After having placed their weapons in the Forge of Spells one by one, the adventurers decide to head back to The Black Spider’s lair to tell him of what they found, but it turns out he’s already found them.

They hear a cry for help coming from the direction of the furnace room so they go to investigate. It’s Tharden Rockseeker, bound in webs lying on the ground. Before they can help, webs shoot out from the ceiling, ensaring Dare. At the same moment, The Black Spider himself appears nearby, pointing his spider staff at the group. Webs shoot out at them, restraining Mystic and Mercarri right where they stand. Lilvrai and Droop manage to avoid being trapped, though The Black Spider is none the wiser. 

With a grin, he thanks them for finding the Forge of Spells and tell them that while it’s a pity he must kill them, business is business. He can’t have anyone knowing about the location of the mine. At this point he turns to Tharden and says, “Right, Mystic?”

In front of their eyes, Tharden Rockseeker transforms into a hideous, gray creature with bulging eyes but only stays this way for a moment before changing again. This time into Mystic Phoenix. “That’s right,” it says in a gravelly voice that attempts to sound like Mystic’s. “There was no mine. We followed the map the Rockseekers had given us, and all it led us to was their stash of boos. They were nowhere to be found. Neither was the mine.”

It’s at about this time that nearly a dozen bugbears come out of the shadows to back up their master. He smirks at the adventurers one by one as if coming to a decision. His eyes settle on Droop. “Droop, you traitor. You should have stayed with us while you had the chance. Now you must pay.”

The Black Spider unleashes a furious bolt of lightning at Droop and Mercarri who stands just behind him. They both go down, unconscious. Battle ensues.

Mystic changes into her starry form and gives aid to Droop and Mercarri, but even with all their party able to fight, the adventurers are severely outnumbered. That is,  until Dare feels his leather satchel tug at his side. He looks in time to see a bolt of green light shooting from it towards one of the fallen zombies that the adventurers had slayed earlier. The light disappears into its hind quarters where it explodes into a a mist of ass, bile, ichor and blood. When the mist clears, they see the flameskull floating several feet off the ground. Their first instinct is to attack, but the flameskull seems to take note of not just them, but everyone in the room. It focuses its attention on The Black Spider.

The bugbears scatter in fear at the new arrival, and suddenly it’s a fairer fight. The Black Spider summons a demon to his aid, but even that is not enough. The giant spiders fall to Mercarri’s shit hammer and Droops technological miracles while Dare and Lilvari focus on The Black Spider. There’s little the Black Spider can do to retaliate. After several devastating blows, the Black Spider begs for his life. Lilvari accepts, but not without a price. She brings Curse Bringer down, lopping off The Black Spiders hands. Before the scream can leave his mouth, Lilvari spins her weapon and slams its pummel into The Black Spider’s teeth. He goes down for good. Dare ties him up and leaves his severed hands laying on his face for good measure. Mystic and Mercarri finish off the Doppelganger even before Dare can get the knot tied.

That just leaves the flame skull. It still doesn’t attack but waits, as if for instructions, all the while focusing on Lilvari and Mercarri. They don’t know why it doesn’t attack, but they think it may have something to do with what they have in their possession: magical items crafted at the forge itself. Perhaps the flameskull believes they belong here. Lilvari decides to test that theory out. “We have this,” she calls out. “The mine is safe.”

The flamskull seems to ponder what it’s heard and then lightly nods before winking out of existence. 

The adventerers are victorious but exhausted. The next thing they want to do is find a safe spot for a few good hours of rest.