Cycek cautiously heads down the tunnel, until he reaches a point where he hears the hubbub of multiple voices. He creeps forward to a point where the tunnel opens into a stone chamber. The gibbering voices sound like they are right around the corner. He sends Fuzzidohnge to investigate. The tiny weasel rounds the corner stealthily, but is immediately overcome with confusion by the gabbling voices of a terrifying creature a mere two feet away. He stands transfixed long enough for the huge amorphous mass of flesh, riddled with horrible eyes and mouths, to surge forward and smother him beneath its disgusting bulk. Cycek steps forward to rescue his animal companion and slashes at the monster with a sword, causing a wound that is quickly reabsorbed by the jelly-like flesh. The monstrosity snaps at him with many mouths, but fails to land a single bite. In rage and frustration, it wildly spits a glob a fluid which misses the mark and instead hits the wall with a flash of light. Cycek attacks again and quickly inserts the immovable rod into the fresh wound. His hope is that the wound will close over it and hold the creature in place. This is not to be. The disgusting creature oozes over and around the rod, like mud over a stone, and approaches Cycek for another unsuccessful bite attempt.

Cycek calls to Davros for back up, and the rogue obliges – running down the tunnel. Sartan hears the cry for help and follows Davros toward the tunnel. Mishok stays with Wendella and the treacherous wizard while also keeping a lookout for other unwelcome visitors. Peering over the edge of the spire, he sees a portal once again beginning to sputter and blink on the conjuration circle where they had emerged into this hellish place. He also detects a surge and an apparent rise in level of the lava flows. He hopes his companions hurry in finding a way down to the lower plateau so they can get out of here.

Meanwhile, Cycek has continued to battle the blob of mouths and eyes. He slashes and deftly dodges the gnashing teeth, until he finally makes a mistake and is bitten by multiple mouths. Bleeding from many cruel wounds, the battling elf falls to the stone floor and loses consciousness. Emboldened by its success, the creature slides forward for a follow-up attack, but not before Davros arrives on the scene. He grabs his fallen companion and drags him back up the tunnel away from the slow moving menace. He begins administering first aid, while Sartan shoulders past him in the tunnel. Sartan is carrying several canisters of flammable oil, and a torch. He pours a gallon of oil down the sloping floor, where it pools around the murderous mass of mouths. He lights the oil and a wall of flame springs up. The monster is singed, and its foul, blackened flesh writhes in pain. The creature is not killed, but it ceases its forward progress.

Davros revives Cycek who reenters the fray. He fires a flaming arrow over Sartan’s shoulder, further injuring the creature. Sartan then follows up with a second application of the burning oil technique. This sends the monster into full retreat. The companions press their advantage and rain arrow and sword blows upon the blob until, finally the frightful gibbering mouths cease their noise, the eyes roll back to white, and then shut tight with one last spasmodic dying jerk.

Cycek is dismayed to find the limp, lifeless body of Fuzzidonghe, but he does not lose hope. He uses one of his healing spells, and to his great joy, the tiny creature stirs, opens its eyes, shakes off some of the slime coating its one-lustrous fur, and scampers up Cycek’s shoulder to nuzzle his pointy ear. Sartan retrieves the magical immovable rod, and explores the rest of the chamber and finds nothing noteworthy other than a pair of other tunnels leading down. They decide to abandon this direction of exploration and return to the surface.

Mishok explains the urgency of getting out of here, as the ground is shaking, the lava is rising, and the portal seems to be sputtering into a tentative existence. They decide to take the ladder. Cycek heads down while his party members remain up top and create a harness out of the wire they had brought with them. They use the harness and the immovable rod to carefully lower Wendella down the ladder. That having been done, the remaining companions carefully climb down as well, leaving the bound wizard to his fate.

Their next task is get back across the river of lava. They bring the ladder back down from its upright position and once again lay it flat across the gap to the adjacent island. The lava has risen quite high and is surging past a mere foot below the ladder itself. Using the immovable rod once again, they stabilize the rickety, warped structure and one by one cross to the other side. Mishok carries Wendella on his back, and barely makes it across, nearly falling as everything begins to shake more insistently. The portal is flashing to blue, green and white, intermittently appearing and then vanishing. They see a group of bat-winged heads in the sky, and insubstantial worm-like forms begin to emerge from the wildly fluctuating portal of light. Finally, the portal snaps into a moment of stable, green light. The group links hands, rush past a grasping evil worm, leap up two tiers of the conjuring circle and plunge into the light.

