OK, the exciting conclusion to the Adventures of Malatrix the Defiler!
When last we left our protagonist things were looking grim:
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The glass cut her but not badly and the deadly poison escaped. The cloud of Void Breath expanded around her, a magical poison so deadly it was said nothing could survive it. As she died Malatrix hoped that it was true, but could not see whether the Archon succumbed. [size=78%]
Let's see what happens next!
It was cold. Yet the pain in her arms felt to Malatrix like burning needles. Her eyes were dry and she could not open them. If her plan had worked, then she was still hanging from the tower by her gloves; their Spider Climb still working despite her lack of command. Her death should have triggered a Contingency spell which released two minions: an Invisible Stalker and an Unseen Servant. The Invisible Stalker had already been given its one command only to then be imprisoned in Malatrix’s laboratory dungeon. Upon release it should have raced to her to read Mala a Scroll of Cure Poison, an estimated trip of three to four hours. The bile taste in her mouth was consistent with that having happened. The scroll neutralised most natural poisons instantly and the most powerful magical poison she had tested it on, Wyvern-spider venom, had taken nearly a full hour to leave her body. That hour was filled with terrible visions which still disturbed Mala, visions worse than the madness of the eddies in the Arcane river or the writhing corpse pit she endured at the whim of the sorcerer king Wcjek ul’Gorthrasch.
She had allowed for three hours for the Void Breath to become neutralised, but allowing for delays there could have been over five hours until her second minion reached her. Anything longer than four hours could leave lasting effects not restored by the Cure Poison. Her Unseen Servant had been instructed to follow the Invisible Stalker to her location and place an amulet of Resurrection around her neck. Its trip Mala had estimated at seven to eight hours.
By now her health should have been restored by the Resurrection spell. Malatrix felt near the Threshold of Thanatos. Something was not right, but what could have happened? If the plan failed she should not be aware at all. SPLOOSH! A bucket of something masquerading as water was tossed in Malarix’s face. Opening her eyes she could see she was not on the tower wall but hanging from shackles in an unknown dungeon. She reviewed what she knew: she was no longer poisoned had felt the familiar effects of the Cure Poison spell. So the Stalker had reached her. She was alive but not well. She was both injured and drained of vitality. She felt her health had paid a terrible price. An outcome more expected from the inferior Raise Dead spell, a spell she had decided against due to its limited restoration and terrible toll on the constitution.
“So delighted to see you awake Malatrix”, Xarienne’s voice was loud and clear. Malatrix couldn’t bear looking at her. She glanced at the ladybird crawling in a cage nearby, it’s red and black beetle wings a vivid contrast to the pale grey surroundings. Steeling herself she turned to her master, “so my Master, is this a new lesson? Am I to guess why you have imprisoned me?”. The dragonborn laughed, her laugh earnest and bright like her face. The sound evoked warm, lazy days just as her body evoked the Sun. “That is so lovely that you would even continue your ruse little vixen” said Xarienne, “but you can spare us both, I know you planned to assassinate me. I merely wish to discover why before I put you out of your misery”. The gesture of mercy was offensive, but Mala replied “Do not concern your self overly with my misery most erudite of mages, I shall endure”. The twinge of irritation at Malatrix was a petty trophy but satisfying, so she continued “Tell me O great Conjuress of yellow light, is there any reason I would want to kill you? Not that this humble vixen could achieve such a feat anyway of course”. Xarienne smoldered her breath weapon, as she did when she was doing minor adjustments to a potion, “don’t ask me what I asked you!” she snapped, “you know full well that is the thing I like about you least and the reason you have never achieved your full potential!”, Malatrix yawned.
Xarienne’s patience had run out, she slapped Mala’s cheek and drew back her claws preparing to cast a spell but held herself fast. “Oooh” crooned Malatrix, “if this is what you wanted me for you should have said all along or are you saving yourself to catch a unicorn?” Xari snarled and cast her spell: Lightning Strike, her own variant spell, more precise than Lightning Bolt. The spell Xarienne used against dangerous pests and vermin.
