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Chapter 70 - The Impossible Shovel

“They’re coming out of the pillars!  They’re coming out of the god-damn pillars!”

     Kildo’s head snapped up, and he raised his arms to protect his eyes from the falling dust and debris.  Four scaladar automatons resembling mechanical scorpions erupted from the four nearest pillars surrounding the party.  They possessed two large pincer-like foreclaws and a segmented tail with a stinger that arced with electricity.  The constructs were large and measured over twelve feet in length.  They scampered down the columns with frightening speed.

     “Crew!  We are leaving!” Kai shouted as he sprinted to the west toward the cavern’s entrance.   Three of the scaladars gave chase after the paladin. 

     However, Scomatch had other ideas.  Weaving his hands in a spell, the halfling cast, Vitriolic Sphere.  Pointing, a glowing one-foot ball of emerald acid streaked toward the first scaladar.  The creature’s metal shell sizzled.  The mage then ran southward away from the scorpion mechanisms.  

     With an emphasis on defense, Guo Gan followed Scomatch, keeping Qiekamis between him and the halfling.   Kildo cursed under his breath, seeing the party split up.  Kai was too far away to catch up.  However, Guo Gan and Scomatch were close.  “Life is death.  Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life.”  Guo Gan, Scomatch, and himself glowed as he cast, Bless. 

     The two stone golems next to the altar with the sitting, huge, horned head devil looking statue with a brazier in its lap with an oversized gem in its left eye, while the other was empty, moved.   The stiff pair of constructs swung with massive, powerful fists.  Guo Gan dodged left and right, avoiding the first golem’s blows.  The fourth and a pristine scaladar scampered after Scomatch.  The monk moved in its path to keep it from reaching the halfling mage.  However, Guo Gan became distracted as one of the other stone golems' solid fists clipped his shoulder.  The elven monk winced in pain at the power of the fist’s blow.   

     The other three scaladars reached Kai.  The paladin turned and lunged with Wave, but the apparatuses proved too quick.  They all snapped and thrusted their tails at Kai.  There were just too many appendages, as the trailing scaladar, covered in corrosive acid and moving slightly slower, claw snapped around his chest.  His efreeti chain armor was the only thing keeping him from being snapped in two.  Pinned, its electronic stinger darted in and stung him. Kai’s body convulsed from the electricity. 

     Fighting for control over his body as his muscles seized up, Kai thrust with Wave at the mechanism holding him in its pincher.  The trident’s prongs skidded off the automaton’s metal.  The scaladar squealed as Scomatch’s corrosive acid melted through a section between its neck and abdomen.  Kai lunged again.  The prongs found traction at the acid’s opening.  He thrust Wave deeper and deeper into the machine.  Its body shook. Smoke rose from the mechanism.  Its legs quivered before collapsing into scrap. 

     The area around Kildo, Guo Gan, and Scomatch became flame as the halfling mage sculped a fireball around the party.  The two stone golems' fronts were blasted black as the fire also engulfed the lone scaladar with them.  Its metal plates glowed like in a dwarven furnace as the heat caused them to warp.    

     The ends of Guo Gan’s quarterstaff smashed into the groins of both stone golems.  Despite being automatons, the blows stunned them as if the creator had built a weak spot in that area.  The monk brought his weapon over his head and bashed it downwards.  It smashed into the antenna of the scaladar, dazing it.  Flipping over the stunned machine, Guo Gan shouted over his shoulder.  “Get to Kai!”

     Nodding, Kildo cast, Spiritual Weapon.  A spectral blue war hammer appeared next to the first stone golem.  It smashed into the construct, knocking off a chunk of stone.  The dwarf moved toward the paladin and the two scaladars he was fighting.  The metal scorpions flanked Kai.  The paladin fended off one, but the other rushed in and grappled the triton.  Its stinger darted in striking the triton.  A surge of electricity coursed up the paladin’s body.  Kai went limp.  He was down.    

     Scomatch pointed again. Another one-foot ball of acid streaked and splashed the two stone golems, causing most of its humanoid features to wash away.  The spell’s effect also struck the scaladar.  Its abdomen melted in the middle and broke into two pieces as the corrosive liquid melted the metal.  The halfling then ran toward the downed Kai.   

     Using the same tactic as before, Guo Gan bashed Qiekamis and struck the scorpion’s antenna, stunning the creature.  Twirling the quarterstaff, the end came crashing down, hitting the scaladar holding Kai.  The monk attempted to smash the other end into the apparatus’s antenna, but it used the limp form of Kai to block the blow.    

     Commanding his spectral war hammer to continue to bash away at the stunned stone golem, Kildo raised his hand.  The dwarven cleric channeled the Rigga the Earthmother as a wave of divine healing washed over Kai.

     The paladin’s eyes fluttered open.  His hands still gripped Wave, having his muscles seized around the shaft from the scaladar’s electric sting.  Kai’s sentient weapon then began to sing a sea shanty.

     “I yam what I yam. I am what I am, and that's all that I am. I'm strong to the finish 'cause I eats me spinach!”

     Empowered, Kai thrusted Wave at the scaladar. Its prongs slid on its sloped metal plates.  Lunging again, one of the points found an opening.  Radiant damage burst through the weapon into the scorpion contraption.  One of its legs was damaged, but the mechanism remained active.    

     The sound of stone grinding gained Kildo’s attention as he saw the two golems shambling their way.  His spectral blue war hammer chased after them.  The constructs appear like nothing more than moving stone in humanoid shape, as fire and acid had removed any semblance of an appearance. 

