The fog soon dissipated, sucked through the cracks in the walls. There was a brief moment of confusion as the group gathered their thoughts as they regained their sight. Although Danton, Xera and Raneaux had presumed Deanna had been in similar circumstances; her initial emotional breakdown and continuous sobbing proved otherwise. The dim light provided enough for Danton to see her clearly but he constantly blinked in disbelief. Her skin was turning pale and translucent. It was similar to the creatures they had encountered but there was something different; her skin did not have a pinkish hue, it was in fact turning green. She looked at the group and saw their eyes staring at her and she instantly withdrew into herself. A curled up against the wall and huddled, pulling her knees into her chest. Danton went to go comfort her but the conversation was awkward at best, he fumbled over his words and she seemed unable to stop crying.
Mhaast looked down at both of them, a little confused about the way Danton was reacting. It was not until Xera shouted at him that he broke his concentration. He seemed frightened, although intrigued. The fog has left its mark on Mhaast as well, although he did not feel it at first. It was only when Xera pointed out a biomechanical tendril that he felt the change. It was a composite of flesh and metal, the same as his own body but it seemed to resemble a scorpion's tail protruding from his lower back. With hardly any effort, he found he was able to control it as instinctively as his own limbs. Raneaux was not concerned with any of it and was back with the stone table. She had been trying to work out what the room was used and if she could deactivate the field that blocked their way.
Now a little more confident in his walk, Mhaast strode over to the table and plugged himself back in. He gave a wink to Raneaux as he did so. The language that had initially confused him was slowly forming into words he understood. There were snippets of brief phrases, 'containment lockdown', 'experiment chambers' and 'security protocols'. Xera assumed on this information that the hexagons beneath their feet were a kind of identification and presumed that the colours all of them bar Raneaux were sporting were not in their favour. Mhaast found more information, a possibility to change their status via a security panel but the map he had found within the stone systems resembled nothing of their surroundings. He was thankfully however able to remove the light barrier but other than that, he was stumped.
Deanna, with a lot of coaxing, had finally calmed down although her mind raced with what she was becoming. She desperately wanted to escape and led the way back to the central chamber, grabbing Danton's hand so he kept up as they passed the creatures that were still losing their minds. She breathed a little easier being by the water and hardly noticed Danton's hand lingering a little longer in her grasp. Xera coughed as he looked over to them both and Danton quickly pulled his hand to his side. For a split second Lina appeared to Deanna, in a room full of toys surrounded by tall pale figures. The room was dim and the figures were illuminated in the darkness. She had a smile on her face, seemingly content. Deanna dared not blink in case this was real but her eyes succumbed to dust and as she blinked she found herself being helped up by Danton from the floor. They were all concerned now. She had fallen without speaking but her eyes remained open for more than a minute, staring blankly at the cavern ceiling. Danton was visibly shaken, a side Xera had not seen which made him nervous as well. His bravado tried to cover it up, telling Mhaast and Xera to search the side of the cave system where they were currently, while he and the two girls crossed the waters to the other bank to explore.
This didn't sit well with Xera but seeing how well armed Mhaast was gave him comfort and the man's ties with Silas would hopefully mean he was seasoned fighter. After Raneaux re-established her mental link with them, they left the three and headed to the second pathway. The stone floor gave way to more metal plates. The walls too resembled that of the cavern with the stone table. To the right of them they found another set of pillars opening out into a smaller chamber. The path ahead wrapped around to the left and blocked their view so they decided to take their chances on the room. There was a stone table inside, angled facing the back wall. Flanking this were two statues. They were similar to that of the creatures they had encountered before but far larger. Every muscle in their bodies were nearly bursting out of their skin casing. The sculptures were similar in composition to that of Mhaast; with tubes, wires and ports at every angle, as well as a myriad of implants and plates.
Xera hesitated for a second before Mhaast pushed him through into the room. Their light orange hexagons beneath their feet darkened. An audible crack of stone came from the back of the room, as the wires shook, and the tubes started to throb with a grey liquid. Mhaast launched into the left one as soon as he heard the sound. He cleaved his great axe into the creature, dismembering an arm before it was able to fully gain consciousness. The stone-like quality of both of them were slowly fading into flesh as Xera fired a bolt of energy from his Shatterstone. They pummelled the creature again and again as it was brought to life, turning from rock and flesh to body parts and crystal. The last bolt fired by Xera finished off the creature. It's body fully crystallised on impact and it explosively shattered, sending shards of crystal towards Mhaast. As he took cover to avoid the shrapnel, the second statue had come to life. It loomed over him, breathing heavily with the sound of pistons and pulsing liquid echoing in the chamber.
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