Headed by a Snake

Justus felt the hairs of his neck stand on end. He was worried... and for once, Zehr's presence did not lessen his anxiety.

The visored Duplicarius walked in silence, placing a hand on his chin and another across his chest in thought, "I'm nervous, I suppose."

A chill shot down Justus' back. The cool, calm, and unflappable Duplicarius Zehr was nervous? The thought of it sent him on edge. He quietly unsheathed his sword as he walked.

The other Rhodoks paid him no mind. They had been walking for so long, this far without being challenged... but Justus trusted his instincts.

The cave opened up into a wide area-- in proper Zehr fashion, the Duplicarius vastly understated its size. The ceiling stretched up hundreds of feet up, a harsh light spilling down near its center from a pathetically small hole. It did little to illuminate the area, at least as wide as an arena stadium, instead, the focused light made the shadows even more pronounced.

Justus counted at least four passageways, as well as ominous holes in the ceiling that did not lead to outside light... and openings in the floor that seemed to lead to the depths of the seven hells. He imagined beasts, each as large as the Manticore, hiding within them... and he stared into the shadows, fully expecting to see the shine of their eyes.

"Wait, hold on--" Fortuna pointed, "What's that?"

Justus and the Rhodoks looked to the light in the center of the room.

A young teenage girl stood in the light, barefoot... wearing white robes, almost like a Tyrion priestess. White silken hair spilled from her head, contrasting with her dark brown skin. And she had long elven ears that stretched outward.

A non-human. Justus felt a sudden surge of disgust and hatred... but quickly silenced the thought with logic. It was just a young girl...

"A dark elf..." Cyrac said in wonder, "Evil creatures from a society ruled by tyranny and cruelty."

Fortuna frowned, "The ancient underground societies of dark elves are a thing of the past, Cyrac. Elves are elves-- and that's clearly a child."

Optio Sixtus handed off his pilum to a Decanus as he approached the light with an open palm, "Young lady, don't be afraid. We're not here to hurt you."

The dark elf raised her head... she was whispering something... hissing, almost. She stepped back out of the light and a grey, cloudy mist began to fill where she stood, cloaking her form in its darkness.

Though the light from above should have suffused the clouds with a glow-- it did not. The shadows only grew.

Sixtus unsheathed his sword, "What sort of trickery...?"

Fortuna's eyes widened suddenly, "It's a First-Circle spell! The girl is a Witch!!"

Cyrac stepped forward, a heavy pilum in hand, "Could she be a Snake Cultist?"

"She might just be scared!!" The Healer snapped.

Optio Sixtus turned his head, walking backward to avoid being engulfed by the mists, "Flame take it all, woman. What do you want me to do? Go after her?"

Justus pursed his lips. It was a confusing situation. Go after her? They were in hostile territory. Kill her? She was just a child. That wouldn't make anyone feel good.

The answer came from the obscuring mist.

Faster than Justus could blink, a large, reptilian head emerged, snatching up the Decanus adjacent to Sixtus, leaving only the Optio's pilum behind. The head disappeared back into the cloud before the man could even scream.

...It was a snake. It was a giant, Flame-taken snake.

"Gold-Rank!!!" Sixtus yelled, "Shield wall!!!"

Zehr grabbed Fortuna's wrist, "With me, to cover."

She nodded, "Y-yeah! Protect me, Zehr."

Justus drew his sword, feeling an ache in his heart. He was frustrated that Zehr had grown so close to Fortuna in such a short period of time.

Still, he hoped that, for everyone's sake, he could protect the Rhodok healer well.

"Justus, let's move!" Cyrac rushed forward.

"I'm with you, Centurion!!"

...

Tycondrius led Fortuna to behind the cover of some solid-looking stalagmites. The quick relocation seemed to have winded the girl. As he surmised, his endurance far outshone any of the Rhodoks... and after the short sprint, the half-elven Healer was worse off than after Justus' run up the hills to reach the Manticore.

"I think... I think my healing spells... can reach from here," Fortuna wheezed between breaths.

Tycon glanced over at where Sixtus and the others were fighting. Another Rhodok was snatched up by the creature hidden in the magical ⌈Obscuring Mist⌋. Six humans left.

"Um... Zehr..."

He did his best not to roll his eyes at Fortuna's shy, piteous squeak, "What is it?"

"Y-you can let go of me, now," She glanced down at her wrist, still in Tycon's grasp. "I think it's going to bruise..."

A bruise. How amusing.

"Pay attention to the fight," Tycon ordered.

Fortuna nodded, glancing over their cover. Her eyes widened, "By the Flame, no... The monster has an Ocular Ability."

Tycon reached down to where he hid his hand crossbow. Aiming it quickly, he shot the poisoned bolt into the woman's neck. She dropped to the cold, cavern floor, her metal helmet thumping against the stone.

"Yes, he does."

He felt like he overprepared... which was fine. Tycon greedily saved up coin in most things... but spent lavishly for quality gear and extensive battle preparations.

The fired bolt was laced with an asphyxiation poison, the materials of which were quite expensive. It was rare that a healer-type class would be able to cast spells without verbal components... and it was well known that the Rhodoks had a Gold-Rank Healer amongst their ranks. The poison was a countermeasure specifically made for Fortuna.

Tycon had the excellent luck of being able to catch the Healer off-guard and away from her protective allies. Aiming for the neck injury would have increased the poison's potency, its onset effects being near-immediate.

But having the bolt pierce her throat entirely was as effective without the poison. Fortuna wouldn't be casting any spells in the interim.

A single bolt removed the only pillar of hope the forward team had.

Tycon looked back over the cover. Another three Rhodoks lay on the ground, with a fourth kneeling down, struggling against the odds. It seemed the Ocular skill that Fortuna's "monster" used was more effective than he'd thought. Perhaps the Rhodoks' fatigue and anxiety made them more susceptible to the First-Circle spell.

Two Iron-Rank humans remained.