Well, only 8 turns and we're at the point where updates slow to crawl. Darnit, education! At any rate, I hope to wrap up this week. I did in fact already have a means of conclusion planned. If I can, I'll try and get off maybe 3 or 4 updates yet. I admit, I'm already thinking of how I might do a sequel to this... but we'll see.
Turn 8
mcclay / Markoz: You decide you've had quite enough of looking at Drago's ugly green face and run after him with a mind to set him on fire. You duck through a winding passage, and find him in a room, fighting some rogueish fellow. You take a pot shot while Drago is distracted (11) and manage to tag him with a fireball, but it doesn't do much damage. Luckily for you, he gets his weapon stuck in the dirt. You are now in a room with an angry green fellow with fists, and an angry rogue fellow with a knife. Think fast!
Tiruin / Alle: You purchase a miracle potion. Then, once and for all, you search in the murky pool of water. Poking your spear around, you find an underwater passage through the far wall! (3) In a fit of excitement at your discovery, you accidentally drop your spear in the water. You alert your friends to your discovery.
UltraValican / DragoMcDabu: (17) You manage to wrest your assailant off of you in a grandiose throw, dropping him on his back in the mud in front of you. You get a good look at him; he's an adventurer not unlike you, wearing cheap leather armor, and his leg is hurt. (3) You take a big swing with your axe, but he rolls out of the way and you bury it in the dirt. Compounding your ill luck, Markoz shows up and fireballs you. Your armor partly protects you from the blast, but you're still quite scalded- and what's more, your armor is deteriorating. You can see a runny, melted pattern where he hit you... you have the unpleasant realization that your armor might actually be made out of pewter.
IamanElfCollaborator / Corvander: Still surveying the area, you wander into the small room on your right. (15) You hear a noise. Suddenly aware of some unseen danger, you prick into a ready stance and slowly circle around, looking for the source. You're acutely aware of every facet of the room and the light that pours in from above. Then you hear it again, under the din of the crowd- thump. It's coming from the chest. You approach it, and, spear at the ready, lift the lid open... "HELLO! You have found an NDLŽ merchandise retailer", proclaims a disturbingly enthusiastic man who had curled up inside the chest, nearly buried in weapons. "Just take a look at our marvelous array of NDLŽ armaments! We've got shanks (1sp), clubs (3sp), shurikens (4sp), swords (5sp), bows and arrows (6sp), spears (5sp), axes (6sp), halberds (7sp), nunchuks (4sp), khopeshes (6sp), caltrops (3sp)..." he's probably going to keep talking for a while.
Yoink / Delboe: You decide to go all out, and jump in the pit. You try to raise a racket scare the wolves, slamming your pickaxe against your armor and calling the wolves every insult you can think of, from "barmy git" to "limey berk". (17) You succeed in cowing the wolves long enough to grab the ladder. The crystal is still locked in a cage above you. (15) ...come to think of it, from below you can see that the bars on the bottom of the cage are far apart enough to pull the crystal through, it's just resting there. An imp flies up to the cage and perches on it. Better get that crystal before the damn dirty summoner does!
Toaster / Thrakor: (12) Your imp flies out over the pit, where the miner bloke is shouting at wolves. Isn't it great doing things the easy way? Your imp perches itself on the cage and starts messing with the lock. You sincerely doubt he'll be able to open it, but at least the cage didn't electrocute him or explode or something.
IronyOwl / Riggle: You ask Potion Guy about the other two NDL merchants in the Pit. For a moment, he drops his incessant enthusiasm. "Those stores sell other stuff... but none of them are nearly as good as me. NONE OF THEM! GOT IT?" After a few seconds of glaring murderously, the merchant returns to smiling happily as if nothing had happened. Alle calls out to you that he found an underwater passage. You go over to look and, sure enough, there's a way through underwater.
Monkeyfacedprickleback / Caleb: While Riggle is talking to the merchant, you try to slip behind the stall and grab whatever you can. (3) You bump a tall glass with your hand and knock it over, making a clinking sound. The merchant turns around with rage in his eyes, the look on his face was like a man whose deepest principals had been slighted- the farmer whose land is burned and salted, the father whose son is slain, the lord whose throne usurped. (9) You try to back off, but he grabs you by the neck with one hand, and stabs through your outstretch left hand with a dagger in a another. He leans in close to whisper. "NEVER. Steal from my store." He pulls the dagger out pushes you back, still incandescent with anger. Then he turns around and sets his potions back up, all while whistling a jaunty tune.
Azthor / Thog: (8) You try and rip the little bastard open, but it scurries away. You follow it ahead in the hallway, and up a set of wooden stairs- you find yourself above the pit! You're now standing on what were to you before the "walls" of the pit, and you can see into most of the area, and the people fighting in it. You're standing on a level with the lowest crowd bleachers. Near you is a circular stone slab, with a sign that says "GOAL! Teleport here!" There is also a large lever. It has a sign that says "Showdown!" The rat got away though, you're not sure were it went.
Spectators: You do the wave. WoooOO00OOoo!
Edited: Fucking smileys keep turning the number 8 into sunglasses.