View source for 2195/Armster Estate Pt. 2

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/05/09
|Location=Bernhard Castle <BC>
|Synopsis=Further investigation into the Armster Estate, somewhere in Europe.
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=626, 633, 726, 766
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|Tinyplot2=
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:726|Walter Bernhard (726)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The job was to obtain certain alchemical reagents from the old house and laboratory of Joachim Armster, and then bring them to him. Some of them were basic ingredients that could be gotten anywhere, and Joachim has since said that it is fine to get them elsewhere if that is more convenient, he just thought it would be easier to pick them up while those on the job were there, since they'd all be in the same house. What he had not originally mentioned, because he has apparently been away from the castle-like mansion on the outskirts of a dead and deserted village for decades or more, is that it is actually quite a big place and his main laboratory is hidden somewhere deeper than the room that Kyra and Soan originally made it to.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They had to deal with a trap and a puzzle, and a monstrous defender - some sort of homunculus grown from Joachim's own cells. They had been assured there would be more traps and defenses. Glyphs and symbols, especially circles, should be kept an eye out for, as they can serve as keys to secret passages or as triggers for traps. The fact that the homunculus was loose was apparently a surprise to Joachim, who had thought it preserved and quite possibly dead. That also indicated someone might have come before them, or some sort of structural damage might have freed the monster. And if one monster can be set free... Who knows what other experiments might be lurking down here?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now that Soan and Kyra know the way into the first laboratory, which is apparently not the MAIN one, the lethal trap on the door should be easy to disable. Even so, it's no less unpleasant to have to walk by broken stone statues of people, petrified wheelbarrows, signs of looting, and signs of dead looters, in halls nearly black without outside light being brought along due to the sheer absence of windows.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The first laboratory itself is just a large, circular room, with many ingredients and reagents on shelves, chemistry equipment on tables, and decided 11th-century decor (to say nothing of the level of scientific advancement). This is not a high-tech operation. This is what people in the old days did to unravel the secrets of the universe.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The fact that Joachim is apparently skilled enough to do just that despite this set up says much for what a skilled alchemist can accomplish even with basic materials.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Two major differences from the first trip here: One, it's not almost sunset, so it's not quite as creepy outside. Two, Soan (and Kyra, when she makes her presence known), might not be here with just the two of them. Joachim DID say ALL who worked on this job would be paid the full amount, equally. He doesn't seem to care how many come. He is confident all will be rewarded.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That's good enticement. Especially considering that while outdoors may be less creepy, the formaldehyde-stinking laboratory, cold and damp, is decidedly unpleasant. Dark halls and stairways branch off from the circular room, illuminated primarily by blue flames that never seem to go out.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It casts a rather ghastly hue on everything.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's creepy. That's why Ellard brought light. It's a multicolored light that shifts colors, bright pastel blues and reds and greens, giving the area a festive look. He keeps it pointed towards the ground rather than upward, better safe than sorry.<br /><br />Ellard is the younger of the group, leanly but powefully built, silver haired with electric blue streaks. He wears a fashionable piece of armor that seems a mixture of leather jacket and breastplate. He holds his tower shield out ahead of him, giving him room on his back for a small pack of adventuring supplies and the ever present seven foot tall wooden bundle.<br /><br />Ellard moves over to an alembic, peering over it. "Jiga."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:633|Soan Sagittarius (633)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And thus they're back here. Soan Sagittarius is more equipped this time, having brought some more containers, a few more tools, with the guidance of the sun following them. Now, this is likely not going to help very much they they head underground, but at least whatever creatures made it's nest inside will likely be more lethargic. He hopes, anyway. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As being the youngest member of the group, he, of course, is holding the artificial lights. With last time, having an actual fighter will likely help in case they find something nasty inside. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Yeah," Soan says, looking up and around at the laboratory. Even on the second time it's still creepy. There's just this something about abandoned alchemical laboratories that crawls into your skin. "Like you said."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:726|Walter Bernhard (726)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unlike the previous time, there's no sign of any half-dead homunculi. Nothing seems to have been disturbed by the lights that Ellard brings, or by conversing between him and Soan. Occasionally there's the noise of something drip-dropping somewhere down one of the passages leading from this room, but it's consistent in its pace and distance. It's water or something like it, not some indescribably awful rattle snake/tarantula hybrid drooling from the ceiling.