“That be a mighty far way down,” Kildo shouted over the rushing waves. The dwarven cleric carefully glanced over as the water rushed down into the chamber below. He maintained his feet, but the flow pushed past him hard. The waterfall’s spray was everywhere. His hair and beard were already moist and he flung excess droplets from his hands. The cold air and the mist pried into every gap in his armor to dampen his clothing, chilling him. Grumbling, it was a good twenty feet or more to the chamber below. While getting down was simple, climbing back up would be more problematic.
Stepping up to the dwarf, Kai smiled and gave him a reassuring grasp on his shoulder.
“Ye sure this be a good idea?” Kildo asked.
Nodding, Kai said, “We are water strong.” The paladin twisted a ring on his finger, which appeared to be a frail bird feather wrapped in a thin bronze loop. The triton jumped and floated back and forth slowly down.
Guo Gan smiled. The monk made several awe-inspiring leaps from rock to rock on the side of the waterfall to the cavern floor below. The wood elf then waved to him.
Scomatch took a step back and ran. “Out of the way!” The halfling cannon-balled off the waterfall into the pool below.
Snorting as the party moved on, Kildo remained at the top. He had no fancy magic items to get him down and had the agility of a stone, so using the most ineffective way of traversing the waterfall from rock to rock wasn’t practical. Sighing, he pinched his nose shut, closed his eyes and let the current take him over. His stomach lurched into his lungs for a moment before the stinging impact of the water slapped his body. Emerging, the party was in a large cavern with a large plateau in the middle. By the guarded stances of his group, there was an immediate threat.
“Life is death. Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life,” Kildo chanted as Kai, Guo Gan, and Scomatch glowed briefly from his Bless spell.
A ‘whizzing’ sound buzzed the air. Two javelins sailed in from the plateau towards Guo Gan. The monk deflected one as the other made a gash across his left arm.
Following the missile’s path, he saw two figures. A human and a dwarf, but something was off. They wore simple, yet torn rags. Their skin seemed slimy and almost translucent. They had a battery of rusted javelins to throw. Grabbing another pair, they threw them at Kai, who was still floating down. Nearly stationary, one struck the paladin in the chest. The force knocked him into the back of the flowing waterfall. The other flew in. A loud ‘plink’ followed as the missile weapon struck stone, missing. Re-emerging, Kai’s breastplate absorbed the rusted point from penetrating. A solid dent was evident and would press into his chest.
A large number of bubbles broke the surface to either side of the waterfall. Something lurking from beneath the waves was surfacing. Water exploded outwards as two large, lobster-like aberrations burst. It was a horrible mix of crustacean, insect, and serpent, but most closely resembled an eight-foot tall yellow-green lobster with four long legs, two massive claws, a strong protective exoskeleton, a fan-like tail, and a mass of pink gyrating tentacles around its mouth. They were chuuls.
The party didn’t have time to react. One grabbed Guo Gan and the other snapped its pincer around Kildo. He threw his kite shield out to keep its sharp edges from penetrating his armor. The gap gave him enough wiggle room to shimmy his body down and free from its grasp. The chuul’s tentacles pelted his shield, like hail on a roof. Summoning a spiritual weapon, a spectral image of a war hammer materialized and stuck the chuul’s carapace.
A wave of thunderous force swept from Scomatch. The energy was so powerful all the water around the halfling was blasted away. The soundwave impacted both chuuls, driving the one holding Guo Gan in its pincers away ten feet, along with the monk. The cavern’s water then rushed back in, almost knocking the halfling off his feet.
Flailing in the chuul’s pincer, Guo Gan bashed with Qiekamis, but the monk lacked the angle and the staff bounced off the pincer. However, a swift kick to its tentacle-writhing face had a meatier and more pleasing thud.
Kildo threw up his shield again as the other chuul’s pincer snapped around him. It brought the dwarf towards its face as its tentacles tried to worm their way into his nose and mouth. The form of Kai floated from above and landed on the back of a very surprised chuul. Bucking, the triton rode the creature like a beast. Wave came thrusting down. Its three prongs cracked the exterior shell as white juices came out.
“Scomatch! Kill these things will you?” Guo Gan shouted as he remained grappled and batted at the hardened shell of the chuul’s pincer with little effect.
“All right! One pu pu platter coming up!” Scomatch called back as a bright streak of fire flew from the mage. The area ignited in flames as the fireball was cast. Sculpting the spell around the party, the chuul holding Guo Gan inners squealed, as its insides cooked. Its legs shaking, the creature collapsed dead.
