“Don’t sit…” Before Cecilia could finish her warning the fancy couch raised up its cushions, revealing a row of razor sharp teeth that chomped down upon the troll next to it. The mimic squealed in joy, turned to run, but was cut down by the rest of the party before it got too far. Unfortunately the troll had derezed before they got to him.
This was supposed to be a lightning strike, push through the active defenders and avoid the ambushers. Unfortunately things started going wrong seconds after entering the Parlor. Anyone that got close to Voss in close combat started showing symptoms of debilitating debuffs. Zara was doing her best, cleansing those in the worst shape, while the team moved forward; She just didn’t have sufficient mana to cleanse everyone at once. As such, the team needed to advance much slower than planned, in order to accommodate the sick members of the group, and take frequent breaks, so Zara could treat people once her mana had recovered.
The problem was this opened the team up to the ambushes the Parlor was famous for. They’d already lost three team members to a set of golems disguised as gambling tables earlier, and now a fourth team member to a rogue mimic. They probably would have been able to bypass, or at least outrun, these tricksters if they’d managed to stay mobile.
Cecilia sighed, watching the team setup defenses, and poke every single piece of furniture in the area with their blades. “No more short advances, we stay here until everyone is recovered. It may be slower, but it’s better than getting ambushed by those stupid creatures over and over again.” She swept her wing towards the room, “Everyone memorize the layout of the room, and let me know the instant you notice anything change. I don’t want anyone else ending up as a mimic’s lunch.” The Sharkin and trolls nodded, although they were a little paler than before. Mimics might act like overactive puppies while active, but getting wrapped up by a slobbery, prehensile tongue, then minced by three rows of razor teeth was not a pretty way to go.
While the ground troops watched the floor, Cecillia turned to the harpies. They were a lot calmer, and warier, then earlier. It seemed dying early had done a lot to cool their heads. “Ariel, Heather, you two are to guard Zara with your lives. She’s our only healer right now, and if something were to happen to her our advance would stall. NO ONE is to approach her while she’s resting, without my say so, got it.”
The two girls nodded, before hopping over to the healer. “The rest of you,” Cecilia said, addressing the remaining harpies, “Will respond to any suspected mimics or golems. Do not engage them in close combat, just poke them at range in order to test them. If you identify anything, alert the rest of the team, and we’ll engage them with our full strength.”
As the rest of the team busied themselves with her orders, Cecilia watched. Most of the team had recovered from the forest, most had been cleansed or burned off the effects, the ones that were left had relatively minor debuffs. Nothing lethal, but they still slowed them down and had some debilitating effects in combat. While she watched her daughter move from one patient to the next, something caught her eye. One of the sick trolls was doubled over, rocking back and forth. The girl was familiar, but something was off.
Just as Zara approached, the troll reached out, in complete silence. In an instant the girl’s arm extended horrifically long, turning grey and grasping at Zara’s throat. Thankfully, her bodyguards reacted faster than the imposter. Ariel pinned the offending arm to the floor with her talons, while Heather slammed the girl’s face with feather darts. The fake troll twisted, its facade falling away to reveal a doppelganger. The creature attempted to flee, but Ariel refused to let go, giving the rest of the team enough time to react and cut the creature apart. Once it was dead, no one spoke for several long seconds.
“I don’t know how, or when that creature replaced Juli, but from now on I want regular conversations. If someone isn’t communicating, point it out,” Cecilia ordered. No one had any complaints.
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After the failed ambush, the recovery went slowly, but steadily. Zara managed to clear all the active debuffs, everyone recovered their stamina, and morale was looking up. The group even managed to catch a sneaky mimic trying to sneak up on everyone, the creature was imitating a rug, and creeping so slowly that no one was sure if it was advancing or not. It was only after they shocked the creature that it reared up, nearly grabbing one of the harpies above. Everyone was extra alert after that.
Once Zara regained a little of her mana Cecilia pushed the group forward. They avoided whatever set dressing, and props they could, to minimize engagements. Although they encountered a single group of golems, they made it to the end of the floor relatively unscratched, to where Luther was waiting.
Luther’s boss room consisted of a circular arena with a poker table in the middle, and an upper balcony arranged like a viewing area, with a dozen high back chairs around the perimeter. He and eleven identical duplicates sat upon these chairs, in identical poses.
“I thought he only had six duplicates,” Zara asked in a low voice.
“Only in fights with adventurers, I have to provide a challenge, not crush those poor challengers.” One of the identical wooden puppets replied. “I have no such restrictions here, and as you can see, I’m capable of more than that,” Another proclaimed. Together the group of puppets stood up, bowed, then rose into the air.
“Did anyone catch it?” Cecilia hissed, “Which one was different?”
“Third from the left, the band on the hat was wrong,” Zara replied, her eyes locked on the nearest puppet.
“Then I’ll take that one, keep the others occupied for as long as you can.” Cecilia didn’t wait for a reply, instead she shot into the air, and engaged the puppet her daughter identified. The wooden imitation floated there for a moment, almost like it was challenging her, before it shot forward. A rapier appeared in the puppet’s hand at the last moment, slashing at her as it flew by. Cecilia darted back, evading the blow, then sent a massive bolt of lightning into its back. The puppet shuddered, but continued on, swinging about and making another pass. This simple exchange happened multiple times in the next minute, Luther swinging in slashing at Cecilia with his blade, and Cecilia returning fire with her magic. Both were starting to get worn down.
“You stupid ghost, do you think you can keep this up much longer?” Cecilia hissed, “I’ve already taken one of your arms. Soon, I’ll take off your head.”
“That hurts, my lady,” Luther replied, sweeping his hand across his face changing the mask from comedy to tragedy. “I thought we might become friends.”
Cecilia just snorted, and fired another bolt of lightning singeing the puppets coat. Luther responded by swooping down, striking out with his rapier once again. This time, Cecilia dodged at the very last second, grabbed his arm with one talon, then Luther’s head with the other. The puppet turned, ever so slightly to look at her, just as the harpy unleashed her full power through her talons. The wooden mannequin burst into flames, as electricity flowed through its form, weakening the frame until Cecilia finally crushed the head. An instant later the four remaining puppets slumped to the floor, deactivated.
As soon as Cecilia landed, Zara hopped over. “Did you really have to do that? You ruined your talons,” Zara said, inspecting her mother’s injuries. Her talons were badly burned, damaged by the magic that had been forced through them.
“It was worth it, to finish the fight quickly, love. I knew you’d patch me up afterwards. That crazy poltergeist’s puppets are tough, and they can do a lot of damage if they are not dealt with quickly. I’m glad you noticed the discrepancy quickly.”
“Yes, it was very fortunate,” a voice echoed from behind Zara’s back. “It would have made this much more difficult.” A second later the nearest puppet body rose up, and drove its blade through Zara’s back. Around the area, the other bodies rose, striking at the nearest target. Cecilia just stared in shock as her daughter’s body dissolved, revealing the smiling mask behind her. “I told you earlier, I’m not bound by the usual restrictions. Weren’t you paying attention?”