Chloé yawned, waking up with the sunlight as she stretched. She gently leaned down, nudging Mika with her fingertip. He groaned, turning over and burying his face in her softy belly, she couldn’t help but giggle at how cute he looked. She pressed on his side again, hard enough to completely flip him over this time.

“I’m up!” Mika exclaimed, jolting awake as if expecting to fall out of bed. He looked up at the amused billboard sized face and scowled.

“Sorry,” Chloé smirked.

Mika rolled his eyes, trying to steady himself on the soft surface of her stomach. Walking across her toned tummy was almost like the inside of a moon bounce, yielding and a little difficult to keep his balance on, he didn’t make it three steps before tumbling forward, his face landing in her bellybutton and earning him giggle that felt like an earthquake tremor as he inadvertently tickled the giant Naga.

“HEY!” a muffled voice called from the belly underneath him, “LET US OUT OF HERE!”

Mika froze, then his eyes slowly trailed up to Chloé, who didn’t look surprised at all.

“They’re still alive?” He rasped.

Chloé nodded, “The fruit keeps things in the top stomach in good condition until I’m ready to send them lower.”

“The top stomach,” Mika said numbly.

“The one you keep your food in until you’re ready for it,” Chloé said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “don’t you have one?”

“No,” Mika said, blinking as he absorbed the information.

“Well whenever I get hungry enough, I just move food into the second stomach,” Chloé explained. She frowned, tapping her chin, “how do you digest your food if you only have one stomach?”

“Mine uh… does it all I guess,” he stammered, “Chloé, those men from last night are still in there!”

“LET US OUT!” there was a muffled vibration on the other side of her stomach’s wall, and Mika scurried backwards as he felt the three men pounding on the wall of Chloé’s insides.

“It’s very strange, being able to understand what they’re saying,” Chloé said curiously, “they seem really scared…”

“Chloé, you could let them out, right?” Mika said nervously.

“You people in my stomach,” Chloé said suddenly, “can you hear me?”

A trio of voices shouted out “Yes!” variously panicking and begging her for help. Mika watched as an odd expression came over Chloé’s face. For a moment there was something almost like sympathy, uncertainty even.

“How long can you keep them in there?” Mika asked.

“The fruit will keep them from being hurt until…” Chloé trailed off, suddenly not so quick to bring up what would happen when her digestion progressed.

Mika gulped, “Chloé, maybe you should-“

“Why did you come here?” Chloé asked, cutting him off.

“To catch that little fucking traitor and haul him back to our camp!” the man shouted angrily.

“Little traitor?” Mika frowned, “Do they mean me?”

“Yes we do you little puke!” another man’s voice called, “you’re up here shacking up with a fucking monster!”

“Mika, they don’t seem to be being very nice to you,” Chloé said, her expression darkening. “What’s a ‘little puke’ by the way?”

“An insult,” Mika said dismissively, “Who are you working for?” Mika shouted.

“We’re not telling you anything,” the voice replied angrily, “and when we’re done with this temple, we’re going to skin that slimy piece of filth and turn her scales into boots for the whole fucking crew!”

Chloé’s face flared with rage, “Slimy piece of filth!?”

Mika’s eyes widened, “No, wait!”

There was a loud sound almost like a gulp, then a slight gurgling not unlike what his own stomach would make after a big meal, only magnified by a hundred. Her lower belly bulged just slightly, and the puffy lips of her womanhood seemed to part as it slid downward, disappearing into the snakelike lower half of her body. There was a muffled splash, then nothing. Chloé sighed in satisfaction, her massive snakelike tail waving back and forth in front of her laying form.

“Did you… are they…” Mika looked down at the stomach below him, already knowing the answer.

“I sent them down, that’s it,” Chloé muttered. “They were awful Mika, they were here to hurt you, and they said such horrible things about me.” She crossed her arms defensively, holding her ground under his worried gaze.

“Yeah,” he sighed, “Okay…” There’s no point in arguing this with her, at least not right now. For the most part Mika didn’t feel particularly sorry for the mercenaries, but he wondered what would happen if Chloé encountered someone who didn’t deserve it, someone who wasn’t her friend like he was…

And then there was another intrusive thought, anything that is in her stomach with the fruit is safe… until it goes lower, and she can control it. His mouth was dry and he felt the most peculiar stirring in his manhood as he realized the implication. She could eat me, and I would be safe, if she wanted me to be that is… He wiped a sudden sheen of sweat off his forehead that had nothing to do with the jungle heat.

