Facing a Hydra...
The dim light faded from the quicksand chamber, and Adrian found himself in a vast, cavernous hall. Torches flickered on the walls, creating a faint, eerie light that hardly brightened the area. The air here was heavier.
Adrian stepped forward, his breathing becoming steady, but he felt the tension in his muscles as he looked around the cavern.
Shadows shifted along the walls, moving and stretching until something massive began to emerge from the darkness—a creature unlike any he'd encountered before.
It moved into the light of the torch, its scales shining in a strange green color, its body twisting as several heads lifted up, each one showing a different look of anger.
A hydra.
Each of its five serpent-like heads rose above him, hissing in a voice that was dripping with accusation and disdain.