Dorla doesn't see any specific button up here.
Thetsu shrugs and follows but keeps any eye out for anything interesting in the areas he passes through.
It seems that touching it will cause the chest to open somehow.
The chest piece opens up, bringing in sunlight. Though the sun is still high in the sky (though significantly further along its path than you would expect for your short time here), it seems almost like twilight the way it lights the land beyond.
When the chest piece opens, the sun begins emitting slight sparks, and you could swear it's rotating faster. You begin to feel a bit of heat.
Olsson looks to Dorla, and nods once, quickly, then says"Oh aye lass, that certainly is...doing somethin' now. Gettin' war'm too."
It's getting more than warm, over the past few seconds it's gotten positively blistering in here.
Olsson wipes a bead of sweat from his brow and says to Dorla, "Ah think we'd do well tah' leave be-far' we get roasted, aye? Or mayhap thar's some kind o' force keepin the upper area from gettin heated, eh? So many questions..." Olsson's words trail off while he mentally reaches out to call back Splinter, who floats down the shaft and around Olsson's head once before climbing down his collar to disappear into his armor.
Thetsu pulls at the neck of his robes.
"I think we should get outta here...I got a bad feeling about this."
You retreat. About 20 seconds later, the sun room flashes a bright white, and a faint shudder runs through the robot.
The room below remains white hot.
A small screen pops up a message, but none of you can read it.
Back in the Crippled Spider, Donovan yawns...
He grabs a piece of wood and starts sculpting a tiny wooden statue of a horse.
In the control room, middle of.
Donovan might be interested to note that the robot just caught fire.
Olsson looks around to see if he can notice any other changes in the robot since the chest area flared with the fire of a thousand suns.
There are lots of blinking lights and readouts, but you still can't read any of them.
Does it look like there are more lit up or blinking than before we made the chest "sunburst?"
Yes.
There's something you don't see everyday...
Donovan discards the little horse and starts carving an wooden replica of the robot.
You head back out. You are surprised to note the robot is currently ablaze, but a path exists for you to exit. It is now several hours after you entered, but you're no worse for wear.
We leave.
"Well that was weird." Thetsu says as he takes control of the Mechano-Spider once more.
"Well... At least I got something to sculpt..." says Donovan as he carves the tiny wooden replica of the mysterious robot.
Splinter pokes his tiny head out over the collar of Olsson's shirt, and seeing Chirrup, clambers out to float lazily through the air. The little simulacrum stretches his arms out to his sides and barrel rolls a few times before coming back around to have a seat in thin air several inches above Olsson's head.
After a moment, Splinter "settles" a bit, adjusting his position in his non-existent seat. When he is comfortable, he gently sends a telepathic message:<Greetings, Chirrup. Strange thing to have found, isn't it? Perhaps there are other sights to behold on our journey. How fare you?>
You begin clanking across the desert again, and encounter no trouble before nightfall. Afterward, you begin to hear a loud, high pitched howling come from the trail ahead of you.
<Games? I enjoy games. Chasing sounds fun, and guessing. Olsson has played card games with me, but soon learned he could not partition his thoughts away from me...>
Olsson stays on the "deck" or outer shell of the vehicle, while leaving Splinter to make merry below deck. The duergar takes in the night air and listens to the howling sound, wondering idly what it could be. He then produces from his pack what looks like a percolator and carefully unseals and opens the lid. He sniffs the thin ale that has been malting within for the several days, and nods his approval. He pours some into a dented brass cup and replaces the lid. After a long sip, he goes below deck and offers some of his brew to the others.
"'ere ye are, lads an' lass; et's not good, but it's simple an' easy enough to make on the road." Olsson speaks while offering cups slightly less dented and worn than his own.
Your combined knowledges rule out most creatures, but Thetdu, Dorla, and Olsson's combined knowledge of nature, engineering, and minerals provide the answer: An exceptionally intense wind is blowing ahead, and the way it's hitting the ricks of the canyon is producing the screeching noise.
On second glance, the sky is darkening ahead, more intensely than mere twilight would account for, though there's no cloud in the sky.
Logical deductions suggest a heavy sandstorm is approaching, and should hit you within a half hour.
Thetsu will pilot the mechano-spider to the closest ridge or decent looking cover we can use to weather the storm.
"Any uh suggestions for gettin through this?"
"Stay inside and close the door."
Your combined nature knowledge suggests that throwing a tarp over the Spider before crawling back inside may be a good idea, to minimize the sand getting into its joints.
Assuming you do so, the sandstorm hits about 10 minutes after you're finished. The wind is insanely heavy, and rocks the spider considerably, but its climbing gear kicks in and anchors you down.
A few minutes later, you start hearing another sound cutting under the whipping of the wind. It sounds so beautiful...