Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Trick or Treat: Kultas Frei

Oh no. Oh no. Did Kultas just call Ocular a failed experiment?

The Illithid vanishes. No flashiness. No shadows. No crashes of thunder. Just gone in a hurry. They say that when the rats leave a ship, it's doomed. What does it mean when the illithids abandon ship?

The last two pieces of candy to be picked up clatter to the ground forgotten, not loud by any means, but deafening in the sudden stillness. Ocular's central eye, which had been a rather mild brownish color changes instantly. Brown rolls into a deep red, which lightens rapidly to the color of fresh blood, and keeps going. It settles down just past fire engine red, on it's way toward magma orange, all before the candy stops clattering on the ground. The Beholder points all its forward facing eyes at the one clawed creature in the doorway, all of which are the same color as the central eye. It also moves up and away a foot or two, similar to the way a head would move in surprise, despite the lack of a body or neck. It's voice has returned to deafening, though the jovial is distinctly absent, replaced by a viscous rage.

“I AM NEITHER EXPERIMENT NOR FAILURE. I AM ZILETHISPERESKIS, OCULAR PERFECTION. NONE HAVE BORN WITNESS TO ONE SO PERFECT AS I, NOR WILL THEY EVER.” It is a great fortune for the one clawed creature that beholder saliva is merely foul and filthy, were it caustic or poisonous, being drenched by it as thoroughly as he just was would surely have been fatal.

Now drenched in beholder drool (and all the remaining candy in his bag probably ruined), Kultas remains as stiff and still as he always has. Again, if he's scared, he sure as hell ain't showing it. By now that slasher smile is probably getting rather unnerving.

Clicks and hisses come from the inside of Kultas's place, accompanied by a small burst of fire that quickly vanishes. Kultas's little scarab pet just got another scare. Poor thing is having a terrible Halloween.

"I ssssaid no ssssuch thiiing, floatiiing one. I hope you enjoy the ck-andy.", says the surprisingly relaxed scorpionman. Then he moves backwards into the darkness of his lair, closing the door in front of him with a push of his claw.

One might only guess what sort of reaction the Beholder expected, or what sorts of reactions he has had to such obvious displays of imminent violence. The reaction he got, however, clearly was not on either list. The central eye blinks once as the door closes, then once more a few seconds later. The second blink is accompanied by each eye stalk quickly scanning its particular field of view, checking to see if anyone else just saw that...

This gesture is of course as futile as it is habitual. If there had been anyone else nearby, the beholder would most likely have spotted them. Even if anyone had been lurking unobserved nearby, the would have fled when the beholder started shouting. As the beholder takes a few moments to scan the area, his eyes begin to change color again. If there were any observers remaining, they would recognize the color shift as the same as the previous one, only backward and quite a bit slower.

When the beholder's eyes begin to settle into a deepening red, all the candy scattered on the ground begins to float up into the beholder's orange bag. Much of the candy was in that very bag only moments ago, unceremoniously spilled by the beholder's sudden and very nearly violent reaction to an apparently unintended insult. Once the candy is secured, the beholder simply disappears with a loud pop as the air rushes in to fill the sudden void.

Some time later, a much more normal pair comes down the walk. Old Alexandria is carrying a sleepy Aria in her arms, cradling the little girl up to their very last house of the night. The smashed decor gives them some pause, but eventually they make their way up the walk and knock.

Aria, dressed in yellow feathers and clutching her threadbare stuffed duck, sleepily holds out her trick or treat bag.

And the scorpionman, glistening with beholder drool (and probably stinking like crazy), opens the door and repeats the routine that has arguably worked decently so far. He opens the door and extends a bag towards whoever's on the other side, before even looking to see who's there.

"Grrreetiingssss!" Loud means happy in human, right? Right?

There is a stunned pause, and then both the females scream. Clutching her charge tightly, Alexandria whips around and goes running back down the walk as fast as her legs will carry her. Aria stares in wide eyed horror over her nurse's shoulder as she is carried away, one arm outstretched toward the rapidly receding candy bowl.