Chapter 166: The Vault-Keeper's Grudge
The descent into the Stoneheart City was deafening.
Draven stood near the edge of a massive, circular mechanical lift. The platform was larger than most Vanguard military outposts, constructed entirely from thick slabs of iron and bronze.
Heavy, enchanted chains as thick as redwood trunks lowered the platform deep into the mountain's core. The sheer industrial scale of the Dwarven engineering made the air vibrate.
CLANG!
HISS!
The sounds of a thousand massive hammers striking anvils echoed up from the abyss below, blending with the roar of pressurized steam venting from enormous pipes.
The heat rising from the magma rivers was oppressive, settling over Draven's heavy iron chainmail like a physical weight.
Beside him, a rotund Dwarven merchant grumbled loudly, mopping sweat from his deeply wrinkled forehead with a soot-stained rag. He carried a heavy satchel of raw gemstones over his broad shoulder.
