“Superhero landing! Superhero landing!” Scomatch called out, poking Kai and Kildo and pointing upwards.
After somersaulting in the air and landing perfectly on Lady Icosa’s shoulders, but falling through the drow’s illusion, Guo Gan dropped. The monk landed on the ground, feet wide apart and supporting his weight with his fist smashing into the floor, cracking the ground, while his other hand was out away from his body, pointing diagonally upwards.
Rising, Guo Gan said, “We have company.”
Kildo and the party found themselves in an octagon-shaped room on the eastern side. The trap doors from above closed as Lady Icosa blew a kiss. To the west were three figures. Their leader had grayish skin, jutting jaws, prominent teeth, a sloping forehead, and coarse body hair, though his canines were noticeably smaller than a full-blooded orc's tusks. He was a half-orc. A drawn greatsword rested on his shoulders. The second was a mountain dwarf with short, wavy dark hair and brown eyes. About four and a half feet tall, he had a muscular build with a round-shaped face with a braided goatee. Three poorly done piercings were in his nose. He drew a longsword from his side and chuckled nastily. The third was an elf. He had straight brown hair, green eyes, and a skinny build. He was tall at five foot eleven with a diamond-shaped face. He held a bow with an arrow notched. His right hand twitched intermittently, and he fingered the string.
To the north and south were exits leading out to long corridors. Blocking each were two swashbuckler pirates. Each had shades of brown to dark hair with scars and forgettable faces. Each held a rapier and dagger.
“I’ll take the big boy,” Kai said, pointing with Wave. Thrusting, the half-orc attempted the parry with its greatsword, but two of the trident’s prongs pierced the armor. Radiant energy coursed up the weapon into the leader.
The slaver dwarf yelled, charging Kai. They traded slashes as he came into range.
Guo Gan also engaged the half-orc. Qiekamis came crashing down and smashed into the slaver leader’s forehead. However, it was likely the hardest part of his body as the quarterstaff was stopped cold and bent slightly. Narrowing his eyes and snorting at the monk in defiance, the elf brought the other end up and smashed it into the half-orc’s groin. His eyes did go wider at striking the other head.
The room was engulfed in flames as Scomatch cast, Fireball. Each of the slavers was flash burnt by the blast, except one swashbuckler, who stepped behind one of his cohorts and avoided most of the effect.
Seeing them surrounded, Kildo cast, Spirit Guardians. A low, rhythmic pulsing began to emanate from the ground. White light came from cracks in the stone. Fog rolled out approximately fifteen feet from the cleric. Small wisps of air arched out. Longer tendrils began to form. All the pirates were struck by their radiant damage except for the one clever swashbuckler, who continued to hide behind his comrade.
The four duel-wielding slavers converged on the two spell casters. Kildo threw up his shield and attempted to protect Scomatch. Their rapiers and daggers were fast, too fast. Blocking as many as he could, he felt one rapier point twist around his shield and strike his plate armor. The halfling fared worse as gashes appeared from dagger slashes across his body.
The half-orc proved deft with his greatsword as its blade bashed into Kai’s armor. The paladin attempted to retaliate, but the slaver attacks were so brutal that he only managed a prong hit with Wave. Additional radiant damage coursed up the weapon. Heavily engaged with the slaver leader, the dwarf lunged his longsword into Kai’s side. His plate armor was the only thing preventing a mortal blow against a vital organ.
Guo Gan continued to bash Qiekamis into the half-orc, but the brutish slaver just grunted and took the strikes.
“The nine hells! You guys are supposed to protect me,” Scomatch bemoaned.
“Ye might be wanted to invest in some defensive spells, like Shield or Mage Armor,” Kildo bellowed fending off the swashbuckler’s stabbing blades.
“Baby spells!” Scomatch shouted back. He pointed his Staff of Fire towards Kai. A bright streak flashed from the end, blossomed into flames, and curved around the party. The half-orc and dwarf were engulfed in fire and withered on the ground as they died. The dexterous swashbuckler slavers dodged most of the blast.
