A/N: The world of Exile (Avernum) remains the property of Jeff Vogel and Spiderweb Software. I don't anticipate any friendlies in this chapter, but the Slime Pits will be returned to the game unharmed following this bit of fun.
By the time the sun rose again, the young adventurers were near exhaustion, much like the Empire troops they had encountered. Having things go sour in Silvar, they decided to take their chances with wilderness camping near the ruins of Colchis, and twice had to rouse to fight off some of the aggressive slimes.
Now, though, they continued east, finding the slimes had—almost incomprehensibly—eaten away large tracts of road.
"Why would they do that?" said Daniel.
"Who knows," said Anicka. "It sure wouldn't be to obscure where they're coming from. Maybe they ate road before they decided humans were tastier."
As they approached the path that had been described by Jordan Bojar, they saw a valley infested by more slimes than one had thought possible. Viscous goo dropped from every available surface, and there was an eerie lack of any non-slime life, plant or animal. A large collection of the mindless predators waited up the path. They did not approach the Avernites, but seemed to be guarding the path.
"That's very odd," said Anicka.
"Yes, well I don't have any means of hiding us like what he was talking about in his notes," said Phaedra. "But I bet this is where we must go to deal with the slimes."
"All right, let's go," said Anicka, drawing her sword. "Ready?"
"Ready," said Daniel.
As they started moving forward, the slimes' inactivity ended, and they glided gelatinously to meet the intrepid adventurers.
After slaying this group, Nathan said, "I'm sure there's plenty more where they came from."
"Optimist," said Anicka. "Let's keep going."
The thoroughness with which the mountain had been scoured of life was positively horrifying. Trees had been eaten down to the roots, and another collection of slimes waited patiently on the path, bubbling slowly and emitting foul gases.
"From here on out, I expect it's going to be nothing but slime after slime," said Anicka. "Are we ready?"
"Ready," said Nathan. "I've got as many potions brewed as I know."
"And I've studied as best I can," said Phaedra, "despite the interruptions in the night."
"Well, I couldn't do too much about that," said Anicka. "Dan wanted to be da man in Silvar."
"Look, I'm sorry," said Daniel. "It's just ... damn dervish ... I hate them. Just because we're kinda helping Empire right now doesn't mean that I wouldn't be sorry if he was dead. Or the whole lot of them."
Angarahad said, "Dan, it's not like ... these people are as innocent as the people in Cotra were. Thinking like that is how this whole mess started, and it's not going to end as long as people who didn't have a gods-damned-thing to do with actions and decisions are blamed for something someone else did."
"Right," said Anicka. "Anyhow, we got us slimes to kill, and maybe we can find a way to live together in peace or something."
At long last, they slew the second group of slimy guards, and ascended the mountain so that they could descend into the slime pit.
"Don't touch anything you don't have to," said Frrrrrr. "There's goo everywhere, and it seems acid is a base secretion."
"Yes, it's pitted pretty bad," said Anicka, as they moved into the dark, humid cave. "Just watch out ... it's going to be dangerous in here."
"Aieeee!" said Dan, sliding, and he managed to catch his balance.
"I know, it's getting slicker," said Anicka. "And I think I will need new boots when we get outta here. I can feel it eating through them."
"Probably best not to stay in one place too much," said Angarahad, "though I'm not sure that there's going to be anything safe until we're out of here."
The entry passage ended in a large, moist cavern. The ceiling arched high overhead, almost like being in an Avernite cavern, though they had to walk carefully, avoiding the pools of slime and slipping into one. Suddenly, slimes oozed from the cracks in the ceiling and dropped in front and behind the group.
"Great, a welcome committee," groaned Anicka. "Mind your footing."
They defeated these, and found their way down a twisty passage which led to a closed portcullis, as Daniel mapped and between Frrrrrr's bow and the magics of Phaedra and Angarahad, slimes on the other side were picked off. Returning back up the slope, they came into a horrifying room where a number of bloated bodies of a variety of humanoid races, dead for varying amounts of time, had been dragged by the slimes.
"Why would they bring them in here?" said Anicka.
"Almost makes you wish you were back in the big slimy chamber," said Phaedra. "Almost."
Picking their way through, being very careful to give as wide a berth as possible to the corpses, they found another rapidly descending path, at the base of which was another closed portcullis, and a small cavern filled with slimes who appeared to be absorbing energy from the rune on the floor. After getting rid of those slimes, even though it felt like they were doing little more than "drop in the bucket" action, Phaedra stepped on the rune, and closed her eyes in bliss.
