When last I wrote, Aerathor was aiding 3 newcomers in neutralizing the basilisk threat. Under his direction, they lured both out the center cave mouth, and reflected their gazes back upon them. Suddenly, a THIRD comes from the far right mouth! Luckily, they were able to shuffle their reflective shield around to stop that one as well. That definitely bodes well for our exit.
In the back of the cave, our quartet heads further in and soon spot a giant floating aether crystal. Proximity to it dims my perception of The One, so I back off. Then, a strange floating tentacled monster appears between us and the crystal, and fires a beam of purple energy at the captain. She goes underwater, trying to approach it stealthily, so I advance slowly to hold its attention. It says only one word: "flourish." Cap and I both advance. Some globule creatures and some floating crystal prisms materialize and I realize that there are wall-tentacles that will likely be able to attack from the sides. I attempt to read the mind of our adversary -- it is thinking about consuming this world and moving on to another. She speaks to me briefly and tells me that this adversary is a manifestation of The Great Adversary! I brace for a shot from the creature, but it does not come from the expected direction. It fires at an angle, and refracts through the floating crystals back and forth across the cavern. I have time for only one thought as it hits me. My Lady, I have failed You.
