“This be taken forever to drain. Let’s be opening that blasted door already!” Kildo said kicking and splashing in the foot of water on the very lowest level of the carousel room that was the prior home of the monstrous manticores.
“The water is pushing against it. You’ll never open it dwarf,” Scomatch said as he sat dangling his feet over the side of the upper level above, which formally housed the sea lions. “At least until the pressure equalizes. However, feel free to try. I’ll enjoy the show.”
Looking up at the halfling, he was nodding towards the door. Daring him to try and open it. The entrance was made of the same thick metal and designed to keep water out. Scomatch was probably right. This wasn’t magic but physics. They’d all have to wait. Climbing up to the same level as the mage, he laid back and closed his eyes. He smiled as his mind shut down. While he lived in a world of magic and mind flayers, his greatest power was being able to fall asleep just about anywhere within a minute or…
The squealing of metal woke Kildo sometime later. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes and producing saliva for his dry mouth, he sat up. Kai and Guo Gan had opened the metal door. Scomatch’s familiar, Charmander provided light and revealed an entryway that led into a long corridor. Lowering himself, the party gather and proceed down the length. It ended a short distance later with a normal, arched woodened door with a latch. Not hearing anything, Kai lifted the handle and opened it.
Inside was a large brightly lit and luxurious room. Lavash furnishing and decorations with thick, soft carpet and tapestries covered the floor and walls. Cushioned sitting chairs lined the room. The highlight was a sumptuous divan made from a light, red comfortable material. Sitting on it was a halfling. He was dressed in a dark blue long coat jacket, and pants, but no shoes. Kicking off the divan, he clenched his fists. “Bugger off! I’m not going with you!”
Raising his hands in a non-threating gesture, Kai said, “Take it easy. No one is here to hurt you.”
Stepping further into the room, Scomatch asked, “Are you trapped here or being held prisoner?”
“You could call it that.”
“Friend, we can escort you to safety,” Scomatch said.
“Are the exits clear? We can make a run for it before the guards shut this down,” the halfling said. “Wait? I don’t see any braids on you guys.”
Guo Gan then asked, “What is your name?”
“Qesneff.”
“Qesneff, what I find odd is that we are in a place where it is inconceivable for a wandering, living creature in here and alive,” Guo Gan said.
“Do you think time has any meaning in this place? What did you fight on the way here, as surely, they would be under the same effects.”
As Qesneff was questioned, Kildo walked over and stood on a thick rug. It was well made, his feet sunk into the material. However, he noticed it began to soak up the water on his boots. Cringing, he glanced to see if anyone saw. He then noticed Kai’s eyes closed, meditating, and concentrating. Scomatch also had begun casting, Detect Magic. A faint aura of magical energy emanated from a ring on Qesneff’s hand and also strongly around the halfling himself. Illusion magic.
Qesneff’s body began to transform into an Oni. His hair grew long and black which resembled metal wires. Two thin, curved horns grew from his forehead. His skin turned a deep red and heavily muscled, as his mouth cracked open exposing a maw full of curved and pointed teeth. Hot coals, as if from a dwarven furnace replaced his eyes. A large, golden belt of foreign design and covered with a devil-like appearance, armored his midsection. Snarling and spitting, the Oni said in a deep, brass, and sinister otherworldly voice, “You are going to regret that!”
A ray of sickening green energy lashed out from Scomatch's hands and struck the Oni’s leg. It burned his skin for a moment before the creature leaped back.
“Life is death. Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life. Let’s fight!” Kildo chanted as he cast, Bless. Kai, Guo Gan, and Scomatch glowed briefly before the protective energy faded.
At the Oni’s transformation, Guo Gan brought his spear one-handed to guard and thrust. The weapon glowed for a moment from the blessing and nicked it. The monk slashed with the spear tip, but the ogre-magi backed away. Following the creature, he pressed his attack and used his left hand to punch the Oni in the face, a follow-up jab was slapped away and blocked. However, it was a distraction as the monk dropped and swept the leg knocking it to the ground.
Taking quick advantage, Kai thrusted twice with Wave. All three tips bit into the Oni’s right leg shooting blood. The paladin upturned the trident and bashed downward with the blunt end but struck the carpet as the ogre-like creature rolled away and onto its feet.
Kildo was amazed the Oni was able to continue to move so quickly with such grievous wounds. It was then he noticed the torn skin, acted like it was alive as tendons lashed out from one side to the other. They began to stitch together with a sickening, sucking sound, and closed. The Oni was regenerating. The ogre-magi made eye contact with him as it snapped its fingers. Three copies of the creature appeared, as it cast, Mirror Image. It then raised its hands. Frost formed on each quickly, as a blast of freezing air raced and encompassed Kai, Guo Gan, and himself. Further away from the others he had a split second to throw up his kite shield which took half of the brunt cold, which felt more like burning from a fire. Despite the freezing, chattering teeth and body, he maintained concentration on his bless spell.
The Oni then erupted in fire, as Scomatch sculpted a fireball around the creature and its images. While impacting the creature and all the copies, none dissipated, and the magical fire didn’t affect it as much as one would expect. However, the warmth was most welcomed.
