705 - Pressing Onward
“Spear!” yelled Toklo, throwing away the half-melted remains of his weapon.
“Here! Catch!” yelled Drafty, tossing another spear to the adlet, who deftly plucked it out of the air and swung it into a ready position in a single motion. “We don’t have many left!”
“I’m running low on throwing daggers!” added Shadow, bringing her hoof down as she sent another of the weapons in question sailing through the air. “Correction! I’m out of throwing daggers!”
“Damn it, we need to get in close!” cursed Spinner, before turning her head to shout behind her. “Mysty! If Lex taught you a heat-specific version of that ‘resist energy’ spell of yours, now’s the time to use it!”
Further back, Mystaria didn’t answer as she finished casting the strongest healing spell she had on Valor, her face a mask of worry and tension as she put a hoof on her friend’s back, avoiding the parts of her that had been seared. A second later the magic discharged, and Valor couldn’t hold back a sigh of relief as the burns covering her legs healed, the blackened flesh flaking off to reveal healthy pink skin underneath. While the spell wasn’t powerful enough to undo all of the damage, leaving her legs looking as though they’d gotten a bad sunburn, it was enough to let Valor stand back up without choking down a scream. “Thanks.”
But Mystaria shook her head. “Solvei’s the one you should thank. If she hadn’t snatched you out of that thing’s jaws when she did-”
“I know.” Straightening her shield as she moved back toward the fray, Valor glanced at the winter wolf in question. “I owe her one.”
Solvei, for her part, didn’t notice the earth pony’s grateful look, too busy facing off against the latest beast to have challenged them since they’d entered the forest.
Hissing as it circled her hungrily, the monster across from her could have been described as a centipede, if centipedes were over twenty feet long and nearly a third that in height. Then again, most centipedes didn’t have slavering jaws where their mandibles should have been, nor an exoskeleton that was red in color. But the nature of its unnatural coloration was no mystery to anyone; far from being its natural hue, the bright red cast of its outer shell was due to the waves of incredible heat that even now rolled off of the creature, making it glow.
It was that same heat that made Solvei regard the monster warily now. Although she’d managed to retrieve Valor before the thing had been able to swallow the earth mare – something which had only happened because Valor had managed to hold the thing’s jaws open when it had burst up from the ground beneath her hooves, having already been on alert thanks to Thermal Draft’s hostility-detecting rod alerting everyone to an incoming enemy – the blazing insect hadn’t taken at the loss of its meal lightly, managing to sink its fangs deep into Solvei’s flank in retaliation.
Although the power Lex had imbued her with had given the winter wolf a marked resistance to the heat which was normally the bane of her kind, the intense temperatures rolling off of the creature had been too strong for Solvei to completely shrug off. Even now, having formed her black crystal armor around herself, she was favoring her left side, moving to stay out of easy reach of the giant insect’s burning maw. While her armor might have been almost impossible to penetrate with mere physical force, it would only shield her so much from the blistering heat of the creature’s furnace-like body.
But the monster, sensing that the largest of the prey it had found was intimidated, wasn’t content to let Solvei hang back, instead rushing in for the kill.
Only to falter as the ground beneath it suddenly turned into a field of jagged black crystals.
The sudden transformation of the terrain didn’t harm the creature, its exoskeleton being tough enough that the razored spikes cut only shallow grooves into its legs. But neither was it able to maneuver as easily as it had a moment before, the black material being not only rough and uneven, but tough enough that it refused to begin melting the instant it came into contact with the monster’s body. The overall effect was that it slowed the thing’s charge to a crawl.
Giving Solvei all the time she needed.
Inhaling sharply as she called upon the magic her master had granted her, the winter wolf sent a telepathic message of thanks to Lex, her eyes traveling to the hovering mass of shadows watching the battle from near the tree line. It was because of him that she was able to enhance her breath weapon to far greater heights than a normal utvalgte would ever have been able to manage, the inside of her maw starting to glow blue as she super-cooled the air she’d taken in, pushing it to temperatures far below mere freezing.
This is the power that defeated Prevarius! she crowed to herself triumphantly, pointing her jaws toward the bright red bug. And now, it’s going to take you down too!
“What are you doing?!” yelled Toklo suddenly. “That won’t work!”
But Solvei barely heard him as she opened her mouth and let loose with her breath weapon, gelid energy shooting out in a massive beam of blue light that swept over the creature, engulfing it completely as the red of its body vanished beneath the force of Solvei’s attack.
The wind kicked up immediately, making the trees above shake back and forth as the interplay of heat and cold sent the air whipping back and forth wildly. The snow that hadn’t already melted as the giant centipede had passed over it was immediately snatched up by the breeze, turning into a snow squall. It was chaotic enough that Toklo and the mares all cried out as they stumbled, struggling to stay upright in the face of the sudden gale.
