Jeremy approaches the wailing 6-foot shell and confirms that it was indeed a snail — albeit a giant one. Its wailing would bring all sorts of creatures to his place, but the wizard was unwilling to end the life of such a magnificent specimen.

He uses a bit of hellfire to burn the goblin corpses, making sure to control the rate of the burn so that the illumination would last a few minutes.

Switching to his normal view of the world, he beholds the creature in all its majesty. Its shell was a prismatic display of colors, scintillating with every flicker of flame.

He grabs one of the fallen eyestalks, planting it in one of the snail’s exposed stumps. With his other hand, he takes a crimson lozenge from his pocket — inserting it between the stump and the stalk.

It should work, the wizard thought. Although he made the lozenge for regular people, he made sure to make its healing capabilities more general in nature. His tailored lozenges required a bit of blood, but they were far more effective than the one he used on the snail.

After a few heartbeats, the magic of the lozenge starts to take effect. The snail stops its wailing and what the wizard thought was an eyestalk begins swaying back and forth. The creature was still weak, but an infusion of mana should bring some of its vitality back.

Jeremy notices a concentration of earthen mana within the gargantuan snail. While he didn’t have direct access to the elemental plane of earth, the pits of Maldinion were bursting with similar energy. He taps into his connection to the hells, opening a nexus to his desired plane. He siphons the energy, using his body to process the chaotic mana before transferring a portion of it to the snail.

The strange mana had immediate and unforeseen effects. The snail shrank by a foot and its brilliant shell faded to black with a slight sheen. He could also feel a connection to the snail, similar to what one would get when gaining a familiar.

“Well, it seems you’re stuck with me for now.”

The snail merely sways its stalk-like appendage.

He attempted to summon a familiar ages ago — but he only ended up summoning imps, dark sprites, and aberrations from the void. Adding their voice to the multitude in his head made little sense, and he dismissed all of them without regret.

After making sure the goblin corpses were wholly consumed by fire, the two started off towards the mouth of the cave. Since detection wasn’t an issue, a simple light spell allowed Jeremy to use his own senses to navigate the cave.

Every patch of moss and lichen was either burned by the wizard or consumed by the snail. The Guild would have to be alerted, for only a fire team could properly clear the remnants of a goblin lair.

Jeremy retrieved his floating scythe, giving it a few sweeps as he imagined decapitating goblins with its blade.

Outside of the cave, the snail’s pace was immediately apparent. Even traveling in a straight line, it moved at a literal snail’s pace. It advanced a step for every three the wizard took. It would take the two of them 4 hours to reach his home, instead of the usual hour or hour and a half.

On a hunch, he tries infusing a bit of mana into the snail. The snail quickens its undulating pace — even overtaking the wizard for a while before eventually slowing down.

Elated, the wizard climbs up the snail, finding a seat on one of the crooks of its shell.

“Onward, Shelby!”

The snail zooms through the road, with a pace that could match a laden-packed donkey. Though it wasn’t as fast as a horse, it was certainly better than walking. He could probably get Seb to design a suitable saddle and get one of the city’s craftsmen to make it. At least this mount didn’t froth in the mouth or buckle and bray in his presence.

Continuous mana infusions also helped the snail heal its damaged appendages. From a single tentacle that extended from what would be its head, it now sported two, with a third one beginning to emerge.

Jeremy had no idea what they were. The stalks weren’t eyes, and the snail seemed to navigate with some kind of tremorsense common with creatures strong in the earth attribute. They could be defensive in nature, like some sort of weapon to ward off predators — but what kind of creature would prey on a snail of that size?

He met a few adventurers on his way home. The Great Forest of Dun was a popular place to hone one’s skills and do a bit of hunting on the side. The elves guarding the forest didn’t care about adventures, as long as they don’t delve deep into the forest. Careless adventurers would be met with an arrow near their feet, a warning not to stray further.

Jeremy waves at the few adventurers riding their wagons. He sees a few familiar faces, but he never bothered with their names. These adventurers didn’t even care to make a stop at his little shop, even if it was the last place to buy supplies when nearing the forest.

Unbeknownst to the wizard, his hooded figure with scythe in hand, and riding a giant snail was most unsettling. He also left his life ward extended to two steps — aggravating the feelings of fear and despair on the people that came into contact with him on the narrow dirt road.

Soon enough, tales of Death and his otherworldly steed would start making its way to the city’s taverns and rumor mills — further adding to the wizard’s already besmirched and undeserved reputation.

