The guardian of the unholy tree revealed itself as Adam arrived.
Or perhaps, it had always been there, patiently waiting for a visitor. For some strange reason, Adam couldn't tell. And when he thought about it, he couldn't help but frown.
His grip around the Staff of Calamity, and he turned solemn.
Did it appear in that brief moment when I was bewitched? He wondered.
Or has it always been there?
Regardless, he knew that this guardian was a dangerous creature. Perhaps, far more dangerous than the corrupted giant.
Suspended among the twisted branches was a colossal serpent formed of pale, marble-like scales. If one looked close enough, they'd notice that these scales were inscribed with mysterious runes.
Six vast wings unfurled from the snake's body. They weren't feathered, but layered like sheets of polished bones, which were similarly inscribed with shifting runes.
It coiled endlessly around the trunk, as though the tree itself had grown around it.
