Now that the battle is over, the Crown has reverted to sneers. “Well, I don’t know what all the fuss is about. There would be no more trouble if you just kept us some of us magical objects apart from some of the others. Far apart. I for one don’t like the Sewermancer’s Staff. Gods only know where it’s been.”
KFC responds earnestly, “We do know where it’s been. The sewer.”
“Precisely,” the Crown complains. “Disgusting.”
“Just a thought,” posits KFC, “maybe you should stay with us, because if Murgaxor catches you, or else you'll be with that Staff, locked in a Dean Mistcoiler’s safe.”
The Crown squeals in disgust, “Ew, yes. Do keep me away from the Staff. And the frog. I don't wish be with the frog, either.”
“Alright,” interrupts Hester, “we have several of these items, or know where they are. This explains why Murgaxor is following us around.”
“But several of the items are still missing,” Reyna adds,. “We have the Fractured Bell, right? . And we know where the Staff of the Sewermancer, or the Dean does. And we have the Crown of Winter’s Last Snow….”
”Unfortunately,” mutters KFC.
“So we're missing the First Student's Spell Book, the Orb of Untold Stories, the Founder's Fountain Pen and the Original Architect's Compass. I think finding them would be in order right now.” Titania states this as if it were a plan the group will follow.
The group proceed down the tunnel, coming to a closed door with the words “Silverquill Quad” carved into the lintel. KFC opens it, and then stops short. She throws out a wing to stop the others from proceeding. In the darkness, KFC sees a hundreds of eyes, red and glowing.
And there is a familiar odor, a pervading musky smell, that KFC cannot quite identify. She has smelled this before. It's maddingly familiar. She withdraws, slamming the door behind her.
The group discuss what to do: throw a grenade? Toss in some of Debbie’s firecrackers or one of her gems of that contain murderous fire elementals. Or, Reyna suggests, “We could use the Wand of Wonder.”
The chef grins, “ButI think I think if any time is the right time to use Wand of Wonder.”
Nodding, Debbie adds, “I mean, it's multiple red eyes. It's either, like, it's a hundred rats or a beholder, and I think the school would be happy if we got rid of either one of those.”.
Aghast, KFC sputters, “But, Debbie…you were a part of that mafia.” Debbie nods, abashed, as the barbarian continues. “So how could you do that?”
“Alright,” sighs the musician, exasperated, “So, what are we doing?”
“I can make my dagger glow,” suggests Reyna. “The Dagger of Sharpness. It can shed light…”SHe passes it to KFC, who very cautiously opens the door again.
A magical light illuminates the room. And realize where the rat mafia has been hiding.
KFC enters, muttering “I am so glad we did not grenade them.”
Rats are everywhere. Striding up to KFC, one large and very familiar rat strolls approaches. It arrives, looking up at the barbarian, offers it to shake. KFC reaches down, puts her enormous winged hand to meet the rat’s paw
Niceties observed, KFC begins, “Hey, my friends. I'm glad to see you've made it safe. You haven't seen any frogs around, have you, or orbs?”
The rats report plenty of frogs. Unfortunately, none sound like the bullywug they're looking for. The hexmates then ask about each of the magical items. None, except one that they are aware of. In one of the classrooms, the rats report, there is indeed an orb in a Silverquill classroom. The rats report the door straight ahead leads to the Silverquill Courtyard.
Titania casts Locate Object, seeking The Orb of Unwritten Words. They sense a kind of a throb drawing them forward in the direction of the door that opens to Silverquill. Somewhere within the Silverquill Quad building. They must get closer to locate exactly which room the Orb is in.
But that means crossing the courtyard to get into the Silverquill building. Through the polymorph emanations.
“Are we gonna go outside?” The question hangs like in the air between the hexmates. They stare at one another, knowing what it could mean.
“Would you like would you like us to accompany you?” The head rat squeaks this earnestly at KFC, who blinks, considering her answer.
