The golden-scale naga stood in front of the huge hut that dominated the plaza. She sighed and entered in her future wife's chambers. Ahura was watching the amazon from her place on the throne in the center of the Elder´s chambers. Behind her, several green-robed human-shaped women watched the red-haired naga from the far wall. A dozen nagas were lined up on either side of the room, with their tails raised at attention; they seemed to be waiting for the Amazon to arrive. As she glided through that formation, her gaze posed itself over a particular naga with tanned skin, black hair and a tail of black scales, Cassandra wonders if she was Camilla, Melody's rescuer. In front of all the presents, a plate, of freshly cooked food; had been arranged for every naga in the room. A single bowl without owner was placed in front of the crowd of snake women; Cassandra stands before the overflowing plate and waits patiently sitting on her tail. After a moment, the silver-haired naga seems to notice the presence of the newcomer.
“Welcome, Champion ... That drawing on your face is interesting.”
When this is over I'm going to kill you, Melody.
"I have come as instructed, Elder."
“I see that Alix and her people have prepared you properly for our meeting, good. Once you pass through the Rite, you will be considered a member of the Naga clan. There is just a compliance you need to complete first.”
Here we go.
Compliance?” The amazon asks, with a tone of false confusion in her voice.
“All nagas belonging to the Python clan must pass a test before becoming members of our clan: The Hunt.”
Elizabeth had talked about this task with Cassandra. The nagas were natural hunters, and in order to demonstrate their abilities to the tribe, they were sent to the wild, in a solo hunt, without any external interference. But the normal thing was that the nagas were trained first to carry out a task like that; Cassandra hardly knew anything about hunting and did not know well the abilities of her new body.
“Usually, we wouldn´t send to a newcomer but, an Amazon warrior who holds the title of Champion…” She made a theatrical gesture to the golden-scaled naga. A fake smile adorned on her face,” I don't think such a person as that, needs to go through our boring training and preparations for a simple task like this, I am right?” At that statement, laughter echoed within the hut, coming from the rest of the audience.
The intentions from the Elder were simple and obvious Elder Ahura hoped that the amazon died out there, alone in the wild.
Elizabeth had also warned her about this possibility. Nagas valued the ability to dominate other creatures and races. Cassandra, with her little act of defiance, had altered the status quo of the Clan by demonstrating her superiority over the Elder, shaming her before the other members of the clan. Right now, all the nagas of Python Clan were in mortal danger: If the rumors of the defeat of an Elder and her subsequent humiliation before a foreigner and an unrecognized member of the clan, reached the Aspid or the Anaconda; The spilled blood would be enough to overflow a river. It was no wonder that Ahura tried to rid herself of the annoying and insolent Amazon. The Clans of snake women lived constantly on the brink of civil war.
Cassandra knew perfectly well that, for the proud naga -in her eyes- there were only two ways this could end satisfactorily: The first was to abdicate to the person responsible for her defeat, making sure to maintain a certain position of power after her fall on grace. The other option was to kill that person and regain her dignity and position.
The Amazon hoped to reach a mutual agreement that would not require her death.
“So, what weapon do you intend to carry in your task?” Asked one of the presents. Alarms sounded on the amazon´s mind. Admiral Ackbar gives his situation report.
That was a trap.The nagas didn´t use any weapon or tool for The Hunt. They only use their physique and mind to complete it. The attendant was trying to humiliate her before her court. Luckily, the redhead was prepared for that.
“Just the fangs and the tail I was given by the Gods.”
Some of the other nagas began to murmur. They didn't believe that an outsider could knew their customs and less, the ritualistic words. For the black-skinned naga, a slight tremor in the left eye was the only thing that gave away her surprise.
“You may know the words, but soon we will see if you are worthy of them.”
With a wave of her hand, the green-scaled naga indicated to the rest of the attendees that they could start to lunch, and the red-haired Amazon did not stay behind. She began to devour the food placed on the plate in front of her.
As Cassandra ate that dish made almost entirely of meat, she thanked the gods that the nagas didn't use their poison on each other. The Amazon had asked Elizabeth about that possibility and the succubus had been livid for her ignorance of these matters, (she just arrive a few days back to this place but, whatever.) Apparently, the poisoning was the worst insult a member of the Naga tribe could make to the amazon redhead.
The use of poison to kill another naga was considered a grave insult among the tribe of serpent women. Despite the hostilities with other clans and conflicts with the rest of the tribes, within the clans there must have been a certain climate of mutual respect and trust; at least that is how it worked in the Python Clan. Which made the poisoning a taboo. On one side was the victim, who had suffered a rather humiliating death, reserved for creatures considered preys and the members of other tribes. In addition, there was the fact that her death had been at the hands of one of her peers who had considered her unworthy of her respect, and who ended up resorting to the poison. Then, there was the poisoner, who, automatically lose any trust she has among her people for having resorted to such a low tactic with one of their own. Also, there was the fact that it was a murder carried out to get rid of a rival for the position of clan leader. Using poison in a political assassination carried out by an Elder would be seen as a sign of little authority and lack of leadership on the part of Ahura herself. If the silver-haired naga or one of her supporters attempted such a thing, said naga would be considered an outcast among her people and her actions would leave an indelible stain on the reputation of her family and clan. In short, this tactic would only further damage the reputation of the Elder and her people. So the amazon was, for now, safe from any attempted poisoning.
