Master of the Mountain (Cole x oc)

The Ascent

Master Wu gathered everyone in the center of the grotto, "Here are the facts," he stated, pacing back and forth in front of us. "We are lost underground, separated from our friends who are being hunted by an evil necromancer and an army of reanimated skeletons. We have very few weapons and no way out, but we are not giving in to despair. Where there is a will there is a way, and we will find it. I wants suggestions. Ideas."

The Upply mumbled half-heartedly, but no one had any clear options.

"I've got an idea," Cole piped up, "but this one's a little nuts."

"This one?" Plundar asked incredulously.

"Let's hear it," Wu interrupted.

Cole removed the mace from the holster on his back and began tracing in the dirt, "These are the tracks we found earlier, which I'm guessing lead to the surface. And let's pretend this is the mine cart." He reached over and plucked a mushroom from Fungus's hat, "We take the wheels off, then strap the axel to the mech like a pair of giant roller skates, and use the mech to propel the other carts back up the tracks." He turned back to Fungus, "Propelling please?"

Fungus removed his hat and, reaching inside, sprinkled some dust onto the mushroom which began to glow and spin violently.

"Then," Cole continued, "we get in the carts, and go zipping back up the tracks, like this," He threw the mushroom down onto the lines in the ground. The mushroom chaotically followed the tracks before flying into the air, zooming around (nearly hitting Vania and Wu in the process) and exploding in a firework.

"Explosion is us?" Korgran asked dubiously.

"That idea seems a little... What's the word I'm looking for? Oh yeah, nuts," Plundar scorned.

"I told you that at the start," Cole lamented, "Yeesh, nobody listens."

Hesitantly, I placed my hand on Cole's shoulder in a consoling manner. "I don't hear anybody else with suggestions," I piped up, "So if you guys want to go back to Rock-Bottom while we take a chance, by all means."

"I vote in favor of Cole's plan," Wu spoke up.

"As do I," Fungus chimed in.

"Korgran also," voiced Korgran. "And also Korgran's non-speaking ax."

"Ha-ha, you guys are bananas!" For a moment, we were stupefied at the voice coming from Korgran's ax, but we shook of the shock.

"Well Plundar," Fungus pressed, "what do your dice advise?"

Plundar pulled his dice from his pocket and stared at them for a second before tossing them away, "I'm decided this one," he announced, "and you've gotten me this far, so I'm with you all the way."

We got to work disassembling the mine carts. Cole knocked the wheels off and the Upply and I attached them to the feet of the mech. Cole and Wu hopped up into the cockpit of the mech, attempting to riddle out the controls. A moment later the mech sprang to life, we jumped back out of the way quickly as a motor on the back spun into action, propelling the mech forward. A shout came from Cole as he began to lose control of the mech as it slid around on the wheels from the mine carts. Nearly stomping on every one of us at one point or another, we decided it was best to leave the temple until Cole got a handle on the controls. After a few minutes, Cole made it out of the temple, walking stiffly.

I shook my head as he continued his battle with gravity, this was going to take a while. After again nearly crushing all of us, Cole finally steadied himself and the mech.

"See? I'm a natural!" he shouted down.

Wu hopped out of the cockpit, "I am not riding in that thing. Someone else can." He huffed.