As Zoreck starts to climb the strange creatures, rattling and skittering, start to click excitedly...
"Quick, can someone throw down a rope and get them back up to us quicker? Those vermin are closing on them."
Locke reaches out and catches the edge of the pit with a blinding quickness. He pulls himself onto solid ground and turns back to see Zoreck in the pit, dangerous looking creatures on either side of the other man. "Do you think that floating affect will work again? We need to get down there and help him!" Locke is obviously preparing to jump back into the pit unless someone stops him.
Illonna draws rope from her pack
"I have some right here. Given our injuries, I think it best to attempt to pull him up rather than go into the pit fight."
Locke is obviously preparing to jump back into the pit unless someone stops him.
Astraea can't help but agree with Illonna. "We're in no real shape to fight. I've got no more power for spells left. Let's get Zoreck back up here." She makes no move to stop Locke, however, hoping that maybe he can help Zoreck better from down there.
Locke pauses as Illonna pulls out the rope. "Quickly then, let's attempt to pull him up before the creatures attack, but if we can't I am jumping down there."
Drancis nods in agreement, just now realizing how tired he is. "I can knock them down off the wall, which should give Locke enough time to get to Zoreck." He raises his arms upward, gathering enough energy for his planned attack.
As Zoreck gets his foot on the lowest rung of the ladder, he can hear the strange creatures - now out of his line of sight - scuttling around...
...whilst, still dangling at the edge of the opened pit, Locke experiences a strange sensation as the air shimmers and warms... and, for the briefest of moments, the floor seems to phase back into existence...
Zoreck climbs the ladder to the ledge. He will empty the chamber of his pistol into the centipede if it seems like it's going to attack, but won't attack if the the creature doesn't seem hostile.
As he gets to the top of the ladder, Zoreck is able to see the creatures moving towards him... The carapace of each of the large centipede-like creatures is black and green, with snapping mandibles as its four alien eyes radiate a spectrum of rainbow-coloured light.
...it is only a guess although Zoreck is fairly sure - from the aggressive rearing pose and the voracious mandibles - that the creatures bearing down upon him are hostile...
Deciding that these creatures aren't giving him a friendly greeting, Zoreck points his pistol at the centipede on the right and pulls the trigger.
**BANG!!**
Deciding that climbing into the waiting jaws of terrifying monsters isn't a great idea after all, he pushes himself off the ladder, dropping 10 feet to the ground below.
He drops onto his feet, which he tucks as he lands,and executes an expeert tumble which breaks most of his fall.
As Zoreck starts to climb from the ladder on to the ledge that surrounds the pit, the centipedes rush at him… rearing up as they charge, Zoreck can see himself reflected a hundred times over in the compact eyes of his assailants… and, does what amy sane person would do, he shoots and runs...
...his bullet makes a sickeningly wet sound as it crunches through the closest of the centipedes... but, as he looks to regain his footing, Zoreck can see that both of the creatures are still alive... and are clambering into the pit...
…meanwhile, above the lower chamber, the hole in the floor through which Zoreck fell is shimmering with a strange energy – and Locke can feel himself being pushed downwards…
Knowing he only has seconds before the force effect manifests, he lets fly with his concentrated 'bubble'...
"Get up here, you two, click! We can't fight them now! We are too beaten up," Rikkan calls out to the others.
...seeing his opportunity, Drancis 'pushes' at the centipede... picking it up, and tossing it backwards, he badly wounds one of the creatures in the pit...
Locke contemplates in a moment that feels like it stretches into eternity. To fall, or not to fall?... I can't let Zoreck be trapped alone down there. Locke sighs almost theatrically as he lets go of the ledge and plunges down to help his friend. "Once more into the breach it is!"
"Zoreck! Locke! Eyes shut!" Astraea shouts in warning, as well as to hopefully attract the attention of the creatures.
As Locke lets himself fall… and then float… into the pit, a blinding flash from Astraea’s shield fills the chamber below with a tungsten white light…
Rikkan grabs a bomb and throws it at the most injured looking scorpion.
RTA
Fire Damage
If miss, random direction
In the end, the centipede-like creature proves to be an easy target for Rikkan – blasted by Drancis and Zoreck… then blinded by Astraea, the creature is utterly unaware of the impending doom being tossed down upon it… there is a loud BANG followed by a pained screeching… and, when the smoke clears, the centipede – shattered and burnt – lies dead…
…and, almost immediately, from behind them – back towards the vertical shaft that they climbed – Astraea, Rikkan, Drancis and Illonna hear the echoes of a second screeching noise… it sounds similar to that of the dying centipede but louder… much louder…
Illonna is torn between holding the rope, potential life-line, and drawing her weapon at the sound of a new threat. She quickly searches for something to use as an anchor.
Drancis looks behind him at the sound of the terrifying beast approaching. "I know we can't afford to get into another fight here! Let me see if I can block off the shaft here..."
Heading back out into the main lobby area he looks for a way to anchor the door panel and seal off the opening.
Seeing his friends do a number on the centipedes from above, Zoreck nods toward Locke and scrambles up the ladder again. Feeling that he hasn't time to load either his pistol or his crossbow, he draws the alien spur-throwing weapon, points it at the blinded creature, and pulls the trigger.
