“Aye, the wrought iron staircase be sturdy enough. Yer all free to go up,” Kildo said, shaking the spiral staircase and kicking it a few times. The metal groaned in protest. The dwarf then patted it gently.
The party coiled sixty feet upwards and emerged into another level. It was a thick forest with dense undergrowth. It would be impossible to pass due to every conceivable spot covered with roots, limbs, thick foliage, and sharp thorns. The ceiling stretched thirty feet above them, and some of the trees almost reached the top. It was hot and humid and lit by ambient light, but the source was unknown. The sounds of insects and birds were heard. It was an entire ecosystem. A ten-foot pathway continued northwards. The dirt was dark, rich, and easily walkable. Someone had painstakingly ensured the path remained free of the plant life trying to take it back over.
The path weaved, twisted, and branched off. Some led to dead ends. Generally heading southeastern and then back north, the party heard someone singing up ahead and around a corner. It was euphonious, beautiful, pleasant, and otherworldly. Pleasing to the ear.
Turning past the shrubberies, Kildo’s sight fell upon a tall beauty. He first noticed the sway of her curvy hips. Her movements were fluid as she walked, honoring the greenery landscape with her presence. She was a thing of beauty, donned in a long purple robe with a slit along the side, allowing her shapely and smooth leg freedom of movement. Her clothing showed the allure of slightly exposed cleavage. The light reflected off her soft, smooth skin. While her face was hooded, she projected strength and determination. She stopped abruptly as if hitting a wall. She had heard the party.
“Who are you and what in the nine hells are you doing in my forest!”
Kai began, “Old woman. We are the crew of the Space Ghost. What is this place that we-”
Interrupting, Guo Gan warned, “She’s a medusa!”
It was then that Kildo saw a statue not far away. “Medusa?!” He adverted his eyes immediately.
Cackling, the woman said, as something was writhing underneath her hood, “This is the last place you will ever see. As you see, you don’t belong here. Kill them! Kill them all, my monkeys of madness!”
Four wild-looking and crazed monkeys the size of a human child with yellow and brown fur dropped from trees in the forest. They had notably long arms and bristling spines on their backs. Their faces had a shaggy frill and blood-red fangs, which they exposed to intimidating effect.
As three creatures landed and surrounded Kai, he immediately stabbed one with Wave. The others lashed out with their fists striking the paladin.
Another landed beside Kildo, but the dwarf blocked the monkey’s attacks with his shield.
“Triton, my eyes are up here,” the robed woman cooed.
“No, foul temptress, your sorceresses’ ways will not affect me,” Kai shouted back.
Guo Gan bashed downwards and struck the first money with Qiekamis. It fell limp under the assault. However, something unexpected started to occur. Its body began to spasm. The monkey’s skull split down the middle and a creature birthed its way out. It resembled a walking brain protected by a crusty covering and set on bestial, clawed legs. About the size of a full-grown cat, it was an intellect devourer.
“The nine hells!” Kildo cursed and chanted, “Life is death. Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life!” All four party members glowed briefly as the cleric upcasted, Bless. As he cast Spiritual Weapon, a blue, spectral war hammer appeared next to the intellect devourer. It glowed as it struck the brain bug.
A powerful ringing erupted on top of the intellect devourer, as Scomatch casted, Shatter. The sound wave caused it to quiver, as it exploded in spongy brain material, as the other three monkeys were also affected.
Lunging with Waive, Kai skewered the third monkey killing it as it screeched. Pressing his foot on its body, he yanked the trident free. He thrust and empaled the fourth monkey. He drove Wave deep into the creature and also killed it. Both forms began to convulse as an intellect devourer ripped their heads open from the inside and crawled out. “That’s disgusting,” Kai said as he stabbed the brain coming out of the fourth monkey.
Guo Gan and the second monkey that dropped from the trees and the only one remaining traded blows. The elf used his classical monk training, as the creature used the drunken monkey form.
The intellect devourer from the third monkey leaped onto Kai’s chest as a wave of energy, like heat from rocks in the desert, struck the paladin’s head. The triton’s body seemed to freeze. Eyes went wide as if staring into nothing.
Seeing the effect, Guo Gan rushed over toward Kai, even taking a fist in the back from the monkey. Using Qiekamis like a bat, he swung and struck the intellect devourer. It burst into brain matter as it was knocked away. Its twitching and dying form fell into the forest’s foliage.
