Immolation

      Today’s snippet, titled “Immolation”, is a piece I wrote about my PC in Mark’s evil Pathfinder Campaign.
      Be forewarned, there are mature themes and naughty language below.
– – – – – – – – – – –
      Nyx awoke, feeling utterly unrested and quite frankly, still annoyed.
      And still pregnant.
      Her grumpy mood did not dissipate when her voluptuous elven friend – how queer that is, to like, have a friend that isn’t Nikodemos – spelled the evil little squick-spawn from her belly. It did not end when Hefe noticed evidence that another group of people had been around the enchanted little hut they had slept in. It was certainly not alleviated by the discovery of a hole bored through the damned stone wall that had sprung up after their initial pass through this corridor. It was actually worsened when they located and entered a secret door only to find a hallway that was bathed in the same horrible green substance that nearly ate Adelind alive when she stumbled into a pit trap. And just when she felt the tiniest prick of joy, liberally applying a gout of conjured fire to the whole mess, the day turned ugly.
      First, whilst she bathed in the gorgeous red glow of her spell, one of the others had heard something in the hallway behind them and disappeared around a corner. One-by-one, excepting Adelind, they slipped away with hardly a word.
      Then, the alarm had gone up.
      “Illithids!” Sarey screamed, much more panicked than Nyx had believed the cool, wicked woman capable of, and the clash of battle began.
      “What in all the, like, freaking Hells, is a ‘illithid’?”
      Dae would know, of course he would. But Nyx found little worthwhile in books and she had never encountered the term “illithid” before. As she finally caught up to her comrades, she remained ignorant of what an Illithid was, for Sarey had enlarged Marcus and his massive frame blocked the hallway.
      “Fire and Death!” Sarey cursed. She stepped into the stonewall as if it were mere air, and disappeared. “It is right in front of Marcus!”
      Nyx racked her brain for something that might help. It’ll light up everything in the area, you silly bitch, even if it is invisible. Like, this. Move your arm just so and- right on! See what I mean? All that sparkle – it’s like a party in Zadi! Nikodemos’ voice echoed in her memory and she gave him a mental hug of victory.
      Blindly, she whirled her arms in an approximation of Dae’s skillful movements and flung the spell in the direction of Sarey’s voice. It exploded in a burst of golden glitter that limmed everything in its wake.
      A hooded figure, not so much bigger or smaller than any man, appeared in the mist. He was hard to see, even with the glow of her spell, and blurred as if- She blinked in recognition of the effect and frowned. Whatever they are, they’re like, powerful.
      “Eat this,” Marcus growled, his distinctive voice pouring over the ancient stone work like thunder wrapped in honey. The hooded figure – an illithid, though still she did not understand what made them so fearsome – had a single heartbeat in which to react.
      It was not enough.
      The enchanted glaive tore through its foe as if he were nothing more than whipped cream on a lemon cake. In a glut of eerie crimson and sparkling frost, the creature crumpled into two piles of steaming, icy goo.
      “Ick.” Nyx crinkled her nose. For a moment, she thought the danger passed, then Hefe’s grunt from around the corner signalled on-going battle and she sighed.
      “Nyx! There’s one behind you!”
      Sarey’s warning shocked her out of her bored reverie and she twisted around, wildly throwing a second spell into the hall behind her. Glitter splashed upon a second man-sized creature and it hissed.
      “I-” Nyx began, trembling. She raised her shaking hand to her mouth and tried in vain to suck in a breath. Her eyes were riveted to the horrifying beast before her. Not a man, not at all. Yet…
      Dark flesh slid like water over rippling muscles; He was tall, well-formed, powerful, bi-pedal. But his head bore the elongated shape she associated with squid and rather than a mouth, the lower half of his face writhed with tentacles. They were animated and reaching for her, squirming and glistening in the sickly swamp light of Sarey’s spell.
      “You-” she began, and then froze, for in the next moment, he was gone.
      It was all over, save the looting, and only the rod – which Sarey won, naturally – interested her at all. Sighing, Nyx headed back up the hall to watch the last few moments of her fire spell as it died off.
      The green slime was gone, immolated by a power she had called forth by sheer presence of personality. Satisfied with herself, she crossed her arms at her chest and waited for the others to arrive.
      Nyx caught sight of herself in a huge, exquisite mirror and paused before it. She tilted her head this way, then that, pursing her lips to emphasize cheekbones already so sharp as to cut glass. Twisting a curl around her index finger she mused aloud.
      “…no, I definitely shouldn’t cut my hair.”
– – – – – – – – – – –
Signed, Josie
Note: Image is “Five IV” by (Leeca) from SXC.hu

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