Finally, she say, “Don't put yourselves at risk. I'm sure you've seen how it is up there. I got turned into a kobold, then a hat. The polymorph field is still in effect.” The rats move out of the way to allow the into the friends to stand facing the closed door to the Silverquill Courtyard.
Reyna mutters, “So, you just wanna do, like, a roulette? Throw someone out there and see what they turn into?” The friends sadly regard one another. “Yeah,” sighs Reyna, and mutters ironically, “That sounds great.”
Debbie suddenly turns and blurts, “Okay. I have a question, KFC. When you got turned into the kobold, did you or did you not retain your memories, your intelligence, your consciousness?””
KFC thinks for a moment, then replies, “Yeah. I think I retained all that even when I was a hat.”
Debbie begins savagely rummaging through her pack. She pulls out a coil and hold it up triumphantly. “I just remembered I do actually have a Rope of Climbing!”
The others look blankly at her.
The musician rolls her eyes: “So I'm gonna tie the Rope of Climbing around my waist. If I turn into an inanimate object, just pull me back in. Okay?”
“Gotcha. For science,” KFC says, grimly.
Debbie ties the rope around her waist and creeps to the top of the stairs. She cranks the hatch door and takes a few steps and is immediately bathed in a silvery light.
When the shimmering stops, where Debbie stood, now a large gelatinous cube sits upon the grass, quivering. Within it, Debbie’s pack, her clothing, her broom, are suspended within the jellied interior.
The cube thinks: “What? How did I get the one thing where I can't get pulled back in? What kind of luck is that?”
Very slowly, the cube begins to slide across the lawn. Incrementally, the cube heads toward the entrance to Silverquill.
As the cube slips along the grass, it trails a stream of acidic slime that turns the grass brown. Noticing, the cube thinks: “I am slowly digesting everything I carry. I'll dump everything I have on me. First things first, I need to shed all of my belongings.”
The first thing the cube ejects is Debbie’s backpack. “Because, the most important magical things are in there.”
The backpack drops safely, falling onto the lawn, steaming but so far undamaged by the acid. As the cube moves another five feet, the Rope of Climbing slips from jelly, burned into pieces by the acid. They hit the ground, the burned ends emitting an angry sizzle.
Finally Debbie’s clothes are disgorged, garment by garment, from the cube. These are not as fortunate as the backpack. They lay upon the dying grass, slowly dissolving.
The gelatinous cube slithers up to the Silverquill Campus door, the trail of smoldering grass and fabric behind it.
Behind the glass windows, bunches of Silverquill students from within the inside of the building regard the gelatinous cube approaching their door with a mixture of fear and revulsion.
⚔
The Hexmates wait impatiently upon the stairs, the door closed. KFC says impatiently, “Well, it's been a while. I think we should pull the rope back.”
Before anyone can object, the barbarian chicken gives a mighty pull through the nearly closed door.
And the rope flies into the stairwell, its end burns through and its length covered in a sticky goo that begins to burn KFC’s hands. It smells acidic. She wipes her hands on the walls in disgust, and declares, “I'm going in.”
The Crown harumphs in exasperation, “That thing barely missed me! I could have been scratched, or worse….dented!” When no one responds, the Crown continues, “Well, someone must go out! To save the Orb of Untold Stories! We must save the Orb…she is a close and personal friend!”
The group turn to stare at this revelation from the Crown, who goes on, “You, there, Titania! Wrap yourself in your cloak. You can go out there safely all wrapped up. You'll be fine.”
Titania’s elegantly plucked brows arch even higher than usual, but they now have the beginning of an idea. She begins to hunt around in the trash that has accumulated in the tunnel for something that might offer her protection from the effects of the polymorphic emanations.
Beneath a pile of greasy Beckaylee’s Burger bags, Titania spies a large cardboard carton with the logo of a famous shipping logo. “This might do,” she thinks, sliding the oil-stained, flattened box from under the rubbish. With distaste, Titania begins to unfold the filthy box, which is large enough for them to kneel within.
