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Story Hour
Arcanis: Gonnes, Sons, and Treasure Runs (COMPLETED)
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<blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 3249919" data-attributes="member: 3285"><p><strong>Deus Ex Machina - Part 3c: The Marionette</strong></p><p></p><p>“Down!” shouted Ilmarė. </p><p></p><p>A whistling blade flew through the air, boomeranging around the confined belfry. Cal ducked down just as the blade returned to its owner’s hand.</p><p></p><p>It was a life-size marionette, dressed in ochre and purple robes, with china hands and face. Chains hung down from a dozen points on its body, leading up to metal ball bearings nestled in the tracks above them. </p><p></p><p>With a roar, Cal hacked at the marionette with incredible force. The marionette snapped sideways and spun, its arms flailing about helpless. It spun around and around, twisting its chains so much that it lifted upwards towards the ceiling.</p><p></p><p>“Cal,” said Beldin, “I don’t know if that was such a good idea.”</p><p></p><p>Slowly at first, the marionette untwined itself. It whirled faster and faster, until it whistled through the air at cyclonic speeds. Then it trundled forward towards them.</p><p></p><p>Beldin held up his shield, only to be rewarded with a rapid-fire series of strikes. Sparks jumped where the marionette’s spinning blade met his shield.</p><p></p><p>Ilmarė fired an arrow at its emotionless features. The head tilted slightly from the impact. </p><p></p><p>“How do we stop it?” asked Ilmarė.</p><p></p><p>“Aim for the chains!” shouted Beldin. He was pinned down. It was all he could do to keep the marionette from slicing through the shield.</p><p></p><p>Cal hacked at it again, higher this time. The spinning stopped for a brief moment and the marionette bounced sideways. Then its haphazard arms surged forward. The big lizard barely ducked the swipe of its throwing blade.</p><p></p><p>Beldin dropped his axe and unhooked his morningstar. The marionette was preoccupied with Cal, advancing again with slow but relentless swipes of its blade. He lifted the morningstar over his head…</p><p></p><p>The marionette’s head spun around 180 degrees to look at Beldin. Then its body snapped around to face him.</p><p></p><p>Beldin smashed downward with the morningstar, towards the center of the marionette’s body. Unlike the slashing attacks of the axes, the marionette felt the full force of the morningstar. One of the chains snapped and the marionette’s arm holding the blade went limp.</p><p></p><p>“Now Cal!” </p><p></p><p>The huge axe that Calactyte wielded sliced downward at an angle. More chains snapped. The marionette collapsed, lifeless.</p><p></p><p>Beldin looked down at it. “Unbelievable,” said the dwarf.</p><p></p><p>“I know,” said Ilmarė. She stared down at a dead body dressed in the robes of a priest of Illiir. It was sprawled across the doorway to the room where the marionette came from. “It looks like Illirite priests tried to reclaim this temple.”</p><p></p><p>“Quintus with them?” asked Cal.</p><p></p><p>Ilmarė turned the body over. The man’s face was frozen in a rictus grin. It was not Quintus. </p><p></p><p>The elorii exhaled. She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath.</p><p></p><p>“This is amazing craftsmanship!” exclaimed Beldin, completely unphased by the fact that a puppet had nearly murdered them. </p><p></p><p>Ilmarė rolled her eyes. “Let’s get going before someone else pulls our strings.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="talien, post: 3249919, member: 3285"] [b]Deus Ex Machina - Part 3c: The Marionette[/b] “Down!” shouted Ilmarė. A whistling blade flew through the air, boomeranging around the confined belfry. Cal ducked down just as the blade returned to its owner’s hand. It was a life-size marionette, dressed in ochre and purple robes, with china hands and face. Chains hung down from a dozen points on its body, leading up to metal ball bearings nestled in the tracks above them. With a roar, Cal hacked at the marionette with incredible force. The marionette snapped sideways and spun, its arms flailing about helpless. It spun around and around, twisting its chains so much that it lifted upwards towards the ceiling. “Cal,” said Beldin, “I don’t know if that was such a good idea.” Slowly at first, the marionette untwined itself. It whirled faster and faster, until it whistled through the air at cyclonic speeds. Then it trundled forward towards them. Beldin held up his shield, only to be rewarded with a rapid-fire series of strikes. Sparks jumped where the marionette’s spinning blade met his shield. Ilmarė fired an arrow at its emotionless features. The head tilted slightly from the impact. “How do we stop it?” asked Ilmarė. “Aim for the chains!” shouted Beldin. He was pinned down. It was all he could do to keep the marionette from slicing through the shield. Cal hacked at it again, higher this time. The spinning stopped for a brief moment and the marionette bounced sideways. Then its haphazard arms surged forward. The big lizard barely ducked the swipe of its throwing blade. Beldin dropped his axe and unhooked his morningstar. The marionette was preoccupied with Cal, advancing again with slow but relentless swipes of its blade. He lifted the morningstar over his head… The marionette’s head spun around 180 degrees to look at Beldin. Then its body snapped around to face him. Beldin smashed downward with the morningstar, towards the center of the marionette’s body. Unlike the slashing attacks of the axes, the marionette felt the full force of the morningstar. One of the chains snapped and the marionette’s arm holding the blade went limp. “Now Cal!” The huge axe that Calactyte wielded sliced downward at an angle. More chains snapped. The marionette collapsed, lifeless. Beldin looked down at it. “Unbelievable,” said the dwarf. “I know,” said Ilmarė. She stared down at a dead body dressed in the robes of a priest of Illiir. It was sprawled across the doorway to the room where the marionette came from. “It looks like Illirite priests tried to reclaim this temple.” “Quintus with them?” asked Cal. Ilmarė turned the body over. The man’s face was frozen in a rictus grin. It was not Quintus. The elorii exhaled. She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath. “This is amazing craftsmanship!” exclaimed Beldin, completely unphased by the fact that a puppet had nearly murdered them. Ilmarė rolled her eyes. “Let’s get going before someone else pulls our strings.” [/QUOTE]
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