"The Promised Pact" (RT2x07) is the nineteenth episode of The Re-Slayer's Take. Faced with the ghostly spore-cloud of Ügel, the Re-Slayers are thrust into one of their deadliest battles yet, that may not only test their limits but could also reshape their destiny forever.
Synopsis[]
Farah immediately attacks Ügel with her crossbow, but the troll dodges the bolts and attacks her with poison, knocking her unconscious. Norbert gives Timpani the blue dagger and the latter uses Healing Word to wake up Farah, who is disappointed because the battle isn't over. A strange green light in the walls attacks with necrotic energy but the red dagger protects Norbert; Heera casts Protection from Evil and Good to help Farah, and the half-elf notices a strange fiendish light as her friend is casting the spell. Meanwhile, Frog hits the troll and Extracts Aspects, learning its resistances, and she notices that the radiant light produced by her gloves is diminished by the necrotic energy in the lair; this same energy, along with the yellow gas, gather around Ügel to restore its energy, and then the troll attacks Frog, being hit once by her as retaliation. Farah shoots at the monster twice, and she also notices how part of the radiant energy is drained by the room. Norbert rages and attacks recklessly, and Timpani, after casting Healing Spirit (in the form of a mole) strikes a pose to activate the blue dagger, which protects him from some of the necrotic energy. Heera, noticing that the lights in the ceiling are the ones interfering with their attacks, uses her new wand to Quicken Darkness, hiding the ceiling and then attacking the troll with Booming Blade, hitting so hard it has to move away. Frog is healed by Timpani's mole, and encouraged by Norbert, detonates the radiant motes of light she has created and releases a wave of powerful wind added by her pink dagger; however, the blast hits the gnome too, and dispels the Darkness, so the monk apologizes and prepares to defend Norbert from Ügel. The troll, after restoring more of its energy, swells and then releases a blast of poisonous gas that engulfes everyone but Heera, causing Timpani to drop the Healing Spirit as he remembers when he brought the Re-Slayers to Vasselheim, and knocking Farah and Norbert unconscious, with the red dagger of the latter turning off as he tries to remember when he started working with the Mega Magic Paladins.
Heera sees all of it happen and senses a presence watching her. Without looking in that direction, the tiefling promises to give him whatever he wants as long as he helps her friends; she feels a dark satisfaction as the chain marks spread through her body, and hears the pleased voice of the Strife Emperor, and an apology from her mother. Everything goes dark for a moment, and Heera's eyes shine with a dark red light, as the portal nearby turns black. With a sulphurous smell, several chains come out of the portal, four to hold the rogue as the others move Norbert and the Re-Slayers away from danger; then, a cyclone of intense flames engulfs Heera and Ügel for five seconds, melting the stone, leaving the tiefling extremely exhausted, and the troll almost destroyed. Seeing her friend exposed, Frog drinks her Potion of Flying and takes her with her, floating away, but the monster chases them and attack the Aeormaton, knocking her unconscious; they fall, and Frog manages to be under her friend to cushion her fall. Timpani uses Mass Cure Wounds to heal everyone, and his blue dagger protects him from the necrotic attack that comes after. Heera, who is too exhausted to move, uses her crossbow to shoot the broken end of her horn, hitting Ügel with it and destroying its skeleton, along with the horn piece. The green lights in the walls absorb the remaining spectral energy, and after admitting he had underestimated them, Heldwell appears in the reflections of the chamber, holding Gurt's green lantern (which Farah recognizes) as he speaks with them from the Ethereal Plane. The wizard starts taunting Heera, and they both argue about their respective dark deals and patrons, with Frog being ignored when she briefly intervenes to insult Grimm; he wonders outloud what would Poogs think if he learned of their connection with a Betrayer God, and shortly after the Re-Slayers lose their patience: Farah tries to break the mirror-like walls, and Timpani uses Mold Earth to make them opaque, causing Heldwell to mock them telling them he can always see where they are. Norbert encourages the Re-Slayers and convinces them to use the power of the daggers to destroy the troll's lair, and as Heldwell says he will come soon, the gnomish barbarian produces a destructive blast of burning energy with his dagger, breaking the walls and dispelling the necrotic energy in the chamber.
Heera wants to sleep, but Timpani carries her as they run away; Frog tells them to keep their eyes open and they listen to her, using the teleportation trap in the stone door to appear outside the cave before the mountain collapses, turning into a caldera as the yellow gas and the spectral glow disappear, and the cloud blocking the sun finally disappears. Then Farah finally admits it was her who dropped the stone that hit Heera while they were climbing, shocking the tiefling.
Featured characters[]
Re-Slayers[]
Returning[]
- Norbert Klott
- Ügel/Oogle the troll (corpse only)
- Grimm Heldwell
- Bane (voice only)
- Heera's mother (voice only)
New[]
Mentioned[]
- Poogs (unnamed)
- Putridius Festerkin
Quotations[]
Trivia[]
References[]
Art:
- ↑ Re-Slayer's Take S2 promotional art, by Elaine Tipping (source). Used with permission.
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