Everyone started running across the column. As they were crossing over the swamp moat, they could see something writhing under the waters. It was obvious the creatures had been disturbed by the falling column. Luckily for them, that activity was several stories below them. The fight up ahead seemed to be winding down given the number of combatants was sharply declining. Lt. Lenny brought them to a sudden stop to give out orders.

“We will fight the monster. I need you five to stop the possessed bandit.” Lenny said.

“Can do.” Replied Armand.

“It’s a big snake skeleton. How do you intend on stopping it?” Elle asked.

“The bones will break under the weight of our stones.” Lenny said as both Deacon and Typhus snickered.

“Ok enough you two. Let’s get going. We don’t know what other surprises lay ahead of us.” Armand chastised.

As the group got closer, they noticed the tail of the skeletal snake was attacking the last group of moss ghouls. It didn’t make sense since the head was facing the right side of the column beyond the wall. Then they saw a white flash emanate from that side of the wall. Upon closer inspection it was a two headed skeletal rattle snake of enormous proportions. The rattle end was beyond the column and the two heads were attacking. This made Lt. Lenny rethink his plan.

“Ok we need to take down this thing. We’ll head to the left side and your group can head right. That way we won’t lose track of the bandits.” Lenny said.

“Or you just want the non-magic battle.” Typhus said.

“That’s the plan. Get moving.” Lenny replied.

The group split up and started out toward their respective targets. Once Armand’s group crossed the barrier where the wall once stood, they could see the vines reaching out trying grab them, but they weren’t close enough to the wall. The vines continued to grasp as they passed through following them like the eyes of a sinister painting.

“Any way you can use those against the snake?” Armand directed at Elle.

“I think so, but we need to get it closer to the wall.” Elle replied.

“Victor you have to stop!” yelled Michael.

Now they could see the fight in its entirety. The right head had skewered one of the three bandits with one of its fangs. Not surprisingly, there was fair amount of moss on the corpse. The bandit known as Victor had gleaming white eyes and he was pointing the dagger at the snake. Standing to his left side was a whimpering bandit that had the beginnings of moss infection. Neither reacted to Michael yelling out for Victor.

“We need to get down.” Elle said as she started growing thick plant growth along the side of the column.

“Typhus and Michael secure the prisoners as best you can. The rest of us will distract the beast.” Armand said as he began climbing down.

Just then the head turned toward Armand mid climb. It shot forward jaw extended to snatch Armand off the side of the column. As it was about to chomp down it was hit with something solid and veered off course. Deacon had jumped off the column and planted both feet directly into the joint connecting the jaw to the rest of the head. He fell from that position after hearing heavy crack from the jaw. Reaching out both hands grabbed onto the legs of the impaled bandit as he passed by the front of the skull arresting his fall for the moment. The Jaw of the snake hung loose as the head started to swing back and forth to shake Deacon off. Knowing full well he couldn’t stay here, Deacon climbed the body until he was closer to the tooth. He hauled his right arm back hoping to rabbit punch the tooth and proc Touch of the Void to slow this thing down. Unfortunately, that’s when Victor shot a bolt of white energy directly into the skull of the snake forcing its head to snap back. That caused Deacon to lose his grip and fall.

Deacon knew this would be another uncomfortable fall from a high elevation just like back in the kobold warren. He flared out his arms and legs to maximize his surface area hoping that would slow him enough not break his damn head open. Surprisingly, his fall arc took him close enough to the creeping vines that it reached out to grab him. Unsurprisingly, this wasn’t at Elle’s behest. The creeping vines began to smother him getting a notification from his slate.

You are being suffocated by creeping vines. If you do not escape you will slowly die of asphyxiation.

Not the way he wanted to go out after heroically saving Armand from a snake chomping. Deacon pushed out his aura to freeze the vines around him. Perhaps that would help with breaking free since his arms and legs were not in a position to exert maximum effort. The vines kept wrapping him in layer after layer. Then he felt them loosen a bit. Enough he could move his hands. Thinking there was no time like the present for a little experimentation he tried his new technique Nether Beam. Focusing the aura around his hands he could feel it retract around him and focus purely in his palm. He pushed the energy forward and blue green conical energy shot forward through the vines. He heard cracking as the vines abruptly let him go. Once again, he was falling but only about twenty feet slamming to the ground.

Deacon sucked in a huge lung full of air and looked up. The jaw of the snake head was laying on the ground between Armand and Victor. Typhus had the weeping bandit secured while Michael was trying to talk sense into him. Elle was supporting Armand by attempting to grab Victor with thick roots from under his feet. Victor was floating about five inches off the ground with an eerie aura surrounding his body. It gave off faint whisps of white smoke. The snake head kept interrupting them by bashing its head into the ground between them. It clearly thought it still had mouth. Deacon decided to focus on the snake.

“What are you doing? You can’t fight that thing alone.” Typhus called out.

“Its practically harmless. Its only got half a mouth. If I can get to the base of the neck, I think I can slow it down enough for the soldiers on the other side to kill it…break it? Finish it off.” Deacon replied.

He broke into a full sprint by passing the skirmish between Armand and Possessed Victor. Once the snake saw him it slammed its head down right on top of Deacon. Armand broke off from Victor to race over to the snake head. He began attacking it with the sword making some cracks in the bone, hoping it would lift and release Deacon from the weight. He then noticed a familiar blue-white sheen start coating the entire snake. The snake began to move much slower than before. The head started to raise up revealing a kneeling Deacon rapidly punching the inside of the snakes skull. Inside the skull there were spider cracks spreading out all over. Deacon then took the opportunity to fire a directed Nether Beam that blasted up from the inside of the skull right out of the top. The skull shattered and pieces flew out in all directions. Everyone started to cheer when the second head peered over the column from the left side dropping a chewed-up Lt. Lenny right on top of Armand. Victor chose this instance to fire that white energy bolt right through Elle’s leg causing her to scream as he shot toward the ziggurat.