[HQ Ignorance] Scene 109: The Entrance to Hell

[Nicolas Hughes]

> 
> The Fourth ruminates, "Maybe we could build a fire, sing a couple of songs, huh? Why don't we try that?  But seriously, I don't think running away is an option.  These things come out of the walls - we're not going to see them. And to carry the elf out with us, and we don't know where the exit is."
> 
> "This little amphibian managed to survive in here, and it knows where the mother is.  I say we go that way, at least that is a path we have.  The exit, we don't."
> 
> The Fourth turns towards the newtling and says, gesturing towards Aalmon, "This man man is here to protect you. He was a soldier."
> 


Aalmon hesitates slightly at this, not quite sure that the trollkin is joking. It sounded like madness but the alternatives might well be worse, his magic was strong now but it would start to wane soon enough and the bugs could just wait for him to weaken before launching another ambush. At least if it was mad enough they might not be expecting it.

"Certainty of death, small chance of success. What are we waiting for?"

He gives the nestling another look "All you have to do is show us where it is at. After that The Fourth will do his amazing tricks to keep them occupied and I will quietly demonstrate what this sword is capable of."

He swirls one of his amulets thoughtfully in his hand, there were magics in there that he had not tried in a long while. They might be useful here. "Perhaps I should convince our pursuers that we are still trying to leave. This might be a good moment for those infamous illusory powers of the moon. Let us go find a stink to conceal ourselves and I will try to call up a diversion."

Twisting together the chains of the amulet and his moonstone pendants he began to mutter prayers even as he daubed himself in muck. As he became filthy a clean version of himself, with a slight crimson nimbus for a moment, stepped away from him. It was soon followed by smaller figures for the Fourth and Icthya, each still clean as Aalmon tried to concentrate on their smell, on their breath, on anything that the bugs might be homing in on.

With a gesture Aalmon send the copies off to try and fail to climb out of the trap they were in. Quietly he spoke to the others "Now we go the other way while our tastier cleaner selves draw in the hungry bugs."

OOC: So far as I can remember this is the first time Aalmon has used his Create Temporary Reality magic. He is not trying to create a duplicate Newt because the bugs don't seem to pay him any attention anyway.


Nic