“Kassadi!” Madrona shouted, reaching out and grabbing the
Wizard, shoving her forward to the front of the line. “Take care of the walking
metal man, I’ll deal with the ones behind!”
“What?” Kassadi bellowed. “What are you talking about I’m
the only one who can see them!”
“I don’t need to see them!” Madrona said coldly.
The
warlock raised her dagger in one hand, resting it atop the other at the wrist. Her
FINGERS slipped into the familiar gesture as the energy began to gather inside
of her. She lurched forward and the energy released. Once again the walls of
this labyrinth separated at the seams, cracks stretching along the stone, a deep
set darkness found within those crevices. The tendrils snaked out, dark like
the night and dripping a black ichor. The tendrils had no eyes, no ears, no way
of perceiving the world they simply reached out and grasped for warm living
flesh. They found it, scaled though it may be, and lashed out. Two yalps and guttural
cries filled the ears of Madrona as the lizard creatures were throttled. She
smiled, a wicked smile, a smile of a woman who wasn’t quite done. With her
targets grappled she lifted her dagger up and released it, letting it float in
the air. Her arms swaying up and around in arcs revealing her hundred dagger
spell. Her smile grew wide exposing her devil like fangs that framed her pearly
whites. The daggers flew with one final flourish as the soaring weapons found bodies
to slice and stab.
Ahead
was not going so well as that. Maryl loaded a bolt into her crossbow and let it
fly, striking the construct in the… head? Whatever that area was the bolt flew
true and with a resounding clang, ricocheted off into the darkness behind. Cursing
the goblin drew her shorts word. Kassadi tried her own, hand out to release her
whizzing darts of magical energy. They seemed to do more to impact the
lumbering creature, but aside from a small dent and mildly splintering wood,
the automaton continued on unimpeded. The mechanical being lifted it’s right
limb, revealing a serrated circular blade, it began to spin rapidly, the whirring
sound it made rattled the back of the goblin and human’s teeth. Maryl looked to Kassadi, exasperated.
“Do something!” The goblin shouted. “Throw fire at the thing
like you did with me!”
“That’s a really powerful spell I don’t want to be out of
magic when we face Travlona… why don’t you use a wand!?” Kassadi responded,
gesturing to the bag of wands.
“Because I don’t know what any of them do until I swing
them!” Maryl said. “Also I don’t want to be out when we face Travlona!”
“Oh for goodness sake!” Madrona shouted, glancing back at
the women. “I just burned two spells on these lizards, stop bickering and do
something you two!”
Kassadi
and Maryl glanced at Madrona, and then to each other. They rolled their eyes at
each other and both faced the construct. It was starting to pick up speed and
would be on them in a few seconds now. Kassadi needed to act or it would be too
close to the group to avoid being burned by the blowback. She pulled from her
satchel the ball of sulfur and guano and whispering her words while quickly working
her hand gestures the ball began to smolder and sizzle, Maryl reflexively pulled
away from the ball, having been caught in it’s detonation last time. Kassadi
hucked it and grabbed Maryl, pulling her a good ten feet back as it crashed
into the construct. There was a flash of sudden brilliant light that soon
bloomed into a firey ball as it detonated. The hallway quaked and all three
women were buffeted by a strong wind. Glancing back they saw the construct in
flames, the wood slowly burning.
It took another step and then
leapt. The creature cleared the distance between them and swung it’s spinning
blade at Maryl, who just barely managed to duck under it. Sparks sprayed across
the floor as the spinning metal collided with stone. Maryl scrambled away from
the construct, hand digging through her wand bag. She grasped onto a wooden
handle and gripped tight. Kicking off the wall the goblin twisted in the air to
face the construct head on as she drew the wand and cast all at once. As the
tip of the wand pointed forward towards the metal man a stream of green shot forward,
a spray of acid covering the creature with enough pressure to knock it back ten
feet. It stumbled and rolled as the acris liquid coated it, burning away at it’s
metal frame. Maryl looked very pleased with herself… until the thing got back
up.
Madrona turned to see how the
others were doing and saw the construct still standing. Her eyes widened, the
creature seemed heavily damaged but it was not backing down. She gritted her
teeth and reached down to her belt and pulled from it her own wand. Leveling
the point at the construct she swore before calling out the command word. ‘Meteor.’
As the word left her lips a massive swirling flame burst forward so hard it
knocked Madrona to the ground. She grunted and skid a half foot, jostled to the
point that the tendrils down the hall vanished. She was able to steady herself
and look up just as the construct exploded with the force of the combined Flaming
Missiles. Chunks of the construct flew in all directions as what was left over
was a smoking husk.
“Holy crap Madrona!” Kassadi called out, staring at the
burning pile that was once the construct. “That might have been a little
overkill. Still it worked I gue-OOF!”
