Much of Scrapwall is becoming familiar to the two friends as they set out of the narrow cleft that houses the Clockwork Chapel and they make their way across the no man's land between the former territory of the Smilers and the diminished lands of the Raiders. There's a lot of activity this day as the power vacuum caused by the demolishment of the Smilers causes scrappers to move in to areas of Scrapwall that were until recently off limits to the scavengers because of the viciousness of the cannibalistic drug abusers that made up the Smilers.
Raiders and Hawks can be seen warily eyeing each other as the resurgent gangs, bolder now that their enemies have finally been taken down a peg, jostle for position over the former Smiler Headquarters, now confirmed to have a much coveted second entrance and exit to Scrapwall.
Those who see you stand aside respectfully as you pass. They certainly don't want to interfere with the Manticore slaying group that has been rumoured to have destroyed the Smilers, the dish of the Thralls, and, apparently, just lifted the curse of the dead valley that had been shrouded in necromantic mists for living memory.
Getting closer to the arena Criek and Sharae pass, finally, into the area controlled by the Lords of Rust. It seems.. emptier.. than it should be. The two spot a lot of hovels that seem to have been recently abandoned. It seems that the minions of the Lords were not fooled by Hellion's bluster and believe that all of the massive changes that have happened in the community were against his will. It seems like many of them have decided to abandon the Lords or, at least, step aside to see what the Star Cleric Human and Ratfolk Alchemist from away are planning to do next.
The arena itself is a massive circular clearance about 400 feet in diameter with mounds of junk scattered haphazardly across the grounds to provide cover and excitement.
One side of it is open while the rest of the border is marked by a massive half circle of junk along the perimeter into which ramshackle tiered seating have been carved out. The two of you can imagine thousands of spectators filling the seats calling out for blood, but for now, it's deserted.
At the easternmost part of the arena you can see a stage set into mount of scrap in front of which a few orcs seem to be tussling with each other. To the side of the stage is a massive chariot.
The orcs have not noticed you standing outside the perimeter of the arena looking in.
Criek eyes the "arena" skeptically. "I suppose I'd expected something a bit more...formal?" he says with a tinge of disappointment. "You know, for a grand showdown with Hellion. I suppose it has to work with what it has, though."
"If we could distract those orcs long enough for me to get under the chariot, I could probably loosen the axle a bit or something? Disable it in a way that wouldn't be obvious until they attempted to use it?"
Sharae nods at Criek's suggestion of distracting the orcs, "A fire maybe? Or the promise of gold?"
Criek looks skeptical at the idea of trying to bribe the orcs. "I feel like we might be too, er, infamous at this point to let them see us and try to buy them out before they raise an alarm? And even if we could, I'd worry about them just taking our money and turning on us anyways."
"Safer maybe to just draw their attention away. Sure something around here can be set fire to?"
"Criek... if we are going to draw their attention away, there are two options that I see. Either we start a big fire and hope that it is those orcs who will attend to it - not reinforcements... or, and maybe I prefer this option, I could beseech Desna for the power of flight... and fly through the arena taking a few shots as I go. Hopefully our reputation is enough that the orcs will follow?"
Sharae pauses for a moment, "Although I will have to outrun them... "
The two orcs are very close to the stage that seems to lead in somewhere though...
"Outrun them..." Criek pauses and looks to Pinki. "You could outrun a couple of orcs, couldn't you? And they'd be less likely to raise an alarm..."
There really didn't seem like many options - the arena was too large to sneak up on the orcs and any approach across that expanse would give the guards too much time to reinforce their position - no, it would have to be a dramatic and quick entrance... and enough to draw the orcs away...
Taking her pistol in one hand and her holy symbol in the other, Sharae nods at Criek, "I'll draw them away - you probably won't have that long so be quick!!! Meet you back here in ten minutes?"
...and with that, Sharae reaches for Desna's magicks, and her feet gently lift from the ground.
The orcs look up with surprise at the flying human who suddenly appears out of the sun shouting at them. Sharae's shot hits one in the chest and he falls back to the ground dead. One of the others panicks and swings his crude axe reflexively. It ends up embedded in his thigh and he falls down swearing and screaming. The two uninjured ones flee from the almost divine seeming apparition and back towards the stage.
Criek has more than enough distraction to make his way to the chariot unimpeded and unnnoticed with Pinki shadowing him.
So much for drawing them away...
Changing her plan 'on the fly' as it were, Sharae decides that keeping the attention on her is the best that she can achieve, "RUN!!! Run back to your master and hide beneath his petticoat... the days of the Lords of Rust are numbered!!!"
