Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 5052597" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #503] Race to the Finish, part 1[/PLAIN]Maleko stopped what he was doing and looked at Ledare intently. She in turn was looking at him with a somewhat glassy sheen to her eyes. She waved his sword at him and asked, "Maleko, have you anything to start a fire?"It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened and where it was likely to lead if he didn't act. And Maleko... Well, Maleko wasn't really a genius, but he was an attentive student with a wide breadth of knowledge and he was intimately familiar with the power and limitation of Charm Person. Both counted well in his favor now. He knew that, so long as the rats asked Ledare only to do things that she was already predisposed to do (like destroy a giant spider web), their control of her would be unbreakable by the Janissary's willpower alone. He also knew that there were some very simple ways to counter the effects of a Charm spell."I have a spell that will allow you to create fire," the elf lied as he got to his feet and began casting Protection from Evil. The rats, it seemed were attentive students as well."It's a trick, Ledare!" they hissed. "He's in league with Morier! He's a killer!" Ledare's sword - HIS sword, Maleko reminded himself - came up into a defensive position and she regarded him suspiciously. Then her expression grew swiftly surprised as she looked at something behind him.Morier willed himself fully into gaseous form as the rock walls slammed shut, saving himself from a horrible death. It took a moment to orient himself in the dark confines of the fissure, but when he did it was simplicity itself to vent his body up and out into the misty twilight above.He billowed up from the crack almost directly behind Maleko, who appeared to be facing off against Ledare, oddly enough. Ledare saw him and spoke his name, her eyes going wide with surprise at his sudden, gaseous reappearance. Stealing her distraction, Maleko reached out a hand and touched her lightly on the forehead and she twitched as if energy had flowed through her, which, Morier supposed, it probably had.Maleko turned to look and saw a vaporous, Wind Walking Morier hovering behind him. The drow pointed up the God Isle toward the chest, mouthing words that neither of his companions could hear. And then he was gone in that direction, borne away by a breath of chill wind."Well, that was disappointing!" the rats chittered. "I was so hoping that-"Ledare turned and casually thrust her sword through a squirming rat. It spasmed and writhed on her sword point, but as soon as she withdrew the blade it returned at once to health."A little upset that Morier got away?" the half elf asked. "Good! That means he's that much closer to doing good.""He will fail," the rats squeaked. "You all will. Better to just sit down and wait for this all to end. Isn't that right, Maleko?" The elf looked into the many rats' eyes and felt the force of will that controlled them probing his own defenses. He smiled. His defenses were considerable."Not likely," he said. "I am an elf and a priest of Nethlar. Your petty mind tricks don't work on me." He dropped another Web atop the first for good measure and beckoned to Ledare."Just the same, Ledare, we should probably put some distance between us and... that," he suggested, indicating the rat swarm which was doubly entangled now. "All it would take is a moment's weakness on my part and I could become its thrall.""I like that plan," the Janissary conceded. "My sword does nothing to this creature, as I feared."They took off, loping along up the stone shin of the God Isle, but they hadn't made it more than a hundred feet when they heard the woompf of spreading fire behind them. Turning they saw Maleko's double web quickly going up in flames, consuming the entire mass in a few seconds. It was difficult to tell at this distance, but the rats seemed wholly unaffected by the flames."Please feel free to run," Maleko said to his companion as he watched more rats boil up from the unblocked portal on the stone ankle. "I can take care of myself if need be."</blockquote>

Verification