It's a Trap!

Tyr followed the faint red light that pointed towards the cave's depths. He kept his hand at chest level as he shook his head. This was further than she should have ventured.

"Macha, stop fooling around," he called, unable to disguise the annoyance in his voice.

The cave's calcium formations littered the floor, and he wondered if she had been training or purposefully tried to hide from him. Either way, she never should have gone as far as she did.

He was willing to explore the cavern with her after they picked the plants. The loose gems on the ground probably meant that some pirates used this cave to tuck away their loot. He was fine with having them search the cave for it as a fun activity. That was the sort of task that Aži loved doing anyway.

He could hear her faint voice calling his name, and he stopped, straining to understand what she said. He tilted his head and cupped his hand around his ear.

A low hiss sounded from above him. Tyr glanced up and saw a grootslang opening its wide jaws as it descended upon him.

With a decisive snap, the jaws closed around him. Thick warm saliva covered his body, seeping between his armor and drenching his hair. Tyr struggled to open the jaws, but felt his body slide down the creature's throat.

****

Macha heard Tyr's deep commanding voice call out her name. Her spirits rose, and she called out to him, "Tyr! I'm down here."

After saying his name, she remembered the intelligent creature. "Watch out! It's a trap," she quickly yelled, "there's a monster."

After her warning, she waited in silence. She did not want to make too much noise, in case the hideous snake-like creature was trying to surprise him.

A few moments later, the large boulder moved.

As it rolled to the side, she smiled with relief, "Did you kill it?"

She was grateful that he had found her. Her hand unconsciously touched the matching rings he had gotten for them years before.

There was no reply.

"Tyr?"

The sable-black trunk of the grootslang descended into the pit and wrapped around her waist.

As soon as he did not reply, Macha instinctively reached down for her daggers. She was only able to draw them halfway out of their sheathes before the large trunk restrained her. The limb squeezed her tightly, and she felt the pressure in her body intensify.

"Aagggh," she cried out.

If this continued, she knew she would burst.

Relighting her pendant, she found herself face to face with the monster.

"NO," she shouted.

The limb jutted out from the monster's lower jaw and raised her towards its sharp protruding teeth.

She tried to struggle, but her efforts only made the creature tighten its vice-like grip on her. It held her up and examined her. A muscular forked tongue stretched out from between its pointed teeth and nudged her head. Its viscous saliva trickled down the front of her face and neck as it explored the contours of her long ears. Unsure if it was tasting her before it ate her or not, she squeezed her eyes tightly.

One of her golden ear cuffs clattered to the floor. Afterward, the tongue moved to her other ear. At this point, Macha realized it was taking off her jewelry. The thought of being robbed and eaten alive was disgraceful.

"You'll have to dig through your shit or kill me first," she snarled.

Without hesitation, she jerked her head to the side and bit the tip of the grootslang's tongue. It hissed and threw her against a wall.

Macha's body bounced off the stony surface and she fell to the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of her and she inhaled sharply, refilling her lungs with air.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, she scrambled to her feet and drew her weapons.

The grootslang screeched at her and its long scaly body slithered towards her.

Instead of running, she stood her ground wanting to fight. This time the creature did not have the element of surprise and as far as she knew, there were no other traps in the area.

The monster dashed towards her. Its long trunk swept towards her and slammed against the cave wall.

She ducked under the attack and spun around, piercing her daggers deep into the thick trunk. The crystal pendant that hung around her neck swung back and forth, creating dancing shadows along the stony wall.

The pain from her attack induced the grootslang to lift its trunk and screech loudly. The vibrations from its painful cry caused rubble to fall from the ceiling.

When it lifted its trunk, Macha jumped on it and held on. She used her thighs to steady herself as she continually stabbed the long appendage.

The monster stopped moving, which caused her to stop and look over her shoulder.

The grootslang looked down at its stomach and raised its face to the ceiling. Something pressed against the inside of the monster's scaly torso, causing the scales to stretch.

The tip of a lance pierced through the dark scales, ripping the skin as it tore through the tough flesh. Blood oozed down from the gaping hole and spilled onto the floor. The blade sliced across the stomach in a wide arch. It moved easily like a surgeon's scalpel being inserted into a patient.

Thick sheets of dark, almost black blood poured out when Tyr slipped out of the torso.

Gasping for breath, he tumbled to the side and stood up.

The grootslang's heavy body swayed before crashing to the ground. Some stalactites fell from the ceiling, shattering on the rocky cave floor.

Macha slid off the trunk and landed gently on her feet. She never imagined that he would have been inside the creature this whole time.

Still recovering, Tyr threw his lance and pierced the grootslang through its black eye. The attack caused the monster's convulsing body to still.

"Macha," he gasped.

Although standing, his head hung low and bodily liquids oozed down his armor, pooling at his feet.

After it swallowed him, Tyr had struggled to draw his lances. Inside the creature's muscular body had been cramped. Luckily he had taken a deep breath before the jaws descended on him.

He thought about using magic to overpower the monster from the inside, but the grootslang had been moving around and he did not know where Macha was. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her in his attempts to free himself.

Macha watched the bile, blood, and saliva oozing off of him. She quickly ran to retrieve her ear cuff off the ground and fastened it on her ear. She did not want him to see her in a disheveled state. It would only make him angrier at her.

"Tyr?" she called his name timidly.

He stalked over to the grootslang and wrenched his lance from its skull. Splatters of brain matter flung against his armor. His left hand grasped his face, and he squeezed, trying to contain the myriad of emotions he felt. He tore his hand away and his angry green eyes pierced her soul.

"What were you thinking?" he demanded.