     A sudden thunderclap resounded between the two stone golems as Scomatch cast, Shatter.  Deep cracks and fissures ran the length of both automatons.  However, they continued their approach with sights on the halfling mage.  “These things are coming for me!” 

     Turning at the shouting, Guo Gan moved past Scomatch and thrusted Qiekamis.  The tip smashed into the nearest groin, which shattered and stunned the creature.  The monk then martial punched and kicked at the construct.  More cracks appeared, but it remained standing.

     “I thought all you monks do is pound sand!  What’s the hold-up!” Scomatch bemoaned.

     “It takes time to pound rocks into sand!” Guo Gan shouted back.

     Kildo rushed up to Guo Gan to form a battle line.  He cast, Guardian of Faith.   A towering spectral guardian in the form of a dwarf appeared behind the two stone golems.  The manifestation comprised a war hammer and shield with the blazing ankh symbol of Rigga, the Earthmother.  The Guardian made a sweeping motion.  Its magical weapon smashed through the body of the golem Guo Gan was engaged with.  Rocks, debris, and dust were blasted into the air.  Only its two legs remained, which fell to either side and broke apart. 

     Momentarily blinded by the dust.  The remaining golem was close enough and swiped its stony fist at Scomatch.  A heavy blow bashed into the halfling.  Moving to help their mage, the shadows moved as the grinding of stone echoed throughout the chamber.  Kildo saw movement to the east.  The massive devil-like statue had risen.  It dropped its brazier, which cracked and broke.  The sole gem in its left eye came to life in the fire, as its horned head hosted a gaped mouth filled with shark-like teeth.



     “Oi!  We got something big and red be coming our way!”  Kildo shouted. 

     “Big Red will have to wait its turn!”  Kai yelled back.  The paladin lunged with Wave.  Two of its prongs found a gap through the scorpion’s metal.  Thrusting the trident downward, the contraption squealed, shuttered, and then stopped.  Yanking the weapon free, Kai turned it as the last scaladar scurried at frightening speed.  Planting Wave into the stone, the creature impaled itself on the end.  Kai brought it over his head and to the other side using its momentum.  Its legs curled in upon itself as it whined down and stopped.

     Winding up and throwing, Scomatch threw a four-inch diameter sphere of acid at the last stone golem.  It splashed across his front.  The automaton’s front sizzled and steamed from its corrosiveness.  It continued its advance on the halfling.  “Do I have to kill everything?!”    

     “I got this!” Guo Gan called out as he smashed with Qiekamis.  Striking the stone golem solidly three times, the cracks already present deepened, but the animated creature remained standing. “Uh, a little help?”

     Kildo's spiritual weapon caught up to the stone golem.  Not seeing the magical war hammer, it came crashing down with horrific power.  There was an audible sound of stone breaking as the animated construct crumbled into useless rocks.   

     The only creature left was Big Red.  The enormous, fiery stone statue of a cruel visage of a horned head devil with a huge gem in its left, unblinking eye honed in on the party.  Its right eye socket was empty.  Kildo felt impact tremors through his boots from its massive weight.  His Guardian of Faith’s war hammer smashed into the sacred statue.  The dwarf’s spell apparition burst into sparks as its energy dissipated. 

     Forming a new front line, Kai reacted as Big Red approached.  Wave’s prongs struck as radiant damage blasted from its end.  The sacred statue punched with a fist.  Kai dodged as it made a small crater in the rock.  Its head turned as stone ground on stone.  Big Red then backhanded the paladin and sent him flying hard to the ground. 

     Rising and wiping blood from his mouth, Kai lunged with Wave.  Still bent over, the prongs bounced off the hardened stone.  Thrusting again yielded similar results, but a small crack appeared on its breast.  Springing forward again, one of the trident’s tips penetrated through.  Kai sent radiant damage along the length.  It blasted into Big Red’s upper body. 

     “You’re taking too long!  Get out of the way!” Scomatch bellowed.  Kai backed up as the halfling mage pointed his finger at Big Red.  A thin, disintegration green ray shot out, striking the sacred statue.  The chest of Big Red blew out the back as the figure fell backward.  The entire cavern shook from the impact as dust floated from the ceiling.  The fire in the gem in its left eye dimmed and extinguished.

     The party carefully approached the fallen sacred statue.  Scomatch cast, Detect Magic.  The halfling immediately began to examine the massive ruby of an eye.  “I got this.  There’s something else inside of the statue,” Scomatch said, yanking and trying to pry the gem loose. 

     Kildo eyed the cracked stone to see the best point to strike.

     “Dwarf, it’s in the middle of its frame,” Scomatch called out.   

     Nodding to the halfling, Kildo brought his war hammer crashing down.  The middle cracked further.  Giving it another whack, the stone split, throwing up dust.  Waving it away, he saw an implement consisting of a broad steel blade scoop attached to a long handle made of ash wood.  It would be useful to take up and remove loose matter, such as dirt.  Commonly referred to as a shovel.  Reaching in and pulling it out, Kildo blew the dust away. 

     “Woah!” Scomatch said, abandoning removing the eye gem.  “That’s a Spade of Colossal Excavation.  That thing is only rumored to exist.” 

     “The Impossible Shovel,” Guo Gan said. 

 

Treasure 

·         Gem of Energy Immunity – 4 Charges

·         Spade of Colossal Excavation – The Impossible Shovel

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