Decameron: TPK [IV/8]
“I leave for five minutes to pick up delivery, and this is what I come back to?” Ben groaned. His party truly couldn’t do anything without him.
From the Zoom window in the upper right corner, his DM looked at him serenely. “It’s your initiative,” she said.
“Fine,” he sniffed, as he settled back into his chair. “I cast Cure Wounds on Salvestra. 1d8 +4, so…” — he rolled, looked and grimaced — “Five.”
“Salvestra, you feel a billowy light fill your lungs,” said June. “Your eyes fly open and you gain five hitpoints.”
“Thanks, Ben, I—” Amal began.
“Girolamo,” June said. “The Ogre Skeleton swings its Greatclub at you. Distracted by the effort of healing Salvestra, you try but fail to dodge in time. The Greatclub connects with your skull. Take 19 damage.”
Ben looked down at his character sheet. “Ok. Girolamo is down.”
“Not for long!” chirped Gwen. “Neifile is going to rush over to Girolamo, and cradle his head, and gently pour a Potion of Greater Healing down his throat.”
“Neifile is still knocked out,” said June.
“Amal!” begged Gwen, as she turned to the party’s barbarian. “Heal Neifile so she can heal Girolamo!”
“You have to do a death saving throw first,” said June.
Gwen made a pouty face, rolled her dice, looked down. Didn’t look up right away. Didn’t say a number. Ben swallowed, a lowkey panic beginning to rise.
“Natural one,” Gwen whispered, almost imperceptibly.
“Salvestra, you watch Girolamo fall and turn to Neifile. You thought she was only knocked out, but now looking again you realize…. she’s eerily still. ”
“NOOOOO,” Gwen wailed, just as Amal shrieked, “WHAT?” and Ben slumped back in his chair. Why had he ordered delivery tonight? Why had he ever stepped away from the game?
“It’s your turn, Amal,” June said, unable to fully keep the sadistic edge out of her voice.
“I use my healing crystal on Girolamo.” she said, her voice thick with grief. “He gains eight.”
“Girolamo, you feel light and warmth percolate through your body. You’re no longer knocked out. Salvestra, the second Ogre Skeleton hits you with its javelin for 11.”
“Salvestra’s down again,” Amal said bleakly.
“Girolamo uses Cure Wounds again on her, and she gains 7,” said Ben.
“Salvestra, the light fills your body and you’re up again. Girolamo, the first Ogre Skeleton goes at you with the Greatclub for 15.”
“Down again.” said Ben.
“Salvestra uses her second healing crystal on him.” said Amal.
“He’s healed, but Salvestra takes 9 damage from the Ogre Skeleton that’s on her.” said June.
“Girolamo casts Cure Wounds again on her and she’s back up with 12.” said Ben.
“The Ogre Skeleton hits you for 12.” said June.
“And my healing potion brings him back up to 6,” said Amal.
“And the Ogre Skeleton hits you for 18,” June said.
Ben grit his teeth. He was out of third degree spells, and June knew it. But he wasn’t going down without a fight.
“Girolamo throws a goodberry into her mouth. From across the room. She gains 1 hit point.”
“Do a dexterity check,” said June.
He practically threw his dice at the table. “22,” he said.
“It goes into her mouth. She heals one hitpoint. The Ogre hits you for—”
“I know, I know— Girolamo’s down again. But Salvestra isn’t.” Ben locked eyes with Amal and gave her a terse nod. She nodded back.
“Salvestra… stabs the second Ogre Skeleton in the eye socket.” Amal started. She rolled her dice and fell silent. Ben felt sweat appear on the back of his neck, and then he realized she was shaking slightly… with joy.
“Nat 20,” Amal said in a hushed voice. Then, louder: “NAT TWENTY!” She began rolling a clattering of dice. “Five, eight… plus four… times two… She does TWENTY FOUR points of damage.”
“Ogre #2 is down,” June said calmly. “Ogre #1 swings towards you”-- She rolled, paused, and stared down at the dice off screen, a half-incredulous look on her face. “—And... misses...”
“Salvestra goes at him, too!” Amal roared. “Same knife!” A roll. “Nineteen!”
“That’s a hit.”
“Six, twelve, plus four— SIXTEEN DAMAGE.”
June looked up slowly from the roll she had cast; the one for the first Ogre’s missed attack. She cleared her throat.
“Ogre 1 is down.”
Ben got to his feet in triumph at the same time as Amal, cheering. June sat back in her chair. Gwen looked up from where her face had been buried in her hands and smiled, tearily. They hadn't had a total party wipe. He’d been wrong to doubt his team.
Amal made eye contact with him again over the video call connection, her eyes warm.
“Salvestra dunks a healing crystal into Girolamo’s open wound,” she said. June nodded and waved a hand in their direction absently, defeated.
Alone in his silent apartment after everyone had said goodbyes for the night and signed off (Gwen, still sniffling), Ben turned to his cooling takeout. There was lo mein in a greasy container, and he made himself a giant forkful of it, wrapping the noodles over and over again. Then he popped the whole thing into his mouth in one bite. It tasted like a miracle.
Decameron is a newsletter recounting the 14th Century set of quarantine tales for 2020. Read the original story.
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