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Post by Gwendolyn on Mar 1, 2023 19:52:59 GMT -5
One moment she was holding their prize, the next it was gone, and their entire group was under fire. Running towards the edge where the box had been launched off, Gwendolyn saw the group of snake-men slithering off into the dense jungle surroundings. A frown crossed her face as the construct chided her about her behaviour. Psh, maybe there was a volume lever or something.
"Whatever, what happened happened. If you think you can catch up to them, me and the maids will be hot on the trail. If you can slow them down a bit, we can bring the pain." Frustrating. Why can't a job ever go well. Weren't these old lizards meant to be extinct?! wait, theyre probably the descendants like Socket said. Whatever, they had a job to do, she motioned for her troupe to advance. The four of them descended the sloped side of the pyramid, skidding on their boots downwards, carefully avoiding any snags or cracks. Luckily, much of the warding magic had left it largely intact enough to navigate, and they reached the bottom with minimal difficulty.
"Alright, lets go hunt us some snakes"
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Post by Sumnes (Baelethir) on Mar 1, 2023 20:36:15 GMT -5
Nodding their acknowledgement, the air around the construct crackled and sparked with electrical charge. Glowing brightly, they activated Step of the Wind and sprinted through the air after the offending group of serpents. Racing along the trail, the automaton kept themselves above the canopy of the trees to delay the enemy noticing as long as possible. Fully aware that it wasn't going to be long, Socket recast Static Field in anticipation of another hail of arrows.
They could hear the group below, ahead and crashing through the brush in a mad dash back to their settlement. The group was cheering and joking about as they moved through the jungle. From the canopy, they could see another ahead but quite far off, it would take the group the better part of an hour to arrive. Plenty of time for Socket and group to catch up and deal with the pesky reptilians.
Sliding along the jungle floor, the group of serpents tossed the intricate box back and forth, celebrating their ambush as Socket made headway catching up. Above the canopy, a loud clap of thunder roared out as the construct activated Bullet Dash and closed the distance to the group. In the densely packed jungle, the automaton launched themselves through the branches and crashed into the underbrush ahead of the group.
The serpents came to a halt, forming up ranks to face the threat that just dropped in from the sky. Socket strode forward, arcs of electricity popping and sizzling in the air. Waving their hand across the frontline, five pillars of electricity formed between the group and the construct.
"I imagine you find yourselves to be quite clever and powerful... unfortunately today's ambush will not have the desired end you envision." They spoke in common, watching the group for any move to attack..
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Post by Gwendolyn on Mar 3, 2023 3:06:15 GMT -5
Dashing through the treeline, Gwen gave a signal for a wide formation. Each member of the party spread out to ten feet of each other. It was a strategy that would both find any ambushers left behind and protect the whole party in case another flurry of arrows was directed at any one of them once more. Risks inherent in jungle jaunting, she supposed. This society of Yuan-Ti could have innumerable secrets at their disposal that would make dealing with their small group incredibly easy. She wondered what the box even did as she slammed her maul into a tree that was blocking the way.
Hearing a crack of electricity from above, Gwendolyn began to hurry. The robot had used an electric barrier during the ambush, and she hoped that they were not being attacked once again. Crashing through the dense jungle, loosely following the long fat undulating trail of snake-men the group of maids and nobles finally caught up to their prey. Standing off with Socket. Weapons were raised, they were ready for a fight. She panted quietly trying to catch her breath as she waited for one of the sides to make a move.
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Post by Sumnes (Baelethir) on Mar 3, 2023 3:45:31 GMT -5
Most of the replies were hisses from the group, though one slithered forward carrying a staff, wearing brightly colored fabrics wrapped around their torso and upper body. They hushed the snappy group of serpents with a gesture, before speaking.
"What businessssss is it of yourssss... you come to take our artifice, raid our home..." A sly grin crept across their lipless, fanged mouth. "Your group getssss what it deservesss... messing with Purebloodssss..." It hissed loudly, the gorup of snake creatures joining in with the threats.
