Their foe unexpectedly laid low, Sartan and Mishok are momentarily stunned. A harsh call to their left alerts them to the presence of a small group of figures stepping out from behind a large pillar of rock. The leader of a small band of humanoids shouts “No! Goddammit! He was my ticket out of here!!!” Sartan stops whirling the glow-sphere, but as the light fades he is nearly certain that the yelling figure is none other than Hack. Down below, Eve is struggling to crawl out of the river, as one of the horrid creatures approaches her, and the water froths around her. Sartan and Mishok launch a couple of attacks and are finally able to slay the creature nearest to her. Several of the misshapen worm-creatures sprout wings and begin flapping up toward the pair of adventurers on the spiral staircase. They decide that now is the time to get out of there, and they run up the stairs.

Upstairs, Wendella’s fierce hobgoblin guard shoves the bed aside and bursts into the room. Davros, ready to attack, immediately shoots the armored warrior with his crossbow, and yells at Wendella to return to her room – she doesn’t know what she’s getting into. Coriander, ready with a frost spell, fails to finish off the wounded hobgoblin.

Cycek, hearing the faint sounds of battle yells out to Davros, and gleans that there is trouble happening. He turns and run backs toward the passage from which he had recently emerged, right past the startled hobgoblin who had regained his feet and was making his way into position to attack the crafty Cycek. The elf ranger, in his haste, fails to account for the lingering grease spell, slips, and falls flat on his back, halfway through the corridor. This gives enough time for the hobgoblin to wound him with a thrown javelin. Weakened, Cycek continues running toward Ekso’s quarters, outpacing the relatively slow hobgoblin.

Gaining the top of the stairs, Sartan and Mishok join the fray. The hobgoblin is soon slain, and Mishok deals the crushing blow to the goblin who has pressed into the room, following his hobgoblin commander. Wendella comes into the room insisting that these interlopers leave. In reply, Sartan grabs her, holds her in place, and Mishok knocks her out with a punch in the jaw. Coriander, helps to gently lower the girl to the floor, taking great care not to hurt her, and helps to bind her with rope. 

Meanwhile, Cycek rushes into the room with his hobgoblin pursuer just steps behind him. When it enters the room and sees four additional opponents awaiting him, he turns and runs back into the library. Free from his pursuer, and back in the company of his allies, he asks Mishok for the power of healing prayer, to which the cleric gladly complies.

Uncertain about what to do next, the party begin to discuss options, but before long one of the winged worms surges into the room from the spiral staircase. It vomits a disgusting spew of writhing maggots, and lashes out at whoever is near. A fierce battle ensues. Mishok calls to his god Divoc for intervention, and sacred flames are sent to burn away this abomination. It takes some time, but the unnatural creature is eventually slain. Returning to their lengthy discussion, the team again is interrupted by an additional maggot-creature emerging from the stairs. Sartan splits the wretched creature’s face open with a mighty axe blow, but somehow, astonishingly, and horrifyingly, the monstrosity continues to attack. Davros delivers the killing blow with his rapier. The two dead creatures begin to dissolves, turning into a sickening goo resembling melted cheese on the floor that still wriggles with maggots, many of them crushed into a disgusting paste after being trodden upon by the battling parties.

Several options are considered for their next course of action. Is seeking an exit in the unknown lair wise? They decide to return to the cavern to Eve’s aid and ready themselves to cautiously head back down the spiral staircase.