The Iron Goose cruised through the misty forest, its cloaking module engaged.
The roads had turned to little more than knotted roots and crumbling stone paths.
Birds the size of trash cans squawked overhead.
The occasional leafy monster gave the Goose a suspicious look, then decided against trying its luck.
Inside the cabin, the team was debating violently.
"I'm telling you," Kai insisted, pointing at the glowing map hovering from G.A.I.L.'s dashboard, "this blinking thing is a hidden temple."
"It could be a buried septic tank," Tessa said dryly.
"Temples have treasure," Kai said with the patience of someone explaining gravity to a brick. "Septic tanks have—"
"Enough," Kiri cut in sharply. "It is a temple. And it's not just any temple — it's one of the ancient Waypoints."
That got everyone's attention.
Kiri tapped the map, zooming in.
"The Waypoints were built by the Founders. Each one hides a fragment of the original magic used to shape this world."
Kai's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas.
"So... loot?"
"Power," Kiri corrected. "And knowledge."
"And traps," Tessa added, peeking grimly at the landscape outside. "Definitely traps."
Arrival at the Temple:
The Goose rolled to a stop at the base of a massive stone staircase, half-swallowed by vines.
The temple was ancient — slabs of black stone, runes still faintly pulsing with energy.
Carvings of strange beasts, airships, and mechanical dragons lined the walls.
"This place looks... awesome," Kai breathed.
"It also looks haunted," Tessa muttered, knocking an arrow to her bow.
"Don't worry," Kai said. "I brought a flashlight."
He held up a glowing rune-lantern — which promptly flickered and exploded in a puff of purple smoke.
Everyone stared at him.
"...I may have bought it from the cursed merchant," Kai admitted.
Kiri sighed so hard it nearly became a second windstorm.
Inside the Temple:
The temple's corridors twisted and coiled like a labyrinth.
Everywhere they went, traps sprang to life:
Swinging axes.Spike pits.Walls that tried to hug you to death.A slime puddle that turned into a grumpy mimic and tried to eat Tessa's boots.
G.A.I.L. deployed small scanning drones to fly ahead and map danger points.
"At least the Goose has better AI than the architects here," Kai muttered as another floor tile collapsed under his foot.
"You almost died four times," Tessa said.
"Five if you count the slime," Kiri added helpfully.
"IT WAS A VERY AGGRESSIVE SLIME!" Kai shouted.
The Lore Room:
After an exhausting gauntlet of bad decisions and close calls, they stumbled into a grand circular chamber.
In the center hovered a crystal — pale gold, humming with deep, ancient magic.
On the walls, moving murals told a story.
Kiri stood transfixed.
"This is... their story," she whispered.
The murals showed:
A group of brilliant engineers and mages — the Founders — who crossed into this world through a dimensional Rift.Their struggle to survive, build, and reshape the wild magic into technology and civilization.The creation of the Waypoints — ancient relays designed to stabilize reality itself.A final battle against a shapeless force only referred to as "the Devourer."
The last mural showed the Founders scattering the Waypoint Cores across the world, hoping someone worthy would one day find them.
Kai stared in awe.
"They were travelers... like us," he said, voice soft.
"And maybe the Goose is part of their legacy," Tessa added.
"Or maybe you just like blowing stuff up," Kiri said wryly.
"Can't it be both?" Kai grinned.
The First Core:
Carefully, Kiri stepped forward and touched the hovering Core.
The room flashed bright —
For a moment, they all felt connected, a web of possibilities flickering through their minds.
New knowledge flooded into the Goose's systems.
Navigation upgrades.Shield enhancements.Emergency teleportation drive (short range only — might accidentally teleport you into a tree, use with caution).
"Downloading Founder Data Package," G.A.I.L. chirped.
The Core pulsed once — then floated gently into Kai's hands, shrinking to a stone the size of a baseball.
He grinned, tossing it lightly.
"Looks like we just leveled up."
But Not Alone:
As they turned to leave, a cold voice echoed through the temple:
"Surrender the Core."
Black-armored figures — more of the mysterious pursuers — melted out of the shadows, weapons raised.
"You guys again?" Kai groaned.
"You cannot comprehend what you toy with," their leader said.
"Oh, buddy, if you think that's gonna stop us," Kai said, tossing the Core into his satchel, "you clearly haven't read the previous chapters."
Tessa nocked an arrow.
Kiri summoned a blade of condensed light.
Kai revved the Goose's remote ignition, its engines growling through the cloaked camo.
"Fight now?" Kai asked.
"Fight now," Tessa and Kiri agreed.