Mistress Hariren inspects the bloated body, then turning to Sir Junralan proclaims. “He was Council military and a pure-blood Elven. I’m assuming he’s the same man in the message, but it’s a bit difficult to be sure due to the decomposition and the bloating. I would estimate he’s been dead three, maybe four, days. Based on his position and the angle of the runic blade, it would appear he stabbed himself.” Her voice sounding reedy from within the helmet she’s now wearing that’s attached to her suit.

“The Council team left six days ago, so he was still alive at that point. They would’ve told him they would return, all he had to do was wait to be rescued. Why would he kill himself?” Sir Junralan asks.

“He probably did it to avoid suffocating when the oxygen ran out. If you watch the message closely his respiratory movements were slow, deep and strained. Suffocating isn’t a pleasant way to die.”

“How would he suffocate this place is massive?”

“I’d estimate there are about three days of breathable oxygen. The room’s only four meters high, roughly one hundred long and fifty wide with half the space taken up by the equipment.”

Sir Junralan considers what he’s been told then nods then regards Alex and Candy kneeling a few meters away. “Alright slaves, let’s get this body dealt with quickly and properly. Get him in a bag and move him to the other end of the corridor.”

“Yes, Master.” Alex and Candy respond at the same time.

Sir Junralan then turns back to Mistress Hariren querying. “Are you coming to find out what they found?”

“I am.”

When Sir Junralan and Mistress Hariren move away Alex glances quickly at Candy then picks up the bag lying nearby and whispers. “I know death isn’t pleasant. It will never be pleasant, but you’ll have to try your best.”

Candy nods staring at the bloated body with its staring eyes, leaking fluids, and dreadful odors that will live with her for a long time. She shudders, and then whispers, “It must have been terrible hoping for rescue, and then realizing that you’re going to die a slow painful death.”

“Being in the military, he probably lived most of his life following orders. But he made his own decision about his death, which was to reduce his suffering.”

“I don’t think I could have done it.”

Alex opens the bag and lays it next to the body. “Let’s get this done. You take the feet.” He moves forward grimacing in frustration, realizing this is going to be messy, especially as there’s only two of them. Alex moves next to the body and tilts it forward to wrap his arms around the chest, and then he nods. Candy picks up the legs and turns to face the bag to avoid the bug-eyed stare from the corpse.

“I’ll brace and lift, and then we’ll move slowly to the bag.” Candy nods without turning her head.

Sir Junralan and Mistress Hariren sedately walk over to Lady Vaeri who stands in front of a three-meter wide and four-meter high door. The door has fifteen centimeters thick rods forming a massive X across its front that disappears into a cylinder in the middle; it wouldn’t be out of place in a bank vault. The door is mounted into a wall that is made of metal, with the only thing ruining the mirror-like appearance being a small panel.

Lady Vaeri glances around at those gathered. “As everyone is here I’ll begin. Surprisingly, the door has plenty of power and that means the security lock is active. Trying to circumvent the lock is going to take considerable time, more than we have available.”

“I could blow it open like I did the first door.” Master Ilhon says in a flat tone.

Lady Vaeri nods to him. “You probably can, but this door and wall are made of an adamant alloy, which is the same metal as progenitor weapons and armor. I doubt we have enough explosives to cut your way through and there’s probably a second door.”

“All this adamant must be worth an absolute fortune.” Mistress Delva declares in awe.

“It’s also a mineral of extreme durability and hardness, making it difficult to cut. We can’t use explosives due to the risk, so we don’t have the time to retrieve it.” Master Paicen responds with a sad smile.

Alex crouches down and positions himself wrapping his arms around the body turning his head to the side to avoid the odor and began to lift. As the corpse moves it makes a noise similar to a moan. Candy lets out a little shriek and begins to panic, dropping his feet as she begins to gag.

Alex breathes out explosively trying not to drop the body and whispers in English. “Take it easy, it’s just the compressed air remaining in the lungs and stomach escaping, it used to happen when we found a steer that had been dead for a few days at the ranch. It can be scary and make your hair stand on end.”

“Get that body moved. Before I have to come over there and remove the skin from your backs.” Sir Junralan bellows from across the room.

“Yes, Master,” Alex calls back while panting, trying to ignore the stench.

Lady Vaeri glowers at Sir Junralan who smiles nervously. "I apologize for my rude behavior in shouting."

Candy sucks in gulps of air, her mouth wide, resisting the urge to throw up and turning her head to the side. She bends down and retrieves the legs and they begin to shuffle towards the bag. After a few minutes, the corpse is lying in the open bag.

“I’ll seal the bag then we’ll move him to the corridor.” Alex whispers and Candy briefly nods.

