Chapter 32
(Transforming Monster Giraffe Thing)
The journey through the portal felt like an eternity, though it also felt like it had only lasted seconds. The sensory deprivation while traveling skewed Jarow’s sense of self and time. As she traversed through the void of the portal, her senses were devoid of anything save for the relentless motion that surrounded her. It was a disorienting experience, akin to falling sideways with no end or beginning.
When she finally emerged, her left foot found solid ground, followed quickly by her right foot and then the rest of her body. Standing alone in a surreal landscape, she seemed to materialize from empty space. Unlike her other portal travels, there was no visible end portal here. As Jarow looked back, she saw nothing but a world of jagged rock stretching to the horizon.
She waited, staring at the spot where she had appeared, hoping against hope that her companions would join her. However, she feared that she would be facing this strange world and its mission alone. With each agonizing second of silence, her anxiety mounted, a gnawing ache growing in her chest.
As she stood there, her surroundings began to register more clearly in her mind. Above her stretched a vast expanse of dark garnet-red sky, with thick clouds of black and gray ominously dispersing overhead. In the distance, towering spires pierced the horizon, their presence the apparent source of the dark clouds.
The light from multiple suns cast an eerie glow over the landscape, their rays filtered through the dense clouds, creating shifting patterns of light and shadow. To her left, one star burned a deep orange, barely visible through the thick clouds, while another glowed pale yellow directly ahead. Their combined light played upon the rugged terrain, casting strange and unfamiliar hues across the jagged rock formations that stretched as far as the eye could see.
The ground beneath her feet was a fractured expanse, littered with imposing rock formations jutting out at various angles. Veins of lighter-colored rock streaked through the dark, jagged hills, adding variation and contrast to the desolate landscape around her.
To her right, a ridge ascended higher than her current position, with layers of soil transitioning from dark at the bottom to light at the top. This created an ombre effect that culminated in an off-white pointed summit stained with grime and ash.
The air of this world hung heavy and oppressive, bearing down on her with what felt like an unnatural weight as she drew each breath. Shortly it felt as though a viscous substance coated her insides, growing denser with every inhalation, causing her to gag as her mouth filled with ash.
Jarow doubled over, wracked by retching spasms as she coughed and expelled thick, dark mucus. The slimy substance splattered onto the ground, swiftly absorbed by the parched soil. As she inhaled again, she felt her sinuses once more becoming coated by the thickened air.
A sudden touch on her back startled her, and she whirled around quickly, assuming a defensive posture, only to find Mediv standing beside her. His presence was a welcome sight, filling her heart with relief and joy.
"This place is awful," Mediv muttered, his arm covering his mouth as he surveyed their surroundings, his other hand coming to rest on Jarow’s shoulder.
Then, a heavy stomp reverberated from behind Mediv, and Grolluk emerged from the emptiness to join them, appearing in the same place where Jarow had stepped onto this world.
"This place tastes bad," Grolluk remarked shortly after inhaling the polluted air. He quickly accompanied his statement with loud, slobbery noises as he tried to rid his mouth of the unpleasant flavor.
Isilandra and Suhry were the last to emerge. They briefly held each other’s hands before quickly bringing them to their mouths in disgust. "Oh gods, this place is vile," Isilandra practically hissed, her voice muffled by her hand.
Suhry nodded in agreement, her voice similarly muffled. "This place is worse than my home, and that's saying quite a lot."
Jarow watched as each of her team members joined her, feeling both overjoyed by their presence and frightened for what they had to face. As Suhry had said earlier, they didn’t have the luxury of returning from death as she did. With a smile that threatened to turn into a sob, Jarow spoke, her voice catching mid-sentence, “Thank you, everyone, for joining me. You don’t know how much it means to me.”
Each of the party members acknowledged her thanks in turn, either with nods or smiles. However, due to the foul air, the grateful sentiments were short-lived.
