Chaetris smiles at the find. "These goggles might help get us past that pressure plate upstairs. They make it easier to see what you're doing when working with mechanical devices. Does anyone mind if I hold on to them?"
She spends a minute trying to work out the mechanism of the floating statuettes while discussing plans. "If we go back and sell some of this, we'll be able to pick up some liquid ice. But then everyone will know that we've found something and that we aren't done searching." She frowns, "And yet, we still need to get back there. Maybe we can search more first, find something else that'll help?"
Kael raises a thick eyebrow at the magical mail. In just hours the group had found the equivalent of more money than the half-orc had ever seen. He glances as Percival, then nods. "I would certainly put it to use, if you wouldn't. I've trained for heavier armor with the militia, though I imagine we're both equally versed."
"Chaetris, you're the one risking your neck looking for traps. Plus, I imagine they look fetching on you."
He looks around, his orcish eyes scanning for alternatives. "There are still other tunnels to explore from the the lantern room. Sometimes you have to go backwards to move forwards, and all that."
After looking at the wands, Pythia passes one of them to Cerise. "Here. You'll use this one better than I will." The other wand she keeps for herself.
---
After the statuettes start to float Pythia squeals with glee. "Amazing!" she exclaims. "They're floating!"
She's excessively pleased, and prances in places for a while with excitement.
"I love this place! I would move here if I didn't have so much paperwork to carry!"
---
"Oh, yes, Chaetris. You should keep the goggles. They're meant for you. I can feel it."
Pythia scrunches up her nose at the thought of leaving so soon. "Oh, I'm not ready to go yet." she remarks. "Forget the dangerous mold for now. Let's go back up and give the sarcophagus a spin. Perhaps it will open up more hidden tunnels for us to explore."
She smiles brightly at the thought. "I can't wait to see what else we discover!"
"Thank you." Cerise said taking the wand and slipping it into her belt.
"The craftsmanship on those statues is quite nice. They would sell for a couple hundred sovereigns each."
"Tomorrow I can get rid of this mold." she added as they left the workshop.
We will probably have to get back to town eventually, but perhaps we can set up something to make this place look extra scary before we leave. Maybe the head of a wolf on a stick, that sort of thing. Percival looks back at the big room, I wouldn't want them to hurt themselves fighting that earth elemental, so using it is out.
Percival picks the statuettes back up as they head out, placing them in his pack. We go up two by two. Kael, you and I lead the way?
As they wait for the elevator, Percival thinks a bit more about going back to town. To be honest, it's probably best if they don't see me come back. You can say I died, that'll keep people scared. Everyone will be able to guess that I'm trying to strike it rich out here anyway.
Opting for Cerise's solution for the mold tomorrow, the group decides to head back up and try turning the sarcophagus some more. Going up by twos proves uncomfortable but efficient and you find yourself quickly back upstairs in the silent room.
It sounds like the wind finally quelled down at some point while you were down below.
With a concerted push, you spin the the sarcophagus smoothly to face the green lantern.
Click.
Immediately after the arrow comes to a rest, there is a cacophonous creaking of stone against stone. The elevator does not rise like you might have expected. Something isn't right.
As soon as the sarcophagus gets spun, Pythia scampers over towards the alcove to watch what happens. At the loud creaking of stone on stone she backs up a bit.
"I have a bad feeling about this...." she remarks ominously.
Pythia backs up and gestures for the others to do so as well.
"Chaetris?" she asks, knowing the elf has proven to be the best with devices so far.
"This place is quite old. Parts of it may simply be broken." Cerise said, curious but not overly concerned. "Perhaps we should turn the sarcophagus further?"
"Well, if anything -didn't- know that we were here, they do now, I suppose. Whatever could go wrong with some ancient machine acting up? Would it make things worse moving it further?" The half-orc limbers his sword-arm. "If we aren't moving it further, maybe we should get out of this chamber until the noise stops?"
Good idea Kael. Percival speeds forward, putting a hand on Pythia's shoulder. Pythia, you were meant to stay alive. Come back a bit.
I don't think we should turn it more just yet! He calls back to Cerise.
"Yes, that sounds clever, Kael."
At Percival's prodding, Pythia backs up further. "Yes, I suppose you're right."
At the horrible sound Chaetris winces. "Oh, that's not right. Poor thing, somethings jammed up, like a broken cog. But the power is still going, it'll release eventually, one way or another." Walking quickly towards the shaft she pulls her new goggles down over her eyes.
