“Salacia!” Cygnus yelled out to his campaign partner. “You're going too far ahead. This is meant to be a group effort.” Cygnus and Mocha, of the constellation guild, had partnered up with the up-and-coming dungeon star, Salacia. She had been working hard to make discoveries that earned her some recognition from others, even creating her guild - starlight. The three had embarked on a campaign together to further their exploration efforts. Salacia, who had gained some extreme rookie confidence, was always leading ahead way too far. The dungeon was packed with puzzles, traps, and opponents. The group had been fine so far but as they got deeper, Cygnus worried more. 

“It's fine, there's nothing up here at all!” She said back to him as the tunnel opened up into a large room. The walls were very far apart, with rusted gears and mechanics of various sizes scattered throughout. It was almost like the walls were moving, swirling about with the quiet ticking sound of the gears. As the rest of the group caught up to her, the gears began to speed up and become louder. 

“Goodness Salacia, you need to be more cooperative.” Mocha frowned as they approached. 

“Hold on, be quiet,” Salacia said, immediately getting cold stares from Cygnus and Mocha. “I’m sorry, I just heard something eerie.” The gears clicked loudly almost as if they had completed their task and then completely stopped. The room was then dead silent, only the shallow breaths of the coursers could be heard. Suddenly, they heard a large whooshing sound from the distance, followed by a loud clang as something hit the floor. The group stood there in shock, as the fallen object began to move. They could hear faint steps, echoing through the tunnel that they had come from. 

“Ooohh no,” Mocha’s expression grew more wrinkled and worried. They began pacing in the room. “The walls are closing in on me!” 

“Mocha, you're just stressed. Please try and relax, we are both here for you.” Cygnus tried to calm them. 

“They’re right Cygnus,” Salacia was hugged up against the wall studying the movement. “The gears are turning again and the walls are slowly closing in.” 

“Oh great.” Cygnus sighed. He started looking around the room for anything that could get them out. A monster approaching from the way they came in, the walls on the left and right closing in, there was hardly any opportunity for them. 

“Here, in the middle” Salacia motioned to a small circular marking on the floor. 

“But what is it?” Cygnus asked. 

“Look up,” Cygnus followed her guidance and was met with an interesting discovery; the ceiling at a hole that matched the mark on the floor. 

“Get Mocha to join you on the platform, I think I know a way to get us out.” Salacia ran to the opposite end of the room, seeing a small gear puzzle. She began tinkering and studying the gears as Cygnus guided the distraught Mocha onto the platform. With a little bit of luck and patience, the gears began to function, adding a small clicking noise to the room again. 

“We’re ascending!! Hurry and get back!” Cygnus yelled. Salacia ran back towards the center, watching the walls getting closer and closer. The platform was already multiple feet in the air, requiring her to jump. With one big leap, she fell onto the platform, her armor clanging on the stone. The three sighed in relief, but it was short-lived. The platform was about halfway up, and the walls were still closing. The creature decided to make its appearance, showing off a massive set of mechanical armor. It roared and began to rush toward the group, raising a long sword into the air. 

“It just gets worse and worse!” Mocha cried. Cygnus and Salacia held their breath, watching the creature and walls threaten them. They closed their eyes and braced for impact, only to be met with a small clicking sound. The platform had made it to the hole just in time, and they were placed back up to a previous floor. They could hear metal clanging at the platform from the metal monster. It continued as the crew took a moment to breathe, before turning into a horrifying crunching sound as the walls flattened the creature. 

“I can't believe we survived.” Mocha sighed, finally at ease. 

“I think that's where we take a break.” Cygnus stood up and brushed some debris off of his fur. 

“I agree,” Salacia said. “But you have to admit, the technology in there was amazing!” Mocha and Cygnus met her once more with cold stares as the three walked away from the dangerous mechanical hallways, for now.