[center][h3]Team Kan-Ra[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Al Mamoon Northwest - Obelisk Temple
Yoshitune's [@Rockin Strings], Fox’s [@Dawnrider], Primrose’s [@Yankee], Red’s [@TheDemonHound], Tora and Poppi, Big Band, Kan-Ra, Panther, Skull[/center]

Through the residential district’s rows of housing Kan-Ra led his entourage in search of a particular temple. He moved with undeniable purpose, and it didn’t take him long to zero in on his target. Following him proved to be a little frustrating, if not difficult, since rather than slowly glide the whole way the sorcerer opted for a different approach. Instead he moved in bursts by placing a sand trap far ahead of him, which took the shape of a miniature cluster of sandy pyramids, and then exploding into sand to reappear from the trap. He repeated this process over and over again, fast enough to force everyone to hustle to keep up, including his acolytes. By the time everyone reached their destination more than a few were huffing and puffing, but there was no time to waste.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/EB8Jf6H.png[/img][/center]

The temple in front of them lay comfortably nestled among a bunch of houses, and it seemed to be open. A number of Grimleal peacekeepers were already on site, loosely spread out around the building to avoid causing too much of a scene, but there was no sign of their commander. When Kan-Ra approached a couple underlings moved to greet him, exchanging a few quick words. The sorcerer bowed his head in thanks and turned to face the others. “The Obelisk of Khamoon,” he told them. “A local attraction, frequented by many for its serene beauty. Its lower levels are closed to the public for the sake of historical preservation, but some vermin have infested the place, regardless. Azwel has already begun his descent. Let us not delay.”

“Round two for pest control,” Tora joked. He and Poppi moved to the front of the group, Mech Arms ready for action, and Band stepped up right behind them. Kan-Ra joined him, and with their protectors in front, the heroes made their way up the stairs into the temple. It took the form of a single vaulted room rich in columns and archways, every inch of real estate covered by gorgeous carvings, patterns, and hieroglyphics. Reliefs of ancient beings, their animal heads almost lifelike in their detail, reached out from the walls in orderly rows. As fascinating as it all looked it seemed all too familiar to Kan-Ra, who pointed the way toward one of the temple’s two towers, the one in the bottom left. At one point a rope barred the way to a spiral staircase, but now it lay cleanly cut on the floor, the [i]NO ENTRY[/i] sign on the wall discarded.

Tora stepped right over the rope and started down the stairs into the darkness; with Poppi by his side and a bunch of friends (and not-friends) behind him, he was practically fearless. The ice-blue glow of Poppi’s ether furnace lit the way as he followed the stairs to the bottom and started down a corner. Though this place seemed like the quintessential dungeon Tora didn’t really get the impression of a spooky derelict catacombs. “Temple remind Tora of oasis ruins,” he mentioned. “Stuff in good condition, not creepy. Like museum. If there no more icky-pooey deadypons to fight, Tora happy.” He looked sideways at Kan-Ra. “N-not that there, mehhh, anything wrong with undead.”

The sorcerer’s upper lip twitched. “Though I may not look it, I am alive. Clinging on to what little I have left, as it were. And I am not a mummy.”

Tora didn’t believe him one bit, but he wasn’t about to tell him that. Instead he led the way around a corner, and when he spotted some light up ahead, made a beeline in that direction. The echoes of some sort of clash hastened him on his way. He arrived at a three-way intersection, with the path straight ahead terminating in a balcony that looked out across a vast vertical space. The railing was tall enough that an adult woman could just barely peer out over it, so while Poppi picked up her Masterpon to give him a look, Band sidled up to the wall and leaned out to take the [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f3/34/ba/f334bab4ad08346118f441286bba6c9b.jpg]whole place[/url] in.

Decorated with massive hieroglyphics, the giant chamber extended a good five stories down, and at the very bottom a pool of bright blue water sat, still as the surface of a mirror. Up above a square hole covered by a grate let filtered sunlight shine down across the whole affair, and between the chamber’s depths and heights a massive monolith nearly spanned the whole space. Perhaps the temple’s titular Obelisk of Khamoon, it encapsulated the majesty of the place with the incredibly crafted birds and painstakingly etched runes across its shining surface, but Band could admire it later. As long as the Resistance was calling this place home, it was no more than a den of murderers and thieves. He busied himself searching for a lead, and by the time Poppi elevated Tora enough for him to see, Band found one.

