OROTHO's grand ideas

     We're making excellent progress once more! I don't know the reason for it, possibly the fact that almost all of us now more or less accept AMPHIS's sighting, but whatever the real reason, we're definitely making tracks now! I'm not able to realistically compare our previous progress to now, but I would say we're going faster than we have before. However, I have noticed how much easier it is to mine through the stone. Maybe it's becoming less and less dense. If that's the case, it should be easier for us from now on. We have to stop every now and again to allow Joe and COLUS to put in the bracing, but it allows THEROS to examine the map and almost exactly pinpoint our position below round in comparison to our current progress. It seems really odd that we're creating an access route to a place we've been to before many times, and it's taking us many times longer to get there than if we just walked. Then again, when we finish this tunnel, we'll be able to go directly to the tower in a fraction of the normal time! There will be no need to be cautious about scouting ahead, and we'll be able to take a direct path that leads nowhere else but where we need to end up! Well, for the time being that will be the case, but depending on the status of the primary portals, we will probably need to begin more tunnels that snake elsewhere...

"How far now THEROS? I'm beginning to think we're making a tunnel to nowhere, judging from the distance we've covered..."

"A few more hundred metres in this direction, and then one hundred or so to the East. We'll need to create some concealed way of hiding the tunnel entrance, but we should be done very soon. It may be taking longer than if we had just walked there, but firstly it's safer, it's more direct and it ensures we have safe passage between the base and the tower in the future!"

"We might go behind the optimistic deadline of tomorrow then... Let's just hope we come across a few caverns then. That way we only need to plug them up rather than have to tunnel through more stone and gravel."

We continued with our progress for some time longer without resting, with the thought of nearly being finished strong in our minds. It wouldn't be long until we pushed through to the final few metres, and then we could head East. I really couldn't see us being finished by tomorrow, but we'd definitely try our hardest to achieve a similar deadline..

     As AMPHIS has decided to go back to work smelting iron, we've felt less inclined to have breaks as regularly as we have have yesterday, and as a result we've made massive progress! Since returning from the discussion with AMPHIS and COLUS, we've probably mined one hundred metres or so, and that's only in the past three to four hours! I'm only guessing, but judging from the number of bracings that have been put in since we started, I'd say I wasn't that far off. THEROS has managed to guess where we are as well with a similar degree of accuracy on the map.

"Won't be too long before we're breaking through the top soil, and staring right at the tower in front of us!"

"That's a point: has anyone decided on a good way of concealing the entrance yet? Has anyone even conceived an idea about a hidden entrance way?"

"Well I think we would need something a little more sophisticated than a hatch which is hidden by some tall grass. It likely means that we need to involve Joe and OROTHO in concocting some sophisticated security door."

"Well if we're progressing so well, why don't we ask them now. They're working on the fourth door I think, so now might be a really good time."

"How do you make that out? He's working so he'll likely not want to be disturbed..."

"True, but he's also doing something he enjoys with a passion, so he'll be in a good mood."

"Touché..."

"THEXIS, you take over for Syeonyx, whilst we find out what OROTHO has in store... If he has anything at all."

Handing my pickaxe to THEXIS, I followed THEROS, who still had his map out, down to where Joe and OROTHO were working. They didn't look up or even acknowledge our presence when we neared, but that wasn't unusual.

"OROTHO, do you have any suggestions for the entrance to the tunnel at the conducting tower end?"

There was silence for a few moments; only the sounds of Joe and OROTHO tweaking some pieces of metal with a various array of tools scattered about them. Then eventually, he answered the question in the usual OROTHO style...

"Thousands..."

"Okay... Care to share any with us?"

"... Which ones...?"

"Any of them. We're hoping to break through soon, in the next few days, and we need to have a secure entrance that can ensure we can easily gain entry as and when we need to. We know you're the best person to come to for that..."

That little bit of flattery that THEROS injected into the sentence was enough to capture a little more of OROTHO's attention. Enough to make him set his tools down and stand up.

"Well... I have always wanted to implement an idea where a small portion of the floor retreats, exposing a small stairway heading down. I guess I could look into drawing up some plans for it..."

"Great! When do you think you can begin...?"

"After I'm finished with this..."

OROTHO sat back down again, and picked up his tools once more. Looking at me, THEROS indicated for us to head back to the end of the tunnel with the others.
"Glad we got that sorted out..."

     OROTHO has drawn up a very sophisticated-looking set of plans for the entranceway for the end of the tunnel. Like he said, it was a system which retracted a series of stone steps downwards into the tunnel and then pushed them aside to form a set of stairs leading up to the entrance. When not in use, the stone forms part of the ground which isn't visible from above at all. It was ingenious, but required a mass amount of wiring and control units. It would also take a considerable amount of time to implement, which would mean we would have to set it up some distance from the tower. Either that, or set it up facing away from the tower... We're hoping to set this up as soon as we near the tower. I just hope that OROTHO and Joe are ready for one of the fastest installations of a complex security door ever!

Syeonyx signing off