Chapter 16
The party move cautiously through the door into the Security Command as Raziel's interpretation of the map names this room. It doesn't dissapoint there is an entire wall of screens all glowing and showing different views of the base, living pictures of that location. You can see birds and animals moving about from various angles looking into the Atrium. Machines humming away on the dock, plugging devices into the submersible device that was parked at dock. You can see the flooding Mainetance Wing, the private offices, the flooded laboratories on the ground floor, even the power chamber. There are rooms you have not seen as well, a large open area with ladders, a room full of humming grey oblongs, a room with a single huge desk in the centre with something large and blurred sat atop it. Below the screen is a bank of controls, a chair, a skeleton and then at the other end of the room several lockers and a ladder that leads up to a red illuminated hatch.
Silmeria pokes her head in the door, waiting with eyes squnched shut for the snarl of feline constructs, or the whirring of ancient guns... But when nothing happens, she lets out a soft breath, entering the room fully and taking a moment to look about. "Amazing," she murmurs softly, her wandering steps taking her to the screens, and their attendant skeleton, crouching to look the corpse eye-to-eyesocket. "I wonder just what happened to *cause* all of this, anyway... Whether or not it has bearing on the coins, these people at least deserve to have someone tell their story."
Raziel scans over the room before following Silmeria inside before looking up and then turning his eyes to the skeleton while she examines it. "We may yet find out that answer, but first we must see to our goal," he murmurs before moving to look over the controls for a moment. "We'll need to search the room for anymore of the keys. I'd almost rather leave the security up so that the other intruder can't escape.. but... well we shall see. The lockers would probably be a good place to look." Clearly though his attention is on the controls and the screens.
Vazkor has seen plenty of bodies in his time, so the skeleton isn't the first thing he looks at. Instead he slowly lets his eyes scan over each screen, his brow arched as beholds this technological wonder of olden times, and the views on each of them- taking note of areas he hasn't seen yet. He only looks away again as the others speak, turning to them and glancing at the skeleton, before he nods at Raziel and heads over to said lockers, "I'll check them." "It'd be difficult to tell at this point, I think. It most likely happened a long time ago." Thaylorn offers to Silmeria's statement as he in turn enters into the security command room behind the others, his eyes quickly tracing over the most obvious of details in the room, the devices showing imagines of the rooms in the structure. As Vazkor moves over to the lockers at Raziel's suggestion, the Imp starts to follow behind assuming two pairs of eyes are surely better than one!
Resting a hand on the back of the corpse's skull, Silmeria leans closer for a moment, peering at something that catches her eye. "I'm sorry," she murmurs, as she works the object's cord up from around the skeleton's 'neck,' "but I think this will help us all, in the end. I think that I would very much like to know your story, Miss... If I can learn it, I shall." Rising again, she turns to the rest of the party, displaying the keycard object, with its picture of a young redhead. "This makes three, yes?"
Raziel's hand lifts and he strokes along his chin lightly for a few moments before lowering it and tracing some of the symbols detailing what he's looking at. "Alright I think I know how to get the security to relax if we need to. Any luck for you guys?" The mage looks over at Thaylorn and Vazkor before tilting his head towards Silmeria and considering as he walks over to look at the item, "ours didn't have pictures though. At least mine didn't. May I?" He puts his hand out for it to look it over and compare it to the one that is already in his possession.
Vazkor pokes around the rotting clothes he finds some of the lockers a little, frowning a bit as he does so, and finding nothing there. Then he comes across some that are locked... And he glances at Thaylorn, shrugging, before he takes a form grip on the handle of one of the lockers, and starts to pull, muscles suddenly bulging below the leather of his armor, "See if you can find something to pry these open, Thay..." He remarks, as he tries to tear this one open with brute force, only half paying attention to Raziel and Silmeria's conversation behind him.
"Not much luck over here, less you want rotted clothing, I sure wouldn't." Thaylorn replies to Raziel's question, glancing back at the other two to see what they might be doing or have found before his attention is tugged back towards Vazkor as he starts trying to pull at one of the locked lockers. "Uh yeah! Uhh." The Imp chimes before turning about to look through the room again for any bits of metal that he might use to pry one of the lockers open.
