Perrik, please, use your magic! See if you can talk it out of attacking us...We really can't afford another fight down here or the guards from above are going to crush us when they come in to investigate all of the noise.
Exhausted from his rage, Drahlneep is not looking forward to going into battle with yet another stone-merging beast, but notes the xill leg and the simple fact that it so far has not been aggressive and relaxes slightly. "Uh, maybe it speaks our tongue? Huh? You speak Draconic? Androffan?"
"Androffan? Yes, somehow I understand that," the creature rumbles.
Androffan Ah, excellent, I had no idea creatures of your magnificence would speak a language such small creatures as we understand. We mean you no harm, we were merely trying to find a place to ambush the fleshies that hold our brethren in thrall. Forgive us if we unwittingly trespassed on your domain.
"Oh, I don't mind you at all. Those crunchy bug men were the problem. I wanted to thank you for killing most of them. I think I got the last one." The creature pauses to spit out the xill bits left in its mouth. "I really don't like eating creatures. Bones are OK, I guess, but those things were awful. Actually, I wondered if you might help me with something."
If it is within our power, we are at your disposal.
Perrik studies the newcomer intently. "You are a creature of elemental Earth. Correct?"
The creature gives a gravelly laugh. "That's right. Are you a wizard? My name is... well, it would translate to Third Ruby. My people are Xorn from the Primal Plane of Earth, as you say. Sometimes we slip through gates to your plane. I do find all the mixed up creatures here interesting AND there are some artificial metals that you creatures make that are so incredibly delicious."
"In fact, that is exactly why I'm here. There is some structural material buried in this mountain that I find just scrumptious. It's like metal, but alloyed with a thin crunchy material that... you can only imagine. But, I can't enjoy it very much because of all the bothersome creatures within it. I seemed to have awoken them somehow. The insect things escaped as they can travel through rock like myself. The other human-looking things can't leave and attack me with burning rays whenever I try to have a lovely dinner." The Xorn sniffs at Perrik. "You smell similar to them. Anyway, you seem to have similar weapons so I thought maybe you could handle them."
During the conversation, Jeji fully recovers.
Perrik shrugs. "I am no wizard. I am a healer, but much knowledge comes to me unbidden." After hearing the xorn out, he nods. "We will certainly try. Do you know if there is a way to reach them that does not go through rock?"
The strange elemental creature clacks his big metallic teeth in approval. "Certainly. Why wouldn't we go through the rock? All hold hands." He holds out a claw. "I normally couldn't pull so many along, but you're small enough."
Kricker fears nothing.... But... being abandoned in the rock is possibly an exception.
Drahlneep remains a little wary or the metal-eater, but nevertheless offers one hand to it. It better not want to eat something useful.
Kricker shakes off his fears and offers a hand to link the chain.
The kobolds form a chain behind the strange elemental creature and are dragged behind as the Xorn sinks into the stone. Everything goes dark and the kobolds feel a momentary panic as they realize they are entombed in stone. There is a sliding sensation as if they were moving through pudding except there is no moisture. They realize with a start that they can't breath though nothing seeks to enter their lungs and the air trapped there sustains them for the few moments it takes to pass though the mountain.
Warm air hits their face simultaneously with the red light that hits their eyes. They have emerged into a strange place, but at least it has air.
They are in a short claustrophobic corridor of corrugated steel and iron grates that drops immediately in front of them. The throbbing red light comes from small nobs that stud the corridor at even intervals. A strange hum vibrates through the entire corridor, shaking the metal walkway and setting its grates abuzz.
Perrik emerges from the rock showing little sign of emotional distress. "Thank you. This looks like where Hellion lived in Scrapwall. Interesting."
The Xorn points one of its three arms down the shaft. "They're down there. It's not hard to climb." he explains.
Drahlneep looks down the passage. Flashing red lights, quiet and ancient, unknown monster brought us here. He sighs and checks his weapons' loadouts before carefully maneuvering his way forward.
Kricker does his best to follow Drahlneep, stowing all of his weapons so that he has two free hands, as climbing is far from his strength.
"Errrr," the Xorn vocalizes his dismay as first, one of Drahlneep's straps somehow gets caught on a metal stub and then Kricker plummets down the shaft careening off the sides with loud crashes...
Perrik peers over the edge.
Perrik can barely see the sprawled supine form of Kricker some sixty feet below in the dim red light.
