It came unexpectedly. During the middle of a warm sunny day, the sky darkened as if night had fallen. Then, an eerie white light shone forth, showing off a swirling mass of dark clouds circling overhead. And from this came the Ark. The Ark fell to the earth violently, crashing against the side of Mount Victory. The sheer force of this fall shook the entire countryside, sending people into a panic. But, as soon as the Ark touched down, the swirling clouds, the dark sky, the light; all vanished, bringing back the sunny day. 

The frenzied people demanded answers, and so the guild was tasked with finding some. In turn, the guild assigned a survey team to investigate matters concerning the Ark. Among the members were myself and my ever present companion, Cerys. We all were sent out to Mount Victory, and were to return with some kind of explanation. 

Mount Victory was a short journey from town, and soon enough we of the survey team found ourselves before the Ark. It was a large building crafted from smooth black stone. Along the top were a small gathering of five golden spires of a sort, looking like a hand reaching out towards the heavens from whence they came. At ground level were a pair of tall golden doors, easily as large as three men standing atop one another. The Ark leaned against the mountain at a slight incline, and peeking out from behind the black stone, we could see the damage the fall had caused the mountain. The descent had pushed the Ark into the mountain's side like a nail lodged in wood. Cracks formed along the edge of the impact area, and loose rock and earth were falling free on occasion. I doubted this strange stone construct could ever be moved from its newfound home.

And so, we stood there in front of this towering monument, this unknown creation. All the while, I was jotting down everything I could about the Ark. Its size, proportions, dimensions, how cool to the touch the stonework was, how the golden doors were not in fact made of actual gold but something quite similar though I didn't know what, so on and so forth. 

It was during my little research that Cerys tried for the doors. Lacking any handle, all she could do was push, and push she did. With both hands flat against one of the massive doors, she struggled against it so hard, I could see the muscles in her back almost throb with the effort. One of the guild warriors went to help her then, but before he could lay so much as a finger on the golden entrance, a click could be heard. At once, Cerys and the warrior jumped back, readying their spears. The door slid open slowly, and the pair raised their spears for battle.

But, no such encounter came. The door opened, and we could now see within. With what amount of sunlight there was pouring in, the interior could be seen to be made of the same smooth black stone as the outer walls. The hallway led further in, but to what I could not see. I lit the lantern hanging from my staff and attempted to lead the way, but was stopped by a familiar firm grip. A gray furred hand lay upon my shoulder. 

Cerys's rounded face greeted mine as I turned my head. She gave me a steely look and took point. Those slitted eyes of hers were perfect for seeing in the dark, so none of the team had any objection to her leading. I followed behind her, and my lamplight showed me that the black stone interior had odd writing upon them. Glyphs of some kind, in a language unknown, adorned the stones. Perhaps they told of the creation of the Ark? Maybe they detailed history of whatever land this monument came from? Or it might be possible they laid out a curse to any who entered. Whatever the case may be, I copied down a handful of the glyphs I saw and continued on the way. 

Behind me, the rest of the survey team grouped together, weapons at hand for any possible creature or entity that might be hidden. Where such a beast might hide was beyond me, as the walls were smooth, with no outcroppings or any such features one could possibly be waiting behind. Mayhaps they were paranoid. After all, the Ark was a curious new thing to our land, and we few were the first to step within it since its landing. Ahead of us, Cerys used the tip of her spear, tapping the ground before her. She was probably looking for traps, if I had to wager a guess. 

It seemed she didn't have much luck finding any, though, as we were still able to walk forward with ease. 

Eventually, we came across a spiraling staircase, circling upwards into new territory. Like everything else in the Ark so far, the stairs were crafted from the same smooth black stone. Cerys continued leading the way as we ascended and wound around a pillar. Up and up we went until we came out into another hallway, but this one looked to end in a circular room from what I could tell. Cerys's gray tail stood stock still as we walked, no longer swaying in time with her steps. I could hear the rest of the team behind me mumble about what might be waiting for us. 

I quickened my pace to walk side by side with the gray furred woman. I stole a swift look at her muzzle to see her black lips pulled back, her sharp teeth visible. "We haven't seen anything so far," I pointed out.

"So far," she repeated, tightening her grip on her spear. "Stay behind me. We don't know what this place even is." With that she pushed me backwards with a little shove of her arm.

Slowly but surely, the survey team walked into that circular room, only to be greeted by...nothing. There was nothing to be seen in this vast room. Only a wide circle of more black stone. But, just as we were all relaxing for a moment, a loud noise came from above us. The next moment, a swirling mass of dark clouds circled above us. It was just like the reports of how the Ark itself showed up. From these clouds, a light shone forth, and then a figure emerged, landing right in front of us. 

It stood on two legs like a man, and both they and its arms were tipped with frightening claws. Dark blue scales adorned its body, and sprouting from its back were twin leathery wings. Its head was that of a man's, only with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth and piercing red eyes. From the top of its head grew two, forward facing bull-like horns. This beast was tall, as well, as my lamplight only barely showed the creature's top half. In one hand was held a staff topped with a purple crystal. This monster looked at us all with a strange look, almost curious of what it saw before it.