Gettin' Moist, Part 4

After a long trek, the team reaches the base of the tower.  Although the reader would recognize this as the Eiffel Tower, the party merely sees an immense metal tower.  Its heavy iron latticework has become more of a garden trellis, as heavy vines and incredible plant growth have enveloped a majority of its surface area.  An elderly couple approaches the party and greets them warmly.  The couple informs the group that tower is now a nature preserve where several exotic and fragile species have made their homes.  "We gonna make it rain up in here!" Duke announces.  The elderly woman firmly states that the machinery is not to be touched, and that the party should only admire the plant and animal specimens.  Duke responds with "Sure, whatever" and the party quickly passes them by.

The adventurers climb the steps and reach the middle level of the tower.  The heavy plant growth on the sides has blocked most incoming sunlight, but the party forges on with Nyridius providing illumination.  The party slowly moves through the maze.  As they do so, they find zoo-like information stations which inform them about the horrifying critters that inhabit the space, including the "Skull Fang," "Savannah Spider," and the "Night Terror."  The party doesn't see any of these, but they hear them.  At one point, Vagabot drops the moisture crystal down a deep pit, and Nyridius utilizes his hovering ability to retrieve it.  While in the pit, the voices he hears leave him unsettled.  Later, the party finds a nest and bedding of a large amount of unseen insects.  They decide to set fire to this nest, which agitates the colony.

Once they reach the top of the tower, the party finds a control panel surrounded by hundreds of eggs.  Vagabot moves in an attempts to activate the antenna controls.  As she does so, the insects become agitated. Defendomax accidentally breaks an egg, which places the bugs on high alert.  Nyridius attempts to soothe the critters, but fails critically, and screams at them at the top of his voice, which incites the colony to swarm the party.  Vagabot frantically engages the antenna while the party fights off angry insects.  Vagabot activates the antenna and sets the moisture crystal in place, completing the party's task.  Quickly, they depart the upper levels and begin their escape from the tower.  Chased by angry insects, the party retraces their steps through the dark maze only to come face-to-face with the "fragile species" mentioned earlier by the old woman.

In the ensuing battle, Defendomax and Nyridius are covered in a sticky black tar that slowly begins to change them.  The party decides that a hasty exit is their best course, and they run past the furious creatures on their way to the stairs.  Near the exit, the party is engaged by the "skull fang," which tosses them around like dolls.

As he sprints toward the exit, Defendomax collapses when the black ooze turns him into one of the beasts that caused the infection.  The skull fang attacks Cuddlepunch and Vagabot, and dishes out severe damage.  From behind, the party can hear hundreds of insects and pit monsters approaching.  "Run or fight?" asks Vagabot.  "Run like hell!" shouts Duke.  The party sprints past the skull fang (snatching up a transformed Defendomax as they go) and exits the tower.