Walking out of the mirror maze, paws trembling Erakir leant against Matty and shook his head, “Oh man… that was… kupo so scary!”

“Yeah,” the small orange and yellow bat breathed heavily, adjusting his headband to keep his pom-pom on straight, “The bit where the goblins started to climb out of the floor?”

“Oh man… and the howls from the were-beast! How did they do that transformation scene?” Laskas enthused, the small fur covered kobold flapping his moth wings as he moved his hands around miming the scene they had just seen, “It was fantastic, made my heart thump so hard I thought I was going to faint.”

Spreading his arms wide, faux wings tugging at the sides of his bat costume Erakir shook his head, “Magic or mirrors… did you see the giant spider at the end and its web kupo?”

Matty giggled, “Oh yeah, those cocoons looked so realistic! I wanted to go poke one but that spider was way too big.”

“They sure did wiggle kupo,” Erakir giggled, the moogle’s blue hair tufted out of the front of his bay costume. He reached up to push his pom-pom back in as it tried to slip free, “This was a great idea by the way, your moogle costume is brilliant Matty kupo. Though Laskas I am not sure if the moth works with the sandals.”

“Laskas pouted a bit and shuffled his sandals on the stones, “What’s wrong with sandals… you know I can’t wear other shoes my feet are too sensitive.”

Matty struck a pose, the short bat smiling warmly, “You think so? I’m not too ostentatious?”

Erakir gave the bat another look over. He was dressed in a full frock coat, complete with sashes woven with glittering silver threads. It had little wings on the back and hid his natural wings quite well in its billowing folds. The headband with the faux pom-pom also blended quite well into his head fur.

“No way, you are as moogly as me, and aw I dun mean anything Laskas,” the moogle in disguise hugged the fur coated reptile and grinned, “You look great really, now you sure I make a convincing bat?” he spread his arms wide as he spoke, pulling his wings out wide as he smiled at his batty Matty friend, “I mean it’s pretty obvious this is a costume.”

“But a good one…” Matty turned and peered down the stairs at the entrance hall as Laskas agreed with him. The bat smiled happily, “Not as many people around as earlier. That’s good that big crowd at the start was a bit intimidating.”

“No kidding,” Laskas agreed as he started down the stairs, “Let’s try and find something to eat before everyone gets back and crowds out the dining room.”

“Oh sure,” Matty said with a smile, hurrying after the moogle and kobold, waddling down the stairs on his short little bat feet, “I wonder if Nido got any bugs in… or you think it’s going to be boring party foods?”

Pushing open the door to the door labelled dining room Laskas looked back and smiled, “Probably insect shaped sweets or cookies. Will those do?”

“Cookies will,” Matty laughed and hurried past the kobold into the room then stopped and gaped at the sight laid out before him. The dining table along the centre of the room was full of food but that wasn't what caught their attention. It was the line of massive candles marching along either wall that took the breath away. Life sized shapes of carven wax, people in fanciful costumes, fantastical animals and exotic beasts. Each and every one of them was lit adding their radiance to that shed by the massive chandelier overhead.

“They’re not melting,” Laskas commented as he stepped up next to Matty with Erakir, “Look at their heads, the wicks are lit but the wax isn’t melting.”

“True… some more magic probably, or they’re fake and not really candle wax, oh hell look at that kupo!”

The moogle pointed at the far end of the hall where the wall was occupied by the largest candle sculpture of them all. It was a massive cobra of soft grey, black and silver wax. The coils mounded up over the floor reaching a third of the way towards the ceiling before rising up into the majestic hooded head of a cobra. It would have been fifty feet long if it had been real and able to uncoil.

Climbing up onto a seat Matty laughed and clapped his wing paws together, “This is amazing, just look at these… I had no idea you could get novelty candles like this.

Erakir smiled to see Matty so happy, the bat was usually so shy and reserved, climbing into the seat next to him he smiled, “Yeah, just needs a centerpiece in the middle to make it complete, ooh Laskas look, pie.”

The grey furred, moth costume wearing kobold froze in the act of pulling the pie toward himself as a deep voice echoed through the room, “An excellent idea little ones, you three will make an excellent centre piece…”

The voice was dark, soft and silken and as it spoke the last word there was a strange ripple in the air and the flame atop every statue snuffed out. Hugging Matty as darkness fell Erakir lifted his gaze and stared at the wax cobra. It was the only source of light in the room now and it wasn't coming from a wick. Bright orange light burned inside the cobra’s eyes and as its wax mouth opened that flame burned inside…

“Ooohkay that's spooky,” Erakir said forcing a laugh, “Very good… I think… yeah well done you got us.”

“Yes,” Matty said breathlessly, “Really good scares.”