No! he snapped at himself, a mental discipline that was becoming all too common, if you even bring that up… He looked up at Chloé, who was giving him an amused smile. She’d definitely do it the moment you asked.

“I’m going to go start making breakfast,” Mika stammered, sliding down the side of her belly. He grunted as he hit the stone floor of the temple, trying to walk casually away from her.

“You know Mika, anything that goes into the first stomach, I can bring back up anytime,” Chloé said with a knowing smirk. “So, if I accidentally ate something I didn’t mean to, I could pretty easily spit it up.”

“Good to know,” Mika said, refusing to turn around as his erection throbbed almost painfully against his pants. There are going to be so many messed up internet searches when I get back to civilization…

…

Mika stared up at the massive doorway, depicting a smiling green skinned Naga with a radiant glow about her person. The very center of the temple was an oddity, while most of the ruins showed the passage of time quite evidently through crumbling stone or overgrown vegetation, this particular chamber was as sleek and shining as the day it was built. What was odder was that despite spending hours in here at this point, he’d been unable to find where the light source in the room was coming from, there were no windows, no skylights, no electric lighting of course… and yet the room was lit.

One more mystery, he thought with a sigh.

“Mika,” Chloé’s voice echoed through the temple, “ Miiiikkkkaaa.”

“I’m in here!” he called, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

He heard the giant rumbling form of the enormous snake-woman approaching. She’d been letting him have more freedom over the last few days, even letting him out of her sight sometimes while he explored the temple grounds. If nothing else, she seemed convinced he wasn’t about to flee, and so she’d been increasingly lenient with letting him explore the ruins on his own.

Chloé slithered into the chamber, a handful of the Lemurian fruit in her palm. She popped them into her mouth, slurping down the cantaloupe sized orbs like they were mere blueberries. She tilted her hand, letting him watch the avalanche tumble into her maw, swallowing them all down in one magnificent gulp.

“Chloé, do you know what’s behind this door?” Mika asked, gesturing to it, “is there another entrance somewhere?”

“No,” Chloé said with a frown. She moved forward, running her hand over it, and Mika’s eyes widened as the colored etchings on the stones seemed to illuminate.

“Does it always do this!?” Mika asked, watching in awe as the etchings began to move.

“Yeah,” Chloé said obliviously, “pictures moving isn’t that strange Mika, I’ve even seen some of the humans watch moving pictures on those little black things they carry.”

Mika didn’t bother correcting her, watching in amazement as the green haired snake goddess slithered across the stones. She paused in front of a series of four pyramids, each glowed in turn, and a second later the snake goddess flashed, appearing back at the door, once again still and looking like an ordinary stone etching.

“Okay…” Mika breathed slowly, “so that only happens when you come in here,” Mika said, pulling his father’s journal out. “My dad didn’t see that, and when I was in here nothing happened.” He flipped through the pages, “Obviously it’s saying you need to go to these four temples,” he pointed to the pyramids on the wall, “in order to open the door.” He blinked again, still in shock over the moving wall drawings, “Why didn’t you say anything about this?”

“I’ve seen it a dozen times,” Chloé said with a shrug, “it’s just not that interesting to me anymore.”

In a jungle where everything is strange, it takes a lot more to warrant mention I guess, Mika thought grimly.

“So where are these temples?” Chloé asked curiously. “Could we go to them today? I’d really like to see what’s behind the door, I’ve been wondering for years.”

“I’d like to know too,” Mika said, “but I’ve got no idea where these temples could be. Do you have any clues?”

“Nope,” Chloé said with a smile, “but I’m sure it’s in here somewhere… It’s been a lot of fun having you here Mika, I’m learning a lot about this place!”

“I’m having a good time too,” he admitted, smiling back at her. Despite everything, it was true. He’d fallen into archeology because he’d been curious about the past, and the temple complex was the ultimate puzzle.

The expression on Chloé’s face changed, turning amorous as she looked down at him, “Mika, we should take a break,” she said, reaching for him.

“B-But I’m only just starting!” he stammered.

He couldn’t help but tense as the bus-stop sized hand reached for him, the powerful fingers tightening around his body and pinning his arms and legs together. He tried to protest further, but his stomach lurched as Chloé began an excited slithering through the ruins, up and over collapsed pillars, under crumbling columns. As always being carried by her was like a roller coaster as she almost casually made her way through the ancient complex. They reached the chamber that Chloé treated as a bedroom, and she quickly coiled herself up on the mat of dried straw and leaves she liked to rest on.

