A Diamond in the Dark

(Recapping and continuing)
Mon'Fargret speaks with the couple while aiming his pistol at them, "I apologize for the intrusion. Place your hands in the air and realize I am very good with this pistol. That is a very nice crystal. Tell me about it."

It's a couple of guys, one of whom looks middle aged and respectable and the other of whom looks to be in his late teens and a bit more rowdy in style.

The kid smirks and strikes a cocky pose. "Do you even know where you are?"

Mon'Fargret's finger twitches ever so gently on the trigger, and a burst of vaporized material erupts from the edge of the display case behind the two men.  The older one jumps with fright. The younger one, however, only takes a couple of startled steps and then resumes his haughty stance.

"The next one won't miss," says Mon'Fargret.  "Talk about the function on the crystal."

"That?" replies the younger man smugly, gesturing toward the crystal. He chuckles. "Who knows? It's just some old Gothie relic. Ancient witch-ware. I don't know what it does...or how the lady got it." He glances over his shoulder and raises an eyebrow. "I guess I don't have to call for the guards."

Mon'Fargret pauses, but then Lirassa gives him a shove, sending him out of the doorway so she can emerge herself.

"Stop holding up the procession!" she barks.  Then she sees the two men and sings a sweet, "Good evening, gentlemen!" Her pistol rises into position.  Behind her, Ham levels his stun carbine under her arm.

"I don't think the guards are coming," observes the older man anxiously.

"The guards have already been here," retorts Mon'Fargret, resuming his steely gunpoint.

"They're still here, too," adds Lirassa, nodding to the rear.  "On the floor.  Wanna see?"

The younger man's smirk lowers a bit and a spark of worry enters his eyes.  His voice sounds thinner as he says, "Look, I don't know what this is about, but at least try not to be stupid!  You're not.."

His last utterance ends with a nasty gurgle as his chest cavity bursts open in a cloud of luminescent steam.  Flames play about his clothing as he topples over.

The older man dances with panic.

"Don't call me stupid," says Lirassa flatly.

Mon'Fargret sighs as confusion can be heard from back within the corridor.  Bina is trying to push her way through the group.

Into the Gallery

"Lirassa," calls Mon'Fargret as he steps over the just-shot guard to get to the door, "get Nekshi and Granite up here and Widg too if she can fit. Fighters in front. Zeton will see to Ham. Get Betham to look at you and tell him to pull it together and watch Mey and Bina." Indifferently, he picks up the guard's pistol and examines the door.

Lirassa starts reciting her own version of what Mon'Fargret said as she comes up behind him.

"I'm alright," grunts Ham in protest as he stiffly follows after her, blocking the side entrance just as Nekshi and Granite Spear try to come through.

With a snort of discomfort, Widjgleeby does her best to turn around in the tight space.

Betham, his back pressed tightly against the corridor wall to let people pass, moans, "Could they have made this any narrower?"

"I don't think they expected people to have a party in here," says Zeton in a failed attempt at humor.

Bina gestures toward the closet.  "Maybe I should see what I can learn from them," she offers.

"Maybe you should just close the door," retorts Mey'Luskar.  "The less you learn, the better.  Trust me on this one."

Just then, Mon'Fargret pries open the inert sliding doors to reveal a large chamber.

In the eerie glow of emergency lights, the room reveals itself to be a sort of museum, no doubt a display of the owner's private collection.  There are many works of art on the walls and on various stands.  Glass cases display a variety of valuable items.  Without a doubt the most imposing display, however, is a purplish stand holding a case containing what looks like a large, carved crystal with some kind of writing on it.

Mon'Fargret fancies that the large crystal seems to be giving off a faint luminescence of its own.  He also notes that the sight of it gives him the creeps.

There is another set of sliding double doors on the opposite side of the chamber, a couple of smaller doors on either side to the south, and a beautiful, marble staircase going up to the ground floor.

The only people visible in the room are a Yangae couple standing between a couple of display cases eying Mon'Fargret warily.

What's Behind the Door?

Ham starts to stir, so Lirassa hefts him onto his feet and helps him out into the outer corridor (as opposed to in out to the inner corridor), allowing the rest of the party to move.

"Easy, Granite!" says Zeton, carefully easing his bulk around Granite Spear's spiky form and into the closet.  "Let's get her calmed down fi...uh..."  He blushes hotly orange, and his gaze quickly drops to the floor with Lybolt modesty.  Spying the clothing there, he picks up the woman's garments and offers them to the Shurian without a word.

Granite Spear eyes the Lybolt blankly for a second or two, takes the clothes, and uses them to tie up the woman even more securely.  In the process, she frees up one tentacle just long enough to say a curt, "See to the male," with her talkbox.  Zeton complies quietly.

