ic Curse of the Swamp Hag

[Poncho]

"You got it! One punch coming up!" Michael yelled as he dashed forward and pulled back his right arm. It lit up like a star as he gathered up energy into it, and then he swung and went...immensely wide, doing nothing but sending swampy water and muck flying through the air.

 

"Gonna have to try that again!" he yelled apologetically as he tried to right himself to focus on the Crococonda.

[Supercape]

GM

 

The Crococonda was large, but no slower for it. the snake-crocodile swished this way, swished that way, darting with the speed of a snake and the ferocity of a crocodile. Who would have guessed?

 

Every movement of its body sent splashes of water cascading over both of the heroes. Professor Armitage and Mr Dickens did their best to hide behind rocks and stalactites, but the cover was limited, and the Crococonda could snap through the spires like they were twigs. 

 

And all the while, the shrunken head was wailing! A wail that splintered straight into the soul like a demented drill. Armitage seemed unaffected, but Mr Dickens was clutching his ears and his heart!

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff 

 

Blackstaff tried to keep the wail out, but it managed to creep in. The unearthly cry rattled him, but she managed to keep her stomach from completely rebelling.

 

She tried again to focus on the giant creature. Again and again it twisted and flailed, lashing out at them, forcing the duo to dodge. It made it difficult to aim and her spell once again missed its mark.

[Poncho]

"I got it this time!" Golden Star yelled as he seized on the creature trying to lunge at Blackstaff by leaping to throw a punch at it, but it retracted faster than he expected, and he swung through empty air and unbalanced himself, tipping forward through the murky swamp water as he twisted back around.

 

"Okay, I didn't got it. I'm not used to fighting giant snakes." he mumbled.

 

"Dickens, do I need to get you out of here!?" he yelled at the man, concerned for his wellbeing but also unsure what to do about this creature he could not strike.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"My heart! Aaaagh!" screamed Dickens, his lament of anguish and despair echoing around the cave, almost drowning out the wail of the undead head. 

 

Splish-splash-splish-splash went his feet, pelting out of the cave. 

 

"You should have let me have the wreath!" he shouted back at them. 

 

"Idiot!" muttered Armitage, rolling his eyes at his thief. 

 

Crococonda was too fast, too slippery, for the heroes. Perhaps its was the water splashing around, getting in eyes and ensircling feat. And in a flash of crococonda-speed the hybrid beast had slammed into Golden Star, its coils wrapping around the young hero threatening a deadly embrace....

 

 

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

The continued wailing was beginning to irritate the wizard. Hands pressed over her ears, she felt the growing surge of magical energy. Mentally she gathered up the energy and focused it like a hammer. There were too many other potential unknown magics so she needed to be selective in her effort.

 

She didn’t have to look at the wailing head to drop the proverbial hammer, but she glanced at it anyways. The force of her will bringing the disruptive magical energy to bare on it in an attempt to end the wailing magic it was spewing out.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Ahhhh! Torment! Torm----"

 

The screaming wails of the tiny dessicated head stopped. 

 

"---you stopped it?" came a confused, hoarse voice. 

 

"...The Torment is....over!!!!"

 

The last vestigal echoes of the horrible wails bounced of the damp cave walls, to everyones relief. 

 

But the Crococonda paid no heed one way or another! Its coils started to crush Golden Star...

[Poncho]

Michael was being crushed! Squeezed! Constricted! He was seeing spots before his eyes!

 

And it was making him mad. He wasn't going to die to some snake, some stupid beast, before he even got to do anything heroic! He was Golden Star, and he was better than that!

 

So he flexed his muscles and the voice that came out of his mouth was ragged and rough, but filled with the anger of a razor sharp blade glowing red hot.

 

"LET...ME...GO. STUPID....SNAKE!" he screamed, flexing as best he could

[Supercape]

GM

 

The head was silenced, and it looked very much like the mighty crococonda could not speak inthe first place. 

 

It did a very good hiss, though. 

 

And the constriction of its coils spoke volumes. As in, they caused the volume of space to reduce. Lamentably, there was someone in that volume of space, and that person was Golden Star!

 

Would his ribs crack under the strain?....

 

And the Crococonda took a good look at Blackstaff. 

 

And licked its crocodile lips!

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

The wail cut off and it was a blessing, the echo of it trailing off. Blackstaff turned her attention back to the monstrous creature. It still held the boy in its coils. She gritted her teeth and changed tactics.

 

Reaching out with her hand she made a grabbing motion at the wall. At the same time her will reached out as well. She felt the firmness of the earth and smirked.

“Maybe I will try my hand at the whole punching thing.”

Making a fist, she swung at the air in front of her. At the same time, a massive fist of earth and stone erupted from the cave wall. It slammed into the side of the creature’s head, dazing it.

