As we descended warily into the volcano, the tensions among the members of the expedition grew. A gloom hung over the place, but it was more than that. There was a sense, shared by all, that we were walking into the maw of a monster - a sense of foreboding that was to be borne out by events. Only Alex, the organizer of the expedition, seemed relatively immune, but even he could be seen nervously fidgeting with the mysterious agate pendant he wore about his neck.

We found Hellmouth, just as Alex had said we would. One wonders where he obtains such knowledge, the better to avoid those places. The walls of the labyrinth were coated with a shimmering lichen. Its reddish sheen was interrupted at intervals by what looked like baleful, squinting eyes. What we took at first to be rocks were soon discovered to be ornate carvings of hideous beings engaged in a grotesque variety of unseemly acts. There were numerous small caves off the main arteries that we could not enter, and I think it is better that we did not.

When we found the portal, the men refused to open it. I cannot blame them. But it did no good, for the portal opened by itself, and then - O gods! - they came. Ants, or what once must have been ants. They were huge, and fast, and before we could move to defend ourselves they had carried off several of us. I am lucky to have escaped the first onslaught. I can still hear the screams of the men being dragged down into the Pit. I pray that I can survive until I can find my way out. The world must be warned of the horrors being bred here!