After several minutes of hard work, Molly is able to repair the musket into working condition. The neh-thalggus prowl about the shelter the entire time, occasionally testing its integrity with a strike from a claw.
Once you are ready, Viv opens the door to the shelter, and the battle is joined!
Fifteen takes position in the doorway and sets to work dicing up whichever brain is foolish to get in range first!
Happy to have the support of her musket, Molly grins as she takes aim at the creatures. The grin vanishes quickly as the first shot she takes misfires. In annoyance she presses on, though, trusting to her luck.
Once assured Molly's guns are in good working order once more, Fireday takes point by the "door."
"Into the maelstrom of battle once more!"
*pwing*
Firing past friends and through a doorway in an invisible wall is just not really possible with any accuracy.
Molly's gun misfires at first, but then her next two shots obliterate the brains inside one of the neh-thalggu's blisters, causing it to slump to the floor. Viv misses with her blast. Fifteen stands ready to intercept a charge.
The three remaining creatures do not advance, though. Instead, they hang back and blast Molly with magic missiles!
Molly grimaces at the blasts of magical energy. "Ow, that feckin' hurts," she groans out. Taking a deep breath to remove the tendrils of pain from her chest, she quickly clears her musket and then loads and fires again.
It is very tempting to march forth and bring her blades to those people that are hurting her fiance, but Fifteen is well aware that the tactical situation doesn't warrant such theatrics, so she holds her position, waiting...
Holg comes by to support Fifteen on protecting the door "If they can keep throwing those barrages we cannot remain here for long"
Confident the group will remove one of the brains from sight quickly, Holg casts holy ice to produce a thick wall of holy ice that holds one of the brains and its magical missiles out of combat "Gorum, don't let it shoot more at us!"
As Holg changes the situation Fifteen changes her tactics and moves forward to attack the brains!
"The odds are evened! Our valor will do the rest!" Fireday cries as he joins Fifteen on the attack!
Fifteen and Viv miss their targets, but Molly and Fireday both hit, wounding one of the neh-thalggus. The one trapped by the wall of ice claws at it from inside to try to break out.
The other two attack Fifteen and Fireday.
Fireday counterattacks, confident in the face of evil once more!
Viv half-heartedly flings another shard and surprisingly manages to hit.
Fifteen slices and dices with cold-hearted focus.
Profiting his speed Holg maneuvers to flank one of the brains with Fifteen, delivering a vital strike "Blood for Gorum!"
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Her weapon back in working condition, Molly sets to firing with a vengeance.
With a furious assault, you quickly bring down all of the remaining brain collectors! You move on from this area before more of the Dominion's forces converge on your location.
The door south opens onto a long hallway, with another door at its end. Here, you reach a T-junction, with doors at both the west and east ends.
"This way." Fifteen says, heading rightwards.
Rightwards is to the west. Several fluid-filled cylindrical tanks composed of a strangely flexible glass-like material, extend from pucker-like rings set into the floor of this crocodilian-leather-sheathed chamber. Each tank is filled with a bubbling mass of blue fluid and organic matter.
A single neh-thalggu, one much larger than the ones you have faced before, is here, attended by four of the spiderlike ugothokras. They swiftly move to attack as you enter!
The neh-thalggu quickly tries to paralyze Molly while the ugothokras fire flak at Fifteen!
Holg follows Fifteen "She knows where we are going" and using his extend rod to cast again extended shield of faith on himself.
The Kellid takes his words when she is overwhelmed by the sprays "Or maybe she is just stepping into danger the same way I do!"
Without further delay Holg moves forward through the tanks entering into a rage and using Gorum's mastery to perform a cleaving movement on two of the ugothokras!
Fifteen meanwhile, well aware of the scolding she'll get if she falls over again, retreats!
Molly takes aim at the nearest of the spider-like creatures and begins firing.
"I will NOT let us get flanked!" Fireday barks as he breaks from the others to confront the pair of monsters on the opposite side.
You take down one of the ugothokras with your combined assault as Fifteen falls back, letting Fireday and Holg hold the line. Two of the ugothokras bite and spray flechette at the warriors while one sprays flak at Molly. The neh-thalggu tries to paralyze Molly again.
With one of the ugothokras in front fallen, Holg pushes forward stepping over its dead body to face the one who stepped back to spray at him without facing attacks of opportunity "Leave my people be buggers!"
With a well-practiced movement, Molly clears the misfire on her musket and then reloads and fires.
There is little Fifteen can do so she draws her pistol and tries to remember if it will have the slightest effect on any of her foes.
Fireday advances and presses the attack, knowing these beasts couldn't harm the others until they got past him!
Viv targets one of the ugothokras, hoping to take one down quickly.
Holg single-handedly takes down an ugothokra! Molly, Fifteen, and Isuma blast another one, then Fireday takes it down with two blows from his spade. Viv, unfortunately, misses.
