Mara was not prepared. The shock hit her like a cattle prod, rippling through her core like spicy metal in a cold bath. The smell of burnt air and fresh char swarmed her nose like a barbeque gone wrong, throwing her over in pain and nausea as she heaved against the indifferent stone floor, littering it with spit, bile, and an unhealthy dash of red. Fuck, give me the stupid stone platform back, I'd rather throw myself at that instead of touching this abomination again.

But her sacrifice paid dividends, Mara thanking the fates as she heard the blessing stereo of both doors grating against their frames. With some notable effort and grunting, Mara shifted to spare a glance behind her, squinting through her discomfort to a darkened tree line just as she heard the haunting growls from just beyond. The shadowy forms of her nightly hell were coming into view just as the exterior door slammed to a close.

"Heh- Ha. Hahahaha." Mara couldn't help but laugh in relief as she tumbled over onto her back, looking up at the now receding internal door as she coughed up the other half of her lungs. She had been a lot closer to death than she realized, shadow-fucks or not, but she was safe now.

Safe? Ha. Maybe. Maybe not. Shifting her thoughts from one danger to a possible other, Mara scanned the exposed interior for any immediate threats as she stifled a few pinching coughs. The hallway went deep into the bowels of the obelisk, its featureless length dimly lit by more of the same blue orbs, spaced every ten meters or so. The end was a little far, but it looked to be capped by a similar double-door rune combo. However before it were several doors of a different variety, each wall sporting two with alternating spacing stretching down the corridor's length. Aside from them, there was no movement, no signs, no indicators, no threats. It was still. Very still. Alright... It's quiet. I can work with that.

Standing up, Mara nearly collapsed back down before she caught herself against the wall, catching her breath. Bloody hell, that wasn't just a small spark. Choking back a few more coughs as she tried to clear the tightness in her chest, she leaned against the wall for support, finding that the material offered her a cold relief on her back as she steadied her breathing. The tension in her chest was uncomfortable, even a bit more than distracting, but she wasn't going to let it get to her. It's probably all just -aftershocks- anyways.

Steadying herself as she eyed the nearest aperture, which now somehow seemed further away than before, Mara tried to plan her next steps. Any stealth would have to consist primarily of caution as there wasn't much to hide behind in the hallway, but she had hopes for the other rooms even if the architecture seemed a bit spartan at first glance. A squarer hallway there never was, very precise, probably machined.

Not seeing much in the way of defenses, Mara figured there wasn't much else to do but head in deeper. So with some light shuffling, and even lighter breathing, Mara kept a wary eye for traps as she scooted her way down the corridor until she made it to the first of the four doors. The threshold itself was a single slab, far sleeker and simpler than its exterior cousins, the rune was actually engraved into the wall next to it, just above waist height, leaving the stone surface unblemished.

Double-checking the nearest neighboring door, Mara confirmed that the other internal accessways had similar setups. So, turning back to her initial quarry, Mara threw her detective duo on the case with a quick pep talk and some mental casting. They churned away in tandem, Debug's prompt appearing only moments into Trace's intricate and colorful waltz.

<<

Slammer Jammer XII

Produced By K.G. Runesmiths (Y.4378)

Summary: A magic sigil dedicated to constraining the movement of a nearby target.

Analysis: A simpler construct than the 'Hatch Latch' series, it provides a weaker implementation without direct exposure.

>>

Mara parsed through her results as she idly watched Trace paint its art. Oh, Analysis retains results? Er, remembers results? Wow, that's- hm. The fact that it's even comparing with the last two runes isn't a small feat either. Is it leveraging my own memory for this? Or is there something more at work here?

Distracted in thought as the last of the glowing lines appeared, Mara refocussed and pushed her thoughts on the matter aside. She had no answers now and she wouldn't get more by standing around. The runes were far simpler than the exterior mechanisms, so it was easy to judge by Trace's illuminated strands. The waist-high rune was indeed linked to the adjacent door, and the trigger, as assumed, was the obvious and easy to locate rune at the center of the ring.

I suppose it makes sense to prioritize ease of use inside versus the obfuscated entry mechanism on the outside. I could certainly see \doing a jig just to turn on a light getting old real fast. Doubly for doors, I certainly wouldn't want to move a four-ton slab to go to the bathroom.

Gently placing two of her fingers against the dominant spots on the rune, Mara bridged the rune like she'd done it a thousand times. The feeling was even less than the familiar tingle of pop rocks through her fingers as the slim door quietly slid into its recess.

