[Hanako] Chapter 14: Southern Mining Site

[Throndir]

Mining Site #2 - 5th Level - Exploring Section 7
Day 16 - 6 PM - 7 PM

You fired your rifle again, scoring another hit. Combined with one of the summons which smashed it further with its own attacks, the machine was finally at a point it could no longer take any more damage.

"Self destruct sequence initiated." The robotic voice called out. The moment it finished it exploded. Kari managed to roll away in time, reducing the impact of the explosion, along with one of her skeletal dragons, but the rest took the full brunt of it. Another skeleton was completely obliterated, with the rest taking a good deal of damage.

Trudy shot her rifle at one of the remaining drones, but at that moment, the drones seemed to all crash down. The one that Trudy shot at was completely destroyed and even exploded once it hit the ground, luckily no one was near it when it self-destructed. The other drones took varying amounts of damage, though were still in one piece.

[okay]You leveled up.
You leveled up.
You leveled up.
You have gained a new title『Their Own Mind』
You have gained +2 INT.
You leveled up.
You are now level 46, spend your unallocated points.[/okay]

Looking towards your companions, Kari looked pretty bad. She didn't fully recover from the last battle, and now she looked extremely sleepy as well. The small minion army Kari had summoned was down by three. You knew very well that those summons were pretty powerful as well. Your own golem was nothing more than a melted pile of crystals and stones. Judging by how Kari looked, you doubted that she had enough mana to recreate the summons.

Apart from the fresh wreck, there were 5 inactive drones spread about, all of them slightly damaged from the fall, but at least not destroyed. There were plenty of other similar wrecks in this cavern, and you noticed that they were all lined up, separate about 40 ft. from each other, though, due to the lighting, you couldn't quite tell how many of them were here. At the very least, there was no more attacks coming from anywhere else.

[spoiler=Exploration]Log
9-10 AM: Head deeper to Section 1, success, encountered ruins.
10-11 AM: Head deeper to Section 2, success, encountered nothing.
11-12 PM: Head deeper to Section 3, success, encountered moist stone creature.
Noon-1 PM: Head deeper to Section 4, success, encountered nothing.
1-2 PM: Head deeper to Section 5, success, encountered mushroom forest, lizard-like creatures.
2-3 PM: Treat Deadly Wounds, found alcove, encountered nothing.
3-4 PM: Gathering Mage's Gift liquid, encountered nothing.
4-5 PM: Head deeper to Section 6, success, encountered violet fungus.
5-6 PM: Head deeper to Section 7, success, encountered nothing.
6-7 PM: Explore section 7, success, encountered active ruins.
Current: Section 7[/spoiler]

[Asta]

"That was a more costly encounter than I would have hoped for. Let's get some rest, though I cant say I really wanted to camp out down here. I'll search the area for somewhere we can post up. We can explore these ruins when we wake."

[info]Hanako is going to take a look around for somewhere relatively safe to set up camp and the party will rest 8 hours. They can do a watch rotation of Hanako, Trudy, Kari so that the later can get the most rest.

Survival, if you need that for finding a camp spot:
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 18 + 10, total 28[/blockquote][/info]

[Throndir]

Mining Site #2 - 5th Level - Section 7 - Turret Ruins
Day 16 - 6 PM - 7 PM

Trudy went over to one of the now non-functional helicopter drones.

"T-this is amazing." Trudy said. "Hanako, can we bring one with us? I think Minette would love to see it. Or even Wendy, she likes to tinker with things."

Mining Site #2 - 5th Level - Section 7 - Campsite
Day 16 - 7 PM

[info]Survival (find a secure campsite): 28
You managed to find a campsite, it wasn't even very far from the canon-like turret. In fact, it was situated in the same room, and just like the previous cavern alcove with only a single entrance in and out, this too was much the same way, though the tunnel leading up to it was harder to spot. It was a plain room, without anything special in it, but had enough room for everyone save for the summons.[/info]

Unlike last time, Kari, who was visibly showing fatigue, unsummoned all but one of her summons. Leaving the one that looked the most able still functioning as a guard right outside the alcove.

Like last time, Kari started a spell as arcane symbols appeared on both her, you, and Trudy. It was the spell that boosted natural healing. Though if last time was any indication, it wouldn't be enough to fully heal someone. Though it would indeed help. You still had all of that Mage's Gift liquid from the plant earlier however.

[Asta]

"Sure, lets see if we can fit it in one of our packs. My world actually had some things like this, so I might actually be able to help her look it over." Hanako collected one of the deactivated drones before the group set off looking for a spot to camp.



