Skritch.
Caught-up in the euphoric effect of the Tsannic spell, Bujilli hovered only a few inches off of the floor. Only now did he notice the grotesque undulations of the severed tentacles of the Muck Raker as they crawled and slid and wrapped themselves around the dead. A particularly large segment was fastening itself to the place where the Rhinocerenary once had a head, before the Zurian Princess lashed out in a fit of insane pique.
Scratch.
Bujilli shook his head in an attempt to clear it. He felt like his blood was smoldering, about to burst into flames at any moment. It was exhilarating, intoxicating, frightening. The spell, this Malign and Particular Suspension of Natural Law was too powerful, too subtle, too specialized...or was it? Bujilli rolled his shoulders, stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles. Maybe it was more a matter of putting the spell to good use. He reached across and made a gripping gesture--the translucent portcullis groaned, wobbled then ripped free. It took less than a minute to reshape the thing into a barricade of formidable pointy-bits and to firmly set it into the floor blocking off the way the Phorain had taken the Princess. Should she ever try to return, it was not going to be so easy for her. With a twist Bujilli made the sharp edges of the barricade extend across as many levels and strata of reality as he could visualize or perceive--and under the influence of the Tsannic spell this was a considerable number. He looked up at the Thing That Watches--
Screeeee!
Reflexes honed in deep, dark places saved Bujilli from a lashing, slashing limb that reared from the blood-soaked muck like a blind serpent. He watched the hideous thing waver for a second then vaporized it before it could recover. Bujilli used the spell to vaporize all the bits and pieces of the Muck Raker within range. He caused the muck to dry-out and blow away as well. He raised his hands in order to--
There was blood on his hand.
His blood.
More was dribbling from his nose. He could taste it.
The spell was taking a toll.
He dropped his hands and looked at the huge bulky form of the Thing That Watches squatting solemnly, silently in the center of the room. Bujilli considered attempting to release it, or at least trying to communicate with it, but it was not worth his life. He dropped his gaze then he dropped the spell. He could smell the distinct aroma of his own singed fur. He fell to his knees. At least the floor was clean. Mostly.
Bujilli vomited. He shivered and shook. Blood spattered the floor. There among the dead and beneath the alien gaze of the Thing That Watches, Bujilli suffered the after-effects of the Tsannic spell. He knew that he was fortunate not to have incurred a worse outcome. It had been a dangerous gambit. A foolish waste of a precious page now burned-up and forever removed from one of his Little Brown Journals...but he was alive.
The seizure ran its course. Bujilli pulled out a rag and used it to staunch the bleeding from his nose. His ears stopped ringing. Eventually.
Bujilli stood up. There, across from him, from deep within the darkness obscuring the passage from which the Muck Raker entered this room there was a fetid cloud of yellowish pollen. No. Not pollen. Spores.
Muck Rakers were fungal beasts. The spell had not gotten rid of all of the creature. Some vestige of it still persisted. The spores were its way of spreading itself now that the severed pieces could not infiltrate and integrate with the dead bodies scattered across the cold stone floor.
Bujilli looked up at the Thing That Watches once more. What secrets this strange entity must know. It could teach him much, tell him secrets no one else knew--he was sure of it. Gold, iridium, platinum--cold metal was far from the best or most significant treasure to be recovered from a place like this. Value didn't always come in coin-sized units. This was a stupendous treasure, potentially. Bujilli was loathe to leave it behind without at least attempting to communicate with it, to make some sort of connection, to ascertain just what it was and what it might be capable of--
'Do Not Leave Me In This Place'
He started to shake his head, but the movement re-started his nose-bleed. He looked more intently at the stolid mass of the Thing That Watches. It had not changed in the slightest--though Bujilli could feel the pressure of its attention upon him.
'I Will Serve You'
Bujilli looked down at the floor. The Scimitar. Princess Janildra's ancestral scimitar was communicating with him. He snorted involuntarily, bringing forth a gob of half-congealed blood. Here he was wondering how to make contact with the Thing That Watches and another entity, a spirit bound into a sword, was trying to reach him.
He walked over to the elegant, wickedly curved hyper-folded blade. It held a sinister green radiance just at the very threshold of normal vision. There was strong sorcery caught-up inside this weapon. It held power.
'Yes. Wield Me. Together--'
"Silence." Bujilli croaked. His throat was raw. There was blood in his teeth. His own blood.