It was Mediv who soon came to the group's rescue, to save them from this awful atmosphere. He retrieved a long sheet of thin material covered in multicolored flowers from the spatial pouch at his waist and quickly tore squares from the cloth. Though none of them could fathom his purpose for having such an outlandish and colorful piece of fabric with him, they were all grateful that Mediv had it nonetheless.
"Wrap these around your mouths," he instructed, distributing one to each of his teammates. "It should help filter the air."
Grateful for the assistance, however small, they quickly covered their faces with the colorful bandanas, finding a bit of relief from the foul air. Once their faces were shielded, they closely circled their position and surveyed the discordant and unpleasant world upon which they now stood.
"By chance, do you know where we're supposed to go? Or have you heard from Xinpo?" Mediv inquired, hoping for a swift completion of their mission.
To answer his question, Xinpo's voice entered all of their minds. "I received nothing other than the time and location for the portal. From here on out, I believe we will be reliant on our own instincts."
Unfortunately, that was the answer they all feared, but expected.
"Well, we need to find out what's going on here, so we should first move toward those smokestacks. They're the only sign of life or activity we can see from here," Isilandra informed the party. As the party leader and coordinator, they were all grateful for her guidance, as none of them had a better idea of where to go.
They all nodded in agreement, reserving conversation for when it was absolutely necessary, and began moving in the direction Isilandra pointed. Mediv took on the role of scout and dashed ahead, swiftly disappearing from view. Grolluk led the main body of the party, followed closely by Isilandra and Suhry, with Jarow bringing up the rear. It was a formation they had adopted in the caverns during their last mission, and they easily fell into the old fighting positions, as though they had been working this way for years rather than just a few days.
They walked for over an hour without encountering any movement. There was no foliage growing on the desiccated ground, only rocks and dirt breaking the monotony and causing the path to be uneven. Despite the suns appearing to rise higher in the sky, the sky grew darker as they traveled, obscured by the gathering of the overcasting smoke, allowing only the most resilient light from the suns to filter through.
Before long, Suhry pointed to the top of a ridge to their right, where Mediv waved to them from the crest, remaining well hidden and barely noticeable.
Isilandra nodded towards the waving Mediv, and they adjusted their trajectory accordingly, ascending the hill and keeping low as they arrived near the top, to avoid being seen by whatever lay on the other side. As they drew near, Mediv whispered to them, “These are the first living things I've seen, although I use the term 'living' loosely.”
Peeking over the ridgeline, they beheld what Mediv had indicated. It took Jarow a few moments to fully comprehend what she was seeing, and even then, her mind struggled to believe the unusual and somewhat implausible scene before her.
A group of snake-like beings shuffled around discordantly, engaged in what could loosely be described as work; shoveling, breaking, and hauling rocks from one area to another. These 'workers' were far from ordinary; their upper bodies bore some resemblance to humanoids but were distinctly non-human. Some of them had two arms, but this wasn't consistent; their arm count ranged from one to five. Likewise, the number of their heads varied; some possessed only one, while others had up to three. Their slightly too small heads barely remaining upright from their long necks.
The heads, precariously perched atop the creatures' necks, were anything but human; in fact, they more closely resembled the lower half of their bodies, covered in scales. Their faces were long and narrow, with dead, gray eyes. Once they must have looked reptilian, with slits for pupils, but now they just looked hollow and lifeless. Two small openings at the end of the rounded face served as what must amount to a nose. Most of their mouths hung open, revealing rows of sharp teeth, with the typical two long fangs sprouting from the top of the mouth.
From the midsection, just below where the arms stuck out, the creatures' bodies coiled out and elongated into a tail, which slid slowly yet symmetrically behind them, providing movement and balance.
“Nagas?” Jarow whispered the word to herself internally, asking more than stating. “These certainly are not the type of Naga I was, right?” For one, she had only one head and one pair of arms. Also, her upper torso was smooth dark skin, whereas these creatures looked as though their scales covered their entire bodies.
She recalled that her face had not been snake-like either. She remembered touching her face and feeling familiar human features there, with the exception of the fangs jutting from her upper gums. Although she hadn’t been able to see herself in a mirror back then, the image she had of herself while occupying that body was not like those creatures below.
