Alim shakes off the Void's attack as he retreats back with his comrades into the the other room. Making their way back, Alim is followed closely by the Void Zombies. After a narrow miss of the closest Void's attack, Alim grabs his orb and swings his orb which becomes his Solar Sword by the time it makes contact. After making his attempted hit, Alim moves guardedly along the wall, to hopefully open up a better line of fire for his comrades behind him.
jib prepares to attack the zombie when it comes into range.
Hux waits for the enemies to come around the corner and keeps watch for any other threats
Dahlia lights the yellow zombie on fire with a nasty shot from her mini flame thrower. Katara is unable to land a shot on that zombie while shooting through Alim. Luckily, Alim is able to give the zombie a nice cut with his solar weapon.
Hux does not notice anything off besides the crew of the Acreon being zombies, trying to eat you all.
The zombie crawl along the way forward toward Alim, only to find a pike running through it's body. Somehow, the parisite running it's body is still able to keep it standing and it swings its tongue at Alim again. But his bad luck streak continues as the burning zombies tongue misses Alim completely.
The blue zombie advances but is unable to do much more due to the other zombie in the way. The burning zombie manages to put itself out so it is no longer on fire.
Jib finally capable of doing so unleashes a full attack action
Hux still unable to get a clear shot readies an action in case an enemy enters his line of sight
Alim, reacting to the Void trying to use it's tongue on him again, turns and takes another swing at the zombie. He channels in his photon state as he strikes.
Dahlia, having spent the last of the petrol in her flame pistol, draws her old, trusty sidearm (letting the flame pistol float slowly away) and fires once more through the crowd at the nearest zombie.
Once again Dahlia stares incredulously at her pistol, wondering if has somehow become a plasma cannon without her knowledge.
Tool pushes off the wall As too drifts by he quick draws his squirt gun and takes a shot. Dahlia gets hit in the back of the head with the water from tool's shot.
Katara unable to see the enemy readies himself to fire once it is within sight.
Alim slices open the yellow zombie, finishing it off. As it drops, Dahlia the marksman snipes out the second zombies left eye, leaving a large whole in the back of its skull where the bullet made it's exit wound. If it could think, it would be happy that it was at least not lit on fire like its ally.
The zombie crawls up the cave some more where Katara manages to deal another massive blow to the zombie. It is clear it is on its last legs, but it swings it's tongue out at Alim! While it might not have long to live, it sure connects with the giant blue tongue as it stabs into his gut.
Quick to act, so that Alim does not lose his nerve, Dahlia summons healing magic and weaves it into the Solarian.
"Stay strong, we almost have him!"
back to Alim.
After shooting Dahlia in the back of the head Tool Quick draws one of his water grenades. Tool toss the water grenade at the zombie. . The water grenade sails by Dahlia's big head and past Alim. landing at the feet of the zombie. The grenade pops like a water balloon tossing salt water all over.
Dahlia has a healing aura wash over the group. Everyone feels nice, but Alim feels a lot better. The wound in his gut closes up.
While that happens, from the ground, Tool lobs a grenade over everyone's head, landing right behind of the zombie. There is a moment of panic in Alim's eyes as he knows he would be caught in the blast, when is suddenly starts spraying salt water. It soaks Alim, Jib, Katara, Dahlia, and most importantly, the zombie. It is unable to dodge any of the water as it burns it's flesh. The zombie falls to floor, dead again. The entire crew of the Acreon has been found.
On the bodies, you find a credit stick with 470 credits on it. In addition, an azimuth laser rifle and needler pistol float in this chamber. Neither have any ammo left.
You are now left in a cavern that leads into a already explored room and a door that seems to fit more on a space station than an asteroid.
During our search, Dahlia keeps an eye out for any more noqal (hatched or unhatched)
Tool suggests we go through the door, they can check the other tunnle on the way out. Tool check the door for any oddities also checking to see if the door could be opened stealthily.
There are no signs of any noqal. It comes from an adult Akata only, and you have not encountered one yet on the ship.
Tool searches the door and nothing seems out of play with this door. It is hard to say how much noise opening the door will make. It is the kind that slits in half vertically and each slid slides into the wall. It doesn't seem like an airlock so it shouldn't be that noisy but if something is in the room, it will most likely notice movement.
Feeling the tongue hit him hard, Alim wavered slightly, surprised by the hit. Of course it hits now... Thing hasn't landed anything all fight...ALLEANA!