Giving Pythia a gentle push back towards the sarcophagus she kneels down. "I'm going to try to get it to release in a controlled fashion. Everyone else back by the sarcophagus. We may still want to try turning it." With a quick once over she tries to see if there's anything she can do from here.
Chaetris examines the circular indent where the elevator should rise, but quickly backs out, encouraging everyone to stay clear of the tunnel.
An ominous moment passes...
There is the sound of a deep crack and the curricular stone 'cap' breaks and crumbles inward, falling into darkness with a booming crash.
Pythia cocks her head to the side, hearing something from down the hole. The noise causes her eyes to roll up into her head and she freezes in place. Only her lips move, but no sound comes out.
Finally she gasps.
"They're coming..." she remarks ominously, voice a hoarse whisper.
---
Pythia mutters a bit of gibberish under her breath, and holds her morningstar in hand, preparing to swing it at any bugs that come too close.
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Percival freezes when he hears the stone, then quickly turns around. Tindertwig, Kael, get it out. Come here.
He races back to the opening, sound below growing louder. He fumbles with his pack, fingers sticking, desperately searching. Got it. He pulls out a flask of lantern oil.
Percival pours about half the oil out in a ring around the hole, hands shaking slightly despite himself. Okay, light it.
Standing up, he steps back, preparing to throw his remaining half bottle of oil.
Chaetris winces at the collapsing shaft, then hears the sound of impending doom. "Yeach, bugs!"
She scrambles up on the sarcophagus and prepares to throw her own flask of oil.
Kael strikes his Tindertwig and lights the ring of fire around the hole in the floor mere seconds before a living geyser of beetles boils up out of it. The swarm lurches eagerly toward Kael and Percival as a pair of horrible creatures follow behind it. Six sharp legs sprouting from a central body that is little more than a disgusting eye, the creatures hop out of the pit lithely, careful to avoid the beetles. They spend a moment peering about to get their bearings, squinting against the light.
The undulating blanket of beetles trails a thin coat of some bright yellow substance in its wake. The fire doesn't seem to slow it down much.
Pythia mutters something incomprehensible, and waves her arms.
Focusing on the strange eye-ball bugs with the sharp looking legs she readies her shield, and holds her morningstar in hand.
Percival moves forward, not really looking at the angry swarm of insects right next to him. Go ahead, waste your time attacking me. My allies are the ones you've got to worry about. Bringing his glaive down, he slashes at the eye with legs, aiming to crush it before it can do anything.
At Pythia's dire warning, Cerise's hand catches fire.
When the creatures burst forth, she was already flinging a ball of fire a second one followed quickly after.
Chaetris steps off the sarcophagus and lights a strip of fabric stuffed into the oil flask as she moves towards the bugs. With a grunt she throws the flask at the slimey swarm.
Kael bellows out "Get ready to retreat; I'm not sure what we can do against the swarm other than lure it to the Wind Trap and trigger it."
Percival and Kael both move quickly to attack the slashers, Percival swinging wide while Kael impacts the creature heavily, almost simultaneously with Cerise's ball of flame. Just behind Kael, a flask of oil hits the side of the wall and shatters, the wick sputtering out mid-air.
The slashers, under attack, quickly react to the threat, their claws slicing razor-thin wounds on both Percival and Kael.
The undulating swarm, sensing tasty flesh, rolls onto Percival, causing thousands of tiny little bites and covering him with a thin yellow substance that stings.
Percival tries to keep the slasher at bay, shoving at it with his spear. He feints towards its eyes, then turns around and runs bravely. Let's get out of here!
As Percival bolts past the sarcophagus, you can see that his skin is like a burnt red rash, covered with a thousand tiny bites.
It looks like he got in a fight with a wasp's nest and lost.
Chaetris takes Percival's advice and scurries away from the vicious swarm. "Right with you. C'mon guys, make like it's a cave in!" As she retreats, Chaetris readies her bow and nocks an arrow.
"Already?!" Pythia exclaims in dismay. She hooks her morningstar onto her belt, and moves after Cerise and Percival. "Perhaps when we get outside the insects will disperse into the brush." she adds hopefully.
Cerise simply ran, her mind racing, trying to think of some way of defeating these creatures.
"Chaetris, do any of those traps you disarmed explode? Or drop things?" she called out.
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It's funny how sometimes in the quickest of moments time slows down. Take now: even as Kael dodges the blows of the vermin, his mind travels back over a year, to when he took his hard earned wages from the Militia and bought his greatsword from Taggin's General store, along with most of the other adventuring gear he still carries today.
