Back at Feldepost's, we took a break for Neera to identify our new wand, mace and some other stuff we were already wearing. In the mean-time I and Imoen worked on another project in another room.
We were work diligently on our project when Neera burst into the room suddenly. "Good news! The wand is a Wand of-"
Just then, a crossbow bolt struck the wall just above her head.
"EEEEEEEEK, what in the nine hells?!?" Neera screamed.
I and Imoen looked up from our crossbow bolt launcher in horror. "Didn't I say to knock before entering!" I spat out. "There's a sign right outside the door!"
"No one got time for that sort of stuff!"
The inn staff came up to check, and we had to wave them away apologetically.
Neera had some time to catch her heart from falling out of her chest. "What are you two doing even doing with that thing?"
She was referring to the contraption we were working on. "Thieves' trick. Portable crossbow bolt launcher with snare. Very deadly. Well, the finished product would be at least," I said.
Neera gave our portable trap a good look, then snubbed her nose. "You won't catch anyone in THAT."
A fair assessment, frankly. Our prototype was looking really rough so far.
"It's a work in progress," I admitted, "We'll just have to improve it with some field testing."
Neera slowly backed away, out the door.
"NOT on you, dumbass."
Seriously, is that what Neera thought of me?
We were almost ready to go to our not-quite-power-levelling, but I nearly forgot to drop by the temple for something.
Neera and Imoen gave a very sombre look when I purchased a Stone to Flesh scroll for 190gp from Kelddath, the priest of Lathander there. While we walked out, they had a bit to say.
"You've had me prepare three casts of Protection from Petrification. I can see where this is going," Neera said, glumly. "You found a medusa nest nearby?"
"Good guess. Basilisks have been spotted just west from the temple," I replied. "Crazy dangerous for them to be that close to civilization. But if we're protected from their petrifying gaze, well, basilisks have no ranged attacks. Hence the ammunition we bought."
"But still, basilisks? Don't they have poisonous bites or something?" Imoen asked.
"Yes. We still have the antidotes from Landrin if that one manages to get close enough for that," I replied.
We went over the preparations like this for hours as we traveled west from the Morninglord's temple. Basilisks are infamous for good reason and folks generally know to stay away from them, even seasoned adventurers. So it was understandable that they had doubts.
Neera quickly looked over our stock of spell scrolls. We now had 1 Larloch's Minor Drain (from Xzar), 1 Magic Missile, 2 Armor, 1 Burning Hands, 1 Protection from Petrification and 1 Stone to Flesh scroll.
"It's a pity our prototypes aren't ready yet," Imoen bemoaned.
At the first sign of statues, Neera incanted once, twice, three times. We were now all Protected from Petrification.
"Protection from Petrification only lasts one hour, so we were now on the clock. MOVE!"
We charged ahead, looking for basilisks. But the first thing we came upon was decidedly humanoid shaped.
"Ghoul ahead!" Imoen shouted, raising her shortbow. "Taking aim…"
"Hold your fire, I think it's saying something," I said before it had said anything.
"Wait, me no want fight," the ghoul said, "Me Korax, me friend!"
"What, seriously?" Imoen said, "Are we really going to take it for its word, are we?"
Before Korax could take another step towards us, I shouted, "If you want to be friends, move it or lose it! Forward, march!"
Korax was taken aback. "Me Korax not sure me like this-"
"FORWARD!" I commanded while pointing. Korax, on his part, charged forward in the direction I pointed, fussing along the way.
I briefly turned to Imoen and Neera, and shrugged. "Guess it's playing nice for now. Keep your distance though, in case it changes its mind."
Funny thing about undead; they're naturally immune to petrification. The main problem with Korax was that after 2 hours, he'll get fed up and attack the party. The other problem was ghouls walk slowly! So we couldn't wait up for him as we charged past him.
I led the charge, of course, since I had a general idea how to move in such a way that we hit all the basilisks as soon as possible. We were going to do a snaking motion which kind of looked like a question mark, avoiding anything non-basilisk where possible. Especially other adventurers. For now.