It was only when Solvei’s breath finally ran out, and the blue light of her magically-charged breath weapon died faded out that the wind died down. But as the azure luminescence dimmed, the color darkened toward purple, and in mere moments a red haze could be seen where the creature had been. Moments later, the air shimmering as the last of the super-cooled air was pushed away by the heat, the glowing exoskeleton could again be seen.
Toklo had been right: Solvei’s attack had done nothing to the creature.
“I told you!” shouted the adlet, his voice a growl as he gripped his spear tighter, shooting a dark look at Solvei. “Didn’t you hear me say when this thing attacked that it was an ice worm?!”
“Of course I did!” shot back Solvei, trying not to appear as daunted as she felt at having thrown so much magic at the creature to no effect. “But it’s as fiery as one of Vutok’s spawn! I thought the cold would hurt it!”
“You primitive savage! An ice worm is what your people call a remorhaz!” Toklo gave Solvei an angry glance then, and consequentially missed how the insect’s head swung around to regard him as soon as that word left his lips. “Its body heat can’t be quenched while it’s ali-”
“LOOK OUT!” shrieked Drafty, Spinner, and Mystaria in unison.
Their screams made Toklo turn back toward the monster, only to find the remorhaz bearing down on him, having acclimated to the uneven ground Lex had created. His eyes widening as the creature opened its jaws, sending a wave of blistering heat over him, Toklo could only grip his spear as he suddenly found himself wondering if the curse that made his body taste bad would be enough to keep the creature from devouring him whole…and if so, whether or not it would spit him out before its inner fires – which had been hot enough to melt the throwing daggers Shadow had hit it with – scoured the flesh from his bones.
“Stoppe.”
The tone in Lex’s voice was even colder than Solvei’s breath weapon had been, and it brought the creature to an immediately halt, its body trembling as it suddenly found itself caught in the grip of a power far greater than its own.
“…a paralysis spell?” muttered Mystaria, staring in confusion as the shadowy mass that was Lex floated down from above, green eyes with purple contrails regarding the immobilized creature callously.
“Look who finally decided that other people’s lives are more important than his magic,” sneered Shadow.
But Spinner shook her head. “I don’t think that was a spell. He didn’t chant an incantation, and I didn’t feel any magic just now.”
“I think it’s that other thing,” remarked Valor, cautiously moving back to check on Littleknight, the almiraj having been told to stay well away from danger since he was their only hope of finding Woodheart. “That ‘greater blessing’ or whatever.”
But Drafty had another name for it, folding her wings at her sides as she touched down from where she’d been hovering. “Divine authority.”
Lex ignored them all, moving downward until he was right in front of the remorhaz. “Drep deg selv,” he intoned dispassionately, still looking at the creature. “Na.”
The order made Solvei blanch a little, but it was nothing compared to how the insect shook then, redoubling its efforts to throw off the force binding it. But it had no more success than before, and a shriek escaped its maw as it coiled itself, turning so that its head was positioned over its midsection…and then leaned down and clamped its jaws around its exoskeleton, biting down hard.
“The hell…?” muttered Shadow.
Toklo was no less shocked, taking a step back in surprise. “What’s going on?!”
Spinner added her voice to the chorus of confusion a moment later. “Does someone want to explain what’s happening, please?!”
“That was Koloss,” explained Solvei, her voice subdued. “The language of my ancestors, as well as of other creatures who came out of the Great Gap alongside Hrothvitnir and Vutok. Master saw that remorhaz react when that adlet said its name. Since it understands that tongue, Master can give it orders that way.”
“Give it orders?” echoed Mystaria, her eyebrows rising. “Without making it into a familiar?”
No one had a chance to answer her before the remorhaz let out a shrill cry then, its chitin finally crumpling as its jaws sank through the hard shell, now puncturing the soft organs beneath. The sound was sharp enough that several of the ponies covered their ears. “And he ordered it to do what?” yelled Valor over the din. “Kill itself?!”
“That’s exactly what he told it to do,” sighed Solvei. “And Master’s orders are always absolute.”
The remorhaz’s scream grew louder then, kicking up to an octave no pony would have been able to reach. But just as it hit an ear-splitting intensity, it cut off abruptly, as did the creature’s back half, its jaw snapping shut as it bit completely through itself.
The giant insect collapsed then, its bisected body hitting the ground with dull thuds. Blood with the consistency of magma sprayed from its bisected body, the ground sizzling where the ichor landed. Even then it continued to cling to life, both of its halves thrashing, legs kicking wildly as it convulsed, until finally its wild flailing slowed, and then halted altogether.
Lex observed the creature’s death with no visible reaction, not that his shadow-form gave much away to begin with. It was only when the creature remained still for several seconds that he turned away from it, moving back toward Solvei. The winter wolf cocked her head for a moment, then turned to look at the others. “Master says we’re leaving. Hurry and get your things together.”
“You can’t be serious!” moaned Spinner. “We need to take a break!”