“Mika I’m…” she searched for the word, then sighed, “what’s the word when you want sex?” she asked.

“Horny, aroused, excited,” Mika said, looking up at her and feeling himself rise at the way the giant girl’s grin lit up her face.

“I like that second one, aroused ,” Chloé said, licking her lips as she gently tugged on his pants leg.

Mika shivered at the sensation of his clothing sliding against his skin as Chloé unwrapped him like a piece of candy, “It’s definitely one of the classier ways to say it,” he managed, “What uh… what has you in the mood?”

“I was thinking about you,” Chloé said casually.

That made Mika blush more than being stripped naked by a giant snake-girl, “Me!?”

“Yeah, like how nice it’s been to have you here, how I like talking to you about this place, about the human world…” She brought him up to her face, and he could feel her warm breath ruffle his hair as he was brought level with her lips for a pillowy kiss. “Then I started thinking about how cute your little face is,” she said in a sultry voice, “How much I love the expressions you make when I play with your penis!” Mika gasped as Chloé’s fingernails managed to pinch his underwear, sliding it down and sending it fluttering below with his pants. His manhood sprung free, and her eyes gleamed in excitement. “It gets hard when you want sex too, right?”

“Uh, not necessarily,” he stammered.

She frowned, “Oh… Do you want sex?”

As he took in the enormous pair of taxi-cab sized breasts, her soft toned upper half, and most of all that luscious and alluring red-hair framed face, he could only nod.

“Y-Yes!” he said, grinning.

“Oh good,” Chloé laughed, “I know you probably have sex with lots of human girls back home, and I was worried I would mess up asking you for it!”

Lots of human girls back home… Mika started a laugh, but it died in his throat as he realized he was being lowered down between the Naga’s massive breasts.

“I’ve seen you staring at these, you really like them, Mika!” She taunted.

She leaned back, pressing the twin orbs together and quickly smothering the tiny human in her warm flesh. Mika groaned; the sound stifled by the immense breasts that had submerged him so easily. He could distantly hear Chloé’s heartbeat, and the rumble of her giggle sent vibrations through his spine. A moment later she began to grind them together, the slow shifting motion causing him to gasp as tingles went up his spine.

The breasts parted suddenly, letting him tumble down Chloé’s belly, her soft, toned tummy acting almost like a trampoline as he came to a stop before the puffy slit of her womanhood, already glistening in anticipation of his arrival.  

Her hand came down behind him, gently nudging him closer with a few fingers. He stumbled, then before the mouth of her lips, the softness below him contrasting with the rich musky scent that billowed up, filling his nose, and driving him wild with desire. Her fingers came down, the twin columns spreading the labia before him open and letting him gaze wondrously into the glistening pink interior, exposing him to the heat coming off of it and the powerful pungent smell that called to him. 

Mika’s mind raced as he studied it, an analytical part of him noted that he didn’t see any urethral hole, but other than that what appeared before him looked very much like a human woman’s, only so much bigger…

“Are you ready to go in?” Chloé’s teasing voice called from above. 

He didn’t bother answering Chloé, instead eagerly facing downwards and diving in. He felt the tip of her tail make contact with his back, and the slick soft walls of her insides rushed against him as she stuffed him deep inside herself. The wet pinkness surrounded him, coating him with the silky lubricant as Chloé gasped, slowly rubbing her engorged clit as she felt him wiggle further in.

“Oh Mika,” Chloé murmured, biting her lip, “yes, that’s it!”

He couldn’t really make out what she was saying, but the tone was enough for him to continue his motions. Soon he was being gripped on either side by the powerful walls of the snake girl’s most intimate place, and the rumbling contractions drew him further in. Each motion of his seemed to cause a cascade of shaking vibrations in turn, and her eager womanhood was soon swallowing him up.

Chloé sighed, her tail curling tightly as her muscles tensed with each new exploration. She playfully clenched herself around him, biting her lip as his ensuing struggle sent more jolts of pleasure up her spine. She reached a finger down, continuing to toy with herself as she rolled over in her dried leaf bed, groaning involuntarily as Mika’s descent into her continued.

