Balm and Cyclone's actions caused the entire repair workshop to tremble. One of the heavy gates opened, separating into two halves which gradually slid to the side. The ensuing rumble echoed endlessly in the cave which got revealed behind the gate.
The party stepped past the gate finding themselves at the bottom of a cave which looked like a smaller version of Deep Bell City. Rows of houses lined the walls located on multiple floors which were connected by cable cars.
However, the city didn't appear to be in great condition. Everywhere one could find destroyed houses and signs of battles. Powerful weapons were attached to the walls in multiple places. They looked as if they were usually hidden only to be revealed in the case of an attack.
Lucking at the multitude of defensive measures in the city made one break out in cold sweat. Especially after imagining how much more weapons had to be hidden in Deep Bell City. Maybe even a dragon would be turned into a sieve if it dared to appear in one of the dwarves' cities.
And yet it didn't look as if the fights in this cave were one-sided. Whoever attacked the city laid waste to large parts of it. It was difficult to imagine the might of the attacker.
Everywhere one could find mountains of rubble telling of destroyed constructions. Especially the occasional stairs connecting the different floors were targeted heavily. Yet the cable car system was conveniently intact.
Fortunately, the soldiers scattered throughout the city didn't think of destroying the cable cars or else the players' path would have been cut off. It would've been more effective than a thousand bosses.
Now the players still had a way forward although it was tied to an annoying puzzle.
Liam and his friends walked out of the repair workshop towards a large platform which served as a stop for cable cars. The number 1 was prominently written on a sign while the single parked cable car had the number 3 painted on its side.
Silent Acacia stepped onto the platform, entering the cable car, and sitting down. He looked apologetically at his friends:
"I let you guys figure it out, alright? I'm just a passenger today."
"Don't worry. I will take care of the puzzle as long as you disarm the traps.", said Balm. Silent Acacia accepted the deal with a nod.
Next, the friends entered the cable car one by one leaving only Balm and Cyclone standing outside. The two women approached a console at the edge of the platform which had nine levers attached to it which were each painted in different colours from dark violet, over blue, to dark red.
"Ok Cy, now it's on us to figure things out.", said Balm as she pulled the first dark violet lever. Cyclone nodded, taking out the notes she had earlier gotten from Balm, reading closely.
"Here it is. Cable car number 3 moves if the violet light is turned on, plus one more. But the second colour has been erased."
"Well, trial and error it is then.", said Balm, unbothered.
While Balm began to try the different levers, Cyclone looked towards the ceiling of the cave. There, attached to the highest platform was a series of lights, their colours corresponding to the different levers. As Balm worked through the levers the lights lit up one after another.
Finally, when the violet and the yellow light lit up, a shudder ran through the cable car number three.
"Got it!"
Cyclone exclaimed happily, immediately noting the answer down.
"Great! Let's go, this is just the start."
Balm turned around, returning to cable car number 3 together with Cyclone. They didn't enter at the back but through a slim door at the front. It led into a narrow compartment which was prepared for the driver.
The room was small enough that the addition of Balm and Cyclone already made it feel cramped. But the two friends didn't care. They stood close together as they pulled another lever.
Whistling steam escaped from a vent at the bottom of the cable car as it slowly started moving. Its wheels turned, pushing it upwards along a thick cable.
Everyone casually enjoyed the view of the city except for Radiant Shield who remained on his seat with his eyes closed.
The cable car drove for a while. It skipped two floors, stopping at platform number 4.
Balm and Cyclone got off, looking around. Apart from the cable car they came here with, two others parked on this platform. Yet the coloured levers weren't nearby, instead they were placed below the platform.
"Guys, come out. We need to fight.", said Cyclone as she opened the door to the passenger compartment.
"Do you need us? Did the layout change?", asked Silver Blade, which Cyclone answered with a nod.
The friends weren't overly surprised as they left the vehicle one by one. This time, Radiant Shield's legs didn't shake, and his steps were stable. Apparently, his fear of heights didn't affect him.
Standing on the platform the friends looked around for a bit. Silent Acacia took the initiative to scout for traps and indeed found two hidden pressure plates.
Afterwards the party stepped down from the platform, facing three groups of soldiers. They cleaned up swiftly, which allowed Balm access to the levers at the side.
"How did those soldiers even come up here?", wondered Cyclone.
"Maybe they also tried to solve the puzzle but failed?"
"Do you think they got stuck?"
"Wait, if we fail the puzzle... will we get stuck as well?"
Silver Blade rolled her eyes listening to Cyclone and Balm. She watched as the two women continued figuring out the puzzle.
Balm began to try all kinds of colour combinations while Cyclone noted down which of the cable cars parked at the platform reacted.
Afterwards the group entered the vehicle number 5, which brought them to platform number 2. Cyclone didn't miss any information slowly creating a comprehensive list.
The party once more left the cable car, cleaning the platform of enemies and traps, before continuing to gather information. The process repeated over and over again until they finally arrived at the highest possible floor, number 7, after multiple hours.
Cyclone and Balm stood at the edge of the platform, looking towards the dark floor, pondering deeply.
"Ok, let's conclude. We need to reach the third floor. This didn't change from normal mode.", began Cyclone.
"Right. To get there we must either take car 4 or 6."
"I guess it is 6. If a yellow light is on, number 6 drives towards platform 5. But the yellow lever on platform 5 is destroyed."
"I think so, too. Therefore, we need to park car number 6 on platform number 5 and take another car to another platform, where we can turn off the yellow light."
Cyclone nodded along as she studied her notes. Slowly a frown formed on her face.
"Right now, car number 6 is on platform number 2. To get there from here... is quite complicated I think."
"Then let's try something else. Did you see the big red button in every cable car?"
"Of course. How could I miss that?", retorted Cyclone glancing at Balm with a side-eye.
"That button should be a reset. It should bring us back to platform 1."
"Platform 1 that's... way easier. Yes. Let's do that!"
After figuring it out the two women beamed happily. They gave a resounding high-five before turning around.
Behind them stood the rest of the party. Some, like Silver Blade wore relieved expressions, while others, like Silent Acacia were about to fall asleep.
When Cyclone and Balm announced that they should have a solution to the puzzle Silent Acacia woke up with a start and was the first to enter the cable car.
The rest of the friends followed. Balm and Cyclone took the driver seat. Balm held her hand above the red button, taking a deep breath.
"Ok, I will do it!"
Balm made a loud announcement before bravely pressing the red button. Immediately the cable car shook. Blearing alarms rang throughout the entire cave. The coloured lights above all turned a deep red, blinking as if warning of an earthquake.
Cyclone flinched, shouting loudly:
"Did we make a mistake?"
"I don't know..."
The two women looked around anxiously but quickly realized that the cable car was indeed descending. It slowly made its way through the cave. Soon it became obvious that the car was approaching platform number 1.
Cyclone stuck her head out of the front window, squinting her eyes. She focused on platform number 1, noticing that something was moving there.
A few seconds later she finally recognized it. Her eyes shot wide open as she shouted at Balm:
"Turn around! Quick, quick!"
"What?! What's going on?"
"There are three golems waiting for us! Hurry up and turn this thing around!"
Listening to her friend, Balm moved anxiously. She tried pushing the lever, but it wouldn't move. The two women looked at each other with wry smiles.