Mavec

The building was well disguised, built into the hilltop itself. It was a creation of steel, iron, and stone. Mavec found it hard to imagine a building of this size being dug out and kept secret. Then again, Master Alusai likely had several very formidable clockworks under his control. Excavators and servants strong enough to move the stone and intertwine the steel and iron wouldn't have been hard for the master of artificy to build or modify.

The Lochmaster used a specialized key, a rod with spinning segments, which he inserted into the door to open up. The staircase opened promptly, and the group and their plus one descended properly into the building. The lights were almost non-existent. Anyone traversing this area better have brought a light source with them or had eyes that naturally dealt better with the low light conditions. Only small emergency lights let out a soft white light. "I would turn on the lights for you, but I am afraid that they, too, have failed post intrusion by whoever disturbed my master's resting place," he said.

Mavec flipped on his light cap and led the walk forward. "What else can you tell us?"

"That many of the traps should also be out of power. Though I don't know if that's due to the activation of clockwork, which depleted the reserve." The Lochmaster supplied.

"Only one way for us to be finding out," Illaria said as she moved towards the next door. Alvec took a moment to prepare his defenses, casting his typical array of spells. The group advanced into the room. Metal doors in the wall immediately pulled up and constructs poured from them. They made no effort to speak as they unfurled various small weapons.High above them from the top of the room, a sphere of metal fell, slamming onto the floor hard enough to shake it. Echo's tail wagged; he had never encountered a ball large enough to play with since he had grown to his new size. Zipping along a track along the domed roof was a small metal dome with a gun coming out of its center. Mavec whistled; this was only the first chamber. If this was everything Alusai was using to guard the first door, he could only begin to imagine the level of security further down. The closer they got to the lab, the stronger everything would be.

The sphere of metal whirled and spun before rocketing towards Sarbie. Naya spoke his collar's command word, and Echo doubled in size. The playful pup pounced on it, diverting the ball just enough to slide past Sarbie, slamming into the wall beside her with a room-shaking thud. Mavec dashed towards one of the constructs willing electricity to his hand. He slapped the machine and smiled as the electricity coursed through its metal body, melting some of the metals used in its construction. The smug look on his face was quickly wiped away as the turret racing along the domed roof zeroed in on Mavec and unloaded on him. His magic wasn't strong enough to stop the bullets, and he recoiled in pain as they pierced through him. "I'm hit!" He called out, hoping that either Rem or Sarbie would be able to attend to him before he had the opportunity to bleed out.

A fair number of constructs were assailing them, and as much as Bait knew he should be attacking the moving gun, he needed to ensure he was safe first. The goblin leveled the gun at one of the nearest constructs, wielding a saw blade, and unloaded a hail of bullets at it. Under the assault of lead it crumpled to the ground, its joints still twitching as its damaged circuitry tried to perform its guardian functions.

Illaria dashed forward, baiting several of the warrior constructs into attacking her. She moved with expert precision, slapping their weapons aside and slicing deep into their steal frame with her steal. Alvec and Naya moved around, as one would expect. Alvec brought his spells to bear, blasting shards of compressed coal into two of them. At the same time, Naya picked a single target and laid into it with intensity. Her blades, a whirlwind, bit into the construct repeatedly until it too crumpled under the weight of her assault.

Mavec found himself on the ropes as several constructs broke off from the nearest individuals and focused on him. "Shit, FUCK!" He shouted as he attempted to retreat backward, firing off a bolt of lightning. As he ran backward, Piccora bravely placed herself between the advancing machines. Another round of bullets from the ceiling clipped him and sent him sprawling to the ground.

Sarbie cursed to Kushang as she ran towards Mavec and, once more, danger.

"Echo! Clear a path!" Naya commanded. The wolf grinned as it grabbed the giant mechanical sphere and joyfully threw it around the room, guiding it onto a collision course with a small horde of constructs advancing on Mavec. The constructs scattered, as some were simply pushed out of the way, and others were overtaken and crushed by the giant metal sphere. The wolf looked around at all his friends, smiling, tail energetically wagging from side to side. Alvec chortled as he joined Sarbie in rushing to aid Mavec. He'd give Echo a nice scratch for his creative solution to their problems. Sarbie slid to her knees over Mavec and pressed both hands firmly on his chest as she willed her healing light into him. His eyes shot open, and he let out a grunt of pain. Her magic was strong, and the pain faded quickly but was intense for the few seconds it rolled over him. He was still sore, but he could tell he was no longer in danger of dying.

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Echo, Naya, and Illaria continued assaulting the constructs, laying into them with steel and fang until the last crumpled to the ground in sparking heaps. The group took a few moments to assess their condition. "Do we be thinking that each chamber will posses so many threats?" Illaria asked.

