Iron Chef BBQ
First Post
Creature Battle pt 1 (end of run on 02-03-04)
Lionell approaches Kira. “My dear Annabella, may I introduce you to his lordship, Duke Edmund?” The duke is impressed. “Call me Eddy,” he croons as he takes her hand. Lionell inserts himself between them and ushers them both downstairs. The others follow.
The basement is a single large wooden-paneled room. Chairs have been set up around a 20x20 square with low walls. The inside of the square is filled with sand and sawdust to create an impromptu arena. Each corner contains a large box with holes, presumably for air. Caerwyn feels the hair rise on the back of his neck. Those boxes are no good.
The duke settles himself into the only upholstered chair in the room. Vignor bows, “Ready, your grace?” The duke grins with anticipation. “You’re gonna like this,” Vignor whispers. Then to the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce tonight’s contestants.”
With a flourish of his hand he motions to four burly men who quickly open each box to reveal a glass panel so the crowd can see inside. In the largest box they spy a creature our group has seen before, a giant ball of snakes. The middle-sized box opens, but appears to be empty. Marja prepares to cast see invisible when she notices a blur and detects a whirring sound inside. There’s a bang as whatever it is smashes itself against the glass. In the two smallest boxes the crowd can see a giant frog and a small frightened dark-haired puppy.
“Where did you get those things,” sputters Borin.
“Gotta know people,” confides Vignor. “Snakes were the hardest to get. They’re controlled by law, ya know.” He swings his thumb toward the duke. “Knowing him don’t hurt,” he laughs.
Lionell hands the duke a bag of coins as the bookie shouts the odds. The puppy is 20 to 1. The blur is 30 to 1. Our intrepid band places a wager on the puppy. The duke bets what must be the budget for a small town on the toad, and Harnett wagers on the snakes. They do look impressive.
Once the bets are secured, Vignor rings a bell. The four burly men pull up the glass walls. The frog runs into the center of the arena and tries to scream blasphemies at the crowd, but two of its vocal cords are cut. The crowd is stunned. The air is filled with a stench that must be unbearable in the ring.
Suddenly the blur rushes in and stabs the frog in the neck. “Hey, that’s a quickling,” someone in the crowd. The frog looks groggy, but shakes it off. The quickling reels backward from the smell.
The snakes roll in, unaffected by the smell. They pounce on the frog, but miss. The wide-eyed puppy bounds out of its box and breaths fire across the arena. Marja catches a glimpse of the quickling as it zooms out of the ring. “Oh, this is going to end badly,” she whispers.
The frog pulls a chaos hammer from beneath the folds of its chin and stuns the hell hound pup as the quickling lunges for the door only to find it locked. As the snakes pounce again on the frog, Marja whispers to Kalina to cast fairy fire toward the door. Suddenly, the crowd can see a pink object zipping around.
Now the puppy is no where to be seen. The frog attacks the snakes. The arena is on fire from the hound’s breath. The crowd begins to panic, running for the doors only to find them all locked.
The snakes pin the frog to the sand as the pup lunges out of nowhere and bites. It’s momentarily sickened as its teeth pierce the frogs putrid flesh, but it holds its bite. People are screaming now, but the Duke, oblivious, is standing on his chair rooting for the frog. Kel throws his weight into the door which breaks with a crash.
Lionell approaches Kira. “My dear Annabella, may I introduce you to his lordship, Duke Edmund?” The duke is impressed. “Call me Eddy,” he croons as he takes her hand. Lionell inserts himself between them and ushers them both downstairs. The others follow.
The basement is a single large wooden-paneled room. Chairs have been set up around a 20x20 square with low walls. The inside of the square is filled with sand and sawdust to create an impromptu arena. Each corner contains a large box with holes, presumably for air. Caerwyn feels the hair rise on the back of his neck. Those boxes are no good.
The duke settles himself into the only upholstered chair in the room. Vignor bows, “Ready, your grace?” The duke grins with anticipation. “You’re gonna like this,” Vignor whispers. Then to the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce tonight’s contestants.”
With a flourish of his hand he motions to four burly men who quickly open each box to reveal a glass panel so the crowd can see inside. In the largest box they spy a creature our group has seen before, a giant ball of snakes. The middle-sized box opens, but appears to be empty. Marja prepares to cast see invisible when she notices a blur and detects a whirring sound inside. There’s a bang as whatever it is smashes itself against the glass. In the two smallest boxes the crowd can see a giant frog and a small frightened dark-haired puppy.
“Where did you get those things,” sputters Borin.
“Gotta know people,” confides Vignor. “Snakes were the hardest to get. They’re controlled by law, ya know.” He swings his thumb toward the duke. “Knowing him don’t hurt,” he laughs.
Lionell hands the duke a bag of coins as the bookie shouts the odds. The puppy is 20 to 1. The blur is 30 to 1. Our intrepid band places a wager on the puppy. The duke bets what must be the budget for a small town on the toad, and Harnett wagers on the snakes. They do look impressive.
Once the bets are secured, Vignor rings a bell. The four burly men pull up the glass walls. The frog runs into the center of the arena and tries to scream blasphemies at the crowd, but two of its vocal cords are cut. The crowd is stunned. The air is filled with a stench that must be unbearable in the ring.
Suddenly the blur rushes in and stabs the frog in the neck. “Hey, that’s a quickling,” someone in the crowd. The frog looks groggy, but shakes it off. The quickling reels backward from the smell.
The snakes roll in, unaffected by the smell. They pounce on the frog, but miss. The wide-eyed puppy bounds out of its box and breaths fire across the arena. Marja catches a glimpse of the quickling as it zooms out of the ring. “Oh, this is going to end badly,” she whispers.
The frog pulls a chaos hammer from beneath the folds of its chin and stuns the hell hound pup as the quickling lunges for the door only to find it locked. As the snakes pounce again on the frog, Marja whispers to Kalina to cast fairy fire toward the door. Suddenly, the crowd can see a pink object zipping around.
Now the puppy is no where to be seen. The frog attacks the snakes. The arena is on fire from the hound’s breath. The crowd begins to panic, running for the doors only to find them all locked.
The snakes pin the frog to the sand as the pup lunges out of nowhere and bites. It’s momentarily sickened as its teeth pierce the frogs putrid flesh, but it holds its bite. People are screaming now, but the Duke, oblivious, is standing on his chair rooting for the frog. Kel throws his weight into the door which breaks with a crash.