As it turned out, actually hurting a basilisk with ranged fire proved to be more difficult than expected. Basilisks were pretty well-armoured. Still, to the basilisk, fighting opponents at range who were immune to their petrifying gaze was a pretty bad deal. Even less so when a ghoul walks up to it and paralyses it. Basilisks aren't immune to a ghoul's paralysing touch. At that point, we charged in with melee weapons and poked between the armour in the soft vulnerable bits while Korax nom-nomed down.
The other issue was the stuff which weren't basilisks. Gnolls, tasloi, what were these things doing in an area full of basilisks? Did they have a death wish? A wish to become a fancy statue? Anyway, Korax tanked for us, saying "Korax don't like this- Korax don't like that" the whole way while we provided fire support from afar.
"Everyone, stop. Korax, back up and stay behind awhile," I said, looking ahead.
Korax complied. So did the girls. They had been asking for a break all this time and took the opportunity to sit a moment.
I creeped forward a bit, then creeped back. "I think there's someone ahead. And a basilisk? The basilisk isn't attacking him though."
"What's up with that? Is it a friendly basilisk?" Imoen asked.
"Could be a statue that just looks like a person," Neera suggested.
I already knew, but I thought we should go through the process of figuring it out naturally.
I creeped further forward to take a closer look. When I came back, I reported, "So there really is a gnome ahead, and he's… petting a basilisk. There's a bigger, red version. Anyone know the significance?"
"Bigger probably means tougher," Neera suggested. "I can't be sure though. What the heck is going on here?"
"Why don't you go ask him to be sure," I grinned at Neera.
Neera stepped forth and confronted the gnome with the red basilisk. "What the heck is going on here?"
The gnome took a gracious bow. "Greetingssss, I am Mutamin. I hope you enjoy the artwork my pretty lizards have sculpted. They sculpt with their eyessss. They sculpt when nasty travelers come by, yesssss. I don't like nasty travelers-"
"Alright, he's evil! Get 'im!" Neera shouted.
Mutamin started chanting magic, probably a common opener like Mirror Image, but he was forced to shield his vitals from a bullet +1 and arrow +1 from the dark coming straight for his chest. He survived the volley, but lost the spell.
"Korax, give the nice gnome a hug," I pointed forwards.
"Yes, Korax can do that. Korax great hugger," Korax said while lumbering forward towards the gnome. "Korax great KISSER!"
What happened next to Mutamin was rather graphic. I believe victims of a ghoul's paralyzing touch are still conscious and still feel pain, so having a ghoul nom-nom him down was a pretty bad way to go.
As Korax took Mutamin out, I stood a staff on one shoulder, the other hand pointing at Mutamin. "You thought you were the artist," I said, then gave him a thumbs down, "but you're just dinner."
"Stop posing and help us fight the basilisks, yer baffle head!"
"Right, right. I'm coming!"
Neera gave me a funny look as we pelted the basilisk with bullets and arrows.
The basilisks, greater or not, had no one vulnerable to its petrifying gaze or vulnerable to poison willing to enter into melee with it, and were soon taken care off.
Eight lesser basilisks, two greater basilisks and one insane gnome later, and we were panting on the ground, catching our breath. Even Korax looked tired, and undead don't have respiratory systems.
"I think, I think we're done," I said, catching my breath. Nearly there, really.
"Even if there are more," Neera said, still panting. "We're done. The spell has worn off. Actually, it wore off while fighting the greater basilisk. But it was already paralysed by then."
Paralysed by Korax. The ghoul was really the MVP of this little adventure. We wouldn't have made through half as many if the ghoul wasn't rending the basilisks helpless. In retrospect, I and Imoen should have drunk an Oil of Speed each to help us work faster. I didn't think of it only because I thought it would make us run too much faster than Korax, but it didn't really matter in the end.
"Well, this was certainly some field experience," Imoen said. She was breathing a bit better now. "I don't think I've heard of any adventurers taking out so many legendary monsters at one go. Basilisks are a big deal, yeah?"
