Surviving the Simulation: The Grand Crusade

After countless turns and dead ends, the group finally stumbled across the armory. Xander found it interesting that the number of traps discovered since moving past the forced labor quarry had dropped to zero. Either the traps were so hard to see that they had missed every single one but also had the luck of the universe on their side that their large group avoided triggering all of them, or there were no traps in this section of the dungeon.

The latter option seemed more likely as the number of patrols had increased. No traps with more patrols made sense to Xander as it appeared they were in the gnolls' main territory within the dungeon. The team quickly cut down any patrol encountered due in part to the large number of people in the group. Outside of the few exceptions, the group had been able to strong-arm any fight with overwhelming numbers. The experience gains and loot were practically non-existent. Still, they weren't here to dungeon dive.

The well-maintained and carefully curated armory showcased an array of gleaming weaponry and pristine armor sets. The smell in the air reminded Xander of machine oil. Rows of swords, axes, and maces stood with a silent promise of combat-ready efficiency, their edges keen and blades unblemished. Armor suits of intricately crafted plate, chainmail, and leather, each piece an embodiment of both artistic design and pragmatic functionality, stood proudly on display.

Xander realized that, despite the passage of time, this armory was far from forgotten; it was proof the gnolls' strategic preparation and their ability to meld tradition with innovation in the pursuit of dominion over the dungeon's depths.

As adventurers surveyed the armory from the entryway, Rex pointed out the gnoll overseers standing among the displays, one boasting a prosthetic arm with fingers adorned in intricate cogs, while the other moved with a rhythmic ticking, its leg composed of whirring metallic gears and joints. The mechanical enhancements served as a symbol of the gnolls' mastery over technology and a stark reminder of the ominous power wielded by these augmented armorers.

[Analyze] Nala Geargrinder | Level: 7 Boss | Status: Hostile | Class: Hammerlord Engineer
[Analyze] Kragg Geargrinder | Level: 7 Boss | Status: Hostile | Class: Hammerlord Engineer

"What the heck is a hammerlord?" the captain of the guard whispered.

"Honestly, given what we've seen, I'm going to assume that monsters can get special-sounding classes just to up the cool factor, but who knows? " Rex replied. "What is concerning is the engineer part of that class name and the prosthetics they're wearing."

Rex intently watched the engineers walk amongst the rows of armor and weapons. His keen eye for tactics picking out minor details that may give any clues or insight into what special abilities the bosses may have.

"All right, I've got no idea what the deal is going to be here. Best I can figure is that they're just going to have magetech abilities with their prosthetics," Rex finally admitted after several minutes of watching the engineers. He just didn't have the depth of experience with this type of thing yet to make proper deductions. "I'm just going to recommend we just let the tanks get their attention and see what pops up. Everybody's going to need to be on their toes."

"Since we're light on healers, I'm going to drop into support for this fight. I'll keep judgement up on both bosses and try to heal as best I can. At least until we see if there is anything special going on here," Xander added.

Unlike the gnolls the party had faced so far, the Hammerlords moved with a calculated grace. These weren't the bruisers and common masses, these two bosses moved like nobility amongst the rabble.

The Machinists of Pandemonium
Your party has entered an event. Complete the event and reap the rewards. Eliminate the twin Hammerlords and claim their treasure.
Rewards: Experience, Gold, Item Reward

A clash of metal against metal that echoed through the cavern as the front line of the party punctuated the opening moment of the battle crashed into the Hammerlords. The gnolls, their prosthetics whirring and clanking, adapted to the challenges presented by the adventuring party.

With the initial battle space established, Zoey positioned herself at a strategic vantage point and notched an arrow imbued with frost magic. As she drew her bowstring, she leveled a well-aimed shot at the twin bosses, leaving a trail of icy mist in its wake. Her focus was on exploiting the vulnerabilities of the augmented gnolls.

Nala Geargrinder's snout drew back into an almost maniacal smile as her augmented legs delivered several kicks to the tanks in front of her in rapid succession. Each kick landed with enough power to dent its target's shield and send the recipient flying several steps back. Having bought some place for itself, Nala kicked off the ground to propel itself toward the top of a nearby shelf stacked with armor.

No longer directly engaged, Nala was free to reach into the pouch hanging on its belt and produce several small cylinders about the same size as a baseball. An arrow drilled into a rafter inches from Nala's head, momentarily distracting it from its original target. Instead, it pitched several of the cylinders at Xander and Zoey before pitching the rest randomly into the group.

"Shit! Everyone scatter!" Rex screamed as he caught sight of falling cylinders. He wasn't positive about what they were, but he was positive it would not be good.

