The Center of Time

Wisco - The clanking sound you heard was the top of the hatch the group found. Your dart landed on it.

Xaion - You remain wary and alert for anything, and that is exactly what you find. A group of abhumans coming crashing through the woods in a steady march, stomping along in unison as if they were a single clockwork mechanism. A few are armed, but their weapons are in sheaths, and they walk without looking or touching you, the aneen, or any of the caravan members. A couple people move to fire crossbows or stalk closer with swords, when someone hisses in warning. There are more coming from another direction, maybe two dozen in all. They are heading straight for the hatch in the ground with eerie, quite purpose.

Xiaon shouts out loud to alert the others to the arrival of the abhumans. At the same time he is sweeping around to intercept the interlopers before they reach his companion Wisco.

A Xiaon's shout Wisco looks around to see the abhumans emerging from the forest. With a muttered curse he reaches for his darts. The realisation that they are heading straight for him lands like a hammer. Wisco looks around for an escape route, which is when he sights the other group of abhumans. Going to have to fight my way out of this ...

Xiaon grabs Wisco's hand before the nano can throw.

"They are not here to fight us," says the glaive, tugging at Wisco to pull him out of the way.

Wisco looks around again, struggling a bit to readjust. Xiaon is right, ... maybe. "They are heading for the hatch. We have to warn the others."

Xiaon grunts. "Go!" he says, pushing Wisco in the direction of the hatch. The glaive follows closely behind, keeping himself, as best as possible, between his companion and the abhumans.

Xiaon covers Wisco's entry into the hatch before following.

[sblock=OOC]Intentions are ... find the others. Warn them.[/sblock]
 

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Duncan steps back as the abhumans rise, positioning himself between the creatures and his companions. His greatsword is pointed down and away, so it is less noticably hostile... but he is well-trained and could easily sweep it up in an arc to hack a foe in twain, if they attack.

"Abhuman factory," Duncan nods, remembering how he himself was formed. "Maybe they're just hungry, but someone made them with claws, and made them amphibian, but I don't know of any lakes along the road through the mountains. They're not just innocent workers. Could have made the feral hounds outside, here, too."

"What's the rod in that one's head for? Signal device?"
 

"Maybe," Echo agrees. "Or a weapon. Or a sensing device. Who can say?"

She sighs and steps back a bit, anticipating a surge of energy as the platform activates. "Stand back from them, or you might get swept away as well."

"Anyway, I think I can figure out how to turn this thing off, but it will take time to decipher the controls to the point I can do it safely. It's interesting though...I think the map was actually showing us this place's position...it had some symbols on it that seem like they were referring to these platforms."

Echo digs out the map again and opens it, keeping an eye on the abhumans as she does.
 

Xiaon and Wisco, as you draw close to the marching abhumans, they do not look at you. You seem to not exist for them, and you can trot along in spaces in their formation without them acknowledging you. Group by group, they go to the platform, touch one of the symbols, and wait for the platform to return to the surface, riding it down and then continuing their marching "down" what looked like a vertical shaft (at least until you saw they were not falling to their deaths, but rather walking on the walls in an utterly unconcerned manner). At the bottom of the shaft, it opened into a huge room with three large plates - one sending up pulses of energy up and south, one throwing up a shaft of unwavering light, and a third with a group of abhumans standing near it. Your fellow guards are scattered around the room, either tense and wary and ready for violence, or near one or more of the brightly colored panels.

Echo, as you dig out the map, there's a sudden loud CHIME that splits the air. All of the abhumans suddenly freeze into position. On the map itself, you see some tiny symbols around the three circles you noticed earlier. Examining them and comparing them to the control panel, you realize this is the password!

The abhuman with the metal rod in its head makes a sharp cry. It sounds almost like... a command?
 

Seregal continues to distract that the abhumans by talking to them, or at least he's convinced that what's doing; giving Antor and Echo more time to figure out the panel.

"I'm your friend," he repeats, hoping to get through the abhumans.

The abhuman with the metal rod in its head makes a sharp cry. It sounds almost like... a command?

Seregal tries to get the attention of the abhuman with the metal rod. "What are your orders?" he repeats.
 

Echo looked down at the map for a second, trying to commit the symbols to memory, then carefully folded it again and slowly raised her hands.

"I think it's probably something along the lines of, 'stop that,'" she says, not taking her eyes off the abhumans. "The map just showed the password for this console, but it also triggered some kind of alarm."
 

The abhumans are still looking at Echo, but when Seregal questions the one with the metal rod, it cries out again, its tones rising and falling like language. It moves its massively clawed hands, oddly expressive as it makes motions of something getting bigger and bigger.

Echo, the abhumans keep their eyes on you, quivering and alert.

[OOC: Please make me an Intellect roll, difficulty task 2, to discern their intent.]
 

Xiaon and Wisco, as you draw close to the marching abhumans, they do not look at you. You seem to not exist for them, and you can trot along in spaces in their formation without them acknowledging you. Group by group, they go to the platform, touch one of the symbols, and wait for the platform to return to the surface, riding it down and then continuing their marching "down" what looked like a vertical shaft (at least until you saw they were not falling to their deaths, but rather walking on the walls in an utterly unconcerned manner). At the bottom of the shaft, it opened into a huge room with three large plates - one sending up pulses of energy up and south, one throwing up a shaft of unwavering light, and a third with a group of abhumans standing near it. Your fellow guards are scattered around the room, either tense and wary and ready for violence, or near one or more of the brightly colored panels.

Wisco and Xiaon find themselves stuck at the entrance to the shaft as the first group of abhumans arrive, crowding in around the nana and glaive, but ignoring them. The experience is ... unsettling. After a moment, Wisco realises that he is grasping the dart in his hand so hard it is starting to cut into his flesh. He relaxes his grip and takes a few long slow breathes. Wisco glances at Xiaon, who shakes his head slightly. For once Wisco agrees with him, and slowly slips the dart back into his pouch.

The platform takes an eternity to arrive. When it does, the first abhumans move forwards with an ease born of familiarity Wisco notes. There really isn't much alternative, thinks Wisco. Well, here goes nothing ... he adds to himself as he climbs onto the platform. Xiaon follows closely behind.

This really isn't how I imagined it would be ... finds himself thinking as the abhumans direct the platform to descend. Although what exactly he imagined it would be he couldn't really have said.

At the bottom of he shaft Wisco lets the abhumans takes the lead, at least long enough to see how it is done. Then with a glance at Xiaon, and a nod of confirmation, he follows their example.

Once safely in the huge room at the bottom of the shaft, Wisco moves around towards Echo and the panel. He nods towards the abhumans.

"They came out of the bush. There are are more up top, waiting to come down. They completely ignored us, even when we hitched a ride on the platform with them. They have done this before I would say. A few times."

Wisco stifles the impulse to ask what is happening. Instead, he takes a moment to look around, taking in the abhumans that are were here when he arrived. So they didn't come down with us. The thought is interrupted by a loud chime.

Wisco looks over at the abhumans who are watching Echo intently.

"We could just stay out of their way and let them do their thing. But I suspect that we have already changed something, judging by the way they are looking at us."

OOC: Int Roll 14.
 

Wisco, the abhumans, despite their strange sounds, do not seem to be in an incipient attack posture. They actually seem somewhat expectant, staring at Echo.
 


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