The cursed catacombs, p.8
The Cursed Catacombs, page 8
“So…you’re saying it wasn’t a zombie,” Seth said smugly.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Just make sure you hold on to that bone shard, all right? It’s still charged up and might come in handy.”
Add the bone shard to your inventory! Go to 95.
* * *
“HEY, BONE-FOR-BRAINS!” SAID Seth. “Do you have any idea who you’re messing with?”
The skeleton cocked its head to the side, as if unsure what to make of Seth’s yelling. Its horned helmet tipped slightly, somewhat loose on its barren skull.
“That’s right, it’s me: Seth the Snake-Blooded Sorcerer!”
“Sorcerer’s apprentice,” Calivore amended unhelpfully.
“I’ve learned magic from the greatest mage of our time: Bristleboor the Baroque! Witch slayer! War caster! He of the undergroomed beard and yellowed toenails!”
It was unclear whether or not the skeleton understood a word of what Seth was saying. It tilted its head in the other direction, and its helmet wobbled.
Calivore took the initiative.
“Have at thee!” the imp cried, and the orb darted forward, smacking the helmet’s leftmost horn. The iron helm spun, blocking the skeletal warrior’s line of sight.
“What are you doing?!” cried Seth.
“I’m helping!” answered Calivore. “Your speech was a distraction, right? Or did you seriously mean to scare the fleshless, brainless walking nightmare? Now come on, get a move on! And no spells while I’m in the line of fire, if you please.”
Okay, no spells. What, then?
Attack! Make a Constitution Check. With a 6 or higher, go to 75. Otherwise, go to 84.
Sneak past it! Make a Cleverness Check. With a 6 or higher, go to 85. Otherwise, go to 86.
* * *
“YEAH, I DON’T SEE ANY sort of dialogue working,” said Calivore. “That thing’s got cobwebs and dust where its brain should be. And I’m beginning to think he ain’t the only one.”
“Oh yeah? You don’t even have a brain!” Seth shot back.
“Sure I do,” said the imp.
“I can see right through you!” said Seth. “You obviously don’t have any organs.”
“Sure I do,” the imp repeated. “They just happen to be fifth-dimensional, so your extremely limited senses can’t perceive ’em.” It sniffed. “I’ve got feelings, too, incidentally. Even if you can’t see ’em.”
“Oh brother,” said Seth. He wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn’t dare take his gaze off his adversary. Good thing, too—because the creature lurched forward, raising its iron sword high!
Are you ready? You’d better be ready!
Make a Constitution Check. With a 4 or higher, go to 71. Otherwise, go to 72.
* * *
“HEY, LISTEN,” SAID SETH, AND he held out his open, empty palms in a placating gesture. “We don’t have to fight. Do we?” He took a tentative step forward. “I mean, think about it. If a humble snake-blooded wizard’s apprentice and a pompous, overbearing fifth-dimensional chatterbox can get along, there’s got to be hope for the rest of us.”
“I resent your reductive description!” yelled Calivore, and the orb darted forward, smacking the leftmost horn of the skeleton’s helmet. The iron helm spun, blocking the skeletal warrior’s line of sight.
“What are you doing?!” cried Seth.
“I’m making the most of your distraction!” answered Calivore. “Unless…hold on, you didn’t actually think you were going to befriend the walking ossuary, did you? Ha!”
“Well, I guess now we’ll never know,” Seth said, putting his hands on his hips.
“Scold me later,” said Calivore. “Now come on, get a move on! And no spells while I’m in the line of fire, if you please.”
Okay, no spells. What, then?
Attack! Make a Constitution Check. With a 6 or higher, go to 75. Otherwise, go to 84.
Sneak past it! Make a Cleverness Check. With a 6 or higher, go to 85. Otherwise, go to 86.
* * *
“YEAH, I DON’T SEE ANY sort of dialogue working,” said Calivore. “That thing’s got cobwebs and dust where its brain should be. And I’m beginning to think he ain’t the only one.”
