"How fascinating! The Mendevian viper is not usually found this far north." She pauses for a second. "Incidentally, its venom can occasionally be fatal, particularly to those who are already sickly."

"...I have a Delay Poison but actually no spells suitable to hit it, anyone?"

"I have Acid Splash, if the latent Abyssal magic hasn't made it fiendish enough to resist it, or I could summon something."

"The majority of spells I prepared today are not damaging! However, I did prepare one Fireball today."

(Nenio seems unconcerned about the presence of wooden barrels in the street.)

"I could put it to sleep? It doesn't always work, though." She squints at it. "I don't think it wants to hurt us, but it's scared that we're going to hurt it, or turn this place into somewhere it can't live any longer."

"It doesn't look that tough, I might be able to just cut its head off. If it goes wrong I'd definitely need the Delay Poison, though."

"Do we in fact have anything clever to be done after Delay Poison wears off?"

"If we went back to the Defender's Heart before it wore off, there might be someone who can fix it? ...When I put it like that it doesn't sound like such a good plan."

"Ember, please give sleeping it a try."

Whatever she's doing, it doesn't look quite like a Sleep spell. There's no incantation and certainly no sand; she just gestures in its direction.

For a moment its eyes start to droop, but then it shakes it off. It darts towards them, hissing angrily.

Acid Splash?

The acid damages it normally! Now it's even angrier!

Blai can certainly try to hit it with his mace but it's little and fast and the angle is awful.

It strikes at Thall, sinking its fangs into his ankle—

And Seelah brings down her sword, severing its head from its body.

"Delay Poison," he says, tapping Thall. "I suppose if nothing else when it's coming due you can be loaded up on Resistance and Guidance and all the like."

Nod. Some very stupid part of him is tempted to make a joke about the snake giving Hulrun what he wants but this is clearly not the right crowd for it.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop it from hurting you."

"...It's okay, it's not your fault."

"Well, we have into the afternoon before that's urgent, and there are probably not so many snakes about that if we wait all the Neutralize Poisons that there might have been first thing in the morning will be bought up. We can circle back to assess the prognosis now or just carry on, as you prefer."

"I'm okay with it if we keep going. Either way I'll have a few hours, right, might as well make the best of them just in case."

Nod. On they go.

Here is the throughway that needs its stone reshaped! There's a dwarf (not Staunton's brother) directing a few other people in where to move various pieces of rubble.

"Did Anevia send you?"

"Yes. I have two Stone Shapes today but have only used it a handful of times before for fortress repairs."