Chapter 34
(The Orc did it!)
After several hours of travel, the once pitch-dark tunnel transformed. Small lights embedded near the floor now provided enough illumination to guide the party forward. Combined with Jarow's glowing body, they could see ahead clearly.
Mediv's transformation into his tiger-like body had actually been somewhat of a boon for the entire party. They all now possessed a type of low-light vision, which was a welcome adaptation in this underground environment.
However, Jarow found himself hindered by the tight confines of the tunnel they were moving down. His large body felt constantly on the verge of brushing against the semi-rough walls. His wings, initially a source of exhilaration when he discovered them, were now more of a cumbersome nuisance. With each misstep or shift in the uneven surface, they scraped painfully against the tunnel walls.
Although the tunnel they passed through was obviously manufactured, it still had irregular deviations and small outcroppings. These irregularities served to hassle Jarow as he moved down the passage, wincing with each bump his wings took.
Their slow pace turned out to be a blessing when a sudden flash of light shone for a split second directly in front of Jarow's feet. The brief glimmer caused him to stop dead in his tracks. His abrupt halt caught Isilandra off guard, and she face-planted directly into Jarow's closed wings. A muffled grunt escaped as feathers filled her mouth, a result of being unable to stop herself in time.
The bump from behind propelled Jarow forward once more, forcing him to wildly throw out his arms in a whirlwind motion, attempting to steady himself against the walls and prevent himself from stumbling.
Fortunately, Isilandra all but bounced off of Jarow and was sent teetering backwards, where she was caught by Mediv's outstretched arms, his reflexes more than capable of stopping and catching the unbalanced woman.
"Sorry, Jarow," Isilandra muttered as a quick apology while Jarow worked to regain his footing.
He straightened up once he'd managed to plant himself and halt his forward progress. Whispering back to the Elf, he replied, "No worries."
He then crouched down carefully, examining the spot where the flash had appeared. After a few seconds, he spotted a thin wire stretched across the tunnel floor. He wisely kept his hands off it, suspecting it might be a trap.
“There’s a wire here,” Jarow whispered back to his party members. “I think Mediv should take a look.”
Mediv was more than happy to inspect the wire, but maneuvering him to the front of the line posed a challenge. While he could easily squeeze past Isilandra, getting around Jarow—with his new, extra-large body and wings—proved to be trickier.
Both men turned to their sides, with Jarow flattening his back against the wall as much as his wings would allow. Mediv mirrored his movements, pressing his back against the opposite wall and sidestepping to pass Jarow. As they swapped places, there was a brief moment when they faced each other, their bodies pressed tightly together.
The sensation of Mediv’s fur against Jarow’s muscles served as a pleasurable reminder of their recent sexual encounter. Despite the stark contrast in physique between his current form and the Halfling body he had then, the touch reignited feelings of excitement and arousal in Jarow.
When their eyes met, an uncontrollable surge of heat flooded through Jarow’s body. Mediv's eyes widened momentarily, as if experiencing something unexpected. He quickly averted his gaze and continued to sidle past. In the dim light, Jarow could barely make out the faint blush on Mediv's face as he finished passing to examine the trip wire.
It was Jarow who had changed, not Mediv. While Jarow still harbored fondness for the Cathan and cherished their past encounters, Mediv found it challenging to feel the same attraction to Jarow’s new body.
Jarow stepped back, contemplating the encounter. "Mediv might not be interested in another male," he thought to himself. It was a question he had grappled with before, back when he was in his previous female body. At his core, Jarow believed he identified as male, even when his outward appearance didn't match. He knew he was attracted to females, finding Isilandra particularly captivating, yet his ever-changing array of bodies had created a fluidity to his identity.
That night, Jarow had set aside his ego and preconceptions about gender to simply enjoy the moment with Mediv. He knew it was something he had been able to do and would be able to do again, but he couldn't be sure if Mediv felt the same way or if he was only attracted to the opposite sex. Mediv might be content with who he was and only interested in women, and Jarow couldn’t fault him for that.
It was odd to be pondering such matters in the midst of their current situation. Jarow was aware that it wasn't the appropriate time or place to be contemplating gender, attraction, and desires, or how others might perceive the world. Yet, when Mediv brushed against him, he definitely felt a familiar tingle from down below.
