Sweat from his hands coated the braided hemp, turning it slick in his grasp. He squeezed it desperately to improve his grip until his knuckles turned white and the strain of the effort to shut the door showed on his face. "If ya gonna do somethin', now'd be the time!" Andrew said through clenched teeth. "Bugger's strong as an ox!" Krumer rushed to the emergency valve and checked the gauge. The needle hovered near eighty pounds per square inch. Next to the gauge was an iron turn wheel, six inches across and dotted with rust and flakes of red paint. The orc grasped the heavy iron wheel with both hands. "Down!" Krumer yelled just before he yanked the wheel to the left. Andrew ducked immediately, which let the rope go slack. The door flew open and for just an instant a shadowy figure filled the doorway. A second later, the white-hot cloud of steam slammed into the figure, knocking it back into the darkness amid eerie silence, save for the high pressure hiss of steam from the valve. Immediately, Andrew yanked back on the rope which slammed the door shut.
