Cashara looks down at herself and her gun and had a small pause
"just like the good old days" she said under her breath.
She look up and at the others "I conker with Cal. And Yes Dr. Mavrin, if we make it through this, I would be happy to call you by your preferred name...
Vetalia, ready?"
A figure emerges on the beak-shaped balcony. It is a seven-foot-tall ape with a shiny metal scalp and a pair of cymbals.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, go the cymbals.
Colorful lights line the trim of the IDIoT house, the stone wall marking the property line that has been crossed, and rows of holly bushes. More rainbow brightness spirals up evergreens and peppermint posts.
Music plays repetitively, three-notes-up, three-notes-down, three-notes-up, three-notes-down...
The simian toy counts the intruders,
"One. Two. Three. Four.
The Velvet Ape declares war."
Cupid gasps at the word 'war,' and steps forward as if to make a plea to his toy.
But the Velvet Ape merely adjusts its head-count, and warns:
"One. Two. Three. Five.
Please prepare to be taken alive."
Red lights move from beyond unlit evergreens and ice sculptures. There is something menacing about the red. The red lights dance like imps freed from the depths of hell—and as our heroes glance at each other, they can't help but notice:
Beads of light the size of fireflies mimic the dance along our heroes' torsos. Try to swat it, and the light blinks to the back of the hand. It is simply light being projected from the distant reds. It is harmless, yet ominous. Our heroes all get the feeling they don't want this red projected onto them...
does my time in the force help me identify these red lights?
This cannot be good. Where are those beams coming from? Do the RUD-209s use those lights for aiming their chains? Master O’Myra did say 5, and I counted 5 dots.
Vetalia scuttles to the left while peering into the darkness searching for the sources of those ominous red lights.
Never did like polka dots. I am more of a stripe girl.
Need to get outside of Caledon’s light. Better stay low. What a convenient wall. And a happily placed tree in front of me should provide a little more concealment.
Vetalia settles into a crouched position maintaining a low profile while continuing to scan for threats.
Meno follows Vetalia swiftly. He buzzes softly in her ear after settling onto her shoulder. He appears to be searching the darkness as well.
Vetalia moves swiftly—so much so that the Velvet Ape seems to have lost track of her! From her position of stealth, the rouge's keen eye sees the attack, as does her trusty sidekick Meno through his darkvision:
Chains and lockboxes are propelled through the air at incredible speeds! Not that the rouge can immediately identify the swift shadows soaring between cloud and snow-flurry—
—but when poor Cupid O'Myra is suddenly entangled, again, Vetalia sees the danger her friends are in!
Cashara zips well out of the way, and almost gets a shot off before the mysterious red light can launch its attack at her. Colorful treasure boxes explode against the stone wall where the cowgirl once stood! Chains clatter!
There is another burst where Vetalia once stood, bust she is nearly ten yards away from the failed attack.
Caledon and Dr. Marvin are much slower on the draw. The chains and lockboxes are within a yard of their heads before the men dash to safety! Caledon feels the splinters bouncing off his back and tearing into his snazzy outfit! Dr. Marvin nearly falls on his face as a chain spirals around his leg—but the metal is flung away, and the doctor maintains his footing!
The Velvet Ape leaps down from the house and dashes behind a snow fort, and the mysterious red lights skitter closer—each moving toward our heroes!
Cashara makes a dash to cover closer to the lights, knowing her revolver will not cover the distance accurately.
Cupid manages to flop behind the wall. He doesn't bother struggling with the lock boxes.
"Don't mind me," he calls out to our heroes. "Just save me kin by busting me toys!"
Vetalia vaults the wall and jogs to cover crouching behind a snow covered tree. Her companions, Umbra and Meno swiftly follow.
Centuries ago mankind had discovered that Gyrfalcons and hunting dogs made a perfect combination. For generations hunters have trained the beasts in tandem, using hounds to flush out prey for the falcons to strike down. However, no one in Rooftopolis’s living memory had used a
Falcon familiar, and certainly not one as clever as Hunter.
The invitations might have Caledon’s name on them, but it’s Hunter that the Noblemen of the city want in their hunting parties. The Falcon that had learned to handle the dogs like a master huntsman had become a minor celebrity among the landed gentry of realm.
It was this skill that Hunter immediately put to use in the seconds after the exploding lockbox shredded Caledon’s fancy shirt.
The falcon’s cry pitched high like a dog whistle, and the hounds set off at full speed -baying loudly as they ran. The falcon followed.
It was Vetalia’s sudden and explosive sprint toward the shadows that warned him. The wizard had been watching the ape’s performance and missed the attack. He flinched aside but wooden shrapnel struck him with enough force to break his protective ward and shred his blouse.
The surprise attack put him off balance for second, but he forced
himself to focus.