With two of their leaders down, the slavers were desperate. Taking radiant damage from Kildo’s spirit guardians, their blades were everywhere. He felt their impact against his shield and scrapping against his plate armor, which held. However, Scomatch and Kai were struck by them at least twice. He saw the elf in the back, his hands twitching nervously, as he unleashed his arrows. They went wide, and Kildo wasn’t even sure who he was aiming at. However, the situation seemed too much for the elf as he fled westwards through a secret door. Snorting at the fleeing elf, he swung his war hammer at one of the slaver pirates but missed as he dodged. Grunting, he bashed forward, trying to knock the swashbuckler down, but he weaved away.
The slaver didn’t have long to celebrate, as Kai, free from the half-orc and dwarf, lunged with Wave. He leaped to the left and right, avoiding the trident. Then the butt of Wave came swinging around. It smashed into the side of the slaver’s head as radiant damage blasted. The swashbuckler went down.
Engaging a second pirate slaver, Guo Gan’s quarterstaff proved just as fast as their weapons. Qiekamis smashed into his left leg, right leg, and then his left shoulder in a matter of six seconds. A bubble of acid then splashed across his front from Scomatch. The swashbuckler’s thick chest hairs disintegrated as his skin began to blister. He howled in pain and anger. Thrusting his rapier, he stabbed the halfling mage.
The remaining three pirates continued to suffer radiant damage from Kildo’s spirit guardian tendrils. He swung his war hammer, but the slaver was too fast. Bashing his shield forward, he plowed into him, knocking him down.
Taking advantage, Kai thrust downward with Wave. The swashbuckler rolled on the ground away from the paladin. The trident continued to just miss him. His luck ran out hitting a wall. The triton lunged. All three prongs went into his chest, ending him.
The remaining two slavers were burnt, bashed, and blasted. Guo Gan whirled Qiekamis and smashed one end and then the other into their faces. Both went down and didn’t rise.
As the dust settled, it felt like something bumped into the room's walls. The ground felt like it was moving under the feet. It was another quake.
“Come on! The elf archer is getting away!” Kai shouted as he headed west through the secret door. Following, the long corridor turned south into another passageway, which ended in a door. The paladin flung it open. A medium-sized, stone-tiled room was beyond and empty, except for a closed and expensive-looking chest along the south wall with two doors flanking it. Neither had locking mechanisms.
“Which door did you go through archer?” Kai asked himself, eying the two doors. As he approached the middle of the room, the paladin’s leg went up, but more in slow motion. It was like the floor was stuck to him as an adhesive stretched.
A low moaning emanated from the room. Tiles turned into teeth. Teeth formed a mouth. Kai tugged and attempted to pull his leg free. Stretching, the adhesive kept the paladin tethered. The fanged mouth snapped like a bear trap onto Kai’s leg. His plate armor was the only thing keeping it from being severed. Multiple, stringy pseudopods shot from the ground and whipped around wildly, trying to snag anything and everything.
“The nine hells!” Kildo exclaimed, throwing up his shield, warding off the alien-like tentacles, and moving inside the room. His spirit guardians blasted radiant damage into the massive floor mimic.
Moving in and around to the east, Guo Gan used Qiekamis like a bat. The monk bashed into the creature. He knocked off three large chunks of tile. Hitting the ground, long spider-like legs painfully birthed their way out of each. A snapping mouth opened in the stone’s middle as they skittered across the floor toward the monk.
Pointing to the center of the room, a glowing one-foot diameter ball of emerald acid streaked, as Scomatch cast, Vitriolic Acid. The giant and the three smaller mimics were bathed in the corrosive liquid. Thick, grey cow-like tongues rolled out of each of their mouths as they began to lick up the acid. They were so engrossed that they bypassed attacking Guo Gan, standing in the middle of them.
