Only the tiny room they had left wasn’t tiny anymore but was now a large circular chamber littered with tattered clothes and old bones. We got lucky. He changed it up again. As she landed, a lifeless skeleton in moth-eaten peasant garb looked up at her. She nudged it with her foot to make sure it didn’t move.
“Lefty, are you here?”
“Yeah.”
The mage’s voice was right beside her, so she picked up the portable hole and replaced it in her inventory. She felt a sense of relief as she set it back in its slot. The hole was only retrievable from its top side and she hadn’t expected to get it back.
“Hey.”
She looked up to see Lefty reappear next to an open doorway. His face was tense but focused as he peered out into the hallway.
“What?” She asked.
“That snake woman. She’s right down the hall in the next room.”
“You mean the medusa?”
“Yeah, the snakes for hair and the big gazongas.”
“What are gazongas?”
“You know …” he cupped his hands over his chest.
“Are they really that big?”
“Well …” he looked embarrassed. “… they’re under her robes, but you can still …”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
She gave him a look, “You know you have a problem.”
“Don’t we all,” he sighed. “Regardless, what do you want to do with her?”
Calista walked to the door. The hallway stretched only a short distance between them and the next room where she could see candles lined in a path along the floor. Where the candles met the wall was the medusa facing away from them with her arms upraised.
She clicked her teeth. “I thought I killed that bitch.”
“How many times did you stab her?” Lefty asked.
“Half a dozen?”
Lefty let out a low whistle. “That’s a lot of hit points.”
“Yeah, but she can’t see me now, so I can backstab her this time.” Calista leaned out to look closer, “I don’t see any guards. Do you?”
“There was at least one knight I spotted just a moment ago.” Lefty pointed, “He’s behind the wall to the left.”
“Well that would be a problem,” she said. “I don’t suppose you have the mana for any more lightning bolts.”
“I could,” Lefty replied, “but only one.”
She grimaced, “ Best to save it. Anything else?”
“I could cast an augmented sleep spell,” he replied. “That’s usually enough to drop at least a single warrior.”
She nodded. “If you can do that, then you can leave the medusa up to me.”
Calista slid her Emberblade free as they slipped through the doorway. Creeping down the hallway, she fixed her eyes on the medusa who was standing before an altar, her hands
upraised as she sang out an incantation. Calista knew exactly what she wanted to do. She was going to sneak up behind the medusa, grab her by the snakes to control her head, and then she was going to hold the Emberblade to her throat. If I can take that bitch prisoner, I have some very specific questions in mind. Like, how do we get out of this place? And, just what do you think you’re doing sleeping with my soon-to-be-be-ex-fiance?
They were a few feet from the door when the medusa threw her head back and screamed in ecstasy. Is she summoning a demon or having an orgasm? As they reached the doorway, a set of runes appeared, glowing on the floor as a pair of invisible hands reached out and tripped her and Lefty. The next thing Calista knew, she was lying on her back and looking up at a pair of knights.
“Hi,” she smiled and waved, “just passing through.”
The knights did not get the joke as they simultaneously pulled out their swords. As the first sword crashed down, she dove into a roll, grabbed her Emberblade off the floor, and whirled to face the nearest knight. Behind her foe, she saw Lefty, lying prone, as he deflected a sword blow with his staff. That poor man doesn’t have a chance.
However, she didn’t have the time to worry about her partner as the blade of her foe came hissing directly at her head. With a glancing parry, she ducked and spun away. With only light armor and no shield, I’m at a grave disadvantage. I can’t imagine how the mage feels. Before she could think anymore, the knight brought his sword down in a two-handed blow that she barely managed to parry as shock waves shook her forearms and the impact sent her staggering backward. She wanted to counterattack, throw something, do anything to throw her opponent off, but the knight was too fast. Next, he thrust his shield forward into her chest, knocking her back further. She was only a few feet from the corner now.
Frustrated, she swiped her blade at his eyes, but the knight simply blocked it with his shield. Then, her sword arm extended, the knight thrust at her ribs, and though she tried to dodge, the long sword bit into her leather armor and pierced her side. A burning pain ripped through her body as the knight pulled the sword free and she felt the blood begin to trickle down her abdomen and onto her thigh. That’s it. We’re going to die here.