You make your way towards the bridge. The journey is a bit longer- you have to jump through small ponds and streams to get there. Interestingly, as you hike along the scenic path, you notice the flora and fauna around you is plastic. Running your hands through the grass, or rubbing your fingers against bright flowers reveal a slippery synthetic texture. It makes sense- there is no sunlight, so plants would have a hard time growing in this environment.

"What powers this place, anyway?" you ask Crockpot. He is sitting atop your head now.

"I suppose many things- the Great Bridge helps us receive water, the fields power our cities, and our city... powers our social lives, I suppose."

"And what does the Scarlet Dragon do?"

"He protects us, from what I'm not sure. But if we do not appease him, then- as you can see- he wrecks havoc on our lives."

"What keeps him pleased?"

"Coincidentally, keeping these three fractions of our land running does. But he's never been this active- never to the point of spewing fire..."

The mycelium around you shutter.

"Must have been a lot of trial and error to figure that out."

"Perhaps- but we were instructed by Mau and Iwiw on how to upkeep our lands. Praise be the Blood Giants!" The other mycelium jump in agreement.

Another mention of your Grandparents- that means they must have created this place. You knew that, aside from being archeologists themselves, they were also tinkerers. There were always small gadgets and loose screws around the house, and when not sawing away in their garage, they were in the backyard welding and sculpting. Usually their inventions never yielded anything substantial. Or so you thought, before coming to this place.

"Hark! We have arrived."

In front of you is a blue bridge, with four towers on either side. There are wires hanging between the towers. On the walking portion of the bridge, water spits out rhythmically underneath.

"Another stabilizer malfunction. Listen- you have to get to the other side. There will be a button that says "Troubleshoot" on it. Just press that, and the bridge will fix itself" Crockpot states.

"Wait, you're not coming with me?"

Some mycelium jump away from you, and Crockpot jumps off your head.

"No, Blood Giant. After you hit the button, information from the troubleshoot will come here-" he gestures to the right of the bridge, where there is a small blank screen.

"But be warned- the water will carry you back to where you started- it is stronger than it looks. Be vigilant!"

>>To The Bridge