Then a silent shadow rose up from amid some barrels, reaching a height of over ten feet-a monstrous bulk of furry green flesh and massive fangs. Long, thick legs reached out over the barrels, and a half squealing, half hissing noise erupted from the creature. Then it spit a big glob of slime at Taris.
The sorcerer burned through the slime with his dagger, and flung fire back at the creature, burning into its head. It screeched, but otherwise did not appear to be harmed.
Lannon recognized the creature as a Goblin Worm, but his book The Truth about Goblins had insisted that such a creature was only a myth.
With a roar, Furlus charged the Worm, driving his axe at the creature's legs. But where the blade struck, it did minimal damage. It was like striking something made of tough rubber, and the blade seemed almost to bounce away from the monster's flesh, leaving it virtually unscathed. The creature had eight legs that were fastened to a long, slime covered body made of sections like a caterpillar. Its head was also worm-like, but had the multiple eyes of a spider. Its face was shockingly evil in appearance-bearing features that seemed almost like those of a spiteful human female. It moved with astounding speed and agility.
The Worm spit slime into Furlus' face, blinding him, and the Grey Dwarf stumbled and fell. Two of the legs reached out and the beast quickly spun Furlus into a thick coating of slime, then lifted him and stuck him to the wall. The Dwarf had dropped his axe, but he continued to struggle beneath the slime.
Saranna leapt over and grabbed the Squires, holding them in a bunch to protect them and keep them from trying anything heroic.
"We may have to flee," she whispered to them.
"Let me help the others!" Aldreya pleaded. But the Ranger only tightened her grip on the Squires.
Overcome with rage, Caldrek attacked the Worm with a flurry of blows. His sword burned with blue fire. A natural warrior of unsurpassed talent, he dodged globs of slime while seeking to find a weakness in the beast. But each stroke, no matter how sure, merely glanced away from the rubbery surface.
"You'll pay for Shennen's life!" he grunted.
But the Worm apparently grew tired of this game, and used four of its legs to trap Caldrek. Then it buried its fangs into the Red Knight's shoulder, piercing his armor. Caldrek's mouth gaped open. He tried to say something, but the words were lost as his body went limp from the poison.
The Squires cried out in shock.
Taris struck the Worm with several blazing fireballs that burned into its flesh. The beast, obviously sensing danger, suddenly leapt up and clung to the ceiling in a move that was so quick the eye could not follow it. Seeking to escape or perhaps gain a better vantage point, it scuttled across the ceiling. But the hissing fireball caught up with it and exploded with a deafening roar that shook the chamber. Streaming jets of flame dropped to the floor and lay burning.
For an instant, they thought the Worm had been disintegrated. But then some barrels tipped over and the monster leapt out into the open, clumps of molten green fire falling from its body. It raced towards a dark hole in the stone wall. It screeched in rage at them, then crawled into the hole and was lost from sight.
With Saranna still guarding the dismayed Squires, Taris raced over to his trapped companions. Furlus had managed to free one of his arms, and he was pulling slime from his beard and sputtering in fury. Taris helped finish freeing him, and then set to work on Shennen. A moment later the Blue Knight lay on his back on the floor, released of his prison.
Shennen opened his eyes and started breathing, as if coming out of a deep trance. His face was grim. "It was too fast, too silent. I got caught off guard."
"Are you okay?" said Taris.
In answer, Shennen stood up.
Caldrek was not dead, either. The poison had left him weak, yet he was conscious. Shennen lifted him, while Furlus quickly freed the head of the remaining figure. They discovered it was a dead Jackal Goblin.
"Apparently," said Taris, as they fled the chamber, "that creature does not play favorites with other Goblins. All races are equal food in its eyes."
When they reached the surface and closed the trapdoor, Caldrek shifted about, and whispered, "That felt wretched. But I think it's starting to wear off. I should be able to move around soon enough."
"Perhaps we should take you back to Dremlock," said Furlus. "We haven't come that far."
"No!" Caldrek sputtered, coughing. "Just give me a moment. The poison obviously isn't deadly. At least I hope not."
"It's not supposed to be deadly," said Lannon. "According to my book The Truth about Goblins, that is. The poison was just meant to weaken you. Of course, that Worm wasn't supposed to exist, either."
Taris chuckled. "You must know every word of that book, Lannon. How many times have you read it?"
Caldrek stumbled to his feet. The Red Knight did not seem to have fully recovered, as he staggered a bit, but he insisted he was okay. "I can make it!" he insisted. "I'll be fine."
"We'll see," Furlus said. "If you're anything less than perfect, you go back. I'll not have your death on my conscience."
Caldrek nodded, then doubled over and went into a coughing fit. When he stood up, his eyes were watering, but he looked steadier.
Furlus unscrewed one end of the cylinder and read the scroll aloud:
Master,
This message is extremely urgent. A lad named Lannon Sunshield has come to Dremlock, and apparently he bears the rare power known as the Eye of Divinity, which could eventually be a threat to our plans. It would be difficult to have him cast out, and even if we were able to, he could remain an outside threat. And so we have opted for the easier and more sturdy route. We shall have one of our servants kill Lannon. Don't worry, Master, the boy shall meet his end one way or another. I havetrusted this letter to Creglin, so that he may get it to you with all speed. However, you need do nothing. I have the matter well in hand. Lannon Sunshield will die!
Your Loyal Servant
"There you have it!" growled Furlus. "The evidence we sought! Justice shall come of this, my friends."
"And yet it fails to mention Kealin or Moten," said Taris.
"It is Moten's writing," said Furlus. "I can tell Olrog handwriting, and Moten has a very unique style. And we can have this examined by a Scribe and a comparison made. Moten shall be found guilty. I have no doubt of it. We may find evidence down here against Kealin too."
"Hopefully not as well guarded," said Shennen. "How could that scroll have ended up down there?"
"The Jackal must have taken a wrong turn or something," said Taris. "Regardless, it is very fortunate for us that it met its doom. Now at least one corrupt member of the High Council will earn his rightful place in Dremlock Dungeon."
"I want to go confront him myself," said Furlus. "But first we need to finish our mission down here. Yet I can hardly wait to face him! And though he will undoubtedly spend his years in the dungeon, being treated humanely, I have a better punishment in mind."
"And what is that?" said Taris.
"We should toss him down there," said Furlus, nodding to the trapdoor. "Let one fiend prey upon another. That would be true justice."
Taris frowned. "And yet you should bear in mind how your people once administered punishments like that."
Furlus sighed and nodded. "It is true. But nevertheless, if anyone deserves to be fed to an oversized Worm, it is Moten."
"The Worm…" Taris pondered. "That was a creature of extraordinary power, and I hope never to encounter it again."
"It may have been leftover from the Great War," said Furlus. "It probably fled into these mines to escape Olzet Ka and the Crimson Flamestone."