“Oh yeah? You don’t even have a brain!” Seth shot back.
“Sure I do,” said the imp.
“I can see right through you!” said Seth. “You obviously don’t have any organs.”
“Sure I do,” the imp repeated. “They just happen to be fifth-dimensional, so your extremely limited senses can’t perceive ’em.” It sniffed. “I’ve got feelings, too, incidentally. Even if you can’t see ’em.”
“Oh brother,” said Seth. He wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn’t dare take his gaze off his adversary. Good thing, too—because the creature lurched forward in an attack!
Are you ready? You’d better be ready! Go to 73.
* * *
SETH TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HIS adversary’s momentary blindness, leaping forward and shoving the skeleton aside. His shove wasn’t especially impressive—if he was honest, he’d sort of hoped to smash the creature to bits against the tunnel wall—but he’d at least shoved it aside, making it easy to slip past and hurry down the tunnel.
He ran as fast as his weary legs could manage, the adrenaline of the encounter already leaving him.
“It’s just standing back there like a big dummy!” said Calivore. “It’d be easy to take it down with a psychokinetic attack from behind. Probably make a satisfying crunch, too.”
What do you think?
Yeah, why not, if you’ve got the mana? Subtract 2 Mana Points and cast Psychokinesis on your way out. Go to 79.
Why take the risk? Keep moving and don’t look back until you get to 95.
* * *
SETH TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE skeleton’s momentary blindness, moving forward on the tips of his toes. The skeleton wouldn’t be disadvantaged for long, so Seth had to strike a balance between creeping forward with utter silence (like, not even breathing) and hurrying forward as if his life depended on speed.
Not an easy task, but he managed it. By the time the skeleton had got its helmet facing the right way, Seth was halfway up the tunnel.
“It’s just standing back there like a big dummy!” said Calivore. “It’d be easy to take it down with a psychokinetic attack from behind. Probably make a satisfying crunch, too.”
What do you think?
Yeah, why not, if you’ve got the mana? Subtract 2 Mana Points and cast Psychokinesis on your way out. Go to 79.
Why take the risk? Keep moving and don’t look back until you get to 95.
* * *
SETH TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE skeleton’s momentary blindness, moving forward on the tips of his toes. The skeleton wouldn’t be disadvantaged for long, so Seth had to strike a balance between creeping forward with utter silence (like, not even breathing) and hurrying forward as if his life depended on speed.
But he was too slow, or too noisy, or both. The skeleton seemed to sense him as he crept past, and it lashed out at him. Despite the twisted helmet blocking its vision, it connected with its claws, slashing Seth across the arm.
The time for stealth was past, and Seth broke into a run. He was quickly out of range of the creature’s follow-up attack and putting more distance between them every second.
“It’s just standing back there like a big dummy!” said Calivore. “It’d be easy to take it down with a psychokinetic attack from behind. Probably make a satisfying crunch, too.”
What do you think?
Yeah, why not, if you’ve got the mana? Cast Psychokinesis on your way out. Subtract 2 Mana Points for the spell and 1 Health Point for that cut. Go to 79.
Why take the risk? Subtract 1 Health Point for that cut, then keep moving and don’t look back until you get to 95.
If you still have the amber talisman in your inventory, you can ignore the damage from the cut, but the talisman is one use only and crumbles to dust.
* * *
SETH CAST ABOUT FOR SOMETHING, anything, that he might use to defend himself. Not for the first time, he cursed Bristleboor’s stinginess. It would have taken the old wizard no time at all to teach Seth a Shield spell.
But Seth didn’t have a Shield spell, and he didn’t see anything of use in the tunnel. Just dirt floors, dirt walls, a dirt ceiling.
Of course, there was the skeleton itself. Perhaps it had some tool or weapon that Seth could take for himself, if he could just slip in close enough. He took a long look at his opponent…and he noticed something strange.
There was an unnatural glow coming from within its rib cage.
On closer inspection, Seth saw that it was a magic sigil of some kind, etched into the thing’s spinal column and glowing with mystical puissance.