As far as Jarow could recall, he had been a human teenage boy before embarking on this strange journey. It wasn't surprising that he was feeling the pull of his hormones, especially in the body of such a magnificent specimen. Even his human male ego couldn't help but appreciate the majesty of his current body.
“This is definitely a trap,” Mediv said from near Jarow’s feet, breaking him from his rumination. “Good eye, Jarow.”
Within a few moments, the rogue had disabled the trap and held up a strange-looking device: a small box with several wires protruding from it, which Mediv held gingerly. Alongside the wires, there were several runes etched along the side of the box, accompanied by small gears sticking out from one side.
“This is something I’ve never seen before. I’m not even sure what it does. I want to take it with us to see if I can figure it out, but I don’t want to place it in my storage device in case it goes off and destroys the rest of my items within,” Mediv said as he handed the item to Jarow. “Does your inventory have room for this?”
Jarow definitely had room for the device, but he wondered if his inventory functioned differently from the spatial satchels worn by the other party members. He also wondered why Mediv thought it would be safer in his inventory than the Cathan’s own spatial satchel. He made a mental note to inquire about this when they were in a more suitable location.
With an upturned eyebrow followed by a shrug, Jarow took hold of the trap and prepared to place it in his inventory. The dark crack od Jarow’s storage power formed and appeared particularly menacing in the dim light, almost as if it were absorbing what little illumination existed here. The area seemed to grow darker as the dimensional aperture remained open. Jarow reached into the void and carefully deposited the device inside.
Mediv took the lead after finding the trap. He felt as though his perception and trap-finding skills would be more important for the time being, rather than than having Jarow’s large body as a meat shield.
They moved further on, and Mediv did indeed find several more traps. Most of these he was able to disable and hand to Jarow, who obediently placed them in his storage.
There was one he couldn't find the disarming mechanism for, so they all had to step carefully around it to avoid triggering the trap. Luckily, this was a pressure plate-style device, and Mediv used a strange instrument which illuminated the edges of the plate to make it easier for the rest of them to step around.
Finally, after moving forward for several hours with Mediv leading the way as trap spotter, the tunnel began to slowly grow larger. It widened to over double the width it had been, and they walked much more comfortably. However, this only lasted for several minutes before the tunnel turned sharply to the left.
Mediv moved forward silently and checked what awaited them around the corner. What he reported made all of them wonder what was going on.
"There are two large metallic cubes, one on each side of a large rectangular metal plate set into the floor. There is also a metal podium or control panel which sits directly behind the metal plate. The room opens up to a space of maybe thirty feet, and the plate sits at the rear of the room. I see no other exits," Mediv explained.
Jarow considered what these objects could be, wondering if their journey had led them to a dead end. "Is it worth taking a look at least?" he asked the rest of the group.
They all agreed to investigate further, proceeding into the room cautiously, uncertain of what to expect.
As they entered the strange room, nothing stirred.
Advancing slowly, with Mediv leading the inspection for traps or hidden areas, they found nothing amiss.
They finally approached the metal cubes, which resembled large containers. The square plate, nearly ten feet across, was embedded into the floor, as Mediv had described. A faint line of darkness marked its border, revealing a space beneath where the floor was missing.
“Could this be a type of lift of some kind?” Jarow asked in a whisper. The tunnels and now this room had all been so silent, it seemed wrong to disturb it.
Mediv moved around to the small pillar at the rear, being careful not to step on the large plate for fear it may fall. The pillar’s top was slanted, and instead of being made of metal, as the rest of it was, the top was a dark glass panel. He slowly moved his hand to the glass and tapped it lightly.
A faint illumination flickered to life behind the glass, reminiscent of the small lights lining the floor. Though extremely dim, it provided just enough light to reveal an arrow drawn upon the glass, accompanied by an embossed circle above it.
“It looks like you press the circle like a button. I have similar shaped buttons in my UI for Xinpo’s abilities,” Jarow whispered to the group as he observed the panel coming to life.
“The shaft below the plate extends beyond where I can sense, suzerain. This lift should take you very deep. There is also something peculiar emanating from the objects on each side though. I suggest caution,” Xinpo spoke directly into Jarow’s mind.
“Xinpo says to be careful. If you push the button and the plate starts moving downward, I think everyone should be ready to jump on,” Jarow relayed Xinpo’s thought to the rest of them.
