The statue of the pit fiend met them in the next room. As Calista walked around it, she noticed it seemed different somehow. The huge stone statue loomed over the room, its stone eyes seemed to pierce the darkness with an inhuman glare. Its expression has changed. It’s almost as if its angry. Why is it angry?

She turned to find Lefty still and staring, his mouth agape. For a moment, she almost panicked, worried that he, too, had frozen. However, when her eyes followed his, she realized what it was he was staring at. Next to the pit fiend were two of the dark elves, their statuesque figures clad in armor more akin to lingerie than anything protective.

She gave him a sharp punch on the shoulder. “Hey, focus.”

He almost jumped, “What?”

She gestured to the elves, “You know what. You’re looking at what. Don’t give me ‘what?’ You know what ‘What?’ I’m talking about.”

“You’re a what.”

“I’m not a what, you’re a what.”

The mage smiled, “Are you hitting on me?”

She held a finger to his chin, “Just because I don’t have a weapon right now, doesn’t mean I can’t kill you.”

“Alright, alright, let’s just keep moving, okay?”

She glared at him a moment longer.

“Left or right?” the mage said nervously.

Calista continued to glare.

Lefty backed away a step, “Ahh …”

“You really need to improve your taste in women.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

Calista narrowed her eyes, “I mean that you can do a lot better than that.”

“I … uhm … okay?” the mage finished with a non-committal shrug.

“I think you really need to consider finding a nice girl and settling down,” she said with an air of superiority.

Lefty looked uncomfortable, “I mean … you can look, but not touch, right?”

She leaned in, “Right.”

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Calista then turned and walked down the left hallway.

Lefty fell in behind her. “Because you’re an expert on relationships.”

“Hey, I’m not the problem here,” she quipped.

“Right, but your ex is.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but paused. “You know … I’m going to give you that one.”

Lefty straightened, “Thanks, I needed one.”

They followed the hallway to the next room which was a wide open affair with shelves lined with trinkets, ingredients, herbs, books, scrolls, empty jars, and other various things that an evil magician might need. It wasn’t like the laboratory they had found before, but was more of a store room. They took a moment to inspect the shelves to see if anything useful was there. However, when Lefty tried to pluck a white flower off a shelf, the flower refused to move.

“What’s wrong?” Calista asked.

“It’s stuck. Like it’s just stuck there and I can’t move it,” he replied.

She tried pulling a book off the wall, but it was like trying to pull a brick out of a well mortared wall. I guess that answers that question.

“Let’s hope this doesn’t hold up when we find our gear,” she said.

“Yeah, let’s hope.”

The next hallway took them to a familiar sight. It was a three way intersection with a sign labeled “Barracks.” They had reached the kobolds. Calista quietly opened the door to peek inside and, as she expected, found the room full of frozen kobolds in various states of undress, sleep, eating, and conversation.

“Which way now?” Lefty asked.

“I don’t really know,” she said. “Let me see if I can figure it out.” Opening her H.U.D, she activated her regular [dungeon sense] ability. When she opened her eyes, a thin string of magical light was strung through the air like a guide. “This way,” she said.

The light took them straight on and then left where it ended at the doorway she knew led to the room with the four altars and the deep, dark, and (possibly) bottomless pit.

“Is this where I think it is?” Lefty asked.

“If you’re thinking of the creepy room with the four altars and the deep, dark, and possibly bottomless pit. Then, yes.”

“Well shit,” the mage said as she opened the door.

It’s changed, was her first thought as she stepped into the room. A single brazier sat in the middle of the chamber. It’s circular bowl was filled with slow burning coals that gave of a steady blue light. Next to the brazier was a ballerina, frozen and balanced on one leg. Her tutu was white and frilled and her legs were wrapped in white. Her corset was white as well and her skin was a beautiful porcelain.

Calista tapped her friend on the shoulder. “See? That’s the kind of girl you should be looking for.”

“What?” Lefty scoffed. “Her? Babe, that’s just another weird statue.”

Calista looked at the ballerina again. Sure enough, the beautiful woman was made out of stone. Then his words hit her, “What? Wait … did you just call me babe?”

“What? You don’t like being called a babe?”

“I’m not a babe. I’m not your babe. I’m not anyone’s babe. Don’t call me babe.”

“Whatever you say, babe.”

She kicked him in the shin. As the mage hopped around on one foot, whimpering, she shook her head and looked around. There, following the far wall was her string of light. I still have a little dungeon sense left, apparently. She walked over to the where the string ended. It had stopped right in the center of the wall. She began looking the rock over, trying to spot to see if she could find a hidden button or perhaps a lever or even a key hole where she could use one of her keys.

She was still searching the wall when a voice called out, “It’s from another game.”

I’ve heard that voice before. She spun, unsure of what to do. They were both unarmed, after all. “Who’s there?” she cried.

“Hey, calm down. I’m not here to hurt you,” the voice said in a tone that said it could if it wanted to and was very happy about that fact.

Lefty appeared behind her and gripped her shoulder with one hand just as his other hand looked ready to throw a spell. “Out with it then, Robert,” Lefty said. “What are you here to do.”

The invisible monster let out a derisive snort. “Only if you ask nicely.”

Calista stepped forward, “Robert, we’re sorry. Just tell us what’s going on? Why is everyone frozen?”

“I don’t know that. All I know is that Lady Miranda said I needed to bring you to her on the top floor.”