The Naga archives were a labyrinth of twisting corridors and halls, their walls lined with countless scrolls and tablets etched in a language that resembled serpentine script. The air hung heavy with the scent of aged parchment and dust, a testament to the vast knowledge accumulated over millennia. Veridian led Zym, Zola, and Ethel through the maze, his forked tongue flicking.
"These archives hold the history of my people," Veridian rasped, his voice echoing in the cold silence. "Each scroll a memory, a triumph, or a warning against forgotten follies."
Ethel, ever impatient, scoffed. "Then let us waste no time unearthing the knowledge we need. This information about the ritual you speak of, where do we start?"
Veridian stopped before a towering obsidian slab adorned with intricate carvings depicting forgotten Naga deities. He touched it with his right hand, muttering an incantation under his breath. The slab pulsed with a faint luminescence, a hidden door grinding open in the wall behind it to reveal a dusty chamber.
"This section houses knowledge best left undisturbed," Veridian cautioned, his voice laced with a hint of fear. "Knowledge of ancient magic rests here, potent and unpredictable."
The chamber was dimly lit by glowing crystals embedded in the walls. The air crackled with a strange energy, making Zym and Zola instinctively tread with caution. Shelves crammed with ancient scrolls lined the walls, their surfaces cracked and brittle with age.
Zola stepped forward, her blue light illuminating the ancient script. "There are thousands here," she murmured, her brow furrowed in concentration. "It will take an age to search them all."
Ethel paced restlessly, frustration simmering in his voice. "Days! We don't have days! Our kingdoms are on the brink of war, and we're stuck in a dusty tomb!"
Zym raised a calming hand. "Patience, Ethel. Brute force won't help us in this labyrinth of knowledge. We need a more focused approach."
Veridian shuffled through the scrolls, his clawed hands tracing the ancient script. "Perhaps the answer lies in the reports of the disappearance of the eye and the number of attempts recorded," he suggested. "The Eye of Naga has been a source of contention for generations. There have been records of attempts to steal it in the past, with records of the perpetrators' identities, though not all."
His search yielded results quicker than expected. He pulled out a weathered scroll, its edges frayed and the script faded with time. "Here, the last record..." he rasped, handing it to Zola. "The 'Disappearance of the Eye'."
Zola unfurled the scroll carefully, her eyes scanning the intricate symbols. "This record holds..." she said, her voice hushed, "details the all the attempts on the theft of the Eye of Naga. The last perpetrator, it claims, was a master of illusion magic, able to bypass even the most potent wards but he failed."
Ethel's eyes narrowed. "Master of illusion magic? Sounds like a Naga to me."
Veridian shook his head, his long ears moving. "Perhaps... Or a Naja. The Najas are a faction within our kingdom. They are like us, Nagas, but they often possess a hood of five heads and can transform into a Five-headed cobra. They are also known for their mastery of illusion magic and deception, I also suspected them at first but I'm not entirely sure."
Zym frowned, a knot of unease tightening in his stomach. The possibility of a rogue Naga faction stealing the Eye was deeply troubling. This could shatter the fragile peace between their Naga races of Oephidia.
"But this does not explain what we found at the temple," Veridian continued. "The single crimson feather, found near the empty vault."
Veridians face flushed with a curious expression as he looked at Ethel. "It was a garuda feather after all. One of yours, perhaps."
Ethel, however, looked calm and fixed his gaze on Veridian. "I find no pleasure in repeating myself. When you Nagas shed your skin, you leave behind a feathery residue that resembles garuda plumage. It's obvious that this is a deliberate deception used to sow discord between your people and mine."
A heavy silence descended upon the group. The revelation cast a shadow of doubt, making it impossible to discern whether a Garuda or a rogue Naga faction was responsible. The stolen Eye and the cryptic feather could be a ploy to ignite a war fueled by ancient animosity.
