Edie is [color=red]FRUSTRATED![/color]
Of all the stupid puzzles in stupid places because we're trying to fix all this crap and there's not even a gorram TECH MANUAL or documentation. And we're flailing about this like that one EFFIN' co-worker that works with one hand in their pockets the whole gorram shift because they're an a&*%*+@, not because they have a legitimate injury!
Edie's stance changes slightly as she roars at the troublesome node, punching it via the back of her armored claws with a momentary burst of anger
The blue in the filled nodes wobbles like water on a shaking table, but otherwise, nothing happens.
Edie is winded
"Bella, brush your hair up against it. Maybe you won't have to cut it?" Edie offers as she drags herself a good ten feet away to give Bella all the space she needs for whatever... it's feeling clear this isn't something she's going to be able to contribute to.
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Bella sigh...I hate these stupid puzzles...I mean what kind of social outcast came up with this...
Bella will brush her hair against it...
Somewhere, far north of here, a kitsune feels rather suddenly that she is offended, though she is not sure why.
Bella’s hair seems to drag the remainder of the blue along to the remaining node; less graceful, perhaps, than removing a hair to do so, but still effective.
As the final node fills with blue, the muddy river bottom of the spiral truly turns to mud, which flows out onto the floor (and, somewhat, Bella’s foot).
Soon, the spiral is less a shallow track and instead goes all the way through to the other side of the stone—about three feet thick, it seems.
The edges of the wall puff ancient dust, and it slides slightly downwards... then stops, skids another inch or so, and stops again.
There’s about a foot of gap on top, now.
Anyone want to Aid Another? There’s room enough in the now-empty spiral to stick your fingers in, if you’d like.
Edie is pointedly amused
Of course the machinery isn't working. It's however many years old and probably hasn't been maintained.
The tiefling takes a few moments to catch her breath and regroup before throwing her own shoulder into it, using her axe handle as an impromptu lever to help expedite matters.
"Be careful in there, please don't get squished!"
Klyto's thought process was a good one: wedged between the ceiling and the door, he's got leverage in the right position to give a proper shove, and with Edie cranking down on the door, there's a horrible noise that is unmistakably stone grinding on stone.
There's an earthy snap, and the door quite suddenly clears whatever debris was in the way.
Between gravity, the heaviness of the stone, and Edie and Klyto's force, the stone drops fast, and Klyto drops after it!
He hits the floor with an OOF!
He's winded, but fine, and moreover, the stone door is now flush with the floor; it's possible to proceed.
Not that there's much proceeding to do!
With the door out of the way, the mine opens up into a chamber. From your spot by the puzzle door, you can see what looks like a man, very roughly formed out of stone and missing a head, nearly ten feet tall.
It stands in the center of the chamber, the stones that make it up twirling in their place, but not taking any sort of action at present.
Edie wonders what the rock-person's motivation is!
"Oh, hello there rock person. How are you doing today? Did you want us to come along for some tea?" is what Edie prevents herself from asking as she carefully picks up her axe and restows it over her back.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Definitely no threatening moves.
Soothing lack of tone for lack of voice as she does this.
Keeyan stands, staring at the stone figure, in shock and a bit of terror. "Ah, he say.... crap! Just a minute. "He says it was a guardian for his body, but the magic animating it might be gone, or at least weakened. If not we need to hit hard and fast....."
"But shouldn't it have a head?"
Detect magic seems to ping an aura! The aura feels like the magical equivalent of old tech that's still plugging along-- like an old gaming console that mostly works, but sometimes you have to prop something up against the controller plug to get it to line up correctly.
Apparently having another one sided conversation Keeyan also isn't even trying for stealth/quiet.... "If you go to the effort to make a humanoid golem, of course it should have a head! How does it see or hear without eyes or ears?"
He glances around at the others. "Sorry. I detected some magic. Not like a residue of a cast spell. More like a really old magic. Maybe the magic to animate that thing is in as bad of shape as the body looks.... I hope."
