Lost in the Abyss – Episode 1.5
Shaaaarghraio leads them back through the caverns and into the tunnel where the Petitioner warned them not to go. According to the Miner, this is the way to the Glutton’s enclave.
They trudge through the darkness until they hear a ruckus up ahead. The noises seem to be a mixture of shrieking and the clatter and scrape of crude weapons on stone.
It is not long before they come upon the source of the commotion. A crowd of Petitioners have caught one of the Demon Vroc in a large net and, under the direction of another Demon, a Babau, they are prodding, poking and beating it with sticks and clubs. The Vroc shrieks and struggles to free itself but cannot escape.
After a moment, Shaaaarghraio declares, “Well it wasn’t me who started this one” and then turns and charges headlong into the fray. Petitioners are scattered in all directions.
“Do you think that Minotaurs in general find it difficult to grasp the concept of caution or is it just this one?” Blanca sighs, watching Shaaaarghraio cleave through a number of Petitioners that ineffectually attempt to stand in his way.
“Indeed, it is his nature to be chaotic” Tanemous replies. “We should take care that one of these wild rampages does not lead us into more trouble than we can handle.”
Despite the warning, Tanemous, Blanca and Marcus all hurry to the Minotaur’s aid.
With the Petitioners fully occupied, the Vroc tears off the netting and vanishes. Not long afterward the Babau also departs, slipping away into the darkness.
Seeing that only a handful of stragglers remain, Tanemous flies up into the air and demands that they surrender. Then he shouts, “Shaaaarghraio restrain yourself, we may be able to learn something from them.”
Shaaaarghraio hesitates for a moment. The Minotaur feels a strong urge to ignore what sounded very much to him like an order, but ultimately he grabs one of the Petitioners by the throat instead of killing him.
To everyone’s surprise, it is Marcus who fails to heed the call for restraint. Unabated the young swordsman continues his attack and decapitates another victim with a flourish. His blade pulses hungrily as the Petitioner’s life force fades. Only when Blanca glares at him does he seem to realise what he has done.
“I suggest you surrender before my colleague sees fit to slaughter any more of you” Blanca warns them in Abyssal.
The remaining Petitioners quickly drop their weapons and Marcus looks apologetic.
“Why were you hunting the Vroc?” Tanemous demands. Blanca translates for him.
The Petitioners reply that their master instructed them to find food for him.
Tanemous continues questioning them. “Whom do you serve?” he says.
“The mighty and powerful High-Lord Glutton” they answer. “He has many guises but most often he appears as a giant spider demon.”
After only a short time, it is apparent that the Petitioners know next to nothing. At Blanca’s urging they are released and the four companions continue on their way.
They come to a large chamber where the floor is covered in bones. Another passageway leads them onward into darkness. As they go deeper, strands of cobweb that hang from the ceiling and walls grow increasingly dense. Eventually they can go no further.
Looking a little disgusted, Shaaaarghraio scrapes a handful of the stuff from his hide and then bellows “OY! GLUTTON, ARE YOU IN THERE?”
In reply a terribly alien presence crawls across the edges of their minds and the web that blocks their path curls back to offer a way forward.
“Enter”, says a voice that sounds like nails scraping across stone.
“Maybe you should wait here while I go on ahead”, Shaaaarghraio says.
“No” replies Blanca firmly. “We stay together”
Going forward the group emerges in a large cavern full of cobwebs. All around are piles of bones. An extensive larder of cocooned creatures hangs from the walls in various states of digestion. Some are mere husks, while others are still weakly squirming.
At the centre of the web is a huge, bloated, albino arachnid, a Demon Bebelith. Within its translucent body, there are things moving. Some are partially digested victims. It seems that this monstrosity is the Glutton.
At the spider’s side stands a robed Petitioner. He appears to be a wizard.
The voice that is invading their minds, laughs. It is a grating inhuman sound. “Ha… Ha… Ha… Fresh meat. I shall have to thank the Miner for sending me dinner”
“I think he hoped you’d choke on us”, Shaaaarghraio observes. “He doesn’t seem to like you very much. He said you’d stolen something from him”
“You think that concerns me?” the Glutton scoffs.
