"Well then we better go and see what this is all about." Boreal says bouncing her doshko onto her shoulder. "Which way Doctor Olmehya Solstarni?" Boreal asks, once she is pointed in the right direction she starts to move through the undergrowth
"Well, let's see... Gibson, please access the cultural database chip and pull up what we have on the elves from this time." Olmehya spends some time glancing back and forth between the script on Manteca's comm unit and her reference material...
Dr. Solstarni has also no clue what these writings are about.
It takes half a day again to reach the Temple of the Twelve and it is already night when the group comes in sight of the complex.
"Do we go in now, or wait for day?"
Eric taps a few buttons on his armbound datapad and draws his weapons.
Humanoids: I will scout the area and construct a telemetry map. There is a high probability that adversaries are present.
Be careful! says Manteca telepathically. The normally excitable shirren seems to be taking the seriousness of the situation to heart, as he crouches quietly and takes any placement orders from Boreal or EH-RK with no questions or complaints.
EH-RK gets a good idea of the area. He encounters no one on the outside of the temple, but a single strange person. Pointy ears, glowing eyes, ashen skin. The slender person guards the entrance .
Dr. Solstarni can give a rundown of the insides of the temple, as she has seen the most of it.
Eric sends a text message One sentry. Taking aim. Come when you hear fire.
Eric creeps to a location he can see the sentry and take some cover and he draws his Sniper rifle.
When he can line up a decent shot...
Also, where are you on the map? Top of the ledge at the top of the map?
On EH-RK's message the rest of the group hurries up the the "Path
of Enlightenment". It has small monuments placed at each landing carved with cosmic wisdom that have since eroded beyond legibility. The climb is steep — a reflection of Ibra’s teachings that the greatest discoveries require hard work to reach.
The ascent also hides numerous traps, though most of them are already disabled , whereas others had fallen apart with time. Having no idea of the temple’s true purpose, Halkueem Zan called this pathway the “Stairs to Eternity.”
The charge to EH-RKs position comes to an abrupt halt on the last turn of the stairs . There lies a dead cultist, which would be easy to ignore, but some large dangerous looking animal keeps jealous watch over the corpse and blocks the way.
Boreal comes to halt in front of the beast. Unlike anything she has encountered before it catches her off guard.
Dr. Olmehya informs the others of this staircase's symbolism related to the faith of Ibra.
Manteca is all ears while Doctor Olmehya describes the staircases' relationship to Imbra - right until they're interrupted by the other passenger on the staircase. "Oh no - a moutain eel! Their gaze has paralyzing properties, part of their hunting capabilities, so don't stare directly into it's eyes... Ok? ...Guys...?"
The mountain eel stares at Manteca and as he doesn't freeze in place the eel charges Manteca with its mouth full of needle like teeth.
Up the stairs, you hear a shot echo through the jungle.
The guardian in front of the temple didn't see it coming and is almost toppled over by the shot.
Shaking free of her paralysis, Olmehya moves beside Manteca and swings at the mountain eel with her cestus battleglove.
Eric ejects the spent round and reloads. He takes aim once more and fires at the elf.
A second shot echoes through the jungle. But that one is far off.
Dr. Solstarni throws a hard punch, gaining her the attention of the mointain eel.
Seeing the good doctor charge up to the eel, Boreal shakes free of her paralysis and charges.
Manteca draws his survival knife (possibly for the first time ever?) and attempts to ward off the attacking moutain eel with his clumsy knifework.
To cut someone Dr. Imani needs the subject to be under anaesthesia. He is lucky to not cut himself. But Boreal comes to the rescue and swings her doshko into the side of the eel.
The eel goes for the latest threat and bites at Boreal. Which is quite painful.
Manteca stumbles backwards. "Boreal! Don't let it keep biting you like that! Make yourself as big as possible so it can't swallow you whole!," the shirren yells unhelpfully.
Dr. Olmehya takes a guarded step around the eel, getting closer to a flanking position with Boreal Typhon . She punches the creature again.