“Do you see that?” asked Seth. “The sigil on its vertebra.”
“That’s Lemurian,” said the imp. “I’m a little rusty, but I think it says—”
Calivore made a strange sound then, somehow guttural and lyrical at the same time. It was a word, and it was a spell—Seth could tell by the way his skin prickled. Calivore had just uttered an ancient word of power.
The skeleton collapsed in an artless heap.
“Wow!” said Seth. “What did you just say?”
“It’s hard to explain in your language,” answered Calivore. “It means something like ‘compel’ or ‘command.’ But specifically the sort of command that a wizard would have over a construct or…a thrall, I guess.”
“So the skeleton was in thrall to somebody?” Seth wondered. “It wasn’t acting on its own?”
“Whoever commanded that skeleton is long dead,” said Calivore. “It must have been left here to guard something eons ago.”
“So…you’re saying it wasn’t a zombie,” Seth said smugly.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Just make sure you fish that vertebra out of the pile of bones, all right? You never know when an engraved sigil will come in handy.”
Add the bone shard to your inventory! Go to 95.
* * *
SETH CAST ABOUT FOR SOMETHING, anything, that he might use to defend himself. Not for the first time, he cursed Bristleboor’s stinginess. It would have taken the old wizard no time at all to teach Seth a Shield spell.
But Seth didn’t have a Shield spell, and he didn’t see anything of use in the tunnel. Just dirt floors, dirt walls, a dirt ceiling.
Dirt, dirt, dirt.
Enough dirt to serve as his grave.
Brace for its attack. Make a Constitution Check. With a 4 or higher, go to 89. Otherwise, go to 90.
* * *
THE SKELETAL WARRIOR LUNGED FORWARD, but Seth was ready. His fellow apprentice Roe had been a formidable fighter, and she’d tried to teach Seth a few tricks. After those lessons, Seth still wasn’t terribly good at swinging swords (heavier than they looked) or delivering a punch (he had sensitive knuckles). But if he focused all his attention on dodging an attack, he could be as slippery as a snake.
(That’s how Roe had put it. Seth didn’t think that snakes were especially slippery. The patches of reptilian scales on his forearms, torso, and cheeks tended toward dryness.)
As the creature swung its sword, Seth watched not the blade but the elbow. While the blade soared through the air in a blunted blur, the creature’s elbow stayed stable, allowing Seth to gauge the speed, power, and distance of the attack. He ducked handily beneath the swing, and the blade cleaved into dirt.
While the skeleton worked to free its weapon, Seth had a moment to act. Not enough time for a spell, probably, but he could press the attack or even try to slip past.
Hit it while its guard is down! Lunge to 75.
Run past it while it’s distracted! Dash to 91.
* * *
THE SKELETAL WARRIOR LUNGED FORWARD, but Seth was ready. His fellow apprentice Roe had been a formidable fighter, and she’d tried to teach Seth a few tricks. After those lessons, Seth still wasn’t terribly good at swinging swords (heavier than they looked) or delivering a punch (he had sensitive knuckles). But if he focused all his attention on dodging an attack, he could be as slippery as a snake.
(That’s how Roe had put it. Seth didn’t think that snakes were especially slippery. The patches of reptilian scales on his forearms, torso, and cheeks tended toward dryness.)
As the creature swung its sword, Seth held his ground. He watched the skeleton’s blade as it arced toward him. At the last possible moment, Seth shifted his weight, rolling backward and out of the creature’s reach.
Despite its lack of facial features, the skeleton seemed somehow to scowl at him. Seth repressed the urge to stick his tongue out—but only barely.
Charge forward! Make a Constitution Check. With a 6 or higher, go to 76. Otherwise, go to 77.
* * *
SETH TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE skeleton’s momentary distraction, hurrying forward as if his life depended on speed.
He sprinted past the creature before it could pull its sword free. But it didn’t let him go unchallenged. Just before Seth had cleared its range, it swiped out at him with one hand, raking him with its bone claws.
