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[Jon Potter]

"Bloody thing is at it again!" Noxin roared and in the chamber below, Huzair cursed, activated the Ring of Blinking and stuttered his way up the stairs. The scene that greeted him above was shocking.

He saw Morier, suspended in mid-air, his face a rictus of agony. Then he Blinked and saw the same scene on the Ethereal Plane. This time, Morier was completely obscured by the coils of an enormous snake with scales of scintillating gold. Its head loomed above Noxin, opalescent eyes filled with a malevolent intelligence that had no place in a snake's skull. Then he Blinked again and the serpent was gone even as Noxin lunged for it with his bare hands.

The half-giant moved quickly to grab the thing crushing Morier but realized that whatever it was was not just invisible but incorporeal as well. Instead, he grabbed a hold of Morier in an attempt to carry him out of the chamber.

"Come here, boy," he grunted. "We got to get you out of this room!"

Before he could get a firm grip on the eldritch warrior, he felt daggers bury themselves all along his chest and back. Huzair saw the snake dart forward and engulf Noxin's head and half his body in its maw before retracting.

"Patiensss. Time enough for you to die when I finish with thisss one, manling," the serpent hissed.

"Blasphemous invisible snake!" Noxin cursed, pressing a hand against his shoulder where his blood was oozing through the links of his chain shirt. "Everyone out. We can't take this thing on yet!!"

"No ssservant of Aphyx may ssstand before me and live," the serpent told him and Huzair deactivated the Ring of Blinking.

"We are not servants of Aphyx. We only spoke the Rot Queen's name because of the evil you housed here - with those ghastly dwarves attacking us. The appearance of this place was deceptive," the wizard said. "We are on the same side and have the keys to free Dridana! See!" And saying thus he pulled Flameblade from its sheathe and was instantly rimed in flickering flames.

"The scion of fire awakes!" the sword crackled and Morier let out a sighing sound as he sagged in the snake's invisible coils.

"Flameblade?" the serpent hissed, its voice filled with uncertainty.

"Do not be a fool and kill your allies," Huzair pleaded. "Hear us out!"

"Yes, please don't kill him! You must listen," Shamalin implored as she pushed passed Ahlear and clanked into the chamber. "He has been chosen by the guardians of the Grove of Renewal to help in the quest to fight Aphyx! He has a pull in his head that has led us thus far! Our goal is to put the keys in the walls and free Beast's twin!"

"But you bring only one key," the snake said. "The gate will only open with all four keysss." Shamalin drew Waveblade from its scabbard.

"THE SCION OF WATER AWAKES!" it thundered, filling the chamber with the sound of crashing waves.

"And he carries Stoneblade," Shamalin went on, indicating Morier. On cue, the eldritch warrior drew the greatsword.

"THE SCION OF STONE AWAKES!" it bellowed, its voice an avalanche of sound. Morier felt the force around him move away, leaving him alive - but decidedly unwell.

"You bring three keysss when four are required," the snake observed and Ahlear pointed to the hole in the chamber floor down which Anania had disappeared.

"The elf you slew bore Windblade," the mummy rasped accusingly.

"The elf sssought to injure me," the snake told him. "You yourssself, ssspoke the name of the enemy, foul one." There was barely contained menace in its voice as it spoke, and while Ahlear could not see the thing, he sensed that it was looming over him.

"As unlikely as it seems, this one works toward the cause of your goddess even in death!" Shamalin said, grimacing as she acknowledged the mummy. The snake hissed derisively.

"It exissstsss outssside the natural order. It walksss the Rot Queen'sss path," the serpent asserted. "What plassse doesss it have in Her ssservisss!"

'"You would do Dridana a great disservice by preventing this!" Shamalin assured the snake. "Please, I worship the Goddess of Mercy. Trust me."

There was a pause and then the snake hissed, "The White Lady wasss an ally to Dridana in daysss long passst. You have earned my ear. Ssspeak."