Sons of Ironstorm - Book 4: Griffon's Stand

Chapter 16: Adjunticator

"Little is known of the world before we, the Exiles, arrived.

Vast forests, tall mountains, draconi, trolls and dragons.

These were the inhabitants of Ramnor. None other were here.

So we set about, making this world our own by the might of our swords."

- from High King Aesthegon's personal journal 

To describe the vast room with only a handful of words would've been woefully inadequate as the chamber's many wonders bombarded the senses. First was the roof, which lifted into a dim vault high overhead, easily a hundred lengths straight up and nearly beyond the illumination that filled the chamber with its pervasive light. Next were the walls, both to the sides and ahead, which again flew out to the very edges of the light and nearly beyond their capability to see.

As amazing as the chamber's dimensions were, strangely out of proportion to the outside of the mountain, even more amazing was the massive construct that filled its heart. With a core of three massive, tightly packed, multifaceted crystals, each a length in diameter and over twenty in height, their pointed top ends nearly reaching the vaulted ceiling and apparently buried in the floor to an unknown depth, the construct had a second ring of smaller crystals forming its outer shell.

These crystals were of all lengths and sizes, ranging from thick, tall crystals twice the height and thickness of a man to small slivers the size of a man's arm. They jutted from the ground in all directions, forming a dense forest of shimmering light and shape around the massive core. Each crystal seemed to capture the pervasive light as well, letting it dance around inside in fractured rainbows of colour and motion, adding to the great construct's mysterious appearance. And all around it was a quiet, almost inaudible humming, as though power or magic of some sort was flowing through it, making it work towards its equally mysterious purpose.

Yet, even more amazing than the humming, shimmering crystalline construct was the giant in black that stood before it, arms folded over its chest as it appeared to be studying the fantastic structure. Easily three lengths tall, and a length across its shoulders, the creature seemed to oddly fit inside the chamber with its massive heart of crystal, its face hidden by a voluminous hood that appeared to be part of the swirling black cloak that swathed it from head to toe.

"Maker preserve me," Lawrence couldn't help but husk at the giant's appearance, a dark sensation of malevolence arising from it even across the lengths of ground between it and himself.

"I highly doubt He will," the giant abruptly answered without turning towards the stunned human prince, his Taren coldly perfect and without inflection. "This place was constructed to be beyond His sight and awareness. For all their blind faith and loyalty in Him, our ancient brothers and sisters built well. You are beyond His help here, human."

Lawrence took a half step back, twisting to warn Will and the others about the giant. Only to find the space behind him quite empty.

"And you are without your comrades as well," the giant continued, his hooded head turning slightly towards a stunned Lawrence. "It was simple to re-tune the adjunticator's exclusion field to only allow you through." The hooded face turned back to its regard of the massive crystal construct.

"After all, I helped design it."

"Who ... who are you?" Lawrence stammered, eyes wide as he stared at the giant, only now noticing that the pervasive light actually dimmed close to the leviathan form, as if it lost its strength in his presence.