Vazkor's muscles ripple, his shirt and coat bulge and strain and with a screeech of metal Vazkor pulls the door off of the locker. Inside the sword-master discovers more mouldy clothing but another key-card, this one made of metal like the one Silmeria's found with the colour picture of a man with curly blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Thaylorn is easily able to find a stout iron pole which should enable him to pull open one of the other locked lockers, there are 2 left. As for the cards Raziel is examinig the one he found below is made from some odd artificial polymer with words inscribed on it, the metal one Silmeria just found is heavier and has a picture on it, it reeks of "important."
Silmeria pauses, blinking, and looks over her shoulder at the screens. "...Um... Raziel? Could you tell me what you see..." And her free hand lifts, pointing to the screen showing the blurry thing on the large, large desk, "there? Because I'm getting a feeling that was... sort of like the fire room..."
Raziel hmmms quietly before handing the card back to Silmeria. The noise Vazkor causes earns a little smirk and a snort before he looks back at Silmeria. "I think the card might have higher clearance than the ones that we found. At least.. that's what comes to mind... huh?" A look is then cast over his shoulder before the man moves back to take a better look at the screen. You page, "You also know her name was Helen Merue add that to the pose, Silm would want to know" to Raziel.
Raziel pauses and looks back at Silmeria once again, something clicking in his brain, "her name was Helen Merue by the way."
Vazkor idly sets the dislocated door to the side, and soon finds the keycard... Looking it over for a moment, he pockets it for now, and glances at Thaylorn as the imp finds something to pry open one of the other lockers with. He nods and points at one, while moving to the second one that's left himself, taking a hold like before, perhaps having gotten a taste for showing off by ripping off doors. Though he also looks over his shoulder at Raziel and Silmeria, watching them study something on one of the screens.
"This should do the trick hopefully!" Thaylorn remarks cheerfully as he finds an iron pole that he can use. Turning about to face the lockers again the Imp seems nearly shocked for a moment as he watches Vazkor tear the door off the locker he was working on, clearly impressed. "You make that look easy, Vaz." The Imp remarks before moving to the locker indicated by Vazkor before taking the bar to it as he tries to pry it open.
Vazkor buckles the locker door this time but doesn't manage to tear it off Hinges and all. Thaylorn however with that pipe is able to jimmy the lock right out and the door pops open fully. Inside is a beautiful something but the imp is in the weay to stop the others seeing anything but a silvery reflection. As for Raziel and Silmeria they are both busy staring at that single screen trying to discern what the blurry object is. ) [Spoofed By: Silvante]
Silmeria's eyes narrow at the object, eyebrows drawing down. "...I had the *feeling* this was imporant, at least," she murmurs, drawing in a breath and looking down at the card in her hands. "I suppose I could have been wrong..." With a shrug, she loops the lanyard around her neck, turning at the sound of stressed metal and manly triumph. "...Um?"
Raziel looks over the monitor and narrows his eyes before reaching out to tap something in the middle that caught his eye. "Thought I saw.. something.. goldish? I couldn't tell though." His eyes lower to the label of the monitor then he leans back. "The Chief's Office.. thats where we're going." He nods to himself then looks over at the guys while tilting his head, "find anything?" And while waiting for their answer he glances up at the ladder before turning back to the screens and looking for first a map to double check his memory and then a monitor for that room.
Vazkor grins briefly at Thaylorn, responding "Not as easy as it looks at all." Referencing the fact he didn't quite manage with the second door. But that doesn't stop him really, as he just sets his shoulders, takes another hold, and tries again... Meanwhile responding to Raziel's question, "I got another card... And Thaylorn seems to have found something shiny... Anything interesting on the screens, too?"
Thaylorn seems quite enthralled by whatever could have been found in that locker and after a few moments of focus on that shiny object, he would suddenly speak up "Hmm, are any of you 'the Passed'?" He asks somewhat softly before glancing back at the others for a moment before stepping aside allowing what's being held within the locker to be seen. A glorious gunblade. "There's strange writing on the edge..'I am Iluren, the Maker Shaped me, the Lord of Capricorn Quenched me, the Imp found me, the Passed should wield me.'" He finishes quoting. The weapon itself is indeed glorious, an ebony grip, a bright chrome blade and chamber. It's slender, tapered and glistens with a faint blue tinge and even from a distance, looks extremely sharp.
