Chapter Nine

Perfection

Hein could feel his head spin as he awoken. His body was very, very sore, but didn’t feel too injured. Hein casted a basic healing spell on himself, then stood up. Nothing hurt, his breathing was normal, and he didn’t appear to be bleeding from anywhere.

Hein was fairly sure what needed to be done. The Sword of Automata had to be Holder’s sword. There was a chance it was the Symmetry Synchronizer, but it being Grovelthrash made more sense. If the tower’s locks were all opened, then they needed to get Azra Holder to the top with that damned sword. The only problems were that, firstly, Hein had no idea where Azra was. Lastly, Hein knew that Symmette more than likely had traps near the area to deactivate the tower. Traps, or monsters, or the rest of her army…

A quick realization broke Hein’s concentration. Hein noticed that there was a light in the room…and a pair of glowing eyes that provided that light. Hein’s old Mimir was staring right at him, somehow active and flying.

“Did you sleep well?” the Mimir teased. These machines did not tease.

“What in the Nine Hells are you saying? How are you active? Getting you to function outside the Outer Planes was difficult enough…” Hein asked, almost forgetting the machine wasn’t really intelligent.

“Well, if you must know, I am not who I appear to be…”

The Mimir’s voice changed from its usual monotonous tone, to that one Hein was all too familiar with. It now had Symmette’s voice, though it still had a somewhat mechanical garble.

“I think you should know that I fought off that chattering gnome and acrid tortle.”

Hein laughed, not sarcastically or out of fear, but genuinely laughed.

“Finally! After all the sneaking around and deception, you’re finally upfront with me! Let me guess, you’re going to play damsel to get that sword of Holder’s right? Feed that artifact into your machine, suck out all its power, and you really think that’s going to work?”

Hein stood up straighter as he paced closer to the flying skull.

“You attacked Rexi and Qresh you dumb bitch! This entire time, both of them have been the closest things I’ve ever seen that man have to friends! Hell, the tortle even thinks you’re innocent! Now what? Holder sees his two new best friends get cut up by you, and what do you think he’ll do? You think he’ll ignore it? Just act like it was a mistake?”

Hein threw back his head and cackled before facing the Mimir again.

“No! You’ve just shown that bumbling fool that you’re beyond wrong in the heads! In a way he can’t ignore too! You’ve proven that you’re invading and have hostile intentions! This is already over!”

The Mimir floated in silence for a few seconds, before Symmette’s voice came back, this time a little louder than before.

“Do you really think any of that will matter? He loves me, and will break any rules to see me again. Once I have his ear, my new champion will kill you all.” Symmette said rather flatly.

“He can’t, don’t you remember the fight I had with him?”

Symmette didn’t respond.

“He didn’t win that by much, and I have four more people that will fight you both.”

“Are you sure about that, Henry?” Symmette said, a little too friendly.

“You should have died at birth!” Hein roared as his mechanical claw swiped at the mimir.

The agile construct zoomed out of his reach, but Hein didn’t care. He ran off into the darkness, knowing full well that he had to find the Fighting Five as fast as possible. Hein’s tiefling eyesight could see in the darkness, but he saw nothing down any of the hallways.

Hein also saw the Mimir’s eye-lights follow him. It continued to speak as he ran.

“You know, I can always just tell the modrons what level you are on. Now that you are all divided up, this shouldn’t take too long. Maybe I can even claim your deaths as something out of my control.”

Hein pushed his hand to the front of his forehead. He spoke, and a part of armor on his wrist started to glow.

“Rexi, Qresh, anyone? Can you hear me? Please, if you can just speak! I have magic active that will let me hear you…”

The few seconds Hein waited felt like an eternity.

“…yes…yes I…Qresh and I can hear you.” Rexi said, perhaps a little too dejectedly.

“Good. Listen, I know that Symmette has attacked you and Qresh. Are you alright? Where are you?”

“Yes, where are you hmm?” Symmette chided through the Mimir.

“Rot in the Hells!” Hein screamed.

“Is she with you too!” Rexi also screamed. Qresh threw her down an air shaft.

The Mimir stopped floating, then dropped to the ground. Hein started to kick it, but stopped himself before he swung his foot out.

“No, no, don’t worry. She was talking through that machine I had speak to you all.” Hein said as he gripped something behind the Mimir’s head.

Hein pulled a small object out of the back of the machine’s head. He stowed the loose part it away, then wrapped the Mimir up with a rag from one of his belt pouches. Hein stuffed it under his arm as he ran. The Mimir was still too useful to just throw away.

“Theril is with us too”, Rexi said, “He said you fell down only one level up. If we can find some stairs, we can get together and find out what happened to Toenails and Azra.”

“Good. We need Azra to stop this tower. Apparently, the sword he’s been carrying around on his belt is what we’ve needed the whole time. It’s probably why the modrons want him. We need to find him and get him to the top of the tower. I just hope he will help us.” Hein said to Rexi.

“I know he will. Azra is weird, but he’s a good person. I doubt the fate of the world will come over his feelings for Symmette.” Rexi replied rather confidently.

“Have you thought about how we should deal with him if he doesn’t? I don’t have anything that will knock a statue unconscious. Do you have any magic like that?” Hein asked Rexi.

“I don’t, but he’s probably wounded from the fall. Toenails can hopefully fix him, assuming he can be stone-shaped back.”

“Get Toe-nails to drop his drawers and head-scar ‘em into takin’ a nap…mmhmm…” Qresh growled.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Hein couldn’t help but laugh. He then finished what he was saying.

“While that is a pretty good idea, I think we should repair Azra based on his allegiance. Maybe he’ll only be missing some limbs. If he decides not to help us, let’s just leave them off until he complies. It isn’t like he can go back on his word after all. We’ll need him one way or the other. Maybe being asymmetric will make him stop the tower, if he isn’t willing to that is.”

“I hope it won’t come to that. We’ll need his help to fight her, I didn’t think she’d be as strong as she was…” Rexi said in a soft voice.

“Lass…” Hein retorted, “Azra will not help us fight her. He’ll only be an obstacle if it boils down to us verses her.”

Before Hein could say anything else, he saw one of the stairwells. Sure enough, Rexi darted from the stairs soon after. With his darkvision, Hein couldn’t see color, but it was as if her eyes lit up when she met his gaze.

The gnome ran at Hein, half-tackled him, and gave him a tight hug around the waist. Hein couldn’t believe how strong she was. Rexi had to have been magically or alchemically enhanced.

“Yes, I’m glad to see you too, just stop squeezing me like that…” Hein grunted out.

Rexi let him go, her eyes moist, and motioned to Qresh, “Please he need to be healed!”

Hein saw light come from the stairwell, then Qresh lumber into view holding a torch. He did appear to be injured, though he wasn’t wincing or limping.

Hein quickly took off his pack, then dug out two potion bottles. Rexi and Qresh both took the potions and drank.

“I need to save my spells,” Hein muttered as he dug out another potion for himself.

“I have more of these in the supply room, but as I said before, that teleportation I was using is finite. I shouldn’t have used it as much as I did when we met, I just didn’t know exactly what to expect with you all.

“Mhmm…thank ye kindly…” Qresh growled out, before focusing on the Mimir.

“Why in the Hells is that still with ya? Ain’t it a spyin’ rock or somethin’…?” Qresh grumbled.

Hein glanced at the Mimir under his arm, then tried to shove it in a bag at his waist. The Mimir didn’t fit all the way, which made Hein try to force it in the bag. The skull was mostly inside, though a sliver of one eye was still visible.

“Oh no, don’t worry about it. I disabled what it used for remote viewing. There isn’t really a way for it to tell her what we’re saying and doing now. This thing has been modified by me you see…usually that isn’t really possible but lucky for you all I’m…”

“We ain’t gonna need it. Might still be listenin’…might wanna throw it out mhmm…”

Qresh’s stone-like gaze didn’t drop. Hein scratched the back of his head, knowing the tortle had a point, but also being all too familiar with how the machine worked. Unless Symmette had a scrying spell on it, which Hein knew she couldn’t cast, there was no way for her to know anything.

“Well, I can’t just throw away something like this. In fact, we may be able to use it against her later, once I modify it further.”

“Prolly shouldn’t…I don’t like this…” Qresh protested.

“Qresh, he knows a lot about machines. We’ll also need all the help we can get right now. Are you sure it can’t tell her anything?” Rexi asked.

“Absolutely, but we’re going to need some aid. If Symmette found out our location before I disabled the Mimir, she’ll be sending modrons soon. I say we get the rest of my army and pick somewhere to hold up in.”

After this, Hein started to yell into the device on his wrist again.

“Dolidra! I need you to find where what’s left of my army is! Give me the location and I’ll use the teleporter to send them here!”

“Wait!” Rexi shouted, “Don’t get them all here. If we’re in the center, we’ll be surrounded by the modrons and overtaken!”

“Shit…yeah that’s a good point…not all of them!” Hein frantically shouted back into his wrist.

There was a brief moment of silence, until the group heard a voice respond. It was not unlike Symmette’s though it was higher-pitched and had an obvious hint of humanity.

“Of course, don’t worry…let me see…oh…”

“Oh? Oh what?” Hein asked. He tried to fight against the fear, but Hein’s voice still sounded panicked.

“You lost quite a few of them sir…something like sixty percent…”

“Acceptable.” Hein flatly said. “Send half of the ones left.”

Dolidra gave a coordinate, which sounded like a senseless stream of numbers. Hein reached into his bag to grab something, then muttered under his breath with his eyes half-closed. Rexi heard a hum, then saw them surrounded by the haphazardly formed constructs. Due to their designed asymmetric nature, it was difficult to tell how damaged they all were, or their exact numbers. There were a few obvious Hein clone in the mixture. One trotted up to him rather quickly.

Hein held out a hand to command it to stop, then made some motions in the air with his small crafting hammer. Rexi watched in amazement as the Hein clone started to slowly look like a mirror image of him. As the overly vivid colors muted to match the mundane world, the clone smiled.

“Reporting for duty sir.” It said with confidence.

“Soldier, can you tell me what happened when the place went upside down?”

“Of course,” the clone said. “A large portion of the animated armors were destroyed. We still have most of our painted soldiers, and the painted clones like me didn’t suffer too much. I only saw one of my kindred die. I believe; however, our forces have been significantly reduced…”

“By sixty percent?” Hein asked.

The clone’s eyes brightened, “Yes, exactly that much sir!”