Steam rose from the inner shell of the lobster holding Kildo. Kai rode and held onto Wave embedded in its carapace. The human and dwarf javelin throwers ducked behind some rocks but didn’t escape the full fireball blast.
Commanding his spectral war hammer, it further cracked the shell of the chuul holding him. A fracture line traveled to the creature’s head. Kildo then cast, Toll the Dead. A force wave of dolorous bells sounded. The spell cracked the shell completely, and the smell of cooked crab meat emanated from it. The chuul died going face-first into the water.
Now freed, Guo Gan charged the cliff from where the human and dwarf were raining down javelins. Springing and leaping, the monk bound up the ridge. The two were dripping with slime. Their faces were distorted and swollen. Water seeped from their mouths. If they weren’t moving, they seemed to look more like bloated drowned victims. They weren’t breathing air, but water. Swinging his leg up and down like an axe, his foot smashed through the top of the dwarf’s head, like it was made of a rotten melon as it shattered. Turning on the human, the wood elf threw a deadly punch of incredible felling power. The monk’s fist went straight into his face and out the back of his skull. Its form slumped into a jelly-like pile of slime. He flung the gelatinous goo from his hand.
All the threats gone, the party gathered. Guo Gan said, “There’s something off about that human and dwarf up there on the plateau. They seemed to be made from a combination of flesh, water, and slime.”
Kai glanced over to Scomatch, who had just cut a chunk of steaming meat from one of the cooked chuuls, and said, “We need to get moving from this shrimp gumbo level.”
“What’s the rush,” Scomatch said, licking his fingers and cutting off another chunk of crab meat.
“Chuuls and slimy water-breathing humanoids. This place has aboleth town written all over it,” Kai explained as he pointed to the southeast. The cavern’s current fed another waterfall to another level below.
Using the same tactics to traverse down, the party entered a much more massive cave complex. An island rose from a lake at the epicenter of three roaring waterfalls. Flutes of rose, ivory, and lavender coral fringe the island. Above the island floated a gigantic, shimmering globe of water. Smaller globules emerge from it periodically, drifting outward, and hovered in the air a few feet above the lake’s surface. Ambient light revealed the cavern ceiling, eighty feet above the island and hung with countless stalactites.
As if mesmerized, Kai began walking across the waist deep water toward the island.
Following, Kildo saw to the north and east three sets of ripples move through and towards them. From their profile, they were crocodiles. They had long, powerful jaws with many conical teeth and skin greyish green, thick, and plated. Their unique form allowed their eyes, ears, and nostrils to be above the surface while most of the animal was hidden below. Their tails were long and massive, swishing and pushing it through the water. Pulling out his wand of Magic Missiles, three glowing darts shot from its end. All three struck in a line along the creature’s back.
While under threat, Kai continued to walk to the island. Climbing, he soon stood under the giant water bubble. He reached up and tried to touch it, but he was a few feet short.
“What’s he doing?” Guo Gan asked as he came behind the dwarf.
Kildo shrugged and said, pointing his wand towards the approaching crocodiles, “We be having other things to worry about.”
The wounded beast with the three scorch marks along its hide sped towards them. There was a growl deep in its throat as its jaws opened.
Qiekamis thrusted into the crocodile’s maw. Jerking the staff upwards, it went through the soft tissue in the roof of its mouth into its brain. The creature rolled over dead. The other two crocodiles turned and swam away, fast.
“Ye be scaring them critters fer sure,” Kildo smiled and nodded to Guo Gan. However, his grin was short-lived, as a massive amount of bubbles broke the surface. Two chuuls erupted. One advanced on Kai on the island, while the other emerged to the east.
Reacting, Wave thrust and stuck the lobstrosity. However, the bulk of the chuul ignored Kai’s attack as its enormous pincer snapped around the paladin. Its mouth-tentacles squirmed toward the triton’s face, but Kai used Wave’s long reach to keep his distance.
“I’ll take the other one!” Guo Gan shouted to Kildo and he ran across the top of the water. Batting with his quarterstaff, it bounced off the hardened shell of the chuul.
Deciding to help Kai and Guo Gan from range, Kildo felt the water swirl around him. It turned into a vortex. The water swelled and engulfed him rising him into its midst and into the air. He'd be drowning if it wasn’t for his Helm of Underwater Action. A dark face began to form. Realizing he was caught inside a water elemental, he tried to swim to the edges, but the creature moved with him, keeping him trapped. Unable to free himself, he began to cast, Banishment. With what could only be construed as surprise on the elemental’s face, the creature’s form fell apart as the dwarf splashed into the water.
