>>6293206If Ayla’s right, spells will fizzle out, and entering the hallway yourself is wont to weaken <span class="mu-r">you</span> just as it has been weakening CZ or the hundun. But even weakened…
“C’mon, ya bigass meatball!” you shout. “You’ve gotta have three hundred pounds on this runt!”
<span class="mu-s">“Runt? If I’m not… Nn… Mistaken, this fellow is still larger than y—”</span>
“Yeah yeah yeah,” you interrupt. “Just… Just lean back! Come on!”
Gratifyingly, ‘Empy’ doesn’t argue. The blob-monster obediently shifts its girth rearward, its entire form shrinking away from the hallway. The rebalancing act takes the jiangshi off-guard at first, and the sudden shift shunts the undead guard-dog a few feet forward, to where its slipper-clad toes scrabble at the groove in the tile.
<span class="mu-b">5d20 for The Naked Emperor in a contested grapple! Highest roll: <span class="mu-s">19!</span></span>
Sharp nails tear through the tips of those slippers, though, and anchor the jiangshi in place before it can be lifted off its feet. The souped-up zombie emits another groan, another long inhale, and then something shifts. Even from where you’re standing, well-back from the altercation, you sense it—like a sudden suction. The jiangshi plants its feet, the ball upon its hat glows brighter still, and with a sudden surge of preternatural strength it swings the hundun up and off of the ground!
<span class="mu-b">8d20 for Jiangshi, resulting in a <span class="mu-s">NATURAL 20</span>
Critical hit! Jiangshi does <span class="mu-s">23 physical damage</span>!
Empy’s HP: <span class="mu-s">15</span>/50
<span class="mu-s">7 drain</span> inflicted.
Empy’s MP: <span class="mu-s">0</span>/10
Residual drain inflicted as <span class="mu-s">double physical damage</span>…
Empy’s HP: <span class="mu-s">11</span>/50</span>
You have to admit that, as complicated and concerned as Carazzi’s ‘approach’ to handling The Naked Emperor has been, you’re glad you never had to tangle with the deranged shapeshifter. You’ve been all over this crazy world, and tangled with all kinds of monsters, but you don’t like your chances against a hundun in a straight-up fight. Now, seeing the jiangshi literally ripping into the globular giant with its bare hands, twisting and tearing its flesh and spilling its remarkably-red blood, you’re not sure if you’re less wary of the hundun than you were before… But you’re MUCH more so of the jiangshi.
<span class="mu-r">Holy shit…</span>
The zombie holds the loose, limp putty of the wounded hundun’s half-expropriated extremity in its hands, and emits a long, low groan of satisfaction as it begins to raise the freakish creature’s flesh towards its mouth. Distracted as it is, though, that leaves it open…
<span class="mu-g">“NOOO! GET AWAY FROM ‘IM!”</span>
…And Carazzi, snapped out of her own daze, is quick to take advantage.
