She sensed the embattled cave bear rolling toward her hiding place. It thudded against the granite door.
Close enough!
Finger bones crackling, the skin on her palm tearing, Rasinta pressed her hand flat against the stone.
Form 3.
Performing Liche at level 6.
Using Liche, Regenerate Undead Guardian, cost 1 Potestas, 2 of 10 remaining.
Effect—
Pain.
She felt pain.
Second Guardian Destroyed.
Rage now, rage and pain.
But the soul thief was so very close…close enough to eat.
Rasinta pushed at the stone door.
It refused to budge.
The undead cave bear had fallen against the door.
She was trapped inside her own burial chamber.
Chapter 46: Undine!
Heart pumping, Ingar sprinted away from the burning zombie woolly rhinoceros while the monster clattered along close enough to send old bones flying into the back of his heels.
Manoeuvre Result = 6 (Performance) -2 (“Knocked Sprawling”) +1 (Luck) -4 (Challenge) = 1.
Effect = Retreating successfully.
And there was Torstag on the ground, the cave bear rearing above him while Zahna flailed at it futilely with her staff.
With another scream of, “Fuck!” he dove between the bear’s massive hind legs.
Manoeuvre Result = 6 (Performance) +1 (Luck) +2 (Surprise) -5 (Challenge) -4 (Difficulty of Manoeuvre) +2 (Floor is slippery with bone dust) = 2.
He skidded on his bare stomach. Bones and slimy grit scraped his skin. He crashed into the prone Torstag.
“Fuck that hurts.”
1 Vitality lost. 2 of 4 Vitality remaining.
Behind him, there was a weird thud-crunch and a rising cacophony of hollow growls and roars.
Torstag scrambled backward, still trying to rise, gaping wordlessly.
Ingar rolled to his feet.
The horn of the zombie woolly rhinoceros now projected obscenely from belly of the cave bear.
Ingar realised where the point of entry must be and winced.
The burning undead rhino shook its head, trying to shed the writhing bear. Firelight flared on the vaulted ceiling. Black smoke streamed from the undead bear’s posterior.
Undead Cave Bear has Hindrance Damaged +3.
Undead Cave Bear is “On Fire”.
Ingar got Torstag under his arms—the plates of his armour were sharp on his fingers—and dragged him away. “Come on get up get up get up!”
The undead rhino tilted its horn, hurled the now-burning cave bear onto its back. Flames still dancing on its own hide, the rhino aimed itself at Ingar and Torstag.
Ingar knew he should let go and run, but he wasn’t going to leave his friend; not now, perhaps not ever. He tried to heave Torstag to the side, but the rhino just tracked them.
He looked for his axe, but it was out of reach and half buried in bones. Zahna, meanwhile, was whacking the bear as it tried to pick itself up.
Weaponless, not remotely strong enough, all Ingar he could do was pull harder. “Get up you great fucking wanker you! Up!”
The rhino trundled closer, dipped its horn. The stench of burning meat became unbearable. Perhaps he could distract it, lead it off…
Millicent stepped between him and the monster. She pointed her hand and intoned, “UNDINE!”
Ingar leaned out just in time to see a mermaid uncoil from her hand. With an unearthly scream, it flew across the space, bounced off the floor and vanished up into the monster’s mouth. A flick of silvery tail and it was gone.
“What was the point of—” began Ingar.
The undead woolly rhinoceros halted in its tracks. White steam billowed from its nostrils then its vacant eyes holes.
There was a thunderclap. Great hunks of mummified flesh trailed smoke and flames across the chamber.
Zahna shouted, “Help me!”
The now burning cave bear had picked itself up and was bounding after her on all fours.
Torstag heaved himself upright with a clatter of armour. Somehow he’d kept hold of his sword. “Zahna! Head for me!”
Chapter 47: Bloody Shambles!
Torstag raised his sword. He was breathing heavily and his right upper arm was throbbing. At least he’d shrugged off being “Stunned”.
