Outside 50: Meeting nature halfway

[Rebonack]

[The Dread Gazebo]

Seems like Belle can be pretty straight forward, too.

The imp nimbly hops out of the way of the beam before vomiting forth a vast cloud of mosquitos many times its own volume!

Being nuzzled to death by that meany mosquitos would probably be pretty bad.

Fenris' eyes widen at the cloud. Wards won't do much good against an attack like that. Or a large number of attacks, rather. Blocking spells? Yes. And to a lesser extent physical blows. But a cloud of hungry insects? She's forced to make a snap decision, here. The only tool in her kit that will help here is going on the offensive and burning the malignant insects out of the air. And in order to access her more destructive magic she needs to-

Ugh.

She was hoping she could avoid doing this, but it looks like it isn't going to be an option. Thankfully she's had enough practice that the process isn't slow and excruciatingly unpleasant. Wisps of black smoke begin streaking across her body as bones crack and flesh warps, grey fur sprouting across her as fangs and claws and muzzle all grow in. It only takes a few seconds and by then the insects are upon her, but already she's wreathed in a sear globe of sunlight that burns their flesh and fills the cellar with incandescent light. With a roar she smashes her paws into the floor, causing an explosion of radiance to detonate around her.

It should feel pleasantly warm to G'nichi.

Much less pleasant to the vampiric insects.

[Deathkeeper]

The Dread Gazebo

G'nichi lets Fenris wolf out (haha it's funny because her name is Wolf McWolfface) and take care of the bugs. While she's frying them G'nichi has an opportunity to take another shot at the boss-imp!
He waves Belle in a circular motion, summoning a big circle of pink ribbon on the ceiling! It lowers towards the imp as it gets tighter as it tries to tighten around it.
The imp should avoid this because if the ribbon touches it, it will blow up in a shower of adorable pink sparks.

[Rebonack]

[The Dread Gazebo]

What follows probably isn't what G'nichi was expecting.

The imp is rather unceremoniously exploded.

Fenris, meanwhile, has torn through the lesser insects and now she's panting and growling and looking for something else to maul. She knows the lizard isn't for mauling. Companions are never for mauling. Confused, frightened people are for roaring at because typically they'll scream and run away and try to hide from her. That's for the best. Everyone looks like prey to her, like food on the hoof to hunt. But she knows, rationally, that she probably shouldn't kill and eat people.

Most people.

Unless they deserve it.

Feeding fuels the transformation, the rage, it keeps her like this longer when she willingly steps into the beast. But there isn't anyone to eat here (because companions aren't for eating). Just dead insects and alcohol. That means her transformation should burn itself out quickly, which is just as well. In spite of the dire warnings this fight was anticlimactic. In Fenris' experience that's how things go more often than not. A spurt of violence and then it's all over. She places one clawed paw against the wall and leans against it, breathing heavily. Her heart is racing. Her instincts to kill and hunt howling at her.

She closes her eyes, doing her best to slow her breathing and quiet her heart. She isn't even hungry. She had breakfast less than an hour ago. She doesn't need to hunt. Just calm down.

"Give me," the werewolf rumbles, radiance still swirling around her. "A few minutes."

[Deathkeeper]

The Dread Gazebo

G'nichi takes a step back. "Okee dokee."
He starts looking around the room for anything unusual. Passages, treasure, anything.
All while keeping Fenris mostly in front or to the side of him. Looks like she's grappling with werewolf stuff right now and it doesn't sound safe to present his back to an angry predator.

[Earl of Purple]

Wastelands Campsite

"Seige'd be bad f' the people we wish t' save, aye? Always do be. They stay hidden all day; if'n I can distract Skuld, th' rest do be weaker'n her. If'n we wish t' kill her, day do be the time t' do it. They stay away from sunlight." Frigate doesn't know very much about stealth or subterfuge; it's not something he was built or designed for.

[Ironsmith]

[Wastelands Campsite]

"Hey, boss?" One of the goblins prompts. "I think you might be overthinking this. None of them's moved since we got here. And you smell that, too, right?"

"That" being a sickly sweet, if faint, smell that Olvisin and the other goblins might recognize as indicative of the beginning stages of decomposition.

