Arbiteth's Perspective

The room was dark and it was hot and damp. The very air seemed sticky with the amount of dust and moisture that resided from many years of being encased within the tomb. So many years the tombs have been open but the grime did not seem to want to leave.

For some reason or other, shackles bound my wrists and ankles, and only a few shreds of fabric clad my dirty skin and kept me barely descent.

I looked up into the darkness that my eyes had not fully adjusted to yet, just barely able to see the slight red glow of my eyes reflecting off of my pale cheeks. Slowly, one by one, pairs of glowing eyes began to appear before me, some red like mine, some blue or green or yellow and so on, all sinister and disembodied. I was frightened, but I did not let my face show as much, because the only way these serpentine were going to get to me was through my fear, and I could not allow that to happen.

Suddenly the entire room was alight with flames and before me stood the Generals of the tribes; Scales of the Hypnobrai, Fangtom of the Fangpyre, Acidicus of the Venomari, Skalidor of the Constrictai, and Pythor of the Anacondrai. The faces of all were very grim and hard, like they were trying to mask their emotions with a layer of uncaring, all except for Pythor, who for whatever reason was grinning.

"Greetings dear Arbiteth..." He hissed menacingly, chuckling. "It has come to my knowledge that you are of Serpentine blood am I correct?"

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, staring angrily at the thing that captured me. "You know well what I am Pythor, don't ask me stupid questions…"

Raucously he laughed, seeming to shake the entire tomb; the entirety of the joined tribes laughed along with him. "Oh my dear you are such a fool, I am sad to say that it is time for your lesson."

I hissed at him angrily, surely getting some venom or spittle or something on him; either way I would have been grateful to have demeaned him in some manner.

He wiped his face slightly, but kept a level head. "As we all know she has the blood of a snake in her veins…" She spoke to the crowd. "But as she is an illegitimate spawn she must be initiated into the tribe."

"I'm your illegitimate spawn you slithering idiot!" I yelled at him, pulling one of the shackles free from my foot and swinging it at him upon its freedom.

He ordered two servants to re-shackle it and then approached me, first giving me a look of contempt, then offering me a hard slap on the face. His rage was much more apparent now.

"Don't YOU DARE EVER TRY TO PUT YOUR FILTHY HUMAN FLESH ON ME AGAIN! And don't you think of disrespecting me again either, because I don't care WHOSE illegitimate child you CLAIM to be, I can make your initiation much…much worse for you than you could ever fathom…" He turned his back to me. "Generals! Come forth!"

Almost mindlessly they obeyed, heads bowed and staffs in hand.

"Today we're gaining a new member of our tribe, this should be a joyous occasion, for this is the very first time that we have done this. Though it will be trying, because the initiation will be painful for our new member, maybe even excruciating, but we must all bear together and not falter as she needs full support, despite how…hateful she can be."

He turned back to me, grinning. "Shall we begin my dear? We're all waiting for your go-ahead."

"Fuck you." I spat in a low, frighteningly venomous voice that I no doubt got from him.

"I guess that's a yes boys, let us begin!"

The generals all advanced on me, each one taking charge of a limb, Scales had my right arm, Fangtom my left, and Skalidor and Acidicus had claimed my legs. I struggled desperately, sure that whatever they were going to do was indeed going to be excruciating.

I felt breath on my neck on the right side and I tried to worm away, but I stopped when I heard Scales speak: "I'm sorry my dear niece."

I exhaled a shuddery breath and did not reply with but a single tear streaming down my cheek.

"We may now commence with the ceremony!" Pythor yelled, and with that tiny pinpricks of pain that I knew were snake bites alighted on my arms and legs, and with that the generals all backed away.

I furrowed my brows again in confusion. "That's it? That's the excruciation you foreshadowed? You're pathetic Pythor, you and your followers."

He grinned. "You won't think me pathetic for long my dear Arbiteth, I'd say in…three…two…one…"

Right on the count of one my entire body was racked with a horrible burning sensation, and my whole body grew stiff with convulsions.

Pythor approached me in triumph, licking my cheek. "Oh, now while you are bathing in agony I can explain to you what is happening."

I let out a series of painful grunts through clenched teeth, only able to stare my hatred into him.

"You see dear girl, each of us have a certain type of venom, being that we are of five different species...and so much of one type can be fatal. But just a little of each all at once is surprisingly not able to kill, and if the one receiving the dose is part Serpentine then well of course they can tolerate more. This is not going to harm you physically though it may seem so right now, but I assure you only your mind will be altered..."

With my final ounce of strength I opened my mouth and released a bloodcurdling scream.