single raised platform in the very center of the room. It was way too tall for Beatrice to climb up or down, yet she stood on top. Honestly. She never ceased to amaze. At least she wasn't getting attacked again.
I had to help her find a way to get down. At a distance, I circled around the giant platform so I could keep my eye on her. There was no easy way up or down. It was 6.04 feet of slick wall on any side. I suppose she could try jumping down, but I wouldn't want her cracking apart. I still had yet to find her any replacement parts.
On one side, I saw her satchel lying on the ground. Seeing that nothing had approached us yet, it was probably safe to make myself known. I was here to help. I tried to convey that message in a greeting beep to reassure her.
Beatrice looked up. She had been studying something intently, but I couldn't see what from this angle. When she saw me, she smiled and gave me a little wave. I popped out my grabby arm and waved back. It was really lovely to see her. Now I just had to help her out of this predicament.