Scott and Anath, lifelong friends and partners in adventure, entered the lair of the lamia together. They had accepted a quest to kill the creature, a half-human half-snake, for the safety of a nearby village. The reward offered was high, and it was thought that the monster had her own hoard on top of that. For Anath, success meant a nice house for him and his beloved Wynona back home. For Scott, it wasn’t so much about the gold as it was satisfaction that he was making the world a better place by ridding it of evil, and sharing the task with his best mate.
Anath was tall and agile, he led the way deeper into the cave. Scott followed as quietly as he could manage, which wasn’t easy in his heavy armor. The tunnel kept curving around and around, and always sloped downward. They both had torches, but there wasn’t much look at. The walls were unnaturally smooth, even tidy. They heard nothing as they descended, but after several minutes, began to notice a faint fragrance in the air. To Anath, it smelled like the soap his Wynona liked to use in the bath, and to Scott it smelled just like the incense from the cathedral where he had pledged to live a life of goodness.