For Mika’s part the motion of the wet walls against him was the most powerful full body massage he could ever experience, the walls of her vaginal canal molded around him, pressing and grinding against him as Chloé’s arousal built to a point where he could no longer struggle against her. He still fought, but as she clenched him tight in the height of her pleasure, he realized that the strength of his entire body couldn’t match her in this state, and though he could somehow breathe in the wet depths of her sex, the feeling of her pungent and almost tangy juices sliding down his throat and coating his lungs still added a new layer of her overpowering presence, reminding him of exactly where he was with each labored breath.

That’s it! Chloé thought eagerly, arching her back as her tail whipped around her in a near frenzy, KEEP GOING! She cried out, a long low mewling sound as Mika’s motions brought her over the edge and into the tempest of orgasm.

Is this safe!? One panicked part of Mika thought as her walls seemed to hug him tighter than ever before, causing him to cry out as the pressure increased with each thundering heartbeat of the giant Naga. Worries left him as the grinding motion sent his own pleasure boiling over the top, and he joined Chloé’s screams of pleasure as he felt himself begin to spurt his seed deep into Chloé’s waiting tunnel. His thick cum mixed with the viscous fluid running over him, sliding down into the depths of her womanhood as the tremors slowly abated.

Holy shit, Mika thought, blinking and scowling as Chloé’s sticky juices stung his eyes slightly. The tunnel around him loosened his grip as he heard the thundering drum of her heartbeat slow, and gradually he was able to move again. Tucking his legs up to his chest, he was able to shift positions, and the fleshy tunnel that had been so eager to squeeze and massage him earlier gave no protest as he shifted his position and began crawling out of her.

“That was even better than last time,” Chloé panted. She had a goofy grin on her face as she lay back against her bedding, dimly aware of the squirming of her lover trying to exit her womanhood. She glanced down at her slit, and fought a laugh as Mika’s head poked out, sleepy. “No,” she said in a pouty voice, “stay in there!”

Mika looked up in surprise as the very tip of Chloé’s tail seemed to curve around, the tip pressing down on the top of his head and easily sending his slippery body back down into her nethers. He grunted, fighting his way back up again, but Chloé giggled, each time easily undoing his work by pressing him back in.

“Chloé!” he managed finally, grunting as he tried to claw his way back out, dodging the tail tip’s thrust, “seriously, I can’t stay in here all day!”

“I think you could,” Chloé murmured, “but… okay, you can come out.”

This time the tip of her tail gently hooked around his waist, curling under his arms, and lifting him upward. There was a wet schlicking sound as he was pulled out of her, and the massive scaled appendage gently laid him across her stomach again before laying flat.

“Did you finish too?” Chloé asked, grinning in amusement at his soaked body.

“Yeah,” he breathed, “it was… intense.”

“Yeah,” Chloé agreed, yawning. “I’m pretty beat… I think I’ll take a little nap…”

“That does sound nice,” Mika muttered, feeling the warmth of her skin below him contrast with the coolness of the drying fluids on his body. As her belly rose and fell slowly beneath him, he quickly drifted off himself.

…

Mika frowned as he realized he was looking down at a charcoal grill, a row of hamburgers sizzling on it. He reached down with a spatula, flipping each one as the puffy white clouds rolled in the empty blue sky overhead.

He was in a normal suburban backyard, back in the United States somewhere. He heard laughing voices, and he turned to see his mom and Chloé, sitting at a small patio table with tall glasses of lemonade in their hands…

Only that wasn’t Chloé, or was it? She was human, with normal human legs, jeans, and a t-shirt, but with that same freckled face and long red hair. He studied her for a moment, watching her converse about something with his mother, laughing at some shared joke.

“Careful, you don’t want the burgers too dry,” his father said, coming to his side and handing him a cool glass of beer.

He started, “D-Dad?”

His father chuckled, taking the spatula from him and flipping the burgers one after the other, causing a series of hisses as the grease dripped down to the hot coals below.

“Yeah, it’s me,” he said softly, “I’m glad you finally remembered your mom and I… I wondered how long it would take you to end up back here.”

“This isn’t a normal dream,” Mika asked slowly, “is it?”

“Nope,” his father said with a knowing smile. “I picked this place actually,” he said, gesturing around the neighborhood. “I always thought your mother and I would settle down someplace like this when we were done traveling…” He sighed, staring down at the burgers. “That’s not important now, we need to talk about you, ” he gestured with the spatula to Chloé, “and her. ”

“Me and Chloé?” Mika asked, brow furrowed.

