### 190

The creatures yield to your powerful blows, but the grievous wounds you deal them draw neither blood nor ichor. The ground around your feet is crawling with severed segments of the Chaos-creatures. Hacked and dismembered, they continue to wriggle forwards, forcing you to retreat grudgingly towards the steps.

When, to your mounting horror, you witness the dismembered segments press themselves together to form composite creatures of impossible shape and design, your nerve breaks and you flee headlong down the steps. The hideous gibbering shrieks of the reformed Chaos-creatures echo in your ears as you descend into the claustrophobic depths of this sunken building. At first their cries sound hungry and frantic, like those of a ravenous pack of starving wolves denied their prey, but suddenly you realize that they are not cries of hunger at all—they are howls of glee. The gibbering Chaos-creatures are enjoying the sight of you rushing headlong to your doom!

You skid to a halt but it is already too late. With chilling abruptness, the slimy stairs open up and you fall feet-first into a deep, dark pit.

Turn to 59.