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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 3022716" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #355] What Vectors Do[/PLAIN]A huge wave of relief washed over Shamalin upon seeing the negative energy rift close. She blew a strand of hair - damp with sweat despite the frigid air in the chamber - out of her eyes, feeling as if she had just run a temple footrace. But there was no time to celebrate, as everyone's attention was fixed on the creature before them.It lay supine on the floor, its limbs working ineffectually against the stone. It made no sound other than the rasp of its paper-white flesh against the flags."Are you coming with me?" Lela's disembodied voice spoke into Morier's ear. "Or are you going to stay and mess with that... thing." The sprite didn't need to be a druid to tell that the creature lying on the floor of the chamber was unnatural."Well, it do seem to me to be a waste to not examine this body, 'ere. Since we went through all the trouble to mar the rune in the first place," Karak observed. "Lemme take a look see." He stamped back toward the room.Morier turned in the direction of the faen's voice. "No, Lela. Splitting up is a bad idea," he told her. "We should learn what we can here and move on. We are very near to our goal." Then Morier followed after the dwarf leaving Huzair, Spot and Lela alone in the hallway. The wizard held out his hand."I will have my ring back, please," Huzair said and Spot growled low in his throat."Shamalin, can you talk to the dead again, lass," Karak asked as he moved up beside Ayremac and Shamalin. "Mayhaps this poor being, 'ere can tell us something. Let's ask it, 'what is its purpose?'""I could," the cleric admitted, but she pointed at the tattooed thing and shook her head. "But this creature isn't truly dead. I'd considered Detecting its Thoughts, but..." Ayremac laid his hand on her shoulder."To touch such a creature's mind," he nodded understanding. "I would not wish such a thing were it me working the miracle." Karak looked at the cleric's drawn face then down at the monstrous thing working itself awkwardly to its feet."I ken ye," the dwarf said with a nod. "So what do ye reckon we do with it?""We could try talking," Morier suggested as he came up behind them. Whether that would have worked or not became academic a moment later as the thing finally gained its feet. It touched one of the tattoos on its forearm, causing the rune to glow briefly with a pale blue luminescence.All at once an obscuring cloud of noxious vapors rose up at Karak's feet. The dwarf screwed up his face in disgust. Morier and Ayremac both gagged. Shamalin doubled over and began to retch uncontrollably. Karak recovered quickly and swung his waraxe in a massive uppercut that opened a gash across the thing's torso, spilling rotted, green organs from the wound. The axe reversed direction and came down again, but the thing danced back into the mist and vanished from the dwarf's view.Ayremac drew his morningstar and the weapon began to glow, illuminating the cloud and dimly revealing himself and the others nearby. But there was no sign of the creature. "Where'd it go?" the holy warrior asked, nonplussed. Morier held Ravager in a fierce two-handed grip and he strode purposefully forward."It's got to be here somewhere," he cursed as he went. After a few paces, he reached the empty cell that had once held the thing in suspension, but he couldn't see it anywhere. "Not here!" he called just as Shamalin screamed.The thing was upon her almost before she realized it was there. Its hand pawed at her armor as its head leered in toward hers. She caught a frighteningly vivid glimpse of the stitches that closed its eyes and nose and mouth writhing and reaching menacingly toward her. She was able somehow to twist away, avoiding the questing red strands despite the fact that a fist of sickness was clenched firm around her guts. Still, there was nothing she could do to retaliate but dry heave in its general direction.Fortunately, Ayremac hadn't left Shamalin's side and he lashed out with his weapon, catching the tattooed horror on the side of its head with a sickening crunch. It jerked to the side, but retained its footing.Karak charged out of the mist, his waraxe flashing in the light of Ayremac's morningstar. The weapon split the thing's ribcage with such force that fully a third of the crescent blade protruded from its back until the dwarf jerked it free and the silent creature fell in a messy heap."So maybe I should just scout ahead," Lela suggested later after the sickening cloud had cleared."No!!" Morier snapped. "We don't want to split up! Especially here!!""Awww!" Lela twittered. "It was just a suggestion. I'm fine with waiting. I just hate not feeling useful.""I agree with Morier, Lela. You have proven yourself an independant and capable explorer, but please.. .this group has seen enough loss and this wretched cave has put all six of us at death's door once already." Ayremac explained. "I would feel better knowing that anything I face I will have your quick reactions to back me up." Lela smiled at him."Okay," she said."Well since