The giant mimic’s pseudopods continued to wave around wildly throughout the area. Kildo threw up his shield, blocking them from hitting himself and Scomatch.
Still stuck in the rolling madness of the mimic’s mouth, Kai thrust downwards with Wave. All three prongs sunk deep. The creature mimic issued a haunting and squealing moaning sound, like an animal being slaughtered. Ripping the trident free, another three chunks of tile were thrown to the west. Smashing into the wall, they began to titter. Spider legs pushed out as snapping mouths emerged in the stone’s middle with sharp fangs.
One of the western creatures skittered toward Kildo. He brought his war hammer crashing down. The weapon crushed it like a bug as ichor flew out, and the small mimic twitched in death throws.
On the eastern side of the room, one of the smaller mimics scampered up the wall. Guo Gan lunged with his quarterstaff. He impaled the creature as purple blood gushed out.
“Well, if acid won’t kill these things, then there’s always fire!” Scomatch bellowed as a bright light flash. The halfling cast, Fireball. The flames sculpted around the party as all the mimics burned. Their howling moans filled the chamber. One of the creatures shriveled in death as its legs curled, but another of the tiles popped off from the giant mimic, forming another of the spider-like creatures.
The latest mimic came down and latched itself onto Kai’s arm. Its teeth clamped onto his armband. Acid drooled from its mouth, burning the paladin. The gigantic mimic's jaw clenched tighter, crushing the metal into Kai’s leg.
Yelling in pain and anger, Wave thrusted deep into the mimic. Purple blood formed in the creature’s mouth as it choked. Its cow-like tongue retreated into the pooling liquid as it died. Yanking the trident free, Kai stabbed with Wave, spearing two smaller mimics. Dying, their spider legs curled upon themselves.
Swinging downward, Kildo’s war hammer crushed the legs of one of the smaller mimics. Moaning in anguish, it went in circles, trying to scamper away.
Using Qiekamis as a spear, Guo Gan used his quarterstaff’s end to smash into another of the mimics. The force of the impact crushed it into the ground. Ichor splattered outwards. The battle coming to its conclusion, he eyed the closed chest against the southern wall. He then lunged with the last wounded mimic as it went in circles, but being distracted by thoughts of treasure caused him to miss.
Tossing a mote of fire forming in his hands, Scomatch threw a firebolt into the injured creature. It moaned and squealed as it burned. The halfling then put all the dead alien-like mimic creatures to the torch.
Guo Gan moved over to the highly decorated chest and opened it. Nothing. It was empty.
Examining the container closer, Kildo spat, “It be inlayed with fake gold. It be a lure of them mimics, or I be a goblin-loving dwarf.”
The ground shook more intently. Another powerful asteroid quake impacted the area.
Glancing around, Kildo clarified, “I ain’t be a goblin-loving dwarf.”
As the dust settled, Kai asked, “Kildo, will the area remain structurally sound?”
Feeling the walls and floor, Kildo said, “Aye, the stonework be solid as well as the craftsmanship. However, quakes be their own thing and if it be strong enough it be collapsing this place.”
Nodded, Kai said, “We need to keep moving and get out of here.” He flung open one of the southern doors. A crossbow trap was sprung, Kai ducked as the bolt flew and smashed into the stone wall on the other side of the room. Nothing else was inside the closet but an unloaded crossbow. Moving over to the other door, the party stood to the side of the room as it was carefully opened. Instead of a trap, it opened to a long hallway that turned west after some distance. The group followed the paladin as they jogged at a quickened pace. The pathway then turned north to another long strip ending in a door. There was no locking mechanism.
Kai threw it open and moved inside. He froze and stopped mid-step. Not by any magical means, but by two massive, nine-foot-tall humanoids flanking him on either side. They had the head of a bull with snouts thicker and longer than a normal animal with sharp carnivore teeth. Unlike bovines, their eyes were positioned closer to the center of their faces, indicating a predatory nature. One with wild brown and the other with black fur covering their forearms with hands ending in thick, sharp yellow claws gripping a great axe. Hair covered their upper chest, abdomen, and legs ending in hooved feet. Nude, and while they had ample fur covering, their impressive but spotted units swayed back and forth. Lastly, their iconic slightly curving horns were dark yellow and reached three feet long.
