Things looked desperate as the violet colored serpent thing began to coil around the now stone Gerhart, its attention having been taken away from Cyran and now transfixed on the man who had challenged it. It was going to snake its way around the statue, claiming its prize as its own. However, before it had a chance to fully begin its coil, something snapped in both Cirice and Cyran. The tomb had been extremely dangerous and difficult so far, but witnessing a fellow comrade getting injured was on a completely different level, and sent both elves into a frenzy.

Cirice was the first to move, anger and rage fueling her actions as her mana returned to her, tapping into her arcane abilities to save her friends. She rushed forward to get behind Gerhart as her little minion was summoned, now furiously attacking the snakes face and eyes, attempting to blind and distract it while they attended to Gerhart. During the minions attack Cirice summoned another burst of arcane energy, aimed at Cyran this time.

As Cyran began to cast their own magic, a wave of pleasant and rejuvenating magic would wash over them. Their head became clear, their vision sharper and the long term effects of the poison were now gone. Cirice had successfully healed their ally, who was now creating a large blade made of the creatures own blood. Delivering a violent slash with a black blade, the creature cried out in pain as the minion was now tearing into its eyes.

Gerhart would slowly come to conscious as the stone encasing his skin slowly dissipated, his vision now filled with a shrieking snake who's body was partially around him, mid coil. His friends had managed to hold the creature off long enough for him to regain consciousness, but at what cost. Things were looking up, Gerhart was back, Cyran was healed and both of the elves had managed to deal damage to the creature. But the magic flowing through the snake was not about to just let it die.

Rage also fueled the monster, as it did something incredible. The bottom half of its jaw unhinged, dropping a foot lower than it should have been able to go, revealing a set of four massive curved fangs. Wounds could be seen on the eyes and face of the creature, but it cared not, jolting forward like lightning to snap down and consume the summoned minion. It would snap out of reality, the magic keeping it going no longer present.

Now free of the annoying beast, the serpent turned its attention to the healer, Cirice, but Gerhart was in the way, and now no longer petrified, he would be able to defend the woman. The creature needed to find a different angle, now between two strong warriors. With its mouth still unhinged the snake moved, dropping off of the bridge the group was on and coiled its self around the path way, lunging into the water underneath. It would vanish beneath the surface of the water as a shadow, only to reappear seconds later behind Cirice. It had used its speed and agility to weave around the bridge, using the space underneath to maneuver around Gerhart and behind Cirice.

Now coiling up onto the ledge, its massive unhinged maw shot forward, directly at Cirice. Being this close, she would be able to see the wounds her minion inflicted, a decent amount of blood pooling up on its face. Unfortunately, she would also be able to see the fanged unhinged mouth now attempting to snap down on her.

---

Notes:
- Gerhart is free
- Cyran has been healed
- Snake has woven itself around the group and is behind Cirice now

-Cirice- 1 Wound, one blind eye
-Cyran- 0 Wounds, one blind eye
-Gerhart- 1 Wound, Chest and leg hit preventions used up

A sweeping uppercut of a slice would hit air as Gerhart's body completed its movements once unpetrified, the snake having moved before he realized it. He could hear it behind him and wheeled around on the heel of his boots, tattered and barely holding together greaves clanked with the speed. The muscles in his legs ache as he gets ready for his next burst of speed, knowing it would be the last time he could pull of this move for awhile.



Gerhart is suddenly past Cirice^[1] and face to face with the gorgon once more. In that moment his face no longer holds that gentle smile or kind look in his eyes, the young knight is furious. Furious at himself for worrying his friends, for not being able to protect them like he should, at this stupid dungeon for being dumb and stupid and causing them all stress.



As he closes the gap to the gorgon he swings his Shadowed Longsword^[2] in a downward arc aiming for the spot for where its neck meets its shoulder, hoping that meeting it mid-snap means it won't have time to dodge or protect itself, plus the nature of the sword would make it hard to block as well. If the blade attacks the gorgon would instead find itself getting a mouthful of stone and dirt.^[3]



If the gorgon is writhing on the ground, Gerhart will attempt to put his Duelist's Longsword^[4] through its torso and finish it off. If his blade doesn't connect, he has his gauntleted hand ready to protect his vitals and use his last hit prevention.