“You found the inner room,” his father said, taking a sip of his beer and looking up at the sky, “That’s why I can reach you like this. When your mother and I… when we passed, we became part of this place, sort of.”

“There are so many things I want to ask,” Mika began excitedly, but his father only held up a hand.

“I can’t give you much real information,” his dad said solemnly, “there are rules, even with gods and magic.”

“What can you tell me then?” Mika asked.

“Chloé needs to open the door,” his dad replied, “you already know how.”

“The four temples,” Mika muttered, “Where are they?”

“You have everything you need to find them,” his father said softly, “You’ll need to guide Chloé through this, she’s the last line of defense.”

“Defense against what?” Mika asked, “and why does Chloé need me ? She’s a giant snake-woman dad, and I’m pretty sure she’s bulletproof too.”

“You’re a smart kid, you’ll figure it out,” his dad said with a smirk.

“Mika!” Chloé said excitedly, bounding up to them, “Your mom is so funny!”

His mom chuckled as she walked up to them, “I just wanted to have a chat with her,” she said, reaching over and ruffling Mika’s hair. She looked him over with a sad smile on her face, “You’ve really grown up…”

“Yeah,” Mika said, blinking away a quick tear, “It’s uh… nice to see you again mom.”

“I wish we could stay longer,” she sighed, “but I think this is about as good as we can do.”

The wind started to blow through the trees of the small suburb, and the sky darkened as roiling storm clouds began to roll overhead. Mika watched as his mother and father embraced, smiling at him one last time as thunder boomed, then they were gone.

“It looks like rain,” Chloé said, walking to his side.

“Yeah,” Mika said, looking at the sky. He glanced at her and smirked, in her human form she was a few inches shorter than he was, “It’s odd looking down at you…”

She shrugged, turning to face him with a smile, “Do you like me better like this?” she asked softly.

He gulped, “I uh…”

“I know you’re scared of me,” Chloé said, “but maybe if I was like this, you wouldn’t be?” She looked down at her legs with a frown, slowly lifting her feet one at a time, as if trying to balance.

He sighed, it’s a dream, right? Why not be honest.

“You do scare me Chloé,” he said, brushing her hair behind her ear, “but you’re also the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met, even if you’re hundreds of meters long and half snake.”

She giggled, then leapt up to kiss him, her arms embracing his body as the first of the raindrops started to fall.

…

Mika groaned, shifting against the scratchy straw matting, “Chloé?” he mumbled, blinking sleep out of his eyes. She must have put me down to go do something, he reasoned, glancing up at the vast temple ceiling.

“Mika!” she called, “Over here!”

He turned towards the sound of her voice and almost fell over in shock, “Chloé, y-you’re-“

“Human!” she giggled. She was sitting up in the straw, naked, normal sized, and with legs. She gingerly tried to sit up, putting her left foot under herself, but with a cry of surprise she tumbled forward, grunting with mild pain as the straw cushioned her fall. She huffed angrily as she stared up at him, “how do these things work!?” she exclaimed, pointing at her legs.

“Uh… I guess you just sort of put one foot in front of the other?” Mika said with a grin. “So, you can turn into a human… Interesting.”

“Yeah, just like this weird dream I had,” Chloé muttered.

Mika froze, “The dream with the suburb, and my parents?”

“I don’t know what a suburb is,” Chloé said, “there were a lot of strange boxy things, I think humans lived in them? And yeah, you and your parents were there.”

We had the same dream, he thought, a chill going up his spine. His mouth was dry as he thought over the implications. So, does Dad really want me to open that door?

“Uh, Mika?” Chloé said nervously, “you might want to step back, I think I’m about to-“ She yelped in surprise. Before Mika could react, she was growing bigger, her legs fusing together and her scales sliding up out of the skin of her legs. He grunted as the massive tail flattened him, pinning him against the stone floor. “Ugh,” Chloé moaned, swaying slightly, “that really takes a lot out of me…” She blinked, “Mika? Where’d you go?” She felt a sudden desperate scratching and squirming from beneath her tail, and with a blush she lifted it up. Mika was spread eagle against the floor, a stunned look on his face. “Sorry!” she giggled, “I’ll try to give you some warning next time!”

“N-Next time?” Mika stammered.

“I think I can turn human again, and maybe stay that way a little longer,” Chloé mused, “I guess that’s one more thing to figure out!”

Add it to the list, Mika thought, staring up at the ceiling.

