VIPER POV:
"What do you mean he's missing"?
"My apologies Miss Viper, but when I returned with the herbs needed to fix him up, he was nowhere in sight"!
This is not good. To think that ten minutes ago I was happy and content meditating in my room. The next thing I knew, Bob had asked me if Mike had returned to our room. Upon replying no he seemed rather worried, as did I. And now here we are at the last place Mike was seen. Nothing seemed out of place. But then again it was rather the lack of things that worried me. Specifically Mike himself.
"Bob. Was there anything, well, dangerous you may have been working on that Mike could have accidentally touched or used"?
"Well Miss Viper, I was working on the different toxins used in the darts he brought back. The mixture and uses of different venom is rather extraordinary! If we were to break down each type of venom from which species, it could unlock a whole new branch in biological"-
After catching a quick glance of my disapproving stare, Bob was more than happy to focus back on the task at hand.
-"Well, not so long ago we had been hoping to get some information on the marbles the Silent Blade uses for sudden transportation. Mike used one of the many over on the table and became rather suddenly sick, which was when I felt it was best to fetch the necessary herbs needed to relax an upset stomach and... well I'm afraid here we are".
How strange. There are guards at the entrance and they would have easily seen Mike slither out, so he can't have left the room, surely. We must be missing something important. What else could...
...
Oh... Oh dear...
"Bob, did you clear the marbles away when you were finished"?
"No. Why do you ask"?
Of course not. Men, always forgetting to clean up after themselves!
"Well, I'm afraid to tell you it seems that they're all missing".
After that brief sentence uttered from my mouth, Bob was, well, certainly not happy. He waddled over checking the table from all angles, including underneath. The poor dear seemed rather... saddened. No doubt those were the only marbles they had found. It wasn't easy seeing him go so quickly from calm to depressed. Time wasn't exactly on our side I felt, but given the importance of those marbles... perhaps I should give him a minute to himself, see if I can find anything myself that may help.
The looked to be nothing in the room itself as we just pointed out. But there was something. A strange smell. Nothing that I could relate it to, nor did it remind me of any kind of smell. It was faint yet pungent. Certainly unpleasant. Did it come from the marbles when they broke? Maybe. That and the missing marbles strongly suggest that Mike took them all and used one to escape. But that makes no sense! Why would he do such a thing?
"Because he must decide his own fate my dear".
I jumped. The new voice had caught me off guard. I turned around to find that the Soothsayer was right behind me! I didn't even notice her coming down the stairs. She looked slightly saddened.
"What do you mean his own fate"? I couldn't keep the irritated strain on my voice concealed. I did not understand what she meant. At least not just yet.
"One finds it hard to move forwards when another is holding them back. Perhaps your friend felt it best to continue his journey alone".
"He wouldn't! Surely not! I- I mean he's a little reckless, sure! But... But not even he would dare"...
"Viper". Bob spoke up. "I know that I have little knowledge on your companion and his motives, but it seems that what the soothsayer says is the most likely output. Considering"-
"Well you're wrong"! I quickly lashed out, startling him. I didn't mean to but I couldn't help it. My mind was all over the place. "There has to be some other reason! He wouldn't just... abandon us like this! He wouldn't! He"-
Something pressed against my back. Turning round once again I found that it was the Soothsayers hoof. She offered a sad smile as to say that everything is okay. It also extinguished my rising anger almost immediately. Now only pain and my own sadness remained.
"Why would he leave me like this? Doesn't he trust me"?
"Viper, my poor sweet child. I wish I had the answer, but I can offer only what I know".
Her eyes looked into mine.
"Dark forces are at play, I know this to be the reason for your journey here to Gongmen city but beyond that, the future can only offer so little. All I can do for you now is offer you a choice".
She raised her other hoof. It was closed, concealing something small. When she opened it in front of me, I was surprised. It was another marble! Though how she had gotten it I did not know nor did I think to ask!
"If you believe that he really needs you, then use this to find him. But be warned dear. Helping someone can do more damage than it can good. Choose wisely dear. In the future, anything is possible. But in the past, everything is set in stone"...
ELSEWHERE...
"I'll ask only one more time. Where is it"?
Not so surprisingly, using the marble did its job and had taken me far from the protection of Gongmen city. Far enough that I don't know which direction it's in. Not that it matters. Instead, I had found myself in the one place I wanted to reach. The Silent Camp Blade. As you can imagine, teleporting into a heavily armed area would be extremely dangerous, but then this isn't supposed to be a stealth mission. I am here on my own accord. And being outnumbered twenty to one sounds suicidal, I know but... I am not alone. Well, not while she lurks within me.
And now here we are just five minutes after arriving. Just me and the leader of this weak little group. He lay before me now defeated while his comrades laid scattered among the remains of their cargo. Some beaten and bloodied while others remained... worse off. None dead but, they werent exactly far from it either. Of course, all that rage I unleashed on them will prove to be nothing if I don't get what I need. It all depends on whether their captain decides to play smart.
"Why should I tell you after everything you've done, huh?! After what you've done to my soldiers"?!
My tail wrapped around his neck, and I lifted his limp yet hulking form up off of the ground with ease. A little extra added pressure was enough for him to start choking like a rat. He was upset, I get that. His meagre security force didn't exactly do much other than stand in my way. But right now, if I were him, I would be feeling more concerned about myself.
"Because whether or not you do won't matter in the end. I will find it eventually. So either you tell me now, in which I find it right away and you won't suffer. Or, you pretend to be a hero and hold out in which I promise you will suffer greatly. Don't think I won't fulfil that promise either. I have a lot of anger to deal with".
A few seconds of silence passed. For a moment I was sure he was pretending to be either deaf or just very very stupid. He'd better say something soon. A crushed windpipe won't be doing either of us much good in a moment.
"Fine. You want it so badly, fine. Take it. It's in the box to your left. Enough to level an entire mountain".
A small chuckled left my lips. "See? Was that really so hard now"?
With his usefulness fulfilled, I tossed him to the side. To weak to even retaliate in any way.
The box that the boa had so kindly pointed out was to no surprise locked. Not that it made a difference. Good thing being a python has its perks. Wrapping around the box followed by a hard enough squeeze was more than enough for it to break into splinters, revealing the prize inside.
Explosives. But these ones were far more powerful than any this world knew. At least that's what these fools bragged about. Now they are mine for my own purpose.
By tomorrow, finally, she dies. Her miserable form wiped from the planet and sent back to the darkest depths of hell where it belongs!
/././././.
So. I'm back for a bit. I've been very busy lately with my life since the end of uni and... I could now be joining the navy in a couple of months time. Gave me a thought on this site and whether I should at least finish this story before then. Goodness knows I've written this for quite some time. May be another 5 chapters left depending on what I can and can't do in time. Thanks to any still reading. Cheerio!