[Supercape]

GM

 

The enormous crococodna convulsed with the shock of a half ton of earthy fist. The sheer force send ripples down all thirty feet of its scaled die. The crocodile head opened wide, and the serpentine tongue fell out, sliding around quite stunned. The eyes were too black to be sure, but it looked quite like they were cartwheeling in opposite directions. 

 

With such a massive  blow, the coils that wound around Golden Star fell loose, allowing the teen hero to move again. 

 

The cave started creaking omminously; stalegtites fell to the ground. Perhaps it was the massive crococonda's powerful writhing. Maybe it was Blackstaff's stone fist...

 

Cracks appeared on the ceiling. 

 

"I am no geologist," said Armitage. "But that is not good. Perhaps Mr Dickens should have kept the Golden Wreath after all..."

[Poncho]

As the crocodile finally let him go, Michael was still way too dizzy and trying to catch his breath to do anything, so he stumbled around, cradling his bruised and damaged ribs with tremendous care as rocks fell around them.

 

"No! We can handle this!" he grunted as he tried to catch his breath. "We can beat this thing, and then get out of here. Trust me!" he said, groaning in pain even as he said it, but with his teeth gritted and an absolute refusal to give up and let this go.

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

Blackstaff sighed in relief as the giant monster collapsed, freeing Golden Star as it fell limp. She honestly hoped she hadn’t killed to poor thing. It was never her intention to kill.

She had no time to ponder on it though as the cave began to shake and tremble. 

 

She cursed herself for not being more careful, though honestly it could have been the thing’s flailing around as easily was her own attack. Blackstaff quickly saw they have mere seconds before what was above them was on top of them.

With a motion, the earthen hand shifted to hold up the roof. It wouldn’t be enough though.

 

Blackstaff made a series of complicated hand gestures.

“Terta’ge’acht!”

Spreading her fingers wide, she threw her hands out forward and the first crumbled. But even as it did, it was already reshaping, forming into a stone lattice-like arch that spread back towards the entrance as well as down the tunnel.

[Poncho]

Finally released, finally free, Michael snarled a bit animalistically as he managed to finally catch his breath. If Blackstaff was supporting the cave, then that meant he could focus on the crocodile! He pulled back and threw another punch at the crocodile, but it went wide again; he was having an incredibly difficult time just connecting with a punch on this thing, and it was starting to wear on him; how could he hope to do anything if all he was doing was swinging uselessly at a crocodile in the middle of a cursed swamp!?

 

"Stay still! You stupid...scaly...thing!"

Edited February 26 by Poncho

[Supercape]

GM

 

The Crococonda's writhing movements saved it, once again. Quick, it was, quick and cunning. It had that Fox like intellect; not intelligent, not by human measure, but somehow it had an animals spinal intelligence. 

 

Golden Stars mighty blow missed. 

 

The Crococonda hissed. Green fumes eeked from between its teeth, and the serpentine tongue flashed forward once, twice, thrice. 

 

With an inhalation, and a poweful exhalation, a torrent of poisonous green vapours came from the beasts mouth. In but a moment, the entire cave was filled with gas!

 

"Oooh... I don't feel so well..." complained Armitage, before collapsing in a heap, and knocking his head resoundly on a cave wall. 

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

With the cavern not about to collapse on them, Blackstaff relaxed a moment. But it was short lived when she realized the Crococanda was still conscious. 

“Shit!”

She cursed as noxious fumes escaped its clenched teeth. She coughed and covered her mouth. For a moment the world swam before her eyes but she fought back and shook it clear.

A glance showed her Golden Star had managed to shake off the effects as well. Professor Armitage on the other hand, had not.

They need to put a stop to the now.

 

“Pro’thioso Eshalco!”

 

Chains of earth and stone erupt out of the ground, attempting to wrap around the monster and bind it.

[Supercape]

GM

 

Somehow, the slimy crococonda twisted at just the right (or wrong depending on your perspective) time. 

 

It bent at precisely the right angle. 

 

It squirmed at exactly the best position. 

 

And somehow it was free of the chains of earth and stone. It had wriggled through them like a worm through mud!

 

A crocodile cant smile - or perhaps it is always smiling. But the way it looked at blackstaff, the way its serpentine tongue licked. 

 

Well, that was a gloat if ever there was one. 

[Poncho]

"Hey!" It wasn't really a shout before a punch; the fist was already swirling through the air at the back of the Crococanda's head as he was yelling.

 

"Don't ignore me!" and then his fist connected with the back of the creature's head as it was licking it's lips, pinching the creature's serpentine tongue between it's teeth as Michael sunk his fist into the creature's skull. His fist was smoking as he withdrew it and the creature crumbled into the water, and he shook it as it felt rather numb now.