"This door solid," grunts Widjgleeby, tugging in vain with four arms.  Then she backs up and levels the grenade launcher.  "Just one?"

"Put that damned thing away!" snaps Lirassa.  "If those are high-end boomers, just one will make us all mincemeat!"

Mon'Fargret peers into the corridor from the doorway and nods toward Ham.  "Can he move?"

"He's coming around," replies Lirassa.  "We're go."

Mon'Fargret nods at the guard on the floor.  "What about that?"

Widjgleeby gives the guard a good sniffing and then shrugs two pairs of shoulders.

Mon'Fargret sets his jaw and peers at the double doors to the left.  "I wonder what's behind those?"

Behind him, Nekshi pauses to look into the closet, bringing the rest of the party to an abrupt halt.  So abrupt, in fact, that Betham barely avoids bumping into her.  Bina, however, does not avoid bumping into him.

"Hey, watch it!" snaps the constable as much ahead as behind.  "Can we all be just a little more alert?"

"Forgive me!" retorts Bina with an irritated sigh.  Looking back at Mey'Luskar, she says, "Sister, you need to control your feelings!  You're blinding my senses!"

"I can't help it!" whimpers Mey'Luskar.  "I've been here before!  I know what's coming!"

"I'm familiar with that woman," reports Nekshi.  "She is Ami'Sallan, the host of 'The Civilized Kitchen' on the Morva Free Channel.  I always thought her recipes sounded as overwrought as her fashion sense."  She furrows her brows.  "This, however, may qualify as an improvement!"  She looks down at the man.  "I may have seen him before, too.  Maybe a news anchor?"

Betham squeezes past Nekshi.  "With all this noise, it's a wonder the whole sodding place isn't on us by now!"

Bina clutches her head.  "With all THIS noise, I can't sense...someone's coming!"  She nods to the left.

Betham taps Mon'Fargret's left shoulder and gestures as he takes cover.  Mon'Fargret eases partly behind the door, pistol at the ready.  Across the hall, Lirassa starts to brandish her stun carbine, but Mon'Fargret hisses at her and nods back into the corridor.  Lirassa nods in understanding, lowers the carbine, and backs toward the stunned guard.

There is a click, and the double doors to the left jolt apart a few centimeters.  Armored fingers press through, and then the doors are slid ponderously open to reveal a single guard similar to the one on the floor.

"Help!" cries Lirassa in Yangae, gesturing at Ham and the stunned guard.  "They've been shot!"

"Shot?" Echoes the newcomer in a masculine yet effeminate voice.  He wrestles with the doors and enters the corridor.  "With what?  I heard a blast...over in the restroom..." Once he clears the doorway and releases the doors. they quickly slide shut again of their own accord.  "Who's shooting?"

Lirassa points toward the doorway to the south.  "They went that way!"

"Who?"  He glances toward the doorway.  "Why are you even up here?  You're supposed to be down guarding the...who's there?" The guard leaps back a pace or two, wheels toward Mon'Fargret, and goes for his weapon.

Quick as a flash, Lirassa raises her stun carbine and...fumbles.  The weapon flies through the air.

Mon'Fargret immediately follows and is more successful.  Sparks fly from the guard's throat as laser pulses tear open the vulnerable spot.  The guard hits the floor only a fraction of a second before Lirassa's carbine.

"I believe that's the way we should go," observes Mon'Fargret as he retrieves the weapon.

"I don't like it," retorts Betham.  "Whatever it is that is bothering me..."  He nods toward the double doors.  "That's where it is."

Uninvited Guests

Widjgleeby starts to move forward, jostling Ham and Lirassa, and growls with impatience.  Caught off guard, the two armored warriors move aside to let the Farbett pass and then fall in behind her.

Behind the door is a chamber with three exits.  The ones on either side are heavy-looking cargo doors.  The one in the middle is an opening behind which is another set of stairs, this one narrower than the ones in the shaft.

Without pausing for a moment, Widjgleeby continues forward and up the stairs.  It only goes up the equivalent of a single story before arriving at a very plain-looking room with a set of double doors off to one side.

The door is slightly ajar.  Behind it, muffled moans can be heard.

Out of the Darkness and Into...?

Ham and Lirassa continue up the looping stairs (not technically a spiral since it is broken at regular intervals by terraces) with Widjgleeby close behind.  The steps are about three meters wide, meaning there's not much room to pass the Farbett, so Granite Spear follows closely behind to one side, Nekshi right at her tail.  Zeton, scowling, marches next to the Zorlan.  Betham and Mon'Fargret come next, weapons at the ready.

