The First Expedition: The Alchemist's Vault

Trix’s bolt erupts in a brilliant white flash, streaking through the dungeon and spearing the construct square in its red eye. Arcs of electricity surge across its metal frame as it convulses, and then thick plumes of black smoke pour from its body. With a final sputter, the construct collapses, its limbs falling limp.

Trix listens to the east double doors ("door B" on the map), and hears nothing but silence.

While she does this, the expedition hears the wide door behind you ("door A" on the map) creak open. Down the stairs strides a new kind of construct, large and square with four legs. It is covered in blue magical runes that glow the same color as the blue barrier that you encountered at the entrance of the library. It turns to regard you, a lens at the base of the square body focusing on you, scanning.

Like the other constructs, it too has a command card slot. This one is filled with a card you haven't seen yet. It appears to be made of pure electrum, and has the etching of a command card on it.

Small mechanical appendages extend from the construct's frame, unfurling like octopus tentacles. It swats away Trix's mage hand, and advances towards the gnome trickster. It's movements are more curious than hostile, but it does get rather close, scrutinizing the gnome with its lens. In a monotone, female voice it intones:

RETRIEVE COMMAND CARDS

The large box that makes up its body suddenly unfolds, opening up to reveal a large empty space inside of it, big enough to hold the four of you, and all your gear besides. It gestures again at Trix and repeats it's message.

It's tone of voice makes you think that "retrieve command cards" is an announcement of its intentions, and not something it is telling you to do. As if to prove this, its appendages are reaching toward where Trix has stored the other command cards. It repeats:

RETRIEVE COMMAND CARDS

If you think back the red-eyed "destroy" constructs, they also announced their intentions, although it spoke in a different, angrier voice. The "repair" construct did not get a chance to speak before Trix grabbed it's card, so you're not sure how it would behave.

Subeen flanks the new "retrieve" construct, and it seems to ignore her, focused solely on Trix's collection of command cards. Looking inside, Subeen sees an spacious, hollow chamber within the blocky, glowing construct, which looks ideal for carrying cargo. Certainly, the four of you could fit inside.

While Subeen inspects the hollow space, the construct seems to be getting impatient with Trix. Its tentacles lash out to try to snatch a card!But, Trix is much too fast for the construct! At least this time.