18th Malachite, 125
Today was boring and uneventful. Nothing happened at all. It's strangely comforting. I slept in the mountains.
I long for a tavern where Cog can rest for a moment and allow nothing to happen. There is something strangely comforting about the nothingness, the gaps between the intensity
Oh god, you are so gonna get eaten by a giant cave spider.
I hope not. I'm not even sure I'm fast enough to run away from one... Do giant cave spiders make audible sounds when they climb? I fear I will not be able to hear such an ambush predator if it is not approaching me, but descending upon me.
I mean, you're gonna spend weeks getting out of webs you randomly walk into before finding one, but oh yes, it'll happen.
I did not factor in webs before making this decision. I fear I have now made a poor life choice
Remember though: set the cave moss under the SPIDER on fire before trying to burn the webs under yourself away.
That's true, at least I still have fire
'Once upon a time there was a Dwarf called Medtob Masteredceiling. He was King of the Infinite Cheerful Crafts. He was killed by the forgotten beast Asnan Skullmines. The end.' Cog told his tales with expert proficiency, excising all the pomp and nonsense to get to the true story beneath. Lesana was visibly sickened, cursing that her superior memory would likely burden her with this butchery of lore forever. She now welcomed the inevitability of death.
'What did you think?' Cog asked.
'The story was... Interesting.' Lesana replied.
Thus Cog retold the story again, much to the protestation of Lesana. Eventually the tale-telling stopped and Cog began sorting out his inventory for the trek south or the descent into the caves. Anything that couldn't be used or wasn't light and valuable was left at the mouth of the cave, Cog then approached Lesana to announce the journey plan.
'Are you going to tell more stories?' Lesana asked, concern knitted in her face.
'No, we are just going to scout the cave and then camp here for the night. On the morrow - we descend!' Cog replied. Together they mapped out the cave's interior, the whole complex seemingly empty and secure.
'So how's the family?' Cog asked.
'My eldest son is married to some unknown creature. I do not wish to talk about it.' Lesana replied.
'It happens, you hear it all the time with impressionable 80 year old Elves running off with night creatures-'
'-Not talking about it. It is terrifying.'
'Well then, are you enjoying this adventure?'
'This is the life for me.'
'It sure is dark down here,' Cog said.
'Aren't you blind?' Lesana asked, concerned.
'Seek the great beast of comedy and kill it Lesana. Lesana?' Cog heard Lesana draw her wooden sword and shield as she leapt ahead, Cog continued sneaking around the cave wall trying to figure out what had just occurred, and whether he should be fleeing now.
The Round-chin Ettin and Lesana both exclaimed in the loudest roars 'I have defeated many fearsome opponents!' Their warcries echoing throughout the cave. Cog thought Lesana was insane and as good as dead, picking a fight with a two-headed warrior that was twelve times her size. He snuck past the melee pausing only to pick up some sort of flower along the way, when he was stopped dead in his track by an unusual sound - the ettin screaming for help. Somehow, Lesana was winning.
Cog dropped his supplies and drew his warhammer, charging into the fray. Try as he might however, the beast was too tough! Cog's warhammer failed to do more than bruise muscle, he could not strangle the two-headed beast to death nor did it seem to bleed to death or have a hide weak enough to tear. Lesana's wooden sword lacerated the ettin grievously but could not land a killing blow. The battle would be lost when the Ettin caught Lesana by the leg and broke her right knee; unable to maneuvre around the superior bulk of the ettin, she was thrown into a wall and killed. The Ettin turned its attention to Cog who had no means of seriously wounding it, whilst a single strike from the Ettin would slay Cog. Picking up Lesana's shield Cog ran to a lower level where he hid his supplies and began sneaking away. The Ettin blocked the only exit and was descending down the ramp for him, Cog had no choice but to go lower.
He reached moss and knew at once what this all meant. The cool breeze of a climate, the squawks and scurrying of things larger than him, the rich smell of mulch, decay and rebirth - this was the caverns.
The only way out was to find another cave.
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Topic: Cog the blind Drunk (Read 88168 times)