The cylinders began exploding as they hit the ground.

Xander drove to the side as one of the baseball sized bombs landed nearby. The size of the bomb was deceptive in relation to the size of the explosion, and his divine aegis shattered under the force of the blast.

His high agility had given him just enough of an edge to avoid the majority of the direct damage, but he was still shellshocked by the explosion. His ears ringing, Xander pulled himself to an upright position and triaged the carnage.

Armor and display racks lay scattered across the battle space, creating new obstacles. Snapping off several heals on the most injured team members he could find, he noticed that there were a couple that weren't getting up. It was unclear if they were unconscious or deceased.

Head in the game, focus on what you can do to keep those still standing alive, he thought as he struggled to contain his despair and rage at every loss.

Nala, having thrown its deadly cargo, leapt back down to the main melee near Kragg. Ironically, the area safest from Nala's bombs had been in the melee distance of Kragg. But that changed now that the pair reunited.

Kragg lifted its prosthetic armor as gears and steam appeared to hiss angrily. The whirling sound increasing, crackling energy gathering around the mechanical hand. Bolts of energy exploding outward seconds later. The patter reminded Xander of a shotgun blast, but energy based instead.

Thankfully, the tanks had picked up on the telegraphed attack and collapsed into a defensive shield wall formation. A handful of energy bolts penetrated gaps, but while powerful, the attack was not as devastating to the team as it could have been.

With neither boss using any sort of special attack, the team pressed their momentary advantage. Trading blows with the twin bosses, the group was making headway, dishing out more damage than they were taking.

Seeing that it would not break through the frontline fighters using unarmed combat, Kragg grabbed an oversized war hammer from a nearby weapons rack and brought the hammer down with the enhanced strength of its prosthetic upon the fighter directly in front of it. The blow struck the fighter's shield with such force it caused both the shield and the man holding it to crumple and collapse.

Rex grabbed the fallen fighter by the back of his armor and pulled him out of the front line before the boss could deliver a follow up blow. The hole in the line quickly collapsed to cover the gap.

Zoey used the hammer strike as an opportunity to deliver a well-aimed shot directly into the shoulder joint of Kragg's mechanical arm. The arrowhead wedged into the gear drive, locking up the arm, and frost spread from the impact location.

"Hit it hard! Target the arm!" cried someone from the front lines.

Kragg's arm gave way under the combined assault, and in one last act of defiance, the arm crackled with power, exploding. A shower of metal gears and hydraulics rained upon the team. Injuries from the explosion were minor, but the distraction was long enough for Kragg to reach up and remove the remains of its ruined arm, turn, and run. Nala took its place at the front of the battle.

"Where the heck is it running to?" Xander questioned as he watched Kragg run deeper into the armor. This didn't feel like a victory, but the calm before the storm should it reach the engineer's destination. "Rex! Stop Kragg!"

"You three, with me," Rex said, pointing to several people near him before breaking off into a run to intercept Kragg.

"Heads up and scatter!" Xander called out as Nala kicked off the ground to land on top of a different shelf from the one it had used earlier.

Knowing what to expect, the team did much better avoiding the falling cylinders of death for this round of attack. A couple of melee fighters had also retrieved crossbows from a weapons rack and had joined Zoey in pelting the boss with ranged attacks.

With Kragg out of the fight for the moment and Nala currently hiding in the rafters, Xander took the opportunity to catch his breath. He was at half mana, but didn't want to be caught flatfooted. Quickly reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a mana potion, downing it in one long pull. It may have been a waste of a good potion, but better to waste it and not need it, then try to save every consumable for that perfect opportunity.

Those fighters that didn't have any range weaponry and hadn't run off with Rex had taken the initiative to try to bring Nala back down into melee range before she was ready by attempting to knock over the shelf it was currently looking down from. The move proved to be even more beneficial than expected, even if it was by a happy accident.

Nala had stayed atop the racks longer this time, readying a second round of bombs, but that extra moment sealed its fate. The shelf buckled with a grinding screech, spilling armor and debris in a thundering cascade. Nala toppled mid-throw, bombs spilling from its pouch as it fell in a tangle of limbs and explosives.

"Quickly move away!" Zoey called out.

Xander stacked radiant shield on the three combatants that had caused the shelf to collapse as they attempted to flee the blast zone.

Nala landed on its back, multiple shards of metal from the different swords in the pile shredding its prosthetic legs. Howling in pain from the fall, Nala didn't recover before the first bomb landed on top of it. Explosions rapidly followed one another until only smoke and Nala's limp, mangled form remained.

"Everyone regroup! Walking wounded, get to the back. We're moving forward to link up with Rex," the captain of the guard called out.

