Operation : Gun Smoke Rescue

**Operation : Gun Smoke Rescue** is the sixty seventh episode of *Another Bad Side Quest*. The party reach Bolton but the fighting doesn't stop as the dungeons beneath the *Charcoal Palace* live up to their deadly reputation.

## Operation : Gun Smoke Rescue

### **Pre Show Shenanigans**

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### **Summary**

As the room started to spin the party noticed little openings appear around the room and slowly filled the room with the same burning scent in the storage room, along with a metal rod appeared in the center of the roof and dropped into a socket in the floor. They continued to try to open the door, with RX still holding the red sparking handle with Kaz holding his hand, Sterling holding the one near to it with Yashani holding his hand and Quincy holding the one near the entrance they came through. They tried to connect the circuit from the sparking handle to the entrance door with no result, then to the second handle with no result. Kaz quickly noticed that the red lightning near RX didn't leave him and after telling the group swapped with him. Quincy had Alaerith hold their hand for him to create a circuit with Yashani causing the room started to turn again before the rod returned to the roof, the doors opened, revealing the room they came from and stairs going down, and the gas stopped being filtered in. After recollecting everything expelled from the *Bag of Holding* and *Eldritch Scarf* in RX's bag, they headed down the stairs.

As they headed down they rock carved room they eventually reached a lit wall, with a giant spool of chain that lead down the hole, attached to a crank on the ground, along with a clear table, some wooden boxes and a chair with blood in the centre of it. They headed to the 10 foot hole and saw a cage swinging around, with a figure inside it. Kaz said they needed to make the plan clear as something would likely happen when he was free and Sterling noted he was going to contact him. Sterling cast *Sending* to tell Bolton

*"Bolton, we are here up the chain. What is our next move? Rattle the bar three times to know it's you. Sterling Edle Myleheart"*

and heard Bolton reply back

*"You didn't come this far. Get me out of here if you can"*

accompanied by three rattles of the cage bars.

Quincy suggested the arcane sigils were some kind of alarm and, after Sterling checked the chain, confirmed that it was and likely based on movement, but if they went slow they should be ok. RX asked if there was a way to get him out of the cage and Sterling said he had enough magic to cast *Dimension Door* to get in and get him out. Yashani questioned that the cage would likely have something to prevent getting in and out, citing that Bolton had magic, and Quincy responded that they just needed to be careful with the chain. Kaz suggested she could send Boris down the chain, but Yashani countered that he would rattle the chain in the process. Sterling activated *Manifest Mind* to summon Tollanessa and said he planned to use Tollanessa as his vision when casting the spells, but when Tollanessa asked if he didn't feel like he wouldn't be able to get out and recommended he didn't get in there. Sterling explained that he didn't plan to go inside it, but to teleport on the roof of the cage, then cast *Vortex Warp* to get Bolton out and then teleport the two back with Tollanessa's help. Yashani said she and RX might be better for that as they were better with their movement, but Sterling countered that if he failed they simply had no Bolton, but if they did things would be worse. As they talked the group noticed sand and ash started to fall out of the cracks and the group decided to save Sterling's plan as a backup, while Yashani and RX would pull the nearby cranks.

Alaerith cast *Enhance Ability : Bull's Strength* to help the two with their strength, with Quincy also casting *Bless* on everyone but her, before they both headed to the cranks. The two went to work cranking the chain up while Alaerith helped Quincy search the boxes and found Bolton's clothes and items, including his pistols *Panic & Punish.* Meanwhile RX noticed the falling sand was forming a pile, while Sterling picked that there was some magic connected to it. Kaz also noticed a similarity to her own *Sand Slide* ability and warned they would have visitors soon. Quincy loaded a *Banishment* bullet in *Panache*, while Kaz stood closer to the piles, pulled out her *Glaive of the War Priest* and readied to attack if something appeared. As Yashani and RX continued to work the chain smoothly when the party felt a vibration from the ground underneath. They tried to figure what the source was as the vibration grew stronger, but felt it eventually stop. The group decided to keep going just before the ground in the center cracked and started to opened up with signs of something coming.

RX and Yashani continued to focus on the chain while Quincy aimed *Panache* at the hole and, just as they glimpsed a very big and long creature starting to appear, fired the *Banishment* bullet and banished it away. Sterling decided there was no time and cast *Dimension Door* to appear at the top of the cage and feeling the heat of it immediately fell, but felt the figure within grab him on the otherside. Sterling turned and saw it was Bolton who just told him he needed to deal with the painful heat until they got back up. RX and Yashani continued to work the crank and as they got to 10 feet left of chain the *Banished* creature returned. Meanwhile Sterling also realized the hole wasn't big enough for him and the cage to get through and, after also realizing magic wouldn't work in the cage, used Tollanessa to cast *Negative Image* and return to the room. The creature, now revealed as a magma snake with plates of stone and magma in it, plummeted to the ground in front of them.

