Lost Ruins: The City Of Gold

Chapter 5: Hydra

    They constantly hear strange noises coming from the deep dark jungle. Arthur checks the map and compass a few times to make sure they are headed in the right direction. After a while, they finally come to a point where they can see the lake. Arthur takes out the stone and holds it up to the sky.
"We are almost there. We have to get to where the constellations line up with the stone," Arthur says. He points down the lake. "Just beneath that mountain there and into that shadowy valley is where we should go."
"Over the Mountains Of the Moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow, Ride, bodly ride, The shade replied, If you seek for El Dorado!" Olivia adds as she looks over at Arthur. "Edgar Allen Poe."
"I'm not even going to ask how you remembered that," Arthur says as he shakes his head. They continue walking to the correct point. They discuss things like what they will do with all the gold and if getting into El Dorado will be dangerous. Arthur holds the stone up to the sky a few more times and they finally get to the exact location.
"Here we are," Arthur announces. They both look around and see a four foot tall totem. On top is a hole that looks just like the one in the wall of the entrance to the tomb.
"The medallion," Olivia muttered.
"Do it," Arthur added. Olivia takes out the medallion and places it in the hole. She lines up the markings with the ones on the totem pole. Suddenly the totem shoots into the ground and the ground begins to sink in a circular motion. The ground sinks more and more and it is clear that spiral steps had just formed going into the ground.
"I guess you want me to go down the creepy steps first?" Arthur quaked. Olivia smirked and nodded her head. They began walking down the steps and finally came to the bottom. There was a long dark corridor. Arthur notices torches on the wall and he lights one on either side and suddenly all the torches started lighting, one after another down the log hallway. Suddenly the way back out slams shut and debris fills the air. "Why does that keep happening?" Arthur whines.
Arthur pulls out his gun and they start walking, but have no idea what is down there or what will happen. Olivia walks as close as she can to Arthur. This underground tomb looks similar to the last tomb they were in. Then, a mummy comes out of nowhere and Arthur shoots it with his shotgun. Boom! The mummy goes flying. Arthur pulls something out of his pocket and hit a button
"Lets go!" Arthur yells to Olivia as he grabs her hand. Arthur and Olivia fire at mummys as they pass them. They run through the maze of corridors and come to a large room with nothing in it. "Shit! Shit," Arthur yells again.
"Wait!" Olivia shouted as she walked up to a wall with symbols on it. "I can read this and find the way through."
Arthur pulls out his pistol. Bam! Bam! Bam! Arthur is dodging Mummies, elbowing some in the face and shooting more. Arthur reloads. Olivia begins to read the wall. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Arthur makes sure nothing gets close to Olivia. A Mummy almost slices Arthur with its sword. Arthur backs up quick, dodging it. Arthur twists the mummy's arm and smashes its head on a pillar.
    "Hurry!" Arthur says loudly as he shoots more mummies. Arthur swings around, tripping a mummy. Bam! Bam! Olivia tries to concentrate on continuing reading and translating as she hears Arthur rapid fire at Mummies.
"Damn it, I'm out," Arthur yells back. He puts his gun away and gets in a fighting stance. A mummy swings it's sword at him, but he dodges it and grabs the mummy's arm. Then he elbows it, knocking it's head off and takes it's sword.
"Hurry Liv!" Arthur insisted.
"I don't do well under pressure," She scolds back.
"Well you're going to have to now," Arthur demanded. Arthur swings and slashes at mummys that swarm into the room. The clanking of swords and armor fill this underground tomb. Arthur swings his sword and takes off two mummy heads at once. He punches another and slashes at it. He thrusts and three mummies are stuck on the sword. He kicks them off and fights some more.
"I got it!" Olivia screams with a smile on her face. She takes a few steps and finds different snake like carvings on blocks on a wall. She pushes them in, in a particular pattern. A door opens slowly. Olivia pulls out her revolver to help Arthur as he rushes toward her. Bam! Bam! Bam! Click, Click, her gun is empty and throws it at a Mummy hitting it in the head. Arthur and Olivia rush through the now open door. Olivia pushes in another carving block and the door closes quickly squashing a mummy between the stone doors. They bend over and breath heavily.
"I really hate those things," Arthur grunted.
"Yeah, that was too close for my liking," Olivia adds.
    "Did you throw the gun at a mummy," Arthur asks.
    "Yeah it was empty," she responded.
    "My gun was out but I had more for yours and....." They then hear something slide across the floor and they look up quickly.
"What the fuck was that?" Arthur and Olivia asked the same question at the same time. Arthur lights a torch on the wall and again starts the chain reaction for all the torches to light up. The room flickers and glows from the torches, and they notice they are now in a giant room with very thick pillars and pools of water on either side of a walkway. The entire room is wet and water is leaking everywhere. The begin to walk, but slowly.
