Chapter 6: Chapter Six: Hellfire

Limping back to his pit Marl cast the calligraphy kit he’d stolen from the school house carelessly onto the Marlstone alcove before diving head first into the pit lake. His body which had become a mass of cross shaped wounds and bruises taught him a valuable lesson not to be cocky. After he’d dispatched the regimen only a lone gangly youth was spared, who Marl promptly belittled for working against his own countrymen and turned away to destroy the grain. The boy had dropped his weapons after all, what Marl hadn’t expected was for the boy wrap his knuckles with his silver rosary and thrash him about the night. Seeing the grain destroyed by his worms Marl simply beat a hasty retreat. However the boy was alive, his silver and holy weaknesses would be revealed. War was after all a back and fourth, he counted this night as a draw.

Now to prepare his next move he needed stock of his resources, he summoned up his scroll from the hand mirror.

Name: Gnarled Marl

Meat: 0

Template gained: 0

Feats: 3100

Curses: 6

Curses gained: Leaden I, Vermin I (illuminated)

Blessings: 3 (illuminated)

Human reputation: concerned, mostly negative, local nuisance (illuminated)

Fey reputation: Highly Entertained, antagonistic (momentarily pacified) (illuminated)

He was curious as to the blessings, but ignored them in favour of the curses, one was the former Darkness curse which he continued to ignore for now.

Most important to him was the curse from Old man Jenkins.

“A curse that brings fourth unholy hosts.

This curse is unique and has a one time fee of 1000 feats, additionally you will gain no benefits.

Instead “spectral beings” may be bought for 100 meat each in the meat web menu. Such creatures are weak and will need to grow over time.”

This was frustrating to Marl, but not wholly unexpected, after all supernatural beings were powerful and he’s learned of the desperate need to grow his forces at the hands of a gangly, shaggy youth that evening. He purchased the skills and moved on to the other curse from Jenkins.

"A curse to freeze in infernal ice

Universal:

Greater resistance to cold conditions

The first interpretation:

Freezing blood allows blood to freeze objects on contact.

The Second Interpretation:

Prickling presence causes you to lower the temperature wherever you are.

The Third Interpretation:

Crystal cold, limbs can generate sharp ice crystals.

The Fourth Interpretation:

Targets of your will will feel a sluggish drowsiness assail them. Affected area no larger than two and a half meters by two and a half meters.

You may only choose one curse interpretation for 300 feats. Each additional level adds another interpretations at an additional increment of 300 feats to the standard price.”

Marl was intrigued, especially since this meant he wasn’t immune to freezing to death and Winter was approaching as it was already early October, however he had other thing curses to inquire about before he could make any decision. Farmer Manderson’s curse was next.

“A curse to be a pincushion of weapons

Universal:

Piercing wounds will no longer affect you by blood loss or mobility interruption. Head and heart strikes will still be very fatal.

The first step:

Weapons lodged in your body become immobile.

The Second step:

Weapons in your body can be dislodged and used as weapons, but only by your own hand.

The Third step:

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Piercing wounds that are inflicted can be returned to the damage dealer with intense focus.

The Fourth step:

Synergy with “Unholy Hosts I” Weapons belonging to a person killed by any method will have their soul bound to the weapon as long as it is in Marl’s flesh at the time of their death.

This curse can only be purchased in steps, step 1 costs 600 feats. Each additional step doubles the price.”

Marl thought this was a truly incredible idea and was interested in the differences of this curse, but continued on that he might better weigh his options.

"A curse to burn in hellfire

Universal:

Greater resistance to fiery conditions

The first interpretation:

Breathing hellfire, synergy with frog body. Caution: usage will incinerate any creatures in your throat pouch

The Second Interpretation:

Humidity will accompany your presence causing aggression and lack of focus in those affected.

The Third Interpretation:

Flaming jets of hellfire can erupt at various apertures of your body, synergy with leaden spines and pincer tail.

The Fourth Interpretation:

Objects can be ignited and thrown for explosive damage.

You may only choose one curse interpretation for 300 feats. Each additional level adds another interpretations at an additional increment of 300 feats to the standard price.”

The school marm’s curse, it was tempting, as if fire disrupted his breathing long enough Marl would die, plus fire solved the problem of freezing to death in his pit. Still he continued on to the last curse.

“A curse of knowledge

Universal:

You cannot lose track of your goals or targets

The first interpretation:

Knowledge of what your targets are seeking.

The Second Interpretation:

Pinpoint knowledge of your location.

The Third Interpretation:

Your own targets are illuminated.

The Fourth Interpretation:

Targeting through other senses such as smell, heard, touch or taste.

You may only choose one curse interpretation for 300 feats. Each additional level adds another interpretations at an additional increment of 300 feats to the standard price.”

Another winner, Marl instantly chose the first interpretation. Marl then thought about his remaining options. Eighteen hundred feats left, in the fight with the guards his tail had to do extremely heavy lifting, he needed a better offensive option, fire and ice were interesting, but alone carried no striking weight. He returned to his leaden ability, for six hundred feats he increased it, gaining leaden claws.

Looking at it again his teeth were also basically human, his improved digestion was useless if he had to eat like a traditional human so he spent another nine hundred for leaden teeth which would let him snap straight through bone. This left 300, meaning he could only afford the curse of hellfire or infernal ice.

Thinking about it, fire seemed more pragmatic as a tool than ice, but what permutation? He thought that while fire breath was tempting his familiars were too valuable for it to be anything other than a weapon of last resort, humidity didn’t help much, explosions were quite a bit more noticeable than simple fire. Thus it seemed clear what the only remaining option was. He picked hellfire jets and closed the hand mirror. As he did it seemed everything came into effect.

The most painful was the hellfire and likely always would be, channels for the fire erupted on his elbows, the knuckles of his hands and feet, knees, the centre of the pincer on his tail and the temples of his head. The pain never stops. The gnarled texture of his scars makes them appear like knotholes on a tree. Hellfire is pure crimson that terminates in black fire that wisps into acrid smoke. Meanwhile the bones of his fingertips pierce the flesh of his fingers as they gain length becoming seven inch long hooked claws of lead, when retracted they are roughly an inch long. His relatively human, despite belonging to a frog, teeth fell from his head as lead replicas took their place agonizingly, it was however nothing compared to the next pain. As he took both abilities at the same time he didn’t notice they had synergy with his claws and teeth or that both affected his tail and it was all kicking in, his leaden spines began to turn molten red, the pain was nearing his time on the body modification web, then he tasted the flesh of his tongue searing against his teeth as his lips and gums also started burning. Tears turned into steam in his eyes which were obscured by the resultant mist. This pain was worse than the web. He could also feel the agony of his tail pincer turn leaden and molten. Lastly, and least painfully, three strange holes opened on each of his shoulders and he was stricken by a headache. Minor considering it was all during the worst pain of an already extremely painful existence.

He was laying in his Marl pit for a full day before he could stand the pain enough to be conscious. As he woke up he was able to disengage his flame, though the pain never stopped. To console himself he caught some fish and roasted them with the flame from his knuckle while the fish hung from his claws on one hand. With the other he began to write to his daughter using the purloined stationary kit.

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