"Your home? Not likely that you are one of the Na'Ga... you aren't big enough, strong enough, nor do you carry their spiny features... smooth scaled wannabes is what you are... limp noodles parading themselves as something great while being little better than an infestation of vermin... Roaches of the serpent world, I name you and your society..." Socket shifted their stance, waiting for a violent response and preparing to keep distracting the group. Over the shoulders of the serpents, the construct could see that Gwen and company would catch up momentarily.
Claws digging grooves into the ceremonial staff, the leader of the group shoved the stick stiffly behind itself. The others looked like well trained hounds held on straining leashes. They were upset, not thinking clearly, and definitely not expecting what was rapidly flanking their position.
"You will pay... all will pay for your insult... your group will not leave this forest alive, for my kin will crussssh you all!!" The snake stressed it's features to speak common, and had lost the battle of wit... Another few seconds and the group would be losing it's initiative as well. Socket stepped forward holding out one hand in front of their body.
"I know you think yourselves clever, sadly it is an affliction amongst many species across the stars... yet you've already lost this battle... you don't understand that yet, but you soon will. Until then, I should consider picking you in particular off... What say you roach? Will you struggle til the bitter end, or face the hopelessness of your predicament with dignity?"
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Post by Gwendolyn on Mar 4, 2023 18:31:59 GMT -5
The expidition caught up with their aggressors, currently distracted by the autonomous construct, backs turned. Perfect, time to reverse ambush these scaly cretins. Gwendolyn gave a command to Priscilla, who nodded nervously and notched an arrow into her bow, ready to fire. Charging forth with Bernadette and her axe, Gwen crashed through the trees, weapon high and at the ready and brought it down upon the first Serpent she saw. A shout from both of them saw the serpents torso crushed under its weight, an obvious dent made in its slithery form. Retracting the maulhead found a severe burn from the lit incense to top it all off. If they survived, it would be a long road to recovery nonetheless.
With that being the apparent signal, Priscilla loosened her bow, flying a windcutter arrow through the greenery to impale one of the Serpents in the arm. It's tribal shield dropped as the wind around the shaft sliced several superficial cuts through it's thick skin.
Bernadette followed up Gwendolyns attack on the scout ambusher by slamming her axe into the same snake Gwen had, severing it's tail. No longer able to stand, the maimed snake grabbed it's spear from the ground and shoved upwards into Gwendolyns armour.
Millicent stood back several feet, pointed a finger at the crippled serpent, and fired lightning straight through its head. Collapsing, and finally put out of it's misery, it dropped the spear to the ground as he fell, deceased. The alarm that shot through the raiding ambushers was near immediate, followed by anger at the brutality of their actions.One snake dead One snake shield disarmed hit prevention (0/1) Maul - Fire/Light Damage
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Post by Sumnes (Baelethir) on Mar 4, 2023 21:34:49 GMT -5
Socket hadn't intended to wait for a reply to their last taunt either way, but seeing Gwen and company begin their assault made it all the easier. The group, focused on the construct, had lost all momentum forward and was now harried from behind. As the serpents began to break formation and deal with the new attackers, the automaton sprinted forward and activated Bullet Dash. A shower of electric sparks and a clap of thunder trailed after, and Socket used the incredible momentum to close the gap in a flash of bright, blue arcs of lightning.
The serpents flanking the leader each moved aside, shocked and surprised by the rapid advance. Socket wasted no time, ducking the panicked swings of the leader before connecting a swift left hook with the offending stick. A sharp snap, and treated splinters flew as the head of the ornate, ceremonial tool fell to the ground. A low, sweeping kick caught the serpent's side and sent stunning current through their body. The leader spasmed for a split second, their eyes going wide as the construct activated Art of the Whirling Wave.
A sharp, thin spear of water formed in Socket's hand as they thrust forward and up. The serpent's eyes glazed over as it fell to the forest floor, leaking ichor from the neck and head wounds. Disarray spread like wildfire amongst the serpents, watching their plans falling apart rapidly had a powerful demoralizing effect on the group, not to mention the loss of their leader. The pair of serpents who'd been serving as the leader's guard attacked, swinging viciously as Socket danced away from their swords.
