670 - Melt Away
With a shriek, the winter hag rushed at Lex, bringing her black ice staff toward his head in a heavy downward swing.
Rather than retreat from the sudden offensive, Lex moved to receive it, rearing upright as he crossed his forelegs over his head, catching the end of her staff between them. Until recently, he never would have tried to stand up to physical assault so directly if he had any other options available; now, however, he was in possession of magic items that increased his combat prowess, meaning that it was no longer necessary to dip into his finite reserves of magic in response to any potential threat.
Even so, blocking the hag’s attack was more difficult than he’d expected, his knees almost buckling under the force of the blow. Although he’d known that she was stronger and faster than she looked, having witnessed her fight with those five mares, both the speed and the power that she possessed were far in excess of what her wrinkled appearance suggested. Worse, the cold radiating from her staff was intense; almost as soon as it touched his forelegs, he could feel them starting to go numb.
But that’s easy enough to solve, Lex knew, before taking a half-step to his right and pivoting, letting his left foreleg fall away. The result was that the force the hag had been exerting on her staff was now thrown off-center, causing her to lurch to his left, leaving her open. Lex didn’t hesitate to capitalize on the opportunity, turning at the waist and burying his hoof under her ribs.
The hag didn’t so much as grunt, let alone double over, but he hadn’t expected her to. If she could get away with being leaped on and subsequently mauled by a bear with nothing more than a scratch along one arm, then even with his enhanced fighting skills, it was unlikely that he’d be able to wound her. At least, not in terms of simply bludgeoning her; but thanks to his mask, he had more options than that.
Just like when he’d fought Valor a few minutes ago, simple toughness wouldn’t protect the hag from direct damage to her vitality.
Except, when she straightened up a moment later, the hag didn’t seem to be injured in the slightest, snickering as she firmed up her stance. “That supposed to hurt?”
Ignoring the taunt, Lex moved in, certain that she was simply feigning not being hurt. While the power in his mask let him bleed off an enemy’s life force directly, it only did so a little at a time. Releasing it all at once required him to wear it for an hour, and since he’d only donned it a few minutes ago, that wasn’t an option available to him right now.
But it doesn’t matter, he decided as his next punch was intercepted by the hag’s staff. Time is on my side.
The loud howl that Solvei gave a moment later proved him right, causing him and the hag both to glance at where the winter wolf was battling the yetis.
Or rather, where she was slaughtering them.
Despite being heavily outnumbered, Solvei was tearing through her opponents with ease, her every attack followed by screams of pain and spurts of blood from the assembled throng. Even as Lex watched, her jaws closed around one yeti’s arm, and a jerk of her head tore the creature’s limb off completely, a wailing screech coming from the creature as its white fur – along with that of the yetis closest to it – was immediately dyed red. She didn’t stop there, spitting the severed limb out as she turned to catch the leg of another creature in her teeth, whipping her head back and forth as she shook the unfortunate yeti like a rag doll, slamming it into its brethren with wild abandon.
But to Lex’s consternation, the yetis didn’t seem to be frightened by the monstrosity in their midst. If anything, now that they’d recovered from their initial shock, they seemed almost incensed, swarming around the winter wolf from all sides, claws raking over her crystal-clad form as they tried to overbear the wolf.
Like a swarm of ants try to bring down a black-shelled beetle, the yetis didn’t stop at simply clawing at her, grabbing onto whatever parts of her they could as they yanked, pulled, and twisted. A half-dozen threw themselves as her back legs, anchoring them in place as they scratched and chewed at her armor. One hung from her tail, arms quivering in exertion as though trying to rip the limb off of her. Two more had managed to climb onto her back, raining blows onto her from above as they sought to find a gap in her armor. And all around her more swarmed, fighting to get closer to the behemoth that had slain their fellows.
None of which seemed to bother Solvei in the slightest.
Through their mental link, Lex registered the winter wolf’s disposition as vacillating between irritation and disgust. The latter took precedence a moment later as she craned her head back to catch one of the yetis on her back in her jaws, the crunch of snapping ribs audible over the din as she tossed the thing away a moment later. Disgusting! came her voice in Lex’s mind a moment later. These things’ fur completely ruins their flavor!
Satisfied that she had things under control, Lex turned his attention back to his own fight, just in time to duck under another heavy swing of the hag’s ice staff. How they taste doesn’t matter. Just make sure to kill every last one of those creatures.
Solvei’s mental squeal came over their connection then, as Lex registered embarrassment coming from her. I’m sorry, Master! I didn’t mean to say, er…to think that out loud. Her mental tone quickly changed, trying to sound more professional even though her abashed state remained the same. Would you like me to dispose of them in any particular fashion, or is it more important that I eliminate them as quickly as possible?
Lex didn’t answer immediately, taking a heavy hit across his flank as the winter hag pressed her attack, presumably having realized that she needed to win before her yetis were all killed, otherwise she’d be overwhelmed in short order. Falling back as the impact was accompanied by a painful chill, Lex retreated just long enough to firm up his defense, moving back in. This time he was ready for the heavy sweep of the hag’s staff, catching it on one foreleg before lunging in to land a punch directly on her chin. Just kill them, Solvei!
