Partida Rol por web

As the beast twist in pain trying desperately to reach the frenzied warrior with its chitinous legs, the entire groups reacts to the advantageous situation and charges towards the monster at once.

Moving quickly to position herself to the rear of the monster, Elaria launches a succession of strikes to its abdomen, targeting the belly of the beast. After several hits on the same weak spot, a wound opens from the beasts bottom, and a new shriek fills the darkness from its mouth.

Grimmel, after quickly checking on young Sionnain, who sits few meters away from the monster grabbing his wounded leg but otherwise being fine, loads his special crossbow and targets the monster's head. Seconds later, one bolt then another hit the right eye of the monster. Immediately, a flying poisonous knife makes its way from the boy's hand to the monster's left eye. Two of the beast legs, rise to its head accompanied by a new shriek, trying unsuccessfully to remove the painful objects that blind it.

From afar, words of power burst from Kohler's mouth. Suddenly, a yellow light illuminates the vaults, and a fireball hits the monster flank. It staggers after the impact, trips over some column rubble, and falls.

Seizing the opportunity, Baster stands up while a grim of pain crosses her face and her left arm grabs her battered waist. With heavy but steady steps, she closes the distance between where she fall from its mouth, and the agonizing head of the monster. Stepping over, she sinks her big sword in its skull with a triumphant laugh.

A black smoky goo starts pouring out of the dead beast's many wounds. Not wanting to get touched by the slimy substance, you all recoil some steps from the still carcass, gathering together around a dim ray of light that had suddenly appeared nearby within the shrouded vault.

Hammond is the first one to get there. Mildly covered in the beast's innards, he is eager to put as much distance from the filthy monster as possible.

Using her shoulder to support her, Elaria helps Baster reaching the area, while Grimmel grabs young Sionnain in his arms and carries him there.

Kholer gets there last. His eyes delayed him from leaving the creature's rest place, as they spent quite some time observing the dead monster, filled with the characteristic curiosity of those belonging to the magic schools.

As you approach the place, the beam becomes lighter. Seemingly activated magically after the guardian's defeat, it clearly marks an important position within the vault, perhaps the scriptures location.

But where are they? There is no pedestal under the beam of light. No structure.

Nothing.

Just cobblestones.

But there is something different about those cobblestones.

You all start noticing as soon as you are nearby and look at them top down. The pieces of stone are set in the floor in a particular pattern. Not the regular crisscross you might find in a paved road or within the streets of a city, but rather in a very distinct circular pattern.

You all arrive at the same conclusion. There must be something important about the center of the circle. Perhaps a loose cobblestone, or some sort of mechanism or something.

Wordlessly, Hamond falls quickly to his knees and follows the strips between the stones with his fingers until he reaches the central piece. He pushes. Then pulls. Then pushes again.

Nothing happens.

- Come on now, open dammit! - he exclaims in frustration after several unsuccessful attempts...

And then, suddenly, everything becomes still and silent. The middle brother stops searching for the mechanism that might activate the pattern of stones.

His mouth is half open.

Ha, she laughed. Her mind was clear again and the monster was dead, whatever it was. She’d rather have fought a more recognizable kind of beast, with legs and arms and weapons, but she had enjoyed herself, even if she had not fought alone. I could have, had the coward not used those goddamned mind tricks.

They left the fuming carcass behind. The creature’s death had revealed a new development. A single beam of light pierced the mist and darkness. At its feet, nothing but bare cobbles. Yet they weren’t aligned in a grid, like the others. The pattern became circular, with a bigger piece at the center of it. The younger brother tried to manipulate it directly, to no avail.

It was infuriating. Soldiers, beasts and monsters she understood. Even mages, although fighting those was a miserable prospect. Traps like the ones they had escaped from, except for that unfortunate lass, and riddles and… whatever that was, were an annoying waste of time. She’d rather just cleave her way through them.

Can’t we just smash it? she asked, her ogre meat cleaver resting on her hands.

As in a macabre reply to Baster suggestion, something does indeed smash. So it does, that its silver bright tip protrudes from Hammond's chest.

Then, suddenly, everything becomes still and silent. The middle brother stops searching for the mechanism that might activate the pattern of stones and his mouth half opens gasping for air.

Instead, a stream of blood falls to the ground and starts filling the pattern between cobblestones.