It is indeed a pretty Gunblade, it sparkles in the light from the ceiling strips and the odd runes on the side glitter and shift and change. A bit of hunting for a map on the wall reveals the status of the Communication room is a ruin and a search of the camera feeds shows that yes indeed the room above the security centre is so much collapsed rubble. No going up it seems but at least Raziel thought to check. Vazkor meanwhile TEARS the door off that locker and everything falls out and cascades around his ankles, diamonds, small gold bars, silver coins, wooden boxes and bundles of long dried incense that poof into dust. There are blades in various states of decay, bags and parcels and boxes... all sorts of intersting contraband.
"Oh.... my," Silmeria breathes, eyes widening at the sight of the ebony-and-blue-chrome weapon. Clearing her throat, she puzzles over the quote Thaylorn reads, tilting her head and approaching the bent-open locker, giving the spill of valuables real and less-so little more than a cursory glance. "Well, um... I *did* die, once, so that might refer to me... I suppose it can't hurt to find out?" And with that, she reaches out, wrapping her hand around the Gunblade's hilt.
Raziel starts to speak up while lookingtowards Thaylorn, but the sound of the metal door being ripped off makes him look back at Viktor and he blinks. "I... huh." The man scratches his cheek lightly. Looking towards Silmeria before he notes, "your weapon of choice.. I'd imagine that it would be meant for you if it is meant for anyone." Turning back to the monitors he sighs, "The communications area is out, so no going up. We'll have to try for the upper atrium or the garden dome I think. So how many of the metal keys do we have now? I get the feeling that the ones Thaylorn and I have aren't going to be good for much longer."
Vazkor blinks as valuables spill out all around his foot, looking down at the gold and silver and glittering diamonds... And a small grin crosses his features, before he simply states, "Someone get a bag." Looking up again then, the Gunblade finally catches his eye, and he blinks at it, slightly taken aback... And looking at Silmeria, he points at it, "Seems that'd be yours, dear... And somehow I doubt it's been sitting there, waiting for you all this time. Looks to me like some of the Spirits above might be watching us, and decided to throw you something new to play with." Grinning again then, he digs in his pocket, and holds out the key he found to Raziel.
The Imp quickly steps out of the way so Silmeria might reach the gunblade "The runes on it shifted when I looked at the, so I could read them." Thaylorn murmurs as he quickly points out the runes along the weapons edge. His attention very quickly shifts when Vazkor gets that other locker open, his eyes going almost comicly wide! "Vazkor! You hit the jackpot!" He calls, grinning slightly before taking a quick glance through the treasures "I wouldn't think so, either, so we should look for more of those metal ones if we can."
As Silmeria's hand closes around the hilt of the blade it flashes, a bright blue light filling the room then fading away again. As it does so the lights flicker and buzz, dimming slightly before brightening back to normal again. It seems they have pretty much cleared out the security office, their only way to go is back down to the glass doors and try one of their new security cards to continue onward.
Silmeria takes a deep breath, lifting the weapon out of the locker and smiling. "Possibly," she says, nodding at Vazkor, raising an eyebrow Thaylorn's way. "Really... well. I suppose the proper thing to do would be to honor the gift, mh?" Pausing to read the runes more closely, she blinks sharply. "...*Definitely* the proper thing to do," she murmurs, unsheating the much plainer weapon at her back and carefully putting it in the locker. "Thank you, Spirits... And welcome, Iluren." Turning, she beams at the others, lifting her find onto her shoulder. "Shall we continue on, then?"
Raziel is a little caught off guard by the flickering that the weapon being grabbed seems to inspire. However he staggers back when the lights come back on and his hands are both glowing with arcane powers as he instinctually calls up fire magic before blinking and shaking the flames off of his hands with a grimace to cover the terror that was so evidently seated on his face just a moment before.
Vazkor catches all the screens changing from the corners of his eyes, and looks over just in time to find himself staring at the view presented there before it goes away. And he exclaims loudly, "Yojimbo's balls, what's that." Pointing straight at the screens, though likely too late for Silm and Thay to look over and see what was shown. Whatever it was though, it seems to have rattled the warrior, his expression almost matching Raziel's for a moment.
