"Erm... I thought this door was finished... What are you doing now?"
"We're wiring it up to a series of access lights at the base-side tunnel entrance. Depending on the state of the light, we can tell if the door is open or closed. It will help to maintain a higher degree of security and safety without compromising our position..."
"I see... What about the levers and wiring we saw on the way here...?"
"That was OROTHO's idea. He thinks that a master override switch at the base entrance would allow maximum security, and lockdown all tunnel access from a single location. It's quite an ingenious solution actually, and it will prevent any of the doors being opened from any of the other sides."
"Well that's good to hear, but don't go trapping us in the tunnel this time... I can't be held responsible for my actions..."
With a smile on his face, UOPETA, myself, THEROS and THEXIS headed off towards the end of the tunnel, to continue from yesterday. We were hoping that today we would be able to determine our position by digging a surface shaft and assessing our lateral position in relation to above ground. Let's just hope we didn't dig into a pool or any other body of water...
We've managed to make some excellent progress today; we encountered another cavern which ruined the integrity of the tunnel, which had to be plugged with iron plating, and then bracings. Luckily Joe and OROTHO had finished messing around with the first security door, and were preparing the materials for the next door. We helped moved the iron plating into place and secure the tunnel before letting them begin on the next door.
As we waited, THEROS suddenly began talking about the surface hole we were meant to dig to determine our position, and a possible flaw in that idea.
"If I've got the scaling right on the map, and I know I have, then this tunnel puts us directly under a large body of water, close to the shore. In fact the direction of the tunnel just runs parallel along it which means any surface holes we dig are going to flood the base. I think we need to head in land towards the East to counteract. I should be able to gauge a safe location to begin the surface hole when it is necessary, but digging one now is pretty much suicidal!"
With this to consider, and with no work to do at the moment, we decided to have a rest and maybe find COLUS to talk about it, and check on everyone else. Joe and OROTHO were getting along quite nicely; door components and wiring littered the floor around them, as they talked in excited voices about the implementation of this next one. Moving past them and into the lab, once more we were hit with the wall of heat, indicating AMPHIS had started smelting iron again. As we went to head out of the lab and into the kitchen area, COLUS stopped us.
"How is the tunnel coming along? Have you met any complications at all?"
"We're getting along great; we've made very good progress, and aside from a few caverns to plug up, there's been little in the way of problems."
"That's good to hear. Have you decided when and where you're going to mine upwards and look on the surface at your progress?"
"Well we need to discuss that really. THEROS reckons that the tunnel stretches too far out into the sea which would mean flooding the entire place if we did. We'd need you and OROTHO or Amie to confirm that based on the scaling on THEROS's maps."
"Good point. I'll see what I can do then. You have some rest and something to eat. Without you four, we wouldn't be making such great progress!"
We passed COLUS and left the lab for the kitchen to get something to eat.
On our way back, COLUS stopped us again, with a smile on his face.
"It seems that THEROS was right. You're a few metres offshore to the West which is a bad position to mine up right now. We need you to begin mining towards the East for approximately forty metres or so, and then mine up. You won't be near the conducting yet, but you're getting there. Provided the area is safe, you should just be able to fill it back in again, or conceal it. Good luck, and don' mine up until you're a good forty metres inland!"
With the new instructions, we now knew what we had to do and how to complete it. Provided everyone's calculations were accurate, we wouldn't end up drowning ourselves! Heading back down into the tunnel, OROTHO and Joe were busy shifting large plates of iron into place from along the wall, ensuring that each piece was structurally sound. We continued past them, and went to the far end of the tunnel. As THEROS was the one with the innate sense of direction, we let him guide us in terms of digging direction towards the East, and we began the forty metre or so tunnel back inland. It wasn't really much a diversion, but it would likely help with the security of the tunnel itself. If built correctly, the doors may even create the illusion that the tunnel stopped abruptly, which may at the very least buy us more time in such a scenario where HoN Co. had found us! We continued digging for some time, trying to ignore our aching muscles and back, and get on with the work.
----
THEROS has stopped us, indicating the likelihood of us reaching the forty metre marker. COLUS had helped THEROS install the bracing to prevent the need to disrupt OROTHO and Joe, which meant the rubble and material had begun to pile up for a bit. As the surface hole wouldn't need to be very big, it was decided only one person was needed to dig it, and I was "volunteered" for the job. THEROS and UOPETA continued with the tunnel heading back in the same direction we had originally set off in, hoping to get in line with the conducting tower before heading any closer to it. I began to mine my way upwards, ever worrying that at any moment, thousands of gallons of water might come gushing through a hole and flood me out into the main tunnel! The trick was to listen out for any sounds ahead of you. I didn't hear any sounds of rushing water above or around me at all, which was a very good sign that COLUS's maths was spot on. After some distance up, I began to notice an increase in the amount of sand in small cracks and crevices of the rocks and stone, and assumed I must be close to the shore. I became anxious again that we hadn't quite gone far enough, and nearly fainted with shock when a blast of light erupted from overhead! I thought I had broken through into a pool of water, or worse, but after the panic was over, I looked ahead and noticed a tree off in the distance... Part of the tunnel had already been dug... Well, it had already existed, as though it had sunk in. It was a fabulous stroke of luck as that meant there was no need to dig any further! I headed towards the light, and went to survey my surroundings.
Cautiously exiting the hole, I peered around, seeing sand everywhere, and noticing a small pool of water within a metre or so of the actual hole. That was a close one! Fully emerging, I wasn't able to determine my position very well, so I decided to scale a nearby hill to see if there was anything of notable worth nearby to tell me where I was. As I reached the top, I looked out onto a small sandy area surrounded by grass, and a cliff with two caverns exposed on the surface. Stopping and leaning against a tree, I couldn't help but notice that this place seemed familiar... Then it hit me! This was one of the locations we had been taken to to destroy a portal! I wasn't expecting to emerge from the hole and see something I recognised. At the very least, I hoped that I would emerge and see the tower off in the distance to at least help me gauge the distance... But this was an excellent reference point as I knew where this was on the map! I rushed down the rustic steps I had created whilst ascending to the bottom to inform the others!
Syeonyx signing off
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