His mind lingers on the memory of how he browsed through the cramped store filled to the brim of necessities and oddities, only to stop in front of a vial of clear liquid, labeled simply "Acid: 10 gold" He quickly took stock of his meager remaining funds, remembering the sage words of some of the Militia veterans: how a simple vial of acid could be used to disperse a swarm of vermin that sometimes gathered in the deep wood. He picked up the precious vial, marveling at how something so tiny could be worth so much... until he saw another, preciously expensive, tiny vial: ink. A vial of black ink, and a fresh, clean journal sat on a shelf. Kael had never held an unblemished book before. With almost reverent respect he approached the leatherbound blank pages as if it was the holy writ of Lirr herself. Absently he placed the vial of acid back down, taking the journal and paying Taggin what seemed to be an astronomical sum with the last of his coin for his journal and ink. The very same journal and ink that rest safely in his pack. The very same journal and ink that would do absolutely nothing against the swarm baring down on him in a quivering mass of nightmare.
Lirr, if you're listening, I'm going to be very cross if one shopping decision becomes a matter of life or death. Also, if my deeds ever become part of a story, can you leave out the part that I'm running away from bugs? Thanks. With a sigh, the half-orc turns heel and runs.
The companions take a tactical retreat, Kael having to sprint to keep ahead of the swarm at his back. As he turns, the blade of one of the slashers impacts his new armor, which thankfully holds.
The slashers, no slouches, launch themselves ahead of the swarm, close at Kael's heels and as he dives past Percival and Pythia, they turn their attentions on the new foes. Percival takes a swing as they approach but misses wide as one of the slashers nearly runs into him. The other slasher is more graceful and cuts a thin line in Pythia's thigh.
Kael grins as the slashers again fail to take purchase. "Percival? If we both make it out of this in one piece, I owe you a drink for letting me take that armor. Now, if you could give me some space for a throw.."
Kael waits for an opening , flipping a javelin in the air one-handed and takes careful aim before tossing it!
He then moves back an appropriate and tactical 20' towards the entrance.
Why in the world would I make it out of this in more than one piece? Percival replies, racing back. He turns around and stands firm where the hallway gets narrow, not outrunning Kael.
Chaetris heads to the edge of the stairs before turning back. She draws the fetching to her cheek and waits for a good shot before loosing the arrow at a slasher. "Sorry Cerise, nothing that goes boom. And the only one that might squish them, we can't quite get to right now."
"Can we use the sarcophagus to seal them inside a passage?" Cerise called back.
At the urging of her comrades, Pythia flees the battle.
As the companions retreat, Kael and Chaetris cover them with ranged attacks before following suit. Kael's javelin skewers the wounded one through its eye-body and it falls limp to the ground. Chaetris' arrow finds its mark in the other one which quickly leaps after the fleeing companions, arrow still protruding from the top part of one of its legs. Its wild swings at Percival impact his armor but don't break skin.
The swarm roils and follows after steadily. It's hungry.
As the wall of vermin marches implacably on, Kael has a sudden thought. "Maybe we can buy some time if we throw one of those wolf carcasses at the swarm? Can one of you ladies run back and grab one?"
Not wanting to get trapped by the insects, the half-orc withdraws to the south out of their reach.
With no other plan, Cerise bolted as fast as she could toward the wolf carcasses.
Percival shoves the bug away, still running from the swarm. Wolf carcass, that's a good idea, he says with measured breath. Gotta kill these first though.
Chaetris falls back to the top of the stairs and lets another arrow fly.
As the shaft flies wide, she grins at Kael. "That's a great idea. Do you think the beetles will go for it? It'll probably slow them down at the very least."
Pythia hurries past Percival, on her way out of the tomb.
"Oh! You're hurt!" she exclaims. She chuckles and rolls her eyes. "Well, why didn't you say so, silly!"
Pythia reaches out and places her hands upon his shoulders, causing healing energy to flow though him.
"It's not your time yet, Percival." she tells him calmly.
The companions continue their tactical retreat and now that they're in the upper hall, the ominous, human-like voices can be heard once again, swelling with the gusting of the wind outside.
The slasher surges after, chasing the nearest target and leaving a thin red wound across Chaetris' abdomen.
The beetles come rolling after.
Thank you, Pythia. Percival continues running, staying well ahead of the swarm. Stay close to me, I'll do my best to fend it off.
"Oh! Okay!" Pythia remarks, hurrying through the room. She runs past Percival, staying close to him at his request.
As the slasher's fine blade slices through Chaetris' skin, she lets out a soft hiss. "Ah! I spent half a years wages on that armor you nasty THING!" She carefully retreats back to beside Percival as quickly as is safe.