"Yeah, I've never felt the need to explore the lower parts of this lace, at least not alone," said Isaac, heading for the stairs. Heading up the staircase, the two of them came across two more rooms just like the first, each one equally empty and sand-covered. It wasn't until they were just about to crest the stairs into the uppermost room that they noticed a smell hanging in the air; the very familiar smell of blood.
Peeking up over the edge of the floor into the new room, Isaac and Elliana were greeted to a sight neither of them could have expected. Curled up in the center of the room, like an immense frog squatting on a lilypad was a creature that Elliana had only ever seen in storybooks. The thing was bigger than even the largest warhorse that she had ever seen. Its body was that of a lion, which would have been frightening enough on its own, but from its back sprouted the wings of a dragon, which were currently wrapped around the thing like a scaly blanket. From its hindquarters curled the thick armored tail of a scorpion, complete with a wicked looking barb from which dangled a thick dollop of green liquid. Finally, the most disturbing part if the creature was its head, the rough-featured, wizened face of a savage man, complete with long shaggy hair and thick bushy beard, that merged into prominent mane around its head, competed the unmistakable shape of a manticor.
It sat there licking its reddened lips, and off to the side of the room they could see the half eaten carcass of what looked like a giant snake with the upper torso of a woman where the head should be. Mercifully, the manticor's left side was to them, and large scare could be seen running down across a milky white eye. It didn't seem to notice them.