"I think we might be too late for the villagers, but... maybe these vampires are in some kinda food coma?"

[Rebonack]

[The Dread Gazebo]

The problem with grappling with werewolves is that they're way pointier and biteier than normal folks.

G'nichi begins searching around!

Honestly, though, what would he be expecting to find down here? This is a wine cellar that was converted into an evil imp lair or something. Is he seriously thinking that there's going to be-

There's a great big ornate unlocked treasure chest at the back of the room.

For...

Reasons.

Apparently.

Should G'nichi open it up he'll find an enchanted dwarven mace, a suite of fine half plate, a scroll of flyer ball, two healing potions, one hundred and six gold pieces, and a saucy lizard person romance novel.

Huh.

Weird.

Fenris, meanwhile, begins sublimating. That's the best way she's found to describe the process of changing back from a werewolf. Shrouded in black mist, her lupine body begins wisping away until her human shape is revealed. It's such a strange feeling. Like minnows in the water nibbling at your feet in the water. Except all over your body. Kind of tickly. When she first started transforming, largely without her consent at the beginning, it took quite a bit longer to wind herself down. But she's had plenty of practice since then.

...she still can't change back during her nightly metamorphosis, though.

She's tried to sleep as a werewolf before. That's had mixed results. And it leaves her feeling tired pretty much always unless she takes a nap during the day.

"Have you found anything interesting?" Fenris asks, still panting slightly.

[Deathkeeper]

The Dread Gazebo

G'nichi's outfit fizzles again now that combat seems to be over.
"Oh, some money and potions, armor sized for neither of us, and a mace. Usual stuff. Want to split it?" he offers. He's doing his best to not address the whole werewolf thing as he's sure she's had to deal with people worrying about that enough already.

[Rebonack]

[The Dread Gazebo]

"Are you sure it isn't magical resizing armor?" Fenris asks curiously as she moves along side G'nichi to peer at the contents of the chest. "It's a pretty common simple enchantment that nearly all equipment is enhanced with back home. Otherwise any suit of armor needs to be fitted to the wearer. Here, let me see if I can-"

She reaches down and withdraws the cuirass from the chest to help G'nichi try it on. Upon picking it up, a large white faceted gem about the size of a soccer ball rolls out of the interior of the armor.

Fenris narrows her eyes at it.

She's seen that thing before.

But what's it doing here?

Given that her arms are full of armor she really can't pick it up.

But will G'nichi acquire the very large common opal?

It is pretty shiny.

[Deathkeeper]

The Dread Gazebo

"Who hides gems inside armor? It was already in a chest." G'nichi wonders. He holds his arms out since Fenris is already being nice and offering to play squire for him.
He's not sure if the half-plate suits him. Maybe it's his inner dragon impulses thinking that he should only don the absolute shiniest and fanciest mail he can find. But that's not very practical.

[Rebonack]

[The Dread Gazebo]

Oh boy time to put on some armor!

First?

The padded gambleson with chain mail sections covering the otherwise exposed joints of the armor. Then time to strap on the cuirass, the pauldrons, gauntlets, and grieves and chausses. Perhaps to G'nichi's surprise, the armor will fit perfectly. It doesn't seem to visually change shape or size at all, but it MUST have in order to fit on him.

Right?

And last of all Fenris will hand over the helmet.

Helmets are important.

They prevent you from being bonked!

Or at least reduce the danger of being bonked a little.

"There, see? Fits just fine."

She's studiously ignoring the large white gemstone.

[Deathkeeper]

The Dread Gazebo

G'nichi refuses the helmet. "Um, practically speaking I know I should, but I kind of need these to see." G'nichi gestures to his glasses. It's true that wearing a helm would probably interfere with his glasses. Besides you can only equip one head piece at a time!
"I'm sure I could get something special ordered.
Um. Are we not talking about that gem?"

[Rebonack]

[The Dread Gazebo]

"I've seen some pretty unpleasant ends resulting from a person declining to wear a helmet," Fenris points out as she pushes the piece of armor into G'nichi's arms. "It's a good idea to at least keep it with you. I'll admit that I don't like wearing mine either if I'm not expecting a fight."

She hasn't taken hers off yet.

Even though they found the End of Dungeon chest she isn't wholly convinced that the danger is over.

