Duty Session 539: Isle of the Terraformers

The Island lies a good distance to the South of what many would consider the furthest reaches of mainland Yamato. Even the boat that left the Adventurers off here, refuses to come closer to shore, having anchored a distance out and provided longboats for landing. To say that the island is overgrown is an understatement. Plant life is in abundance here, growing into thick jungles of entwined leaves. Even the trunks of various trees have weaved together, creating massive natural structures that stretch high into the skyline. More unusual, though, is that there seems to be steam coming up from various points on the island in regular patterns. Upon investigating further, the group had stumbled upon what looked to be a domed entryway into some ancient ruin, now overgrown with foliage. Above, tucked against some rocks, a spout releases white steam into the air. Those with keen ears may pick up the strange clunk of moving machines in the distance, far below.

Haru has been putting big distance (tm) between himself and the War of the Dragons in light of the recent events. His days are spent in Shibuya working on political, economical, or artisinal efforts. It is a real slide towards how he spent the first year in Elder Tales, back when he was not Adventuring. Even back then he occasionally did go out for rare materials that were hard to find on the market or people just didnt sell. Bind on Pickup style items. It feels 'odd' for him to go on a Gathering question for the Hunters Guild after all that has happened. Here he is, though, back on an island that inspired Terra's drill arms and later on his Magitek Beam. Retrace your roots.

Goldenblade is here as well, having joined the mission for another chance to have a look at the technical side of how things are put together here in this game. We may not have electrical power or motor cars, but physics seems to work, and some of the things she can find here might help jumpstart things. A bulldozer, should she be able to make one, would be fantastic. So this is a relic-hunting mossion, for her, as much as anything else.

Having checked all her gear, she reports, "Ready," and stands by as we come into sight of that odd entrance, but she does not look concerned or worried. Rather, she's looking around curiously. "This place is far south of Yamato, it stands to reason things grow here that don't grow natively in Yamato. Tropical fruits and vegetables, certainly." Sadly, that's all logic and zero knowledge of botany.

Erufu has noticed Haru's changes but he's working very hard to help Shiubuy and she was happy to lend him a hand in aquiring what he needs. It also be an adventure. So here she was checking over her gear, her quiver is checkeed, bow checked boots and a very nice looking cloak she's not been seen with before.

"Is there anything we need to keep in mind for what you need to do Haru? Same for you Goldenblade?"

The entrance into this mysterious, ancient ruin seems to be blocked by a strange, stone door. There is metal inlaid into portions of it, giving the impression of some feat of mechanical engineering that must have come from some earlier age. Vines cling around the edge of the entrance, but the fact that this has not been overgrown suggests someone, or something, has been making its way through from time to time. To one side of the entrance, there is a series of carvings in some ancient Gnomish tongue, the sort of thing that few of the modern age would understand. Then again, the wise may pick out a word or two of instruction. Otherwise, the door seems to be a massive, circular slab with gold lines that weave over the surface. At various points, there are indents where it looks as if objects should be inserted, but there are none obvious to be found. Lines extend out from these holes in the door, giving obvious signs that some sort of power source is required in order to open it. Even if the right 'keys' can't be found, perhaps something equivalent can be enchanted to imbue enough energy to open the way forward.

"The isle has items that are similar to my Artifice. I'll keep an out for those since it requires me to Appraise them with the crafting skills I have. The other thing to look out for are the elemental crystals. Universally helpful in enchanting," Haru informs Erufu. And as fate would have it, the entrance requires a bit of enchanting knowhow. "This was one of my favorite places to go to in terms of exploration. Shibuya's Underground has that now, for as deep as it will or wont go." His hand reaches out to trace the circuits, making notes on how to power the door.

Goldenblade shakes her heard to Erufu, "I'm just being a tourist, looking around. Though with an eye to development, because of the tropical climate. Landers will almost certainly jump at the chance, given the climate. You know the three most important things in real estate: Location, location, and location." Having uttered that ancient cliche, however true it may be, she says, "But it'll take a lot of work to get this place ready, even after we subdue the monsters."

When we get to this dread portal, she will examine it, though no way in presents itself. She's more attempting to understand the interrelationship of the parts, what things move when others are actuated, or if anything does anything at all. "This is entirely mysterious," she determines with a disappointed sigh. "More of the 'magic' nonsense, I'm afraid. Someone else will have to work out what it's use is."

Erufu says "Oh I see, so you wish to see if you can learn new things for your craft? I'll do my best to not damage anythying you wish to keep. So long as it doesn't look like it would cost either of your lives. Humans lives are far too unfairly short as it is." She's still rping and will likely /never/ stop. Still it doesn't seem to mess with her fuctioning maybe it's just how she copes? Either way the Elf will pause as she start to lok about ears twitching as she searches for the source of what they seek.

She looks back to Goldenblade.

"The problem is this location is infested with monster but once that is finished? With someone like you and Haru heading thing it should be only a matter of time till it's repaired."

