Our Chaotic Order

16: So She's a Fixer-Upper...

"Good." He nodded. "So what first?" He asked, looking around.

"I need a Stone Mason and a Carpenter's guidance." I sighed, looking at the arches and mantles. "I want those restored, and layered with runes of protection, and I was wondering if I should slip in Runes of detection, just in case..." I hummed.

"You're lucky. I actually know a thing or two about Masonry. Carpentry isn't my strong suit, but I know how to swing a hammer as much as the next man." He nodded.

I smiled. "You're very useful... alright. Well, first, I need to demolish this place, brick by brick, so that it can be rebuilt with the old stones... but-... is that a door?" I hummed, and walked over to a black door, the only place where runes were present.

"Yes... with runes of Timelessness... powerful stuff... you shouldn't touch it. I'll open it, step back." He warned me, and I stepped aside.

Mirage grabbed his hand before he touched it. "Not wise... look closer." She waved a hand over the door, and the paint peeled away, leaving almost the entire door exposed... and covered in death runes.

He whistled. "Ouch. That would've hurt. Just a moment..." he traced a Rune in the air, and slammed it into the door.

It hummed, and then cracked, and finally shattered. He grinned. "Ha. Easy as pie."

I pointed at the back of his neck. "Have those always been there?" I asked, Referring to a small collar of death runes around his neck.

He hummed and closed his eyes. They faded, and crumbled, and he smirked. "Puny Witch Runes. Ha." He chuckled, and I glared at him.

"Watch yourself." I huffed.

"You're half Lich, and your Runes show it." He waved me off. "Now what did they want to protect so bad?" He stepped into the hall slowly, and froze. His entire body turned gold for a moment, and then turned normal. "Wow... they went all out. A Midas Rune? Ouch... this is starting to hurt even me..." he grumbled, and then took another step.

I sighed when he turned into silver this time. "Can you even bother to protect yourself?" I snapped when he turned back.

"Sorry." He grinned sheepishly, and then threw a hand up, runes spreading from his hand like fire. The walls of the little stairwell glowed, and then started to crack, but stopped soon enough. "There. All broken." He nodded, and walked down the steps. I followed, curious.

Another black door, and another set of Runes later, plus an added bonus of Destruction, Chaos, and Ea Runes and Glyphs, and we entered a massive underground room, passing through a temporal barrier that was harmless, it seemed.

Time wasn't relative in this room, and that worried me slightly. "Any number of ancient horrors could be down here-!"

I stopped talking, and gasped, looking out over a field of Second and Third Era Fossil Fuel and Electric Vehicles, both Two-Wheeled and Four, of thousands of types and in many different conditions.

"When... were those runes laid?" I asked softly.

"The end of the Second Era..." Mirage said just as softly.

"So... a Witch hoarded vehicles, and decided to save them all instead of books, like all of the others?" I asked.

"Looks like it." She nodded.

Father laughed. "You've got something amazing here, Daughter... I salute your luck." He shook his head, chuckling.

I grinned. "Awesome. Papa? If you would replace the runes, just the same as they were, but with a password? 'Delirium' sounds good." I nodded.