Bosh does not detect any magical auras, and when Cinder and Oleg take a closer look at the door, they see that there is a small panel set into the wall just to the right of the door. It is a silvery metal, and only slightly larger than the access card that Bosh tried utilizing earlier.
As there appear to be no traps on the door, Oleg taps his card to the panel, and the double doors open. The air in this room seems to buzz and hum with energy. Strips of glowing rectangles light the room from above, while strange flickering windows line the east and west walls.
A large glass-topped circular table sits in the middle of the room. To the north sits a large metal desk covered with blinking lights, while a humming pillar of purple-and-black metal stands nearby, its sides flashing with tendrils of violet energy.
A single golden panel flashes with a soft but incessant light on the side of this pillar.
A thick layer of dust coats everything, diffusing the lights shining from the various surfaces, and many of the machines seem to be damaged, cracked, or otherwise ruined.
Cinder is in awe. Aside from the golems they have encountered, this looks to be the most functioning group of machines that they have encountered. "Wondrous things!" she murmurs.
She will immediately start to investigate each machine, to see if she can determine what they all do.
You think that these are perhaps some kind of viewport - but what could they be looking onto?
The surface has what appears to be a sort of grid. Maybe for strategic mapping?
This pillar's function escapes you, but the golden panel is especially intriguing.
Cinder will look at the viewport first, to try to see how to activate it.
She will then move on to the table, looking for any markers or perhaps representative pieces laying around.
Finally, she'll take a look at that panel, being as careful as she can about the violet energy surrounding the pillar.
The viewports appear to simply be like windows - there are no levers or toggles attached to them. Perhaps they lack the proper power to perform their normal function? The table appears to be in a similar state, and there are no scale model items to set on the surface there.
The panel appears to roughly the size of a human hand, and you venture that pressing it would have some kind of effect. You aren't sure what effect that might be, but such is the potential peril of interacting with unknown technologies.
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Cinder turns to the others, "I think I can activate... *something*... here. I don't know what. Should I?" Her grin shows her desire to do just that.
Scarlet moves to stand in the door way, both as a measure to maybe be able to keep the doors open if need be and so as to cover both into the room and watch for creatures approaching from the hall.
Oleg says "Go for it, I'm curious to see what it does myself".
Oleg will also try to figure out what the pillar of purple and black metal, as well as the golden panel are for.
Cinder presses the panel, and the room whirs and hums with power. There are a series of muffled clicking and buzzing sounds that echo through the walls, and a moment later, the circular table in this room flares to light, creating a table-sized illusion of the cavern where you fought the skeletons.
The numerous viewports on the wall fill with rapidly moving bits of black and white for a moment, before the second from the left provides a view out to the main cavern itself. Rather than being on your eye level, it is as though you looking from a great height - possibly the crest of the ridge in the center of the cavern. As you watch, the pillar of purple metal flashes and begins to pulsate, and you see the dull grey ceiling of the cavern deepen to a much darker shade for a moment, and then - of all things - it begins to lighten from deep purple to a pale rose, to a deep red-orange, as though simulating the rising of a strange sun over a far-flung world.
Scarlet, with one foot in the room and another in the hall, hears a pained groaning sound from the room at the end of the corridor, and when she turns to look, sees a four armed creature with a red cloak opening the far door, with smoke curling up from it's emaciated form. It has a sword in two of its hands, and a javelin in a third.
While it doesn't appear to see you, it is clearly ready to stalk down the hall towards your party.
Scarlet spins into the room looking for a defensive position even as she hisses,
"Bad guy, thing incoming!" With a quick point in the direction up the corridor. "Looks like a more fleshed version of the bones outside. Mad, bad an' trouble to hand!"
Oleg takes the moment to adjust his Cestus just so, making sure he can use the weapon to it's maximum potential.
Cinder moves up behind Oleg, expecting him to take the the front. "Oleg, let me see your cestus. Purifying flames call to your arms."
Cinder casts Sun Metal on Oleg's weapon.
You hear heavy footsteps trotting down the hallway, approaching your position quickly. It rounds the corner, sees you, and shrieks as it does so in an unknown tongue. When it closes into the room, you catch a scent almost of burning flesh, and those with sight to see observe that there is smoke that appears to be rising from the creature.
None of you are quite sure what this thing might be, but it's eyes are a dull, dark green, save for a small glimmer that flashes bright like the skeleton's outside every few seconds.
"What is that thing?" Bosh backs up as he see the four-armed
creature come closer,
"We got you this time Oleg.." Bosh summons arcane energy and sends it to Oleg, creating a magic force field around him to protect him from harm.
Bosh readies his crossbow to shoot the creature.
Scarlet simply aims and shoots.
Scarlet, your bolt sails over it's shoulder as it ducks nimbly under your shot.
Scarlet mutters something about fickle and continues to reload.
Cinder will draw her weapon and moves up beside Oleg, ready to attack past the doorway when she can.
