Catastrophe 3 (2/2)
”Yeah? I got that too, you little pussy!” Beryl yelled. ”Lesser Healing!”
Garon grinned as his wounds sealed. ”Thanks!”
The fight went on for a few more minutes, and gained the little bear another Brawling level, but Threadbare could see how it would end up. Which made him wonder... were these guys supposed to be the strongest monster here? The group was handling this one fine. Why had they worried about it so much?
He got his answer as the two polar opposite cats reached the same conclusion, glanced to each other, then disengaged and bound upwards, to stand on the altar.
”By our paw-ers combined,” meowed Ceiling Cat,
”Call the ultimate magus!” finished Basement Cat.
”Come forth, Nekomancer!” The two cats blurred and bended together, mystical energies crackling and flaring, obscuring them from view.
”What the fuck you mean they got a final form!” Beryl bellowed. ”Ah shit, uh, uh... Party Heal! Get ready, guys!”
”Mend! Mend!” Celia shouted, and Threadbare felt himself pull together. His cape fluttered in the wind, as the flashing light resolved...
Into a girl. Small, thin, wearing a black fur bikini, with white kitty ears. A twisty tail, made of swirling black and white fur, waggled behind her. ”Nyaaaa-aaan,” she purred, squatting on her haunches, and grinning big...
...showing very large, but cute fangs.
”Aing.
Time renewed-
-and the Nekomancer flipped out.
”AH! Getitoff getiitoff getitofff!” She screeched, breaking off the fight and bouncing from pillar to pillar, flipping around, slamming the little bear against the stone again and again. If he'd had bones they would have been jellied, if he'd had internal organs they would have been ruptured. But as it was...
STR +1
Your Ride Skill is now level 3!
Your Golem Body skill is now Level 17!
Your Ride Skill is now level 4!
”Mend!” shouted Celia
CON +1
Your Ride Skill is now level 5!
Your Toughness skill is now level 10!
+2 Max HP
Your Ride Skill is now level 6!
Your Brawling skill is now level 20!
Your Golem Body skill is now level 18!
Your Ride Skill is now level 7!
”Mend!” Shouted Celia.
All told, it lasted for far less than it seemed it did.
Finally, perhaps a minute into it, Threadbare heard a rip, and went flying. One of his arms was gone, he realized, shortly before he hit a pillar and fell, cloak flapping, dragon hat dangling to one side, the stitches torn.
”My tail! You brute! I'll use your stuffing for my litter box-”
”Ahem, ” Garon said.
She turned, and her eyes went up three sizes as she shrieked. ”Not again!'
”Again!” Garon roared, his arm buried into the coins of the other treasure chest. ”Blood is Gold! Twisted Rage! RARRWRWRWRWARWQGQGQHQGHAERWAWEAW!!!!”
It took every last bit of stamina they had.
But finally, finally, they brought her down.
You are now a level 9 Toy Golem!
All Attributes +2
You are now a level 3 Ruler!
CHA +3
LUCK +3
WIS +3
You are now a level 3 Scout!
AGL +3
PER +3
WIS +3
Threadbare dusted himself off, went over and picked up his arm, leaking stuffing with every step, then hauled out the sewing kit and started patching himself up.
Your Tailoring skill level is now 10!
You are now a level 3 Tailor!
DEX +1
PER +1
And just as he finished, he noticed that new words had appeared before him.
By defeating a foe using a level 20 or higher weapon skill, you have unlocked the Duellist job!
Do you wish to become a Duelist at this time? y/n?
Well, any job was a good job!
You are now a level 1 Duelist!
+3 AGL
+3 DEX
+3 STR
You have learned the Challenge skill!
Your Challenge skill is now level 1!
You have learned the Dazzling Entrance skill!
Your Dazzling Entrance skill is now level 1!
You have learned the Fancy Flourish skill!
Your Fancy Flourish skill is now level 1!
You have learned the Guard Stance skill!
Your Guard Stance skill is now level 1!
You have learned the Weapon Specialist skill!
Your Weapon Specialist skill is now level 1!
Searching...
Your Weapon Specialist skill is currently set to: Brawling!
That felt weird, but good. Threadbare flexed his paws, feeling separate pressure points rise and fall beneath them. It was like he had claws under there that weren't claws. He picked up the tailoring kit one handed, and marveled at the ability to do so.
”What the fuck?” Beryl said, staring at Threadbare. ”The little shitter just leveled into duelist.”
”To be fair, that was a pretty swashbuckl-ey move back there,” Garon said. ”Kinda fits.”
”This is definitely not supposed to be happening, I'm pretty sure,” Celia said. ”Threadbare, just... let me talk to Daddy before we do any more adventuring, okay?”
”Tell me ya got to level 10,” Jarrik begged Beryl, who nodded, sweaty-faced, bruised all up and down her side, but with a big grin.
”I did. I can get us out of here.”
”Oh, give me that tigerseye, will you?” Garon asked Celia. ”Quest's done.”
She handed it to him, then hugged the fat youth tightly. ”Thank you.”
”Eh. Most of our loot's gone. Except some small gems, and a few of magic items we'll have to turn in so there's no point in getting attached.” He scooped up an armload of weapons and armor. ”Let's go. Experience is its own reward, looks like.”
