The grand entrance of the temple loomed before them, its massive pillars stretching skyward until they disappeared into the cavern's shadowed ceiling. Each pillar was wrapped with intricately carved statues resembling [Lamia], their serpentine bodies coiling around the stone columns in elegant spirals. The statues' expressions were enigmatic, their eyes seeming to follow the group as they cautiously stepped inside.
"These carvings are remarkable," Kael whispered, his voice echoing softly in the vast space. "They look like your people, Neris."
Neris glanced around warily. "Yes, but there's something... different about them."
Lyra nodded, her grip tightening on her spear. "I've never seen depictions like these in our history."
The air inside the temple was calm, heavy with the scent of ancient stone and a faint, musky aroma they couldn't quite place. Shadows danced along the walls, cast by the flickering light of the yellow crystals the [Lamia] hunters carried. The group's footsteps echoed as they moved deeper into the temple, the silence amplifying every subtle sound.
As they ventured further, whispers began to permeate the air, a soft, hissing susurration that seemed to come from all directions and nowhere at once. Elara paused, straining to catch any discernible words, but the whispers remained beyond comprehension.
"Did anyone else hear that?" Lily asked, her fox ears twitching as she scanned the surroundings.
"You're not imagining things," Kael replied, his eyes narrowing. "There's definitely something."
"Stay alert," Neris cautioned. "We don't know what we might be walking into."
The statues lining the pillars seemed to become more elaborate as they progressed, their forms larger and more imposing. The whispers grew more frequent, a chorus of indistinct voices threading through the air like a chilling breeze.
Elara felt a knot forming in her stomach. Her [Cognizance] was clouded here; the temple's ambient magic interfered with her ability to sense beyond the immediate area. She exchanged a glance with Lily, whose usually confident demeanor was tinged with unease.
Suddenly, a loud clang echoed behind them. They spun around just in time to see a massive portcullis slam down over the temple's entrance, the metal bars glowing with interwoven threads of earthy brown and shimmering silver as they embedded themselves into grooves in the floor with a resounding, magical thud. The bars, now reinforced with an arcane resilience, seemed to hum with an energy that defied destruction.
"We're trapped!" Lyra exclaimed, her eyes wide with alarm.
Kael traced the intricate patterns etched into the metal, his fingers catching on the faint hum of residual magic. "It's sealed tight," he muttered, "some kind of arcane lock. I can't budge it."
The whispers intensified, growing louder and more coherent. A sinister voice echoed through the temple, each word laced with a sibilant hiss. "I'm glad you've joined me in my lair," it hissed, reverberating off the stone walls.
Elara's heart pounded in her chest. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as the sound of something large slithering reached their ears, a dry scraping that circled them unseen.
"Who are you?" Neris demanded, her voice steady despite the tension. She raised her shield, motioning for Lyra to do the same.
A heavy sigh echoed through the chamber, laden with centuries of weariness. "Visitors... how unexpected. And how destructive," the voice lamented. "My sentinels shattered. Do you have any idea how long it took to sculpt those? Ages to rebuild them, and I have so little patience these days."
"Show yourself!" Lily called out, drawing her sword. The blade glinted ominously in the dim light.
The entity's laughter echoed again. "Impetuous little creatures. So eager to meet your end."
The slithering grew louder, moving swiftly around the chamber's periphery. Shadows flickered at the edges of their vision, but nothing was there whenever they turned to look.
"We need to stick together," Kael said, his hands beginning to glow with a faint purple light as he prepared a spell.
Neris and Lyra moved to the front, their shields raised defensively. "Form up!" Neris ordered. "Protect the flanks."
Elara closed her eyes, focusing intently as she extended her [Cognizance] as far as she could. The interference was strong, but she pushed harder, filtering out the ambient magic to hone in on the source of the movement.
A massive presence was weaving between the pillars, its form blending seamlessly with the shadows. Elara's eyes snapped open. "I see it! The source, it's a large figure, moving around us. Bigger than any [Lamia] I've ever seen."
Lyra glanced at her, skepticism flickering across her face. "What do you mean?"