Positioning herself such that if the orcs keep their focus upon her, they won't see Criek, she fires at the fleeing orcs... not so much to hit them, more to keep them running...
Although if they have a rifle like the Smilers... I might still be in trouble!!!
The orcs clamber over the stage and disappear inside.
With the orcs in a panic at Sharae's aerial attack, Criek scurries through the open area in front of the stage and under the chariot, looking to cripple it, while keeping half an eye on the stage.
Criek is able to approach the chariot like a ghost. The chariot is a large and heavy vehicle with two large girdles in the front for whatever beast is going to be pulling it. It seems well made and maintained enough. The wheels are spiked and caked with dried blood.
His mechancial skill is good enough that he can do whatever he really wishes and he is confident that his sabotage will be subtle enough that no one will notice any flaws until it's too late.
[ooc]Using cylex as Sharae suggested? Something else? Don't need to elabroate if you don't want to.[/oo]
While Criek works, a deep thudding sound can be heard from behind the stage, and from the back emerges one of the largest trolls you've ever seen. Her green skin seems tough enough to withstand almost any weapon and the tusks that jut out of her mouth are very very large. You can't imagine anything that she would not be able to rip to pieces using them alone. In her hands is a wicked looking harpoon gun. She stares up at Sharae.
Flying Human! Whelp of Clockwork God. she shouts up Puny! Coward! No want to fight in front of crowd tomorrow? Then I fight and kill you RIGHT NOW! Where is your rat flasker? Where is your clock dog? I want show ALL SCRAPWALL YOUR BEATEN BODIES! Show Might of LORDS OF RUST! AND HELLION!
For the briefest of moments, a cold shiver runs along Sharae's spine...
This wasn't part of the plan!!! And that harpoon... I'm no safer up here than I am down there"
Quickly counting, Sharae wonders how many shots she has left in her pistol - and, on the tip of her tongue, a prayer to Desna.
Under the chariot, Criek works to affix the explosive charge, trying to estimate where a rider would stand and position the green stuff just underneath that point.
As the troll bursts from under the stage, he freezes in panic momentarily before realizing the monster is distracted by Sharae, and quickly finishing his work.
Not wanting to risk being spotted as he withdraws from the chariot, and thus expose his sabotage, he'll gulp an invisibility extract if the troll is still in potential line of sight when he needs to leave.
NO WORDS COWARD HUMAN? ARE YOU SCARED NOW THAT YOU SEE HELSKRAG? GURADIAN OF GOD HELLION? The troll continues to shout waving her harpoon around. She's getting very very close to violence but just at the moment she's not attacking.
Moving as quickly as she can whilst aloft, and goading the troll to follow her - away from the chariot and her friend, Sharae utters a prayer to Desna...
Seeing Sharae try to lure the giant away, and with an invisibility already in his hand, Criek eyes the stage, wondering if he should risk a closer look while he has the chance.
The troll advances to the edge of the stage waving her weapon around. YOU ONLY KILL PUNY ORCS? YOU RUN SCARED NOW THAT YOU SEE HELSKRAG? COME BACK TOMORROW WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND I SMASH YOU AND GNAW ON BONES IN FRONT OF ALL SCRAPWALL!
Criek can see the chariot is parked right next a south set of stairs that disappears into a squat metal tower that is obviously part of a different, much older structure than the mounds of scrap that the rest of the arena is built out of. It takes no time for Criek to peek down it and it is very quick for him to take a hasty survey of it as it's out of sight of the stage itself from where the troll is shouting at Sharae.
The stairs loop around to the north and Criek sees that they make a u shape and end up back in the arena. There is a door at the east end of the loop. Comparing notes with Sharae later the locked door at the east looks a lot like the door that is set at the back of the stage itself.
In many ways, it seems dishonourable... and against their advantage to engage with the troll now - better to let the trap that Criek has set play out - and for it all to happen in full view of Hellion's thralls... To that end, Sharae continues antagonising the beast with shouts of disdain and promises to send it crawling back to Hellion on the morrow - long enough for Criek to get away from the cart...
Helskarg seems to be mollified a bit by Sharae's assurance of combat the next day.
Helskarg LIKES MANY PEOPLE WATCHING! PUNY HUMAN ELSE I WOULD GUT YOU NOW! the troll shouts back. Then with a grunt she fires her harpoon weapon into the head of the still screaming orc, ending its pain, before turning back to thud back through the doors. Sharae can see that it uses a techy looking card, much like the ones used under Torch, to go through the metal door that the stage is set in front of.
The arena is now silent.
