The woman blushes a bit, "Well, hopefully some. Golem's are usually quite resistant to magical attacks however. They are built very study and even these old ones retained much of that power. Even a full lighting bolt would do little."
She gazes a bit sickly at one of the corpses.
'Who do you think built the traps?"
Sevak frowns in thought. "I do not know... is it possible they were created by magic somehow? It seems it would have taken a great deal of work to trap so many tiles after the fall of the empire. Perhaps it is because of the staff you seek? As for your spells, have you any left for concealing ourselves or increasing our mobility? It might well be that it would not pursue us if we can throw it off somehow."
Hyo Soon seems reluctant to share everything she has prepared, "I can make one of us invisible, but only one. I also have Grease, which may help trip it?"
Sevak nods. "If it is more difficult to trick into a trap than anticipated that may be useful. But let us hope that we do not need invisibility for only one of us."
He sighs. "I suppose there is nothing for it but to try now. I will try some words, and if it attacks, we try to lure it to a pit."
Sevak takes a moment to steel his will, then strides up near (but not *too* near) to the statue and orders, "Stand aside for prosperity!"
There is a moment of silence and Sevak can swear he hears distant laughter. Then the statue in front of him makes a loud grinding noise. With a tearing sounds it stands up straight, centuries of dirt and dust falling away.
Then the arms are lowered into fists and silently charges straight at Sevak. Hyo Soon screams as the construct rushes forward, fists outstretched in attack.
Already wary, Sevak springs into action as the golem starts to move. "Remember which tiles are safe!" he shouts to Hyo Soon as he runs back onto the tiled floor.
He tries to position himself such that the golem will have to step on one of the trapped tiles to reach him.
Sevak darts backward, dodging among the tiles. Hyo Soon seems rooted to the spot (she is farther back) for the momentum, stunned at the sudden ferocity of the golem.
The construct charges out, ignoring the tiles, as if it doesn't know they are there. It soon steps on a dangerous one.
The tile revolves but the golem is too large to fall cleanly. Instead one massive stony foot falls through the gap, instantly jamming the spinning tile. For the moment it is stuck, one leg in a pit, the other crouched into a half-kneeling position. Silently it begins trying to rise on its thick arms.
Sevak had hoped its weight would break through the tile entirely, sending more of it falling, but he had an opening here. He darts forward, blade flashing, hoping that he would somehow damage the stone with his blade.
Sevak moves forward, dancing on the safe tiles, and slashes at the stuck construct. The blow is a good one, cutting a huge gout of oddly soft rock off the shoulder of the magical machine. It barely reacts, still heaving at the stuck leg.
It fails however, still wedged tightly in the floor. It's movements become a bit more hurried, pounding at the floor around it.
Hyo Soon shouts, 'What should I do?" over the crashing sounds as the golem struggles to free itself.
"That depends on if it breaks free!" Sevak shouts back. "If your magic will not harm it, simply be ready to make it slip if it stands again."
He's surprised he cut it so deeply--perhaps they had chosen materials more for looks than hardness? Still, it gives him hope that he can destroy it.
Hyo Soon nods, still unmoving.
Sevak's blow lands again, knowing he needs at act quickly. In a fair fight, the golem would be a potent foe. Again he gouges out a huge section of the almost clay-like substance of the construct. Already it appears quite wounded and the movements are slower. The arms slowly try to raise itself again, creaking. Sevak can see cracks all long the thing now.
It heaves itself out and lashes out at Sevak with two fists.
Sevak easily dodges the clumsy blow however.
Sevak slashes one last time at the golem, aiming for one of the larger cracks.
Sevak smashes the construct with a heavy overhand blow that splits his foe in two. With a wet squelching sound the golem falls into two parts, then falls into still open pit trap. there is a vague splashing sound as it vanishes out of sight and the tile spins back into place.
"You..you did it!" Hy Soon says, excitedly.