While there is still the hiss and clank of activity within the ruins, there are also many signs that this place has been long abandoned. Spider webs cling to the walls and dust is thick on most surfaces. The entire facility looks as if it is some sort of combination of stone and metalwork, with ornate pillars that have worn from age and stone slabs with strange wire-like filigree within them. As the party moves further into the ruins, there is a strange skittering of metal on stone that first alerts them that they are not alone in this place. In the distance, a single red light blinks. It is soon followed by others as the skittering grows louder. Out of the shadows, a number of mechanical spiders make their way forward, moving with erratic, jittery motions. They are flagged as monsters by the system. The red glowing sections seem to act as their eyes. As guardians to the ruins, they have obviously identified the Adventurers as trespassers. The mechanical spiders leap at the unwary, shoot sticky filament at others, and scratch at them with sharp, metal legs.

"I know we may have to fight. Our safety is first. If we can reduce damage? Great, so long as we dont lose sight of the fact dangerous things in here can send us to the Church." He thinks about it for a moment, "If we ever cleared the isle out, I'd put a research facility here. My progress is determined by the Goddess' notice, it seems, but Im positioned to Handle machina style monsters like those from Angelic Layer. Battle dolls. The gnomes had good ideas about how." The silver haired Artificer Pratt-Keeps the mechanical spiders. That is to say, he puts both hands out in the universal sign of 'Calm down'. His four ioun stones come out and work on setting the hostility mode to 'Neutral'. There is a degree of 'can you Handle machina monsters' to his theory being proven as he is able to deactivate several to study.

Goldenblade looks to Erufu, then looks to Haru, then back to Erufu. "Yes," she says to Erufu, "That's my conclusion also." And then we are attacked by the mechanical spiders, who seem too small and numerous to fight against effectively, and while the individual damage is small, there are so, so many, and they're so small that striking at them bats them away rather than smashing them. That makes them almost immune to Goldenblade's strikes, and leaves her grumbling sourly, "We don't need to keep -any- of these pests."

Erufu is taking note of this place and it's quite the wonder when she sees the various thing though the mecha spiders? Oh dear mecha /spiders/ She does not like the look of that as she draws her bow and will open attempt to do as Haru asks as she engages the monsters just letting lose with the arcane magic within it upon the machina.

Haru can't 'capture' monsters in any event. He can handle them. The two are exclusive skills just like Mining and Metalworking are exclusive skills. "You don't have to," he says after he sends one of the mecha-spiders away, "/we/ will. You dont have to be a part of it." He writes a few notes about the use of machina to defend Shibuya, bolster the Kunie ingress points below the Root Cities, and search below the Towers. Heretical ideas.

The sound of machinery seems to grow louder as the group traverses further into the depths of the ancient ruins. It's obvious that this is not simply some abandoned place, but a full on dungeon. It seems that there is some sort of location sensitivity, as they come to a certain section of a narrower tunnel and giant blades shoot up in front of them. The large, metallic blades extend from a central column, fanning outward before spinning in place, neatly blocking the way forward through to the chambers beyond. It's at that point that the group spots their first 'Terraformer'. A dark creature with strangely metallic accents sticking out of the arms, standing in a hunched position. It seems to watch them from beyond the trap, as if considering them. Then, retreats down a set of stairs. The group is left standing in front of the trap, left to their own creative devices in order to determine the best way to disable it so they can continue forward.

"We did similar in protecting our Kunie during the Yamato side of the war," Haru says as he watches the blades, "and the Palace Landers didn't even get close. Whereas, who was on watch for the one they tried to raid? Thankfully that samurai was there to stop them."

Goldenblade grumbles sourly at not having to. She /wants/ to contribute, that's why she's here. When she can't contribute, she feels handcuffed by the game. But she smiles at seeing the trap in the path forward because -that- is something she can contribute to. Or at least contribute to disabling. But what she says is, "OSHA would tear the people up. These deathtraps are so not up to standards." She pulls a Repair Hammer from her inventory, but what she's doing isn't quite repair, like locking the swing-arm into place so the blades don't swing. That sort of repair. "Ah, now it's 'safe'," she quips.

Erufu does wonder if eventually some sort of goblin hunter machina could be made someday? She will focus on the matter at hand as they enter into area with the blade traps. She'll take a moment to look at them. She does have some weapon forging skill and she'll put that to work in helping to disarm the trap.

"I have an idea see that point there..." She'll be very swift in moving to disarm the trap.

Following the retreating form of one of the 'Terraformers' the group finds themselves moving down a narrow stone stairway, broken in places and strewn with bits of rubble. At the bottom, the passage opens into an absolutely massive room that seems to have been entirely overrun, not only by plants, but by the 'Terraformers' themselves. The room is so massive that they cannot truly grasp the size, the walls hidden by foliage. Above, there is some sort of observation structure, but it is out of their reach. The hunched, black creatures move in and out of the forest, as if this place were some sort of obsession. The jungle seems to have no creatures living in it, only a startling variety of unusual plants that the 'Terraformers' seem to be caring for. Many of these do not look native to Yamato, or perhaps to any part of the natural world that they are aware of. There are many of the creatures here, a perfect time to strike from the many hiding places and thin out their numbers. It's even possible that a skilled herbalist might be able to turn their own plants against the creatures, trapping them here so they cannot escape and bring havoc to the outside world.

