All in the Common Room hold their breath. High above them, they can hear the pounding of Titania’s feet as they ascend the spiral staircase in the Hex Tower. The air crackles with magical tension.
Greta sends an Eldritch Blast spell up the stairs at the creature that threatens Reyna, the violet energy screaming past the banister. Cadoras makes up for it by critically striking the giant meenlock, his spell finding a devastating gap in the creature’s shadowy hide. Reyna sends her own Chaos Bolt at the creature, adding to the barrage of magic lighting up the stairwell.
“I am called Vex.” The tall, darkly cloaked individual, standing before Debbie, intones from before the Common Room entrance. “Your companion has something my Master requires. Help her return it to us and you can get back to your lives. Thwart us and each of you students will die horribly.”
Debbie shakes her head and casts another Chaos Bolt, this one knocking Vex’s hood down. He throws up his arm to shield his eyes from the well-lit Common Room, his scowl briefly visible before disappearing behind his sleeve.
Tentatively, Quentillius casts Tasha’s Hideous Laughter. The spell strikes Vex squarely in the chest. The eladrin arches his back, illuminated in a violet aura. He falls backward and rusty laughter begins to issue from his rictus of a smile. He struggles to point a finger at Quentillius, who cries, “Hester! I have saved us!”
Two yards away, Hester rolls her eyes and casts Shadow Blade, summoning a spectral sword that slashes at Gwyfeyr. The fey sorcerer screeches and draws back. Her hand clamps down on the slash across her cheek, and she hisses, “You’ll pay for that, Owl!” Behind her, KFC flings her dagger with her diminutive kobold hand at Gwyfeyr but misses.
Gwyfeyr conjures a magical darkness that descends on that part of the room like a heavy curtain, and she slips away from the two hexmates. She Misty Steps to steps just above Reyna, who jumps back, surprised.
Vex, shaking off the effects of Quentillius’s spell, rolls to his feet and throws an Ice Storm at the journalist. Quentillius is pierced hundreds of times by stinging pellets of ice and knocked to the ground, unable to regain his footing on the slick surface beneath him. Both Hester and KFC are also pelted by the flying ice shards. Vex Fey Steps up the stairwell to Reyna as well.
The eladrin hisses at her, “Allow me to pass, chef, and you might live to see the sun rise again…”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Reyna snaps back at him tartly, “The whole ‘chef’ thing is really more of a hobby…” This buys her time to calculate her next move.
From below, Rubina sends an Acid Arrow through the stair balusters, which deals the death blow to the giant meenlock. It slumps against the railing, blocking Reyna’s escape downward. Reyna stares at the two opponents that currently flank her and makes a decision. She sends a final pair of her meteors against Gwyfeyr, then dismisses the spell. Curses can be heard over the painful sizzles of the tiny missiles finding their marks.
Reyna then draws out the Wand of Wonder, carried within a hidden pocket of her cloak since returning from Baldur’s Gate long months ago. Praying for a spell that will not kill everyone in the tower, Reyna flicks the storied wand, which illuminates at its tip.
A drop of what looks like water flies from it, heading out of the stairwell and into the high-ceilinged Common Room. A Storm Sphere expands explosively, releasing roiling clouds that send flashes of lightning that illuminate the darkening area.
Sheeting rain commences, driven nearly sideways by fierce winds that have blown up. These begin to drown schoolbooks, homework parchments, laptops, and nearly Rosie, who is knocked from her feet into the vast puddles that form on the thick carpet. The gnome crawls forth from the deluge, drenched and shivering. Hester also emerges from Gwyfeyr’s magical darkness and blindly into the soaking rain. Buffeted by the bludgeoning winds of the storm summoned by the Wand of Wonder, Hester final is able to find her way out. She notes that now her feathers are too wet to allow flight.
The ferocious winds and rain sluice the massive body of the meenlock down the stairs, entangling Vex under its weight at the bottom of the stairs. The eladrin begins to extricate himself, only to be slammed by several spells hurled by Rubina, Reyna and Debbie.
Upstairs, Alister jolts Titania out of the way and takes possession of their shared body. Their body pauses momentarily during this abrupt transition before continuing to pound up the stairs.
In their resonant, cultured voice, they pant to the object in their hands, “Now, Crown, I am aware that you have had difficulty with Titania in the past, and that she owes you a great sum of money. She owes everyone money. But let us, you and I, discuss the possibility of an alliance.”
“Joining forces? With you?” The Crown sounds doubtful. Below, the sounds of magical combat continue to echo up the stairwell. “I cannot even consider it unless I have assurances that Titania will pay what she owes me, Sir Elf. Have I your word?”
Despite being out of breath as they bolt up the steps two at a time, Alister nods and pants, “I swear it on my troth!”
