Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Zhang Jingxu paused for a moment, as if recalling something, and quickly got up to the counter to pick up the collar of the Black Cat Demon. He compared it with the iron plate in his hand and said, "Look, does this iron plate seem to be a match for this Black Cat Demon’s collar?"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, got up, and walked over to Zhang Jingxu to take a look. Indeed, the iron plate seemed to be a perfect fit for the Black Cat Demon’s collar, and there was even a small hole in the center of the collar that matched a similar hole on the iron plate.

At that moment, Liu Xing suddenly remembered that the description of the iron plate mentioned that it could be combined with other items.

In other words, this iron plate was actually the Cat Card of the Black Cat Demon.

From the effects of this Cat Card, Liu Xing began to understand why the Black Cat Demon had been able to silently kill the entire town’s residents in the past and why it had become more difficult for anyone to attack Panlong Town after its seal was broken.

Wan Chongshan, who had been silent, spoke up, "Well, in that case, why don’t we try connecting the collar and the iron plate with a piece of string or wire? Maybe it will trigger some special effect?"

Wan Chongshan’s suggestion received support from the others because, in theory, the information about items shouldn’t be deceptive. Item information was supposed to be fair and transparent, unlike some NPC’s who only revealed half the truth.

So, Liu Xing and the others obtained a piece of wire from Hu Cang. After all, they still considered the collar and the iron plate to be magic items, and a simple piece of string couldn’t possibly connect them.

With confidence, Zhang Jingxu used the wire to connect the collar and the iron plate, but the wire snapped in an instant.

"It seems that there is a strong energy within both the collar and the iron plate. Ordinary wire can’t connect them. We may need to find better materials to do so," Zhang Jingxu frowned and said.

Liu Xing nodded and sighed, "Then let’s ask Hu Li tomorrow when we visit her if she has any items that can connect the collar and the iron plate."

At that moment, Hu Cang had prepared lunch, so Liu Xing and the others returned to the table to eat.

After lunch, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. They had already planned their actions for this time, and Hu Cang had already prepared the fishing nets they would need for tomorrow. So, in the afternoon, Liu Xing and his group had nothing much to do and could only adjust their state in their respective rooms.

Initially, when they had obtained the Black Cat Demon’s collar, Liu Xing had thought about going to the bamboo forest to find the Black Cat Demon deeper in the Hualai Temple. However, after confirming the relationship between the collar and the iron plate, Liu Xing decided to wait until after combining these two items before going to find the Black Cat Demon. After all, in most cases, combining items could yield results greater than the sum of their parts.

So, at the moment, Liu Xing could only lie on his bed and let his mind wander.

Of course, Liu Xing was still very puzzled about the positions of Green Willow and Hu Li. Were they truly standing with his group, or were they simply trying to use them for their own purposes?

Just then, Liu Xing heard a muffled thud, as if a heavy object had fallen. He jumped out of bed in a hurry.

Liu Xing looked towards the source of the noise and saw that Ling Ishikawa had returned from Hybrier. However, Ling Ishikawa looked quite troubled and in a bad condition.

Ling Ishikawa’s face was pale, contorted in pain, and he couldn’t even speak. The most alarming thing was that the left side of Ling Ishikawa’s face was covered with green scales, resembling snake scales.

Liu Xing didn’t have time to think too much and quickly went out to call Zhang Jingxu and the others. "Watanabe Ryuusei" character card didn’t have any medical skills or medical items, so facing Ling Ishikawa’s condition, Liu Xing could only seek help from Zhang Jingxu and the others.

Soon, Zhang Jingxu and the others followed Liu Xing back to the room, and Ling Ishikawa’s condition was still not improving.

"Let’s all lend a hand and get Ling Ishikawa onto the bed first," Zhang Jingxu said, supporting Ling Ishikawa’s head as he spoke.

Ling Ishikawa’s left half of the head was completely covered in snake scales, making him look somewhat grotesque. Zhang Jingxu, at first, failed to hold him securely and let Ling Ishikawa’s head hit the ground.

Ling Ishikawa couldn’t help but groan in pain.

Zhang Jingxu smiled awkwardly and said, "Oops, my bad. But it’s a good sign that Ling Ishikawa can still groan in pain; it means he’s conscious."

Then, Liu Xing and the others managed to get Ling Ishikawa onto the bed. From Liu Xing’s perspective, Ling Ishikawa had already become half a snake man because besides the half of his head, his left hand was also covered in snake scales, and his nails had become long and sharp.

Liu Xing furrowed his brows and roughly guessed what had happened to Ling Ishikawa during his trip to Hybrier.

According to the Cthulhu Mythos, Wizard Serak had become obsessed with researching snake man magic later on. He had turned into a snake man himself due to an experiment gone wrong, which was discovered by Ibon. Unaware of the truth, Ibon had poured a bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid on his master’s head, inadvertently killing Serak.

So, based on Ling Ishikawa’s current condition, Liu Xing figured that either Ling Ishikawa had become a test subject in Serak’s research of snake man magic or, during Serak’s experimentation with snake man magic, Ling Ishikawa had been accidentally affected and turned into his current state. Liu Xing leaned more towards the latter because if Ling Ishikawa had become a test subject, he wouldn’t have been able to escape from Serak’s grasp. Therefore, Liu Xing suspected that Ling Ishikawa had killed Serak in self-defense and had been sent back here afterward.

Zhang Jingxu then said with a serious expression, "The current situation is not looking good. Ling Ishikawa’s body is being corrupted by a strange magic that is transforming him into a mythical creature – a snake man."

