Amelia frowned at the impertinent automaton.
" Yes, you do that. You call your security forces and tell them that there are intruders in the tunnels. We managed to subdue a few of them, and destroy their war walker but at least one remains. While your security forces search for them we will remain here and take no offensive actions. Since I am remanding myself to your care I believe you bear the burden of hospitality. I would like a chair. And some refreshment. Tea and honey will suffice. "
The metal man regarded Amelia for long seconds. It's mechanical brain whirred audibly.
"Brzzt....Intruders, you say? This will not do." A slender wire rose from somewhere behind its head and musical chimes rang out.
Deet....deet..deet..deet..deet...deet
The wire retracted from sight.
"Security Dragonaughts have been alerted. Please do not leave this chamber for your own safety until the all clear has sounded."
The metal man clanked to the near wall and ran his hands over the surface, part of the span swinging away to allow the construct to step out of sight for a moment. It returned bearing a silver tray arrayed with an ornate kettle and a scattering of metal tumblers and small lidded containers. It walked to Amelia and stopped.
"Madam, Do you prefer Simeon White or Three Mountain Green?
The automaton turned to the companions. "Would any of you care for some refreshment?"
Brand looked the thing up and down. Semblance of life, but clearly a servitor.
"Actually, how about some history of this place? Any reason why Intruders would want to be here?"
The automatons powerstone eyes regarded the half-dryad.
"The Master's skillset is rare, and in extremely high demand as you might expect. This location was a joint effort, constructed for the sole purpose of facilitating his research. It is critically important that The Master is not disturbed at his work."
Green light played over Brand.
"You have a curious bio-rhythmic matrix. What are your origins?"
Evelyn remained outside the chamber, simply regarding the elevator exit from the limits of her dark vision, on watch for the attempted escape of the enemy.
Evelyn sees nothing...but then began to hear noises......distant booms and roars, mixed with the tortured screams of the wounded.
Someone ran beneath her position, the sounds of their frantic movement carried by the wire grill of the pit lid.
Solid, thudding footsteps followed, the air filling with crackling and the tang of burnt ozone.
Another roar sounded, deafening, and a sharp whip-crack solit the air, followed by the low rumble of thunder.
Solid, thudding footsteps moved away, fading until they were lost to Evelyn's hearing.
All was silent once more.
Brand smiled at the machine man. "Not one hundred percent sure on that one big guy. Dryad mother I think, and human father."
Brand held out his green wood staff. His eyes narrowed and the wood cracked and groaned into a close approximation of the robot.
"Good with nature, but I also know how your power matrix converts the motion of the keys kinetic force into fuel."
He shrugged, "I'm a weird one for sure."
The automaton studied Brand again. "Such an admixture should not be possible. Most interesting. I shall pass it along the proper channels for further study."
With mechanical whirings the dwarf-constructs stubby fingers split into an array of probes, prods, pincers, cutting blades, and other - more unnamable tools. He reached towards Brand with his other hand.
"With your permission. May I procure a genetic sample to facilitate my research?"
Brand hesitated. "um, if you want a little blood I guess I can. I'm eager to know such things about myself. But not like a lot or anything too intrusive ok?"
"Nothing so crude as a draw on the bodies humor's is required."
The construct reached out and lightly scraped the surface of Brand's arm and then yanked a hair from his crown.
"There. Done. Thank you for your cooperation"it said, and walked towards the far wall.
"Not so bad I guess! So, do you think you need any assistance with the clearing out of the yellow cloaked ones? Its kind of why were here."
RG 4-6 turned. "The Dragonaughts have never failed. They are......formidable, but limited in their cognition. I cannot guarantee your safety outside of these walls."
The automaton returned his attention to the far wall and its banks of levers and dials. "Most distressing...The entire southwest wing of the complex is without power, and air filtration has failed in several locations. Sub-Level-4 seems to be underwater....What has happened?"
"We have no idea. I believe you may have been here for quite some time. This may impair your dreadnaught's abilities to distinguish friend from foe. Pray, do you have a visual interface that we may use to view what they are seeing? As we have remanded ourselves we are honour bound to help you."
RG 4-6 considered the wizard's words for a moment and then flipped several of a bank of silver switches adorning the adjoining wall. "Power couplings are down in much of the area and with them, the eldritch eyes. There may be a few....." More switches clacked, dials spun.
"There...Water Cistern B Causeway." The automaton stepped back to allow Amelia to peer into the convex lens set in the walls surface.
The lens gazed out into a wide passageway of dressed and fitted stones. A foaming surge of rushing, roaring water splashed along one side of the hall, sparaying the far wall with wet droplets. Chunks of rubble littered the walkway along the underground river, pieces of a pale, cream-colored stone. Amelia could make out bits and pieces of detail in a few of the chunks, hollows and lines that indicated the rubble might have once been part of ornamental stonework or statuary.