Their hearts instinctively feel a rush of relief to put that evil place behind them. They find themselves floating in a field of grey mist. A distant shadow stirs. Bat-like wings flap and recede, and the shadow seems to pour itself away into a glowing blue orb. As they stare in wonder, a green glow surrounds them, and they feel as if they are falling toward an inviting pool of warm emerald green. The glow envelops them, they feel drawn inexorably forward, and they tumble out onto a verdant green sward of lush grass. Disoriented, they gaze around, taking in the beauty of a blue sky, golden sunlight, sparkling mountain peaks, and a babbling brook. The air is a fragrant spring breeze, and wildflowers blossom all around. The landscape is like a garden, but wilder and more potent with the majestic beauty of an idealized natural world. A kind, yet almost overwhelmingly mesmerizing voice speaks to them. They are transfixed by the being that addresses them. She is a tall, luminous woman, with her black hair pulled back in a long braid. She is resplendent in fine white robes and gleaming armor plates. One white wing rises from her right shoulder, but her left is graced by only a shorn stump. She is the Deva, Adara. She bids the team be at ease, for they are with her in the Celestial realm, where all is good. She congratulates them on their success in rescuing Wendella, while acknowledging the difficulty and danger they have endured. She shares with them the serious news that the Nabassu, the enemy whom she held at bay in the ethereal plane, was stronger than even she could control. The demon broke free, but rather than return to its isolation in the Abyss, it fled through a portal into the material world. Now despite their victory, she advises that they rest here while they can, but to make haste to find a way to close the portals. The situation is becoming increasingly unstable, and more frequent and larger portals are likely to sporadically open, spilling more, and potentially deadlier, demons into the material world. They ask how they can do this. How can they close the portals? Wendella volunteers the idea that there are spells in Xodar’s library. If they can retrieve the books, and the material components, they can maybe end the results of the flawed magic that opened them in the first place.

The party discusses their options. There is some understandable resentment toward Wendella for her having caused the situation. They have an inclination to simply tie her up, cart her back to Shadowfurst, deliver her to her parents, and collect their reward. She is contrite, explaining that she was a foolish girl, lashing out and wishing for power. She never meant for this to happen. She is worried about the damage that can still occur if they don’t act to stop it. She is worried about her parents. The Nabassu constantly tormented her with threats against her parents. Adara replies that the Nabassu can be anywhere, it could be across the ocean or in the immediate vicinity. There is no telling where that portal led, other than the certainty that it was the material world.

As they contemplate their options, they hear approaching footsteps and the clink of steel. Looking up, they see a tall figure approaching, silhouetted against the bright sky. Light sparkles on gleaming armor and helm. A familiar voice laughs, and a gauntleted arm reaches up to remove the helmet. Sartan’s eyes widen in recognition. Eve Viscerator runs forth, laughing to grab him in a huge bugbear bear-hug. She says “I never thought I would see you guys again! But here we are! So much has changed! I am so happy to see you my friends! It was you who changed my life for the better!” They are amazed at the sight of this former adversary who mysteriously disappeared in the same arcane blast that sent Wendella to her evil patron. They ask her what happened, and Eve explains that there was a blast of light, and the next thing she knew she was sprawled on the grass in this miraculous place. She was attended to by Adara, who healed her. She does not know how long she has been here, but it feels like many months. She has thrived under the tutelage of Adara and she is now a Paladin of Tyr, and a squire to the Deva.

Adara gives the team some time to relax and recuperate, but shortly encourages them to take advantage of the next portal that appears. She brings forth the glowing orb that Sartan had thrown through the portal long ago. She explains that this orb is a tool that can provide the means for steering the positioning of the portals. She has some ability to exert her force of will to shorten or lengthen their individual span of existence once they have manifested. But this unstable emergence of portals is a force of nature, she cannot say when the next one will appear or whether it will lead to the Abyss or back home. She suggests that if she can steer their location to a degree, they should decide where they want to go, and she will do her best to dial in the closest location.

They wait for awhile, and then finally a blue portal begins to blink into existence, hovering just above the green lawn. She gifts each of them a flask of healing water, and then holds forth the glowing orb as the portal fully materializes. She closes her eyes in thought and rotates the orb, its radiance becoming blinding. She commands, “Now! Go before it closes! Go forth! Do good work! Close these aberrant portals! Be brave! I have faith in you. Go!” The companions leap through, hand-in-hand, bringing Wendella with them.

They land with a rattle of armor and a thud, back in the glen near to the place where they had battled giant spiders just the day before.