“Perhaps what you ought to be concerned with is how badly we can hurt you” Tanemous threatens.
“You talk with much bravado” the Glutton sneers “but, unless you have something more to offer than I see here, there is little to deter me from feasting on your succulent flesh.”
“What if I were to tell you that, in exchange for knowledge of the way out of here, the Miner sent us to retrieve certain coins that are in your possession?” Tanemous says.
The Glutton laughs, “I find your honesty refreshing. Though rather foolish”
“However we turned him down” Tanemous finishes.
“You are entertaining I’ll give you that”, the Glutton declares. “Perhaps I might consider letting you live after all. Bring me the Miner’s head and I will give you the information that you seek”
“That sounds like a reasonable offer” Tanemous nods. “However, due to the intractability of one of my companions, I can’t see that we would ever agree to it.”
Blanca scowls.
“That is hardly my concern” the Glutton retorts, rising up threateningly from where it was squatting. “Accept the deal or be eaten. That’s the only decision you have to make.”
Tanemous turns. “So Blanca, do you have anything to say?”
She glares at him. “I really dislike being threatened,” she replies caustically.
“Me too” says Shaaaarghraio, catching everyone off-guard by striding purposefully toward the Bebelith.
Unprepared for this, the Demonic creature rears away and lashes out with barbed forelegs. It tries to pin Shaaaarghraio so it can bite him with its poisonous fangs, but the Minotaur is not to be deterred. Ignoring a number of deep gashes that are left in his hide, he grits his teeth and fights his way forward, determinedly hacking at the Bebelith with his Great Axe.
Blanca rushes to Shaaaarghraio’s side and does her best to offer him protection. By deftly parrying many of the Glutton’s attacks, she plays no small part in keeping the Minotaur alive. Marcus remains at a safer distance and aids the two with magical protection.
Meanwhile the Bebelith’s wizardly minion raises his arms and summons powerful electrical energies that crackle angrily around the cavern. Countering this sorcery, Tanemous calls up his own magic and there is a short exchange between the two.
Shaaaarghraio and Blanca continue to keep the Glutton occupied as the spell casters’ magical forces arc back and forth between them. Ultimately the Bebelith’s minion is consumed by fire and collapses.
Having dispensed with the wizard, Tanemous redirects his magic towards the Glutton, but the Demon seems largely unperturbed by sorcery. The monstrous creature’s attention is squarely focused on Shaaaarghraio. For although the Minotaur has sustained terrible injuries the Bebelith seems unable to check the ferocity of his assault.
Blanca is also quite badly wounded by this point, but she and Marcus continue to offer their comrade all the protection that they can.
Then, without warning, the cobwebs that cover the walls of the cavern begin to shrivel away and a number of dark tunnels are revealed. A sense of great evil emanates from within them.
At first the four companions wonder if the Glutton has managed to summon reinforcements but, when shadowy tendrils writhe out of the inky blackness and extend along the walls, transforming the rock into a latticework of darkly alien material, it is apparent that something far more sinister is going on.
Tanemous hurls an orb of force at the Bebelith and yells to the others “Hurry! We have to leave this place! Those are the shadow tentacles I saw in my dream!”
With a last great effort, Shaaaarghraio swings his Great Axe and cleaves through two of the Glutton’s legs. The Demon topples to one side and falls. As Tanemous finishes the Bebelith with a barrage of magic missiles, the shadow tentacles continue to spread around the cavern, hungrily devouring anything they come in contact with.
Since the four companions are in danger of being cut off, they hurriedly withdraw.
As they depart, a bloated shape floats out of one of the tunnels. It is obvious that it was once a Beholder, but it has been ravaged and disfigured by the black tendrils. Darkness emanates from its body and reality seems to be warping around it. The abomination opens its main eye and everything is plunged into darkness.
They flee into the tunnels and head back towards the Miner’s enclave.
When they finally stop for breath Marcus reveals that, as they were leaving, he snatched a small box from the Glutton’s lair. It contains around forty coins, presumably the ones the Miner wanted them to retrieve.
Upon further investigation Tanemous and Marcus determine that the coins are in fact souls. Tanemous channels divine energy into one of them and a Petitioner appears. Then he kills the new arrival to confirm that this will return the soul to the coin.
