Abnaki speaks his words of power and declaration through gritted teeth. ""You will release me and cease all attacks, and then calmly walk in circles and talk to us, rather than be killed by us.""
The golem lets go of Abnaki, who falls to the ground, burn marks roping around his shoulders and the back of his neck. With a blank look on its smooth face, the golem walks around the battlefield.
Abnaki massages his throat. "Decidedly uncomfortable. By the by Gabriel, what did you think of that spell?"
Small pieces of the Observer still rain from above, finally landing after the huge impact of the Observer's fall. Two of these pieces retain lenses and just enough energy to function. They land upon Abnaki's shoulder, blink at him, listen to him, and say, "Hello, Declarative."
"Hello, Declarative."
Gabe looks upon the remaining golems still threatening the group. Using Abnaki's magic once more, he lays into them with a series of precise blows.
Gabe glares at the remaining golem like it personally offended him by not being destroyed as well. "The spell is fantastic Abnaki! It seems to make me move too fast sometimes though..."
Abnaki has a faint smile on his face. "Consider it the first thing I'll do when we get in fights from now on."
Combat Over
The smooth golem walks in wide circles, looking straight forward. You have not asked it any questions yet, but if Abnaki's suggestion holds then it will talk to you.
Abnaki stops performing, and takes a few steps back. "Ow," he mutters, looking down at the burns on himself. "I nearly died there. Oh well, the nature of the craft. Anyone got any healing, or should I break out the old cure stick?"
More clumps of tiny Observer pieces clutch feebly at Abnaki's ankles, greeting him as the Declarative over and over. Gradually, they lose their last vestiges of motion and energy, moving slowly, then twitching, then ceasing.
'goodbye Declarative'
"Lookslikeouronlywayisup..." With a dry chuckle, Gabriel pauses to let the speed spell wear off. "Fair warning, I saw something huge scuttle away last time I went that way. Perhaps the direct route isn't the best in this case. Especially if only two of us can easily traverse the cliffs." He starts stretching to loosen up after the fight but winces as the bruises he suffered start to hurt. "Maybe I need some of that healing too. You have any more of those tiny golems that can help me out too? I think the... 'cure stick' may be necessary."
"I can still burrow. And yes Gabriel, I can get out my wand." He pauses for a second before adding, "I'd like to make sure we aren't going to start fighting again though before we get settled in."
Abnaki, the smaller golem is still circling around the wreckage of the Observer. As you suggested, he also talks to you. Or, in this case, he is yelling at you, his actor's voice flaring angrily across the grounds. "Why are you here?" His smooth features warp strangely as he steps behind a huge, dead lens, "Just more parasites trying to loot the library, I'll wager. Opportunistic scum!"
Samen looks around with a theatrical, questioning look on his face. "Nope. I don't see any mirrors around here. It sounds like you were describing yourself and the Great Big Observer crawling all over the library you are in the process of invading and looting. We, on the other hand, are the cure. Harsh and unlikeable, but we get the job done.
Not having anything to add to the conversation, Gabe surreptitiously places himself in a position strike in case the golem throws off Abnaki's magic.
A small lensed machine, roughly the size of a bee, lands on your shoulder, blinks, and takes off again.
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"I will have you know," Abnaki states with mock offended airs, "That I have never looted anything in my life. Taken rightful spoils perhaps, but looted? Nothing so crass." He crosses his arms, "No, we are here on a mission of liberation!" He blinks for a second, "Did you say more parasites?"
The smooth features show shock for a moment, then smoothed over again. "Just an expression..."
Samen scoffs loudly, and leaves the actual talking to the others. He scans the surroundings with his Sight, an old habit by now. Just more foggy blurry pea soup crap all around.
"Come come now! Speak plainly and truly. Lies are unbecoming of an observer of truth, don't you think? Counterintuitive to your purpose. Leave things like that to your sister-self... or I guess me."
His silver lip curls in a sneer. "You are disgusting. You are a malleable thing of dirt and flowers and dreams. Nothing fit to be Declarative!" He says this last in a burst of passion. His sudden swings of mood are odd, as if his emotional clay still lies new and wet.
"A true Declarative would be able to stop those little gray bugs from feasting!" He turns away, continuing to walk in circles as per the suggestion.
Gabe watches the little bug like machine fly away. As the golem mentions little bugs feasting though, he takes a closer look at where it landed on him. Moving his shoulder a bit to make sure nothing is amiss, he examines the larger golem pieces around to see what the silver one is talking about.
"Those who live in glass houses shouldn't cast stones," Abnaki says wagging his finger, "I'd recommend you take a good look at yourself. Malleable? Certainly. Look at you now. And metal is just shiny dirt my friend. And if you embrace your new existence, or even just continue, I suspect you will dream as well. Think carefully, do you still wish to antagonize? We could still be friends."
