Not Simply Walking (Part 2) - Alenea - 23/6

Time is weird in hell

---

"Erm... I think so." Ankhet says into the darkness, confusion in her voice, "I'm not sure how much I can tell you though."

"What are y-" Alenea starts to but stops as a rift begins to form in the air, a purple glow pushing back the darkness.

The rift widens and the liquid in the crate begins to lower and flood out onto the cobbles of Portal Plaza. On the other side of the portal Wendy and Jenna hop back and looks nervously at the sketchy character standing besides them.

"Well... they said they were safe," Wendy says looking down at the blood then back up at Cadfan, "Good luck!"

Alenea shuffles back as Cadfan ducks down and through the portal. The portal slams shut behind him, plunging them back into darkness.

---

Brought up to speed Cadfan slides off the crate lid and leaps over the edge. One by one the group clambers out, blood onto the floor. Muttering to herself Alean passes her hands over herself, the coagulating blood disappearing as she goes. With her own clothes clean she moves on to the others, the evidence of their blood-soaked arrival vanishing into the ether.

Alenea looks up towards the ceiling and watches as her raven Keri flashes into existence and begins to fly around the room. Her mind twists as she latches onto the bird and her point of view switches to the raven's eyes. The thrum of the tower fills her as the bird alights on a balcony overlooking the room and looks down.

Below Cadfan scurries around ripping open crates and barrels. From across the room Alenea feels a churn in her body's distant stomach. The memory of giving up Cadfan to the Daring Heights guard rushing through her mind.

"Hooks! Just a bunch of hooks!" he says, turning around, a fist sized fishing hook held in the air, "Why would they need these?"

As he waves the hook in the air a wailing fills the air as the entrance to the warehouse begins to grind open.

"Hide!" Ruk hisses.

A pair of pink Lemure ooze into the room carrying a large wooden box between them. Placing it down on the floor the two devils turn and extend an arm towards each other. Their hands meld together and their backs arch before they separate and turn back to the door to leave.

"Does anyone feel like we shouldn't have been watching that?" Alenea says, sliding out from her hiding spot.

"Hey, look at this," Cadfan says as he pulls a sheet off of an ornate chest tucked into a corner. He crouches down and begins to inspect the lock on the front.

A feeling of jealous competitiveness passes through Alenea as he rummages through a pouch for his lockpicks. She hipchecks him aside and she pulls out her own tools, "Out of the way, I've seen your work before."

Her fingers tremble as the stress of her challenge fills her and she fumbles her picks into the lock. Beside her Cadfan standstapping his foot. Feeling the pressure give in her tension rod she flicks her pick upwards and there's a light click followed by a snap as the end of her lockpick comes away in her hand.

Cadfan chuckles as she steps aside, "Maybe I can handle this after all". He kneels down and with a deft movement slides his tools into the lock. A moment later there's a click and the lock snaps open. He turns and looks up at her, a grin on his face as he swings opens the chest

"Yeah well..." she stares downwards, her cheeks hot with embarrassment, "I loosened it for you."

Inside a pile of ornate rugs sit folded alongside a selection of pillows and a silk sack. Cadfan immediately reaches out and grabs the sack, pulling open the drawstring.

"It's just toys?" he says quizzically.

From the next aisle Ruk's head pokes up and looks at them, "Toys?" His head disappears and a moment later he appears at the end of the aisle, "Do they have Boggle?"

"Boggle?" Cadfan asks, peering int othe bag

"A favourite childhood game, a small toy covered in letters," he says and mimes a small orb.

"Like this?" Cadfan responds and pulls a fist-sized ball covered in runes from the bag. He tosses it towards Ruk before going back to rummaging through the crate. "I'm keeping these," Cadfan declares, shoving a silk pillow into his bag and wrapping a lilac strip of fabric around his arm.

"Are we doing team colours now?" Ankhet asks as she reaches into the chest and pulls out a lilac sheet of fabric and ties it around her neck.

Laurel coughs to get the rogues' attention and Alenea looks up from tying the fabric into an armband. "Shouldn't we be hurrying out of here rather than rooting through boxes?" the halfling asks.

The group of rogues look at each other then back at Laurel. "Which direction do we go?" Alene asks.

In the background the rumble filling the tower increases in volume. Cam points towards a barrel shaking beside her, "Probably towards whatever is causing that."

---

Alenea stares out of Keri's eyes and listens to the vibration of the ship shaking the feathers in her wings. A blink, and she's back in her own body staring down the corridor, the vibration subtly different. Another blink and she's back in the raven, "Weaker up here maybe?" she thinks. A twitch and she stares down the corridor, the hum substantially louder now. She flicks back and forth, confused at the hum changing tone each time she comes back to her body.

