Rough Draft BoG Chapter 162 (Patreon)

From all over the area mud erupted as small bits of ore came from the ground and landed near the thing. Along with the ore was a vast cloud of the lichen that carried the rustblight. Any bit of the taint that was in the glade flew to the base of the 'neck' and started to combine. The grass and moss nearby was beginning to turn red as a carpet of rustblight spread outward.

Cham pulled out his twin adze. "Who knew that the honorary title of Protector of the Glade would get us into trouble so soon?"
The two lumberjacks charged the strange monstrosity. Cham attacked the stalk leaving large dents in the metal, and causing the head to swing back and forth. Jon tried for a shot at the eye, but missed, hitting the sphere instead and leaving a long crease.

Their next attacks did no damage at all, the iron weapon heads rusted to dust, leaving them holding the handles which only counted as default weapons. Cham backed off and ran to get his Stone Bladed Axe from his backpack. He warned the people running up about the problem with rusty weapons.

The head spun to look in Jon's direction and the eye began to glow. Having seen his fair share of low-budget monster movies, Jon immediately dived out of the way. A sickening rod been flashed out from the eye, missing Jon by a foot. Where it hit the ground, the vegetation died in a ten-foot circle and strange, red plants began to grow. From the growths on the head of the creature grew larger stalks that produced huge flowering growths like a lily, pointing in all directions. The stalks began to swell ominously, expanding and contracting but each expansion was larger than the last.

Neither Suzette nor Libby needed to hit m'fargle to do it damage. Suzette unleashed a Solar Arrow from her staff as she ran up, doing over 200 in damage. Seeing the red growths catch fire, she followed up with FrostBlaze as she got closer. The blue flames roared down doing fire damage and burning off the crimson growths on the head and burning the surrounding grass down to bare earth.

Libby unleashed two beams of pure force and prepared to shield herself and Suzette if the head turned their way.

Ahh ah m'fargle's mgepnah gof'nn mgehye'bthnk against h' gifts? ymg' ah nafl impressed llll ya ye'bthnk? Y' ymg' ephaigoka gift ot mgr'luh M'Fargle ph'volve h' ep stage. Rejoice!

M'Fargle mgep evolved l' m'fargle! level 15 epic boss!

The ground around M'Fargle moved aside as more of it came from the ground. The neck split into a half dozen long tentacles made of shiny metal. It steadied itself on the uneven ground and twisted it's head in the direction of the mages that had attacked it. Libby just had enough time to put up a second force shield when the eyebeam struck. Suzette was knocked to the ground as the shields shattered. The beam went through both of Libby's Force Shield spells and then put a six-inch wide hole through her chest. She fell over backwards, her body twiching.

"NO!" Barkroar took two giant steps, scooped up Libby's inert body and dumped it into one of the vats of acid, plunging his own limbs in afterwards. "Beware! Those killed might rise as creatures under the Star Spawn's control. Bodies must be burnt, or cleansed with acid."

A pounding of hooves and heavy feet announce the arrival of Ozzy and Ben. Ozzy was hanging off the side of Mudhead, holding onto the saddle horn and making long leaps. He dropped beside Suzette as Ben rode at M'Fargle. Only twenty-feet away from the creature, the horse took a sharp turn to avoid it, and Ben unleashed he most potent spell: Phoenix's Firestorm. He had only just reached level 5 in Flames of the Phoenix and had yet to use it. A blaze grew up around M'Fargle, causing the creature to scream in pain. Anyone within a hundred feet also screamed in pain as the terrible sound of the things voice cut through their brains.

While normal flames only annoy one who has soared through the empty regions between stars, your magical fires are hot enough to cause it damage.

You have dealt 1000 points of damage to M'Fargle and will do another 50 points each round until the flames are extinguished.

You have gained insight into the creature. It's voice has cause 100 points of trauma damage, and it will haunt your dreams for a year but you know that it's goal is nothing less than infecting all life in the area and claiming it for it's own!

You have gained +1 Perception. Is that a fair trade for a year of bad dreams?

As Ben dodged tentacles and an eyebeam Ozzy ran forward. Suzette had only been knocked down and bruised. He knew she'd get right back up and start hurling spells. He decided to give the thing something else to worry about.