Nods of agreement were the only form of acknowledgement he received, the rest of them feeling the same way about the oppressive silence here. Mediv nodded last, scanning each member with his gaze. It was his way of signaling that he was about to touch the button, preparing them for action.
Mediv's hand moved to the circle on the glass and pressed firmly upon the arrow. The illumination behind the glass immediately shifted to a dark red, and a loud glaring buzzer-like noise started blasting from the bottom of the pillar.
The noise was grating and hurt their ears, not only due to its disturbing grinding sound, but also because it shattered the silence so unnaturally and harshly.
Though the buzzer only lasted a few seconds, all of them instinctively reached for their ears, reacting as if in pain.
Nothing moved in the room though, and shortly after the buzzer discontinued, the backlight on the pedestal returned to its normal color.
"That was unpleasant," Mediv whispered.
"What did you do wrong?" Suhry's angry whisper sliced through the silence.
Mediv shrugged, holding his hands up in defense.
Suhry moved to the other side of the control panel, inspecting the glass and pillar more closely. She chanted something almost inaudibly, and a faint glow enveloped the device. The glow briefly illuminated the room but revealed nothing out of the ordinary.
When her spell yielded no results, she pressed the circular button again without warning the rest of them, prompting the party members to immediately cover their ears in anticipation of the incoming sound.
The backlight turned red once more, flashing this time as the buzzer from below sounded again, repeating its pattern. The flashing backlight and the blaring buzzer synchronized, repeating a total of three times before ceasing once more.
This time, however, as the buzzer quieted, a new sound began to emanate from the boxes on either side. The sound was also accompanied by movement, as the metal cubes began to unfold.
The party swiftly backed away and moved into a defensive position. Grolluk and Jarow positioned themselves in front of the group, while Isilandra and Suhry took up spots in the rear.
"Good going," Mediv said mockingly to Suhry from where he stood between Jarow and her. His tone was laced with sarcasm as he observed the unfolding scene before them.
The sides of the cubes opened up and extended outward with a mechanical whir, revealing intricate mechanisms hidden within their metallic frames. As the arms began to form, the bottom also split open, and the entire box elevated into the air on extending geared metallic legs.
The metal arms unfolded in a similar fashion to the legs but extended outward from the box. The joints articulated smoothly, indicating a range of motion that hinted at their superior combat capabilities, while small metal plates clicked into place to help protect the exposed machinery.
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One piece along the top of the cube extended upward, its framework neck unfolding to reveal a deeply crimson circular bulb at its apex. The bulb emitted an ominous blood-red glow, casting eerie shadows across the room as it swiveled from side to side, scanning its surroundings.
As it moved, the remaining pieces of the cube separated and rearranged themselves along the now apparent limbs, forming a crude yet functional armor.
Each of the now eight-foot-tall bipedal knight-looking robots moved with purpose, their movements synchronized and deliberate. They each reached behind their backs and retrieved strange wand-like devices, each adorned with a smaller yet equally menacing bulb on the end of a small shaft. The bulbs began to pulsate with a brighter, more sinister red, indicating some form of activation or readiness for combat.
The room fell silent, save for the mechanical hum of the robots and the faint glow of their devices. Tension hung heavy in the air as the party braced themselves for whatever challenge they now faced.
As tension thickened in the room, Isilandra’s voice cut through the air, tinged with a touch of panic. “Those things are going to shoot at us, aren’t they?”
“Yeah, probably,” Mediv replied as he readied himself for the upcoming battle.
Suhry wasted no time, raising her arms above her head and began chanting in a strange language filled with long esses and strange clicks. Jarow and Grolluk each launched themselves forward, lunging towards the metallic knight-like creature closest to them.
Isilandra crouched down and held her staff sideways as if readying herself to spring forward, but instead silently whispered words of power under her breath. Mediv watched the unfolding patterns of the robots, waiting for an opportunity to strike where he could be most efficient.
Grolluk’s morningstar crashed into the robot he attacked, preventing it from firing. The weight and momentum of the blow pushed the creature back and left a sizable dent along its torso. The morningstar’s density increased with the hit, and Grolluk expertly kept the ball of his weapon from hitting the floor as he prepared his next strike.