With a suitable site found and camp established Hanako took first watch so Trudy and Kari could get some much needed rest. While keeping an eye out for threats, she queried the little status window hoping it would reveal information on the title she gained after destroying the canon.

[info]Perception for while on watch:
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 14 + 10, total 24[/blockquote][/info]

[Throndir]

Querying the status window, specifically, going into the titles list, and focusing in one the newest title『Their Own Mind』, didn't seem fruitful.

[okay]Focusing on 『Their Own Mind』
???[/okay]
There were cases when various titles or terms had definitions, but yet there were cases where the descriptions were rather vague, or simply outputted those question marks whenever you attempted to view them. This newest title seemed to be of the latter.

[info]You can roll an INT check for this, or we keep RPing it out.[/info]
[info]Hanako's Perception (watch duty): 24
The rest of your watch went by uneventfully. Considering how many different monsters were down here, it was actually rather surprising. Perhaps it dealt with the fact that you found a campsite so near the skeletal remains of perhaps hundreds of creatures over many many years, or perhaps it was the fact that you found such a good campsite that was easily defensible and out of the way. Either way, all you heard was the soft breathing of your two companions nearby. The skeleton that Kari summoned, you suspected would last up until Kari herself was up to refresh the spell, but even that creature was deathly silent, only moving when it needed to.[/info]

Mining Site #2 - 5th Level - Section 7 - Turret Ruins
Day 17 - Early Morning

[info]Let me know what time, roughly, you wake up. Anytime 3 AM or after is fine. You won't actually know in-character unless you have a timepiece with you, but it's just for me to use to keep track of time if you do end up outside.[/info]

Morning eventually came. Trudy had the final watch, as Kari had wanted to be awake to refresh the summoning spell she had. But you eventually woke up to the sight of a torch, with Trudy sitting next to your sleeping form, writing away at a notebook she kept with her.

"... ohayou." Trudy said to you, you heard 'good morning', but unlike the previous times you had heard it, her mouth movements matched what you were hearing. So you recognized it as Japanese. "Minette taught me to say that before we had to leave... But I'm not really sure it's morning either." Trudy explained smiling softly as you as she put away the notebook.

[Asta]

Of course. Hanako thought, seeing the unhelpful little window pop up. She had a feeling she knew what the ability did, so she spent her time at watch puzzling it over in her brain.

[info]Int check to try and figure it out:
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+7 : 12 + 7, total 19[/blockquote][/info]


[info]Getting up at 3 A.M or about that.[/info]
Hanako awoke to Trudy's gentle greeting, surprised a little at hearing Japanese come out of the girls mouth. "Ah, subarashii!" she replied, distinctly pronouncing each syllable so that it would actually come out as Japanese. "Very nicely done!"

She stretched after standing up. "Might as well be morning as far as we're concerned. Was good to get a proper rest. Everyone feeling better?" She helped to pack up camp as she spoke, not wanting to waste too much time. After eating a breakfast of whatever the rations they brought along, it would be time to set off again exploring.

[info]Exploring the ruins:
Survival:
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 14 + 10, total 24[/blockquote]
Perception:
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 12 + 10, total 22[/blockquote][/info]

[Asta]

Before heading out, Hanako took care to summon some golems. This time she tried to use the metal alloys that comprised some of the ruins to make two medium sized golems to serve as the group's front line.

[info]Summon golem, twice, striking a good balance between offense and defense.[/info]

[Throndir]

[info]Hanako's Intelligence: 19
Seeing the question marks, you recall seeing a couple times before that the information would only appear once you've actually experienced one of the blessings first-hand. In a way, it served as a simple reminder to what they were. However, in cases like these where you hadn't actually experienced it, the description usually kept itself vague.

Specifically 'Their Own Mind' could have related with the ability to summon golems, or potentially even the item speaker blessing.[/info]

Mining Site #2 - 5th Level - Campsite
Day 17 - 3 AM

After the group had woken up, Kari refreshed her summons, though, she only animated a single bone dragon and one of the bipedal sonic creatures this time around. She wanted to bring the extra bones with her, but there was simply no way to store all of it, and she had to conserve her mana to make the summoning last. She was confident in the abilities of her summons however. On one of those summons, a backpack was thrown together as well, to hold the drone along with some of their supplies. Kari had wanted to gather bones, but unfortunately there was really no other backpacks to hold as many bones it would take for another complete summon.

