Hidden findings

     THEROS put the map away, and we headed off towards the South end of the island. Looking at the map when THEROS had, we were to travel for about an hour or so, and then head due West, where the circled area was. It still struck me as odd that it wasn't located on the edge - or even in the centre - of a large body of water. We had predicted a few possible locations and they had all been very inaccurate! From what Amie and OROTHO have told me, obsidian is created when flowing water comes into contact with a static pool or patch of lava. For that reason, we established the possibility of it being close to a water source. As it wasn't it suggested one of two things; either water wasn't as vital a factor in this process as we had initially imagined, or they had found access to copious amounts of water from elsewhere. For all we knew, they could be piping water into the place from a large series of hoses, directly down into the lava chamber!

"What do you think we'll find there?"

It was a good question, and judging from the amount of detail in the report, this wasn't a small operation. They had established a large plant to farm vast quantities of obsidian at a controlled rate. It was then presumably shipped out to large, underground chambers, and constructed into portals. I doubted they made the portals on site, and then shipped them... We were likely to find a small building on the surface, that would lead to a large chamber underneath.

"I think the same. They couldn't get away with a huge building on the surface. Someone would be bound to stumble across it."

Well we weren't stumbling across it. We were directly looking for it.

     We had only been walking for about half an hour or so, when we spotted something that put us edge. Well, it put me on edge. Especially after our previous encounter with them. Up ahead, UOPETA had spotted movement, and we had all slowed down to ensure we could get a better look without compromising out position. Slowing heading over a small hill, we lay beneath a trees overhanging branches, and looked towards the direction UOPETA was pointing. Up ahead, was a guard... After a few moments, we realised that there were three guards, not just one! Three guards just wandering around? That must mean we were close. This was likely to be a location that HoN Co. would want to remain top secret, so an actual deterrent was needed to put snooping people off.

"There could be more... We have to be careful about what we do from now on. But eliminating these three first is top priority. Remember, this is only a scout mission to reconnoitre the area before heading back with information. We might end up rushing to head back, and the last thing we need is to rush into these three. We take them out now, and have less to deal with later."

UOPETA outlined the plan, and we all headed towards our respective areas. Three guards and three of us. Easy peasy!

     After everyone was in position, we remained hidden until UOPETA gave the signal. The three guards were all within range, and they all had their backs to us. We exploited this point moment, and three darts went flying towards the three guards. Within the space of three seconds, all three guards dropped. We had hit them all within the same time limit, and neither had seen the others fall. We waited a few moments to see if there were any more guards, without risking being seen, before emerging from the treeline, and heading towards the guards. We removed the darts from each of the guards' necks, and then headed back into the trees, but continuing to head South. As we continued South, we began to see a large body of water, of to our left. We also noticed we had been heading on a slight incline, as the water was lower than us. This was actually advantageous as it allowed us to scout out the area for any sign of pipes or waterlines. We couldn't see anything from our vantage point, and the telescope didn't help either. From the looks of it, this place wasn't sourcing water from here... Odd. It would be easier, surely. Unless there was a more accessible spring source beneath the surface. We eventually came to a small beach area which allowed us to head West.

"Head this way now, and we should get there very soon. About half an hour or so... Let's hope the light remains with us for now..."

It was true; the sun had begun to dip below the horizon, and we were beginning to lose the light. It would make it harder finding the place and finding more guards. Admittedly though, we hadn't seen any more since the first three, but there was likely to be more.

     We found it! Well, we found something... We approached the place designated on the map, and we came to a small dip in the ground. Well, a small dip... It was actually a steep drop that went down about ten metres or so... It looked like there was gravel at the bottom, but from one side, we could see a small amount of light. After moving around, we realised that the ground we thought was gravel turned out to be stone! It was a stone building, more of a bunker, with an entrance at one end! There were no guards on the outside, but I could guarantee we wouldn't get in unnoticed...

Syeonyx signing off