I rested on the wind, looking down at the construction below. It was... a massive hole in the ground. They had not simply built into the mountain it seemed, they had built the mountain on top of the machine.
We weren't the only dragons there either, Blacks molding the earth, Blues working on the construction of the machine, assisted by... what looked like clockwork gnomes and dwarfs made from stone.
This was before. Before the curse of flesh.
We were way back in time. How long I didn't know. I suppose it didn't really matter.
I banked, following Chromie down towards the ground in a clearing that had been made in the thick jungle surrounding the place. Landing, I took a deep breath as I folded my wings, sniffing the air.
It smelled good. Okay, ignoring the dust the black dragons were throwing up while reshaping the earth for the structure at the very least. But the forest around... the very air.
It... no... no, it wasn't smell. Not really.
It was magic. The mana of the world felt clearer than I ever felt it before. Untainted by the touch of millions of spell casters and billions of spells. Untouched by the foul taint of necromancy or Fel.
Ren landed behind me and I glanced back at her before moving around Chromie, looking up at her, "What now?"
"Now, you do your thing," she said quietly, "Rengosa and I watch your tail, but this is your show Atregos."
Gulp.
I really... I really really hoped I could actually do what I told them I could.
"Need to get closer," I said, "Close enough to touch if possible. And that means down into the construction site."
Hopefully nobody will materialize to yell at us about hardhats and high vis vests.
Chromie nodded and turned her head to look at Ren as she moved up to us, "We move casually and quietly, keep your heads down and don't talk to anyone. And no mortal forms, that didn't exist yet. Humans had not evolved and gnomes were still mechanical."
Which made sense.
We moved quickly and quietly, keeping out of everyone's way while looking like we knew where we were going. I couldn't help but wish I had a laptop or a clipboard to carry around just to complete the image. A tie and a clipboard make you invisible.
I would have prefered to put an illusion over Chromie so she'd look like a blue or a black, she was the only bronze I seen at the site, but while my illusions were good, with this many blues around somebody were bound to spot it at this close range and that would attract even more attention. As is, it seemed like everyone was ignoring her for now.
A minute or so and we reached the main excavation and I poked my head over to the edge to peer down.
It wasn't just a machine. It was an underground tower, circular and stretching down into the darkness.
I couldn't see the bottom, it disappeared into the ground at the bottom, kilometers down. Whatever the Titans did, they built at scale.
"What do you see?" Ren murmured softly as she poked her head out next to mine.
"That is bigger than I expected," I murmured back, "And the outside is sealed off that unbreakable stone the Titans like to build with. I need to get inside. So we fly up and head down inside."
"The inside looked… dangerous," Ren said quietly.
I nodded, "Won't be active yet. We'll have to be careful."
With that, I spread my wings and jumped into the air beyond the edge, beating my wings to climb upwards towards the top of the tower, leaving the rest to follow.
Passing across the top revealed the inside. It wasn't active yet, I could see the gears and pistons and I could feel the magic radiating from it even from this distance, but… it wasn't active.
No dragons inside either which was good, nobody to see me work and this would be difficult enough to do without that.
I banked into a circle before starting to head down into the middle of the tower, avoiding a massive gear as I shifted lower, heading for a platform set up in the middle of the tower.
Beating my wings, I settled down to land, folding my wings as I drank in the magic all around us. It was… amazing.
It was like magic in this time was richer than in our time.
"Atregos?"
I looked to Chromie to find that she had landed next to us. I then quickly nodded, "of course," and closed my eyes to start to focus on the enchantments already woven into the structure all around us, all through the metal, the stone, th-
"Dragons," a voice said, ringing through reality and my eyes snapped open, turning to look up at the massive form approaching us from a side opening. Magic radiated from him, whirling around him. He was wearing sandals and a bronze like set of armor and robes, encrusted with gems.
Loken approached us, the Titan Keeper walking slowly, but his eyes… his eyes were something more. Something deeper. Something… infinitely older, wiser and more powerful.
Out of those eyes Norgannon regarded us in a calm blue glow. A feeling of calm flowed through me and the fears, the worries about the end of the world... It all flowed out of me.
Everything was right in the world.
"This is not a place for you," He said, his voice making reality itself make it real and I knew it to be True, "Go back to your Leader, Bronze," he continued before looking at me and Ren and as his eyes fell on me fully, I felt his will through me.
"Return to your duties, little ones," the Titan possessed Keeper said, "Go inspect the ley lines leading to this site, our work is too important to risk."
I wanted to inspect the ley lines.
He was right. I should inspect the ley lines.
Spreading my wings, I took to the air.
well of course there's going to be a check "Titan Y/N?" Where Y gives full access, but there's no way for them to fake that so why list it?