On the island in the middle of the lake, Kai used Wave as a leaver and pried open the chuul’s pincer. The paladin dropped to the rocky ground.
Disengaging the chuul to the east, Guo Gan moved towards the island with Kai to help deal with the lobster-like creature. He thrust with Qiekamis striking its hindquarters and cracked the shell. Focused on Kai, the chuul snapped its claws but missed the paladin as they circled each other.
The other chuul scampered through the water towards Kildo. He threw up his shield and a pincer clasped around it. It tried to crush it, but the magic held. It was then he noticed a thick gray mucus-like substance float past him. It fouled the water. An enormous splash erupted to the east, just past the island. A gigantic, fish-like amphibian reaching twenty feet emerged. It resembled a bizarre eel, with a long, tubular body, as well as a fish-like tail at one end and two fins near the head and another along the back. Its mouth was lamprey-like, filled with serrated, jawless teeth. The underbelly was orange-pink with the topside sea green. A little bit back from its head were four long tentacles, two sprouting from across each other on the top and two more of the same on the underbelly. The head was roughly triangular-shaped, with a spherical, somewhat beak-like nose. Above its snout were three eyes, each one set atop the other and glowed red. Tendrils and a few shorter tentacles dangled from the bottom of its head. Four blue-black slime-secreting orifices lined the bottom of its body excreting the slime-like substance. It was an aboleth.
“Look out!” Kildo cried, but it was too late. Tentacles lashed from the aboleth and whipped Guo Gan across the back. The cleric cast, Spiritual Weapon. A spectral war hammer appeared and smashed into the chuul attacking him. He then cast, Guardian of Faith.
A fireball raced in and ignited the island. The flames caught both chuuls and the aboleth in Scomatch’s spell range. All three squealed and thrashed in pain.
Taking advantage, Kai lunged with Wave as two of its prongs penetrated the chuul’s carapace.
Following up, Guo Gan thrust Qiekamis through its mass of pink, mouth tentacles. The staff’s end went through its brain and burst through its thick shell. The chuul slumped dead. The monk then moved toward Kildo to help with the remaining chuul but suffered another whip from the aboleth’s tentacle for his good deed.
In the distance, there was a loud hiss from an animal. One of the fleeing crocodiles splashed and rolled frantically in the water. Its body rose into the air. The scaly hide went tight and sucked in on itself as if all the water was drawn from it. It was completely dried out a moment later and nothing but a husk. It fell into the waves dead. However, the crocodile’s watery essence raced towards the aboleth. The burn marks from Scomatch’s fireball began to heal themselves.
Kildo’s towering spectral guardian formed into a dwarf on the island. The manifestation comprised of a war hammer and shield with the blazing ankh symbol of Rigga, the Earthmother. The chuul attempted to snatch the dwarf in its pincer but was interrupted. The Guardian bashed, like a hammer to a nail, as the magical weapon pounded into the chuurl’s back. Its legs buckled under the power of the blow.
The aboleth learned from the chuurl’s mistake and the danger Kildo’s guardian of faith posed. It swam south and then westwards. Turning, it advanced on the cleric. Two of the aboleth’s tentacles lashed out and struck the dwarf. Slime latched onto exposed skin and began to burn. Reeling from the blows, he knew he couldn’t take much more. Maintaining concentration on keeping the water elemental banished, he could feel the creature fighting to return. Thoughts of healing himself were put out. It wouldn’t be enough to absorb more than a strike or two and the aboleth seemed to be made of nothing but tentacles. Maybe turtling up and concentrating on blocking its attacks sprung to mind, but again the whip-like appendages were very fast. He decided to gamble and take a risk.
A vertical column of divine fire roared down from the heavens. The aboleth and chuul were immediately engulfed in its holy flames. The lobstrosity exploded in cooked shrimp meat and thick shell pieces. The aboleth squealed in pain as it dove under the waves. Its tail lashed out at Kildo, but it sailed over his head.
Diving into the water, Kai swam toward the aboleth. Wave led the charge. Speeding past, one of the trident’s prongs slashed the side of the aboleth. Thick, green blood oozed like sap from the gash.
Guo Gan followed as the monk ran on top of the water. His first strike splashed, but his next two bashed into the aboleth’s side.
Rising from the water, its three red-piercing eyes gazed hard into the distance. Another crocodile hissed in pain and thrashed as its essence was violently pulled and absorbed by the aboleth. The last gash from Wave began to stitch itself shut. It was then the aboleth turned toward Kildo. Rising from the water, three tentacles darted out. They all slammed into him. His stomach churned with nausea. His limbs went limp. His mind going numb, he felt the water elemental churning in glee. It was returning. Kildo’s world then went dark as he fell.
