Huh.. looks like the military bunks back home. Well. the lack of... well, anything really at least.
Roskar will move to look down the right hallway.
"I can relate," Bravo comments as he joins Roskar in looking around.
Roskar and Bravo (and whoever else joins them) heads down the hallway, coming to an expansive open space. Large monoliths inscribed with twisting infernal script drift around the cavernous room, barely visible from floating braziers also floating around the massive chamber.
Extending over the abyss is walkway made of the same dark stony material that the rest of the tower is formed from, and something that looks like a cross between a computer workstation and profane altar at it's end.
Following immediately behind Bravo and Roskar, Morimoto observes the infernal motif with amusement. It is at once spartan and ostentatious, a feat only possible in the chambers of hell.
"We are meant to go there, it seems," says the Qi warrior, indicating the altar.
The SRO is only a step just behind the Kasatha, his staff tapping away at the stone with each step.
"We were supposed to retrieve files from here, right?" Bravo asks to no one in particular.
Bravo lets the smarter members of the group locate what they need, while preparing in case they trip some sort of infernal security and need to defend themselves.
"I have no skill with machines, but I will be on guard." Morimoto holds his four-handed blade and walks slowly about the room, senses heightened.
Soundbyte approached with trepidation, cocking his head to the side as he made a careful arc around it. "I believe it runs on some form of /The souls of the innocent."
Soundbyte ponders what he knows about infernal mechanics and the metaphysics of hell and where they intersect and concludes that operating this will take some combination of ritual knowledge and skill with computers. It doesn't run on the souls of the innocent, per se, but all infernal tech does run off the souls of the sinners that were condemned to the nine Hells.
He taps his staff twice, nodding to himself at his general assessment. Turning around, his eyes trail over those he feels have a better understanding of technological work. "It takes two to tango."
Roskar shrugged.
I've no clue when it comes to tech. I know which buttons to press, usually, but other than that? I spent most of my studies on the physical aspects.
Try as he might, Soundbyte just can’t seem to get the computer to go along with him. Infernal error messages, as it turns out, are precise, cruel, and surprisingly personal.
Perhaps something else in the tower will have the records the party needs, or at least a way to operate this terminal.
Having failed to activate the infernal machine, Morimoto leads the group back to the entrance chamber and down the hallway to the left.
Bravo follows after Morimoto, gun at the ready.
The left hallway leads to a surprisingly modest door with simple Infernal text written on it.
The door, when trying the handle, is locked.
Morimoto tries his hand. Who in Hell knows, maybe he'll get lucky.
The door, as it turns out, is not aggressively locked. As the door slides open, it becomes apparent why.
The room beyond can really only be described as a break room. It's moderately sized, unlike everything else in this ostentatiously huge facility, and not too gaudily appointed. It's still grim and rather spartan, but there are some reasonably comfortable looking couches, something that resembles a water cooler filled with a deep red liquid, several computer stations including one with text in Common, and most notably, a bored-looking bearded devil sprawled on what can only really be described as a couch fort.
His eyes snap to the party as the door opens and he springs to his feet. His speech is fast and almost manic as he says, "Did the main office send you? Did they finally fix that damn contract issue with the jungle? I've been waiting a damn century for them to work out the problem!"
Bravo tries very, VERY hard not to snicker at the devilish IT guy.
"Well, they did send us, we ARE troubleshooters, but we were sent for retrieval of a contract we're completing, we weren't made aware of your problem in specific. Sorry."
Soundbyte tapped his staff lightyl. "Please lodge your complaint with/ Operators are standing by." He helpfully chimes in.
Nope. Is all he says, not wanting to get involved with whatever cruel joke is being played on the devil.
The devil's shoulders slump upon hearing that, "Retrieving a contract. Dammit. Maybe they really did forget about me here."
It inhales sharply, as if it suddenly had an idea, "Tell you what! I can give you master access to this facility if you can kill me. If I die, I'll be reformed back in Hell proper. It has to be an actual fight for the reforming to take place, meaning neither party can hold back. If you're game for it, I'll need you to formally challenge me for control of the facility."