"Uh, Klyto? Are you trying to sneak past it? Cause even I can see you...." Still standing in the doorway he reaches in and slaps the wall to the left of the opening.
There is a reaction from the golem; it seems to straighten somewhat before settling into a low position, with one stony arm raised over its head.
Edie has an IDEA!
The tiefling scratches her head a bit and considers.
"Hrrrrrmgrowf." she says as she raises her hand to mimic the stone creation's movement.
There does not seem to be much of a reaction.
Keeyan stares at the creature, obviously unsure. "OK.... So it's a rock and doesn't need eyes to see. Probably doesn't need ears to hear, and likely doesn't eat so it doesn't need a mouth. But how are we going to hurt it!?! Not like these WalMart special bolts can do much more than scratch it!
A bit disgusted he lifts his crossbow and fires the ready bolt.
Keeyan turns his glare to Klyto. "It's a rock! How does one annoy a rock!?!"
Keeyan, squinting down the sight, happens to notice something: one of the stones in its shoulder joint looks... particularly precarious.
Pwang!
The bolt flies, and knocks a fist-sized right out the back of the back of the golem's shoulder.
Which would be nice, if it didn't immediately spring into action--
Surprise Round + Round 1
The Party
The Golem
--well, immediately-ish.
The Party may all make 1 Surprise Round action (aside from Keeyan and Klyto, who have already used theirs), then take a regular turn!
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Edie is disappoint.
The axe-wielding woman sighs as the bolt is fired... and then is off to the races. "Klyto, getting behind to set the flank, will wait for you!" she says quickly, reluctantly pulling her axe.
As Edie moves along the outer wall, keeping old, rough support pillars between her and the golem, she sees something... interesting behind it.
There is a large, metallic blue structure, built almost like one of those science fiction people pods in shape if one was feeling generous-- or a coffin, if one was not. It leans, standing, against the wall.
"Looks like a coffin back here." Edie chimes in hopefully while praying she doesn't get walloped too hard by this construct thing.
As the others move forward Keeyan hears the word 'coffin' and "thinks".... "Coffin behind the rock thing. Is that for you?"
Keeyan relays the info "Chant says the box is likely for him."
Bella backs up a step..."I thought you make fun of it's beard or it's height... she looks at the rock thing...."I dont think I got anything that would effect that,
Edie swings her axe and manages to scrape hard into the stone, but when she pulls the head out, she finds it's only managed a light gash; a few pebbles fall out from between the larger animate stone.
Klyto's attack, however, seems to do much more; a solid hit knocks out a few fist-sized stones from its middle, becoming inert as they leave.
The golem, meanwhile, slowly spins on its "waist," its big, stone club of an arm rising--
--and hitting Edie with a very solid thud.
You get the sense that this is about as gentle a thud as it could have hit you with, but it still feels like... kind of a lot, despite that.
Round 2
The Party (Edie -6)
The Golem (-12P, -8B, -6S)
The Party is up!
Edie is resigned but not going out without a fight!
The tiefling growls at how horrible the axe has been on this trip and gets angry once more, though she knows she can only hold it for a few seconds given how tired she is.
Edie drops the seemingly useless axe and gives the stone thing two backhands, lashing at it with the backs of her clawed hands as some variation on a pimp-slap.
Bella will draw dagger and move into melee with the rock creature and tries something...
In her most commanding voice in Elven she says,"Stop!
Hoping if this was made by elves it might respond to commands by a Elf.
Seeing everyone now attacking the stone creature, his fault for activating it with his "lucky" shot, Keeyan reloads and fires again. The creature is hard to miss, but unless he gets very lucky he really doubts the cheap, WalMart bolt can hurt the rock....
Five things happen in quick succession:
First, Klyto's hammer starts moving.
Second, Bella's command fills the chamber, and the golem freezes.
Third, the Great Value bolt hits the golem's... clavicle area? and spirals over top, uselessly.
Fourth, Edie reaches out and slaps the elbow right off the golem.
