As the group prepared to leave, Pip stumbled upon something unexpected—a dusty, rolled-up parchment hidden beneath a pile of debris. She unrolled it carefully, her eyes widening as she took in the intricate lines and symbols.

  “Victor, you need to see this,” she said, her voice tinged with awe.

  Victor’s core pulsed with curiosity as he examined the map. It was a detailed schematic of the surrounding area, with a massive gear-shaped crater marked near the edge of the Wildwood.

  “What is it?” Aelin asked, her tone sharp and precise.

  “It’s a map,” Pip replied, her voice filled with excitement. “It leads to the Scrap Titan, a legendary golem made of ancient machinery. If you could assimilate its core, you would become unstoppable.”

  “We need to go there,” Victor said, his voice echoing through the chamber.

  Borin crossed his arms, his expression skeptical. “And what if it’s a trap? The goblins could be waiting for us.”

  “Then we’ll be ready,” Victor replied, his core pulsing with determination. “We'll head to the factory to gather supplies and then make our way to the Scrap Titan”

  The factory loomed ahead, its skeletal frame rising like a monolith against the darkening sky. Its walls were a patchwork of rusted metal and crumbling brick, and its shattered windows stared out like hollow eyes. The air was thick with the scent of oil and decay, and the faint hum of residual energy buzzed in Victor’s sensors.

  “This place gives me the creeps,” Borin muttered, his hammer resting on his shoulder. “Too many shadows, not enough light.”

  “It’s not the shadows you need to worry about,” Aelin replied, her sharp eyes scanning the factory’s entrance. “It’s what’s hiding in them.”

  Pip, ever the optimist, was practically bouncing with excitement. “Do you know what this is? This is a Steamworks Factory! It’s been abandoned for years, but there might still be working machinery inside. If we’re lucky, we could find enough materials to upgrade the dungeon for months!”

  Victor’s core pulsed with curiosity. “What kind of machinery?”

  “Everything!” Pip said, her voice filled with awe. “Steam engines, hydraulic presses, even automated assembly lines. If we can salvage some of it, we could revolutionize the dungeon’s defenses.”

  “Then let’s get to work,” Victor said, speaking through S-01, his voice calm but firm.

  The group approached the factory cautiously, the Steam Sentinels leading the way. The entrance was a massive set of double doors, their hinges rusted shut.

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  “Stand back,” Borin said, hefting his hammer.

  With a powerful swing, he smashed the doors open, the sound echoing through the factory’s cavernous interior. The group stepped inside, their footsteps echoing on the metal floor.

  The factory was a labyrinth of catwalks, conveyor belts, and machinery. The air was thick with dust, and the faint hum of residual energy buzzed in Victor’s sensors.

  “This place is huge,” Pip said, her voice filled with awe. “We could spend weeks here and still not explore it all.”

  “We don’t have weeks,” Aelin replied, her tone sharp. “Stay focused.”

  As the group ventured deeper into the factory, the air grew thick with the scent of oil and the distant hum of machinery. The dim light from flickering overhead lamps cast long shadows across the rusted walls, creating an eerie atmosphere. The factory was a labyrinth of catwalks, conveyor belts, and dormant machines, all covered in a layer of dust and grime. It was clear that this place had been abandoned for years, yet the presence of the Steam Golem suggested that some ancient mechanism still guarded its secrets.

  The massive Steam Golem emerged from the shadows, its body a patchwork of rusted metal plates and hissing pipes. Steam vented from its joints with each heavy step, and its glowing red eyes locked onto the intruders. The ground trembled beneath its weight as it lumbered forward, its massive fists dragging along the floor, leaving deep grooves in the metal.

  “What is that?” Borin asked, his voice a mix of awe and apprehension. He tightened his grip on his hammer, the weight of the weapon comforting in his hands.

  “A guardian,” Pip replied, her voice tinged with excitement. She adjusted her goggles and studied the golem with a keen eye. “It’s been left here to protect the factory. If we can disable it, we might be able to access the control room and figure out what’s going on in this place.”

  The golem let out a deafening roar, its voice a cacophony of grinding gears and escaping steam. It raised one of its massive fists and slammed it into the ground, sending a shockwave through the factory floor. The group staggered, struggling to maintain their footing as debris rained down from the ceiling.

  “Steam Sentinels—defensive formation!” Victor commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos. The Sentinels, a group of heavily armored warriors with piston-powered gauntlets, stepped forward in unison. Their movements were precise and mechanical, their training evident as they formed a protective barrier between the golem and the rest of the group.

  The golem swung its fist at the Sentinels, but they stood their ground, their gauntlets absorbing the impact with a shower of sparks. The sound of metal clashing against metal echoed through the factory as the Sentinels retaliated, their piston-powered fists slamming into the golem’s body with enough force to dent its rusted armor.

  “Aelin, Borin—flank it!” Victor ordered, his eyes never leaving the golem. They began moving to it's sides while it's focus remaind on Vitor. Aelin, the group’s skilled archer, nocked an arrow and let it fly. The arrow struck true, embedding itself in the golem’s shoulder joint. The creature roared in frustration, its movements slowing as the arrow disrupted its mechanics. Aelin fired again, this time aiming for the golem’s knee, further hindering its ability to move.

  Borin, seizing the opportunity, charged into the fray. His hammer swung in a wide arc, crashing into the golem’s leg with a resounding clang. The force of the blow caused the golem to stagger, its balance faltering. Borin struck again, this time aiming for the same spot, and the golem’s leg buckled, sending it crashing to the ground.

  “Now!” Victor shouted, his voice filled with urgency. The Sentinels moved in for the final blow, their fists slamming into the golem’s core with a deafening crash. The golem let out one last roar before its glowing eyes dimmed, and its body went still. The factory fell silent once more, save for the faint hiss of escaping steam from the golem’s broken form.

  Pip rushed forward, her tools already in hand as she began to examine the golem’s remains. “This thing is incredible,” she said, her voice filled with wonder. “The craftsmanship, the engineering—it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Whoever built this factory was a genius.”

  Victor approached, his expression grim. “We need to keep moving. If there are more of these things, we can’t afford to waste time.”

  The group nodded in agreement, their resolve strengthened by their victory. As they pressed deeper into the factory, the shadows seemed to grow darker, and the air heavier. The first challenge had been overcome but the factory held many more secret -and dangers- waiting to be discovered.