Gn’thiv smirked at the image carved into the face of the stone monument. He often marveled at what ancient beings would do to protect their treasures.
The landscape was barren and mostly flat, save for the small meter-high pyramids dotting the area around his dig site. It was an odd thing to see, these unnatural asymmetrical structures so far from any former hub of civilization, and it had piqued his interest.
As his digging machine had begun boring into the earth, he’d seen that the pyramids widened considerably, their bases converging together, anchored to a much harder surface he supposed was some kind of artificial structural stone. The effect must have been quite impressive before everything was covered in the dust and dirt of countless eons. He imagined a giant, spiny-skinned animal, its spiky hide shielding its precious innards from predators.
Well, he was the predator, he’d thought, and he wouldn’t be dissuaded. Whatever was here, it was well-defended by hostile architecture, and that made him want it all the more. He’d maneuvered the machine towards the epicenter of the spikes, adjusting the controls with the three long fingers and two thumbs of his right appendage, until he’d uncovered the monument.
It was irregular in shape, like a dodecahedron that had melted in the sun. There were runes carved into its surface in what he supposed were different languages, none of which he could decipher.
What had really caught Gn’thiv’s eyestalk was the illustration etched above the writing. It showed bipedal beings—humans, he supposed—cowering and wilting before some kind of three-lobed symbol. Some of them were lying prone in a great pile of bodies, all clearly dead.
There was only one conclusion: whatever was below was a powerful weapon, capable of bringing large numbers of beings to ruin. A powerful weapon would be highly valuable to the right buyer. He wanted it, and he would get it.
The machine continued digging, easily carving a hole through the strange monument and into the hardened ground below. Gn’thiv ignored the tingling he felt as he went deeper; he was sure it was just nervous excitement at his lucky find.
Behind him, the remains of the stone monument fell against one of the tall spikes. Dust from the machine covered the words of warning as the first ancient particles of radiation flew up into the air.