…

Higgins hefted the large assault rifle in his grip, checking the magazine and sights before slinging it over his back. He’d traded his usual suit and tie for a black tactical outfit, his sunglasses for a pair of infrared goggles. The Naga would not be using her camouflage to hide this time.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he turned to see the two representatives of Ouroboros walking by them, inspecting the troops before battle. Their catlike ears and tails were hidden, along with the slitted pupils , but he knew.

And what can I do with that? Higgins wondered. For now, nothing, he’d decided. If his employers were some kind of cat-creatures, he’d worked for truly despicable people in the past, and it didn’t really matter at the end of the day so long as he was paid.

“The Naga will do what we want if we take her human,” Yukia muttered, “they might be maneaters, but they get sentimental about certain ones…”

“I’d like to urge caution,” Emilia said, “we must take Mika alive. ”

“We’ll do our best,” Higgins said mildly.

“Fine, do your best,” Emilia said with a shrug, “if you hurt him… Well, it won’t be me standing in front of a pissed off Naga.” She turned to the rest of the men, “Once you have him, withdraw immediately, bring him back here and Yukia and I will confront the Naga with our terms.”

“What makes you think she won’t eat you or crush you first and ask questions later?” Higgins asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She’ll be much more willing to talk to us, ” Yukia said, her reflective glasses shining as she grinned.

…

Chloé was picking handfuls of the Lemurian fruit. After her earlier meal she wouldn’t need to eat again for some time, but she still liked to chew on a few of the fruit while Mika ate his own small meal, it somehow made her feel good to eat at the same time he did. She paused as she felt the vibrations through the ground.

Human footsteps? She frowned as she quickly lost count of the marching feet against the stone floor of the temple. With a scowl she tossed the fruit away, slithering back into the temple complex.

…

Emilia walked through the camp, making a beeline for the tent where Oklahoma was kept prisoner. The pair of guards outside glanced at her, but didn’t protest as she walked in. The group they’d arrived with knew better than to question her or Yukia.

“Hello,” she said cheerfully, smiling at the tied pilot.

“Bite me,” Oklahoma growled.

“The time has come to set you loose, my catspaw,” Emilia said with a smile. She reached into her bag, shuffling her massive grimoire to the side and pulling out a small knife.

“What are you-“

Emilia ignored her, casually slicing through the woman’s bonds, freeing her hands.

“Uh, thanks,” Oklahoma said uncertainly, rubbing her wrists. “Am I free to go?”

“Oh, dear me, no,” Emilia said with a sad smile, “every guard in this camp will shoot you before letting you leave.” She reached into the bag again, handing Oklahoma her handgun holster and pistol, bundled neatly together.

“So, what’s my plan then?” She asked, gazing down at the strange woman in the hooded dress. She pulled back the slide on her pistol, enjoying the familiar *ka-klack* as it racked into place.

Emilia tapped her forehead, “You realized your bonds were loose,” she said, altering the pilot’s memories, “You decided that the best way to escape us was to head for the temple, you found your gun, and then you took a hostage…”

…

“Everyone hands where I can see them!” Oklahoma shouted, bursting out of the tent with Emilia in her arms. The guards balked, but threw their guns down as they saw Oklahoma’s pistol level with their employer’s head.

“Do what she says!” Emilia shouted.

“How did she get loose?” someone shouted.

“Shut up!” Oklahoma shouted, pressing the gun against Emilia’s ear. “I see any of you move and she’s dead!”

The guards hesitated for a moment, but slowly everyone in the camp raised their hands, watching coldly as Oklahoma edged her way out of their encampment, glancing at all of them nervously. Finally, she made it into the thick of the jungle, and let out a relieved chuckle.

Emilia grunted as the pilot shoved her away, “Guess I was just too tricky for you,” Oklahoma chuckled, holstering her gun.

“Oh yes, you’ve outwitted me,” Emilia said with a smug smile.

Oklahoma frowned, but the sound of shouting men from the campsite interrupted any other thoughts she might have had. With one last scowl she abandoned Emilia, fleeing into the jungle in the direction of the temple.

…

Mika studied his father’s journal, Coordinates appear coded in the ruins, he read, his interest piquing. This suggests the presence of other temples of this culture in other parts of the world. We might need to recheck some of the ruins for errors in our understanding of the runes, if accurate it would suggest temples in-

The sound of running boots against stone interrupted his thoughts, and he looked up in surprise as a dozen armed men stormed into the chamber, assault rifles raised.

