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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Herremann the Wise" data-source="post: 1861244" data-attributes="member: 11300">Checkmate Part IIIt was like everything had stopped as Lucifus awaited the spell’s effect{1} to finish transporting him to this place: his senses were impatiently aware; the fluttering lights in the cellar; the swirling shadows; the blindingly quick strike to Chess’ neck. He was too late.Lucifus screamed in fury as he saw Chess’ form drop, her rich life’s blood streaming from her neck, down her chest and onto the ground as she then collapsed face first to the floor. This was followed by Lucifus’s scream of agony quickly cut short as a magical sphere of silence surrounded him completely. The missiles impact had vaulted him to the ground, making him momentarily lose control of his magical hovering. Time palsied as Lucifus looked down at the bolt penetrating his chest in between two ribs smashed to fragments. His black silk toga blossomed wetly around the shaft as he looked back up at the well-dressed man smiling at him. The man spoke words as his lips moved, their aural significance lost to Lucifus in the silence as pain coursed around his ribcage and up his spine. The bolt had penetrated deeply.Primmas Rose spared not a glance at the crumpled body of Chess. His eyes instead fiercely held to Lucifus, the gladiatorial rush of victory making manic his features. He spoke a single animalistic word as he fired the other bolt at the now helpless and enfeebled wizard. Lucifus saw in slowest motion the bolt release, its trajectory set between his eyes. Lucifus’s head lurched back expecting the blow.However, the bolt disappeared halfway between Lucifus and the assassin. Primmas Rose looked in askance mouth wide with confusion. Rose’s face was soon overtaken by terror as the massive form of a half-orc driving fifty pounds of axe into his braincase suddenly appeared. The effects of the invisibility potion had vanished but the bolt remained, securely held in Tunthi’s gut. The Derman collapsed in toxic pain as he swung out with his axe to finish the job. The blade struck nothing but air. The assassin was gone.Lucifus tried to stand but could not. He then focused and hovered erratically towards where Tunthi looked at the tiny bolt in his belly, confusion clouding his features as he innocently looked in agony at the wizard. Lucifus painfully bent to the tough leather box at the side of the massive half-orc’s belt releasing its vials across the floor. None had been labelled although several had marks of some kind upon them. Lucifus tried to speak to Tunthi but he was short of breath and silenced by magic. He needed to get rid of the silencing effect somehow. He reached to his own pouch for his most powerful curative, swallowing the vials contents, the taste astringent, the feeling bitter. He felt for two others before consuming them as well. The bolt finally popped out but so did a small ball like a gold bullet.Lucifus detected the aura of magic{2} upon the bullet yet not the bolt and pointed to it desperately with a smashing action. Tunthi, now significantly weakened and lying on the floor did his best. The axe blade cleaved deeply into the floor making the bullet jump slightly. With effort and waning strength, he pulled the blade out and tried again, this time sending the pellet careening away from the blades edge and underneath the table. In fury, Tunthi launched his massive axe ‘Gnasa’ at the ball. The axe blade somersaulted; the throw was perfect, the golden pellet blasted into fragments, aural vibrance and sound returned to the area.‘Grusha en Nuka Tunthi. Perre,” Lucifus breathed, relief yet desperation clouding his features. The half-orc struggled to understand as the poison quickly coursed through his veins, visibly weakening him every second and bringing him ever more quickly to Death’s doorstep. The pallor of the Derman had gone a sickly purplish white. He pointed at one vial loose on the ground then another before shrugging his shoulders. He was not sure.Lucifus grabbed the first and without thinking further pushed it up towards the half-orc. Tunthi consumed the vial with difficulty. Their breaths were collectively held. The barbarian relaxed as the poison was immediately extinguished, expunged from his system. Lucifus took the other little tube moving to Chess. Blood had pooled underneath her neck and chest. He carefully tried to turn her over but it was all so dreadfully obvious. She was dead.Phantom pain exploded through Lucifus at the realisation, the sharp sting having being held at bay in hope that Chess might still be alive. Now that the hope was gone, the delusive pains vital message was pulsed ruthlessly through his body before slowly releasing him from its grip, as if realising its presence was without cause or reason. Tunthi ignoring his own pain and near terrible fate had moved carefully to the wizard’s side, reaching out his enormous hand to clasp Lucifus’s shoulder as if to try and share the burden of grief and lend what remained of his strength to the little man he would follow for eternity. No words were spoken as Lucifus looked up at Tunthi’s features, grief wrought across their faces. They had failed.***And so concludes the official end of the Chess Situation. The less well-known circumstances and aftermath of the affair will be digressed to in a future post after more pertinent matters have been dealt with. Several intriguing outcomes however are worth noting at this stage.Primmas Rose somehow managed to survive the near-mortal wound from the barbarian, exiting by the use of desperate magic – a very lucky circumstance given the proximity of the silencing gold pellet in Lucifus’s chest. He harbours the severest of ill will towards Lucifus: dire curses and vile vendettas were sworn as he recovered from his grievous wounds.Most agreed – although there will always be the overzealous critic in any crowd – that Chess’ performance was the best ever witnessed at the Turm. Fathers would talk to sons, masters to their apprentices and the noble to his neighbour of the night they once had at Gumbil’s Turm. A legend had been born this night, a brilliant star freshly lit in the night sky if only to be so quickly extinguished and winked out of existence.And finally, the constabulary noted a day or two later, the extraordinary disappearance of two men of the watch. Farris and Vincent had been making further investigations regarding several murders. Unfortunately each had managed to procure a slit throat and a watery riverbed grave underneath the mighty Beltrates. The investigations made by them into the disappearance/murder of Chess and members of House Elarayan had been unfruitful in any case despite the rumour of a mysteriously appearing note (that managed to equally mysteriously disappear). Nothing could be proved and the crimes remain unsolved.***Look forward to the next instalment as we journey back several years into the icy coastal fjords of Derman. (We’ll then quickly retreat back to the present where Lord Herland Ramus will deliver his caustic response to dinner table revelations made by Lucifus – an explosive episode to be sure.)***{1} Lucifus had used his ‘Zelabel’s Instantaneous Transmission’ [Dimension Door].{2} Lucifus had several spells permanently in effect on his person. The Detecting of Magic was one of them.</blockquote>

Verification