Several moments later, a heavy bellow of air exited Mara as she pulled her hand away, the remnants of a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She'd been bracing for a cattle prod, instead she got a numbing tingle, doesn't get the taste out of my mouth though.

Shaking off the last remnants of her entryway mess, Mara peered into the dimly lit room. Or barracks as it would have likely been called. It was a room filled with bunks, six cots spread around the room. Two on the far wall, two on the near, and one on both the sides. Each were stone slab protrusions topped with some sort of bedding, simple but likely a whole lot better than the cold ground. Between them all sat a metal table with a few neglected chairs around it, strewn about with disinterest. All of it unoccupied. For some time too, if all this dust can be relied upon. Save for two lockers on the side walls, the room was barren, almost militaristic. It wasn't meant to look cozy or comfortable, but it was the first signs of civilized life here, who was she to judge?

I see you're keeping in style with the featureless hallway, you lot weren't much for creative expression huh? I suppose I could get behind the chic, beats some back-water village I suppose. Lost in her silent ruminations to the previous inhabitants, Mara made her way to the closest locker, stopping to the side of it as she ran her fingers along the surface.

Same material as the walls, and fixed to the wall, or I guess part of the wall? Hmm... Well, if a tree grew up to be a cabinet, would it be a cabinet, or a tree? Mara brushed her hand from the wall to the closet and back again before idly repeating the motion. This has to be a magical construction, the material is almost a metal-stone hybrid- "Oh. What the hell am I doing- Debug."

<<

H.D.C. H.W.A.

Summary: High Density Composite; Heavy Weight Aggregate

Analysis: Increased density +11.0t/m3, Mitigated Thermal Damage, Composite Neutronium and Gamma Resistant

>>

"Wha-What. That's- What? Who makes this? No, what's with that description!? Where's all the normal 'Increased Density 4' or 'Heat Resistance 5? And don't even get me started on crap, 'Rad. Resistance 3' shouldn't even be allowed. I don't even want to know what kind of horrors magic infused radiation might inflict."

Pushing thoughts of magic-irradiated zombies out of her mind, Mara opened the cabinet to distract herself with its contents. Pinching her nose at the stale air escaping the cabinet, she waited for it to clear out before sticking her head back in. The contents weren't overly numerous, but there were a few anomalous metal objects of note and a stack of nylon or poly-something garments, the material was a bit like a waterproof tarp with more substance to it. Beneath it all were some blankets, so grabbing the lot, Mara threw it on the table before shuffling to the other locker. No one had disturbed her yet, and at this point she was pretty sure the place was at least abandoned by the original owners. Look, the line between archaeology and grave robbing gets a little blurry sometimes, don't judge me.

Finding the remaining locker to hold similar items, a few sets of clothes, a couple blankets, and some more metal gizmos, Mara tossed her haul onto the growing pile, before pulling up a chair at the overflowing table.

The blankets were the biggest and easiest to evaluate. They looked similar to the bedding, and felt seemed a lot like the clothing. One side was made from the waterproof tarp , but the other was a soft and cozy fur of some kind- probably artificial. It crinkled something fierce in the noise department, but it had zippers along the edge as if it were designed to fold into a sleeping bag. Probably was– Warm? Functional? Awfully convenient, but not exactly stealthy. It'll certainly do for in here though.

Tossing most of the blankets to the floor, the next bundle was clothes. The garments were a bit strange, they appeared somewhat normal but they were a bit slim even on her slender frame, and the pants were downright weird. Tripedal? Or tails... Maybe tentacles? What the -fuck-. She flipped the pair she held back and forth, tossing a few aside until she found a set in her 'size'. The third leg stuck out like a second leg wouldn't, so she twisted and wrapped it like a belt around her waist. She figured it could serve as a makeshift holster if nothing else, as she tied it off at the center. It'll at least be out of the way. Aside from their looks, they were both comfortable and durable, easily leagues beyond what her bare legs and lounge-shorts could provide. She twisted a bit to get a good look at them when she realized she had missed a crucial step, "Oh, right-" Debug.

<<

Nyloins III

Designed by Spacey Lacey (Y.4389)

Summary: Tripedal garments of the lower half variety, stylized with a dark grey base and accented with neon orange highlights. Fashionable in any atmosphere.

Analysis: Durable and water-resistant exterior combined with reasonable thermal comfort.