“Clear!” a voice shouted.

Higgins stepped forward with a smirk, readying a pair of zip ties, “good news kid, I’m here to rescue you.”

Mika gulped, “I uh, I’d rather stay.”

“Not an option,” Higgins chuckled, waving two of his men forward.

Mika struggled, but they easily pinned him down, tying his hands together. He grunted as they hefted him up, forcing him to walk with an assault rifle barrel poked into his back.

“I really think you’re better off with us,” Higgins said as the group made their way towards the exit, “I know she’s got a good pair of tits kid, but she’s not your friend.”

“You people tried to kill me the first time you saw me!” Mika hissed, “and who are you, anyway?”

“We’ll do a whole big meet and greet when we get back to our camp,” Higgins said with a grin.

The group exited the temple, walking through one of the massive stone arches into the setting sun. They quickly came to a halt, and Mika looked up to see Chloé, furious and silhouetted against the setting sun.

“Let him go now, ” she hissed angrily, looming over the men like an angry goddess.

Higgins met her gaze, pulling Mika along to the front of the group. With a flourish he drew his handgun, leveling it to Mika and smirking up at the Naga.

“You’re going to come back with us and talk to my employers,” Higgins said coolly, “if you do what I want, he won’t get hurt…” Chloé slithered closer, and the men readied their weapons, “Steady,” Higgins called, his heartbeat picking up.

Chloé paused, glowering down at them all hatefully, “If he’s hurt, I’m eating you first,” she muttered.

Higgins smiled, gently pushing Mika past Chloé’s massive form as his men followed him, relaxing slightly, “Now just come with me-“

The loud popping of gunfire interrupted their conversation, and his eyes went wide as he saw the pilot, Oklahoma, stumble out of the brush, smoking pistol in hand. Several other mercenaries followed her, firing at the fleeing woman as she dove behind a large ruined stone altar.

“No,” Higgins shouted, “STOP!”

The young man in his grip jolted, crying out in pain. Higgins eyes went wide as he saw Mika had been hit by a ricocheted bullet. Chloé saw it too, and the barely contained fury boiled over. With a scream that rocked the jungle and sent birds flying into the air for miles, Chloé dove at the group of mercenaries, who panicked, opening fire with their weapons.

The world seemed to slow as Higgins slung the injured Mika over his shoulder, bolting for the trees as his men sprayed Chloé with automatic gunfire.

…

Chloé winced, shielding her eyes with her arm as the men peppered her with bullets. These ones were bigger, hitting her harder, while they weren’t doing much damage they hurt. With a roar she swung her tail around, knocking the men off their feet.

“MIKA!?” she called.

There was a hiss, and then something struck her back, the rocket exploded, causing her to cry out in pain as she tumbled forward. She rose with a growl, glancing at one of the mercenaries who was quickly trying to reload the weapon. Her tail lanced out, curling around the tube and flicking it up and away. She almost leapt at him, mouth wide, but the distant sound of Mika’s cry of pain caught her attention. She ignored the stinging barbs of the bullets as she leapt into the trees, camouflaging herself as she went.

…

Higgins lay Mika against a large rock. The young man was out cold, and Higgins cursed as he realized the bullet had hit an artery. Mika was pale, unmoving, and his breathing was shallow. He glanced back toward the temple, wondering how long his men would be able to hold the Naga off before she came looking for him.

“Reach for the sky!” A woman’s voice called.

Higgins sighed, lifting his hands skyward as he slowly turned around, “Oklahoma, was it?” he asked.

“The one and only,” she grinned, slowly skittering forward, and lifting his assault rifle off him. She slung it over her own shoulder, keeping her pistol on him the whole time. She glanced at Mika and frowned, “He’s coming with me,” she declared.

“He’ll be dead within a few minutes anyway,” Higgins growled, “what’s it to you?”

“Let me worry about that,” Oklahoma said, “the only reason you’re not getting plugged too is that I don’t like shooting people.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Higgins muttered.

“Said I didn’t like it, not that I wouldn’t do it,” Oklahoma warned, “now get.”

Higgins sighed, then turned, sprinting into the jungle, Live to fight another day, he thought angrily.

Oklahoma knelt over Mika, cutting his bonds with her pocket knife, and tapping his cheek with her palm, frowning at the lack of response.

