Aduard continues to stand back, contributing nothing.
The golem-hound continues to try and savage Edison, but the paladin avoids its snapping maw.
Karras growls, a deep rumble of frustration, as the creature withstands their assault. The Doctor's claws fly, his jaw snaps, and Karras hopes the golem falls soon.
Edison is emitting beastial snarles to match Karras' transmogrofied form and their snapping opponent, but the pained tang to his own exertions softens as Esta's magic takes hold, knitting torn flesh back together.
'ppreciate it, Miss Esta! he grunts, hefting his sword against the creature again.
Offering a quick nod of acknowledgement, Esta continues to chant.
Eyes fixed on some imaginary point as if sleepwalking, Aduard began to slowly walk around the melee and towards the door.
Edison and Karras combine to bring down the golem, the paladin lopping its head off with a vicious chop. The beast immediately goes inert, black ooze slowly pouring from its bisected remains.
I must keep working, I must keep working while the others protect me from whatever is coming for the master.
Karras lets loose a low growl and pulls two potions from his bandolier, drinking them one after another. "Prepare yourselves. If they can make a creature like this as a guard, they're powerful indeed."
Edison glares briefly at the now-inert form of Fido, waiting for any further signs of stubborn fortitude. Finally turning away, his eyes take in the state of his companions. He nods at the Doctors words.
Fair advice, Doc. Actually, c'mere, you're still carryin' some wear from the beast.
Moving to Karras, Edison's buckler-ed hand moves up to hold his hand-carved symbol of Erastil as his sword hand shifts its grip, now holding the weapon by the blade.
By the power and perseverance of Deadeye, he intones, bringing the pommel down sharply on Karras' shoulder with an audible thud. I anoint you with some small spark of His power, that we might show the same in pursuit of rightness and Good. He brings the pommel down again on the Doctor's other shoulder. The blows are rough, not unlikely to leave a mark in the morning, but the sensation of the impact seems far away, as -all of a sudden- all of Karras' other hurts do as well.
After taking a measure of his efforts' effect, his gives a grim nod and mutters another prayer.
Erastil, me and mine now walk into the den of a foe most foul, who have accosted the natural order of things and seek to keep information to save another's life hidden. Protect me, that we might weed the corruption out from this den of villainy. As he finishes this prayer, a soft green corona envelopes him before fading away.
With that done, Edison rights the sword in his hand, checks to make sure Esta is untroubled, and moves to join Aduard at the door.
What've you got, Master Bookman?
"Perhaps a dozen minds. Vorkstaag seeks to warn Grine. He's concerned we'll find the cabinet. I suggest we may wish to do immediately." Aduard gasps. He shakes his head and blinks. "I'm afraid I've lost focus. Come, we must make haste, if you are up to it, or flee."
Blinking, the Doctor growls. "Up to it. Let's put these wicked men out of our misery. And thank you, Master Wyatt."
Moving towards the entrance, the Doctor steps through the Works' front door and looks around. "Where are they, Bookman?"
Aduard shook his head "Can't tell. They're not thinking about their location. But they're preparing for something."
I'm not one to leave a job half-done, Edison growls, following Karras to and through the door. The man keeps his buckler high and ready, his long sword held in a tail guard behind him, blue eyes keeping a sharp lookout.
As they move into the building, the woodsman mirrors Karras' progress.
Esta listens peripherally to the others discuss their next move, training most of her focus on her chant and hand movements to keep her hex on Edison. As she follows along behind the men into the building, she carefully switches her attention to Karras, granting him a hex of his own.
The door opens onto a narrow stone platform, overlooking a chamber that occupies a whole side of the building, from the cellar level below up to the roof high above. Seven iron vats, each ten feet across, dominates the room. Furnaces fuel the vats at cellar level, while at the ground floor level a series of planks have been laid across the vats to allow passage to a ladder that leads to an iron walkway on the level above. Two ladders also allow access from the planks to the floor below. The air in the chamber is cloying and acidic.
A motley group of humanoids mill about the tanks, their features a collage of bestial visages barely hidden behind cloth breathing masks. Some appear to be focused on their work while others wave clubs at you threateningly, growling and snarling like animals.
