She demands information from the stranger

Although the man would be more than a head taller than Lux standing straight, his cringing posture makes it easy for her to march forward and grab him by the collar. “Who are you?” she demands.

“Eron!” The man’s voice comes out as a panicked squeak, before he swallows hard and composes himself a little. “My name’s Eron,” he says. “I’m…one of the p-people of the Great Machine. I – ”

“Enough.” Lux points to the collar around her neck. “Tell me how to get this thing off.”

Though still wide-eyed, Eron seems to relax slightly. “You don’t – I mean, you’re not one of – I mean – yes! There’s a key, we can use it to unlock – ”

“Good.” Lux releases him. “Eron, you said? Call me Lux. Now let’s go.”

Still shaking, Eron nods and points towards a doorway. “It’s – it’s this way,” he says.