Flashes of lights are sure to pull the Imp's attention and the lights sudden flickering and buzzing also catches Thaylorn's attention, his gaze going up to them and back to Silmeria with curiosity. "Yeah let's keep going, hopefully there won't be anything else too nasty i-..." He pauses quickly and whips around as Vazkor exclaims, pulling his attention towards the screens again.
The screens are as normal, just showing the various views from around the base once more, there really doesn't appear to be anything else here in the Security room of worth besides the controls for the system itself.
Silmeria whips around as Raziel and Vazkor react to the flickering, eyes wide and her new weapon ready to be pressed into service. "What? What happened?!" Clearly, the Esper a touch too focused on her gift to have processed the goings-on behind them, and now deeply concerned. Raziel looks at Vazkor and mouth 'you too' silently before grimacing and looking back at the monitor as he tries to figure out which room they saw. "Something .. nasty and feline was looking at us or at us through these. I don't know if we can just remotely view things or if it works both ways, but either way. Its red ees were focused on us.." He looks over at Silmeria and Thaylorn then. "There's something nasty waiting for us above."
Vazkor takes a breath, quietly calming himself again as he nods at Raziel... And briefly touches the hilts of his swords, before looking at Silmeria, "Yes, a big cat monster... It looked alive, not a robot..." He frowns, "Seems you'll get to put that new blade to the test soon enough... Anyway, one moment." And with that, he crouches to unsling his pack, and starts to collect all the spilled valuables to put in it, remarking, "... Monster or not, though, this stuff is coming with us. We deserve some wealth after this adventure."
Thaylorn glances between both Raziel and Vazkor with a suddenly worried expression upon his face "It was watching us, through those things? Is that what's waiting in the top room then you think?" The Imp asks nervously, his gaze going back to all the shinies though as Vazkor starts gathering them up "Would be a better use than just leaving them here. Just remember we'll have to swim back out of here again."
The treasure is easily packed into Vazkor's pack... the party are soon able to descend to the corridor below and the glass doors hiss open as Silmeria approaches, responding to the card she is carrying with a soft almost silent beep and a hiss. Beyond a long corridor runs onward through the base, a spherical glass tunnel filled with faintly glowing green liquid makes up the walls, it is eerie, creepy in fact but it leads onward toward their destination, the central tower of this ancient, underwater facility.
Having raided the Security centre the party are now standing outside the spookily lit glass tunnel that leads beneath the security centre and what the map informs them is the "Personal Laboratories" at least according to Raziel's translation. The glass doors at their end have responded to the new keycards they collected and the tiled floor leads forward toward another set of doors. The walls of the spherical glass tunnel however are filled with glowing, phospherescent green water that is just creepy.
Vazkor pauses at the start of the tunnel after getting through the doors... Letting his gaze wander across the eerily lit walls, following it right to the end. Letting out a breath then, he reaches down, and drags both his blades from their sheath with the soft crackle of electricity, glancing down at them as he does so, before looking across his shoulders at the others afterwards, and nodding some, "Well, let's go. Might as well get it all over with. We've got something big to fight ahead." And with that, he steps down the tunnel.
Thaylorn hopes that nothing will bad will really come of himself having a different sort of keycard than the others, but he remains watchful and vigilant all the same. The Imp would move nearer the back of the group as they entered within the tunnel beyond the glass door, his eyes going to the strange glowing water that fills the walls. "Wonder what that is." Is all he offers about it as he heads to the opposite end of the tunnel, tail swaying back and forth slowly.
Iluren's blade rests lightly on Silmeria's shoulder, as the party makes its way down the glass tunnel. Her brow furrowing, she reaches her free hand up, trailing her fingertips over the glass as they walk. "So much strangeness," she murmurs, "so much corruption... *What* was it these people came here to do, I wonder?"
Raziel flicks a quick glance to Vazkor and his hands drop to trace fingers along the twin blades he carries in a silent, but thoughtful gesture. Shaking his head then a little ht starts to follow after the group, lingering back to watch behind them though he often finds his eyes moving to the walls. "Don't suppose it's just an illusion caused by the light reflecting... er no, no probably not." He looks towards Silmeria then before shaking his head a little to himself, lacking an answer himself.
