As the darkness fades and the stones crumble to the floor, Charmaine flits into the room, her dagger in hand. "What the hell are we fighting? I still don't see anything!"
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"Repel; Reflect; Ricochet." Wocket rubs her hands together and static forms around her. Then she swings her pack around and fishes out a flask.
The creature pulls through one of the holes again, a red cloud stretching and writhing. It hisses at Genevieve, "Shatlhqtang," then lunges at her. Genevieve and Charmaine are ready though, and strike out at the creature. Genevieve's fire flows through the mist, and there's a high pitched hiss as the creature is hurt. It lashes out at Genevieve, striking her and pulling in. Genevieve feels some of her life leaving her and the creature revels
Silarsha sees the creature emerge from the floor next to her, and attack Genevieve. Taking advantage of what she's been waiting for, she shifts her weight onto her front foot and pivots; quickly bringing the warhammer down at it's misty form.
Silarsha smashes down on the creature hard. Despite its misty form, the creature contracts against the hammer's blow, then finally sags and seems to melt, till all that's left is what looks like a pool of blood.
There is a pedestal standing, the remains of a black stone atop it, in the center of the room. There is one exit, to the North. It is barred shut from this side of the door.
Genevieve staggers, then smiles in satisfaction as the strange creature melts and is gone. She looks up then, "Thank you Silarsha. Is everyone okay?" After making sure no one else is hurt, Genevieve looks up, "Well, then let's move on," she says as she approaches the door and prepares to unbar it.
"HA! Let's just add another reason as to why Shilarsha should always go first!" Charmaine giggles as she sheathes her knife. "Giant toad? One swing of the sword. Misty blood thing? She's got a hammer for that!"
Eyeing the barred door, she turns to her allies. "I agree, but it also seems clear to me that the bar is supposed to keep something in the next room. I don't know about y'all, but that sounds dangerous to me," the Halfling explains, taking her characteristic "last one in" position in the group.
________
As the bloodrage fades, Silarsha reverts to normal and sags down, looking slightly weary as she catches her breath.
Looking to Genevieve, she says:
"Glad to help. Are you okay? It tried to eat you!"
Turning to look at Charmaine, "The hammer was for the stone. But I guess a spear was better." she nods at Talia. "Still, this is a pretty good hammer. Maybe worth using more often."
Genevieve sighs. "It succeeded to some extent. I'm okay, but I don't quite feel myself. I feel a little . . ." she struggles for the word, "Weak somehow. But I think I'll be alright soon. Do you need to rest for a minute before we open this door?"
She sighs "A moment to catch my breath would be great. Doing that always takes a lot out of me, but if time is a factor, I'll keep going. I won't hold us back."
I can do this. I will not be a burden. she thinks to herself I will build my power. I will impose my order upon this world. For the glory of the Dark Lord. she repeats the mantra several times while waiting for her fatigue to pass.
Wocket eyes Silarsha, having only seen the last seconds of what she had done. "No complaints here. We're through two, maybe even three rooms out of nine. I've spent nothing I'll miss. We just can't be taking any naps."
You all rest a moment, long enough for Silarsha to get her breath back, then prepare to open the door. The bar moves easily enough, though it seems there was a latch in place that would have made this very difficult, if not impossible, in the dark. There is a hallway beyond, leading to an archway with a plaque inscribed at the top, Cruelty is a tool not a pastime. Be ruthless to thy enemy but reward those who serve thee well.
Beyond the archway is another room. A torturer's rack sits in the center of this room. A single lantern lighting the room and an exit to the West.
Talia marvels at the deceased - is that even the right word? - shadow thing lying pulled on the floor. She starts to kick the toe of her boot at it, as if to try and find out what sort of substance it is composed of, but the groans from Genevieve make her rethink this act. She does, however, spot a shard of the now-shattered gem, which she picks up and eyes for a moment before tucking it in a chest pocket. She then follows the others out of the room, and is bringing up the rear when they enter the room with the torture rack.
After reading the plaque set upon the archway, Talia privately allows herself a little bit of relief. As a survivor, she could accept ruthlessness in pursuit of a goal. But gratuitous cruelty? Her people had been on the bad end of that relationship time and again, and she had no patience to further that sort of injustice.
What about Wendell Farr? What about Smiley Tawd? the mysterious voice in her head asks. She remembers for a moment, then responds silently Vengeance is a goal, too.
Genevieve looks around, confused. "There's got to be more here than. . . ." She begins to look around, starting with the rack and then moving to the walls.
Genevieve looks up at the others, "There's a door here," she says, pressing on the wall just so as it slides away beneath her hands.
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Charmaine nods her head as she reads the plaque. They get it! Sometimes you just have to get results, not waste time with how other people feel. Especially those wealthy Mitrans with more money than sense! It isn't my fault that they fell for any of my schemes!
