While Evangeline waited, ripples suddenly began to spread across the pool.
At the same time, a thick, pungent stench, carried on the damp air, assaulted her senses, instantly filling the entire cave.
Evangeline stared at the pool and frowned. 'Elias Moretti really is a handful,' she thought.
The once-clear pool, still steaming from the explosive talisman, transformed in a matter of moments as if under a vile curse. It became a viscous, toxic mire, its surface sporadically bubbling with a ghastly, sizzling sound.
In the next instant, the pool churned violently as a giant, crimson python burst from the water!
Its body coiled and twisted, every inch of its musculature rippling with immense power. Its scarlet, slitted pupils glowed with ferocious brutality, and its forked tongue flicked in and out, locking onto Evangeline.