“I dunno,” Laskas murmured, “I was half expecting the big snake to come to life and try and scare us,” the kobold grinned and bit into the pie, “I mean, it was pretty obvious.”

“Insolent kobold, you should be terrified,” the voice boomed, the snake’s massive head snapping forwards to loom above the table, “You should give praise… all hail!”

It’s mouth moved, tongue of white wax hissing in the air as it’s thick black and silver coils of wax started to undulate and surge forwards. They formed a wall, spreading out in long rippling loops to to either side of the table to block off escape. The snake’s head continued to loom overhead, orange and red, flame dancing in cavities that were its eye sockets. The table trembled as its voice boomed and Erakir swayed against Matty from the force of its words. Laskas meanwhile looked like he was ready to wet himself as he crumpled the pie-tin he was holding between his claws as he squeezed his hands shut in terror.

“I said… ALL HAIL!”

Shaking his head, pom-pom burning with a pale green flame as it slipped out of his bat hood Erakir climbed onto the table. He shook Matty off as the bat tried to pull him back and marched up the table, staring up at the giant snake. Trembling, terrified but oh so dreadfully aware by the pulsing in his pom-pom that this was real the moogle pointed a finger at the snake. He had to fight back and save his friends.

“Never!”

Fire flared in its eyes, flames burnt, the wax flowed and ran as the force of its mind battered against the diminutive moogle. Erakir swayed with the force of that will, panting heavily as he felt it press against him and the voice roared in his mind.

“ALL HAIL!”

He could hear Matty squeaking as he hailed the cobra, Laskas was on the table, squishing into a huge cake as he knelt and abased himself before the giant snake. His friends had lost the fight but Erakir refused. Knees locked, back straight the moogle road a cresting wave of all his natural powers and defied this creature. Throwing back the hood of his costume entirely, pom-pom bobbing free he flapped his wings and cried out in a ringing voice.

“NEVER!”

The cobra hissed, fire flared in its eyes, there was a bright flash of light and then the flames dimmed. Wax started to ooze and run, melting down the length of the mighty snake’s neck as it started to warp and sag. Wax splashed across the floor, thick, gelid, molten waves washing around the table in a seemingly endless torrent. The cobra was collapsing, revealing the novelty candles, the waves of thick wax making them shift and stir. Erakir had a sinking feeling that the massive candles that stood in silent, trapped vigil along either side of the room had been party guests only a short while ago.

Turning away from the collapsing remnants of the cobra’s mighty hooded head Erakir looked for Matty and Laskas. Matty’s chair had washed away, an island of safety surrounded by flowing waves of wax. He’d need rescuing before his chair capsized, the wax could still be tainted, enchanted but he was safe for now.

Laskas however wasn’t faring well, Erakir turned in time to see one of the kobold’s sandal shod feet squish and sink into the tablecloth as if he had stepped into soft mud. Caught in mid step his other foot swung forwards and squelched into the cloth as he stumbled. He wavered for a moment, but didn’t fall over. Laskas instead yanked firmly with his left leg to try and pull free. He swayed unsteadily as the sandal made a sucking sound. It looked like the leather was stuck to the bottom of his foot. The tablecloth now oozed like mud squelched around the toes of his right foot as his left leg sank deeper. With a concerted effort Laskas’ left foot slurped free jerking him off balance. Quickly bringing his foot back down to avoid falling over Laskas’ leg sank halfway to the knee leaving him stooped and off balance.

“Help,” the kobold yelped irritably as he struggled to pull his leg free. Shifting his weight onto his right foot he tried to pull free but all that did was slowly sink his right leg deeper into the mud like fabric! Muck squelched over his toes with a wet gloop and then up his ankles as his foot sank. Mud smeared up his furry legs, a riot of swirling colours that matched the pattern of the tablecloth.

“Laskas, hold on,” Erakir shouted, “I need to get Matty then we’ll… oh god be careful!”

Struggling to turn the costumed kobold attempted to wade for the edge of the table. He couldn’t really make any progress, the tablecloth mud was so thick the best he managed was to create a hole around his legs. He was however now facing back the way he had come though his feet were still sinking. His waist would be under the surface in a couple of minutes if he didn’t act fast. Desperately throwing himself forward he tried to reach the strip of tabletop visible at the edge of the table! His lunge fell short, his hands squelched into the mud and with a yelp the grey furred kobold tried to arrest his plunge as he sank up to the elbows.

Mud oozed around Laskas’ thighs as he bent his knees and tried to pull his arms free. The cloth was unbelievably sticky however. It clung to his fur, oozed over his limbs and slowly but surely pulled him lower. It oozed into his costume, making the chitinous outer layer bulge and spread. It was filling up rapidly with thick oozing swirling cloth coloured muck that added extra weight to pull him under.