Sevak nods, adrenaline still singing through his veins. "I was lucky they did not use solid stone. It seemed more like clay of some sort, given how my blade bit into it. Had they used harder materials it would have ended far worse for me... assuming it did not simply break through the floor."
He walks back over to the door it had once guarded, asking as he walks, "Might there be a sewer of some sort that flows beneath here? I heard splashes as it fell into the pit."
A thought occurs to him, and he pauses a moment. "Such might be the source of the additional traps. Mischievous beings might have entered from below and taken up lairs here. We must be watchful."
Hyo Soon nods and says, "The map doesn't mentions ewers but it probably wouldn't. Who bothers mapping them? It isn't like anyone goes into them..."
She looks at the now open doorway, a black passageway leading in. 'Let me.." she conjures a few dancing balls of light, floating just ahead of them.
Sevak nods his thanks. "Likely I should stay in front," he says, stepping forward.
Sevak carefully leads the way into the passageway, happy to have Hyo Soon's dancing lights ahead. He watches for traps but sees none for now.
He is soon in a dusty passageway, with many rooms branching off of it. It seems to be more of an office or headquarters then anything else. The rooms are full of moldering desks and long rotten parchment. Here and there he sees hastily stacked piles of armor or weapons. Dusty old war banners are lined in the crowded hallways.
Hyo Soon investigates all of this eagerly and says, "This must have been made a battle command as the Empire crumbled. A local nerve center of Imperial power...."
Sevak then notes footprints on the floor. They seem to be human but they lead directly into a wall and vanish.
"Who would they have been fighting?" Sevak asks, though he suspects he knows the answer.
Then he notes the footprints. Frowning, he carefully examines the wall, wondering if there is a secret passage of some sort.
Sevak steps forward, peering at the footsteps. As far as he can tell the dust is disturbed then...simply vanishes into a solid stone wall. As if, to the walker, stone is not a hindrance.
What he fails to notice is a very fine string waist-high across the hallway. As the nagaji touches it, there is a faint click, then a loud twanging sound.
A long javelin hoots out of the cobwebbed and dark hallway, and hits Sevak in the shoulder. Even as the pain sears through him, he hears a deep voice intone from all around.
"Begone. You are not welcome here, plunderer."
Sevak grits his teeth against the pain. He pulls out his wand and waves it over the wound.
He looks over at Hyo Soon. "Mischievous spirits, perhaps? Or the ghosts of those who died here? Someone who walks has been here before us, however." He points out the footprints.
"I thought I heard laughter earlier, which suggests mischief rather than vengeful spirits," he adds. "Perhaps there is one here that would have us believe there are restless dead here?"
'Or more then one thing?" Hyo Soon comments looking around. "Maybe the trap builders are not the same?"
Even as she talks the voice booms again, "Leave this place, plunderer. This is your final warning. Take your greed with you and do not disturb this final resting place of so many."
"This voice makes many assumptions," Sevak states. "Note that it said plunderer, not plunderers? Perhaps the source of the voice is not actually observing us. Regardless, if we would find what you seek, we must press on... and be more watchful, it would appear."
Even as Sevak says this though, air starts to swirl in front of him, gently shifting the ancient dust, and making the cobwebs rustle. In the dim light, the ex-druid can see a figure appear, looking transparent and filmy.
It is a man, dressed in ceremonial armor of a type Sevak does not know. He is tall, proud, bearing a sword at his side, and a sneer on his face.
'I see the nagaji are as arrogant as ever." he juts a chin to the now obviously frightened Hyo Soon. "I said, 'plunderer' because she is merely your slave. I know your ways, belly-dragger."
"You know nothing of me," Sevak says, evenly, though he remains wary. "Nothing of my exile, nothing of my turning from the ways of the naga, and nothing of my companion, who is likely more than capable of killing me were I foolish enough to force her hand."
He pauses a moment, then gives the ghost a small bow. "If there is arrogance in me still, I ask pardon. It is hard to change the ways in which one was brought up. But we come not for plunder, but for study and for the sake of the people who live near the river."