---

<sup>1. Rushing Charge
2. Blurring Enchantment on sword
3. Grounding Strike
4. Double Strike Enchantment on sword</sup>

Cyran was thankful that Ur’s distraction managed to hold off the snake from attacking Gerhart- and a few moments after, whatever petrifying effect the snake had used wore off, leaving Gerhart to immediately charge after the beast that was attempting to coil around Cirice and crush her the same way it had him, fangs bared and ready to clamp down on her any moment.

“Cirice!”

This wasn’t good. They were doing damage to the snake, but they needed to end its life permanently. They couldn’t run here like they had when facing the bone hydra. Cyran gripped his scimitar in both hands, trying to think of a way they could end this- they needed something permanent. He summoned his wings again, taking off into the air just until he could reach his hand up and brush it against the top of the thirty-foot ceiling, just above the snake, scimitar at the ready. He would wait for the moment that the snake was bent at an angle, just enough for its vulnerable neck to be visible.^[1]

Cyran would then immediately make his wings disappear, dropping the entire thirty-feet so he could land on the snake’s shoulders, using the momentum from the fall to plunge the scimitar into the snake’s neck.^[2,3] He would wait until the moment that the sword broke through the neck before yanking it to the side and pull it out in an attempt to rend the snake’s head clean from its shoulders.

---

1. Bat wings
2. Cat's Grace
3. Back Stab

Gasping at how fast the snake monster moves and staring death in the face Cirice does the most logical thing. She runs.

She hops backwards, off the side of the bridge and away from the snake’s gaping maw. The runes on her arms flare to life once more, a bright flash of light filling her palms to try to blind or disorient the creature¹. A beam from that light streaks off to hit Gerhart and fill him with warm healing energy².

---

1 Light 
2 Major Healing 

The serpent was moments from clamping down on Cirice, its massive unhinged jaw ready to completely consume the woman. Her team had different plans however, for the elven woman and Gerhart would trade places, using the speed from his rush the warrior would place himself in front of the creature, with Cirice leaping from the bridge and into the cool pool of shallow water. During her escape, the woman attempted to blind the snake while also healing Gerhart, setting her allies up for success.

Gerhart was now on the snake, using his blades and added effects to get the jump on it. The creature was not expecting the man to be there, but his sudden appearance was not going to stop the monster from striking. Two titans clashed into each other, trading blow for blow. Gerhart's sword successfully found its mark, burying itself into the neck of the creature, thick pools of black blood began to spill from its wound, splashing against the stone bridge and dripping into the water.

While his strike had landed, so did the snakes, its massive maw now clamped down on Gerharts shoulder, four long fangs bearing down, piercing his flesh and restricting his movement for the time being. From his location, the man could see just how badly he had wounded the beast, with this most likely bein gits final attempt at taking him down. The clench grew tighter, Gerhart winching as the pain shot through his entire upper body, this thing was not going to let go, and instead of retreating, its thick scaly tail actually began to wrap around the man again, this time attempting to finish what it started.

Cyran was not going to let Gerhart have all the fun, and while Cirice was getting out of harms way, the knife wielder was now flying towards it, hovering above his friend and the beast that had him in its clutches. Once he was in position, Cyran deactivated his wings, dropping down onto the back of the beast, plunging his blood blade directly into the spine of the creature. The serpent cried out, letting go of Gerhart as the handful of snakes on its head all turned to face Cyran. Blood was oozing everywhere now as the beast looked desperate, and in a final attempt to make some space, its giant, heavy tail lifted and now swung in a circular pattern, attempting to hit both me and knock them from the bridge.

Its tail was big and heavy enough that if it struck either of them, it would be with enough force to knock them to the side and off of the bridge, dealing damage to them in the process.