Jarow had Xinpo copy himself before he lunged as well, so that he held a sword in each hand. With his dual swords, he swiped at the monster’s arms, hitting both of the devices the robot held. He was just in time, as the devices fired only a second after being struck out of the way. Bright red beams shot out from each of the wand-like armaments, scorching the floor and wall to each side of where Jarow and the robot now grappled.
Suhry ended her chant with a word of power, the sound of the strange word louder than the rest of her chant. Immediately, the temperature in the room dropped, and ice quickly grew up from the floor, encasing the robots' feet. A tendril of ice also began to grow from the wall behind the knights, stretching out to intercept the enemies once they drew nearer.
In the same instant, Isilandra stood and moved her body and staff in a whirling, dance-like movement, spinning her staff around until finally planting the end of it hard upon the ground in front of her. A translucent silvery shield sprang to life, encompassing the area around her. The shield stretched out in a ten-foot circle, protecting her allies within and granting them a boost to their HP regeneration.
Mediv took advantage of the opening Grolluk had provided with his second attack and tumbled to the side of the robot he was engaged with. He deftly brought his sword up between the robot's legs, causing the slightly exposed gears to grind against his sword and dislodge from their connective teeth. The entire robot’s body shook as it attempted to correct the malfunction.
Jarow brought his swords back up after deflecting the wand-beams and attempted to shove his blades in between the creature’s arms in a bid to sever them. However, he noticed the bulb at the top began to glow a more ominous red. The bulb, or orb, acted as the eye for the mechanical creature, just like it had with the giraffe-looking monster that had ended his previous life.
Jarow instantly recognized the significance of this glow; it was going to use the exact same attack that had killed him the last time he had faced one of these robot monsters.
Realizing he needed to change tactics to avoid a similar death, Jarow quickly adjusted the trajectory of his swords and brought them together in an X in front of his face, hoping to reflect the deadly beam away.
The beam fired, but luckily, he had managed to get his sword up in time, partially deflecting the blast. However, the attack caused the blades to grow incredibly hot as the laser hit them point-blank. The black and white metal of Xinpo's swords turned rapidly to a hot red glow.
Fortunately, the attack didn’t last long, and Jarow quickly stepped back as soon as it ended. He had to drop his swords to the ground before his hands melted, and they hit the stone with a clatter. In his mind, he heard Xinpo wince from the heat and the impact with the stone floor.
Jarow cast his healing spell, and the silvery liquid-light surrounded his hands, healing the burnt skin and restoring his HP bar to full.
Another stroke of luck was that the heat of the beam affected not only Jarow's swords but also the bulb itself. The glass-like material of the orb began to melt, and streaks of light from the power source behind it shot out as a hole formed. An uncontrolled beam shot out at an angle, hitting a spot on the wall to Jarow's right. The wall started to smoke and melt from the intensity of the beam.
However, the beam didn't last long and the entire robot quickly powered down and collapsed into a heap on the floor, all its gears and joints giving out at once as if they had been held together by the now-fading glow within the orb. Pieces rolled from the pile of scrap metal it had quickly become, leaving little behind of its original form.
Grolluk swung his mighty spiked ball again, this being his third swing. With each successive hit, the morningstar's density and striking power increased exponentially. As he brought it down on the top bulb of the robot he and Mediv faced, the crash from the strike echoed through the room with a deafening reverberation.
The robot crumpled from the strike, and the light held behind the orb vanished, much like its counterparts had just moments before. The actual bulb at its top shattered from the blow, and the glow abruptly darkened. The entire device caved in and landed on the floor in a heap of metal scrap, mimicking the fate of the first.
Suhry and Isilandra ceased their spells once the fight concluded, and the party gathered once again in the center of the room. Mediv scratched behind one of his long ears as if trying to dislodge a stubborn flea.
"Those were a lot easier than the big one outside," Grolluk remarked, his voice low and gravelly, yet resonating loudly in the confined space.
“Yes, they certainly were, but much smaller also, which makes sense, right?” Mediv replied.
Grolluk and the others nodded in agreement, but Jarow felt the need to investigate further. Since he didn’t have time to cast Identify on them, he opened his log and read:
You have defeated - Z=K1-LLRT (0MAD0) Sentinel 150 XP awarded.
He scrolled down to where the log showed the defeat of the larger machine from yesterday. Jarow hadn’t been keeping close tabs on his XP, which he somewhat regretted, but found out that he received 550 XP from its defeat.