“Minotaurs!” Kai yelled as, on instinct, thrust with Wave. One of the trident’s prongs struck the abdomen of the one to the left.
“Life is death. Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life,” Kildo chanted as he cast, Bless. Kai, Guo Gan, and himself glowed brightly for a moment.
Both minotaurs charged, trying to grapple, stomp, and crush Kai between them. Their two bodies collided, leaving just enough of a gap for the paladin to avoid being crushed.
Kai thrusted again with Wave, but in confined quarters, only a single prong struck the left minotaur.
Qiekamis came crashing down on the same bull connecting between the horns, stunning the creature. Guo Gan then rammed the end of the quarterstaff under its jaw and into its head, killing the beast. Spinning to the second minotaur, he smashed his foot into his massive groin.
Bellowing in rage, in a higher octave, the creature’s great axe came down smashing into Guo Gan.
Preoccupied with trying to stomp the monk, Kai thrust with Wave. The ends glowed from Kildo’s bless spell as the trident’s prongs sunk deep into the minotaur’s chest.
Roaring in pain and grabbing Wave’s shaft to keep it from sinking deeper, Guo Gan smashed Qiekamis again into the undercarriage, stunning it. Twirling the quarterstaff over his head, the end bashed into the minotaur’s neck and brought it over to the other side, crushing its windpipe. With a whimper, the maze monster fell to its knees and slumped over dead.
Another tremor resonated throughout the cave. Dirt, dust, and grit fell and pinged off of Kildo’s plate armor.
“Keep moving!” Kai yelled.
The party entered a vast labyrinth complex with long corridors, twisting turns, and multiple paths. Time seemed to stretch as Kildo became disoriented and fell into a state of bewilderment and confusion. After an unknown amount of time, they came across a large, straw-filled room. Searching the area, there wasn’t much except the minotaur scat.
“And five hundred gold pieces!” Scomatch called as the halfling uncovered their treasure trove.
Securing the gold and proceeding, the tunnels and maze continued. Corridors were long, and the air was sultry. It had its own physical presence that weighed on their shoulders. The party walked and walked. Kildo wasn’t even sure if they were going in circles or not. His dwarven love of stone was useless in this structure. It was built to be puzzling.
“At least we can skip leg day today,” Kai said, trying to cheer up the tired party.
“That’s it! You don’t know where you are going, and I have to do everything, again!” Scomatch called out and began running ahead of the group down the corridor.
“Darrak! I mean Scomatch! You harry footed idiot! Come back!” Kai bemoaned.
“I be getting him!” Kildo called out and chased after the mage. The halfling was fast as his feet slapped the stone. He lost sight of him a few times as he flung open doors without care and turned corners, unconcerned if anyone was behind him or not. However, he realized Scomatch was heading in a northern direction. Kildo then noticed the stonework began to change and get rougher. In the distance, there was a sickly green glow. He saw Scomatch in the distance stopped.
“Yer just going to get yerself killed running off like that,” Kildo lambasted. Entering a large cavernous area, a lake of still water was in the middle. The shore was covered in green moss and fungi. Seven mushrooms of unusual size grew in the surrounding area.
Guo Gan was the next to arrive, followed by Kai twelve seconds later.
“You ever do that again…oh, did you find the way out,” Kai said.
“I don’t know if he found the way out, but he found something,” Guo Gan said.
Kildo turned to the monk, who he noticed had gripped his weapon tight. Turning back to the lake, he saw the seven mushrooms rise and began moving toward them. It didn’t look like they were welcoming them to their grove.
Treasure:
· 500 gp from the minotaur lair.
Party Split:
· 500 gp / 5 = 100 gp
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