1112 Helper.

Okay, so there are there mini predacon transformers right? If you get them all you can combine them into a bigger robot, which still isn’t that big, but it’s unusually cool for Transformers of that scale. I have only found 2 of them… My area is swimming in Twinstrike with Hun-Gurr peppered in. They are kind of updates of existing characters, so I still don’t have my favorite one: Bot (Now called Blight) I know it’s not much of a problem, but there you go. I don’t feel comfortable talking about my real problems at the moment so you get the goofy ones.
The smaller scale Transformers are way better than they used to be. If you’re a poor kid now you can still have decent representations of all the guys. In some rare cases they are actually better than the bigger versions. If I were a kid getting these now I’d probably feel be annoyed, but with my manchild perspective I can see it’s actually a cool time to be enjoying toys, especially if you are age appropriate. X3

My sleep pattern is all fucked up right now, but the upshot for you is that I was awake at some god awful hour and was able to focus enough to write this new story section. So I didn’t have to rush it.

The group nodded and mumbled in agreement then settled down for another disappointing meal. By the time they had finished Regalius had a rudimentary string instrument that made weedy notes when played, but were recognizable as music. He even chanced a little of his enervating song to help everyone recover from the fitful hours of sleep they had all suffered through.

The gears was divided between everyone except Twig, who all agreed was potentially more useful unencumbered by anything apart from her normal gear. Alina took half of what would have been allocated to Herrin as she wasn’t convinced he was well enough for an overloaded pack. Thus prepared they set off down the dusty corridor again. Several rooms from Herrins safehouse the encountered a sealed gate. It had no obvious signs of mechanism. Indeed the only reason they knew it was a door was because it was at the end of a hall and seemed to be split down the middle. It was a long while before Julius found something that appeared to be a safety release, and longer still before he deciphered how to activate it. The effect it had on the team was noticeably disheartening. Fortunately after a few adjustments were made to one of Regalius’s flutes Julius had a makeshift key which caused the doors to glide apart as though they were floating. As a precaution Julius wedged a butter knife into the seam to keep the doors from properly closing, and possibly trapping them. The victory over the door was short lived however. What lay beyond was the most mazelike portion of the temple so far. Dead ends, required backtracking, eating up time they all were beginning to feel they didn’t have. A feeling of omnipresent malignance seemed to be increasing the further they went. The rooms that had previously been unoccupied now had groups of human remains in them. Some of them seemed serene in their repose, while others appeared to have died in torment. The mounting sense of mortal peril was on the verge of overcoming them all.

Several hours passed before they finally found another gate. Unlike the previous one this seemed to be the focal point for the lighting system. Many small tubes, like the ones that lined every wall but much thinner, were woven together and connected to the walls on either side of the door. The light they gave off was more like actual light than anyplace else. The sickly green hue not nearly as evident.
“This has to be it…” Said Niona.

“If it isn’t it’s certainly putting on a good show.” Replied Julius. “You’d best all keep back until I’ve figured this one out.”

Julius inspected the door for several long minutes before finally stepping back.

“This has been tampered with.” He said gravely. “Someone was here before us.”

“Are you sure?” Asked Alina. “How can you tell?”

“Someone’s put a magical barrier on it, but it doesn’t match the style of the other doors. Not even close.” He replied. “It’s necromantic at least. Possibly demonic. I don’t know magic well enough to make that call.”

“Can you dispel it?” Inquired Herrin.

“Not on my best day.” Said Julius shaking his head. “A real magic user will have to do it, and I’m pretty sure it’s rigged to do something to anyone who tries.”

Everyone was silent for a moment.

“I think I can open a hole in the enchantment.” Alina said, breaking the silence. “How fast can you open the door if I do?”

“If it’s on par with the last one it could take an hour or longer.” Julius grimaced.

“Well, we should at least try.” Said Alina, rolling back her right sleeve. “Regalius, back me up. Herrin, you help as much as you can.”

“Right” They said in unison.
Stepping forward Alina began to chant in a low, measured, tone. Holding her palm forward she seemed to push on the air between the door and her hand. Regalius began to play in time with the chant. After a few rounds Herring composed himself and joined in. A point of clear light formed in the center of the door. It slowly expanded out from that point. The white marble of the door was now, perhaps for the first time in centuries, being seen as it was the day it was quarried. As soon as the field of resistance was large enough Julius began carefully, but hurriedly, examining the door. There were a series of buttons, and rotating tumblers, in the center of each side of the door. No clues at all. No surviving records. He would have to try it by ear and hope for the best. Centering himself Julius placed an ear to the cold stone and blocked the chanting from his other ear with a finger.

Click click click THUNK! No good. A reset.

Click THUNK!

Click click THUNK!

Over and over, the muted sound of prayer penetrating his head, Julius methodically deciphered the lock.

After about half an hour he stepped away from the door.

“You can rest for a while.” He said. “Niona, I need a bit of paper if you have any to spare.”

The others slowly reduced their chanting to silence. The unnatural light reestablishing itself all around. While they rested and ate Julius scribbled furiously on a few bits of parchment Niona had presented. After another hour or so he slapped his hands down.

“I’ve got it!” He exclaimed. “Push back the curse as quick as you can. I’m not sure how long I can keep this memorized.”

Hurriedly the others renewed their chanting. Julius was at work as soon as there was space enough to get to the mechanism. His hands mirroring each other on either side of the divide. In a few short moments the door let out a metallic THUNK and slid itself open. Julius quickly went through, scanned for traps and motioned everyone in. Niona and Twig went first then the others while they continued their chanting. They slowly subsided again and turned to look into the high ceiling chamber.

“It looks like the steam tunnels, under the capital.” Niona gaped.

“Combined with a nightmare.” Added Regalius, and he wasn’t exaggerating. In addition to the tubes of glowing liquid there were holding containers filled with the toxic substance and the petrified remains of what must have been humans at one time, long ago.