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Probably.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The passage to the west is the one that the homunculus emerged from before. There's stairs leading down, presumably. But what lies down that passage or the one to the north, or the one to the east, remains unknown.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:633|Soan Sagittarius (633)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Soan Sagittarius figures that the stuff they need may be downstairs. He cannot, however, be absolutely certain of it. Ellard got the light source, the Thief draws out his Blacksteel sword, give it a testing spin in his hand as he look around, before sheathing it again. A last minute test. Forgetting his weapon would have been embarassing at this juncture. "Let's go west. That's where this weird thing came out from, maybe it was guarding something. I think it was more roaming, myself, but what have you." <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sagittarius leads the way toward the West, careful of looking around the walls, ceiling and ground for any potential traps, altought if he found any, he'd be geniunely surprised. Especially since the Homonculus didn't trigger them in the past. "You saw videos of that thing, right? Kyra took along some samples."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ellard brings a happy game, but he's studied about this stuff a lot. He takes copious pictures, in hopes of getting a better dungeon license. He holds the light in his off hand, the tower shield in front of him, looking around it like the portable wall it is. He peers carefully down each hallway. No big heartbeats telling him where a monster is or the smell of miasma and slime. When they start moving west, Ellard gets in close beside Soan.<br /><br />Soan has to detect traps, but Ellard is right there to soak up potential wall monsters as necessary. Emphasis on soak, since he isn't wearing a weapon. "Yea. But it's not like there's a whole ARMY of them, right?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:726|Walter Bernhard (726)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One NEVER KNOWS, Ellard! Maybe there IS an army of them down here! For now, however, there's no immediately sign of them. As the pair descend the stairs, taking the time to keep an eye out for traps, they eventually descend to a kind of moldy-looking tunnel. Oddly enough, there's weird pillars or columns in the middle of the hall every once in awhile. Sometimes they are off to one side, or the other. Sometimes right in the center. Some are even horizontal, reaching from one wall to the other instead of from floor to ceiling.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They can be walked around or climbed over/ducked under easily enough, but their placement doesn't seem to indicate either decoration or support structure. Maybe that homonculus set off some traps after all.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:633|Soan Sagittarius (633)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I certainly hope not." Soan leads the march downstairs. He spots the strange pillars, manuvering Ellard around them carefully. He's not as agile as he is, which might means that they are taking it slow progress. They may have been triggered, it's still a good idea to not take chances in case they have not been. If they can, he'll have to see closer what the traps are. Maybe he can salvage a thing or two if he works at it. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I still wonder where it came from. Was that an experiment of that guy that's hiring us? It's... kind of strange, honestly. This whole thing, I mean."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ellard moves carefully. Ducking under various pillars isn't easy when you are wearing armor and two ridiculously huge objects, but Ellard manages. He is careful not to touch the pillars either. If the person in charge of the traps was PARTICULARLY EVIL they might be covered in contact poison or something. "You don't know? Well, we should probably be careful. I mean, are you sure you aren't handing something awful over to the wrong person?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:726|Walter Bernhard (726)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Some of the traps have not yet been set off. While there's nothing obviously mechanical or extraction-capable in the pillars themselves, Soan may notice little emblems on certain blocks on the floor and walls, every once in awhile. It's possible that contacting them is what causes them to rise up. Likely forcefully. So magic rather than machinery.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pointing them out to Ellard in passing might be a good idea. The passage continues for awhile, but eventually the trapped blocks seem to stop showing up. Instead there's a shorts set of steps down... Into murky, foul-smelling water. About knee-deep. This new hallways is half-submerged, and seems to go only one direction. That's good. The fact the floor can't be seen incase there's more of those block traps? Not so good.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:633|Soan Sagittarius (633)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Magically-triggered traps sounds about right. Not to mention it's something he'd really like to get his hands into. It does, however, follow the tip from their 'employer'. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Kyra was the one that spoke to him, over a radio." Soan explain as he leads things through, reaching the end of the area to reach that submerged passage. "I admit I rather want to talk to the man directly if all possible, a lot of this is rather fishy." <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He sighs, kneeling down to look at the half-sumbereged hallway. Good, at least, it's not COMPLETELY submerged. He looks back at Ellard. "Hey, how much you weight? I'd reckon I can go over the ceilling and the walls, but, well."