As Alim struggles with his thoughts, he hears Dahlia call to him, and a burst of renewed strength rushes through him. As the feeling flows within his veins, Alim pulls out the tongue that has struck him, just in time to find his wounds healed. As he tosses the tongue back at the Void, he sees a bomb flying towards the zombie. Doing his best to cover himself, Alim is hit with the after effects of the giant water balloon. Taking a moment, Alim realizes that he is covered with water... And not bloody body parts. He turns back towards Tool, and his eyes go from a distant stare, to realization, to a full-blown smile. While no one can see Alim's mouth, it is easy to understand that he has found great humor in the situation. He laughs for the first time in front of everyone, and it is a spirited, hearty laugh. It is contagious, because a few other's at least hint at a smile.
After taking a moment to try and dry up a bit, Alim ponders their situation. "I agree with Tool- we should go through this door here. However, I ask that we take a moment to rest. Maybe you guys can think of a game plan for how to best enter while I take a moment..." Alim trails off, clearly thinking. He looks at the Void's that have just been defeated, and then looks back at the group. "Before we leave, can we figure out a way to bind the crew, and bring them back to the Station with us? While I know this hasn't been the easiest of fights, since we can only imagine the gruesome end that these individuals came to, I think it is only right that we bring back their bodies. That way, the families can put them to rest according to their own traditions... Tool, maybe you can keep one of those water balloons handy for the ride home, just in case?" Alim's eye's peak again, indicating that he is, again, smiling. Alim wanders away for a moment to rest, and will rejoin when the group is ready to move forward.
Hux still feeling exhausted from his sickness is happy to join in the resting. his normal cheery optimism seems to have been overshadowed by his discomfort though he tries to maintain a pleasant demeanor.
Tool gives the all clear sign that it does not seem trapped, so Alim opens the door. It turns out Tool was correct, it is not trapped. In stark contrast to the caverns elsewhere inside the Drift Rock, this hallway looks more like a room on a space station or starship. Rather than the unfinished rock of the asteroid, the walls, floor, and ceiling are clad with finished sheets of some polished, metallic substance.
There is still no light in the hallway but as soon as you walk through the door way, you feel the effects of standard gravity on you. The hall ends quickly (20 ft) before splitting into another fork. One way leads East, the other leads West. The East way turns north rather quickly but you think you see some flashing colored light coming from that direction. The West way seems to open up into a bigger from but you can not get a good look into the room till you head that way. Which way do you go?
The door is unmarked of a manufacturer or anything like that.
Tool gives the door a good going over to get any info he can from it. why its here whats its made of how old is it...
You determine that the wall panels are some sort of ceramic-metallic plating that is as strong and durable as adamantine alloy, but is itself a substance unknown to Pact Worlds material science.
Given the lack of familiarity of the material, it is hard to say its age. Theoretically, the material would require technology that is about on par with the current tech of the Pact Worlds but it is definitely not from the Pact Worlds.
Function seems to be that of a normal door.
This chamber seems torn between two worlds—its southeastern half is an unfinished rock wall, while the northeastern portion of the room is finished with the same ceramic-metallic plating found in the hallway you were just in. There seems to be a computer system in this room as well.
Besides the computer there is some odd machinery in the room. Dahlia would be able to tell that the machines here are hybrid (or both tech and magical). The function of it all is hard to say.
The machinery has some odd symbols that are not anything from the pact worlds on them. These symbols are both on buttons and on display screens so you would assume that it is a language of some sort.
In the North side of the room, there is a similar door to the one that led to this section.
There is standard gratify and dim light from the computer.
Making a slow, methodical scan of the room for potential threats, Dahlia holds her super-pistol at the ready.
When she is convinced there is no immediate danger, she turns her attention to the machine, drawing on all her teachings on mystic matters.
She relays out loud anything she learns, forgetting that the cameras are rolling.
Squinting weirdly, Dahlia looks over the strange lettering.
Alim follows Dahlia over to the computers and looks over the symbols, seeing if he can recall anything from his history lessons...
Alim also glances around the room, seeing if there is anything that jumps out at him... Both literally and figuratively.
There does not appear to be anything hidden in the room that either Alim or Dahlia can find.