Stop. Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast. Assess. Think. Act.
He had lost track of Vetalia, but that girl could hide behind a blade of grass. If she hadn’t already put a knife in something, then she would be very soon. O'Myra was trapped but safe. Cashara was charging toward the cottage, but Charlabu and Thunder were already passing her. Mavrin was on the move too.
The mechanoids had sucker punched them, but now it was their turn to take a swing.
Rather than sprint up the path, he moved diagonally across it at a brisk walk, his heavy crossbow tucked in the crook of his right arm. As he moved he reached into his spell component pouch with his left hand and took out a shovel figurine and a dram of darkwood bark wrapped in silk.
He stopped moving once he had line of sight to the ape’s snow fort.
That’s the last time you make a monkey out of anyone.
With his fist cliched around the figurine and darkwood bard, the wizard makes a chopping motion and bellows ”Amuul!
The Velvet Ape flip-jumps away from the pit, then whips both cymbals at the hounds on the other side!
The cymbals aren't much of a weapon, but the Velvet Ape's mechanical arms are quite powerful! His cymbals CLASH loudly with each strike! ...but they only manage to hit the magical barrier cast by the dogs' master!
All five of the RUD-209s skitter closer—
—and the red lights fire noisy projectiles that jingle and jangle as the silvery spheres strike poles and ice sculptures!
Bits of ice shatter against the statue Cashara is crouched behind! The force of the attack takes the head off the ice-horse and ice-rider, but the gunslinger is unharmed!
Dr. Marvin dashes for cover as well, but isn't quite as lucky as his ally! Silverbells penetrate the sculpture's leg and bounce off the doctor's chest!
More shots are fired at Caledon's animals!
It seems the boy, girl and bear dolls are not yet attacking. Just the mighty ape and five very large, spidery machines scanning the field with their red cycloptic glares. They seem to be aware of all intruders, except for the swift rogue who seems to have vanished into a mist!
Cashara shoots around her cover at the closest RUD-bot
The first chain only added to the annoying events of the night. With a tunnel vision of both heroism and rage, Dr. Mavrin flew across the field only stopping to duck behind a ice sculpture. Sadly the chain to the chest knocked the air out of him for a short time but he quickly recovered. With nothing with a quick glance at what his fellow combatants were doing, he continued his mad dash to the front door of the house, his peppermint scarf marking his path like the tail of a festive comet.
Vetalia rolls two fingers in a circle with then flicks them forward sending Umbra at a full sprint to cover to await an opportunity to attack. Vetalia and Meno then race from behind her tree of concealment to her two companions in their forward position.
Caledon Whiteree is an avid sportsman. Although he’d only acquired Charlabu and Thunder a week of two after the incident at the docks, he’d been hunting with dogs since his youth. As far as he could tell, dogs mostly que off a command’s vowels and ignore the consonants. This was especially true when they were excited. This was why the choice of command words was important. “Here” is easier to yell than “come.” But “heel” and “here” sound the same to a dog.
The kennel master of the Umbral Circus seemed to have picked up on this too. When he’d purchased Charlabu and Thunder the old man had explained the command words they’d be reared with. Most where derived from old Varisian, accentuated the vowels and weren’t easily confused with phrases in the common tongue. To make it even easier to avoid confusion, the Kennel master had also trained the dogs to que off a whistles in addition to the verbal commands.
This insight into commanding a hunting dog was one of the many skills that had transferred over the arcane bond between Caledon and Hunter. Consequently, Hunter had been building upon the work done by the kennel master.
When the silver bells started zipping through the air, the Familiar realized that his dogs were too far ahead. This was a common occurrence when hunting pheasant – the dogs would get too far ahead and scare the prey before crossbowmen were in position. A smart dog could be taught to stop and hide under cover while the hunting party closed in – and Charlabu and Thudner were smart as far as dogs went.
Hunter Whitetree let out a loud staccato chirp, the dogs had been trained to interpreted as ‘Stand down, and hide.’
When silver bells began streaking across the wizard realized they’d be at a disadvantage until they managed to close the gap. As Vetalia stepped out of the shadows and moved closer to Dr. Mavrin and Cashara Caledon’s next course of action became obvious.
He moved toward the group, plucking a silk wrapped bundle of a licorice root shavings and magnesium from his pouch. "Tiid Klo Ul"
Archibald Follows.
"Stand back from the wrath of my pillow attack!" the Velvet Ape warns as he charges Dr. Marvin. "STAND BACK!"
The Velvet Ape reaches behind his back, underneath his violet cape, to draw his concealed weapon: a pillow!
The ape charges Dr. Marvin!
The RUDs close in, the two one the left pairing together as they close in. The two on our heroes' right almost collide with each other as their spidery legs stumble across an icy walkway!