"Thank you both" Oleg nods to both Bosh and Cinder. "Seems like this one is upset over his dead friends maybe? It's literally steaming with rage!" Oleg tries to reassure his fellows via humor before ramming the red-hot spikes on his Cestus right at the strange creature.
Oleg then takes a 5' step back, and tells Cinder "Let's see if we can flank it!"
Unfortunately, Oleg's fist goes wide, and the creature steps in to launch a flurry of blows at Oleg and Cinder.
vs Oleg
vs Cinder
vs Oleg
vs Cinder
vs Oleg
The smoke coming off of the creature doesn't seem to slow it much, as it slices it's swords through the air, launching a punch with a free fist and stabbing a javelin at Cinder. Only one sword connects to Oleg, but it is a grievous hit, slashing hard across his arm in the process.
*SPUNG*
"Oh.. for fek's sake..." Scarlet swears, even as she begins trying to repair her x-bow....
Oleg attempts to punch the creature with his Cestus and then tries to land a powerful knee into it's midsection. Even as he grunts in anger to add weight to the blow, he yells out to the party "I'm hurt, this thing is pretty deadly with those swords!"
Cinder immediately goes to heal Oleg.
Bosh tries to send a ray of cold towards the creature but misses while trying not to hit his comrades.
The creature howls yet again, it's skin still seemingly on fire, as it launches a furious assault against Cinder and Oleg...
...yet whatever is causing it to smoke appears to be keeping it from striking accurately , save for cut against Oleg from it's first shortsword attack.
Oleg continues trying to defend his friends from the burning creature. "I'm hoping those flames are hurting this bastard, and not just an effect of it's rage!"
Oleg does not look good, Cinder goes to heal him again.
Scarlet pulls out her pistol, levels and fires.
And proceeds to reload the loud, smoking weapon.
An explosion of gunpowder and smoke fills the room, and the creature reels as the bullet strikes it squarely in the chest, but it quickly rights itself and resumes combat with Oleg and Ciner.
Bosh aims between folks to try and get the enemy with a blob of acid...
...but it goes high and hits the far wall.
Oleg and Cinder mostly dodge the flurry of sword slashes and flying limbs, but a solid fist catches Oleg in his enlarged stomach for a bit of damage. The creature is now smoking heavily, and there is a stench of burning flesh arising from this undead monstrosity.
"Oleg! We gotta retire, this thing is burning alive" Bosh gets worried seeing Oleg getting damaged.
"I've got an idea!" Oleg confirms with Bosh "Cinder, get ready to close the door!" Oleg lowers his shoulder and attempts to give the creature a good shove backwards.
Oleg slams into the creature with a meaty shoulder, and it screeches at you in its otherworldly tongue... but despite your bulk the thing digs in its clawed feet, redirects your force, and manages to keep it's ground.
Cinder glances at the automatic door, but shakes her head. "I don't think I have the time to figure out how to lock it again, Oleg!" Once again, she says a prayer of healing for him.
Scarlet swears, aims and shoots.
"There goes my last spell..." Bosh moves closer to the creature and charges his hand with electricity as he reach for it.
"jättää ystäväni yksin"
Scarlet's bullet grazes the enemy, leaving a shallow mark on its shoulder, but not slowing it down.
Bosh nudges his way forward, having called out his words of power, and successfully manages to swipe at one of the creature's arms, causing it to crackle with magical electricity... which it appears to completely shake off!!
The creature is little more than a smoking husk at this point, but it manages to launch a final flurry of death, dropping it's javelin and striking with swords at Oleg and Cinder, and two powerful fists at Bosh. It strikes Cinder with a sword , Bosh with one fist , then collapses to the ground. It emits what could almost be believed to be a relieved sigh, before it's body crumbles to ashes. It leaves behind a deep red cloak, two finely crafted short swords, a pair of javelins, and a pouch of coins that jingles when it hits the floor.
When the quiet after the fight resettles, you still hear a pervasive hum throughout the room, and see the "viewports" out to the cavern showing - of all things - a rising sun, creeping over the stone wall that lines the cavern.
Tearing strips off her own clothes (Or from what ever is available) Scarlet at least attempts to bandage people's wounds.
"So... where d'you s'pose we can make a camp fire?" She asks tiredly.
Cinder turns her last spell of the day to Bosh, "May the Flame protect and heal you, Bosh."
"And yes, we should rest... but no campfire! There are delicate machines in here! And I'm not too sure about the ventilation."
Scarlet blinks at some of Cinder's words and looks around the...room.. the group finds itself in. Then, as she looks about for simply a place to sit down and relax Scarlet asks,
"What? Like holes or chimneys for the smoke to go out through?" Scarlet does look around at their current room to see if there is any such things
Bosh remembers trying to attack the creature and then a fist on his face,
"I swear I did my homework!" He shouts as he wakes up, "What happened? Did we kill it?" He asks confused to Cinder, feeling the divine magic heal some of the internal damage he got from the punches,
"Thanks you Cinder, don't forget about the potions we are carrying" After resting for a while recovering he stands up slowly and goes to the pile of ashes to inspect it.