”Divine Transit!” Beryl said, and the world blurred around Threadbare...
...and instantly, they were back at the beginning of the dungeon.
”Oh this is gonna make things so much easier,” Beryl grinned. ”Thanks, guys. Good party.”
”Good party,” Celia agreed. Level 9! In one day she'd gone up two levels! And that wasn't even counting her gains as a scout, and an enchanter. She was so close to her level 5 skills she could taste it...
...but it was time to go. Night had fallen while they were up there, a trip that was supposed to take perhaps half the day gone way late, due to Threadbare's unexpected fall.
They walked out of the entrance, and headed back to the gatehouse. It was shut once more, and the guards were on the dungeon side of the gate, now. Atop the gatehouse, a man dressed in blue robes, with a bushy beard, stared down at them.
”Halt and surrender your unregistered magic items,” the guards demanded.
”Sure. It's a good haul, the Crown should be happy,” Garon said, offering the collection from the chest one by one.
”Come on, get his little cape too,” he reminded Celia.
Forlorn, she handed over the Paws Button cape, the dagger, and the Static Rod. ”I think that's it.”
”We're done here too,' Beryl said, after checking with the brothers. Come on-”
”Analyze Magic,” The old man in the gatehouse window said. Then his eyes narrowed. ”Check the bear.”
”What? No!” Celia said. ”He's not a magic item, he's a golem, that's all.”
”Yes, and there's something in him that's registering.” Said the wizard.
”Don't-” Then one of the guards tore Threadbare from Celia's arms. He fought back, but the armored man ignored his attacks, squeezing each part of him, compressing the stuffing. Red zeroes flew upward as he swiped at the guard, to no avail.
”Something inside him,” The guard said, then Threadbare shuddered as the man casually tore his side open, and a red '120' floated up into the air.
Your Golem Body skill is now level 19!
Your Toughness skill is now level 11!
Max HP +2
”Don't you rip him up-” The other guard moved past Threadbare's field of vision, halberd leveled, and he heard Beryl shouting.
And the guard holding him pulled out the scepter. A tiny golden thing, with a teddy bear's head on it.
”There it is,” said the wizard. ”Trying to smuggle out items, hm? Trying to cheat the Crown?”
Threadbare feebly grabbed for the scepter, and the guard tossed him aside. Jarrik just managed to catch him, before he went over the edge of the cliff.
LUCK +1
”Mend! Mend! Mend! Mend!” Celia shouted, and Threadbare was mostly whole again. He leaped out of Jarrik's arms and squared himself, glaring at the guards, standing between the one with the halberd and his girl.
”I don't know why you decided to break the law over such a small trinket,” said the guard holding the scepter, ”but it makes no difference. You are under arrest, for smuggling. Come quietly and be tried for your crime or resist and die here, it's your choice.”
THREADBARE'S CHARACTER SHEET
Spoiler: Spoiler
Name: Threadbare
Age: 9 days
Jobs:
Greater Toy Golem Level 9
Bear Level 6
Ruler Level 3
Scout Level 3
Tailor Level 3
Model Level 2
Necromancer Level 1
Duellist Level 1
Attributes:
Strength: 68 Constitution: 72 Hit Points: 192 Armor: 28
Intelligence: 46 Wisdom: 75 Sanity: 121 Mental Fortitude: 18
Dexterity: 35 Agility: 51 Stamina: 96 Endurance: 38
Charisma: 52 Willpower: 36 Moxie: 88 Cool: 20
Perception: 57 Luck: 49 Fortune: 106 Fate: 9
Generic Skills
Brawling - Level 20 (21)
Climb - Level 6
Clubs and Maces - Level 9
Dagger - Level 9
Dodge - Level 2
Fishing - Level 1
Ride - Level 7
Stealth - Level 3
Swim - Level 2
Greater Toy Golem Skills
Adorable - Level 15
Gift of Sapience - Level NA
Golem Body - Level 19
Innocent Embrace - Level 8
Magic Resistance -Level 4
Bear Skills
Animalistic Interface - NA
Claw Swipes - 16
Forage - 7
Growl - 1
Hibernate - 1
Scents and Sensibility - 10
Stubborn - 7
Toughness - 11
Ruler Skills
Emboldening Speech - Level 1
Identify Subject - Level 1
Noblesse Oblige - Level 1
Royal Request - Level 1
Simple Decree - Level 1
Scout Skills
Camouflage - Level 1
Firestarter - Level 1
Keen Eye - Level 1
Sturdy Back - Level 5
Wind's Whisper - Level 1
Tailor Skills
Talioring - Level 10
Clean and Press - Level 1
Model Skills
Dietary Restriction - Level 1
Fascination - Level 2
Flex - Level 1
Self-Esteem - Level 1
Work it Baby - Level 2
Necromancer Skills
Assess Corpse - Level 1
Command the Dead - Level 1
Soulstone - Level 1
Speak With Dead -Level 1
Zombies - Level 1
Duelist Skills
Challenge - Level 1
Dazzling Entrance - Level 1
Fancy Flourish - Level 1
Guard Stance - Level 1
Weapon Specialist - Level 1 (Brawling)
Equipment
Quests