Yet, there was something else about them, something her brain struggled to process. Their bodies weren't the stark contrasting colors they should have been. Hints of vivid colorings in patterns covered their scales, but now they all looked to be pale shades of gray. Moreover, as she watched them work, pieces of scale, flesh, or other parts of their bodies sloughed off.
What was more disturbing was that the creatures didn't move to gather up the fallen pieces of their bodies. They didn't even seem to notice the pieces falling off. It was as if they couldn't feel what was happening to them at all. Suddenly, another word entered her mind, bringing with it a tremor of both fear and excitement: "Zombies!"
"Yes, suzerain, you are correct. These are a type of zombie. Their original species was indeed a type of Naga as well, although these appear to have fewer humanoid qualities than the species that you once occupied. I also believe these creatures must have been the previous inhabitants of this planet. Additionally, if you look more closely at the closest side of this cliff face, there is one other being. I believe it is the overseer of this squad," Xinpo conveyed to Jarow through their mental connection.
Jarow adjusted her focus downward, scanning the cliffside they peered over. Initially, nothing stood out to her, but as if a hint of her former dwarven perception came back to her, she picked out a form that differed from the rest. It was less jagged, more symmetrical, and a shade different from the rock surrounding it.
This form did share a very similar coloring as the surrounding rock, being covered in its dust, yet subtle patches of metallic sheen peeked through the buildup. Despite her efforts, she couldn't quite decipher the true shape or composition of what she was looking at. It clearly wasn't flesh, but beyond that, she was uncertain.
"Xinpo, can you tell me anything else about what that might be?" Jarow inquired, her gaze still fixed on the obscured object or figure. "I am looking right at it, but there is too much dust covering it, obscuring the details. Does your aura ‘see’ anything different, or provide any other insights?"
The familiar itch at the base of her neck flared up, but quickly subsided this time. "I don’t believe I can give you any additional information of value, but you have been able to manifest abilities from your previous lives, correct, suzerain? Is there a way you can use the Thermovision you used while in your Naga body?" Xinpo inquired.
Jarow pondered the question for a few moments, considering if that were indeed possible. While she was a Naga, her Thermovision had been mostly instinctual and simply occurred once she was in total darkness. Additionally, when the luminosity heightened in the honeycombed chamber, her vision had reverted back to normal. Even though this place wasn’t bright, it was far from being dark enough to automatically turn on, although this did spark an idea.
She hooded her eyes with her hands, blocking out what little light there was. Yet, it wasn't enough. She squinted, attempting to reduce even more of the incoming light, but her vision still remained unchanged. Finally, she balled her hands into fists, leaving only the tiniest holes through the center, and pressed them tightly against her eye sockets, making her look like a little kid using her hands as binoculars.
It still took several seconds, but just before she withdrew her fists and admitted defeat her vision changed. "Bingo," she whispered, though she had no idea why she said that or what the word even referenced.
Once Jarow's vision finally shifted, it allowed her to see in the alternate spectrum of light: Thermovision, or the infrared spectrum of heat. Now, as she was able to see in this heat-based vision, the zombie-Nagas appeared simply as outlines barely warmer than the rock upon which they slithered. However, where she had caught the glimmer of metal earlier now shone bright yellow.
The mostly rectangular-shaped object was large and broken up by shades of red and blue. Though she couldn't discern its exact dimensions, a vague outline began to form. Since it remained unmoving, she assumed it had to be the Z'killy-toma-tovs or whatever their name was from the quest note earlier. One of the mechanical beings supposedly harvesting this planet.
She had assumed they would be doing the work themselves, or perhaps using some kind of flying saucer or large mechanical devices, but the truth of what was actually happening was even more horrific. This mechanical race could apparently somehow raise the dead of this world to do the work for them, which meant that not only were they machines, but machines with magic and using necromancy.
“Seriously? Xinpo, can machines really do magic, let alone necromancy?” Jarow asked, completely flummoxed.
“That is something I cannot answer, suzerain. It is well beyond my scope of knowledge,” Xinpo replied.
