"Unity is powerful, but can if we destroy its body then we can enter its personal sanctum. Once there the AI facets will make it experience emotions that it has not before. That will be extremely traumatic and will weaken it enough for us to destroy it once and for all." Fifteen summarises, using small words and no technical terms so that Holg will understand properly.
"A very poetic way to describe it Meyanda" Holg smiles wide and nods towards Fifteen "Good. It seems we have a plan then Fifteen, and an entry point"
"How ready is everyone? I guess we should sell all the equipment we claimed from the Technique League and make a final resupply before our attack"
Fireday raises an eyebrow.
"You...have a very interesting definition of poetry, Holg. I agree we should discard what we no longer need and enhance what we have to best stand against Unity."
You spend a few days upgrading your equipment, honing your skills, and preparing for the expedition into Silver Mount. Soon enough, though, you are ready to proceed!
The fissure that leads into Silver Mount is near the mountain's peak at an elevation of just under 1,100 feet. The tunnel winds down through the rock until it comes to an end at a pair of massive glaucite doors in the center of a metal wall to the west. Metal crates are stacked to either side of the doors, full of supplies and digging tools used by the Technic League.
"And we finally confront the real menace in these lands..." Holg says as he witnesses the glory of the glaucite doors.
The Kellid looks through the supplies and digging tools for anything of use and casts detect magic to find magical menaces.
Then, he casts greater magic weapon and magical vestment before approaching the doors and checking if they are locked or can be safely opened "We better prepare, this is going to be cramped with Unity's most powerful defenses"
"That may be," Molly says, readying her improved musket. "But they're not expecting us." She gives the large man a wink.
Fifteen squeezes her wife's shoulder and says nothing. Her other hand gently swings one of her blades in small arcs.
The doors are locked, but the keycard Zernebeth supplied you with grants you access. The doors slide open to reveal the chamber beyond.
Large portions of the northern floor in this chamber have fallen away into a cavernous black void. Lubricants, paint, and burns stain every surface. A humming mechanical device dominates the west beyond a low railing, tainting the musty air with a tang of ozone and heated circuitry. Beyond that, windows look out into a black void and a lighted structure that floats suspended in the void.
A full-sized, scorpion-like annihilator robot stands guard in this chamber. It focuses its single red eye upon your group before speaking in a buzzing voice. "You have reached Divinity, at last. Fifteen. Fireday. Holg Redhawk. Molly Fairlocks. And my wayward scion, Meyanda. But why are you here? What do you hope to accomplish?"
Holg steps forward determined, with shinny eyes and a wide smile "We come to destroy everything that lays below this level" the statement sounds on the Kellid's booming voice like if he is just repeating something obvious, at least to him.
"Such a lust for destruction," the robot muses. "Is that your god, Gorum's, creed? Why do you worship him, Holg Redhawk?"
The question seems to shock and halt Holg for an instant but he quickly finds the words to answer "This is what my people showed me when I was young. This is what life showed me when my tribe was wiped by the White Scars and the Technique League. This is what kept me alive in the mines as a slave. And this is what has driven me to this point. Here. We are all in competition and only the strong can thrive"
"I see," the robot says. It falls silent for a few moments, its red eye blinking rapidly. The glow turns solid again. "Thank you. I will process this new data while my robot destroys you."
The tip of the robot's tail begins to glow as it gathers energy!
Molly doesn't hesitate for even an instant, lifting her musket and firing multiple shots at the bot.
Fifteen circles the robot, ducking under its huge limbs once Molly is done shooting.
The doors are locked, but the keycard Zernebeth supplied you with grants you access. The doors slide open to reveal the chamber beyond.
Large portions of the northern floor in this chamber have fallen away into a cavernous black void. Lubricants, paint, and burns stain every surface. A humming mechanical device dominates the west beyond a low railing, tainting the musty air with a tang of ozone and heated circuitry. Beyond that, windows look out into a black void and a lighted structure that floats suspended in the void.