"It's great, it's making me feel like I slept all night," said Phaedra.
"Don't take any more chances," said Anicka. "Let's keep exploring. How's the map, Dan?"
"So far, so good," said Daniel, and he showed her the map he had made so far.
They continued exploring, finding a hidden cave which had been the last stand of a group of trapped Empire soldiers, but the men were all dead, and they searched through the surviving equipment, taking the few things not ruined by slimes.
Further twisting passages, more slimes, and they quickly learned that having killed slimes didn't mean that more might not be on the way.
"Now this is strange," said Anicka. "No slimes this way."
"Probably something even worse," said Nathan.
"What can be worse than a gazillion slimes?" said Anicka, and she turned the corner, seeing the gigantic fungi that dwelt in Avernum. "Oh fuck. That's worse."
"That's nothing!" said Daniel. "Look at the slug!"
"One of these days, I'm going to create a spray salt spell," said Phaedra. "I think that'd work great."
After killing the slug and the fungi, they continued, Daniel mapping madly along the way, and then they came into a chamber where, unlike the others, the slimes within did not make any motion to attack.
Instead of attacking, the slimes seemed to be trying to adopt humanoid form, surging upwards in crude parodies of the human body, and they collapsed like melting wax.
"Why are they doing that?" said Anicka.
"I have no idea," said Angarahad. "It doesn't fit with the other things they've been doing. Seeming mindless ..."
"Maybe this is phase two," said Anicka, looking green. "Fake like us, and then eat everyone."
As they continued mapping through the twisting tunnels, killing every slime on the way, they saw a crude carving of the sun symbol of Avernum in the wall.
"This is recent," said Frrrrrr.
"That's strange," said Anicka. "Why would ... you don't suppose that other group that Anaximander was talking about was here?"
"It's possible," said Angarahad, and they turned the corner and found a scrap of parchment made of pressed lichen, unlike the parchments they had seen on the surface in Jordan Bojar's place.
"Hidden passage here," said Phaedra, and she led the way. "Oh no."
"She had to be an Avernite," said Daniel. "She's thin and pale like us."
"No sign of who she was," said Anicka, looking up from her search of the body. "Maybe Anaximander will have a clue."
"We'll ask when we get back," said Nathan. "But I want to see that building ... I think it was here before the slimes."
"Why's that?" said Anicka, leading the way back out of the hidden passage.
"Slimes seem to be trying to get through this wall," said Nathan. "Haven't done it yet."
"The door's locked," said Anicka. "Want to see if there's anything worthwhile in there?"
"I will try," said Frrrrrr, pulling out a pick and working on the lock.
There were runes on the next door, and neither Frrrrrr's lockpicks nor Phaedra's spells could open the door. They did, however, take the handful of items that were hidden in a chest and the desk, before continuing the explorations.
Down another slope, to find another closed portcullis, and down another tunnel, they heard low, gurgling, agonized moans.
"Sounds like something has a mouth full of goo," said Angarahad.
"While being tortured," said Daniel. "We going forward?"
"Of course," said Anicka.
It looked at first like the slime was eating a giant lizard, but upon closer examination, it appeared they were trying to meld into one slime-lizard creature.
"Oh, fuck no," said Anicka. "We're not going to have that running loose too ..." and with one swift blow from the sword, she struck them/it down, and cleaned off her blade.
"Shit!" said Nathan, and he was furiously beating off a mauve slime as Anicka checked the next alcove.
"You all right?" said Anicka, as she stared for a moment at the slime-eating-goblin ... no, slime-melding-with-goblin, and sliced through this abomination.
"Yeah, fine," said Nathan.
They continued searching, and finally returned to the pedestal in the middle of the large chamber. The writing on the obelisks around the corners of the area was obscure, none of the group recognized the language.
Daniel said, "I think I can figure out this now."
"What?" said Anicka, looking at the incomprehensible button pattern.
"OK, we found five passages that went down, all had a portcullis on the bottom, right?" said Daniel.
"Yeah," said Anicka. "And your point?"
"Look," said Daniel, putting his map beside the pedestal.
"Oh, I see it," said Anicka as he pointed to one of the down passages. "So, we press these buttons, we can get through the portcullis, you figure?"