---

Notes:
- Gerhart was healed but took another damage from the bite
- Snake is trying to double swipe both men on the bridge

-Cirice- 1 Wound, one blind eye
-Cyran- 0 Wounds, one blind eye
-Gerhart- 1 Wound, Chest and leg hit preventions used up

Gerhart winces, trying to swing his arm to clock it in the chin and get it off of him but Cyran has already dislodged it before he can lift his shoulder. Probably a good thing too as the teeth ripped into his muscles. There was too much adrenaline and anger to feel any pain for the moment. The young knight huffs as the thing nears its death.

Seeing and hearing the tail scrape against stone, he knows that he can’t take another hit for the moment. Cyran is healthy, he can get out of the way, don’t worry about saving him. Remember what Zarius said, you don’t need to try so hard. Focus, breathe. Gerhart turns to run, making his way around the snake to the other side of the bridge. As he runs, he rips open a pouch to spread caltrops in his wake.

Nearing the edge, Gerhar slides off the edge of the bridge, hoping the tail will swing wide over top of him and miss completely.

He didn’t manage to behead it, but Cyran at least made some damage with his blade as he jumped off the snake’s back, which gave Cirice a chance to run away before the snake could attempt to crush her. Unfortunately, that meant the snake turned its attention to him and Gerhart, who was already injured from its bite. Cyran was still feeling more energized after Cirice’s healing, but Gerhart was looking ragged, and couldn’t afford to take a hit.

“Go!” Cyran urged. Gerhart looked conflicted, but eventually made the smart decision- it was better to stay conscious and continue to fight than sacrifice himself when he was more injured than Cyran himself. Cyran followed behind, both assassin and adventurer attempting to outrun the monster before it struck them, with Gerhart attempting to slow its progress with caltrops.

The beast was nearly dead- all they had to do was finish it off. As they ran, Cyran held up his hand with his finger pointed right at the gorgon’s throat, attempting to blast its head clean off its neck and finish the job entirely. Dark magic emanated from his finger, stronger than it normally was, before a blast of purely-black lightning arced through the air, hopefully finishing off the gorgon for good this time.^[1]

---

1. Chaos Bolt, enhanced by Spirit Shroud

Cirice awaits Gerhart behind one of the statues, ready to heal him as soon as he’s close enough to touch¹. She fires a bolt of malevolent purple energy at the snake’s head, aiming for the smaller snakes, covering his escape as best she can².

---

1 minor healing
2 inflict wounds

If the serpent like creature was capable of feeling, it would have been in a world of pain, as large amounts of its spoiled blood continue to spill out from the gapping wounds inflicted upon it by the group. Although all three had managed to deal serious damage to the beast, it was still standing, barely, and realizing just how precarious their situation was, all three decided to put space between themselves and their opponent. With Cirice already behind a statue, ankle deep in water, Gerhart and Cyran quickly followed after, sliding off of the bridge and moving as quickly as they could towards the elven woman.

Now healed again through Cirice's magic, Gerhart stood stalwart, ready for the snake to approach again for another attack. Meanwhile both of the elves launched their ranged magical attacks, spells intended to deal further damage, hopping to end the monsters life before it had a chance to strike them.

The gorgon's snake tail had missed, both of its targets having dropped under its range, further infuriating the monster. Not wanting its prey to escape, the snake quickly slithered behind them, tearing through the caltrops left over by Gerhart. While they did nothing to slow its speed, the tiny bladed objects did slice into its flesh, leaving many long slices across the enemy. Its jaw unhinged a second time as it now sped through the water, black pools forming in the crystal clear water as it approached the trio behind the statues, only to run right into a series of dark domain magic.

A singular Chaos bolt tore through the gorgon's expanded maw, blasting a hole right through the back of its head as the Inflict wounds raked the flesh, tearing into an already weakened enemy. The combination of the two spells delivered such an array of injury that the creature being propelled by its own dark magic was no longer able to continue. It convulsed as its writhing body twisted and snapped, falling lifeless into the water. Silence fell over the room as the lights dimmed, its blood spreading through the water, signifying its defeat.

