"IOMEDAE! REWARD FIFTEEN'S VALOR BY GIVING HER THE STRENGTH TO CARRY ON!" Fireday cries as he exhales a glowing gold and blue light that courses into Fifteen's lungs and begins healing her.
"Oh no! Fifteen!" seeing Fireday quickly heals up the android, Holg tries to engage with the nearest one, stepping over and striking fast and hard "Try to get out of there!"
Fifteen makes a quick combat calculation and decides to simply step sideways away from one creature and then proceed to cut the second one into as many pieces as she can manage.
Fifteen restores some vitality to Fifteen, then as the rest of you join the fray, there is much slashing, chopping, and blasting of electricity. Within the span of a few seconds, both of the demodands lie in bloody heaps at your feet!
After shoving the arc rifle back into her backpack, Molly pushes her way to Fifteen's side. She glares at the woman and holds up a pointed finger as if she's going to make a declaration of some sort. Her lip quivers a bit and she pauses to wipe at her nose and eyes. She meets her wife's eyes again before taking a deep breath. "And that's all I have to say about that," she says finally before holding up her arms for a hug.
Fifteen kneels, heedless of the chopped demodand she's getting all over her leathers and pulls her wife into an embrace.
"I am sorry." She whispers, and there's an odd tremor in her voice that Molly has never heard before. "I did not think that they would... I nearly lost you. I do not want to lose you. Ever."
She eventually releases her wife and straightens up.
"My apologies to you all. I will be more careful in future."
Holg observes with emotion the couple's love, then he draws the healing wand "No worries. No one is leaving anyone while we are here"
"Can anyone turn off those energy sources while I heal Fifteen?"
The wand smokes after the work.
Fifteen lets Holg work and then sets to work on the energy sources herself.
Fifteen fiddles with the reactors for several minutes, eventually managing to temporarily deactivate them. Immediately, the lights in the room's ceiling go dark, and you can hear alarm klaxons sounding from other areas of the complex!
"Well, for good or for bad, that's done now. Good job Fifteen" Holg looks at the coming and going lights "They will not wait much before coming to see what is going on with the party"
Then moves back to the corridor "I guess we should continue exploring. What would you prefer next? My guess is we want to explore east before going upstairs"
Molly takes a moment to collect herself once Fifteen releases her. "Sure'n they'll be here turning the damned thing back on in just a bit. Is there any way we could keep 'em from doin' that that don't involve blowin' things up?"
She gestures to the east with a nod and pulls the arc-rifle back out of her bag.
"I can certainly make it difficult for them." Fifteen says, offering her wife a grin.
Then she redraws her blade and takes her place in the line of march.
Fireday nods as the alarms go off.
"Let them come," he says, confidence clear in his voice.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As you make your way through the narrow hallway, a pair of Gearsmen move to intercept you, drawn by the sound of the alarm. In such tight confines, though, you make quick work of hte robot guards!
The halls leads to two staircases, one leading up and the other leading down. There are also three more doors on this level.
Holg cleans the screws and other metal pieces that jumped on the gearsmen shattering "Ha. I am sure you are having some fun with this Fireday. I am doing"
Then looking at the doors and multiple stairs around the Kellid touches his forefront like in pain "So many options, and I have no idea where to go"
Unless someone comes up with an idea for a direction, Holg makes the wayfinder spin and directs himself to where it indicates.
Meyanda is only too happy to hack her way through the Technic minions, barely breaking a sweat in the process.
"That looked like it might be close for a hot second, but then we prevailed! No surprise," she says with a grin.
She looks over Holg's shoulder to see which way chance has determined for their next step.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Fun? This isn't FUN, Holg. This is justice," Fireday replies. He walks down the southern hall, taking point.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Why can't it be both?"
Holg smiles back at Meyanda "Yeah, I did not know justice could be done through destruction. I am having fun imparting this justice Fireday!"
The Kellid follows Fireday's lead, walking on the way forward "Let's bring the fury back to the Technic League. It is Rage Day!"
The wayfinder points at the east door, so you head that way. This large chamber is relatively empty. A ten-foot-square metal platform sits on the ground to the west.
Two large robots roost on the platform. Each one has pincer-tipped arms, a single red eye, and an array of deadly armaments. When they notice you, their eyes glow brightly as engines on their backs ignite, lifting them off the platform, and their weapons come online!
Holg looks at one of the robots and focuses on its mental control "Lord of Iron, make this piece of metal under my orders"
Casting infuse robot on one of the robts "The other one is yours Molly"
"Such a gentleman," the halfling says with a smirk as she levels her rifle, sending jolts of electricity towards the robot.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Holg's spell takes effect as one of the robots glows with red light. Its technological components transform into stone and iron, gleaming with runes sacred to Gorum, and upon command from the cleric, it turns on the other robot, clawing it and lashing it with quantum tentacles, as well as blasting it with a laser beam from its eye! Molly discharges several electrical blasts into the robot, and it falls, smoking, to the floor!
The other robot will remain under Holg's command for quite some time!
"It looks ... different," Molly says as she looks over the transformed robot. "Gorum's doing, eh?" She shrugs and looks over her rifle, ready to move on.
Holg smiles "Ha! Those Iron Gods are fake. Their electronical components serve nothing. The real Lord of Iron that inhabit every piece of war metal is Gorum and when he dictates Iron obeys" the Kellid looks at the robot satisfied.
"Ok, robot, what is your name?" Holg questions the now construct creature "For now on you will answer my friends questions" if the robot does not understand Common, he will use Androffan.
"What is here in this level of the Technic League hideout?"
Fireday gives a small smirk.
