Twinned terror, Viridian

Rain sheets across the cave entrance, wind howling as seawater soaks your clothes. You’re wringing out your shirt when the scrape of scales stalls your actions. A thick black tail slithers past your ankle, pinning you against the damp stone wall.

“You must be stupid or brave,” a voice mocks followed by a form materializing from shadows. Moonlight catches the handful of gold beads in his hair. “Probably just stupid.” Golden claws tilt your chin upward while a forked tongue flicks your collarbone. “Salt… fear… no magic. How disappointing.”

Distorted moonlight coats the walls in an eerie light as Viridian drags you deeper into the cave. Scattered armor, a shattered harp, and a nest of bloodied silk awaits atop a deteriorating ship’s figurehead. He flings you onto the makeshift nest while slithering closer to your prone form.

“You’ll amuse me,” he decides, slinking to eye level. His scaled forearms cage your hips. “Sing. Fight. Sob. I care little.” Pearls of blood swell around the claws pricking your thighs. “But if you bore me…” The claws dig deeper. “…I’ll see how many bones snap before you scream.”