Jarow scooted back, and the others followed suit, prompted by a quick telepathic nudge from Xinpo. She whispered and relayed what she had seen to them. Suhry was the only other one who had caught a glimpse of the large machine, but she had dismissed it as a pile of scrap metal or something unimportant.
"Now we have a better idea of what we're facing here," Isilandra whispered to the group. "The question is whether we engage now or move on?"
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Grolluk's smile widened, his tusks protruding from underneath the flowery bandana wrapped around his face, indicating his eagerness for a fight. Despite his lack of intellect, he understood the need for silence in this situation and stayed quiet, relaying his desire to fight through silly hand gestures: one hand kicking his other hand then jumping up and down for joy.
"It doesn't further our goal," Mediv whispered. "I say we move on."
Suhry, typically not one for many words, nodded in agreement with Mediv.
All eyes turned to Jarow. She hated being the tiebreaker, although thus far, only Grolluk had expressed a desire to fight. But Jarow felt the same way as the Orc; she wanted to confront this menace now. Not only would it be a good test of their capabilities, but something inside her abhorred the thought of slavery, even if they were undead. They were also Naga, albeit different, a species she had once been. Despite her brief time living as one, she felt a strange kinship to them and sympathized with their current plight.
"We should fight," Jarow stated quietly. "It will give us insight into what we're dealing with, and we can engage in a controlled environment with a clear escape route if that becomes necessary.
Isilandra nodded in agreement and whispered, "I concur. It's best to be prepared for what lies ahead. This appears to be an isolated group, so we can gather valuable information from them with minimal risk of interference."
Mediv and Suhry reluctantly nodded in agreement after the explanation, despite having expressed a different opinion moments earlier.
"Good, let's see what these guys can do," Isilandra whispered with an eager smile.
The party charged in without much of a plan, simply relying on their typical, practiced formation. Grolluk thundered down the hill first, hurling himself headlong into the group. Just before reaching the bottom of the cliff, he leaped into the midst of the Naga zombies, swinging his morningstar in a wide arc.
The spiked end of his weapon cleaved through two of the three heads of the first Naga zombie and continued its flight into the second. With continuing momentum, it pushed the second Naga's body into a third zombie before violently dislodging itself in a spray of gray flesh and congealed blood. Grolluk grinned wildly, winding up his weapon for the next attack, his tusks protruding from beneath his bandana in a mirthful smile.
Following closely behind, Mediv angled his jump to the left of Grolluk, his magical sword slicing in the opposite direction. It was an unfamiliar style for Mediv, but in the heat of the moment, he attempted to mirror Grolluk's ferocity. His blade sliced through the first zombie's midsection effortlessly, and with unexpected ease, causing his sword to continue its arc toward a second target, where it sliced a deep gash into the Naga’s tail.
Isilandra and Suhry hung back slightly, refraining from leaping directly into the fray. Isilandra quickly cast a party buff, enhancing their perception and durability. A white glow enveloped each of them momentarily, briefly blinding the zombies in the dim light of the area.
Suhry hurled ice spears at several targets, but the bright light from the buff skewed her aim. The ice spears didn’t hit their intended targets, but didn’t miss either. The group where she aimed them was so tightly grouped together that she basically couldn’t miss. So while the spears didn’t hit with the deadly power and accuracy as they normally would, they still found targets and caused serious devastation upon the zombie-Nagas she did hit.
Jarow found herself mid-jump when the spell's light illuminated her surroundings. Unable to correct her course, she instinctively pulled Xinpo into a defensive position and landed upon the uneven, rocky ground. Unfortunately, her landing was not the most dexterous, and she awkwardly skidded, her foot tumbling over a small rock. Her footing instantly faltered, and she tumbled to her side, rolling along the ground into a semi-solid mass. As she looked up and her eyes readjusted to the dimness, she saw a large taloned hand descending toward her.
