The group - less Bob, who elects to drag the chest of treasure back to the surface and get it stowed away somewhere safe - returns to the large cavern and explores another tunnel leading out of it.  There, they encounter a group of malformed, ravenous beetles.  The beetles have glowing bodies, which makes the adventurers wary of fire-based powers, but it proves to be merely a harmless luminescence that fades after the creatures are killed.

This tunnel is another dead end, which leaves only the downward sloping path to be explored.  The group proceeds down, and encounters a group of mutated humans and demihumans, all of them wearing a pendant of a three-fingered hand.  These obvious cultists engage the group in battle, but are soon overcome, despite displaying some grasp of tactics.

Pressing onward, the heroes encounter a subterranean river - presumably one which feeds into the swamps south of Cillamar.  They manage to cross this obstruction, despite the fast-flowing current and an attack by giant centipedes, and even spot and recover an iron box that was trapped between two rocks in the water.  This contains gold coins, which everyone appreciates.

Past the river, there are two tunnels leading onward.  Sticking to the 'follow the left wall' rule, the group investigates the first.  There, they fall foul of a net trap, but William soon cuts them free.  They then battle and overcome another group of cultists - these ones seem to have been training giant rats as attack dogs - before taking a few minutes to rest and recuperate and use some healing magic.