"We need more information," Zym declared, his voice firm. "Perhaps there might be a way to find the missing eye and recover it.
Veridian nodded slowly. "There might be. But such knowledge will most likely to be found in the most restricted sections of the archives, and that section is off limits."
Ethel, however, seemed more interested in a different approach. "Off limits, huh? But not off limits to you."
Veridian's face contorted in worry. "The restricted sections are off limits, Garuda. The enchantments there were designed to deter garudas and even the most powerful Naga magic users. Entering them without proper knowledge or permission could have dire consequences."
Just then, a strangled gasp tore through the tense silence. Ethel, the Garuda envoy, stumbled back, clutching at his throat, his face contorting in pain. Before anyone could react, he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Zym and Zola rushed to his side, fear flooding their hearts. Zola knelt beside him, her golden light bathing Ethel's face in an ethereal glow. Her hand glowed as it hovered over his chest, searching for a pulse and trying to detect what was wrong with him.
"He's alive," she reported, her voice tight with concern, "but barely. He's been poisoned."
Zym's gaze darted around the chamber, searching for any sign of an attacker. The air hung heavy with a thick, metallic scent, acrid and unmistakable. Naga venom. He noticed a figure fleeing in the shadows, their clawed hands flashing in the dim light, but he was distracted as he noticed a searing wound in Ethel's shoulder.
Zym clutched Ethel's wounded shoulder. Zola tried to chase the figure, but the figure vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only the faintest whisper of scales scraping against stone.
Zola hated the fact that she didn't even seen the figure's face. The only clue was the eerie, pungent scent lingering in the air – a reminder that they had just crossed paths with a Naga.
"A Naga assassin" Zym muttered, his voice low and dangerous.
Veridian, the Naga elder, shuffled back, his forked tongue darting nervously. "Impossible. No Naga would dare strike within the archives, not without an order and especially not here."
But the evidence spoke for itself. The potent venom, the sudden attack – it all pointed towards a Naga culprit. Zym, however, couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. The timing was too perfect, the choice of location too calculated.
"This doesn't make any sense," Zola chimed in, her brow furrowed in concentration. "There's a lot of venom in his body. Though Garudas are highly resistant to Naga venom, the venom appears to be a lot more than what his body can take on. Even a seasoned garuda warrior wouldn't survive a dose this high."
Veridian's face contorted in a grimace. "Perhaps it was a mistake. An overzealous guard, perhaps, who panicked."
Zym didn't buy it. There was something more sinister at play here. Why would the Nagas poison or attack a Garuda within the sacred halls of the archives without an order?, such recklessness could lead to war. And the near-fatal dose… it felt like a message, a brutal one that would definitely lead to war if King Eothis found out.
"We have to do something," Zym declared shifting his gaze to Veridian, urgency lacing his voice. "I believe you nagas have antidotes, specific to your venoms."
Veridian nodded frantically. "Yes, yes, of course. There is. Follow me!"
He led them through a labyrinth of twisting passages, deeper into the restricted section of the archives. The air grew colder, the atmosphere heavy with a sense of foreboding. With every step, Zym's unease grew. The attack felt like a deliberate attempt to derail their quest for the truth, or to cause further conflict by attacking Ethel. But who? And why?
As they reached a hidden chamber, Veridian pointed towards a shelf overflowing with ancient vials and phials. "These are the remedies for our venoms" he rasped, his voice barely a whisper.
Zola scanned the vials, searching for the one that might counteract the Naga venom. Her golden light danced across the labels, each inscription written in a cryptic Naga dialect. The pressure mounted as precious seconds ticked by, Ethel's life hanging in a balance.
Zola's hand trembled slightly as she held the vial containing the shimmering antidote. The inscription glowed faintly under her golden light, the strange symbols swirling like miniature constellations.
Beside her, Zym knelt, his gaze fixed on the unconscious Garuda envoy. Fury simmered beneath the surface, his normally calm demeanor shattered by the sudden attack. The near-fatal dose of venom screamed a deliberate message, a message that could plunge their realm's fragile peace into the abyss of war.
