"Black Abyss " by Robert E. Howard and Lin Carter (1967)

"Black Abyss" a posthumous collaboration with Lin Carter, based on this fragment, appeared in King Kull 1967.

Plot: Kull is in Tamula, visiting the artists and culture lovers of that city. Brule comes to Kull complaining one of his warrior, Grogar, has disappeared. Brule was looking for him in the Jeweled Room when he spied a secret door closing in the wall. Brule shoved a sword into the crack then posted a guard named Manaro to watch it. The two go to the Jeweled Room to investigate and find Manaro dead. He has been stabbed to death. Kull pulls the sword out of the wall and opens the secret door. He and Brule descend into a labyrinth which holds a temple where the Tamulians are engaged in terrible rites to worship Zogthuu, the gigantic slug. They rescue Grogar from being sacrificed, then slay Zogthuu with burning oil from the sacrificial braziers.

Monsters:

Zogthuu - the gigantic "worm" slug worshipped in ancient days.

History: Howard's original fragment only goes up to the point where Kull and Brule are investigating the disappearance of Grogar and Manaro. He does include hints that the cause is related to his story "The Valley of the Worm" with weird fluting. Carter picked up on this and writes a very Mythosian ending to the tale.

This story was adapted in Savage Sword of Conan #2 (October 1974) by Steve Engelhart and drawn by Howard Chaykin and The Crusty Bunkers.

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