When creating your own golem, you noticed that the fields "Intelligence", "Charisma", and "Wisdom" were now points that you could assign ranks into. However, going with the fact you wanted guards, you focused on the physical attributes. As expected your MP points had gone down, and the upkeep from your previous active golems took a minor toll on the pool. Your own summons seemed to be a lot more efficient than Kari's. Eventually you created two of them, using the rubble of the ruins, to act as guards.

Both golems were made of parts of the canon, and as a result looked almost robot-like, with various wires and cables through their body. They weren't really connected in any meaningful way, though there were sparks of electricity that sparkled forth in their body as they moved.

Mining Site #2 - 5th Level - Towards Section 8
Day 17 - 3-4 AM

Soon enough the group was ready to move on. The pathways in the caverns were getting a lot more windy and confusing, however you were still able to make good progress. You noticed that attempting to navigate through the areas have become progressively harder, but you had a keen sense of direction and travel as you lead the group in direction.

There was a lot more various ruins the deeper in you went through. Though, none of them nearly as complete as the automated canon you had encountered earlier.

[info]Call out if you're using healing items  to heal up the rest of the damage. If so, state who's using them, and roll for the healing as well. It's 1d2 per Mage's Gift used. Current hitpoint after natural healing + Kari's spell is below for easy reference. We can have them used after yours and Kari's summoning abilities, so some MP is gained as well.

Kari: Injured
Trudy: 65/65
Hanako: 123/128[/info]

[spoiler=Exploration]Marching Order: Kari's summons, Hanako's golem, Kari, Trudy and Hanako

Log
9-10 AM: Head deeper to Section 1, success, encountered ruins.
10-11 AM: Head deeper to Section 2, success, encountered nothing.
11-12 PM: Head deeper to Section 3, success, encountered moist stone creature.
Noon-1 PM: Head deeper to Section 4, success, encountered nothing.
1-2 PM: Head deeper to Section 5, success, encountered mushroom forest, lizard-like creatures.
2-3 PM: Treat Deadly Wounds, found alcove, encountered nothing.
3-4 PM: Gathering Mage's Gift liquid, encountered nothing.
4-5 PM: Head deeper to Section 6, success, encountered violet fungus.
5-6 PM: Head deeper to Section 7, success, encountered nothing.
6-7 PM: Explore section 7, success, encountered active ruins.
7PM - 3 AM: Sleeping
3-4 AM: Head deeper to Section 8, success, encountered something. Thread pending.[/spoiler]

[Throndir]

[info]Side thread spawned, pausing main thread until I see how side thread might conclude as (But anything before marching out is fine to continue/resolve): Chapter 14.2: Submission[/info]

[Throndir]

[info]Perception and Survival requested for Heading Deeper[/info]

[Asta]

[info]Perception:
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 3 + 10, total 13[/blockquote]
Survival:
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 4 + 10, total 14[/blockquote][/info]

[Throndir]

Mining Site #2 - 5th Level - Lost - Section 7, 8 or 9?
Day 17 - 4-5 AM

"Watch out!" Kari suddenly called out as 5 long and thin strands came from somewhere above. The strands found themselves attaching to both of Kari's summons, along with your two golems.

The last one was targetted towards Kari, and though she wasn't caught flat-footed, she wasn't able to get away either. Kari gritted her teeth as she along with the summons and golems began being lifted up into the air, caught like fish on a fishing line.

Pulling out her weapon, Kari struck out towards the strand, managing to slice it, then rolling away as she tumbled back to the ground.

"Tis above us!"

Above the group, about 40 ft. up looked to be a strange creature. It had the head of a squid, but had long tentacles from it. Four of the five tentacles attached themselves to the summons and even now was slowly pulling them up. It was still it may have passed off as a stalagmite, save for the one eye at its center with a maw full of sharp teeth.

[info]Initiative requested.[/info]

[spoiler=Exploration]Marching Order: Kari's summons, Hanako's golem, Kari, Trudy and Hanako

Log
9-10 AM: Head deeper to Section 1, success, encountered ruins.
10-11 AM: Head deeper to Section 2, success, encountered nothing.
11-12 PM: Head deeper to Section 3, success, encountered moist stone creature.
Noon-1 PM: Head deeper to Section 4, success, encountered nothing.
1-2 PM: Head deeper to Section 5, success, encountered mushroom forest, lizard-like creatures.
2-3 PM: Treat Deadly Wounds, found alcove, encountered nothing.
3-4 PM: Gathering Mage's Gift liquid, encountered nothing.
4-5 PM: Head deeper to Section 6, success, encountered violet fungus.
5-6 PM: Head deeper to Section 7, success, encountered nothing.
6-7 PM: Explore section 7, success, encountered active ruins.
7PM - 3 AM: Sleeping
3-4 AM: Head deeper to Section 8, success, encountered flying brain.
4-5 AM: Head deeper to Section 9, fail, now lost.

