by Edwin McRae
“Let’s do it,” agreed Mark.
Hold on a sec, thought Arix. That was a bit too fucking easy. “What about this whole Chasm of Corruption quest? I thought you was all about finishing it.”
Mark shrugged. “Maybe we’re killing two birds with one stone here. If Vari’s right, and the altars can control things like the Root of Solmora, then they could also be the answer to shutting down the corruption for good.”
Arix grinned. Looked like things were going his way. “It’s all pie in the sky until we have the Altar of Solmora.”
“Yup,” agreed Mark. “So let’s head back to Citadel, clean up, and plan our next move.”
“Lead the way, warlock.”
He and Vari trailed Mark as they followed Citadel’s directions to the waypoint. Vari pointedly ignored him, but that was just fine with Arix. Mark’s illusions were keeping him here so it was Arix’s duty to disillusion him, for his own good. It was time to plan Vari’s murder.
17
[Karina]
Karina ordered for Durk to bind the naked captain from head to foot. Maribella almost broke free during the transformation, before the pain subsided enough for her to regain some semblance of self control. Eventually the agony and terror drained from the captain’s eyes, replaced by the steely glint of anger.
The inquisitor allowed herself a moment of pride. Maribella was strong, tempered by pain and a life of fighting. As long as her anger was directed at the appropriate targets, she’d be a fine weapon in Karina’s arsenal.
You have successfully created a Level 6 Lycanthrope.
Your XP reward = 120 XP
Please note that your XP is not shared with your current party due to prior preparation of the Lycanthropic Formula.
She motioned for Durk to untie the captain’s bonds. The soldier did so without even a hint of wariness, a foolish attitude considering the deadly nature of the beast he was unwrapping.
Maribella lay there for a moment, panting away the dregs of her trauma, her long tongue dangling over pointed teeth. Then she got to her feet and looked down at her fur-clad body with a mixture of wonder and disgust.
“My monthly waxing bill has just gone through the fucking roof.”
Karina indulged her with a smile. “No need for that. You’ll be able to transform back any time. Such is the power of lycanthropy. Tissue, bones and organs, they’re all at your command now.”
“Will it be the same each time?” The captain’s words were thick and slurred as she struggled to adjust to the new configurations of her mouth.
“Think of it as growing pains.”
Maribella flexed her claws. “Then I’ll stay like this for a bit. Not keen to go through that again just yet.”
“Wise choice, captain. And besides, you’ll want to get the measure of your new body first.”
Maribella performed a languorous stretch and then looked to the chamber door. “Yeah, got a bit of nervous tension to work off.”
Karina clicked her fingers in Durk’s face to get his attention. The man had been staring and gaping like a child in a lollie shop. He blinked and looked at Karina with those blank eyes of his.
“Yes, madam?”
“Get the door for the good captain, will you?”
“Yes, madam.”
“Fucking balls of shit, what is that?!” The exclamation came from Colik at the end of the passage.
“Careful, Colik. You’re still speaking about a superior officer. Show some respect.”
Colik gulped back his next curse and tentatively approached. “Captain? Is that you?”
“Who the fuck else would it be, Colik?” answered Maribella. “If you’re finished tripping over your own jaw, tell us what you found out there.”
“Right, sorry. There’s a spiral staircase, partly collapsed, but we can get across the gaps with ropes. It leads to a balcony that overlooks the chamber. Puts us right beside where those mushraptors are perching.”
In answer, Maribella leaped to the ceiling above them and latched on with her claws. The movement was effortless, as graceful as a cat. She released her hand grips and unfurled so that she hung upside down by her feet, dangling like a bat.
“I should be able to get the drop on them,” she said. “Kill the little shits before they take flight.”
Karina tried and failed to quell a grin of pride. “My my, captain. You’ve taken to this new form like a duck to water.”
“Begging your pardon, madam, but I’m feeling a bit more useful than a fucking duck.”
The grind of wood on stone jerked Karina’s attention away from her beautiful creation. It was Durk, red-faced with exertion as he pushed open the chamber door.
“Close that, right now!”
“But you said-”
Karina sighed. Simple-mindedness had its drawbacks. “Close the door. We’re going a different way.”
“Yes, madam.”
With a grunt he shoved the door shut and stood there, awaiting orders.
“Now salvage what rope you can from the captain’s bindings.” She looked to Maribella as the she-wolf dropped from the ceiling and landed on all fours. “Ready to move out?”
“Yes, madam,” answered Maribella as she stood and stretched again, clearly luxuriating in her newfound strength and flexibility.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself, Maribella,” observed Karina.
“I am, thank you, madam.”
“A word of warning though. Don’t forget yourself. You’re not the first to receive the benefits of this formula, but you are currently the only living example.”
“What happened to the others?”
“They lacked mental fortitude. Keep your wits about you, tame the beast within, and you’ll do just fine.”
“So this urge to tear Durk’s leg off and eat it, that’ll pass?”
“Not that I’ve observed, no.”
Durk at least had the intelligence to flinch when Maribella patted him on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry, big fella,” Maribella soothed. “I’ve had lunch already.”
