In the sea of Shriekpot...Mark decides to follow the large, dark shape in the water that the equally dark shape of Kevin seems to be dangling behind! After all, Kevin is both integral to his plans and possibly his sort-of buddy!
[? escape roll: 1+
1]
[Mark pursuit roll: 2-
1]
As the shape meanders away slowly, Mark does his best to follow it! However, being made of solid steel at the bottom of the sea does him few favors, so a leisurely walk is all he can manage.
[Tree endurance roll: 5-1]
It's not too bad, really - the tree seems to be getting used to being dunked in salt water, really.
[? escape roll: 6+1]
[Mark pursuit roll: 6-1]
Mark decides to get himself into gear and starts to propel himself toward the thing, but the creature sees him coming in the process, then chooses to rapidly flee, taking Kevin with it and swimming away until its shape can no longer be discerned in the dark nighttime sea. Bugger.
[Tree endurance roll: 6-1]
The disappointment is quite enough to keep him going, really. Stupid aquatic creatures, kidnapping people left and right.
At a rather hateful fire pit...Sigmund, sick of being a dreadful invalid, tries to figure out a way of walking about with crutches.
[Walking roll: 5]
After a bit of practicing, he realizes that they're not strictly necessary - he can just walk on his freakishly long spore-encrusted arms! They're certainly long enough.
"It might be the effect of the hate tree. I can most certainly say the smoke of burning its branches is... quite painful experience, yes. Do you believe we might wind up like Mark now, covered in mushrooms? How ever did he manage to get them off I wonder..." Morton muses on the recent turns of events.
"We can most certainly try again under more normal circumstances however, good Sir Sigmund, but I do not suggest we edge near the fire while it burns. I'm afraid it seems to be... A touch unfriendly, indeed.""We should ask Mark how to remove the mushroom, before it finds us as suitable hosts. I agree that that smoke doesn't look very healthy. We should use another kind of wood to burn. Where did you say that there was the wood pile?""It was where the back door of the manor once was, should still be there if the fire pit survived." Morton comments, ever-helpful in matters of guidance.
"Surgeon Mark should know how to remove the mushroom, if he managed to do such himself. Do you believe we should attempt under more normal circumstances, or perhaps instead focus on the possibility that we may be infested with hate tree tainted spores? We could worry about certain infestations later, after we've dealt with the regular variety, otherwise we might become infested again, after all.""While what you say is truth, we don't know if the mushroom has been affected by the hate tree at all."Sigmund takes a look at the mushroom. Among the things that are different are the fact that it's a distinct shade of reddish-brown all over rather than just a dark tan with a lighter cap, and it also looks far larger and... more mature? It'd have to be, you know. It did just blow its offspring all around the area, after all.
Speaking of offspring, there do seem to be more mushrooms like the one on the oar beginning to grow around the fire pit. That's rather interesting.
Morton, unaware of Sigmund's observations, continues.
"Hm... I suppose you are correct good Sir Sigmund. I'm just not one privy to chances, if the smoke was affected what is to say the mushroom isn't as well? I don't believe they are normally this red... But either way, good Sir Sigmund, I do not suggest approaching the oar in your current state, let me, in case the smoke tries to act strangely again."Morton then quickly retrieves the oar, making sure to stand well away from the smoke in the process.
Within a hilltop fort...Darren heads right into the town hall, looking for people to meet and greet.
However, the building's only occupant is a hideously old man with an awfully long, completely gray beard sitting in a comfy chair in the middle of the largest room. He turns to Darren and smiles a toothless smile.
"Ah, hello, youngster! Yer one a them dead fellers, right? Ghosts? I'm Elder Yunfunt. Who're ya, why're ya here and how can I be helpin' ya?"In the mean streets of Shriekpot...Niklas, taking the coin, heads down to the slaughterhouse, reaching it rather soon. It's a rather large building, and it smells distinctly awful. Walking up to the front door, he knocks.
Nobody answers, though. Probably because it's the middle of the night.
On the deck of the shrieking ship of Shriekpot...Scott looks over the railing of the deck, scanning the waters for Mark and Kevin.
Despite the dark, he notices a large, dark shape moving about some distance away, causing noticeable ripples in the water and a smaller, shape following behind it. Okay, harpooning time!
[Scott vs. ?: 5 vs. 2+1-
1]
He takes careful aim, then hurls a harpoon at the larger shape! Shockingly enough, it strikes through, piercing it! This seems to make it rather angry. Scott grabs the rope tied to the harpoon and tries to secure it.
[Opposed Strength: Scott vs. ?: 6+1 vs. 1]
However, no fish or whatever can match the strength of somebody with no regard for their own safety. Scott takes the rope, secures it around the mast, then gets to pulling. The shape appears to be incapable of providing much resistance to Scott, injured as it is, so it is dragged toward the ship, leaving a pronounced trail of blood. By the time it reaches the ship, it looks to have expired. Fortunately, Kevin hasn't done the same.
Pulling the thing back on deck, Scott notices that the creature is most certainly a fish - large, predatory fish of some kind, resembling something like a catfish, though its teeth are unusually large and its jaw unusually powerful. Kevin, strange and creepy as he is, looks mostly unharmed, only the hook on his back is stuck inside the fish's mouth.
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Topic: Life Begins At Death - Epilogue: We Live And Live Again (Read 565592 times)