They shoot at the cowgirl and the animals!
Rapid-fire silver bells tear through ice sculptures and snow forts, striking Cahsara, Umbra and Thunder!
Inside the fort, bearded dwarfs cheer on Dr. Marvin.
"Show that ape what for!" says one.
Another says, "I'll help ya!"
But all he does is make a futile struggle. It looks like the dwarf can only help by offering moral support.
Dr. Mavrin stumbles as the Ape's soft weapon hits him in the back of the head. He turns to look at the the mechanical monstrosity as a soft growl comes out between bared teeth.
That. Was. It.
There had been enough attacks against the Doctor's ego tonight, and he was having none of it.
Mavrin twisted back around and ran into the house, having to stoop quite low to get though the door. He quickly scanned the inside, taking note of what he saw.
Then he shouted, "Dwarf! Close the damn door!"
Mutagen. Mutagen. Mutagen. Mutagen. Where is my damn mutagen!!! he thought as he padded his coat with one hand. He finally grasped the vial he was looking for, but he had wasted precious seconds.
The vial was a long skinny one. The was filled with a bubbling liquid that glowed radioactive green. The bubbles where loud enough to be heard and the entire concoction had an almost unnatural aura.
In short, something no sane person would drink.
But that was exactly what Dr. Mathias Mavrin was planning to do...
As soon as the last word of incantation was out of his mouth, Caledon was already moving. He tried to guide the arcane energy with his will – he pushed it out toward each of his comrades. But he failed to reach Mavrin in time.
He looked up at the line of metal beast charging his position and felt a flutter of panic. I’m a spice merchant, not a Knight-Captain. These people followed me here because they thought I knew what I was doing.
Snowflakes fluttered past Caledon’s field of vision, but they fell unnaturally slow. Although he hadn’t been walking very fast he realized he’d already walked moved thirty feet in the same time Mavrin’s sprinted fifty. The chronomancy had taken hold of himself at least.
He forced his fear down, and tossed his crossbow to the side. A knight-Captain of the Legion of Battlemages isn’t here. I’ll have to do.
He looked over at the floating bandoleer struggling to match his speed, snapped open on one of the spring loaded scroll cases and deftly catching the scroll that popped out.
He had it open in a second and began reading the key phrase aloud “Tinu galad”
He held an open palm up to his lips and blew on it, as if blowing away dust. Ninety feet away a cloud of golden particles covers the two clockwork beasts to the left of the cottage and everything in a ten-foot area.
Vetalia hears Caledon speak aloud behind her when she then notices Meno’s wing beats are perceptible. She can see their delicate lines reflecting the merry lights in a prismatic dance of color.
Stunning. Meno looks to be a fairy light himself. Heh, heh. He would not like me making that comparison, she smirks. Time to engage and see if we can add some more splashes of color.
Vetalia starts her charge knowing Caledon boosted her speed. Thank you, Caledon. No more need to hop like a rabbit. I can now charge like a lion.
She races forward with the force of said lion and the speed of a cheetah. Vetalia sights her prey, pulling Blacktalon and Shadowclaw, two blackened starknives from her belt. When within 30 feet, she swings her right arm forward in an arc, releasing Blacktalon with Debilitating force.
Umbra, seeing her master come flashing up, gives chase, searching for the intended prey. She knows she will soon be able to apply claws and jaws to bring down the kill.
The Velvet Ape attempts to grapple Dr. Marvin as he drinks what the ape may assume to be a healing potion.
—but the feathers floating about from the ape's broken pillow seem to alter the machine's depth perception. Massive hands close in before Dr. Marvin's face, missing him entirely! The transforming alchemist sees a very vulnerable foe basically hugging himself!
The machines on the left are covered in glitterdust! The red lights suddenly dim. The machines was their attacks!
Vetalia strikes the lone machine! Her first strike puts a nasty scratch on the RUD. Her second strikes oil, which sprays from the hull in a burst of smoky sparks!
The machine retaliates!
The other two machines remain paired together as they attack the wizard and his bird!
Two of the machines stopped running! One is more damaged than not!
As for the dwarves in the IDIoT house, when told to close the door, the dwarf nearest replies "But, but, I can help!"
Another says, "You heard him, Prancer! Close the damn door!" The panicky dwarf reaches a stout arm through his web of chains, and with the glowing stick in his hand, he taps the door shut.
Cashara Shoots at the next closest Rub
Cashara shoots at the next dangerous Rod
Caledon grunted when the silver projectile cut his bicep. He was more concerned that the remaining spheroids had doubled their rate of fire. The wizard popped open a one of the springload scroll cases on his harness – reading as he walked. When he’d finished reading he’d already moved fifty feet closer to the cottage.