Before the clone could continue, Qresh shuffled up to the clone.

“Thought you said these here putty goons were half-wits…mmhmm…”

The clone looked back at Qresh with a smile, and started to wave before Hein grabbed its hand to stop it.

“They can temporarily share my intelligence…well mostly. There isn’t much of a point in having clones that don’t mimic you…but those are costly to make. Instead of eat away at my life force and magic with simulacrums, I’d rather have idiot clones that can still fight and take my likeness if needed.

Qresh jabbed the clone in the chest with a clawed finger. The finger clanked off its metallic armor.

“Seems tough enough. Ain’t too bad of an idear. So long as no damn mod-rone figures it out…”

“We’ve stayed in one spot long enough. I think Symmette knows where we are. I say we get to one of the narrower hallways and form a choke point.” Hein said.

“We have to get Toenails and Azra first. Can you teleport them to where we are?” Rexi asked.

Hein looked over to Rexi, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to forget about them. Unfortunately, I don’t have a way of tracking them like the constructs.”

“Maybe we should move down, and as we do look for places to fortify ourselves. They’ll have to be moving up. We can follow the areas with these vents in the floors. We’re bound to come across them eventually.” Rexi said.

“Them or the modrons. I am really hoping the modrons didn’t get to them first…” Hein said.

“Hang on devil boy…lemme help us out a little…”

Qresh’s voice drifted off as he reached into a bag on his waist, and pulled out a small can. Qresh used his claw to peel back a wax-backed lid. Though he didn’t open the lid all the way, a strong smell rapidly flooded out of the can. It was not pleasant.

Rexi smiled widely and grabbed the sides of her cheeks.

“Qresh, you’re a damned genius! This is why we’ve gotten this far!” Rexi squealed.

Hein gagged. The stuff smelled horrid, like rotten fish mixed with some kind of animal fodder. Qresh looked over to him.

“Ol’ladies over in Waterdeep feed this here slop to their cats. I usally eat it with toast in the mornin’ but the elf yells at me a lot if I do it indoors.” Qresh tried to explain.

Hein didn’t know why Theril wasn’t yelling now. The elf held a hand over his nose and mouth, but actually didn’t look upset. It took a moment for Hein to understand, and Qresh beat him to the explanation.

“See, if ol’ Toenails smells this here fishy-smelling shit, he’ll be able to find out what floor we’re on…and that’s before he done turns into an animal. We jus’ drop this here stuff on the floor near them there vents…and they’ll find us…mhmm…”

Hein smiled, “You really are very clever Qresh. Here I thought we would just have to blunder around until we found them.”

“I ain’t real smart, jus’ remembered this here stuff is all…” Qresh growled a little happily.

“We need to hurry and find somewhere to wait on them. When Toenails gets that scent, it shouldn’t take him long to find us. If Hein’s right, Symmette will be sending her modrons to this floor.” Rexi said.

Rexi thought to herself. Modrons were pretty stupid, but these ones were especially violent. Funneling the modrons into a choke point would be their best bet, but maybe they could find more ways to distract them.

“Does this tower have a maintenance area? Maybe somewhere the actual gears and stuff are?” Rexi said.

Hein looked over at Rexi. He wanted to give her a definite answer, but wasn’t sure that he could. Hein didn’t know that much about the tower himself, other than what his crew had found. Hein didn’t tell Rexi this, but asked someone who had to know.

“Dolidra. Is there an area nearby where the mechanical parts of this tower are accessible?”

“Yes actually, and its isn’t too far away!” Dolidra chimed from the wrist contraption.

She continued, “There’s an access point within walking distance, and I can tell you how to get there. Unfortunately, it isn’t the easiest place to navigate inside. There’s not a lot of places to maneuver other than the main entrance. It wasn’t designed for normal humanoids after all.”

“I think Rexi is right. Fighting the modrons there is good, but we more than likely won’t be able to make significant damage to the machinery. This bronze is stronger than it looks.” Hein said.

“Maybe we can’t damage the inner workings, but the modrons may think that we can.” Rexi said with a grin.

“And if that’s their mindset, they may forget their usual tactics while focusing on not hurting the machinery…yes…I like that.”

Hein smiled at Rexi as Dolidra started giving them directions. The adventurers and the swarm of constructs ran to their destination. Despite their new allies, nobody saw the brief flicker of light come from the Mimir’s eyes.

******************************************************************************

“They would dare…dare to touch me!” She thought.

Hopefully Hein took what she said to heart. Symmette had recuperated, or at least enough to threaten Hein, but still felt injured from the fight and fall. Since activating the machine, Symmette couldn’t stop thinking about her fall. Thankfully she hadn’t fallen too far, but her useless soldiers nearly crushed her on the descent down. The ones who had failed her were all dead now, she had made sure of that.

Symmette still remembered the filth. The modron dust she left behind had mixed in with some moisture on the floor, which made a sort of wet sand-like slurry. Symmette was thankful (though not to any gods or powers other than herself) that the other modrons didn’t arrive when she had slain them. They would have undoubtably asked questions.

These creatures were impossibly stupid. She was glad of their willingness to follow commands to the letter, but lately they were asking too many questions. Rogue modrons would, of course, but she did not need this right now. Everything was flowing together so well. All she needed was the sword, and Slatecutter. Once Slatecutter saw what she wanted, everything would flow together perfectly. The final act was getting closer…that is unless her idiot servants messed it up. Having rogue modrons question their orders was unacceptable.

Thankfully, Symmette’s light frame made the fall much less disastrous than it could have been. She had only needed to snap one of her shoulders in place, and didn’t suffer any breaks. Since activating the machine, she hadn’t actually treated her other wounds. She still needed to be healed though, and knew exactly where to go.

Slipping a small black orb from her pocket, she said something in modron, causing a shimmer of light to flash around her. Symmette now stood in a very extravagant room. Though it was made from the same bronze as the tower, it was filled with lavish furniture, wall hangings, and gilded boxes near the back. The boxes were not perfectly ordered, something the modrons complained about quite a lot. Symmette had tried to assign some of them to order the boxes properly, but the machines worked too slow, and she needed all of them focused on their actual mission.

Slatecutter’s army could pose a threat if the flip didn’t destroy most of his soldiers. They were designed to kill modrons, and Symmette lacked many of the higher-ranking ones. She needed to get rid of all the soldiers Slatecutter had before dealing with him and the others. Once the sword was secure, it wouldn’t matter. If she controlled this tower, only what she wanted would matter.

Symmette slipped two bottles from one box, drank them both, then slipped two more into her pockets. She twitched rapidly as the magics healed her. One of her fingers snapped backwards as this happened. Symmette grimaced, then forced it to snap back into its original place. It was getting worse.

Symmette almost spoke into the orb again, but something caught her attention. The cell in the rear of the room was still silent. Prisoners weren’t expected when she had planned this, but a good plan has roles for everyone involved, even if they aren’t expected. Slatecutter would, no doubt, keep up with his people as best he could, but Symmette wasn’t worried about this one. She didn’t like how silent the cell was. She didn’t want the occupant dead.

Symmette strode over to the cell. It was almost entirely metal, with a very, very small window at the top of the door, and a narrow slot for food at the bottom. She didn’t look in the bars, but spoke at the steel door.

“What are you to say when the final step is upon us?” Symmette asked.

The door was silent.

Symmette waited for a few seconds, before her attention was drawn back to the orb. She smiled, then started to walk away before something else caught her eye. There was a dead crab lying in the floor. The beast must have been there for some time, as it appeared to be desiccated. Even though this part was protected from the ocean, somehow the thing managed to wander in.

Symmette lifted the tiny beast with one hand, pinching it between her inner thumb and forefinger. She quickly shoved the crab into the slot at the bottom of the door. The small corpse slid into the cell with a dry scrape, almost like a dead leaf. Symmette heard the occupant weakly gasp.

“A gift. Surely you grow tired of the rations we give you…?” Symmette asked.

She got no response.

“You will say the words, willing or not. I am merely trying to prepare you for it. Being silent will only make it worse. Embrace this new change…embrace real perfection!”

The door was still silent.

Symmette scowled, turned from the cell door, and gripped the orb. In a flash, she was back at entrance to the tower. The modrons had done here work perfectly. The adventurers, all but that ragged barbarian woman, were processed. As it turned out, there weren’t too many sailors on the ship that came in. The modrons were able to round them up and turn them all, but Symmette was hoping there would have been a larger number.

The entire process took only a few minutes. The Symmetry Synchronizer was extremely efficient. What had started as two fools and a dozen sailors was now something more glorious; more perfect. They were as close to this being’s idea of perfection as possible. Symmette beamed at the changed ones, then snapped both fingers. Shortly after the quadruple snap, a few of the modrons brought out a large bronze palanquin.

Symmette could now teleport the palanquin, along with the changed and enough modrons to meet the intruders. They would see the glory and terror of her machine, and the plan could advance. Symmette didn’t want the adventurers to know how she could get around the tower so easily, so she would send in the modrons far enough away not to raise suspicion. Thankfully, she did have a better way to track them now.

The modrons began to shepherd the changed into the palanquin, Symmette rolled the orb around in her hand. It fit in her strange palm like a glove, and was what looked like a perfect sphere. The sphere glowed briefly, reflecting several empty floors on its surface. The orb let out a short crackle of reddish sparks, looking very infernal in nature. Symmette didn’t mind this; she actually preferred the orderly nature of hellish technology.

The changed had ceased their moaning, or at least quieted down enough for Symmette to think over what she would do next. As she thought, she heard the grating chime of a modron’s voice.

“Do you wish for us to make that device perfect mistress? That device has infernal imperfections.” It asked, almost concerned.

It was staring at her orb. Symmette turned to face the creature, and briefly held two separate expressions of rage and irritation on her faces.

“Absolutely not! Why would I risk damaging the magic of such a precious treasure? This device is our only way back to Automata!”

The modron continued to stare. Though its face looked dumb and lifeless, Symmette couldn’t help but feel that there were questions behind those eyes. Questions she didn’t have the time or patience to tolerate.

Symmette let out two signs, put away the orb, then slipped out both shortswords. The modron stood absolutely still as Symmette jabbed both blades into the thing’s sides. It turned to dust as another walked up to replace it.

“Modron nu…”

“No designation required!” Symmette screamed. “I only need you to enter the floor with the intruders, and release the changed ones upon the adventurers. If that barbarian is with them, make sure she sees the captain and the first mate, then attack once they’re significantly distracted. Remember, the tiefling and the statue must be brought to me!”

