My Second Life Is An Absurdist Power Fantasy 38 38. The Shaman's Scheme

Rawgh'faz lay on the stones of the square, his mind calculating about his next move. The blue-skinned girl was not going to leave her invisibility if she could help it, and as of this current moment had the upper hand on him as he lay here. But there was something working in his favor. By the way she used components, she was clearly a wizard, which meant that sooner or later she would run out of supplies to cast any more of her little tricks. And by that point, she'd be defenseless. All he had to do was wait her out, bait her spells, and strike when she was no longer able to cast.

Now, from this position, he couldn't very well move without drawing her attention and likely being struck by that d.a.m.ned stick of hers. But he didn't need to move, and if he was careful, he could do what he was thinking without letting on.

As he lay there, mentally intoning the ritual chant in his head, he laughed aloud, cackling hyenlike for several moments before he spoke in a gruff, barking Common.

"You fight well, girl. I like a good challenge." He said. "Leaving the footsteps was a nice touch."

His words hung in the air for several seconds without any reply, just long enough to make him wonder if she had actually left, before her voice sounded out somewhere behind and above him.

"Talking isn't surrendering, mutt. I'm waiting for you to tell me you're leaving." Eleanor said.

Rawgh'faz made himself chuckle out loud again as he mentally worked the second stage of the chant in his mind. He could already feel the first threads of connection to the spirit he was calling for, but he would need more time. Perhaps a minute or two. He had to keep her talking, or, at the very least, busy.

"And why would I do that? I like it here." The gnoll said, his teeth baring into a doggish grin as he turned his head to the side, granting him a limited view of the s.p.a.ce behind him. "It's so much more entertaining than sitting in our caves waiting for some hero to come kill us."

The girl scoffed, and said, "Because if you don't tell me you're leaving, I'm going to turn your hide into a throw rug. Now, are you leaving, or do I need to fold you inside out first?"

The way she said this last sentence struck Rawgh'faz's ears as ever so slightly off. She was posturing for poise and confidence, but the subtleties of her tone were giving her away. She was impatient. And, more than that, she wasn't as confident as she was trying to present. There was an edge of nervousness in her voice that she was trying very hard to mask. Which told him everything he needed to know. She was probably running low on tricks. And recognized a genuine threat when she saw one. He had to give her credit for being at least that smart.

The threads of connection with the spirit he was beckoning were growing thicker by the second as he mentally intoned the name. A few more moments, and he'd act. He cast his vision as far back behind him as he could from his limited vantage point, and sighed audibly, effecting a look of defeat and frustration.

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"We'll leave. You have my word." He said.

"I want to hear that you'll never come back. Say it." The girl said. This was accompanied by another sharp crack of her staff against the back of his head, causing the gnoll to curse aloud, both out of pain, and out of nearly losing the connection thread he was about to complete.

"My tribe will never return to this place. You have my word as chieftain." Rawgh'faz said, doing his best to make his tone as genuine and fearful as possible as he felt the connection tether complete, and the spirit's vitality rush into his body in a roaring wave. It took everything in him to not howl out in pain and ecstasy at the experience.

"Good dog. Now leave, before I decide to turn you into a cloak." The girl said, her invisibility dissolving to reveal her standing about fifteen paces behind him, her staff held defensively in both hands.