Monster Battlefield! The Spoils

A Carrion Beast (Gravorg) awoke in its concealed underground lair, catching a faint, strange scent from far away. The cunning subterranean predator cautiously surveyed its surroundings. Once it was sure there was no danger, it eagerly ran from its lair, charging toward the source of the scent with a quick but clumsy gait. Yet it never let down its guard. At every suspicious turn, the Carrion Beast would freeze and use its natural camouflage to blend in, staying still until it was certain the way was clear.

This large, carnivorous wild animal was different from another subterranean carrion horror, the Otyugh. It was stronger, and far greedier. This four-legged monster, which looked rather like a sloth, was ten feet long. Its fur was mottled with white, gray, and black, making it look like a boulder when it stood still. In search of food, a Carrion Beast could travel from one dungeon or cave to another far away, leaving only scattered bones and broken equipment in its wake.

A Carrion Beast (Gravorg) was a large magical beast. Though it had sharp teeth and claws, it rarely used them to defend itself. Instead, it used them to tear apart the corpses of its prey, preferring to hunt with its Spell-like Ability.

The scent of blood grew stronger. Excited, the Carrion Beast kept tapping the stone wall with its claws. But its sluggish pace severely limited how many prey it could catch, since the underground world was home to far too many carrion-eating monsters.

The Carrion Beast hurried through a narrow mine tunnel as fast as it could. In truth, it hated squeezing through such confined spaces, which made it difficult to use its innate ability. It preferred vast, open areas, but hunger and greed overcame its reason.

As the beast entered the battlefield, several Carrion Worms that had been gorging themselves let out panicked screeches. These multi-legged, segmented monsters were eight or nine feet long and looked like hybrids of green caterpillars and cephalopods. Eight slender tentacles extended from beneath their heads, each about two feet long. The tips secreted a sticky substance that could paralyze. With their exceptionally keen eyesight and sense of smell, these large aberrations had detected the Carrion Beast's approach long ago. They twisted their fat bodies desperately, trying to flee, but after swallowing so much food, they were as slow as oxen. As the Carrion Beast drew closer, the Carrion Worms had no choice but to huddle together and wave their tentacles, trying to warn it away.

The Carrion Beast (Gravorg) was no skilled pursuer. After all, it was far too slow on its feet. It was more accustomed to using its unique Spell-like Ability to ambush its prey. But the overfed Carrion Worms were even slower. Once the Carrion Beast drew close enough, it eagerly unleashed its innate ability. Everything around it—including the Carrion Worms, the few Kobold corpses that remained, the Kobolds' scattered remains and scraps of equipment, and chunks of rubble—rose to the ceiling of the tunnel, then suddenly dropped back down.

Clutching a Kobold corpse and tearing at it, the Carrion Beast repeatedly activated and dispelled its Spell-like Ability. Within fifty feet of it, everything in the tunnel was tossed up and down like a rag doll. The tunnel was only fourteen or fifteen feet high. Though the Carrion Beast's ability left the Carrion Worms reeling, it clearly couldn't inflict much damage on them.

As aggressive subterranean carrion monsters, the enraged Carrion Worms weren't about to go down without a fight. They waved their tentacles and struggled toward the Carrion Beast, trying to paralyze it with their special ability. After finishing off the few remaining Kobold corpses, the Carrion Beast turned its attention to the writhing, screeching Carrion Worms. It could use its innate ability at will, but doing so still took a toll on its strength. It began attacking one of the Carrion Worms with its sharp claws and teeth, but its terrible close-combat skills put it at a serious disadvantage. The Carrion Worm's paralyzing tentacles struck and wrapped around it.

On the way back, William and the others encountered quite a few strange monsters. Most fled in panic from the excavation team, but a handful of aggressive creatures attacked them. Those foolhardy monsters met miserable ends: either Phinia's Frost Giant Axe split them into icy corpses, or the brutish Dwarves smashed them into pulp.