Yes, Master!
Ignoring the winter wolf’s affirmative, Lex fell back onto all fours, observing the winter witch as she stumbled back. Despite his having scored another successful hit on her, there was no evidence that he’d actually damaged the foul humanoid. Her lip wasn’t split, her teeth were all still intact, nor was there even a bruise forming. It was enough to make Lex frown; even if he wasn’t physically injuring her, the negative energy in his mask should have had some sort of outward manifestation. So why wasn’t she hurt?
The hag didn’t seem inclined to give him any clues, straightening up as her eyes slid from him over to Solvei again. “Losing more than expected,” she murmured. “Mother won’t be happy.” Her eyes slid back to Lex, and another ugly grin crossed her lips. “But might not care if I bring that creature back with me.”
Lex registered a twinge of magic coming from the old crone then, realizing that whatever spell she was using was one that didn’t require her to gesture or chant. Realizing that she was aiming whatever she was doing at Solvei, he immediately launched a counterattack of his own. Rather than bothering with another ineffectual punch, he opted instead to use his magic, making the requisite gesticulations as he rattled off the incantation as fast as he could.
But there was no way that a spell which had so many activation requirements could outpace one which could be utilized with a thought, and the winter hag’s spell hit Solvei before his own was even halfway complete.
Across their connection, Lex registered Solvei’s momentary surprise as the dark magic he’d somehow given her as part of their bond – the same dark magic he’d gained ever since he’d grafted King Sombra’s horn onto his head – activated of its own accord, reaching out to crush the winter hag’s spell before it could take root in Solvei’s thoughts. A mental attack, realized Lex a moment later, not letting the sudden comprehension disrupt his own casting. She was trying to take over Solvei’s mind.
The thought would have been laughable if it hadn’t suddenly sent a surge of possessiveness through him. While Solvei wasn’t able to utilize the dark magic she possessed nearly as adroitly as he could – she couldn’t change into a shadow with it, nor enhance her senses – her proficiency with the power she’d gained wasn’t limited to simply forming black crystals. So long as her admittedly modest reserve of dark magic held out, it also served to protect her mind from any external influences.
Now that she belonged to him, only Lex could issue commands to Solvei.
And the thought that this gruesome monster had even dared to try was an affront that he would not forgive.
Snarling the final syllables of his spell, Lex threw a hoof out, pointing it at the hag. Immediately, flames sprung up around her, the magical fire punching through the crone’s spell resistance as it consumed her body, giving Lex the satisfaction of watching the beldame turn into a living bonfire as she stumbled backward. But when she opened her mouth an instant later, what came out wasn’t the agonized scream he’d expected. Instead, it was a roar of anger.
“How dare you!” shrieked the hag, fixing her stance even as she continued to burn. Underneath the flames, Lex could see her face beginning to melt, but it didn’t seem to bother the old woman in the least. “Ruining all my hard work!”
Before Lex could even begin to process what she meant, there was another sense of magic coming from the hag as she suddenly rushed forward – apparently uncaring that she was still on fire – and slammed one wrinkled hand directly against his chest.
His magic items cushioned the blow, preventing it from so doing little more than causing him to stumble, but the despite the hag’s continuing immolation it was cold – rather than heat – which shot through Lex then. Far worse than what he’d felt when she’d struck him with her staff, this time the numbing chill swept over his entire body, sapping the strength from his limbs as his nerves began to deaden. In an instant, remaining standing was a struggle, his legs threatening to give out from under him as the chill continued to worsen.
His first instinct was to turn incorporeal, but Lex pushed that urge away in favor of going on the attack. It wasn’t as though that hideous crone wasn’t taking damage from the flames; her flesh was visibly liquefying as the fire continued to eat away at her body. The sooner he eroded the last of whatever insane tenacity was keeping her going, the sooner she’d finally lie down and die!
Pouring as much power through his frigid body as he could, Lex’s eyes blazed as he brought an eruption of black crystals outward, hoping they’d skewer the hag now that her toughened flesh was sizzling. But to his shock, she deftly avoided the volley of stalagmites he sent at her, ducking and rolling beneath them, abandoning her ice staff as she came up on all fours, inhaling deeply.
The sound of her drawing in a large breath made Lex flash back to when he’d fought the dragon outside of Tall Tale, and – wasting a half-second to glance back, confirming that those earth mares were directly behind him – he immediately shifted to defense, again pushing his body past its limits as he raised a wall of black crystals between himself and the burning humanoid.
On the other side of the wall came the sound of rushing wind, along with the clinking of impacts against the barrier he’d raised, and from the frost creeping over the top of the wall, it was easy for Lex to imagine what sort of ice storm the witch was unleashing. But she won’t be able to keep that up for long, he felt certain. Even if she doesn’t feel pain, there’s no way her lungs will be able to sustain this effort with the flames searing them!
He was proven right a moment later, the sounds of the wintry attack falling away as quickly as they’d come. Lex immediately dissolved the wall, letting it turn into dust as he readied another spell…and found no available target, the witch having vanished.