>>

Fairly obvious stuff- but, 'any atmosphere'? Is this 'space' gear? Or just flavor text from the designer? They were cozy at least, she had to admit that, even if they were overly lanky and slightly too tight. Maybe tentacles wasn't that far from the mark, it's hard to imagine what else might have had three long and flexible legs. Rolling the ends up to her ankles as she considered the former owner of said garment, Mara slumped back down into her now much more comfortable chair. Niiice.

A little more relaxed, Mara looked over the remaining goods, the weird metallic clutter. There were a few duplicates, so Mara picked out the four unique types and ran them through Debug and Trace.

The latter seemed to send itself into a frenzy before nuking itself from existence, either it wasn't applicable to these 'artifacts' or they were too complex. Regardless, she let Debug pile up into an ever elongating panel before she addressed its contents.

<<

Instant Ladder Lv.2 ( x3 )

Summary: A metallic goop, that despite its name, can be molded to simplistic static shapes with an infusion of mana.

Analysis: As sentient as a thirsty plant, feed it mana and it'll bend to your whims.

Living Cable Lv.3 ( x2 )

Summary: Three meters of cable coated in a flexible polymer, which can be coiled and driven by mana.

Analysis: Used by the less scrupulous sort to hotwire enchantments. Take the hint.

Node Interface Lv.1 ( x2 )

Summary: System to system interface, low quality.

Analysis: If one were to think about it, it's really the exact opposite of a magical finger condom, it practically encourages transmission.

Void Ring Lv.3 ( x3 )

Summary: A ring, when worn, can be infused with mana to relocate up to ten centimeters per level into a nullification realm.

Analysis: Expect a high mana drain proportional to size and density, use with caution.

>>

A slow whistle escaped her lips, unintentional and shut down almost immediately. Her amazement had gone and slammed her emotions one-eighty right into petrification, as she blew all pretense of stealth right out the window. She had nowhere to hide and panic was setting in. It was one thing to think a lion’s den was abandoned, it was entirely different to walk in and call yourself bait. Sitting stock-still, like a deer in headlights, Mara waited as the seconds crept by. She kept an unwavering gaze on the door and an overly-strained ear out for noise, patiently counting the seconds until they became minutes, the time creeping by with suffocating viscosity.

Unable to bear the tension any longer, Mara relaxed her alert. After all that time, she had heard not a sound in response. It wasn't complete confirmation, but she had to consider it safe for now. She had been patient, but there hadn't been a single sign throughout the whole place that she was anything but alone. It was only her and the silence.

Realizing this, Mara immediately took the opportunity to berate herself. She had no idea who or what might've called this place home. Or lair. Or den. Even abandoned by the original occupants, another crab could have easily claimed the shell. But still, she had to admit that her racket had dismissed the possibility of it being anything but abandoned, despite the odds of her stumbling on a still-operational structure in the middle of the woods. Maybe they just built their stuff to last? It wasn't impossible but she couldn't let herself get careless, what she had just done could have easily gotten her caught or killed in any other situation.

Grumbling to herself, she looked over her haul to distract her nagging mind. After everything else had been pushed to the floor, she still had a table full of goods and too few hands to carry it all. The rings she could wear, and the interfaces she could pocket, I love you new pants, but the 'ladders' and cable were a bit too, uhh, bulky to lug around individually. Plus the blankets seemed like a waste to leave, and there was no way she could do much more than drag one of them, so she got creative.

Picking up one of the metal balls of gelatin that called themselves 'ladders', Mara could only guess at the usage of such a thing. Again, manual please. Looking it over for signs of any sort of button or activation rune, Mara found none. Well that would have been too easy, do I just 'grasp the powers of chi' or some bullshit? Maybe the runes are a good start, even if Trace doesn't work on them. Cupping the restless -thing- between her hands, Mara tried to picture her old camping pack while simultaneously trying to imagine the sensation from activating the airlock. It wasn't far off from driving a car with her eyes closed, not that that really helped any.

It took a few minutes, but Mara could feel -something- happening. She peeked through her self-imposed straining to see what it was doing, so far she could see patches of the metal mimicking the vinyl material, but there was one strap too many and the would-be-zippers looked more like rippling bulges. Releasing her concentration with a sense of defeat, Mara felt the mass congeal back into a rough gelatinous blob. You're not gunna make this easy, are you little guy?