“The longer we wait here, the more likely something will come to investigate the disturbance,” replied Solvei, though the way she kept glancing at Lex made it clear that she was still serving as his mouthpiece. “Scavengers, hunters hoping the winner will be weakened, creatures looking to warm themselves from this monster’s residual heat. All will descend on this location in short order.”
“And you really think we’ll be safer if we leave?” snorted Shadow, looking through the melted remains of her throwing daggers for any that were still serviceable. “We’ve been pushing through this forest for four days, and we’ve been attacked, what, sixteen times now? Seventeen?”
“Nineteen, including just now,” corrected Valor, picking up Littleknight and placing him on her back.
“Nineteen!” growled Shadow. “First there were those birds with the stabbing beaks that laughed like hyenas! Then the octopi that swung across branches with their tentacles! Then the polar owlbears! Then a swarm of carnivorous butterflies! I didn’t even know there were carnivorous butterflies! And that was just the first day!”
“At least we’re making quick progress,” consoled Mystaria, before looking at Toklo. “How much further do you think it is before we reach the other side?”
“I’m not sure,” admitted the adlet, swallowing nervously as he glanced between Lex and the dead remorhaz. “I told you, we usually don’t venture into the forest when it’s so much easier to just take to the air and fly over it. I think we’re getting close, but-”
“We’ve got incoming!” warned Drafty suddenly, holding the enemy-detecting rod in her hooves. Closing her eyes, she swung it around several times before grimacing. “At least a dozen hostiles, closing in fast!”
“Use the dead bug as cover!” yelled Valor, darting toward the remorhaz’s corpse. “It’s big enough and hot enough that we should have an advantage there!”
“Ew!” squealed Spinner, looking aghast at the suggestion. “No way!”
“Then by all means, face whatever’s coming this way on your own,” warned Toklo, heading toward the insect’s carcass.
But he’d barely gotten halfway to it when a voice rang out from deeper in the forest, one that made him stop dead in his tracks.
“PONIES! RETURN MY SON AT ONCE!”
Toklo’s mouth fell open, his eyes going wide. “Father?!”
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Guess Lex was really just tired after all if he and Fail Forward somehow formed an agreement to work together, albeit with some tension left but considering what's on the line, it's been pushed aside...for the most part.
Still, I really wonder what was said to convince Lex to explain his capabilities (to some extent) to Fail Forward after the initial meldown from before, especially if it made Lex not want to kill Toklo. Or did Lex decide to do it himself after some epiphany?
One a day is bad enough, giving time to rest, recover, heal a tiny amount, get spells back, but miltiple a day? That cranks the difficulty Way up, cos as soon as you run out of spells, you make combat longer, which effectively multiplies the enemies numbers?
I take it that Ice Worm was a design by someone who didnt want to be called out on the whole Tarresque thing but wanted something that could be just as nasty to lower level squads?
11209329
Remorraz have been in D&D for a long time. I remember fighting some in one of the old 1st ed based video games.
11209281 I suspect you're giving Lex too much credit, here. Notice how he didn't coordinate with anyone else except Solvei? Or how he only spoke to them through her? Everyone else was working together; Drafty did some magical scouting and tossed Toklo spears, Solvei saved Valor, and Fail Forward were able to work together despite being down a member (and keeping Littleknight far from danger). But Lex remained apart from everyone except the winter wolf with whom he's soul-bonded.
This is, in other words, Lex reverting to what I'd call "damage control" mode. Just like when Sonata broke up with him, way back before they arrived in Tall Tale, he's trying to shove his emotions down and focus on task-oriented goals. Aside from those, he's eschewing all contact with others unless absolutely necessary: remaining in umbral form, speaking through Solvei, issuing orders instead of discussing things. He's withdrawn into himself as much as he can, in other words, trying to ignore his pain and just get the job done.
Of course, that hasn't worked out well for him before, but at least then he had Sonata and other people to help him work through things. It's an open question if Drafty and Solvei will be enough this time around, particularly since Fail Forward seems to realize they need him, but aren't particularly keen on him otherwise (except maybe for Mystaria).
11209329 The number of encounters they've had over the course of four days was actually a bit of an in-joke, since the conventional wisdom for d20 System adventuring parties is "four level-appropriate encounters per day" based on a four-person party (scaled upward here since their party is larger than four people). The joke, of course, is that even within the confines of the game system that's not strictly true; "level-appropriate" is often mistaken to mean having an Encounter Level equal to the Average Party Level (which itself presumes that most of the party members will be near each other in level), when in fact there are guidelines about how to adjust the EL upward or downward, with recommendations for how tough the resulting encounters will be in terms of resource expenditure for a party.
Likewise, as Spiritus Arcane pointed out, the remorhaz is a monster that's been around for a very long time. It's not necessarily all that dangerous to a mid-level party, presuming they have the right tools for the job, but with what Lex was capable of it was no real threat at all. Given that they've also encountered quite a few other monsters with which they were apparently unfamiliar, Fail Forward is right that they'd probably never reach their destination if not for him.