The Medusa

As the stone door swung open a statue greeted them, its body twisted. Its mouth opened in a forever scream, reaching for the door, frozen in its attempt to flee. Rothox slipped in first, using the statues to hide. He had to keep very low to stay underneath the shorter height of the gnome statues. Alissa followed, Erigos next with Harim bringing up the rear. As they all began to weave through the garden of statues a female voice rang out.

"I was wondering when you would show." The voice was soft and calm, inviting. Rothox saw her first, catching a glance from around a statue. He immediately averted his gaze. At the back of the room where a chair sat, the lovely snake haired creature sat, watching; waiting.

"Awe...don't you want to look at me." Her hair hissed. "Just one glance won't hurt...are you not curious?"

"We saw you once before," Rothox called out, trying to keep cover.

"I know, I too saw you then."

'How,' he thought.

"Her hair," Harim whispered to him, as he moved up to a nearby statue. On the floor at the feet of the statute he noticed something reflecting his image. Slowly he grabbed the piece of glass.

'Why would…' It clicked, the reflection.

"What are you doing with these gnomes, why are you enslaving them?" Rothox asked.

"I am not enslaving them, that is the Cerebora. We have a...relationship. As for, well all this, it's an unfortunate side effect of looking at my beauty," the creature said.

"What are you?" Rothox asked.

"What am I...well I am a medusa of course. Why don't you come out and chat, there is no sense in hiding."

"We would prefer to not turn to stone," Harim said as he held up a mirror. Looking at the reflection. The medusa was gliding across the floor towards them. She was extremely beautiful, if not for the snake hair. Rothox moved from his statue, attempting to flank the creature as Harim signaled she was on the move.

"It doesn't have to be that way," she was trying to persuade them.

Harim waited until she got into range, as she did he closed his eyes, spun from cover and punched. As he swung he pushed forward his Ki, the magic of the monks, into his fist. He impacted the creature and struck true, stunning her.

"Rothox now!"

Rothox ran up, stabbing her into her defenseless back. Both daggers went straight to the hilt, deep into the skin. His blades were covered in the blood of this creature. She let out a vicious scream. Rothox rolled away, as Alissa summoned a ball of fire and hurled it over the statues. With a giant explosion it scorched the stunned medusa.

"How does it feel!" she yelled. "Now you know what it feels like to be defenseless."

Erigos went next, he ran looking at the ground, knowing the direction to go. The scorch marks guided him. His sword glowed with divine energy as he took two giant swings. The first cut deep into her abdomen and the second severed her arm.

She roared and snapped out of the stun. From a sheath on her waist she drew her sword and attacked the paladin. Unable to see the attacks coming he took the first blow off his chestplate and the second bounced off his shield as he managed to pull it up in time. This only angered her more.

"LOOK AT ME!" She screamed. Her snakes hissing with her anger.

Harim dodged around the other side, using the mirror he landed another blow but the medusa was too angered to be stunned again. Rothox, hiding behind another statue, threw his daggers with his eyes closed. They both missed and luckily missed his friends that were currently engaged with the creature.

Alissa saw her friend's attacks miss. She looked at the creature and saw the tall being, hair swirling wildly before she snapped her gaze over.

"There you are," she hissed.

Alissa felt her body tense as the eyes of this being bore into her mind. She extended her hand and pointed it at the now grinning creature. A blue spark grew into a blue flash of lighting as a bolt shot out, just as the naga had, towards the medusa. Her eyes went from confident to worried as the energy slammed her. The electrical current flew through her body. The sword clattered to the floor as her body lost all strength and she crumpled to her knees.

Erigos brought his sword up over his head and swung with all his might. The blade glowed as it passed through the neck cleanly removing the head from the body. The snakes stopped moving, withering back into black hair. The body slumped to the stone floor, a dark blood pooling out of the severed neck.

Their plan worked. Erigos turned to find Alissa. She had been hiding slightly further back. He made his way to where she had been.

"Alissa, No!" He ran to her body frozen in place; petrified. Her hand was fully extended, a serious look on her face. The other two came rushing over after hearing Erigos yell. They knew right away what happened. Erigos knelt crying beside the statue.

"Careful," Rothox said as he saw Erigos reach for her. Erigos snapped him a look, his eyes red and puffy. Slowly he picked her up. She was heavier than normal but he carried, like a father carries their children. Moving around the statues, out into the open cavern.

"Erigos where are you going?" Harim ran up beside him.

"I'm finding a way out of this God forsaken cavern. I know she can be saved."

"Erigos, we don't know how to get out."

He stopped frantically walking, "We have to get out, we have to."

"I know, we will. There is nothing we can do right now for her. I think what has been done can't get any worse and if there is a way to fix it we will find it. For now we need to get to safety, who knows when these Cerebora will return." Harim stood beside him, hand on his shoulder. Erigos shrugged it off and stared at him intensely.

"You promise me. You promise that you will get us out of here and that she will be saved."

Rothox walked over, "We promise."

Harim nodded, "We promise."

Quietly they walked back to Lydia's home. A few gnomes looked at them from the safety of their homes and hiding places. Lydia was waiting in her personal hiding place as they entered. She came out slowly, seeing them return holding the petrified Alissa. She began to cry and through her tears began speaking in gnomish. They couldn't understand her and after a few seconds she bolted for the door.

"Lydia, wait, Ah shit." Harim said.

"Her parents!" Rothox reminded them before he chased after. Erigos stayed behind not wanting to leave Alissa.

Harim and Rothox are normally very fast but the speed of Lydia was hard to keep up with as she ran right towards the town center. They finally caught up to her, she was standing beside two statues that were holding hands.

In broken Common she spoke, "Mom...Dad." She hugged them, her tears leaving wet streaks down their legs. Harim and Rothox just stood there watching her not sure what to do next. Some part of them had hoped the statues would come back after the medusa was slain.

The sound of clanging chains broke them from their thoughts. Harim rushed to Lydia and scooped her up. She tried to hold on to her mother but it was no use, he pulled her away. The sound got closer. Rothox was already hiding behind a cluster of rocks. The gnomes in chains reappeared with their two captors. The chains fell off and they began the drone march back to their homes. The Cerabora turned and went into the central rock. Rothox and Harim ran the little gnome girl slung over his shoulder.