Riding on Shelby cut a few minutes from his usual travel time. They reached his home in less than an hour — well before the sunset. Jeremy sees lights in his small cottage, a sign that Belseb had arrived from his weekly outings.

His butler preferred heading to the port city of Forge, instead of just going to Bountiful to buy supplies — something about jacked up prices and risks of poison. For all he knew, Seb might just prefer the longer trip or maybe there was a lady he fancied in the port.

One advantage of riding a snail was the smoothness of the ride as well as the silence. There were no bumps in the road to feel or constant noises from clattering hooves.

Still, Seb was alerted by his presence due to his extended ward. The butler opened the door ready to greet his master, only to be greeted by a five-foot monstrosity with Death on its back.

“Welcome home, Master Jeremy,” the butler seems to sigh in exasperation. Any other butler would have shrieked or fainted — however, Seb noted that bringing home a giant snail was probably not beyond the personality of his eccentric young master.

He was more outraged than surprised. People probably saw that creature on the road, further sullying his master’s reputation. He had long given up on changing people’s minds — his master was just too naive, with not a drop of propriety or sensibility.

The scythe wasn’t even a surprise. The only thing surprising was that it took this long for his master to get one. It completed his ensemble of dark hooded cloak, dark shirt, and dark pants.

“Will we need carpenters to build a stable for your… mount.”

“No need for the extra expense Belseb. Shelby can just stay outside for the meantime.”

“As you wish” the butler bows, handing Jeremy a couple of fresh towels. “May I ask where you came upon such a magnificent steed?”

“I found Shelby in a goblin den,” he answers while stroking the snail with a hand coated in mana — the snail seems to be enjoying it. “I saved Shelby from those filthy pests and we bonded as we cleared the den of traces of greenies.”

“A chance encounter then —“

“No my dear Belseb, it was destiny’” Jeremy interrupts, eyes aglow with happiness. “Long have I searched for a suitable mount, but now I have one that fits my stature.”

“It certainly does, Master Jeremy.” The butler could only imagine all the problems and complications this new mount would cause, but seeing his master happy — he knew there was no way to dissuade his master from his decision.

The butler notices what seems like a trail of glass extending from the snail to the road. “Your mount seems to have made a trail of glass on the road,” he points out the solidifying trail of mucus.

“Really?” the wizard sounds more elated than disturbed. “Maybe we could find some use for it, perhaps sell it in the city one of these days?

“Indeed, if anyone can make a profit from a snail — it would be you, master,” the butler bows with genuine admiration. His master was a cross between a mad scientist and an opportunistic merchant. Unfortunately, he also had the aura of a demon lord paired with the charisma of a peasant. Still, he had faith in his master. If anything, he was determined and hard-working. If only the city folk can get around his aura of death and infernal malice.

The following day the Guild was inundated with complaints from adventurers traveling to the Forest of Dun. The dirt road was now covered by what seemed to be a river of broken glass.

Guild Report Number 1

Sightings of Death along the road towards the Forest of Dun. Several adventurers reported a hooded figure carrying a scythe riding a giant monstrosity. The monstrosity was later confirmed to be a snail of extreme proportions — possibly otherworldly. Cases of fainting, panic, and hysteria have been observed and reported — with one adventurer barricading himself within the Church of Light and refusing to come out until morning.

Guild Report Number 2

Also pertaining to the road to the Forest of Dun. The dirt road leading to the forest has suddenly become covered with what seems to be broken glass. Ice-like patches have also been reported, with notes that they tended to shatter with the lightest of steps. Sentiments from adventurers deem it might be an effort to limit access to the Forest of Dun or perhaps delay the movements of people coming back to the safety of the Bountiful’s walls in order to prey upon them.

Both reports are linked to the Scourge aka the Ram — but it is unclear if both incidents were intentional.

Addendum by Magus Cartwright, senior adjutant to the Guild Master: The Scourge should not be provoked. He has taken no steps against the city so far. Treat the incident as an unfortunate accident.

Guild Posting

Clear the road to the Forest of Dun

Reward: 10 gold upon completion.

Additional Options: Talk to the Scourge or his butler Sebas and inquire about the river of glass. If the Scourge is convinced to provide compensation for the injured horse — totaling 67 gold, an additional 10 gold will be awarded.

The guild will not be liable to any injuries or deaths that the task might entail — but the usual reparations are in place.