"That's the one" Veridian rasped, his voice laced with worry. "You can use it. it's a powerful antidote specifically designed for any Naga venom."
Zola's eyes widened. She pulled looked at the vial. "Alright." she said, her voice laced with concern.
Hope flickered in Zym's chest. But even as Zola uncorked the vial, a chilling realization dawned on her. A Naga had definitely poisoned Ethel, but who did? And who could have access to the heavily guarded archives? The plot thickened, and the danger seemed to be closing in from all sides.
With a deep breath, Zola carefully dripped a single measure onto Ethel's tongue while Zym healed Ethel's arm.
Ethel winced as the antidote coursed through his veins, the burning sensation slowly receding and his arm, healed.
Tense seconds ticked by, the only sound their ragged breaths echoing in the chamber which was silent. Then, a shallow cough erupted from Ethel's lips. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing a glimpse of disorientation before recognition dawned.
"Zola? Zym?" His voice was weak, but a flicker of defiance returned to his eyes.
"What happened?"
Zym let out a sigh of relief that escaped him in a rush. "You were poisoned, Ethel. Luckily, we managed to find the antidote."
Ethel grimaced, gingerly touching his throat. "By a Naga?". Fury simmered beneath the surface. He'd been poisoned within the heavily guarded Naga archives, a near-fatal act that could have ignited a war. The suspicion gnawed at him – who would dare do such a thing?
Zym and Zola exchanged worried glances. Despite the gravity of the situation, they were relieved to see Ethel recovering.
Before Zym could answer, Veridian spoke up. "An… unfortunate incident, young warrior. A misunderstanding, perhaps. We are unsure… as we speak."
The forced calmness in Veridian's voice sent shivers down Zym's spine. The elder Naga's eyes darted around nervously, avoiding their gaze. It was clear he wasn't telling the whole truth.
Ethel, though weak, wasn't oblivious. Suspicion clouded his eyes. "A misunderstanding? In the restricted section of your archives? Don't insult my intelligence, Naga."
Veridian opened his mouth to protest, but Zola cut him off, her voice firm. "We need answers, Veridian. The timing of this attack is too convenient. Someone wants us to believe the Nagas are responsible and unless you have a reasonable explanation, we have every reason to suspect your people."
Zym nodded in agreement. "And whoever it is, they almost succeeded in starting a war."
Veridian bowed his head, a defeated sigh escaping his lips. "I… I cannot deny it appears suspicious. But trust me, no Naga would dare commit such an act within the archives."
He looked at Zym with pleading eyes. "Guardians, believe me. The naja faction within our kingdom would be who… would greatly benefit from a war. Perhaps they are behind this."
The revelation sparked a flurry of theories in Zym's mind. The rouge Naga factions trying to sabotage their efforts to uncover the truth, to reignite the ancient animosity between the garuda and Naga races. It was a plausible explanation, but a nagging suspicion remained.
"It was definitely a Naga," Zym mused aloud, "who else could possess such potent venom and know that it would take that much to posion a garuda."
Ethel scoffed. "Perhaps maybe there's some truth in what you say Veridian. I'll be fine," Ethel gritted his teeth, pushing himself to a sitting position. "But this changes everything. I need to report this to King Eothis immediately. He needs to know that you Nagas can't be trusted."
Zym hesitated. He understood Ethel's anger, but there was something off about the whole situation. "Ethel, hold on. The Nagas wouldn't risk such a blatant attack within their own archives. There's more to this than meets the eye."
Ethel scoffed. "Maybe you're right, Guardian, but the poison says otherwise. Maybe it was some rogue faction or the elusive Naja he mentioned but it was a Naga. The point remains – I was poisoned by a Naga, nearly killed, within their sacred halls. King Eothis deserves to know this."