Episode 10

Despite my reticence, it was decided that we would go down the stairs. Seeing that the dwarf was happy to lead the way, I didn't feel obliged to be in any hurry; so I hung around in the paved corridor chatting with Aravin. I pointed out that we had no reason to go off down some horrible dank tunnel chasing rats, particularly when little Spug had clearly shown us where to go in order to deal with the cult we were supposed to be rooting out. I think he was coming around to my point of view.

Eventually we decided to help our friends, as we could hear them fumbling about in the darkness. Aravin went first, and I followed him into a large cavern full of stalacthingies and pointy rocks and whatnot. We also noticed, almost immediately, that giant rats were skittering about in the shadows over our heads.

Someone then decided that we should split up, which I said was a very bad idea. But nonetheless it happened; some of the boys decided to check out an area, but they asked Aravin to scorch everything living thing from there first. So he started, summoning up his magical fire, roasting a few rats and whatnot. Then Xagoth decided to check the area for any potentially flammable valuables before they might be damaged, and as soon as he stepped away from the others a giant rat dropped on his head and took a bite out of him before scampering off. And that was just the start of it.

So they fought off an invasion of giants rats, and I lost interest a bit, studying the interesting shapes of the rocks; when suddenly I realised bloody John and Florence had gone off for a bloody run through the bloody caves by themselves! I'm sure you can imagine what that was like.

Eventually they managed to loop back around and rejoined the rest of us; and then there were these doors, set right into the stony wall, down there in the darkness, and of course we just had to see where they went. Seeing how well everything was going for the others, I decided it would be best if I were the first through; so I reluctantly took up position, pulled the doors open, let Aravin cast his magic light down into the darkness. I followed the stairs down to the edge of a horribly murky and rank smelling pool. Aravin cast his light into the pool, but all we could see were shadows; and everyone else made their way down the steps and lined the shore. Then the magic light moved in the water, and suddenly a horrible great, glowing blob was oozing up onto the ledge beside us! I'd never seen anything like it, especially not with Aravin's magic light glowing from inside its partially see-through gunk.

The damned thing poofed or something, and we were all splashed with a horrible, stinky, burning gunk, which I must say knocked us all about quite terribly... except for Florence, who for some reason didn't seem to be affected by it at all. Must be something to do with the training she did at the temple or wherever it is she's from. Anyway, I was quite impressed with John by what happened next; he pulled, would you believe it, a bloody great curtain out from his pack and threw it over the blob thing! He shoved the whole quivering mass back towards the water, letting everyone escape. Where he got a curtain from I'll never know, but by Kord it was exactly what we needed right then. So I held up a small shield wall while everyone filed past; and then when it was John's turn to go, the damn fool idiot tried to take the damned curtain back. So of course he ended up getting covered in even more burning goo. Then the blob shot out two great tentacle things and bludgeoned us both as it tried to roll more of itself onto the ledge. So there's John, lying unconscious on the floor, and what was I to do? I ran up with my shield out and tried to thrust the horrible thing back into the pool. Then everyone else must have realised what was going on, because suddenly I felt this strange tingly feeling, then John was waking up beside me and rubbing his head, and then the blob went flying across the chamber and splashed down into the far end of the pool. I'm not ashamed to say that I have no idea what happened next because I was too busy trying to get out of that damned room.

When everyone was back up the stairs, I slammed the doors to and leaned against them. Aravin was reading some scroll or something; I can't remember what it said because it didn't sound that important. Then as we made our way back around the corner towards the doorway back to the keep, wouldn't you know it, there was another godsless oozy blob in front of us. This one was sort of orangey brown, and shaped more like a puddle with attidude. So people started running around like headless idiots, and the dwarf pulled out her crossbow; it was the damnedest thing, just as she was taking aim at the puddle I saw her suddenly jolt, her eyes went out of focus for a second, then hardly without aiming she pointed her crossbow at the cavern roof and fired, and a giant rat fell to her feet skewered right through with a bolt; and then, quick as you like, she had it in her pack, like it was never even there. I'll never understand dwarves. Anyway, she and I made a bit of a shield wall, forcing the puddle away while everyone else filed out, and then bloody John, who was still a bit slow on his feet from the ooze, got himself jumped by a bunch of giant rats, and then suddenly everyone's saying that John's unconscious again, and Xagoth's killing the rats or something.

Anyway, apparently that all worked out, because the dwarf and I forced the puddle back, and everyone managed to get back up the stairs into the proper corridor, and the rats stayed put and I'm pretty sure the puddle couldn't make it up the stairs, so we should be safe for now. But damnit, I said we shouldn't have gone down the bloody stairs.

And where by the hells was Flinch? I'm sure she could have dealt with the rats no problem. Bloody unreliable elves.