And then a fiend stepped into view, ogrish, broad-shouldered and scaled, its overlong arms tipped with ripping talons, a rack of twisted horns crowning a head that seemed to be mostly mouth. Manacles of black iron still encircled its wrists, dangling short lengths of broken chain. It moved forward and out of sight once more.
The image faded...
Brand moved closer to the apparatus, "What do you see? Can I look?"
He shifted impatiently.
" A hordeling. Hmmm. I believe you will find an arcanist with a focus on summoning in that area. I suggest you send something that can detect the invisible"
RG 4-6 slowly rocked his metal head from side to side. "My capabilities are limited to activating those security measures within range of my signal. Deeper levels are beyond that and seem to have lost power to receivers in any event. I am deaf, mostly blind, and unable to communicate effectively with any of the Master's assets beyond the holding pits outside."
The automaton's mechanisms whirred and clanked."I can tell you that a hordeling is not on the approved list for summoning to this complex. Neither the Mster, nor any on his staff, would summon one without prior authorization."
Amelia glared at the metal creature.
Of course. Always the petition to the heroes she thought
" I see. The course is quite clear then. We will attempt to restore your capabilities. The boy is quite adept with machines. Give us a map of the complex, something to allow us to be unmolested by the dreadnaughts, a list of what we need to do to allow you to oust these intruders, and whatever magical or mechanical advantages you can and we will set out".
RG 4-6 turned to Amelia."That course of actions lies outside acceptable risk-reward parameters and as such, I must implore you to reconsider."The construct pointed with a metal limb towards the tabletop,"Despite that warning, I cannot stop you from taking any of the maps on the left hand side and pursuing the nearest course to power conduit 7J, which is the the closest to our geographical location as the khargra burrows. I am unable to provide the passcode for the draconaughts directly, but I have some wiggle room in my directives. Answer this riddle and add the letter B and the number 728 and you will have deduced the passcode for Green level entry. I'm sorry I cannot be of any greater use to you.".
This thing all things devours;
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats mountain down.
Brand shot forward, his face bright. "Time! Its time right?"
"I cannot confirm your answer as correct," the construct reported.
Brad slapped his hands together. "It is Time, I'm one hundred percent sure. Lets go!"
Maps in hand, the companions ride the far elevator deeper into the complex and then following one passageway after another through myriad twists before ending at a stone finger jutting out into open air, crafted on the edge of the narrow ledge of a massive cavern. The floor and ceiling are beyond your senses but a pillar of stone rises out of the murk some hundred feet before you, lit by seemingly random pulses of blue-white light and scattered sparks that rain down the massive stalagmite.
The ledge and landing are layered with an drab yellow-brown sludge crawling with the clicking, clacking forms of dark shelled beetles the size of your hand, the slithering wriggling of their bodies and the sharp clicks of their serrated mandibles clearly audible.
Dank smells, like mold mixed with wood smoke, compete for dominance in the air.
Brand stepped forward. A loud clicking hiss escaped his lips.
The beetles mill about in a chaotic mass, responding to Brand's clicks and clacks by scuttling closer, clearing the surface area of the finger of stone behind them as they slowly move towards the ledge on which the companions stand.
Brand clicked and hissed again, putting his arms out in front of him and moving them outwards.
Brand smiled "Well friends, shall we go forward?"
Maitreya looked from Brand to the approaching swarm of beetles.
"You speak....bug?"
"Speak? no...More like getting their attention, and making descriptive gestures. Communicate yes, I suppose. I can only speak to plants besides the common tongue."
" Yes. You continue to try to communicate with them"
With a word of magic Amelia conjured a chill mist which descended upon the scuttling beetles. Shrill cries echoed from the swirling vapours.
" Let them know that the followers of Voil will not be tolerated"
Frozen bodies began to rain from the edges of the finger of stone, lumps of crystalline ice with dark many-legged hearts that fell away into the darkness to shatter several long seconds later.
Those vermin that survived the chill mist scuttle away, seeking to distance themselves from the suddenly frigid area.
In the sudden silence that descended after the icefall, you all sense it.
A distant shriek, more of a pulse and pressure on your ears than a thing truly heard.
And then another, closer, mixed with the snap of leathery wings.
A horror zoomed past the eruption of sparks on the stalagmite, maw distended open to show rows of needle teeth, the eyes black and soulless beneath massive swiveling ears. A bone horn stood from its upturned nose and spurs of bone jutted from its brow and down the lines of its wings.
The mammoth bat swooped towards the companions and shrieked again.
Bat 28
Brand 16a
Amelia 16b
Maitreya 11
Evelyn 5
Lightning suddenly crackled in the shadowed hollow of the monstrous bats maw, crackling towards the gathered companions on the narrow ledge.
The brilliant light flared a split moment before the bats thunderous screech rolled over them in concussive waves of sound, blasting their ears.