Symmette showed the creature her orb. The orb briefly held an image reflected upon it. It was from a lower view, as if it were close to the ground. From this angle, brief flashes of the Five could be seen, as if they were walking. The new modron nodded, gave a double handed salute, then clanked away. Symmette looked back at the orb with a sickening set of grins.

“Slatecutter…you will do just as I wish. Soon you will join me again as it should have been when we met. You still have so much work to do once I am done here.”

*************************************************************************************

Azra only saw darkness. There were no dreams like he had seen in the tower, or the man on the foul-smelling boat. Only darkness.

The darkness slowly started to become light. Azra hoped, prayed to Helm, that something would improve. He only needed to be able to unlock what was inside his mind. What had happened? Why did he lose so many memories?

Azra remembered, in the fog that was once something greater, hearing his own voice repeat something in his past.

“We have a world to save…”

Azra had done something invaluable, something that saved so much more. What could matter more than the world? Automata? Symmette?

Grovelthrash…?

…Grovelthrash.

Azra remembered, in this obscure history, his sword had been weakened, was “dying” if that was the right word. Its death would lead to something disastrous…but why? It had gotten stronger. It had absorbed other artifacts, was able to take their power…it was strong enough to challenge gods.

Then it all fell apart. Evil forces…chaos…had corrupted it. The destruction of Grovelthrash would be something terrible. Chaos untold? End of the lawful planes? No…it was something far worse to Azra, but he still couldn’t see.

Maybe Azra shouldn’t see this yet? In his not-quite-darkness induced delirium, somehow, Azra knew that he needed to learn more about his situation before he got this answer. But the inevitable he had seen in the tumbler room…that spirit had to have been Grovelthrash. An inevitable had to take the place of the fiend that once inhabited that blade. It was an ultraloth, one of the strongest yugoloths, the neutral fiends that worked for both sides of darkness. It was dying…Azra couldn’t remember why, but something lawful had to take its place. He could replace the evil for purity…and did. He had found something to replace it. He made it better. He did save the world.

Surely, he turned it into the Sword of Automata?

Azra felt reality before he felt his limbs. In fact, he didn’t feel his limb…at least not at first. Suddenly, he could feel his arm, then his leg, and before Azra knew it, he could feel his whole body. Azra’s hands felt empty, but this wasn’t what panicked him. He felt something turgid, floppy, and moist touch him in random places.

Then the smell.

Once the statue man had collapsed, Toenails sprang into action. He took out his spellcasting focus, and immediately began a ritual. Toenails had been chanting for two minutes. He’d been prodding the statue with his focus, as well as violently chanting and thrusting in the air. Toenails finalized the spell by molding a small piece of dung-clay into the shape of a man.

Toenails hoped his stone shape spell would work, but something was not right. This statue, somehow, wasn’t just stone. Despite this (and to Toenails’ shock) the spell still worked. Toenails pieced the man back together again, but he wanted to be sure this Holder fellow was safe. The scream broke is concentration.

“What…what in the name of all that is lawful and just are you swinging around?” Azra shouted.

“Mornin’ to ye too dirt man!” Toenails shouted happily.

“I-I am not dirt…I am NOT DIRT!” Azra shouted, more hurt than angry.

“There is a clear difference between organized grains and minerals that comprise stone than just filthy dirt!” Azra screamed down at Toenails.

“Ain’t to me! And I’s a dwarf!” Toenails shouted before slapping his ample gut. His dirty hands left brown handprints on his stomach.

Azra fought back a gag, before seeing the object the dwarf was holding.

“Is…is that a…phallus?” Holder asked, almost on the verge of breaking.

Toenails cackled, then held up the grotesque object.

“If I tells ye what its is, then it’ll be worse for ye…”

“…point taken…I think…” Azra said as he tried to stand.

Azra vomited once his knees locked, causing wet sand to flood the area in front of Toenails.

“Listen here dirty feller…” Toenails said, and somehow managed to not spit when he did so, “I is gonna gets us back up top to boss lady and turt-turt. Ye’s jus’ gotsta listen an’ not be no ninny bitch-ye hears! We’s is in’s war now…an I like ye’s but ye gotta stop cryin’ and pukin.”

Azra usually didn’t look at Toenails when he spoke, for obvious reasons, but now he was intently starting at him, as if trying to read the dwarf’s lips.

“Er…so I am not dirt…but the rest. We go up to the surface…something is skinny? And yes, I have vomited, but considering the circumstances I think that is acceptable.”

“I’s don’t knows what that “C” word means, or if yer all dirts, but we’s gotta go get Rexi!” Toenails shouted, fear starting to tremble in his voice.

Azra could understand “go get Rexi” well enough.

“You make a valid point sir dwarf…but must I call you Toenails?”

Azra looked around at his surroundings, then realized something terrible.

He was not holding Grovelthrash.

Azra started to panic, but noticed that he hadn’t turned to inanimate stone. Azra had argued with this very disgusting dwarf, and didn’t realize he wasn’t holding Grovelthrash. Azra froze in place, then started to test his arms.

“I…I cannot believe it! I am not a solid statue without Grovelthrash! This must be a miracle…no…no sir dwarf! I had a revelation you see! While unconscious after seeing a man-shark who smelled like urine, I realized that my sword Grovelthrash is actually an inevitable. It is the key to everything! All we need is…wait…NO!”

Toenails was holding Grovelthrash, which was no splotched with several brown stains of spit. Toenails hacked another large blob of spittle onto the sword, then rubbed it on the metal.

“I cans make this purty blade shines real goods!” Toenails said.

Azra, somehow without hesitation, grabbed the sword, then started to shake it in the air. The filth came off rather quickly.

“I know you are attempting to help me, but please do not spit on my blade.” Azra begged.

“I’s kept it from ye to sees if all that there steamin’ hog-shit of it makin’ ye a statue was real. Guess not ehehe...ehehehe…” Toenails laughed out.

Azra took a step away from the dwarf as he laughed. While inspecting the blade, something green like booger was still near the hilt. Undoubtably from the dwarf’s spit. Azra vomited again.

Toenails stopped laughing, and watched Azra vomit. He didn’t say anything immediately, but once Azra had finished, Toenails slapped his stomach again. Azra’s head darted to the noise, then looked away in disgust.

“Must you do these things? It is as if you are trying to be vile.” Azra pleaded.

“Cause I am sonny! Look at my belly-hoe. Looks like a’ ass-hoe don’t it?”

Toenails pointed at his inverted navel. Azra vomited a long stream of wet sand for a good four seconds. The sand stopped rather quickly, which caused Azra to retch, but nothing more came out.

“W-why? Why are you doing this? Azra half-sobbed as he dropped to his knees.”

Toenails looked at Azra with sadness, even evident through his squinted eye.

“Sorry laddy, but I’s gotta gets all that damn sand out of ye, so we cans make the climb. If ye puke on me whiles we does it, we’s’ll fall!” Toenails shouted.

Azra shook his head before responding, “Climb? I am sorry, but the spider climb spell cast upon me has expired.”

Toenails smiled, showing his few teeth, then pointed the floppy focus at his chest.

“Oh no’s, I’s be the one getting’ us backs up there! I can turns to a spider. A big hairy ones!”

Azra again peered at Toenails as if confused.

“I, I am sorry, but all I got from that was spider. We really shouldn’t…”

Toenails interrupted Azra with a loud, mucus-filled, sniff. He sniffed several times, and like an animal, dropped to his hands and knees.

Azra stood up as he did this, and gasped as Toenails sniffed his hindquarters. The dwarf scampered away, sniffing and following an invisible path into the dark. Azra was forced to follow the dwarf or lose him.

After walking for a few moments (and seemingly wandering in random directions) the two ended up at the base of a bronze shaft. It had a centralistic look to it, like it was the center of the tower. This lower section looked quite different than the previous floors, and Azra wasn’t sure if they had fallen close to the center or not when he had awoken. Maybe that is where they were now? Azra saw the dwarf look up, and point at the ceiling Azra couldn’t see.

“We gots to go up there’s!” Toenails shouted. “I can smells ‘em!”

“I am sure you smell something, but why should we go here of all places?” Azra asked.

“Boss lady prolly put out some pussy-slop for me to tracks! There’s a vent…gots to be!” Toenails said excitedly.

“I cannot understand you.” Azra flatly said.

“Pussy, like er cat, not like a lady’s bits. Ol’ ladies feed der cats some slop in Waddersleep!”

Azra still looked a little confused, “Alright, so something someone feeds cats…must have a pungent smell you can track like a dog…and…and Rexi placed it for you to smell?”

“Aye! Yer catchin’ on quicker than whore-itch dirt man!” Toenails exclaimed.

Azra retched again, but nothing came out.

Azra sounded desperate, “Please, I implore you not to mention dirt, or prostitutes, or anything similar.”

“I’s mentioned pussy a’fore, I’s sorry sonny.” Toenails said apologetically.

“Pussy? Like a cat? I do not see how that relates to ladies of the night?” Holder half-asked.

Toenails squinted his bad eye more as he studied Azra.

“You’s never ate no pussy a’fore?” Toenails asked.

“I assure you good sir, I would rather perish than eat a cat.” Azra responded.

“Ay…er…no nots a cat like a kitty cat…er…like a lady’s giblets. Yer never dones that ‘fore?”

Azra still looked confused.

Toenails sighed, then just shook his head, “Wander yer wife is so mads with them clankin pots-and-pans soundin’ fellers…” Toenails half grumbled as he started to adjust his armor.

Azra didn’t seem to understand Toenails, or at least pretended like he didn’t. Toenails made his armor looser, then pulled it down so his upper back showed more. A deluge of hair came crawling out from his back. Azra looked horrified.

Toenails tried to explain, “We’s gotta climb back up, so I’m gonna be a big ol’spider. Yer gonna grab my back, but it won’t be like this here hairs, more like short hairs. Spiders are covered in short hairs like a…”

“No, no, I can understand enough to ask you to stop. I can hold onto a spider without gripping its hair…do you have any idea how weak hairs are? Or how bad that would hurt?”

“Naw, I’s scratch a lots an the flees down der…”

“Please, please, do not continue.” Azra begged as he interrupted Toenails.

Azra sighed, then rolled his head around a few times.

“You will more than likely need to put web on me and tie me to your back. I do not see how else you can carry me up there.

“Aye! That’s what I was gonna do to ye dirt man! Tie ye up real goods! Bet yer wife does too when yer actin’ up…ehe…ehehehe…” Toenails cackled.