[include u=2]Explored Section 9[/include][/spoiler]

[spoiler]Initiative:
Log
Surprise Round
Kari and Creature is aware of each other.
Creature attacks with strands. Captures all.
Kari attacks strand, escapes.[/spoiler]

[Asta]

"Oh what the fuck is it NOW!?"

[info]Initiative:
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+12 : 5 + 12, total 17[/blockquote][/info]

[Throndir]

Mining Site #2 - 5th Level - Lost - Section 7, 8 or 9?
Day 17 - 4-5 AM

With four of it's tentacles slowly pulling up the summons. It fired off the other two, one of which was just recently attacked by Kari, towards you and Trudy. It missed you completely, but even though Trudy attempted to get out of the way, the sticky tentacle managed to attach itself to her, wrapping around her leg.

Out of instinct, Trudy grabbed on to the strand to attempt to pull it off, though she seemed sluggish in her movements.

Already both Trudy and the summons were being pulled up further. Trudy, in an upside down position, which had the unfortunate consequence of flashing everyone in the vicinity.

"N-no..!" Trudy cried out weakly.

"Use thy sword!" Called out Kari.

Trudy, with her remaining hand, pulled out the saber to her side, and cut at the strand, falling down 5 ft. and landing on her back prone.

"Mine Goddess, Darkness. Thou bringeth thy pain to the hearts of man. May thy sinful claws tear and rip asunder. 《Grasping Rend》!" Kari chanted. It was a spell you remember being used before on an unfortunate slaver. The ceiling above the creature turned dark, as 5 sharp spear-like fingers appeared from it. The creature noticed the attack, and attempted to reflexively avoid it, but failed. Each of the spear-like tips  tore into the creature's flesh, piercing and cutting into it as the creature made an unearthly and piercing yell of distress. It looked injured.

The skeletal lizard creature managed to cut its own strand, falling to the ground prone. The skeletal dragon attempted to claw its way out as well, and successfully managed to do so.

[info]Hanako to take turn.[/info]

[spoiler=Exploration]Marching Order: Kari's summons, Hanako's golem, Kari, Trudy and Hanako
Log
9-10 AM: Head deeper to Section 1, success, encountered ruins.
10-11 AM: Head deeper to Section 2, success, encountered nothing.
11-12 PM: Head deeper to Section 3, success, encountered moist stone creature.
Noon-1 PM: Head deeper to Section 4, success, encountered nothing.
1-2 PM: Head deeper to Section 5, success, encountered mushroom forest, lizard-like creatures.
2-3 PM: Treat Deadly Wounds, found alcove, encountered nothing.
3-4 PM: Gathering Mage's Gift liquid, encountered nothing.
4-5 PM: Head deeper to Section 6, success, encountered violet fungus.
5-6 PM: Head deeper to Section 7, success, encountered nothing.
6-7 PM: Explore section 7, success, encountered active ruins.
7PM - 3 AM: Sleeping
3-4 AM: Head deeper to Section 8, success, encountered flying brain.
4-5 AM: Head deeper to Section 9, fail, now lost.

[include u=2]Explored Section 9[/include][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Combat]Initiative: Creature, Trudy: 21, Kari, Kari's summons, Hanako: 17, Hanako's Golems
Log
Surprise Round
Kari and Creature is aware of each other.
Creature attacks with strands. Captures all. Pulls captured up 5 ft. 35 ft. for summons.
Kari attacks strand, escapes.
Round 1
Creature attacks with remaining 2 strands. Captures Trudy. Pulls up Trudy and summons. 30 ft. for summons, 35 ft. for Trudy.
Trudy cuts strand, falls.
Kari casts Grasping Rend.
Kari's summons attack strand and are released.


[include u=2]Creature: -37[/include]
[/spoiler]

[Asta]

"Cut yourself loose!" Hanako yelled up at her golems, they had been behaving more independently lately but might still need some prodding to take a proper course of action. After giving her brief instructions, she pointed her finger up at the creature on the ceiling and began to chant.

"Suffer the agony of Fire's scorching lick, Yakedo!"

[info]Yakedo, 1d8 Fire damage vs. AC:
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+16 : 20 + 16, total 36[/blockquote]
Damage:
[blockquote]Rolled 1d8 : 3, total 3[/blockquote][/info]

[spoiler]I used Int for that roll, if I should be using something else let me know and I'll re-roll it if need be.[/spoiler]