Chapter 4, Part 3: "Gracious Hospitality..."

New Player in this Drama:

THE GYRAPHONT - Extradimensional soul-eating lobster-ghoul

Returning Players:

DICKIE DEE - Bone Man Sorcerer
MONSTER MONAGIN - Earth Man Fightin' Sailor

Part I Here, Part II Here, Part IV Here, Part V Here, Part VI Here, Part VII Here.

Deep in the intoxicant vendor and wrestler Mozug's underground lair, Buzz and Maggot Mort lie on the rough stone floor of a lightless, damp chamber. Cruelly bound with black silk cords, and surrounded by the similarly bound bodies of their sorely wounded and unconscious companions (including a reunion with the comatose Dickie Dee and Monster Monagin), the two hear again the horrible tapping and clicking of the Gyraphont.

Suddenly both hear a cheerful voice echo in their minds,

"You remind one of larva with your limbless wriggling on the floor. Time now for you to be fed like larva!"

Maggort Mort feels a mass of feelers and nippers pawing at his mouth, forcing it open before alien organs inject a foul reeking pulpy ooze into his mouth.

Famished, Maggot Mort swallows the filth. He makes an inquiry in Ghoul-tongue and finds out that he has been fed,

"...Regurgitated corpse matter. I feed you like I would feed my larva!" pluckily explains the Gyraphont.

Next, Maggot feels the nozzle of a flask in his mouth and eagerly swallows the water.

Buzz Brazzelhach, on the other hand, refuses the corpse matter but greedily drinks the water. The unconscious companions have no say in the matter, and Buzz is disgusted to smell and hear the Gyraphont feed them.

Time has no meaning in the dark, and their limbs are as numb as petrified wood. The Gyraphont occasionally returns and Buzz repeatedly refuses the meal of regurgitated corpse matter. One-by-one the comatose members of the party recover from their injuries. Buzz is the only one who continues to refuse a suckle at the mouth-teats of the Gyraphont.

Eventually, Buzz thinks to ask the lobster-ghoul if it can bring him anything else to eat. The Gyraphont is puzzled at Buzz's refusal of the delicious and nutritious corpse matter and explains that Mozug instructed it to feed them thusly; although it offers to ask Mozug if there is anything else that it could feed to Buzz.

Visions of fecal matter, ground glass, poison and worse swim in Buzz's imagination. With those sobering thoughts inspiring him, Buzz convinces the Gyraphont to instead find fresh meat and cook it for him. Buzz then has to explain cooking and is unsure if the extra-dimensional being understands.

Soon however, it returns, and tries to jam a charred, armored limb from the slain N'grutha into Buzz's mouth. Buzz asks it to break it open and feed him the contents instead. Soon the whole party is feasting (if lying bound on a stone floor, being fed by a lobster-ghoul in the darkness could be considered a feast) on the delicious crab-like meat of the slayer of Dude Earthman.

The next time their lobster-ghoul jailer returns, it telepathically instructs the party that they have healed enough to go to the slime lands. Buzz feels the legion of segmented pincers pick him up and hold him close to a carapaced body, that reeks of seafood and carrion, before ev...erything ex.\\///plode\\\\\\\\/...........\\........//////.../]]].'''';;;;;;;;;,,,]]]]]]]]/s into \\\\\\\\\\\\\a pulsati\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ng mael///........./////////////strom of fra]\\\\\\\///////.............]]]]]]]]]]]]]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/ctal lig\\\\\\\\\\\]]]\///;;;;;t, nause''.,;;;;;;;;;ating sen]]\\]';,...;;;;;;;;;;]sat]]]]]]]]]...ions, an, d boo]]]]]]]]]]]]min]]]]]]]]]g, cro]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]aking pip\]]]]]]......ing...]]]]]]]]

Part I Here, Part II Here, Part IV Here, Part V Here, Part VI Here, Part VII Here.