Skales x Pythor: My Loyal Number Two

Chapter 5: A most devious trap

"H-how?!"

"Well, by being the perfect bait!" He exclaimed with an almost vicious delivery, lunging his head at Lloyd as he uttered the last word. The horrified look on the boy's face was only complimented by the sinister laughs surrounding him, as the snakes took great delight in seeing his distress.

"Come now friends, let's leave our little guest alone. It's gonna be a big day tomorrow, and I'm sure you have a lot of things to think about, am I right?" Pythor asked as the laughter started dying down, though he was already leaving before Lloyd had the chance to respond, not that he had any to give. Skales slithered after Pythor, giving a quick glance back at the human, just in time to see him slump back in his cage, with a worried expression plastered all over his face.

As they moved away from the Slither Pit and earshot of the other Serpentine, Skales took the chance to ask Pythor about his plan.

"Ssso, I'm guessing we're gonna ssset up a trap for the ninja?" He asked though he made sure that it didn't sound like a genuine question.

"Oh yes we are Skales, and it's gonna be a most excellent one at that! And once they're finally gone, there won't be anything to stand in our way!" He declared while holding a clenched fist in the air. Skales wouldn't have minded just following along, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he had started wondering what was in store for them next.

"And what exactly isss it they were gonna ssstop usss from doing? Asss it standsss, it doesn't ssseem like we have any goal to ssspeak of."

"Of course I have a goal in mind!" Pythor stated aggressively. "I simply have yet to speak of it."

"Then will you tell me?" Skales asked, with a certain agitation in his voice. He had hoped that once he became Pyhtor's right-hand man, the Anacondrai would stop running circles around him and just tell him what he had in mind.

"Patience my dear Skales, patience. Everything has its due time, and soon enough everything shall be revealed." Pythor explained with a mystical, enigmatic tone. Which of course did little to ease Skales' concern.

"I'm your second-in-command, I deserve to know what it is you're planning!" Skales asserted decisively.

"You!-" Pythor uttered, before quickly moving in front of Skales, stopping him right in his tracks. "-deserve exactly what I think you deserve!" He continued, his face nearly only an inch away from the Hypnobrai's. Skales tried leaning back, but Pythor only just moved closer, making sure that Skales had no way to evade his gaze.

"And I will tell you my plans when I so desire to." He uttered in a quiet tone, not that it made his words seem any less hostile.

Skales cursed himself for not having the courage to stand up to him at that moment. He was still riddled with worries that Pythor was going to discard him when he felt he didn't have any use anymore. The doubts had slowly made their way into his thoughts since he agreed to help Pythor become king of the Serpentine. After all, what would he need a second-in-command for, when he held all the power? Besides the allegiance of the Hypnobrai, there wasn't that much Skales could offer him besides advice. Advice that the Anacondrai consistently seemed to despise.

But just as the tension started building, Pythor moved away, giving the Hypnobrai space to breathe.

"All I ask is that you have a little trust in me," Pythor said, with a small smile and any evidence of his previous anger seemingly erased.

"So wait until I deem it's time to share my plan with the others. Then I will tell you all the details of my machinations. Can you do that for me?" He asked, with a nearly friendly tone. Before Skales had time to respond though, Pythor grabbed his chin and kept it in place, making sure that he couldn't look away from him. Skales worried that at any moment the Anacondria would tighten his grip, but surprisingly his hold was fairly gentle. Weirdly, that seemed better at keeping his head in place than a strong grip would have.