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[howandwhy99]

“TO ARMS! TO ARMS!” Dram yelled. As he was yelled the blob moved up and engulfed Dram’s legs. He could hear the hissing coming from his leather boots as he tried to pull free from the thick goo. Fortunately for the others, no one had fallen asleep or removed their armor yet. Ormand the Redd backpedaled firing his bow at the thing, but the wooden arrows dissolved on contact. Dalin ran forward pulling his sword out. Swinging at the blob he missed and tripped to his knees inside the creature. The bull-like Pax moved up and grabbed both Dram and Dalin. Pulling as hard as he could he could only pop Dram out. Dalin was mired in the mass as it tried to suck him in. Dram looked down at his skinless toes in the grass. His leather boots were completely ruined. There were streaks on Dalin’s fanciful steel armor gleaming from where the goo had touched it.

Kayla maneuvered around to one side trying to stay far away from the blob. With everyone in the way she could not get a spell off. Diedre shadowed Kayla and tried to charm the thing, but her soft words had no effect. Rose backed up behind the fire and looked for a free weapon to use. Darius pulled out a flask of oil, lit it from the fire pit, and tossed at the monster. “Watch out!” yelled Dalin who ducked as the flask just missed him. The flames caused the blob to sizzle and Dalin was seared as well. Dram’s father Gil stood up and started running back along the road toward Hommlet as fast as he could.

Dalin contorted in his armor trying to pull free. Pax moved up again to help him and with two massive arms pulled out the fighter. Dram danced back behind the fire, pulled out his bow, and drinking his a healing potion. Kayla released her magic now that she had a clear shot, but the sleep spell had no effect. As the magic bounced away she recognized the blob as having an elemental nature, but she knew not which. Kayla grabbed Diedre moved farther away towards the road. Rose started tossing stones from the fire pit at the blob. As she hit they were instantly engulfed. Darius moved back to the fireside to light another oil flask, but the blob slid forward and wrapped up his legs. Somehow sensing the fire, the blob tried dragging him back towards the forest. Dalin was gasping for air and drank a healing potion as he scrambled farther away.

Rose pulled open a backpack and started handing out torches to those nearby. Kayla, Dram, and Dalin each lit one and started waving around them to ward off the creature. Pax lunged forward a third time hoping to pull Darius out. Straining with all his might, he tore the stout dwarf free. Dram threw his torch at the blob, but it split itself and it dodged the flame. Holding torches the rest of the team grew bolder and approached with the shifting ochre mass. Sensing a unified front, it shifted backwards and slid like lightening in a straight line over the fields to the south. In a second it was out of sight. A path of destruction was left as it fled. Rose examined it noticing all but stone and mud was dissolved by the blob’s touch. “Father!” Dram called out into the night. Gill came running back moments later with a look of dread on his face. It turned to relief when he saw his son alive.

Everyone was inspected after the battle. Dram would need new boots. Dalin’s and Darius’s armor on the other hand looked as bright as new in the spots where the blob had covered them. The difference was more evident on Cyrus’s old dirty armor. Dalin wondered if they could catch the creature just for cleaning purposes. Few had sustained wounds and the healing potions had done their job. Only Dalin was still a little worse for wear. Kayla mentioned that the blob had looked to her like something she had read in her books; she believed it might be something Zelligar had worshiped. “The eater of men perhaps from the Chaos Caves?” proposed Dram. Kayla did not know. Rose and Ormand were already out scouting around for any further evidence of the creature. Rose discovered the cleared path by which it had come out of the Greenwillow. “Do you think it might have any treasure in its lair?” Dram asked with a smile.
“Only one way to find out” replied Dalin.