06. "Den of the Snake"

Story by GrifterWolf on SoFurry

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#41 of Iron Author

Iron Author commission for guderian

Deep in the South American jungle, a scientist tries to confirm facts of an ancient inhuman race, but he and the team he meets finds out first hand the power behind the mystery...


06. "Den of the Snake"

I looked down through the airplane window to the jungles passing by rapidly below. The pit of my stomach was tight, my eyes were on fire, I hadn't slept a wink for the entire trip so far. Coming from Chicago, I was used to the city lights, the smells, the noises of a hustling and bustling community. But now, here I was in South America tracking down what I'd hoped to be the greatest find of the century, and I certainly didn't want to put my own comforts ahead of that.

Even without experiencing the humidity outside, my forehead was wet with anticipation, I constantly took my handkerchief from my pocket and wiped it across my brow, brushing back my thinning bald hair as I adjusted my glasses with each pass. I could hear the pilots from where I sat, speaking in heavily accented English to one another. I'd heard them speaking Portuguese at the start of the flight, but I assumed maybe it was because I was an American passenger that they took it as an opportunity to practice speaking it. They did very well, I thought. A bit broken, but passable in any remote city Taxi cab I'd ever been in. They looked at me on occasion, asking if I was ill. I would just smile and shake my head politely.

The landing was probably the roughest part of the journey. I was in a bit of a panic as I saw the trees appearing on either side of the plane, but quickly realized that it was a landing strip. Touching the ground was like bouncing on a mattress, my butt literally left my seat only to be brought back down by my safety belt, then bounce up again. It was only the capper on a rigorous ten hour flight in a small plane that had to make four stops in between but at last I was there.

As I unbuckled, one of the pilots moved toward the side of the plane and opened the doors, letting in a sudden blast of humid air that washed over me. I coughed a bit in response as he stepped aside and allowed me to approach the stairs. The sunlight was painful and blinding at first, but as I started making my way down and shielding my eyes from the overhead light, they began to focus and I could see a small party of four waiting for me at the end of the steps.

The one at the front was an older man with raven black hair and small strips of grey forming along his temple. He had round sunglasses and was rather well built, his lips pursed a bit as he looked at me, then he brought his hand out to shake mine. "Joseph Brill I assume?"

"Please, call me Joey." I answered politely. "I like to pretend to keep myself young through my name."

The man scoffed in amusement. "Of course. I am Martin Gune."

"A pleasure sir." I remembered the name being my main correspondent in my research of ancient cultures, which was most of the reason for my trip in the first place.

Martin turned to a woman to his left, who had short, dark hair, red lips and a fine complexion. She stood in a short sleeve white shirt and khaki pants and was probably just as endowed with muscle as Martin was. "This is my second officer Jennifer Watt."

"Jen." She stated matter-of-factly as she shook my hand with the wrenching steel grip of any soldier I'd ever met.

"Nathan Lockheart, our resident translator and mythology expert." He gestured to a man who was shorter and rounder in stature. He had on a safari hat, which he tilted up to see me, revealing a mostly bald head of short dark hair combined with a white beard that completely threw off the salt and pepper look his hair was giving him. "And lastly Jordan Levine, our survival expert. He'll be making sure that none of us are harmed in the making of history."

Jordan looked intimidating, much taller than I'd expected he was obviously a native to this neck of the jungle, though unlike his kin, who I saw already loading a truck with my things, he wore clothing as opposed to a loincloth. I suspected that his name was simply one given to him as he curled his lips in a thick, insincere smile.

"A pleasure to meet all of you." I said.

"Come on, we'll get you back to the camp and you can fill us in on any other information you found on the Snake Skull."

"Of course." I said as I followed them toward the jeep and as they each climbed up I followed behind, sitting between Jordan and Nathan in the back.

The trip to the camp wasn't as long as I expected, once we hit the jungle's edge, I expected at least fifteen to twenty minutes, but it had been barely five minutes before we were pulling into the site. There were three tents sitting around the burned out remains of a campfire at the center. Smoke still rose from the ashes, and the smell of bacon and eggs was still fresh in the air as we pulled up.

"Sorry about the aroma." Martin said, seemingly unapologetic as he climbed out of the jeep and wiped his brow of sweat. "We had breakfast about half an hour ago, the smells just like to hang in the air. You hungry?"

"No." I lied, ignoring the pang in my stomach. "Let's just make sure we get to work alright?"