As Bolton remained in the cage and RX asked someone to use his shield to take attention, Sterling cast *Banishment* on the magma snake to send it away again. Quincy put *Panache* away and took *Panic & Punish* from Bolton's things and his coat as RX and Yashani continued to work the crank. Alaerith, limited in options, readied himself to cast *Firebolt* while Kaz, at the sight of the sand forming into incorporeal sand beings *(Edimmu)*, slashed one. Sterling attempted to sound like the Sultan as he cast *Cause Fear* on the Edimmu, but got no reaction from them and quickly hid behind Quincy. Quincy told him to hide somewhere else before firing *Panic & Punish* at the Edimmu closest to Kaz, then activated *Deeds : Bite the Bullet* to heal themself. Yashani and RX continued to work the crank, with RX also activating *Second Wind* to heal himself*,* but the cage smacked against the hole causing their effort to be delayed. Alaerith failed to cast *Firebolt* at the targeted Edimmu before activating *Flexible Casting* to regain sorcery points.

Kaz slashed at the nearby Edimmu again while she had Boris look for something to open the cage and found a nearby locked box that was out of place and let everyone know. The Edimmu's wounds started to close over as the one near Kaz failed to avoid *Moisture Siphon* as they drained her, while the other floated to Alaerith and likewise failed to activate *Moisture Siphon* on him. Sterling cast *Mind Whip* on the Edimmu on Alaerith, then headed to where the cage would be when it dropped. Quincy activated *Barrage* before firing *Panic & Punish* on the Edimmu near Alaerith and noticed some of the bullets were not as effective as the others. RX and Yashani tried the crank again, but again the cage smacked into the hole. Alaerith cast *Shocking Grasp* on the nearby Edimmu and noticed the lightning wasn't so effective before he ran to the chest.

Kaz cast *Ice Storm* on both the Edimmu, which both failed to resist. The Edimmu wounds healed again as they both failed to activated *Moisture Siphon* on Kaz and Alaerith while draining them. Quincy swapped out *Panache*, loaded a *Resilient Sphere* bullet and fired it at the Edimmu near Alaerith, but failed to ensnare it. As RX and Yashani managed to finally pull the cage out of the hole Alaerith checked the box, but when he found it was locked picked it up, cast *Polymorph* to turn into an owl and flew near to the cage's landing point. Kaz slashed the nearby edimmu again while Boris failed to attack the other Edimmu who attacked. The Edimmu near Kaz failed to activate *Moisture Siphon* on her and despite Quincy using their reaction to activate *Gambler's Taunt* to try and stop it, the Edimmu used its own reaction to avoid the shot, though RX activated *Protective Field* to reduce some of the damage. The other Edimmu headed to Quincy, but missed activating *Moisture Siphon* on her.

Sterling cast *Moment to Think* to check the cage's lock, found it was magical and physical, asked Quincy to work on the physical side, then cast *Magic Missile* on the Edimmu near Quincy and hid behind Yashani. Quincy pushed Bolton's coat through the bars before firing *Panic & Punish* at the lock, with the shield absorbing the blast and firing it back, blowing her backwards, then fired at the Edimmu near Kaz. Yashani, now free to do what she can, pulled out *Umbra,* ran to the Edimmu near Kaz, bludgeoned it twice, then activated *Flurry of Blows* to strike again. RX, likewise free, donned his shield and sword, ran to the Edimmu near Sterling and tried to get its attention. Alaerith flew down to slash the Edimmu near Kaz before returning upwards again. Kaz slashed the Edimmu with her glaive, then had Boris bite the one near Quincy. The other near Kaz missed activating *Moisture Siphon* on her, but the other managed to activate it on Quincy, draining their lifeforce away and leaving her wobbling on her feet. Bolton put on his coat before asking the group to get him out.

Sterling asked Tollanessa how to open the lock without being able to cast *Dispel Magic* and after Tollanessa simply touched it and broke magical part of the lock. Quincy ran to the cage, but the Edimmu used their reaction to activate *Moisture Siphon* on Quincy to drain their lifeforce again and left her *Unconscious* on the ground. Yashani bludgeoned the Edimmu near Kaz twice and brought it down turning it to ash before activating *Hands of Healing* from long range to revive Quincy. RX went to the lock and tried to slash it with his blade, was likewise was blown black as the lock deflected the strike back on him, then stood up, activated *Passus,* slashed the remaining Edimmu and activated *Action Surge* to slash it again. Alaerith flew down to attack the Edimmu then hovered near to Quincy's body. Kaz moved between the Edimmu and Quincy, slashed it with her glaive as she stood over Quincy's prone form, had Boris bite it as it used its reaction to dodge the blow, then told Quincy to get up and pick the lock. The Edimmu failed to activate *Moisture Siphon* on Kaz but still hit her hard enough to leave her *Unconscious* on the ground, then attempted to flee as RX, Yashani and Alaerith used their reactions to attack it, with RX's slash enough to turn it to dust on the ground.

Bolton asked again to be let out, while Sterling took out the *Basilisk Dagger* to help Quincy with the lock. Quincy stood to her feet, asked everyone to stop being bossy, dragged Kaz with her to the cage and managed to open the lock freeing Bolton. After Sterling warned that the banished creature would return soon Yashani and RX, after picking up Bolton started to flee. Bolton thanked everyone and cast *Mass Healing Word* to heal everyone, which also revived Kaz. Everyone else started to run just as the magma snake returned and burrowed underground, but managed to close the door, arrived back into the room with the cage and anti magic field, again dispelling all of their magic items and *Polymorph* again as Alaerith fell on top of the chest he took.

1. ↑ Using his once a day question and was successful!