Everlong

Temple of Snakes

Going through the dark void of the portal felt very much like being sucked into some black ooze, the darkness almost feeling like it was sticking to Ed and Olly's armor and the skin of their faces. Olly was used to the feeling, but she could hear Ed's restraint as the tightening darkness made his shuffling feet even more hesitant. She instinctively reached out and grabbed his forearm, feeling his Pelorian gauntlets under her gloved hand. Pulling him closer to her, they both emerged from the darkness to have the sense of hot humid dampness surround their senses. Ed took a deep breath as Olly's eyes adjusted to the darkness of what she could guess was the entrance into the Yuan-Ti temple.

Although the space they were in was a mini-plane by itself, the space the portal occupied still lay underneath the City of the Dead, so if the temple were to collapse, the space under the graves would as well, trapping them forever in this darkness. Olly tried not to imagine suffocating underneath layers and layers of earth as she walked a little bit more into the temple entrance. The walls were nothing but slick rock, the stench of old moss and dirt coating the bottom cavern floor. A tunnel led to where firelight flickered against the walls, but Olly was hesitant to go very far without Ed.

As Ed himself got his bearing he noticed everything around them, although his vision was not as clear as Olly's. Olly could make out every nook and crack in the cavern wall, but unfortunately her partner could only guess what things were lurking in the corners of the entrance. Olly closed her eyes and felt out ahead of them, hoping she wouldn't run into any cultists just yet. Her focused mind felt a few of them, but the rhythm of their heartbeats told her whoever was up ahead was fast asleep. Her senses picked up little things waiting for them, things that would snatch and grab and stab if they weren't careful, traps laid out for anyone daring to come closer without invitation.

"Ed" Olly whispered "Step where I step and no other place. The cultists have littered this place with traps. One wrong move and we are caught or dead."

"Got it" Ed whispered back, propping his shield in front of himself in case a flurry of arrows decided to find them.

Very carefully, Olly began moving forward, her bow drawn and an arrow already knocked for her first encounter. She knew that it was going to be near impossible to get through the temple without being spotted, but if they kept their presence down to a minimum, they might have a chance to survive.

As they walked out of the entrance Ed spotted four guards, two on each side posted in front of a monolith of a pyramid. Ed could see sections of the pyramid that stacked high on top of each other until the very top was flattened, a stone altar sitting high and menacing above them, the cherry on top Ed mused. It must be where the Yuan-Ti would make sacrifices, letting the blood or what was left of the body spill down the steps when they were finished.

"Gruesome" Ed thought to himself "All to achieve being a big ass snake..."

Olly looked back at Ed and pointed to the sleeping guards, making a slashing motion with her hand. Ed grimaced, unsure about the violence Olly was suggesting.

"What?" she hissed "You thought we would walk out of here holding hands with everyone?"

"They are sleeping" Ed hissed back.

"Then they will die dreaming, a luxury most do not get" Olly said with a hint of darkness in her voice that reminded Ed that Olly had killed all manner of people and creatures. He had watched her himself behead a manticore and called it mercy...

Huffing at his clear reluctance, Olly snuck to the first two sleeping guards and slit their throats, her other hand palming their mouths to muffle the last fighting breaths. Ed watched his partners eyes as she did this, the deadpan look of just doing what needed to be done, all emotions void in her face and stance of her body. It was eerie, watching her move so quietly that if he had his eyes closed, he would have never known she was approaching from behind, the blade of her dagger swiping across the other two guards' throats like spreading butter on bread.