Even as she entered the room, a Stoneskin spell flared up around Aerie, protecting her with a flexible, light, and almost entirely impregnable shell. She had no intention of letting herself be caught off guard, just in case her foe hadn’t left yet. And wouldn’t that be just like him? She thought about that for a moment. Using Yoshimo as a dupe, drugging him and counting on him leading Bodhi here. Perhaps he is out to kill her. But he couldn’t have known about me.
Now *this* Aerie matches her mental stats!
But first she would have to catch them, of course, and she had no intention of getting too hasty or overconfident again.
Even WIS.
Observe, and form conclusions. He is good at misdirection, at illusions. An illusionist turns your attention towards one thing, while in reality occupying himself with a second, or even a third. If we are meant to look at the safe, what is it we are not meant to look at?
I love it when you are writing Aerie's thoughts. I know what will happen, but this still feels claustrophobic.
Bodhi stalking angrily around the safe, ranting about her purloined papers, oblivious to all else. Yes, that’s right. I am not here. I do not exist. There is nothing and nobody of interest here.
Bodhi is much dumber (and less scary) than Aerie.
The second spell was completed, and he knew that one too, knew it only too well. There was still a small chance that she would overlook him, but that hope was quickly dashed as he heard a faint buzzing noise. It was moving systematically around the room, coming closer and closer, a sound that might have come from a fly, or a bee, but didn’t. A fraction of a second later, a floating blue eye zipped above the edge of the bookcase, stared directly into his own, then darted off again.
Oh-no...
Then, there was a voice from below him, a light, mild, and rather amused voice. “Peek-a-boo!” Aerie said.
And her... unique sense of humor is intact.
The spell she had prepared took hold, racing through her body and into his. She could feel it doing its deadly work, attacking internal organs one by one, causing them to fail and collapse, to descend into painful chaos. All according to her will, her will to harm. Interestingly enough, it was actually easier than she had imagined, easier than normal. It was almost as if the spell was a river following a groove already left for it by some previous flood wave, one that had made its work easier.
Erk *is sick*
The assassin gave a strangled gasp; he dropped limply to the floor, and then lay still. Aerie reached out her foot to turn him over, concentrating hard. His skin was an unhealthy gray color, lips and fingernails tending towards a nasty purple, and his breathing was so slow that it was barely perceptible. Not quite dead, but very, very close. But that is as it should be. I don’t want him dead. Not yet.
I agree Aerie isn't doing the Evil Overlord thing here. Loviatar would want her to torture a worthy foe for a long time, even if she didn't need Dekkie for anything.
The vampire gave a small sneer. “Yes, little elf, you spared me the scuffle in which I might have broken a nail or two. Want a pat on the head for it?”
Bodhi, you are not impressing anyone.
“Then,” Aerie filled in, “I will please my Goddess, and we will learn a great deal about the people you seek.”
Eck. Poor Dekkie! Imagine being at death's door like that.
