Vhisarion is finally dead, and this one opens with the promised celebration. The counter starts at Scoti 131, Basket 117.
Fifteen down
"It's a celebration time. You ready?" "Yeah. All right, red crystal." The Red Crystal goes into its slot on the monument with a burst of red particles. Afterward the only empty slot left in the row is the black one.
Looking back on Fort Vhisarion: "We plowed through the beginning and then the boss took a month." The gear situation is rough after all those deaths. "We did lose a bunch of gear. Things are pretty tough right now." There is one upside: thanks to a health boost, one of them has "19 and a half hearts."
Shopping at the Elementarist
Before the next level they stop at the shops. One trader wants Cursed Blood and diamonds for a sword. The Elementarist sells Yaaros' Inferno, a legendary bow with Power VI and Flame that surrounds its arrows with "a blazing aura, setting all enemies around them on fire." They decide to come back for the sword later, because "we're all gonna die in like five minutes."
The Black Gate
The six Shadow Keys go in one at a time, counted out loud, and chat confirms it: "The Black Gate has been opened." Inside, there are Endermen down below. "This looks like a trap if ever there was a trap."
The story says an ancient king grew obsessed with the Black Crystal and began torturing and executing the kingdom's people. They rose up, and when the crystal couldn't be destroyed, they sealed it away in this realm. The objective: a curse kills anyone who gets close to the crystal, and it holds as long as seven black shrines stand. All seven have to be destroyed.
Beware of white smoke
A sign gives the warning: "Beware of white smoke from the everlasting fire. If it touches your skin your fate will be dire. It watches and follows wherever you go and punishes those who are foolish and slow."
It does exactly that. "I walked up past it and then just stood there and it immediately started following me and burning me. I lost two hearts." On top of the smoke there are Spectral Creepers, bow mobs that cause blindness, and a spawner. Around 14 minutes in, Scoti dies. "Scoti_Garbidis was blown up by Spectral Creeper."
Getting the gear back goes badly. There is lava under the floor, and the dropped items burn up in it. "Looks like my chest plate disappeared." The other one offers a backup chestplate. "It's got fire protection. That'd be good for the lava."
Science
So they test the smoke. Can it get through a one-high gap? "It's coming through." Does a hole stop it? "It's down in there." Then: "It gets out." The best guess is that it isn't really a mob. Instead it's "trying to track on you," moving toward a player's location. They try a Frost Trap on it, and the smoke moves right through.
One last push into a side room brings bow mobs, the smoke and lava bubbling under the floor all at once. "Everything's horrible." They pull back before anyone else dies.
This episode's deaths, going by the counter: Scoti 1, Basket 0. It ends at Scoti 132, Basket 117. The monument now holds 15 of 16 crystals, with only the Black Crystal left. The emerald blocks aren't shown clearly, so they carry over at 10 of 12.