Next to where Edison stands on the platform is an iron-rung ladder, connecting all three levels. Fifteen feet above, more mongrelfolk work. Above, standing on a catwalk hanging from the ceiling, is Vorkstag. The alchemist drains a vial of glowing liquid and tosses the glass to the floor.
"Kill them," he cries, and the mongrelfolk advance.
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Aduard recoils from the fumes as he recalls the mind he'd encountered: 'I must keep working, I must keep working while the others protect me from whatever is coming for the master.' - hardly the mind of a monster. It was fear that drove these poor wretches.
Aduard had encountered creatures like this before. Not evil by nature, but ostracised due to their mutations. They were easily recruited by any morally bankrupt, charismatic egomaniac with even a hint of power who wanted servants around to feel better about their own life choices.
he called to the others he murmurred quietly "Other door. No way up here. I'll hold them off..."
he hesitates for a second Subject to conditions
Ah, Hell! Edison curses, catching a whiff of the noxious fumes billowing throughout the chamber. He steps back out of the room, sheathing his sword as he does, and spins his bow from his shoulder into readiness. As he's lacing an arrow to the bowstring, he slows, listening to Aduard's ploy.
The Paladin turns a wary eye onto the situation, before chiming in.
Indeed, folks. We mean no harm. We're just here to talk to your boss. No need for any kind of violence here.
He glances up to Vorkstag's catwalk. Doc, he hisses under his breath. I'll keep these folk under watchful eye if you wanna try for Vorkstag. Don't like the look of that bubblin' crud, best if we keep away from it, and I've got all the arrows we need for that.
He keeps the arrow ready to fly in case of aggression, but does his best to make no motion betraying any ill-intent.
Esta finishes another two rounds of chants, her hands hidden from those inside as best she can as Aduard shouts into the room, the sound of her name catching her attention. She gives him a briefly confused look before she sets her shoulders back, nodding along with his off the cuff incentives.
Karras growls in assent and sucks his breath in, ducking into the room. Grabbing hold of the ladder, the Doctor begins clambering up towards Vorkstag, thinking one of the vats below them was as fine a place as any for the boss of the Chymikal Works.
The mongrelmen—seemingly spoiling for a fight a moment ago—now hesitate, the promise of gold and free healthcare clearly something they were not expecting.
They glance at one another, the mishmash of bestial and human eyes waiting for one to give permission. Finally, one of them speaks, "How much gold?" he asks, his mouth hidden by a cloth mask.
"Useless creatures," Vorkstag screams down from the catwalk. "Kill them or I will personally skin you alive!"
The man moves down the catwalk, producing and mixing a series of vials in a glass bottle. When bottle begins to smoke, he drops it from above, directly on to Edison. The bottle bursts with a flash, flames scorching the paladin, and both Aduard and Esta standing nearby.
Below, Karras makes his way towards the only ladder leading up to the catwalk. Below any windows here, the room's floor is cast in shadows. Somehow, as the Doctor approaches the rungs, the room grows even darker. The sound of footsteps in his general vicinity is the only sign that Karras is not alone.
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"Renumeration depends on exact skills, but I can "
"How much? A hundred gold for Vorkstag's head! Another hundred for Grine! A third hundred for their cursed cabinet! "
Alright, let's not be hasty! Edison calls, grunting under the pressure of the searing flame. NO ONE, NEEDS to DIE!. The last is pointed directly at Vorkstag on the catwalk above, though he throws a pointed sideeye at Aduard.
The paladin closes his eyes, breathing a determined, calm sigh through his nose before opening them again.
Your boss, Vorkstag, has done no permanent harm, he proclaims to the room, passing a hand over a badly-burned patch on his neck.
Erastil, give me the patience to preserve the lives of the innocent, and the endurance to preserve me and mine, he murmurs as his holy symbol glows and his wounds knit back together.
Indeed, should he surrender now, as he HAS done no permanent harm to us, and clearly CAN NOT, protected as we are by the strong arms of GOD, so he should just pack it in, and COOPERATE, along with all of you folk, who are completely INNOCENT of his foolhardy and wasteful onslaught!
Back up a bit, if we can convince him he's just diggin' a deeper hole, he might give in' he hisses to Esta and Aduard.
Y'alright, Doc? he calls, keeping an eye on Karras as he disappears into the gloom.