Before Elara could respond, the entity emerged partially from behind a pillar. The group gasped as they took in the sight. It was a colossal figure with a woman's upper body and a serpent's lower body, her scales shimmering in iridescent hues. She was easily twice the size of Neris, her eyes glowing with a hypnotic light.
"A [Lamia]?" Neris whispered, confusion and fear mingling in her voice.
The creature smiled, revealing elongated fangs. "Close, but not quite," she hissed. "I am Euryale, mistress of this temple."
Elara's eyes widened focusing on the large [Lamia] like creature before her.
[Lvl 46 Gorgon Priestess (Rare:916)]
"I've read about beings like her in ancient texts. [Gorgon]s are powerful serpentine creatures with the ability to turn people to stone like [Basilisks]."
"Whatever she is, she's not friendly," Lily said sharply. "And she's blocking our only exit."
Euryale circled them slowly, her movements fluid and unnervingly silent despite her size. "You've intruded upon my sanctuary, destroyed my guardians. Such transgressions cannot go unpunished."
"We didn't come here to fight," Elara said, trying to calm her voice. "We were just looking for a way out."
The [Gorgon] laughed softly. "And now you've found your way in. How delightful."
"Enough talk," Lyra snapped, her fear giving way to anger. "If you intend to harm us, you'll find we're not easy prey."
Euryale's eyes flashed. "Brave words from such fragile beings."
Elara and Lily exchanged a glance. With a subtle nod, they began weaving their [Altered Reality] and [Foxfire] illusions, creating duplicates of the entire party. Phantasmal copies shimmered into existence, mirroring their stances and movements. The temple chamber was filled with a small army where, moments before there had been only a handful.
"Now!" Neris commanded.
The [Lamia], confident in their protective goggles against petrification, raised their shields and spears. Neris and Lyra charged forward, their serpentine lower bodies propelling them swiftly across the temple floor. They aimed to keep the gorgon at bay, exploiting any openings created by the confusion of illusions.
Kael hung back, his hands aglow with his magic's eerie purple flames. He unleashed bolts of icy fire toward Euryale, aiming to slow her movements and disrupt any spells she might cast. Each blast crackled through the air, leaving trails of frosty mist in their wake.
Euryale hissed, momentarily disoriented by the multitude of attackers. Her eyes darted between the real and the illusory, her forked tongue flickering as she tasted the air.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Pathetic tricks!" she spat. "You think shadows can deceive me?"
She raised a clawed hand, weaving a complex pattern in the air. Threads of brown, white, and black, earth, light, and spirit, began to coalesce around her. The threads intertwined, forming a shimmering veil that emanated from her gaze.
Neris and Lyra pressed their attack, thrusting their spears toward Euryale's midsection. The gorgon moved with uncanny grace, her serpentine body undulating as she avoided their strikes. She locked eyes with Lyra, her gaze piercing even through the protective goggles.
Lyra gasped, a look of horror spreading across her face. "My arms... I can't move!"
Elara watched in alarm as patches of stone began to spread across Lyra's skin, starting from her fingertips and creeping upward.
"The goggles aren't working!" Elara screamed. "Don't look at her eyes!"
Lyra's screams echoed through the temple as the petrification consumed her. Within moments, she was transformed into a lifeless statue, frozen in a final expression of terror.
The party was thrown into disarray. Neris recoiled, disbelief and grief flashing across her features. "Lyra! No!"
Euryale laughed coldly. "Your trinkets cannot protect you from my true power."
Kael gritted his teeth, launching another volley of spells to keep the gorgon at bay. "We need a new plan!"
Elara's mind raced, her pulse pounding like a war drum in her ears. Amidst the chaos, a fragment of an old legend flashed in her memory: a hero who had vanquished a [Gorgon] by using a mirror to reflect her petrifying gaze. It was a slim hope, a desperate gamble, but they were running out of options. She knew that timing was everything, and one misstep could doom them all.