Instructing the spectral war hammer to strike the fourth intellect devourer encroaching on Scomatch, Kildo raced toward Kai. Touching the paladin, he cast Greater Restoration. A wave of positive energy flowed into the triton. Kai’s eyes began blinking as if someone had just turned on the lights inside his head.
“Get away from me, you walking brain!” Scomatch shouted as he cast, Shatter. Another loud ringing noise centered on the intellect devourer nearest him. The brain-like creature’s form shuttered and burst into sickening gore.
Ducking his head, Kai didn’t look straight at the robed female figure. The last monkey bashed its two paws into the back of the triton. The paladin lunged with Wave. She dodged two of his attacks, but the third landed. Radiant damage exploded from the trident’s end.
The woman grabbed Kai. “I said, my eyes are up here.” The two locked stares. The triton went stiff in her embrace.
Adverting his eyes, Guo Gan twirled Qiekamis. The quarterstaff glowed brightly from Kildo’s bless. Both ends struck the woman, but she maintained her hold on Kai.
Ordering his spectral war hammer, it struck the last monkey in the back of the head. It caused a sickening splat. It went down hard. The skull split as another intellect devourer crawled out. Kildo cast, Guardian of Faith. A towering spectral guardian in the form of a dwarf appeared next to the robed woman. The manifestation comprised of a war hammer and shield with the blazing ankh symbol of Rigga, the Earthmother.
“Go kill the medusa Charmeleon!” Scomatch ordered.
“Char?” It didn’t seem like it wanted to.
“I said go!” The familiar scampered across the battlefield and lit the end of her robes on fire. She quickly stamped them out.
“Useless,” Scomatch complained as he formed a mote of fire in his hands. Throwing, it clipped her on the left arm.
The Guardian of Faith made a sweeping motion as the magical war hammer blasted into the last intellect devourer and the robed woman with vibrant radiant damage. It blasted her form away from Kai into a forested area. She screamed as thick thorns pierced her entire body. Her form sunk slightly in on itself as she breathed her last.
The brain bug leaped onto Guo Gan as its psychic energy struck the monk. The elf went stiff. The creature dug its claws into his robes as it traveled up its torso toward his head.
Kildo sent his spectral war hammer toward Guo Gan. It bashed into the creature, but failed to knock it free. Touching the monk, a wave of healing energy passed through the elf as he cast, Greater Restoration. Guo Gan’s eyes fluttered as the light in his eyes returned.
A fire bolt flew right past the monk’s face, from Scomatch, and almost struck him. “Careful!” Seeing the intellect devourer continue its climb up his chest, he cried out, “Get this thing off of me!”
It was skewered a moment later as Wave’s prong sunk deep. Kai forced the brain off. It struggled, empaled on the trident for a moment, before it died.
As the battle finished, Kildo carefully glanced toward the robed woman. She lay still with her hood still over her face. “I be having a brilliant idea. I be taking that medusa head, nailing it on me shield, and walk our way around this place and just scoop up their treasure,” Kildo said.
“Good idea, but there is one slight problem with your strategy,” Kai said as he approached her. Grabbing the hood, he yanked it down.
Adverting his eyes, Kildo shouted, “What in the nine hells ye be doing? Trying to get us all stoned?” After a moment, he carefully glanced and saw that no one had turned to stone. Holding his hand over his eyes, he peeked through his fingers. Kai had indeed removed the woman’s hood, but instead of seeing a creature with a head full of snakes, he saw something completely unexpected.
Her head was the color of sickening mauve and had a rubbery texture. Excretion of a thin film of slimy, glistening mucus keeping it moist, gave off a calming scent of vanilla. However, the most distinguishing feature was her elongated face, reminiscent of an octopus, with a cluster of four flexible, unsegmented, extendable, purplish-black tentacles surrounding her mouth. Her eyes, sheltered by brow ridges, were uniformly pale and devoid of pupils, similar to those of a blind cavefish. The medusa was unmistakably a mind flayer.
“Well, I be a goblin-loving dwarf. A female mind flayer?” Kildo questioned and he poked her head with his war hammer. The rubbery texture bounced back.
“Treasure!” Scomatch called out.
