A/N: I posted this elsewhere months ago but neglected to cross-post it here...whoops? In the time since then, Xendell pulled off the same idea, but much better. Double whoops.

The suffocating concentration of toxic spores was even worse inside the chamber than it was in the rest of the tower. The musty odor of damp moss mingled with the contaminated air, coalescing into a stench of unprecedented abhorrence. Sickly-looking plants stuck out from the occasional crack in the ground, choked by the earthen floor. The narrow passageway, flanked by gnarled roots and walls of gray-brown bark, was lit only by the comfortless glow of the poisonous sky peeking through the holes overhead. Here and there, prickly seedlings clung to the walls.

All in all, it reminded Zojja of the least pleasant parts of Orr.

Wondering for the thousandth time why she had agreed to enter the structure on this rescue mission, she trudged onward along the only possible path. The Priory human standing outside the chamber had seemed certain that there were prisoners in this Alchemy-forsaken cave, so in she went. Strangely, there were two people already inside, a norn and a charr. She thought they seemed familiar, but she brushed it off; it didn't matter who they were, as long as they were competent. It was surprising that they'd had the patience or the sense to wait for backup, but again, as long as they didn't drag her down, it was an anomaly of little importance.

Along the way, Zojja and the other two had been accosted by Aetherblade pirates, dispatching them with ease. The deranged sylvari's disembodied voice floated to them, taunting them, though they were unsure where it came from. The other two were visibly unnerved, and while Zojja kept quiet about it, she too was on edge.

Finally, the passage opened up into a cavern, slightly sunken into the ground from where they were. Through the hazy atmosphere, they could see four metal cages. One was open, the door twisted out of place as if the occupant had broken out without their help, but the other three contained trembling prisoners of varying races. Zojja sighed, knowing better than to hope this would be the end of it; Scarlet would undoubtedly have something waiting for them, something she couldn't quite see yet. The toxins in the air were taking a toll on all of them, making each fight far more taxing than it should have been. But she just had to get through one more, and then she could get out of here.

Hopping down into the shallow pit, Zojja braced herself while the other two dropped down behind her. She squinted, and after a few moments, she saw it. She had been expecting a small army, but instead she stood several yards away from a single, small figure. It didn't approach, apparently not noticing them just yet.

Scarlet's laugh echoed through the chamber as the figure became visible.

The charr was the first one to speak. "Huh," she commented, her voice low so as not to attract the illusion's attention.

The norn with the odd hairstyle scratched his head, brow furrowed. "I don't get it."

"Yeah, I thought we'd be dealing with something more threatening..."

Zojja tuned their voices out as she stared ahead at the figure. The others had been mumbling about things that weren't there, but her mind was too strong to fall into hallucinations. Yet there he was, standing before her, staring into space in a detached way that looked out of place on the visage that had always been so focused in life.

Snaff...

Short on breath, she stood frozen, until the charr took a tentative step forward and the illusion sprung into action.

The battle passed by in a blur. It wasn't long, nor difficult; Snaff's main strength in combat was his golems, which the illusion lacked. Soon enough, it was knocked down to the ground and struggled to orient itself as the charr pelted it with arrows and the norn ran over with his mace. But then Zojja saw something the others didn't: a flash of light ten feet away, and a second Snaff that looked just about ready to get back up and keep fighting. He never used that ability much in life, but this wasn't Zojja's mentor. This was a fake, an imitation...and its existence was downright offensive. This was enough to bring her mind back into focus, and she ran over to the image, leaped into the air, and put all her weight on her scepter as it slammed down into the illusion's chest. It fell limp, and then vanished. As the other two went to open the cages, Zojja stared down at where the false Snaff had been.

"Teacher's pet, teacher's pet," Scarlet cooed in a haunting singsong. "How dead did your mentor get?"

Zojja's claws bit into her palms, hot fury flooding her veins.

She was going to annihilate that sylvari.