Abyzou looking at him.

Her eyes narrowed and a smile crept on her lips. “What is this Amani? Your toy?” she hissed, swaying back and forth in a hypnotising pattern only like a snake could. “He's cute,” she smiled with a predatory grin “Naive, but cute.” She laughed softly looking Dan up and down. “I could kill you with a snap of my finger boy.” she smiled.

“Then do it.” he growled.

“What you want to die?” she asked, she was looking at him with a slightly strange look in her eyes.

“If it means protecting her then I am ok with that.”

“Why? Do you love her?” she laughed, the bitter sound echoed in the darkness surrounding them. “Let me tell you little mortal, there is no such thing as love, it is all a farce.” He didn't answer back, simply placing readying the Khopesh in his hands.

A khopesh was an interesting weapon, though it was called a sword in truth it was more of an axe sword hybrid. It had been the next natural evolution of the light axe, and was designed for speed, power and explosiveness. As such it had next to no use stabbing, but instead relied almost entirely on chopping motions, making it easier to wield and learn when compared to the intricate movements of a sword.

“We need to get out of here, now.” Amani said, she placed her hand on his back and prepared to use magic to get them away, but before she could the entire area was domed in a black shell that writhed and slithered in a disgusting matter.

“Where do you think you are going Amani?” Abyzou laughed. “We are not yet done, let me introduce you and your toy to my children.”

“I thought you said she was infertile?” Dan whispered back at Amani.

“She is, she must mean her pets.”

“What sort of pets would a Lamia have?” he asked, but he felt he knew the answer. From the darkness walked something that shared a passing resemblance of a man, with the exception of its head being the upper section of a snake and it was entirely covered in scales. Its hands were long clawed, and it hissed, stretching out its impossibly long neck in Dan’s direction.

“Of course it's snake men, how could it have been anything else?” he sighed.

The snakeman rushed him, and when it was in striking distance it lunged forward with that head, its mouth opened an impossible wide distance as though came forward to eat him whole. Leaning to the right he brought the curved part of the blade down on the extended neck with the intent of severing its head.

Much to Dan’s surprise however once the blade hit the scales it did not cut into the flesh, but rather the scales simply cracked ever so slightly. The force was not light however, and as he hit the snake’s head bent around the sword and it stumbled to the side a few feet. It hissed in pain and narrowed its eyes at Dan.

“Fuck my life.” Dan said as he looked at the little amount of damage he had done to the snakeman.

With a hiss of anger and pain the snake lunged back in, this time it’s fangs showed as it opened its mouth, Dan went to do the same move again, but it would seem that snake was more intelligent than Dan had hoped for, as the blade neared the same spot it twisted its neck at an impossible angle, and the tip of the blade simply scraped against the bottom of its neck, drawing a soft white line on the hardened green scales.

Arm still in motion from the swing he had next to no way to block the strike the snake used next. With speed that was hard to follow it struck down towards its opponent's head.

“DAN!” Amani screamed as she saw the snake closing in on him.

With nothing to protect himself with he did the only thing he could, leaning his head and upper torso of to the right the fangs pierced his shoulder. Gritting his teeth he expected to feel a massive amount of pain, but to his surprise it was not there.

Whether it was the venom in the fangs or his adrenalin he didn't know, or much care, wrapping his arm around the snakeman’s head he pinned it there. And with his free arm he hacked away at its neck with all the strength he could.

The snake writhed with the repeated blows, doing its best to pull away, but Dan was not letting go, even as the fangs were still in his shoulder he used that arm with all his strength to hold it down.

One strike

Two strikes

Three strikes.

Four, and it was on the fourth blow he finally cracked the scales fully, revealing the pink flesh underneath.

“Ggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrr!” he growled with anger, and he hacked down once again, this time the blade struck home, spraying blood all over the place. The strike was still not enough to cut the beast's neck fully, that took three more strikes.

Breathing heavily he pried the head of the snakeman off of his shoulder and threw it to the ground. There were four holes pierced into his shoulder, each one dripping blood and a sickly black liquid.

“Not bad,” Abyzou said looking at him. “I must say I doubted you would be able to beat him.” she looked at Dan in a slightly more approving light.

“Dan!” Amani ran in front of him and put her hands over the holes, she closed her eyes as she put her fingers deep into the wounds. She started murmuring something in an ancient language.

“Don’t bother.” Abyzou said laughing “You will not be able to remove the poison, I created these creatures after all with the intent of killing my husband.” a shadow reached out and grabbed the still wriggling head of the snakeman and deposited it in her hands. “This child had been with me for almost 8,000 years, he was so lively and energetic,” she smiled softly and kissed the snake head on its lips.

“Why are you doing this?” Amani asked, there were tears in her eyes. “We used to be so close, I called you my sister.”

Abyzou didn't look up from the snake’s head. “Why am I doing this?” she asked softly “Sisters?” she scoffed at the word. “It was your entire fault, all of it, you introduced me to him, and he did this to me.” she gestured to the broken world around herself. “And when the time came to help me with the mess you had created you left, and left me alone to pick up the pieces, would a sister do that?”

“She was trapped in a bottle.” Dan growled, he had had enough of this woman’s shit, she was so absorbed in herself she would not even hear Amani out.

“Is that so?” Abyzou asked softly, she still did not look up as she stroked the severed head softly.

“I am sorry about L-” Amani started, but as she started to utter the name Abyzou’s eyes flew open. And she pressed the head up against her chest and screamed in a rage.

“DO NOT SPEAK HIS NAME!” she screamed with enough force to shake and crack the stone beneath their feet. Her golden eyes burned with a fire and rage that frightened Amani. “Do not speak his name ever.” she hissed softly. She didn't seem to mind the blood dripping down her torso from the severed staining the shocking white skin red.

“It's all your fault,” she whispered, angry tears flowing out of her eyes as she hugged the head. “And you need to pay for it.” her eyes flashed red for a brief second and four more snakemen stepped out of the shadows.

With a grunt of pain Dan pushed Amani behind his back and stood in between her and the snakes. “How many of those does she have?” he asked Amani.

“We are in her realm, so we are in her mind essentially, she has as many as she can think.” Amani said.

“Can you find a way to stop them from coming here? A way to hold them off?” he asked.

“I think so, it will take some time however.” Amani said.

Dan rolled his shoulder, loosening the stiffened muscles. Looking down he saw his veins had turned black in his injured arm. “Make it quick.” he said, he didn't know how long he would last.

Against the snakemen or the venom.