He dropped the now blank parchment, raised one hand and snapped his fingers. "lanta en' gon"
At Caledon’s snap an eighty-foot-wide cylinder of dirt, gravel and stones rained down on the Velvet aped and remaining clockwork monstrosities.
Safe behind a closed door, the doctor turns to the dwarfs.
"What you are about to witness may be shocking and terrifying to some of you, but I I assure you I am quite alright and in sound mind. Please refrain from panicking." Mavrin say quickly and with a stern voice.
He then slips his crossbow back into it's straps, and unclips his jaw guard.
He then throws his head back and drinks the vile, green liquid with a single gulp...
He suddenly bends backwards in a disturbing manner and then, equally as quickly and disturbingly, bends forward and arches his back. His arms and legs tighten as his hands twitch. His fingers grow longer and sharper, eventually tearing through his gloves. His jaw seems to inlong and he seems to grow even taller than before. When he lifs his face, his mouth can't even close properly, due to the fact of large teeth intersecting each other like some sort of mutated angler fish. His nails double in size, turning into razor blade claws and, as vains bulge, his loose clothes seem to fit him better. Behind his goggles are two orange lights, shining with madness and rage.
In any case, Dancer or Prancer or whatever his name was holds up the wand in his hand, poking it through the web of chains. He says, "I take it you can't make use of these either then?"
A sudden storm of stones fills the air surrounding the remaining active automatons!
Ha! Caledon again. The man is not just another pretty face.
The storm stops as suddenly as it started. Vetalia sees the RUD she hit earlier charge her full tilt! She uses Windy Escape swirling into a gray mist as the glowing red nose jabs at her. She solidifies into a roll narrowly missing the first hoof coming at her head. Not quick enough to dodge the second which she takes in the side.
“Oof! This thing has quite the kick. Just like Lightningstrike, the damn mare.” Vetalia mutters under her breath as she comes up in a ready stance. Vetalia’s Blackthorn Returns to her hand with a soft popping sound.
Crack, crack! She sees the RUD collapse in front of her, light winking out. Seems to be Cashara’s doing, good shot.
Oh, Thank the Lady, may she continue to bless me with Luck. Ducking for a second with hands on knees, she takes a shallow breath, trying to get her lungs working again. Well, that will leave a mark. Need to heal that up in a bit. She stands with a groan, sheathing her starknives on her waist.
She sees the beglittered RUDs out of the corner of her eye, silent and dark sparkling in the Crystalhue lights. The RUD in front of her is spurting oil and spraying sparks.
Might need a little more fire power. Vetalia releases a string holding her adamantine blanched bolts quiver. She drops the cold iron bolt and loads a gray swirled bolt. Locked and loaded, and ready for bear. Or in this case, ape. She peers around the silent RUD in front of her.
Hunter circles in close to Caledon. Seeing no immediate way of being otherwise useful, the falcon carefully watches the called stones bludgeon the velvet Ape. Humans were clever but not always wise. It was his job to see the things they didn't see.
The clockwork doesn't react to pain as a person (or animal) would, so while there is visible damage, the Ape moves as it would have if it was unharmed... although it does seem to have difficulty navigating the sharp rocks embedded in the snowy ground.
Pelted by rocks from the heavens, the RUDs attempt to escape the storm only to instead wade deeper into it! By the time the rocks stop falling, the two RUDs have collided. The red noses take aim at the caster who called the storm—if only because he's the easiest target to see!
—but due to the cracked windows, it seems the RUD's are having trouble aiming!
The RUD-209 in the center has now shut down. Smoke poofs out from its rear, and there is an odd pounding sound coming from the inside.
The Velvet Ape peers into the house and sees a glowing pair of orange eyes. "Big Bad? The Velvet Ape does no remember Big Bad being on duty. Big Bad is always huffing and puffing and should not be within 150 yards of the IDIoT House."
Navigating the freshly fallen rocks in the freshly fallen snow is no easy task, but the Velvet Ape manages to reach the door to the IDIoT House.
He knocks.
"Big Bad, you must step away from the prisoners. They have been taken alive and therefore they are no longer resisting. Or, if you will not leave, kindly shackle the bespectacled prisoner who has just arrested himself. The Velvet Ape thanks you kindly for complying to one or both demands."
Either the Velvet Ape took one too many rocks to the head, or something in his programming is somehow preventing him from busting down the door and attacking Dr. Marvin. In any case, the Ape is ignoring our heroes. The two remaining RUDs are not.
And as for the IDIoT House...
...the door is pulled open by a dwarf, revealing DR. Marvin's disturbing transformation!
Caledon, given his arcane knowledge, can't help but notice the dwarves have wands in hand—though the wands don't seem to be useful in their hands, else they wouldn't be covered in chains!