As Neris, Kael, and Lily engaged Euryale, Elara began to channel her energy, her focus narrowing to a single, critical point. Neris lunged forward with her spear, her face a mask of fierce determination. The spear's tip glinted ominously as it sliced through the air toward the gorgon's flank. Kael stood back, his hands weaving intricate patterns as he summoned a torrent of icy purple flames. The flames roared to life, swirling and coiling like a living storm as they hurtled toward Euryale, aiming to encase her in a freezing inferno.
Lily drew her nine-ring broadsword, the metal rings chiming with a haunting melody with each fluid motion. She ignited the blade with [Foxfire], ethereal blue flames enveloping the steel and casting ghostly reflections on the temple walls. With a fierce shout, she charged at Euryale, her blade leaving a trail of azure fire in its wake.
Euryale hissed, her serpentine body weaving through their attacks with unnerving grace. Her scales shimmered with iridescent hues, reflecting the chaotic dance of light and shadow. Her eyes, twin orbs of malevolent light, locked onto Lily. Within them, threads of brown, white, and black magic swirled violently, converging into a deadly petrifying spell.
Elara's heart clenched as she saw the gorgon's gaze fix on Lily. The air thickened with tension, every second stretching into an eternity. She held her breath, muscles coiled like a drawn bowstring, waiting for the precise moment to act.
As Euryale unleashed her petrifying gaze, the lethal threads of magic spiraling toward Lily, Elara sprang into action. Summoning all her focus, she channeled her magic into creating a mirror, a barrier of shimmering light. The mirror materialized between Lily and the gorgon, its surface gleaming like polished silver amidst the turmoil.
The petrifying spell struck the mirror with a blinding flash, the force of it sending shockwaves rippling through the air. The mirror's surface quivered under the impact, holding back the lethal magic for a fleeting moment. Cracks spiderwebbed across the reflective surface, light seeping through like fissures in a dam about to burst.
Elara gritted her teeth, pouring every ounce of her will into sustaining the barrier. "Hold... just a little longer," she whispered through clenched teeth. The mirror trembled, the strains of holding back such power evident.
With a resonating crack, the mirror shattered into a thousand ethereal shards, each fragment catching the light as they dissolved into nothingness. The petrifying spell dissipated along with it, its deadly force neutralized.
Elara staggered back, a wave of exhaustion washing over her. The effort had drained her, but relief surged through her veins, she had intercepted the attack just in time, but it had not, unfortunately, defeated the [Gorgon] like the stories she read.
"Elara!" Lily's voice cut through the haze. She glanced back to see Lily unharmed, eyes wide with astonishment and gratitude. There was no time for relief. Euryale's fury was tangible, her eyes blazing with rage as she turned her attention toward Elara.
"You dare defy me?" the gorgon hissed, her voice echoing ominously through the temple.
Elara steadied herself, gripping [Quenya] tightly. "I dare," she replied, her voice resolute despite the tremor in her limbs.
The battle was far from over, but for a moment, they had turned the tide. The tension hung thick in the air as both sides prepared to clash once more, each move carrying the weight of life and death.
Kael saw the peril intensifying, the group's efforts faltering against Euryale's overwhelming power. Determination set in his eyes as he resolved to unleash a spell of greater magnitude. Without uttering a word, he began to weave intricate patterns in the air, his fingers deftly manipulating invisible strands of magic. Threads of light blue and vibrant red, embodiments of ice and fire, materialized around his hands, shimmering like ethereal ribbons.
He looped the threads into complex knot patterns, each twist and turn amplifying the spell's potency. The knots grew increasingly elaborate, layers of arcane design interwoven with precision. The air around him began to vibrate, a palpable tension building as the opposing elements of ice and fire coalesced.
Frost formed at his feet, spreading in a delicate lacework across the temple floor. Above him, sparks of crimson flickered, the heat clashing with the encroaching cold. The temperature plummeted and soared simultaneously, creating a disorienting aura that rippled outward.
"Everyone, get back!" Kael's voice resonated through the chamber, sharp and commanding.