Madrona
and Maryl watched as Kassadi went down, seemingly tackled roughly by an
unseeable assailant. The Wizard flailed helplessly and there was suddenly blood
across her face and chest, she was being sliced open by something! Madrona gritted
her teeth, only two of the creatures were snagged by her tendrils, the third
must have seen it’s friends get taken and retreated back, avoiding the hundred
daggers spell. Once it saw the tendrils vanish it took it’s chance. Maryl took
no time to think, simply leaping forward. Not being able to see the creature
didn’t matter at this point since goblin knew exactly where it was, on top of
Kassadi! She drew two daggers from her jacket sheaths as she leapt onto what
she assumed was the lizard’s back. She felt the sting of it’s spines jabbing at
her face and shoulder, but she just pushed through and jammed the blades into what
she knew must be flesh. There was a guttural howl and Maryl knew she hit her
target. She drew her short sword and began hacking at the creature, who abandoned
Kassadi and began to scramble. It jumped to the wall and then to the ceiling,
trying to buck the tiny goblin free.
Kassadi
pushed herself from the ground, a trail of blood down her face forced her to
clench one eye shut. She looked pissed. She reached into her pouch and drew out
a pearl, gleaming and perfect. Tucking it into her palm she reached out with
one finger extended, aiming carefully with one eye she let out a command word
and a lance of energy, crackling and vibrant violet, shot in a straight line it
struck the lizard and pierced right through it and continued on into the stone.
The lizard let out a croak and fell to the ground, collapsing into wrenching
spasms for a few moments before finally going still. Maryl rolled off the beast
and onto her back, panting.
“Yeah. That’s why we try to avoid these things.” She said.
“Kassadi!” Madrona rushed to Kassadi’s side and began
checking the Wizard’s wounds. “You need to take the potion.”
“No.” Kassadi said, swatting at Madrona’s inspection. “I’m
fine, really, just scratched up a bunch.” The wizard reached down and gripped
at her shirt, lifting the breast to her forehead to wipe the blood away.
“You’re sure?” Madrona said, a severeness to her voice.
“Yes.” Kassadi said, smiling. She placed a hand on Madrona’s
shoulder. “I’m fine I promise.”
“No, no!” Maryl called out. “No one check on the goblin at
all! I’m fine by the way.”
The three
pressed on, a little sore and lacking some magic, but fine overall. They were
very much all sniffing the air as they continued on this time, and were lucky
enough to not encounter the lizards. The constructs, however, seemed much more
difficult to avoid. They were growing denser as they got closer to the throne
room. This did mean they were getting closer to their goal, though it came as small
comfort to them as they hid from not one but two of the lumbering creatures as
they moved through a patrol. The only saving grace was the lack of intelligence
in the creatures, as long as they weren’t spotted they would be fine, and the
three women could hear a construct coming from a few hundred feet away.
Eventually
they came to where they needed to be, Valel Hex’s throne room. The three peeked
around the corner and they all felt like cursing in the same moment. Not only
was the Throne Room blocked off with a large stone door sealed by a magical
glyph, but it was being guarded by three constructs. Kassadi wanted to mention how absolutely
unfair that was, but thought better of mentioning it as she saw the annoyance
on her companions’ faces. Maryl took a long breath and glanced up at the two of
them.
“Well, I guess this is where we part ways.” She said, brow
furrowed.
“Wait what?” Kassadi said, confused.
“Come on, we all know where this is going.” Maryl said, she
was busy adjusting her boots and making sure her weapon straps were secure. “This
is your fight. I’m not like you two, I can’t cast magic without some alchemist to
force the spells into sticks first. I’ll go out, get their attention, and flee
down the opposite hall. That should give you enough time to get through the
door.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Madrona said, reaching out to take
Maryl’s wrist, the goblin pulled away.
“You know it’s not. You two gotta get in there fighting
fresh and it took three powerful spells to take even one of those things down.”
Maryl was breathing in and out in a rhythm, psyching herself up. “This way only
one of us has to die and at least you got a chance of taking that bitch out.
Just make sure to tell my mom, okay?”
Kassadi
and Madrona looked to each other, a slightly droll expression on both their
faces. They shook their head and reached out, grabbing Maryl. As they did they
both cast their Short Hop spell, splitting the difference between them in needing
to double it for their third traveler. Maryl found herself in the span of a
blink moving from the hallway, ready to throw herself into a suicide run… to
now standing at the entranceway to the Throne Room, the large stone door that
sealed the room now behind her. She blinked a few times, not sure if she should
be annoyed or thankful.
“So good of you to join us.” Travlona spoke.
Travlona
was sitting in the throne, arms outstretched over the armrests, one leg crossed
over the other. It was a strange pose that communicated both a casualness and a
demand for respect and submission. She was no longer in the nightgown that
Madrona and Kassadi last saw her in, with strawberry hair rolling over her
shoulders. No now her hair was done up tightly in a bun and she wore a long
coat of plush blood red velvet. Her face still held that mild disgust Madrona
remembered, but there was a sick smile now, the smile of a sadist. Standing
next to her was Gild, not wearing his suit nor thankfully was he naked, but
instead garbed in a pair of hide trousers and furred vest, carrying at his side
his large axe. To the other side was Gilbert, of all people. He still wore his
normal clothes, but certainly did his best to appear sinister besides Travlona,
it wasn’t really a contest the poor halfling had a chance at. At the woman’s
foot was the Hellhound, it snarled and bared it’s fangs, letting out aggressive
barks and waiting for the command that would let it sink it’s teeth into flesh.
“So.” The woman in the throne stated, steepling her fingers
together. “I’ll be taking those bracelets now.”