His hands reach for the blade stabbed at his back but before reaching it, another one shows up and slices his neck from behind.

The dead body of the middle brother collapses to the ground while the silver wicked blades shine with the reflection of the beam of light.

Bathed with the sunlight, some of you recognize seen them before...

For the others, it doesn't take long to follow the weapons to their wielding hands. The slender hands of Eril.

The step sister looks up from her victim to fix a wicked smile in all of you. Tilting her head slightly she widens her smile and shrugs.

- What? That's how you open this. - he points the tip of one blade to the floor and the blood that swiftly spreads across the cobblestone pattern.

And to your gruesome realization, she is right.

The blood of her step brother seems to activate the mechanism below the cobblestones, and a strange noise is heard from beneath the ground. Like ancient wood twisting upon itself.

The central piece of the stones then raises, followed behind by the contiguous ones, forming all together some sort of altar. As it grows in size to the ceiling, you can see that it is hollow in the middle, creating a small space within the main leading stone. The space is of course, filled with some old manuscripts.

From behind the casting shadows of the murderous half elf, a new figure emerges.

Erard, the oldest of the brothers, looks down for a moment to the dead corpse that once was Hammond. His axe resting in his shoulder, it would look that in any moment he will strike a killing blow over the fragile figure of his brother's murderer.

Instead, he raises his head, looks at you for a second, and then smiles at Eril before producing a passionate kiss on his step sister.

- Well done my dear -

He says once they release their loving embrace.

Erard reaches then for the rolls of manuscript and grabs them effortless. Whatever magical barrier you were told was protecting the scriptures, either has suddenly disappeared with the blood of Hammond... or it never existed at all.

Given the treacherous nature of the current situation, you are actually inclined to believe both options equally.

Once in his power, he gives them a quick look without even unrolling them while muttering something almost inaudible. Twisting the side of his mouth and raising his head, he looks again at all of you with a greedy glare on his eyes.

- Well thank you all for your help. I must say, I didn't expect so many of you to have make it that far. -

Eril walks lavishly to his side and braces him from the shoulder pushing her body to his lushly.

- But that generates some problem now, mind you. - continues Erard. - See, what you have just witness, kind of disregards us as suitable heirs to the old fool's wealth and titles... not to mention to everything else that is in here of course - he raises the scrolls for a second

The disrespectful tone he employed to mention his dead father leaves no doubt for the hate the oldest brother felt for his relative. Clearly greed has taken over him. Greed for whatever this scriptures entitle for... or are capable for. Greed that made him eliminate all competition in his race to posses them, including their previous owner, his own father.

Of course... you are all witnesses of his plot, including the involvement of his step sister and lover on it.

- Should we let you leave from here alive... - he shrugs - well, we cannot risk you going to the authorities explaining what happened, can we? -

At first she was surprised, she didn’t expect that. But then, it all dawned on her. Everything had started to make sense.

You vicious little monsters.

And she laughed. She laughed at the poor sod whose blood had unsealed the vault. Her brothers were nasty to a fault, yet not even one of them would have dreamt of putting a knife on her back, not even on her guts. How had he not seen what his siblings were up to? She laughed at the loving couple; they didn’t even know that had been their last kiss.

No need to lie, big guy, she said. You want to fight because it feels better than screwing your sister. I get it, so what are you waiting for?

She dropped the meat cleaver to the bloody ground and unsheathed both the “choppa” she had taken from one of the black orcs, and her own longsword. It was not the style Baster favored, but she figured it would do as a homage to the girl who got toasted upstairs.

I don’t know about you, she said to the others, but I reckon we got lucky. The mansion’s free to plunder, the scriptures are ours to sell and I’m getting a damn nice axe.

The scene was so grotesque and unexpected I didn't had any time to react. Before my eyes the blades of Eril piercerd the heart and lungs of his brother and the blood rushed through the clobblestones. The structure started to gorw and I stepped back instintively while my hands looked for my weapons. I didn't know, however, what I should do. What did just happened.

Then, the older bother appeared an he an the half elf were the main characters of an unnatural love scene. My blood started to boil inside of me. Family was sacred, and those two greedy bastards had taken the life of their own brother for those scriptures. They had betrayed the love of their father, of their brother, for the sake of gold. They were monsters.

