The Mechanical Era



The group followed Winston through the snowy forest, a quiet and cold environment. Each step they took was filled with curiosity and caution, unsure of what they might discover. As far as they knew, it was some abandoned structure. The silence enveloped them all, only broken by their boots pressing onto the snow.

As they walked along, the men had a gut-wrenching feeling that something was wrong. Despite walking for 4 minutes straight, they had not arrived at this so-called 'structure'. In the back of their minds, they began to ponder; how far did Winston walk? Was he that paranoid that someone was going to peek at him?

"Hey, Winston! How far did you walk?" one of the explorers questioned Winston.

"A bit. I walked for about 5 to 6 minutes. We will be arriving in about a few minutes," he claimed. The explorers exchanged glances, their unease growing and their patience waning by the second. They should have been here right about now, yet there was no sign of the structure Winston had claimed to have seen.

Doubt began to creep into the minds of the experienced explorers. Whispers of skepticism began circulating behind Winston's back, unsure if Winston knew the right way. 

"Are you sure you're leading us in the right direction, Winston?" one of the explorers asked, his voice tinged with suspicion. Winston paused, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face.

"I... I thought I was," he stammered, his voice laced with doubt. 

"I think I have taken a wrong turn. I do not recognize that tree branch over there..." Eamon, though disappointed by the turn of events, maintained his composure. He knew that losing their way in the vast snowy forest was a real possibility.

  "Alright, Winston. Take your time and retrace your steps. We'll wait here," Eamon states. Winston turned back, retracing his path through the snow while the rest of the team huddled together, their breath visible in the frosty air.

The atmosphere grew tense as they anxiously awaited Winston's return. They started huddling together and exchanging warm water with each other, to warm down their throats and bodies, their breaths visible in the frosty air. 

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Minutes turned into what felt like an eternity, as the crew spent their time in this freezing, hostile environment. Just as doubt was about to overcome their patience, Winston emerged from the tree line, a mixture of relief and frustration on his face. 

"I... I found it. I made a wrong turn back there. We can still reach the structure in about 2 minutes."

"Is that so? Well then, lead the way," Eamon replies. His voice carried a hint of skepticism as he spoke. Though doubt lingered in their minds, they put faith in their fellow explorer that he ain't lying. Minutes passed as they trudged through the snow. The forest seems to close in on them, the trees towering over them, and the silence becoming almost suffocating. 

"Alright, we are here." 

Just as the explorers past a thick bush, what lay before their eyes mesmerized their adventurous souls, and piqued their curiosity. It was a single-story stone structure, made primarily out of polished stone bricks covered in leaves and snow, well hidden in the forest thanks to the thick tall tree walls and small bush vegetation surrounding it. 

They continued to gaze at the magnificent structure, amazed by how it managed to stay well hidden from the human eye. They weren't sure how Winston managed to spot the thing in the first place, and thus, queried him about it.

"Hey Winston, how the hell did you see this?" one of the explorers questioned him. 

"Just blind luck, I guess. My eyes noticed something odd in the distance. I walked over those bushes and found this thing," he answered.

Eamon quickly moved his face away from gazing upon the structure, to look at his list of criteria. According to the list, this area suits the minister's requirements perfectly. Considering this area managed to hide this large stone structure, he had no doubt that the minister would accept this place.

Yet, he did not want the place to get demolished or taken over by the military, as they could cause damage to the place. Who knows what they could find inside this mysterious place? It might as well be some sort of ancient temple, containing vast knowledge and loot to collect. 

"Alright everyone, let's not waste any more time. Search the building for an entry point. Who knows what might be inside," he instructed. Before he goes on to report this site to the minister, he decides to investigate the interior of the structure first, to evaluate whether it is worth reporting to the government. 

The group started to get closer to the walls of the structure, examining every tiny detail of it. They wondered if there was some kind of door that was buried underneath the snow and fauna. 

"Captain, I think I found something! Some kind of wooden door buried underneath the snow!" one of the explorers yelled. They all quickly moved away from their location to help the explorer dig the snow out of the way.

Soon enough, the team manages to unearth an old wooden door, which had suffered under rot for so long. It did not take them long to break it in two, allowing the team access to the structure. Beyond the door, lay a vast pit of darkness further into the compound. The sense of mystery and curiosity starts to wash over and drown the explorers. 

"What should we do now? Should we go explore?" one asked.

"I really want to, but I don't think we have enough supplies to do so," another replied.

"I mean, we could just go down there for about... 10 minutes. See if there is anything valuable inside there," Winston suggested.

"What do you think, Captain?" the explorers shift the decision to Eamon. 

"Hm... I think it would be best to explore this area for a bit before coming back out. We might not have time to look through the whole thing, but we might get a sense of what we can find in there," he stated. 

"However, we must remain vigilant at all times. A few of us should hold the torches, while the others use their rifles. Is that understood?" he asked. His men nodded. 

"Good, now can someone light a touch?" Eamon asked.

"On it, sir." Winston took out a stick and covered it with a cloth they had. They then put on some flammable oil on it, before lighting it up with a matchstick. 

"Alright. Let's go." The explorers start their descent into the depths of the darkened compound. The torch cast eerie shadows on the stone walls, revealing ancient paintings drawn long ago. 

Though they didn't have time to analyze and admire their beauty, they took a mental note of their existence and moved on. The halls of the compounds were rather dusty, riddled with cobwebs all over. As they moved through, the explorers had to burn down the webs to continue their journey inward.

"Hey guys, don't you think we are going in a little too deep?" one asked. The men had no way of keeping track of time and had to resort to counting in their heads. 

"Maybe. Should we head back then?"

"No, wait. I can see something..."  Winston remarked. 

"What is it?" Earmon asked. Winston kept quiet and continued to walk ahead. Being the man with the torch, the explorers had no option but to follow. 

"Winston? Winston, you haven't answered me yet..." Eamon spoke. His words land on deaf ears as Winston continued to walk further. He started to strike Eamon's nerves.

"Winston? Winston! Answer me!" he yelled. Winston suddenly comes to a stop. With a strange voice, he speaks in a strange voice.

"Eamon. Eamon Silverman. May I have a word with you?" he spoke. The explorers found themselves surrounded by strange creatures, posing dark cyan eyes. Andereline started pumping through their veins, as they point their guns towards the creatures hiding just beyond the veil of darkness.

"Who are you? What have you done to Winston?" one of the explorers demanded to know, pointing a gun at his head. Winston turns around and takes off his glasses, revealing dark cyan eyes. 

"Do not fret about your friend. I just want to talk with your leader."

"Oh yea? And what if we don't?" Winston turns his head to face the explorer.

"I am afraid that would mean that we would have to put you all down," he replied. One of the men fires at the creature. To their horror, their bullets seem to have no effect. 

"As you can see, your weapons do not have any effect on us. Please, put down your weapons and just listen to us," he spoke. The team looked at the Captain, awaiting his response. 

"Alright, we will hear you out. But first, you got to answer some questions for us," he stated.

"Gladly. What is your question?" 

"What in god's name are you all?" he asked.