Once Sharae is certain that all is quiet, and that Helskarg is not likely to return, she descends to near ground level... and with her pistol still readied, she makes her way back towards her rendezvous point with Criek. The question on her lips now is whether it is prudent to wait until tomorrow's games to bloody Hellion's nose... or whether, with all seeming quiet, it is time to explore this part of Scrapwall.
Criek tentatively tries the door at the top of the stairs....and finding it locked, takes it as a sign to regroup with Sharae, rather than proceeding further.
"It appears the arena is built around some kind of structure...or maybe piled atop it? Another piece of the star craft disguised underneath the scrap, perhaps?"
Comparing the arena they have traversed to their map of Scrapwall, Criek and Sharae realize that they have explored, to varying degrees of thoroughness, the entirety of the settlement. It included the main entrance in the South West controlled by the recovering Steel Hawks, Divnaya's little valley to the West, the contested region that used to be lorded over the by now annihilated Smilers,the now cleansed canyon of death in the north east, the mournful remains of the giant dish that now served as giant tangled metal tombstone to the Thralls in the south east, the narrow valley that was once the domain of the mutated Chimera, and the area controlled by Redtooth in the South.
The arena was the last place to have traversed. All that's left is the whatever lies behind the door into the metal tower where Helskrag awaits.
"For better of for worse, it is done... the fight tomorrow will not go as Helskarg plans it..."
The next day Sharae and Criek and Pinki, along with the clockwork dog repaired and resplendent in brand new armor, set out towards the Arena.
It's not just the dog that comes with you though. The professor, Dinvaya, and Constance, her face hidden in a hood, are with you. Anody of course insisted and Dinvaya did too saying This is a tipping point. You have pushed The Lords of Rust to a brink without attacking them directly. But if their champion should defeat you then they will regain their control over Scrapwall, and this time directly. It will be harsh and swift and it would be good for me to see it happen so I can immediately put my contingency plans in effect to escape.
On the way Dinvaya stays unusually talkative I must confess it has been... good... to have interacted with non clockwork beings in the last few days. I found I have missed collaboration and I must say that I believe I have learned everything I can from Scrapwall. You did say that you stayed with Khonnair Baine in Torch correct?
She also presses a few items into Sharae's hand. This is a wand of Make Whole with five charges. And one scroll of Greater Make Whole. Brigh goes with you. May she see you through what is to come as well.
Constance gives the two of you awkwards hugs and Pinki an awkward pet. I will miss you if you're gone. she says simply.
Oh that won't happen I'm sure. Anody says nervously We've come through worse thing than a very very large troll with a harpoon gun in a chariot... haven't we?
Scrapwall seemed eeriely deserted as the little group walked across it and the reason for this becomes clear at the arena. It seems like the entire settlement has come out to see the upcoming fight. At the edges of it are the scavengers that make up the majority of the population. Closer to the stage they see Sevroth Slad with a decent number of Hawks, she nods at you as you pass by. Then there is a very large contingent of ratfolk with Redtooth and Whiskifiss at the forefront. They stare at you intently while Spiviel gives you a wave. Redtooth in particular has her eyes locked onto Criek.
Then after that are the Lords of Rust. While the rest of the crowd is silent, these humans and orcs, all wearing the crew mechanical talon that is the symbol fo Hellion, are screaming and baying for blood. Yours.
SQUASH THEM AND EAT THEM HELSKRAG!
CHEW 'EM UP AND SPIT 'EM OUT
KILL KILL KILL KILL
As the four of you assemble in front of the stage (five if you choose to have Anody with you) Helskrag strides out from the sliding metal door at the back of the sate. She is as you saw her last. It seems like she is ready for battle at all times. She sneeers at the four of you as you are very very small in comparsion to her bulk.
Good that you have come! All will see you are nothing in front of HELLION! As she says this a dark panel set on the back of the stage suddenly comes to life and you see the demonic face that you last saw goading Birdfood on appears. The red demonic skin and twisting horns seem to swell as his pig nose quivers and every loudspeaker set in the Arena yells out.
YOU ARE HERE. CLEANER OF FILTH. SLAVER OF BEASTS. PUNISHERS OF THE UNWORTHY! NOW YOU COME TO PAY HOMAGE TO HELLION! TO SEE IF YOU ARE WORTHY TO JOIN THE LORDS OF RUST! LET ALL SEE HOW STRONG YOU ARE. HELLION DEMANDS PROOF
The panel goes dark and Helskarg vaults onto her chariot as two very large ogres are led out in chains by Lords of Rust. They are buckled into the chariot. They will be what pulls Helskarg around.
Dinvaya's mention of Khonnair manages to crack through Criek's anxious pre-battle ruminations, and he lights up with a smile. "Oh, yes! Have you worked with Khonnair before? You simply must meet him; I'm sure the two of you could work wonders together -- even more than individually, I mean? After this, perhaps we can return to Torch together and introduce you to him? ... He pauses.