Gabriel, you note with relief that your shoulder and your cloak are still well and whole. The 'bug' that flew off was more a small whirring machine anyway. The larger golem pieces show no signs of feasting or chewing - everything simply fell apart when the ill-fated sun tea was taken.
Abnaki, the small, smooth golem looks at you deeply for several seconds. "Would you truly risk yourselves in there, in that infested library, and stop them from eating more words?"
"I've risked far more for far more foolish reasons. Yes, I would."
The golem's face, so animated with emotion just moments before, becomes flat and impassive again, like he is donning armor against hope. "Very well. Follow me." He begins to walk toward the base of Uluru.
He stop midstride, and turns his head slightly, almost shyly. "My name is Serv." Continuing again in a brisk manner, he reaches the sheer rockface of Uluru.
With no further comment, the golem lifts his hands into the air, and ascends toward the top. He quickly fades into a small dot, then goes above the fog banks and out of sight. Samen gives a terse explanation, something about a magical effect that is reversing the 'element' of gravity into weightlessness. The strange silvery enchantment remains behind, a subtle glimmer hanging in the air.
Gabe watches as the golem ascends the magic corridor. With a quick glance at his companions, he mimics the Glenn's actions and waited for the magic to take effect.
Gabriel, your stomach feels strange as you ascend, but you feel no ill effects. At the top of Uluru, you see a large structure made from hundreds and thousands of individual stones, all piled and cemented into a dome shape. From the dome-shape comes a graceful copper tree - the two symbols of the Branch Library.
Your eye is drawn to the large series of lenses, a complex construction that you have trouble following. "Touch nothing," the golem admonishes.
Samen shrugs and follows Gabriel, just as happy to save on magic and effort. At the dizzying height of Uluru, he remembers the last time he was here, before his brother and sister died. He grunts to himself and says nothing.
The golem walks toward the small, rectangular doorway cut into the stone - the only entrance into the Library. A pile of oread bones lies upon the ground, surrounding a logbook full of blank pages.
Samen grumbles as he sees the bones. "I thought petty intimidations like that would be beneath 'seekers of knowledge' like you."
Abnaki follows the current upwards. "Lead on Macduff Serv."
As you pass by the lenses, the Sunlord yells, "Wait! Take Us to the lens! We could destroy every enemy! Sunbeams could cleanse and purify everything!"
Samen takes one unwilling step toward the lenses. Serv has not noticed - he is already two steps into the sharp-cut doorway.
Gabe's keen senses overhears the overly loud Sunlord casually mention cleansing 'everything'. He swiftly steps in front of Samen's odd jerky movement toward the lenses. "How about we find some smaller lenses to cleanse and purify the enemies in front of us a bit more judiciously before we move on to everything else."
Samen regains the use of his body, and an ugly look crosses his face. Projecting his thoughts to everyone in the area, he mentally shouts, I am so volcing sick of every elemental and godling trying to possess me! I think you are closest thing to a morally decent creature we've ever met, so you get ONE mistake. Do this again-
(just a taste of Id Insinuation, and a feeling of inescapable vertigo inside a teakettle prison)
-and I'll curse you with confusion and bury you in that rotting mushroom heap for ten thousand years.
Out loud, he says, "Thanks for the distraction Gabe. Come on." He catches up to Serv, walking quickly away from the lenses and the sharp drop.
Silent and filled with shame, the Sunlord retreats deep inside the kettle.
"Oh, don't be like that. There will be plenty of time for blasting enemies with sunbeams. There's just too much important knowledge here to risk a deep cleanse."
Serv is waiting for you inside the doorway. His expression gives away nothing - you are not certain he saw the brief scuffle. In an overly polite tone, he says, "Your human eyes require light, yes? Any preferences as to brightness or color?"
By some miracle of the sylph glasses, you see a subtle, snakey movement just inside the doorway. The missing salamanders are there. They have lenses in place of their eyes. Your arcane vision detects that they are about to blast some major fire spells (scorching rays) directly at Serv, and whoever else is in their line of fire.
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Volcing rats. No, that's too harsh on rats.
Angry at the salamander's interference, angry at how they were so easily compromised, and angry about how close they were to the ambush, Samen explodes. "Cowards! What honor is there in your victory if you fight from a position of weakness! Serv, get back here! Everyone else, take cover! We've been betrayed by our 'allies'."
Concerned that his attuned senses missed something, Gabe trusts in his companion and takes cover.
Moving with uncanny speed, Serv avoids several red, flaming rays that erupt from the doorway. You hear hisses of frustration from within as Serv lands lightly on his feet.
"This firecraft will make us lords of Igniscoeli! You never gave us anything half so sweet!" The snarling reptilian faces look utterly alien now, with glassed eyes holding awful, burning pinpoints of red light. Sharp teeth open wide in a hungry smile. "Flame-kissed human skin for dinner, and then give your brain to the robes-and-glasses, in gratitude for our firecraft."