"This is Alusai we're talking about. This first room is probably the least dangerous room in the entire building, and it nearly dropped a boulder on us, had constructs pouring in from the walls, and had a turret system. I'm not loving our odds." Mavec said as he pulled himself up to a sitting position.

"I agree, which is why before we enter the next room, I'd like to cast a spell on us," Alvec said.

"What do you have in mind?" Mavec asked.

"Protection from elements, electricity. You have some sort of a generator in Piccora; it wouldn't be a far stretch to assume that some of the more advanced models we encounter might also harness electricity." Alvec mused.

"So we'll be protected just like the Red Banner was during our fight with them?" Naya asked.

"Excuse me, but could you hold still for a moment?" Sarbie asked as she placed a hand firmly back onto Mavec and pushed him back down as, once more, a soft white glow spread out from her hands and coursed over him. Alvec bent down and offered a hand when she was done healing him. He pulled him to his feet, clapping him on the back several times.

"Alright, everyone line up!" Alvec ordered as he began casting the spell. He was met by a half dozen strange looks. "It's a touch spell. I figure I cast it, then just impart it with a quick pat on the back?" reluctantly, the group followed his instructions, including Echo, who trotted beside Naya. Alvec finished powering the spell and quickly imparted the protection to his friends. The air around them seemed to shimmer slightly as the abjuration magic took hold.

"Does this mean we're immune to lightning?" Naya asked.

"Not even close, but it'll take the edge off a few hits," Alvec replied.

Mavec turned his attention to the closed doorway impeding their progress. He moved to it, taking out some of his tools and popping open a small panel beside the door. He adjusted the light cap on his head to shine more precisely, with better lighting, it took him only a few moments of fooling around with the wiring to figure the controls out. A mild flow of electricity flowed over him, but thanks to Alvec's spell, he barely felt even a tickle as he worked. With a sudden start, the door silently opened, its well-made and maintained geers moving it seamlessly. Mavec turned to his friends and found only Alvec and Bait leaning over his shoulder to see his work. Everyone else was a few feet back, just kicking rocks. He rolled his eyes and stood up, heading into the room.

The sound of rushing water and spinning turbines caught his attention. The room was filled with large metal grates rather than firm, solid metal plates, which had composed the floor in the previous room. So, this was how the building maintained power. There must have been some sort of spring in this hill that he had converted into a water mill to produce electricity to fuel his craft. It was cleverly constructed. He'd never have guessed this building held such a contraption based simply on the already extensively hidden exterior. About halfway through the room, small mechanical leeches launched up from the grates and assaulted Mavec. He felt the magic around him absorbing electricity as the small machines flopped against him. Mavec let out a hearty laugh.

Alusai may have been a genius, but he couldn't do anything to combat dumb luck. "Bait, can you get rid of these?" Mavec asked as he continued wading through the jumping mechanical Leeches. Bait eagerly scampered to the grates and put his gun through the metal rails.

"Dis easy, like fish in the bathtub," He said before he squeezed the trigger. The rest of the party waited as Bait continued putting lead through them. After a few minutes of gunfire, Bait confidently gave a thumbs-up to everyone and ushered them forward. The group left the room as quickly as they had entered, descending through a staircase deeper into the hill.

They emerged into a hallway with strange alcoves embedded into the metal walls. Constructs stood within them, and a thick coating of dust lay over them. Their very own funeral shroud. They were all spinnymen. From the looks of it, they'd never been activated. The Lochmaster said he couldn't "live" without the spark of life. Perhaps these models had never been gifted with this miraculous substance?

"How many of these things are there?" Naya asked as she shirked away from them.

"Bait count five."

"Aye, I be thinking there be a wee bit more than five Bait," Illaria said.

"A small armies worth," Alvec stated firmly. "Mavec, if we were able to make some of this spark of life, do you think we'd be able to power up these spinny men?"

"Yeah, possibly; we'd need the formula first. Why, what are you thinking?"

"Just that Vato claimed that Alusai's inventions might save the day, and this is the second time that Lochmaster has been unaffected by whatever Kavaas does to people."

"I see your point," Mavec replied. "We aren't in the heart of the lab yet. Let's hope that whoever tripped all of this security didn't fuck off with the recipe." There was only one way forward, once more barred by another locked and closed door. Not that Mavec cared; it took barely any time to open the door again. It felt like perhaps they were near the workshop. Alusai's fabled forge. No doubt, the resistance ahead would be unlike anything they had seen before. It was time to face down the ghost of a legend.