Chapter 2: Beneath Ironhaven

The Storm Reaper drifted closer to the jagged edges of Ironhaven's industrial heart. The ship groaned with every gust of wind, the large propellers whirling like an eager beast in search of prey. Lucien glanced over at the deck crew—such as it was—his eyes flicking to the barely functional rigging, before giving a sharp command.

"Rosie, Evelyn, get ready. We're going in hot," Lucien said, gripping the wheel and steering the ship toward a craggy set of cliffs just outside the city. Beneath them, the steel skeletons of long-abandoned factories and tunnels lay in wait, long forgotten by most of the Empire's elite.

Evelyn, standing near the main airlock, eyed the landscape below them, her brow furrowed. "These tunnels… they were built by the previous empire, before the sky cities rose. They've been sealed for centuries, Lucien. Whatever's down there is either incredibly dangerous or incredibly valuable."

Lucien flashed her a grin, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "A little bit of both, I suspect."

"Or neither," Rosie added, cheekily. She was perched on a crate nearby, balancing her flintlock pistol in her hand, her eyes scanning the skyline. "Could be full of nothing but rats and rotting cargo. But hey, it's your funeral, not mine."

Evelyn ignored her and turned toward the map, tracing her fingers over its ancient ink. The glowing crystal in her pocket seemed to pulse in response, and she hissed under her breath. "I can feel it," she murmured. "The energy down there... It's faint, but it's unmistakable. Whatever this artifact is tied to, it's something far older than the city itself."

Lucien looked over at her, intrigued but cautious. "And you're sure the Empire doesn't already know about it?"

"Sure enough to risk my life," Evelyn replied, her voice steely. "They've been digging in the wrong places."

The wind picked up, and the Storm Reaper shuddered in protest as Lucien guided the ship toward a narrow shaft in the cliffs. Below, the industrial ruins seemed to stretch into darkness, the entrance to the underground tunnels nothing more than a yawning black hole in the side of the mountain.

Rosie stood, tossing the map over to Lucien with a sly smile. "Well, if you're done with the brainy stuff, Captain, I'll take the lead. I know these tunnels like the back of my hand."

"That's because you've probably robbed half of them," Lucien muttered under his breath, eyeing the open tunnel.

Evelyn shot him a pointed look. "You're not taking her seriously, are you?"

Lucien just shrugged, a wry smile on his face. "Serious or not, Rosie's the best at what she does. Keep your wits about you—this place has a habit of killing people who think too highly of themselves."

The ship touched down with a slight jolt, and the airlock hissed open. The metallic scent of old engines and rusted pipes hit them immediately, the air thick with dust and decay. Lucien felt a chill run down his spine—not from the cold, but from the growing sense that something was watching them. Something ancient.

Rosie grabbed her pistol, checking the ammo and then holstering it with a flourish. "After you, sweetheart," she said, gesturing toward the darkened passage.

Lucien took a breath, looking back at the Storm Reaper, its silhouette now a shadow against the steel sky. They had come this far, and there was no turning back. "Alright," he muttered to himself. "Let's see what's waiting for us."

He stepped inside the tunnel, his boots echoing on the cold stone floor. The others followed closely behind, the sound of their footsteps muted by the sheer size of the cavern. They moved cautiously, the faint glow from Evelyn's crystal guiding them forward.

The air grew heavier as they descended, and Lucien found himself scanning the walls for anything out of place. The remnants of long-dead technology—gears, pistons, and ancient pipes—lined the tunnel, a strange mixture of steam-powered and arcane machinery. Every now and then, Lucien would catch a glimmer of something in the dark, but it was gone before he could pinpoint it.

Suddenly, there was a loud grinding noise. The walls trembled slightly, and then the tunnel ahead split into two directions.

"Well, that's convenient," Lucien muttered, eyeing the diverging paths. "Guess we pick one and hope we don't find something too nasty at the end."

Rosie smiled, her usual bravado filling the silence. "I vote for the left one. It's darker, so it's probably more dangerous. You know, for fun."

Evelyn stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. "There's something in here with us," she whispered. "I can feel it. It's… not human."

Lucien's heart rate quickened, and his hand instinctively went to the small blade strapped to his belt. "Not human, huh? That's a comforting thought."

Without warning, the ground beneath them cracked open. A mechanical screech echoed through the tunnel as a massive, rusted automaton—its twisted, steel form barely held together by creaking pistons—emerged from the shadows. Its eyes glowed a sickly green, and it moved with the jerky motions of something long since abandoned by its creators.

"Well, this just got interesting," Lucien muttered, drawing his knife. "Everyone, stay sharp!"

Rosie stepped forward, grinning like a madwoman. "Now this is what I call a warm welcome."

The automaton lunged, its metal claws aiming straight for Lucien's chest. He dodged at the last second, rolling to the side, and gestured for Rosie to take the lead. She grinned and fired, the shot hitting the automaton square in its glowing eye. It staggered back, but didn't fall.

"Guess we'll have to do this the hard way," Lucien said, his mind already working through the options. "Evelyn, can you find a weak spot?"

Evelyn didn't hesitate. She pulled a small device from her belt and aimed it at the machine. The device emitted a high-pitched frequency that seemed to send the automaton into a frenzy, its movements erratic and uncontrolled.

"I can't hold it for long," she warned.

"Then we better make it count," Lucien said, charging forward. With a flash of steel, he drove his knife into the exposed wiring near the automaton's midsection, sending sparks flying.

The creature screeched and collapsed in a heap of broken gears and sparking circuits, but Lucien could already hear the sound of more machines stirring in the depths of the tunnel.

"Looks like we've got company," Rosie said with a grin. "Let's see how many of these things we can take down before they bury us down here."

Lucien nodded, his gaze determined. There was no turning back now. Whatever lay deeper in these tunnels, it was far worse than any of them had anticipated.