Murgaxor and Reyna eye one another, and the bullywug croaks, “I don’t want to kill you, child, but I will if you don’t leave!”
Reyna snorts derisively at Murgaxor, and sneers, drawing her casting arm up. The bullywug is quicker, and sends a Hunger of Hadar spell that detonates just behind Reyna. A black doorway pops into being and the door swings open, a foul stench and the sound of uninterpretable whispers and hisses rolls out to suck at Reyna. Losing her balance, Reyna topples forward.
Here feet lose contact with the ground and her hands fly out to break a fall that never comes. Her eyes bulge, seeing nothing but blackness. Reyna feels a slimy, thick tentacle run across the back of her arm and across her shoulder, then feels the burn of the acid it deploys on her skin.
Conjuring every bit of arcane knowledge from her Strixhaven studies, and lurching in the direction she hopes is the one back to safety, Reyna finds herself back in Debbie’s room. She is facing Murgaxor, who is so focused on the drawer he is searching that he does not see Reyna make the hand sigil for a Lightning Bolt.
From the tip of Reyna’s finger emerges a blue streak of electrical energy that blasts into Murgaxor and continues beyond, blowing out Debbie’s bedroom window.
The bullywug reels away from Reyna, receiving only a glancing strike from the bolt. Murgaxor croaks, “You have learned much since our last meeting, Reyna!”
Reyna’s grin is cut short as the Shatter spell throw her way by Murgaxor rolls over and through her, rattling her teeth and shuddering painfully through to her very bones. Murgaxor wheels and goes out the broken window and into the night.
⚔
Professor Brantifrax invites the students to stay the night, and prepares a lovely feast for Hester, Beckaylee, Alister and Debbie, and invites KFC to search for insects out in the yard. In the morning, they tie the crates to their brooms and set off for Strixhaven campus.
On their return, stories of the depridations of Murgaxor are shared. As they speak, someone slips a Strixhaven Times beneath the door. KFC throws the door open, and sees Quintillius rushing down the stairs. He averts his eyes, and shouts, “I didn’t 'see' you so I don't have to tell campus security!” He continues down the steps, then calls over his shoulder, “I don’t think you did what the paper is accusing you of! I wanted you to know before anyone else, so you might defend yourselves!”
The hexmates read:
Stunned, the group go to set Dean Nassari. She is sympathetic, but cannot do anything other than wish them luck in their finals.
Which go abysmally.
Reyna’s average is a C-. Debbie and Beckaylee each receive a D+.
Hester, Alister and KFC each receive Fs for the year. They will need to go to summer school.
⚔
But until the summer term commences, the hexmates have six glorious days of freedom.
In exchange for not turning Reyna in for possessing the Wand of Wonder, Reyna. Trades The Fates card from the her pull on the Deck of Many Things. Grateful and restored to her intelligent and somewhat chaotic self, Hester agrees to keep this knowledge to herself. Although Hester may have benefitted from Reyna’s generosity before they hexmates sat finals…
⚔
Beckaylee discovers that the lovely doll she has brought from home, the one that usually sits upon her bed, is missing. In its place is a scrawled note that says, “Beckaylee is stoopid!” She hangs signs all over campus begging for the return of her precious doll.
Beckaylee then reports the theft to the campus police, but Officer Dan is not much help.
They split up to search the campus and see if clues can be found. When they meet later, Officer Dan has nothing to report other than he has met someone he has assumed to be a fan of Debbie’s. “A teifling. A big guy, dressed for the hot weather. Wanted to know where he might find your hexmate. ”
Beckaylee is incredulous. “You told him where our dorm room is? I can’t believe how safe I feel at this school,” sneers Beckaylee, sarcastically.
The half orc shrugs, "Just doing my job: to protect and serve all you Strixhaven students. I take my responsibility very seriously,“ Officer Dan tells Beckaylee, “I connected your famous student friend with one of her biggest fans!”.
Later, Squid finds Beckaylee in her hexroom, the doll tucked under their arm.
Beckaylee, brightening, cries, “You found her, Squid! Thank you!”
The expression on Squid’s face is stony. They tear the head off the doll and throw the pieces at Beckylee, shouting, “Your doll is ugly and I hate you!!” He runs off down the hallway.
Squid has become their very bitter enemy. As predicted by the Deck of Many Things.
⚔
Debbie spends some time working in the theater and is backstage in one of the dressing rooms. Yorick, the theater ghost, drifts in and asks Debbie if she smells brimstone. Come to think of it, Debbie does. The two are alerted to the sound of heavy footfalls on the stage.
Suddenly, an enormous crash from the direction of stage right echoes throughout the theater. Whoever it is has likely fallen through the unrepaired hole in the boards.
Investigating the noise, Debbie spots a glow rising from the hole in the stage from what she assumes must be a fire from deep within the cellar. Quickly, she heaves both a pail of sand and a pail of water, intended to fight fires, into the hole.
A roar of anger and pain issues from the hole.
Cautiously, Debbie peers in. The color drains from her face. Lying on its back, thrashing is an enormous devil. The creatures glowing red eyes glares, but blearily, at the terrified musician as it bellows, “Debbie Tylstine! You are doomed!”
Debbie, frozen in terror, sees the devil hurl a mote of flame that narrowly misses her face.
The creature scrubs at its eye in frustration, trying to get the sand out.
But before it can right itself and attack again, Debbie flees from the theater. Crossing campus, she meets Rampart, who tells her she might find someone specializing in water spells through Quandrix college. She'll need to look eleswhere to have the water consecrated to combat the mysterious devil.
As told to Debbie by the Deck of Many Things, she knows this infernal creature will pursue her until either she or the devil die.