“These were sentinels, whereas the one outside from before was called a controller. That one gave over three times more XP than these did,” Jarow announced.
The others looked at him like he was crazy.
“What?” Jarow asked, uncomfortable under their gazes.
“How do you know that?” Isilandra asked suspiciously.
“I just went back through my log, no big deal,” Jarow told her.
“Your log?” Mediv asked.
“What’s a log?” Grolluk chimed in.
"Uhh... I guess you guys don't have a log in your UI then?” he asked curiously. ‘It's basically a record of everything that happens to me. I have it open and can see what’s happening, and if I need to, I can go back afterwards like I just did," Jarow clumsily explained, “but I actually kind of forget about it usually and don't pay a lot of attention to it."
“You definitely get the special treatment, don’t you?” Suhry said sarcastically, then turned away and began walking towards the platform. Jarow couldn’t discern if he was receiving the cold shoulder due to his different interface or if it was her internal aversion to his new body.
Either way, he didn’t appreciate her current treatment. However, it was more regret than annoyance that fueled his dislike of the situation. He had never so loved the body he was in yet at the same time, detested it for the pain it caused Suhry. Although she was never particularly friendly or talkative, he didn’t like being the source of her distress.
“Well, that does explain a lot,” Isilandra remarked after watching her wife leave. “Now we know that the different types of these mechanical entities have different identifiers, shapes, and attacks.”
An awkward silence enveloped the group, each one staring at the floor. Even Grolluk, not one for subtlety or holding back, felt the tension. To break the silence, he let out a loud fart.
Brrrrttttt! “‘Scuse me,” Grolluk said, waving his hand behind his butt to scatter the scent.
“Oh Gods!” Mediv yelled, bolting to the other side of the room.
Similar exclamations were loudly voiced as Isilandra and Jarow joined Mediv and Suhry near the lift.
Grolluk stood there, a wide grin stretching across his face, his tusks sticking out prominently. “That was a good one.”
They all knew from previous experience that Xinpo’s Complete Cleanse did little to eliminate Grolluk’s foul-smelling gas, although it did wonders for his actual bodily odors and cleanliness. Luckily, Jarow’s aura was able to clear the air in the same fashion it had outside. Within seconds, the putrid aroma was gone, and the air in the room once again smelled fresh-ish, for an underground tunnel filled with broken mechanical parts.
“Sometimes I wonder if it would be preferable to be killed by the monsters you fight off than to endure your stench,” Suhry said vehemently once the smell had dissipated.
“Let’s see if this lift works now,” Isilandra said, trying to downplay what Suhry had just said and change the subject.
They could all sense that something was going on with Suhry; it seemed her anger was escalating. Isilandra was doing her best to keep things stable, but she was obviously worried too. Suhry seemed to be on edge a lot now, and Isilandra worried that she was going to snap.
“Yes, but this time let’s all stand on the lift so we don’t have to jump,” Jarow followed up on Isilandra’s idea. They had forgotten about the void of ground beneath the ramp during the fight and had all seen Mediv tumble across it without it moving, so assumed it was safe enough to stand on.
They gathered on the metal plate, with Grolluk and Jarow staying to each side to better distribute the weight. The metal platform didn’t move as they all climbed on, but they weren’t sure what was going to happen when they tried to activate the panel again, so they thought it prudent to be ready for whatever occurred.
Mediv reached out and pressed his thumb to the circle on the pane of dark glass. This time, rather than a buzzer sounding, the platform shook and began to descend.
The shaft into which they descended was pitch black. Even the glow from Jarow’s skin was greatly diminished. Isilandra began to light her staff, but the others recoiled and reminded her that the light would make them an incredibly visible beacon, as it had in the huge caverns they had escorted Jarow through during their first mission together.
Instead, they each laid a hand on one another's shoulder and quietly whispered as the platform they rode descended. They could feel the movement, so they knew they were still moving, but there was no noise, light, or even moving air to accompany the strange descent. Nothing even to tell them how long or fast they were moving. It was incredibly unnerving.
There was no way to know the passage of time other than the clock in his UI, so Jarow watched his clock tick off each minute they continued to ride the platform. To occupy himself, he went into the menus associated with his clock. He hadn't changed the settings in a long time, not since he had lain there in front of his first body actually. He remembered a setting from then which he had meant to test out a long time ago.
