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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lars Frehse" data-source="post: 857098" data-attributes="member: 1674">Secrets- part 3With lightning speed, he simoultanously shouted:"Help me!" and dove down to the portcullis, grabbing it's lower bar with both hands. Niklas understood and dove down as well, and both strained against the weight  of the portcullis until every vein on their arms and their necks stood out and their heads were crimson. For a moment, they felt the portcullis grinding up, but then Torn's hands, which were wet from his sweat, slipped, and the tiny fraction of an inch they had gained with so much effort was lost along with Torn’s hope of a quick escape.The next thing Torn knew was that he was laying in a pool of water and his friends told him about how the gelatinous cube had swallowed him up and how they had then defeated the thing with their magical weapons and spells. The halforc himself was sore all over his body- the digestive acid of the thing had eaten away most of the upper layer of his skin.Again, Ben had to treat his wounds while Torn was cursing:"Is this keeper of secrets guy mad? Why in the names of all gods would he devise all those traps? The fellow already has the boiling water to keep people away. If he doesn't want any visitors, he might as well have closed the first corridor with bricks or something. I can't wait...He screamed out and turned to Ben who had just put some lotion on an especially sore part:" Ouch! Be more careful, will ya? Anyway, I can't wait to lay my hands on the man!".Ben was finished bandaging him:" I can see that. Still, don't forget that we have to talk to him first."."I know", Torn said, most of his fury gone already once he had aired it:" I know.".Hanging on the wall in the thirty feet deep pit, they found a key and a potion that was neatly labeled "spiderclimb". The idea seemed to be that whoever entered the corridor would get locked in by the portcullis. Then, becoming aware of the homicidal gelatinous cube, the intruder would run for the pit. The cube would follow, neatly filling up the proportions of the pit. Then, once it would start to digest the intruder, it would digest the cork in the potion as well, and once the effect would kick in, it would simply climb up the walls again and return to it's initial position, effectively "rearming" the trap.The key opened the door at the far end, and for the first time in the mountain, the friends entered a furnished room. It was a long hall with mirrors on the far end, crystal chandeliers under the ceiling and a red carpet on the floor. The walls were covered with flowery tapestries, making the contrast to the previous, uniformly grey corridors all the more outstanding. Flanked by the mirrors, there was an ornamented wooden door.Cautiously looking for traps or surprises, they walked through the hall to the far door. Even though they expected traps to be triggered or other devious surprises nothing happened, so that they relaxed a little when they had been almost through the room.As they were merely a few yards away from the door, seeing their images in the mansized mirrors, Trepat stepped ahead in order to check the door for traps. Right then, it became clear to them, that the room did have something in store for them. Suddenly, their reflections developed a life of their own- instead of just aping what the original did, they started to move on their own instead and, worst of all, they actually stepped out of the mirrors with murder in their eyes!Immediately, the friends saw that their doubles weren't full copies of themselves. Trepat's double, for instance didn't cast any spells. Instead, they were all moving with lightning speed slamming at their respective originals with their fists.Torn, who stood up front, positioned himself in the middle, intending to gain an advantage with the superior range of his chain. When he hit his own reflection, he was shortly stunned though. His chain sunk into the enemy, and where he hit it, he now saw that their opponents seemed to be composed of quicksilver, since they were liquid and a part of the liquid shot to the floor.Then they were at him, hitting him hard with their fists. Torn had had a bad day already, and he was far from being totally recovered. So this was enough and he collapsed, his mind being engulfed by merciful blackness.Outnumbered, Niklas had an idea. He tumbled past his double and jabbed his glaive at the mirror. It seemed to have been worked from silver, but still he dented it a bit and a small, corresponding dent appeared on his reflection. His friends understood, and Trepat, who was backing away from his "reflection" cast an acid arrow on the dented arrow while Ben kept on fighting the strange things. Incidentally, he had transformed into a spider once the battle had begun, but the thing that had taken his form remained in it's halfling shape.Niklas smashed the already badly damaged mirror with a circle kick, smashing it, and his double exploded in a small mercurial shower. This evened the odds again, but still they had to fight an equal number of enemies. Even though their enemies only struck with their fists, they were incredibly strong and they had a knack for hitting where it hurts.Trepat was knocked around by the thing that had taken his forms, and then it landed a hit at his temple, making his head feel like a thundering bell. He was barely able to keep standing and there were green spots dancing in his field of vision as the thing moved in for the kill and- exploded into yet another shower of quicksilver. Just in time, Niklas had smashed the mirror Trepat's enemy had come from.Still feeling weak, Trepat fought down his nausea and drank one of his healing potions. Immediately he felt better and using his acid arrows, he helped Niklas destroying the remaining mirrors. Eventually, when the last mercurial opponent was destroyed, Ben healed Torn and they decided to rest here in the hall before moving on.To their relief, they weren't disturbed and after they had all had some time to recover, they opened the door and walked up the stairs behind it. As they walked up, the stairs widened until they ended in front of a pair of huge doors. They pushed them open and right away the air changed. The stale air of the tunnels was immediately substituted by the fresh smells of plants and life and the looked into a huge cave in which all kinds of vegetables, flowers and herbs were growing. From several openings in the caveceiling sunlight was streaming down on what looked like a huge garden and in the back of the cave stood an elven house with a porch.On the porch, turned in their direction, they saw a lanky elf in a tight green suit. He seemed to be expecting them, even though he was still too far away for them to make out his facial expression.A meandering path lead past the plants until they found themselves flanked by towering sunflowers right in front of the porch. The Keeper spread his arms in a universial gesture of greeting and gingerly danced down the stairs to them, smiling noncomittically."Welcome Torn, Niklas, Jan, Ben and Trepat. I am the one who is called the keeper of secrets and it certainly is no secret that you have many questions. Come inside, we can talk about everything over breakfast."He turned around, and walked back inside, but then, suddenly he turned his head over his shoulder and looked straight at Torn:" And you really shouldn't think of bashing in my skull. For two reasons, really. First, it wasn't me who had constructed those traps. Everyone who visits me encounters a number of hazards- rest assured that I devised none of the traps you had run into. So, probably that is part of my curse, and if I had any money, I would bet that this part of it is was devised by Enkili."And secondly, and more importantly to you, the gods don't like it when mortals try to interfere with their plans. And since the gods don't wish my death, it wouldn't be wise of you to be the cause of it.".</blockquote>

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