Mystery? In a Royal Court?
What price do you pay to protect someone? What cost to yourself do you pay to make sure tender dreams are not crushed?
There are no dragons (not on this planet, everyone is glad about that). Dungeons are generally fo...
The Rogue is cursed. It was the kind of curse that did not afford internal awareness (a real kindness in this case). The Rogue had been cursed in the past. He did not "like" it. Right now, though "like" was not a mental state he could have. Right now, he was running noisily and yelling loudly AT NIGHT IN THE DARK FOREST.
A creature nearby felt compelled to act on this. It was the Giant Spider of the Dark Forest (one of perhaps a few of its kind hereabouts). On the ground a Giant Spider is thirty feet tall. It immediately grabbed him.
Instead of the usual evaluation of a thing that spiders tend to do (deciding whether to sting, eat or wrap up). The spider was magically inclined to do just one thing: Use the sharp front leg tips to render this thing into many smaller parts. It did so. That job has its whole attention.
As such, the spider was not aware how a seven foot tall biped had taken a running leap, a leap which peaked at forty feet high. Sword drawn and swinging downward, it cleaved through the head of the spider. Princess hit the ground and leapt back twenty feet in one bound. Once there, her feet sought to find good purchase for a second standing leap.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The spider was dead. It was oozing spider blood and goo.
Emme ran up.
The sword spun out of Princess's hand and flung the spider blood off. On its own the sword brushed against grass and returned to the scabbard. Emme thought she had only ever heard about swords that magically powerful, almost situational aware.
She regarded "big guy" and wondered if it might not more apt to call him "Valiant Man". The magic glamor spell, which gave him immaterial feminine attire and a tiara, had not limited his combat skills.
The blood of black forest gain spider was cursed and Emme made a mental note of where the sword had flung and wiped.
Rogue was definitely dead. There was no magic here for Emme to attempt a cure and now lying in cursed spider blood. This was a terrible thing, terrible.
As she watched over this scene, a magic glow appeared both around the rogue and also in the eyes of "Big Guy". She knew she had to act right away.
Using her skill in curse evaluation, she knew that a curse might kill or mentally break someone. You just never knew. Would this curse force "Big Guy" to cannibalize the dead rogue?
She uses her two voices technique, one to distract (break the spell) and a calmer voice to guide reason.
She ran up and smacked with both palms on the chest "Hey Stop That" "you under a spell, break free"
She lifts a leg from under the cloak. "Aren't I a sight" Push/smack to the chest "It is a spell! Think!"
She uses her hands to highlight her bosoms under her cloak. "I get alot of attention generally" Push/smack to the chest "please concentrate on where you are"
Princess has been slowly stepping back.
She performs a push/smack to the chest and steps onto the feet "Clear your thoughts" "break free please please"
Princess sits with a back against a tree. The spell is clearing.
Emme says "Quickly now as the spell is breaking, tell me sights, vision, scents, anything....anything."
Silence, Princess looks intently at Emme, and eventually says "Pretty!".
Emme is now convinced that this person is not a man. That was a girl's expression, not a slow witted man in adoration or lustful blurting.
Emme sits next to "Valiant Man" for a good while. This will not be allowed.
Emme will fix this.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
She tells Princes to stay there and not go anywhere where there might be spider blood. Emme crosses, carefully noting the ground over to where rogue lies.
On the ground, in rogue's clothes, is a perfectly whole body. Long blonde hair. Smooth fair skin. An unharmed teenage girl with no signs of life (in a pool of cursed spider blood).
Emme heads back and discovers 'Valiant Man' is nearby. "T-Th-That is my body. That is me."
Emme forcefully pushes "Valiant Man" back to the tree. There will be time for questions later.
It is very dark right now in the dark forest.
The spider blood will keep many dangers away, but we must not risk touching it.
We must wait for morning light.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
