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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 1100475" data-attributes="member: 6294">"Something's Cooking" and "The Ettin's Riddle" (WotC Free Adventures) - Part 4The construct's fist slams into the monk's side, causing her to stumble backwards.  Though undignified, this stumble saves her from further harm, as the creature's over fist swings through empty air.Ming Li recovers quickly, slamming her staff into the golem's body.  The metal dents noticeably, but the creature surges forward, unimpaired.  The monk retreats from the doorway, allowing the golem to emerge - and more importantly, giving her companions a chance to get in on the fight.As they move forward to do so, however, an aperture slides open in the golem's bulbous head.  A moment later, it exhales a blast of scalding steam from this opening, aiming the jet squarely at Ming Li.  The monk is not to be caught out again so soon, however: she drops to one knee, allowing the blast to pass harmlessly overhead, before driving the tip of her staff into the construct's knee.The blow twists the golem slightly, causing it to wobble unsteadily, but it drives its clawed toes into the stone flagstones, improving its purchase, and sweeps both of its arms in wide arcs.  One of the blows clips Elspeth as she moves in to attack, but the ranger grits her teeth and slashes at the construct's shoulder joint.  Her sword skitters off the heavy metal joint, but the force of her blow is merely deflected, continuing on to strike the golem's chest.  The creature's thin metal "skin" tears as the sharp blade cuts through it, and a gout of steam spurts from the gash, scalding Elspeth's hand.The ranger curses, dropping her sword in surprise and pain."Use blunt weapons." Ming Li drives her staff into the creature again, knocking it back a step, "They don't tear the skin."Briar ignores the advice, striking with his sword.  Another tear opens in the creature's skin, but the rogue's speed and agility lets him slip clear of the worst of the steam.Macwood, unable to get within arms reach of the creature due to the congestion of the combat, looks around for some way to contribute to the fight.  His eye falls on a ceramic bowl, half-filled with flour, and he speaks a few arcane words, gesturing as he does so.  The bowl lifts into the air and flies toward the golem's head.  It seems as if it is about to strike home, but then at the last moment, the construct shifts its position, and the bowl shatters against the wall, causing clouds of flour to drift over the fighters.The construct swings an arm, the blow slamming Briar into the wall, but the adventurers strike back even harder, both Elspeth and Ming Li driving in blows on the golem's torso.  By now, the once smooth sphere is a mess of dents and tears, with steam pouring slowly out of the many holes.  The golem's movements are slower and jerkier, as if the loss of pressure is reducing its capability to move and fight: and then suddenly there is a noisy grinding of gears and it freezes completely, its mechanisms ruined by the damage inflicted by the adventurers.Elspeth wipes a hand across her forehead, inadvertently streaking her face with flour."What the heck is that thing?" she asks.Marble, who has spent the entire fight cowering behind the kitchen table, doesn't seem interested in such details:"I hired you to protect me from bounty hunters!" she screeches, petulantly, "And you choose to do so by taking me to a melee with a crazed golem!  What do you plan for tonight?  Dinner with a vampire?""The offer to return your gold is still open." Ming Li reminds her softly.  Marble closes her mouth with a snap."Well, if anyone was around, that little squabble should have brought them running." Briar remarks, poking at the remains of the golem.  He frowns, suddenly, "Hey - there's a small hole in this thing.""There are lots of holes in it." Elsepth observes with satisfaction, "Most of them quite large.""Yeah, but this one's down near the leg joint." Briar points, "I don't think any of us hit it near here.  And this is just a pin-prick.  I'm not sure what could have caused it.""Maybe whoever locked it in there managed to damage it, first." Elspeth shrugs, evidently having little interest in such mysteries. "We've searched everywhere down here, so let's check and see if there's anyone upstairs."No-one has any objections to this plan (well, Marble might, but she wisely does not voice them), so the group take the stairs to the upper storey, emerging at one end of a small, L-shaped hallway.  They can see only one doorway off this hall, though presumably there will be at least one more around the corner.Quietly moving up to this opening - for the door itself stands open - Briar peers into the room beyond.  A look of surprise flickers across his face, and then he turns back toward the others,"We've found Gendrew." He reports."Is he okay?" Macwood scuttles forward to see, with Ming Li and Elspeth just behind.  Reaching the doorway, the Halfling makes a sound of concern, for it is readily apparent that the man is most certainly not okay.  Though the shallow rise and fall of his chest suggests he is alive, the cook is bloodied and bound, lying unconscious on his own bed.</blockquote>

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