[h2][center][b][color=ed1c24]Novak[/color][/b][/center][/h2]
Novak looked down the pit, and back up at the slimes closing in on him and the others.  According to Leannah, there was a layer of goo at the bottom of the pit that broke her fall, and a deeper passage leading further in.  Novak contemplated his options.  He had hoped that he'd have enough time to tie the rope around one of the pillars so they might be able to climb back out, but that would be a risky proposition with these amorphous monsters in the room.

Suddenly, one of the slimes began acting strangely, shifting its color slightly.  More alarmingly, it grew until it had tripled in size.  Novak had no idea what was happening but he no longer had any interest in sticking around for things to get even worse.  Could all of these slimes do that?  Things were quickly getting worse, and with every moment the mask's suggested course of action seemed more and more appealing.  Even if the slimes were to follow them into the deeper recesses of the temple, it'd at least buy them some time.  Assuming, of course, that there was another way out of the temple through the lower levels, because if there wasn't, they could end up trapped down there with these blobs continuing to close in on them.

[color=ed1c24]"Leannah says there's goo at the bottom of the pit that broke her fall,"[/color] he shouted at he turned back to his companions.  "I don't know about the two of you, but I'm taking my chances down there."  Novak placed the bundle down near the edge of the hole, just in case there wasn't a way out through the lower levels, then briefly glanced at the mask in his hand.  

[color=ed1c24][i]Well, here goes.[/i][/color]

Summoning whatever courage he had (although it was debatable whether jumping into a pit to escape a burning temple full of slime-like monsters constituted an act of courage), he jumped into the pit.  He could only hope that Leannah's safe landing was not a fluke or an exclusively feline characteristic.

[@Click This][@Crusader Lord][@Rune_Alchemist]