"Now THIS is fun justice to me. Turning the wicked's own weapons against them."
Fifteen watches with an arched eyebrow but says nothing, letting the boys enjoy their toys while she stands with her wife and simply watches.
"My designation is MYR-1138," the transformed robot replies in Androffan, its altered voice possessing a clipped accent. "This basement contains the compounds main power generators, which appear to have been destroyed. To the east is a nanotech laboratory and the acid pits, while to the west are quarters for the Technic League's mercenaries."
"Mercenaries first?" Molly questions, looking at the others.
Fifteen nods at her wife, indicating her agreement.
"Ok, MYR... hum, you will be known for now on as Myrion" Holg renames the robot "What are those acid pits you say?"
Then nods to Molly "Ok, let's go fight the mercenaries first. Clean the opposition"
"Myrion, you will follow us and fight the Technic League mercenaries" Holg moves back and opens the door indicated by the robot "Tell us more about those mercenaries while we go against them"
"Probably where they dispose of failed experiments and the bodies of their victims," Fireday comments. "I wonder if we'll encounter our old tiefling 'friend' among these mercenaries...for his sake I hope not."
"Ah! Hyrsek Caio! I wonder how is doing our friend" Holg laughs widely remembering the odd tiefling "Maybe the remains of this Therace Holiyard we recovered are in one of those pots you say serve for experimenting"
"Hmm. Agreed, let's deal with the mercenaries first so we aren't under pressure while trying to sort out all of the nutty experiments that the League is running here," says Meyanda.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Myrion the robot confirms that the Technic League uses the acid pits to swiftly reduce the bodies of creatures with cybernetic implants for easy harvesting, and simply to dispose of biological leftovers from other experiments.
The mercenary barracks are a simple affair. There's bunk space for 18 sellswords in all, but only four are present, and they stand little chance against your might. Soon enough, this level of the complex is secure, giving you the choice to either ascend to the ground floor or descend further into the sub-basements.
Holg assaults the barracks with a Gorum's battle-cry praising destruction to the Technic League. He disposes mercy though to those that admit being defeated "Ah, all these fighting is making me hungry. We should have had a longer time at the Black Sovereign banquet"
The man taps his belly while looking up "I am sure Kaska is having plenty of fun fulling her belly right now"
"So Myrion, what is there in the ground floor and what in the sub-basement?" Holg turns to interrogate the useful robot "Can your sensors tell where life forms are located?"
Fireday waits for the robot's response before speaking.
"I recommend we clear the ground floor first. It will give Kaska the opportunity to send reinforcements to secure the complex...if we're lucky, Zaidow will be up there as well. Though I suspect, given his position he's probably down in the sub-levels protecting whatever secrets his experiments have yielded him. But my vengeance can wait to secure the justice of the people."
"We have an old Kellid saying" Holg smiles at Fireday "To taste the marrow, first crack the mammoth's bone"
He does agree with Fireday proposed direction, although he hears the robot's answer too.
Myrion rattles off the contents of each floor. "Ground floor: outer gates, mustering hall, slave stockyards, scrap heaps, signal boosters, blast furnaces, storage buildings, and silos. Inner compound: guest rooms, data banks, production laboratories, robot repair bays, quarters for Technic League commander and sub-commander. Sub-basement 1: carnivorous plant garden. Sub-basement 2: prison, incinerator, and experimental laboratories.
"There are many guards, both living and robotic, on the upper level. Only few life-forms exist on the lower levels."
"Carnivorous plant garden? What these Technic League people are after?" Holg says surprised "Hmmm... let's see... do you know who is trapped in that prison Myrion?"
"I am thinking about destroying the furnaces, storage and silos to cause sabotage, then head to the prison to free whomever is there and increase the chaos so we are more free to go straight and strike the Technic League commanders without having to kill all the goons" the Kellid smiles "Although a long succession of battles until everyone is defeated sounds good too"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"We can liberate those slaves too...they'll probably be eager for some justice too!" Fireday says.
Fifteen, who would prefer to be heading straight into the mountain, restrains her impatience and follows along with the path that the Red Talons deem most sensible.
"Currently, only half of the prison cells are occupied. They contain experimental subjects for the Technic League's scientists," says Myrion.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Are those experimental subjects rendered hostile and uncontrolled due to the results of those experiments?" Meyanda asks carefully. "Or are they principally docile?"
Fireday listens, looking to factor Myrion's information into his recommendation.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"The majority are beyond the Technic League's control," Myrion states. "They are being held until their potential use can be properly weighed against the potential risk they might pose to the scientists or their equipment. The alternative to containment is disposal in the acid pits."
"Then we may do well to release them?" Fifteen suggests.
"It seems they will go against their scientists and cause some destruction of the labs" Holg's eyes shine with interest "Ok, let's head to the prison now and release them!"
The Kellid also nods to Fireday "As you wish friend. We can free those slaves after the prison!"
You move down the stairs to the second sub-basement. The south wall of this relatively empty room contains seventeen small glass panels that show shimmering images of similar ten-foot-square cells. Below each panel is a row of buttons. To the east, a long, thin glass window looks out over a high-ceilinged hallway.
Two kytons stand guard here, chains and piercings torturing their bloodless flesh. "What lies beyond this guard post is not for your eyes," one of them intones in a raspy voice. "Unless, of course, you wish to surrender yourselves to the exploration of flesh and metal and volunteer as experimental stock!" says the other.
"Uuugh, you sort are always so overdramatic," says Meyanda as she brings her sword down off her soldier. "Believe me, I know. I used to be the same way. Then I realized that GORUM rewards ACTION!"
She rushes straight into combat heedlessly!