"Hanging the strap from your belt isn't a bad plan. That's what I do."

Fenris believes that to be a reasonable compromise.

You definitely want your helmet at hand when a fight breaks out.

Then?

The gem.

She heaves a sigh.

"I've seen something like it before. When I picked it up a daedra started shouting in my mind. It was... unpleasant. But I cleansed their temple for them and found an interesting weapon to dissect for its enchantment-"

She taps at the glowing bronze rings on the back of her gauntlets.

"-so I suppose it wasn't a waste of time. And I managed to free the souls of some poor people a necromancer had enslaved. So it was a good deed, as well. I'm just not sure why another such gem is here of all places."

[Deathkeeper]

The Dread Gazebo

G'nichi ties the helmet to his belt. This armor is nice but it has the problem (besides not being fancy for his subconscious dragony thoughts) that it will probably conflict with Belle's uniform.
"Well, if it means there's more souls bound by necromancers I suppose I have a duty to hear them out." he admits, deciding to pick up the stone.

[Rebonack]

[The Dread Gazebo]

"It might be unrelated and-" Fenris begins, only to have her words drowned out when a void begins shouting in G'Nichi's mind.

A NEW HAND TOUCHES THE BEACON! LISTEN! HERE ME AND OBEY! A FOUL DARKNESS HAS SEEPED INTO MY TEMPLE; A DARKNESS WHICH YOU! WILL! DESTROY! RETURN MY BEACON TO MOUNT IMPROBABLE AND I WILL MAKES YOU THE INSTRUMENT OF MY CLEANSING LIGHT!

Okay wow that was really loud.

Fenris arches an eyebrow when G'nichi (likely) winces at the voice and lets out a sigh.

Of course.

Of course she would still be playing janitor the Aedric and Daedric messes.

Hopefully this won't be an exact repeat of what she endured, though she finds that notion unlikely. If this really IS a whole different world then the chances seem slim that Mount Kilkreathe would exist here somehow. She waits expectantly to hear what G'nichi has to say.

[Deathkeeper]

The Dread Gazebo

G’nichi responds to this by hurling the stone across the room.
”Try saying please next time.” he growls. Despite everything this particular thing is the first time he has seemed anything but relaxed.

It’s almost like he has very bad experience with entities demanding that he act as their instruments.

[Lord Magtok]

[The Hegemony Flagship]

The shuttle is rocketing directly toward the landing bay. Will it seal in time? The guns certainly can't get trained in at the speed it's going. It's not even bothering to slow down. In the final moment where it appears that the shuttle is going to careen into the landing bay at top speed, it suddenly veers upward. One can almost imagine the ork's laughter as it goes for a full loop over and around the flagship before heading toward the planet surface again, very much in full control.

"Hold! Take aim and hold, you foundling wretches, this is our only shot at-" the Admiral blinks as the shuttle vanishes from sight, pulling up a holomap to track the shuttle's whereabouts with visible confusion. There's no landing bay over there; what the hell does that stupid ork think he's doing? The turrets scattered across the flagship's surface nearly get a few shots in, with it swinging around into their range, but the sheer gall it takes to even do anything that ridiculous leaves them ill-prepared when their moment to fire actually arrives. By the time anyone realizes what's going on, it's too late, and the admiral is stomping his own hat in fury, cursing Magtork's name in every language he knows.

"That bastard! That whoreson! That snaggle-toothed, wart-skinned, mold-sprouting, goat-romancing caricature! HOW DARE HE?!"

[Morty]

[Wastelands Campsite]

Olvisin is silent for a moment, as if embarrassed not to have thought of that.

"Alright. So we go in there and hit them while they're too sleepy to fight back. If we can capture at least some of them, we ought to still get paid. Maybe their leader if we manage."

[Earl of Purple]

Wastelands Campsite

"Sounds trim an' proper t'me. Ye want I t' go in first, or nay? I were be stayin' up 'ere, whilst ye be sneakin'. Ye've sneaked, do we be fightin' now?" Frigate checks the load of his swivel-gun, which has been loaded with a tennisball-sized iron sphere. Hopefully it's too big for Skuld to easily deflect, particularly at close range.

[Gullara]

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