- I don't care about the scriptures. I don't care about the gold. But I can't just stand here and witness how you kill your own blood and dare to threaten us. If it is death what you're looking for in this dungeon, it is only your own you'll find. Are you sure about what you're gonna do, murderer? - I said with anger before spitting to the ground, in front of both monsters, and took a fighting stand with my weapons ready.

The oldest brother looks at you half closing his eyes, scrutinizing each of you with a wicked smile in his mouth. He licks his upper lip with the tip of his tongue in sicking manner. At the same time, his half sister, Eril, slips her hand through his pants until it reach the crouch.

Her expression is also lascivious and malevolent.

Or probably both just look confident and happy to be successful in their objectives and is just the realization of the entire situation what makes you see them as two nauseating monsters. Whatever it might be, it seems difficult to hold your gaze to the scene put on place by the loving couple.

Then, Erard speaks and his voice has a slight tone of anger and amusement at the same time.

- You must think I am a fool*, don't you? - he tilts his head.

- After all we've been through, all the plans, plots and struggles. After bringing you here to defeat all our enemies. Including... that. - raising his impressive axe, he points towards the decomposing carcass of the spider-like monster.

- You really believe we are going to stand our ground here and put a fight on you? - he commits one step forward, unleashing himself from his lover's hands.

- Especially now that we have this?! - almost screaming the last word, he produces a manuscript with his free hand, a scroll probably belonging to the scriptures.

An unnaturally bluish static light seems to emanate from the ancient page, making impossible for you to discern any word that might be written on the parchment.

Erard takes the manuscript back in front of it and looks at it. His face is illuminated with the dim blue light coming from the paper, and he seems lost in the old thing.

- No. - Is the only thing he says after some time digging on the scripture.

Raising his head, you see dareful determination on his eyes.

- That won't happen. -

With these last words, he raises the hand holding the manuscript to the air, and a bright blue ball of magic burst out of the page and engulf him and his lover.

A pinching sound fills the hall once again while the magic surrounds the couple.

A moment later, it disappears, together with the magic shield, and the two brothers within and you are left alone in astonishment once again.

For a few moments, everything is silent.

Then, the ceiling, the pillars and the entire vault, start collapsing...

The floor crumbles below your feet, the pillars tremble, and the ceiling falls upon you. The entire place is going to be obliterated soon, as if hit by a terrible earthquake.

So you run. You run for your very own lives and those who are now with you.

Grimmel carries Sionnain, and Baster is helped by Elaria, while Kholer summons a dim light to his staff that illuminate the path you are quickly taking among the rabble towards the stairs.

Your heart hurts in your chest for the effort. Your breath is quick and heavy. A pillar falls in front of you. A wall collapses somewhere in the distance. A thunderous sound follows.

You make it to the stairs. They are moving, shaking, but you all keep running.

There it is, the ground floor.

Tiles and jade pieces are falling apart everywhere. The hit you on the head, the back, the shoulders. Luckily enough, none of those are big enough to knock you out, so you keep running.

Baster yells something. She knows this is not appropriate. Not a decent grave for a warrior such as your companion to be buried in. So she and Elaria run through a hole which once was a wall that separated the greenhouse from the wicked corridor where Ilesys was hit by the magic trap.

They find her. Luckily, none of the rubble has covered her yet.

So they grab the body and run. Run away towards the backyard where Kholer, Grimmel and Sionnain have finally make their way to safety.

The three women also make it. Barely, but just in time to feel the final collapse of the palace on the back of their necks.

Turning around, you all contemplate the dying foundation of what once was a magnificent construction. Like the carcass of a long rotten and forgotten beast. The jade palace lays in ruins.

You don't know for how long you remain there, silently staring at the rabble.

Finally, at once and unspokenly, you decide is time to go back town. To return to the city, the inn, your room and rest. The mission is over. For now at least. There is nothing else to do here. The two wicked brothers have taken the scriptures with them. For them, the mission has clearly been a complete success. All but your final deaths buried within the ruins of the palace has occurred as they planned. The last loose end, you, couldn't be that important, could it? ...

So now is time to recover and heal the wounds. Somehow, something tells you you should take Ilesys with you. Perhaps the idea of a proper burial and ceremony in some better place. In some church in the city maybe. In any case, you take turns in two by two's to carry her.