Hux and Dahlia work together to try to understand the hybrid nature of the machinery. With them working together, they realizes that it is advanced technology of a type not seen in the Pact Worlds system and that it seems to primarily deal with monitoring the status and operation of larger, unknown systems located elsewhere. There also seems to be a control function to it too. All of that being said, the way it works and the technology and types of magics are nothing like you have ever seen before. You feel as if you have only scratched the surface of the actual purpose of all of this.
Dahlia and Alim work together to interpret the the words. The biggest thing they learn is that they are 100% certain it did not come from Pact Worlds across any time period. The words are too foreign to even hazard a guess at the meaning of words.
Tool starts to go over the computer to see what he can figure out
Tool sits down to work on the computer. After he boots it up, he thinks he hears a weird whining noise but cant figure out the source. Suddenly, an arc of electricity shoots from the computer frying both the computer and Tool.
There is nothing the room left to investigate, (except maybe Tool's burn) so is the plan to continue this path by heading north?
The group rests for another 10 minutes as Tool recovers from a powerful shock that was probably avoidable.
The group goes the the doors leading north which leads to a small nonscript hallway. It covered with the odd metal again and leads to a large doorway. The door opens up into a large room.
With its vaulted ceiling and smoothed stone floor, this sprawling cavern has the appearance of a primitive shuttle hangar or landing bay—an impression reinforced by the presence of a starship taking up the majority of the space. Only the western wall is finished with the ceramic-metallic plating found elsewhere in the complex; the remainder of the cavern is hemmed by natural rock walls. Huge doors stand in the eastern wall of the chamber—doors easily big enough to accommodate the starship parked in front of them. Of more immediate interest, however, are the two human bodies splayed on the floor just inside the western doors, their internal organs spread artfully on the floor around the corpses.
The ceiling of this room is 60 feet high.
While the dead bodies and the ship are interesting, what is more troubling is the really odd flying creature.
The creature seemed to see you... well not really see since it does not have eyes, it seems to sense you as well.
Hux fires a shot at the flying creature and then drops back to make room for the group's retreat
Jib moves into position and readies an action to attack the creature if it comes into range.
Katara moves into position and fires at the enemy.
Hux misses by a long shot while moving into position. Jib readies himself as he also move and Katara lands a hit.
In your mind, you a weird sensation. It is not really a voice but more of an understanding of what it is trying to convey... like it can transmit meaning to you. Yummm some new samples to taste. I have been getting read all sorts of new foods lately. Which one will be my first meal? Maybe the 4 armed thing...
With that, the weird creature flies down and tries to bite Alim. It's teeth sink in and causes a lot of pain but it is almost a relieve that the bite is just pain and no illness comes along with it.
Dahlia looks over Alim to see if she can held mitigate the blow he has taken, then casts telepathic message on the creature.
"I have entered your mind and it is here, from within, that I will destroy you"
This is a A garaggakal. That is a chaotic evil medium outsider. It is one of the few creatures that are known to be naturally from the Drift. The one piece of information that is most prominent about these things is that they are vulnerable to electric damage. Dahlia is pretty sure there is something else she knows... it is on the tip of her tongue...
In your mind, Ahh another mind speaker... I look forward to taste your brain to see how you are able to transmit your thoughts...
Tool tries to hide behind Katara and then, once out of sight, take the enemy by surprise with a trick attack.
And the trick works like a charm as the enemy did not see it coming is now caught flat footed, and burn wound in it's chest.
Jib continues to hold his formation again readying an action to attack the creature if it comes into range.
Hux takes a full defensive action
Katara holds his position and lets loose multiple shots at the creature.
Alim, surprised by the beast's appearance, the bite, and the telepathy quickly tosses his gun to grab his Static Pistol. He aims and fires as he shuffles back to be closer to his comrades.
Tool burns it with a pistol and it is clear that this thing is not happy that you are standing up to it. He did not even see Tool there. This has thrown him off, opening him up to both Katara and Alim's attacks, both hitting. He seems especially upset about Alim's shock pistol.
It step steps forward getting ready to bite into Alim when it gets stabbed by a pike! That doesn't stop it from sinking its teeth into Alim again.
That four armed critter is delicious. If you leave me the four armer and the lizard, I will let the rest of you leave here alive...
Undeterred by the nasty bite, Dahlia reaches out to Alim, sending a soft, warm healing energy through the Solarian.
As the spell fails to reinvigorate Alim fully, Dahlia pours her own life energy into her new friend, boosting the power of the spell at the cost of her own health.