"Evacuate? In our moment of triumph?" Astra looks astonished at even the suggestion of beating feet at this point. "One of them escaped -- that means he's probably warning whoever's in charge right now. We should continue and press our advantage while they are still surprised. If we pull back now, they will increase their security and make sure that getting back in a second time will be even tougher."
I have no more higher magic and only a minor electric spell left and because I lack combat experience I miss more often than not because everyone is in my way. Plus Argug's enlargement is going to end very soon.
Chakos shrugs, "well, Astra listened to us the last couple times, I suppose we should listen to her this time and press on."
Northeast, follow the rat.
"Right!"
Astra will take the point if necessary. She's kind of fired up now about not letting the rat get away, and she's -- well, not *forgotten* per se, but maybe pushed out of her mind the way she got skewered by a javelin a few days ago. "The way the first contingent mentioned the names of the second contingent almost with reverence -- they might have been the heavy hitters. We might have easier opposition up ahead. Although I stress the 'might' part." She will try to be cautious and especially look out for any mechanical or technological traps.
"If we're not leaving, let's make sure to take the armor. Armor that quality will go for a good amount more money than regular quality."
"We can pick everything up and do a thorough search on the way out -- our first priority right now is making sure the escaped rat doesn't alert the rest of this complex."
We might have to run like heck if we meet something nasty. Like meeting the boss monster in those stories about adventurers.
You follow the path the ratfolk took and enter a room. Astra searches as you move, but finds no signs of traps or malfunctioning machines.
The walls of this chamber are battered and dented, and flickering lights on the ceiling give the room a phantasmagoric cast. A mound of rubble sits heaped to the north, while numerous strange containers lie in hap hazard piles throughout the chamber. A pair of desks with chairs is placed to the south.
To the Southeast of the room, you see a very battered, but unopened locker. There are also two doors, one to the Southeast (where the Ratfolk went) and one to the Southwest.
Astra follows after the ratfolk without pausing to examine the room.
Astra goes out the eastern door of the room, without waiting for the rest of her party.
Immediately to her right is another single door.
Cushioned chairs and metal tables are situated throughout this small room. To the north are several doors, while a few broken machines lie against the walls. Broken panels cover the ceiling, and mounds of what look like shattered glass have been pushed under the tables.
Against the Southeast wall is a broken machine with removable tubes. On the top of the machine's front is Androffan writing. It says, "Goo Tube Dispenser."
There are four single doors along the northern part of this room, and a door to the South.
Astra, wait for us! Liz ushers the others along after Astra.
Astra pauses in the new room that has lots and lots of doors. Without any clear indication of where her quarry has gone, she is at a loss which door to open. She starts to examine the room, taking her time looking for any signs -- tracks of blood, items still moving slightly, anything -- that might tell her which door the ratfolk chose. Or at least, if she can rule out any doors that definitely haven't been touched, that would help too.
Immediately to their right is another single door.
Cushioned chairs and metal tables are situated throughout this small room. To the north are several doors, while a few broken machines lie against the walls. Broken panels cover the ceiling, and mounds of what look like shattered glass have been pushed under the tables.
Against the Southeast wall is a broken machine with removable tubes. On the top of the machine's front is Androffan writing. It says, "Goo Tube Dispenser."
There are four single doors along the northern part of this room, and a door to the South.
If Astra's on point, Chakos will put the Life Link on her.
Astra moves slowly through the room, examining all sorts of little details as she goes, eyes narrowed and brow furrowed. Little by little she moves eastwards, until stopping at the southeastern door. She eyes the portal, eyes squinting closer. Then, carefully, she tries to push open the door, or use a brown keycard if there is a reader.
Liz follows Astra, don't run off ahead. We have no idea what still lies ahead of us!
Astra uses the brown keycard and enters through the Southeast door. The door closes behind her.
A balcony runs around the edges of this domed chamber, the curved walls of which are covered in blinking lights and unidentifiable machinery. A few steps lead down from this balcony in the middle of the room. just north of these steps sits a large machine with a pink glass tabletop-like surface above which float semitransparent images of some sort.
The balcony is wider on the south side of the stairs, where a strange statue stands that seems to have been cobbled together from broken machines into the shape of an upraised claw or talon. A mound of junk lies in a heap before the claw, while two smoking braziers burn softly to each side. To the east looms a pair of immense black metal doors framed by a rotating arch of pulsing red lights.