They all smiled politely at me as they returned to their stations, but immediately I felt like I couldn't trust them with everything I knew. The pack I'd carried on my shoulder seemed heavier to me, and I hoisted it up and tighter around my arm. After a few minutes I rejoined Martin at what I assumed was his tent. He regarded me with a nod as he browsed through a book in his hand, I recognized it as a basic tome for mythology. I'd read it many years ago myself but I was surprised it would be in the hands of a renowned scientist such as this one. As he set it aside, I picked it up and skimmed through it.

"Third edition?" I asked, causing him to halt his searching for a moment.

"Fourth." He said matter-of-factly before returning to the pile of books he was going through. "Trying to find the latest edition I have."

"Believe me, the second edition is quite complete." I said, adjusting my glasses. "Some of the "facts" that they erased afterward were based more on actual legend than they previously thought."

"Oh?"

"Oh, looks like our resident bookworm's been out-burrowed." Jen laughed as she, Nathan and Jordan approached the tent. "What else do you have in store for us?"

"Yes." Nathan said a bit less amused at the moment as he snatched the book out of my hand. "What can you tell us that we haven't already discovered."

"A lot." I said. "After research, I found that somewhere around here was once an old temple dedicated to the Quetzalcoatl."

"We've not seen a thing like that around here and we've been down here for weeks." Nathan objected.

"Ah, nothing in the traditional style, but my research has left me with one possible solution; that the temple is hidden underground somewhere."

"Like... where?" Jen asked with a deadpan glare.

"I'm... not sure, that's why I needed your help in finding it." I answered.

"My people have lived here for many generations." Jordan said. "We've not seen any sign of it."

I shrugged. "I'm not sure what else to tell you, I am positive that my research has led me here. Surely your people had a place that was forbidden to travel to?"

Jordan shook his head. "None that I have been told."

I paused and let off a soft hum. I knew my calculations couldn't be wrong. I was positive that it would be here. I could see the others looking at me like I had somehow lost my mind, and maybe I had. The legends of this tribe; some sort of mixture of the ancient cultures, had gone completely unnoticed for thousands of years, and now that I've found bona fide proof that they existed, the evidence seemed to be completely forged. I regained my stiff posture and glared at them. "I think I'll do a little scouting on foot." I said.

"Look, I know that you're enthusiastic, Mr. Brill, but there's a storm due in within the hour and that'll really hurt our search."

I looked at the sky, the start of the afternoon seemed perfectly beautiful, but I decided to give Martin the benefit of the doubt. "I'm sure. I was just planning on maybe a mile hike. I'll be back within the hour."

"Alright. Jordan, accompany Mr. Brill, would you?"

"No, no." I waved my hands at him. "I can take care of myself."

"At least take a weapon." Martin insisted. "It could be dangerous."

I obliged, accepting a large knife that Jordan handed me. I put it in the band of my belt and made my way out of the camp. As the smell of breakfast finally faded, my stomach growled loudly. I could definitely use something to eat when I got back. I wasn't sure if it was the intense heat making me sweat, or trying to keep my mind off of food long enough to make a mile walk but my foot caught on a protruding branch and suddenly I found myself falling over a ledge.

My back had hit an incline that bounced me through the air, still rolling I couldn't even cry out because my back or my head would strike the ground, preventing me from screaming. I grunted and felt my arm bounce back against something sharp and after what seemed like an eternity of falling, I hit the ground face down. Pushing up slowly, my head felt like a top still spinning on my neck as I tried to get up, and merely fumbled onto the ground again. I looked around and found myself in a darker part of the jungle. Looking up, I could see the high ledge I had fallen from and called out. "HELP! Hey! Help!" But I heard no response. I must have been too far out of camp for my voice to carry. I checked myself, padding my hands along my vest and pants; nothing was broken, but a gash in my right arm made me hiss when my dirty fingers found it. Slowly, I managed to steady myself enough to get back onto my feet.

"Joey." A voice made me spin around, looking for someone standing behind me, but I couldn't see anything.

"Hello?" I asked, but nothing was nearby that could have said my--

"Joooooey..." The voice sounded like a strange whisper, elongating my name and sending a chill down my spine. "Joey Brill, come to me."

"Who-who's there?" I asked, trying not to sound nervous.

"Ssssomething you seek."

Such a mysteriously sounding voice, as terrified as it made me feel, it also sparked my curiosity, and when a scientist's curiosity is piqued, there's nothing that'll stop it. I started toward the voice as it spoke my name; it was slow, it was deliberately calling for me, making its location known. My feet were kicking at branches on the ground so thick that I was buried to the ankle in them. Stepping over some I looked up to see the sky having darkened over my head some. There really seemed to be a storm of some sort coming in; I looked over my shoulder, back toward the direction of the camp and briefly considered turning back right away. But something was goading me to continue on.