“Down there.” He pointed down at a portion of the third floor, the first floor from the top to be open to the central atrium with the aid of supportive pillars and floor-to-ceiling tablets. He couldn’t make out exact details, but he could see bursts of blue and red light, either magic or enchanted weaponry. The flash and rattle of gunfire, however, was unmistakable. “Looks like your man Azwel already found himself some company. Let’s boogie.”

Poppi considered the problem before them. “Masterpon and Poppi can fly down, but not want leave friends. Or run right into trap.”

Since most of the group couldn’t fly or climb down, they needed to find a different way, and turned away from the balcony to consider the left and right halls. Skull looked between them but could find no difference. “Man, which way’s the right one?” he asked aloud, scratching at his dyed hair. “Man, I wish Oracle were here right about now!”

“We could try jumping down into the water,” Panther observed. “But that would make us sitting ducks if they’re all waiting down there.”

Kan-Ra’s brows furrowed over his glowing eyes. “We do not have time to waste. It may be wisest to-”

“Ether spike detected!” Poppi alerted the group, interrupting him. She looked up to see an orange magic building above the group. Grabbing Tora’s wing, she jetted backward out of the way. “Look out!”

A moment later the summoned meteor crashed down right where the team had been standing, splitting them four ways across the intersection. “Now!” a deep voice called out, and all at once the enemy appeared.  Around the corners of both lateral hallways a pair of enemies appeared. From the left side a [url=https://i.imgur.com/2boCbJH.png]dragon mage[/url] appeared to start hurling fireballs that burned with the same flame that the meteor left behind. Beside him stood a surly-looking [url=https://i.imgur.com/3iZmxjQ.png]dwarf[/url] with a fearsome warhammer and a magic-looking shield.

Opposite them, a [url=https://blzmedia-a.akamaihd.net/d3/media/artwork/artwork-witch-doctor02-large.jpg]witch doctor[/url] in a horned mask threw pots that shattered to produce a swarm of [url=https://www.wow-petopia.com/images/skin_pix/minespider2_cave.jpg]corpse spiders[/url] that scuttled the intruders’ way. A [url=https://i.imgur.com/FhnDLlo.png]gun-wielding punk[/url] had her back, but he seemed more eager to taunt than open fire. “Got your dumbasses! Any last words?”

His words proved closer to reality than one might hope as a secret door opened into the corridor Kan-Ra’s team entered by. It admitted a [url=https://i.imgur.com/KIFrIxE.png]tough-looking woman[/url] with a hunting rifle who promptly started shooting down the hallway, while an [url=https://i.imgur.com/XdrfOam.png]ogre of a man[/url] almost big enough to scrape the edges of the hallway lumbered out behind her. After she fired her opening salvo, Earthquake stood ready to take on anyone who came toward them.

While Tora raised his Mech Arms toward the spiders, ready to get their attention and start squashing bugs, Band guarded against Fitzroy’s gunshots with his cymbal. “Bah! So much for gettin’ in n’ out.” He slid one foot backward, preparing to charge. “All we’ve got’s the spur of the moment, so unless y’all wanna paint the walls, we’ve gotta split and run ‘em down!” He narrowed his eyes at the enormous kusarigama-wielder downrange. “Watermelon Man’s mine, but I could use a hand with his friend.”

Bringing his metal fist down hard, Tora pancaked a corpse spider with a [i]squelch[/i] that turned his stomach, but the two that leaped at him next kept him from losing his edge. “Tora and Poppi take on nastypons this way!”

Kan-Ra joined them, but Skull and Panther focused on the dwarf and the dragon the other way. “C’mon, Panth, let’s teach these jerks a thing or two!”

His friend stuck out her tongue cheekily as she turned to face them, her new submachine gun in hand. “Won’t know what hit ‘em!”