Reacting swiftly, Jarow raised her arm just in time to deflect the incoming claws, but not without consequence. The sharp fingers were still able to slice into her arm, drawing blood. That was the last thing that hand ever did though, because with a swift motion, she retaliated, slicing off the attacking arm of the Naga. The severed limb tumbled lightly onto her chest, where it stopped moving, but oozed black blood that somehow splattered across her face, under her bandana and got into her mouth.
Disgusted, Jarow spat and retched, the foul decomposed blood quickly coating her tongue and leaving a foul coppery taste in her mouth. A guttural scream escaped her lips as she felt the claws of another hand pierce her side. The pain was momentary though as she was swiftly healed by Isilandra’s silver-colored healing spell. As she attempted to rise and confront her assailant, a large ball of spiked metal narrowly whizzed past her head, snatching the Naga who had attacked her away in its wake.
Jarow watched in awe as the creature simply vanished, swept away by the force of Grolluk’s morningstar, leaving behind only a sense of relief and a trail of black viscera.
Jarow rose to her feet and surveyed the scene of destruction wrought by her companions. The zombies, whose numbers had dwindled from the mid-thirties to a mere dozen in under a minute, now encircled the group. Over half lay lifeless on the ground, their bodies torn apart by Grolluk and Mediv's relentless attacks.
Remembering her brief days as a Gnoll, Jarow couldn't help but miss the height and agility she had in that body. Being so short made things more difficult at times, but it also had some advantages which she was still exploring.
Nonetheless, she positioned herself at the rear of the party and swiftly dispatched the remaining zombies left in the wake of Grolluk and Mediv's onslaught. None of them really posed a significant challenge, and the last one was skewered by Mediv’s blade only moments later.
There hadn’t been a lot of noise coming from the zombies in the first place; the majority of the sounds during the battle were that of tearing flesh and grunts of strength, but now, the field was completely silent, and Jarow couldn't help but glance at the motionless machine and it’s still unmoving presence. Its silence during the bout now left her uneasy, like a bomb ticking down on an unseen timer.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang, which sent them all staggering backwards in startlement. The bang was closely followed by whirring and clicking noises. The group turned to face the machine, weapons drawn and spells readied, as it finally seemed to be activating.
The box-like machine began to unfold itself, revealing a strange and unusual shape. The first and most notable piece of machinery to appear was a long, slender neck-like appendage arranged like scaffolding, which rose up from the twisting and morphing block of metal. At its end, a single glowing eye-like device spun around like a bearing in a socket as it gained orientation and assessed the surroundings. The circular 'eye' was a deep, blood-red color with a round, glowing yellow pupil.
As the eye rotated and spun, four legs unfolded and extended from the bottom of the machine lifting it up as they did so. Each leg was covered in metal plates, and at the end of each leg, three spikes sprang out and pointed forward, while three more extended backwards. The legs were thick and solid, yet they also appeared extremely articulated, capable of swift and unrestricted movement.
Two long, arm-like limbs also unfolded from alongside the center mass of the machine. Each limb was covered in smaller metal plates similar to those along the legs, but with a reduced size for a tighter fit. The arms had multiple joints, giving them the ability to move in any direction. At their ends, six long, sharply tipped fingers separated and began to move in symmetrical movements, as if testing their own mobility.
The remaining central mass of the machine slowly rose into the air on the creature's legs. The strange mechanical sounds and movements continued as it seemed to finally complete its transformation. It became obvious that the central area housed the power source of this creature, evident from the armor plates clicking together to form a veritable fortress against intrusion. Also, an unnatural glow began to emanate from behind the armor, illuminating the interlocking scales and giving it the menacing appearance of a predator; the hue of the glow similar to the deep red color given off by the eye atop the stalk, now held up over seven meters off the ground.
Slowly, the machine rose to its full height, easily stretching twenty feet high from eyeball to toe. The mechanical being towered above the party as they watched dumbfounded as the transformation happened, each of them too stunned and amazed to do anything but observe the unusual occurrence.
The glowing eye finally settled on them as the last of the whirring and clicking stopped. Then, without warning, a thick, sticky cloud shot from a small pipe just below the torso and jetted out towards the party, engulfing them. The residue inside the cloud stuck to them like a coating of sticky oil.