"I believe so," said Daniel. "Now, it may be that only one can be open at a time. We can try hitting all five and looking around."
"Save effort," said Anicka. "If that's not going to work, let's just ..." She pressed the button on the lowest left point, and they faintly heard the distant sound of chains rattling. "One at a time, and come back here in betweens."
"OK," said Daniel, studying the map. "You pressed that one, I think that means we need to go ... here." He pointed to one of the passages on the map.
"All righty, then," said Anicka. "Let's test the theory out."
"It worked," said Daniel jubilantly, as they made their way to the passage and found the portcullis open.
The hall extended further thant hey could see, a passage lined with stone humanoids thickly covered with the ubiquitous goo.
"I hope those are statues under there," said Phaedra.
Finding themselves under immediate attack by the spell-casting mauve slimes, they went on a running battle until they at last reached the end of the long hall, and came to an obelisk with the words "HA HA" carved upon it.
"I'm sure there was more than this," said Anicka. "Let's go back and search the walls. Frrrrrr, you take that side, I'll take this. Dan, Angie, you're with Frrrrrr, rest of you on my side."
Some time of searching, and Frrrrrr said, "Over here."
"What's that?" said Anicka, coming over.
Frrrrrr pointed, "Some cracks here. Slime's been eating at the edges. We just didn't notice because we were being attacked at the time."
They followed, and saw ahead one of the slime pools like the one they destroyed in Jordan Bojar's place. The cavern contained one of the gigantic slime breeding pools. It was in pools like this that all of the slimes tormenting Krizsan province were born. Even now, lumps were shifting and growing under the surface, soon to be born the vicious, mindless creatures ready to slay the innocents outside. The whole process was horrifying in its simplicity.
"Phaedra, do your thing," said Anicka. "That seemed to be the only thing could hurt it."
Phaedra nodded, and blasted the slime pool into hundreds of tiny globules. The balls of goo twitched slightly, tried to reform, and died. Other than that, there seemed to be little effect, as the bubbling of evil goo could be heard echoing all around.
Moving ahead, they saw a rune on the floor, and as Anicka started across, the barrier of green energy flashed into existence, dropping when they moved away, reappearing when she tried another approach.
"Maybe if we get the others," said Daniel, "we'll weaken it and be able to go further."
"OK," said Anicka. "Back to the pedestal. We'll try another button."
Pushing the next leftmost button, they heard more distant clatterings of chains, and made their way to the passage that Daniel predicted would be open now, and indeed it was. Managing the boat they found, they made their way through the watery area, dotted with islands filled with slimes which attacked whenever they neared, and finally made their way to another slime pool. As Anicka, Frrrrrr, Daniel, and Nathan fended off the creations of the pool, Phaedra cast her spell and blasted the slime pool into hundreds of tiny globules, twitching slightly before dying. The continuing bubbling of evil goo around them told, however, that they had not yet found an end to the plague.
Again they found a rune with the re-appearing and disappearing barrier, and finally made their way back down the watery passage to the portcullis.
"Let's see if the other one's still open," said Angarahad.
"I don't expect it will be," said Daniel.
"No matter," said Anicka. "We'll just take a moment to check it out. I think we're close enough that it's worthwhile."
"All right," said Daniel, and he continued rowing and then when docked, helped the others out of the boat.
They returned, and found that the other portcullis was indeed closed again, and made their way to the pedestal again. This time, Anicka picked the button which was more or less in the center, and they made their way down. Ahead, there were several humanoid bodies in the room—corpses old, withered and covered with goo, and looked like nephilim.
"They should be more decomposed," said Angarahad.
"They're not attacking," said Anicka. "That's a good thing."
As they continued, they heard a long, hideous keening—the bodies had risen and become some sort of bizarre zombie.
"Phaedra, get the pool," said Anicka. "We'll get the zombies."
Phaedra blasted this slime pool, which was destroyed like the others, though the zombies were still attacking, and then she rejoined her companions in zombie killing.
"They're not the typical undead," said Angarahad. "I think maybe not even undead at all ... some sort of slime zombie, not true zombie."
"Well, I think we're making progress," said Anicka. "They don't seem to be spawning as fast."
They trekked back up to the pedestal, and Anicka pushed a fourth button, this one lower and just slightly left of the right-most one. Consulting the map again, Daniel led the way to another passage.
