Maiyart - Turn 41 

"Be very careful," warns Ultra Mort as he takes a step back from the sarcophagus, "I believe that there is a monster that can create a shift in the visible spectrum."

"Yer what?" says Tewatum One, his face scrunching up as if he's just been spoken to in a foreign language.

"I think he meansss itsss invisssibile," hisses Ebonarch.

"Kapow," suggests Ultra Mort, "put on your Helm of Holy Vision to see where this monster is all the time."

Kapow rubs the Magical Ring of Truesight on his finger but as nothing occurs, he suspects it has yet to recharge its power for another day. Doing as Ultra Mort suggests he slips the helm on and closes his eyes.

'No aura in the sarcophagus,' he thinks as he looks about, Ultra Mort scattering sea shells about on the floor. Maiyart tosses his pepper pot to Ebonarch and says, "Ebonarch, throw this about, we might be able to get it to sneeze and reveal its location."

'There's the aura about Tewatum… Ebonarch… Maiyart… Ultra Mort…' thinks Kapow.

He can see that there is a troubled aura about Myster Pink, the aura in constant flux and not something he has seen before so he does not really know how to read it.

Suddenly looking upwards, Kapow silently mouths an 'Oh' and another word that looks like it begins with an 'F'.

Kapow can see that hovering high above the sarcophagus is a dark aura in a vaguely humanoid shape. It looks as if the shape is slowly rolling over, the arms stretching out. "There it is," he declares, his finger out and pointing, "hovering above us!"

Maiyart, who has been rummaging about in his pack, pulls out a jar. Flipping the lid off, he reaches in and pulls out a handful of flour which he throws up into the air. Particles of flour fall around, giving the members of the party bad cases of dandruff and revealing the ghostly form of a decayed humanoid creature in the air above them.

"The things I sacrifice for adventuring, first it was my sacred hair, and now its one of the ingredients for my secret recipe for spicy dumplings."

The thing is looking down at them and resembles a corpse dressed in rotted crimson robes. It has elongated fingers which writhe like snakes and its head is thin and pointed, the ears equally sharp with heavy lobes from which hang thick gold rings. There is more jewellery in the form of a silver amulet which hangs down from its neck on a chain.

As the others get ready with weapons, Ultra Mort exclaims, "Those flasks." Remembering the trouble with the jars last time, he uses his Lore power and touches one of the flasks to discover that it is a magical Flask of Everfreshness.

Kapow has his Vampire Slayer blade in his hand whilst Tewatum has his own weapon out, the two of them surprised by the crackles of lightning energy which leap forth from the various fingers of the creature. Kapow is flung from his feet with the glowing energy dancing across his body and sending pain through bone, flesh and every fibre of his being.

Tewatum meanwhile is knocked into the side of the sarcophagus, his armour becoming a light show as the electricity bounces around on and within it. The strands of energy continue to emanate from the fingers, both Kapow and Tewatum on the receiving end.

Maiyart quickly spins his chakaram disc around his finger and releases it towards the creature. He tried to aim for the head but he obviously needs more practise for the disc hits the right side of the thing's waist. Myster Pink has not been idle and completes the chanting from his scroll to send a fiery meteor streaking through the air towards the creature. The flames burst around the being and the arcs of lightning leave the two warriors and flay about in the air as the creature howls in pain.

"H'thor!" shouts Maiyart and his new T'gellenite blade bursts into flame. Tewatum swings upwards with his own weapon and slices into the charred creature's left shin. There is a hiss from Ebonarch who has opened his mouth wide to release a ball of holy acid that splatters against the side of the being and burns through the rotten robes and into its taut dry flesh. The creature drops about five feet in the air before regaining its hover.

Tewatum cuts into the beast's shoulder as Maiyart arrives and his fiery blade rips a burning path across the side of its chest. Kapow is back on his feet and charges in to join in the attack.

"Eeeeaaahhhh!" shrieks Maiyart as the lightning leaps from the fingers of the creature into his face. The remaining stub of his plait rises into the air along with the rest of his hair. Tewatum grunts with the effort as his weapon cuts down through the air and four electrically charged fingers lie crackling and twitching on the floor.

The creature is starting to rise higher in the air again but Kapow skewers it with a stab of his Slayer blade and twists the weapon to cause ancient ribs to crack and snap. Tewatum ducks a lash from the left hand of the thing and 'thunks' his weapon into its hip. The thing now loses its hover and drops to the floor. It attempts to land on its feet, but collapses to one side due to the damage dished out by Tewatum and meets the great axe of Ultra Mort.

The jaw of the thing is hanging off after Ultra Mort's blow and Kapow stabs again, this time forcing the thing backwards and into the floor. Maiyart having recovered his senses, jabs forwards also to try and burn out the vile heart of the thing, if it has one. With Kapow and Maiyart using their weapon to hold it down, Tewatum delivers the perhaps not entirely appropriate cry of, "Eat my TWAT!" and brings his weapon down to take the head of the creature from its shoulders.

"I think perhaps we now investigate the noise the enchanter heard," says Maiyart as Ebonarch finishes healing the oriental dwarf. Ultra Mort has completed his work on the wounds of the others and is looking through the bits of twine, sewing kit, chalk and other assorted bits and pieces in his small bag of odds and ends. Kapow and Tewatum has removed the items from the tomb and found that indeed it is a crystal orb within the velvet pouch whilst the other contains an almost flat rectangular lacquered wooden box.

The box is extremely slim and instead of a lock, it has a metal clasp holding it closed, the clasp designed to resemble a lion's face with two red gems for the eyes. Tewatum has popped the flasks into his own pack whilst Kapow tosses the leather satchel to Ultra Mort with the words, "Books not really my forte."

Ultra Mort peers into the satchel and can see that the book is heavy and is bound in some strange tough hide. On the cover and the spine is embossed the words 'The Book of the Lost'.

Myster Pink is leading the way back to investigate the noise that he heard and has just arrived back in the corridor that connects to the church when he sees movement ahead.

Tewatum and the others are just reaching the top of the stairs and can see that Myster Pink is stood open mouthed. Peering around the corner they see what he is looking at…

It is a figure dressed in highly fashionable and well-tailored black clothing. It has pulled back the cowl of its hooded cloak and the pale face of almost a mirror image of Myster Pink is revealed. The face is not totally identical as the hair is blacker and the eyebrows a little more raised at the sides.

"Greetings brother," it declares with an air of total confidence, "I see you made it!"