"I think they put some of our gear in here. They probably sold the best stuff, but it's worth a look." She said with a smile. Kraeth smiled back, but it wasn't the thought of equipment that made him do such. To Kraeth, Imoen's smile was... much like the dawning of a new sun.. It slowly crept up, but radiated with the beauty of many stars. It was a sweet, sisterly smile, one that Kraeth had known for many years, but could never quite -- suddenly Kraeth's thoughts were interrupted by a rather impatient half-elf.
"We don't have time to dawdle, Kraeth! We must get a move on to get Khalid and get out of here..." Jaheria said harshly. Jaheria was an old friend, and an old friend of Kraeth's foster-father Gorion, but she very rarely warmed up to Kraeth. In the darkness of the mysterious dungeon, it was hardly a surprise that this wasn't one of those times. Kraeth nodded to Imoen, "You've been sneaking around puffer-guts for years, do your thing and tell us what is in that room" he said with a wink. "Puffer-Guts" was Imoen's name for Winthrop, the rather portly man who ran the Inn back at Candlekeep.
For the most part, the room was a pleasant, well furnished place. Not the type of place you would expect to find just a door away from the horrible steel cages they had just come from. The floors were made of brown-orange marble, but the walls were made of metal that was starting to rust. A small table in the middle of the room held a few weapons, and a chest nearby held some suits of armor. This was probably an armory of sorts, Imoen found it a tad odd that you would put readily available equipment near prisoners. A few paintings were held on the wall, depicting a pleasant countryside, and a few rugs tattered (and in the process of rotting) rugs were on the ground. When Imoen stared hard at the shadows in the far corner of the room, she gave a small shriek and ran back outside to where Kraeth, Jaheria, and Minsc stood.
"Calm down child! What is it?" Jaheria was quick to say. Imoen said only one word, but it was enough to let the small group know that a sizeable danger was in the room before them.
"Golem!" Imoen said worriedly. For those who do not know, Golems are large creatures built of (usually, Flesh golems are an exception to this) inorganic materials, common materials are Clay, Stone, and sometimes even Adamantine. Despite their humanoid look, they are not natural creatures. Golems are usually built by mages to guard themselves or their possessions.
Kraeth waited to see if the golem would rush out after Imoen. After a few minutes, it became obvious that the artificial nightmare was not coming. Or perhaps it just couldn't fit through the door. Minsc peered inside, giving a small whisper of "Evil? Are you there? I have a boot heel that wants an acquaintance with your buttocks!"
Minsc turned back towards the others and said simply, "It does not move." Kraeth cautiously tip-toed through the archway, and look for the abomination. Sure enough, it was just standing there, gazing at the wall. Kraeth motioned for his companions, "It appears safe... for the time."
However, once he said this, the Golem sprang to life. It turned its massive head towards Kraeth and said in a low, unnatural voice, "Prisoners... you must not escape... the Master does not will it... Return to your cages... it is the Master's will."
Kraeth's countenance was not a fond one, "I will leave and neither you nor your master will be able to stop me!"
"I am not bound to stop you...", the Golem said, "the Guardian will stop you... from entering the Master's chambers... Return to your cages... it is the Master's will."
"It's no use Kraeth," Jaheria muttered, "this golem was not made to give us anything useful. Come, we should gear up, Child." Kraeth nodded in agreement, quietly picking out a mace from the table, and a set of splint mail from the chest. The armor wasn't in the best of conditions, and was actually starting to rust a little, but it wasn't too shoddy that it couldn't be used.
Minsc found a very large two-handed sword hidden in the corner, and was quite happy with himself. "Look, Boo!" he said gleefully, "We have found us a sword to properly meet evil with the justice that shall fell it!"
"Boo?" Kraeth said, amused, "How did you stash away that hamster and why do you still hold on to it?" Boo was Minsc's eternal companion, as well as his best friend. It was quite obvious that Minsc had suffered a few too many head wounds, but if that was before or after he started to talk to Boo was questionable. Minsc was just like that.
"Ha HA!" Minsc gave an excited yelp, "Wherever there is Minsc there shall be Boo! Even his miniature form shakes with fury that will destroy our foes! Minsc and Boo are always together when on the battlefield!"
"That's great Minsc. Listen, we need to get out of here, so we should move now!" Jaheria said with her ever-serious tone. Even Minsc had to agree, this was not the time to shout threats about Butt-Kicking to the forces of Evil. When they were all geared up, Kraeth and Minsc both took the front and started heading down the hallway away from the cages that once imprisoned them.
Even from where they stood, they could hear the crackling of electricity. Peeping around the corner, Imoen could see a tall tower-like structure that was the full height of the incredibly tall room. The base was made of a strange, blue metal, which served as a foundation for the spire, four obsidian columns stretched around the middle. The middle, however, was a field of energy. The strange machine buzzed, as the lightning-like vortex spewed forth a winged beast! The creature was actually quite small in comparison to the group, but it was no less deadly.
Lightning spat from the creature's sharp teeth as it rushed towards Minsc, the closest target. Clawing at his face, Minsc gave a roar that made even Boo's fur stand on end. His calls for help did not go unanswered, however. With the reflexes that only a thief such as herself can earn, Imoen tossed a dagger she had found towards the beastie's head. Unfortunately, gave a small jump, and the blade ended up hitting its wing instead. With the creature crippled, it was an easy target for Minsc's colossal great sword.
"Ha HA! Did you see that Boo? Did you Kraeth? Kraeth?" Minsc said with a giddy laugh. Kraeth, unfortunately, was having his own troubles. Yet another of the demons had come forth from the structure, and was making an attempt to knock away Kraeth's mace. It decided otherwise when a blow to the head from Jaheria was delivered, and the beast went screeching off to other parts of the dungeon.
"Well, that was survivable," Jaheria said calmly, "but how do we close this thing?"
Imoen had found something. On the wall was a complex object, with a rather large switch protruding from it. "Hey," She said quietly, "I wonder what this does."
Suddenly, the lights went out.