Hissing as the bottled fire licks at her skin, Esta grits her teeth and stands firm in the doorway. The green of her eyes darkens dangerously as she finds the alchemist amidst the chaos, her chanting growing louder to fight against the din of voices raised around her. Her gaze firmly locked on her target, she traces sigils in the air, light flashing around her hands af the hex goes off.
With one hex down, she traces more patterns as she chants, enveloping her companions in a brief, muted light.
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The Doctor stops, growling, "Shadows down here, unnatural. Probably Grine." Turning, Karras makes his way towards the other ladder, his hasted body spurred on by supernatural speed, and begins ascending towards Vorkstagg.
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"Certainly Grine," a sinister voice replies from the darkness, followed by a thud as the blade of an axe hacks into Karras's leg. Spurred on by his mutagenically-enhanced form, the alchemist clambers up the ladder, blood dripping from the wound. As he climbs, Karras feels the effort becoming more difficult, his arms and legs weak. Reaching the top, he's easily able to engage Vorkstag.
On the basement level, mongrelmen retreat from the darkness at the base of the ladder. On the ground level, the mongrelmen seem to make up their minds. "We will help you fight the bosses!" they cry, taking their clubs and scrambling down the ladders.
As if in response, a thrown axe hurtles out of the darkness, taking one of the mongrelmen in the shoulder and casting them howling into a vat. The pitiful creature splashes in the liquid for a moment, screaming as its flesh bubbles, before finally ceasing. The acrid stink of acid-melted flesh fills the room.
Atop the catwalk, Vorkstag steps back from Karras and drinks a potion. The man grins at Karras, nodding to his wound. "That looks bad, old boy. Perhaps you should see a doctor." As he speaks, the back of his throat glows with orange light, as though he had literally swallowed a fire.
The Doctor growls. The thought of tossing a bomb at Vorkstag and saying something along the lines of sick burn, here's one for you crosses Karras' mind, but he shakes off such foolishness and steps back up to his enemy, flashing claws and gnashing teeth trying to bring the man down before whatever is happening with his throat comes to fruition.
Aduard scowls as one of his new minions valuable employees is murdered.
"If you can't bring yourself to shoot at..." Aduard gets hold of himself "Can either of you take out the tiles above the darkness? Otherwise, shoot Vorkstag. We can question his corpse."
For his own part Aduard stays in the door, mutters a few words and points an accusing finger at Vorkstag. Five shining darts spring into existence and curve around the Doctor to strike his opponent.
Esta produces a hex of healing for Karras, then proceeds to another around of chants.
Edison tries to line up a shot, but quickly lowers his bow, cursing the angle. His eyes instead fall on the ladder Karras used to reach Vorkstag, its base lost in the darkness below.
Damn it, I'm going down there; the Doc can handle Vorkstag, but I don't want Grine comin' up behind him! The Woodsman takes a deep breath from the clean air outside before tossing aside his bow, striding to the ladder on their own platform and clambering down.
Expedited by Aduard's Haste, he finds himself down on the gloomy ground floor all too soon. He throws a determined look at the globe of darkness as he drops his hand to his sword, tearing it free, and raising his buckler.
C'mon Grine, he hisses through his teeth, trying to breath as little as possible in the hissing miasma. Your partner's good as dead, either surrender, or let's start dancin'!
Despite Vorkstag's flickering, blurred form, the Doctor sinks his teeth into Vorkstag's arm and the alchemist jerks away. With a wet tear, part of Vorkstag's skin sloughs off, revealing glistening red muscule beneath. Seemingly unconcerned by the damage, Vorkstag belches a gout of flame directly onto Karras. Karras throws himself against the wall, avoiding the worst of the blast, but leaving the fur and clothing along his side singed.
The magical darts thrown from Aduard's outstretched hand streak towards their target before colliding with an unseen barrier, their magic distributed harmlessly across the screen.
"As if those are the only two options," Grine's replies from the cloud of unnatural darkness, tinged with cruel mirth. Another throwing axe flies out of the black, catching Edison in the shoulder.
The paladin winces as he extricates the axe from his arm, but gives a grunt and a hearty chuckle in the direction of the darkness.
You've got a mean arm, Grine. But I'm rather certain you're wasting your time just lobbing axes. As he speaks, the paladin presses the hilt of his sword to his wound, and once again a soft glow encompasses the gash, flesh knitting together.
