Poisonous Fox

I was running.

Careless, yes. But I needed to vacate the throne room, I needed to vacate the gnoll den altogether. I had my ill-gotten gains, the knapsack, the flagon, and now, I needed to ensure I kept them, along with my life.

“Where is …,” the den mother shrieked in that barking, guttural tongue from behind. I was unable to catch all of it, but it was enough for me to feel justified in my decision to flee.

Soon I was out of the throne room, heading down the hallway between the throne room and the sleeping chamber. Which, I remembered belatedly, originally had contained a sleeping gnoll. The den mother’s shriek could still be heard. Depending on how light the sleeping gnoll slept… I would deal with it when it became relevant.

My left arm itched, again.

Mind: 39 (+1)

A rustle came from ahead, towards the sleeping chamber. Fur brushing stone and fur, claws clacking, and it was approaching. The sleeping gnoll had just become relevant. I heard the gnoll breathing as I reactivated [Camouflage], surrounding myself with a blur that would make me hard to see.

The gnoll came running down the center of the tunnel, directly towards me. Since the tunnel was curved, and only tall enough to stand in the middle, I jumped to the side and clung to the stone. The gnoll ran by, stinking of musk and rotten flesh. Its fur brushed my own on my tail. I almost gagged at the sticky sensation. The gnoll slowed, almost pausing. The den mother shrieked again. The gnoll slapped itself in the head and stumbled back into a run, quickly passing out of sight.

I hopped down from the wall and began jogging towards my escape. I figured I could outrun the gnolls, so with them all behind me, I just needed to get out and free of the den before anymore gnolls showed up, wondering why their boss was sounding the alarm.

Back through the sleeping chambers, back down to the first split in the passage, and soon, the exit to the den was in sight.

I had yet to encounter any other gnolls, and I could almost taste the freedom.

Just ahead there would–should–be the glow of light (and when compared to the tunnels, even the faint diffuse starlight filtering through an overcast sky would be bright). I had it all planned out, once I reached the exit, I would drop to all fours, degrading as it was, but with a burst of speed, a winding course through the craggy hills, an Illusion, a hiding spot… soon, I would be free to taste the flagon, and try the roots and tubers within the knapsack… soon. At least, that had been the plan.

But there was an oddity that caused me to slow to a stop before I reached the exit.

Where there should have been the glow of the night, the whistling wind, there was not.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The fur on my tail bristled. My ears stood high at alert.

I heard it.

A burble.

The ooze. The very same creature that had killed Nick Delaney, that had doggedly pursued me through the canyon, that had climbed the cliff, that had followed my trail, that had now found me, cornered me.

It was obstructing the entryway to the cavern. It nearly filled the entire tunnel, with little clearance space above it.

Motherswear it! Proper ladies never swear but by all that is good I felt this was a perfect time to swear, so motherswear it!

Despite the fatigue, despite the litany of ill-humored thoughts, the instant I confirmed that the ooze was obstructing the exit, plans began to form. First, I needed to get away from the ooze. It was throwing tendrils forward and crawling further into the tunnel.

I turned and began running. I heard barking shouts from up ahead. The gnolls, of course. Because of course, they would be there. Just my luck. My hackles still raised, joined a subconscious growl, just barely audible. When I realized I was growling, I promptly stopped. Nothing changed. I hoped.

“Protect …!” the den mother shouted, her bark echoing down the tunnel.

It seemed they had not heard me. And the ooze already knew I was here. No loss then. Though I would need to take care in the future, to avoid giving away my position at inopportune moments.

I reached the first intersection, to the left was the awful wretched scent, and to the right was the way I had already explored. The second part of my plan, I needed to find a distraction, and the space to maneuver around the ooze. I had seen two rooms that could provide the space, and I had a decent idea for the distraction.

I headed right.

But as I came to the intersection after that, I heard footsteps pounding towards me from up ahead. Likely, the den mother and her two gnolls were coming to battle the ooze. I swore again, and wished fervently that the gnolls survived. Better them than the tireless ooze.

Yet, there was little I could do to influence the battle, other than alerting them to my presence, which would then spoil my escape. And as all three of the gnolls were heading my way, and as the ooze was pursuing from somewhere behind me, I had little recourse but to take the branching pathway, towards the mewling yips I had heard earlier, all while holding an Illusion active to conceal me.

Down this new tunnel, I found my path sealed by a wooden door.