Behind them trudge Bina and Mey'Luskar.  The latter mutters darkly, while the former radiates an aura of indignation.  Atraktu moves between and slightly behind them, not sure what to make of it all.  Pru, one of her looted guns at the ready, marches a pace back, eying the Ahmonite warily.

Furnfinndorn and L'Toyei quietly bring up the rear.

About a third of the way up, the panting starts.  A little more than halfway up, Widjgleeby comes to a stop.  "Need rest," she moans.

"Oh, come on!" snarls Lirassa.  "Put some spunk in it!"

"I'm with her!" huffs Mey'Luskar, leaning heavily against the rail.  "Not all of us are sodding war machines!"

"Why don't we leave the tired ones here for a minute," suggests Betham, "while the rest of us move ahead and see what's up there."

UPDATE 5/3 (since no one has commented)

After a bit of the usual quibbling, it is decided that Widjgleeby, Mey'Luskar, Bina, Atraktu, and L'Toyei will stay and rest while Pru stands guard.  The rest of the party continues up the remaining few levels to the top. 

Zobog has already scouted ahead and found nothing of any obvious concern, as Zeton reports.  There are a couple of domed housings on the ceiling near the doors at the top, but they appear to be inert.  The doors themselves are obviously equipped with some kind of protection, but it's unclear whether it's active or not.

The party assembles on the landing, eying the doors and the surrounding chamber warily.  Then Ham takes a few impatient steps closer, ignoring a few muffled warnings.  "I don't see any controls," he says.

"Intelligent," replies Furnfinndorn.  "It will open if it knows you, or if you know the password."

"Any ideas?" wonders Lirassa.

"What the..." mutters Betham in Her-galad.

Into the Bowels of the Eye

Widjgleeby goes into the tunnel after Granite Spear, Nekshi following close behind. The rest of the party soon falls into line.

Beyond the gate, the passage continues for about twenty meters and then makes a shallow bend to the left, after which the rather rough-looking cement walls suddenly become a more sophisticated-looking material with obvious signs of technology. A couple of ominous-looking domes on the ceiling (which could be sensors, weapons, or both) stand inert. There are a few racks and cabinets which (if anyone looks) contain some basic supplies (tools, rope, etc.).

After continuing for the better part of a hundred meters, the passageway ends at a pair of double doors. Off to one side is the hatch to what is probably a cargo elevator.

Bina hums with surprise.

"You have any idea what it is?" asks Betham with a troubled look.

"What?" demands Mey'Luskar, looking frazzled herself.

"You hear it, too," retorts Bina, "don't you, sister? Don't deny it!"

"I...," attempts Mey'Luskar, and then she gives up.

Into the Eye

"Hmmm," says Nekshi thoughtfully. "This deflector grid is not powered and seems to be unlocked." She starts quickly examining it and its arch.

"Wait a minute," says Mey'Luskar, starting forward.

Nekshi flips open a small, covered wall panel, eyes it for about 0.987 seconds, and then taps something on it.

"Um," says Mey'Luskar, quickening her pace.

There is a hiss, and the grate shoots upward into its socket, its final bang echoing dully in the gloomy chamber. The narrow tunnel beyond is dark and forbidding.

"Wait!" cries Mey'Luskar, breaking into a run. "Don't go in!" She hustles up next to Nekshi (who dodges out of the way just in time) and looks intently at the wall panel. "Off!" she says. "It's all turned off!"

As Nekshi starts to lecture her about the redundancy of her statement, Mey'Luskar quickly digs in her bag, pulls out a piece of candy, and tosses it into the tunnel. It bounces with a dry popping sound.

"This isn't right," she says darkly. "They would never turn everything off!"

Pru comes up behind her. "So Dusker did his job, just like he said!" She glances around at the others. "This is it! Are we going in?"

The Final Node

"Well, I'm not going to stand around thinking about it," says Betham irritably, and he starts off down the tunnel at a brisk pace, Bina falling in behind him. Zeton (with Zobog hovering nearby) and Granite follow as well.

With its usual level of uncertainty and disorganization, the party gradually moves along.

They traverse the passageway without incident and eventually arrive at yet another storage node, this one larger than the other two and bisected by what looks for all intents and purposes like a three-lane road that continues into a wide tunnel on either side.

There are two humanoids and a Farbett, all equipped for battle, lying motionless on the floor on the opposite side of the road.

Not far from them is a smaller tunnel entrance that is blocked by a grating or mesh gate. Above it is a sign saying, "Private property; no trespassing," in Yangae. Both the gate and the sign seem to be designed to look as forbidding as possible. It's as if that whole section of the storage node radiates a painfully loud, "Don't even think of coming in!"

"Think that might be it?" wonders Lirassa.

"It should be," say Betham and L'Toyei simultaneously.

"It is," adds Mey'Luskar in a brittle voice.