Story Arc #4 Hero of Pendown
Securing the Control Room
“Wormhole?”
This is a continuation of Eshami’s Healing Word, part of a ‘Choose Your Own’ tale. Check out how you can contribute, as well as read other amazing entries here.
Defeat the flesh golems in the room while Eshami smashes the machines.
The lightning arcs were definitely not hurting the flesh golems; could they actually be invigorating them?
There was only one way to find out!
“Eshami, smash those devices! I’ll fight the monsters!”
You step in-between Eshami and the two fleshy automatons, readying your blade as you do so. The two golem-like creatures lunge at you, their mechanical gears whirring as they swing at you haphazardly.
You notice that, although menacing, these monsters are hardly a match for you and your blade, and between fire and ice attacks, you are able to fell one almost immediately.
There is a crackle of lightning and thunder as a bolt of electricity shoots out from one of the machines that Eshami is demolishing with her longsword. The bolt arcs between the devices, striking the fallen golem.
You see its eyes reignite and its gears begin to whir again.
You were right! It was regenerating!
“Hurry, Eshami!” you call out as you slide past the fallen golem to parry a strike from the still fighting one.
The golem on the ground was struggling to stand up, flailing and thrashing its arms and legs.
It was still dangerous.
Eshami obliterates one of the devices she had been beating with her sword, its mechanical sounds finally falling silent.
One down, one to go, you think with a smirk.
You slam your foot down on the chest of the golem struggling to rise up off the ground, and impale it with your sword. It sparks and convulses, then falls silent and still.
You look up at the second one, backing up slowly towards the end of the room. A large window behind it displays flickering black and white horizontal lines that zigzag across it.
The second golem’s eyes glow more brightly suddenly, and the beast lunges toward you, flailing its arms in an attempt to knock you aside. It lands a couple of good blows, but you manage to deflect most of the force with your blade — just.
Eshami has now smashed all the arcing devices in the room with her blade. She switches back to her hand crossbow to provide you with support.
“Aww, thanks Eshami!” you say over-affectionately as you continue your fight with the monster.
A bolt whizzes by your ear, narrowly missing the giant target you just placed on the back of your head. You hear a brief giggle from her.
Hey, wasn’t I supposed to be your great hero? you ask yourself.
Oh well. I guess I deserved that one.
The monster trips and stumbles over a pile of debris in the back of the room with the fuzzy window — it was either some kind of magic portal or a really bad work of art!
You make an opportunity of the creature’s stumble, and jump at it, slashing with your icy blade. Its thrashing slows as you continue, unrelenting, until its limbs fall limp onto the metallic floor with a clang.
The room is silent save for you and Eshami now, with the creatures defeated and the arcing lightning devices destroyed.
“What manner of room is this?” Eshami asks, looking around the room. Her usual air of calm and serenity is slowly returning.
“Well, if this is the control room of a ship,” you reason, stabbing at random debris on the cluttered floor, “then perhaps this Control Room acts as both the bridge and command center. Look at all these strange devices…”
You kick the dead golem at the front of the room out of the way and half-heartedly stab at the pile of refuse under the fuzzy window.
“Ouch!”
You nearly jump into the air at the unexpected yelp. You were poking around for loot — a passive habit — but instead, you discovered a person in the rubble!
A bloodied and bruised hand slowly reaches out to you. You glance at Eshami, who stands in stunned awe. You keep your weapon ready, but grasp the hand with your other and pull with all your might.
A human male is attached to the hand!
He looks injured and sickly. You suddenly remember the potion Eshami gave you earlier, uncap its rubber stopper and shove it down the man’s throat. He coughs and gags, eventually waving you back.
“It tastes awful, but it works,” you reassure the man with a smile. “Maybe you can tell us what’s going on here finally.”
The man looks at you strangely, tilting his head to the side as a puppy would.
Eshami steps up to you to whisper in your ear. “Maybe he will understand Celestial.” She turns to him and offers a simple greeting in the language of the divine.
His ears perk up, and he gasps audibly.
Eshami practically vibrates with joy. She slowly introduces you both to the man and waits for his response.
He touches some metallic badge on his neck and turns to you. He begins to speak, and after an instant, you understand his words.
“ — activated my translator. Can you understand me now?” he asks you, then looks to Eshami.
Somehow, his lips moved, but the sound you heard was different, changed. It seems the man could speak in many tongues, including yours!
“Thank you for saving my life,” he says thankfully, offering what in his world might have been a salute or a gesture of greeting. “How did you get here?”
You explain to him that an angel summoned you, teleported you onto the Ark, then left you to fend for yourself. Thankfully, he seemed as confused by this as you.
Perhaps teleporting angels aren’t a thing where he is from, either!
He returns your kindness by describing the events that led him and his ship here. “The ship was heading right for the singularity, just as we planned, but then — there was blackness, followed by explosions, and all our controls went dead. When I came to the Pilot Servitors had lost their damn minds and attacked me!”
Pilot Servitors. Those golems were merely the ship’s drivers?
“I’m sorry, but they attacked first. I had to kill them,” you confess.
The man held out his arms. “Don’t apologize! They attacked me too…” he looked pensive for a moment. “Perhaps traveling through the wormhole changed them somehow — made them behave differently…”
“Wormhole?”
He nods. “We are probably on the other side of the wormhole, yes.” He examines my confused stare and elaborates. “A bridge between our two worlds. We always assumed it would fly us into oblivion, yet… here we are…”
He takes an uneasy step forward and holds out his hand. “First contact protocol, then. I am Ark Attendant Olear Dom. Pleasure.”
You stifle a gasp. This was the man that you had been warned about! But was the threat credible? Who was the creature who had died in Eshami’s arms?
What was the angel’s true reason for sending you here?
Do you:
- Ignore the dead man’s warning and try to gather more information? (Click here)
- Immediately attack Olear and question his motives? (Click here.)
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