Azra tried to talk over the dwarf’s laughs, “Please do not talk about Ailia Symmette like that. I know you and your comrades believe her to be wicked, but I assure you, there is some sort of misunderstanding.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Toenails stopped laughing abruptly before responding, “I’s sorry. Ain’t meanin’ to put down yer wife like that. I’s jus’ wanted ye’s to know that eatin’ pussy might do her some good.”

Azra’s brow furrowed, though it was clear he couldn’t quite understand.

“Let us not speak of her, and start our ascent.”

“Ass ain’t it feller, yer talkin’ ‘bout..oh..ehehe…” Toenails said, beginning to laugh again.

As he laughed, Toenails transformed. The spider he became was large, but still looked narrow-bodied enough to fit through the vent. It was a horrible creature, covered in a film of grease, with patchy black hairs over a tan, skin-like exoskeleton. Azra almost lost his nerve.

Thankfully, the spider moved in a flash. It spun some web, encircled Azra on a sort of tether, then leapt into the air. It landed on the wall, ran up into the vent, and pulled Azra with it. The spider accomplished this in a very short amount of time.

Azra was trying his best not to vomit. The spider still smelled exactly like Toenails. Azra forced his mind on other matters. Such as how a spider could carry him. It made no sense; as a statue Azra was extremely heavy. He was being carried though, quite easily, by the spider. Not just that, but they were moving at a fairly fast pace.

Azra kept his mind off of the grotesqueries of the situation, and focused on the more sinister matters inside his head. What was wrong with Ailia Symmette? Why was she doing this? The sooner he calmed down, the sooner they could be reunited. Azra knew that, one way or another, he would soon get answers. She couldn’t evade him forever, even with an army of rogue modrons in-between them.

******************************************************************************

Qresh turned the can upside down, and as he did, shook out a gelatinous shape that mirrored the can itself. The substance fell at Qresh’s feet with a wet plop. Qresh then took his foot, stomped it to the edge of a vent, and stopped just shy of the edge.

Qresh smeared around his foot, making a crude circle with the gunk, then looking back at Rexi with a nod. Qresh picked up his torch he had sat on the floor, and went back to the group. As he did, small dots of leftover paste trailed with him as footprints.

“This here nuts-an-bolts room shouldn’t be too hard for em to find…” Qresh said as he tried to skid all of the remaining slop off his foot. He ended up having to slide it around a few times. The substance was quite sticky.

“The entrance isn’t too far from those vents, thank the Red Knight…we may be reunited with them by the time we expect trouble.”

Qresh turned away from Rexi, and held his torch out farther. He walked over to a part farther away, and as he got closer, heard the sound of someone getting onto their feet. The torchlight revealed a human woman, around six feet, standing in place with a large sword lying near her. She looked rather banged up, though she didn’t have any modron bites or stab wounds.

Qresh looked back over at Hein and Rexi, “Hey devil boy, give me one of them there potions. Found a lady that’s been roughed up from somethin’…”

Rexi ran over to the woman while Hein followed. With a quick glance, Rexi could tell that whoever this woman was, she wasn’t as injured as Rexi and Qresh had been after encountering Symmette. Rexi didn’t think questioning her was needed, based on her frightened expression, and was quite glad to see someone with only one face.

Hein slipped out the potion, but didn’t immediately hand it over.

“Why are you here lass?” He asked the woman.

The woman stood a foot taller than Hein. She looked to be in good fighting shape, but was only wearing crude fur or hide clothes. Hein started to ask how injured she felt, before the woman answered his previous question.

“Listen…I don’t know how to explain what happened, but I’m just adventurer. We were going to loot this place, but some kind of two-headed monster and an army of clockwork things stopped us. She had some huge, screaming machine too. Hells…the captain and Hallund could be dead. I just panicked and…”

Hein handed the potion over. The woman drank it all, and almost miraculously, looked like she had never fallen down the shaft. The woman threw the bottle onto the floor, which caused it to shatter.

“Huge machine? Did it look magical?” Hein asked.

“Yes, by the gods, it gave off evil magic like crazy. The damn thing screeched when it was running…”

Hein smiled, “The Synchronizer…”

“This is serious!” Shouted Thrash. “We were going to get overrun, there was nothing I could do… By the gods, I think those machines were going to eat them!”

“Don’t worry, you’re safe with us.” Rexi said. Qresh and Hein looked at Rexi, as Hein spoke up.

“I don’t know if I would word it like that.” Hein said before turning back to the woman.

“Not to alarm you lass, but we’re here to kill those monsters. You fell with a sword; do you have the nerve to wield it? Can you use it without panicking again?” Hein asked.

The woman’s brow furrowed as she grabbed her sword from the floor.

“I’m not a coward tiefling! I had no choice! We were going to get eaten by those monsters, and the captain was trying to talk to them!”

Hein smiled, “Lass, I’m not calling you names, but if you fight with us, I can’t guarantee your survival. I can, however, assure you that we will do everything in our power to stop these machines. If you only want spoils to sell, you’d be better off hiding far away from us. Won’t find much though, or nothing of mine you can take.”

“No, I owe this to my captain and friends. Gods…I hope their deaths were quick.” The woman said, her voice nearly dropping to a whimper.

Hein didn’t respond, but Rexi did.

“These modrons, the clockwork things, tend to kill rather quickly. They only want to kill their enemies, not eat them. I think their master didn’t want to waste resources on weapons for all of them.”

This caused the mysterious woman to relax a little. The brief moment of silence after Rexi spoke was interrupted by Qresh’s loud, gravelly voice.

“Where you from wild-woman?” He asked.

“My name’s Thrash, and I’m just the first. More adventurers are going to come here, but this tower has some kind of weapon that shoots fire. It blasted the sails off another ship following mine.” Thrash explained.

“Must we waste our time on such insignificant details? We have an army coming here, still have our healer gone, and need to find this Symmette monster!” Theril shouted.

Thrash jumped at the sound, before glaring at the outline of Theril here human eyes couldn’t quite fully see. He was just beyond the torchlight. She could see the thin frame and ears, and rightfully assumed what he was.

“An elf…great…”

“I have no love for savages like you either,” Theril chided, “But it is imperative to find this monster and kill it. I think that it is specifically looking for you, tinkerer.” Theril said as he looked at Hein with a nervous expression. Hein shrugged.

“I’m not sure why. I think she’s more after her lover…which is going to be a problem we will need a plan to deal with!” Hein said with a stern tone, but not just at Theril. He glanced around to everyone, including Thrash.

“It…it has a lover…?” Thrash said, hardly able to choke down a cough.

“It’s a really long, and kind of gross story,” Rexi answered, “But you might understand once Azra finally shows up. He’s…well…different. He doesn’t really understand how the lady commanding those machines is crazy.”

“That was a woman? Like, a human woman?” Thrash exclaimed with a look of shock on her face.

Hein walked up closer to Thrash, “So you’re sure she had some sort of large, screeching machine?” He asked intently.

“…yes…I am sure she did, but why is that important?” Thrash answered, clearly confused.

Hein smiled again, then looked around at the others.

“Listen, I know the top of the tower has the controls to stop it from activating. This tower needs to be deactivated, but I’m worried that teleporting Azra to the top will just trigger a trap. That, or we’ll get swarmed by modrons. I think, once we’re sure Azra will help, we shouldn’t just teleport to the top…but wherever Thrash here saw that machine!”

Hein laughed proudly, but the others appeared to be confused. Rexi nodded in agreement.

“If just getting Azra to the top will end it all, I would bet a lot of money that she has something waiting up there. I know you said the bottom levels were never scouted. Since the bottom is now the top, we will more than likely be walking into something.” Rexi said.

Rexi shook her head, as if she were trying to focus more.

“But I’m sure you know that, what I mean is, if we take out the machine, then maybe the tower won’t be able to do anything nasty.”

“Yes!” Shouted Hein, “Exactly! We get Azra to swing that sword down one time, the synchronizer dies, and bam, no more invasion.”

Hein almost ran at Rexi, as if he were going to hug her, but stopped himself. Rexi noticed this and smirked.

“That might just end this all, but we still have an army and Symmette to worry about, tower stopped or not.”

“Yes.” Hein said, “But we need to cause a scene here. Let’s fight her army for a little while, then when the fighting gets thick, teleport to where the machine is…”

“She moved it on some platform that rose out of the ground. It’s just where the entrance is now.” Thrash said, somewhat confused.

“Well lass, I don’t want to worry you, but this tower can do something terrible. Destroying that machine will stop it.” Hein said.

“You don’t have to explain it. I’ll take your word for it tiefling. I saw the master of this tower, and I really wish that I hadn’t. If its function is worse, it may make me less effective in battle.”

Hein nodded at Thrash. Qresh’s head slowly turned towards the group.

“Ettin girl ain’t done it…I know it mhmm…”

As Qresh finished growling out his reply, the others heard something crawling up the vent. The pitter-patter grew in volume, until a large hairy spider exploded from the vent. Thrash screamed, but her shout was drowned out by another more panicked one. Azra Holder had returned.

“Don’t let me touch that slime don’t let me touch that slime don’t let me…”

Azra was screaming those words over and over, as Toenails in spider form stood on, or rather stuck to, the wall. Azra had slipped, but the web tether holding him was dangling near the entrance to the vent, along with the cat food.

Rexi couldn’t believe how a spider could carry Azra. It seemed physically impossible. Giant spiders were strong, but a statue was heavier than they could lift. Especially man-sized ones. As Rexi thought this, Toenails swung his butt towards the side, which caused Azra to swing on his tether. Toenails changed back, and Azra was slammed onto the floor away from the cat food.

When Azra hit the floor, it was as if his body was not as dense as it should have been. There was no rattle, not sound of stone smashing against metal. Only when Azra stood did the familiar rock sounds return. It was very, very odd.

“Thank you, sir dwarf!” Azra shouted as he looked back at the scum on the vent.

Toenails waved, then ran up to Azra to speak. Azra’s cheerfulness died instantly. Toenails usually spoke right next to someone, and had no concept of personal space. Azra took a few steps back, and Toenails stopped advancing. Toenails then spat a wad of brown onto his hands, rubbed them together, and then held out his hands with his fingers wiggling.

“Awright sonny! Yer got banged up in thems vents…so I’s gotta gives ye the healin’!”

Azra actually started to cry, and held out his hands like he was helpless.