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ellard considers. He isn't bouyant. And he weighs a lot. He's beefy. "Too much." He nods slowly as Soan talks, considering, "Well, I'm happy to help, but we should PROBABLY look into the whole thing just to be sure. You know?" He takes out a waterproof baggie and zips his mPad into it, then stuffs it into his pack. He tightens his pack up against his back and lifts his tower shield up over his head so it stays out of the water. "Wait here."<br /><br />"WARRIOR MODE!" He shouts out as he starts charging through the water, in a straight line, bringing his knees up high to keep them out of the water, and poudning them down, using his great strength to propel him at high speed down the hallway.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:726|Walter Bernhard (726)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Thankfully, nothing happens to instantly kill Ellard when he goes charging down the hall. There appears to be a couple of rooms on the right, as he sloshes his way through the corridor. Both of them are dark, though the one further away may have a dim blue glow coming from it. It's hard to tell from the hall itself.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Soan may notice, if the splashing dies down, the sound of something disturbing the water. Like suction. Maybe there's a drain in the floor or something. It's a continuous noise that started at some point after Ellard started charging.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:633|Soan Sagittarius (633)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I think you're absolutely right." Soan replies, taking out a few catclaws to affix them beneath his hands and over his soles. Technically, he don't need to do that at all. He could've probably just jumped accross no problem, even carrying the kid. However, Ellard is not quite yet into the 'secret' toward him. Besides, this is a great opportunityh to watch him go. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Wha--" The Thief is geniunely stunned as he decides to just /charge through/. This is a very Fighter way of thinking, he'll admit. "Wait!" He shouts uselessly. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That's when he notices the water suction, noticing the levels going down. Nothing wrong so far, but what the heck could that mean? Is it flooding a lower level, making it difficult to deal with water later? "IT'S DRAINING WATER DOWN!" He shouts after the fighter, but he's waiting there.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ellard gets halfway down the hall, past a few doors, then stops. He looks around, back and forth, up and down. He slowly lowers the tower shield into the water. "Huh. That was anticlimatic." He shines the light back down the hallway. "No horrible traps!"<br /><br />He turns downward, frowning. He sets the tower shield down more carefully and puts it towards the source of the sound and starts backing towards a wall for safety. "Or some sort of horrible suction monster, you never know!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hey guys, how's it going?" Kyra speaks up suddenly right next to Soan. Since when did she learn how to move silently!? ...she didn't. She finally caught up just as Ellard screamed like a moron and went charging down the hall. That tends to mask an approach really well! <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh, a flooded hallway. Good thing it's not completely flooded, huh?" Much like last time, Kyra's brought empty bags so she has carrying capacity to deal with picking up reagents.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:726|Walter Bernhard (726)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As the water level continues to lower, the glow from one of the rooms becomes more distinct. There IS a light source in there, it was just underwater. Since there's probably not water-proof light bulbs or power generators in an 11th-century manor, it would be plausible to think it might be magic of some kind. If it's investigated, it seems to be some kind of chunk of phosphorescent crystal. The rest of the room is full of large metal... 'Bowls', or 'bowl-shaped bath tubs'. They're big enough to fit a person or two in.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And a couple skeletons indicate that might be exactly what was done. The skeletons have crystal fragments encrusting them though. Not the same glowy stuff lying on the floor. This is dark-red, and has a certain... A HUE to it... Like it's... Well, if it were ice instead of crystal it could pass for frozen blood.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;...What kind of experiments was Joachim getting up to down here?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As if in answer to that, the hall finishes draining suddenly when a piece of the floor collapses down into a large empty space underneath them. The rocks and water fall, but it takes almost a whole minute before the faint sound of a splash echoes back up to them.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:633|Soan Sagittarius (633)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "You know," Soan Sagittarius says, stepping up through the room, looking around at the skeleton-laden bowls, furrowing his brows at the whole mess. He wrinkle his nose, trying to take in the spiritual scent of the whole scene. He's pretty sure a lot of this is not very good or nice. Or at least, very, very dodgy science, "I'm starting to have the distinct impression that our employer has been part of some very unethical research." He says, kneeling down to give a look to the dark-red crystal fragments the skeletons have, standing back up to follow the tube proper. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He jumps when part of the floor falls, sucking in a breath, flicking his glance at Kyra that showed up. "Hey. Ellard and I were talking about how we don't know crap about the employer, and he decided to charge through a trap-laden corridor. He impresses me already." <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Thief makes his way toward the hole, counting seconds for the stone to fall, looking donward. "Annnnnnnd this place is falling apart."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra staaaaares at the skeletons lying in the curiously bathtub-like basins. She cannot help but feel a chill. Being a scientist herself, she is no stranger to stories of Hume experimentation and the horrors that arose in the old days before the ethical standards of science were written into law. Every now and then she hears rumors of secret Black Labs where more dangerous experiments go on. "...I should get a sample. Soan, watch my back while I get a sample." she says, slipping on some plastic gloves. From one of her pouches she pulls a small rock hammer so she can chip some of the blood-crystals off. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Huh? Oh, yeah, Ellard's pretty cool. And the employer's pretty shady. Oh, while I was catching up I decided to go ask some locals what year it was. People treat you like /such/ a weirdo when you ask that question, lemme tell you." <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She moves to one of the basins with the skeletons inside and tries to collect some of the crystals.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ellard looks into each room, "Creepy." Next room. "Creepy." next. "Creepy." "Sparks, this place is creepy. Well, if we find any sort of... orphan powered generator or something, I really don't want to hand it over, okay?" He beams at the praise, then looks down at the hole. "I say downward is where the creepiest stuff always is, so if we are going to find some weird experiments, I suggest downward." Ellard sets his light onto a strap on his tower shield. "Let's see, I got something here from the Adventuring gear department."<br /><br />Slinging his bag to his side, Ellard fishes around until he comes up with a large rifle device.<br /><br />"Grapple gun!" He fires it into one of the rooms. It lands behind a basin, digging into the bottom and holding tight. Ellard goes down the hole, light and tower shield ahead of him.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:726|Walter Bernhard (726)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The crystals are chipped away easily enough. They aren't crumbly and fragile, but they aren't diamond either. Even the bones beneath the crystal seem to be red, however. Maybe the crystal was infused into the bones? Or vice versa, maybe the crystals absorbed something FROM the bones? The glowing chunk of crystal on the ground seems to be made of a different substance.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once again, just like with the homunculus, there's nothing necessarily EVIL about the skeletons or the crystals. Neutral. Maybe nothing evil happened here (which is hard to believe, but possible). After all the homunculus was just something grown from Joachim's cells, he said. A failed experiment that had somehow gotten loose. Something that was supposed to be dead already and was just preserved incase it wound up being useful in the future.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Maybe these skeletons are the same? Maybe they're grown from... Joachim's... Bones? ...Or something?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's an odd noise as Ellard begins to lower himself down into the hole. It comes from far below them. But it's pretty distinctive. And possibly distressingly familiar to Kyra and Soan.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;*ssssswiiiIIIP!*<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Someone might want to warn Ellard.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra slips the sample into one of her pouches. She'll worry about analyzing its contents later to figure out just exactly what kind of experiment went down here. She's pretty glad that the skeletons do not animate or try to kill her like the previously encountered homonculi. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Speaking of those homonculi, Kyra knows that noise. She's quick to quietly warn him over the radio about what is going on. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then she digs through the bag, pulling out a small speaker and another one of what looks like the time-release grenades she used the last time she was here. It looks a little different, though. More advanced. Motioning for Soan to be quiet, she wraps a rope around the grenade and speaker and starts lowering it down the hole. Ellard will see it pass him a few seconds later. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her mPhone is pulled out and with a few fingerswipes, she activates a looping voice track that says things like 'Is anyone there?' and 'Can I help you?' quite clearly. Her other hand grasps a small device that's clearly a detonator for the liquid nitrogen-filled grenade.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ellard slidesdown the line, humming a little bit. Only to stop. Homunculus? He's seen them. They look like golems. But they aren't the nightmare golems. They aren't towering creatures of steel and hate, of spikes and destruction. They aren't the creatures that take your father and ruin your land.<br /><br />Ellard lets go of the trigger and snaps the grapple gun to a spot on his jacket, anchoring himself. He tilts slowly, rope creaking so loudly in this wait. He uses the light on the tower shield to shinedown, moving around slowly to find the mannequin.<br /><br />A grenade moves towards him. Ellard grabs it.<br /><br />EQUIP &gt; CRYOGRENADE.