But then her attention is brought to the rack. "So... I can't help but notice the lack of prisoners in here..." she mumbles, barely audible to the group. It's gonna be me cause I'm the smallest, I won't be able to keep them all off of me. Especially that damn cow from the North, her muscles are thicker than my head! I'm the smallest, it's gonna be me! Shit, shit, shit! If I scream loud enough now, will that give Grumblejack enough time to come get me? Space, I need to put space between us.
Charmaine begins backing away slowly from the group.
The door opens and slides to the side, there inside is a thin, dirty, young man huddled in the corner. As the light spills into the tiny room, the young man scrabbles up and to the wall as wide eyes look around. He pushes back as if trying to melt into the wall and croaks in a disused voice "Who are you? What do you want?" He wears a tunic, that, though dirty, prominently displays the symbol of Talingarde and Mitra.
"Hush," Genevieve speaks in a gentle voice. "I am Tressa and these are my friends. We're trying to get out of this terrible place. Maybe we could help each other," she says, reaching a hand out to offer the man help and friendship. "What's your name? Do you know anything that might help us?" she asks.
Refreshed and ready to go on, Silarsha enters the rack room with the others.
"Well then. that doesn't look very comforting for anyone. Makes sense though. Don't be cruel for no reason. Don't let it rule you. We'd have men like on some other Captain's ships. The ones whose eyes lit up when they lit a torch to burn something. The ones you couldn't leave to watch women taken as a Thralls by themselves. Violent for the sake of violence, not because it was needed, but because it was fun."
Fascinated by the rack, Silarsha is completely oblivious to Charmaine's backing away in fear.
As the young man is discovered in the closet, Silarsha notes the symbols on his clothing.
And here is the lesson. . .
"This is Tressa's area, I'll just be over here."
She then moves off to the side, close enough to be able to react, but far enough so that Heverly can talk to the boy without him feeling threatened by her.
"T-T-Timeon," he stutters. "D-d-did Mitra send you to save me? I didn't think anyone would come." Growing in confidence, only a little though, Timeon looks up at Tressa, then shakes his head, "No you're just trying to get out. It won't work. Whoever took us, I got away--Oh Mitra, I left Sir Balin to die--but I heard about this place. I don't know where, but there are vicious metal cobras nearby somewhere. There's a shrieker that summons four drowned men when in the light. And a secret door hides the way out." He thinks hard for a moment, "Across from some stairs I think. I don't know it doesn't all make sense, but I heard him talking about it. It's all too much. Escape is impossible."
"Never give'em an inch." Wocket claps a hand around Charmaine's shoulder and guides her back toward the group. "Weakness is a state of mind." The gnome gives her sister's shoulder a firm squeeze and a reassuring rub before letting go and approaching the prisoner.
Taking a chance, Wocket speaks up, "We overheard some things too. Maybe we can piece it all together. Something about jewelry? Have you seen anything silver laying around?" Never give them the whole picture. Let them fill in what you know.
"Yes that's right. Silver and sapphire. There should be a pendant or something that is the key out of here," Tressa says excitedly. "Anything like that?"
Timeon stops and thinks for a bit, "Silver and saphire." It seems like he's not going to speak again when he finally shakes his head, "No, the only thing I know of like that is the holy symbol of Mitra Sir Balin wears. That's probably no help at all." He looks down dejected, and his shoulders start to shake, "Do you think we can get out of here? Do you think Mitra will actually save us?"
Charmaine practically jumps out of her skin as Wocket touches her shoulder, but her thoughts slow as the Gnome reassures her. The unmistakeable lead of adrenaline leaving her system fills her body. She's right, just a state of mind. It'll be ok, everything is just fine. As if to answer her prayers, Timeon's voice comes form around the corner. Perfect.
I know what these Mitrans like. Probably has a damned hero complex like the rest of the filthy ingrates. Wiping her face with her hands, Charmaine puts her best smile on, plucks Sir Reginald the Great from her pack, and skips forward. "Hi there!" she says in greeting to the worried man. "Did you say Mitra? I'm sure she is watching over all of us! Can we work together to get out of here? Let's be friends!" she offers, extending her child-sized hand. Whether or not he takes it, she gasps with sudden realization. "Are... ARE YOU A KNIGHT?!" she says in awe. "SO IS SIR REGINALD THE GREAT!" she exclaims, hoisting the teddy bear up towards him. Lull them into a sense of safety, then they are like putty in your hand!
________
Talia mostly keeps out of the way as the others discourse with Timeon, leaning casually against one of the nearby walls and listening. She does speak up after Charmaine's little display.
"Hah! Yes indeed, little one," she says to the "child." Turning to Timeon, Talia asks, "As you can see, we're a motley crew. But there could be more of us that need to escape? Where did you say you left Sir Balin?"