For an instant he found himself wondering if she’d been completely devoured by the flames, but he discarded that idea immediately. She’d been burning quickly, but there was no way her body would have been melted without a trace, particularly not in the scant few seconds when he’d lost sight of her.
Lost sight of her…
Cursing as he realized that she’d turned invisible again – and that whatever was preventing her from leaving footprints in the snow was still active – Lex immediately called on his dark magic again, enhancing his senses-
Only for a hand to reach out and grab him by the throat before he could, squeezing his neck tightly as he was lifted into the air, a triumphant cackle cutting through the air as the hag came back into view.
Or rather, as what was left of her came back into view.
The flames had finally gone out, but strangely her body hadn’t blackened at all, instead leaving her looking like a melted candle. Her hair had dissolved completely, leaving her scalp plastered with white. Her robes had fared little better, clinging to her like a grayish layer of skin now.
Her face was far worse. Her mouth was little more than a gaping hole in the middle of her face, her nose having sloughed off completely. The right side of her head had collapsed inward, as though that portion of her skull had liquefied, and her left eye was little more than a dripping ball of milky liquid.
But despite her horrific wounds, her cackling continued as she lifted Lex into the air. Immediately, his horn lit up, but before he could telekinetically grab what he’d been reaching for, her other hand clenched around his horn, shutting his telekinesis down. “Don’t care much for boys who break my toys,” she sneered, bringing her ruined face close to his own. “Thinking that after I’ve enjoyed you, I’ll burn you just like you burned my puppet.”
“‘Puppet’?” rasped Lex, barely able to take in enough air to form the word. His hooves pressed against the half-melted fingers wrapped around his neck, trying futilely to pry them away.
…or at least, that’s what he hoped she thought he was doing.
“Really proud of it,” sneered the hag. “Made it just as beautiful as the real me, even if still a bit weaker. Almost perfect to see and hear through. Took a lot of work. Then you ruined it. Naughty boy.” The hands holding him aloft grew colder, and Lex could feel his body’s numbness growing worse.
Master! yelled Solvei over their link. Hold on! I’m coming!
No! Stay back!
But-
I SAID STAY BACK!
“But now I got you,” continued the hag. “Big bad wolfy of yours can’t attack me now. Or might just pop your head off. Don’t wanna though, rather play with you first. Ride you, then roast you, then eat you.”
Behind his mask, Lex grinned savagely as he finally managed to get his hooves around what he’d been after. It had been tricky to do so without telekinesis, all the more so since her hand was almost covering it, but now he had what he needed, ripping the bead off of the necklace that he’d taken from Bolverk. “Eat this!”
Then he slammed it directly against the mangled wreck of her face, causing the fireball to detonate.
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Aun no leo el capitulo de hoy, estoy escribendo por feliz navidad atrasada y te deseo un buen año nuevo y que próximo año sea mejor que este... Trataré de ponerme al día con la historia cuidate mucho porfa bye.
Huh, so that's why the winter hag referred to the yetis as her 'brothers'. Though I'm now curious if these monsters were artificially created or were pre-existing beings that were mind controlled(as implied due to what the hag tried to pull on Solvei) and in the winter hag's case, physically molded in their creator's image.
Though with this in mind, is a winter hag capable of pulling this off on her own, or is it some other being that's pulling the strings. Genuinely curious as I have very little knowledge or experience on the topic
Regardless, Lex still has to deal with the 'puppet hag' first since I have a nagging feeling that what it might have survived what Lex just did, albeit barely but as we've seen with Lex at his lowest, a magic user doesn't necessarily need to be in the best condition to deal devastating results.
bang goes the fire ball.
How manny puppets can the hag make and how quickly, if the Yetis are the goon squad?
11099005 ¡Gracias por los deseos de Año Nuevo! ¡Espero que disfruten del capítulo y que continúen divirtiéndose leyendo esta historia durante el próximo año! (Además, perdona mi pobre español; escribo esto con la ayuda de Google Translate).
11099064 The specifics of what the winter hag is doing are still nebulous; while experienced Pathfinder players might have a few ideas (and it always helps to brush up on the winter hag monster entry), that doesn't mean that all of the information will necessarily be there. On the other hoof, things will hopefully clear up eventually.
Of course, that's presuming that the fight has reached its conclusion; like you said, it might not be over yet. Certainly, even if it is, what's here strongly suggests the hag will be back later, not to mention she's repeatedly referenced this "Mother" person; somehow I don't see that being a good thing.
11099283 But is the bang big enough for its buck?
11099712 Very salient questions, but the answers are as yet unclear. Hopefully that will change soon.
11100020
Te comprendo perfectamente amigo, a mi también me pasa eso de usar Google traductor de español al inglés aveces escribirlo y hablarlo es muy diferente e difícil de comprender.
11100020
Gracias por tu mensaje amigo, tienes razón es algo tedioso cuando uno tiene su idioma y al momento de usar Google traductor no sale al 100% lo que uno quiere escribir, tienen razón la gente, "escribirlo e decirlo", son dos cosas muy diferentes.