Sweaty, tired, and in loads of pain, the Trio just watched as the snake died, making sure this was not a trick to lure them close. After a few seconds of waiting, it was obvious, they were successful. This tomb was testing their limits, but together they had managed to make it this far, and with the final stretch before them, things were looking up.

---

Notes:
- Gerhart was healed again
- Snake is dead and you are free to move on

-Cirice- 1 Wound, one blind eye
-Cyran- 0 Wounds, one blind eye (Major healing can not be used on them)
-Gerhart- 0 Wound, Chest and leg hit preventions used up (Minor and Major healing can not be used on them)

Gerhart pulled himself from the water a bit gingerly, the healing closed the wound but the aches remained. He groaned a bit as his clothes were now soaked in water and his own blood. All the stories of heroes and adventuring as a child never spoke about how much this hurt, only on the glory and the fun. This was certainly a test of Gerhart's will, but he wasn't going to lose so easily.



"Thanks again, I'd be gone without you." Gerhart turned to face Cirice, giving her a wide smile. For a moment he hesitates, unsure if he should pull her in for a hug or what to do, eventually he simply offers a hand to help her get back onto the bridge before doing so himself.



He fishes a bit of twine, working it through one of the puncture holes in his cuirass to the otherside to hold both pieces together. The armor was almost useless at this point, but it still held some use so Gerhart wasn't keen on abandoning it.



"Let's hope this is near the end of it." He gives them both another smile, waiting till everyone is settled to head towards the next room and push onward.

Cyran’s breathing was still haggard as he tried to tuck his scimitar in his belt before realizing he had no proper holster for it. Cirice’s healing had done its job admirably, and while he no longer felt the fatigue of poison coursing through his system, that last fight had taken a lot out of him. But as much as he’d exerted himself, Gerhart had gone through much worse. Before they made their way through the exit, Cyran stopped the younger two to get a good look at their injuries himself. He was no medic, but he would at least try his damndest that they were okay and neither was bleeding out from any hidden injuries.

“Are you alright, Gerhart?” He asked, nervously watching Gerhart attempt to hold his armor together with twine and dreams. It seemed he was determined to force himself through this tomb with the same attitude he was determined to fix his cuirass- but that kind of boundless, forced positivity wouldn’t last forever. Cyran worried what would happen to him when he could no longer force that same carefree attitude. “Take a second to breathe, please. I’ll lead through this next hall.” They’d vanquished the gorgon, but Cyran had no idea what fresh hell awaited them next, or how much longer they had to go before they could escape.

But they were making progress- slow, but sure. That had to mean something.

Cyran turned to Cirice next. “Thank you for the help, but remember to heal yourself.” He’d noticed throughout that battle that while she’d been quick to heal Cyran and Gerhart, she’d reserved none of that energy for herself, which meant the poison was still affecting her. These selfless kids are going to cut my lifespan in half, I swear…

Once he was certain they were all patched up and ready to go, Cyran would once more walk down first, allowing Gerhart and Cirice to stick close behind him. His spirit still hovered behind, no longer strong enough to manage a corporeal form after taking a hit, but still ready to step in and intervene should Cyran take another. They began to make their way slowly down the hall, until they came upon the tomb’s next obstacle.

“Hold on, let’s not move forward yet.” Cirice stops Cyran before they can leave the room with the statues. She takes his hand and kneels next to Gerhart, smiling at him sadly. “You don’t have to thank me, you saved me so many times. You’re incredible and I owe you my life. Let’s take a little rest. You’ve pushed so far and fought so valiantly. You deserve a moment to breathe. We all do I think.” She watches him trying to repair his armor and shakes her head gently. “Let me help you with that.”

