Chapter 7: Death Is Certain

The serpent struck with blinding speed, its twin jaws snapping shut on empty air where Kael, had stood just moments before. Dust and debris exploded from the impact, shrouding the air with a gritty veil. Kael rolled to the side, his bony frame twisting with an agility that defied nature. His skeletal joints creaked faintly as his scythe materialized in his hand with a surge of dark energy. The weapon's chilling aura seemed to pulse in rhythm with his burning crimson eye sockets, casting an eerie glow on the jagged battlefield.

The serpent reared back, its massive body coiling with a grace that belied its size. Its twin heads swayed in unison, forked tongues flicking the air as if savoring Kael's fear. Scales gleamed like polished obsidian, reflecting the faint light of the cursed moon overhead. The serpent's every motion radiated predatory intent, its sheer size a looming reminder of Kael's vulnerability.

Kael steadied his stance, the weight of his scythe grounding him as he braced for the next assault. His mind raced, piecing together fragments of strategy. His earlier strikes had been useless, bouncing off the serpent's impenetrable scales like raindrops on stone. He muttered a low curse under his breath, the hollow echo of his voice betraying his frustration.

The serpent struck again, faster than Kael had anticipated. Twin jaws lashed out, a blur of motion that blurred the line between speed and savagery. Kael's scythe hummed with dark energy as he swung it in a wide arc, aiming to intercept. The weapon met the serpent's scales with a sharp clang, sparks cascading through the air. The force of the clash reverberated through Kael's skeletal frame, his grip tightening as he absorbed the shock.

"Not even a scratch," Kael hissed through clenched teeth or would have, had he any left. The serpent recoiled, its heads snapping back like coiled springs before striking again, each head moving with terrifying precision. 

Kael pivoted on his heel, narrowly evading a strike that would have cleaved him in half. His scythe arced through the air once more, this time aimed at the serpent's underbelly a potential weak point. The blade skimmed the shimmering scales, but the serpent twisted away in a liquid motion, denying him even the smallest victory. Its mocking hiss echoed in the air, and Kael felt his frustration mounting. 

He was being driven back, step by step, as the serpent pressed its advantage. The sandy terrain beneath his feet shifted with each movement, threatening to trip him with every misstep. Kael's sockets flickered as his gaze darted around, desperate for a way to turn the tide.

And then he saw it a small, hollowed-out alcove nestled into the side of the pyramid. It was barely large enough to provide cover, but it might give him the precious moments. 

The serpent roared, its twin heads snapping mere inches from Kael's ribs. The deafening sound rattled his bones, but he pushed through the panic, dissolving his scythe into a swirling mist with a thought. His skeletal legs pumped furiously as he bolted toward the alcove, his movements frantic but deliberate. The ground shifted beneath him, sand tearing at his balance. He stumbled, nearly pitching forward, but managed to recover.

Behind him, the serpent surged forward, its massive form an unstoppable tide of muscle and fury. The ground trembled beneath its weight, each impact a drumbeat of doom that seemed to synchronize with Kael's own frantic pace. He could feel the air shift as one of the serpent's heads snapped toward him, its maw wide enough to engulf him whole. 

Kael threw himself into a roll, narrowly avoiding the jaws that clamped down with enough force to splinter stone. The impact send sand scattering, several grazing his skeletal frame. The serpent's other head lashed out, forcing Kael to duck low, the attack passing inches above his skull.

"Almost there," Kael rasped, his voice barely audible above the cacophony of the serpent's pursuit. 

The alcove loomed closer, its dark recesses promising a fleeting sanctuary. With one final burst of speed, Kael's sockets burned brighter, his mind racing. At the last moment, just as the two-headed serpent lunged at him, Kael channeled every ounce of strength into his bony legs. With a burst of speed, he dashed into one of the hollowed-out alcoves carved into the pyramid's side. His movements were precise, driven by sheer survival instinct. He scrambled inside, twisting his body to face the serpent just as its twin heads collided with the stone wall, the impact shaking the entire pyramid. Dust cascaded from the cracks above, and a deep, resonant rumble echoed through the ancient structure. Kael, crouched low in the alcove, pressed his back against the jagged surface, feeling the cold stone graze his exposed vertebrae. 

The beast glared at him, both heads snapping back and forth as if calculating whether to strike again, and how to. For a long, tense moment, the serpent's glowing eyes remained fixed on him, its forked tongues flickering in the air. Then, with a guttural hiss, it turned away, slithering back into the shadows of the pyramid's exterior. 

Kael exhaled, though no breath left his skeletal frame. He tilted his head slightly, the faint creak of his neck joints breaking the oppressive silence. His hollow eye sockets scanned the alcove cautiously. The dim light revealed ancient carvings etched into the walls, their meanings long lost to time. Scattered across the floor were the broken remains of past warriors: rusted swords, shattered shields, and brittle bones bleached by the ages. 

"May your crazy souls rest in peace," he murmured, his voice hollow but laced with a tinge of reverence. He continued "Why the hell would you come here to met your Doom".

As his gaze lingered on the remains, something caught his attention. Beneath the thin layer of blood-red sand that coated the alcove floor, he uncovered a weathered map etched into the ground. Using his skeletal fingers, he carefully traced the grooves, brushing away the dust to reveal the intricate details. The map depicted parts of the pyramid's labyrinthine interior, including the location of a hidden path leading to its base. 

"Just what I needed," he muttered, his jaw clicking slightly as he spoke. 

Steeling himself, Kael emerged cautiously from the alcove and made his way to a jagged opening on the pyramid's surface. The entrance yawned before him like the maw of some ancient beast, and as he stepped through, a gust of dry, stagnant air rushed to greet him. The stench of decay and mildew was overpowering. 

"Disgusting," Kael grumbled, his nasal cavity twitching as if it could still detect smells. "How can the serpent survive this smell?" 

Inside, the walls shimmered faintly with glyphs that seemed to pulsate with a rhythmic glow, their red light casting ominous shadows across the narrow corridor. The suffocating darkness ahead was broken only by these eerie symbols, which seemed alive in their quiet pulsations. 

Kael extended his bony fingers, letting them trail along the walls as he advanced. The cold surface felt almost electric under his touch, the glyphs reacting faintly to his presence. Each step he took echoed loudly, the sound bouncing off the tight walls and amplifying the suffocating stillness. 

The deeper he ventured, the more intricate the pyramid's design revealed itself to be. Corridors branched out unpredictably, twisting and turning in ways that defied logic. The faint red glow illuminated subtle details he might have otherwise missed: footprints in the dust leading nowhere, streaks of dried blood smeared on the walls, and broken weapons littered across the floor. 

Kael paused, crouching to inspect a shattered blade embedded in the ground. The weapon was tarnished and brittle, yet it still radiated the desperation of its last wielder. A chilling realization washed over him, his skull tilting slightly in thought. 

"Others have been here before" he muttered, his voice low and grim. His empty sockets narrowed as he straightened, his bony hand gripping the hilt of his own scythe tightly. "And they never escaped" He continued, "Death is certain the moment they lay foot here"

The oppressive silence pressed in around him as if the pyramid itself was alive, watching his every move. Kael adjusted his grip on his scythe and took a cautious step forward, the faint glow of the glyphs lighting the path ahead. 

"Damnit," he hissed under his breath, his free hand brushing against the wall to steady himself. Every fiber of his being what was left of it urged him to stay sharp.