M'Fargle tired of shooting at Ben. One eye was insufficient in this new form. He opened two more and saw a larger-than-average humanoid running towards with open arms. M'Fargle knew of this form of greeting! O'oof'tlips had told him of it ages ago when they shared a meal after killing a Void Whale. It was called a 'Hug'. A cheeful greeting between loved ones. As the large humanoid wrapped its meaty tentacles around most of its own, it wrapped its one loose tentacle around the humans torso.

This was so convenient. He could convert this one and send it to kill the others! It would become 'First Thrall' if it survived. They would be friends!

The new friend was hard to convert! The fires that burne M'Fargle also burned the spores it created. The new friend was also squeezing very hard! And the way he was swaying back and forth made it hard to harm the other little friends. M'Fargle decided he didn't need a friend!! OFF!! DOWN!!! SHOO!!!

Ben couldn't use his best spell again, but as Ozzy wrapped the thing in a Bear Hug and swung it back and forth he was able to spray it time and again with Flaming Hands. Suzette was throwing spell after spell at M'Fargle, with much better aim. She was able to time Ozzy's swings of its head and hit the monster with two out of three solar arrows, putting out on of its eyes. That was the point the thing seemed to focus on Ozzy again.

One tentacle wrapped around Ozzy's waiste and broke his Bear Hug. Another slapped him in the head three times and then he was thrown towards the treeline.

If one needed any proof that an unleashed Star Spawn could cause insanity, one would only have to watch you charging the thing with your bare hands and hugging it!!

You have crushed M'Fargle, Emmisary from Yog'fmll, and your beloved friend for 340 damage!

You have crushed M'Fargle, Emmisary from Yog'fmll, who is anxious to convert you, and a little uncomfortable with hugging for 240 points of damage.

M'Fargle hugs you back for 100 points of crushing damage.

You have crushed M'Fargle, Emmisary from Yog'fmll, someone you used to know, for 60 points of damage.

M'Fargle hugs you back for 200 points of damage to discourage your hugs.

M'Fargle has broken your Bear Hug. You will be disciplined later. Go kill your friends if you want forgivenss.

M'Fargle is tired of your shit and Bitch Slaps you three times for 500 points each.

SHOO! Bad Thrall! M'Fargle throws you for 800 points of damage and is done with you!

Health Remaining: 1300/3670

Ben rode to see if there was anything left of Ozzy while chugging down mana potions. Seeing Ozzy beat that way worried him. He'd gotten used to his friend being the strongest thing around. This was a good reminder there was always a bigger monster waiting around the corner.

M'Fargle turned one of his good eyes towards his future-thralls only to be pummeled hard by several hard thrown Ironwood Nuts thrown by two of the treants.

"Deez Nuts in your face!" The smaller treant put one expertly thrown projectile into another eye.

"Mine are Bigger!" Barkroar bounced his larger projectiles off of the Star Spawns head, but couldn't match the others accuracy.

This distracted M'Fargle enough that Dot and Charlene could attack. Dot was a magical dagger made from a boar's tusk, it had cost her quite a bit, but was worth every gold. Especially when she could use her Backstab attack. This thing didn't have a back, but it was focused on the two treants. She barely looked at the critical hit notice as the magical tooth penetrated a tentacle and she ripped downwards, leaving a gap that bled a sickening, foul-smelling goo. Her other attack bit into the same spot, widening the gap and nearly severing the last four-foot of the tentacle.

Charlene wasn't having as easy a time. Her large wooden club made a dent in the metal, but that was about it. Neither woman noticed two other tentacles that picked the two of them, smashed them together several times, and then threw them at the ground near Suzette. Suzette had actually been the target, and it was a very annoyed M'Fargle that watched his projectiles hit an illusion as the real target appeared twenty foot away.

Jorges was walking up with two large glass jars. He poured a bit on each of the bodies, shuddering. Then charged at M'Fargle. Jorges didn't have a throwing skill. But he had a sharp mind, loved to improvise on the fly, and was terribly accurate when using a siege weapon. He just pretended he was a catapult and threw the first glass jar at M'Fargle, followed by the second.

The powerul acid washed over the creature, destroying any of the lichen that had grown on it, and sent it reeling in pain, the huge head swing side to side. That was the moment that Cupcake entered the battle. The little pink lamb had obeyed its 'mommy' and stayed away from the fight. But seeing Mommy beat to death in front of it made something in the lamb snap. The little pink ball of wool ran forward and exploded!