"Careful." Arthur whispers. A black figure is seen in their peripheral vision and they turn quickly to the right, but nothing is there. They then hear the noise from before and quickly turn around, and that's when they see it. A giant black and green, scaly, demon looking snake is hurtling toward them. Arthur and Olivia jump and dodge it. The Giant snake goes right between them. They get up and run.
"Oh my god, it's Hydra!" Olivia shouted as she ran next to Arthur.
Hydra's tail comes whipping by them, but they duck just in time as it slams into a pillar knocking pieces everywhere. They run some more dodging this monster between the pillars. Arthur fires a few shotgun shells at Hydra. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! But the shots don't even phase the scally giant. They run some more as water splashes beneath their feet. Hydra dives into the water and disappears in the dark of the endless pool. Arthur and Olivia step back slowly looking around. Suddenly, Hydra jumps out of another pool splashing water everywhere. Arthur and olivia dive away. Hydra's tail whips around again and hits Olivia. She goes flying through the air and hits the ground.
"OLIVIA!" Arthur shouts louder than he ever has before. Hydra slowly slithers up to Olivia and it's forked tongue hisses out twice. Olivia turns over and stares into Hydra's red eyes. Hydra opens its mouth and saliva drips from the top of its mouth over its sharp fangs. Just before Hydra was about to eat Olivia Arthur throws rocks at it's head. The water monster loomed over Olivia who on the floor couldn't find the will to scream through her shock. Hydra's hiss filled the room as its sharp teeth where ready for Olivia's flesh. Arthur watched in horror as the area around him seemed all in slow motion. He looked around and some stones where behind him next to a crumbling wall. He went through them to see which was strongest and once he found one of a good size he turned back to Hydra. The monstrous snake was about to strike but Arthur hurled the larger stone at Hydra. It hit the snake's head and instantly it's fire eyes burned at Arthur. Its tongue stuck out again and hissed once more.
"HEY! Get away from her," he shouts. "Come here you slimy fuck!"
Arthur gets ready with the sword in his hand. Thinking of Hercules, he talks to himself. "This is really going to suck," he mumbled. Hydra quickly slithers up to him, tilts its head back and swallows him whole.
"Arthur," Olivia screams. "No," she yelped. "Noooooo!"
Olivia looks up and Hydra is coming toward her. Hydra then stops suddenly and looks all around. A blade sticks through its neck and slices all the way around. Hydra's head falls completely off and Arthur climbs out of the dead snakes body. He is covered in all kinds of slime and goop. Olivia rushes to him and Arthur spits and keeps spitting.
"Yuck!" He shouts. "This is gross!"
"Arthur! I thought you were dead," she cries.
"Not quite," he adds. Olivia goes to hug him, but quickly backs off.
"Wow, you smell terrible," she tells him.
"No shit," he replies. Arthur tries to wipe off all that he can.
"Have I told you that you are..." She began but Arthur interrupts.
"Crazy. Yeah I know," he says.
"I was afraid I lost you," Olivia spoke as her voice creaked with her head down. Arthur lifts her chin up with his finger.
"Hey, you will never lose me," he tells her as he smiles. They continue walking. "Please get us out of here Liv." They walk side by side and come to a narrow bridge. The floor of the bridge look like blocks with carving son them. Arthur takes a step out the the block he steps on falls away. He falls back and looks down at the never ending hole.
"The floor itself is a puzzle. I think we have to step just right to get across," Olivia says with nervously. Olivia reads the inscriptions around the doorway. "Bald of head, but never cold. Hard when young, but soft when old. I cannot live with my food. Majestic in movement, in eating crude." She looks at the floor of the bridge. She sees images of birds, lions, alligators, snakes, and other animals. "Eagles, step on the eagles, nothing else," She demands. They both step carefully across the bridge only stepping on blocks with eagles on them. Olivia's foot slips and hits a block with a lion. It falls immediately and her foot goes through. The block falls into what seems like a never ending pit. Arthur shouts and reaches for her. There's no room for him to get to her. "I'm okay," she says. She gets up slowly. They finally make their trip across the bridge that seemed to take forever. They continue their way and Arthur makes a torch. Walking down the dirty, cobweb filled halls makes an eerie feel with only a torch to light the way. They continued to walk down what seemed like a never ending corridor.
    "Damn only six more shells and a sword," Arthur declared as he loaded his shotgun.
"Well hopefully the worst is over," Olivia cried back. "But isn't this fascinating!" Olivia touches the walls and pillars as if they were works of art. "The beautiful stone work in this underground place that men with nothing but hand tools made."
"Even though we almost died for the 100th time today, you still smile and admire the history here. You are such a nerd," Arthur laughs and smiles.
"I know," She says winking at him. They finally come to the end which is nothing but a dead end.
"Son of a bitch!" Arthur roared. "All this way and we have to turn back.
"No there has to be something, this was the only way," Olivia explained. She begins looking closely at the walls feeling around. She notices a hole in the wall and reaches in and feels a latch. She pulls it and the sound of grinding rocks echoes through the corridor.