The elf turns in direction of EH-RK. His weapon starts to glow in bright yellow light. Closing the distance to EH-RK the elf shoots a dart of light at him.
Boreal hits the mountain eel hard again, but the eel predicts the punch from Dr. Solstarni and evades it.
Manteca continues to step backwards down the steps. "Hurry! We have to go help EH-RK! Subdue this thing!"
Eric grunts as the bolt tears into him. Eric stands and activates his Holograms .
You can create holographic duplicates or psychic projections of yourself that conceal your true location. Once per day as a standard action, you can create 1d4 images of yourself that last for 1 minute per operative level. This ability otherwise functions as mirror image. You can use this exploit an additional time per day at 6th level, and again at 10th level.
identical images of the operative spring into being as the projectors custom built into his armor turn on.
Olmehya shifts around a little more, settling into a more tactical position across from Boreal Typhon, then swings again at the eel.
Boreal's swing with the doshko, deflects at the hard skin and Olmehya doesn't even manage to touch the mountain eel, despite Manteca's cheering on.
The strange guardian kills EH-RK with a well aimed shot. Or one of the five EH-RKs that are now standing on top of the ledge. He bursts like a soap bubble which suggests that it was not the real one.
The eel keeps biting at Boreal. She seems to have replaced Manteca as most tasty looking member of the party.
Boreal deals the mountain eel a devastating blow. It roars furiously staring daggers ar the vesk.
Olmehya tries another swing while the mountain eel is focused on the vesk.
Manteca, assuming himself safe at this point continues to attempt to telepathically coordinate his allies while taking a potshot himself.
Olmehya and Manteca both add to the wounds of the mountain eel, but it keeps biting at Boreal, with painful success.
It's a swing and a miss.
Eric moves away from the guardian and fires his laser pistol, activating his deflection sensors to throw off the strange guardian.
Boreal doesn't hit the eel and EH-RK fails to hit the guardian.
Like in a highnoon shootout EH-RK stands opposing the guardian. The edge between them forbids going into melee. And so the guardian keeps shooting what looks like magic, but seems to be related with the glow in his eyes that has the same color as the energy projectiles, which is the color of the sun. Such a projectile is shot at EH-RK again and another EH-RK bubble is burst.
Manteca grimly stands and continues firing the pistol, feeling more and more certain that it's going to devour Boreal if it doesn't die soon.
Manteca fumbles around with his pistol but doesn't manage to do any good with it.
The mountain eel tries to take another bite out of Boreal, but it only gets a mouth full of sturdry corbon fiber armor, that blocks the teeth.
The shirren continues to stand and deliver.
Manteca keeps shooting and finally he manages to hit. He stands in disbelief as the mighty creature first freezes shock, and then slowly falls like a cut tree, smashing into the ground and sliding down the embarkment.
Manteca freezes as the thing falls. As he sees the creature slide down the embankment, he tentatively raises his arms above his head. "WOO!" he yells. "Boreal Typhon, I take back all unflattering psychoanalyses of the vesk, that was AWESOME. EH-RK, did you see that?? ...EH-RK? ...OH NO, WE NEED TO SAVE EH-RK!"
Eric continues to move around and fire from cover when possible.
Next round too
"Thank you Dr Manteca Imani."
After catching her breath for a few moments Boreal takes off in the direction of the shots.
In the shoot out between EH-RK and the guardian, two more of EH-RK's duplicates get shot and the guardian has to take two hits.
The rest of the group hurries up the stairs to come to EH-RK's aid. Boreal is the first to arrive and finds the creature, standing Halfway between the entrance door and the opposing ledge where EH-RK stands on top and tries to hide in the bushes.
Boreal spots her target, and with a mighty below starts crossing the distance bringing her Dosko up in a vicious swing.
Eric continues moving and firing
Manteca hustles up the steps after Boreal. Upon finding EH-RK in the firefight, Manteca begins to telepathically coordinate with the party.