Entering the large archway of the facility, Tosh wasn’t sure what they would find. He knew that the place was a mine for forsa crystals, which had thousands of uses. Of course, chief among them was to make the robotic intelligence of Renard’s Ironmonger automatons. Yet, they were very unstable and part of the reason for the explosion that gave Shatterspike its name was a testament to how unstable.

The dome looked like it was a beautiful glass and steel webbed dome that would have reflected and trapped enough light and heat to keep the place warm during the evenings. It wasn’t cold outside the dome, yet it wasn’t overly warm either. And the smell of burnt citrus and something like burning hair that wafted up from inside the massive pit of the mines.

Once the group crossed through the archway, the smell grew worse and Tosh rubbed at his nose, hating the stench.

“Sahib, be ready. I don’t like this,” Azal said, his eyes darting around, scanning as much of the place as he could.

“There is nothing my Ironmongers can’t deal with,” Renard said with a sigh.

Before them was a vast spiderweb of catwalks that spiraled down in a dizzying cat’s cradle of steel. Tosh felt his own stomach flip when he looked down. He saw, far below, the green and yellow flames of the inferno of the forsa fire still raging. The heat coming from it was not as intense as he thought.

“Not that hot, in fact, forsa doesn’t burn that hot. Human flesh can survive being in the middle of a tempest of it for a short time,” Renard said. “Yet, the mind is the thing that goes. It decays and the electrical activity sundered.”

“So, what if we run into any people? Will they be—”

“Once your head’s engulfed, the forsa will rip away all conscious thought. Stay in there long enough and you are little more than a rabid beast. If you see any people, kill them,” Renard said, checking his own pistol to see if it was fully loaded. “It would be a kindness.”

There was a sudden clang clang clang on several of the spiderwebs of catwalks. Azal pushed Tosh back, as Renard’s two robots surged forward to, shielding their master. Tosh could still see five things, glowing softly with the same green and yellow flames like below. They were bipedal creatures, yet some shifted onto their hands and feet, scurrying forward like an animal. As they charged, Tosh heard a strange keen coming from them, a hauntingly high-pitched screech.

Azal grabbed Tosh and pulled him towards a catwalk that ran to their left, farther away from the creatures. Renard wasn’t watching as his two robots fired at the charging creatures. Then, as Tosh and Azal ran along the catwalk, Azal cursed and stopped.

Tosh stopped yet was ready to keep running if Azal told him too. Then noticed that a noise had stopped. The robots weren’t firing. He turned to see that the robots hadn’t been firing at the creatures, more like firing in their direction, controlling them to move after Azal and Tosh.

“Really? You show yourself to be a turncoat within moments of entering?” Tosh shouted out as Azal had already set himself up to fire at the flaming creatures.

“What can I say? It is my nature,” Renard shouted. “Enjoy the welcome party! I have crystals to secure.”

Tosh turned as Azal could take down four of the creatures, yet one had slipped past him. The hulking and growling human-like thing of embers and ruined flesh lunged at Tosh. Azal could clip part of it with his dagger, yet the beast ignored him and charged straight for Tosh.

“Dammit!” In a moment of panic, Tosh threw himself over the railing, grabbing onto the metal end of a catwalk, his legs dangling over the yawning pit as the creature bulled past him, keening as it did.

There was a laugh that echoed up from above, Tosh looked up and saw Renard still glared him. “You said—“

“I said I need you to get me into Shatterspike. My Ironmongers will do all the work. You two are distractions for the monsters here. Thanks for the help, girlie!” He said, disappeared over the lip of the vast pit.

“I hate that guy so much,” Tosh grunted as Azal helped him up onto the catwalk. Yet, before Tosh could pull himself fully over the railing, he felt a shutter. He looked at Azal, who looked at him, eyes wide in fear.

They both turned to see that the blazing humanoid creature had tuned and was moving closer to them. It stopped a dozen paces from them both.

“Azal, let me go. I can—”

“You’ll die, sahib. I can—”

“Azal, don’t be a fool.”

“I can—”

Before Azal could continue, the fiery monster stomped down on the catwalk. Its foot catching a large square of metal. There was a ka-chunk as the section of catwalk that Azal and Tosh clung to wobbled and shook. The monster struck the plate again and the catwalk that bore Azal and Tosh cracked and shattered as they tried to hold on, plummeting into the void.