"How do you like that." he mumbled to it before moving over to check on the professor.

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

For a moment, Blackstaff began to worry as the giant crocodile-snake abomination writhed it’s way out of her earthen chains. She stared it down as it seemed to turn its attention on her. 

 

Suddenly Golden Star cried out and delivered a blow. A blow that finally knocked the beast out. Blackstaff swallowed, realizing her mouth was dry. 

“Well now, nice shot!”

She gave the boy a thumbs up. Licking her lips and exhaled a breath before remembering the professor.

 

“Professor!”

She called out as she ran over to the old man. Checking his breathing and pulse, she tried to revive him.

[Supercape]

GM

 

The Croconda was down, its writhing tight body now limp. It floated in the cave water, soundly dispensed with. 

 

"Hmm... what.... umph...." mumbled the Professor as he awoke. "What happened?"

 

Armitage must have been in his seventies, and yet he had some form of wiry constitution-or maybe his brain was sufficiently powerful that even discombobulated by concussion its as still astute. He took in the scene with one wry look. 

 

"You felled the beast! Very admirable. What creature was that? A mythological hybrid, perhaps. Snake, crocodile. Part Mayan, part Egyptian... how odd...."

 

From outside the cave, the two heroes could hear an outboard motor, some lights...

 

Someone was approaching!

[Poncho]

"I have no idea, but if you want samples you should be careful, it was really tough. And you need to be careful. I don't want you to get hurt after all that." Michael smiled as he peered up at the motor and lights. "Hello!? We're down here! We have a senior citizen who might need a little assistance if you can help us!" he called loudly as he made sure Armitage was okay.

 

"And...uh...thanks, Mister...miss Blackstaff. I know I didn't show myself off very well there, but hey, I at least did something there at the end. Thanks for holding up the ceiling, and stuff. But we should probably get out of here, right?" he asked. He still didn't really know anything about magic, after all.

[Spacefurry]

Blackstaff

 

It was a relief when the professor came around. It tended to be bad for business if your client died in the middle of the job, not always, but most of the time at least.

 

She gave Professor Armitage a shake of her head.

“I couldn’t tell you. At least not without taking time to examine it and probably call on some ‘outside help’. I’d rather not stick around that long though. Can’t be sure it isn't just napping or playing dead.”

 

The sound of an outboard caught her attention and Blackstaff stood up. Turning to face the direction of the lights, she moved closer to the mouth of the cave to get a better look at the newcomer. 

 

“Just ‘Blackstaff’ is fine, or Mr. Daye if you feel so inclined.”

She paused for a moment.

“Though I suppose Miss Daye wouldn’t be inappropriate at the moment.”

She offered, glancing at Golden Star then back towards the lights.

“And you did fine. Not every challenge you face will be easy. Sometimes you’ll fail once or twice before you succeed.”

Blackstaff added.

“And sometimes you’ll get dirty doing it.”

She joked as the two of them stood there covered in grime and swamp water now.

 

“It probably would be better to get Professor Armitage to safety. If you need to leave as well, I understand. But I need to find the source of this disruption. And the source of the cursed items.”

[Poncho]

"I'll take the professor out at least. I'm not much good at magic, but I'll be back as soon as the Professor is safe." Michael said, gently lifting the old man up to carry him out of the cave. "Come on Professor, seems like there might have been someone coming to get us anyway. I'll come back atter he is safe, Blackstaff." Michael said as he left the cave with the professor.

[Supercape]

GM

 

Professor Armitage was clearly dazed and concussed, but he could be lead by the hand as he mumbled how he was absolutely fine, he was in full possession of his faculties, and how the unnamable one of the yellow sign would reclaim his throne on earth and fill the cosmos with unimaginable darkness. 

 

Outside, there was a motorboat with a grumbling motor, bobbing up and down. Four men of chinese heritage, all wearing sharp blacksuits, bobbed inside. They were unarmed, as far as Golden Star could see. 

 

Inside the boat, a half dozen wooden boxes. 

 

"Who you?" demanded the man at the wheel in fair English, albeit with a noticeable Cantonese accent. 

 

"You aren't here for goods, are you?"

[Poncho]

"...What?" He looked at the men, then back at the cave in confusion. "What goods?"

 

He looked at the boxes, then the cave again.

 

"...Are you the ones dumping that garbage in that cave? You should really stop doing that! Some of those old nintendo games are supposed to be classics or something, like Majora's Mask or whatever." he wagged his finger at them disappointingly.

 

"Also you somehow made a big scary crocodile snake thing, and it almost killed me, and worse than that, it hurt the professor here! Look at him! He's far too frail to be dealing with such things! Help me put him in your boat so he can rest, he needs a doctor and a good rest." he wasn't angry, he was...disapproving. Immensely.