A large amount of hydrogen gas had been created as the acid dissilved the metals the Star Spawn used for its skin. Just as it had in the Battle for Sedgewick, mixing acid, metal, and fire caused explosions. The small explosion that Cupcake had set off was nothing compared to the mushroom cloud of fire that enveloped M'Fargle. Trotting out of the fire as if nothing had happened was a cute little lamb shorn of all its wool. Suzette made a hasty mental note to explain to Charlene just what kind of aberrant herbivore her little Cupcake was, and to make sure it stayed out of her tavern!

The flames had just begun to slow down when M'Fargle was struck by a large oak log thrown from the edge of the forest, fliping end over end. It was followed by another, and another. M'Fargle turned to unleash its eyebeams, (wondering all the while what in EEak'l's name was a caber?), but the range was too great. Ozzy had a large supply of oak logs, and treants were bringing him more. One very hard strike caught M'Fargle in it's head, knocking it down.

That was enought for Jon and Cham. They ran at the head, Jon hoping he could play target for just a second to give his friend a chance to strike. Cham raised the Stone Bladed Axe over his head. He yelled out "NOT WOOD!" and brought the weapon that could infure a Fallen Angel down on the thin kneck of M'Fargle. Seeing the tentacles go prone, Jon took a log and knocked the head away from the body. From M'Fargle came a scream of unintelligible pain, slightly mirrored by anyone near him.

Jorges started piling the logs Ozzy was throwing on the body. Others helped. The remains of the explosion were enough to light the wood. More wood was thrown on the head, but even as it burned, the ground nearby was turning crimson.

Ozzy came limping up. Ben and Suzette were altenating tossing a small fire spell at the head and then drinking a mana potion as the other cast a spell. Jorges stood nearby with the last two jars of acid.

Jon looked at the head. "It's not melting like the metal is. What do we do with it? Roll it into a dungeon? Maybe Hungrytown would like it?"

"Don't you dare do that!" Titania came running up to Suzette. "Didn't I warn you about the worst thing that could happen? And you and your idiots are about to do just that. I swear, I have to do all the thinking around here."

Suzette crossed her arms and stared at the older witch. "You actually decided not to talk about it. And I wasn't going to piss off a dungeon by tossing trash inside, especially one of mine. I take it that would be 'the worst thing'?"

Titania cocked her head thinking back. "At least that's the theory. Elvannion was a beautiful island, once the homeland of the Celestial Elves, and known for it's meteor showers. They had trouble now and then with them. An alarm was raised when a Star Spawned critter appeared and heroes were sent to deal with it. None returned. But then large dungeon suddenly started spewing out blighted monsters and it was impossible to fight them all, let alone enter the dungeon. The blight was contagious. Eventually they evacuated who they could, and a powerful circl of mages buried the island. And I don't mean 'sunk'. They opened up the earth somehow and buried the island underground. The fissure shut, and tidal waves destroyed half the ports in the world. Spells like that are bad things to mess with.

Jon tried to put a wise look on his face, and failed. "Right, no dungeons." Cham hit him from behind with the haft of his axe.

Suzette looked at the head of M'Fargle, a ball of solid metal ore, more than a yard in diameter. "So what do you suggest?"

The witch looked around at the assorted workers and players. "Fire. The hottest, most magical, most blessed and destructive fire that can be created. Probably can't be done here. There's a Dwarven Forge in the Northguard, but no way in hell can we teleport there, nor would they let us. The experimental college in the capitol would take it, if we could smuggle it to the capitol somehow.

Ben considered the problem. "A small cart, a fast horse, a daring courier could do it. Can you turn the cart into a swimming pool and fill it with acid? It's 6 days to the capitol. Of course, if I fail, a lot of people die. Let's make that plan Z."

Ozzy looked at M'Fargle. "Only a few people are tough enough to even get near the thing The sound of it's voice is horrible."

Ben agreed. "Like amateur night at the Bard College."

Jon laughed. "So get a Bard to drown it out." Titania looked at him. "And just when I really decide your an idiot, you get smart. Go fetch that Bard from town. I bet he can play a counter melody."

Ozzy made a decision. "Yeah, let's get Coglin here to save everyone's brain. Take the small cart and fill it with clay to leave a bit more room than the head needs. We can toss in the head and then the acid, making a swimming pool like Ben suggested."

"When you get that done, bring it around to the back of where my pit is. I have to go talk to Joe and get some loads of Screaming Coal burning. Then we get creative."