A full-sized, scorpion-like annihilator robot stands guard in this chamber. It focuses its single red eye upon your group before speaking in a buzzing voice. "You have reached Divinity, at last. Fifteen. Fireday. Holg Redhawk. Molly Fairlocks. And my wayward scion, Meyanda. But why are you here? What do you hope to accomplish?"
Fireday points his newly empowered Starfall Spade at the robot.
"I am here as one of Numeria's strongest defenders, here to protect the land and its people from your evil, Unity. We have already broken tyranny after tyranny as we've journeyed in your wake: your rebellious spawn, Hellion, and his Lords of Rust, the Smoke Wizard, Furkas Xoud, the foul monsters of the Dominion of the Black and the all too human scum of the Technic League. And this day, we will break another one, and Numeria will know justice, peace and happiness for the first time since you fell from the stars!"
As the battle is joined, Fireday calls on Iomedae's power to sheathe himself in iron once more, and blesses his allies with the fervor to scrap this robot!
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Fifteen and Meyanda rush up to the annihilator robot. Fifteen slices at its legs while Meyanda leaps into the air and brings her adamantine sword down on its "head." A force field surrounding the robot crackles with energy before buckling and collapsing from the power of the heavy blows. That opens the way for Molly to unload several bullets directly into its glowing red eye! The eye shatters and sparks fly throughout the robot's body as her bullets trigger a chain reaction of miniature explosions. Before the robot can even act, it falls into an inert heap before you!
Investigating the large machine to the west, Meyanda identifies it as a graviton reactor. It is currently offline. The android thinks she might be able to get it up and running again, though it would take a few hours of work. It looks like there is a slot for a smaller device that might act like a key to activate the reactor, though of course, you would have to locate the key first!
Holg witnesses the explosions and chain reaction in delight "Wo-ho!!! I think that masket of yours speaks more clearly than any word Molly! I hope Unity got the message"
"Interesting. What would happen if we continue further without activating the gravi-actor?" Holg looks through the windows and into the void "There is something there suspended. Is there chance we can use it to move around the complex and find that key you need for the gravi-actor?"
A cold wind blows up from the black depths of the immense, dark cavern. A structure floats in the center of the void, lights shining here and there from its windows. Condensation on the unseen ceiling above creates a constant slow dripping, almost as if a light rain were falling within the cavern.
You could fly or teleport over to the structure, but there also seems to be a bridge connecting it to the the halls to the south. If you continue along through the rooms ahead, you will likely reach that bridge in short order.
"Look!" Holg points to the structure and the bridge that links it "There is a bridge we can use to reach that area"
"Perhaps we can go through this area here" Holg casts [i]shield of field[/b] and moves to the west room with the intention to use the doors there to the south corridor.
That morning Holg would have cast heroes' feast for the party's breakfast.
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Fifteen, having established that she can't reactivate the generator without a significant amount of time, follows the group. Her swords swirl in her grasp, making a soft whirring sound as she walks.
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Holg leads the way through an inert production lab and into the southern corridor. Most of the small rooms lining the corridor lead to empty storage chambers or restrooms. In one small garage, you find two adamantine tower shields leaning against the side of a broken cart.
At the central room of the southern corridor , old benches, may of them broken into fragments, line the walls. To the south, a large metal cage sits atop a metal wedge. Whatever this strange contraption is, it needs power to function.
Searching the room, you find the controls for two laser turrets that protect the bridge to the north. Fifteen is able to handily disable them, allowing you to cross the bridge to the structure that hangs midair in the central cavern.
Banks of monitors, blue schematics, and yellowing slips of parchment line the walls of this room. Enormous beds of straw and shredded fabric crowd the room’s northern half.
Four commandos dressed in the armor of the Technic League are here. They bristle when they notice you and raise their laser pistols, but do not immediately fire. Their commander is a woman with a huge laser rifle, and she keeps it trained on you. "Halt! Identify yourselves!" she barks. You can hear the edge of desperation in her voice, and all of the people here look haggard and nervous.
Holg tests the tower shields with a tap "Good stuff. It might help defend from lasers and similar stuff"
The Kellid continues the advance through the corridor, leaving the reprogramming of the turrets to the swift expert hands of Fifteen "I see how you have so much fun together" he smiles back at Molly before heading forward through the now unprotected bridge.
