(Dungeon) The Snake Maiden I

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Arthur had been assigned on a peculiar mission, one of a kind he had yet to receive from his guild. He would be joining a member of the rune knights in clearing out the den of a naga, a dangerous type of half-human snake. From what the briefing had told him, the woman was known for making travelers disappear and things of that nature. It was a dangerous creature, from what he knew of the monster, too strong for him to attempt alone in any way. The sun bore down on him as he trudged through the shifting sands of the desert. While the light per se didn't particularly bother Arthur, the heat of his general environment most certainly did. His bond with Helios almost positively vibrated with radiance as he was almost completely doused in pure sunlight from the sun's unforgiving glare.

From this distance, the Naga probably wasn't able to sense his presence or anything of the sort. And if it could sense his presence, it probably only assumed to be one of the fateful travelers it would think of as lunch. Unfortunately for her, he was her to slay the foul beast and free this desert highway from its toll taker. From behind the palm tree upon which Arthur was leaning, the opening to the desert chasm beckoned to any travelers that dared to enter. But Arthur wasn't stupid, he was going to wait for his partner to show up before taking part in any of the action he knew would be sure to come. In the meantime, though, the paladin took up his usual pastime of sunbathing in his god's radiance.

WC: 275/2000

A soft chipper voice woke Arthur from his reverie. Blinking his eyes open, he came to see the sight of a white-haired woman. Her face was pretty and her cheeks somewhat soft-looking. Definitely not a hard sight to wake up to. She was smiling at him with her words, and Arthur briefly thought back to try and decipher exactly what had been said. Something about the Rune Knights and a seargent? His brief brain fog was dispelled as she continued her introduction, letting him understand his statement in full. Waking up from daydreaming was interesting like that, not totally unlike waking from real sleep. Maybe he had been asleep even, he hadn't been able to tell, because all he knew was that the sun had made him feel comfortable to an otherworldly degree.

Mustering up all of his charm, Arthur sent her a warm welcoming smile. He wouldn't mind fighting the creature by her side, and he was sure the woman could provide more than eyecandy. From what he knew of the Rune Knights, they were accomplished fighters and mages, so Arthur was definitely in for a treat. "Arthur Harrington at your service, new recruit to Dies Irae but definitely not a new mage in any regard. While I'd love to stay and chat, flirt, everything under the sun, I feel as if there's a Naga in need of slaying. How bout it, then?" With that being said, Arthur gathered his wits about him and began walking towards the chasm's entrance and into the dungeon. The walk into the main chamber was very short, and cramped too for a man of his size. Finally reaching the end of the pathway, Arthur and Kyra would come upon the creature in all of its inhuman glory. Arthur took a moment to cast his shields on their party. While a golden glow wrapped around his hand, a translucent aegis appeared around both of them, sparking and brilliant in its light-based elemental source. As it was relatively see-through, it didn't obstruct the vision of either. "This should protect us for now, let's see what we're up against."

WC: 353, TWC: 628/2000

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Upon seeing the creature, and the bones and skeletons littered around its den, the Naga's beauty had no effect on him. Arthur had more willpower than that, to be honest. Sure, he could admit its beauty, but that didn't change the fact that the creature was going to die here today. It seemingly knew their intentions, seeing the active shielding magic and putting two and two together. Its home was being invaded and it knew it was going to be attacked from Arthur's hostile aura. Arthur approached the creature with a passion for vengeance. He'd mourn the soldiers that had been lost to this creature later, for now he had a battle to win. "C'mon, let's do this!" Arthur cried out as he readied golden magic in his hand. Forming a smite spell in his hands, Arthur sent out the golden ball of light towards the creature. Dodging the attack, the Naga instead sent forth a magical bolt of venom from her mouth. Splashing against his barrier, it corroded and sizzled as their magic forces clashed. Now that she was recovering from her attack, Arthur managed to cast another smite spell, this time landing it right between her eyes. Shrieking from the painful burn, the Naga flailed about as it slashed at him with its claws. The force of the attack knocked him back somewhat, even with his shield bubble intact. Arthur watched the wing marker above the snake's head flicker as a beam of light burst down from the sky to burn her. Her wails were angered now that she was seriously threatened. It wouldn't be long now before the rays of light would begin burning down on her again.

Part of him felt bad for causing the creature pain, but he had to put the thing down, it was killing innocent rune knights and adventurers alike. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he like the monster go just because it kind of looked like a human. That wouldn't do, not at all. Arthur would feel no sympathy for such a monster, he couldn't afford to when his life was on the line.

WC: 357 TWC: 985/2000

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As the creature realized what exactly was at stake, that they wouldn't be as easy to kill as the one's before, the Naga's demeanor changed almost instantaneously. The hot arid air become oppressive with her intensifying magical signature as the beast let out a pained wail of distress. Arthur would have felt bad for the thing, if not for the entire murder anybody that enters kind of deal. He couldn't hold sympathy for such a wretch, he would have to slay the beast and hopefully give the creature's soul a chance to be fairly judged in the afterlife. Although, to be honest, he didn't think the homicidal hybrid would get a good result from said judgement. Watching the Rune Knight blast the creature with magic, Arthur smiled at her and let out a quick "Good work there, Kyra, you've got some nice aim!" Because it was true, the other mage had definitely dealt a lot of damage with just one attack. From what he could see of the Naga, the attack had significantly affected her in a way that was unknown to him . Arthur would have to ask Kyra about it later, maybe try learning a similar effect for himself.

A large green tail swung out in a sweeping motion, barely giving Arthur time to jump out of the way. Landing with a burst of kicked-up dust, he gasped for air at the sudden burst of force required for such a dodge. Gathering his composure, Arthur readied another spell as a harsh golden glow gathered in his right hand. A large beam of winged light shot out and struck the snake-woman creature. The area hit by his angel way smoldered in golden flames. After the creature recovered from the spell's initial impact, she was quick to cast what amounted to a wave of venom. Finding himself in a vulnerable position, Arthur was forced to take the brunt of the attack. The green sludge sloshed against his personal shield, sizzling through his magic and dripping down onto his skin. White hot agony burned his flesh as the corrosive liquid stuck to his skin like napalm. "Fuck, that venom burns like a bitch. Hold on, I can patch myself up. Jumping over to Kyra's side, Arthur activated his beacon of light, dousing both of them in a healing golden glow. Iridescent sparkles of light surrounded both of them as they were healed. Arthur's angry twisted flesh on his forearm and shoulder reverted back to a somewhat pink and puffy state, much better than the corrosion burn from the Naga's attack. After he healed the two of them up, another beam of light came down to smite the foul creature.

WC: 448 TWC: 1433/2000

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