Chapter 8 Blood, Blood...

I preferred to keep out of the whole thing, but had to play my own part anyway. Everyone worked surprisingly well together, and figured out the instructions. I merely leant my opinion on which bodies would have enough blood for the rite. Then I got pulled in to coat the eyes of the faces at the base of the plinth with a goblin's blood. Although I don't remember taking any vows against desecrating goblins, it just didn't seem right somehow. But I did it anyway. Anything to speed getting out of here.

The whole thing went perfectly, the body disappeared down a temporary chute that appeared under it, and the doors opened. We sloshed through the mud into who knew what?

The entrance was wide, and led to an octagonal room with a pillar in the mud and mottled red walls. Prestley, Ash, and Hy walked around the edge of the room, and the tentacles made their appearance on the far side. The ensuing fight seemed to last forever. I brought out the book immediately and hoped I would find another useful rune.

I actually found one that work rather quickly, and put it to use. It didn't do a great deal of harm to the tentacles, but I figured a little was better than nothing. And maybe it would get better if I practiced. Hy was completely hidden by tentacles, so I picked one of his and used the rune against it successfully.

At some point, Ash became so severely wounded that he removed himself from combat and made his way around the room towards me. I became aware of him when he collapsed into the mud at me feet. Someone helped keep him above the mud so I could care for him. I gave him immediate first aid, and then propped him up where he was safe from drowning. Then I went back to using the rune. It looked like this was the last battle with the monster: it sent everything it had at us, and we did the same to it.