The last ugothokra attacks Fireday as the big neh-thalggu moves up to attack Holg!
Fifteen takes slow aim and fires a single precise burst from her laser pistol.
Molly directs her aim at the big one and fires for all she's worth.
Holg engages with the new larger creature swinging the greatsword with all his power "Gorum, give me the strength to destroy this alien creature and erase it from the face of Numeria!"
"FALL!" Fireday commands as he strikes at the ugothokra.
With a flurry of sword strikes, force blasts, bullet, and one precise laser blast, you take down the last two Dominion aliens in the room!
Investigating the tanks further, you realize they are similar to the one that contained the shipmind ooze in the dying dropship. Fortunately, none of these tanks seem to be hosting one of those oozes yet.
There are exits to the west and east.
"Holg, Fireday? Can either of you assist me?" Fifteen asks, walking with marked care back into the room. "I believe some of the shards are dangerously placed within my body."
"Let me pluck out those nasty shards" Holg raises his holly symbol and two pulses of positive energy take on all of the party, the wounds quickly giving away.
"This was hard on you eh? Gorum wants you back in the fray, those twin swords sing divine magic to his ears" the Kellid smiles while touching the worst of Fifteen's wounds.
Seeing there are still some more to heal, he touches the android with the wand while he recovers from the fatigue of his own rage "That one hit hard, eh!"
Finally, tends to the remaining scratches on Molly, with another wand touch.
Holg searches the Neh-Thalggu's body and the strange tanks "I hope the chose oozes with nicer personality for this one. The one we found in the ship was a bit of Cu-cu"
The man points to the western corridor "I guess deeper means closer to the heart"
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"Holg, Fireday? Can either of you assist me?" Fifteen asks, walking with marked care back into the room. "I believe some of the shards are dangerously placed within my body."
Knowing that if Fifteen is actually willing to ask for healing, it must be serious. Her fears are confirmed when she reaches the android's side and sees for herself what kind of shape she's in. She stands close, wringing her hands as Holg tends to her lover's healing, not even noticing her own wounds closing under the positive energy the priest releases.
The halfling doesn't even castigate Fifteen when the healing's completed. Without needing the prompting, the android draws Molly up into her arms where the halfling holds her tighter than her small frame would suggest.
"That was too close," Molly whispers into Fifteen's ear. She holds her close for a few moments before indicating that she'd like to be set down.
Molly sniffs and wipes her eyes before setting about the quick-but-grisly task of scavenging materials that she can later turn into ammo.
"I promised not to leave you behind." Fifteen replies simply. "You have my heart Molly. I will never leave you."
Fireday bows to Holg in thanks for the healing, and can't help but sigh a bit at Molly's passionate hug for Fifteen.
"On my honor, I will make sure you both survive to enjoy a bright future together."
He steps away and begins looking around the chamber a bit more closely, now that the fight is over.
Holg observes the scene and smiles.
Then joins Fireday as they advance west "You never think in yourself Fireday? Why not to find your own... intimate partner?"
You do not find anything else of interest in the chamber.
When you are ready, you head west. This chamber appears to be a bizarre operating theater, with three surgical tables made of fleshy orange material in three of the five octagonal wings of the room. The other two wings each contain a large vat of pulsating pink flesh-like material, striated with coils of fat and throbbing veins. All five objects are connected by a thick, pulsing artery that snakes across the floor, branching apart to link them all.
A horrible creature waits here. Chains and piercings torture this being’s bloodless flesh. The greatest violations invade her face and mouth. She turns to regard you, but she does not immediately attack. "Greetings. I am Paajgat the Flayer. I am curious why you have come to my laboratory. Are you interested in submitting to my techniques? I can promise to give you experiences you have never felt before..."
Holg observes the bizarre workshop trying to understand what is all this about "Hi Paajgat. I have suffered innumerable wounds in the course of my life as you can see by my scars, and I can say I am not interested in the pain you seem to offer"
"We came here to fight the Dominion of the Black. Can you help us on that regard?" Holg does not even smile, fearing this might be part of the Dominion.
"I will not help you fight the Dominion forces, but I will not hinder you either," Paajgat says. "I have worked with the Dominion forces for centuries, learning much of pain and its various methods of infliction. But I feel my time among them is drawing to a close. If you will permit me, I will leave in peace."
"Can you tell us something about their motives? We do not like them in our country" Holg spats back while observing further the creature "I can teach you more about pain if you wish so"
The kellid attempts to judge if this is an evil creature before deciding what to do about it.
"What you others think? I would just like to have a battle with him to measure strengths, but perhaps you have other thoughts?"
Holg believes that this creature is a fiend from the Shadow Plane called a kyton, though he isn't sure exactly what kind of kyton it might be.
The fiend smirks at Holg. “Of course you have the urge to validate your belief on me. If that is your desire, who am I to deny you the exquisite shame of being defeated by your better?" She idly begins to whirl her spiked chains about, ready to fight if that is the route you choose.