Acidicus rested his scales against a pipe waiting patiently. Pythor and Skales were still digging for the lost city of Ouroboros. Acidicus had every confidence that they would find it and that Pythor would unite the tribes. He just had to be patient.

"Psssst!"

Acidicus turned to where he heard the beckoning. His eyes widened when he saw Skalidor. What was a constrictai doing in the venomari tunnel, let alone the general of them?

Acidicus peered closer. Something was diffinantly bothering Skalidor. If the serpentine had been dogs rather than snakes, Skalidor would have his tail between his legs.

"What are you doing here? What'sss wrong?" Acidicus asked quietly.

"Well it'sss kind of embarrassssing," said Skalidor, "but I need your help before Pythor get'sss back."

"What'sss your problem?" Acidicus asked coldly.

"I…I lossst my ssstaff," Skalidor replied humbly.

"WHAT!"

Acidicus could not believe his ears. How could Skalidor be a big enough idiot to lose his generals staff?

Acidicus shook his head. It was no business of his if Skalidor wasn't smart enough or responsible enough to be general.

"I don't sssee any reason why I should help you," he said.

"Becaussse I sent my conssstrictai to get you out of your tomb asss they were the only onesss ssstrong enough to open it and tough enough to withssstand the bog. You owe me," Said Skalidor regaining his usual confidence.

Acidicus stared. He hadn't expected this response.

"Fine," he grumbled, "Letsss retrace your ssstepsss. Where'sss the lassst place you remember having it?"

"When we all were sssliding on the pink ninja'sss ice," Skalidor replied.

"You mussst have dropped it there…sssure isss far enough though. Were 3 milesss away from the meeting area we were in, and the place the pink ninja froze isss beyond that," Acidicus grumbled.

"How will we find it before Pythor getsss back?" Skalidor whined.

"Ssstop sssniveling." Acidicus scowled, "Pythor won't be back for at leassst a few weeksss. He'sss finding and digging up a lossst city after all, with only his sssecond in command Ssskalesss to help him."

Skalidor nodded.

"Come on we should get ssstarted," said Acidicus.

Why am I going with this fool? He asked himself, It's his own fault he lost the staff. He deserves Pythor's anger.

Still Pythor was trying to unite all the tribes. Acidicus felt this was a positive move towards revenge on the surface dwellers who had locked them away. If this was a step towards at least bringing the Constrictai and the Venomari together, who was he to stop progress towards the greater goal?

Besides the ninjas were still out there. If the ninjas got their hands on the staff who knew what the consequences would be.

"Ssstay out of sight," Acidicus advised, "The tribesss are not yet ready to unite. If we're ssseen together people will talk."

The two stuck to the shadows making their way through the dark underground. Their home until Pythor found Ouroboros. The tribes had taken different sections of the sewers. They were separate. They had been for centuries. They wouldn't unite today. Acidicus could only hope it would be soon. From there he could continue his own plans. Spread fear like no mortal had known. If not through the great devourer than through other methods.

There was little that the serpentine feared. The great devourer was not one of them. Surly it would not eat a fellow snake. Even if it did, they hd a back up plan. More than the surface dwellers had.