Observing the Technic League symbols Holg answers "We are the Red Talons and friends. Restorers of Torch's Flame. Destroyers of Hellion. Finders of Casandalee. Cleansers of the Spider's Valley. Defenders of the Black Sovereign Kaska. And friends of the new, or restored should I say more precisely, Technic League leader Zernebeth" and slowly raising his look to stare at the nervous woman he adds "We head to the depths of Silver Mount to destroy Unity. Who are you and how can you help us?"
The commandos seem surprised by Holg's introduction. "The Black Sovereign and the commander of the Technic League have been replaced? It seems we've missed a lot. I'm Sila Desaulis.
"We were exploring Silver Mount when the robots we thought were our allies suddenly turned on us. Most of my team was slaughtered. We retreated here after we couldn't get back out through the engineering day boors that had sealed behind us. We've been unable to contact the Technic League for aid without a signal booster, and our supplies have been dwindling.
"All we want to do now is escape to the surface. Please, if you can help us, we'll tell you all that we learned during our latest delve."
"I see how you have so much fun together" he smiles back at Molly before heading forward through the now unprotected bridge.
The halfling looks confused for a moment before her face flushes pink. She looks away without responding, but the priest can see a smile on her face.
~~~~~
Molly readies her musket in response to the woman's aggressive display of her own laser rifle. "I'll match mine to yours, love," she mutters under her breath.
"I see how you have so much fun together" he smiles back at Molly before heading forward through the now unprotected bridge.
Fifteen looks at Holg without any visible change of expression, but once he's turned away she catches Molly's eye and one eyelid closes slowly before rising again.
-------------------------------
Fifteen has no doubt that in a battle the woman with the overlarge weapon would not last long, but it seems that fighting is unlikely so she doesn't initiate anything.
Holg looks back at the team. Assuming there is no willingness to kill the commandos, he looks forward and nods "Seems fair. The Technic League is reforming so I guess we can help each other"
Assuming the group accepts to escort back the woman and her subordinates he asks her "Where is the entrance to Silver Mount, Sila?" and "When did the robots turn against you?"
Fireday tenses as Sila introduces herself, and waits for one brief moment before speaking.
"I...cannot ignore a cry for help from a person in danger, even one of the Technic League. We will help you return to Starfall safe and sound, Desaulis. I swear as a Sword-Knight of Iomedae."
"Well, I guess that makes that decision," quips Meyanda.
"You're technically in Silver Mount now," Sila says. "At least, it's upper levels. In order to safely get deeper within the structure, you'll have to use the monorail to the south. Here, take this gravitic key. It will activate the reactor near the entrance and provide power to the monorail. You'll have to destroy the annihilator robot guarding it, if you haven't already." She hands over a small boxlike device with glowing purple lights.
"The robots turned against us in a shuttle bay to the west. They sealed the blast doors and flooded the area with severe radiation. I don't know what caused it, but I've begun to suspect that these ruins are inhabited by some form of organized intelligence capable of controlling robots and other elements of the ancient structure.
"I've heard rumors of a Technic League outpost in a deeper habitat pod run by a man named Prosser. They may be able to assist you further if you can make contact with them."
"The annihilator is no longer a concern. Our enemy used it to speak to us, but once we'd satisfied its curiosity it abandoned the robot, and we reduced it to scrap relatively quickly. It was not the first annihilator we've taken down," Fireday says with no small amount of pride in his voice. Who in Numeria could say they'd not just survived multiple encounters with those fearsome robots, but had bested them each time?
"Oh, you mean Unity spoke through the annihilator?" Holg looks shocked as he is reveled something he did not manage to grasp himself.
The Kellid takes the galvanic key "Good. Thanks for your help Sila. We will try to find this Prosser"
Then Holg looks to the west "I guess there is little reason for us to explore the shuttle area flooded with radiation. We better put the monorail to work" and hands the key to Fifteen guessing she will know better how to activate the device.
"Thanks a lot. We will possibly see each other soon. For now, just recover" then pointing south "So... to the rail?"
