Gelatinous Cube

At the Friendly Arm Inn, just as the gnome proprietor was bored out of his mind, he saw Marvin return carrying a white mouse and immediately asked in confusion, "What's that for?"

"I'm going to use the mouse to scout out the cellar."

"You're not a druid. How are you going to make it obey you?" The gnome proprietor laughed in disbelief, feeling that the more he looked at this wizard, the less reliable he seemed.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Marvin began chanting a spell. A jade-green glow enveloped him, accompanied by the cries of beasts and birds.

"Speak with Animals? You're a wizard—how do you know druid spells?" The gnome proprietor's mouth fell open in shock.

The original owner's background was [Sage], and he possessed the origin feat [Magic Initiate].

This feat allowed a character to choose one of the spell lists of clerics, druids, or wizards, learning two cantrips and one first-level spell from it.

The first-level spell selected through this feat could be cast once per day without expending a spell slot.

The original owner had chosen the druid cantrips [Guidance] and [Shillelagh], along with the first-level spell [Speak with Animals].

"I learned it before." Marvin offered no further explanation. Carrying the white mouse, he headed for the cellar.

The gnome proprietor led the way and, as Marvin had instructed, brought along a piece of Waterdeep cheese.

The two descended the long staircase into the underground levels of the Friendly Arm Inn.

A damp, moldy stench immediately hit them, making them frown.

By the unsteady flicker of a torch, they wound their way through several turns before arriving at a heavy iron door that looked quite old.

Most of the pattern on the iron door had long since worn away, but they could vaguely make out a human skull surrounded by drops of blood.

This century-old iron door alone revealed the lingering style of a cultist military fortress from the Time of Troubles.

Marvin released the white mouse and promised it a piece of cheese equal to its own weight if it brought back useful information.

The white mouse greedily stared at the cheese in the gnome proprietor's hand, squeaked twice, and indicated that it understood.

Marvin nodded, and the gnome proprietor opened the cellar door.

Creeeak—

The bolt let out a teeth-grating groan. A nauseating stench of rot seeped quietly through the crack in the door, mixed with a powerful smell of alcohol.

"Oh no! The fine wines stored down there for centuries haven't all been ruined, have they?!" the gnome proprietor wailed.

"Quiet!"

Marvin gestured for silence and had the white mouse squeeze through the crack into the cellar.

After waiting quietly for five minutes, the white mouse came racing back in a panic, squeaking frantically at Marvin.

The gnome proprietor watched from the side as Marvin conversed with the mouse, anxiously rubbing his hands together. Only after a long while, at Marvin's signal, did he place the cheese before it.

"Well?"

"The mouse says there's a walking wall in the depths of the cellar. It reeks of corpses and alcohol, is a translucent wine-red color, and has bones of all sizes inside it. Some belong to rats, some to humans, and some it can't identify."

"Can it describe it any more specifically?" The gnome proprietor was still completely lost.

"A white mouse doesn't have that kind of intelligence," Marvin said. "But I've already guessed it. It's a huge Gelatinous Cube."

The quest panel promptly refreshed with new information.

[Relevant Intelligence]: Through clever scouting, you have finally learned that there is a 10,000-pound (4,500-kilogram) Gelatinous Cube in the cellar, and it reeks of corpses and alcohol. (Success rate +50%)

As the two spoke, a wet, sticky squelching sound came from deep within the cellar, making their stomachs churn.

They exchanged a glance and hurriedly shut the iron door, locking it tight.

The squelching continued to draw closer.

Bang!

A tremendous force slammed into the iron door from the inside, leaving a deep dent in the heavy door panel.

Whether it was a frail wizard or a small-bodied gnome, if either took a hit from the Gelatinous Cube, their organs would likely burst and kill them on the spot.

Marvin quickly cast [Wind Dance], creating a curtain of wind outside the door.

The various oozes of Faerûn tracked enemies by scent and sound. The wind curtain Marvin created isolated the scents on either side. As long as they remained quiet, the Gelatinous Cube would lose its target.

