Harry and Marina launch themselves at you. Krista instinctively intercepts Harry - and the weretigers circle each other, before coming together in a furious scrap. Meanwhile, you and Rachel grapple with Marina, in an attempt to disarm your hypnotised centaur sister. Eventually, you both manage to trip up Marina - and Rachel uses her weight to hold her down. Even then, the two centauresses are still fighting for control of the dagger Marina is trying to stick into your mate - and she is impervious to your pleads for her to break free of her mesmerised state.
You then jump aside, as Glaucus fires a crossbow at you. The bolt glazes your flank. He quickly reloads and aims once more. Swiftly taking cover behind a pillar, you feel your wound, then glance to see what your satyr allies are doing. Minerva is running around the edge of the chamber, using the Roman columns for cover, as she tries to divert Glaucus’ attention away from you. Meanwhile, Anarosa has apparently persuaded Dick to hand over the Medallion of Flux to her. You see the black satyress close her eyes in concentration, and her body shimmers. Her horns, tail, and hooves receed and vanish - and her now-furless legs reassume human form. Next, Anarosa’s dark locks thicken and take on a life of their own, as hissing snakes materialise…
Dick takes a look at his transformed mate - then gulps, and turns his attention to the fighting centauresses. He bounds over to assist Rachel. As for Anarosa, her medallion-induced shift is complete. She keeps her gaze down as she jogs, half-naked, across the chamber on human feet - hurrying towards Amalthea and that orb…
You realise what she’s aiming to do, and how she hopes to neutralise the scarred satyr.
“Protect me!” Amalthea screams to the wide-eyed, knife-armed satyr guarding her. She quickly turns her face away from the gaze of Anarosa’s now-raised eyes - the eyes of a Gorgon…
Not wanting to be turned to stone either, you switch your attention to Cedius - and your heart nearly stops.
The rogue satyr master is calling upon the power of the glowing gem in his grasp. The chamber turns cold, as heat is drawn into Cedius’ growing body, and he becomes a four-metre high giant of a satyr. His body is now pulsating with energy. Cedius glares down at you with a mocking smile. “Come, puny centaur!” he booms. “Take your best shot at me!”
Swallowing back your fear, you shakingly notch an arrow - then take aim. You fire. The arrow flies true - but disintegrates into sparks as it strikes the magical aura surrounding Cedius. You suck in your breath - stunned.
There is an anguished cry to your right. The satyr guarding Amalthea - who was trying to stab Anarosa - has made the mistake of looking into her Gorgon eyes. His skin and fur slowly turn grey, then he stiffens and becomes a lifeless statue.
Anarosa then lunges for Amalthea. But an angered Cedius raises his hand - and a bolt of light shoots from his extended finger, hitting your Gorgon ally. Anarosa is slammed violently into the nearest pillar by the force of the satyr’s attack - and she falls down, unconscious. The magic of the Medallion fades, and Anarosa reverts back into a satyress.
Cedius gives a booming laugh. “You have failed, interlopers! Now feel the power I can bear upon you!” Raising both arms, the satyr master unleashes crackling arcs of energy. They strike both Krista and Rachel, forcing them off their hypnotised opponents. Krista growls in alarm as her feline body begins to change. Engulfed by your enemy’s new-found power, her fur begins to recede into her body. Krista’s tail and whiskers vanish, and her eyes become human again. She gasps as she sees her naked, human form once again - then shrieks in terror, as her feet fuse into hooves. Goat hair slowly spreads out from her groin, re-cloaking her legs. Budding horns emerge from her temples, and Krista’s figure develops an hourglass-like shape as she gradually turns into a satyr. Her shocked expression turns into a wide smile, and she moans with pleasure. Cedius is seizing control of both her mind AND her body.
Rachel is slowly changing as well. Her equine half is becoming less distinct - the back legs are shrinking, as is her pretty tail… You lower your bow, and stare in horror as Rachel cries out in pain. You remember what the mermaid Sapphire told you earlier. You centaurs cannot survive a transformation into a bipedal creature - you would lose a heart! Cedius is slowly killing her!!