Zahna sprinted closer in long strides. Now trailing black smoke, the massive mummified cave bear bounded along behind her.
Torstag, Human Warlock, Youth, Agile, Empathic, Bold, Marked.
Potestas 1 of 5. Will 2 Horror of the Unquiet Dead 2/6.
Vitality 0 of 5. Toughness 2. Wounds 1.
Vocations:
Warlord 0: Tea Drinking 2/6.
Warrior 3 (Sidearm, Shield, Brawling, Longsword): Wrath Strike +2, Split Shield, Disarm, Twitch, Rampage, Hurl, Onset Thrust, Crooked Strike 3/6
Scout 2 (Mountain, Forest, Jungle): Climb +1, Spider Climb, Sneak
Necromancer 1 (Cantrips): Repel Shade, Shade Cloak 3/6, Manifest Shade 4/6
Various General Skills including Meditation.
You have Hindrances “Debilitated”, “Wounded”
He set his chin, bent his legs, readied himself. One Potestas…he would use it wisely.
New Form 5.
That was good fortune indeed.
Zahna was almost on him, normally narrowed eyes distended with fear.
Behind her, the bear picked up speed, bounding in graceful arcs that made the flames whoosh.
Torstag yelled, “Dodge right!”
She skipped right—to his left. The bear tracked her.
You have the Tactical Advantage.
And Torstag struck.
Form 5.
Performing Warrior at level 8.
Using Sword Feat, Smite Undead, cost 1 Potestas. 0 of 5 Potestas Remaining.
Result = 8 (Performance) +2 (Tactical Advantage) +4 (Enemy Damaged +3) +4 (Neglecting Defence) +1 (Luck) -3 (Debilitated, Wounded) -5 (Challenge) = 12
Natural Armour 4 Negated.
Damage = 12 +2 (Greatsword) +4 (Smite Undead) = 18.
Toughness 9 Surpassed.
Enemy has Hindrance Damaged +5
The blade caught the undead creature behind the head, sheared through the spine.
The huge head flopped forward.
The rest of the monster tripped on its own head, went over on its back and lay there with the flames licking around its flanks.
Zahna’s eyes reflected the firelight. “I was helpless and you saved me.”
Torstag lowered his sword and took a step towards her.
She turned away and swung her staff to thud into the burning carcass. “That,” she pronounced, “is the last time I’m ever going to feel like that.”
Torstag’s his muscles quivered. He leaned on his sword and watched Zahna kick and hit the hulk of the undead bear. It was the first time she’d used her staff when somebody wasn’t distracting him by trying to kill him.
Zahna was power in motion, stringy-muscles propelling the staff with perfect form as she stepped and whirled and sprang.
It was hard to believe that they had been lovers, if a post-combat tussle counted. It was not so hard to believe that Fate had bound him to her in some way.
You are “Marked”.
He wasn’t so sure how he felt about that.
He wasn’t sure about how he felt about any of this.
He could be sure of just one thing.
“Bloody shambles,” he said.
“What?” said Ingar.
Current Form 5. Performing Warlord at Level 5.
“How did we come so close to all dying?” said Torstag over the sound of Zahna hitting the dead undead beast.
“Can you blame us?” said Ingar. “What kind of fucking lunatic fills a tomb with zombie bears and rhinos?”
“Me, so it seems,” said Millicent. She heaved herself to her feet. Her face was flushed behind soot marks. She removed her glasses
and started to clean them. “We were literally battling for our lives.”
“Battle implies some order,” said Torstag. “Not running around individually, yelling and hacking.” He raised his voice. “Zahna. Stop.”
Zahna stopped whacking the bear carcass, and turned, eyebrows raised in surprise. “What?”
“Bloody shambles,” said Torstag.
Chapter 48: Postmortem in an Unquiet Tomb
“Bloody shambles,” repeated Torstag.
There was silence except for the crackle of the burning zombie. The cave bear carcasses smouldered where they lay. There were bits of mummified rhino flesh scattered around the floor. Thankfully, the oily smoke poured up through the shaft and out of the vault.
