Verse 8
As we plunged from the vortex, Gregol in werewolf form first, Cerrannor next, and me and Cahir last; 40 feet below us awaited a circle of fire quickly melting all the snow around it in a cavern of sorts. Gregol luckily controlled his fall and managed to avoid the fire at the last moment as Cerrannor landed dead in the center, while I still clung to Cahir's leg. Seeing as I was to eventually going to fall as well, and not seeing the monster at the time, I let go and landed with a perfect somersault into the wet snow below. Cahir was not as lucky as the beast still had a hold of him and without me hampering its search, began searching for the EarthStone. Watching as this occurred, I immediately began throwing my throwing knives at the creature, accidentally nicking Cahir with the first one and hitting the monster in the tentacle with the second one. As Cahir struggled, drawing the creatures blood as well with his dagger, it secured the EarthStone from his possession and released him from its grasp letting him fall. It then began running across the cavern ceiling with Gregol and Cerrannor giving chase. I assisted Cahir until the dazed scout regained his senses and began to also give chase, I remaining behind gathering everyone's gear for my short legs and the deep snow would not get me very far. I then noticed a backpack of sorts that I didn't take much interest in at first, thinking it one of the group's. While I was doing this the creature and Gregol arrived at a long edge down into a chasm and the creature climbed up the wall with Gregol snarling and growling far below it. It had stopped somewhere up the wall as Cerrannor arrived and then another vortex appeared about 20 feet away from me, the creature's tentacles reaching around the ground for something, as I sneaked up on its tentacles ready to stab deep, calling for help as I did. The tentacles didn't seem to find what it was looking for and disappeared into the ground reappearing in another vortex right near me. Gregol leaped to the attack as it began searching again, this time I figured out what it was; the strange backpack that I spotted earlier. As I grabbed the pack and began hauling it away from the creature as Gregol sunk his claws into the creature, leaving a pool of its ichor colored blood along the snow, and scaring it off... I hope. We now find ourselves with a bag that feels like it has all sorts of unusual heavy objects in it, the EarthStone lost, the rest of our party at Dulgos's wondering what had become of us, and a great deal of unanswered questions.