Sila thanks you again for your help, mustering her commandos to exit the ruins past the destroyed annihilator robot. You return to the graviton reactor and use the gravitic key to activate it. It begins to thrum with energy, and the lights on the ceiling spring to life as power is restored to the engineering deck.
Returning to the monorail, you can now see a stable beam of glowing purple force has appeared beneath the metal car. A series of panels on the wall (each labeled clearly in Androffan) allow one to select a destination—“Secondary Engineering Deck,” “Habitat Pod 1,” or “Security Sector.”
"Ohow! That's amazing" Holg claps as he sees the energy rail ready for the group.
He observes closely the labels after "Mmm... shall we go first to the Habitat Pod? Maybe this Prosser is there and he can give us extra direction... or we might just go to the Security Sector, I am sure the best fights are there!"
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"Security." Fifteen says calmly. "Unity has much control over the Silver Mount but once there I will be able to achieve certain things which may limit his ability. That should be our first priority."
Unless stopped she reaches over and selects her preferred destination.
"Ah, you are so smart Fifteen!" Holg nods resolved "Let's undo Unity's security first!!!"
The Kellid mounts in the metal car "How fast is this going to be?"
"Very." Fifteen replies with a grin, before reaching out to jam the monorail into high gear!
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The monorail car moves in a series of fits and starts, never going very fast before shuddering to a halt, only to lurch forward again. Despite the rough ride, the conveyance is safe, and after a few minutes, the car pulls into a station on the security deck.
The walls leading up to this chamber’s vaulted thirty-foot ceilings are lined with tattered prints of stylized men and women wearing gleaming white armor and standing in bold poses as they plant flags or teach strange alien creatures about technology. Columns lined with cracked glass panels stand amid overturned chairs, rotundas, and turnstiles, but clear paths lead through the debris between the doors to the east and west.
Four decaying, undead guards in rotting uniforms stand at the doors. They groan upon spotting you, raising laser pistols! At the same time, two laser turrets descend from hatches in the ceiling, swiveling to track your movements!
"Very." Fifteen replies with a grin, before reaching out to jam the monorail into high gear!
Molly lets out an involuntary giggle as the vehicle rushes forward and grabs onto Fifteen's thigh for support.
~~~~~~
Raising her musket, the halfling takes aim at one of the turrets.
Fifteen frowns, an expression that is nearly a pout. "That should have worked better." She says, sounding oddly petulant.
When confronted by the zombies Fifteen leaps forwards, her blades whipping around in short, brutal arcs.
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"I hear that monorails never pan out as pitched," says Meyanda as she dismounts the disappointing vehicle. "On the up side, it's delivered us straight into the heat of battle!"
She brings her sword down off her shoulder in an arc, swings it back and forth, then with a sharp cry she rushes into the thick of the fray!
Fireday, seeing the clearly undead creatures, seizes his holy symbol and raises it, sending a surge of holy energy pulsing out from him!
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Molly shoots the closest undead guard with four bullets, rocking it back against the door. Meyanda and Fifteen rush in, the former slicing through both guards while the latter stabs the more wounded of the pair. Fireday channels positive energy, and while both undead resist it, the more wounded of the pair is consumed by holy fire and crumbles to ash!
The second guard brandishes its laser pistols and fires point-blank at Meyanda, never leaving an opening for her to make an attack of opportunity. The nimble android twists and dances, only taking one hit! Across the way, the two undead there take careful aim at Molly before unleashing powerful laser blasts! One hits!
The turrets turn to track Fireday, making loud, *CHOOM!* noises as they fire upon him!
Fireday grits his teeth and endures the fire of the turrets. Seeing Meyanda and Fifteen have the last one well in hand, he turns his attention to the other two, racing towards them.
"Those turrets are going to destroy us, is there anything you can do like you made in the bridge Fifteen?!" Holg shouts a bit concerned while casting channel vigor to haste himself.
With the extra speed he presses to support Fireday against the western undeads "What are those?"
Molly cringes in pain at the burning of the laser. She turns her fatal eye on the shooter and sights in.
Fifteen takes a long stride towards the nearest robot and sets about carving it into tiny pieces.