Everybody was battered and dirty.
Everybody was looking at Torstag.
Performing Warlord at Level 5.
Result = 5 (Performance) +0 (Luck) +3 (“Self Evident Need for Leadership”, Party Injured) -5 (Average Will) = 3 (Tenative Practical Response).
He flexed against the weight of his armour. “Zahna. How about that healing tea?”
Zahna shrugged. She trudged off to the doorway, and Torstag saw she had dropped her pack there when she vaulted over the rhino.
“This place gives me the heebiejeebies,” said Millicent. “I feel…watched. All the dead me’s, I suppose.”
“Enjoying all that existential horror, then?” said Ingar.
Millicent pushed off the wall and gave him a playful punch. “I think you’re the horror, young man.”
Ingar sobered. “There’s only one way in or out.”
“If your ‘surge’ thingy had worked,” said Millicent, “we’d have been fine.”
“Surge didn’t work…?” began Zahna, handing out cups. “But that implies that one of your avatars found the skeleton on the pit trap, surged, then left.”
“How very perspicacious of her,” said Millicent.
“But you’re okay now?” asked Ingar.
The librarian nodded. “Some rot about being out of Potestas and having Hindrance…” she made air quotes… “Stunned. Casting that last spell left me discombobulated so I sat down for a while.” She put a hand to her mouth. “Oh My God. Here I am talking about casting spells like some mountebank…and now my Voice is talking about Grasp? I feel I have lost that.”
Zahna poured the lukewarm tea. “Drink up.”
“Fuck that hurts,” whimpered Ingar.
“Ouch!” exclaimed Millicent. “Ouch!”
Torstag braced himself then sipped.
The magic seared through him, healing his injuries…and it hurt as badly as the making of them, except all at one go. He tried to speak, tried to even whimper, but the pain was paralysing.
“Bloody hell,” said Ingar. “Look at Mr Stoical. Not even a squeak.”
Sweat beaded Torstag’s brow.
Wounding reset. Vitality restored to 5. Potestas restored to 5. Form lost.
“Impressive,” said Millicent. “Do you use some traditional spiritual practice to transcend the pain?”
“Something like that,” said Torstag, glad that the dancing firelight hid his trembling. He handed back the cup and turned away so she would not see how his hands shook.
“Now what?” said Millicent.
“Now Torstag speaks to dead people,” said Zahna.
Current Form 4.
You are performing Necromancer at Level 4.
Potestas 5 of 5.
Skeletons, inert. Ghosts, scores.
Torstag frowned. It was as if his Tempter were ignoring him and listening to Zahna.
Glowing ghosts filled the vaulted room, ghosts that wriggled in their bonds like chrysalises, ghosts that tried to run with their hands tied behind their back, ghosts that knelt and pleaded…
Torstag tried to ignore the ghosts and focussed on the strong link that extended from the librarian’s ample chest to the patch of wall behind the remains of the zombie bear that he had dispatched. The outline of a door was clearly visible.
“I’ve found the burial chamber, I think,” he said.
One-by-one, the ghosts saw him, stilled and spoke wordlessly.
Torstag shuddered, but at least he still had Channel Shade blocked by his two uncompleted Necromancer feats.
“What do you see?” asked Ingar.
Torstag glanced his way, and wished he hadn’t.
The ghost of Axe Girl was still trying to wrest the two-handed axe from out of Ingar’s grip. She left off, turned to face Torstag, opened her mouth to speak.
Wrestling with Horror of the Unquiet Dead 2/6. Cost 1 Potestas. 4 remaining.
Enough.
His sight closed, the ghosts vanished.
Torstag chewed his lip. “I don’t think I’d want to be trapped down here.”
Zahna hefted her staff. “Where is it?”
Torstag pointed to cave bear. “Behind that.”
Ingar bowed. “Will you hold my axe, Miss Hunter?”
“Technically a halberd,” said the Librarian as she took the weapon.
