Zzvkgrogk grunts in acknowledgement and wanders carefully in the air over the canister.
If he thinks it is safe he will open it.
As Zzvkgrogk carefully manipulates the dark metal cylinder, the seals disengage with a faint hiss. A sudden rush of stale, artificial air spills out, carrying with it the sterile, metallic scent of preservation fluids long since drained away.
Then, the chamber is filled with an ear-piercing, metallic scream. A wretched, distorted wail that reverberates through the stone walls and sends an involuntary shudder through your bodies. The sound is raw and grating, like steel being torn apart, and it lasts for agonizing seconds; then it chokes into a ragged gasp before finally subsiding.
A voice crackles to life from within the canister. Hoarse, mechanical, and edged with barely contained madness "Where... where am I? This isn't... Starfall. No, no... It's the caves. The mi-go's nest. I remember... experiments, questions. They-" The voice halts, as if struggling to grasp its own fragmented consciousness. Then, with a slow realization, it mutters, "But... you are not one of them... who are you damn?"
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"Therace, I presume?" Khalia enjoys the space between her and the disembodied voice.
"You may hear my voice, through the vocal chords of an android, but try and remember me, your elven companion Khalia. We've also retrieved my brother Revion. At least his body. We appear too late to save you from the mi-go. You are no longer intact. You have lost your body, but have you lost your mind, as well?"
Zzvkgrogk first wrinkles his nose at the escaping air, then flattens his ears to dampen the grating wail.
”Oh, whoever this is – I think they are well aware of their current situation.”
He looks about at his companions. ”On a hunch I am thinking – now that this canister is open it’s contents are not long for this world.”
He addresses the canister. ”Er, do you remember who you are? How did you come to this? Why did you come to this cave? Were you looking for something or someone in particular?”
Khalia and Zzvkgrogk's questions are the same as her own, so Ruha stays quiet to let the disembodied voice speak. Though it seems likely from the mention of Starfall that this might be the Technic League member Hyrsek was looking for, she can't help but feel the agonizing tragedy of his situation. Tortured, experimented on, and now left in this state... it was too much for anyone to bear.
"I am sorry we were not here earlier."
Rhoreen keeps quiet at Khalia tries to communicate with the screamer. She waits to see if a connection can be made.
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Yambul isn't sure what to make of all this. He wonders how consciousness can be captured in a cylinder. "This is so strange... do you feel pain? What do you feel?" he can't help but ask.
With a slow realization, the voice mutters, "They took my body... Damn them. Those... things" the voice steadies, though an undercurrent of desperation lingers "You. Whoever you are. I am Therace Holiyard, lieutenant of the Technic League. And if you get me out of here, I can make you rich beyond your wildest dreams"
His words are fast, eager, as if clinging to some remnant of control. But behind the bravado, you sense it, he's barely holding on to his sanity. That said, you believe his promise comes sincere, though you are not sure to what extend he can make it true or might be willing to do it once he is free of this situation.
Therace's voice echoes again, imbued with an urgent tone "Khalia... hum approach, so I may see your face" the voice waits then adds "I remember you well from Starfall. You said you were on the hunt for those accursed aliens. I guided you at the Spider of the Scar. You were chosen not by mere chance but by fate, to extract one of the hive minds for my own personal study and to recover advanced technology essential to my lead into power on the League's ranks."
Then, he repeats "Free me from this torment, and I promise wealth beyond your wildest dreams; together, with the Dominion's knowledge, we can become more powerful than anyone else in this planet"
The man’s remaining gear has been gathered into a sticky netting of fungus and lies in a compact heap behind the pillar on which the brain canister sits. This gear consists of a ring of protection +2, a +2 laser pistol, a wand of f ly (13 charges), a wand of technomancyTG (40 charges), a red access card, and his spellbooks (these books contain spells up to 4th level).
Sense Motive
Perception
Rhoreen crosses her arms, wanting to kill this Technic jerk...or, better yet, leave him here for all eternity sealed inside and screaming.
Khalia reluctantly steps forward, a mixture of dread and curiosity. A brain... without eyes? And yet he sees...
As close as she is, the android reaches below the cylinder, and pulls from its hiding place the items belonging to Therace. She looks the items over, most of them magical, and hands them directly to Rhoreen. Only then does she turn to Hyrsek.
"Well. We've found Therace. And the items he was carrying at the time, I surmise. What now?"
Ruha looks to Hyrsek as well. She doesn't want to immediately refuse the Technic-Leaguer's request in case that leads to a rapid degradation of what little sanity he has left. Still, she has no interest in the desperate promises of this fellow either. He was clearly no saint in life based on his choice of association and his openly-admitted goal regarding the Scar of the Spider. But his current state is a horror that no one deserves...
Her brow furrows as she considers.
"Where is Hyrsek? Shouldn't he decide what we do here?" Rhoreen looks around for the preening peacock. Such smugness is so unbecoming. So glad I'm so much better than to do that.
While she waits, she will cast Detect Magic] and identify the magics.
(heroism)
”Well, we’re not allies of the Technic League, but we don’t abide suffering and torture either. For the sake of argument, how would we release you?”
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Therace lets out a dry, static-laced chuckle, the sound warped by the unnatural medium that holds his consciousness "Wealth beyond your wildest dreams, I said. Is that not enough?"
