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Tap. Tap. Clink. Tap. Click.

The strange noise echoed through the halls of the catacombs. It was the only sign that someone was there who should not be.

Clink. Scratch. Tap. Tap. Click.

The sound of someone suddenly breathing out could be heard. It eerily rattled through dark and dankness.

"I think that was it," a voice said calmly. "Now let's see if it works."

Clank. Creeeeeeaaaaaak.

Suddenly, a light fills the hallway as an old thick wooden door opens. Two figures can be seen in the door frame. They both let out triumphant bellows.

"That door had a very complex lock for something so old," said the first figure as he stood up and brushed off his knees.

"I know the door is elf craft," said the second holding up the light and inspecting the back of the door. On the back was a clockwork of mechanisms covering every inch. "But the lock appears to be dwarven."

"An elf-made door concealing a dwarf-made lock," said the first shaking his head. "No wonder nobody ever figured out how to open it. The poor idiots probably never spent any time in a mountain home. Though, that lock was tough to crack even by dwarven standards."

"Hmmm," the second mused as he inspected the door further. "Ah, this mechanism here is an artifact. Most likely the dwarf that crafted this put the entire lock together."

The first walks over and with a little work disengages the mechanism from the lock. He puts it in his pack and the two begin to walk down the corridor. 

"Why did you take that? You know the clockwork lock is more valuable than that artifact mechanism."

"Nobody will look twice at a broken lock," the first said. "We can come back later and be sure nobody will have messed with it."

"True," the second chuckled.

These two young men begin to examine the walls and floor. They wipe dust from the floor and tap the walls. After a bit of this they look at each other confused.

"Hey Tinker," the second man states. "There's no traps here."

"No," Tinker begins looking back down at the section of wall he was examining a moment ago. "This is weird. Maybe, they were really confident in that lock. Though, that seems very unlikely."

Tinker reaches in his backpack and pulls out the mechanism he took from the lock. The mechanism reflected the torchlight. As he turned it in his hand he noticed a subtle engraving on the piece.

"There's an engraving on the artifact," Tinker said. "Maybe this artifact has a secret power. Can you read it, Ledger?"

"You can't read dwarven engravings," Leger said thoughtfully. "They are usually just abstract pictures."

"But I knew a dwarf that could look at an engraving and tell me what it was about down to a date," Tinker frowned.

"I don't know," Ledger shrugged. "I always assumed the dwarves were just bull-shitting us."

Tinker laughed and it echoed oddly down the dark corridor. In the distance, it seemed to take on an almost metal sound.

They explored several tunnels and eventually came to a large room. In the center of the room was a pedastal with a clear cube on it.

"A cube," Tinker said disappointed. "I thought we finally found the Orb of Zot. All that research, all that time was a dead-end again."

"It may not be what we want, but we can probably make a good bit from lock and this cube thing."

They slowly approach the pedestal. Tinker stoops to the ground and begins to inspect for traps and Ledger stares at the cube attempting to appraise its value.

"No traps," Tinker said standing up. "I don't get it. Why are there no traps?"

Ledger walks closer and picks up the cube and holds it in the air. Suddenly, Ledger smiles an lets out a triumphant call.   

"This IS The Orb of Zot," Ledger shouts.

"You're joking, right?"

"No, look up at it in the light from a closer angle."

Tinker steps closer and looks up. He can see through the cube but as he tilts his head the faint reflection light hitting something round is barely seen.

"They embedded the Orb inside a crystal glass cube," Ledger states.

They both shout for joy. They leave the room and head out through the corridor. Though their joyful celebration ends short when they reach the door they used to enter the area.

The door was ripped from its hinges and broken in half. The clockwork lock's many mechanisms are shatter and strewn about.

"Aw, shit." Tinker said with annoyance. "How did this happen?"

Tinker throws the artifact mechanism down the corridor through the door.

"Hey don't do that," Ledger yells. "We can still sell that."

"We have the orb," Tinker says calmly. "We don't need money anymore. I only wanted the lock to install in our vault."

"Nonetheless I thought the artifact was interesting." Ledger says as he walks through the door and out of sight looking for where the mechanism went.

Ledger's torch light goes out and Tinker hears Ledger yelp.

"Did you trip on something?" Tinker begins to follow Ledger's path through the door.

He looks around and doesn't see Ledger at first. Tinker looks down and spies the artifact sitting on the ground propped against the wall.

"I found the artifact," Tinker said. "Where are you? Ledger?"

"I'm... here." Ledger said hoarsely.

Tinker squints his eyes and sees a silhouette just out of torch light.

"Come on, the way back is this way." Tinker says to Ledger.

"I... can't... find my torch... can you... bring yours over here... closer... to me?"

Tinker sighs and walks toward Ledger.

"You sound like you're crying, what happened did you sprain your ankle?"

"Yess."

Ledger must have been a bit further than it looked. Tinker tripped over an unlit torch.

"Here it is," said Tinker relieved. "I found your torch. Come over here."

Tinker hears a sound of something hitting the ground and bouncing with a dull thud. Whatever it was landed at the light's edge. He gets a better look at it.

Tinker's heart sinks as he sees Ledger's head staring up at him.

"What," he says out of shock.

He looks up and still sees the silhouette. He looks back down at the head.

"ARRRGGGGH..." his own screams cut short by a noise that is usually only heard in nightmares.

Tinker runs. However, something happens. A strange unfamiliar smell is in the air. His skin begins to burn and turn red. Something slashes at him and tears at his arm severing it at the shoulder. His backpack falls to the ground and he continues to run without looking back. He gives into the pain and collapses.

He is aware is skin is melting. His eyes focus on something shining in his torch light. It is roundish... metal. It is the artifact mechanism. In this angle, he can see the engraving. It was etched into a gem covering. A similar trick to how the Orb of Zot was hidden makes it visible to him now.

He looks a moment. As his vision goes out of focus the engraving is etched in his mind. In a moment of clarity, he realizes what it is. He sees his greatest mistake. A single moment of frustration cost him everything.

This is a adamantine mechanism. All craftdwarfship is of the highest quality. On it is an image of a dwarf and a demon in crystal glass. The dwarf is holding up an adamantine mechanism and the demon is cowering in fear.