Fumbling for the wand at his belt, Kildo cursed the numbing in his fingers. He didn’t have any aspirations that it would take down the creature. That wasn’t his goal. He wanted to get rid of its mirror image spell. He tightened his grip and pointed it at one of the Oni copies. Three glowing magic missile darts shot out. They raced towards three images of the Oni, but at the last moment, they all veered and struck one of the images. The force damage blasted scorch marks into the ogre, the real one. The wand’s magic missile’s enchantment could see right through the spell. Not his intent but snorted with satisfaction with the result. The images of the Oni then raced around the room with incredible speed and re-focused. A sinister smile spread across its faces. The mirror image spell reacted to the magic missiles and re-shuffled them, like a shell game. He then thought of something else that might help as he cast, Spiritual Weapon. A spectral blue war hammer appeared. He sent it towards the nearest Oni image. The magical weapons swiped but missed.
The monk went into a dizzying flurry of blows. Guo Gan thrust, as the spear tip went into the Oni’s stomach. Then like a soap bubble, the image popped. Punching from his waist, his knuckles hit solid muscle. The three images spun around the room and refocused. There was a look of shock on the Oni’s face as it saw Guo Gan. Sensing the real ogre-magi was right in front of him, he lashed out with two quick strikes, each landing a solid blow. The monk then spun and knocked one of the Oni’s knees into the other causing it, as well as the other two images to fall.
Leaping over a cushioned chair, Kai was next to Guo Gan in an instant. He thrust with Wave, which glowed with Kildo’s bless spell as he hit the Oni twice with his weapon’s prongs and bashed with the butt into the creature’s head.
The attacks were devastating, even though the creature’s regenerative ability was already stitching its skin back together. Transforming back into the halfling, the Oni reached out pleading to Scomatch, “Help me! Your friends are trying to kill me!”
Scomatch shook his head, as if shaking off the effects of a spell. The mage’s eyes then narrowed at the Oni. “They won’t kill you, if I kill you first.”
Instantly reverting back into the snarling ogre-magi at his words, Scomatch formed a chromatic orb in his hands. Green in color, it bubbled with acid within. Lobbing the sphere, the Oni dodged it, as the spell broke against the divan.
“Not the divan!”
It sizzled as a large hole melted in the middle. As the two halves broke apart, a long, black metal case was revealed underneath.
Snarling at the destroyed furniture, the Oni turned and focused on Scomatch.
“Sorry.” The halfling mage turned his head looking for a place to run as he backed up.
Three more magical darts shot out from Kildo’s wand. As before they all sped towards the images and at the last second turned and blasted three more scorch marks into the real Oni.
The ogre-magi slashed its wicked claws, striking Guo Gan, who attempted to block its advance. The blow knocked the monk away.
Covering the three long claw marks across his chest, Guo Gan fought through the pain, as he thrust his spear into the back of the Oni. It popped. Flipping the spear in his hands, he launched it towards another copy of the Oni. The missile weapon sailed straight through destroying the last image. Only the original remained. The ogre-magi was across the room and closing in on Scomatch. Barreling towards the mage like a bull, the monk intercepted the creature. Oni slashed with his black-clawed hands. Dodging the swipes from one side to the other, in blinding speed, Guo Gan struck the Oni’s muscular chest, rapidly striking around its heart four times. He then struck in the center and twisted. The creature’s heart stopped. The Oni looked up at Guo Gan with a confused stare in its burning, coal-like eyes. “You know the five-point palm exploding heart technique?”
Guo Gan backed up and stayed between the ogre and the halfling.
Coughing up blood, the Oni wiped it away and crumpled to the ground. The party gathered around the ogre-magi. As the fire in its eyes cooled, it pointed up to the group and wheezed, “He will not let you leave.”
Approaching, Scomatch gently took the Oni’s massive hand in his in a caring manner. The halfling’s fingers then deliberately tightened around its magical ring. Gaul spread across the Oni’s face as it breathed its last. As the ogre’s hand fell away, so too did the ring, which was now in the halfling’s palm. Admiring it, Scomatch said, “So, what’s in the box?”
The party moved over to the once richly but now destroyed divan. Guo Gan and Kildo pulled at each end to reveal the long, black box hidden underneath. Scomatch reached and attempted to pull out the box but was unsuccessful. Kai and Guo Gan helped. It seemed to be made of some heavy dense, black material.
“Open it! Open it!” Scomatch called out.
“Hold on,” Guo Gan replied as he examined it to ensure there weren’t any traps. “It’s safe.”
Nodding to the monk, Kai flipped a small latch and opened it. Inside the black case were a large number of electrum and platinum pieces, as well as four pieces of exquisite jewelry of great value. A bottled potion and scroll tube were also within. However, the grandest item was an exotic great sword. Forged from no material known to man, or dwarf, they were staring into a piece of the night sky, but even more, the oblivion of space.
A voice most sinister, deep and echoing, then spoke from the weapon. “I am Blackrazor. I will empower those with great supremacy. Now, who will wield me?”
The group backed away in trepidation and stared at Blackrazor for several heartbeats.
Breathing in deeply with resignment, Scomatch took a step from the group and beheld the sentient weapon before him. Stars from the very depts of time and space swirled hypnotically from Blackrazor into the halfling’s eyes as he said, “I will wield you.”
Blackrazor Room:
· 200 pp
· 1,000 ep
· 4 pieces of jewelry – 3,000 gp each – Total 12, 000 gp
· Potion (Unidentified)
· Scroll (Unidentified)
· Ring (Unidentified)
· Blackrazor
Party Split:
· 200 pp / 5 – 40 pp
· 13,000 gp / 5 = 2,600 gp
· 1,000 ep / 5 = 250 ep
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