The Gorgon hissed in delight, seeing the green-robed summoner fleeing. It was rare a human was so foolish as this girl! Her snake hair was hissing too, as pleased as the head they sat on.

What did annoy her was that this human fool was smart enough not to turn around and gaze into her eyes as she ran. A pity. She had not managed to look at the girl properly, or she would already have a statue of shocked stone fool for her collection, and for her snakes to feed on the life force of.

The girl was a good runner, she'd grant her that. But though she leapt over rocks and sometimes seemed to dive behind them, the girl kept fleeing. The Gorgon hoped the fool girl would try to hide behind one of them eventually. It was all the sweeter to find them in a hiding place, to get that look of terror replace their exhaustion for the rest of their existences...

One of her snakes perked up in confusion, and began to hiss. She ignored it. It was always paranoid.

The girl leapt over another group of rocks, not falling. The Gorgon cursed. This fool was lucky! Any other runner like this would have tripped and been doomed. She would have pounded upon them, and forced their eyes to open and stare at the sweet petrifying oblivion...

But then she realised something. For a fool, she wasn't looking back. She wasn't hiding. And she seemed to be paying attention to the ground before her. Perhaps her one foolish act was to be alone. Running made perfect sense, the Gorgon though, as the girl fled towards the old ruins. The Gorgon kept up the chase, following into the darkened rubble.

She didn't need her sight, not yet. She could now hear the girl in the blackness and shadows. Her snakes could smell her. Soon, she would be stone, a tasty treat for weeks to come as her life was drained and rendered her stone body into nothing but rock...

The girl was before her, and in the shadows she saw the human panting, hands on her knees but still standing. And then the green-haired fool looked up into her eyes. This was it! A fool feast!

But nothing happened. The girl just stared at her. Why was she still flesh?!

"I'm really sorry about this. I just wanted to cast Firaga on you or something." The Human said, still short of breath.

"Why are you not sstone?!" The Gorgon hissed in fury, then recoiled in shock. Gaia gear. The girl wore protection from Petrification!

Well, she would see about that. She would rip this fool to shreds...

The girl stood, and cast a spell. The Gorgon flinched as her snakes squealed, but the target was not her.

It was a lantern. And it cast light over the ruins. Many lanterns were lighting, with one spell. This girl was skilled...

The Gorgon didn't care. She could see the blood glint as she ripped her apart now, that was all... But what was that shape behind the girl? Another Gorgon! She'd show this interloper!

Wait.

That wasn't another Gorgon.

That was herself.

That meant...

"A mirror!" She shrieked, closing her eyes before being hoist on her own petrifying petard. She looked to her left and opened her eyes, only for.

"More mirrors!" She wailed, closing her eyes and stumbling away in fright. She did not see the girl run out, as a human male slid another mirror over the exit. The Gorgon wailed, blinded for fear of becoming stone from her own gaze, as the girl escaped.

***

"Wasn't that a bit much?" Rydia asked, as she heard the unfortunate monster screech.

"I don't think so. Besides, it was fun." Edge smirked.

"Well, where did you get all those mirrors? And how long did that take to set up? I know we took at least an hour trying to find a damn Gorgon. And how come I had to be the bait?"

"I can't answer the other questions but I can answer the last one. Because you wouldn't take the Gaia Gear off and let me wear it."

Rydia glared at him.

"Oh no, this is mine. I bought it, I wear it. I'm not taking it off for you and I'm not letting you take it off."

Edge sighed.

"I would really like to..."

"And Rosa warned me about all of that. And so did the summons. I'm not a complete fool, Edge..."

Inside the improvised hall of mirrors, someone else would have agreed, if she was not too busy crying out in fear and stumbling around trying to locate a way out...