Story Arc #4 The Hero of Pendown

Eshami’s Healing Word

“You have nearly drained yourself to death!”

This is a continuation of Battle of Blood and Will, part of a ‘Choose Your Own’ tale. Check out how you can contribute, as well as read other amazing entries here.

Have Eshami heal you to help finish the fight.

“Hey, Esham-shams,” you say, realizing as the words leave your lips that you must be delirious with fatigue and blood loss — you would normally never act this friendly with her, a devout member of the clergy! “I could use some of that magical healing you got stashed away in you…”

She remains motionless between you and the dying man.

“Eshami!”

Your loud cry seems to pull her back to reality, and she turns to face you, suddenly sensing the critical state you are in. “My Hero!” she gasps in panic.

She looks back to the man that had been enveloped by the blood monster, then back to you. She pulls herself out of her daze and rushes over to tend to your wounds.

“You have nearly drained yourself to death!” she says, examining you as the two of you slink away behind a corner. She pulses her palms over your forehead and then your chest, and you begin to feel much better.

“You are too reckless with your life, my Hero,” she sighs, reaching to her belt and producing a small red vial. “Until I can pray again to recover my spells, this potion should cure your wounds. Use it wisely,” she states with motherly enforcement.

“Thanks. Hopefully, I won’t need it, with you around,” you respond kindly with a disarming smile, pocketing the vial. You are still a little embarrassed over your drunken pet name you called her just moments ago!

She rushes back to the blood-soaked man, pulling him around the corner with you. Her eyes glaze over as she uses her magic to detect his vitals. “Can you hear me?”

The man — probably human — is in a bad state. You look to Eshami but she solemnly shakes her head. Saving you has surely cost this man his life, you realize.

Shakily, he draws you near with his trembling hand, now a red stump missing several digits. He speaks in a language you don’t recognize — but Eshami’s eyes widen in surprise.

“This man is speaking in Celestial, the tongue of the angels!” she whispers, surprised as much by that fact as the fact that all those years studying in the convent may have actually been worth it! “He said not to trust… Olear. Whoever that is.”

The man coughs up his final labored breath before falling silent.

She whispers a short prayer for the man’s fallen soul. “What shall we do now?” she asks, lingering emotional pain still in her eyes.

You plot your route in your head. You could walk around aimlessly in the hopes of stumbling upon an alternate route — but Eshami is almost out of healing, and you’re no cleric yourself!

“Ketal,” you call out, “Is this the only route to the Control Room?”

Immediately, the sharply-dressed Ketal spun up out of the metallic floorboards. “If you require directions, merely utilize your data implants. All crew are equipped with them.”

“Yeah… what if I lost my…uh… data implants?”

“You can acquire new implants simply by visiting the Medical Bay, where a highly-trained Medical Servitor would be happy to assist you,” he answers monotonously.

By this point, you are rifling through your pack for any source of inspiration. “Look, can’t you just tell me what I want to know?” you ask, giving up on the assorted trinkets in your pack.

Ketal almost seems to give a snort of indignation. “This corridor is the most direct path to the control room. There are two other paths that will require considerable backtracking — ”

“Got it, thanks,” you are already waving the apparition away. He quite deliberately rolls his eyes as he melts away into the floor. Maybe I should try not to aggravate the one thing not trying to kill me, you muse cheerfully.

“We’ve got to get by that blood monster, but I don’t want you to get too near! Stick to ranged attacks,” you practically scold Eshami. She seems to understand your words were not meant to be hurtful, and she nods in understanding, revealing a hand crossbow from her shoulder bag.

You nod.

Guess that’ll have to do.

You draw your sword once more, reciting an arcane phrase that causes it to emanate an icy blue aura, chilling the floor with frost where you stand. No more playing around!

“We run, and we don’t stop until we reach the control room. Do you understand me? We stop for nothing!”

Eshami hesitantly nods, clutching her crossbow nervously to her chest.

You gather your strength and grip your sword tightly. This blade has many tricks you haven’t seen yet, you think to yourself, picturing the blood beast that blocks your path.

“Charge!”

You dash around the corner and dive headlong towards the dripping mass of red tendrils. It is slow to react to you — perfect.

Eshami is only a few steps behind you, managing to rapid-fire two small bolts from her crossbow as you both close the distance.

You raise your icy sword and bring it crashing down onto the creature in your way, slicing a large portion of its upper body as you pass by.

The physical damage it could deal was irrelevant — as a secondary effect, it slowed any who were hit by its icy blade.

The now lumbering beast was practically immobile! It would be unable to effect a chase so easily.

“Now, Eshami! Run!”

The two of you break into a sprint down the long corridor. It ends in another door — like the ones in the first hallway — with a handprint on the wall beside it.

“Open the Control Room doors, Ketal!” you yell at the ship as you barrel towards a stubbornly closed door.

Ketal spins up from the floor right beside the door. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

Fine.

You grab Eshami’s hand and thumb a hidden trigger on the hilt of your sword — which jumps you and your companion through the door and into the Control Room!

It was an uneasy teleport, and you surmise that the ship has defenses against such travel, but, thankfully, you both made it that short distance to the other side intact.

You breathe in deep and survey your new location:

The room is 40ft wide and 30ft across, with large apparatus that hums with energy. Arcs of electricity zap one another back and forth across the room, and occasionally sparks fly from one or more of the machines.

Two similar creatures made partly of flesh and partly of mechanized parts, move stiffly about the rounded, cornerless room, occasionally getting hit by the electricity in the room, though they do not seem to be adversely affected.

They immediately halt when you appear. They each make a whirling, grinding noise for a brief moment, then turn to attack you.

“Hero?” Eshami asks, horrified.

What will you do?

• Smash the machines generating the lightning arc first (click here).
• Defeat the flesh golems in the room while Eshami smashes the machines (click here).
• Try to force the door open and escape into the hallway together (click here).

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