The Greed of HillaBy StickyScribbles / Editor mmlhoe"Dammit!" the words echoed in the Gorgon's Labyrinth. A naked Hilla Payme was cold, lost, and anger. Of course with her pride she would never admit she was truly lost, she was just taking a "detour." If only she still had her map, and clothing, navigating would be easier. But some gross giant spiders forced her to strip as she got caught in their web. The more she struggled the more matted her clothing and gear got caught in a gooey mess. She was lucky to push them back with a stick. The eight-legged creepers celebrated as they ran off into the darkness with her stuff.Hilla started to regret ditching her party so fast at the first sign of danger. She only decided to become party leader to make dungeon looting easier for herself, so she guess it didn't matter for her now. The thought of more riches for herself egged her on. She wasn't a quitter and walked deeper into the labyrinth.Inside, the damp corridors were filled with statues in an assortment of poses. Some looked like they were frozen in battle, frightened or ready to run. "Amateurs, ha!" Smirked Hilla, she knew the gorgons were near by, but that also meant free easy pickings. Some of the statues still glittered with jewelry. Hilla grunted as she tried to pry off their belongings.She was interrupted when she heard dirt being dragged along the ground. Just before a lesser gorgon slithered into the room. Hilla narrowly darted towards the dark side of the room and emulated the poses of the statues to blend in. The upper top portion of the monster was that of a lady with a flow of serpent hair and waist below was that of a giant snake. It was grotesque and beautiful at the same time. Hilla became nervous with sweat as the monster circled around the room closer to her. The gorgon gazed right past her a few times like nothing. Hilla started to wonder if the gorgon was blind.As the gorgon left the room. Hilla's confidence grew as she resumed looting. She giggled for each piece of jewelry she plucked, and piled them into a corner. She saw the words "Save us...please" scrawled on the side of the wall by one of the stone figures. She scoffed at the faintest idea of helping these poor souls. Where is the profit in that? Healing elixirs are expensive and so is hiring a shaman.After she cleared the room of all goods, Hilla worked her way towards a hallway. It had a patterned stone masonry, shag carpets, soft scent candles, and nude statues on each side. Most were posed in lewd positions, that made even Hilla blush. It was a stark contrast to the statues outside and the amount of money poured in must have meant a jackpot was near by. A golden chest was at the end of the tunnel that made Hilla drool. Maybe dumping her party wasn't such a bad idea now. They were holding her back.Just as she made strides towards the chest, she heard the gorgon making another round. She jumped to side of the hallway emulating the poses to blend in. Once more the gorgon just went past her. Hilla started to get cocky and mused to herself. These lesser gorgon are dumb as a brick, and no match for my stealth skills. She moved closer replaying the same perfect strategy in her mind, duping the Gorgon with an assortment of naughty stances. This started to turn really fun. Only a few more steps to extract the goods and the gorgon should make its routine exit soon.Suddenly the gorgon spun around and gave Hilla the hardest stare she'd seen in her life. "Gah! NOOO!" cried Hilla. She tried to cover her eyes, but it was too late. Her body felt very heavy and her muscles started to lock into place. She was on her knees and stone was already slowly creeping up on her toes and legs."Finally!" growled the gorgon. "You prance like a drunken whore at a tavern. It took forever to get a half decent pose from you!" The unflattering comment slapped Hilla like a wet lump of modeling clay. She was always use to playing people, but now she was on the receiving end. Hilla begged the gorgon to release her. The gorgon smiled and told her she had many chances to leave, but she was too greedy for her own good. Gorgon lapped up all her salty tears with her forked tongue and lustfully watched Hilla squirm helpless in her predicament. Hilla gasped in despair as the stone curse uncomfortably road up the bottom of her womanly cracks, and valley. The stone curse viced her like a tight corset, emphasizing her curves.Hilla desperately looked at the ceiling begging for any miracle. She promised the heavens to be a good person, never to steal again or speak ill of others. She'll do anything to change her ways, if only she could get out of this!Just then out of the corner of the hallway an empty wine bottle crashed to the floor. Could it be her companion that she ditched came to her rescue? Of course, it had to be she thought. What would they do without their glorious leader! The gorgon sharply turned her attention to the direction of the noise and extended her claws for battle. Tension built in the air. Hilla could feel her warmth return to her limbs and stone skin curse slowly peel away. There was hope. She yelled out the names from her former party and demanded that Harrison the sharp shooter finish the monster where it stand. Arrows would make quick work of this gorgon.But there would be no calvary to answer Hilla's distress. Only a rat scurried away from the wine bottle. "Your furry friend is quite the sharp shooter!" laughed the Gorgon. "But if you are talking about your human friends that wander in here recently, I dealt with them." The lesser gorgon beamed with a smile baring fresh blood on her stained teeth. Hilla felt a shiver down her spine. The thought of being torn apart or possibly eaten like her companions was worse a fate than being turned to stone."I let them go and they won't be coming back for you," said the Gorgon. "YOU What?!" Hilla shirked in disbelief. The Gorgon shrugged. "When you were with your party, I saw you plundering the loot behind your friends' back, keeping almost everything. You abandoned them at the first sign of trouble to save your own skin. I felt bad and let them go with a warning. Everything you hoarded has been returned to them by the spiders."As her words sunk in, Hilla's blood boiled. She started to twitched in shear rage. "THOSE HORSE ASS USELESS FRIENDS!!! NOBODY PULLS A FAST ONE ON ME!!" Howled Hilla. She sobbed wildly and insisted she was a victim of circumstance. She blamed everybody she could think of. She continue to curse the gorgon, the heavens, spiders, and her friends until her voice was rasp.The gorgon shook her head in disappointment and calmly cupped Hilla's chin in her hand. The Gorgon gazed into her eyes with pity. "They say I'm a monster? At least I have a heart. You have nobody to blame but yourself. I'll make sure nobody else is harmed by you and that even the highest power in the land will not change you back!"Hilla tried to look away but once more found her body unable to move. The gorgon's power was too mesmerizing, and turning to stone this time felt more painful. Hilla felt jagged stones consume her skin and racked her body with discomfort. Hilla would claw out the eyes of the gorgon if she had the chance. Hatred, greed, and self-pity were the last thoughts she had before her mind was lost in stone.The next day a mysterious nude statue was found in middle of a local town. The story of Hilla Payme's scandal and corruption quickly spread. Her former party and more victims came forward about being extorted by Hilla. A robbery at a children's book store and stolen art through a publishers were finally linked to Hilla's crime spree. Her appearance would distract the eyes, her tongue would manipulate minds, while her hands freely took whatever she wanted. One would have never guessed a beauty like Hilla would be so rotten to the core until it was too late. But now she is a hardened criminal.The Mayor of the town being a superstitious person ordered for the evil statue's tongue to be bored out. Her mouth that use to spit venomous words, would now pour harmless water. The statue became one of town's favorite watering hole for pigeons, dogs, and locals to do their dirty laundry.A metal plaque on the statue inscribed as a cautionary tale:Let no adventurer be left behindLet no greed be greater than friendshipLest be stone of heartBe Hilla Payme who stole and fell a partEmpty words of deceit and charmShe earned a gorgon's embrace and can do no more harm//More fun content and bundle here for supporters,