"Funny you should mention that. All this running around got me thinking on my prototype snare thing," I said, taking it out. "I think I can improve the blasted thing. We give up on instant deployment, and that way we can have a more reliable trap."
I had in fact been fiddling in the Records screen to manage everyone's level ups along the way. I figured I had to cash in on it now. Guess which thief skill I had leveled up?
Imoen looked at what I was doing to my prototype. "Ah, I see. It'll take a full 10 seconds minimum to deploy. We're trading deployment speed for consistency. But I think we can have a pull activation option as well, not just a snare."
Imoen took out her prototype as well. "Pull a rope, and it shoots in the desired direction, see. An adjustment here, use these spare parts here…. and done! Snare or pull activated! Just don't try to deploy it in the middle of combat."
"Uh… yes. I meant to do that too." I said then tried my best to emulate her design. She gave me a grin, and I admitted, "Okay, I think your design trumps what I had in mind. Well done."
"Er, guys?" Neera butted in. "Korax is starting to look at us with hungry eyes. He's licking his lips."
Oof. Looked like Korax was at his limit to control his urges, in spite of the meals of gnome and basilisk he's been getting.
"Thanks Neera," I said, "Let's pack up and make a move. No sense pushing our luck."
We still had some time, so we could make one last push.
Naturally, I led the party to a group of adventurers who were nearby where we had been resting.
"Greetings fellow adventurers! Are we glad to see you guys in such a dangerous region," I called out to the group of armed men and women. "Safety in numbers, after all!"
The developers of Baldur's Gate put in some, how shall we say, optional challenges in the game. These were difficult encounters, often in the form of a group of adventurers, who had special rewards attached to them. Players had the option of talking their way out of a fight, usually at the cost of great humiliation.
I wasn't entirely sure how this would go. Outright murdering people just for insulting me wasn't particularly, well, sane. It would feel absolutely different to pick fights people in-person compared to in a game with no consequences. So I was considering letting these people go if it came to it, even at a cost to my ego and a loss of sweat unique rewards.
The other group took one look at me and started to laugh. And laugh. And laugh.
"You? An adventurer?" the leader, a woman named Kirian said between heaves, "Kiddo, you're so wet between the ears your momma just shit you out!"
I was at the front of the group, so Neera and Imoen couldn't see my face. In spite of knowing these adventurers would be picking a fight with their words, I was trying to be reasonable.
"There's no need to be so dismissive. Halflings have a long history of contributing to adventuring parties," I said.
"Halfling? You be a quarter-ling, at most!" the other men in her group laughed, pointing down at me.
My mouth hung open. What the hell did he just call me?
"And are those your companions?" another one continued. "Hey darling, could my hair not get any more pink? Maybe I should do my nails next!"
"Hey! I didn't color my hair. It got like this cos of my magic went awry!" Neera protested, then muttered softly. "Okay, that makes it sound worse actually."
Imoen, on her part, pulled up her hood over her head. Her finger was tapping on her bow, agitated.
At this point, the other group was nearly on the floor, pounding the ground with their fists. "The quarter-ling with his useless entourage of pink show girls! Never mind adventuring, you losers will never achieve anything in life. Useless! Waste! Of space!"
This… this was going too far. Since when were NPCs such supreme experts at courting death? "Are your lives worth having a laugh at the expense of others?" I said as coldly as I could. I may have sniffled. Just slightly. "I give you ten seconds to take back what you said. EXACTLY ten seconds."
"Or wot, you'll make us laugh to death?" Kirian grinned, her eyes cold. They stood up straight and drew their weapons, smiling cynically. "Cutting you down won't even be a challenge. We're Waterdhavian, born and bred. Unlike you pathetic lot. Say what, I'll even count it out for you. Ten!"
I turned around, showing the group my back, while pulling something out of my pack. Imoen, having caught my hidden message earlier, was doing the same.
Our sudden action must have caught the adventurers from Water Deep by surprise, because the countdown paused.