"Er, assuming there is an 'after'. If this...goes badly, even more reason for you to meet Khonnair; you can tell him of the craft we found in the canyon, and of Hellion, and perhaps he can help keep Constance safe?"
----
As the crew enters the arena, Criek looks around in wonder, asking quietly, and with mild indignation, "So the one thing that finally allowed all of Scrapwall's factions to be peacefully in the same place is the imminent possibility of our public demise? Sh-should I find that flattering, or terrifying?"
He looks around briefly to each of those that the party has met personally, with a longer look at Redtooth, as he walks -- slowly and reluctantly -- toward the stage.
As Helskarg delivers her speech, Pinki will engage in the proper feline response: flopping down on the sand to lift a leg and lick himself with vigour.
Her prayers to Desna offered, Sharae walks alongside Criek... her starknives, slung across her hips and razor sharp, catch the sunlight where it shines into the arena. An amused smile curls her lips as the ogres drag the chariot in to the combat space - it is not only the madness of using the brutes in place of horses... it is the fact that, unbeknownst to the rider of that chariot, they are riding atop the same explosive materials that brought down the dish...
...a finger curls in the trigger of her pistol.
The ogres grunt as they move the chariot into position right in front of the stage. The large screen atop the stage briefly to show Hellion's visage.
ALL TO MY GLORY It shouts from every loudspeaker before going dark.
GLORY! HELLION! GLORY! HELLION! The Lords of Rust chant. Most of the stadium though is silent.
The five of you stop about 200 feet away from Helskarg as she postures and shouts.
The wind is blowing away from the stage towards you and the familar sting of Scrapwall's dust in your nostrils is now accompanied by the rank smell of unwashed ogre and troll.
Oh dear, I quite forgot how.. chaotic this business tends to be. Anody mutters quietly as he tries to stay calm in the face of the shouting. He wrinkles his nose My word, they do need a bath don't they?
As Pinki continues to wash himself the dog stands ramrod still.
Sharae whispers to Criek and Anody, "We need to goad them into charging... shouldn't be difficult... and, when they are full tilt, we set off that stuff".
Cautious of the capabilities of this Hellion, she specifically avoids using the word 'explosive' or 'Cylex'... "I can give one of us the power to fly... Criek? Professor? It'll get you out of harm's way when that thing charges. I have another trick up my sleeve... It won't last very long but I should be able to call a creature into existence - I was thinking that a Constrictor Snake might make a good pet for our troll friend..."
"H-how fast do you think that thing can move? We don't want to engage from too far away, but...nor from too close."
As the ogres grunt and strain and the chariot starts to creak into motion, each sound coming to your ears thanks to he wind, Anody gets a thoughtful look on his face.
How fast? Ah quite interesting The gnome says completely forgetting his fear Well, assuming there's no magic or unknown technology involved then it is safe to work off the presumption that the vehicle will be able to move as fast as it's method of propulsion is able to provide, which, in this case would be the ogres. Now unless I am very mistaken these are typical memebers of their species and so..
By this time the chariot is thundering towards the group and Sharae and Criek scream at Anody to press the button.
Oh.. yes of course.
Anody presses the button.
The chariot is a mere 50 feet away from the group when Anody activates the cylex and the result is.. spectacular.
A massive explosion envelopes the chariot, for a moment obscuring the entire vehicle in a blinding flash of light that erupts from the massive fireball. The sound is so intense that all of your eardrums throb with pain and the group stumbles back as the force of the explosion pushes you back.
As the fireball clears you can see Helskarg hurtle forward and slam into the ground face first only 10 feet in front of you. The chariot simply no longer exists, replaced with splinters and bits of mangled metal, while there is barely enough left of the ogres to bury.
Then there is silence. You can't tell if the shock of the explosion has stunned the formerly raucous crowd into silence or you just can't hear anything because of the way your ears are hurting. Looking at the frozen expressions of the Lords of Rust and the looks of awe from everyone else, the two of you think it's a bit of both.
Helskarg stirs and then roars in pain and anguish and fury. She's going to be up very very soon. The fact that she isn't dead says a lot about how very very formidable she is.
Helskarg 24 HP
Pinki yowls and springs back with an arched back in a way that only a cat can do.
The dog stands statue still.
Oh my word Says Anody.
Startled by the sudden closeness of the troll -- and the effectiveness of their trap -- Criek takes a step back, yelling "Hound, attack!" while pointing first to the dog and then to the troll and hoping the dog's mechanical...however it hears...aren't ringing as badly as his own ears.