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Post by Gwendolyn on Mar 5, 2023 1:51:57 GMT -5
The bulk of the remaining ambushers turned to flee once met with their leaders demise. Two soldiers weilding Spears along with two archers stopped as they were met with the attackers in the rear. Panicked, they began attacking wildly to escape their situation. Arrows flew, two, three at a time as rabid jabs from spears pierced the air around the maidens. Bernadette caught a spear in the hook of her axe, twisting it expertly and sending it flying. A horizontal slice across the snakes torso sent it reeling in response.
Millicent took a glancing blow from one of the arrows, blood trickled down her cheek as her normally relaxed demeanor took a more serious tone. She waved her hands in a wide oval as a white sigil appeared in front of her. A tap from her cigarette sent several sweeping slices of wind through the forest, cutting into the enemy ranks. Leaves fell as well as still airborne arrows as 3 large cuts formed in the serpent archers long slithery torsos.
Priscilla had an arrow land in front of her, and ran to hide behind a nearby tree. She slid her back down so she was sitting down, panting in fear as tears poured down her cheeks.
Gwendolyn became annoyed as another spear jabbed at her and sliced through the edge of her abdomen. She stabbed the maulshaft into the ground as a form of minor defense, and held her wound. Seeing blood, she figured it was time to bring this little foray to an end. Reaching into her pouch, she brought out two vials of liquid. Mixing the pale blue one with the milky white one, Gwen tossed the mixture into the midst of the remaining serpentae. Blue smoke poured out of the glass vial, and for a second, it looked like nothing had happened.
Moments later, however, you could see the colour leaving those who were exposed. The perceived temperature of each of them had just gone from a balmy 40C to somewhere below -10.Frostfire Extract 25S WS: Applying the poison to a weapon gives its strikes a unique effect reflecting its name. For 2 posts after application, wounds inflicted by the poisoned weapon produce a moderately painful, localized burning sensation that slowly removes body heat from the victim. If these wounds are left untreated or unhealed, the poison will eventually induce severe hypothermia. Anyone afflicted by this poison can not cast spells that use or deal fire damage. Can only be applied once per topic. Gwendolyn's Miasmic Catalyst 50s: A small glass of clear, milky liquid that has no effect on its own and is used to combine with other alchemical potions. You can pour another Alchemical liquid (must be a shop item) into this bottle, mixing the concoctions and causing a reaction to occur. Over the next post a gas will pour out of the bottle and fill a 10 foot cube with a cloud of the gas. This will turn the concoction they poured into the clear liquid into a gas, causing anyone within the range who breathes in the gas to come under the original effects of the mixed potion. The cloud will remain for two post and can only be used once per topic.
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Post by Sumnes (Baelethir) on Mar 5, 2023 2:36:57 GMT -5
The few remaining serpents tried to flee from the virulent cloud of cold that had been unleashed on their ranks. They sprinted away after the guardsmen, having watched the group of adventurers dispatch snakes like common vermin. Unfortunately, the collective panic ran the creatures headlong into the waiting pillars of Lightning Lure. The sparking field stunned the snakes one by one, scorching scale and skin alike though the damage was only minor. Not wanting to draw the ire of the entire settlement down upon them, Socket found it prudent to silence the runners for good.
A wave of the hand, and the remaining reptiles were subjected to the secondary effect of Lightning Lure as five powerful bolts of electricity jumped from the pillars to Socket, cutting them down. Fried from the inside out, their soft bits smoked and boiled from the discharged energy. The ambushers had been ambushed and dealt with thoroughly, so the construct turned to check on Gwen and her retinue.
Seeing Gwen and another injured, and a third frightened from the impromptu combat, Socket walked over to the group. Dismissing the watery spear, it vaporized into a soothing mist that covered the others and healed their wounds.
"Nicely done, to all of you, your timing and aggression couldn't have been better coordinated. Let's clean up this mess, collect our artifacts and supplies and get out of this crazy jungle hmm?" Doing their best to keep a pleasant and calm tone, Socket was nonetheless grateful to have had help, and stopped the serpents from reaching their settlement or calling reinforcements.