Haru takes a different approach to the situation and fires up his higher Appraisal style skills. It is more like an edgerunner hacker than it is a magic-slinging Artificer. Assessing the Terraformers and the plants that they are looking at. If this is a Testing facility, then the data in here is what is highly valuable.

Goldenblade looks around this place, and says, "This place is the sort of resource-source that I think a lot of people in Yamato have been looking for. Let's leave it as it is for now, without breaking too much?" So saying, she will creep forward stealthily and vanish from sight in a few steps, the foliage barely shifting at her passage. The plant tending terraformers, or whatever they are, totally are not programmed to find her, and she sneaks past them, though at one point, she does have to pause, retrace her steps, and choose another path.

Erufu can normally sneak pretty well when she makes certain preperations. She had not expected such so her cloak of Elvinkind is not here but back in her storage. Woops that was a major mistake. Too late now she does have some sneaking skills. When you hang out with Goblin Slayer you learn how to sneak one way or another but today it does not go well as she attempts to sneak through this place...but damn where did Goldenblade go?!

Beyond the strange laboratory and testing facility, everything about the dungeon seems to change. The tunnel that leads onward is no longer finely cut from stone, inlaid with golden wiring. Instead, it seems to have been rough hewn out of stone, with rubble lining the side of the passageway. The passageway weaves in different directions and the floor beneath their feet is nowhere near flat. They must be beyond the scope of the original Gnomish facility now. A low hum and a rumble of earth seems to greet them as they step out into a wide, natural cave. The source is immediately visible. A giant robotic machine with a pointed drill-bit seems to be burrowing into the wall of the cave. Accompanied by two of the smaller 'Terraformers', this massive drill seems to be trying to expand the facility, extending the reach of the 'Terraformers' into new places. If the chaos they have seen is any sign of what this could bring, it needs to be stopped here and now. One of the creatures riding the machine seems to indicate the Adventurers, and immediately the party finds themselves aggressed by the enemy. The giant machine seems faster than one might expect, trying to run them down in the close confines of the cavern. It may be made to burrow through the earth, but possibly not to have it rain down onto delicate machinery, and there are those convenient stalactites hanging above them.

It may be a high fantasy world, but Haru is not going to pass up a mecha battle. He summons out Terra, a hulking earth elemental summon with drill arms similar to the Drill-Digger and the two clash in combat. Haru directs his summon, climbing aboard Terra's back as they exchange blows. That is until the engine starts vrrring up. Time to show this boss the upgrade: Magitek Beam. Honkin chonkin mecha damage in anime flair.

Goldenblade fades from sight again, blades gleaming, and lets the mecha battle begin without her. This is deliberate, as it helps when someone, or something else, has picked up the aggro before she strikes. Once this has happened, though, she comes out of hiding directly behind the big mecha and drives her blade deep into it. This costs it almost an entire health bar just by itself, though it also picks up a huge amount of aggro. It doesn't matter when the strike is a killing blow, which is the intent, but when it's not, she spends most of the rest of the fight on the defensive. Still, the damage was pretty huge.

Before Long Erufu and her friend are able to press on as they seem to be seeing more and mroe types of Terraformers. "Humm looks like they are trying to expand things." She too won't pass up a mecha battle in the darkness of her mind the intro to mazinger may or may not be rolling about. She readies her bow. She'll start chanting as the elf does know some magic, golden runes dance about her as she finishes up turning the power of Thon Calamity upon the robot in an attempt to hold the machina in place for her friends to deal with!

The 'Terraformer' drivers seem the easiest part of the boss to eliminate, but it still seems to act, even without their guidance. After a time, it's clear that the machine can't take the onslaught of damage that the Adventurers can throw at it. Piece by piece, it begins to fail, the drill stopping, the treads and wheels falling off, and finally it seems to stop all-together. Then, the machine begins to tremble, giving them only a moment's notice before it explodes, filling the room with dust and debris.The Adventurers are able to protect themselves from the area-of-effect damage, but there isn't much left in the aftermath. Within the crushed pieces of metal and rock, there are a few bits of shattered crystal which seem to glow with a strange connection to the earth. The 'Terraformers' have been stopped here, for now...

Haru isnt able to locate crystals or gear that he can make use of, but there is enough in the form of new data to call it a win. Always tickles his Earth Mastery bone to delve deep.

Erufu lwoer her bow as the fith come to and end and she'll rummage about looking for anything of note. All she does find is some gold and a crystal which she'll happilly let Haru take a look at.

"Goldenblade!? Haru shall we go get something to eat to celebrate?!"

Goldenblade smiles as the boss finally goes down, and she grunts wityh satisfaction at a job well done. "That was a hard fight," she says. But with the tone of having won that hard fight. "Yeah, let's eat," she agrees.