>>5274427>>5274429>>5274434A sword-kill would be more glorious, and better protect the bound captive of this creature… But then, what sort of Reptilian risks himself unnecessarily for a stranger, even a fellow member of the Master Race? No, you will do what you can to protect and rescue this unfortunate soul, but not at the expense of your own safety—not even in the pursuit of glory. You continue to pull yourself along through the morass, not hurrying at all. After all, how swiftly can a worm eat?
Well, not swiftly, as it turns out, but by the way the cocooned figure’s thrashing and crying-out slows and stops as the great-worm reaches out and sinks its mouthparts in, you would wager that paralytic venom of some sort is within its retinue. Maybe even preservative? Is that what slows the decay of the other victims of this terrible place?
>10If you’d been a bit faster, perhaps the captive Reptilian would have avoided this terrible fate, but their sacrifice (unwilling though it was) buys you vital time to reach the safety of the ledge, and to fumble your bow free of its straps on your back and the hardening sludge which encases it. While the creature sets about beginning to feed, you draw back the bowstring and launch an arrow. Perhaps, you reckon, you can skewer the damned depth-crawler and end its meal before too much damage is done… Or, at least, before it notices you.
>3…Or, perhaps, you have never actually practiced with a bow before, and these are less-than-ideal conditions under which to begin. Luckily, though, your shot was so shamefully far-from-the-mark that the great-worm hasn’t even noticed the attempt on its life… Even as it definitely, for SURE ends the life of the luckless Reptilian you left to die.
Well, altruism is for the weak and foolish. VICTORY, though, is for the glorious…
(And life, you consider, is for the wise and pragmatic)
What do you do?
>Draw back the bow again, take careful aim, and fire one more shot with <Guidance> [3d20, but a failure will expend the last of your mana]>Fuck it—you have a treasure, you are too late to save the wretch in the goo-net, and you are running low on mana, so you might as well burn this place out with cleansing dragonfire>Ranged combat was never your forte, but between your blade and your MIGHTY FISTS, you stand a chance; draw its attention and ready for BATTLE>Is butchering or burning a big caterpillar even GLORIOUS to begin with? Use the last of your mana to <jump> to safety, and get out of here while the getting is good>Brave the trap-web once more, to loot another body or two while the big bug is busy>Write-inI will try to post tomorrow morning, but I have company this weekend, so expect one or MAYBE two posts a day tops for the next few days 