[color=gray][quote=Sophia]She looked at the architecture of the vaulted ceiling, the arts pieces on the wall, and even the curtains over the windows.[/quote][/color] The high ceiling was ribbed with sturdy metal beams, painted blue and black and violet to match the starry mural. These same metal beams extended into the thick pillars that lined the walls. The walls themselves were unusually thick and solid -- this was masked by the expert arrangement of the curtains around deep windowframes, the delicate gold patterns on the columns, and the polished short hallway that the guests had walked through in order to enter the ballroom. Even the windows were sealed, made of thick glass and reinforced by an ornate web of metal. One might suppose, with some thought, that this room had originally been built to withstand disaster before it had been converted into a ballroom. There were no framed artworks on the walls; instead, murals of stylized, life-size deer had been painted throughout the room. They were captured mid-leap, or with their heads bent to feed, or staring with golden eyes into the distance. [hr] The fourth repetition of the waltz ended; there was a brief pause of crackling silence before the pompous tuba filled the room again -- the same song, a fifth time, began again. Micawber appeared at the double-doors through which they all had entered. Instead of stepping into the room, Micawber respectfully pulled the doors closed, as if to give the partygoers their privacy. The waltz, in the middle of the melody, suddenly stopped. The record kept turning on the phonograph. [indent][b]"Is it recording?"[/b][/indent] A man's voice spoke through the phonograph. [indent][b]"Good evening,"[/b] the voice said in a more confident manner. [b]"Welcome to my home. I hope the food is delicious and the music isn't too tiring. It's my favorite waltz, but you're probably sick of it, I apologize. Thank you for coming. My name is Roderick Fowle. It's a pleasure to meet you. Sort of."[/b][/indent] The room began to vibrate ever so slightly; it might not have been noticeable, except the wine glasses rang against one another. The doors of the ballroom were locked. [indent][b]"I have to apologize again for the lack of guests -- and the lack of a party, which is the real travesty. For the past few years, Micawber has been watching everyone in town for me, and together we've concluded that you are the only people I can trust. Miss Pax, Mr Hawkins, Mr Hudson, Mr Maxson, Mr Ackerman, Mr Warren, Mr Fuchs, Miss Maria, Mr Feng -- thank you for responding to my invitation."[/b][/indent] The room was quite definitely vibrating now. The wine bottles clattered. From under the floor came the faint but distinct sound of steam hissing. [indent][b]"By now you might be experiencing something unexpected in the room. Please don't panic, you're all perfectly fine. I apologize for the deception. If I had explained my intentions from the beginning, each of you would have discarded my plea for help as the lunatic ravings of a madman. So I decided I would show you, first, that I am telling the truth."[/b][/indent] CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK Something huge, metallic and ominous resounded behind each of the walls of the room, like an enormous lock being turned. The room was shaking violently now; chairs toppled, glasses shattered, plates of food clattered messily to the floor. The lights on the walls flickered. Suddenly, the floor dropped a few inches and then stopped. A quieter, faster clanking noise resounded throughout the room from behind the walls. Should one look out the reinforced window, one might see the ground rising up past the windowpanes. Like an elevator, the entire ballroom was being lowered into the ground. [indent][b]"I am currently being held captive by the Grimtooth,"[/b] Lord Fowle's voice continued pleasantly over the recording. [b]"You might ask why I've chosen you, who don't know me at all, over my friends in the underground. The thing is, I can no longer trust anyone who actually knows what's happening. So many of my old friends have gone missing, or have been brainwashed, or may be unknowing sleeper agents. The only safe bet was to enlist the help of outsiders. You. I'm not a humble man, but I'm willing to crush my ego this once to plead --"[/b][/indent] The room jolted, and the phonograph's needle scratched and bounced out of place. When it began to play again, the pompous waltz started up in the middle of the blaring chorus, louder among the shaking and clanking and clattering and rumbling of the room. Metal and rock rose up past the windows, faster and faster, as the ballroom left the surface world behind.