S37: Glug 2.52

The BOP stand in a pitch black cave with walls, ceilings, and floors of thick black ichor. In front of them, the silhouette of a man kneeling in the center of the space. 

“I wondered when you were going to find me” breaks the silence in a familiar albeit strange tone -- Glug. Fey sprints forward, eager to see her lost friend, disregarding her surroundings. She begins to empty her satchel of the ingredients she has collected to brew the concoction from Glug’s recipe book -- desperately trying to connect. He says nothing. Dorus, not familiar with Glug by any means other than stories, approaches the elderly dwarf. He begins to speak to Glug. There is no response. Alora paces in the back of the cave curious but cautious. Nom watches and prepares for the worst while Mokon casts divine sense and detects evil all around. Dorus tries a different tactic -- he rests his hand on Glug’s shoulder. When he does so, his large hand sinks ever so slightly into Glug form. Dorus pulls back his hand as the figure stands. 

Glug takes a deep inhale, “Hmmmm - Finite amounts.” He then begins to slowly glide toward each member of the familiar party.

“Dorus… You are not yet gone… close but not yet.”

As he walks by Nom, he takes a deep breath, “You have great potential.”

Glug rounds Mokon, “Less than the ranger but adequate Yes, adequate.”

“Fey, you have not yet been spoiled… there is still time.”

As he approaches Alora an audible wretch can be heard… “You… you are rotten.”

He continues, “I offer you a gift. A gift of power. Undying, forever, godly… power.”

One by one, each member of the group rejects Glug’s offer with words or in some cases silence.

Glug’s eyes narrow. “There is no way I can make you understand you must SEE!” He raises a dark hand over his head, creates a fist and throws it downward then up. Thick black lumps of slime begin to drop from the ceiling landing on the group. Each tries to wipe off the ichor or avoid it completely, but it is too thick and almost sticks to their skin. Gags and coughs begin to emanate from the group as the dark gobs begin to enter ears, mouths, eyes, and noses. The group continues to wretch and gag. Then the rain of slime stops. With a bitter salty sweet taste in their mouths each member of the party stands. They feel fine, there is no pain, they feel normal. All except Alora. Aloras body has been completely encased in undulating black slime and she has been hoisted high on the cave wall -- only her face remains uncoated in ichor. She cannot speak. Her eyes dart frantically.

Just then they begin to hear sounds of clattering bone and dead moans coming from outside the cave. 

“Go forth, try your gifts.” 

Fey rushes to the cave entrance looking at Alora for guidance. Alora’s eyes gesture toward the cave entrance. Fey asks if she should leave the cave. Alora slowly mouths. “Go.”

Nom does not like being forced. She makes two great attacks at Glug, severing both his arms from his body. He does not flinch or falter. His arms hit the ground immediately reducing to swirling tendrils of black ooze. “Do not fight me, fight them. Test your power.” Glug gestures to the cave entrance. 

Mokon rushes to aid Alora. Divinely dissolving large areas of slime away from her left leg. He desperately tries to pull her from the wall. But the slime recovers the area and holds her fast.

Dorus' ears perk up as he hears screams from Torin, Gerald, and Axel who have been left far away from the cave entrance. He rushes outside into a horde of more than 30 ragtag skeletons and zombies formed from parts and pieces of animals -- a cacophony of bone and flesh. As Dorus enters the fray he notices his trunk has taken a blackish hue. He can feel the power course through his body toward his muscular limb (the other one… the one his face… come on Alora… really?). He suppresses the great urge.

Fey and Nom head toward the ambush. As Fey approaches her instinctive tactic is typically to hide then attack. As she does so the floor at her feet becomes rubbery and she begins to sink into the ground -- past her ankles to her knees. She startles and rises once again to the surface. In her head she hears. “Yes, embrace your gift.” Fey refuses.

As Nom gets closer to the battle at hand. Her back begins to feel strange as two heavy powerful tendrils grow out from her spine. She looks up to her left and right and sees two great powerful arms whipping and lashing in the air above. “See what power you have inside.” Nom refuses to use her Glug-given gift.

Mokon believes the source is the problem. Approaching Glug he dons Kruss’ gauntlets and with two divine punches connects squarely on Glug’s jaw. A bright light flashes for but a second. A large gash on Glug’s face instantly seeps a black liquid as it heals shut. “There, Mokon, test your gift.” Glug again gestures to the entrance. Mokon feels his skin begin to tingle. As he looks downward and sees thousands of four-inch-long, hair-thin tentacles reaching out from his body swaying gently. Mokon looks toward the entrance to the cave.