Seth didn’t let the pain slow him down, and he was soon out of the creature’s reach. He turned to see that it had returned its attention to freeing the sword, which was still stuck in the dirt. The skeleton was obviously physically weak; the magic that had reanimated it was a poor replacement for muscle and sinew.
“It’s just standing back there like a big dummy!” said Calivore. “It’d be easy to take it down with a psychokinetic attack from behind. Probably make a satisfying crunch, too.”
What do you think?
Yeah, why not, if you’ve got the mana? Cast Psychokinesis on your way out. Subtract 2 Mana Points for the spell and 1 Health Point for that cut. Go to 79.
Why take the risk? Subtract 1 Health Point for that cut, then keep moving and don’t look back until you get to 95.
If you still have the amber talisman in your inventory, you can ignore the damage from the cut, but the talisman is one use only and crumbles to dust.
* * *
SETH CAST ABOUT FOR SOMETHING, anything, that he might use to defend himself. Not for the first time, he cursed Bristleboor’s stinginess. It would have taken the old wizard no time at all to teach Seth a Shield spell.
But Seth didn’t have a Shield spell, and he didn’t see anything of use in the tunnel. Just dirt floors, dirt walls, a dirt ceiling…
Of course, there was the sword. The warrior had dropped it and had made no move to reclaim it. If Seth could get close enough to swipe it before the creature could get its claws into him, he’d have the upper hand.
It seemed like a great idea.
Yeah, we’ll see about that. Make a Constitution Check. On 8 or higher, go to 93. Otherwise, 94.
* * *
SETH DARTED FORWARD, QUICK AS a cobra. In the blink of an eye, his fingers were wrapped around the hilt of the sword.
But the skeleton stood just above him. He could sense its clawed, bony fingers reaching for him.
Seth closed his eyes, mustered all of his strength, and pulled the sword upward from the ground in a wide, powerful arc. The sword, ancient and pitted with rust, crumbled to dust on impact. But it took the skeleton with it. The creature flew apart, bone shards raining down upon Seth, the horned helm plopping to the dirt mere inches away.
But Seth’s eyes were drawn to a different piece of debris—a fragment of bone that seemed to glow from within. Seth flipped it over to reveal a glowing sigil.
“Hey, Calivore,” he said. “Do you recognize this symbol?”
“Yeah,” said the imp. “Ancient Lemurian. Their language was logographic. That means—”
“I know what it means,” said Seth. “It means this symbol represents an entire word or concept.” He looked at the imp. “Can you read it?”
Calivore made a strange sound then, somehow guttural and lyrical at the same time. It was a word, and it was a spell—Seth could tell by the way his skin prickled and the sigil’s glow intensified. Calivore had just uttered an ancient word of power.
“Wow!” said Seth. “What did you just say?”
“It’s hard to explain in your language,” answered Calivore. “It means something like ‘compel’ or ‘command.’ But specifically the sort of command that a wizard would have over a construct or…a thrall, I guess.”
“So the skeleton was in thrall to somebody?” Seth wondered. “It wasn’t acting on its own?”
“Whoever commanded that skeleton is long dead,” said Calivore. “It must have been left here to guard something eons ago.”
“So…you’re saying it wasn’t a zombie,” Seth said smugly.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Just make sure you hold on to that bone shard, all right? It’s still charged up and might come in handy.”
Add the bone shard to your inventory! Go to 95.
* * *
SETH DARTED FORWARD, ARM AND fingers outstretched. He came within grasping distance of the sword—but not before the skeleton seized him by the collar. With surprising strength, it threw him back. And then it was upon him, clawing at him with its jagged fingerbones, its jaw swinging open as it screamed.
Seth screamed, too.
Suddenly, Calivore was there, navigating the orb low and slamming into the side of the warrior’s skull. Its helm tilted, blocking its vision, and in its confusion, its grip loosened. Seth slipped free of its grasp and clambered quickly to his feet.