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:633|Soan Sagittarius (633)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Soan, sadly, recognises that voice. He nods at Kyra's motion to be quiet -- and he becomes quiet. His feet hits the ground, yet they make no sounds, no resonance, stalking alongside the alchemist White Mage, peering down at the hole. He keeps a hand over the hilt of his sword, keeping watch above at their level /in case/ the monstrosity will be hitting a wise guy on them, and attack /them/ while they are watching the hole. Besides, warnings has been relayed. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He takes in the scents. No evil still. Not particularly tasteful, sure, but no inhertently evil experimentations here. Still... all very odd.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:726|Walter Bernhard (726)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;*ssssswiiiIIIP!*<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The sound repeats only once more, from somewhere below.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then Ellard is just left hanging there in the dark, trying to shine his light to see what might be beneath him, with a recording of Kyra's voice calling out into the emptiness. From the way it echoes, it seems the area below might be very large. And from the splash earlier, it might also be at least partially filled with water.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Then...<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;*ssssswiiiIIIP!* *ssssswiiiIIIP!* *ssssswiiiIIIP!* *ssssswiiiIIIP!* *ssssswiiiIIIP!* *ssssswiiiIIIP!* *ssssswiiiIIIP!*<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The suctioning sounds come from all around... And a few feet ABOVE Ellard. On the UNDERSIDE of the floor - the 'ceiling' that he is dangling from. In the light he has, if he looks up, he'd see what look like hands and arms of pale clay, with featureless, vaguely humanoid heads, crawling and pulling their elongated bodies along the undersides of the stone blocks all around him.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yeah, totally not nightmare golems.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra freezes once she hears a very, very large amount of those noises from the creatures coming up from the giant hole in the ground. Judging by the sound it seemed as if there were /many/. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Silently, Kyra removes the four other grenades she bought with her and quickly starts tying those to the rope as well. She slides the rope down even farther, the speaker (now without grenade) dropping down lower and the additional grenades sliding down into Ellard's view.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Ellard's pupils contract to pinpricks as he stares upward. Around.<br /><br />He sits on a chocobo in the Iron Wastes, the scarred beast standing among the rust boulders, his practice titan blade at his side. Hartos Blackheart stands in the middle of three Nightmare Golems, bringing the family weapon, the Blackheart about, moving the dark blade with speed, grace, and power driven by the blade. He moves, twisting his body, and in one swing, cleaves all three in half, a huge ring of blood spraying out from his arm.<br /><br />The ground eruptions. A massive golem rolls up from the ground and pounds its spear hand into the middle of Hartos' chest. The devil helmet turns towards Ellard. "I l-" Then the world is nothingness. Darkness as the Blackheart roars with magic, consuming Hartos and the golem.<br /><br />Ellard starts at the mannequin, his hands trailing to the bundle on his back. Sound cracks in his ear, and he sees more grenades. He snatches the hand back quickly and starts scooping up the grenades. He holds them, waiting for Soan, sweating.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:633|Soan Sagittarius (633)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Things starts to go out of hand. Lots of the noises pours out of the walls, the floor, the ceilling. They will need a lot more than just a few cryogrenades that Kyra provides, or even his sword. He says a few things down their close-range radio. Seems like it's time to stop pulling punches. The Thief gives a last look at Kyra, nod at her. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Then he leaps into the hole. Ellard, from the corner of his vision, can clearly see the older student leaping off without any rope or a grappling hook attached to him, aiming himself straight for the wall he's close to. "Hang on, Ellard!" He shouts, missing the Odinari by /miles/, plummeting down to the ground below. Three feet of water and a strange experimentation room greets him. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In one movement, Soan crouches as he lands, taking the heavy hit of gravity and turning it into strength as he was taught. It's completely nonsense by regular MP Physics, but the Dragoons ain't obligated to explain themselves of how they work. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Soan soars up in the air again, shaking the ground from the powerful leap he just did, homing himself to the roof above him. He takes in a long, deep breath, crackling electricity forming at the tip of his lips, sucked inside. His leap ends him a few feet away from his destination -- then he exhales, shooting forth a torrent of electricity at the very water-like beings, almost hovering in mid-air as he does so with the occasional crackle of electricity escaping the focused wrath.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:726|Walter Bernhard (726)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It seems no one warned Ellard about the fact that they navigate and hunt by orienting on sound - including that of movement. There's six of these things. One of them launches at Ellard the very second he continues taking the cryo grenades so that they can't be set off by Kyra's trigger without damaging him in the process. Two others launch at the machine doing a playback of Kyra's voice. They shoot out their hands, attempting to grab their targets, and then the bodies attached by stretched arms lose their shape as the rest of their mass is pulled after them. That sound, of their own flesh getting suctioned up after whatever appendage is launched, is what makes that distinctive '*ssssswiiiIIIP!