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"Right... Come on, Tur'Nu-we've got some exploring to do," the artificer-armour clad figure spoke, one hand idly scratching behind the ear of his massive canine follower. The thunderwolf barked happily at the scratch, unconcerned by the massive structure they were in. The Iron Priest was likewise unconcerned-enjoying the quiet that came with the thick walls of the underground structure blocking off the normal chatter and beeps from his comms and sensors.

Inside, For'Sook looked around, eyeing the massive, arched ceiling and intricate ankh designs engraved into the walls. "These things have to be old..." he muttered to himself "But there's no dust-everything is perfectly clean. And why in the Emperor's name is it so damn cold here?"

As he continued to walk down the hall, Tur'Nu began to growl. "What is it?" For'Sook asked, hand reaching for his hammer. The thunderwolf looked at For'Sook, before looking ahead and barking three times. "Danger-got it. Time to mount up," he said, leaping on the back of his mount. As soon as his feet settled into their familiar footholds, Tur'Nu shot ahead like a missile. As the pair reached nearer what Tur'Nu's sensitive ears picked up, For'Sook heard it as well. "Skittering... Something small, but a lot of somethings."

The pair traveled down the halls, honing in on the sounds as they turned and turned again, never losing track of their quarry.

Rounding the corner, For'Sook saw a swarm of small scarab beetles-nearly three dozen, each the size of a large dog or a child. "Cleaning creatures, maybe?" For'Sook muttered to himself even as he drew his Tempest Hammer. Tur'Nu, still moving at breakneck speeds, lunged forward, jaws and claws scattering the front of the swarm. They attacked without hesitation, though, biting back, but their jaws, while powerful for such small creatures, failed to cause much harm through For'Sook's armour and Tur'Nu's thickened hide. Striking back even as he let out a vox-amplified roar of pain, For'Sook sent his Tempest Hammer in wide, sweeping arcs, scattering the swarms and crushing them where they could not avoid his blows.

The melee continued, each blow of For'Sook's massive hammer crushing half a dozen of the small beasts, but their numbers allowed them to do yet more damage, their jaws somehow causing harm even to his normally impervious form.

As their numbers dwindled, For'Sook pressed his advantage-or at least tried to. He overextended himself, leaving him dangerously close to falling from Tur'Nu's back.

Even exposed, though, his armour protected him, leaving the biting jaws of the scarabs helpless as he recovered his composure and struck down again and again, crushing the last remaining beetles.

Breathing heavily, he listened carefully, hearing more skittering from down the hall, and an ominous sizzling-like claws, rending through the air itself. "Come on, Tur'Nu-the other way. We need to get back to the encampment-let them know we aren't as safe as we thought here!" He kicked his boots against Tur'Nu's side, spurring the massive canine into a sprint, but as the pair ventured back, For'Sook came to a horrid realization. "We're lost. Dammit, we're lost!"

He let Tur'Nu lead, trusting his mount's instincts to not lead him astray, and began frantically examining his communications equipment and his sensors, desperate for any signal that would lead him back to the surface. Unfortunately, being even deeper than before, his examinations were for nothing.

Eventually, with the sounds from behind fading, Tur'Nu slowed, before coming to a seated stop in front of a large sarcophagus. "The hell?" For'Sook said, dismounting. Tur'Nu whined, uncomfortable, but For'Sook merely shushed the Thunderwolf. "This might be important, Tur'Nu. We should look into it..." he said, slowly becoming enraptured by the network of complex machinery just barely visible underneath the tomb.

As he began to examine it, the sarcophagi cracked open. "Oh. Oh no," he said, Tempest Hammer already in hand and sprinting back towards Tur'Nu, who was likewise coming to meet his master. As he ran, though, a cold, blueish-white metallic hand reached out and grabbed him by the throat. For'Sook drew his hammer around in a crushing blow, but as he began to swing, he felt the cold penetrate to his neck as the armour buckled and cracked. Before the Tempest Hammer could be brought down on the tomb, he felt his breathing halt, strangled by the hand. Keeping his strength, he finally brought the hammer crashing down, but the sudden cold had sent his aim astray. It cracked the lid of the sarcophagi, and he heard the sound of keening metal as it rent and tore, but the hand stayed strong. The other hand, belonging to the cold figure within, shoved the broken lid aside, revealing a regal and imposing figure, frosted in blue and white-but for where the massive blow of For'Sook's hammer had crushed its shoulder into a silvery paste.

"I live," it spoke in an imperious tone even as its shoulder reformed, the blue and white livery coming to life again. "But you-you shall die!" it said as it crushed For'Sook's neck.

The Iron Priest fell limp in its hand, breathing no more, hearts stilled, as Tur'Nu slammed into the open tomb. In a frenzy, Tur'Nu bit and clawed the frozen figure even as jagged icicles like spears drew blood. But the figure stood strong, undisturbed by the raging wolf, reaching into its tomb to retrieve its weapon and dispatch the beast. But its hand found a shattered handle, the powers of the scythe drained by time and the machinery destroyed by For'Sook's blow.

It sighed, a heavy, grating sound, as its livery continued to reform from Tur'Nu's frantic attacks. It reached down, drawing the Tempest Hammer from its feet, and said "Join your master," as it brought the hammer up in a single massive blow, pulping the wolf's skull.

There was a heavy thud as Tur'Nu's body hit the ground-lying next to his master, in death as in life.

Jalid paid the grisly scene no mind, striding forward. "Awaken, my home, my tomb. Awaken-for war is upon us."