Fireday waves to the giants as they approach.
"Rewarding us...how? I would be honored to avenge your fallen kin in your name, but I want to make sure that we do not make beggars of you."
He hopes that's tactful enough that he doesn't imply a lack of trust. Few of his brother-knights had anything good to say about giants.
"It's not too far. It's a big metal monster dat blast youse with loud noises!" the giants say. "It blinds youse with light and also makes you sick!"
When asked about the reward, one of the giants says, "Wese serve you for a whole year!"
"No, no, wese give youse magic sword!" the other counters. "It cuts through metal like it was flesh!"
"Oh, yeah! Magic sword! Good one!" the first one nods.
Fireday gets a feeling that the giants don't actually intend on rewarding you with anything.
"May we see this magic sword, please?" Fireday deadpans in response.
"Ok, it seems fair, we fight the robot, then we come back, and if you are tricking us we fight you too. Sounds cool to me!" the Kellid shouts back at the giants.
He then stops at hearing Fireday's question "Eh, yes, is that sword true thing?"
Viv says in an aside to Holg, "If it's not, then we get a fight, right? So magic sword or giant fight. Win-win!"
Holg eyes shine after Viv's words "You are so right! Yes! We fight!"
"Ok giants! I don't know what Fireday thinks of this, but I am accepting the deal!" if the group is ok, the Kellid directs himself following the tracks of the giant robot.
"Youse kill metal monster, then wese show you sword!" the first giant says to Fireday.
"Yup, we show you totally real sword!" the second one adds, his words less than convincing.
Nevertheless, Holg leads the way along the path away from the giants' camp. After thirty minutes or so, you come across a pile of rubble that seems to have been recently excavated. The blasted bodies of four dead giants lie in ruins around the excavation, while a hulking 9-foot-tall robot stands patiently at the center. Crafted of a strange, dull metal, this bulky construct stands on stout, multi-jointed legs. Once it notices you, it turns to attack!
Angling to ensure he does not hit anyone, Coen will strike the robot with a lightning bolt.
Kaska charges the robot, slicing into its metallic body. The robot nimbly dodges the worst of Coen's lightning. The robot assaults Kaska, bashing her and blasting her with concussive sound!
At the sight of the rubble and the dead giants Holg uses the extend rod to cast extended shield of faith both on himself and Kaska.
"Battle at last!" Holg calls for a prayer, channeling vigor into his limbs. The Kellid starts moving super fast and moves withing 10' range of the robot, next to Kaska.
As they travel, to fight the robot, Fireday says "I don't think they actually HAVE a sword to give us if we win this battle. We should destroy this robot before it hurts anyone else, but I expect their form of gratitude when we return will be treachery."
As they arrive, he too channels vigor to his limbs to give him the alacrity he needs, followed by summoning the strength of a bull and hardening his skin to iron and calling upon Iomedae's favor to strengthen him.
Recalling the giant's warning that the enemy would blast them with loud noises, Fireday gathers the party too him and casts a spell to resist sonic energy upon them.
Preparations complete, Fireday bolts into battle after Holg.
Viv stays back as is her wont, out of range of the sonic disruptors but well within range to hurl one of her deadly metal shards at the robot.
Coen grimaces as the machine avoids most of the energy in his spell, he then sends another lightning bolt in pursuit.
Viv's blast pings off the robot's armor. The robot once again twists aside so that only part of Coen's lightning bolt strikes it. Badly wounded, Kaska withdraws, falling back from the fight.
The robot turns on Holg, swinging its appendages at him, but the cleric's heavy armor keeps him safe from harm! It blasts him with sonic energy, but thanks to Fireday's spell, it doesn't injure Holg in the least!
Viv frowns and fires another metal shard uselessly.
Holg observes how the massive metal horror punishes Kaska and forces her to withdraw "You should not touch the chieftain!" the Kellid seems to enter into a furious rage, his muscles suddenly increasing in size, along with his neck and the broadening of his shoulders "For Gorum, you will be shattered to pieces!!!" the man descends his greatsword over the metal plates with over-human strength.
After the first one, he makes a second slash.
And yet Holg moves so fast, he still has time to slash a third time!
After his strength demonstration he steps to the side trying to enable a flank for Fireday.
"FORVICTORYFORTHEHEART!" Fireday cries as he strikes, his voice sped by his supernatural vigor.
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Fireday lands two good hits on the robot, then Holg tears into the construct, his sword tearing through metal in a glorious symphony of destruction. Sparks fly as the Gorumite rips the robot to pieces!
With the robot's defeat, you can search the area. Of the slain giants, three carry nothing of value. The fourth lies scattered near a partially burnt tree. Among her grisly remains can be found the strewn contents of her bag, which includes 11 gems worth 100 gp each, a Small masterwork mithral warhammer worth 5,000 gp, a rust bag of tricks, and a pink rhomboid ioun stone.
Holg keeps banging the metal pieces after tearing them apart from the main body, his eyes injected with blood. It takes him a few seconds to notice the robot is not moving and even then he strikes the metal for some seconds more.
Finally the Kellid calms down, his muscles lose growth and his eyes recover their normal white background. Still breathing heavily like recovering from an extreme effort his expression changes softening into his usual wide smile "We won"
The man rears back to check on Kaska "Are you ok?" channeling some healing magic on her wounds.
"Thanks for that extra protection Fireday. You saved us from perishing to its horrible sounds" the man starts to look around then, helping to recover the lost pieces. The man pays special attention to the ioun stone "That is an impressive crafting of arcane magic. I wonder if the robot took it from Xoud's tower. You Fireday or Kaska should take it"
Fireday raises his weapon and whoops victoriously when they win, and then bows at the praise Holg heaps on him.