Even if the Amazon was not a true naga, the rest of the clan had decided to keep that “little” detail, aside. Right now, the Sword-Bearer was considered part of the Naga tribe but without any affiliation with any clan. Something that Ahura and her peers will have to correct before another clan took advantage of this situation.
The rest of the nagas seemed to politely ignore the redhead, as she looked nervously around the room. Even with the assurance that her food had not been poisoned, that did not mean she was safe.
The succubus had tried to calm Cassandra's fears to little effect after hearing all the horrible ways she could be killed.
“Of course, not using the poison does not remove the fact that she will try other tactics to get you off the picture. You must remain with your eyes open at all time when you are in her court and try to guess the Elder´s intentions.” Elizabeth handed a glass full of juice to the redhead." Earning the trust of a naga, especially an Elder, is a delicate job. Right now, you have her by the neck and jaws, but it won't take long for her to squirm and bite you. That is why she needs to see the advantages that marrying you would have. Right now, she sees you as little more than a threat to her leadership. A threat that she has to get out of her way to regain the control she'd lost and, The Hunt, is the perfect excuse to do it.
While Cassandra was absorbed in her thoughts, the Elder had been talking about the history of The Hunt. So far she hadn't said anything that the amazon already knew.
“Our people have always maintained their contact with nature. Not like those quadruped beasts of the east that have so dispassionately forsaken their roots.” Various remarks of support echoed off the rest of the assembled naga. At the back of the room, the girls in green robes continued to observe this scene like statues. The Amazon had had her own questions about these girls, but Elizabeth had only evasively answered them.
“They… are a sensitive subject among the naga tribe.” The succubus changed the subject immediately, diverting Cassandra's attention. “The only thing that should worry you must be the meeting with Ahura. Don't worry about them. When this is over, we will talk about it.” The succubus got up and began to move towards the exit, having graved the red-haired woman by her hand. “Remember, whatever she has planned for you, you must make sure you come out triumphant of whatever task she tries to put on you. You must show her that you can be of use to her clan. She has to realize that having you by her side is more beneficial than getting rid of you.”
The two of them stood facing each other at the entrance to the temple.
"This is going to be a shit festival, isn't it?" The Amazon sounded disheartened.
Elizabeth crossed her arms.
“You wanted a way to keep the peace, right? This is your best chance to get it. If you don't want the two of you to end up killing each other, you need to come to a mutual understanding and have respect for each other. To do this, Ahura must first stop seeing you as an adversary. Instead, she has to see you as...”
"An ally?" The amazon Snorted.
“Of convenience.”
The succubus loved to have the last word.
Back in the present, Ahura seemed to have finished with her speech. It was the ideal time for Cassandra to make her own demands.
“I gladly accept my task. I only have one condition.”
Several nagas fidgeted. They obviously weren't expecting someone like her, speaking out of place before their leader. Ahura kept a neutral expression on her face.
“Oh?”
“When I come back and pass the initiation rite, I would like to return to the Temple of the Fountain.”
"Are already bored of us?" She sounded amused by the red-haired Amazon's proposition.
“I have to still fulfill my duties as Champion and protect this island and its inhabitants. Been away too long could lead to unpleasant problems.”
"Mmmh…" Ahura seemed to be considering Cassandra's request.
In the room, the rest of the naga were giving unfriendly glances in the direction of the red-haired naga, and some were sticking their fangs out.
"Fine." The snake-shaped eyes seemed to be watching her like someone would be studying prey.” Once you return from The Hunt and be presented to the tribe you will be allowed to return to the Temple. Now, if there is nothing more to talk ...” She moved her head slightly to the left while a carnivorous smile adorned her face. - Priestess!
One of the assembled snake women glided forward. She appeared to be the same age as Ahura, but her skin was olive-like and her hair was black and tied up in a bun. On her arms and back she had engraved on her skin a series of glyphs that ran through her body like a snake. In her hands, she carried a bowl from which came the sound of a clash of various metallic objects. The priestess respectfully placed the bowl at Cassandra´s tail. The girl could see what was inside it: dozens of fist-sized tokens made of bronze. All of them showed the same image of a snake, its body curled up and showing its fangs. The silver-haired naga had a satisfied look on her face as she stared at the bewildered Amazon.
“The Hunt ends when the naga put to the test brings its prey back to the clan. Their targets are usually weak creatures who had no chance against one of us, but whose sacrifice serves to connect with the huntress that all our sisters carry inside.” She points to the golden-scale naga with her ring finger. “You are a stranger who wants to rule our clan, but you are an Amazon and also the Bearer of the Sword. Such a test is something too low for someone of such high esteem.” The predatory smile returns to her face. “It seems more appropriate that you complete the same task that I and all my predecessors had to go through for generations. “She points to the bowl. “Inside that bowl you will find a more suitable prey for someone of your "abilities". Once you've chosen your target, you won't be allowed to come back until you find it and kill it, no matter how long it takes.”
Cassandra stares inside that bowl while a cold sweat beaded her face. Dozens of tokens remained motionless, filling the bowl, dozens of mines ready to explode in her face.
Without allowing her internal turmoil to come out, the Sword-Bearer reaches out a hand and picks up a token completely at random.