Before its forearm can hit the floor, Klyto's hammer connects with the chest of the creature and carries it all the way to the floor, where the lump of rock shatters to pieces. The legs fall away from the (now missing) torso, and the remaining arm falls off as well.
Combat OVER!
You are left with a bunch of rubble at your feet, and a sort of large, boxlike object with a metallic blue sheen to it.
Keeyan quietly puts the useless crossbow on the floor and proceeds to the box. He rubs his hands together, staring with a look of.... ownership? on his face. "Alright then. Who wishes to become the sacrifice?"
Keeyan turns, slowly, toward Klyto. "Explain? Fully and completely? Where one is the same it is a waste of time to provide any. However, as should be quite obvious, this container has been sitting idle here for many years, centuries even. The purpose of this quest was to reach this location, AND reanimate the contents. The contents of this container have, for the full time previously mentioned, been soul-ly bereft of said soul. Unless YOU have a different, powerful reanimation capability, which I highly doubt considering what I have observed recently.... Of course we need a sacrifice!"
"So, who's the first volunteer!?!"
Edie is Fatigued. She's also out of f!%!s to give about being fatigued.
The tiefling feels like she's been through three back-to-back Christmas rush days as the last of the heavenly furor leaves her body and she sort of slumps a bit as she slowly picks up Useless the Axe and with the energy level of the average goldbricker slowly hoists it back into it's holster.
She'd take the thing back for a refund, but the store closed so there's nothing to do for it save maybe turn it into metal fixtures for someone's armor... maybe Klyto can get on that when she can actually, y'know, give a f!$!.
"If I wasn't so tired right now of all this b%&@~&#+ I'd say to go f&~# yourself with some rusty razorblades twice. But that'd require more energy than I've got right now. The f+!+ is this about a sacrifice, now?"
Yes, as she's gotten worn out, her filters have come down, and she's very much not caring at the moment -- not to mention feeling pretty beat up with no healing juice in sight.
Edie lounges against the coffin in a completely irreverent fashion while glancing at the sylph. "Don't you have a f*!%ing soul riding around in your body waitin' to get back into theirs?"
Keeyan glances around at everybody, always returning to Klyto. He sighs, perhaps not as tired as Edie, but the weight of centuries is... almost, behind it. "How can I be more clear, and yet do as demanded to fully, and completely, explain the arcane and divine requirements incumbent upon the completion of this quest. You. We, have all struggled through the various pathways leading to this point. Defeated all opponents encountered through deception or sheer, brute force. The struggle has been arduous, tedious, terrifying and boring throughout. It is time for the final reward. Can I explain it ANY clearer? Now come, one and all." He rubs his hands together again, turning to face the box directly....
"Who will volunteer to be the first sacrifice?"
Edie just doesn't care.
"Y'know what? Fine. F$*~it. Whatthef#~%ever. If you're going to be a b+*&@ about it, hit me. I'll be an easy target because I've tired myself out getting your sorry ass here. Do you need me to wear special f!*&ing oils or do a f#@~ing chant or take a f@+~ing crap on your f&#~ing space capsule here?" Edie replies, the odious tone that's creeping into her voice far more profane with hints of the Abyssal backing it... was her anger keeping it in check?
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Klyto remains wary.
I'm a simple Smith. I know your magics have nothing in common with my hammers and steels. But how about something like, what exactly are we sacrificing? Something we recover from or something a bit more permanent? A bit of blood, an amputation, some years off our lives, our actual lives, our eternal souls? Why don't we start there?
Grinning at the two Keeyan replies, "Hmm.... A bit of blood? An amputation? Interesting concept. And how would one collect on some years voluntarily offered from mortal lives? But that is simple magic isn't it? Not hammer and steel though. But oils? I guess that'd be less disturbing than smearing fecal material, but really?"
"Hmm...."
Bella sighs"I do have knowledge of magic especially of the old ways... under her breath she mutters thanks stupid backwards parents cult leaders..." So I am not some stupid child so explain it to me or we leave and find a Cleric to kick your ass out of our friend's body."