Gripping his big stick firmly in both hands, (...) he lifts it over his head and brings it down on the water with all his strength. If something attacks him he'll run, otherwise he'll continue into the pyramid as before.
[4] You walk over to the pond. You think you see a rock in it. You're about a few yards away when
something leaps out of the water and attacks you! You barely dodge it, with it nicking your left hand with razor sharp teeth. It lands into the foliage at the end of the clearing.
[2] You scream from being startled and the intense pain coming from your hand. You hear splashes behind you. Oh dear.
(+1 Light Injury to Left Hand. -1 to rolls involving that hand. You'll be able to ignore the pain in 4 turns.)
Get yon stick.
[4] You're about to walk into the clearing when you hear a scream to your right. A scream only Pauly could make.
You stop paying attention to what you're doing when your foot hits the sand. It's quicksand. You quickly lose your balance and fall face first. Gripping for anything to hold yourself up, you find the long stick floating in the quicksand. Gripping it with both hands while rapidly sinking, you push it down until you hit solid ground, pushing you up.
Only your head and part of your shoulders can be seen from the surface. You'll need to be creative or get some help to get out of this one.
(To get the stick, you had to 'swim' to the center of the quicksand, so you're just out of reach of Axel by hand)
Watch carefully and keep a lookout for anything suspicious. Warn Ferren if something is coming straight at her or around her.
You look for suspicious things. That stick sure is suspicious. You stare at it a few good seconds before you hear Pauly scream, and then a 'plop' as you watch Ferren fall face first into the quicksand. She's keeping herself afloat with the stick you were throwing pebbles at. She is just outside hand's reach.
Leave her for dead. Victory is just within your grasp. You could go home.