She pulled the small red bottle from her pocket, “This will fix you right up kid,” she muttered, bringing it to his lips and tilting it back. For a moment she wondered where she’d gotten that bottle, or how she knew it would heal his wounds, but as he coughed and color returned to his cheeks, she decided it didn’t matter.

“Thanks,” he muttered, “What was that?”

“I don’t know,” Oklahoma shrugged, “definitely not snake oil, that’s for sure!”

There was a rumbling sound, and the two paused, looking up as the air shimmered. A moment later Chloé appeared. Her hair was frayed, and there was a bruise on her back where the rocket had hit, but other than that she showed little sign that she’d just fought off a small army.

“Mika!” she said excitedly. Her eyes darted to Oklahoma, “Oh, another one,” she growled, reaching down for her.

“Wait!” Mika said, jumping in front of the stunned pilot, “This is Oklahoma, she’s a friend!”

Chloé frowned, “Are you sure?”

“Oh yeah!” Oklahoma said with a nervous smile, hooking an arm around Mika, “we’re best friends, we go way back! Me and Mika here! Any friend of his is a friend of mine, and I would never discriminate against a uh…” She glanced down at Chloé’s snakelike tail, “whatever you are…”

“Her name’s Chloé,” Mika said, “and she needs to swim us across the river, we can figure out what to do from there.”

“Wait a minute!” Oklahoma protested as the giant hand came down towards her. She grunted as Chloé gripped her tightly, slithering through the jungle with the two humans in hand.

…

Crossing the river with Chloé was easy, Mika and Oklahoma didn’t even get wet as she easily held them up above the waterline. Slithering across to the next shore Chloé grimaced, looking at the short trees, none of which would be tall enough to conceal her, much less climb on.

“What now?” she asked, slowly lowering Mika and Oklahoma down.

“We find the temples,” Mika said, reaching down into his bag and retrieving his father’s journal. “I think I know where the first one is, but we’re going to need some help getting there…” he glanced at Oklahoma.

Her eyes widened, “Oh no kid, I think I’ve had enough of giant snake monsters and mercenary armies.”

“We don’t have much of a choice,” Mika said tersely, “You’re exactly what I need, a pilot with some criminal ties-“

“Hey now, I’ve never been convicted of anything!” Oklahoma protested.

“And one who I know isn’t working with them,” Mike continued. He jerked his thumb back at the far side of the river, “besides, do you really think those people will just let you walk away? They’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth unless you help me finish this.”

“What is this?” Oklahoma asked, crossing her arms.

“I’m not sure yet,” Mika said with a smile and a shrug, “I’ll fill you in as we go.”

“And what if I just feel like faking my death, moving to Arizona, and flying tourists over the Grand Canyon for the next few years?” Oklahoma asked skeptically.

“Ooh, Mika!” Chloé said excitedly, “if she’s not going to help, is she off the do-not-eat list?”

Oklahoma’s face paled, “Y-You wouldn’t-“

Chloe giggled, leaning down over Oklahoma and slowly opening her mouth, letting the woman look up into her dripping maw. The pilot gulped as she realized just how easily she’d fit inside of it.

“Does she really eat people?” Oklahoma rasped.

“Bad ones,” Mika sighed.

Oklahoma paled, “She’s just joking about me though, right?”

“Probably,” Mika smirked, “but you know you should help us anyways, right?”

“You bastard,” she muttered, “Fine, I’m in. There had better be some treasure on this trip, or at least good booze…” She looked up at Chloé, “how exactly are we sneaking her anywhere?”

Chloé’s scales shimmered, and she smiled as she dwindled down, her tail splitting evenly, her insides squishing slightly as they rearranged themselves to her new form. A few seconds later she stood before a stunned Oklahoma in her human form, naked and beaming.

“How’s this?” she asked, gesturing down. She frowned, wobbling, then collapsed to the ground. “Oops, I don’t have the hang of this walking thing yet…”

“Well uh, that’ll do it I guess,” Oklahoma muttered. “Can she make clothes, or something?”

“She can do a lot, but not that,” Mika laughed. “We’ll have to get her something when we find a village or a town or something.”

Mika leaned down, looping Chloé’s arms over his neck and carrying her over his back with a smile.

“Let’s head out, I want to put as much distance between us and those people back there as possible,” Mika said. “Do you know anyone in these jungles who could help us out?”

“Yeah,” Oklahoma sighed, “there’s a guy maybe a few days west of here who owes me a car ride… let’s get walking.”

The trio disappeared into the jungle as the sun began to set.