"Forgot what comes after ten, Waterdhavian?" Neera taunted. "Or lost your nerve after all?"
"As if. Nine! …Eight! …Seven!"
Damn, doing this within 10 seconds could be a challenge after all. Got to deploy the stand, extend the bow, draw the string. And do it all without them seeing what I was doing. Well, maybe even if they did it was fine, since they're bound by their ego at this point to just watch me work.
"Six!... Five! …Four!"
My sweat was getting in the way. Loading the bolts was the hardest part. If I knew it would be this tough, I'd have said 15 seconds. 20 even.
"Three! … Two! …One!"
"Zero," I finished for them, and stepped out of the way of the crossbow launcher while pulling the rope trigger.
Bolts from our launchers flew directly at the Waterdhavians with lethal force. See, this is why it was so hard to load quickly. To their credit, most of the Waterdhavians survived the volley. Kirian, a mage, did not.
"Korax, give the guy in the back a hug!"
"Korax hungry! Korax eat you now!' Korax said while charging forward. Guess he lost all subtlety at this point.
The other two men, though wounded, moved in to defend the guy in the back. One had to put away his bow to do so; I'm designating this guy as Archer from now on and the guy in plate mail as Fighter. As I thought, the guy who remained in the back started chanting. He wore heavy, metal armour, and had a morning star strapped to his belt, which had probably meant Cleric.
What's the first spell a cleric would try to hit us with? Eh, probably Hold Person.
CRAP. "Neera, stop him!"
She was already on it. She hadn't many spell slots left, so took aim with her new wand we acquisitioned from the large manor in Beregost. A bolt of electrical energy burst forth and hit both Cleric and Archer. Thankfully, Cleric lost his spell.
Cleric didn't last much longer. Imoen and I took aim with our magical ammunition, and finished him off right there.
Meanwhile, Korax was having a hard time getting with Fighter and Archer. Turns out paralysing touch doesn't work through plate mail or shields. That's a little nugget of info that's probably going to be relevant later.
Or not. Fighter and even Archer proved to be capable in melee, and with their longswords they chopped off Korax's arms, and finally lobbed off his head before we could down either. This in spite of Neera using her Minor Drain scroll. Korax was no more.
Well, I was meaning to use this anyway. Before Fighter could take a step forward or Archer draw his bow, I reached behind me and tossed out a round, redish potion bottle at their feet.
There was a flash of fire and fury, and for a moment my ears were ringing and I saw only white. I really should look away next time I use a Potion of Explosions.
When the fire cleared, only Fighter stepped forward, glaring us down.
I stepped forward with my quarterstaff+1. Compared to Fighter's platemail and shield, I was only decked in studded leather. This could be tricky. "Neera, support me."
Neera's last spell slot was Blind. Blinding our last opponent would give me the edge I needed.
"You got it!" Neera said, and started incanting.
It was that moment the magic she was focusing burst out in uncontrolled blue flare.
What, now? Really? I gawked even as the magic struck me, Neera, Imoen and the warrior.
What was it? What did she just do?
All four of us braced, and… I felt nothing.
The warrior smiled cynically, and stepped forward slowly.
And he continued to step forward slowly. Emphasis on slowly.
"Aaaaaiiiiiiimmm reaaaaaaaaallllllleeeee reaaaaaallllleeeee reaaaaaaalllllleeee sorrrrrrreeeee," Neera said while stepping back, slowly.
Imoen took aim at the warrior, slowly.
I whipped out my sling and twirled out a bullet +1 to the warrior's face.
Aaaaaaaand it came out just fine. The bullet struck the warrior straight in the face plate, unable to dodge out of the way fast enough. The face plate broke away, along with his teeth.
How about that. I guess being a halfling helped me save against the spell.
I stood with my sling to my side, the other hand pointing at the warrior. "You thought you were smart picking a fight with a halfling," I said, then gave him the thumbs down, "but it looks like you're too slow."
Imoen rolled her eyes in slow motion.
I proceeded to pelt the guy with bullets while walking backwards at my leisure.