Ingar crunched over and examined the wall with his everlight. “Yep, there’s definitely a door here. “A door. I think it opens out.”
“We need to get the bear out of the way,” said Torstag.
“Perhaps…” began Millicent.
“No,” said Torstag, “you cannot set it on fire. We’ll take it in turn with the axe.”
“Technically a halberd,” said Millicent. “I will have first go , if you don’t mind.”
The middle-aged librarian didn’t last long. However, between them they managed to cut the zombie bear into sections and drag them away from the door.
“This had better have been bloody worth it,” said Ingar as Zahna started chanting.
Zahna cast around. “No immediate danger.”
“That’s me through there?” asked Millicent.
“The tomb of your avatar,” said Zahna.
“Well then.” Millicent straightened her shoulders and strode forward. “Open up, for I am Millicent nee Lintar nee Frontisia nee…”
A slab of stone rotated out of the wall.
Ingar yelled “Fuck!” and skipped out of the way. “You could have bloody warned me.”
Beyond the new entrance, gold and silver glittered in the light from the burning zombie rhino.
“Still safe,” said Zahna.
Millicent took a pace forward.
“Right,” said Torstag. “Enough chaos. We’re going to do this carefully.”
Everybody turned to look at him.
“Well?” prompted Zahna.
Torstag flushed. “Ingar, grab your axe—”
“Halberd,” corrected Miss Millicent.
“—and you stand to the left, I’ll stand to the right. Miss Millicent, you stand ready to throw fire. Zahna…” He frowned, but what he was about to suggest made sense. “…you have your Remembering Backwards, so you get to look inside.”
“Makes perfect sense,” said Zahna. She took out her everlight.
Ingar nodded.
Torstag and his friend each took up his position. The librarian made herself ready. Then Zahna looked inside.
Torstag held his breath.
“All safe,” she said.
The four of them crammed into the doorway.
Zahna’s everlight shone into a small square chamber with mouldering tapestries around the walls, gilded furniture, intriguing chests and a silver throne on which sat the mummified corpse of a woman. Her parched figure was decked out in white furs and silver jewellery. Diamond eyes reflected Zahna’s everlight.
“And there she is,” said Zahna. “The Ice Queen.”
The librarian started to past into the chamber. “She’s magnificent! So well preserved…”
There was something not right about the mummy.
Form 5.
You are performing Necromancer at Level 6.
Lich.
“Folks,” began Torstag, raising Peacebringer. “I th
ink…Damn.”
The lich rose and extended withered arms. She grasped the thread that connected her to Millicent and pulled.
Chapter 49: Queen’s Move
Torstag backed away slowly, as if that would help.
The lich curled her arm. The bones across the floor rustled. Miss Millicent gasped as if stabbed. She tottered closer to the lich.
“Get her clear!” ordered Torstag.
Ingar already had the librarian by one arm. Zahna took the other. Together they dragged her away from the door.
“She’s following,” said Zahna.
“It’s fine,” said Torstag. “I’ve got this!” He whipped his sword up, sprang boldly forward to drive a diagonal strike at the undead queen’s neck just above the shoulder.
Current Form 5.
You are performing Warrior at Level 8.
Using Wrath Strike+2, Cost 1 Potestas. 3 of 5 Potestas remaining.
The blade caught the lich’s neck and simply clanged to a stop.
Result = 8 (Performance) +2 (Boldness) +0 (Luck) +4 (Enemy neglects defence) -5 (Challenge) = 5
Using Sword Feat Smite Undead, cost 1 Potestas. 3 of 5 Potestas remaining.
Effect = 5 +2 (Greatsword) +4 (Wrath Strike +2) +4 (Smite Undead) = 15
Effect x 0 (Target invulnerable) = 0.
“What?”
The lich turned to face Torstag. Her diamond eyes glinted. She thrust with her right hand.
You are making no defence.
The Jungle Tomb of the Ice Queen (The Flying Tooth Garden Book 1) Page 28