The ghost, for surely it is, looks bored, 'Frankly, I do not care of why you are. My charge has been to defend this place against defilers, plunderers and intruders. Turn back now, or I shall end your undoubtedly interesting career here and now.' He raises his sword in a formal sort of salute and guard, as if before a duel.
Hyo Soon whispers in his ear, 'Can you even fight him?"
Sevak nods his head slightly, then whispers back, "Fight, yes. Win... I know not. Magic would work better than my blade."
To the ghost he replies, "And how long shall your charge last? Until this bandit-infested ruin crumbles to dust, forgotten? Or is there a way to release you from your service?"
The ghost pauses here, as if caught unawares. The sneer fades slightly, the sword drops a fraction of an inch. Then he shakes the pale head and says, "The conditions of my...task, are not yours nagaji. You think I will want your help? Beg on hands and knees like your human slaves of old? No."
'Do you leave?" The voice rings in the empty hallway.
Hyo Soon mutters again, 'Would that be...honorable?"
Sevak hesitates a moment, before answering, "I know little of human ideas of honor, but I know better than to ask a proud warrior to beg. Nor would I, for I have come to see the lie in believing myself greater than any other. But it seems to me also that there is no honor in a task without end, in killing thieves in a forgotten vault until time and weather break down even stone. Is there no honorable way to complete your task?"
The ghost hesitates again. It's deep voice echoes, this time filled not with rage or arrogance but despair, 'The Empire is fallen. All that remains are broken stones and creeping vines. But...but I cannot simply subside. A force binds me here, a greater command. I cannot aid you in removing it." The ghost winces, 'Even now, it burns me, driving me to attack, to kill you."
As if against his will the spirit glides forward a few feet. It wrenches it's head side to side, "Remove it...remove the Staff and I shall be free....No,no!"
Then with a howl of pain it rushes up, through the ceiling and out of sight. The horrible cry is silenced instantly as it passes through dark stone.
Sevak shudders slightly and looks over at Hyo Soon. "What manner of power does this staff have?" he asks. "If it can bind the dead, we had best take great care with it until it can be disposed of safely, or at least sealed beyond reach of ill will."
Hyo Soon frowns and stares at the space the ghost vanished into, "I know it had great power, but I never considered it was necromancy...But the command may have been laid by the wizard itself and merely used the Staff as the anchor. as a potent magical object, it would serve that purpose well, even if it were not evil."
She does nod though, "But I agree, we will have to be careful. Shall we go on?" Her dancing lights flicker about their heads, like overly fat fireflies.
Sevak nods. "Yes, let us continue on."
As he starts walking, Sevak adds, "I suspect you are right that there is another here setting traps."
Sevak and Hyo Soon pass through a few more rooms full of old books and parchment. Hyo Soon roots through this a bit, muttering at the value of this mostly moldy documents. The woman pockets a few likely candidates before moving on.
At the end of a long hallway (that was once heavily fortified), they find a round central chamber. It is full of the war banners and other regalia of violence. Here, for the first time, they see a few ancient bodies. Not bandits, but those dating back to the Lung Wa empire themselves. The dry, protected air has turned them into mummified remains, armor tarnished and jewelry faded.
In the center of the room, on a plinth set apart is a fine jeweled sword. It is not tarnished or faded, indeed, it looks as if it was scrubbed assiduously that morning. As Sevak looks at it, keeping his distance, he hears a voice in his head says, Greetings, warrior. Have you come to claim me? The voice sounds grave, and solemn but there is a note of anticipation.
Sevak freezes. Guessing the blade might be able to hear his thoughts, and wary of it, he thinks at it, I had not known you were here. Who are you?
Aloud, he asks, "Hyo Soon, what do you make of this sword? I am wary that it is kept here in such manner."
In his mind he hears the voice echo back, I am Zhèngyì, the Blade of Truth and Honor. I was forged in the days of yore, in the fires of the Lung Wa Empire. My purpose is to destroy evil and do good. Unswerving justice. A pause then, You have a dark cloud behind you, warrior. Your past clings tightly to you, like a constricting serpent.
