241 Miles to go and promises to keep (1/2)
Dave sprinted through the forest of blood hued trees slowly increasing his lead over the horde of tiny monsters after him. When he'd built a comfortable distance between himself and the pursuing smollzy tribe he stopped and whistled. From the trees right next to him, Spike emerged like a ghost.
”Hey buddy, glad you're here,” Dave said as he mounted up, ”Let's lose these Chuckie wannabes and then catch up to the others.”
The fiend snorted in agreement and galloped away through the forest leaving the smollzies far behind. Dave guided Spike on a round-about route back toward the tomb. Even though they were taking the longer way around, with Spikes speed they would likely make it to the tomb at about the same time as the rest of the party.
”What's the situation?” Dave asked over the party chat.
Ralph answered with a short report, ”No smollzies or other monsters following us so far. We have the tomb in sight, and it's a big castle-looking thing.”
”Great. I'm heading back around to the tomb, be there soon,” Dave said.
A short time later Spike burst out of the forest into a clearing with what the map showed as the tomb in the middle. The building did indeed look like an old castle as Ralph had noted. Dave was a little surprised they hadn't encountered any dangerous wildlife during the ride to the tomb, but then he figured that the smollzies probably culled the wildlife.
'Gotta be thankful for small blessings. HA!'
His friends were waiting for him near the tomb.
Four stone walls protected what was probably a keep of some sort. The structure once boasted four towers, one at each corner. Of course the entire edifice was tumbled down and in severe disrepair now. Through one of the crumbled walls Dave could see a keep withhalf of a golden dome on top of it. A moat of green-scummed stagnant water surrounded the structure. Dave didn't see a way to get to the structure beyond the moat.
”Good morning, nice of you guys to drop by,” Ralph yelled to Dave.
Dave chuckled as he guided the fiend over to the group, Ralphie and his movie quotes.
”Let's go-” Dave was cut off when loud screeches echoed from the Wilds.
Turning, Dave saw a horde of smollzies emerge from the forest and advance like a screaming avalanche of wild hair, teeth and bone spears.
”Get inside the tomb!” Dave said.
”Wait!” Perfect said, pausing at the back of the group.
Dave looked back, ”What?”
The ranger pointed, ”Look, the smollzies stopped.”
He was right, the smollzies had stopped just inside the clearing, a good distance away from the Players, like something was preventing them from coming any closer.
”Maybe they're scared of the tomb,” Flanker said.
”Maybe so. But let's not hang out here and find out. We have a tomb to dive and a quest to finish,” Fortress said.
”Let's go then,” Dave said. The other Players followed after him.
Perfect kept his eyes on the smollzies. One of the creatures was waving around a carved wooden totem staff. The smallzy shrieked something and struck the ground with its totem staff causing the entire tribe to begin leaping and howling like lunatics, many of them fell to the ground, their bodies jerking and spasming as if demon-possessed.
”Ah man, the little fuckers are up to something,” Perfect said.
***
The smollzy witch doctor has performed a ritual to call a Tribulation down on you. Beware, an evil spirit of the Wilds will be your Bane.
Stench of the Weak increased by two (2) levels!
Your presence and the odor you exude has become more than just a mild annoyance, you are now a threat to the Wilds and all its inhabitants.
If you die in the Wilds, you will lose four (4) character levels.
You now benefit from a 20% increase in EXP from killing monsters in the Wilds.
***
Dave shouted, ”What the fuck?!”
”Ae back to the Wilds again.”
”Umm. We may have a teensy little problem...” Tess said, avoiding everyone's eyes.
”What problem?” Dave asked. .
”Welllll, I was already at Stench level three, so the curse from those meanie little fuckers-” Tess was interrupted by a tremendous roar that echoed across the clearing and through the forests of the Wild.
”-yeah, that,” Tess finished apologetically.
It was the abyssal dragon and judging by how load the roar was it was very close. At the first sound of the dragon's roar the horde of smollzies screeched in terror and scattered in every direction.
Dave searched the skies for the source of the roar, ”Oh, you've got to be pulling on my leg. Everyone into the water. we have to cross the moat now!”
Spike jumped into the scummy moat water. Demeri wrinkled her nose at the rancid odor coming from the water.
”Eww, it's stinks. First giant bugs, now this.”
”Hurry up we don't have much time,” Dave cajoled.
The Players jumped into the moat one after another and swam to the other side.
The dragon roared again, making sure every creature in its way knew that certain doom was coming. Dave's hands tightened in Spike's fur as the fiend swam through the mucky stinking water. At the other side of the moat Spike clumsily clambered out of the water and soon the whole party stood in front of the main building of the tomb.
”Fuck, how do we get in? Flanker cursed looking up fearfully. The dragon was a small dot in the sky and was growing larger by the second.
”Here!” Perfect said. There was a golden gate in one of the walls.
”Hurry, help me get it open,” Perfect pushed at the gate.
The other Players joined him pushing on the gate together. After long seconds of effort the door finally moved, painstakingly, the hinges screeching. They redoubled their efforts, opening the portal a handbreadth, still far from wide enough for any of them to get through.
***