08/12/2020 Snippet, MORGAN BAROD AND THE ELDRITCH TOME.

Peril!

And right about then, Morgan Barod almost died.

It wasn’t the old, weakened, and never really sturdy roof giving way underneath him that was the problem. It wouldn’t have been the drop, either. The floor was all of six feet below his suddenly flailing feet as Morgan’s hands frantically sought out and found a beam to hold onto. He could have easily survived a drop that small.

No, the problem was how the carpet beneath him rippled and lashed out at the debris which had dropped to the ground. There was a bit of light revealing the room below now, so Morgan could see what looked like vicious tendrils of dark yarn stabbing at the plaster and metal with some force. They quieted down after a moment, but the carpet moved in a way that was distinctly unpleasant to look at for too long.

From above came a soft call. “Morgan?” said Ben. “You all right?”

“Oh hell no,” he replied. “There’s some kind of carpet shoggoth down here.”

A pause from above. “Like from the Azz and Hastur cartoon?”

“I really doubt it,” said Morgan. “Can I get a levitation spell?”

“If I had one, I’d be using it, sorry. How about a fireball?”

“This is a library, Ben. With books made out of old-style paper.”

“…Oh, right. They’d burn real well, wouldn’t they? I really should have thought more about what spells to master before making this trip.”

Morgan’s hands were getting a little strained. “Focus, Ben, please. Carpet golem, nasty-looking tentacles. What you got? Because I gotta let go soon.”