Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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As far as the eye could see, for tens of Kilometers around them, a majestic golden city arose from the depths of the earth.

A mix of modern and ancient buildings glistering amidst piles of golden rocks, parted into sections by rivers of silvery white platinum.

Blue waterfalls covered the distant walls of the caverns, irrigating beautiful verdant hills full of colorful flowers and golden wheat fields that swayed in the wind.

At its very middle, stood a massive pillar that connected the ground to the ceiling, a large pillar of glass, the elevator shaft, and the sole path one could take to leave the city.

"This place… Are you sure it's El Dorado?"

"I… I may not know much about mythology and legends of South America, but I do know El Dorado was the name of a person and not a place."

"And above all, I'm pretty sure it did not originate here at all."

"And you would be right to assume that. El Dorado was the name of a tribal chieftain who, during a ritualistic ceremony, would cover himself in a mixture of gold and other materials before washing it all at a lake, thus giving him the nickname of El Dorado, the Golden one."

"However, the Crucible's origins are a mystery and its reasons for being the way it is are highly discussed."

"The biggest hypothesis is that one a group of travelers seeking El Dorado centuries ago passed by this area and their fervent desires manifested, which became the foundation of the Golden City."

"Others attest the very reason there was such a myth is because of this place, pinpointing this cavern as the origin of said myth, since in the past, this cavern wasn't fully covered, only later was it sealed for the sake of protecting and hiding it."

"Records from the early 19th century and before are scarce and considerably inaccurate, so it's hard to say how these places truly were then, so we cannot confirm either of said theories."

"But… Why? What is the purpose of this city?"

"I don't know, no one knows." Roger replied as he shook his head

"Although it's named a city, none live here… It's not hospitable even if they wanted to."

"Everything is made out of pure gold, even some of the animals you spot seemingly have golden flesh and bones."

"There is more Gold here than in the entire globe combined as if it was weed growing uncontrollably from the rocks."

"The people you see down there… It's hard to say if they're even still alive."

"Some of them have been there for just a few years… Others… Centuries."

"They were chosen, either willingly or not to forever work in its architecture day and night. So in a sense, they are the sole inhabitants of this place."

"They do not sleep nor eat, they merely work at a reasonable pace every single day without fail."

"They cannot die nor can they stop, we tried taking them away, cure them, but nothing we did manage to save them from their delusions of servitude."

"The best we managed to find out is that the longer they stay away from work, the saner they become, however, most if not all of their thoughts will be consumed with an unbelievable desire to resume working, driving them to near insanity."

"They speak of duty they must perform for the sake of their families and themselves, a belief they hold to such extreme valor that they would even kill others if it meant going back to it... Even if their families have long since turned to dust."

"To prevent others from becoming like them, we sealed every possible entrance to the city, but from time to time, someone will still try to cross into it, maybe due to their greed or curiosity…"

"A few succeed in their search, which will likely lead to their apprehension afterward, but those that do not… Join them."

"There are many treasures scattered throughout it, aside from all the material gold, platinum, and Silver, the city boasts all kinds of treasures hidden within its premisses…"

"And like the Gold and precious metals, it's as if they materialize from nothing."

"The Crucible itself exists underneath it, a system of caves and cliffs we call 'The Depleted Mines'. That's where the ruins of the place we call 'Crucible' stand, and the source of this anomaly."

"From there, it's only a matter of entering it and you'll be met with your 'truths', if you still have questions that I cannot answer that is."

"... It's quite unusual… All of this confuses me greatly, are the other two Crucibles like this as well?"

"Very much so I'm afraid, albeit the Golden City is the bigger one of the three and the only one that is actively growing in size."

"All Crucibles seem to maintain a veil around them, adorning to a 'theme'."

"This may tie to a certain purpose… Or not, we tend to assume it does but we have no proof of that."

"Whatever they intend to accomplish with these, we'll figure it out when the right time comes."

/Catching!/

As Roger said that, the elevator passed through the ground, leaving the city behind as they dove deeper underground.

/Din…/

It eventually stopped not long after with a clear bell chime, and one of the glass doors parted open, causing cold but refreshing air to enter the room.

"For a place deep underground the air feels rather fresh and clean…"

"Air purifiers, they are needed to sustain the operations in such depths, the air is also artificially cooled and perfumed with natural scents, otherwise it would be a bit too unbearable."

"If you start sneezing or feeling uncomfortable make sure to warn me, some do get allergic reactions to the air."

"..."

"We're not too far now, we can leave sightseeing for later... As this place has quite some interesting facilities to explore." Roger said as he stepped out of the elevator

"Quite some time has passed since Babylon closed, and your name as the victor of the Arena has spread, even if your identity has not."

"This is a good opportunity to experience the strength of the real world... But we'll leave that for later."

"..."

Dale followed with a silent nod, taking a look around, and as soon as he did, the doors behind him closed, and the elevator began its quick ascent to the surface.

In front of him, a long metallic corridor, the likes he expected to see in some old-school sci-fi movie extended into the distance.

Dozens of lights glistered on the cold smooth walls, glistering from time to time as they moved, like sensors reacting to their presence.

To his sides, rectangular pipes came in and out of the walls and ground like vines on a tree; they seemed to tremble with pressure as something moved inside them at high speeds.

There were no cracks on the ground... It was as if it was made of one continuous smooth plate.

There was a faint stream of air flowing in the corridor, blowing towards the elevator shaft.

(Image?)

/Clack clack clack…/

As they walked, their footsteps echoed against the hard metallic ground, creating a rather eerie atmosphere as there was no sign of life around them at all.

They eventually arrived at a fork, one Roger disregarded as he kept walking without a care in the world.

One quick search and Dale found a few signs on the wall, indicating where each corridor led:

To the right, M.A.T.

Underneath the letters there was a phrase: Maintenance Acess Tunells.

To the left, L.P.D.C.

Logistic Property Department Center.

There was no sign indicating what lay ahead.

And those weren't the only ones he saw, as on the way to their destination, Dale saw dozens of forks and curves leading to even more places.

This entire region was like one claustrophobic maze.

/Chatter…/

As they walked, Dale began to hear the whispers and echoes of distant sounds as they traveled across the cold walls.

He heard people talking and laughing, he heard the sound of metal clashing, gears turning, machines moving, fluids flowing within the walls, and even the sounds of what seemed to be a Football game being broadcast on a screen.

The further he concentrated the harder it became for him to discern things as the sounds became more bloated.

Without a doubt, these cold halls were brimming with life, they were just a bit beyond his reach.

Dale tried to extend his senses not only through his hearing, but as he did that Roger tapped his shoulder shaking his head.

He was caught by surprise but then again, after everything he had said, it wouldn't be surprised if Roger had experience in this kind of thing.

So Dale let it go, he would explore the rest of this facility later, if he had the time.

A few hours had already passed and his body was still dormant at Resko, but soon enough the sun would rise and if he did not participate in his daily training and breakfast then someone would likely come to see what was going on...

And if they found his unresponsive body in bed they would likely have a heart attack...

/Chatter!/

/Light…/

At the end of his path, Dale saw a strong light curtain, causing him to squint his eyes as he crossed it.

/Step…/

Their path had finally ended, leading them to a wide open room where a massive, greenish slab stood upright, almost touching the seeling.

"Is that… A Jade Tablet?"

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Notes

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