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Post by Gwendolyn on Mar 5, 2023 3:01:26 GMT -5
Her wounds stitched slowly closed as the mist billowed over the group, it's soothing coolness making Gwen only momentarily paranoid about her poison that had previously filled the air. Once the cooling stopped and she felt better, she managed to relax, thanking Socket for it's help. She walked over to Millicent comforting her sister on the ground, offering her a hand to stand.
"T-thank's uh..Socket. I really appreciate it." The young girl awkwardly says, unsure of how to appropriately address their new acquaintance. "Yes, thank you kindly" Millicent and Bernadette both say simultaneously. Joined with a bow, the three of them split up to gather supplies for the journey back, and to go through the bodies for anything of value. Gwendolyn reached down into the splitbark sac of one of the serpents, withdrawing the curiously ornate cube that had been discovered earlier. A motion to raise it above her head to declare to the party was restrained in fear of repeating previous events, though she did quietly show it to socket to confirm that the job was done. "The mages guild will be happy to have this back. I wonder what it is... Hey, you're pretty good with magic yourself, did you plan on joining me when I bring it back to them? I think they would be quite interested in what you have to offer."
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Post by Sumnes (Baelethir) on Mar 5, 2023 4:45:42 GMT -5
Helping the others pack and prepare for the journey out of the jungle, Socket reflected on the accomplished research. Hopefully the Mage's Guild would accept the automaton openly and without reservation, and the combined knowledge gained from this expedition is useful to others.
"You're most welcome, I look forward to returning with our research and gaining access to the expansive knowledge of the libraries and research halls of the guild. In other words, yes, I'll be turning this in as my own initiation as well... while not in any particular plan ahead of time, the study of magic is a fascinating pass time."
Gathering notes, supplies and the various instruments provided by the guild for research, Socket and the others made their way out of the jungle without incident or injury. It was good to be out of the thickly grown, wild expanse and back in more familiar territory. The adventure had shown the construct a myriad of new life, creatures they'd only read about or seen fanciful art of. After seeing Gwen and company back safely and stopping in to finalize the initiation, Socket took a day of much needed rest and recovery. Still pondering the function of the artifact they'd procured from the ruins, the automaton was nonetheless glad everyone had come home safely and gained new understanding from the experience overall.
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Post by Gwendolyn on Mar 7, 2023 20:34:31 GMT -5
Gwendolyn jaunted through the jungle, singing and swashing her maul at every branch that came her way. Her maids politely walked behind her as she took out the anger she felt from being blindsided by her own excitement. Excitement about discovery was not the way, subtlety was never her forte, but this was just embarrassing. Her father would have her flogged if he heard word of this failure. Swatting at another half-grown tree, the embers of incense burst forth with fiery abandon.
Nonetheless, it was a victory despite roadbumps, and Gwendolyn would take what she could get. Admission into the mage's guild was no small feat, and though she was but an Alchemist at heart it would bring her family pride that it had fingers in further entities surrounding the crown. Safe to say, such leverage would be angled at any time for several purposes, and she would need allies if it ever fell through.
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Post by Sumnes (Baelethir) on Mar 7, 2023 21:30:03 GMT -5
Bounding ahead of the group at times, Socket scouted the trail home. Wary of retaliation, not to mention the other various threats within a jungle, the construct kept watch by day. The wildlife likely wouldn't be a problem, but Socket worried for a bit that the noise Gwen made while relieving her frustration would draw in more serpents. As the forest became less overgrown, so to did the possibility new threats would emerge from the dense green growth.
The returning trips always seemed to fly by, for some reason when one leaves an adventure for home and hearth, time's passage hastened. In what seemed like a few hours (though it was much longer), the expedition returned to a main road and wound it's way back to town. Turning in the research materials and artifact, Gwen and Socket were given a basic orientation. The Mage's Guild operated independent of national boundaries, having an established and necessary function within each nation, like the other guilds.
The study, recovery and distribution of Arcane knowledge already had made significant impact on Socket's life in Charon thus far, and now they'd have access to not only further information about the things they already were aware of, but new avenues of study to experience and explore both on their own and as a group with other members. Once more, the automaton could appreciate the jaunt that had taken them to where they'd come. Standing in the hall, Socket waved farewell to Gwendolyn and her retinue, and started the journey home once more.
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