He moved into the "Style" tab and selected "Dual." Instead of the error message he had received before, a new clock appeared in his vision. It showed a circular clock face with a background of dual suns in a cloudy red sky. In the center was the digital time. Below the clock face, two new boxes appeared. The first was obviously the time he had been in this new body, and its timer was still in hours.
The second box, underneath the timer of this body, was different, and the number was much larger. Jarow stared at it. 28:17:41:04 The final number ticked up with the seconds. If Jarow was reading this correctly, he had been existing this way for twenty-eight days.
Could that be right? He wondered to himself.
He began trying to recall all that had happened. There were several days in The Liminal Divide, then he spent a couple of days on the planet with the Oonja. The time as a doll was negligible, and he had only spent a few days with this party before finding the staff.
With the last few days added in, his total only came up to about eighteen days. “Where had the extra ten days come from, or rather, where had they gone? Did I really miss entire days before I came back? Did the timer keep track of those days too?” Jarow mentally questioned.
Xinpo heard the question and replied, "There have been multiple times when your return has taken up to a day. I believe this is the explanation for the time disparity, suzerain."
Jarow added up his multiple lives and could see how the numbers would add up. "I guess you're right, Xinpo. I just can't believe it's been almost a month since I woke up to this new existence. So much has happened, it seems like when I first woke up was only a couple of days ago, but at the same time, it feels like years have passed."
“That is understandable,” Xinpo said. “We have been constantly moving forward, learning, fighting, and now have the assistance of these people. There has been a lot happening in such a short amount of time, suzerain.”
Jarow nodded in the darkness. He could hear whispers coming from Isilandra and Suhry. Mediv had his hand on Jarow’s shoulder and his other on Suhry, while Jarow’s hand was on Grolluk’s shoulder.
Mediv’s hand felt almost like it quivered on Jarow’s shoulder. It was not quite a shake, but a slight constant twitching. It wasn’t annoying, but made Jarow wonder if there was something causing the spastic movements.
Mediv hadn’t looked like he had been overly thrilled to see Jarow’s new body, but it made him wonder if there was something there still. He wasn’t good at figuring people out. He felt like even if he still had his original memories, he wouldn’t have any better awareness of people’s emotions.
Jarow had been trying to focus on the mission, to let Mediv figure out what he was feeling. Jarow himself wasn’t quite sure either, but here in the darkness with nothing but the sound of Grolluk’s mouth breathing and the whispers between the girls, Jarow’s mind wandered.
There was no use dwelling on the past, because he didn’t really have much of a past to dwell on, and what there was generally left him wanting to cry. He really wanted to talk to Mediv, talk about his feelings and what they may be going forward, but he knew that in these tight quarters, everyone would be able to hear them and so therefore would know their business, and that definitely wasn’t what they needed to deal with right now. They would almost certainly be looking into a major battle soon, and the last thing any of them needed was to be thinking about the social interactions of party members.
More time passed, the minutes ticked by in Jarow's UI. He had asked the others if they had a clock in their interface, and they had all told him they did. All except Grolluk. When Grolluk talked, the air moved. His voice just didn't have a quiet volume.
"Only time I see anything in my vision is when we get those funny messages," he said.
That made sense though, Grolluk was a natural born. His incredible strength and abilities came from his body and the weapon he wielded. He had some abilities, but no actual magic or way of knowing what level he was. Although that thought gave Jarow an idea.
Jarow looked at the Orc and used Identify. He knew he was strong and a n excellent fighter, developing his body and talents enough to be able to compete with Jarow and the rest of the overpowered party members, which was an amazing feat, so maybe Jarow could give him some additional details, things he didn’t know on his own.
Grolluk (Orc): Lvl - 21
Strength [- 39 -] (+4 Racial Bonus)
Dexterity [- 18 -]
Constitution [- 26 -] (+4 Racial Bonus)
Intelligence [ -8 -]
Wisdom [ -12 -]
Charisma [- 6 -] (-2 racial disadvantage)
Abilities
Battle Senses: This ability grants a significant increase to [Wis] + [CON] + [DEX] during prolonged battles, enabling the individual to endure much longer without succumbing to fatigue. It enhances agility, boosts HP, and heightens tactical awareness.
