Portal Chamber Payoff

     We set off to the conducting tower, towards the North. We had considered bringing Joe along, but firstly, COLUS wouldn't let him, - he might pose more of a risk to us, jeopardising the entire operation - and additionally, he seems too wrapped up in helping OROTHO with the tunnel security. That was all fair enough. UOPETA was in agreement with COLUS; taking three people across into a high security area was hard enough, without adding more to the mix! It felt good to be back in the old method of doing things. I'd almost began to miss the sight of the conducting tower... It seemed like an eternity since last checking on the status of the primary portals, and yet in reality it was likely to have been just over a week! Then again, a lot had happened since then. We had found an obsidian farm, "procured" a report from HoN Co. tower leading us to four different portal chambers, visited each one and destroyed every portal within, nearly been caught by HoN Co. guards right outside my house, and recruited someone to our team who could prove invaluable, in more ways than was initially obvious...

"It seems Joe could prove to be quite helpful around the base. If he knows a little about wiring, then no wonder OROTHO's taken a shine to him! It just makes me wonder why HoN Co. would throw away a talent like that by putting him to work on the portal chambers..."

"Maybe they didn't know..."
Maybe they didn't care. From the looks of things, HoN Co. weren't looking for sophisticated traps and security doors. They just needed a large room to store portals, and a few guards to ensure no-one go in... Obviously it seems they would have gained a lot more if they had put Joe to more effective use.

     As we neared the conducting tower, we could tell that security had been stepped up a notch. A few notches even! As we approached the Northern side, we could see a few guards on duty patrolling the sides and rear, and then the usual guards posted outside the front came into view. Unlike before though, they weren't talking to each other, and they didn't seem distracted. They seemed actually alert and ready for anything! This was odd considering, but maybe someone had informed them about our presence, and what had been happening to other guards. I did notice that all of the guards were now wearing leather sheaths around their necks for protection. UOPETA had caught onto this as well!

"Looks like we need another strategy... Their hands are left exposed, but it's unlikely to be as fast acting..."

We concocted a plan to enable us to quickly dispatch the guards. It wasn't really that much different to the usual plan, only we had to aim for a considerably more inaccurate location. Not only was the target smaller, but it had a tendency to move a lot more than a neck ever did! We would have to get closer, and with them being alerted much easier, that was only going to make things harder! We crept slower from the treeline, and drew closer, flattening ourselves onto our bellies to drastically reduce the chances of us being seen. We would try to sedate the two guards on duty outside the entrance whilst the other guards were around the other side. Then we would open the entrance and take refuge inside. Leaving the guards there, we would wait until they found the unconscious forms of the sedated guards, and then we would simply stab them each in the hand. It would be hugely risky, but it was the best we could do without raising the alarm.

"Right. Syeonyx? When the one to the left looks off in the other direction, you fire a dart. Make sure the magazine is full, because I'm not sure one dart is going to be enough..."

Aiming carefully, I sighted the hand of the guard closest to me. He was carrying a sword, so it was unlikely that hand was going to move too much. UOPETA aimed for the guard further away. We fired the first darts simultaneously, but there was no reaction from any of the guards. It was likely we had missed, otherwise they'd likely be looking at their hands. Firing again, UOPETA's guard looked at his hand instantly, and pulled the dart out. The other guard had been drawn to this, and I fired again. I saw the dart embed itself harmlessly against the guard's armoured thigh, which drew his attention. At this point, the other guard dropped to the floor, which UOPETA used to his advantage and fired another dart. The remaining guard drew his hand quickly up to his face, as though receiving a burn, and studied the dart for a few moments, before collapsing to the floor. We ran forwards towards the entrance, and I removed the dart from the guard's hand. UOPETA stood up and flicked the lever to open the entrance, and we all went inside. UOPETA remained close to the entrance, and took the magazine from his blowpipe, and tapped out two darts. Putting the blowpipe away, he crouched in silence, waiting with a dart in each hand.

"What now...?"

UOPETA motioned for THEROS to be quiet, and the sound of footsteps on sand became louder and louder. Suddenly, there was the sound of panicked voices, and running. The two guards were outside the entrance, and UOPETA used this opportunity! Diving forwards, he lashed out with both darts, before retreating into the entrance again! The sounds of exclamations and profanities filled the air, and one guard approached the entrance, sword drawn. UOPETA readied his blowpipe, but the guard collapsed a few feet shy of UOPETA. The slumping sound outside indicated the other guard had fell unconscious too.

"Gets closer and closer every time!"

It had occurred to us a little late, but we quickly turned around to see if the commotion had drawn the attention of any guards inside, but as usual, there was no sign of any guards...

     We descended into the actual master portal chamber, to determine the status of the primary portals, and the master portal overall. I had assumed that there would be little change. If the portal chambers had been recently installed, that would only have added to the progress that HoN Co. had already made. Us destroying them would merely reset it back to what it was before. However, descending the final set of stairs - after determining that the coast was clear - we saw that the entire left side wall was totally void of any active portals!

"Last time we were here, there were two active primary portals on that wall... Now there are none.. Progress!!!"

We were all elated with the progress we had made! It was very little, and two primary portals were still active on the other wall, but any progress, no matter how little, was better than nothing!

After calming down, we set to work looking for any more information about portal locations. We knew that the obsidian farm was still a potential threat, but anything that would help us afterwards would be incredibly useful! Destroying the obsidian farm would only remove the threat of more portal chambers. But more portals could still be found and activated... It actually made me think. Who was activating these portals? Did they even know what they were doing, or why they were doing it? Was it possible to get them to side with us...?

Syeonyx signing off