All of them desperately wiped at the strange, oily substance, including Grolluk. He furiously pawed at his tongue and tusks, bellowing, 'Ahhh... it's in my mouth,' while he gurgled and tried to remove the sticky substance.
As they vigorously attempted to clean themselves, a flashing icon in Jarow's UI; below her health and body icon caught her attention. She focused on her status, and a message came into her view.
You are suffering from Nano-infestation: This type of infestation relies on molecule-sized machines to infiltrate a host. Once a host has been compromised, the nanobots will execute their primary function. The primary function differs and can be changed by the originator. Most common commands involve: rapid degeneration, control, or self-destruction.
“Oh shit,” Jarow exclaimed in a worried tone. “Close your eyes!”
A deep seated fear wormed its way into Jarow’s mind as she read the description of the nanobots. These mechanical monsters utilized slaves, and she suspected these nanobots were their means of control. If they weren't removed promptly, she and her companions could possibly fall under the control of the mechanical creatures.
She had to assume the others understood what was about to happen, as they had dealt with her and the Complete Cleanse spell before. She shut her own eyes tightly and mentally activated the icon for the ability.
Originally, she had planned to use this power after the battle concluded, to clean the area of the dead flesh and rid the party's clothes of blood and any other undesirable debris. However, now she needed to act quickly to remove the infestation of nanobots before they could affect anyone in the group.
The light from Xinpo's Complete Cleanse power rapidly expanded outwards as Jarow activated it. In doing so, she also hoped that the light would blind the machine, giving them a momentary advantage which they could exploit before the monster fully recovered.
After a few brief moments where they all felt the pulsing light clear all contaminants from their bodies, the light faded, and Jarow cautiously opened her eyes. When she did, she gasped in surprise at the scene before her.
All the bodies of the zombie-Nagas had vanished. Their bodies were not just cleaned, as she had presumed they would be, but were completely gone. Also, the ground beneath them had transformed from the polluted, ash-covered terrain to normal-looking brown dirt instead of the ash-covered rocky soil.
With a quick backward glance, she noticed the hill they had descended from, now shimmered with sparkles of silver, and was shot through with jewels and golden nuggets scattered amidst the crumbling debris.
However, the most profound change was in the air itself. Jarow took a deep breath and found herself inhaling without the oppressive ashy pollution filling her lungs. Though she knew it wouldn't last long, she cherished the brief moments of easy breathing.
Turning her attention back to the machine, Jarow noticed it remained unmoved, its eye atop its stalk still fixed on them. Uncertain if it had even been affected by the casting of Complete Cleanse, she decided it was time to take the offensive and cast Temporal Inversion on the monster.
To her disappointment, the effect seemed minimal. Other than acquiring a slight layer of rust along its metal appendages, the machine looked as though it remained unaffected by the aging power of her spell. She unfortunately had to admit that it appeared this particular ability would not be effective against their mechanical foe.
Next, as Grolluk charged towards the side of the giraffe-like machine, preparing to unleash a powerful strike with his morningstar, Jarow focused her energy on casting Molecular Fusion. The machine's metallic surface took on a slightly brownish hue as the molecules of the surrounding rock merged with those of the metallic body of the creature, but sadly, there were no other visible effects.
As Grolluk's morningstar swung towards one of the machine's legs, the leg unexpectedly bent inward, evading the blow entirely. The sudden movement of the leg, which he had been counting on hitting, caused Grolluk to overswing and miss his target. He was led by the weight of his weapon into a stumble. Though he stepped through without falling, he found himself completely off balance, forcing him to take several hurried steps before he could regain his footing.
Amidst the chaos wrought by the party members, a strange noise began to emanate from the mechanical contraption. Initially, it only resembled the grinding of internal machinery, but the sound soon transformed into a more stable and rapid modulation, eventually coalescing into a discernible, if tinny, voice.