Dragon Hide: This ability provides a temporary increase to natural armor [+4] and grants resistance to Fire, Ice, Electricity, Poison, and Energy attacks.
Jarow grinned as he skimmed through the Orc's partial character sheet. It struck him as odd that it more closely resembled the style he had used in the Liminal Divide, keeping to the simpler version of attributes from then, rather than using the ones he used now. He also wondered if this was due to his transition into being a class holder and the changes he had undergone at that time.
Also, he wondered why he didn't receive the entire sheet, including details like age, skills, and gender. Although, he felt somewhat relieved; delving into those details might reveal more than he needed to know, such as the Orc's choice of undergarments or aspects of possible traumas during his youth.
Gently patting the large Orc's shoulder, Jarow whispered, “Grolluk, I can see some of your character sheet. Would you like to know your stats?” Despite Jarow's attempts to keep his voice low, Grolluk and the others turned their attention to him.
Jarow felt his cheeks flush under their scrutiny but saw Grolluk nod in response. Being slightly taller than the huge Orc now, Jarow easily leaned closer to Grolluk's ear. The scent emanating from the unwashed folds of his neck wasn't the most pleasant, but Jarow soldiered through and recited the statistics to him. The other three party members listened intently, curious and with nothing else to occupy their time.
“I’m level twenty-one?” the Orc asked in as hushed a tone as was possible for his voice.
“Yes," Jarow confirmed, "I assume your attribute points are automatically distributed upon leveling, rather than allowing us to distribute them ourselves. However, they seem to be focused on attributes that best suit your role, which is a good sign.”
A much more delicate whisper posed the next question, “Did you use Identify on him to get that information?” The voice, barely audible, came from Isilandra.
The question carried a somewhat accusatory tone, causing Jarow to pause and ponder whether his actions had been inappropriate in some way. “Yes, is that bad?” he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Not bad, per se, but usually considered rude. It’s impolite to look at someone’s stats without their permission,” Isilandra informed him, her tone gentle but firm.
Mediv smirked slightly, seemingly amused by Jarow’s scolding, while Suhry huffed and turned away. “I… I didn’t know. I’m sorry,” Jarow apologized, turning to look at Grolluk.
The big Orc simply shrugged and gave Jarow's shoulder a reassuring pat. It was evident that he hadn't taken offense at Jarow's actions. Jarow wondered if perhaps Grolluk was as unaware as he was when it came to the proper etiquette surrounding such matters.
The darkness of the shaft shifted abruptly before Jarow could dwell further on his use of Identify and Grolluk's reaction or his character sheet. All eyes turned downward as the platform slowly descended into a new area, its shape outlined in a soft yellow light against the darkness. The faint glow surrounded the bottom of the lift as it emerged into a dimly lit room, revealing the vast space entering their view from below.
The new room stretched out in all directions, its vast expanse barely discernible as the walls faded into obscurity. Below, the entire floor teemed with slowly moving gray bodies in a throng of rotting flesh. Interspersed throughout were metallic objects, some upright and moving, others still in their box-like forms.
A putrid stench wafted up from the horde of zombies, assaulting their senses with a nauseating blend of decayed flesh, gear oil, and machinery smoke. The noxious odor caused them all to gag and instinctively reach for their now-unused bandanas. However, Jarow's aura activated automatically, swiftly cleansing the air around them. It swirled and circulated, creating a protective bubble of fresh, clean air to shield them from the foul atmosphere.
As they descended from the ceiling on the platform, which had to be at least ten stories up, they began to discern more detail. The bodies, of course, were Naga-zombies, all diligently working on breaking the rock in this place. Using large hammers and picks, they slowly chipped away at the stone, creating sizable piles of broken rock that were loaded into large rectangular wheelbarrows.
These piles of broken rock were then transported and deposited into massive machines. These machines seemingly burned the rock, melting out impurities and utilizing the magma-like liquid to coat the floors, rendering them smooth. The melting machines boasted massive chimneys that pierced through the ceiling. Cracks marred the surface of the exceptionally long chimneys, releasing thick black smoke into the air along their length.
The group watched in silence as they continued to descend, absorbing the scene before them. They had never witnessed anything quite like it, but they knew the battle they had been anticipating was about to commence. It was evident that this wouldn't be a quick fight; it seemed they would be engaged in battle for days on end, just like last time they had taken Jarow out.