Trimming down her requirements, Mara tried to focus on the fundamentals. Two straps, approximate size, flexible material, simple flap with a clip. It wasn't fancy, but it was a lot easier to explain to a rock than full-fledged camping gear. Rock, metal flubber, what's the difference right? Grasping the mass, she repeated her process from last time, doing her best not to drag her feet on the things that truly didn't matter. She refused to peek this time, but she could feel the numbing vibrations of an excited magical mass morphing itself into form, knowing it was going to take a while. She waited, she was patient. And then she waited some more. A few times she nearly fell asleep before catching herself, unsure if it was the device or her general lack of sleep draining her dwindling reserves. She was starting to debate if it was worth it to keep trying, sleep had gotten -really- tempting.

Finally peeking at her progress, Mara snapped her eyes open in shock. She was holding a fairly formed rucksack with a single pouch and simple flap. The straps weren't adjustable, but they were the right size, it is -my- backpack after all. Quickly tossing the rest of her haul inside, Mara gave it a lift test and found it wasn't overly heavy, maybe a bit more than she'd like but she'd manage. Mighty useful tools, these 'ladders'. I'll have to experiment with a vacuum water bottle, maybe I can create a cavity within the material? And maybe a proper fishing rod and line as well?

Letting her creative half keep her mind busy, Mara picked up her mess and set about putting the remainder back. The too-tight-tops went back in the lockers along with the extra blankets and pants, she made no excuses for not folding everything back up. Finished, Mara eyed the silent door as she picked up her pack. It still felt a bit wrong to go traipsing through someone else's place, but she'd already found some ridiculously helpful stuff in here and she was pretty darn sure it had all been abandoned ages ago. It'd be a waste to leave it. There hadn't been any signs of someone coming to investigate her intrusion, and her clamour had progressed with equal disinterest. She was definitely torn on the subject but she resolved to press on, exiting back into the main corridor, eyeing the remaining doors with indecision.

Mara knew she wouldn't be able to get a lick of sleep unless she cleared her surroundings, otherwise it'd be 'spooky-shadow-in-the-corner' season on justifiable steroids. All night. So, in the end, the paranoia and greed won out against her guilt and caution. There's a lesson in there somewhere.

Stepping over to the opposite wall before scooting on up to the next door, Mara repeated her intrusion protocol on the new waist-high rune. It took a moment for her Trace to finish, but she confirmed it had near identical implementations and function. Sure there was another year's difference on the signature in Debug, but she wasn't sure if it took that long to make one of these, or if they just weren't in a rush. Plenty of projects get waylaid to a single employee for ages on end, there's no reason to expect a space-squid society to operate any differently.

Bridging the obvious rune, Mara barely noticed the spark jumping between her digits. Getting used to it I guess. The room beyond was a decently lit lounge or cafeteria, Just as sparse, what a surprise. It had four empty tables, metal like the one in the barracks, similar styled chairs, and a couple odd square things that looked like a bed folded at a right angle. Lounge chair? Outside of the unremarkable drivel, the room sported two things that garnered her dwindling attention span. One was a small hollow dug into the far right wall, like a cube got in a fight with a boolean operation, the other was a grey-tinted rectangle spanning the opposite wall, likely a display. Neither were immediately dangerous, but they were enough to tempt her curiosity past the door frame.

Stifling a yawn, Mara picked the less obvious of the two, strolling over to the square recess dug into the far right wall. It was precise, maybe a half meter cube, no visible engravings or glow. So failing other avenues, Mara whipped out her now-usual routine and watched the 'funny lines go whoosh' until they settled around what was likely a terminal port of some kind mounted on the wall next to it. Ohh, terminal. Right. Plucking out one of thimble-like node interfaces from her pack, Mara capped her index finger and gently brought it in contact with the indicated region. Trace went -wild-, positively -bonkers-. Probably shouldn't have done that while it was active... Or, should I have? This -is- pretty cool. It lit up like fireworks, swirling rapidly between her hand and the surface, rapidly knitting an intricate but fleeting quilt of magical connections.

<<

Saccharum Fingenti

Void Rights Enforced By Traxon 5b

Summary: A common but restricted device used in many remote locations to establish a supply of nutrition through energy recomposition.

Analysis: It converts stupid amounts of resources into biomass to feed sentient meat sacks. Use with restraint.

>>

Mara's jaw nearly hit the floor when she realized what she was interfacing with. Literal replicators. Holy sh- She had food. Holy crap she had food! Quickly summoning up her best recollection of a spicy-crab sushi, Mara attempted to repeat what she did for her backpack. Straining her mental imagery and riding a bike with her eyes closed- through the woods. The magic swirled around her finger like wildfire before rapidly sizzling out with a depressing notification.

