The heat rising from the lower amphitheater hit the observation deck in thick, shimmering waves.
Daxian slid down the vertical maintenance ladder, dropping onto a narrow catwalk that hung ten feet above the rotating brass vats. The air down here was thick with the suffocating stink of liquid silicon and burnt tallow, making the skin across his neck prickle. He crouched low behind a row of heavy pressure-relief pipes, his fingers locking onto the iron framework to anchor his weight.
Below, the two guards were moving Vesper along the central ring toward a set of reinforced security arches.
Her head shifted to the left, her gaze scanning the dark lattice of support columns near the ceiling. She didn't shout or try to break her iron bonds, but her deliberate cadence was dragging, forcing the guards to constantly shove her shoulders to keep the pace moving.
"The processing line is cycling in five minutes," the rear guard barked, his brass visor catching the bright orange reflection of the molten ore below. "Move your feet, drift. The collector doesn't like his schedules un-aligned."
Daxian tracked their trajectory from the shadow of the pipes.
The catwalk he occupied terminated directly above the security arches, but a wide gap of empty space separated his platform from the main ring. To close the distance without drawing a volley of crossbow bolts from the perimeter towers, he had to rely on the movement of the automated machinery.
A massive iron stirrer mechanism rumbled down the central overhead rail, its heavy paddles dipping into the third vat to churn the white-hot liquid.
Daxian timed the rotation. As the mechanical housing passed his position, he lunged out from behind the pipes, catching the greasy upper framework of the crane with his operational arm. The metal was scalding, burning through his remaining sleeve, but he held on, his body swinging out over the bubbling pool of molten stone.
The crane carried him fifteen feet across the void before clicking into its terminal bracket.
He released his grip, dropping flat onto the metal roof of the security archway just as the two guards passed underneath. The impact was loud, a sharp metallic thud that instantly caused the rear guard to stop and look toward the ceiling.
"What was that?" the man muttered, raising his cattle-prod.
Daxian rolled off the edge of the archway, his descent targeted directly at the speaker's shoulders.
The sheer weight of the drop flattened the guard against the stone floor tiles. The cattle-prod flew out of his hand, skittering over the edge of the platform to plunge into the molten vat below with a violent explosion of green sparks. Daxian didn't wait for the second man to turn around. He drove his elbow into the side of the fallen guard's helmet, knocking him unconscious against the masonry.
The lead escort spun around, his hand frantically reaching for the iron-tipped pike strapped to his back.
Vesper didn't hesitate. She threw her weight sideways, her bound shoulders slamming directly into the guard's ribs just as he tried to set his feet. The man stumbled backward, his balance breaking across the narrow lip of the vat walkway.
Daxian surged forward from the floor. He caught the guard by the throat-plate before the man could tumble into the liquid ore, pinning him hard against the exterior safety rail.
"The keys," Daxian said, his voice flat.
The guard choked, his fingers clawing at Daxian's left wrist as the heat from the vat beneath his heels began to singe the tail of his leather coat. He didn't try to call for help; the terrifying density of the grip was enough to squeeze the breath clean out of his lungs. He nodded toward the small leather pouch mounted to his utility belt.
Daxian ripped the pouch free with his teeth, tossing it into the dust by Vesper's feet.
With a final, heavy shove, he dropped the guard onto the concrete path, far away from the ledge. The man lay there gasping, his hands clutched around his neck as he crawled backward into the shadow of the archway, completely broken from the confrontation.
Vesper knelt, her fingers working the small brass key out of the pouch until she could press it into the locking mechanism of her wrist wires. The heavy rings snapped open with a sharp click, dropping onto the stone tiles.
She rubbed her wrists, her gray eyes narrowing as she looked at Daxian's scorched sleeve and the fresh blood soaking through his chest wrappings. "You took your time getting down here, scholar."
"The lift had a lock," Daxian said.
"Kaelen?" she asked, her voice dropping into a serious register as she picked up her sorting rod from the first guard's belt.
"He's behind us," Daxian replied, turning his gaze toward the massive iron doors at the end of the refinement track. "He knows the layout better than we do."
Vesper adjusted her respirator mask, her eyes fixing on the heavy mechanical tumblers of the primary forge portal ahead. "Then we stop playing with the valves. The main resource line runs directly beneath this floor. If we break the primary seal, the entire amphitheater drains into the lower abyss."
Daxian didn't offer an alternative calculation. He stepped up beside her, his left hand gripping the side rail as the automated sirens began to wail from the upper logistics deck.
The goal was inside. The hunter was behind.
They broke into a steady run toward the final gate, their figures silhouetted against the continuous, white-hot flare of the turning crucibles.