Morimoto draws his curve blade and steps around the other side of the devil so as to surround the devil.
"I formally challenge you for control of the facility. Let's begin."
Bravo is about to feel express pity for the devil before it makes its offer and then Morimoto accepts it. Then he sighs.
"Couldn't even wait to ask more questions, huh?"
Its likely that whoever is master of this facility cannot leave. I hope, for your sake, that is not the case.
The devil rises, "Your challenge is formally accepted!"
He charges forward, manifesting a blade made of shimmering fire as he closes the distance between himself and the party. He swings at Morimoto, the issuer of the challenge, but the nimble kasatha dodges out of the way.
Morimoto easily parries the charge by the demon and swings his curve blade into action.
"Damn this infernal plane!" he shouts uncharacteristically after his first swing misses badly. The endless tension of Hell is starting to claw at his nerves.
Bravo grimaces, raises his gun, and fires.
Roskar's scales begin to glow with a golden hue once again.
Soundbyte takes a couple steps backward, slowly mustering up his divine energies while evaluating their fiendish foe. He again chooses to shed his corporeal mechanical form, sensing the danger such evil could posses.
Once he'd ascertained their foe, he vocalized what strange abilities and defenses it might posses.
Soundbyte knows that this is a barbed devil, the same type as the one that the party had fought in the arena. They're fierce melee combatants, and this one seems to have abilities similar to those of the solarians, though with a decidedly infernal bent.
Most of the warrior's attacks miss, but Mori does manage to score a solid blow to the devil's chest. It yells loudly though not all too convincingly, "Aaah. Noooo. I can't believe I'm being beaten."
It swings at Mori again with it's burning blade and slices into the warrior for 9 damage, the sizzling pain of hellfire briefly coursing through the kasatha.
Morimoto takes the exchange of blows in stride. "You seem disappointed," he responds. "Is that not what you want to happen?"
Bravo leans over to Morimoto.
"He's putting on a show," he says quietly. Then he straightens up and cracks off some more shots.
Roskar launched two more shining fists at the devil, hoping that victory would not bind his or others souls to this place.
Moving forward, the starlit form of Soundbyte twirls it's beaming staff, making to attack the devil directly. He may not be well versed in combat like his fleshy compatriots, but it'd be remiss of him to use his spells so soon.
Both of Bravo's shots, as well as Soundbyte's staff, clatter off the devil's armor. Roskar is luckier, scoring a solid blow with one of his fists. Mori, too, scores a powerful strike against the devil.
"Damnation. What ever will I dooooo?" It's clear the devil is just saying this to keep up the appearance of battle. Despite that, it wheels around and tries to hit Roskar with a blow from it's infernal blade but the powerful vesk manages to block the blow with his stellar fists.
Bravo shoots again, an annoyed look starting to form on his face.
"Humor and combat; an interesting tactical element."
Though the pit fiend was so obviously large and in charge, Soundbyte simply lacked the martial skill to be of use in these situations.
Countering the blow, he knocks it out wide before following up with a jab from his free hand, putting the devil on the backfoot before stepping into him and placing a perfectly timed uppercut with his right stellar shrouded fist.
Roskar and Mori hit almost simultaneously, slamming into the devil with two mighty blows. It teeters before Bravo takes aim and puts one last shot into it's chest. It staggers and falls and it's body starts to dissolve. As it does so it splutters out, "Thank you...admin password is AsmodeusRulez."
It dissolves entirely, leaving behind nothing but a pile of pale dust on the ground.
Bravo gives an irritated sigh as the devil expires and gives them what he can only describe as one of the most obvious and dumb passwords he'd ever heard in his life.
Soundbyte tapped his staff on the ground, letting the magic of his form run out. Though he didn't say anything, he felt a personal shame for his own lack of assistance in that fight. Thankfully their opponent wasn't acting as seriously as a normal fiend would.