As if summoned by the captain's words, Rex and came sprinting back toward the group. If Xander had to describe the look on Rex's face, it would be pure terror. It didn't take much to figure out why Rex looked terrified out of his mind. Thundering behind the group, Kragg roared with an almost primal growl. Gone was the calculated grace from earlier, instead a raging monster stood in its place.

A much more sinister-looking appendage now hung where the ruined prosthetic once was. Where the previous arm had the look of one used for more utilitarian needs, the one Kragg was sporting now was an instrument of destruction. The enormous claw wouldn't be performing any fine motor skills, but it was much more deadly.

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When Kragg caught the last man in the fleeing line by the leg, any doubts about these facts vanished. The clawed hand closed with a metallic crash, severing the man's leg just above the knee. Using its non prosthetic hand, Kragg threw the now loose appendage at the rest of the party while bringing its boot hard down upon the head of the fallen man.

The woman standing near Xander bent over to puke, while others reacted with anger and hatred at the gruesome death.

The tanks won't be able to defend against that claw, Xander thought.

His spear was the best weapon to keep the monster at bay without getting close enough to get caught within the metal instrument of death now wielded by Kragg.

Casting divine aegis, judgement, and smite as he threw himself into the fray, Xander thrust the tip of his spear at the engineer's groin area. Monster or not, certain areas of opportunity were always a way of quickly getting the male attention.

Kragg was no different. It stepped back quickly while swiping its clawed armor cross the front of its body to block the offending weapon. Hatred burned in its eyes with Xander as the focal point of all its rage.

"Don't like dirty pool, do you? Well, we're down to just the eight ball on the table, so don't expect me to play fair!" Xander screamed at Kragg. Whether or not Kragg could understand him was immaterial. It was the thought that counted.

At least, that's how Xander justified it.

The length of the battle had taken its toll on both sides, and only Rex, Xander, Zoey, and the captain of the guard were still in fighting form. Given the clutter of the battlefield, no one else could get close enough to engage the boss without interfering with everyone else. Even the ranged attackers other than Zoey were in a dangerous position, as their proficiency with their crossbows left quite a bit to be desired. They were just as likely to hit their own companions as they did Kragg.

Xander and Kragg faced off, each trading thrust and parries. The gnoll, with its wicked claw at the ready, moved with a combination of predatory grace and mechanized precision. Zoey continued to rain frosty arrows, attempting to slow the gnoll's movements and buy Rex and the captain time to move into a more advantageous position to land a critical blow.

In response to the pressure Xander applied, the gnoll deftly parried the spear thrusts with its mechanical claws, the clash of metal echoing. As the battle escalated, Xander executed a powerful smite empowered thrust with his spear, aiming for a vulnerable point in the gnoll's shoulder. He was attempting to exploit the same weakness Zoey had discovered earlier. Removal of Kragg's current prosthetic would end this battle. But the gnoll, with uncanny speed, intercepted the spear mid-air with its mechanical claw.

A moment of tense stillness hung in the air as the gnoll engineer's mechanical claw clamped around the enchanted spear. With a resounding snap, the weapon splintered into two pieces, leaving Xander momentarily disarmed.

The captain and Rex used Kragg's focus on Xander to their advantage and landed blows against the Hammerlord's exposed flanks. The reaction was instantaneous. Kragg abandoned the advantage over Xander to backhand Rex. A loud crack and the clattering of metal filled the room as Rex's now broken arm hung limp at his side and he lost his grip on one of his axes.

Despite the setback, the adventurers rallied, adapting their tactics. Zoey intensified her frost barrage while Rex dropped out of the fight for one of the fresher members of the group waiting to join the fray. Xander was beyond pissed. He had just replaced that spear, but he drew his backup weapon and the battle continued.

Kragg was showing signs of slowing down under the assault, but it was still extremely dangerous. Raising its clawed hand, the mechanism began to whirl and grind, signaling an impending use of one of its boss abilities. There was no place or time for the team to retreat. They continued to pour on the damage, hoping to kill the boss before it could trigger its ability.

The clawed hand fell to the ground with a thunderous clang, the shock wave causing everyone in the area to fall to the ground. Kragg glared down at Xander, reaching out to him with its clawed hand.

Desperate, Xander looked around for anything he could do before Kragg ended his life in a most horrifying way. His hands closed around one half of his broken spear. Using every ounce of strength he could muster, he thrust the spear tip into the gap under the armpit of Kragg's armor. The jagged wood drove deep, grinding against bone with a sickening crunch as it pierced something vital.

Kragg coughed twice and then fell over, blood leaking from its mouth.