Liu Xing furrowed his brows and asked, "Do you have any method, Mr. Zhang Jingxu, to remove the snake man magic from Ling Ishikawa’s body? Looking at his condition, it seems he won’t last much longer."

Zhang Jingxu nodded and replied with some hesitation, "There is a method, but I can’t be sure if it will work. Snake men are a very peculiar race, and our knowledge of them in the Chinese Daoist tradition is quite limited."

In the Cthulhu Mythos, most mythical creatures were either extraterrestrial or from other dimensions, and snake men were one such species originating from outer space.

The Snake Men held a deep reverence for entities like Zathogua that dwelled in the depths of the earth. Their social structure resembled that of humans, and they had established numerous Snake Men kingdoms, primarily built upon witchcraft and alchemy.

However, there was one kingdom, the Kingdom of Youss, which originated from the deep underground and elevated the scientific prowess of the Snake Men to unprecedented heights. In most Cthulhu RPG Game settings, the technology possessed by these Snake Men was at least as advanced as that of late 20th-century humans, especially in the field of biological science, where they outshone humans.

Therefore, in Cthulhu RPG Games, the majority of the Snake Men encountered were from the Kingdom of Youss.

The Snake Men of the Kingdom of Youss had achieved significant advancements in biological science, allowing them to manipulate life forms according to their will. It is confirmed that the Demonic-Ghost and Womi tribes were created by them, similar to how the Ancient Ones created Shoggoths. These races were crafted to fulfill specific missions.

Apart from the Dominator Serum, the Snake Men had developed various other serums, each with its unique effects. They excelled in cloning and accelerated growth, and most importantly, their serums had high versatility, affecting not only humans but also other mythical creatures.

In addition to serums, as descendants of snakes, the Snake Men were naturally skilled in creating various poisons and toxins. Some could be lethal with just a drop, while others would induce a temporary coma. Some acted swiftly, causing immediate symptoms, while others took a century to fully take effect. Their expertise in poisons was unmatched.

However, according to the lore, the Kingdom of Youss was destroyed over a million years ago. It was wiped out by Great Old One Yig, also known as the Snake God. Yig, depicted as an enlarged version of a Snake Man with bat-like wings, was a relatively minor Great Old One in the Cthulhu Mythos. It was widely worshipped among native populations in the Americas as the "Father of Snakes" and "Bringer of Bad Medicine." In the Cthulhu Mythos setting, Yig was considered the prototype of the Winged Snake God, Zhatogua.

Originally, the Snake Men were worshippers of Great Old One Yig, but for unknown reasons, they abandoned their faith in Yig and turned to Zhatogua. However, judging from the appearances of Yig and Zhatogua, it was evident that Yig and Zhatogua were not allies. Yig sought revenge on the Snake Men for their betrayal, nearly wiping them out and forcing the remaining Snake Men to flee to other lands (many believe this part of the Snake Men’s storyline is an allegory for the Jewish people; please research for further information).

Some of these displaced Snake Men settled in Hybrier, establishing a new nation. They managed to preserve many secrets of the Kingdom of Youss, but the technological prowess of the Snake Men had greatly diminished.

Despite their unfortunate fate, Snake Men were a formidable adversary in Cthulhu RPG Games, often feared by players. Their various serums and toxins made them challenging to deal with, and being hit by one usually meant facing imminent defeat.

Now, Ling Ishikawa seemed to be on the verge of death...

Although, according to this module’s setting, even if Ling Ishikawa died here, he should be able to resurrect in the next time frame. However, Liu Xing was not ready to give up on Ling Ishikawa’s treatment. After all, Ling Ishikawa was his steadfast ally. So, whether or not they could revive Ling Ishikawa, the treatment process had to continue.

Liu Xing nodded firmly and said, "As long as there’s a chance, Zhang Jingxu, go ahead. Let me know if there’s anything I can do."

Wan Chongshan and Li Dian also nodded in agreement, expressing their support for Liu Xing’s decision.

Seeing this, Zhang Jingxu didn’t hesitate and took out a small bottle from his pocket, pouring out a black pill.

"This pill was given to me by my master a long time ago. Its effects are quite peculiar. There’s a chance that it can revert the person who takes it to the physical state they were in an hour ago. However, the success rate may be somewhat low, around twenty percent or so, and I can’t be sure of Ling Ishikawa’s condition an hour ago," Zhang Jingxu explained solemnly.

Liu Xing furrowed his brow, surprised by the unusual effect of Zhang Jingxu’s pill. It could revert a person’s physical state to what it was an hour ago.

However, given the current circumstances, Ling Ishikawa’s condition had reached a critical point, and there was no room for hesitation.

"Never mind, Zhang Jingxu, just feed the pill to Ling Ishikawa directly," Liu Xing said with determination.

Without hesitation, Zhang Jingxu placed the pill into Ling Ishikawa’s mouth.

Then, the sound of dice rolling filled the room.

Ling Ishikawa, 13/20, succeeded.

When Liu Xing heard that Ling Ishikawa had passed the Judgment successfully, he breathed a sigh of relief.

However, before he could fully relax, he noticed that the snake scales on Ling Ishikawa’s body showed no signs of change, making him tense once again.

Zhang Jingxu shook his head in resignation and said, "It appears that Ling Ishikawa was in this condition an hour ago. There’s nothing more we can do. Let’s hope he can come back to life in the next time frame."

Just as Liu Xing and the others were preparing to handle Ling Ishikawa’s body, Ling Ishikawa suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.

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