Flux and Consequences: The Camborne Conundrum | Jan Teschner

Camborne’s Rest – After their spectral skirmish aboard a ghost ship, the crew of the Stolen Property continued their northern voyage towards Camborne’s Rest – an island as weathered and suspicious as can be. Circling its eroded cliffs, they discovered a small settlement nestled against the northern coast: city walls, watchermasters, tents flapping nervously in the sea breeze… and absolutely no welcoming party.

Ambushed
Merlin, Selah, and Tiyana disembarked to investigate. The streets were empty, but signs of life lingered – fresh footprints, a warm sandwich (ham and disappointment), and an uncanny hush. Sensing they’d just missed the locals, Merlin, with his classic blend of diplomacy and derangement, shouted that he came in peace – as a humble peanut vendor.

A blowdart immediately disproved the effectiveness of this strategy. Shot from a tower slit and laced with sedatives, it nailed Merlin in the neck. He made an admirable dash back to the ship before collapsing on the dock like a tranquilised stag. Selah, ever alert, caught a dart mid-air and – without missing a beat – whipped it back at her attacker, who crumpled to the ground. Unfortunately, reinforcements flooded the streets: guards armed with darts and mages hurling arcane sleeping spells. Tiyana and Selah, despite their best efforts, were down in moments.

Welcome to the Lab of Suspicious Intent
The three awoke in an underground lab straight out of a villain’s design manual. Massive pink-glowing flasks, cave walls lined with bookcases, and guards everywhere. A scientist in a lab coat stepped forward, disdain oozing from his eyes. “What are humans doing this far north?” he sneered. Merlin, still half-loopy, fished a crumpled pack of sweets from his pocket and declared himself a Haribó vendor. The scientist accepted the sweets, then immediately threw them away when Merlin mentioned that they were a product of human ingenuity. He introduced himself as Tapu’o, a proud Nalua – a race wronged by humans 300 years prior and, judging by his attitude, holding that grudge with discipline. Tapu’o explained that the Nalua had built a Flux crystal processing lab here to convert crystals into Liquid Flux, which they exported to other secret Nalua outposts, including Manamea – the outpost that the party eradicated just a few short days prior, although he didn’t seem aware of this just yet. Their processing operation had stalled due to a massive Flux golem rampaging through the nearby mine. And since Nalua biology reacts unpredictably to high concentrations of Flux (think accidental immortality or hyper-speed ageing), fighting the golem themselves was out of the question. Tapu’o offered the party a classic deal: kill the monster, and he might let them go. Refuse, and they could join Matt, Ainz and the rest of the shackled crew in the shipyard outside. Tiyana, reading the room (and Tapu’o’s ego), cleverly used magic to suggest she was not a mere human but a majestic Dragonborn merchant, with Merlin and Selah as lowly assistants. Tapu’o, clearly susceptible to flattery, softened instantly. Still, he wasn’t letting anyone go without results.

Into the Mines of Madness
The crew entered the mines with a 24-hour death timer hanging over their heads. The mine was unstable, riddled with tremors and shifting walls. Following a map found in an old hut, they tried all three track routes leading towards the mine’s Flux-heavy centre. The middle path was blocked by rubble. The side tracks were tight, but Tiyana and Selah squeezed through, and Merlin followed after expanding the hole with a pickaxe. At the centre, the Flux golem awaited. A crystalline juggernaut, it radiated distortion – shifting in and out of time, sometimes appearing in multiple places at once. The crew formed a plan: lure it into destroying the lab by leading it out the way they came. Problem: the tunnel was too tight for the golem. Solution: provoke it into smashing through the blocked central tunnel. Selah, nimble as ever, taunted the golem from behind the rubble. Tiyana launched Magic Missiles at stalactites above, landing one in the golem’s shoulder. Undeterred, the creature barrelled forward – right into the wall. It jammed itself halfway through. Merlin charged, summoned what can only be described as dad-strength, and shoved the crystalline beast through the blockage. Now loose on the tracks, the golem went berserk. Merlin played bait, darting ahead as the golem pursued. Selah and Tiyana flanked it, sprinting in circles around cave walls. Time continued to warp around the monster – it lagged one moment, blinked ahead the next. When it slowed, Selah and Tiyana seized the opportunity, leapt into a nearby minecart, and let Merlin push them towards the lab. Behind them, the Flux golem thundered after, just seconds away.

– TO BE CONTINUED... if they survive the minecart ride.–