“Some jokes!” Topside jumps as a jet of flame erupts from the floor beneath him. “This room’s got something of a murderous intent to it.”
As the surface of the pyramid shifts, its paneling briefly parts to allow a glimpse inside: a storage compartment holding a long grey scythe.
“Okay, that’s got to be The Scythe.” Garand says, “It can become anything you can imagine…some rumors say it is almost Amalgamous Prime himself with the amount of forms it can take.”
Zepar steps up and tests the pyramid walls to see if he could reach through. His intentions were first to see if it was possible to get the Scythe then to use the Scythe to help solve this trial and prove their worthiness for the Dark Key.
OOC: you’re going to have us do all 13…aren’t you?
Zepar was going to have a tough go of reaching the pyramid: one of the buzzsaws careening around the room suddenly changes its course and screams toward the angelicon.
He moves to dodge and block with his shield. “Amalgamous’s form was mainly dependent on his emotions or what he thought would be fun…go with the flow?” He mutters as he keeps trying to approach the pyramid, moving with his instincts but tempered by his mind so he was aware of the threats around him.
The buzzsaw clashes with the shield and grinds against the barrier, trying to cut through. It rips itself off its track and goes flying elsewhere in the chamber.
More defenses activate around the pyramid: a machine gun turret pops out of the ground and belches a spray of bullets in a wide arc, aiming for nothing and no-one in particular. Rails rise from the floor to project a laser grid in a wild spiderweb pattern, the beams hissing and crackling.
Topside hangs back, so as to not slow Zepar down. The angelicon’s approach was working: he was deftly avoiding each trap, until he was able to reach the peak of the upside-down pyramid.
Zepar uses the same approach to try and enter the pyramid.
Garand chuckles, “It seems he actually did pay attention during training.”
OOC: figured a lot of this was chaos to scare people and make them overthink…
The sides of the pyramid peel away, and the scythe floats down into Zepar’s grip. It was a solid weapon, rigid in form and function; merely an imitation of Amalgamous’s Scythe.
The chaos around the room abruptly ceases. The deadly instruments are abducted into the walls, and panels pockmarked with bullet holes or blackened by scorch marks are withdrawn and replaced. A hatch in the ceiling rotates downward, coming to rest just above the floor.
“A very well-made replica.” Garand says as he walks to Zepar, “How did you get past all that?” Epsilon asked.
“Followed my instincts and added a dash of logic to be aware of my surroundings; in short, think like Amalgamous Prime.” He answers, he looks at his armor and finds he had several bullets lodged into various points and several burns from other traps…”Okay, that’s gonna take a while to fix.” He says.
“Oh hey. We didn’t even need to do anything. Nice.”
Pipebomb mused.
“Oh slag off. I think I did a lot of something.”
Starchaser said.
Broadwing transformed into robot mode and stood up. He was still tired, but he could move.
“Chaotic, but brief. At least Amalgamous knew some restraint.”
Topside takes a deep breath and looks toward the door that had just opened up, likely leading to the next challenge.
“What’s that make it now,” he wonders, “four more to go? If we’re going in the usual order, next one’s for Quintus.”
“No.” Garand says, “Due to his actions in causing the War of The Primes, Liege Maximo has all but been stricken from the record of Cybertron’s history.”
“I would be surprised if Liege was represented in these trials.”
“Okay, three,” Topside corrects himself. “Three’s good; makes this gauntlet one step shorter.”
The captain is about to walk toward the door, when his commlink buzzes with static. Through the noise, the voice of Shatterpoint fights to be heard.
“Topside! Whatever you’re-… -attack! We’re holding, but-…”
“We need to hurry.” Garand says, seeing the look on Topside’s face.
Topside’s expression is dour, but not surprised; he was expecting the New Decepticons to show up sooner or later. Or maybe they’d attracted some more terrorcons while flying through the ruined system. Whichever was the case, he nods his head, agreeing with Garand.
“Well then lets get a move on!”
Pipebomb said enthusiastically.
He walked over to Starchaser and lifted her by her tail, throwing it over his shoulder. He tried to drag her to the door, but her long and slender dragonic body proved difficult to move.
“Primus! You wanna talk about losing weight?”
The junkion remarked.
“Alright fine. Let’s just say we’re both a little dense and call it at that.”
Starchaser relented.
“I’m carrying a couple thousand pounds of explosives. What’s your excuse?”
Pipebomb joked. Though Starchaser only groaned in response.
Broadwing came over and lifted up her head, resting it over his shoulder.
“If you ask me, you’re not that heavy. I’d say you’re fine just as you are.”
“Well aren’t you a charmer.”
Starchaser said with a sly grin.
“No, that’s no what I-”
Broadwing stammered, but was quickly interrupted by the flying ace’s laughter.
“Relax big guy. I’m just pulling your leg.”
With a bot at either end, Starchaser was much easier to move, and the three head through the door.
The Angelicons and Epsilon follow them.
Our heroes walk through the doorway and onto a grand vista overlooking a spectacular landscape. Once again, ancient illusion technology disguised whatever chamber with was as an outdoor environment, unlike any our heroes had seen before. Immense blocks of greebled machinery jutted up from a bottomless abyss, encased in slabs of a white, marble-like substance. Fields of red techno-organic grass grew atop these superstructures, and crimson vines crawled down their sides. A strip of orange upon the horizon, the last light of a setting sun, gave way to a purple, star-filled sky in which a glittering ring of crystals shone.
Ahead and to the left, a round gate embedded in an off-white block loomed, its aperture filled by a silver metal seal adorned with complex inlays and spots of blue light.
“Pretty.”
Starchaser remarked.
“You can say that again.”
Pipebomb said.
“Definitely a breath of fresh air after the batch of nightmares we just had.”
Spectrum followed Topside eagerly, the beautiful sight reflecting in her optics.
The Splitter brothers slowed their pace as they took in the sights around them. “Amazing.” Thrust said.
Topside, too, was momentarily stunned by the beautiful sight before him.
“I’ve been around the galaxy in my time,” he says, “done a few tours in the Elite Guard 'fore the war broke out- but I’ve never seen anything like this…”
The captain walks slowly toward the gateway. A closer look at the red vines and roots would reveal egg-shaped pods nestled into their skin, each containing a young cybertronian spark suspended in energon. Some even had the beginnings of a metal body forming around them.