Want to support CHYOA?
Disable your Ad Blocker! Thanks :)

Chapter 5 by Nemo of Utopia Nemo of Utopia

What do you choose to become?

Mezzalorn (Infant, Midget, Awkward, Noob, Un-equipable, No-MP, No-Inventory, Low-HP, Summonable.)

Overcome by greed you pick a very high powered demon compared to yourself, the Mezzalorn, AKA, Wasp-Demons. Soaring through the skies of hell battling with blood-sucking Stirge demons and other infernal pests, the Mezzalorns are formed from the souls of rapacious and aggressive mortals that were poisonous to their fellow men and longed to fly through the skies. They are used as shock troops by the warring demon lords of hell.

You were formerly level 3, next up level 5, but baseline Mezzalorns are a level fifty-five monster... What you've forgotten, is that the game has ways of rebalancing everything down to level 1, if it needs to, even if that something is normally near level cap...

You feel yourself morphing and growing but not nearly as much as you would have thought: a Mezzalorn is a ten foot long centauroid demon with the main body of a giant wasp and the upper body of a man or woman, but you've just turned into a...

Maggot, dear god you're a maggot the size of a ten-year-old human child!

You desperately pull up your status screen and realize you can't precisely see it, everything you now perceive is in a blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and white line art on a black background: because you no longer have eyes, you are perceiving everything through "blind-sense".

However, you manage to focus in on the phantom outline of your screen and are horrified by what you find:

Mezzalorn (Small Maggot)
Lvl: 5
HP: 15/15
MP: 0/0
Stamina: 50/50
Melee Attack: 5
Ranged Attack: 3
Special Attack: 3
Physical Defense: 3
Mental Defense: 5
Special Defense: 3

Attacks:
Bite:
Class: Melee
Cost: 1 Stamina
Damage: 1 to (Current level) + [(Current HP) × ⅓]
Range: Close
Accuracy: Standard.
Special Effects: none.

Acid Gob:
Class: Ranged
Cost: 1 MP and 1 Stamina
Damage: 1 to (current HP) + (current Level) Acid at max damage per second for 1 second.
Range: five meters.
Accuracy: half standard, range penalties double.
Special Effects: may destroy non-magical gear...

Slime Glue:
Class: Special
Cost: 3MP, 3 Stamina, 1HP
Damage: none, see below.
Range: five meters.
Accuracy: half standard, range penalties double.
Special Effects: if the attack hits the target has a [(Your Current Level) × 5] percent chance of falling prone on the spot and being stuck there by the glue-like slime, being treated as being pinned in a grapple. Even if they do not they still suffer from the entangled condition. To break free of either condition takes a DC [20 + (Your Current Level)] strength check. In the case of the grappled condition once free of the 'pin' they now count as entangled and must succeed on a second check to escape the glue fully.

Defenses:
Immune to Electricity, Sleep Effects, Mind Control, and "Demonic Traits".
Resist: Fire 5, Ice 5, Acid 5, Sonic 5, and Poison 5.
Damage Reduction: 5/Cold Iron or Good.

Weakness:
Summonable: you can be summoned with an appropriate ritual by various classes.
Un-Equipable: You have no equipment slots for gear.
No-Inventory: You cannot carry any items in your inventory.
No-MP: you have no Mana Points, and cannot gain any by any means, this restricts your options a great deal.
Noob: you cannot gain any XP from Quests, only killing opponents.

Special Abilities:
Parental Defense: All Mezzalorn in the vicinity will fight to protect you from any attackers.

Permanent Status Effects:
Infant: instead of the centauroid body of a true Mezzalorn you take the form of a Mezzalorn maggot: meaning you have no hands or other fine manipulators, are a size smaller than normal, and count as a 'child' character and therefore cannot turn off the adult content filters. Buyoff Cost: Fifteen Levels. (OR Fifteen Levels Total to merge this status effect with Midget and take "Child" in exchange.)
Midget: you are a size smaller than normal for your species, have a lower than normal physical defense and melee attack, and will never be able to achieve full adult growth. Buyoff Cost: Ten Levels and the daily consumption Of Demonic Growth Hormones for a Year. (OR Fifteen Levels Total to merge this status effect with Infant and take "Child" in exchange.)
Awkward: you are Less dexterous and agile than a typical member of your species and cannot engage in many agility based activities such as climbing and flying. Buyoff Cost: Five Levels.
Noob: You are unworthy of Quest Givers time, you can only earn EXP from Killing Monsters or Heroes.
Buyoff Cost: Two Levels.
Un-equipable: You have no Slots for Equipment. Buyoff Cost: Two Levels, and must first Buyoff 'Infant' and 'No-Inventory'.
No-MP: You have no MP store and can't gain any MP by any means. Buyoff Cost: Two Levels.
No-Inventory: You do not drop any treasure and but also cannot hold anything in your inventory. Buyoff Cost: Two Levels, and must first Buyoff 'Infant'.
Low-HP: you have significantly lower HP than average for a creature of your type, more so the more levels you gain. Buyoff Cost: Two Levels
Summonable: You can be summoned with specific magical rituals. If this drawback has not been bought off by the time you earn an individual name, it becomes permanent and can never be bought off. Buyoff Cost: Ten Levels.

OK, fifty levels in the hole, not as bad as you had thought, you'll have to earn a total of 100 levels to reach the status of a full Mezalorn, and that's only if you manage to buy-off 'Summonable' in time, but, things could be worse...

The Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Single... Slither, Squirm, Wriggle...? (How DOES One Describe A Maggot Making A Thousand Mile Journey?) Anyway; How Do You Proceed From Here?

Want to support CHYOA?
Disable your Ad Blocker! Thanks :)