“I am coming Laskas, Matty, hold on don’t rock your chair I…” Erakir’s voice died, two steps he took before his feet rooted themselves to the table. Looking down in alarm he saw dark, polished metal instead of the booties of his bat costume. Fear stabbed through his heart, the triumph at denying the snake faltered as the change spread higher. Feeling was dying, his feet were already cold and it was rising; iron spreading up to his knees in swiftly.

Erakir twisted his feet, trying to move just as Laskas threw his head back and yelled for help. He was slowly sinking, arms settling lower, rippling surface of the tablecloth sucking him under. Shaking his head, gasping and hiccuping in an attempt to stop himself crying Laskas threw back his head and yelled for help again.

“You really are making an awful racket you know,” the sibilant hiss of the cobra’s voice echoed through the room, “No matter you’ll be a decoration soon enough”

“Help!” the grey furred critter shouted, “Please pull me out I can stop sinking.”

“No.. no no…” struggling to move, to counter the dark magic creeping up his legs Erakir tried to bring his power to bare. He had to keep the snake down, stop it from surfacing. But it was no use, he could feel his energy leeching out as the cold iron crept higher and in a flash of insight he understood what had happened. That last moment, when he had used all his fey power to deny the cobra, the flash of light from its eyes before they died. It had cursed him with a petrification spell, struck whilst his full power was assaulting it, snuck past his defenses and doomed them all.

Laskas’ pleading cries for help ended in a gurgling blub. Cloth lapped over the top of the kobolds head. He wasn't gone though… the tablecloth was still once more and woven into the fabric was an image of Laskas. The kobold looked terrified, depicted as sinking into a tar pit whilst black and white winged serpents tormented him.

“There… he is mine, now for the bat.”

“No,” Erakir screamed as he felt the last vestiges of his power shatter. With a cry the moogle’s head whipped around to watch as light blossomed around Matty’s chair. It was bobbing along atop the molten wax and the poor guy had been frozen in place as he watched Laskas sink. Now however the bat leapt into action. He struggled out of his coat, throwing it aside and launched himself into the air wings flapping hard. For a moment Erakir watched as the heavy coat floated for a moment on the surface of the molten wax then sank. Then he turned his head to watch Matty’s flight for freedom. Time seemed to slow as the light grew, the wax bulged upwards, a smooth cresting bulk that then split apart into a gigantic maw. Bright fire leapt into the opening eye cavities and Matty squealed as the cobra’s jaws snapped him out of mid air.

Hooded cobra head slid upwards for a moment then curved down and those candle bright eyes stared down at the moogle. Erakir shied backwards, or tried too, he was iron from the waist down and it was creeping upwards.

“Let… let him go!” he shouted, struggling to find something, to grasp that moment of calm that had let him tap into his power, “Spit him out!”

“Certainly..” the cobra’s hood flared and it spat a sodden lump of bedraggled naked bat onto the table. Matty deformed slightly as he hit the table and squeaked eyes wide in alarm as his body squished. His costume was very missing as was his body, he was orange and yellow wax, half molten, slippery and smooth and wide eyed from the changes impressed on him by the enchanted snake. Struggling upright the bat’s form pulled itself back together then started to stiffen and set. He tried to speak but his muzzle was a beautifully sculpted piece of wax effectively silencing him.

Erakir tried to reach out for his friend but his shoulders were iron, his arm wouldn’t move, he could still bend his elbow… in fact they were being bent for him! Both of his arms were being forced out in front of him. Hands flat, palms turned upward Erakir shook his head and tilted his head back to stare at the cobra. He tried to curse it but his muzzle froze, iron rolled up his head, he could feel it creeping in from either side. Then everything went dark, he froze solid and stiff, trapped and unable to move a look of terror etched on his features.

He couldn’t see but he could feel, he could hear and the cobra was laughing. It was a deep, rich satisfied laugh and its voice boomed through the air.

“I told you to hail moogle… now you shall be admired and I shall be hailed. But don’t worry you’ll soon be with your friend again…”

A couple of moments later something soft squished around his fingers. It felt like… like bat feet… the heavy bulk of the candle that had been Matty now held in his arms. There was nothing he could do to stop this, all he could was stand there, a beautiful, cast iron candlestick holding a novelty bat statue…

He heard the spark of fire however and felt the heat of a nearby candle flame against his body, then the python spoke again, “Fear not, you will be very close, as he melts and drips over you… your body shall learn to appreciate the wax of all those who melt themselves to you, coating you, joining you in your silent vigil.”

Erakir wanted to scream, to fight back but all he could do was stand there… from bright victory to this… he had fallen. As the first drops of warm wax splashed over his iron face he knew… deep down that there was no way out of here. He would just be forced to stand here… to hold the candle of his friend and feel him melt….