Hyrsek approaches the discussion, he folds his arms, tilting his head slightly as if considering "Too vague," he states, his voice carrying an almost casual sharpness "And vague promises don't fill purses. You want our help? Then let's talk specifics: twenty thousand gold for bringing you to Starfall, and whatever gear is lying around here" he gestures subtly toward the items Khalia uncovered, his eyes gleaming with calculated amusement "I assume these were yours, but let's be honest, you're in no condition to make use of them anymore"
For a moment, silence. Then, another crackling laugh from the brain in the cylinder "Hah. Clever. You remind me of myself... before all this" a pause "Fine. You will have your payment, though it is no small sum. But wealth is meaningless without a body to enjoy it. If this is the price of getting out of this damped place, so be it"
Hyrsek flashes a satisfied smirk before turning away, walking past Khalia just close enough to whisper as he winks, "A nice little sum for our efforts, wouldn't you say? The bounty, the gear, and the glory, mine, as we agreed, of course. But twenty thousand? Not bad for a little detour you made" he straightens, voice returning to its usual easy charm "Now, of course, there's just the small matter of collecting our reward in Starfall. But that's a journey worth taking, wouldn't you agree?"
The game is set. Now all that remains is whether the party is willing to play.
Whatever the decision, the mi-go caves are clear, and the mission at the Scar of the Spider valley completed. Perfectly able to leave the place, you feel your dire experience saving Golarion from the unknown alien menace has strengthened you beyond your expectations when your little adventure begun back in Torch.
Ruha definitely doesn't like where this is leading - or rather where Hyrsek led it. However she resolves to discuss with the party after they're free of the bounty hunter. In the mean time she leads the way out of the caverns, keeping an eye out for any stragglers that might be lying in wait to ambush the group.
Rhoreen looks at Hyrsek.
"What? That's it? That's what you think her life is worth? All the pain and suffering she's offered? That's not nearly enough. I, for one, do not agree. That's ridiculously low when we could kill her right now for the fun of it," Rhoreen replies.
Khalia can't exactly compute her feelings towards Hyrsek, as he whispers nearby. He's almost lost his life fighting along side us, but his motives are truly his own.
"Hyrsek, I would like to ask you a question, but you are not obligated to answer it. To whom are you bringing Therace back to claim your bounty?"
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Hyrsek turns to Rhoreen with a slow, amused smirk, as if savoring the drama "Oh, Rhoreen, my dear. You wound me" he places a hand over his chest in mock injury "I don't deal in suffering for its own sake. This is business. A brain in a jar has no leverage, and yet, I have secured us a fine sum for a task we were already likely to take. If you think you could have squeezed more, well, next time, be my guest"
Then Hyrsek glances to Khalia's way, his smirk softening into something unreadable "Ah, Khalia. Ever the inquisitive one" the tiefling exhales, as if contemplating the weight of his answer, then shrugs "Let's just say our dear Lieutenant Holiyard left some angry boss back in Starfall when he took it into his own on this secret mission of his taking away advanced tech and men alike"
He tilts his head, watching Khalia carefully "But what truly matters, my dear Chaance," he adds in a whisper only she can catch, using the name she no longer wears, "is that we have a reason to see Starfall together. And I wouldn't mind the company"
Then, louder, to the rest: "Well, I suppose we should be off. After all, there's the matter of collecting payment. Unless, of course, you would all rather stay and listen to our host reminisce about his glory days?"
Rūha leads the way out of the caverns without opposition and back to the fresh air. The sun is shinning and it is only midday.
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"To whom are you bringing Therace back to claim your bounty?"
When Khalia speaks, Zzvkgrogk shrugs internally, having posed this question before only to note that Hyrsek evaded answering it.
He folds his arms and fixes his piercing beady-eyed gaze upon Hyrsek.
"Is it a Technique Leaguer? Because they keep trying to take our weapons away from us and that never ends well for them."
... and as Hyrsek evades the answer again he shrugs externally.
"We were already on our way to Starfall anyway. Isuma, are you also headed that way?"
Zzvkgrogk pops the top back onto Therace's brain tome. "Here, Hyrsek you should probably carry this." He pushes the canister and its loot towards the Tiefling unconcerned about whether or not it will slow him down.
He heads out into the sunlight and fresh air with the others.
Yambul, lost in thought and focused on the good thing to do, misses much of what transpires. But he’s in agreement with the group. It seems the obvious thing to do to honor their deal with Hyrsek. He too is curious who Hyrsek works for though - and what he does say still makes him uneasy. He is worried they’re going to set loose a technique leaguer to a technique leaguer. He hopes Hyrsek answers Zzvkgrogk honestly.
(heroism)
When they get outside, he too is glad to breathe the fresh air! He consults with Khalia as to the best way to go to get out of the accursed valley, sheathes his chainsaw, and starts off to get some distance before nightfall.
(heroism)
Khalia registers very little in the inflections Hyrsek uses to answer her, only gauging that the tiefling speaks truth about an angry Leaguer waiting for word about Therace and his waywardness. Her nanites raise her skin in perfect spacing, bumps of goose skin, though nothing pilatory, as her skin is perfectly smooth. She nods to Hyrsek, a smile almost reaching her eyes as Zzvkgrogk indicates clearly that the bounty is also burden to the one claiming it.
She welcomes Yambul's strategizing for departing the Scar.
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Rūha turns to Isuma "While we would be glad to have you, I expect you will not find a lot of open minded souls in Starfall Isuma, but rather many who will want to leverage your presence for their own ends. If you want some respite instead, I would suggest you head for Hajoth Hakados, far to the east of here. There's a few interesting people there, and by interesting I mean non-natives, like ourselves. More importantly, they're both understanding and knowledgeable, and they could help get you in contact with any other kasatha that survived the long journey, and the Dominion."
Rūha doesn't need to sense motive to deduce that Hyrsek is bringing Therace's remaining intelligence back to the Technic League. She's fairly sure that isn't a good idea - either for the team OR for Therace.
Rhoreen will try to cast Dominate Person on the captive, not sure it will work or not, but...maybe it will?
She waits to see what, if anything, comes of Ruha's efforts.