The monsterous, flaming bird wheels and prepares to make another pass. Rosie dives under the work table. Reyna, tapping into one of her higher level sorcerer spells, stands her ground. A finger of psychic energy lashes forth from her, but only glancingly strikes the fiery creature. It screeches and plunges downward at Reyna, who dives beneath the desk next to Rosie.
From the vaulted ceiling, the creature gouts fire down at the table, scorching Reyna, who drops to the floor with life-threatening burns. Hester flings another ice binding spell. The conjuration doesn’t stick firmly, but the melting ice seems to cause the bird terrible pain.
Titania steps forward and through fanned fingers conjures a Wall of Water. The fiery bird appears momentarily suspended in a great block of water, then fizzles completely. The water drops, flooding the front of the classroom. It washes Beckaylee and Reyna into the aisle, where they lay tangled near Dr Rockbottom and his scorched, detached artificial leg.
”Class dismissed,” sputters the sodden professor.
⚔
On returning to the Hex, Squid is nowhere to be found, but this is not completely unusual for them. Titania also does not see the child the next day at breakfast. By the end of the day, Titania is genuinely concerned.
Casting Locate Object yields nothing. A hunch leads the group back into the sewers, but entering near the temple. A slick, dark stairwell leads them deep into the earth. They enter a roughly cut stone room containing several effigies.
On the floor is the necklace given to Squid by Titania. They are in the right place.
Between two of the effigies, Gustavo Flamewhisk, the Grand Spatula of the Mystic Kitchen, and a professor of rodent control called Doctor Whiskertinia Rattlebane, Reyna opens an ancient door and cautiously enters. The air smells foul. She follows the slick wall to where it widens into a water-filled room. Three panicked kobolds squeak and dart into another tunnel, their splashes growing fainter. “Hey, there are kobolds in here,” calls Reyna, over her shoulder. There is no response from her companions.
Debbie is closely examining the effigy marked with an inscription she ignores. She does, however, note a seam in the lid and uses every ounce of her strength to slide it to the side. This reveals a large leather bag that contains the skeleton of what must be have been some large reptilian humanoid. She replaces the bag, and only then read the inscription: “The Unknown Dragonborn Wizard: Nobody remembers those heroic magical deeds that were definitely something very important involving a rubber duck and three angry geese.“ She slides the lid back into place.
Hester slips behind a fourth effigy, one that has the words “Melodious Twinkletoes Harpsichord III, Virtuoso of the Verdant Vale and Master of Fey Music. He could make pixies weep with joy and once got into a musical duel with a nightingale that lasted three seasons (the nightingale won, but it was close).” She rolls her eyes and moves into a tight space.
Quickly, Hester is startled by a floating creature, the size and shape of a soccer ball. the creature has one large eye in the center of its spherical body, and three eye stalks that wave above its top. The creature possesses a wide mouth that snaps at Hester, and one of the eye stalks fires a silvery stream of light that does exactly nothing to the owlin. Hester pushes beyond it.
Titania, now impatient and more than a little panicked, tries locating Squid again. She gets an indication that the peacock clock is somewhere to the northwest. Titania, transforming into a bat, plunges into the dark tunnel where Reyna went.
In this tunnel, Reyna begins to hear low, deep growling. Sloshing footsteps are moving closer. Emerging from the tunnel the kobolds went down, an enormous troll. It rushes at Reyna, slapping her down the hall. The chef strikes the wall, sliding into the fetid water, and she draws from her belt the Wand of Wonder.
In bat form, Titania squeaks at Reyna, trying to dissuade her from using this unpredictable and powerful magical item.
Reyna points the wand, and an enormous pulse of orange light kicks the wand backward, indicating a spell of immense power has been discharged. The troll is engulfed in glittering, pumpkin colored light, and it rises out of the water by several inches. The creature roars in rage, and suddenly the volume of its cries increase tremendously.
Reyna blinks. Now there are two trolls.