The Machinists of Pandemonium
Congratulations! Your party has defeated the Hammerlords Dungeon Encounter 2 of 3 completed
Rewards: Experience, Gold, Machinist's Warpick
Reset Timer: 24:00:00

Laying on his back, staring at the cavern ceiling, Xander gave a silent prayer to the universe. He wasn't religious, and frankly didn't really even believe in God, at least in the pre-reboot sense of the word, but even he had to admit that was some next level of luck to get out of that scrape. Groans of pain from to his left drew his attention away from his inner thoughts.

Glancing over, he saw the rest of the team picking themselves off the ground amid the fallen gnolls. The adventurers regrouped, their armor battered but spirit defiant. A few leaned on weapons for support, their breaths heavy with exhaustion.

The cavern floor, once smooth and untouched, bore the scars of the fierce confrontation with the twin bosses. Deep gouges from the gnolls' powerful strikes marred the stone surface. A thin layer of dust and debris danced in the air, evidence of the relentless exchanges between the adversaries.

The Hammerlords, once imposing figures, now lay defeated. Their prosthetics, once symbols of terror, twitched sporadically. The intricate gears and cogs were exposed, damaged by well-placed strikes. The mechanical limbs, now silent and immobile, contrasted starkly with the lifeless, fur-covered bodies of the gnolls.

"Rex, you alive?"

"Yeah, but I'm seriously questioning the purpose of the Simulation. Nobody in their right mind would have willing created this level of pain without a reason."

"Give me a minute and I'll get you with a heal. I'm a bit tapped out at the moment and driving myself to another headache will not move things along."

Pulling himself up into a seated position, Xander tried to calm his mind and drop into a meditative state. The amount of pain he was feeling mixed with the noise from the rest of the team looting the battle space made it difficult, but after several attempts, he could achieve a relaxed state of mind. With the increase in mana regeneration, after a dozen deep meditative breaths, he could build his mana pool up to a point where he didn't risk a headache.

Looking down at the broken pieces of his practically brand new spear made him sigh and have to fight off a momentary bout of depression.

Three steps forward, two steps back, he thought. If this is going to become a regular trend, I need to be able to repair or even create my own gear.

That notion had been in his mind since he received the blacksmithing skill book earlier. As soon as they were done with this dungeon and he was reunited with Jo, he'd break up his time between crafting and adventuring. Nodding his head at the idea, Xander looked at the item he received for the last boss fight.

Machinist's Warpick
Quality: Uncommon
Enchantments: Steam Charge, Use Best Weapon Skill
Description: A formidable melee weapon with a head that sets it apart from traditional axes, hammers, or maces. The well-balanced one handed weapon fits into multiple categories of fighting with its unique head that features a hammer on one side, a hook like pick on the other, and an eight-inch blade on the top. This unique configuration suits it for piercing, slashing, and blunt damage. After a successful hit, steam charge will activate, causing the warpick to accumulate a charge of steam energy for a max of five stacks. When the player releases the stored energy, the next attack deals additional force damage.

Giving it a few practice swings, Xander curiously regarded his new toy. It certainly had an interesting look to it at three feet long, solid black with an intricate handle and an ornate head. He couldn't quite make out what the design on the head was supposed to be, but it was a gorgeous piece none the less. Unlike his current mace, the warpick had a leather loop at the base of the handle meant to prevent it from going flying should something try to knock it out of his hand. Before the reboot, if someone had asked Xander how often getting disarmed in combat really happened, he was sure his answer would have been much lower than reality.

The warpick wasn't a suitable replacement for the spear he'd just lost, but it was a clear upgrade over his mace. If he didn't know better, he would have thought the Simulation didn't want him to use a spear.

"Xander, check out my new item!" Zoey exclaimed, holding up a small charm.

Looking at it closely, the charm appeared to be a small vial of liquid in an ornate silver vial. A soft blue glow emanated from the vial, but not enough that it would be distracting during combat or give someone away should they be trying to hide. While it looked pretty, Xander let out a low whistle when he analyzed the item.

Frostbite Charm
Quality: Epic
Enchantments: Increased Accuracy, Frostbite
Description: Worn by those who tread the icy path, the Frostweaver's Charm blends seamlessly with the weaponry of an Arctic Warden. Its crystalline elegance conceals a potent magic that amplifies the biting chill of their every strike. When attached to any weapon wielded by an Arctic Warden, the weapon's accuracy will be calculated as +10 skill levels higher than the user. Frostbite increases the damage dealt by all cold based abilities by 10%.

"Wow, on the surface that doesn't sound like much, but when you do the math, that's going to make for one devastating weapon," Xander said, handing the charm back to Zoey, who quickly attached it to her bow.

