Snippet #2238273

The temple began to crumble, pulling Xeroux, Nai and Jove inside it's abyss too. Everything and everyone was sucked in. The UO flew down, Ant bodies and rock smashing in every direction as they did. The gushing's of wind was deafeningly loud as they fell further and further into the blackness. And then, ahead, they spotted a light, illuminated the objects they fell with. The front-light of a ship. The UO watched as the Ethic flew up from heart of the abyss and passed them by. Darkness came again as they fell for minutes and minutes more. The gushing had become less chaotic, more of a whistle as they continued. The wind concealed the sounds of objects hitting their end, and the black of the world disguised the approaching end. The UO's bodies smashed into the rubble filled bottom, at a point as deep to the centre of that Rock as any man had gotten. Above them they were crushed by the temple, it's halls and structures filling the pit completely.

***

The Legionnaires marched down the dune as beside them Lord Wanksor Opert and a Knight General road on horseback. "Good lord," Opert commented as they approached. Before them was the massive outline of a hole, filled to the brim with hard rock. It stood out among the sand. "Our reports say a week ago there was some sort of ruin where we now stand," The General frowned as he hoped down from his horse onto the circle of rock. "Now just this."

Opert shrugged. "Well, one less place for the Pagan's to worship, I suppose." He patted the man on the back. "Thank you for the conquest, General. At last we are at peace." As Opert walked away to celebrate with the victorious troops the General remained, frowning at the strange rock circle. Things did not just disappear. "This was a pit," He whispered to himself as he glanced down. Opert turned with a cocked eyebrow. "This was a pit, this rock made the ruins... it filled it up. Something sucked it down and compressed it until it filled up."

"...A pit that size would have to massively deep, General. It's ludicrous," Opert muttered.

The General glanced at Opert fearfully. "It'd have to go straight down to the fires of the earth. This isn't a pit, my Lord. This is a tomb."

Opert gave the man a bored expression and shrugged. "May they rest in peace."

***

The Ethic lay on it's side in a stone hangar, deep underground. It's door was open. Down a tunnel from it in a small room Lun and the others that the Ethic had managed to collect lay in beds, their wounds healing. None had yet woken. Tormand frowned as he knelt down beside Lun's unconscious form. "Hello, former Emperor Lun," He whispered. Lun's eyes remained closed. Tormand glanced over the man and sighed. "So you tried to kill me..." He continued as he stood and began to walk toward the doorway. He reached out and turned the knob for the gas light. "That was a mistake." The light went out.