The doors they entered through closing with a click that echoes down the glass tunnel as they approach the far end, there is a moment of silence and then a click and hiss as the next set of glass doors open. Exiting the tunnel they enter a corridor, lined on either side by tall glass walls that look into four different rooms. One of the laboratories is completly flooded, another one full of swirling, purple smoke, the third one is apparently empty, tables, chairs, skeletons at the tables. These three laboratories all have large metal and glass doors set in the walls that are closed. The fourt laboratory has its door open, the room is empty except for a table an odd hand cannon set on the centre of the table.
Vazkor pauses as the door at the opposite end hisses open... Before ever so carefully stepping through, his eyes scanning from left to right, sweeping across each of those rooms, and the swashbuckler frowning a bit. As he goes, he responds to Silmeria's question by pointing a sword at the skeletons in one of the rooms, remarking, "Couldn't have been anything good, if they all died like that..." And he shrugs, as he steps over to the open room next... And arches his brow at the gun sitting on the table, "... What you guys think that is?"
"Probably stuff they weren't supposed to be doing on the surface." Thaylorn responds in turn to Silmeria's comment as he enters into the corridor in turn, his eyes tracing over each of the rooms in turn, eyes narrowing in particular at the lab filled with the purple smoke. "Wonder what sort of horrible thing that is." He says softly before starting to move down the line to where Vazkor has paused near the room with the open door, his gaze going within too. With a slightly puzzled look on his face the Imp merely shrugs, curious himself.
"I'm not certain," Silmeria murmurs to Thaylorn, eyes following Viktor's sword to the skeletons, a look of sorrow crossing over her face, "but I'd not like to find out." Pausing, she blinks at the gun, placed in the center of the table. "...A gift, a find, or a trap, I wonder..." "Probably best not to find out Thaylorn," Raziel murmurs as they pass the smoke filled room. A glance is cast behind them and then ahead as everyone pauses at the door to examine the room's contents. Flicking a quick look to each of the others the man exhales and he slips past while letting his eyes move around the room for any obvious traps and then, if he sees nothing, he steps over to the table. The gun is given a quick looking over, once more to make sure there's no obvious traps, before he lifts it. "Strangly placed or just forgotten.. could be either."
Silmeria is the only one able to leap through the doorway as it suddenly hisses shut with a CLANK! Vazkor and Thaylorn are just not fast enough left locked outside of the door. At the same time this happens the Gun goes off with a whining crackle and a blast of elemental energy ZINGS toward Raziel who is able to spin out of the way. Silmeria despite being fast enough to leap through the door is not fast enough to dodge, the elemetal bolt slasm into Ilrune however and the Gunblade crackles with energy, the runes along its length changing as it hums in readiness, the gun chamber glowing with a bright colour as the Gun starts to hum again....
Vazkor blinks as the door slams shut right infront of him, his focus having been on the gun left on the table, but suddenly finding himself staring at the material of the barrier. Hearing the commotion beyond however, he reacts almost instinctively right after... The man quickly rearing back, before suddenly slamming forward again, crashing his shoulder into the door as he calls, "Raziel! Silmeria! You guys ok in there?!"
Thaylorn seems rather shocked that the door slammed closed so quickly, and seemingly without any reason for its closing. With the cannon firing off by itself as well, the Imp surely thinks something strange is going on as his gaze jerks around the area for any mechanism that may open the door again "Vazkor did you have one of those cards?!" He asks as he glances into the room quickly once more, eyes going from Silmeria's gunblade to the cannon.
"For now!" Silmeria calls in answer, eyes growing wide as she glances at the undamaged, glowing 'blade in her hand, then up to the gun. Her face sets after the barest pause, and she nods to herself. "....Very well, then... help me, Ilrune." Leveling her weapon, she makes a short dash toward the table, thrusting the enchanted gunblade forward, pulling the trigger once weapon meets weapon.
Raziel had been prepared for something to happen, thats clearly obvious as he twists out of the way and spins back towards the door just as Silmeria rushes in and takes the shot. "NO! Wait..." Blinking as her gun seems to absorb the shot he starts to open his mouth before snapping it closed as she runs forward and pulls the trigger. The mage, at this point, drops down and away while covering his head from expected shrapnel.