* * *
Kildo found himself lying on a long pier. A haze obscured his view behind and also in front at a distance. Rising, the dwarf looked around. The boards were pure white, and the weather was warm.
Looking to the see off the left side, the water was dark. An image began to form. He saw an underground structure, massive in size. Inside, a multitude of goblin and hobgoblin bodies were strung about. Each was hacked to death. However, there were several unconscious in manacles and chains. There was a mighty roar. A battle was occurring. He saw a gargantuan green dragon, but something about the creature was off. Its normal emerald green scales were darker and seemed tainted. It was then that he heard the pulling of a rip cord. A dwarf, three times average size, appeared. A magnificent crown was on his head. Protected by thick armor, the fighter with bright red hair wielded a mighty, ebony battle axe that was electrified. He recognized him immediately, his brother Dildo!
There was a commotion from the right side of the dock. Hesitating to leave the image of his brother, he glanced at the sea. It was a clear, calming, azure blue. Peering deeper, an image formed. He looked down as if from a great distance to a lake with a rocky shore in the middle. He then noticed splashes, as if fighting was occurring, but he couldn’t make out the details. It had to be his friends battling the aboleth in the cavern.
“You can’t help all of them,” came a calm feminine voice.
Looking up, Kildo saw a dwarf in simple, yet tailored garments. Unbearded, her brown hair was braided neatly. She had no facial hair but a motherly, caring face.
“Let us walk.”
Kildo and the dwarven woman went down the long, white pier that seemed to extend endlessly. He asked, “Where are we at?”
“I think only you can answer that.”
“It be looking like the pier at Scarlet Peeks, but much longer, and it be smelling better. Less of a fishy odor too,” Kildo answered.
“Scarlet Peeks, you say.”
The two continued walking for several heartbeats.
“I be needing to go back,” Kildo said.
“That’s entirely up to you.”
“Ye be saying I have a choice?”
“Yes. If you so desire, I’d say you can follow the pier and it will lead to a ship where you can board.”
“Where would it be taking me?” Kildo asked.
Snorting, she said, “On.”
“Dildo is still wreaking havoc and enslaving all he comes across?”
“True.”
“And my friends still be in danger?”
“Yes.” Several more heartbeats past. “I need to be going,” the woman said and turned to leave.
“Rigga,” Kildo stammered.
The woman turned and smiled at him.
Going to one knee and bowing, Kildo asked, “Rigga, what should I do?” The dwarven woman smiled and disappeared into the haze. Breathing heavily, he turned back to the left, where the enlarged Dildo battled the green dragon. He then gazed ahead, where the mist parted, and a ship began to arrive at the end. Turning to the right, his companions continued to battle the aboleth, and things were not shaping well. Breathing heavily, he pinched his nose and jumped into the azure water.
* * *
Kildo felt a warm sensation going down his throat. His conscious raced from the depts to reality. Scomatch was standing over him with an empty vial.
“Welcome back to the land of the living, now get up as healing needs to be done,” Scomatch said, helping the dwarf up.
Taking in the room, the battle was over. Kai was pulling Guo Gan’s limp form to the island’s shore. Every part of Kildo’s body ached. His skin felt like a thousand, thousand needles pricked him as blood raced to his extremities. Approaching the downed monk, Kildo placed his hands on Guo Gan. Healing energy rushed from the cleric into the wood elf. His eyes fluttered open.
“What happened?” Guo Gan asked.
Scomatch joined them on the island and said, “Well, after you two decided to take a dirt nap and I used all of my spells and hurt the beast badly, thank you very much for not resting first. Kai came in and did his part. It seemed the battle would be decided on who struck first, so the aboleth decided it wouldn’t stick around and chance it. It swam away, which caused the water elemental to be sent back to its plane.”
Scoffing at Scomatch’s telling of the tale, Kai added, “Yes, but you started to act all weird and concentrated on the water elemental instead of the aboleth, which was clearly the greater threat.”
“We were the ones who invaded its lair. It just wanted to live,” Scomatch explained.
“Uh-huh,” Kai said, unconvinced.
“It seemed to have tried to invade my superior intellect, but it failed, of course. However, there was one thing that it said to me that struck me as odd, as it left,” Scomatch said.
“What be that?” Kildo asked.
“Remember.”
Treasure
Remembering that we can still be beaten.
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