Rexi saw this, then ran to intercept Toenails, who stopped once he saw Rexi.

“Boss lady! Good to sees ye! I’s needs ye to help me outs here!” Toenails shouted.

Rexi looked at Toenails with alarm, “Are you hurt? Did you learn anything about the modrons?”

“Naw, none o’that! I needs ye to explains to rocky boy here what eatin’ pussy is! I think it’s why his here wife lady is so means now! I’m sure you’s knowses a feller that did one time real…”

Toenails stopped upon seeing Rexi’s face. The Gnome’s pupils shrank, horror briefly filling her face. Her head darted to Azra, and back. Azra, somehow, looked perfectly fine.

“He...he can’t understand…oh thank the gods! He can’t understand Toenails!” Rexi thought to herself as beads of sweat dropped down her face.

Rexi somehow shook away all the fear from her visage, and turned back to Azra with a forced look of happiness.

“Azra, I’m so glad you’re alright. We’ve found out quite a few things about this situation and…”

“Hey! Tells him abouts what I says!” Toenails shouted rather frantically.”

Rexi briefly turned to Toenails, her face still smiling, but her smile was clearly holding back barely contained rage. The grin made her appear mad, and Toenails understood he had done something wrong. Rexi looked back at Azra with the same smile as before.

“…very glad you’re in one piece…” Rexi said to Azra through a trembling smile.

Toenails understood. As someone with no sense of what people found repulsive, Toenails learned that it was best to just go along with what other people wanted. After all, these were his friends.

“Aw’s well, I’s jus’ ask Qresh laters…didn’t see hows this is a bad time.” Toenails said rather calmly.

Even though Qresh’s face couldn’t show emotion too well, everyone but Azra could tell that he was fighting back laughter. Qresh tried to pass it off as a cough.

Thrash was watching all of this unfold with confusion. Too many strange things had happened for her to laugh at Toenails. Rexi was wrong. Once she saw Azra, she did not understand why he was obsessed with the tower’s master. Surely this couldn’t be the man in love with that two-headed thing? He looked like a human, but his skin was off. In the low light, he looked too monochrome to her. That wasn’t really this issue though. This man was too attractive to be with a literal monster. Something was wrong.

Thrash walked up to Azra, which caused him to flitch a little.

“You are with that woman, aren’t you? The woman who looked like the statue in the entrance but worse. Why?” She asked bluntly.

“I-I am…I am not with her…at the moment…due to…”

Thrash could tell that Azra was either trying, and failing, to lie, or just avoiding the question.

“I don’t mean to insult you; I just don’t understand.” Thrash said. “Surely you could do better?”

Thrash now realized that Azra’s monochrome color was due to his skin being stone.

“Is that spell hiding something? Surely your people don’t hide the scars you get?”

Azra gasped, “What? Scars? No, I do not have scars! This is not a spell, I am made of stone, but am alive. It is like a curse only it has absolutely no downsides. As for your questions on Ailia, I will not elaborate.”

“Yes, Azra’s been through a lot miss, maybe just…” Rexi tried to interject.

“I am sorry gnome, but I have never, in all my life, seen anything like this. If this man was in my tribe, he would be rather popular, aside from being a little slight of build. You still appear to be able to hold your own…”

Thrash smiled as she trailed off.

Azra’s eyes widened. He now realized exactly what Thrash was saying. His lips crept into a forced smile.

“Oh…oh no. Not to be rude to whoever you are ma’am…but I would never be romantically involved with you or anyone like you. It is not anything personal; I am sure you are very kind, good at lifting heavy objects, and killing animals…”

Rexi tried to cut off Azra’s sentence.

“Yes, let’s just focus on what we’re dealing with here before Azra says something too…”

“…I imagine you could even properly bathe if shown how by someone, but you smell similar to a horse stable.” Azra continued.

“Here he goes…” Rexi sighed.

Azra then finished what he was saying to Thrash, “You are also very unpleasant to look at, I do not know if you’re aware of how much grease or sweat is plastered on your skin, but I imagine that is the norm where you come from. To you all, it is not an issue, but that is how most primes feel.”

Rexi visibly cringed, but Thrash didn’t look hurt by Azra’s remark. She almost looked amused.

“Maybe you could show me how your people bathe…”

Thrash trailed off, then leaned down towards Azra.

Azra blinked, and kept his eyes on the woman’s face before turning away a second later.

“Ah, I see that we are near the maintenance section.” Azra started to say, completely oblivious to Thrash.

“You all should know that the components that run the tower cannot be destroyed conventionally. I do not even believe a spell will harm them.” Azra said rather calmly.

Thrash was confused, but didn’t say anything. She was still trying to piece together what exactly was going on. Azra was possibly the first man she’d ever seen who showed no interest in her. She became lost in her thoughts as the others spoke about the tower.

Rexi perked up, and remembered that Azra wasn’t around for their plan.

“Yes, I didn’t think we could, but maybe the modrons won’t know that. They might think that we can damage the tower, and get distracted trying to protect it. Having them funneled into a tight space, and also distracted, will make them easier to pick off.”

Rexi started to explain more, but stopped herself. She needed to tell Azra about what they’d discovered about Symmette. Hopefully all of the idiocy from Toenails and Thrash would have calmed his nerves a little.

Before she could say anything, Hein beat her to it.

“For more important matters…” Hein interrupted, “Azra, we need your sword to…”

“Grovelthrash is the Sword of Automata.” Azra said flatly.

“Yes! I knew it!” Hein shouted.

Azra elaborated, “I will use it to disable this tower. Me and Ailia can work out our differences later. I cannot let the tower activate. I do not think cutting the gears inside that room will stop it permanently, as they can self-repair. I can, however, destroy the area atop the tower. That part of it should not be able to mend itself. One failsafe would have been for the primary controls to be disabled if something goes wrong, such as the tower being corrupted. Destroying it with force is primitive, but as a last resort it makes sense.”

“You cannot fathom how happy I am to hear you say that.” Hein gasped out before continuing, “So, you know it’s really your sword and not the machine?”

“Absolutely.” Azra answered.

“We were actually planning on destroying the Symmetry Synchronizer first, as we don’t know what will be waiting at the top of the tower.” Hein replied.

“That is wise of you.” Azra said. “I do not think Ailia will resort to trickery, but if she believes that this tower is doing something proper, and is mistaken, the main control will be guarded. That machine would be an acceptable loss, and maybe she will then come to her senses.”

Rexi was happy that Azra was being reasonable. This was the time to tell him about what had happened to her and Qresh.

“Azra, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but something is very wrong with Symmette.”

“Mmm…Rexi we may need to go in that there gear room…” Qresh tried to interrupt. Mod-rones…”

“Just a second Qresh…” Rexi replied, “He needs to know this.”

Azra was staring intently at Rexi.

“When that flip happened, me and Qresh were thrown down together. When we tried to get our bearings, Symmette appeared with some modrons. She made it very clear that she meant us harm. Hein was right about her.” Rexi said solemnly.

Rexi could tell that Azra was taking the news poorly. He glanced around, eyes wide in panic, and finally let his head droop to glare at the floor. He didn’t say anything.

“Azra, she said that she was on a “sacred mission”, she wanted to capture us to physically change us, and then attacked. If Qresh hadn’t thrown her down a shaft, I think she would have killed me.” Rexi finished, and waited for Azra to reply.

“I…I see. You both appear to be well now.”

“Yes, because I healed them before you showed up.” Hein interjected, though he didn’t sound angry. He didn’t even have a “I told you so” tone, which Rexi expected.

Hein kept speaking, “I know we don’t see eye-to-eye Holder…Azra…but she’s right. Either Symmette deceived you when you knew her, or she’s finally cracked. I honestly don’t know, but we need you to focus. This is the safety of the entire world, that’s what’s at stake here.”

Azra stayed silent.

“We have a world to save…”

Azra could not forget those words.

“Listen up yall…” Qresh growled, “I think there’s a who lot more we ain’t seein’, but we need to stop ettin girl. Ain’t gonna kill her…nope…I ain’t…and neither do any of yall…”

Rexi glanced over at Qresh, who looked dead serious. She hadn’t planned on killing Symmette, but Rexi didn’t know if capture was possible.

“We’re the Fightin’ Five, an’ we’re gonna save this world, an’ ettin girl too!” Qresh bellowed triumphantly.

Rexi smiled at Qresh. She didn’t understand how he couldn’t see the truth about Symmette, but still nodded at him. She then looked to Hein.

“Yes, and I will do everything in my power to make this right. Azra, if you aid us, it will make taking Symmette alive much easier.” Rexi told him.

“I concur.” Theril said, “We need to let the tiefling deal with her. I’m sure he will know exactly what to do.”

Azra looked up at the group. These strangers, all of them concerned with him and Ailia’s wellbeing, and they had no right to be. Even Hein seemed to want to help him. Perhaps they understood. Azra could see that what he had feared the most had happened. Maybe Hein was right.

Azra knew that him and Ailia were not “normal” at all. He disagreed with what people from the Prime thought, but knew that it was not the norm for most humanoids. Azra also knew that his obsession with perfection had gotten more finely tuned as he got older. Maybe, whatever forces drove them to perfection could falter? Maybe Ailia simply lost her way? Maybe she, for reasons he didn’t understand, stayed on the Prime too long and changed?

That had to be it.

Azra looked back up to the others, “I believe you, and I thank you all. Clearly Ailia has lost her way. I will aid you to the best of my abilities, so long as she is not badly harmed.”

Once Azra said that, he slowly strode into the opened maintenance room. This room was drastically different than the rest of the tower. It was a very tall room, with an entrance just as tall. The room’s ceiling was cluttered with machinery, which caused it to taper in towards the middle. The inside was entirely comprised of the bronze material found in the tower. The room was full of gears, most of them larger than a man, that connected to various pistons and axles. The gears were all spinning rather slowly, and the room looked like a strange, mechanical valley. The path to the end of the room was narrow, and went to what appeared to be some sort of control panel. The path continued behind the panel, but Azra couldn’t see the exit.

Once Azra entered, he ran to the control panel. Rexi started to follow, but stopped once she got a few feet in the doorway. She couldn’t help but smile at the realization.

The room was not symmetrical.

Oddly enough, it wasn’t mirrored either. This room had to have been near inaccessible before the flip. Rexi was overjoyed at the advantage this gave them, but couldn’t help but wonder what other rooms weren’t symmetrical.

“Hey Hein,” Rexi shouted, “Are there any more rooms like this one? Look how it doesn’t match.”