"Come, Joey... you have been chosen." The voice said as I came over another rise and saw something peculiar:

It was a cave entrance... sort of. It looked more like a hidden nook a few feet from the base of a rocky hillside that went upward sharply. As I walked down the hill, I could hear the voice closer, along with the sound of running water inside the little cave-like entrance. "Who... what are you?" I asked as I drew closer to the small hole. As my ear came closer to it, I heard the voice whispering from just within.

"You..." The voice answered rather spookily as suddenly a snake slithered into view.

"AHHH!" I screamed and rolled away, injuring my arm again on another rock as I stumbled down the hill. My arm was in agony when I got back up, but I didn't see any snakes near the cave now it had vanished so quickly. I pulled a small flashlight from my pack and returned to the hole, kicking the branches nearby to be sure the snake was really gone. I swallowed nervously and crouched down. Shining my flashlight in, I could barely make out the interior of the small cavern within. I could see easily that it was bigger than I expected on the inside, but my shoulders couldn't really squeeze through the entrance properly. I laid down on my stomach to try and get a better view, and eventually my light fell on something interesting; a strange plumed object that was on the floor just a few inches away from me. As my light moved, I could see a couple more of them as well. I reached in nervously to touch them and drew my hand back when it felt like I was touching something soft.

"Closer, Joey... you almost have me." The voice came from directly in front of me, from within the cave and I nearly jumped all the way out in my surprise as I noticed a soft, red glow right where I had been reaching. "Come and see..."

"Come.... and see?" I repeated, feeling a little dizzy as I repeated the voice's words. I reached for the red lights; straining as hard as I could into the entrance for enough wiggle room to reach it. As I put my hand down on it, I pulled it out into the daylight.

It looked like a snake's head, complete with bird plummage around the crest, making a fan-like headdress that fell long in the back. The mask itself was in exquisite shape, with a sharp snout that came down over a pair of wide eye sockets. The brow had a strange symbol that resembled a crescent moon that pointed to the right, it glowed red all of a sudden, and I wanted to drop it immediately, but something... some strange force kept it in my hands. "I--" I said but found my voice dropping off before the words could leave my throat.

"Isn't this what you've always wanted? Come now, Joey... you have sought this power your entire life, surely you don't want to squander it now?"

"N-no..." I said, hearing my head buzz in response. "No, I don't."

I wasn't sure if I did it on my own, or if something was guiding me. It didn't feel like I consciously put the mask on, but I knew it was what it wanted me to do. As I laid the mask over my head, I immediately noticed the warmth within intensify. It was a heat that shot down through my body and began to expand from the pit of my stomach. "HRAAAAHHHHH!" I screamed as a suddenly violent urge took me and I threw myself to the ground.

Hurriedly, I tried to pull the mask off of my head, but I could feel it tightening around my face, I could feel my fingers digging at it to get it off through the mask. I was amazed how well I could feel it. The heat began to turn to a boil under my skin and I screamed again scratching madly at my clothes to stop the burning I grabbed the sleeve of my shirt and tore it off, it didn't help at all, it felt like my skin was bubbling in pain. I grabbed the center of my shirt and pulled, unexpectedly ripping the whole top off of me and exposing my back to the cooling air around me. The cooling lasted for only a few seconds though as it was replaced with the same burning feeling as before. "GAHH!" I panted, feeling my body starting to grow out in musculature, I could feel the prickle of my hair and the sensation that it was falling out of both my face and my head. I scratched at my burning chest, which was covered in sweat. It was like I was being cooked alive in my clothes.

I buried my face against the foliage on the ground and felt my arms pop in and out of joint as I reached down and grabbed my pants, feverishly tearing them off. I wore nothing underneath, so the next thing I saw was my cock flopping onto my stomach. The crackling in my head echoed as I could feel my face growing longer as my head sloped into the branches under me my fingers dug into the ground and I let out a ferocious cry that didn't even sound like me anymore. Gasping, I could feel the base of my spine on fire as my back twisted upward and I could no longer feel my legs. I rolled onto my side and watched as my legs knotted together and I noticed that the skin on my legs was starting to peel, just like the skin on my arms and my chest--everywhere. I grimaced and spat out a couple of teeth, feeling new sharper ones growing in their places. "W-whatssss... ha-happening?" I could hear myself ask, but almost immediately knew the answer.