Lady Vaeri turns to Master Cyrand. “Is the area safe?”

“It is. This room is safe at the moment, but the main supports show signs of stress cracks. We can’t use explosives as that risks damaging the supports further and collapsing the area. The exit to the main shaft and the outside has already collapsed, which sealed the area.”

“Is there any access to other parts of the ruin?”

“Not from here, I’m afraid. All of the exits were on this side are buried. Master Zatlen is using a drone to scan the collapse from outside. I’m hopeful we’ll find the main shaft which would allow us to access the rest of the areas.”

Lady Vaeri stares around the room. “This area was used for sort of specialist manufacturing. Regrettably, the machines have all had their control crystals removed. Nevertheless, some components are still valuable, as some use orichalcum and others runium. I’ll work with the team when they begin to dismantle the machines, identifying those components we’ll take.” She turns to Sir Junralan. “How long until the rest of the team have finished setting up camp?”

“It’ll be another couple of hours before everything is ready. However, a couple of the team will be available in less than an hour.”

“Master Paicen and Master Cyrand can you assist Master Zatlen? I understand from Sir Junralan that you both have experience with drones.”

Both men bow and respond. “Yes, Lady Vaeri.”

“Master Ilhon, I would like you to assist Mistress Delva in dismantling the machines. I have quickly reviewed each machine and placed markers on those that I expect to hold the most value. I will assess what you remove and ensure they are packed ready for transportation.”

“As you command, Lady Vaeri.” Master Ilhon responds in a monotone and Mistress Delva nods.

“Sir Junralan, Please arrange to have tables and some of the packaging brought here. Afterwards, I’m sure you have duties to attend to regarding the security arrangements.” Sir Junralan gives a nod and a brief bow. “Mistress Hariren if you would be so kind as to attend me we can make a start.” She briefly regards all those present, then smiles. “I look forward to seeing you all later when we dine.” Everyone bows and move away to embark on their assigned tasks.

Mistress Hariren waits for most of the people to leave before she makes her way over to Lady Vaeri, who does not greet her. She instead watches Alex and Candy struggle to take the body bag through the doorway and out of sight. After a few minutes of silence, Mistress Hariren cautiously ventures. “I’m not sure what use I will be Lady Vaeri. I’ve never worked with relics before.”

Lady Vaeri meets her gaze and gives a tight smile. “Before I begin instructing you about what we must do, I have a few questions regarding the body, if you don’t mind?”

“Of course, Lady Vaeri. What do you wish to know?”

“As there was no other body or way to exit I’m assuming he took his own life, do you agree?”

“Yes, Lady Vaeri, I do. There are signs in the recording that he was having difficulty breathing and I suspect this was due to the lack of oxygen in the air, it’s not a pleasant way to die.”

“Were there any signs of an infection or exposure to hazardous materials when you inspected the body?”

The question confuses Mistress Hariren who pauses. “There were no signs of any burns, rashes or ruptures on the skin and based on the recording he was not exhibiting any other symptoms. However, the only sure way to be certain would be to take samples and get them analyzed.”

“Can you please explain what symptoms you would expect to witness if he had been exposed?”

“There are many, but the common ones are dizziness, confusion, coughing, eye irritation, vomiting, or stomach pains. None of these were apparent when he made the recording. Based on what I understand, he was in here for two to three days, so there was sufficient time for these symptoms to manifest. May I inquire why you want to know?”

Lady Vaeri glances around ensuring no one was near. “Can you please keep what I’m about to say to you confidential?”

“I can, Lady Vaeri.”

“When I accessed the control panel it became apparent it was configured to seal in case of a leak of hazardous material.” Mistress Hariren gasps in surprise. “Let me clarify, the door is locked, but not sealed. When I called up the control panel it requested the access code and biometric verification to allow the door to be unlocked. It has not been sealed to contain any leak of hazardous materials, nonetheless, I want you to be aware in case we do manage to gain entry and come across hazardous materials. Do you have any experience in this area?

“No, Lady Vaeri. I’m merely a journeyman healer.”

“Do you know the warning symbols used by the progenitors for hazardous materials?”

“I know the ones commonly used by House Quinala and the Council. Are they the same?”

“In most cases they are. There are a few differences, but these relate to rare materials we are extremely unlikely to find. Regrettably, we didn’t bring any equipment to handle hazardous materials, so if we get inside we’ll need to agree on a protocol.”

“I will check my knowledge crystal to see what it advises, Lady Vaeri.”

“That would be most appreciated. You can spend some time now doing that, as it will be quiet for a while.”

“Of course, Lady Vaeri.” Mistress Hariren says and bows. Then extracting a device from her bag begins tapping away. A few minutes later, Alex and Candy return and kneel in front of Lady Vaeri.