*' sound.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Soan leaps down the hole, though, yelling the whole time and having a nice thousand-foot+ drop to the water below. Who the hell has a hole this deep in an 11-century mansion? Ellard might have gotten one of the pale monsters on him while Soan was falling. Thankfully, just touching it, if that occurs, is not innately harmful. Nothing happens just from contacting it. But it will try to slither and crawl its way towards his face.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Probably not with any good intentions.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The other three monsters all *ssssswiiiIIIP!* their way down after Soan as they stretch out their arms and then pull the rest of their bodies after them - and out into mid-air, where they have the same fall that Soan did, without the protection of having special magic to make it safe. But they also don't have any bones or organs that anyone knows of, so maybe they'd survive the fall too.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They're not very smart.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Thankfully, Soan leaps up and past them, and then shoots lightning at the ones going for the transmitter and for Ellard! They aren't... Water-like at all, really. But they are made of human cells, more or less, and they can still be electrocuted to death. The other three continuing falling down towards the water below, and the now-dead ones will be joining them shortly.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:766|Ellard Asha (766)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"SPARKS!" Ellard brings his tower shield up. The mannequin lands on it, slithering hands for his face. It's really awesome to watch Soan, who knew he was a Dragoon, watching him is pretty awesome. The shockwave, the moving. But Ellard has more pressing matters. Like the MANNEQUIN STILL ON HIM.<br /><br />He sticks the grenade on the front of his shield with the monster, then, using his hand, shoves at its general head area. And letting go of his towershield. And the rest of the cryogrenades. Rather than turn the grapple gun back on, he starts shimmying up the rope at full speed, hand over hand, "When you hear the splash, detonate!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:633|Soan Sagittarius (633)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Soan lets out a breath as he soars upward, landing heavily on the same floor as Kyra is on, a hand landed on the floor as he regains balance. The floor shakes from the impact. Sparks dies out around his mouth as he look downward at the hole Ellard is still down through, watching the events unfold for the moment. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Oh, sod it. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He takes another breath, breathing down a perfect line of electricity after the ones that are falling toward the waters. Ice will do good. Ice AND Lightning will make it even beter.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra's finger was hovering over the button to the detonator, ready to push it, actually only slightly aware that Ellard might have just started taking all of those grenades. "-wait what?" she calls out, hearing Ellard, then covering her mouth. She promptly lets go of the other rope she was holding, letting the speaker looping her voice to plunge down into the darkness, attracting the three homonculi it had 'hooked' down in its wake. She drops it just a little bit after Ellard has tossed the tower shield. <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She won't detonate the grenades until she sees Soan back, which should be well after the splash.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:726|Walter Bernhard (726)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Whenever the grenades land with splashes in the water, after the homunculi have done the same, and the cryo grenades are then detonated, it will freeze the artificial life forms in place. Their flesh doesn't respond well to being frozen. It loses its elasticity even after they've thawed. They don't seem to have much in the way of vital organs, but puncturing their outer layer appears to be enough to kill them, as does - apparently - electrocuting them. While Soan's lightning breath shocks them a bit on the way down, being frozen completely while submerged in the water is what finishes the job. Hopefully, anyway. They won't be able to move once they thaw, even if they survive, because their entire bodies lost that capability.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One interesting thing about these homunculi: They didn't smell like formaldehyde, like the first one that was encountered. Were they preserved differently? Or just not preserved at all?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When Soan was down below, he may have, for a brief time, noticed that there was glinting metal all around. The light was dim down there, so nothing TOO detailed could be made out... But there might have been egg-like copper pods or something like them. Maybe those were what the homunculi were kept in. Or grown in.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Unless the trio decides to go down there and investigate further, it might be best to write off this section of the laboratories. Nothing valuable was found... Except perhaps clues as to what Joachim got up to down here, and potentially knowledge of dark alchemical practices that some here might be tempted to at least EXAMINE even if they would never USE them. Probably.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After all, no evil was sensed. That must mean it's okay, right?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Yeaaaaahhh... At least the homunculi are all dead now. Probably.<br> <br>


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