Laurel interrupts as she returns to the corridor, "Ruk, stop!"

Alenea turns and is face to face with Ruk. His lips pursed as he hums into her ear, "Damnit Ruk!"

He stops humming, and leans back against the worn steel wall of the corridor, "Go ahead, go ahead. I'll stop, I promise." He winks at her.

Alenea closes her eyes again and flicks back and forth from Keri's body to her own. "It's definitely stronger from down here, the generator must be below us."

---

Ruk pokes his head around the corner and holds his hand up behind him, "There's a... thing, up ahead, be very quiet."

Alenea leans around the corner. Half way along the corridor a mechanical drone stands arms deep in an open panel on the wall, "I think it's a Monodrone, but it's not like the ones I've read about." Rather than the usual golden sheen the Monodrone's plating is a deep black, its wings replaced with two jagged horns.

Alenea stares as the creature reaches down to a bag at its side. Its clockwork movements rummaging in the bag before pulling out a pipe and sliding it into the wall.

The maintenance drone freezes as Ruk waves his hand and the clank of a pipe falling rebounds down the corridor.

"Someone is trying to distract me."

Alenea's heart pounds in her chest as the creature stands still. Her hand falls to her dagger.

The creature shifts down as it reaches back into the bag, "I will not be distracted from my work." Another pipe emerges from the bag and the Modron slides into the wall.

---

The weariness of the day sinks into Alenea's legs as they descend the tower. The unmarked hours dragging on as they explore the labyrinthian corridors.

From behind her Ruk calls the group to a stop. "We can't keep at this forever," he says, gesturing towards a door, "We've passed this twice now. We need to find someone, grab them, and convince them to help us."

"Convince them?" Cam asks uncomfortably.

"Yes, we simply hurt them until they tell us where the generator is," he replies his voice faintly echoing through the corridor.

Laurel's fist clenches at her side as she speaks, "We can't torture people, we don't do that."

Alenea stares up at Ruk as his shadow begins to grow behind him, his voice growing louder, "They aren't people! They're fiends! There's nothing wrong with torturing them!"

"Stop! Ruk! Stop!" Alenea cries as she shoves him against the wall, "This place is doing something to you!"

The shadow cracks as Ruk bounces off the wall. The fragments of darkness flow away from him, sinking into the cracks and corners of the metal panelling.

---

Ankhet grabs Alenea's collar as she goes to step out around a corner. "Stop, look."

Down the corridor another Monodrone stands holding a map up to the wall.

"I've got this", Cadfan says as he darts past Alenea. Sneaking forwards he reaches out to a bundle of rolled up parchment lying by its side. Alenea gasps as the drone shifts, in an instant its hand shifted to grasp Cadfan's wrist.

The Monodrone turns and stares up at Cadfan with its singular eye, "Hello, how may I help you?"

"I am..." Cadfan says, pausing as his eyes flick down to the bag of maps. "I am here to inspect your maps. External inspectors and all that. You know how it is."

The drone tilts slightly and lets Cadfan's hand drop, "Excellent. I was unaware we had brought in other extra-planar entities such as yourself to verify our operations. In that case you do not want that map." It plucks a map from the bag and hands it to Cadfan, "You want this map."

---

Hunched together behind a box the infiltration team leans over the map spread out on the floor.

"So we're here, and this whole area is ringed in blue," Laurel traces her finger around an area of the map that filled in with far less detail than the rest. "That's got to be here the generator is."

An exploded view of the two floors below sit beside the marked area. At the lowest level an archway marks an entrance to the space. "Then that's where we've got to go," Alenea says as she taps the entrance.

---

"Just down this corridor," says Cam as turns out of sight.

From around the corner a bellow roars towards the group and the ground beings to shake.

Pulling the dagger from her belt Alenea rushes forwards. Grabbing the corner she swings herself around and launches herself towards the charging monster.

Blasts of energy shoot over head as she runs, striking the flesh golem charging towards her. She reaches the monster and slashes upwards, splitting the golem's chest open. Unfazed the golem swings its arms downwards, the first blow deflecting off of a glowing orange shield springing from Alenea's palm. Before she can twist away to avoid a second blow it collides with her side, knocking the air out of her.

Alenea ducks another swinging arm as Cadfan sprints down the corridor, followed closely by Ankhet, Ruk and Laurel. "Can I get some help here?" she calls out to them as they pass.

"Sure!" Cam replies as she runs past, slinging a beam of magic at the golem, piercing its chest.