A locked wooden door.

The footsteps were quickly approaching. The tunnel was not wide enough to guarantee the gnolls would pass by unnoticed. I pulled out my torque and lockpick, costing five seconds. I set the torque to the lock and felt the pins. Three of them, same as the chest. It might even be the same key as the chest, though I could not verify without from touch alone. I popped all three pins, costing ten seconds.

The gnolls reached the intersection and turned down the same tunnel I had, just behind me.

The lock tumbled open; I pushed the door open and slipped inside.

“... pups?” the den mother barked from maybe fifteen feet away, though distance was hard to tell from the way sound bounced off the tunnel walls. She was close though. Too much so.

I lacked the time to relock the door. Abandoning it, I jumped to the side and clung to the wall, partway up towards the ceiling, and taking full advantage of my ability to climb surfaces without pre-existing handholds. I modified my Illusion, to better match the partially lit interior. I held my breath. I would not have been able to maintain this Illusion for much longer, and it had been running since I had started running.

Castigating myself, and realizing I only had seconds left on my Illusion, I prayed and hoped for the best.

One of the gnoll’s eyes scanned over where I was hidden, but given the speed at which their eyes passed by, it was clear they had not seen me. There was little space to hide in the room, with nothing to obstruct vision.

And yet, I was running out of the spiritual energy that powered my Illusion.

My knife weighed heavily upon my hip as I hung from the wall.

The den mother locked the door while the third gnoll headed towards the center of the room, where there, in the center of the room, was a small mound of dirt and rotting plantlike material, and atop that, were several smaller gnolls, which were playing by gnawing upon bleached bones.

Belatedly, I realized they were cubs, kids.

This was a gnoll nursery, as surreal as that thought was. I shuddered.

Seconds left on my Illusion. If I was going to attack, I would need to do so now. Otherwise, I would stick out from the gloom and be readily seen. The only saving grace was that the lighting in the room was incredibly dim, and the smeared on luminescent residue had not been applied to the upper walls, leaving the shadow thicker where I hid.

Those were my two real options: continue hiding without my Illusion while my energy recharged, or, attempt to defeat all three gnolls.

My left arm itched. So, so irritating!

Spirit: 41 (+1)

But the gnolls really had yet to wound me, and while they had certainly chased me with malicious intent, that did not warrant death. And who would take care of the pups if the ooze came this way?

Both options were risky, but only one of them left me with a clear conscience. The choice was easy.

My Illusion expired, I continued hanging from the wall, hoping that I would go unnoticed, that I would not have to resort to violence. And so, tense and ready for a fight at a moment’s notice, I remained hanging from the wall.

“Why … ?” the den mother barked.

The headache I had from listening to them continued, but the spike of agony had receded to a tolerable level of migraine.

“No know,” the sentry gnoll responded. “Came direct. No pause. No chase. No know.”

“Bad,” the Den Mother coughed. She was pacing the room on all fours, scratching the dirt with her long yellowed claws. “Humans?”

“No see,” the sentry answered.

The den mother growled, then pointed at the gnoll who had been sleeping. “Sloth. Go check.”

“... ?” the gnoll, apparently titled sloth, asked with a cough and a shrug.

The den mother snarled and took a step towards Sloth, causing Sloth to flinch back.

“I go!”

He picked his way slowly to the door and glanced back at the Den Mother.

She came closer, pulled a key out from a strip of leather around her neck, and unlocked the door, sending Sloth out.

Sloth paused in the doorway.

“What … me scent?” Sloth asked.

I was unable to catch the full meaning of it. Parts of their language still eluded me.

The Den Mother growled, “then run!” She took a half-hearted swipe at him. “You go!”

Sloth yelped and hurried away, leaving the nursery behind.

The den mother once more closed the door and locked it, then resumed her pacing. Every time she turned on my side of the room, every time she turned in her pacing, and was momentarily facing my direction, my heart leapt up my throat. By some scant miracle, I avoided her discovery. It was by luck or good fortune alone, for my own atrocious planning had led me to this point.

I kept expecting them to find me, to smell me, as I could not help but smelling their disgusting scent.

But they did not. I had some ideas as to why, but nothing solid.

It felt like hours, but in truth, just minutes at most. Soon there was a slap on the door. I flinched. The den mother turned her full attention upon the door, along with the other gnoll.

Athleticism (1/9): Climbing (3/9) (+1)

“Let in!” Sloth barked from the otherside of the door.

