The Heat is On: Captain Crimson, The Inventor, and The Marksman

The Markman leaps behind a rock as a jet of fire engulfs the space behind him. Clearing the wyrm from his cavernous underground lair and his opulent treasure horde was proving to be a more difficult task than he initially predicted. The wyrm had chased the heroes out of his lair and into a series of tunnels running under the countryside of Franklin. The heroes have to keep the beast from leaving the cave and wreaking havoc on the rural residents. The heroes retreated until the cavern tunnel widened into a large room.

“Hey you nasty worm, eat this,” screams the Inventor as he fires his exoskeleton’s pneumatic hammer into the wyrm’s face. The serpent recoils, shaking its head in pain, flaring its nostrils. It looses another spurt of flame at the Inventor, but the Inventor isn’t bothered by the heat. He spends his days in the forge and his exoskeleton is designed to handle the heat for some of his more extreme projects. The wyrm’s heat was just another day at the forge for the Inventor. He continues to press the wyrm, standing resolute through the waves of flame and pounding the wyrm with his hammer. 

Two bolts smash into the wyrm, and lightning pours out of the arrow shafts, wrapping the serpent in a blanket of electricity and driving it further back. The wyrm coils up under an overhang, which was its last mistake.

“ARRRGGGHHHH,” bellows Captain Crimson as he jumps off the overhang, bringing his heavy pirate sword down right behind the serpent’s head.

The sword makes a sound like a knife through celery and is followed by the sickening thud of the serpent’s head falling to the ground. Crimson picks himself up off the ground and dusts himself off, re-sheathing his sword.

“I’m starting to think that I deserve a greater share of the loot,” chuckles Captain Crimson, “I sailed us around the realm, guided us through the cave…”

“Ignored my instruction and got us lost more like it…” interjects the Marksman.

“...led us to the treasure room,” continues Captain Crimson.

“Led us into the wyrm’s ambush,” interjects the Inventor.

“Killed the wyrm and is supplying the crew that will carry out the majority of the loot,” finishes Captain Crimson.

The Inventor and Markmsan is unable to reply to the final statement.

“Wow, my beard took some heat back there,” continues the Marksman, changing the topic of conversation.

“No need to worry about that,” comments the Inventor.

“Argh you need to watch yerself boy,” answers Captain Crimson simultaneously.

The two conflicting heroes look at each other, shocked that someone could have an opinion differing from their own.

“I work in a forge all day and the heat does wonders for my beard,” argues the Inventor. “It helps relieve in-grown hairs in the skin beneath my beard, it practically eliminates dandruff, and it makes the hair malleable so I can keep it looking sharp.”

“That may be, but applying even heat to your beard takes a lot of time and effort,” counters Captain Crimson. “Prolonged or overheating can dryout your skin and cause heat damage to the beard hair.”

The Marksman remains quiet. Crimson stares at the Inventor, who returns his icy glare. The Inventor discreetly flips the hydraulics on to his pneumatic hammer as Captain Crimson grips the hilt of his pirate sword.

Narrated by Brandon Warner