"We are the Z=K1-LLRT (0MAD0)," the machine declared ominously, pronouncing every single letter and punctuation. "There is no purpose in struggling against us. We are without rivals. You will become our tools.
A hissing sound then emanated from within the machine, triggering Jarow's concern about another spray attack. Apparently sharing her apprehension, Suhry swiftly aimed her finger at the pipe from which the nanobots had sprayed earlier, conjuring a spear of ice that perfectly matched its size and shape, but with a larger plug-like swell at its far end. She cast the spear of ice directly into the hole, where it slid in nicely and effectively halted any further ejections.
As the eye stalk finally shifted its gaze downward and noticed the freezing-over pipe, the machine continued its ominous proclamation. "No matter, your bodies can be harvested alive or dead," it declared in a voice that resembled the crackling of an old record player transmitted through a metal speaker.
Returning its attention to the party, the long-necked machine bathed them in a dark red light from its eye before lunging forward towards them with surprising speed. Its four legs propelled it swiftly, and its spiked fingers began spinning rapidly, morphing into saw-like blades. The spinning wheels of death flashed menacingly in the dim light, emitting a high-pitched whir sounding like a swarm of angry wasps.
Isilandra and Suhry found themselves frozen in shock, unable to react as the mechanical creature bore down on them with incredible speed, its menacing saw-blade hands reflecting the dim light of the orange sun.
Fortunately, Mediv's reflexes were slightly faster than the machine's, and he pushed the two women out of the monster’s path just in time. However, his selfless act was not without consequence. The creature's spinning blades slashed out and caught his long, unruly tail, severing it near his buttocks.
A primal yowl of pain erupted from Mediv, a sound that echoed with both animalistic agony and deeply human suffering. The piercing cry reverberated through the air, causing the rest of the group to wince in sympathetic discomfort. Grolluk and Jarow winced as if they could feel the phantom pain of a similarly shaped appendage being lost from the front of their own bodies.
Grolluk, having regained his footing, charged once more towards the towering machine from where he now stood behind it. His morningstar swung through the air with determined force as he attempted the same attack as before. This time, however, he anticipated his target to bend inward as it had done previously. As the spiked ball hurtled forward and the leg once again retracted, Grolluk spun along with the blow, maintaining his momentum. Balancing on one foot, he spun around a second time, bringing his weapon to strike once more without pause.
The first swing had missed its mark, which the Orc knew would happen, but with his second blow, he adjusted his trajectory and brought the morningstar around with a crashing clang as the weapon struck the armor-covered leg. Sparks erupted from the collision as the machine quivered momentarily under the force of the unexpected blow.
However, the resilient creature swiftly retaliated. The leg that Grolluk was finally able to strike recoiled, then lashed out with a swift kick towards the Orc’s midsection. The foot would have struck squarely, but just in time, Grolluk raised the long arm of his weapon as a makeshift shield, deflecting the spiked appendage.
Yet, the attack didn't end there; the six sharp 'toes' began spinning rapidly, transforming into yet another saw-like weapon, mirroring the fingers' transformation. The end of the leg began swaying from side to side, searching for a vulnerable spot to strike the Orc, who had assumed a defensive stance.
Meanwhile, Suhry and Isilandra recovered from their close call and began chanting. Suhry held out both of her hands, conjuring large boulders of ice around the mechanical creature's three remaining legs, attempting to pin them to the ground.
Isilandra's chanting served a different purpose. With nimble steps, she swept forward, gracefully reaching out to touch the injured Mediv. Evading the still-striking hands of the mechanical monster with fluid movements, she moved around them effortlessly, her dodges resembling a dance more than mere evasion.
Healing an injury was easy for her, but growing back a lost body part took a little more power and time. Instead of the beautiful silvery liquid-light that normally escaped Isilandra's hands when healing an injury, a fog of luminous gold mist surrounded her hands until she touched the backside of the still-panting and mewling Mediv wher the mist clung now to his missing tail.
Within moments, the missing piece of Mediv's tail sprouted out and reshaped itself. It grew rapidly, first elongating and then thickening. Fur quickly formed to cover the tail, in all but one circular ring, the spot being where the tail had been severed.