C'mon Grine, you're spinning your wheels. Square up and stop wasting time.
The woodsman raises his sword and buckler in a salute, then begins shifting his weight back and forth on the balls of his feet, for all the world ready to dodge the next blow.
The Doctor presses his attack, flying claws and snapping jaws, the frenzy overtaken him. Little thought goes to the man's own safety as his clothes smolders and his skin blisters; the beast is in control.
Unsure what to do, Aduard rigs his kerchief into a makeshift mask and places the bow on the ground. "Ms Vyrelian..." he enquires "Would you happen to have a way to shatter the tiles above Mister Wyatt, or failing that, a rope?"
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"I've got neither, sorry," Esta replies, her voice wearied from the continual string of incantations she's been chanting to keep her companions going. "But I am real tired of these guys."
She takes a step forward, into the building just enough to carry out her plan. Vision focused on the darkness, she stares with irritation as the words of her spell slip readily from her tongue and into the air around her. Small wisps of smoke twist and swell around her, each shaping into the form of a bat before darting off to their master's specified position.
The diminutive alchemist giggles, the sound coming from someplace within the unnatural darkness. "I am at your disposal, paladin. Since you are invading my home, I don't think it's very sporting that you expect me to fight on your terms."
Above, Karras rips into Vorkstag's flickering shape, more of his skin ripping away to reveal more red muscle. With a grunt of pain, Vorkstag retreats a step and belches another gout of flame onto Karras, but the Doctor avoids the worst of the attack yet again.
Flame licks along Karras' coat, light orange wisps moving in the dim light of the factory as the man closes again on his prey, little but rage left propelling the doctor forward.
Sporting its not, but you're at no one's mercy but your own. Surrender, and you'll get out of this alive. Your partner's huffin' and puffin' away up there, but he's just digging a bigger grave for himself. Drop the darkness, save your life.
Edison's eyes narrow as he stares into the inky sphere.
What's he up to in there?
The woodsman cocks his head, listening closely for any clue as to Grine's efforts in the dark.
As he listens, Edison keeps light on his feet, ready to run into the darkness should he see Grine emerge up the ladder towards Karras, or out of the way of some other malfeasance.
"I need a ladder!" Aduard called, heading outside. "I'll take the roof off. The darkness won't stand up to that!"
Aduard bolted outside, desperately looking for an easier way to the roof. 'Maybe if I took the chain off the "dog", stood on the doghouse and threw it...'
Esta looks around in a near frenzy, unsure of what to do next. Everyone, friend and foe alike, was too far away for her to do much without subjecting herself to the harmful fumes in the room, but as she saw the myriad of wounds that decorated the doctor's form, it seemed as though venturing into the haze was the only choice she had.
With a quick muttered prayer to her patron, Esta hurries down the ladder and into the depths below. Her back pressed against the wall, she sidles slowly towards the next ladder, her eyes trained on the darkness around her in case Grine makes an appearance.
While Aduard steps outside and retrieves the rope of climbing, the fight continues inside.
Atop the catwalk, Karras drives Vorkstag back further, although his foe's hazy, flickering outline protects him from the worst of the doctor's attacks. Still, Vorkstag bleeds from half a dozen strange wounds, patches of skin torn away from the muscle as though it were parchment. Pressed into the corner by Karras, Vorkstag drops any pretense of keeping range between himself and the monstrously enhanced Doctor. He whirls and slashes at Karras with outstretched hands, the tips of his fingers having suddenly grown into sharpened claws. The blows are frighteningly fast, and although Karras manages to fend off one, the other slices lines of blazing pain across Karras's chest. Vorkstag grins in anticipation of his victory, his eyes blazing with mad fury.
Below, Grine releases a surprised yelp as the swarm of screeching bats unleashed by Esta's magic flaps into the darkness surrounding the ladder. The tiny man bursts out of the magical shadows, covered in tiny bite marks. He turns back towards where he came and lifts a holy symbol shaped like a one-eyed mask. Offering a quick chant, a wave of dark energy ripples out from the trinket, sapping the strength of Esta and Edison.
Despite the pain, Esta lets loose with a spray of conjured silver needles. Grine rolls away from the attack, and the darts thud harmlessly into the chymical tank beyond.