The ratfolk's back is turned, his head is craned up and he seems to be talking to the statue.
"Intruders are here, Gruethur. They took out everyone. Well, the half-orcs and us ratfolk. Get ready, I think they're coming."
You try to press your body against some machinery, hoping that you aren't seen by the ratfolk and whatever else is in the room. The ratfolk seems to be talking to a strange statue of a three fingered claw, the only other thing in the room that you can see. Then you notice that the ratfolk isn't talking to the statue, but something perched near the ceiling.
A stony, winged and tailed creature with long horns curving on its head stares at you with cold white eyes. It wears bits of metal, circuitry, coiled wires and broken machinery as adornments.
The creature is a gargoyle. You may ask one question.
Astra knows that she's totally outmatched, so she tries to turn around and see if her brown keycard will open the door from this side, to get back into the previous room. She will retreat if she can.
Astra's keycard slides through and there is a light beep that comes from the door.
You hear, "Hey! There's one of the intruders!" from the ratfolk behind you, as you duck through the door.
The door closes behind Astra.
"GAAAARGOOOOYLE!" Astra suddenly emerges from the door she went through a few moments earlier, coming running at full speed and then some. She stumbles back into the room with many doors, tripping over some furnishings and going flying straight into the wall opposite the door she came from. With a solid, satisfying WHAM noise, she's plastered against the wall for a moment, and then slowly slides down along it until she hits the floor. "...ow." Then, as she remembers where she is, she points frantically at the door. "Gargoyle! Gargoyle!" Her vocabulary seems drastically reduced for the moment.
"She sounds like she's drowning! Quick, what do we do?"
Chakos will try sitting Astra up and pounding her on her back to get the water out of her lungs.
Argug, (hopefully still enlarged...?) stands next to the door Astra came through, ready to whack whatever comes through it.
"Well, whatever that is, let's just kill it like everything else we've killed."
Liz gasps and wraps her arms around Astra, putting her balled fist against her midsection. With a strong tug, Liz tries dislodging any water that might be inside her throat. Just what happened to Astra that caused this to happen?! Don't wander off like that!
Astra takes a moment and recovers.
After several moments, nothing seems to follow her out the door.
If something frightened Astra that much, we should probably leave. She was so eager before to follow the rat but now wants to flee.
"Astra? Are you ok?"
"Unh..." she rubs her forehead for a few moments, taking some time to recover from running face-first into a metal wall. Then, shaking her head gradually, she clears it off and starts to become aware of her surroundings again. "The ratfolk...it went in there", she points to the door she went through. "It met up with a gargoyle...they're -- I think -- creatures of living stone. Their cutaneous layer is incredibly tough, I'm not sure it can be pierced with the kind of weapons we have." She swallows a little bit. "But it definitely saw me. It knows we're here...well, it knows at least that *I'm* here."
If our weapons can't hurt it, we best get out of here, perhaps study up on gargoyles back in town to see if we can prepare properly. Liz dances a bit in nervousness, the unknown powers of the creatures in the next room are making her imagination kick into overdrive.
"Is it evil? If it's evil, we can kill it. But there is no dishonor in returning tomorrow either. Have you any spells to turn a weapon magic?"
I do not, I would need to purchase a spell and scribe it into my spellbook and then memorize it. Let us get back to Torch and refresh ourselves so we are ready to face it.
"I'm down with that plan"
Argug nods, "Since they don't seem to be pursuing us, we should definitely grab that armor to go, as well. As I said earlier, it should go for a decent price."
You return to Torch with little difficulty and without any new encounters, taking a path that you've traveled before. Doing it a few times now, you're very used to swimming and navigating the paths back and forth.
When you resurface it is afternoon. The sun is making its descent beneath the mountains in the distance.
Liz makes sure to shut the door behind them before they head back into the water. After squeezing a few things free of water, she sighs and looks at the setting sun. We might still be able to get to the shops to sell the items and look into items we can use against the gargoyle. Liz will head out with the others, perhaps to the temple of Brigh for dealing with their wares.
"We should tell our young friend about our progress. And we should grab a sandwich while doing so!"