The ravine was quiet when Horizon returned, the cliffs rising like black jagged teeth around his hidden base Mist rolled in thick coils from the river at the bottom, and from above the ravine looked deserted. Only a careful eye might notice the faint lines of alloy and crystal set into the stone, the concealed entrances, the strange hum that sometimes rippled through the rocks when systems stirred. Horizon descended along the cut path, the dungeon core still pulsing faintly in his grasp.
Inside, the base awoke Screens flickered across the cavern walls, luminous with diagrams and scrolling code Cool white light filled the chambers, revealing the layered structures of forges, processors, and vats Horizon placed the core into a containment cradle at the center, tendrils detaching with care The crystal sank into the cradle and was instantly bound by clamps of liquid metal, connecting to conduits that pulled its energy into the system.
