More Trouble Brewing in the Shreken....

In a cluttered office above the Benchley House in Mudspot...

"One hundred and---" The door to the dimly lit office was swung open, startling the little man and causing him to spill the wine on some important documents.

"No time for that, Wormley!" The voice was unmistakably Elder Benchley's. "We can worry about accounting and stained tax documents later, there is other business at hand!"

"That's right! I've got a plan, Wormley! A brilliant plan! Let me read over that message given to us by Duke D'Honaire several days ago during those pestiferous nobles' unwelcome stay."

Benchley put on a pair of thick spectacles and read it over with a grin planted on his old, devilish face. "Just as I thought! The company of knights led by Lord Thatcher was supposed to have shown up two days ago! They were to stop here before continuing on to the Southern Caves. We've seen no sign of them, we've received no word from Nugget instructing us what to do next...something is awry! And we must take advantage of whatever it is!"

"No idea what I'm talking about!? THINK about it! There are centuries of accumulated treasures lying right under our nose!! And there's no more Dragon to guard it, remember!? It's just sitting there waiting for the next passer-by to become richer then half of the kings in Havnheim!!!"

"But we must be quick, and we must have courage...."

"That is precisely what I mean to do! Don't be a ninny, Wormy old boy! We'll take Crowley and Finchley with us! There's not a cave in the Shreken those miserable bumpkins couldn't navigate! We can sit here calculating our slim earnings from some coal-pits our whole lives, or we can take advantage of this rare opportunity...this very night!"

"Bah! I've taken care of that, our mules are already laden with supplies and I have an extra sword you can use..." Wormley's face was turning pale. "But I'm not a warrior, why do you want me to come? I'll take my slim, SAFE profits, thank you kindly! Can't I just stay here and finish balancing this budget for last week's late coal shipment? Or maybe I could polish the floors while you're gone, they need it ever so..."

Wormley took another swig from what was left of his mostly spilt bottle of cheap wine. "...alright...*hic!*..."

Not far from that scene, somewhere in the Shreken, and a little earlier...

"Calm down, Chucky." Lucky went to his cousin's side and gave him a pat on the back. "You've been up for days now and I imagine you must be stressed. It's bound to catch up with you so forget your gnomish work ethic and give yourself a rest, for goodness sakes! It's no good trying to operate Geo- Amp #2 without a clear head, you know!"

"Yes, yes, cousin. She IS a very naughty little girl and belive you me, she shall get what's coming to her. But there you have it, everything has it's time and place and you need to go to bed. Tomorrow we will discipline the girl-creature. Off with you! Go to bed!"

"But nothing. Go to bed or I'll be forced to place a sleep enchantment on you. You know I can do it!"

"There you go, falling asleep in the lab again. I wonder why you even have a bed..."

"But what?"

"Did you just call the machine a 'big mama?'"

"Oh. Ok. Well, this isn't Verboten, Flucky. We are far removed from civilization here and are uninhibited by human regulations or any other outside interference. Remember, it was a device very similar to our precious machine here which defeat the Gnome-Witch of the Goth all those years ago..."

"Oh, you're one to talk about caution! You have a point, though. That's why Chucky decided to move his lab to a lower level, to help conceal the impulses. He's also sealed off a few of the major tunnels and entrances into the cave network. Partly for security against any magical attacks, and partly to keep any treasure looters (or damnable rock-trolls) out! I reckon Chucky cataloged and kept better track of the Dragon's treasure than the old Lingwyrm did itself! He's also added a few other precautionary steps to the process this time 'round, and it will help a little, I guess. But in order for this big mama to...dammit, Flucky! Where do you come up with these names!? You've got me calling it that ridiculous title now! Anyways... you made me forget what I was going to say."

"I sent him to bed for a couple hours, he was begginning to babble worst than you."

A minute later the other two gnomes where fast asleep and snoring louder than Chucky had...

Next morning...

"He's got you saying it now too!" Lucky interupted.

"'one of these big mamas'!?"

"What about them?"

"Right. To your battle stations, gnomes!" Chuckey spat in his hands and grabbed a lever. "Here goes nothing!"

Lucky began to utter arcane words as he produced a glowing gem from a rune-inlaid pouch attached to his belt. He finished preparing the spell of finding but did not cast it, rather he set the small gem into a receptacle designed much like the one Bertrand of Giles had set his own gem into all those weeks prior.

Chucky sighed. "Now here comes the real test! Brace yourselves, gnomes!" The machine spun faster and faster, the defining sound of it's motion blocking out any other noise.

Lucky prepared himself for what might happen next. One of the safety precautions that set GeoAmp-2 apart from GeoAmp-1 was the addition of an observation room. The room was built entirely of metal and was woven in an out with protective spells. The risk was contained this way, if the little girl was able to track them down this time things wouldn't be looking pretty for Lucky, but at least the other two would be safe.

"WE'VE GOT A LOCK!!!!"

"Right!" His hands started shaking as he prepared to pull the final lever. He closed his eyes as he did so, and then promptly jumped behind a chair and covered his head.

Lucky was trembling by this point. It was taking every ounce of willpower he possessed to keep a steady gaze at the pool. The face started to become clearer, and so did it's surroundings. The girl was skipping through a dark corridor, happily humming to herself as she went. Her lips began to move and soon it became apparent she was speaking to a malnourished old man who sat on a pile of his own excrement, locked within a tiny cell. Lucky knew what he must do next, the final step in the process, he must immobilize the monster.

He pulled on a gear above the pool. A blast of electric energy shot into it from a device on the ceiling with a force that sent Lucky flying back several feet. Lightning and magical energy flashed around the central conducting rod. The discs were spinning so fast now that they all look like one big blur. Loud thunderings were emitted from the machine's core and the ground began to tremble violently.

"WE'VE GOT HER! WE'VE GOT HER!" Lucky exclaimed from above.

1. Fred's somewhere, doing something...
2. Alfredo is anywhere and doing nothing...
3. Emry is everwhere, doing anyone...
4. Cedrik is nowhere and doing no one...

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