[center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8e7YnMHNU8][u]I C A R U S[/u][/url]
[i]Days since Departure:[/i] 9   --   [i]Time:[/i] Mid-Morning, Early Afternoon
[url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4336771]Previously...[/url][/center]
Edward listened awkwardly to the Ghalari exchange between Raymond and Juliette. He really had no idea what they were saying, but it seemed tender, caring. He felt that he shouldn't listen in, regardless of the language. It just felt wrong.

They reached the taxi service in a few more blocks. After a brief, fiery conversation with the driver, Collin handed him a sheaf of paper money, and he beckoned them into the vehicle. Edward tried to introduce himself to the man, but the driver glared at him, and anyone who spoke, until they faded into silence.

The drive to the tower was quiet, uphill, and hot. The sun was intensifying as they rode on, beating down over the top of the carriage. Still, they made good time, and soon a huge spire grew in the distance.

It was impossibly large, and Edward's stomach seemed to rise up into his throat as it continued to grow. He'd never actually seen the Obelisk on Leigr before he'd left, but it seemed similar to him. Part metal, part stone, the obelisk seemed to buzz silently with a quiet, godlike power.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/YcQTsTX.jpg[/img]

At the bottom of the tower there was a huge, gaping maw into the device. They slowed to a stop, outside, and they departed. Edward turned to thank their driver, but he had already sped off. "Not the nicest man, is he?" Edward said, looking in awe at the monstrosity before him. "D'you all think Geralt is inside?"

Hadn't they been meant to meet him at the Gods' Tower? He walked forward with the rest of them, all drawn toward the obelisk as if in a trance. Edward didn't exactly know why, but he felt as if he [i]had[/i] to see what was inside. Also, it was very hot, and Raymond wanted to get Juliette out of the sun.

His eyes adjusted slowly as the light grew dimmer. The inside of the metallic behemoth seemed to be made of rock, and a staircase of some kind traced the back end of the cavern, spiraling up around the outside of the wall. It was spectacular.

Then it happened.

The cube in Edward's pocket grew hot as they stepped through the line, and a shrill noise came from inside. Edward jumped at the sudden 
intrusion into the silence and pulled out the map-cube. It whirred, clicked, and pinged. A wave of force rolled from it into the air, which he felt as a blast of pressure in his ears. "Plummet!" he hissed, dropping the cube and staggering.

Behind them, the opening of the structure disappeared. It didn't close, exactly: it was more like the entrance had never existed at all, vanishing in an instant. He rushed to the wall where they had came in, and felt nothing but smooth rock. Or was it metal? He ran back to the others in the center of the cavernous room. "What's going on?" he asked Collin.

Collin looked as bewildered as him. "I...don't know! This hasn't ever happened before! I--"

The ground began to rumble. The map cube continued pulsing on the floor, flickering on and off. "Guys..." Edward said, as the floor tilted beneath them slightly. The rumbling grew more intense, and the sound of cracking rock echoed down from above. Edward glanced up in a panic, just in time to see a rock the size of the Endurance falling down from the rafters. "Shit!" he screeched, and dove to one side. The rock smashed into the floor and shattered, sending a spray of rock and grit covering them all.

Another rock fell a moment later, again smashing too close to them for comfort. He staggered to his feet, just in time to see the ground cracking. As he gaped, the center of the room began to fall away, and light poured in through the gap? Light?

Even as he watched, the hole in the floor grew larger and larger, radiating outward toward where they stood. It looked like the [i]ground[/i] itself was dropping away from the tower. "Plummet! Run!" He shouted, as if anyone needed the prompt. 

"We have to get to that staircase!" he shouted, pointing to the rock steps. If they could get to the next level, they might be safe. He stooped and scooped up the box as her ran, which still glowed ominously. "Luna!" he roared, "take care of Juliette and Raymond! Come on, Constance! Collin, you too: no time to argue!"