Silmeria's new Gunblade slashes into the gun, severing it in part and as the gun section goes off the energistic power drains out of it witha BLAM, channeled along the length of the weapon andinto the rest of the machinery powering the gun blowing the table into pieces. As Silmeria catches her balance there is a beep and the door slides open again, Vazkor and Thaylorn revealed as Vazkor takes his key-card back out of its slot.
Vazkor's trying to run the door down was just a gut reaction really, and Thaylorn's comment soon reminds him that he is, in fact, carrying a keycard. Quickly digging it out and sticking it in the slot aside the door, before charging in as soon as it slides open again, he swords out, "Everything all right in here?"
With the destruction of the odd weapon complete, and the door to the room open once again, Thaylorn lets loose a small sigh of relief. "That could have gone much worse, are you both okay?" He asks, stepping into the room himself a couple steps so he could look between Raziel and Silmeria more easily.
Silmeria staggers back a pace, shaking her head. "...Much better, I think," she says over her shoulder with a smile. "That could have been *very* frightening, indeed... Thank you *very* much, Ilrune." Touching the back of the Gunblade to her forehead in a sketch of a warrior's salute, she rests the weapon back on her shoulder, her free hand extending down to help Raziel to his feet. "Ready to go on, then?"
Raziel accepts the hand and pushes himself up before he takes a look around the room, "I wonder what was kept in here that they'd put up a trap like that. It seems rather pointless... After all this is a research facility. One moment." The man takes a few moments to check around the room then. Though if he finds nothing he'll motion for the others to lead the way on.
There is indeed nothing else in the room, it would have been a very deadly trap if not for Ilrune but it is odd it was set up in there. The double glass doors at the end of the corridor hiss open and the lit chamber beyond is open to them. They pass out from beneath a small over-hang into a central chamber with an odd reddish, brown object rising up over head. It takes a few minutes for the mind to comprehend what it is. It is a Red-wood tree, growing up into the air, filling the central space of the main tower. It has a spiralling walkway all around it leading up to platforms built into the trunk. From the ground the party can make out bridges leaving the platforms to spread across to the walls on either side. Beyond the tree is a pile of rubble were one wall has collapsed blocking off entrance to whatever was in there.
Vazkor eyes the destroyed gun for a moment... Then just shrugs, and turns to step back out of the room, waiting for the others to join him before moving on, stating with a slight grin, "Good thing we're so skilled, or we'd have been dead hours ago." Passing through the doors at the end of the corridor then, he suddenly falls silent for a moment as he steps into the chamber beyond... His eyes slowly going up, looking over the giant tree, before saying, "... Well, how about that."
"Whatever it is, let's hope it's not here any longer, that's for sure." Thaylorn would murmur as he follows the others along, his bare feet no making too much in the way of noise as he moves. "A few too many close calls, though." He adds in regards to Vazkor's comment as they enter into the larger central chamber, the Imp's eyes instantly going to the massive tree growing up through the center of it. He merely remains silent in awe of such a large, living thing growing in a place like this, he can only wonder how old it is to have grown so large! "Oh," Silmeria breathes, eyes following the trunk of the redwood up... and up... and up... "*My.*" Eyes locked on the upper reaches of the ancient, massive tree, she takes a few slow steps to the side, attempting to pick out anything that might not be obvious at a slightly different angle. "It's *amazing*... Do we have to climb it all the way up, do you think?"
"Vazkor, I do hate it when people say things like that. It usually promises that the cosmos will believe it made a misstep somewhere and snap back harshly," Raziel comments while sending a brief glance over his shoulder with a scowl. As they step into the room Raziel murmurs, "the upper atrium.." He lifts his eyes and continues to do so, trailing the walkways before looking acrossed towards the rubble, "That was another way up, but it seems we won't be able to take that... so yes, I believe so Silmeria. Shall we?"
The walkway is sturdy, circling up around the trunk, it is over 300yards before you reach the first platform, some sort of Cafe originally but now crumbling and mouldering and long since abandoned. Passing up the walk-way further the party come to a bridge that spans out across the expanse to a wall that is all rubble now. The next level brings them to just below the canopy, a wide circular platform that once held chairs and tables and there are two brides. One of them arches out to a pair of glass doors into a room full of Greenery! The entire wall is a massive glass panel looking out into a massive domed jungle! The other bridge leads to a large door that opens into a massive shaft with a door on the far side of it...