Hein whistled upon seeing the room, then answered her, “I honestly don’t know. The underwater sections weren’t explored, but I was informed of this room. I had someone scout it out, but didn’t want to tamper with the gears. I didn’t want to accidentally set this thing off. We found a gear in storage away from here, and tested its strength. Apparently, these damned things can actually regenerate if damaged. That doesn’t surprise me, considering this tower is supposed to alter reality.”

Hein stopped walking to look around again. The entrance was a large opening, and the start of the room was wide enough to fit several of his soldiers standing side-by-side. The gears then rapidly narrowed the space into a choke point. The “path” they were walking on was a gap in the machinery that wasn’t totally straight. It varied from about ten feet wide, to barely three feet near the center. Hein was briefly worried Qresh wouldn’t fit, but soon after saw him sidestep between the narrow passage.

“Why don’t we get Toenails to stand on that there gear box. He’ll be outta reach. Theril can stand on that cog that’s movin’ slow with his bow. Me an Rexi an Azra can hold the narrow part. Devil boy can be behind us with healin’ an direct his boys. We can keep some o’them in the front, and the rest outside if the mod-rones break through or we get tired…mhmm…” Qresh said after walking into the passage.

“I couldn’t have said it better if I tried.” Rexi said with a wide grin.

“I assume we’ll have to wait for Symmette to act. We can fall back near this narrow part once the fighting gets thick.

Qresh nodded. The others didn’t say anything, but were all periodically glancing at Azra. He looked a little shocked, but appeared to be going along with their plan.

“I have an idea, if you will permit me to express it.” Theril said.

Everyone looked over to him. Theril was a decent swordsman, and quite good with a bow, but Rexi had only accepted his help out of necessity. They needed another soldier, Theril apparently had over a century of training (even if by elven standards that isn’t too impressive), and he desperately needed to leave his home. He was fleeing from a bad political stunt his family had committed, Rexi never got all the details but only knew that Theril and his family weren’t murderers. She had assured that with magic, and didn’t have that heart to turn Theril away. Since then, he hadn’t exactly been the most valued member. Even Toenails, for all his faults, was viewed like the surly-but-sometimes-funny uncle. Theril never fit it, and didn’t really try to.

Since Rexi had allowed Theril to join, he had almost never tried to think up a plan for anything. Rexi was sure that he certainly never asked to be “permitted” to express anything either. Despite this, Rexi didn’t think anything more of Theril’s wording, she just found it odd.

Qresh on the other hand, clearly saw something off. He narrowed his eyes, but didn’t say anything. Qresh already knew that his prodding about Symmette being innocent was getting old to all but Azra. He didn’t want to press an issue as seemingly small as this. Well, it wasn’t small to Qresh, but he knew the others wouldn’t care.

Theril responded, “Thank you. I have noticed a pattern here. This tiefling, mister Hein, loathes the madwoman. I can see why, clearly, but maybe the feeling is mutual. I remember her seeing through the modron’s eyes. I say that Hein use whatever teleportation spell he has, teleport to the modrons, and tell them we will destroy the gears.”

“Clearly, we can’t do this, but those idiot machines won’t know that. Then, they’ll start to swarm. Once he’s back, we setup an ambush, have Hein act like he’s messing up some crucial component, then when they appear we strike!”

Rexi blinked, thinking about what Theril had said.

“Theril that is a pretty good plan. Assuming Hein can get close enough to safely…”

“No, we can’t do that. I’ll use something else to contact them.” Hein stated flatly.

“What do you mean you can’t? You teleported several times when we met you! Just do it again!” Theril shouted rather frantically.

Hein turned around to look at Theril, which caused the elf to flinch.

“Do you know how I did it? Hm…?” Hein asked impatiently.

“Don’t talk down to me foulspawn! You’re no higher than a dwarf, both morally and physically!”

Hein smiled widely before responding.

“Yes, and like a dwarf, I could have you on the ground in an instant before you could scream for help.”

Qresh couldn’t hold back a sharp chuckle, Toenails cackled, and even Rexi smiled.

“Theril, don’t antagonize him. This is an awfully bad time to act like a stereotypical high elf. You know the really arrogant ones tend to…well…have too straight of a family tree. Don’t be like them.” Rexi said rather dryly.

Theril almost protested, Rexi could tell the remark about high elves angered him more than what Hein had said, but much to her surprise, he didn’t say anything.

“Well, I presume you do have another way to contact those things?” Theril asked Hein.

“That I do lad,” Hein answered, “and it will be remarkably easy. The way I teleport was done in haste; I really didn’t check to see how much magic is left in this infernal thing. Getting us to the top or to the machine might be its last use.”

Rexi’s eyes widened, “You mean that as a figure of speech, right? Or is it really tech from the Hells?”

“Tech from the Hells lass, and not the kind you haggle for at a magic store. I’ve only seen two of these before, and I have one of them.” Hein said.

Hein didn’t say anything more about this, but instead held up his wrist. He activated the same device he had used to speak to Rexi.

“Attention all mechanical assholes!” Hein shouted, though his voice came from all sides. It was also amplified, like from a thaumaturgy spell.

“I would love to announce that we are going to damage the gears of this clockwork-codpiece with my construct killer sword! Tell your twisted boss! She probably knows what it is by now! So go back home to Automata before this whole place falls apart! Bye-bye!”

Hein dropped his wrist with a proud grin. Most of the others didn’t look amused, save for Thrash and Toenails.

“Well, if that doesn’t get them here, I don’t know what will.” Hein said with a shrug.

“We better get in place. Hein, get your soldiers ready.” Rexi said.

Before Hein could act, several of the constructs shambled past the group, around the control panel, and out of the room. Rexi almost lost Hein in a small group of the painted clones. She saw the duplicate Hein walk out, while the real one stayed. Hein divided them up evenly, and included some of the painted clones.

“I’m an idiot…” Rexi said, “Why don’t we just use this dais to stop the tower?”

“I am afraid that will not work lady gnome.” Azra said sadly.

“This section only deals with how everything is working, like a diagnostic. It cannot shut the tower down.” Azra explained.

“Could you mess up the functions so the tower won’t go off?” Rexi asked.

“I am afraid not, altering them will not slow down the operation of the tower. They only ensure that everything is working properly. If the tower is damaged, that machine would say so, but does not have the power to damage the tower itself. All of the alterations it can do are rather minor…since this machinery does not really fail.” Azra replied.

“We will, however, shut it down. That, I assure you.” Azra said rather confidently.

Rexi nodded, and Azra started to as well, but stopped. Azra sniffed the air, like he knew something was wrong. Thrash was standing right behind him.

“You are very wise for a warrior. Most men that say things like that are either smaller than me, or look like they never go outside. I can’t say that about you though.” Thrash said playfully.

Azra moved away from the woman in a blur. Thrash didn’t know that Azra was supposed to be a living statue, but to the rest of the group the scene looked odd.

“Miss, you smell impossibly bad. I do not have to smell, but feel the need to occasionally test the air so I do not run into anything foul I cannot see. It may be those animal skins you are wearing…”

Thrash looked down at the hide clothes she wore. They weren’t armor, and were made for fighting in a hot environment. Azra was the first man she’d met who complained about her clothes.

“Miss…just don’t…you’re wasting your time…” Rexi groaned, already anticipating where Thrash was going.

Thrash smiled, then inhaled while arching her back a little. This caused her to nearly burst out of her top. It didn’t, however, cause the reaction she expected. Both Hein and (surprisingly) Theril shot her a glance. Toenails actually opened both eyes.

Azra though was not interested. He scowled, in actual disgust, and narrowed his eyes at Thrash.

“Do not aim those vile things at me, it will not change my mind on your attire or smell. I am honestly surprised you have not perished from a stray arrow at this point. I am going to check outside…” Azra trailed off, leaving as if he was to the point of boiling-over anger.

Qresh fought back a laugh, Hein just shook his head, and Thrash looked stunned. One would think a barbarian would have gotten angry, but Thrash looked genuinely like she had no idea what to do.

“I told you, trying that wouldn’t work. Now why don’t you leave the stone man alone, and help us fight off this doomsday machine army?” Rexi said.

“I-I just... He said I was vile…he loves a monster. I’ve never been turned away like that…and he’s right. I have been shot a lot.”

“Oh’s don’t worry missy! I’s still thinks yer easy on me eyes!” Toenails shouted.

Thrash acted too stunned to pay attention to the dwarf. Rexi walked up to her, and gently patted Thrash on the lower back.

“Don’t worry. I’ve literally only seen one person in my life pull out arrowheads with no trouble. Hells, even Qresh can’t quite do it. I met a half-elf woman in Elturel named Ellir who got shot in a bar fight with a shortbow...”

Thrash seemed interested, so Rexi continued.

“She yanked the arrow out, and somehow it didn’t tear up the wound like a barbed arrowhead usually does. No clue how she did it, but then again, her whole career was fighting in a ring where people placed bets. She nearly killed the archer for it, but was angrier that he broke the rules over the attempted assassination. Then right after, she got the cook to make us all buttered potatoes to eat. Nice lady, but a little odd.”

Qresh walked up to Theril, who just stared at the tortle. The two looked at each other for a few seconds, before Theril said something.

“Are you just going to gawk at me?”

“I’m watchin’ you…” Qresh growled.

“Yes, I can see that. Very astute of you.” Theril responded.

“We don’t need no needless fightin’. I don’t know why you want devil boy to go off an get the mod-rones…”

“By the gods!” Theril yelled, “It is “modrons” you idiot! Modrons!”

Qresh continued to stare, then lumbered off. Theril smirked as he walked off, but his mood quickly changed when he saw that Azra was running back inside the room.

“Ailia was not among them, but the modrons are very close!”

Right on que, the adventurers heard the marching from the room. The synchronized clang of metallic feet started to get louder, along with a grating chorus of several machine voices speaking as one. As the modrons neared, the words became clearer.

“…to destroy disorder and restore direction…”

“….flesh must match the mirror of perfection….”

“Men! Move in line!” Hein shouted.

There were already soldiers outside, who had undoubtably gotten into formation. When Hein yelled at them, more flowed into the room. Hein’s army formed a sort of crescent-moon shape outside the door, and the rest were inside. The constructed soldiers left a little space for the Fighting Five. The Five were in the center, with what was left of Hein’s army in front of them. Qresh, Rexi, and Azra stayed a few feet in front of the choke point, so they could maneuver more if they needed to. All seemed to understand that they could always fall back if things got too bad.