Hyo Soon squints, "Indeed. The sword is very magical indeed. It obviously dates back to the Imperial period, amazing it is in such fine shape. I don't see any magical traps...but it's aura is so strong..."
I am free and unfettered, warrior. the sword intones, No ghost would dare tamper with me, even in these fallen days.
You destroy evil? Sevak mentally responds, hardly registering Hyo Soon's words. He subconsciously takes a step forward. This darkness that clings to me I would cut myself free from, and fight against all such afterward.
Caught up in such thoughts, Sevak takes another step into the room. It sounds as if, in a way, you are more free than I...
Hyo Soon stares at Sevak, 'Um, Sevak? Don't go near it. Let's check it first."
It is not so simple. Zhengyi says, I cannot cut you from your bonds, but perhaps you have the order reversed. Maybe you must fight evil before evil loosens its grip upon you.
At Sevak's remark about freedom the sword replies, voice stern, Freedom is little more then idleness. Duty is above all else, it is what gives us purpose. And purpose is all. What is your duty, warrior? What is your purpose?
Sevak freezes, more because of Zhengyi's words than Hyo Soon's. I had not thought of that... though in a way I may have been working towards it without knowing, seeking to end the depradations of these bandits...
His thoughts fall silent for a long moment before he answers the last questions. Duty... Since I threw off the yolk of the Naga I have not thought of duty. But purpose... this I have sought. Some good purpose to devote myself to, to make up for the darkness of my past.
Take me up, then The sword says, I have been wielded by many through the long centuries. men, kitsune, tengu, and yes, even nagaji. You are not the first to resist the burdens of your kind. Let me help you, warrior. I believe you are worthy. Sevak has a feeling this is not said lightly.
"Sevak?" Hyo Soon whispers, sounding more then a bit worried. 'Do you hear something?"
"Yes," Sevak responds aloud, realizing he should say something to Hyo Soon. "Zhèngyì... the sword speaks to me..."
He strides forward, hand outstretched towards the sword.
"Sevak, stop!" Hyo Soon shouts, obviously concerned he is hearing voices she can't, 'Maybe it is a trick or trapped or something. That ghost..."
She actually rushes up to him, trying to grab his thick, muscular arm.
Your friend is concerned. the sword says unnecessarily, Reassure her but quickly. I have long waited here, in the quiet dark. I yearn to live again, to act, to do. The world has changed much, I imagine. Darker, mayhaps. Together, we can stand against it. Together, we can find purpose. Zhengyi's voice is rising into a crescendo, filling Sevak's mind.
Sevak pauses. So lost had he been in the mental conversation he almost hadn't heard Hyo Soon. He refocuses on her and says, "Hyo Soon, it is all right. Zhèngyì is an honorable blade, who wishes to be wielded against evil once again."
She raises an eyebrow, "The sword told you this? And you believe it implicitly? I mean, I don't detect anything particularity evil about it, but you seem awfully trusting. " She lowers her voice and says, as if to a child, "Not everything is always as it seems."
Zhengyi sits on the podium, glinting in Hyo Soon's dancing lights.
"I..." Sevak frowns, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it. He felt almost as if he had been in a trance, and yet... it did not feel as if it had been imposed upon him. More... more that he, himself, had wished it true, he supposed.
"I do not feel as if it is lying," he says, after a few moments' consideration. "Zhèngyì did not promise me power or ease, nor freedom from the sins of my past. Rather it spoke of duty, of purpose, of justice. These do not seem to me the promises of a tempter."
The female wizard frowns, 'I suppose you would be an expert on such things. Still, it makes me uneasy. When you take it, just tell me if you feel strange or anything. We can..take steps if we have to."
Sevak nods. "Thank you," he murmurs, then turns back to the sword.
He hesitates for just a brief moment. In spite of his words, he now feels a sliver of doubt. He pauses for a moment and thinks over the conversation, searching for anything that would indicate dark motives behind the sword's words.