The mechanical whirring and laughter boomed forth, right next to the Oracle that had fallen down after expending the last of his strength. Despite his will to flee from right next to the creature, he would only fall flat onto his stomach as he tried to summon forth the energy to leap away. Yet the greatest harm from the golem was indeed the scare it provided, for the infernal racket died down mere seconds afterwards. Grug stayed down against the floor, breathing ragged and even pained breaths of the dusty air into and out of his lungs. He needed the break, just as this woman that had provided intellectual companionship during their descent suggested. Grug was once more made painfully aware just how frail his body was.

The woman's hand on his shoulder had him grip his functioning wrist into a fist, as well as cause a powerful enough reaction to even show in his shrivelled up hand as slight shaking of his fingers. "I...", he began before sighing and loosening up his fist and splaying his fingers against the floor. "I may need that", he conceded and stopped tensing up his muscles. Accepting help was no new thing for him.

After some time he was helped to his feet and the woman handed him back his cane, against which he leaned before taking a few cautious steps along the path they had used to descend all the way to the bottom. "Discussion... outside... I see how it is. Let us go as hastily as we can muster", he suggested, being quite ironically the slowest of the group. "But I can tell we are not doomed. There is... [b]huff[/b] many a future where... [b]puff[/b] we will emerge victorious..." Past that point, he ceased talking until they would be on the surface again.

[@CoyoteLovely][@Silvan Haven]