“Don’t attack until they enter the room!” Hein roared. The constructs all stayed in place.

Unfortunately, the modrons did not enter the room. They all stopped outside the door. Despite this, the adventurers still heard stomping. Theril and Toenails could see fine, being elevated. Qresh was tall enough to see over the machines, but Hein and Rexi struggled to see what was taking place.

Rexi leapt onto a raised gearbox, then motioned for Hein to do the same. Since it was a rather small platform, Hein made his hand detach, and stood on it instead of the gear box. Everyone wanted to have eyes on what was happening out there.

From the center of the modron mass, there was a somewhat large box. It was being carried on two poles by groups of modrons, and was sat down a little past ten feet from the door. The think looked like a palanquin, only instead of having side doors, it had a large door on the front like a cargo crate.

Two of the modrons in the front opened the door. All of the Fighting Five was waiting to see what came out. They probably anticipated Symmette. None of them really were prepared for what they saw.

The first thing that emerged was the moaning. A strange, synchronized cry that sounded like it came from every underworld one could imagine. The moans were grouped together like they were one, though the reverberation hinted at multiple voices.

The things were paired in rows of two. Rexi thought of lemurs, but lemures were much too formless and fluid. These beings looked somewhat fluid, but their shapes moved with a planned fluidity. It was the multiples that made them monstrous; the fusion of multiple limbs, heads, fingers, eyes, mouths, tongues, all into a mass around a fixed axis. Like an octopus, or an evenly smashed insect, the clusters of enlarged fingers, and multiple fused limbs pulled the creatures along the ground.

It appeared like, whatever form they had once had, was now a sort of overly-ordered, semi-boneless blob. Though the thing’s moved what was once limbs, the rigidity wasn’t enough to hint at a proper skeleton, probably just cartilage. The back of the things hung on the ground like a half-filled bladder, further bringing to mind an octopus.

The first two that emerged looked slightly different. One was hairy, while one only had hair on its face. It was possibly what was once a beard, but now the hair was evenly spread over the thing’s flat, overly wide face.

Their faces were all too wide, like multiple fused into one large, three-foot-wide face. The mouths were also linked, and were cavernous enough to expose their multiple throats. The creatures also sported overly-exposed veins under their skin, veins that mirrored each other perfectly on an axis.

What spilled out of the palanquin was horrifying. Horrifying, but symmetrical. Other than the hair on the first two, they all looked alike…save for a gold tooth inside one mouth of the hairy faced one. It seemed like the Fighting Five were stunned, up until they heard Thrash scream.

“Hallund!”

The monsters stopped moaning, and all shrieked. With this, the modrons began to chatter their teeth, draw their weapons, and charge with the things from the palanquin.

“Steady!” Rexi shouted.

Rexi was worried that the others were unnerved, but other than Thrash, they didn’t look that afraid. Rexi felt for the souls that had been turned into monsters, and now she knew. Rexi saw that Symmette wasn’t just mind-controlled or sick; she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Symmette wasn’t just misunderstood, Symmette was pure evil.

Rexi glanced at Azra, trying to see how he reacted to the impending battle. The things crawled to the sides of the room, and were trying to crawl over the gears of the choke point. Hein’s soldiers started to intercept the monsters, but were forced to meet the modrons. The modrons had limited space, and where they couldn’t get around, they just sat, dumbly chattering their teeth behind the fighting. The monsters from the palanquin were advancing, and could fluidly go around the machinery.

Rexi got ready, but looked to Azra before she advanced.

“Azra…I’m sorry…” Rexi tried to whisper.

She wanted it to be loud enough to hear from the combat, though over the sounds of battle, it sounded like a hoarse growl.

“Ailia…she could not have…by the gods…” Azra said in a stunned gasp.

Rexi’s attention was taken back to the battle. Hein’s army was holding back the advancing modrons, and neither side seemed to be gaining ground. They were keeping back the modrons so the Five could focus on the strange monsters. The constructed soldiers nearer to the Five turned, and readied to attack the monsters when they got within range. Rexi, Qresh, and Thrash stepped farther away from the choke point to meet the monsters. With the beast’s fluidity, the choke point was near useless.

Toenails had summoned a sphere of fire, that was burning the advancing monstrosities. Theril shot at them as well. Hein had leapt off his hand, which stood by his side, and had some strange kind of weapon. It looked similar to a firearm, though was almost all metal. The machine shot with a gaseous pop, and appeared to propel something with steam.

Thrash screamed, then charged at a set of gears where one of the symmetrical nightmares perched. Since it was close to the wall and out of their reach, the soldiers ignored it. When Thrash ran at the thing, it quickly climbed down. She swung her sword up at it, and did cut the monster, but the thing didn’t seem to be bothered by the cut. The beast held up a limb, which started to convulse, before spouting a human-like hand.

Thrash continued to chop at the thing, and ignored the newly-spawned hand. The beast snapped at her, but couldn’t fit its wide face through the flurry of strikes. The strange hand it grew, however, did find purchase. The scratch didn’t look terribly bad, and Thrash ignored the wound.

The monsters, despite the Five’s efforts, were not slowed down. Any damage they sustained healed, much like a troll, only fire didn’t stop them. The beasts strange not-quite-hands, or tentacles, could easily smash an animate armor, though the beasts fought strangely. They made no attempt to avoid damage, and even seemed to walk into weapon strikes. Hein ordered his soldiers closer to the Five to keep the monsters at bay.

Rexi thought she knew why, which made her more eager to attack to monsters. Rexi noticed that they weren’t being damaged, and prepared to use a spell on her sword.

Then the flying modrons came.

Rexi saw one winged box land in front of her, then another, and another. Though the room had a tall ceiling, it rapidly tapered near the center. Flying modrons were hovering near the entrance, and swooping down at the constructed army. Rexi got locked into a melee with some of the flying boxes. Before they could surround her, Qresh charged in. Rexi and Qresh, along with some constructed soldiers, were able to keep a modron-killing chain going.

Thrash continued to fight the lone monster she had been keeping at bay, when she realized something. The pain from the scratch had amplified. Thrash felt her wounded arm go limp, then looked over at cut. It was somehow rotting and growing, with an outline of blackness and decay following the newly formed hole in her arm.

Thrash didn’t have time to panic though. As she looked at her wound, the monster she was fighting lunged at her face. Thrash saw the flash of a gold tooth before the beast clamped down on her head, and the world went dark.

Azra began to force himself to the front of the fighting. Seeing the monsters had stunned him for a few seconds, and in that time his allies already started to get overrun. He was trying to get to where the barbarian was. Azra had seen her fall, but couldn’t see her body on the ground. Azra finally moved, and ignored the modrons in his path.

Hein was now standing atop a gear like Theril, gears that rotated gently, so one only had to maneuver a little to face the right direction. He shot at any modron that was close to Azra.

As Azra lunged into the fighting. He kept thinking one thing. Even if Azra didn’t do this to whoever these things used to be, he felt partially responsible.

“I am the only one who can relieve them! I cannot let these creatures suffer!”, Azra thought as he swung his sword.

Azra didn’t have to go far to get to the monsters. They all somehow recognized him, then bolted in his direction. The things ignored the constructs, and were moving in tandem. Hein could tell they wanted to surround Azra.

“…shit.” Hein muttered before leaping off the platform.

Azra swung at the monster with the golden tooth. His sword cut it, and threw off the symmetry. Something forced into a suffering form, even if it was nearer perfection, was very wrong. It was unlawful to violate the laws of good and decency like this. Azra almost failed to dodge the first monstrosity clawing at him.

That was what was also off; the monsters had suddenly sported claws. They looked like hands, near-human hands, only they had wickedly clawed nails. The only thing wrong with them was the texture…where the knuckles and tendons normally were. The hands had swollen joints, strange balls in every finger. Even their palms had these. The hands had no real front or back, and the fingers could bend in either way. Maybe because it was more symmetrical?

Azra had dodged the first strike, which caused sparks when the nails hit Grovelthrash. Something deep inside Azra wanted him to avoid those claws at all cost. He could not get cut by them; Azra couldn’t explain the aversion. It was worse than just survival. Where was the barbarian’s body?

A quick glance at the floor told him the answer. What remained of Thrash was rotted nearly beyond recognition. The beast that killed her had bitten off her head and some of her shoulders, but there was little left of her body aside from her semi-skeletal legs.

Azra didn’t have to dodge the next strike. He instead intercepted it with his blade. Azra not only lopped the thing’s hand off, but cut most of the front of it. Grovethrash sliced through the creature with next to no resistance.

Azra hadn’t notice before, but the first cut he made hadn’t healed. The hand didn’t regenerate. The monster stopped moaning with a wet gasp once it died, and fell to the floor with a fluid-filled smack. Two more creatures advanced, and Azra killed them just as fast. Four appeared to replace the two that fell, and several more behind those…

Toenails counted fourteen to start with. Three were dead, and all eleven were about to surround the rock man. He saw Hein running up behind Azra, only for him to stop and look at his soldiers, then at Azra. It was like he didn’t know what to do. Toenails thought that this tiefling was supposed to be smart.

Hein wanted them all to fall back, but had forgotten how fluid the monstrosities were. If the Five went to the choke point, they’d just get forced out of it. The melee had already gotten tight; not to mention the flying modrons coming in. Hein chanted something in dwarven, then let out a large healing aura. He commanded his hand to attack one monster, and the hand seemed to be able to keep it at bay. Hein started to charge into the mass of monstrosities. Even if their regeneration made them near-unkillable, he could at least distract them. The things were nearly engulfing Azra, but a loud crash stopped Hein’s advance.

Azra rapidly slashed at the monsters; each slash appeared haphazard until three more monsters fell limp. The rest got too close though, and Azra was nearly overtaken. The flaming sphere vanished in a wink, as Toenails jumped into the pile of moaning things as an ape. Toenails couldn’t let Azra get taken. He still had important advice for him, after all.

Azra saw a wave of flesh nearly surround him after he cut down the creatures. In the madness of combat, he heard several shouts, mechanical squealing, the scraping of metal, spider-like legs, but the smell was what got him.

It smelled worse than a chamber pot…it was Toenails! The dwarf came at just the right time. His attack on several of the symmetrical blobs drew enough off Azra for him to strike. Azra tried to focus as hard as he could. He remembered cutting the ship in half. He had done that before, maybe he could do something else.