Karina laughed as she turned to Colik. “Lead the way, scout. It’s time to give our wardog some exercise.”
“Wardog?” Maribella cocked her head, a very canine behavior that proved Karina’s point.
Karina focused on Maribella and brought up her stats. She recited as she read.
Captain Maribella of Credence
Class: Wardog - Level 6
Progress to Level 7 = 825/1500
Body: 18
Wardog +12 Class Modifier: 30
Mind: 11
Spirit: 11
HP: 180
EP: 66
Skills
Blood-curdling Howl (Tier 1)
Fevered Regeneration (Tier 1)
Scented Pathways (Tier 1)
Acoustics (Tier 1)
Feral Fury (Tier 1)
Maribella nodded, impressed. “So I’m dual-class now?”
“Yes. Hence the higher XP threshold.”
“Can I use my warrior abilities while in Wardog form?”
Karina shook her head. “The two classes are mutually exclusive. But I’m sure you’ll find your new skills more than adequate. For instance, Fevered Regeneration will heal most wounds faster than your Vigorous Healing ability, even at Tier One.”
“Most wounds?”
“Try not to get burned or cut by anything made of silver. Your body is now infused with lycanthropic bacteria. Fire will cauterize your flesh, temporarily killing the bacteria around the wound site. It’ll take time for the disease to reinfect your tissues. And silver has potent antibacterial properties. Pure silver is particularly devastating.”
Maribella growled with revulsion. “So I’m a walking sack of disease?”
“Indeed you are.” She pointed at Durk and then at Maribella’s pile of clothes and equipment. “Be a good packhorse and carry the captain’s gear for her. She’ll want to remain unencumbered for now.” Then she looked to Colik. “Lead th
e way, scout.”
Together they struck off down the passageway, headed for Colik’s alternative entrance into the Chamber of Agrovesh. The scout’s route took them through a winding series of tunnels that left Karina feeling completely lost. At last they came to a spiral staircase and ascended to the point where the steps had crumbled away. Maribella took one end of the rope proffered by Durk and leaped across the gap with ease and remarkable grace. Lacking anything suitable to secure the rope to, she simply wrapped it around herself, using her own supernatural strength as the anchor. One by one, Karina, Colik and Durk swung down into the ravine of shattered rock below and were pulled up by the freshly-minted wardog. Although the captain panted a little with the exertion as she hauled Durk and all of the gear onto the upper flight of steps, her disease-ridden muscles proved worthy of the task.
Colik then led the way up the remainder of the staircase to the promised balcony. It afforded an excellent view of the temple’s rafters. Karina counted a dozen roosting mushraptors, hanging upside down like fuzzy peaches gone to rot.
“Ready, captain?” whispered Karina.
Maribella nodded, needing no further instruction. She jumped to the first rafter and then crept along it. When she reached her first slumbering victim, she grabbed it by the legs, flipped it upwards and tore out its throat with her fangs. The motion was smooth and almost soundless.
Your party has slain a Level 3 Mushraptor.
Your XP reward per party member = 7 XP
The other mushraptors didn’t stir, oblivious to the predator now stalking among them. Maribella placed the carcass gently on the top of the rafter. Then with stealth and patience, the wardog plucked her prey one by one until the tree had been stripped clean of its fruit.
Your party has killed eleven Level 3 Mushraptors.
Your XP reward per party member = 82 XP
Maribella returned to the balcony and thrust her claw out at Durk. “Water. Now.”
Durk obliged, handing over a canteen which the captain unstoppered and upended into her fanged mouth. Much gargling and spitting later, Maribella handed the empty canteen back.
“Are mushraptors not to your taste, captain?” asked an amused Karina.
“Like mushrooms and blue-vein cheese.”
“That actually sounds quite appetizing.”
“I prefer pork,” said Maribella with a sly wink at Durk.
The big man gulped and grew a little paler.
“Save your appetite for a certain demon and his warlock friend.”
“Yes, madam.”
From the balcony they were able to descend into the chamber via a series of stone catwalks and steps that hugged the inside wall. When they reached the chamber floor, they found the archers still lying where they’d fallen, surrounded by the carcasses of the mushraptors they and Maribella had killed.
Colik knelt by Tris and closed her staring eyes. “Wonder why those things didn’t eat Tris and Dez, or any of their own.”
Karina took a closer look at one of the mushraptors, at its jagged teeth and sickle-like talons. “They’re not carnivores. They eat fungus.”
“Then what about the teeth and talons, madam?” wondered Colik. “They did a good enough number on our archers.”
Karina prodded a nearby fungus with a finger. It was like poking an overstuffed leather armchair. “They’re for ripping through the outer skins of these mushrooms. The mushraptors were simply defending their territory, fending off would be predators.”
“Seems coincidental,” remarked the captain as she ripped a long tear in the closest mushroom with her index claw.
“What does, captain?”
“That their favorite food just happens to grow in the Chamber of Agrovesh.”