Vazkor just casually responds to Raziel, "If the spirits suddenly decide they're fed up with us, there's nothing much we can do about it, no matter what I say... But I like to think they're not sending us on this quest for nothing." Falling silent again then as he follows the spiralling walkway all the way up, only briefly pausing on each level, he soon reaches those two bridges... And stops to look each way, before glancing back at the others, "Well, which do we pick?" Thaylorn seems to be rather interested in this large tree that the creators of this place have used to build walkways around, mostly paying attention to it and the landings instead of talking too much. That is untill they reach the two bridges "Well, our last plant overgrown room had metal cats that wanted to eat us, there might be more of those in there." Thaylorn replies to the question, gaze going over towards the other bridge for a moment curiously "That one looks less dangerous from here." He adds.
"Raziel," the Esper says, glancing over her shoulder. "You wouldn't happen to remember which way is which, would you? I'm afraid I couldn't pick out the language these people used to save my life..." Shrugging helplessly, she looks over the domed jungle, tilting her head in curiosity. "...At least now we understand *why* there was a room filled with plants, before... This entire fortress has gone to seed."
Raziel looks down for a few moments and ponders, "it's strange.. never had trouble with heights be..humm?" He looks back towards Silmeria then between the two choices. "The garden dome is just that.. a dome, I'm not sure if we'll find a way ito the offices above this one through that way. So lets give the other way a try first. We'll go from there." Approaching the end of the bridge the party can see over the shaft to the room beyond, some sort of multi-level reception area. The shaft below them is blocked by rubble and the remains of a torn open room that looked like it was once held up on ropes inside the shaft. The jump however is about 12 feet, rather large for most people to jump, of course Thaylorn can fly the lucky thing but everyone else...
Vazkor glances at Raziel as he suggests which way to go, and nods, before heading down the one bridge towards the shaft, saying to Thaylorn as he goes, "I think we learned earlier that even boring looking areas can hold deadly traps." As such moving carefully... And eventually stopping at the edge of the shaft, peering across, and then back at the others, "What now?"
"That thing still didn't make much sense if you ask me, it wasn't really protecting much of anything, regardless." Thaylorn replies to Vazkor as he moves over to the open shaft curiously as he glances up and down, then across at the rooms beyond. "I could go check the other side for anything that might help us pass, planks or anything like that." He offers, head tilting back towards the others for a moment.
Silmeria leans over the edge, eyes narrowing as she peers down into the shaft. "There," she says, pointing with her free hand at the fallen room, "that looks like it was held up... by ropes, maybe? Master Thaylorn, maybe you could see if any of them are still sturdy enough to use?"
"Now it seems we go the other way," Raziel replies to Vazkor's question while looking acrossed the gap. Taking a step back then he glances at Thaylorn in thought before shaking his head, "lets see about staying together for now. If there is another one of the machines it will be easier for the four of us to take care of it than it would be for just one.." He looks at Silmeria then down at the rope before frowning a little bit to himself. "Though.. that could work perhaps." He sounds unsure, or worried.
There is no rope below, in fact there is no rope period, there are however some steel cables hanging out of some machinery attached to the ceiling over head that Thaylorn is able to read and bring down, it isn't the most comfortable thing to hold onto though strangely for metal it is flexible and mobile like rope, it should help everyone in swinging over.
Vazkor waits until Thaylorn brings one of the wires over, and simple grasps it before ever so smoothly swinging across the gap without hesitation, thinking it better to just get it over with. As soon as his feet hit the other side however, he glances back to see how the others will do... Only to watch poor Raziel slip and fall down the shaft! His reaction to the impending calamity is instant and thoughtless, working on pure instinct as he leaps right back into the shaft after the plummeting Aegyl! A single hand reaching out to grasp the dangling wire as he goes, and letting his momentum spin him towards Raziel, his free arm scooping him up from mid air. Continuing to swing forward then, his feet hit the wall, and he runs along it several feet before pushing himself right off towards safety, landing once more on the opposite end, and setting Raziel down...