He was caught between an untrustworthy magical scimitar and an enigmatic entity he had no way to wake-up or break loose...not without spending a good deal of time researching his options or experimenting with the spells he knew or had on-hand. But there was no time for such things. He would have to make a choice here. The cloud of spores was slowly rolling into the room. It would only be a short while before the foamy crust would start to form across the bodies of the fallen.
But what should he do?
Should Bujilli stay, or should he go?
Should he pick-up the scimitar?
Is there a spell that might stop the spore-cloud?
Should he leave this room?
If so, which way to go?
(check the Map)
You Decide!
Should he pick-up the scimitar?
Is there a spell that might stop the spore-cloud?
Should he leave this room?
If so, which way to go?
(check the Map)
You Decide!
Series Indexes
About Bujilli (What is This?) | Who is Bujilli? | How to Play
Bujilli's Character Sheet | Leeja's Character Sheet | Cast of Characters
Bujilli's Spells | Little Brown Journals | Loot Tally | House Rules
Series Two (Episode 20-36)
Series Three (Episodes 37-49)
Series Four (Episodes 50-68)
Series Five (Episodes 69-99)
Series Six(Episodes 100-ongoing)
Labyrinth Lord | Advanced Edition Companion
Series Six(Episodes 100-ongoing)
Labyrinth Lord | Advanced Edition Companion
I'm for getting away from the spores. Back to the transveyances perhaps. But before more exploring, a brief bit of rest, maybe. Staunch the blood.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Trey. Away from the spores, and towards the transveyances, maybe resting in the corridor, ideally in the shadows on the wall closest the muckraker, to minimise the chances of a reanimated corpse spotting him.
ReplyDeleteIf the spores reach in along the corridor, could Zone of Normality be adapted to block it and keep them back, so as to keep the air beyond clear?
http://hereticwerks.blogspot.com/2011/08/zone-of-normality-level-5-duration-12.html
As for the scimitar, could Bujilli kick it into the muck from the end of the corridor? That might keep it undiscovered for a good while. It would be best not to pick it up unless absolutely necessary.
Don't touch the scimitar! It already tried to co-opt Bujilli when he was close to it. In his weakened state physical contact could be all it needs to completely overtake him. Our current Zurian-free Bujilli is much better. :)
ReplyDeleteGetting away from the spores sounds good to Bujilli.
ReplyDeleteZone of Normality would indeed do as you suggest...however it is a 5th level spell and Bujilli will need to burn a few more hit points to cast it, which might negate any points gained by resting, should someone roll high on the damage taken/low on the hits restored. that said, it is one of the better defensive options, spell-wise, in Bujilli's arsenal and it would prevent the spores from getting at him, for as long as it remained in effect.
RE: The scimitar...of course Bujilli can kick the thing across the floor, especially now that the floor is spotlessly clean. But that would still mean coming into contact with it. A ten foot pole would be a handy item to have on-hand right about now...just saying.
It would be handy if someone would roll a D20 for Bujilli. He might just notice something about the muck-tacular remains of the mostly destroyed Muck Raker.
There are a few other spells in Bujilli's repertoire worth considering...at least one of them could give him some idea of what might be lying in wait up ahead...
I rolled an 11. :)
ReplyDeleteOkay. 11 means that Bujilli notices that three little tentacle-bits are slithering out from the corridor where the bulk of the central-mass of the Muck Raker still lies all inert and chopped to pieces. These are very small fragments, moving in tandem with the cloud of spores as though synchronized somehow.
ReplyDeleteBujilli needs to move down the corridor, toward Area 9, away from Area 8 and spores and the little tentacly-bits.
ReplyDeleteBefore entering Area 9 he should consult the Gem to see if he needs to take one of the Transveyances, and if so which one and how to use it correctly and safely for Bujilli.
He could also cast Listen to the Walls to find out what's asleep in the brain case and what happened to shut down the center portal, who did it, why, etc.
Bujilli's at just over half his hit points so he will need a rest soon, but the imminent arrival of the spores and squirmy-bits suggests to me he needs to push on just a bit farther.
Ah coffee. I'm just now going over all the comments and re-reading Episode 14 in order to begin work on episode 15. Looks like Bujilli is heading towards Area 9...
ReplyDeleteI back all of Entirely Too Perky's thinking, and although he almost certainly doesn't need reminding, Bujilli should beware of letting his guard down if he does rest - having the tulwar to hand just in case he hasn't spotted all the tentacly bits, in case Zone of Normality if he casts it doesn't stop these.
ReplyDelete