Ghaiogrilb loses 200 Stability due to Eternal Hunger!
Howard: 84 + 55 (Tranquil + Marine) + 60 (Zen + Marine) – 10 (Broken Ribs) + 20 (Charge) + 40 (Annihilator) – 45 (Tendrils) + 74 (Ana) = 225
Ghaiogrilb: 85 + 50 (Feed) + 30 (Eldritch) + 45 (Tendrils) – 80 (FEED!) - 40 (Amulet) – 65 (Eternal Hunger) – 35 (Survivor) = -10
Steps.
That's what gets you closer to the monstrosity in front of you.
Just simple, little steps.
Two tendrils come at you, both at angles to make them difficult to dodge.
You take one step forward, turn your body sideways, and wait.
They fly past you, barely nicking the hair on your chin.
You keep stepping forward as the tendrils that attacked you retract. They're slower now, evidence that your opponent is getting weaker by the second.
Another tendril is sent straight at you, it's pitch black skin filling your vision. The gnashing, viscous mouths have not slowed in their movements. You can hear the grinding of their teeth as they rocket towards you.
You take one step to the right, letting the appendage fly past.
You keep walking forward.
As this dance repeats itself, the monster attacking and you making minute movements to dodge, you study every aspect of the enemy you can. Every inch of their melting form, every small movement of the tongues in its gaping mouths, the twitching of the antennae on its head, and its struggle as the chains around its body continue to constrain it.
Your brain works overtime just to find one, simple thing; a weakness.
Because, even with Weston's help, you couldn't kill this thing.
No matter how much anger you put into it, no matter how many times you hit it, it wouldn't die...under normal circumstances.
However, the one thing you need to end this monster is already on its body.
You'll have to thank Volkar for that later.
By now you're close enough to the Eldritch to see how far you've pushed it. The chains around its body have embedded themselves. Smoke rises from the bright blue metal, black ichor dripping from their sides. The mouths across the creature's body all have their tongues out, lapping away the air in attempt to gain a bit of sustenance from it. What could pass for its head droops to one side as it "stares," the black text fading in and out of existence across its frame.
You look the creature up and down, not worried about any kind of retaliation. You're close enough that it can't counter attack without putting itself in danger. You stand tall, your back straight, your mouth set, and feet planted.
You return the monster's stare...then sigh while shaking your head.
"Under normal circumstances, I would feel sorry for you," you lift your right hand up while bending your elbow back. You don't know if this thing can understand what you're saying, but that doesn't matter. If it won't understand your words, it will understand your actions.
"While I don't know where you came from, or how long you've been here, I can understand one thing; how it feels to have people invade your home," its head remains cocked to the side as you move your right hand forward.
"Just one day, out of the blue, a bunch of people show up to your home and uproot your whole life. You probably don't want trouble or anything, you just want these people to get out of your home. Because of that, I would feel sorry for you," you let one finger rest against its chest...right on the smooth surface of the Amulet.
The creature realizes what you're doing much too late.
"However," you say as you start to push the Amulet deeper into the monster's body. There's very little resistance as the pliable flesh makes way for the old stone trinket. You keep your voice as calm as possible as you continue, "there are many things that you have done that prevent me from feeling that way. The first being, that you tried to kill me and my friends."
You add a second finger and push the Amulet in deeper.
"Second, you killed and ate children," you add two more fingers, now elbow deep in the monster's chest.
Behind you the tendrils have gone still, flopping onto the ground with all the life drained from them.
"But, above all else," you draw your hand back slightly, turn your palm up, then grip the entire amulet.
The monster "stares" you in the face one last time.
You meet it with the coldest gaze you can manage, as you speak with the calmness and edge that only one type of person can manage:
A father.
"You tried. To hurt. My. Daughter."
You shove your arm upwards.
There's the sound of flesh tearing.
(90 + 65 = 155 Stability Lost)
You stand there, your entire arm slammed upward into the monster's chest.
Then you calmly extricate yourself from it.
You take two steps back.
The things on the creature's head twitch one last time.
Blue chains erupt out of it's skin, wrapping themselves around it's entire body. It screams even as the burning, azure metal encases the mouths that cover its form. All attempts to feed on the chains end with their teeth shattered and tongues torn away. Soon the chains begin to wrap themselves around the tendrils as well. The smell of burning refuse infest the air around you, but you do not falter.
Your eyes remain glued to the burning mound of flesh.
You watch as it is encased in a prison that will be its end.
You watch as its body is burned, flaking away into the ether to never be seen again.
You watch as an Eldritch dies.
And, as quickly as it began, it's over.
The only thing left over is the shattered form of the Amulet on the ground.
(Amulet of Mantorok Lost!)
You wait a few more minutes before you take in a deep, deep breath.
As it leaves your body, so too does all the tension.
The sound of a whistle makes you turn towards the stairway. There you see the Harrowmont family watching over the proceedings. Specifically, you see Chester and Mauve waving at you excitedly. Both are little worse for wear, with only a few cuts and bruises here and there. Behind them, coming down the steps, is Volkar with Barbara carrying him. His right side is extremely damaged, with his leg and arm hanging limply at his side.
This does nothing to stop him from lifting up his injured arm and giving you a thumbs up.
You see Olly's hand waving to you from behind the rock you placed her against.
Weston steps forward, places a hand on your shoulder, and gives you a nod that says everything he wants to without words.
You stare at all your friends in turn and nod to each and everyone of them.
Then everything goes black and the last thing you remember is the feeling of sand getting into your eyes.
This is the end of part 1, I plan to put everything else in a coming update. So, just hold tight!
Hope you all enjoy!