Woah. Thaylorn seems rather impressed and amazed at how talented and able Vazkor is at rescuing Raziel from a potentially fatal drop down the shaft. "Vazkor, remind me to, if I'm ever in danger, be in danger near someone nearly as awesome as you at saving people." The Imp offers with a faint grin as he peeks back down the shaft before glancing back to the swordsman "I must say, I'm quite impressed." He adds, with a smile "And I'm glad he caught you, Raziel!" Is also added, of course!
Not managing *nearly* so much grace as the swordsman, Silmeria pushes the cable back to Raziel just as her feet touch the other side, turning to watch Raziel's progress... only to gasp in shock as the Aegyl loses his grip. "Raz--!" is all she gets out, however, for Vazkor's unthinking rescue steals the breath from her lungs. "...Oh," is all she can say, lamely, once the pair return to safety. "...Um. Well then."
Raziel looks down then up, then down, then he grabs the wire and starts to swing acrossed. Strength of arm hasn't ever been his thing and he finds himself slipping the moment that his feet leave the ground. His hands slide down the cord and then slipping free. He starts to yell only to get out the first syllable and then have it cut off as Vazkorhe's grabbed and the wind is knocked out of him. In fact he pretty much just stays still rather dazedly until he's set down and looks down the shaft. It lasts for a moment before he pushes himself up, registering the fact that Thaylorn's words to him came after the bit of praise, and grimaces as he looks for a way further up. "Wings..." the only thing he mutters. He'll likely thank Vazkor later when his pride isn't limping.
It's Thaylorn who saves the day this time, his warning Shout for everyone to duck and take cover gives the party the needed time to throw themselves down behind the large desk that sits a short way into this next room. 3 streams of bullets shoot through the air and pepper the area by the shaft entrance were they were just standing with bullets. It's a bit difficult to see into the rest of this new chamber from were they are hiding but those ceiling mounted guns currently have the party pinned down, access upward can just about be seen in the form of a staircase winding up to a level above but those guns can be heard whirrring and moving and tracking, ready to attack at a moments notice.... Vazkor was right, seemingly innocent areas do indeed hold deadly objects.
Vazkor looks sort of sheepish after he sets Raziel down, and as hit by sudden praise. Really having acted without thought, he just shrugs a bit, reacting without his usual swashing style and aplomb, and responds to Thaylorn, "Yeah, well, I always eat my vegetables." Briefly grinning then, he looks over at Raziel, to see if he's ok... Just before he's forced to put his reflexes to the test again! Thaylorn's shout triggering them, and the man leaping behind cover as bullets pepper where he just stood, "Yojimbo's balls, I hate this place."
Hearing the sound of mechanisms that would push the guns from the ceiling, or maybe just seeing them begin to appear, Thaylorn would call out! "MORE GUNS!" As loudly as he was able, trying to get the attention of the others as quickly as possible to avoid any bulletwounds before diving for the nearby desk. "Oh damn." He mutters as he looks about to the others "How are we going to take these out without getting shot up ourselves." The Imp quickly checks if the desk to see if it's at all movable, potentially thinking about using something as a barricade.
Galvanized by Thaylorn's warning, Silmeria hurls herself toward the desk... but too slow, and she looses a startled cry as a bullet takes her in the shoulder. Pressing her back against the desk, she grits her teeth, hand clenching tightly over the bleeding wound. "I think," she says around the pain, "that I don't... like this place much... either, anymore..."
Raziel forgets about his wounded pride and dives behind the desk as well before he mutters, "I think we're all in agreement.." He rolls up to peek over the desk for a moment and drops back down once again while turning to Silmeria and reaching out to put a hand over her bullet wound while ghost wings of green energy show up for a moment and then channel down to heal her. "We take them out... unless we can find a way to disarm it. Vazkor see if there's anything on the desk will you? Thay you and I can attack them with spells and.. Silmeria do you think you can shoot your weapon, or does it require a actual strike to go off?"
Not a fun situation to be in, a very tricky one if anything and the guns can be heard whining over head, a quick peek is more then possible but the guns are about 15 foot away and tracking the desk. It is not going to be easy to get past them, not easy at all....
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