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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1106558" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 35The automaton had the look of a bulky, armored gnome, with a nasty pincer at the end of one metal arm and a huge iron hammer one the other that made Arun’s weapon seem a toy by contrast.  As it appeared through the illusory wall it attacked Mole, driving that weapon downward with great force.  At the last instant the gnome hopped back, out of the direct path of the hammer as it smashed into the floor with enough force to crack the hard black stone.  Even though the move saved her life, the hammer’s edge still clipped her with enough force to send her sprawling. Even faced with such a strange and deadly foe, the companions did not hesitate.  Fario and Fellian attacked as one, flanking the creature as they hacked at it with their swords.  Fario eschewed his typical two-swords style for a single thrust from his longsword in an attempt to penetrate the thing’s armor, but despite his best efforts his blade merely scratched off of the automaton’s thick metal skin.  Fellian fared no better, even though the metal monstrosity was turned partly away from him toward his companion.  Arun, partially blocked from the automaton by Fario, turned and ran through the illusory wall to come at it from behind.  As he passed through the illusory barrier, though, he found himself face to face with a second automaton.  This one was clearly damaged, with several rents in its metal skin, an instead of attacking immediately, it simply stood there, making a whirring noise and spinning its pincer arm in a continuous motion.  Arun didn’t question his good fortune, instead hefting his hammer and launching himself at the thing.  “There’s one more in here!” he shouted, to warn his companions.  Those companions found themselves rather busy at that moment, so they could not immediately move to the aid of the dwarf.  Zenna helped Mole up to her feet, pulling her out of the raging melee.  Mole dug her healing potion out of her pouch, uncorking the vial and downing the precious fluid in a single gulp.  Ruphos joined the half-elves in attacking the automaton, smashing at it with his mace.  His attack had no greater luck than theirs, however, clanging against its hard outer shell without effect.  “This thing’s invulnerable!” he cried. “Keep attacking!  Find a weakness!” Fario shouted back. The automaton turned toward him, as if drawn by his words.  The thing’s pincer arm shot out and snapped around his body, holding him fast within its iron grasp.  Thus held, there was little that the half-elf could do as the huge hammer came up, poised to strike.“No!” Fellian cried, knowing that there was nothing he could do.  But then, before the killing blow landed, the automaton abruptly hesitated, a quiver passing through its metallic body as the heavy hammer head simply hung there in the air.  The thing did not release its tight hold on Fario, however, and the elf’s struggles seemed of little use against its solid grip. Trying to capitalize on what they’d learned from the pulverizer above in Jzadirune, Zenna shouted a command in gnomish for the automaton to cease its attacks and release Fario.  This one, however, did not respond, and suddenly its hesitation ended, and it lurched once more into motion, the hammer-arm drawing back.“Helm, grant me your strength!” Ruphos cried, leaping forward once more, his weapon clutched tightly in both hands.  To the surprise of everyone—perhaps including the cleric—the armored front of the construct buckled as the steel head of his mace crashed into it with a ringing crash of concussive force.  The construct twisted awkwardly, and its grip loosened just enough for Fario to pull free of its vice-like pincer.  The half-elf did not retreat, hefting his sword again in both hands as he assaulted it from the flank opposite Fellian.  This time he drove his blade deep into one of the rents in its side opened by Ruphos’s strike, and an angry clang of broken metal issued from somewhere deep inside its frame as the sword crunched in.  Mole, recovered from her injury, circled around the edges of the melee with the automaton, and darted through the illusory wall to check on Arun.  She immediately saw the dwarf engaged with the second construct, the two apparently engaged in a titanic exchange of hammer-blows.  Arun had landed a solid hit that had crushed one side of its armored shell, but the automaton had in turn shaken out of its mechanical funk to land a crushing blow to the dwarf’s shield-arm.  Mole could see that the dwarf was hurt, his shield hanging low instead of kept up in its usual protective stance before him.  As she appeared the hammerer tried to catch the dwarf with its pincer-arm, but Arun was able to dodge back narrowly in time to avoid being caught.  “I’ll help distract it!” Mole said, drawing her sword and rushing around the automaton’s flank.“No!” Arun cried, but it was too late; the gnome was already past it, tumbling quickly past it before it could react to her sudden appearance.  She came up smoothly into a ready stance, poking at its backside with her sword.  The feeble assault did no damage, but it certainly did get its attention; the automaton wheezed and with a grinding of metal gears it spun to face her.  Before it could strike, however, Arun roared and came up behind it, bringing his hammer down in a powerful blow that crushed through the remnants of its armor and savaged the gearwork within.  With a final clatter of noise, the battered construct leaned over and crashed heavily to the ground. “That was foolish,” Arun said, shaking his hammer at the gnome.  “Maybe, but it worked!” she returned.  “Come on, the others are still fighting theirs!”  Again, before he could do anything to stop her, she darted back through the illusory wall.  Arun followed, but his hammer wasn’t needed.  The automaton, perhaps damaged by the attacks from Ruphos and Fario, had managed only one tentative swing against Fario before freezing again, and by the time it shook free the three companions were able to do enough damage to destroy it.  Mole reported that the second one had been destroyed as well, so the six companions stood there over the ruins of the first automaton, catching their breath. “Those things were tough!” Ruphos exclaimed, checking Fario’s injuries.  The grasp of the pincer-arm hadn’t hurt him seriously, though the outcome would have been quite different had its hammer connected with him. “That was an impressive strike, priest,” the half-elf observed.  “I thank you.”Ruphos nodded.  “It is a power granted by Helm, the feat of strength.  Though I had never called upon it before.”  “Well, now you have,” Arun said.  “Shall we see what these things were guarding?”</blockquote>

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