"Mikos, um. Is Ben looking more, you know, buff? Is it me?" Rodi asks in an undertone.
"Hard to tell with dwarves, Mikos responds. "Something is definitely different though."
"Yeah, I'm ready, Keg. Let's walk down though. Until we can all Spiral down at once, I think it's too dangerous. Especially if they've fixed that gate."
You leave the benighted surface ruins behind and descend the stairs. You pass through the cellar level and continue down. Some fifteen minutes later, you reach the landing just outside the Splinterden.
The first thing you notice is that the sally port has been closed. The bodies of the fallen Splinters are also gone, and you see trails of blood where the bodies were dragged leading through the gate. The gate has been closed and re-locked, but the damage you inflicted remains.
The northern gate to the spire chamber has also been closed and locked.
You do not see any Splinter guards in the area.
The Keg will move like a kitten wearing iron shod boots up to the murder holes to glance in and see what he can see, his damaged shield up in front of him.
"Canya open the sally port from this side, Rodi?"
"Doesn't look like they've totally abandoned the place. Poor choice." Mikos muses. "Let's just tear the damn door off it's hinges."
"Got it."
The Keg busts out his crowbar and gets to work.
The Keg gives the crowbar a heft and the sally port opens with a loud crack as the wooden bar behind it shatters.
Moving into the armory, you spot a Splinter scout trying to move stealthily away from you in the corridor beyond.
"Alright," Mikos smiles as the door is torn open. His eyes narrow at the sight of the retreating scout. He almost charges after though he isn't much faster than his short-legged companions in his armor. "Hmmm, does this feel like a trap?" he asks and instead starts firing his bow at the figure.
"Eh, shoot 'em first and we'll figure out if it's a trap later."
The Keg casts divine lance at the fleeing scout.
You react quickly, moving up and attacking the scout before he realizes you've seen him. The Keg hits him with a divine missile then Mikos drops him with a deadeye shot.
You hold a few moments and realize the scout was alone.
"You want to make sure they havent set any traps, Rodi?" Mikos rasps peering around suspiciously.
Rodi nods and creeps forward.
Rodi checks thoroughly through the end of the hallway, finding no traps.
Looking down the next hall, the door to your immediate east is still closed, as are the ones further down. Only the three doors on the east wall are open. The area remains quiet.
Mikos looks to the others. "Should we start with the closest door or start with the open ones?"
"Closest. These bastich's have a#$**@!+d us before."
"You got your bow ready this time, Ben? A little slow on the draw earlier." Mikos switches to his sword and goes up to inspect the closest door.
seeing that it looks clear, he opens it.
Mikos makes a (very) cursory scan of the door then opens it. This chamber is a small barracks with a pair of double bunks and a small privy in the north wall. The eastern portion of the room is partitioned into a pair of cells with doors made from iron bars. Inside each is a shoddy bunk and a rusty bucket.
Seeing no Sphincters to poke, Mikos moves along.
Rodi follows Mikos.
"Eh, look at this dust. No Sphincters using this room. Wonder why not?
Mikos shrugs and continues down the corridor while hugging the wall. He peers around the corner through the open doors.
The Keg takes one lingering look at the room and then shrugs, "No one here, no loot ... bah," and closes the door, heading down the hall.
Just before he closes the door, The Keg and Ben see something move in the shadows of the northern cell. It is an amorphous blob of oozing fleshy sludge covered in dozens of yammering mouths. As the abomination splashes toward you, you hear a din of maddening voices echo through the room.
"Booger Soup, Mikos! BOOGER SOUP!" Rodi screams.
Mikos stares in confusion at Rodi's outburst. "What are you babbling about? What is everyone babbling about?"
The Keg stares at his comrades, "What in the ever-drunk God's balls are you all going on about?"
He then slams the door shut, "Guess we know why this room is empty!"
The Keg looks around for something heavy.
The Keg reacts and slams the door closed. He looks around for something to bar or block it, and notes the hallway behind is filled with several crates.
The rest of you lose your minds for a moment...
Rodi strikes! "Purple murder rabbit toes!"
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
Mikos shrugs and continues down the corridor while hugging the wall. He peers around the corner through the open doors.
"Get out of the way! I will stop this babbling!"
Ducking and dodging the unexpected assault from his party, the Keg does well until Rodi slips a particularly painful strike into the dwarf's ribs .. the rest bang off his armor or miss completely.
"Ow, damn it, half-pint! Watch where you stick that thing ... it's a holy weapon, you know. Treat it with respect!"
The Keg does raise his shield and watches the three of his comrades carefully as he inches over toward the crates, growling menacingy "Iffun you're done, come help me move these things. Iffun you're not, you won't find me easy meat ..."
Mikos, Ben and Rodi regain their wits. You all can still hear the thing gibbering nonsense beyond the door.
Mikos shakes his head. "What just happened? And what is making all that noise?"
"Hey, what happened to that horrible purple rabbit ooze I was stabbing? And why are you bleeding, Keg?"