The skeletal horde is blocking the entrance to the cave with Dorus squarely in the center. Unfortunately, this leaves the rest of the BOP stuck inside the cave. One last scream is heard from their young friend Torin, Axel squaks as he tries to fend off the undead while Gerald squeaks in pain. Fey tries to find a way to break through, but there isn’t enough room. She then feels an uncontrollable urge and sinks below the ground. She looks up seeing the world above through a grayish haze. She feels complete freedom of movement easily gliding underground at an incredible speed. She likes this feeling. She likes this power… a lot. She rushes toward Torin and pulls his unmoving body underground, relocating him away from the fight. Quickly thinking she pours a healing potion in his mouth and returns to battle.

Nom stands her ground at the entrance to the cave attacking the undead with great ferocity. The ground shakes and trees part as a large ogre sized creature approaches. Fey, fully embracing the gift, springs from the ground burying her dagger into the monster's back. Even though Nom has refused to use Glug’s gift she begins to feel an overwhelming urge to succumb. As she does the large black tendrils shoot forward and attach to the large creature. The beast yells in pain as it ripped cleanly in two pieces -- Nom has never felt so much power. 

Dorus tries his best to stand his ground. Attack after attack the undead beat and slash Dorus until he can take no more falling unconscious to the ground. From underground Fey appears to keep her large friend alive. Nom stands over Dorus' unconscious body, ready to protect her friend as Mokon rushes forward aiding his allies. Mokon, too, has not embraced the gift knowing where his true allegiance lies. Then as if by force the urge grows too strong. Thousands of small tendrils lash out at all his surrounding foes quickly ending six undead lives. A true turning point in the battle. 

The BOP continue to fight the intense undead onslaught. Fey, the only one to fully embrace her gift, darts around the battlefield underground dealing hefty amounts of damage and stabilizing an often downed Dorus. Dorus, when he is able, heals his allies, greatly bringing them back into the fight and divinely creates fear in the surrounding undead causing them to run away from battle. Mokon divinely aids his group by offering protection from the battle. And Nom fumbles around like a toddler-aged woodsman lodging her axe in every foe she meets. Alora remains stuck to the wall in the cave with only her eyes visible as she watches in horror as her friends fight without her aid.

As the battle begins to slow and the number of undead diminish. Mokon once again approaches Glug asking him why he is doing this and saying he will not use the gift of evil he was given. He also tells Glug it is not right or natural to raise the dead. A frustrated Glug yells “ENOUGH!” as the remaining undead fall to the ground lifeless. Glug then explains that evil does not always remain evil and that sometimes evil can be turned to good if in the right hands. Mokon is receptive to the idea albeit not in complete agreement with the concept.

Glug raises his hand once more. The BOP begin to gag and cough as they expel the ichor that is within their body. What seems like gallons of dark goo is vomited from nose, eyes, ears, and mouth. Mokon catches Alora as she is released from her ooze prison. The BOP stand once more -- without their gifts.

Axel, Gerland, and Torin have fallen. The group takes some time to bring them into the cave. Axel and Gerald, although badly beaten, are healed by Dorus. Unfortunately, Torin is gone. Glug looks at Torin, touches his small chin and says, “Oh how weak the human form can be. And at such a young age. A life force can be extinguished so easily and with so little meaning.” The team verbally attacks Glug saying he caused this. They were his undead. Glug sighs and picks up Torin in his arms. He embraces the small child as slime begins to coalesce around Glug and Torin. Soon the two are surrounded by a cocoon of black sludge. Minutes slowly go by. Alora paces in the back of the group. As the group waits, they talk. They discuss Glug, the gifts, and how to move forward. No definite choices are made as they watch the ooze begin to melt away from the cocoon. Standing in the space where the cocoon once lived is Glug and a very alive Torin. Torin begins to cough and choke, expelling dark liquid from his body.

“You’ll be alright,” Glug smiles at the young halfing. “Glug!” Torin runs toward Glug giving him the biggest hug a halfling nine year old can muster. Torin then begins to tell Glug how he has been practicing, but isn’t very good at magic and how he had an Alora-show-and-tell. Glug assures the little man that with time he will master his skills. He then stands and tells the group.

“This gift and the power that comes with it is not one that we will force upon you. Nor should you force it upon one another. It is one that we offer to you as a way to make change.” Glug then melts away as does the ooze on the walls floor and ceiling dissipating into the cracks and crevices in the stone walls of the caves.

From all around the group hears. “Find us again with your answer.” All is then silent. 

The BOP stand alone in a cave with the smell of death and decay gently tickling your gag reflex.