This is The Church of the Great Eggplant's library, located away from the monastery, yet still in town. This is where I went after discovering the structures in the desert. Father Mauve said that there were a few diary accounts of weird occurrences in the area. One told me that in a desert valley near the Sphinx, large explosions can be heard, as if a creeper exploded underground every few seconds. That one worried me. No exposed rooms or holes were ever found that went deep into the ground, so I figured that no light would reach underground. I decided I needed to get a few materials collected. In the hills near the jungle I found lots of coal and iron.
With a new set of armor, I donated my old set to the Church of the Great Eggplant. I set to create as many torches as I could, grabbed my trusty ancient watch, and created a new set of tools. Some beef and bread, a bucket of water(just in case) and I was ready to head out. I go to the Pyramid first, and find that unlike the Sphinx there is no outlying door. I really do not want to destroy anything, so I carefully remove and set aside a few blocks so that I can get inside. There is a set of stairs leading down, just like at the Sphinx. Somehow the water is kept out of the pathway by a force I can not detect myself. At the bottom is a set of obsidian walls that block out almost all light. It is black, pitch black.
Inside I find a maze. The path has 3 ways I can take; left, right, and center. I at first take the right path, using torches as my "bread crumbs" so that I can find my way back. There are so many twists and turns that there is no way I would be able to tell where I have gone without using torches as a means to marking areas. Torches on walls lead to dead ends, torches on the ground means the path continues. Along the way I sometimes find easy to miss paths that twist immediately after coming to a hallway, in these paths are a few chests. Inside I find things like some metals, sometimes even valuable gold.
I eventually find that after going right, the path actually meets up and loops around, taking me out by the left path. That makes exploring a bit easier as I have finishing 2 pathways by going through 1. Now I have the center path to explore. This path is much more twisty, but also has many more chests. Offerings to their gods? I do not know. False treasures in hopes the looters will leave? Possible. After three entire dies underground, I come to a door in the floor, the only change in elevation throughout the entire complex.
I go to look and inspect the door and find that it is a trap! It is not solid at all and I fall down a shaft and land in some water! I swim up... and find a room with a lake of lava in the middle and some sort of beast on the far side... I then quickly find out why there are reports of explosions. The creature has a large gaping mouth and is the size of a small house! It fires giant, exploding fireballs at me from across the lake! I only have one option, I get out my bow and arrow, and I start moving side to side, avoiding fire, and hitting the creature with arrows!
One time, I am extra slow in getting my aiming. In a coincidence of time, I fire and arrow just as a fireball is shot. My arrow hits the fireball and they both deflect! The fireball is sent back to its sender, and hits the beast, exploding and injuring the creature! I take out my sword, and change my tactic. I start sending the creature's weapon back at it, which angers it, and causes it to fire even more! The thing starts jumping from side to side, trying to avoid its own ammunition, but I am quick and able to hit it several times.
I hit the creature one last time, and it bursts into flame as it falls dead in a heap. Almost immediately I hear the clacking and clanging of things.
The roof opens up and a cascade of lava starts falling from the ceiling. It is advancing toward me. I turn around and I see the line of water that I fell into earlier. I am fairly sure that little amount of water is not going to save me. The walls are made of the same obsidian that makes the maze completely dark. So I take out my torches and I start running along the walls, hoping to find a stop button or a switch or anything.
Finally I find a doorway somewhere in the wall. If I was not at the correct angle, there would be no way for me to see it at all. I get into the doorway, and still do not trust that the lava behind me would not follow me up. I run up quickly and soon mind the walls are lined with stone, then and, then I see the light above me and I know I should be able to make it out alive.
At the top I find a large iron block, and on that block I find a chest. The chest is actually really close to the monastery, within a short distance I can see the buildings. I open the chest and I am dazzled.
A chest full of perfectly cut diamonds and immaculately coated golden apples! I take the treasure and I head back to the community building that I had been obliged to take shelter in. Those that are there are excited to see me and amazed at what I have brought.
Father Mauve comes to visit me in the morning. For their generosity and hospitality I offer to share some of the diamonds with them. He waves his hand and says that they have no need for them, as they do not trade with outsiders and have no link to the economy of the world. Instead he asks for the golden apples, as they have amazing healing powers and would greatly help the brotherhood. I leave all the ones I have found in their care. I head back to my cabin within a few days.
(the Sphinx was pretty much the same, just a different orientation of the maze, I got 36 more diamonds from it, and since the black maze is rather boring, and the boss was the same, I will not post that trip)
S.
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