“Where it?” the den mother demanded, not moving to unlock the door.

“Sit Room! Let in! Let in!” Sloth demanded, ending in a whine.

“No lie?” the Den Mother asked.

“No! Hurry!” Sloth shouted back.

The Den Mother unlocked the door and held it open, before poking her head out to verify. Soon, she allowed Sloth to rush back in. But to Sloth’s surprise, the Den Mother did not re-close the door.

“Grab pups,” the Den Mother said. “We run.”

“Retreat?” Sloth asked.

Meanwhile the sentry went to gather the pups. There were three of them. The sentry brought one over and handed it to Sloth and held it out until Sloth reluctantly held it. Sloth’s arms trembled with the strain. The sentry went back and grabbed the other two pups, who were about the same size as the first. This time, the sentry carried one in each arm.

“I take lead,” the Den Mother barked, “follow.”

She stepped out from the room, with the other two following. The door shut once they were out, and I heard the lock click into place, before their heavy footsteps receded into the distance.

Stealth (1/9): Trackless Tracks (2/9) (+1)

A sigh of relief burst from my lips. I hurried to the door and pressed my ear to it. I did not hear anyone outside, but that was no sure proof of their absence. However, I doubted the door would provide much safety against the ooze. It could likely dissolve the wood, just like it dissolved flesh.

With my decision made, I picked the lock, breaking my earlier record at around seven seconds, and I proceeded to escape. I ran to the intersection, listened for any activity, heard the burble from further into the gnoll den, from the throne room. Perfect. The way to the exit was clear. I made my way to the next intersection, where the awful, rank, just awful, path branched off. I chose to keep moving towards the exit.

While I came closer to the exit, I slowed into a crouch, implementing my hard earned stealth. It felt easier than before, not that it was particularly difficult before, but it was still easier now than before. My tail seemed to counterbalance each step. My feet felt lighter, and I did not have to struggle so hard to keep my toe claws from clacking on the stone.

Soon, I saw the faint glow of the outside night up ahead, the exit to the tunnel. I slowed even further, straining my senses.

Gnolls were chuffing and barking outside, beyond the entrance, likely waiting in ambush of the ooze, though I was uncertain what they thought they could accomplish out there that they could not within the tunnels. Unless they hoped to avoid getting cornered, which was reasonable. I shuddered at the thought of being trapped at a dead end with the ooze approaching; I had just narrowly avoided such a situation. I could appreciate the gnolls’ concern, if that was indeed their concern.

However, despite those possible shared sympathies, there was an issue: the gnolls were arrayed in an arc and facing the entrance. There were more than the three of them, which meant several of the adult gnolls had returned from their patrols, possibly recalled early. While there was still space between the gnolls, easily enough for me to pass through, the night was not dark enough to guard my passage through their ranks. And even if they by chance failed to see me, they would smell me, or hear me, as I crept through between them.

So no, I would not be able to sneak through them. That would be a last resort.

I paused to think. I had time before the ooze caught up. At least I hoped so. What were my options? I could wait for the ooze and slip out ahead of it, using it as a distraction. But that risked getting near the ooze. Images flashed through my head of Nick Delaney getting eaten alive by that monster. No. I would not be going anywhere near that thing.

But, a thought occurred to me.

I did not necessarily need the ooze to create a distraction. In fact, I had so many options available, limited by my imagination. The ooze was large though, and when I had practiced earlier, the largest Illusion I could form was about my size. I could perhaps create an Illusion of a mute and scentless infantile ooze, but I doubted the gnolls would believe it.

But, just because the ooze was beyond me, did not mean that a different distraction would not work. And as I already knew that the gnolls suspected humans were involved. Could I create a convincing image of a human? Did I have enough time to master it? Humans were complex as well, and they were more complex than just the aura I shrouded myself with to camouflage myself.

But, I thought there were options. I just needed to practice, and pray I had enough time before the ooze caught up.

Blessings: Rank (1/9)

Body: 32

Mind: 39 (+1)

Spirit: 41 (+1)

Talents:

Athleticism (1/9):

Climbing (3/9) (+1)

Stealth (1/9)

Trackless Tracks (2/9) (+1)

Closed (1/9)

Spells:

Illusion (3/9)

Closed (0/9)

Closed (0/9)

Gifts:

Obsession (2/9)

Closed (0/9)

Closed (0/9)