Though Tanemous maintains that his actions were merely an experiment carried out in pursuit of knowledge, Blanca strongly disapproves of what she has seen. Her condemnation sparks a bitter pronouncement from Tanemous that it is her intractability that has ruined any chances they have of finding a way out.
Blanca adamantly stands by her decisions however, so there is little chance of reconciling their differing opinions.
Further discord erupts within the group when Shaaaarghraio starts complaining that he is hungry and wants to eat one of the Petitioners.
Eventually, when Blanca exasperatedly reminds the others that the darkness may still be closing in on them, the group grudgingly buries the hatchet and sets off again towards the Miner’s stronghold.
When they reach the doors it is Tanemous this time who strides forward and knocks loudly. “Open up” he demands, a hint of his earlier irritation still present in his tone.
“No. Go away” says a young female Petitioner who appears nearby.
“Look, all we want is to pass through to the other side of your master’s territory” Tanemous explains. “We’re moving away from the black tendrils. Have you heard of them? You might be interested to know that they’re coming this way”
The little girl frowns. She seems disturbed by this news. “Did you bring the coins?” she asks, changing the subject.
“Yes” Tanemous replies.
“Then my master says you may come in” she announces “but no tricks”
The doors slowly open.
Beyond them the Miner waits. The young girl enters and goes to stand beside him.
“So you have brought me the coins?” the Miner says.
“In a manner of speaking,” Tanemous replies.
“Then you have decided to accept my proposal after all?” the Miner observes.
“No” Tanemous states flatly.
The Miner looks puzzled. “Then why are you here?”
“First let’s talk about the black tendrils” Tanemous says. “Surely they concern you?”
“What of them?” the Miner asks testily.
“Tell us where we are and I will tell you what we have seen” Tanemous bargains.
The Miner seems irritated that the dialogue is no longer going as planned, but after a moment of consideration he says, “Very well. What harm could it do for you to know? You are on the 637th Layer of the Abyss. Are you satisfied? Now what do you know of the tendrils?”
Tanemous looks troubled, he knows that this means they are in Carynach and according to legend there is no way in or out.
He fulfills his part of the agreement and tells the Miner about the black tendrils and the demise of the Glutton. When he describes the appearance of the bloated Beholder, the Miner comments, “That is strange, there are no Beholders in this realm”
“There was one”, Tanemous corrects him. “It arrived with us, but we killed it”
“Hmmm…” the Miner looks thoughtful. Then he says, “So what of the deal I offered you?”
Tanemous considers for a moment. “I’ll give you half of the coins” he says.
Blanca scowls. She dislikes this bartering of souls.
“Two thirds” says the Miner.
Tanemous refuses to budge. “Half” he repeats.
The Miner considers. “Half the coins and her word that you will never return” he says pointing at Blanca.
Tanemous snorts. “So Blanca, I don’t suppose you’ve had a change of heart about giving your word to demons?”
Blanca looks at him indignantly. “If the rest of you want to accept this bargain then I will do so”, she replies, “but I remind you that if I give my word I will not break it, and I also warn you that we will rue any pact we make with this creature.”
“Ah Hell! What’s the point?” Tanemous exclaims exasperatedly. He gestures and speaks some incantation but whatever he is attempting has no apparent effect.
“Do you think me a fool?” the Miner snarls “I expected such treachery from the likes of you”
Then, raising his arms, the Demon Lord summons his own fell magic to retaliate. The companions are assailed by waves of multi-coloured, spiralling energy and then engulfed in a cold cloying darkness. The barrage of evil leaves them weakened and nauseous.
Blanca and Marcus are temporarily overcome, but Shaaaarghraio shrugs off the effects and bursts from the unholy miasma to grapple with the Miner, thus preventing him from casting any more vile magic. A fierce struggle ensues.
Meanwhile Tanemous repeatedly batters their adversary with orbs of force. Though it is difficult for him to do so without occasionally catching Shaaaarghraio in the process.
In the end, as Blanca and Marcus recover from the disabling nausea, the Miner realises the battle will soon be lost and teleports away.