After a while, the disgusting squelching gradually receded.

The two looked at each other and finally let out a breath of relief.

Marvin's expression turned grave. "Boss, you need to pay more for this job."

A Gelatinous Cube was a Challenge Rating 3 monster.

Normally, defeating such a creature required four well-equipped level-three adventurers with a balanced class composition, proper tactics, and a reasonable expenditure of resources.

Now that he had encountered an enemy far beyond expectations, Marvin naturally had every right to raise his price.

"I swear by Garl Glittergold, I truly had no idea there was a Gelatinous Cube in the cellar!"

Still shaken, the gnome proprietor explained, "I'm just a young gnome under sixty. I only left my hometown a year ago and took over this inn from my father. I have no experience!"

He had assumed Marvin was merely a poor, eccentric, overly cautious low-level wizard.

Yet every one of Marvin's judgments had proven correct. Without that caution, he himself would likely have become food for the Gelatinous Cube.

"More money... of course I'll pay more! As long as you can kill the Gelatinous Cube, I'll give you 100 gold pieces, plus two months of free room and board at the Friendly Arm Inn." The gnome proprietor nodded repeatedly.

"Thank you for your generosity. Deal." Marvin was quite satisfied with the outcome.

The gnome proprietor waved his hands in denial. "It's not generosity. I'm just afraid the Gelatinous Cube will break through the door and eat all my guests. It's a normal business consideration."

The two returned to the surface and discussed their plan.

"That Gelatinous Cube ate unlucky Bob, ate the rats, and devoured all the wine and barrels in the cellar. That's why it reeks so strongly of alcohol. Fire should be able to kill it," Marvin said.

A Gelatinous Cube could digest any organic matter, though it needed time.

The Gelatinous Cube in the cellar had not yet digested the wine stored by the Friendly Arm Inn. It was now a living jelly filled with a massive amount of alcohol.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get moving. Just thinking about that huge monster beneath my feet makes it impossible for me to sleep!"

Faced with the gnome proprietor's urging, Marvin was in no hurry. "We'll act tomorrow morning."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a wizard. I need to be fully prepared before taking action."

The gnome proprietor had no choice but to trust Marvin.

Before leaving, Marvin handed the gnome proprietor a list and told him to prepare as much of the listed supplies as possible.

The next morning, Marvin returned to the Friendly Arm Inn.

The spells he had prepared today were [Expeditious Retreat], [Grease], [Burning Hands], and [Tenser's Floating Disk].

Business at the inn was still poor. The gnome proprietor lay slumped behind the counter, dark circles under his eyes and no energy to speak of.

"Thank Garl Glittergold, you're finally here!" Seeing Marvin, the gnome proprietor hurried over. "Following your instructions, I emptied the inn's reserves and prepared five barrels of strong liquor and five barrels of lamp oil."

"Very good." Marvin nodded with a smile and found that the quest success rate had updated.

[Prepared Supplies]: Burn, burn! You now have ample fuel. Combined with the right spells, you can easily kill that bloated, disgusting mass of slime. (Success rate +200%)

[Teammate Servant]: You have a civilian gnome as a teammate. Besides cheering you on and telling jokes, gnomes are also quite skilled at throwing stones. (Success rate +10%)

"Marvin, can you really kill the Gelatinous Cube alone? Maybe we should wait. Perhaps some powerful adventuring party will be willing to deal with this problem."

At the critical moment, the gnome proprietor began wavering again.

"Don't worry." Marvin looked utterly relaxed and brimming with confidence.

Because his quest success rate had already reached 320%!

With that, he cast [Tenser's Floating Disk], creating a circular horizontal force field.

It was a transparent floating platform capable of carrying 500 pounds and following the caster within 20 feet.

Back when the original owner worked at the wizard tower, he had often used this spell to move all kinds of heavy objects.

But this utterly harmless workhorse spell would be the key to killing the Gelatinous Cube today.