This was the memory-scar, and it would always remain. Isilandra's power was great, but regrowing a limb or other appendage required the recipient to retain a constant reminder of why they had needed the replacement. Most people were grateful to pay this minimal price for such a miraculous gift, including Mediv, a small scar was inconsequential to an adventurer. Scars were simply reminders of battles won or times when their lives had been saved.
Jarow was not idle during these moments either. The left side saw-hand whirred past the women and severed Mediv's tail, but Jarow was ready for it. She braced with Xinpo held in both hands, one on the handle and the other along the side of the blade, as she met the blade head-on.
With a tearing sound as the spinning silver blade met the black and white body of Xinpo, Jarow was thrown back, her small-framed body sent flying. However, she was prepared for this eventuality and refused to give up. Activating Xinpo's newest ability, Copy, she created a second sword in her left hand. She then imbued both weapons with freezing cold using his Elemental Strike.
Next Jarow activated Passe-partout and teleported directly above the neck of the creature, landing on the long stalk, just behind the eye. Without hesitation, she brought both swords down in a slice, attempting to sever the stalk in the same way she had cut through the Kenthrophallate.
As her swords met metal, Jarow felt the icy power flow through them and into the creature's neck-stalk framework. While she held no hopes of causing significant damage like Suhry with her ice, she had chosen this element in hopes of amplifying Suhry's spells.
Unfortunately, her scissor-like slice resulted in little to no actual damage. The stalk appeared to be composed of a hardened metal unfamiliar to Jarow, proving too resilient for her swords to penetrate. Though the icy sheen of her blades seemed to sink into the metal somewhat, she doubted it had made any significant impact.
Unfortunately she was noticed by the giraffe monster thing and immediately the blood-red eye spun at the end of the stalk and stared directly at her.
A crooked, one-sided smile formed on Jarow's face as she looked at the eye with a grimace. In her periphery, she could see Grolluk coming in for another blow far below. She could also see that the now-whole Mediv was taking advantage of the monster’s change of focus. He wielded his cursed blade which now glowed with an orange-glow as he dashed forward with the agility only a half-feline could manage.
She desperately hoped they would be able to deal more damage than she had, given that her attack had done little to nothing. But then without any warning, the red light from the eye narrowed, as did the yellow pupil held within. The eye trained the light on her and the entire globe flashed in an incredibly intense burst. The burning red light struck Jarow, and she staggered from the intensity.
Unsure of what had just happened, Jarow opened her eyes and stared at the eye as it restored its pupil and looked away. Then her body simply stopped reacting, and she felt numb; she could no longer move.
Thoughts of being stunned by the flash, or possibly paralyzed, raced through her mind as she quickly tried to analyze what had just happened. Slowly, her body began to slide sideways as it shifted from atop the framework neck. A few seconds later, she slid off from her perch, falling over two stories down and landing hard on the ground below with a wet thump. Throughout the fall, Jarow searched through her UI for a sign of what had just happened.
"Shit," she thought to herself, the reality of what just happened finally dawning on her. "It one-shotted me, didn't it?"
Jarow noticed the healing silver liquid-light flowing from Isilandra’s hands encompassing her. She heard the clang of Grolluk's morningstar as it hit the monster again. But there was also a new sound, almost like a sizzle, one she didn’t recognize, but what she assumed was from Mediv's orange glowing sword.
Upon landing, Jarow’s head hit a rock, causing pain, but it also left her head angled downward where she could somewhat see her body, or what was left of it. A large circular area where her chest used to be now dripped with cauterized viscera. She could see the still-brown dirt of the ground through her chest cavity.
Her last thought was, “My blood is going to stain the ground red very quickly, just after it got cleaned.”
Xinpo’s voice entered her mind before she lost total consciousness, “Suzerain, I will be here waiting for you. I will tell the others that you will return.”
The words barely registered as Jarow’s vision clouded over in a dark haze. The last thing she heard was a loud thud like something large hitting the ground.