Giving the mind flayer one last poke to ensure she was dead, Kildo joined the group next to the statue that originally gave pause that the illithid was a medusa. The statue was male and seemed carved from marble instead of a person turned to stone. Scomatch had placed a potion vial next to it and was riffling his pudgy hands through a steel coffer filled with several gems. A name was inscribed on the side, Ahotep.
“Ahotep. That be the name of that archmage that be hiding them weapons back at White Plume Mountain on Scarlet Peeks,” Kildo said. “Now, what be one of his items be doing all the way up here on an asteroid?”
* * *
After resting for several hours, using Kildo’s Guardian of Faith as a guard, the party bandaged themselves and re-memorized spells. Scouting the rest of the forest’s pathways, there were no other barrels of monkeys, but they did find another wrought iron spiral staircase leading up thirty feet to the ceiling and another level. As they rose, it became unbearably hot. Not humid like in the forest below, but blistering like standing near an open fire.
Exiting in front of them was a small lake of magma. The intense heat radiated from the surface. A narrow pathway led north and south and merged on the far side of the lake with a larger footpath heading west. At the far side was another wrought iron spiral staircase leading up. There was also a stone sarcophagus. The other predominant features were a pile of heated bolder and a giant. His body was very broad and bulky, which gave him a dwarf-like appearance. The giant had dark skin reminiscent of coal, and his hair and beard were in the spectrum of flaming orange with similarly colored eyes. Donning heavy steel plate armor, a massive two-handed sword for a giant was sheathed on his back. Kildo had been taught about the dwarves’ hated enemy since he could first talk. He was a fire giant.
“Out of the frying pan,” Kai breathed out.
Kildo nodded as he felt sweat form on his forehead and drip from his armpits. He was already becoming uncomfortable in the heat.
“Big monster. What are we waiting for?” Guo Gan asked. The monk got a running start and leaped across the magma lake to the other side. He began sprinting toward the fire giant.
The titan wound up to throw a boulder, but issued a nasty chuckle and held his aim.
“Wait!” Kildo called out.
Guo Gan’s form was whisked into the air. The monk tumbled head over heels, as if he was falling. He fell straight into a hole in the ceiling and was gone.
“What in the nine hells!?”
Scomatch began casting, Fly.
The halfling touched Kai and Kildo. Both began to hover off the ground. It felt odd and unnatural. Kildo attempted to touch the ground, but his feet just missed the bottom. It was similar to being in water in a deep pool. His body naturally stood upright, but would easily move horizontally.
The magma lake bubbled as twelve fire bats emerged. They were shaped like regular bats, though they were utterly wreathed in continuously burning flames. Their bodies were two feet long and had wingspans that measured four feet. Their skin was tough and leathery, with a red tinge. Their heads had small mouths full of razor-sharp teeth as they screeched and flew, swarming the party. Waving their weapons wildly to keep them at bay, one of the creatures latched onto Kai and bit. The bat’s body burned the paladin through his chain shirt.
A whistling sound proceeded the fire giant’s magma boulder as it exploded near the party. Kai took the brunt of the heated splash damage.
A low, rhythmic pulsing began to emanate from the ground as Kildo cast, Spirit Guardians. White light came from cracks in the dried stone. Fog rolled out approximately fifteen feet from the cleric. Small wisps of air arched out. Longer tendrils began to form. He then cast, Spiritual Weapon. A mystical blue war hammer formed. It swung into the mass of bats, but they darted out of the way.
A Wall of Water shot out from the ground as Kai cast. It circled the party. The immediate area cooled. The oppressive heat from the lava lake fought viciously against its hated element. Super-heated steam rose, but the magical water obscured them from the fire giant’s view.
“Water beats rock,” Kai said, gesturing toward the wall.
A glowing one-foot diameter ball of emerald acid streaked from above and exploded. It bathed all twelve fire bats in sizzling liquid. They all screeched in pain as they melted. Their partially dissolved corpses rained around them.
“Acid beats fire,” Scomatch said, gesturing toward what remained of the fire bats.
An obscured object was coming toward them. The water wall burst as a molten bolder from the fire giant passed through, missing the party and shattering on the far wall.
“Time to take that big boy down. I can keep us under cover until we get close enough,” Kai said to Kildo.