Another monstrosity intercepted him, and opened its mouth wide. It bit down on his free arm. Azra didn’t stab it immediately; for some reason, Azra knew he needed to concentrate, to not retaliate...

Rexi saw the monsters attack Azra, then saw another one throw an injured Toenails off of it. Rexi screamed, and threw herself out of the melee with the modrons. As Rexi charged the pile of monstrosities, her armor deflected a few lucky strikes. Qresh quickly took up Rexi’s spot, and managed to keep the flying modrons at bay. The inside was shielded from their ranged attacks, so Theril was still safe.

Rexi stabbed one, but noticed that the constructed soldiers were dying more quickly to the modrons. She didn’t see any painted clones. The modrons continued to advance. Rexi struck again at the monster, but her sword wounds healed quickly. Apparently, only Azra could hurt them.

Azra suddenly remembered what he needed to. Azra allowed the monster to attack him more. It didn’t claw him, but continued to chew on his arm. Two more also attacked.

Grovelthrash started to glow, then a blast came from it.

The wave of energy killed the three creatures biting Azra. The remaining ones were injured, and injured in a way they couldn’t heal from. Azra felt his wounds rapidly closing, apparently not just from Hein’s aura, but Grovelthrash’s magic. Azra had reflected all the damage he had taken at all the monsters. Somehow, the damage was amplified. Even in Azra’s obscured memory, something told him this was not the usual feature of Grovelthrash.

Azra didn’t care. He shouted, and Grovelthrash continued to glow. The floor below Azra started to violently shake. This caused the remaining creatures to stop attacking. The tremor didn’t last long, and didn’t do anything more than shake the floor. It did, however, confuse the monsters and modrons.

During their brief pause, Azra moved in a blur. He killed one after the other, so quickly that Rexi didn’t even see them hit the ground before Azra darted off to the rest of the fighting. As the last of the changed fell, Hein’s claw quickly darted away from the corpse.

Hein’s aura was taking care of any wounds the Five sustained. Everyone felt in perfect fighting shape, only there was something wrong. Toenails was no longer an ape, and he was lying still on the floor.

Rexi ran up to Toenails, and fished a healing potion out of her pocket. She screamed for Hein, who barked an order for his soldiers to make a defensive formation around him and Rexi. The soldiers stepped back, and allowed the modrons to funnel in more. With the fighting area narrowing, the modrons started to visibly lose more of their own. Glancing up, Rexi noticed how the flying modrons kept staying in ordered rows. They weren’t swarming, and only arrived in numbers small enough to fit. It looked like they really were afraid of harming the machinery.

Looking back to Toenails, Rexi realized that one of the creatures had near eviscerated him. Rexi forced the potion open, and poured it into his mouth. As she poured it, she noticed something terrible. Hein’s aura wasn’t healing Toenails. Hein saw this as well.

“Fall back!” Hein ordered.

At that call, Rexi grabbed Toenails, and her and Hein started to retreat to the safety of the choke point’s narrow center. Qresh backed off from the flying modrons, who then started to engage the constructed soldiers falling back on them.

“It isn’t healing him! It’s not working!” Rexi screamed.

Hein started to cast again. He knew that, more than likely, Toenails had been hit with some sort of cursed strike. The strange human hands they could spawn had to have done this. Hein didn’t know if this wound was cursed, but Hein had a way to remove curses.

“I can’t cast that sort of magic, but I’m certain I have a scroll of it!” Hein said frantically.

“Where’s Azra?” Rexi asked while her head darted around.

As they spoke, Qresh tried to grunt out a warning. Three winged modrons found enough space, just barely ducking and landing near the choke point. They all grabbed Hein, then took off in a flash. As they flew, Qresh jumped at them. He managed to grab one, drag it to the ground, and kill it with a punch, but two more still carried Hein. The group watched, at first in horror, as the modrons flew out of the room. Only Hein’s strangely wide and distorting smile comforted them.

Azra was killing modrons and running between soldiers too quickly to be stopped. He briefly glanced up, and noticed several modrons carrying Hein. Azra started to panic, but before he could do anything, Hein started to bleed…or ooze…some sort of black substance. It came out it a rapid-flowing burst, and rained down on the modrons near the entrance and outside the room.

Azra started to run to try and intercept the modrons, but something even stranger happened. Hein exploded. Azra dipped back into the melee, feeling blows nick his flesh and glance his armor as he retreated back to the choke point. The explosion set the outside modrons aflame, and they slowed their advance. Before Azra neared his friends, a glance of something stunned him. He saw Symmette standing far behind the flaming modrons.

Though Azra was too stunned to notice, the modrons were losing numbers over the constructed soldiers. The choke point was doing its job, the modrons were falling, and Symmette did not have enough to overrun the choke point.

Rexi’s panic was short lived. From behind them, she saw “Hein” run up to them.

“It was a clone,” he said, followed by a loud blast.

“A clone that did its job.” Hein said as he glanced over at Azra, who had just appeared, but was standing still, stupidly watching the fight.

The flaming modrons ran at the constructed soldiers. It was as if they were trying to burn Hein’s army, but most of Hein’s soldiers were not flammable. Most of these modrons died, but the sudden charging influx did knock out a good number of Hein’s soldiers. Hein could tell, just by numbers, that his men were going to prevail over the modrons here. Unless Symmette could get more to come from other levels, she wouldn’t win the battle at this room.

“Let’s go! Everyone get close!” Hein shouted.

Hein then reached into his bag, and retrieved a small black orb. It briefly flashed an image of the storeroom. Before Hein could activate it, he screamed in pain. A lone arrow was now sticking into his shoulder, and out of his bicep. Hein nearly dropped the orb.

Theril stood in his original spot, his bowstring slack. Rexi didn’t notice in her panic, but Qresh was staring daggers at him.

“I…I apologize…I misfired…” Theril stammered.

“Theril come on!” Rexi screamed. “He may not have much time!”

“Hells take you elf! Get over here so we can save the dwarf!” Hein shouted.

Azra was looking at Symmette. It was very hard to see her at this distance, but he still remembered how she looked before the Hein clone exploded. She had been smiling at the battle. She was enjoying it. Before Azra could learn more, he suddenly saw a bright light, then the dark inside of the storeroom Hein kept.

Qresh snapped off the feather side of the arrow, then effortlessly yanked it out by the head. The shaft slid out of Hein’s arm, who fought back a grunt. After the arrow was removed, Hein’s aura managed to heal the wound fairly rapidly.

The same couldn’t be said for Toenails, who now had some kind of black residue around his wound. As Hein noticed this, he lifted his wrist and tried to contact Dolidra.

“Dolidra, where are the remove curse scrolls?” Hein shouted.

Hein only heard a strange, muffled noise. It was followed by the sound of a blast.

Toenails’ now weak voice followed the silence after the blast.

“Its awwright sonny…if its my timeses to goes…I’s accept it. I love all yous bastards…”

“Dolidra!” Hein shouted as he rummaged for a scroll.

He still got no response.

“Take care of em Rexi…Turt…don’t let princess dos anythings stupid…”

Qresh nodded. Rexi looked back over to where Hein was.

“Were’s the scroll? Hurry!” She yelled.

Hein still looked to be digging in a crate with several scrolls inside.

Toenails then looked over to Azra, who was still partially stunned.

“Sorrys I couldn’t tells ye what pussy is…I’s hope ye an’ yer wife gets back t’gether…”

Azra looked down at Toenails, who’s wound was rapidly rotting. His torso no longer had a stomach, and the insides were rapidly disintegrating.

Despite the look of it all, Azra knelt down on Toenail’s level. The dwarf grinned, showing his few teeth, and reached out to Azra. Azra didn’t fight as the dwarf put his hairy, filth-covered hand on the living statue’s shoulder.

“I’s knews you were my buddy…dirt man…” Toenails weakly said.

“Yes… and I too call you friend sir dwarf…and I am sorry I cannot eat a cat.” Azra responded.

“Aw shucks…I’s meant its yer lady’s parts…” Toenails coughed out.

Azra’s face briefly folded to disgust, then back to a neutral expression.

“Well then…I will…think about…considering it…” Azra choked out, trying to pass off his disgust as grief.

Toenails didn’t say anything, and only answered Azra with a smile.

Rexi was crying, though she wasn’t making a lot of noise. Qresh too, looked very sad, though he wasn’t shedding any tears. Hein, however, cackled in excitement.

“Here it is!”

Hein ran over to Toenails, holding two scrolls, then quickly said the incantation. The curse, if it was one, was lifted. Toenails may have been cured of his curse, the black rot was gone, but so was most of his torso below the ribs. He still had something of a trunk and legs, but they looked irreparably damaged. Toenails was peacefully gazing at the ceiling. It was clear that Toenails had passed.

As if Hein anticipated this, he readied the other scroll. Rexi could feel power come from this one as Hein said the incantation. A blast of force came from Toenail’s body, force that felt like pure life to everyone, but the body stayed still. Hein stared, with a look of either anger or shock plastered on his face.

“…damn her…damn them all!” Hein roared.

Rexi cried louder, and Qresh leaned in to comfort her. As this happened, Azra walked away from the group, going off into the darkness. Hein followed him, and Azra spoke once he and Hein got out of earshot of the others.

“By the gods that was a disgusting thing to say. I do not mean to insult your friend, but if he meant what I thought he meant…I would rather kill Ailia, then kill myself than do that…and she would welcome it…” Azra said in a hushed tone.

Hein half-shoved, half-slapped Azra. Hein then looked back over his shoulder to Rexi and Qresh. Hein knew that he was far enough away, and whisper-shouted at Azra.

“What the fuck Holder! The man just died!” Hein hissed.

Azra held up his hands defensively, “Yes…and I attempted to comfort him…but I am going to vomit if I do not tell someone how…”

“Fine…do that in the corner there…” Hein said, sounding defeated as he pointed near the wall.

Azra grinned, then ran to the corner and vomited as Hein watched. Hein had never seen anyone happily go to vomit.

Hein waited for Azra to finish his business before speaking again.

“That was kind of you though. I could tell that dwarf made you sick to the heavens, and you actually let him touch you. I would have never guessed that you could comfort a man like that, even in his last moments.”

The two briefly stood in silence, before Hein again spoke to the thing on his wrist.

“Dolidra? Dolidra, can you hear me?”

Hein took out his orb. The thing’s black surface briefly shone with an infernal crackle of magic. It was as if the orb enjoyed what had just happened. Hein hoped that he could get one more teleport out of it.