Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse

The girls looked around the interior of the ancient Catholic church. It would have been a modern church in its day, but now it was crumbling and decrepit, with dust everywhere and broken windows.

They walked into the nave.

"This is their nest," Ruby stated the obvious.

There were rows and rows of snake eggs lined up on the old pews. The pews seemed to be just the right size for the large eggs, and it kept them up off the ground.

"No wonder they're so fierce," said Delphi. "Destroy them all Lili. There'll be a lot less tubiàn snakes for us to deal with if we have to come back this way. Let's find a way out of here. Check all the exits, Feif. Loveday, see if there's a crypt we can use to make a low-profile departure."

A scream rang out from the back of the church, and they all ran down to see what had happened.

"There is a crypt, Delph but there's a snake in it," Loveday was backing away as a huge snake emerged through the little door she had pulled open.

"Well the good news is there must be another exit through the crypt," said Delphi.

"There is a back door Captain," called Feifei, "but there's lot of snakes out there."

"Alright, let's deal with this snake and we'll see if we can escape through the crypt."

The snake had risen to its full height which seemed like it was nearly as high as the roof of the church. At that height, it suddenly spotted Lili destroying the eggs, and then all hell broke loose.

The snake threw itself over the pews racing towards Lili.

"Lili! Move it!" shouted Delphi.

Delphi and Feifei chased along behind the snake, striking at its body. It used it's tail to flick Feifei off her feet. She skittered down the centre aisle of the church, coming to a stop when she struck the steps to the altar.

"Are you okay Feif?" Loveday rushed over to her, pulling her to her feet.

"Yep, all good. Lili needs us, let's go!"

At the other end of the church the snake was hissing at Lili, striking its head at her as she backed out of the pews, still knocking off eggs along the way.

"Leave the eggs Lili! Get out of there!" yelled Delphi.

"I'm trying Captain, but she's got me pretty occupied," shouted Lili, desperately keeping the snake strikes at bay with her sword.

Delphi finally managed to plunge her sword through the snake's tail, pinning it to a pew and stopping its forward momentum. Now for the first time, it cared about her, and it turned back. Its movement was restricted by its trapped tail as it returned to attack her, but it could still reach her, contorting itself into a figure eight.

Delphi dived under a pew as it tried to strike her while her sword was out of action, being used as a spike for the time being.

"It's icky under here," she called to the girls.

There was fertilised egg yolk everywhere, yellow and gooey, streaked with blood.

The mamma snake dived it's head under the pew where she hid, and she backed along the length of the wooden bench on her arse, sliding through the slimy egg while it chased her down, managing to touch her with its flicking tongue it was so close as she hit the end of the row.

Loveday and Feifei stabbed its body that was wrapped over the pew Delphi was under, striking it in the same spot from each side and almost severing it in two. It stopped its pursuit, but it was still alive, it's black eyes fixed on Delphi.

"Hit it again girls," she called nervously, staring back at it at close quarters.

The girls managed to hack their way right through its girth, effectively severing its head. Finally, its eyes closed, and that horrible tongue stopped it's flickering at Delphi.

She squeezed out from under the pew and retrieved her sword.

"I hear eggs are good for the skin and hair. Mine should be looking amazing after that little paddle in the yolk. Especially my ass."

Loveday cracked up. "You're not going to smell good when that dries Delph."

"That was a bit close for comfort," Delphi puffed, and Feifei wrapped her arm around her shoulder. "Let's go. Loveday, Feif, come with me to check out the crypt."

The girls lit a flame stick and cautiously entered the staircase that lead down to the crypt, Delphi out in front.

"This is full tilt scary down here Delph," said Loveday.

It was creepy; complete with cobwebs and some sort of slippery slime on the steps that didn't smell at all nice.

Delphi held the flame stick aloft and lit up the space. It was long, almost the full length of the church. At the far end there was a shaft of natural sunlight.

"More eggs," commented Delphi. There were clutches of snake eggs in the wall nooks as they went.

It looked like the door that led out of the crypt was missing entirely, which was how the snakes had entered and made their underground lair. Delphi peered warily outside. They were around the back of the church, and beyond its walls. She could see snakes still attacking the guards at the front of the church and a group of the serpents were guarding the cracked back door, which it looked like they could slither through, but luckily, it was all clear at the outside entrance to the crypt.

"Feif, grab the horses and the girls and let's split this joint," whispered Delphi. "I'll keep watch here."

Lili was the last to appear. "I smashed all of those bastards' eggs in the crypt too, Delph."

"Yes. I probably shouldn't have given you that job. You were a little too enthusiastic. Did you think maybe not to keep destroying the eggs once that big mamma snake had you at striking distance?"

"It seemed a waste not to keep toppling them as I went. It didn't add any time."

"Hmm," Delphi was sceptical.

The girls lead their horses quietly into the bush one-by-one.

Delphi was the last to leave.

She looked back at the horde of snakes that were still attacking the guards. You could hear the shouts of the men and the constant hissing of the giant tubiàn.

She did feel a little twinge of guilt. But it was tiny.