01-10-2021, 02:25 AM
Jaxen curled down upon himself, forehead on the floor. His ears throbbed. Drums rumbled inside his head. He could practically feel the tongues slithering up and down his body. Their venom dripped acid, scorching his skin. This was the end, again, he told himself.
Then an idea burrowed up inside his brain, taking hold like a parasite clawing from somewhere forgotten. “Oh shut up, Jaxen. Everything ended before. It’ll end again.”
With that, the noise stopped. The pressure fled. A fleshy hand touched his shoulder, and he looked up to find himself at the feet of a female. Not just any female, the hot woman from the surface. At least, the figure that masqueraded as a woman. The woman was mostly human appearing, but her yellow eyes were too narrow and her jaw too long. Her skin was scalloped with the sickening hint of scales that Jaxen was morbidly curious to caress. Her body was slender and lean with slim breasts and narrow hips that lacked the hourglass shape he remembered. More than that, she was dressed differently than Jaxen remembered. She wore a tall headdress of gold that was formed in the shape of flames layered upon flames. From it threaded beads of jewels that wove around her head. Luminous hair the color of murky green water toppled from her head to her waist. Her clothing was royal with curved metal elements rested upon her shoulders like armor.
Since it wasn’t like Jaxen to grovel, least not until really necessary, he climbed to unsteady feet. The ginormous cavern of a room felt smaller. Slitted eyes remained, watching from shadows, but they were satiated it seemed. Having taken what they wanted from him and waited for more.
“Have a good show?” He spat at the group. “Enjoy watching people panic?” he snorted, less than amused, and stared down the woman who was quite likely their host for the day, frantically trying to figure out how to get out of this.
“Are you not entertained?” he asked her, quoting a movie that reminded him of exactly their current circumstance. That’s when he realized what kind of place he was in. It was some kind of arena.
She didn’t answer, only studied what she saw. Jaxen breathed heavy, but he was too tired to dismantle the puzzles. What did she want with him? With.. shit! Aiden and Sage. What the hell happened to them? Were they even alive? Were they about to be paraded out onto the arena floor. He wouldn’t mind attempting to duel Aiden to the death, but he really wasn’t in the mood right then.
With that, the naga princess lifted her hand and up raised a hidden doorway. On the other side were two human men that he was most relieved to see.
In the blink of an eye, the royal woman was upon a distant dias. Her voice echoed in the chamber and her people listened intently.
"Only one issssss worthy. Let he claim the treassssssurrre,” she hissed and a cold shiver ran down his back.
“I have a bad fucking feeling about this,” he said to himself.
Then an idea burrowed up inside his brain, taking hold like a parasite clawing from somewhere forgotten. “Oh shut up, Jaxen. Everything ended before. It’ll end again.”
With that, the noise stopped. The pressure fled. A fleshy hand touched his shoulder, and he looked up to find himself at the feet of a female. Not just any female, the hot woman from the surface. At least, the figure that masqueraded as a woman. The woman was mostly human appearing, but her yellow eyes were too narrow and her jaw too long. Her skin was scalloped with the sickening hint of scales that Jaxen was morbidly curious to caress. Her body was slender and lean with slim breasts and narrow hips that lacked the hourglass shape he remembered. More than that, she was dressed differently than Jaxen remembered. She wore a tall headdress of gold that was formed in the shape of flames layered upon flames. From it threaded beads of jewels that wove around her head. Luminous hair the color of murky green water toppled from her head to her waist. Her clothing was royal with curved metal elements rested upon her shoulders like armor.
Since it wasn’t like Jaxen to grovel, least not until really necessary, he climbed to unsteady feet. The ginormous cavern of a room felt smaller. Slitted eyes remained, watching from shadows, but they were satiated it seemed. Having taken what they wanted from him and waited for more.
“Have a good show?” He spat at the group. “Enjoy watching people panic?” he snorted, less than amused, and stared down the woman who was quite likely their host for the day, frantically trying to figure out how to get out of this.
“Are you not entertained?” he asked her, quoting a movie that reminded him of exactly their current circumstance. That’s when he realized what kind of place he was in. It was some kind of arena.
She didn’t answer, only studied what she saw. Jaxen breathed heavy, but he was too tired to dismantle the puzzles. What did she want with him? With.. shit! Aiden and Sage. What the hell happened to them? Were they even alive? Were they about to be paraded out onto the arena floor. He wouldn’t mind attempting to duel Aiden to the death, but he really wasn’t in the mood right then.
With that, the naga princess lifted her hand and up raised a hidden doorway. On the other side were two human men that he was most relieved to see.
In the blink of an eye, the royal woman was upon a distant dias. Her voice echoed in the chamber and her people listened intently.
"Only one issssss worthy. Let he claim the treassssssurrre,” she hissed and a cold shiver ran down his back.
“I have a bad fucking feeling about this,” he said to himself.