Splat! Squish!
Ruger felt the ground beneath his feet and jogged a little farther. With the Light Body Spell cast on him, he could walk here with ease. He could have managed without it, too, but he would have needed to be more careful. Here and there were softer patches, or places that looked perfectly flat but could swallow someone in an instant, like traps.
He had already reached the edge of the camp. He made an unhurried circuit around it before raising his foot at the spot where the old man had stood earlier.
After a moment's thought, he coated the tip of his foot with mental power and lightly tapped the ground.
A tremor immediately rose beneath his feet.
He hurriedly backed away two steps.
A pair of dull, pitch-black toad eyes emerged, each larger than his fist. Unfortunately, they could no longer blink. Muddy water flowed down either side of the toad's head, revealing the entrance to a passage leading downward.
He stood quietly at the entrance, probing it with his senses before stepping inside. As he went, he cast a disgruntled glance at the entrance disguised as a giant toad.
The thing had splashed muddy water onto his old robe with its torn collar.
This gray Wizard Robe had been with him for ten years. Nothing was more comfortable to meditate or sleep in.
He descended the sloping steps one at a time. After three or five steps, the toad's mouth closed behind him. He raised his eyebrows and kept walking. He could feel the entire passage sinking, but it did not go nearly as deep as he had imagined. It settled in an instant, without even interrupting his stride.
A crude but practical place.
That was Ruger's assessment as he slowly reached the end of