Kricker does his best to moan quietly, and then gets out his wand and starts healing himself, hoping to finish before the natives arrive to investigate.
Kricker aims his grapnel up at the top of the area and fires it to provide a line to help people climb down with. He hangs on the the bottom of the line to keep it anchored.
Drahlneep, keep an eye out while the rest come down.
Jeji watched with apprehension as the others descended into the darkness. Not one to be left alone, she swallowed her fear and began climbing down after her brothers.
Kricker is able to rock himself to a seating position and ignore for now the dented armor pressing into this kidneys. At least enough to look around as he gets out his wand.
This vertical shaft was clearly not intended to hang in this way, as demonstrated by several metal chairs fastened securely to one wall, which was clearly intended as the floor. Several daises studded with panels are also fixed to the same wall-floor, glowing with several multicolored lights. Side passages open up horizontally about fifteen feet above the wall that serves as the floor upon which Kricker sits. Kricker uses the wand twice to soothe his contusions. Just as he is about to activate the wand a third time and Jeji and Drahlneep begin scampering down, a klaxon sounds and shouts are heard.
Jeji:
Perrik:
Kricker: ;
Drahlneep:
foe:
Jeji scurries quickly halfway down the metal grilled shaft. Drahlneep follows Jeji getting about a quarter of the way down.
Kricker heals the majority of his wounds and stands just as the loud thud of approaching boots is heard. Two human looking figures appear at one of the openings halfway up the wall, crouching in the sideways entrance. They are dressed in gray overalls with utility belts and hold pistols. The beams that are directed at Kricker are barely visible in the ambient red light. He feels the burn as he is hit once though.
Kricker drops the Wand and draws his Grapnel gun and takes a shot at one of the human sized figures.
He then tightens his grip on the Grapnel getting ready to try to reel the figure in.
The grapnel's hooks sinks into an attacker's leg.
At seeing the laser beams emerge from the tunnel, Jeji tried to perch herself on the wall long enough to hurl a bomb towards the pulses of light.
She then tried to scurry down the passage more...which turned more into a fall.
Perrik peers down the vertical chute and sees Drahlneep freeing his baton which somehow managed to get snagged again. Jeji has climbed down to where the shaft appears to open up and tosses a bomb beyond Perrik's vision. There is a flash of light and in the red glow at the bottom of the drop, Perrik sees Kricker fire the Grapnel gun as Jeji slips, but catches herself on a chair attached to the wall.
Jeji's bomb burns one attacker badly though the spray only puts a few burn holes in his partner's overalls. A moment later, a bigger hole from Kricker's grapnel pierces that one's leg.
Perrik tries to climb down.
Drahlneep makes better headway once he has his equipment arranged for climbing down and finally reaches the opening into the room at the end of the passage. Perrik has a little difficulty getting started and lags behind.
Kricker waits for Jeji to throw again before digging in and hitting the retract button on his grapnel to see if he cant yank an Android off of the ledge.
And if instead it ends up hauling him up to the androids, he is ok with that as well.
Perrik continues to try to pick his way down.
Drawing another bomb, Jeji continued her bombardment.
Swearing because he is not fighting beside Kricker, Drahlneep opts to sacrifice his safety to protect his tribe. "I am coming, don't die, Kricker!"
Jeji's bomb arcs high and looks like it might fall short, but then explodes as it grazes the previously targeted guard. The burning android falls off the ledge. Kricker activates the grapnel just as the other android braces against the bulkhead to resist the grapnel. Kricker is whipped off his feet and swings into the wall.
Another pair of gray clad androids appears at the other elevated opening across the room and fire targeting Jeji. One burning ray hits the bomber.
Drahlneep grows impatient and drops rolling as he impacts the horizontal bulkhead. He rolls to his feet limping as he jars his leg. Perrik clambers about fifteen feet down the shaft.
Hissing as the ray burned her scales, Jeji returned fire with another bomb.
Kricker tries his own kind of heat ray against the one that hit he before.
Jeji hurls a bomb at the newcomers. The direct hit badly burns one and scorches the other. Meanwhile, Kricker releases the autograpnel which continues retracting toward the injured android. With a word and a gesture, the iron priest sends a red bolt at the android cauterizing a hole through its chest and it falls backwards as the grapnel gun whirs to a stop against its leg.
The two remaining androids focus on the bomber. Jeji is hit again.