Nodding, Kildo flew across the magma lake. He was careful to follow the path of the giant’s rock throws and avoid where Guo Gan fell upwards. He felt every piece of metal he carried as the intense temperature heated it. Kai was right next to him. The wall of water dropped in a mighty splash. Steam hissed as the two elements fought. A sphere of fog billowed forth from the paladin as it obscured them and Scomatch behind them at the eastern stairwell.
A bolder flew between Kildo and Kai as the fire giant blindly threw into the heavy fog covering them.
Kai shouted, “When we exit the cloud, break and weave. Dodge anything that behemoth throws at you. And most importantly-”
“Don’t die,” Kildo finished.
Nodding in agreement, the paladin and cleric burst through the fog cloud. The fire giant immediately threw. The missile ‘whooshed’ passed.
A frozen chromatic orb sailed from Scomatch. The fire giant sidestepped the sphere. It shattered, freezing a part of the ground white. It lasted a few moments before melting under the intense heat.
Closing in on the behemoth, Kai sped ahead. The fire giant chuckled nastily as it dropped a boulder and drew a massive great sword from his back. The weapon came in. Kai threw up Wave. Blocking the blow, the paladin was knocked down from the enormous strength. He was hurt badly.
Swooping in, Kildo’s spirit guardian wisps stabbed and bit at the fire giant’s legs. Chanting, “Life is death, Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life,” healing energy passed from the dwarven cleric to Kai. Commanding his spiritual weapon, the spectral war hammer swiped sideways and crunched into the giant’s groin. While heavily protected with a steel cup, the effect reverberated on the titan’s face.
The fire giant distracted, Kai thrust with Wave. All three prongs sunk into his left thigh. Massive radiant damage blasted from the end. It peeled back the steel metal. The behemoth howled in agony.
Emerging from the mist, Scomatch called out. “That thing isn’t dead yet!?” The halfling landed on the other side of the fire lake. As soon as his bare, hairy feet touched the ground, he fell upwards.
“Eep!”
Scomatch was gone a moment later, sucked through the same hole Guo Gan had fallen through.
Observing, Kildo saw it was just Kai and himself against the fire giant. Both parties were hurt. He had to keep the paladin up and fighting. If he fell, he feared he wouldn’t be able to do the damage needed to fell their people’s ancient enemy. He had powerful spells, but would need to maintain concentration. However, the giant’s strength was immense.
The triton and fire giant squared off. Kai threw Wave into the path of a mighty swipe of the great sword. The sentient weapon didn’t break, but the paladin was thrown hard to the ground again. He was severely hurt.
Kildo again sent healing energy into Kai. While bruised bones were mended and the bleeding stopped, the fire giant’s blows were taking its toll. The cleric’s spirit guardians continued to harass the titan, but they failed to penetrate deeply due to his thick, steel armor. His spectral war hammer continued to strike the giant, but was barely noticed.
“Keep me up!” Kai called out, pausing to spit blood.
“Aye, lad. I’ll be keeping ye up,” Kildo said, nodding. They either both be victorious or both be dead.
Breathing out in determination, Kai charged forward, Wave thrusting with murderous power. The trident struck the exposed thigh of the fire giant. Radiant damage blasted outward. The power of the blow penetrated through the other side. Howling in agony, the fire giant bent the knee. It was all Kai needed. He lunged with Wave. The prongs sunk deep into the giant’s face. Radiant damage exploded from the prongs. The fire giant took the full brunt of the blast. It was dead before he had time to react. Its body fell. The room shook from the metal behemoth’s fall. All that remained was the oppressive heat, the bubbling lake of magma, and the two party members.
Kai and Kildo moved over to the large stone sarcophagus. There was no lid, but filled with seven thousand copper pieces and eight thousand gold pieces worth of jewelry. Shifting through the treasure, there was also a ring that appeared to be a gold band wrapping a feather.
Checking the spiral staircase heading upwards, it was quickly observed that it ended at the ceiling. It was fake.
Seeing no other way out, Kai and Kildo looked back to where Guo Gan and Scomatch were sucked through a hole in the ceiling.
Kildo snorted, “I guess the only way to go now be up.”
Female Mind Flayer Treasure
· 16,260 gp in gems
· Potion of Antitoxin
Fire Giant Treasure
· 8,000 gp in jewelry
· 7,000 cp
· Ring of Feather Falling
Party Split:
· 24,260 gp / 5 = 4,852 gp
· 4,000 sp / 5 = 1,400 cp
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