With a final, decisive motion, he pulled the knots tight. The woven threads erupted into a swirling vortex, a colossal cyclone of ice shards and roaring flames. The vortex spiraled toward Euryale, its core a chaotic fusion of crackling fire and glistening frost. As it advanced, the ground beneath it crystallized into jagged ice, while tongues of flame licked at the surrounding air.
The sheer force of the spell sent a shockwave through the temple. Pillars groaned under the sudden temperature shift, their surfaces glazing over with hoarfrost even as embers scorched their bases. Steam hissed and billowed where ice met fire, shrouding the battlefield in a dense mist.
Euryale's silhouette writhed within the elemental maelstrom, her serpentine form obscured by the churning vortex of ice and fire. The swirling energies coalesced around her, frost and flame entwining in a fierce tempest that threatened to consume her entirely. For a moment, it seemed as though Kael's spell might overwhelm the gorgon, her hisses of rage muffled by the roaring elemental forces.
Seizing the opportunity, Neris's grief for Lyra crystallized into steely determination. She gripped her spear with both hands, the weapon's blade beginning to glow with an intense, radiant light, manifesting her inner strength and resolve. With a powerful thrust of her tail, she propelled herself forward at astonishing speed, aiming directly for Euryale's heart. The gleaming spear tip cut through the swirling energies like a comet streaking through a storm.
Seeing Neris's courageous charge, Elara knew the moment to act had arrived. She summoned every ounce of mana within her, channeling it into [Quenya]. The black mist enveloping the blade thickened, and the trailing ribbon unfurled, flowing like liquid night in the turbulent air. The sword seemed to hum with anticipation as she prepared her most potent technique: [Technique: Poignant Criticism].
As Neris closed in, Euryale began to stir within the maelstrom. Her eyes flickered open, glowing with malevolent light as she fought against the binding elements. Sensing the imminent threat, she struggled to gather her magic, brown, white, and black threads intertwining around her.
Elara knew they had mere seconds. Weaving [Shadow Step], she dissolved into a wisp of swirling smoke, seamlessly blending with the chaotic energies surrounding the [Gorgon]. She maneuvered swiftly behind Euryale, reappearing silently as Neris's spear pierced through the veil of ice and fire.
With a fierce cry, Neris thrust her spear forward. The blade struck true, piercing Euryale's side and eliciting a shriek of pain that echoed above the roaring maelstrom. The radiant light from the spear flared upon impact, sending energy ripples coursing through the [Gorgon]'s form.
Euryale's eyes snapped toward Neris, blazing with fury and pain. "You will join your friend in stone!" she spat, her voice venomously hissing. The threads of her petrification spell began to weave frantically, converging toward Neris.
But before Euryale could unleash her deadly gaze, Elara emerged from the shadows behind her. With [Quenya] poised, she executed [Technique: Poignant Criticism]. The blade sliced through the turbulent air in a powerful diagonal arc, the force of the swing so immense that it seemed to rend reality itself. A luminous rift trailed behind the sword, its brilliance momentarily outshining the elemental storm.
The slash struck with unparalleled precision, severing Euryale's head from her body in a single, fluid motion. Time itself seemed to hold its breath. The maelstrom's ferocity dulled to a hushed whisper as the [Gorgon]'s eyes widened in shock, the lethal threads of her spell unraveling and dissipating into fading sparks of magic.
Euryale's head tumbled to the temple floor, her expression frozen in disbelief. Her body followed, collapsing in a graceful arc as the coils of her serpentine form slackened. The massive form struck the ground with a resounding thud, sending a shockwave that rippled through the chamber and extinguished the lingering flames of Kael's spell.
For a heartbeat, silence reigned. The elemental energies dissipated, leaving only the faint glow of the luminescent crystals to illuminate the scene. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and the bitter tang of magic spent.
Elara stood behind the fallen [Gorgon], her chest heaving with exertion, [Quenya] still shimmering with residual energy. Neris remained poised with her spear, eyes locked on Euryale's lifeless form, a mix of relief and sorrow etched across her face.
They had done it. Together, they had defeated the formidable [Gorgon] while the remnants of Kael's spell still swirled around them. The cost had been high, but they had avenged Lyra and survived the deadly encounter.