I've already got the Unseen Servant going I think I'll just have it dart in and retrieve that shortsword for me when we head past the armory again," Huzair said and Morier snapped his head around to regard the mage with shocked disbelief."Now you want to go back to the armory and get a sword? SURE, I can't envision anything that could possibly go wrong with that... that's a GREAT IDEA! Everything else we've decided to touch has gone so well for us," the albino shouted, his words burning with sarcasm. "You know what else? I think we could dress ourselves in full plate and run up and down the hallways clanging off of every wall. We could get Ayremac to blow a trumpet announcing our presence as well! That would be great! Just imagine the welcome we'd receive! I'll bet they'd bring tea to make us feel extra welcome. I can hear it now: 'Oh, you're here to steal our most prized possession and the only link we have to maintaining our evil control over the Realms? - Wait... we'll get you a cushion to sit on and rest first. Would you like a cookie?'"Lela laughed at the albino's tirade. Many of the others just looked at him in surprise."Can we PLEASE stop doing unnecessarily risky, dangerous, stupid things in here?" the eldritch warrior pleaded. "Are the odds not stacked heavily enough against us? Must we decide to disturb as much as we are able while we're here? We've barged in here like a band of barbarians; stealing, pillaging, destroying whatever lies in our reach. Perhaps if we took a more stealthy approach through this wretched place, we'd find ourselves faced with fewer situations that pull us in every direction, depleting our resources and draining our energies." There was a heavy silence for a moment during which not even Huzair had anything to say. Finally, Ayremac removed his helmet, holding it carefully on his hip, and spoke."Morier, I understand that was a stressful situation...and maybe we all need a moment to collect ourselves," the Officer said, pausing to look around at the group. "I am not saying I am above stealth and discretion, but I am no thief. I didn't come in here to sneak around and steal a set of keys from whatever evil lies in this cave, just to have them hunt us down and nip at our heels as we try to progress.""I'm not saying we behave like thieves," Morier replied, exasperated. "I'm just saying we should think our way through this. It may take longer, but perhaps we'll get out of here alive with the keys in our posession." Karak harrumphed."Well, now lad on that I agree with you, but I just have to say I can nae see you e'en bein' able to carry heavy plate," the dwarf added. "And by the way, I AM part barbarian, so I and me barbarian chalaks take a bit o' offense to suggestin' we be a bunch of mauradin' pirates.""Karak, I-" Morier started until he spotted the dwarf's grin and realized that he was being made fun of."As for you, Huzair," Karak continued, pointing his axe at the mage's chest. "I'm bristlin with weapons. I got hand axes, daggers, warhammers, scimitars, Ledare's longsword and o' course me axe, here." He patted the rune encrusted head llovingly. "Just ask and any be yours to use.""The shortsword's-" Huzair started to say until the dwarf cut him off."Why'n you be so fixated on that blasted short sword? I tell you this, you go near it an' it animates - you deal with it yourself," Karak told him. "We've been all tellin' ye to leave that thing alone. Now let it be.""Have my sword if you must! " Shamalin said, drawing it with effort. She offered the blade to the wizard but he didn't reach for it. "Only don't go into that room." All eyes were momentarily on the wizard, but Huzair just snorted and lit a cigar."Now let's get done what we set out here to do," Karak suggested. "Are we in agreement about how to proceed?" Morier asked, looking at the others. "No more pointlessly risky behavior?""As the new member to this party, I will defer to your lead," Ayremac said, holding his chin up defiantly. "But understand that I am here to stamp out the evil of this cave while achieving your greater goal.""Karak, would you explain the allegory of the beehive to our newcomer?" the albino said as he turned and headed back down the hallway."Gods dammit!" Karak cursed as he drew back from the now open door. Fresh blood was spattered on his arm where he'd pressed against the great iron valve to open it. Whoever had designed the door had done so in such a way that it was impossible to open without getting scratched or pierced by the many cruel spikes that decorated its face. The injury was minor, but it irked the dwarf to have to pay a toll in blood.Shamalin used an orison to heal the minor wound and they moved on. The door opened onto a hallway that ran perpendicular to the one they'd entered by. To the right there was another corridor leading away on the opposite wall and the hallway it turned sharply left after about 35 feet. Likewise to the left it turned a corner after about 25 feet. Almost directly across from the doorway was an opening into a room. It was dark within, but the rattle and clink of chains echoed out into the hallway.</blockquote>

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