As the group neared the battlefield where they had encountered the Kobolds, an intensely powerful stench of blood and foul odor hit them. Singers' expression changed at once, and he shouted in alarm, "Damn it! Carrion Worms! Those mindless, evil stinkers!" Clearly, Singers recognized the source of the foul smell.

Carrion Worms were a great enemy of the Dwarves underground. The paralyzing power of these foul-smelling monsters' tentacles was the bane of all melee fighters, though the tentacles caused no harm beyond paralysis. Fortunately, their body odor gave the Dwarves an early warning.

But William and the others didn't retreat. They didn't want to come away empty-handed, and William's strength in particular gave everyone confidence. Singers, of course, trusted William's fire magic. Though the Dwarf didn't care for magic, he acknowledged the power of this mysterious force. In less than a day, the Carrion Beasts had devoured all sixty or seventy Kobold corpses, leaving only broken spears and scattered remains. But the heaps of flesh ahead shocked the group even more.

The Carrion Beast had finally learned what it meant to be miserable! In another setting, ten times as many Carrion Worms wouldn't have been a match for it. But today, in this narrow tunnel, a mere four monsters had beaten it to death. One Carrion Worm had also been killed and another badly wounded. The two remaining, lightly wounded ones fled after their victory, since the Carrion Beast had torn off nearly all their paralyzing tentacles.

The gruesome scene made the two youngsters hang back at a distance. William and Singers approached the monsters' corpses with torches and a Bullseye Lantern.

"Carrion Worms! Those disgusting stinkers! Looks like it was a brutal fight!" Singers exclaimed, covering his nose as he stared at the tangled mass of monsters. The Carrion Worms' paralyzing tentacles were valuable magical components. It was said that the poison in the Dark Elves' paralyzing arrows came from them, and surface Mages prized the rare material as well. The badly wounded Carrion Worm was slowly losing its life, so William quickly chopped off its two remaining tentacles.

"What an unexpected haul! Ha ha! I can practically smell the fine ale by the barrel!" The one-eyed Dwarf excitedly held up a leather bag containing the Carrion Worms' paralyzing tentacles. Aside from the eight that had been crushed to pulp, William and Singers found ten intact tentacles and nine severed tips.

None of them recognized the even more valuable Carrion Beast, but the group now faced a more pressing dilemma: should they return to Mirabar or press on? If they continued, the powerful stench of blood here would attract more unknown monsters. Based on Singers' description of the Carrion Worms' terror, they might face even greater danger. No one could say how many kinds of fierce and dangerous monsters lurked in the underground world. But they still hadn't accomplished the purpose of their trip, and they were reluctant to turn back. Singers was just as torn.

Looking at the little girl behind them, William decided to return to Mirabar. This place was too dangerous for the youngster, and any manner of strange creature could appear at any moment. Once they had decided to head back, Singers didn't want to return empty-handed. The others firmly refused to bring along the foul-smelling Carrion Worm corpses, so the Carrion Beast's body, washed clean with fresh water, became their ultimate prize.

Mirabar had specialty shops for magical items, run by the Mercenary Association or other organizations. They bought magical items and materials that adventurers had found by chance but had no use for, and sometimes posted requests for materials needed by Mages. They also occasionally sold expensive magical items.

Singers and the others caused quite a stir when they returned. It was a busy season, with merchants from outside the city gathering there. The strange stench clinging to the group—mainly William, Singers, and the Carrion Beast—made a few onlookers realize what monsters they had encountered. Their discussion soon inspired others to admire William, Singers, and the rest. It was an age of brave men and heroes, and people respected and celebrated powerful warriors and their deeds.

By the time Sunderland received word, William and the others had already reached the entrance to the magical item shop, where they were surrounded by spectators. Singers' friend, Torg Danzo Hammer-Striker, commander of the Axe of Mirabar, was directing his warriors as they kept the crowd in order.