Her thinking? From the big pile of books the group used in the Biblioplex just hours ago, Titania recalls that polymorphic emanations don't necessarily go around corners or through walls. “So,” she deduces, “it's not necessarily a magical barrier to keep one safe. It's a physical barrier. Like a UPS box.”
Or so they desperately hope.
Titania begins to fold down the flaps of the box, then, as an afterthought, asks for KFC’s Broom of Flying, “Just in case,” she says. “Drag me to the top and push the box out!” KFC pulls the box to the top step and begins to open the door, but before she can do so, Titania’s head pops up.
“Okay, KFC. Hand me a broom.” The barbarian passes her broom to Titania, then helps fold down the flaps, closing Titania in.
“Schrödinger’s Titania,” marvels KFC. “Will Titania polymorph inside a closed box? Only opening the box will reveal the answer.”
The barbarian cautiously climbs to the top of the stairs, pushing the heavy box ahead of her.
“Actually, technically, the Crown would be the best test subject,” observes Reyna.
From its place on the stairs, the Crown calls, “Just leave me here, would you? I don't wish to be a test subject, but you, by all means, you should sacrifice for the betterment of the group.”
Sputtering, the Crown hisses, “How dare you suggest that? I'm nobility! You must keep me safe! It’s your duty!”
But only Reyna is there to hear Crown's remonstrations. Hester, KFC and Titania in her box stand on the threshold up the stairs, waiting to cross the lawn, each hoping for the best.
⚔
KFC shoves the door open with Titania’s box, pushing it onto the grass. She blinks in the bright sunshine, spying an entire set of just steaming clothing, two boots and a backpack. KFC has just enough time to recognize these as belonging to Debbie.
And then KFC is engulfed in a flash of light.
⚔
From the top of the stairs, there is sharp, percussive clack followed by a discordant, high-pitched screech. A rapid, irregular series of hollow thumps and a chaotic, downward glissando that increases in volume as whatever it is grows closer.
Bouncing down the steps is a child sized violin.
“KFC?” Reyna gasps.
”Cool,” marvels Squid. They seize up the instrument, turning the tiny violin over to expose a very scratched up back. Experimentally, the child plucks the strings. “Out of tune,” they remark to no one in particular.
⚔
Hester, unclear of why the group is looking for the artifacts right now. She doesn't see how obtaining the Orb is more pressing than fixing their polymorph problem.
“Sure,” thinks Hester to herself, “let's go for it. I haven't been transformed yet. Okay, one….two….three!”
Hesters darts up the stairs and bangs out the door, begins to race around in the direction of the Biblioplex.
And turns into a flumph.
Floating above the scorched grass, Hester thinks, “There's a lot of goo out here.” Then she spots a slime covered backpack. Debbie’s. And all of Debbie’s clothes are on the ground. Army boots. Jeans. A red T-shirt. The musician’s leather jacket. Debbie’s sunglasses. Each lies dissolving in a smattering of slime on the dying lawn.
And not that far beyond them, a gelatinous cube is slowly making its quivering way to the Silverquill Quad. “That must be Debbie!” thinks the flumph.
”Yes!” A voice echoes in the flumph’s head. “Hester, is that you? You make a very cute flumph…”
An image of what Debbie perceives as a gelatinous cube floods Hester: its blindsight reveals only the outline of the flumph. A broad, flattened body, very like a jellyfish, with numerous dangling tentacles that sway as Hester moves. “I love flumphs! They are so cute!”
Hester ignores this. ”I’m going to get to the Star Arch to see if anything can be done about this polymorph thing,” communicates Hester to the cube.
”I can’t move very quickly,” returns Debbie’s thoughts, “I’m going to try and get inside the Silverquill building so I can revert to being useful. Good luck!”
After the flumph departs, the gelatinous cube continues its long slide Silverquill Quad, a gooey pseudopod dragging the body of the cube across the grass. Even at this distance, the cube can perceive with its blindsight a pair of frightened faces staring out at her from behind what is likely a glass door. Debbie’s goal.