Xarienne knew that her spell would do little damage, but so near unconsciousness Malatrix would be easy finished off. She had wanted to know why Mala hated her so much, but would manage without the knowledge. As the beam shot from her finger straight at Malatrix’s plain circular necklace Xarienne mused fleetingly that she had always hated Mala’s plain taste in jewelry.
This particular necklace was one Malatrix had chosen specifically, it was the same one she had worn each time she challenged Xarienne’s authority or did something particularly infuriating. Malatrix had taught Xari to hate this necklace without her master ever realizing. Mala held her breath, the necklace sitting high on her chest. The Lightning Strike hit the reflective metal and reflected into one of Mala’s shackles exploding the dull metal and singeing the fur on her wrist.
Xarienne’s expression was still triumphant, realization many fractions of a second still to come. With one paw free Mala released the fire snake. It had not teleported fully waiting for Malatrix’s command to be released from its inter-dimensional conduit. Unaware of the time that had passed, the fire-snake continued its attack, only with Xari now the unintentional target.
Preparing for her next attack, Malatrix summoned the defiling sorcery, draining the moisture from living things around her. Xarienne’s ubiquitous Shield spell resisted the flaming fangs of the snake but she buckled over in agony as her life was sucked from her.
Feeling the temporary strength flow into her, Malatrix began the somatic gestures required to release an energy blast at her master. Xarienne was impressed that Mala could cast the single paw variant with such ease and decided that she would end things quickly and decisively. She began casting her own spell, a faster spell: Flower of Death. It would erupt around her causing massive damage to those adjacent but doing significant damage to Xarienne herself. And acceptable and temporary loss she reasoned.
Mala cast her defiling spell, the most powerful she had yet learned, though any Cleric of note could do better. She cast a healing spell, her gestures merely and empty motion without the Flow of the Arcane river to make them become alive with magic.
Her health exploded and a sense of youthfulness flooded Malatrix just as Xari’s Flower of Death engulfed her. The pain was irrelevant but the damage to Mala’s body was catastrophic. She continued draining moisture from Xarienne to extend the Healing spell. But she could see Xarienne would survive the combined assault whereas her own survival was not so clear. “Just one pretty blossom?” taunted Mala and Xarienne took the bait and used her Repeat Cast feat to set off another Flower.
Malatrix drew her hidden stiletto from her hair and threw it at the ladybird’s cage.
The fire-snake confused after it struck Xarienne found its true prey and reared back to strike Malatrix. The second Death Flower exploded tearing the snake apart and knocking Xarienne unconscious. The blast smacked into Malatrix and ripped the flesh from her arms a she shielded herself in vain.
The stiletto cracked the lock of the cage and the three foot wide bug burst free from its prison. Outside the cold steel it could reach out telepathically to its Owner #
Malatrix, I feared you would not come for me# Mala let the mind of the ladybird envelop her and felt the long absent but precious connection with her Familiar.
The bond between Owner and Familiar allowed for the sharing of strength and skill and health and Malatrix drew every spare spark of health from Esmeralda, her childhood companion. And the blast from the Flower subsided. Malatrix was barely alive, Esmeralda was on the verge of unconsciousness, but the snake was destroyed and the dragonborn was incapacitated and bleeding from the nostrils.
Together, Owner and Familiar, the two approached Xarienne. Malatrix retrieved Xari’s own bloodstone handled Vorpal dagger and slit her throat with it. There was no malice in her final cut, and she sheathed the weapon at her own belt.
The Sun was coming up as Esmeralda and Malatrix hefted the haul of treasure from the tower and started down the trail. #
I guess nobody comes between you and your Pet then Trixsie?# thought the Familiar, Malatrix smiled “You know I hate it when you call me that Esme”. They walked into the dawn.
Topic: Trixsie's odds and ends (Read 91668 times)