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Seeing the kid come up with the Sir Reginald, Timeon pulls himself together. "Hey kid. Yeah, I don't know how you all got down here, but we'll get out. Sure."
He looks up slow, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "I don't know where Sir Balin is. I hope he escaped this horrid place. But if there are others we should find them." Timeon glances down at Charmaine, but only for half a moment, like he's afraid of her somehow. "Let's go then," he says standing taller than he had before. His emaciated and dirty form looks strange as he does so, yet there is only a little hesitation you can see. He looks around at all of you and nods, "Not a knight yet little one. But I will be."
Timeon steps forward, "I'll get you girls out of here, don't worry. Follow me," he says as he steps to the door you all came through.
As the ladies new "hero" heads out the door they have just come through, Silarsha shakes her head.
Do we have the time to humor this fool?
But she defers to the others lead.
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Tressa smiles wide until the young man passes her. Her face turns sour at his back for half a moment before turning back. Maybe we can use this fool boy as bait for any traps that lay ahead. "Yes, that would be great, I see you've already noticed that we came from that direction, very perceptive of you," she says, watching him move ahead.
"Oh, yes. Yes. I see that. Ahem. This way then." Timeon turns to the other door.
Wocket gives 'Tressa' a meaningful look, but without context it looses much of its meaning.
While they ready themselves for the door and the potential for the next room, Wocket considers metal snakes, shriekers, and drowned men.
Tressa rolls her eyes at this boy preparing himself to be their hero, but follows along as she ponders his words.
Metal snakes? Shriekers? Drowned men? Some of that sounds familiar, like in the tales and songs I heard back home.
Talia listens to the boy describe several threats, though she is unsure as to whether or not these are true accounts, or merely the exaggerated fairy tales of a hero-worshiping, starry-eyed green boy. Out of the blue, a flash of insight hits her and she remembers the plaque on the first room: Self-deception is death. Deceive thy enemy but never thyself. And she starts to wonder if this apparently gullible boy might be a bit too perfect.
As they exit the room, her attention is drawn to the walls and the ground as they walk, looking for anything of note.
Content with current developments, Charmaine hums cheerfully while hugging Sir Reginald the Great. Like clockwork! Kind of a wonder he's lasted this long...
Nothing else seems to stand out to you as you move along to the next hallway.
Timeon walks to the door and opens it. It leads into a short hallway that ends in a door, another plaque on the door, The chosen are revealed by their might. The weak deserve no sympathy. Timeon glances at it and stops, A-a-are you sure this is the way? He glances back at Charmaine for only a moment before shuddering, Of course, of course, l-l-l-let's go." He begins to open the next door.
Silarsha lets the terrified squire lead the way and waits for him to open the door as she muses to herself.
What an idiot. The fool didn't even ask to borrow a weapon.
Charmaine throws him an encouraging smile as she gives Sir Reginald the Great a big snuggle when he looks back. A prop here, a prop there, suddenly you've shaped reality.
________
As they proceed down the hallway, Talia hangs back and attempts to stay in the shadows and watches the door carefully as the boy opens it. Good luck, kid. If you prove to be stronger than we expect, we might even try and recruit you, she thinks to herself.
Fat chance, the voice in her head responds with gleeful malice.
Wocket stays near the middle of the group, quietly maintaining line of sight with the squire's stabbable back. If the foe turned out to be the abandoned paladin himself, she would be sure they would be the ones doing the betraying. Hopefully the tagalong sullen sibling was a convincing role.
Timeon opens the door and a metallic hiss and rattle comes from inside. There are two metal snakes writhing on the ground. They stop, look up as you enter and clack a warning sound.
Metal snakes. The fool was right.
Genevieve pulls a small piece of cloth out of her pouch, and places it on her head and heart. She seems stronger somehow as she stands there.
"AH! SNAKES!" Charmaine points and shouts, before hugging Sir Reginald the Great harder.
________
Talia had never been much of a liar; her main advantage was having little compunction against it if the target was someone she held little or no respect for. Timeon certainly fit this category. But while part of her wanted to just let nature take its course on the boy, another part thought that he might still be useful yet - provided he survived this present danger, of course. She'd just have to spin up a story about her powers if he asked.
Talia steps up past "Tressa," just behind and to the left of Timeon, and unleashes a blast of rock shards.
Talia's rock shards fly straight at the winding creature, but the snake moves just right at the last moment, and the shards glance off of the snakes metal skin as if turned aside.
The snakes move forward with startling speed. They each bite at poor Timeon, the second one striking hard into his neck. Timeon falls to the ground, twitching as the snakes now hiss and writhe over him.
Metal conducts electricity... Wocket moves if necessary and takes aim, but what spell she casts will depend on what she knows about metal snakes and constructs in general.
As Timeon falls down, Silarsha draws her sword, and steps forward and around the squire's prone form. She then lashes out at the snake directly in front of her.