She lays her hands over his damaged cuirass, the runes on her arms glowing with soft silvery moonlight as the battered metal and leathers knight themselves back together, healing back into a unified piece, free of the scrapes and scars of battle but not fully protective as it once was¹. “I’m afraid this spell only mends it enough to be worn, but it doesn’t make it as hearty and protective as it was before, you’ll need a real blacksmith for that. But It’ll hold. Whatever happens next, be careful please. I don’t want to lose you. Either of you.” She leans in and gives Gerhart a gentle forehead bump like he’d given them before, just a simple acknowledgement and encouragement before leaning back.

“Right, heal me. I should do that.” She presses her palms together in prayer and the runes flash once more, clearing the last vestiges of poison from her system². “Before we press on I want to look at the statues too. And get a better look at that monster.”

She gets up and walks over to scan the statues, eyes open and then closed and then moves to look at the snake-creature, giving it a somewhat wide berth in case it has any life left in it. If it doesn't move she’ll try removing its fangs as keepsakes to make into necklaces for Cyran and Gerhart later, once they’ve escaped this dreadful place. She’s careful about extracting the teeth and if it looks like she’ll hurt herself she’ll give up on it and move forward with the rest.

---

1Mend object
2 Major Heal

The trio of adventurers took the down time to rest up, catching their breath and gathering more information before heading towards the unknown. Getting their gear repaired and wounds tended to, the three were preparing for the final leg of their journey. Cirice had inspected the rest of the room, finding nothing of interest between the statues and the monster, which now lay dead on the floor. She gathered its fangs and returned to the group with her new trophies as Cyran began to lead the group forward, passing through the dark doorway and onto their next obstacle.

The passage was a simple, stone hallway, that only took a few moments to navigate, the trio nearing the end of the hallway rather quickly. What they did not realize was that the end of the hallway was there next obstacle, and a rather tricky one at that. As Cyran neared the end of the hall, both him and Cirice would be able to see a large set of double wooden doors, plain doors between them and the next room. There was no writing or symbols on the door, just two golden door knobs used to open the way forward.

Gerhart however did not see a door, and where the exit was for the other two, was now a flat stone wall for Gerhart. Confusion would surely rise as the man watched Cyran lead him towards a dead end. To the armored warrior, there was no door, no exit and no indication that there was something other than a solid wall before him. The elven man would stop before the door, allowing his comrades the chance for input before stepping through the double doors. Now trained in the tricks of this tomb, Cyran would scan the door with both their good and bad eye, trying to see if any secrets revealed themselves. To their dismay, nothing did.

---

Notes:
-Cirice and Cyran have come to a set of doors
-Gerhart has come to a dead end, blocked by a stone wall

-Cirice- 0 Wounds, one blind eye (Major healing can not be used on them)
-Cyran- 0 Wounds, one blind eye (Major healing can not be used on them)
-Gerhart- 0 Wound, Chest and leg hit preventions used up (Minor and Major healing can not be used on them)

Cyran grimaced, doing a poor job at masking his frustration when closing his eye revealed nothing special about this particular puzzle. The fact that only he and Cirice could see it while Gerhart could not was a troubling one- nor was there any eyehole here, which meant that if Gerhart wanted to progress, he would have to…

No.

There had to be another option.

He and Cirice had already given enough, that should be all they needed to progress. He turned back to the double door, staring at the two handles, deep in thought when Cirice tapped on his shoulder and whispered a suggestion in his ear- that maybe the two of them who could see the door were needed to fully open it.

They lacked any better options, so Cyran figured they may as well try. He nodded at Cirice. “We do it together, then.”

He held one of his hands out for Gerhart to take at the same time she did, so that all three of them were linked together, and he and Cirice could swing open the double doors at the same time.

Cyran would wait and examine the other side of the door first to make sure there were no threats. Once they were certain that it was safe to progress, Cyran turned to Gerhart.

“If only the blind can reveal the truth, then perhaps you should close your eyes for this.” He warned before he and Cirice would try to pull Gerhart through the door to the other side together.