“Leave her alone!!” you scream at the giant satyr.
Cedius grins maliciously and freezes the uncompleted transformations of Krista and Rachel. “Do you surrender, then? Will you submit to my authority in all things!?”
Your throat dries up. Behind Cedius, Glaucus and Minerva stop their hand-to-fight, and await the outcome of the situation at hand. An empty crossbow lies at their feet. Rachel - her face creased in pain - begs you not to give up on her behalf. Dick has ceased fighting also. Marina and Harry are immobile for now, but you could swear that their eyes are etched with suppressed anger. If only the spell over them could be broken - and quickly!
If only you had the Eye of Zeus - so that you could fight back against Cedius’ new powers…
Wait a moment… What’s that gold panel on the floor - which Cedius had been standing in front of, earlier? It looks like the impression of a footprint is on it. A human footprint. And judging from Minerva’s thoughtful expression, she has seen it, too.
Nearby, the Medallion of Flux hangs, forgotten, from the neck of the unconscious Anarosa.
“WELL!??” Cedius booms at you, awaiting your response.
Saying nothing, you crouch down - then slide your bow and quiver along the floor towards the second pool. They stop not far away from Glaucus. Cedius gives the albino satyr a nod.
Glaucus shoves Minerva aside, and steps around the sunken pool, to pick up your bow. As he reaches half way, you yell at Minerva.
“Grab the medallion!”
She nods, and bolts directly for it. Glaucus pauses, then tries to intercept her - but you are already charging straight for him, avoiding a blast of energy from Cedius, as he breaks off his magical hold over Rachel and Krista.
You are like a brown blur of lightning as you collide with, and trample upon, Glaucus. He yells, rolls aside, then snatches his knife from his belt. The vicious satyr manages to nick you - then you rear up onto your hind hooves.
“This is for Deirdre and Ixion!” you snarl, and kick him in the chest with your forelegs - giving him a taste of your horseshoes.
The albino satyr gasps with the force of the impact - then cries out as he is sent, spinning, into the sunken pool. “Aaaggghhh…!!” Steam and the smell of burning flesh hits your nostrils, as Glaucus lands in the water. No - not water! Acid! With one hand outstretched upwards - the thug sinks into his hideous grave, never to reappear.
“Ben - watch out!”
Fighting back the urge to be sick - you quickly twist aside, heeding Rachel’s cry, as Cedius angrily slams his hoof down where you had been. The chamber vibrates.
Taking cover behind Cedius, whilst he sluggishly turns round - you quickly scan the rest of the chamber. Freed from the magic of the rogue master, Krista has reverted back into a weretiger, and is currently pinning down Harry - whilst a restored Rachel is even now diverting Cedius’ attention from you by firing more arrows at him, trying to find a way through his ‘force field’. One arrow actually has done so - and is protruding from Cedius’ leg, wounding him. Meanwhile, Marina is lying on the floor, knocked out by a face punch from Rachel. Dick is crouched besides Marina, ensuring she doesn’t attack any of your army again.
And Minerva…?
Minerva and Amalthea are scrapping it out for possession of the Medallion of Flux. The orb Amalthea had held is now rolling on the marble floor, having been dropped.
Yes!!
You turn round and canter over to it. Holding the orb in place like a football with one foreleg - you bring your other front hoof down, repeatedly, onto the orb. Eventually, it shatters into pieces.
Hearing the noise, Amalthea punches Minerva, forcing her aside, and - pulling out a dagger from her waist cord - swings her blade wildly at you, screaming blue murder. With difficulty, you manage to disarm her - then you pin the scarred satyress against the wall. Now Minerva is able to slip the Medallion of Flux around her neck. She concentrates - and before the eyes of everyone, her horns, hooves, tail, and goat fur dissolve. Within seconds she becomes human.
Cedius roars his anger, and tries to lift his wounded leg so that he can turn round. “Don’t you dare, Minerva!”
Minerva leaps towards the nearby golden floor panel, dodging an energy blast from Cedius en route - and jabs her human foot into the impression.
“Too late, Cedius!” she cries joyfully.