Fighting their way around the chasm, they finally made it to another slime pool, and Phaedra destroyed that one as she had the others, and they turned to leave, hoping that they were nearing the end of their sojourn in the acrid air of the slime pit.
"Oh my God!" said Frrrrrr, "that one isn't dead!"
"They put air holes in the goop?" said Anicka. "Let's see if we can free him."
Using a dagger, they scraped off the fibrous gook that held the man in place. He must have been paralyzed by a slime, and then wrapped in webs and goo. He had been imprisoned in his armor, his equipment nearby. He stood and blinked, but he only grunted and twitched when Anicka tried to ask who he was.
Howling in his madness, he grabbed his equipment and ran off.
"The poor man," said Angarahad.
"I'd probably be a bit balmy, too," said Anicka. "Let's get back to the pedestal."
They returned to the pedestal, and Anicka pushed the only button she hadn't yet pushed, and they heard the now-familiar sound of chains rattling in the distance, and Daniel led the way back to the abattoir, where they gingerly stepped around the bodies, which had only seemed to grow more putrid since their visit a few hours before.
Phaedra blasted the last slime pool, and they moved to the rune, where a weak, flickering magical barrier now appeared. Anicka reached out to touch it, and her hand passed through it.
"All right, let's see what we ..." said Anicka, and she led the way into the innermost cavern, and her words dropped off in horror.
At long last, they stood in the innermost cavern, its walls scratched by the flailing of huge tentacles, the floor covered with tiny droplets of gray goo. There was little time to absorb much in the way of detail, for the massive master of the caves was keening in fury, a beast twenty feet high, a writhing mass of tentacles, fibrous jelly, and eyestalks, with a croaking roar. Spitting goo, tentacles lashing, it lunged at the young adventurers.
"Oh, shit," said Anicka. "I hope that thing ..."
"It'll be ok," said Frrrrrr, as his arrow zipped into the thing and a howl of pain erupted. "It can be hurt."
"Oh fuck, it slimed me!" said Daniel.
Angarahad said, "You'll be fine," as she began chanting a prayer to tend the acid burns.
Anicka led the way, and slowly they battered the alien thing, and with a roar that seemed to shake the entire cavern, the alien slime shook and collapsed. Almost immediately, it started to decay, its body falling apart and decomposing into goo. Smaller screams reverberated through the tunnels, and it seemed that what slimes had not yet died were now dying.
Bloody, battered, and burned, they were now alone in the cavern.
"Someone very powerful created this place," said Phaedra, "but who would do that?"
"Let's look around," said Anicka. "Maybe we'll find some clue."
"Hope so," said Daniel. "Whoever did this could do it again, and ... if they do, we won't be able to go to the surface like everyone has always hoped."
Searching the walls, Anicka found a secret passage, and they made their way down. All the evidence in the caves had pointed to the fact that the slimes had not migrated here by chance, but had been placed here. The rune etched into the floor at the end of the secret passage seemed to be the final evidence.
"It's a mage's rune," said Phaedra. "I don't know whose, but that's a mark of ownership."
Daniel sketched the mark, and said, "We'll have to ask in Fort Emergence. I don't want to be asking Empire about that."
"Too right," said Anicka. "Let's get out of here. I need some fresh air."
Making their way out of the caves, the path still appeared as scoured as before, though the bubbling hisses could not be heard.
Anicka flopped to the ground, and pulled off her boots.
"Definitely need new ones," she said, squinting at the soles. "There's barely anything left, and we got the whole way to Krizsan to go."
"We going to camp here?" said Daniel.
"Yeah, look—it's dark again," said Anicka. "Or near enough to it. And I'm beat. Just in case there are more slimes ..."
"Then do you think here is the best place?" said Daniel.
"I'm too tired to go further," said Anicka.
"I'll help set up camp," said Angarahad.
That night, however, they were not attacked by slimes, and the night was restful—quiet and peaceful. Then, pulling on her almost digested boots, Anicka began leading the way down the path to the ruined road, and from there, west to Krizsan.
As they traveled, they met a militia group out of Krizsan, and the men seemed quite happy.
"What's the good word?" said Anicka, surprised.
"We're on patrol, looking for slimes," said their leader. "We haven't seen any all day. Don't be careless, but we may have seen the worst of it."
"Thanks," said Anicka, deciding that bragging to these men wouldn't do them much good.