Candy speaks quietly. “Mistress we have done as requested by Sir Junralan and removed the body.”

“Good. Sir Junralan is arranging to have tables and some of the packagings brought. You are to set up the tables next to the vault door and ensure that there is sufficient packaging prepared.”

“Yes, Mistress,” They both respond.

Twenty minutes later one of the half-Elven men appear in the doorway and rushing over quickly bows to Lady Vaeri. “Sir Junralan sends his regards and advises that the items you requested have arrived.”

Lady Vaeri distractedly gazes up from a small item she’s inspecting. “Thank you. Eilaes, Talia, please go and retrieve the items.”

“Yes, Mistress.” They both respond before standing and following the half-Elven man.

An hour later the tables are set-up and the contents of the packs arranged on one of them. Lady Vaeri is working at another table using devices to inspect the stream of components being brought over by two half-Elven men. After each is inspected Lady Vaeri hands it to either Alex or Candy and advises of the grade of the item, which they then place in particular boxes.

This continues for a few more hours until Master Zatlen approaches. ”Lady Vaeri, I have some news regarding other potential access points to the ruins. Disappointingly, we have searched for a kilometer in each direction and have been unable to locate any entrances. Also, the access to the main shaft adjacent to this area is inaccessible as the rockfall is unstable and the use of explosives would potentially collapse this whole area. We have had some success and managed to find several ventilation ducts, which we are using the cargo handlers to clear. I’ll be using drones to survey them and I’m confident that we can gain access to other areas through these ducts.”

“What is the plan once we gain entry? We won’t be able to get very much out if the ducts are the only access.”

“If it’s within ten meters of the outside, Master Ilhon, believes that he can train one of your slaves in how to set explosives to clear a passage.”

“When will we know if any of the ventilation ducts leads anywhere?”

“I’m expecting to launch the drones to commence the survey in the next hour. I would request your permission to have Master Ilhon train the male slave in the use of explosives.”

Lady Vaeri stares over to Alex and Candy frowning for a few seconds. “How long will the training take?”

“About an hour.”

“That’s acceptable. Eilaes, please attend Master Ilhon.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Alex responds.

“Is there anything else?”

“No, Lady Vaeri,“ Master Zatlen states and bows. “Come, slave.” Alex rises and follows Master Zatlen towards Master Ilhon.

Master Ilhon looks up at their approach. “He the one I’m training?” He asks in a bland tone.

“Yes, he is. I’ll be back in a couple of hours, hopefully with a suitable location.” Master Zatlen states as Alex kneels and bows.

Master Ilhon scrutinizes Alex. “Have you ever used explosives?”

“No, Master.”

“Well, the first lesson is that you don’t need to kneel, we can’t have you setting off charges by accident. The second lesson is that using explosives is very simple. The explosive will remain safe to handle until you insert and activate the detonator.”

Master Ilhon’s gives a faint smile and he speaks a little more animatedly. “You use some explosive putty, a runic detonator and, typically, some sort of housing. The explosive putty undergoes a rapid chemical reaction, either a combustion or decomposition reaction when triggered by prana passing through the runic detonator.” He hands Alex a grey lump of clay. “This is the new putty explosive that you can shape into anything you need to. It’s very stable and takes a runic detonator to set it off; throwing it on a campfire will just cause it to burn and it’ll last quite a while, but it won’t explode.

“You don’t want to be too close when explosives go off as they create huge blast waves, which go through the body. These waves inflict considerable damage to air-filled organs such as lungs, eyes and brain. Many people who die this way have no visible injuries. Visible injuries are usually those caused by the debris from the explosion, which penetrates creating serious wounds. These are the most common injuries following an explosion.”

He then hands over a five-centimeter wide hollow hemisphere. “Look inside.” Alex does so and realizes there is a familiar script inlaid with a thin wire of red metal and when he turns it over there’s what appears to be a very small core at the apex. “That’s a runic enhancer, you pack it with explosive and it both amplifies and directs the force of the blast. I wouldn’t recommend placing the explosive in it until you want to use it, just in case you get hit by prana.” He then hands him a pair of small cones. “This is the same thing except it’s used to make shaped charges and you can add the smaller metal cone to the inside. It’s what I used on the first door. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master.”

“I’ve got some simple triggers, so let’s go outside and see what you can do.”

“Yes, Master.”

Master Ilhon spends the next hour showing Alex how to place explosives to direct the force of the blast. He also explains how to safely construct and handle the finished charges. He does not explain how to turn the charges he uses into weapons, but Alex recollects the knowledge from Earth on how to crudely strap nails to the outside to create nail bombs.