Gearing up (Moore, Ithea)

[Merc]

Doubtlessly.

Ithea growls lightly as she turns her head, already expecting to find nothing there. "Am I ever going to find out your true name?"

[Anastasia]

The answer is a long, low ribbit. "Tell me what I am. TELL ME WHAT I AM!" The voice demands, indeed not behind her at all. "WHEN SNOW WHITE LIGHT FADES AWAY, TELL ME WHAT I AM!"

[Merc]

"Well, if I had to guess from the recent ribbiting, you're a slaad. A black slaad at that?"

[Anastasia]

A bell rings. An actual bell like an overly loud handbell, ring ring ringing away. "Yes! There is wisdom in this one's food meats!" It appears 15ft to your left, a huge slaad-shape seemingly cut out of the night sky, save for two glittering blue eyes. "I smell colors on you. Did Renbuu send you?" The creature licks its chops slowly, "Renbuu's servants are tasty. Chourst send me. His servants are tasty, too." It continues to lick its lips, before taking a bite out of its arm. Flesh regrows instantly, even as it loudly chews its own flesh.

"I like you. You make me hungry. Can we eat?" It flies forward, getting right into Ithea's face. "Because I bet more are coming and there will be plenty to eat. Someone's selling the information and it makes me even more hungry."

[Merc]

Ithea tries very hard not to think anything involving food and other creatures that obsess over such things.

Is this a different creature from the one she'd been speaking to previously? At least before, when it was imitating all those dead beings, it seemed reasonable. Now it was...well, it was definitely behaving more like a slaad.

"Unfortunately, there's those that would say I have more wit than sense," Ithea says, certainly feeling like that in this moment given her dislike of gluttonous beings.

"Neither Renbuu nor Chourst sent me, although I have seen some of Renbuu's colorful work before. If you're hungry, have some corn," Ithea replies as she draws a piece of the corn she'd saved for 27 (hopefully she won't have to go through all of it) and flings it towards the slaad-shape's mouth.

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d100+8 slaad reaction, +8 for corn
<Kobot> Ko-NitorisTwistedIndustries rolled 1d100+8 slaad reaction, +8 for corn --> [ 1d100=62 ]{70}

The corn is snatched and devoured in a single bite. "When I last visited Acheron, I found out that cubes are edible. Is this cube or cube based corn?" It licks its lips once more, a long, black tongue lolling out of its mouth. "It's important, since Shar doesn't like cube or cube based corn. But she likes cube or cube based peppers, plus they attract flies. But that's not good, since they're empty flies. When empty flies come, you die."

It then sniffs Ithea several times, "I propose that I propose to you." IT looks right to your shoulder, withdrawing a ring of iron from nowhere. "Angel cat, will you marry my stomach?"

[Merc]

"I didn't plant the corn, so I couldn't tell you if it's cube or cube-based. I can tell you it was planted by potatoes and radishes?" Ithea offers.

Then pauses and not having heard any meows this time, she asks, "Did the angel cat accept?"

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d100
<Kobot> Ko-NitorisTwistedIndustries rolled 1d100 --> [ 1d100=12 ]{12}

The slaad recoils back two dozen feet in an instant, screaming in a loud, hysterical voice. "NO NO NO! GET AWAY!" It promptly bites out, tearing a hole in the air before you. A ripped portal, similar to what you've seen Adrian make. It dives through it, gone moments later.

[Merc]

Ithea just stands there for a moment, looks at her shoulder where this supposed angel cat rests, and asks the empty space there, "Did you tell him you'd marry him if he went on a diet? Cause that's the only thing I can think of to draw that reaction."

Not expecting any response from the empty space above her shoulder, Ithea goes for her scroll of sending and activates it, preparing to send word back to Aurora so that they can find Stille, Crystal, and Moore, as well as send someone to pick her up and all these gemstones.

[Anastasia]

Go ahead and elaborate your exact reply, Ithea. 25 word limit, remember.

[Merc]

Ithea spends a brief moment thinking up what to send, and once certain of the wording, sends the following message to Tepen: "Stuck in Deep Ethereal surrounded by gemstones. Need pick-up. Lost Crystal, Stille and Moore. Check if they are safe and need pick-up too."

The 'too' might get lost if 'gemstones' is considered two words, but it wasn't critical, and it should get the most important parts through.

[Anastasia]

A little time passes after that until there is another reply. Tepen again, "Understood. Scrying incoming, do not resist."

[Merc]

Ithea does as requested!

[Anastasia]

Several moments later a portal appears before you. Tepen steps through it, "Finally," he says, "Are you hurt?"

[Merc]

"Not at all, though a few close shaves," Ithea replies with a shake of her head. "I'm more worried about the others that were with me. A black slaad was playing with us and sent them somewhere else. I found the treasure Crystal was looking for, I think, but fat good if we can't find them. Any luck finding them or was I the first?"

She gestures at the wreckage of gems and ship parts around her to Tepen as she mentions Crystal.