Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 62: The Formless Offspring Blocking the Way

Tina acted without hesitation, holding Nan Xiaoniao in one arm and covering her eyes with the other, continuing to walk downwards.

Meanwhile, Liu Xing served as the observer, closely watching the movements of the Formless Offspring to provide Tina and the others with firsthand information.

Just as Liu Xing had anticipated, the Formless Offspring's primary target was Nan Xiaoniao. It pursued them directly, and its speed had increased somewhat since Li Ming had awakened. The speed of the Formless Offspring had evolved from snail-like to that of a turtle.

"The monster's speed has obviously improved a notch, but it's still very slow, so we don't need to hurry," Liu Xing reminded everyone.

Thus, what should have been a tense and intense chase scene completely changed its tone. The Formless Offspring, a mythical creature, now seemed like a pitiful puppy being led on a walk by these "evil humans."

However, Liu Xing remained concerned that the Formless Offspring might possess long-range attack spells, frequently looking back to monitor its actions. After all, the spells in the Cthulhu RPG game usually required noticeable pre-casting movements.

Liu Xing hypothesized that the Formless Offspring's spells might allow it to parasitize or transform into humans. This would explain why it could masquerade as Nan Xiaoniao's mother, leading to the terrifying transformation scene in the grape arbor.

While not entirely certain, Liu Xing felt there was an 80% chance of this being true. Moreover, it seemed unlikely that the Formless Offspring had any long-range attack spells, as its choice to ambush suggested a level of intelligence that would have surely led it to use such spells if it had them.

Relieved by this thought, Liu Xing led the group confidently to the commercial district. Looking back, the Formless Offspring was still far behind, not even halfway up the hill.

Ignoring the slow-moving Formless Offspring, the group reached the grape arbor, finding only grape skins and seeds, with no grapes in sight.

"Wow, how much can this creature eat? Did it finish all the grapes here?" Tian Dao said, somewhat dismayed.

Liu Xing nodded, but internally he confirmed that the Formless Offspring indeed parasitized Nan Xiaoniao's mother. After entering the mirror world, she retained some consciousness. Like Liu Xing, she felt hunger due to failing a physical constitution check and began eating grapes here, as grapes and peaches were the only available food in this mirror world.

Considering the current situation, it was time for a round of investigation.

"KP, should we conduct an investigation now?" Liu Xing asked.

KP Cao chuckled and replied, "Oh, I didn't expect you to be so eager. Yes, you can now perform an investigation check. If you pass, you'll get a grape."

Liu Xing, 51/40, failed.

Tian Dao, 45/70, succeeded.

Tina, 60/50, failed.

Akira Akashi, 67/40, failed.

It was a close call.

The group, including Liu Xing, exchanged glances, simultaneously heaving a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Tian Dao's reconnaissance was successful. Had there been no successful scouting this time, they would have had no grapes to offer as a sacrifice.

The trouble, however, was that they only had one grape left as the sole survivor. Tian Dao, treating it with extra care, picked up the grape from the ground and said, "Uh, I'm a bit rough around the edges and not good at handling delicate things. If I damage this grape, we won't be able to leave this cursed place and return to the real world. My fault would be too great, so it's better you keep it safe."

"Alright then, let's put the grape in Nan Xiaoniao's small bag. It should be safe there and even if it falls, it won't get damaged easily," Tina suggested.

Thus, Tina took the grape from Tian Dao and carefully placed it in Nan Xiaoniao's small bag, entrusting Akira Akashi with the responsibility of carrying it.

After securing the last of the sacrificial items, Liu Xing and the team felt urgency. They promptly returned to the temple to offer the sacrifice and return to the real world.

But Liu Xing suddenly remembered something important – where had the Formless Offspring gone?

Logically, this 'disabled' Formless Offspring, although slow, should have reached the commercial district by now. But Liu Xing saw no trace of it. Could it be...

Thinking this, Liu Xing turned to Tina and the others, "Where has that monster gone? Has it stopped chasing us?"

Liu Xing's question furrowed the brows of Tina and the rest, who shared his concerns. They all pondered why the Formless Offspring hadn't appeared.

However, they soon found their answer. The Formless Offspring had learned to lie in wait, blocking their path to the Crane Temple halfway up the mountain. Using its massive form and tentacles, it effortlessly barricaded the only route to the temple.

As Liu Xing watched the Formless Offspring's undulating tentacles, he couldn't shake off the feeling that it was mocking them – "No matter how fast you run, you still have to return right into my grasp. Let's see how you'll get past me now."

Faced with this obstacle, both Akira Akashi and Tian Dao were at a loss and had to confront the Formless Offspring directly. Given the situation, their SAN (Sanity) values were bound to decrease.

"So, as Akira Akashi and Tian Dao lay eyes on the Formless Offspring for the first time, it's time for a SAN check. A success means a decrease of 2 SAN points, a failure results in a loss of 1d6+1 SAN points, and you'll gain equivalent knowledge of the Cthulhu Mythos."

Tian Dao, 84/78, failed.

Akira Akashi, 33/76, succeeded.