Tying the rope to herself, Illonna drops a hopeful life-line into the pit... just in time for a shimmering horizontal wall of energy to phase into place - the rope runs through the energy barrier but, on first examination, it isn't clear how the 'penetration' that it makes could be widened to let someone - Zoreck or Locke - climb through...
On the far side of the closed hole in the floor, in the room behind the glass window to the north-east, various technological panels seem to have sprung into life - lights blink and flash whilst there also seem to be images of Zoreck, Locke and the remaining centipede, scuttling for safety, being projected on to a wall...
Meanwhile, down in the pit, Zoreck clambers back up the ladder once more and, this time, tries his luck with the alien weapon... an organic barb fizzes through the air and catches the blinded centipede... Now quite injured, it appears to be retreating into a small room beyond the open door to the west...
...up in the main room, Drancis starts to fret about the noises emanating from the vertical shaft and so, trying his best to buy some time, he starts to bend the doors of the shaft back into position - Andretta sees what he is trying to do and smiles at him - her spear held ready... whilst, from the shaft comes another alien shriek - ear piercing and louder than before, it is accompanied by a scuttling sound...
Locke rushes to the ladder Zoreck had just climbed and makes his way up it himself. Readying his blade when he reaches the top. "Fighting against alien creatures to the death, trapped in a pit away from our allies. A bit of a bonding moment wouldn't you say?" Locke grins at Zoreck.
Climbing out of the pit, Locke watches as the remaining centipede creature blindly skitters back towards the door in the western wall of the chamber...
Rikkan delays, waiting to see if there was something up there getting ready to jump out at them.
"I can not move far from this pit because of the rope. IF we are attacked I won't be able to move to the enemy."
Zoreck grins at his friend's quip. "Well, if we're going to be gladiators, I'm glad you're on my side!"
He raises his alien gun and fires at the centipede again.
"...I wonder how much ammo these weird guns hold...?" he asks aloud to himself.
"...I wonder how much ammo these weird guns hold...?" he asks aloud to himself.
A second spur from Zoreck's rifle sears across the retreating centipede... smearing a yellow gunk across the floor as it drags useless legs behind itself...
...and then, from the vertical shaft, the scutling stops and an oddly familiar voice calls, "Mother? Mother, is that you?"
Drancis hefts one of the large pieces of debris with his mind, satisfied his make-shift barrier will slow down...who or WHATever that was. He gives a warning glance to Andretta...Keep silent! as he prepares for the worst.
Rikkan also delays not sure what he was hearing, but from the context, he could tell the others heard it as well.
Scowling at the centipede, Zoreck says, "Time to die, you ugly motherf**ker!" He cocks the alien weapon and fires again.
Zoreck raises the rifle for a third time and, his eyes narrowing as he predicts the movements of the rapidly skittering creature, he lets loose with the bolt that slays the creature… this one twitches for a moment and then dies without a sound.
The smell coming from the room where the centipede was retreating towards is powerful and highly repugnant, the chamber is filled with detritus, bones and, in one corner, three mouldering corpses. A look around confirms that there is no exit from this smaller chamber… indeed the only obvious other exit is the door to the east from the main Chamber.
Above them, those looking into the pit can see the fight come to a swift end… whilst those who are becoming increasingly concerned about the noises in the vertical shaft listen… and wait…
"Nice job Zoreck, I suppose you didn't need me after all!" When they look into the western chamber he comments, "Their lair I suppose? Rather disgusting. Opposite door it is!" He then heads toward the other door waiting for Zoreck before opening it cautiously.
"Click, should we hide. Whatever is making that noise to too much for us, as tired and injured, and split up as we are!"
Making his way around the pit whilst Illonna looks on from above, Locke gets to the door heading eastwards... made from a similar organic material to that which other doors here are constructed from, it steadfastly refuses to open no matter how Locke pulls at it...
"We should certainly hide. So separated we cannot defend ourselves."
Illonna checks to see if the invisible wall over the pit has dispersed.
Illonna checks to see if the invisible wall over the pit has dispersed.
The shimmering barrier that separates the room from the chamber below is still very much active... a tentative touch, followed by resting some equipment upon it, confirms that it will easily take the weight of a human (or similarly sized creature).
...and then a noise comes echoing up the shaft once more, multiple voices shouting... Bah... Gra!!! Bah Gra!!! Bah Gra!!!" followed by a loud chittering and then... screaming and howling...
Drancis pales in fear. "We have got to hide here. Those bahgra won't stall it for long!" He grabs Andretta's arm and pulls her out of sight of the main room with the shaft.
Looking around, there are certainly no places to hide within the main room where the friends clambered from the vertical shaft… and so, Astraea, Rikkan and Drancis, who retreats with Andretta, move into the room where the floor opened up beneath Locke and Zoreck… Rikkan, acting quickly, uses one of the cylinders to close the door over… mercifully, the door blocks out some of the noise coming from behind them – shouting, screaming and pain… in truth, the sounds of the violent struggle are over within no more than two or three minutes… and then silence returns…
…leaving the friends some time to consider exactly how Zoreck and Locke are to be rescued from the chamber below…
"Whrr, we have to find a way down here to help them. We need the group together before something finds them. Or us. "
"What about those green disks we found earlier?" Drancis asks. "If that doesn't work, then perhaps we can jury-rig them open."