Argus took off from Lastport's spaceport on the Reverie. He took off from the edge of town, where the spaceport was perched outside the rim of the dorm. He flew his spaceship into the desert, where the mountainous dunes hid the remnants of precursor civilization.

As he flew to the vault, he swayed to the music that echoed from the ship's core into the bridge. The music would drift in and out from time to time, always a different tone. This time, it took the form of a quivering treble flute that hit rousing notes. He had no clue what created the music. He suspected it was his ship's engine, which he determined to be precursor tech, but the music didn't seem any louder or softer in the engine room.

<aside> 🎲 MOVE: Set a Course APPROACH: Following a known route across hazardous terrain: +supply (5). RESULT: 10 (5+5) vs. 5 & 7 Strong hit. You teach your destination and it favors you. +1 momentum. (3 to 4)

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Argus thanked the stars that Zoya had given him the coordinates to the vault and that the weather served in his favor.

In clear skies, he touched down a safe distance from his destination. From on top of one of the dunes, Argus shielded his eyes with his hand. He surveyed his destination and marveled at the entrance of the vault he was to endeavor.

<aside> 🎲 ORACLE: Precursor Vault Location: Planetside Scale: Typical site of limited scope Form: Structure Shape: Roll twice; practical or functional; geometric (ring or torus) Material: Metallic (smooth) Outer First Look: Broken or fragmented; overgrown or entangled Location Theme: Ruined Vault: Flower Ring

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Argus slowly approached the entrance, keeping watch for any remaining surprises.

Before the journey, Zoya told her that this vault was a new discovery. Only recently, a desert storm obliviated the dunes that hid the entrance, unearthing a smooth metallic ring wrapped around by petrified vines. The ring was like Lastport's vault entrance in miniature, the sand curving downward to a closed floor door, even as the diameter ranged hundreds of feet.

The metal ring was chipped, chunks of its casing revealing solid ridges of iron underneath. But what survived of the outer layer retained an unnaturally smooth surface that even the stony leaves didn't scratch. Argus lingered on the sight of a grainy gray flower, its once organic form having been replaced with rock. He wondered whether this species still existed in Ironvale's more habitable biomes or if this vault wore the fossils of the extinct.

Argus stepped to the floor entrance. The hatch was shut, but as Zoya said, he was able to heave open the door by pulling the handle. The darkness beckoned from beyond the threshold. He put on a hat with a lantern and turned on the light. The beam pushed little against the darkness.

Argus clutched his necklace and said out loud to himself. "I'm coming for you, Lucas." And then he slid down the ladder into the darkness.

<aside> ➡️ NEXT: IV: The Flower Ring

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