Karina gave Maribella a hard look. The woman kept surprising her with her astuteness, and she wasn’t yet sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She activated her Mind’s Eye ability and surveyed the chamber. It only took a few seconds to confirm the captain’s suspicions. At first glance the mushrooms appeared to have spread randomly from one wall to the other, but patterns soon started to form. The mushroom colony was at its most populous along the edges of a central aisle, like they’d been planted in neat rows bordering the walkways and then spread from there. At their highest density, the mushroom patch formed a thick half-circle around the altar. Once again, the original planting had been neat and orderly.
She knelt by one of the mushraptors. A quick comparison between the creature’s swirling wing patterns and the chamber’s engravings and carvings showed striking similarities. Either the artists had taken inspiration from the mushraptors or the animal’s creator had taken inspiration from the carvers. Either way, these monsters were likely the chosen guardians of the Altar of Agrovesh, and that left her wondering. The mushraptors were all of a similar size and maturity. There was no differentiation between adults and juveniles, no obvious life cycle in process. That meant the twenty-five they’d just killed were all from the same brood. Same age, same parent. That left one last question.
“Where’s the mother?” she queried out loud.
“Oh shit,” responded Maribella. “Really?”
“Afraid so. Unless the young eat the parent, which does happen with certain species, something nearby laid a whole mess of eggs for this monstrous ensemble to hatch out of.”
“Eggs to grubs to moths?” wondered Colik.
“Indeed.”
“Some moths die after laying their eggs,” offered Colik rather hopefully.
“To be on the safe side, scout, I think you should approach the altar while we take up battle positions.”
Colik looked from Karina to the altar and back again.
“Is there a problem?”
“I’d rather run for it and take my chances with the captain, truth be told. Her claws should make quick work of me. Painless, kind of.” He pointed at a nearby mushraptor carcass. “Mother of them things, don’t know what it’ll do to me or for how long.”
“Colik?” Karina forced sweetness and understanding into her tone. “Listen to me very carefully.”
“Yes, madam, I’ll-”
“Starweed.”
The effect was immediate. One moment, Colik was standing there, defiance in his eyes. The next moment he was curled on the stone floor in fetal position, trembling and whimpering.
Karina walked over to him, watched impassively for a count of ten and then said “starweed” again. Colik gasped like he’d just woken from a nightmare and slowly rose to his feet.
“I implanted that memory in that rather sludgy little brain of yours, Colik. Starweed withdrawal at its very worst. It takes a twenty year habit to produce withdrawal symptoms of that magnitude. I doubt you’ve ever been a heavy enough user to experience it for yourself, but I’ve seen it too many times. I captured that memory from a poor suffering fool in their final hours. And it does take hours, Colik. Hours filled with minutes that themselves feel like hours. So you can either do as I ask and brave the very small chance that you will be eviscerated by a giant mushraptor, or you can suffer for a seeming eternity until your heart gives out. What shall it be?”
Colik nodded, a faint smile on his face like someone had just offered him a choice between the garlic beef steak or the roast lamb. “Think I’ll just go rest my ass on that altar for a bit. Legs are a bit tired, you see.”
“You do that,” agreed Karina.
As Colik approached the Altar of Agrovesh, Karina gestured for her wardog and her man-at-arms to form a barrier in front of her. No sooner had the scout plonked his grubby breeches onto the delicately carved slab, he and his seat vanished with a click and a screech of rusted iron. Karina pursed her lips, perturbed that her Mind’s Eye ability hadn’t identified a trapdoor. She clearly hadn’t scored within her 25% chance of an intuitive leap.
With a beating of wings that sent a cloud of dust billowing towards them, the mushraptor matriarch rose up out of the open doors, a wriggling Colik clenched tightly in one of her
claws. With a snap and a squelch that same claw reduced the scout to a limp sack of red pulp. She then shook the mess from her talon and issued a piercing shriek of rage at the sight of her massacred children.
Karina glanced at the captain, noting the wideness of her blue eyes, the trembling of the muscles at the back of her long jaw. She laid a hand on the woman’s furry shoulder.
“False Courage,” she murmured, and then dove out of the way as the matriarch swooped in to attack.
Durk wasn’t as coolminded as Karina. Rather than dodge away, he raised his arms and screamed like a little boy as gigantic talons bore him to the ground and slavering jaws descended towards his bright red face. He would’ve lost that face, too, had the captain not sprung vertically into the air, timing her jump so that she dropped onto her target’s back and buried her claws deep in the thing’s thorax.
The giant mushraptor turned away from the prone man-at-arms and endeavored to shake the wardog off her back. Maribella hung on tight as she flapped from side to side, a flag on a pole during a ferocious gale.
“Durk!” roared the wardog. “Go for the legs!”
Durk scrambled to his feet, readied his shield, and charged the thrashing beast with his mace raised high. His first strike cracked one the monster’s forelegs, causing it to crash to the ground in an ungainly heap. Maribella took the opportunity to crouch and dig, her claws tearing through the monster’s flesh like a toddler’s fingers through a birthday cake. The mushraptor shrieked again and struggled to stand. Durk got in first, bringing his mace down on another leg, sundering the exoskeleton with a resounding ‘snap’. With only one good leg remaining on its right side, the mushraptor couldn’t find its balance. Yet it still had one more trick up its sleeve.