Day Twenty Two, Evening

  I killed my first man today.
  I knew, because of the life I choose as a soldier, that sooner or latter it would happen. It is not the same as killing a monster or humanoid. It seemed somehow more acute. More personal.
  The group of us had traveled back down to the 'operating' room and went down a side passage slanting off into a room full of junk. A large door was on the far wall and another passage off to our left. As we entered a large automaton rose from the junk and attacked us. We defeated the construct easy enough and I recovered the shattered crystal that I determined to be the things power source. There was a lot of loot in this junk room but we left it to recover on our way out. The door on the far wall was locked and we needed a key to open.
  We took the other side passage south and came to a temple like room. There was a sort of altar and behind it stood two more automatons like the one we just fought. They were flanking a sort of mural on the wall that was indiscernible. They did not immediately attack us however. Upon further inspection we discovered there power crystals were missing. We found nothing more of interest and left the the room.
  To the south of the Temple room we found another door. Shakes examined it carefully and then placed some sort of listening cone against it. After a few moments he raised his hand and said. " I here someone talking in there. "
  I whispered. " Mordin. You and Aramel watch the door. Everyone else back up a few yards and let's devise a strategy."
  Skylar, Shakes, Draco, the Cleric and I quickly huddled up to make a plan on how to best enter the room, neutralize any threats and how to do it with minimal risk to us.
  I glanced up from the huddle just in time to see Aramel lean over to Mordin and say, " Hey. I think that's a wizard in there."
  Uh Oh.
  We didn't even have time to unhuddle before Mordin knocked the door off its hinges and screamed, " DIE WIZARD SCUM! "
  Everyone made a mad dash for the door. Aramel charged in before us, and then Mordin did the strangest thing. He dropped his battle axe and hollered, " Oh no you don't!" and leaped out of sight.
  I charged in and dove into the opposite direction, looking for cover. I spun with my heavy crossbow ready. Expecting to see anything.
  Well, I didn't expect to see this.
  Mordin was up in the air. Dangling from some ugly guys ankles, hanging on for dear life. Aramel was fencing with some sort of mechanical snake below them.
  The man Mordin fought, I say was ugly , because half his face was melted. he was bald and wore a long black trench coat. Across his chest was a bandoleer and it was loaded with vials and flasks. Even as I noticed this, the ugly half faced man pulled a vial from this and dropped it on Aramel.
  The kid burst into flames.
  He wasn't a fool when it came to fire though and Aramel immediately tucked and rolled. Abrandon threw a cloak over him to try and help extinguish the fire.
  I raised my crossbow and fired at the wizard, or whatever he was, and missed. Even in the middle of combat Skylar managed to look back at me and say, " You hit the ceiling! Again!"
  Well.... they were up in the air...
  Shakes was squaring off with the mechanized snake in a martial arts stance. The snake thing reared back and spread its head.
  Oh crap! it was an Iron Cobra!
  I had read about these things back at school. They were some sort of mix between technology and magic. Not alive but able to follow simple commands. Not easy to kill being made out of metal. Their fangs could be loaded with different types of poisons and other various nasty liquids. It spat something at Shakes, and if my friend would have been slower it would have been devastating. He angled his body just right though and it only nicked him.
  It was acid.
  Parts of Shakes dark clothing were eaten away and started to smoulder. He just grimaced and continued to fight.
  Draco hit the flying bald guy with a Power Word Pain. Skylar caused sparks to fly as he tore a hole into the Iron Cobra with the Sword of Zog. Aramel thrashed on the ground as Abrandon cast a cure spell upon him. I stood there, mouth agape, and watched all this chaos.
  I looked up to watch Mordin bite the flying wizard in the ankle.
  He tried to shake the barbarian lose then by kicking him in the face. This only made the Half Orc angrier though, and roaring, Mordin reached up and grabbed that half faced man by the crotch.
  I knew right then he was a dead man. That flying wizard let out the most horrendous, pain filled scream I had ever heard.
  I couldn't take it.
  I shot that half faced wizard in the head with a Magic Missile to put him out of his misery.
  Almost as an after thought I blasted the Iron Cobra.
  The rest of the group looked over at me and asked why I was stealing all the kills.
  I nonchalantly replied, " Because I am thinking of changing my name to 'Deathblow'."
  Without missing a beat, Draco said, " That should be popular with the male vampire population."
  Smartass.
  " Maybe I'll stick with Nitro."
  We looted and pillaged. Found a key that fit the junk room door. Found a bunch of books that needed deciphering. Had a few more encounters that were not noteworthy except that we found a whole power crystal in some sort of goblin digging machine.
  We left the dungeon and are retiring for the night.
  So yes I killed a man today. But it was sort of a mercy killing.
  And if you do not believe me go out and let a crazed, 400 pound half orc barbarian hang from your nards in mid air and lets see if you don't wish I was there with a Magic Missile....
  I expect his screams to haunt my sleep tonight....