[Open Class] Critters and Contracts [Brenley]

[Smerdle]

The reaper tried to summon his own weapons, but they wouldn't come. The creature lashed out again and so did he.

HP: 23/40
Damage: 4
Boss HP: 42/50  

[Smerdle]

Bren managed to regain his footing as the fog licked at his heels, ready to strike back with his full weaponless strength when he was hit again.

HP: 18/40
Damage: 6
Boss HP: 36/50  

[Smerdle]

It wasn't enough. He knew it wasn't and for a moment, Brenley thought about impaling himself on the damned pliers just to prove a point. He wasn't brave enough to do so, but in that brief stretch, he wished he was. He eyed the pair of giant pliers that still lay in front of him, the first pair he had seen, and he bent over to touch them, leaving himself open to attack. The fog whipped at his back, drawing out a hiss of pain.

HP: 13/40
Damage: 1
Boss HP: 35/50  

[Smerdle]

Brenley lunged forward this time, grabbing the pliers before the fog could land another hit. He brandished them in front of him, jabbing at everything that came close, his breath coming in jagged scrapes that began to sound like laughter.

HP: 8/40
Damage: 7
Boss HP: 28/50  

[Smerdle]

It wasn't long before his giddy revulsion didn't just sound like laughter, it was laughter. He stabbed and stabbed, driving the fog back, all the while dwarfed by the quetzalcoatl that hovered just behind him.

HP: 3/40
Damage: 6
Boss HP: 22/50  

[Smerdle]

He was almost done. The room was nearly clear, and Brenley was very, very tired. He didn't respond when he felt a light tapping on his shoulder, he just continued dispelling the fog until he felt something sharp slide into his throat just above the hollow of his throat.

The boil looked down, not all that surprised to see the pliers that jutted from his skin. His hands were empty, save for the blood that spattered them, but he knew he had done this to himself.

His lesson had yet to be learned.

HP: explodo
Damage: 10
Boss HP: 12/50  

[Smerdle]

attempt 2

Brenley woke up back in the white room, his cheek pressed against the smooth, cold floor. He was still wearing his shimmering dress, though at the moment, the skirt portion was hiked up around his waist. One of his slippers was missing as well, and something was nibbling at his toes with a mindless intensity. He kicked at it as he scraped himself back onto his feet, but once he was upright again, the creature continued chewing. The pliers lay at his feet, in the spot he had just vacated. He ran his hands across the sheer blue fabric covering his chest. There was no blood.

His weapons, which had come so easily to him the first time he had arrived, still wouldn't manifest. With a faint sigh, Brenley picked up the giant pliers and jumped back into the vortex.

Waves Defeated: 0/5
HP: 37/40  

[Smerdle]

The music had been pleasantly absent when he had been unconscious, but now it flared to life, filling the cramped hall with its disturbing melody once more. The creature that had followed him from the white room was still present, and in a sudden burst of movement, Bren swiped it aside. It hit the wall with a shriek and was gone an instant later. Several others tried to take its place, but he dispatched those as well, limping on with determination.

Waves Defeated: 1/5
HP: 34/40  

[Smerdle]

The fog flowed sluggishly past his feet, giving the creatures there added incentive to attack. He cut them down like he had the others, kicking off his other shoe after he did so. It was doing him no good. Maybe this time, not being forced to think about his clothing would mean the difference between passing and dissipating.

Waves Defeated: 2/5
HP: 31/40  

[Smerdle]

He continued moving forward at a steady pace, dissipating the attacking creatures as he went. The way forward seemed longer this time, devoid of anything that could hurt him. No, the real threat would come at the end of all of this. He was determined not to lose.

"Sorry Pachua," he muttered, grasping the pliers in both hands.

Waves Defeated: 3/5 (reaper bonus)
HP: 28/40  

[Smerdle]

The deformed animals grew more agitated the farther Brenley traveled down the hall, and his brief peace was shattered before he had gone another thirty feet.

Luckily, he was in the mood for a fight... or maybe he was just tired. Bren swung wide, throwing his attackers off of him in a messy arc. It might not have been elegant, but at least they were gone.

Waves Defeated: 4/5
HP: 25/40  

[Smerdle]

They didn't stay gone, however. The boil's mind wandered for a moment, and when he came back to himself, he was so thoroughly surrounded by creatures that he had to stop and search for a path through them.

Waves Defeated: 4/5
HP: 22/40  

[Smerdle]

Brenley swiped and stabbed, scattering the creatures for the last time. The way ahead was finally clear, and as the boil advanced, the fog around him grew too thick to see through.

Waves Defeated: 5/5
HP: 19/40  

[Smerdle]

The boil paused again, unable to move on. He took a seat on the ground, crossing his legs and remaining motionless until the opaque fog cleared. His lack of forward progress was frustrating, but ultimately refreshing. When he rose again, his minor aches had fled, leaving him feeling as energetic as he could, considering what he was about to face.

+32 heal
HP: 40/40  

[Smerdle]

Bren moved to step forward, but he hadn't gotten more than two paces before he heard someone breathing just over his shoulder. Pachua had come to him. He sighed. It would do them both little good if he continued to think of the fog as the boil he'd killed.

"You're not him," he said, all of his voice's volume lost in the fog. He raised it, practically shouting, "You are not Pachua!" Following the statement with a hesitant run and hop, Brenley sank his pliers into the monster's shoulder, twisting them until thick plumes of smoke poured from the wound.

HP: 35/40
Damage: 13
Boss HP: 37/50