I grab my unique items by the stairs and start heading out. (Keep the items partly for the added score, partly because I still like the visual of me whipping out the Book of the Dead to cast spells, even if it's not really like that. Fond memories of the Tome of the Night Sky (aka Book of Darkness). *smile*) Of course, I'm not interested in fighting any more... just fleeing. I think the Wizard showed up once more down here. ZOT!

Incidentally, if you've never gotten this far, I (or more specifically, Sesshomaru) was a little troubled to learn just how often bad things happen after you kill the Wizard. Now, as long as I keep wielding Magicbane I think I'm clear from curses, but him and/or other monsters appearing could become an issue. The weirdo teleporting force when climbing stairs doesn't help.

That mysterious force at DL42 delayed me getting to my stash at DL41, but not for long. Dropped the Amulet briefly for some proper ID-ing, since it's draining my spell energy (of course! *glare*). Left some stuff in my boxes there that I didn't want to leave lying around the sanctum (like a wand of create monster), put everything to keep in the bag, and kept going up. The mysterious force seemed to want to keep me on DL41. No, really, I'm going up.

I'm trying to move fast, yet cautiously. Step, step, step, step "So thou thought thou couldst kill me, fool!", step... crud. Not cautious enough.

*sigh* So, the Wizard is back, and I've taken a step away from him. I'm no longer lined up to Death Zap him. So I ponder. Well, my options are kinda limited.

Step to the side, lining me up with the Wizard again, with one square of separation. He... doesn't do anything? *peer* (What's he waiting for?) Um, okay. Whip out book of the dead, strike a cool pose, ZOT! Whew. He's not only dead, he's left a corpse.

*half smile* Remember that tinning kit in my bag? I can't resist, I saw this done once in YAAP... apply what? A tinning kit (0:36). I get a tin of Wizard of Yendor meat. What can I say? It's cute the same way stilletos and lenses are cute.

Chuck it all back in the bag, keep moving. Make it to DL34, the swamp... some long worm by the upstair, meh. Oops, mysterious force, I'm back on DL35. Make it to DL34, the swamp... there's now a longer long worm by the upstair, avoid it. Oops, mysterious force, I'm back on DL35 AND surrounded by monsters this time! *sigh* Take them out. Make it to DL34, the swamp... there's a long worm now blocking my way to the upstair. *extra big sigh* Kill it.

Made it up the stairs that time. Ended up revisiting Asmodeus' level twice as well though. Then finally, I'm back to the Valley of the Dead, then the Castle - no more mysterious force! Then I'm at DL22, for a last visit of my stash. There's not much here I want, a lot of it's back at DL1 by now. However, I grab my spellbook of identify, and one of my spellbooks of magic missile, because I'm not sure when I last refreshed those spells.

Keep going up. Stop in at my aligned temple on DL21 to say goodbye to the Priestess! She gives me two bits for an ale. *shrug* A level or so later there's four wargs in my way. Misteltein 'em down! *blink* One of them dropped a magic marker. Technically, this is good, though in retrospect, it means I wasted a wish from my wand. Oh well, keep going. (Must have killed another Wizard in here?) Finally back on DL1. There's actually a bunch of things I need to do here.

First, since I just recently saw some nasties - none of them being a silver dragon - I need to finish upping my armor while it's "safe". Strip naked (God, this is dangerous), then put my grey dragon armor back on. Read a few enchantment scrolls. It's up to +4 from +1. Quickly get dressed again. *whew*

Next, identify the few healing potions and such that I got in the sanctum and on the way up. Uncurse if necessary, and quaff. Then bless and quaff all potions of gain energy. Finally, quaff almost all the (so far unused) diluted potions of full healing from my bag, and replace them with the UNDILUTED (and blessed) potions of full healing from my chest. *smile* See? I plan ahead. What's more, I name them in groups of two... Miaka kept getting Stressed when she took 'em all out of her bag in the Planes.

Okay, that's done... I have over 500 HP and over 400 Pw. Next, get all my gems out of the chest and into my bag. Thank goodness... they're not as heavy as I was worried they would be. However, with all the artifacts AND the other stuff it IS making me Stressed. *frown* I hate stress. Some of this is going to HAVE to be left here.

Ponder.

Okay, I don't really need to ascend with all these Nazgul invisibility rings. Scrolls... fine, no more than 10 blessed blank sheets, with a few uncursed as well, to be safe. I'll leave the three uncursed taming here too, and just bring a blessed one. Ditto for the uncursed remove curse scrolls; I'll keep holy water, plus I still know that spell. Similarly, wands of digging stay behind, except for the one I pinched off Anook the shopkeeper; I still know that spell too.

What else? The five +2 daggers I'll leave, I'll only keep the five +3 daggers for backup. Food is also heavy. Hm. My ring of slow digestion I blessed, so I'll bring only two lembas wafers. Hopefully that'll be enough; after all, I am Satiated. Now, the stilletos and the bardiche stay in my bag - sorry, I have my principles.

As I'm messing around with this, I off a flaming sphere, a floating eye, and a troll, offering the latter on my altar. (Idiots. Don't they know who I am? I'd have thought the Amulet would clue them in.) In the process though, I'm warned that I'm forgetting magic missile! No, no, Misteltein is, like, my staple spell!! Thank god I have the spellbook... I refresh my memory. Identify, I "know quite well already". Okay, think that's it.

Go to the upstair. Beware, there will be no return! Still climb?

Ponder again. Yup. Kawoosh!