"ThankyouHolg," he says, still quickened by Iomedae's blessings. When they find the giant's bag and its contents, he chuckles a bit.
"Wellitmightnotbeamagicswordbutthathammerwillbeafinerewardassumingourgiantf riendsstayfriends."
Coen inspects the Ioun stone with Detect Magic but shrugs after studying it for a short while.
"I cannot tell what it does but it is an ioun stone of some make. The real question is where did that giant get a mithril hammer that small... it might be that they killed some dwarves or found it somewhere nearby."
He also eyes the burned tree, wondering about the cause.
Kaska nods to Holg, indicating that she will be alright. She thanks him for healing her wounds.
"That is certainly strange Coen. Perhaps there is a hidden dwarven fortress here around?" as Fireday founds he cannot use the ioun stone he offers it to Coen "Perhaps you should use it. It will also help you, and you have so far not claimed any of the wonders we have found in our travels Coen"
Once the area is properly registered Holg puts way back to the giant, and once there he presents them with a piece of the shattered robot that he throws to their feet "Here is the rest of the robot that bothered you. It is now your turn to homage your part of the deal. Although I am eager to see you breaking it so I can convince my friends to measure our strength in battle and honor Gorum with it. I promise to stop the fight once you recognize we are better at the Art of War"
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After the robot is down, Kaska works on the pile of machinery for a few minutes.
"There, so when we go back to claim that 'magic sword' that they must surely have" she says sarcastically, "let's offer to bring them here to see it as proof. If they don't cough one up, let's fall back to the far side of the machine from them and goad them to fight. I've trapped the robot to give them a nasty little surprise if they come close to it."
After Holg shows them the part, Kaska adds "if you don't believe us, come along and we'll show you."
The giants laugh when Holg throws the robot's part at their feet. "Stupid humans! There is no magic sword! Wese tricked you!"
"Har, har! Youse is so stupid!"
"Now wese smash you and take metal thing's weapons! Rawr!"
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"I knew it! Pew pew, here we come!" shouts Viv.
Somehow there's already a grenade in her hand.
She lobs the technological cylinder into the midst of the giants.
Flames explode out of the grenade to envelop the giants!
"Godsdammit," Fireday says at the giant's sudden but inevitable betrayal. "Weeasilycrushedthatrobotthatkilledyourkinandyouthinkyoustandachanceagainst us?! Valoragainstasuperioropponentisnothingbutvainglory!"
Coen sighs deeply and reaches out to squeeze the least wounded giant inside a sphere of force.
The giants howl as the grenade explodes, one more badly burned than the other. Both stride forward to smash Holg and Kaska with their greatclubs!
The less wounded giant shouts in surprise as Coen traps him inside a sphere of force!
"So you were lying us in the end?!" Holg smiles "That means it's time to fight!" the Kellid's muscles grow once more and his eyes go blank as he enters into a rageful state!
In a demonstration of war professionalism the man discharges his greatsword with all his strength and a furious focus on the non trapped giant!
Even a glancing blow from the giant's club nearly spins Kaska around, but she quickly finds her footing and moves in on him with a growl. She executes two quick slashes across his leg and lower torso with her falx.
Viv rises slightly into the air and flings another metal shard into the dirt.
Fireday bolts forward and attacks the giant Coen HASN'T imprisoned in a sphere of magic.
"REAPTHEFRUITSOFTHEBETRAYALYOUHAVESOWN!"
With fury and flurries, you slice into the giant. He manages to fend off some of your blows, but he is still terribly wounded by your vicious assault. He swings his club in a wide arc, trying to smash the Kellids in front of him, but he fails to hit! The other giant bangs his club against the force sphere uselessly, unable to damage it!
Holg continues to work on the non-trapped giant keeping up his assault while he attempts to confuse and get information from it "Admit your defeat! Did you stole from the tower?"
Fireday presses the attack, his battlestaff a blur of cuts!
Kaska ducks under the arc of the giant's club and comes up launching herself at the giant's abdomen blade first.
The giant quickly falls to your furious blows! Only the second one remains, howling with impotent fury from within the sphere of force.
Fireday turns to the imprisoned giant and glares at them.
"DoyouwishtojoinyourkinsmanbeforePharasma? Ordoyouyield?"
The giant roars and pounds on the sphere with his club in response.
"What witchery are you using giant?! Get out of there and fight like a soldier!" Holg bashes enraged the sphere, not realizing this is the product of Coen's attempts to protect the party.
"HOLG!" Fireday calls. "That'sCOEN'Switchery!"
As Holg's powerful blows bounce off the sphere leaving no mark at all and everyone is yelling in their life-and-death battle voices, Coen looks on helplessly.
"I just figured out how to use it recently, so if you would stop trying to poke a hole in it I would appreciate it."
Coen takes a quick look around the area and continues.
"It will only last a few minutes, so take your time and get ready or plan an ambush. I can dispel it early if needed but it takes less energy for me to let it fade naturally."
Fireday gets into position.
"I'dadviseyoutodismissitonceweareinposition,please," he says. "Iomedae'sblessingsuponuswillabatesoon."
"It is not so important when it disappears. This will be a good test."
Kaska walks out about fifty feet or so from the encased giant, holding a couple of the pistols she carries but never uses and weighing which one she's more curious to use. She takes aim at the giant with with each of them in turn, and looks each over carefully while she waits.
Everybody tenses and gets ready before Coen dismisses the resilient sphere. The giant roars and hefts his club!
On his rage Holg does not distinguish what is going out with the sphere, when it simply disappears in front of him thanks to Coen's doings, the Kellid's fury is channeled on the giant through this adamantine greatsword.
Hovering from above, Viv keeps launching metal shards.