Not even trying to give Anody instruction for the moment, he opts to simply unload on the troll.
And, as the troll disappears beneath a conflagration of flame, Sharae calls upon Desna once more... she reaches out into the aether and her hands feel cold scales - feeling the power rippling beneath her palm, she grips this thing from another place and coaxes it into her reality...
Criek's barrage of bombs all hit the troll despite her being prone enveloping her in flame and frost. The dog also bounds into action on Criek's word closing the distance between itself and the large troll and bites the troll on the ground.
Pinki still unnevered by the previous explosion and stays behind Criek.
The dog's bite sinks deep into the troll's flesh but as Sharae concentrates on summoning a being to help she rises up from the ground. Ignoring the dog she steps closer to Criek and her upper body lurches forward to try and bite the ratfolk.
Perhaps the massive amount of damage she's taken is getting to her because she misses.
Anody's mouth seems to be moving but none of you can make out what exactly the little professor is saying.
Troll 67 HP
Raising her pistol, and narrowing her eyes, she squeezes the trigger of her weapon... and prays that the snake will hold the troll within the wreckage of its chariot...
Caught by surprise at the troll's survival, Criek tries to wriggle back away from it, while hurling one more fire bomb at it.
-- but fumbles the bomb in his haste to get away from the troll's long reach!
The screaming Helskarg regaining her footing seems to throw the group off a bit as Criek misses with one of his bombs and Sharae is only able to land one shot with her pistol. A newly appeared snake and the dog are also unable to get through the troll's thick hide with their attacks.
Criek's bomb misses the dog, who is on the other side of the troll and the snake who is flanking it on the other corner.
The troll takes advantage of the confusion though, finishing it off with a savage bite and claw that vanishes back to where it came from. Her last attack on the dog misses completely though. Still she stands and seems ready to take a large bite out of the dog!
As the ringing in your ears from the massive explosion clears you can hear Anody talking about trolls as he moves to stay behind Criek.
Acid is also good to stop from their regeneration abilities...
Troll 74 HP
Hoping to entice the troll away from her friends, and to allow Criek enough time to loose another salvo of bombs... Sharae fires again...
Cruel hurls another few bombs at the troll, taking his time after missing --
-- but bobbles another.
Both of Sharae's shots hit the wounded troll and another barrage from Criek add further injuries that stymie Helskarg's natural powers of regeneration.
Her scream of rage turns into one of pain and then, with a shocked expression her eyes glaze over and she sways back and forth before falling face first to the dirt with a crash that, if it hadn't been for the very recent massive explosion, would have sounded very loud indeed.
A shocked silence reigns in the stadium while the audience processes the fact that the massive troll, undefeated in the stadium for so many vicious contents, was dead. And not only dead but her opponents seemed to be untouched.
But as this is realized the edges of the audience, away from the stage start to cheer. Hawks, Raiders, and many of the scavengers are jumping up and down in their seats exclaiming in wonder and joy at Share, Criek, and their friends' accomplishments while the Lords look on aghast and shocked at their champion's demise.
The large screen on top of the stage flickers again and Hellion's demonically ugly face flashes. The loudspeakers boom.
HELLION TESTS ALL! HELLION JUDGES THE WEAK UNWORTHY! HELLION'S ARMY IS ONLY FOR THE STRONG! REJOICE AT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE UNWORTHY! WELCOME HELLION'S NEW CHAMPIONS! COME COME AND JOIN THE MIGHTY ARMY!
The screen goes blank. There is some confusion from the crowd but most aren't convinced by what Hellion said. Already you can see quite a lot of orcs and humans with Hellion's icon emblazoned on their crude armors start to scatter from the stage and try to disappear into Scrapwall while the non Lords jeer and boo.
Oh I'm glad none of us got hurt! Anody comments.
Sharae and Criek can see Sevroth, Redtooth, and Dinvaya start to leave the stands and make their way to you.
Sharae can barely believe it, their plan had worked... the troll had fallen!!! But then, as her hearing starts to come back in waves, she realises that Hellion was trying to turn their victory to its advantage... trying to turn their hard won friends against them.
No.
Before the screen can flash into life again, she raises her pistol... and fires.
Sharae's shot is true and slams into the flat black screen from which Hellion had held court. A spiderweb of cracks appears on the front of the slate and it sparks and fizzles as it becomes inoperative.
That does it, the Lords of Rust who had not moved from their places start to flee and a cheer rises up from the rest of the audience. The loudspeakers though boom with fury.
You DARE! INSOLENCE! MY OTHER CHAMPIONS WILL CRUSH YOU FOR THIS FOLLY!