Alenea looks behind her as the frankenstein monster falls to the floor. Two more golems charge towards her, the roar of the closest muffled by a lilac pillow filling its mouth. "Oh shit," she cries out and leaps over the fallen body runs down the corridor.

Alenea's breath is loud in her ears as she runs down the corridor, her boots slapping on the hard metal of the floor. She feels the golem's roar an instant before its arms connect with her side, lifting her off her feet. The blow throws her sideways into the wall and she collapses to the floor, blood dripping from her nose.

---

Alenea coughs as Ankhet throws the empty vial over her shoulder. "What's happening?" she slurs.

Ankhet doesn't respond, her head turning around to look over her shoulder then hoisting Alenea up and throwing the elf over her shoulder. Alenea wipes the blood from her nose and brings her hands together, a bead of fire forming between her palms. The pair sprint along the corridor as Alenea slings bolts of fire at the golems chasing them.

---

"What's going on?" Cam says as the pair approach and Ankhet deposits Alenea on the floor beside her.

Towering over Laurel and Cam Ankhet looks between the two and jogs on the spot. "I don't know but I'm feeling very, very, very fast and I think I can help you get out of here. Anyway, let's go." With a rush she swoops the pair off their feet and vanishes down the corridor. Alenea looks back at the golems closing in and sprints after them.

---

Alenea skids to a stop as she reaches the end of the corridor, turning to face back the way she came, Ruk and Cam standing beside her. The three magi haul fire, ice, and eldritch energies down the corridor, reducing the charging golems to ash.

---

Immediately around the corner a solid iron door dominates the space it's edges lined with blue paint. Across the surface an angular pattern twists around four raised surfaces. On the upper surface an infernal sigil burns against the golden metal. Below it two locks stand side by side, their mechanisms reaching back into the door. Below a thin tube of red liquid stands mounted on the surface.

"Does anyone know what that says?" Alenea says, gesturing towards the rune sitting at the top of the door.

Ruk folds his arms and looks up at it, "I may be able to read it. If you give me some time. Anyone else is welcome to attempt to read it in the meantime."

"I think I can handle this one," Laurel says. The flames fade away as she gestures towards the door and the rune evaporates. As the magic fades the golden metal it sat on sinks back into the door.

---

Alenea peers around as Ankhet's hands jitter back and forth around the lock, her fingers a blur click after click rings out as the tumblers fall into place. With a final thunk the whole lock turns and sinks into the door. Drawing back Ankhet slows as Ruk's magic wears off, her quick movements fading into a soft trembling.

"Half way done!" Alenea says and gives her thumbs up.

The groups attention turns downwards to the thin red tube jutting out from the door at waist height, Cadfan's face face inches away from the surface of the glass. "Hmmm..." he murmurs as he pulls out his dagger, a green flame spreading along the blade as he unsheathes it. The liquid begins to slowly rise as he brings the dagger close. A second passes before the liquid strikes the top of the tube and the mechanism shifts and retreats into the door.

Alenea hops back from Cadfan as he jumps to his feet. "Last one," he says as he inserts his picks into the final lock. Alenea leans in close to him, her heart pounding as she watches him work on the lock.

"Be careful!" she says as he jerks the pick to the side, "Go slowly!"

"Yes, you must be patient," Ankhet says as she leans in from the other side.

The lock turns as Cadfan works, sweat forming on his forehead. The light sound of metal on metal tapping out into the corridor.

The three rogues lean in as he progresses, their faces almost pressed together. The lock quivers as Cadfans fingers slowly twists the tension bar. There's a snap and the lock spins back into place. Before they can react a green liquid sprays out from the lock.

Cadfan cries out as the spray hits him in the eyes. He scrambles back and pulls a waterskin from his belt, pouring the water onto his reddened face to wash away the poison.

Still standing Alenea and Ankhet wipe the sludge from their face and shrug, the poison sticky but ineffective.

Alenea looks over at Ankhet as the bugbear helps Cadfan to his feet. Her fist clenches in her pockets as she grips the snapped lockpick from the warehouse. Pulling her bunched hands from her pockets she throws the broken pick to the side and steps up to the lock.

---

Alenea grins to herself as the lock slides back into the door with a thunk.

With the four locks pushed back the door slides open and the group steps through the door. Filling the center of the room a glowing orb of energy spins. Around the generator a pair of rings orbit, one gold and one platinum.

Alenea stares up at the precious metal bands, a pang of greed drawing her eyes towards them.

"Hello, what are you doing here?"

She shakes her head and looks down to where the voice came from.