"We're going to tear up some dungeons once we've taken care of current business," Zoey beamed.

"Hey, about that. I'm thinking of taking blacksmithing so I can repair my gear," Xander said, gesturing to his latest spear casualty. "We picked up some items that should help me with that. Would you mind if I took them?"

"Can you do blacksmithing and still be a paladin? Won't that override your class or something?" Zoey asked.

"Not sure. I won't give up being a paladin if it does. I just wanted to check with you before I assumed you'd be okay with me taking some of the crafting related stuff we've found."

"Well, there I'm pretty sure there won't be any chain retail stores opening up soon where we can just pop in for gear. We're going to need to be self sufficient. Don't do anything yet, though. Let's get this done, and then we can make out a plan for what happens next," Zoey replied.

Xander grinned. "Sounds good."

The pair headed over to where Rex and the captain were currently engaged in an animated discussion. Neither man looked angry, but judging by the look on their faces, they were both worried.

Rex turned to the pair once they were close enough. "We've got a problem. Well, several problems actually. Captain, do you want to tell them, or should I?"

"There is the obvious problem where we have one boss left to take down, and we're getting pretty light on combat capable members. Depending on how this next bit of bad news turns out, recruiting healers is at the top of my to do list," the captain of the guard said with a look that showed he'd felt every death that had happened under his watch.

"Now here is the real kicker," the captain of the guard continued. "You guys wouldn't know this since you're not registered members of the safe zone, but right in the middle of the battle, those of us that are listed as citizens of the safe zone got a notification that Victor Stern is now the leader of the zone."

A foul taste filled Xander's mouth as the implications set in. They'd been hip deep in fighting monsters to save as many people as they could, but the real enemy might wait for them back at the safe zone. People suck, Xander thought.

"That is bad news." Xander replied. "Let me make sure I understand all the ways this is bad. We highly suspect that Victor is involved in something nefarious or just some run of the mill power hungry asshole. Another wave of gnolls will probably steamroll the safe zone if we don't stop it by finishing this dungeon. There are a bunch of refugees sitting outside waiting for us to take them someplace safe and we're not sure that St. Joe is the right place for that now. Finally, we can claim this dungeon as a mine resource for a safe zone. Knowing what we know now, we're not sure St. Joe is the best choice for that. I have that about right?"

"Sounds about right," Rex replied. "Not to mention, any safe zone would find our armor and weapons here valuable."

"Victor doesn't know that we know. We use that to our advantage," Xander finally replied. "We complete the dungeon and claim the mine for St. Joe, plus take the refugees back there. There has to be solid proof. Find that, then we confront him with it. If he's guilty, we force him to step down."

"Stage a coup?" the captain of the guard said. "I don't want to open that door, but if we can find solid proof, that'd been different. Not sure where we're going to get proof, though."

A thought struck Xander. "Captain, there's a locked door by the admin offices that I don't remember being there when I was in school. You know the door I'm talking about?"

"Not right offhand, but I know the council thoroughly explored things the librarian took over," the captain said after thinking a moment.

"Captain, who led that exploration?"

"Shit. It was Victor," the captain said, snapping his fingers. "Now I know the area you're talking about, and Victor said he'd already cleared that hallway. I remember it distinctly because at the time I was thankful we were almost done."

"We're going to need people we can trust."

"I'm confident in the people we have here. I hand picked mainly people I've known for years, at Victor's suggestion I might add. He had a couple of people he wanted to tag along, but they're dead or the ones that ducked out while we've been here."

"Alright, we keep this to ourselves for now. We act normal, finish up here, and then figure out what Victor has been up to," Rex said.

The conversation continued while the rest of the team continued to clean up the battle. There was way too much in the armory to carry it all back to the safe zone in one trip. Instead, everyone equipped what gear they could use immediately that would be an upgrade.

The last battle had almost been too much for the group. Everyone was on edge that the last boss would cause a total party kill. On edge or not, no one was willing to give up. They either stood victorious and saved the safe zone from the gnolls before going back and saving it from itself, or it would be someone else's problem. Grim, to be sure, but pragmatic.

"Did everyone get decent upgrades from that boss?" Xander called out.

Many people were reluctant to share exactly what they'd gotten, but overall, almost everyone had gotten an upgrade of some type. By Xander's quick scan, it looked like everyone had at least a decent weapon and a full set of non-magical armor now.

"Let's move out, team. We have one more to go and then it's back to the safe zone for beers and cheers!" Rex said in an attempt at motivation.

"Hopefully, there won't be too many patrols between here and there."

"Bah, it should be easy sailing," Rex grinned.