< Insufficient privileges, Guest limit: 0 / day >

Her eager grin quickly crashed to a tired scowl, it looked like food would have to wait. Hungry Mara want food. Knocking the panel with her fist, Mara considered her backups. Worst case I can try to fish tomorrow. I was planning to regardless, but now I'm doubly sure I can get a makeshift setup going with these 'ladders'.

Shrugging off her temporary defeat, Mara approached the only other oddity in the room, the wall-to-wall tint and its associated panel parked next to it. The formations were near-identical to the replicator, so Mara interfaced with it just the same- just after activating Trace. Waiting a moment for the light show to start up, play out, and subside, Mara read through the subsequent prompt she'd received.

<<

Shifting Silt Display

Engineered by Crystol Cc. (Y.4356)

Summary: A large display providing a variety of uses, minimal functionality without controlling input.

Analysis: Currently offline, both the display and the controller appear unresponsive.

>>

Mara bopped the interface in response. She knew the likelihood of something being both abandoned and 'fully' functional was astronomically low, even bunker divers barely found working electricity in those back on earth, so it was inevitable really. But her exhaustion was getting to her. Skipping over the lounge chairs that looked terrifyingly tempting, Mara set off for the third room, second on the right.

Finding the same accompaniment of door and switch, Mara was getting too tired for protocol and triggered it without the likely redundant investigation. Go ahead, blow me up. I just want to know if the room is clear or not. The near right wall had a mirror with a counter bar beneath it and several bowls recessed within. The far wall had three vertical stalls, similar to showers if one could excuse the conical cap on top, and the closer wall was lined with stalls. Dear gods, a bathroom.

It took her a few minutes to return from the newfound room, thankfully they had something that was toilet-esk enough but she'd have to figure out their 'three seashell nonsense' when she wasn't dead tired. She had two more doors to check, and she really didn't want to be searching until the sun made its rounds again.

The last side room was arguably the most interesting of the four, if the fleeting light in her tired eyes was anything to go on. It was a workshop or research hall of some kind. There were instruments and objects of study littering every available surface, literal mountains of potentially interesting crap. The sheer density of clutter in the room compared to the others spoke to the waking hours dedicated to it. Bunch of workaholics. Respect.

It was empty though, that was the priority. So bowing out of the extraordinarily tempting room, Mara scrutinized the last egress. She was alone so far, and she couldn't keep her exhaustion at bay for much longer. Tools and toys could wait until she had some rest to back her eagerness, but she definitely had to clear this last door. She needed the peace of mind.

Barely taking two steps towards the rear hatch, Mara caught her step as she picked up on the cluster of scorch marks on the otherwise unremarkable sections of wall. She hesitated, stepping back as she realized what she had nearly done. Quickly flashing Trace out with bated breath.

The remaining corridor lit up like a billboard, a literal minefield of runes visibly shaking with power coating every visible surface. Each unanchored by engravings, left suspended in featureless stone with an oversaturation of mana. Sucking in her breath, Mara took a few steps back as the maze of death slowly interlocked with the far door.

Hooo-ly crap. That's... that's a lot. I'm not getting through that tonight, maybe not even in a year, and I doubt anything else is getting through that... Fuck. Fine. Whatever, it'll have to do. Gritting her teeth, Mara left the door a question mark and returned to the cozy room with beds. She'd have to meticulously deconstruct each rune if she wanted further access to the obelisk, and better chances at activating the replicator, and all that sounded like work. And work needed sleep plus food. Her priorities were abundantly clear, and they started with her exhaustion.

Closing the door behind her, Mara threw her weight into the nearest bunk, surprised at first to find the mattress to be pleasantly cool and soft, like a bean bag of dense clouds. Rolling onto her back, she truly felt its comfort as it conformed to her weary shoulders, dunking her in unparalleled bliss after days of walking in the wild without proper rest.

Mara listened with her eyes closed, the facility was sterile and quiet. Not even an ambient creek or rush of wind encroached upon her room, its walls either too thick or magically enchanted for either. It was exactly what she wanted, she had finally gotten a night of uninterrupted peace and quiet. With a long, slow, and heavy sigh of relief, the last thoughts to cross Mara's exhausted mind were to thank the previous occupants for appreciating the finer things in life. Like this bed. Leaving only her light snoring to echo around a long forgotten facility as she drifted into unconscious oblivion in a highly irradiated crash site brimming with unspent experience.