"You are becoming one of us..."

"Ahhh--ahhh!" I muffled out a moan as I grabbed the loose skin on my face and found it surprisingly easy to peel off. I could feel scales on the ridge leading down to a short, blunt snout. I could feel my teeth cool on the air as they protruded from my mouth. My body had gotten incredibly muscular while my legs merged together as one thick, veiny mass. My cock was hard as it now was on the outside of a strange fold of skin. The pain had suddenly become ecstasy and I was rabidly turned on by it. My chest pumped up and down hard as I tore at the skin now peeling away like the husk of a snake's skin, and I could feel the scales emerging through the other side. My face had become the head of the snake mask I'd put on and very little else remained of my humanity. I could feel my cock twitching, writhing, screaming for release. I grabbed it with the slimy remnants of my hands, which were already peeling back to reveal they too had changed and I began to stroke myself, it took no time at all for my mind to plunge into the darkness of my lust as I came and covered my new body with fresh, slippery, thick loads of cum.

***

***

Raindrops were falling on his face as he woke from a sound slumber. His claws found his rippling muscled abdomen and he could feel the dried cum covering him like a layer of skin. As he turned over, he remembered the name "Joey" and grinned. Perhaps he should call himself this, the name suited his tastes nicely. He rolled over onto his shoulders, then hoisted himself upright with a push from his hands. Looking at his thick, dextrous claws, he remembered the sacrifices that granted him this power centuries ago, and he wanted to spread this power to others. He returned to the small hovel that his mask had been hidden in and squirmed through the entrance, dislocating his shoulders to enter the cavern and he retrieved four masks which would be used to resurrect his subjects. He grinned evilly at them as they flashed in acknowledgement to their master, and quickly the snake man slithered out of the hole and into the water that his home had been created near. He would bathe, then find the humans who would be searching for their missing companion. He would have a surprise for all of them, if they gave in.

As darkness fell, the naga emerged from the water slowly and observed his surroundings. There was a perpetual rainfall; not heavy enough to keep the humans from searching for Joey, but heavy enough for him to move about stealthily among them. Moving through the night was easy for him, he could see just as clearly as he could during the day. It allowed his tail to slide across the ground stealthily so he could sneak into the humans' campsite. Slowing, he hid as he spotted one of them at the campfire. Sniffing with his tongue, he recognized this one as "Nathan" a portly human with a balding head of hair. He lifted a radio and spoke into it.

"No, haven't seen hide nor hair of him since he left." He said. "Sir, he might be dead. This jungle is incredibly dangerous unless you're used to its rigors."

"We're searching quadrant seven before we turn back." Joey could hear Martin's voice over the radio. "If we haven't found anything by then we'll have to pick up the search tomorrow."

"Roger, dodger." Nathan said. "I'll let you know if anything comes up over here."

Joey seethed a bit, his claw scratching along the metal surface he had come to a rest near. "Unworthy creature." He said to himself. "Sitting around on his fat ass while the others attempt to find him?" He pondered. "Perhaps there would be a better use for him than one of my tokens."

*THUNK*

The sound alerted Nathan, who nearly spilled out of his chair and recovered. "Who's... who's there?"

"Hisssssssss!" The sound was unmistakably snake-like and quickly, the man grabbed the gun from his hip holster.

Nathan trembled as he swept the darkness with his eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of something, anything that looked like a snake. Turning around only made his hands shake all the more, as he reached the end of his turn his gun suddenly bumped into a hard, scaly belly and he looked up to see a massive snake-like creature standing over him. His eyes were glowing gold in the darkness of the night, his back facing the campfire made him look all the more ominous. Nathan shrieked and went to pull the trigger, but the creature yanked his gun in another direction and it fired off into the empty darkness. "HE---!" His mouth was covered by the reptile's clawed hand and he was shoved back hard into the tent behind him as the snake slithered out his words. "Unworthy human..." He said. "You dare aim your primitive weapons at me!?" Pulling the gun from his hand, Joey grabbed Nathan by the cheeks and gazed him in the eyes. The glow flooding Nathan's face all but made him fall still, sending him into a fit of endless whimpering as his body trembled. "You will service me." Joey said.

"Wha-what are you---nnhhh!" Nathan's words were cut off as the eyes he was staring into began to pierce into his consciousness.

"You will listen, and obey. Prove yourself; service me, or die." The snake man said maliciously. His cock having already slipped from its slit, Nathan could only feel himself cringe as he stared the beast in the eyes. He took the shaft, and without looking away, began to pull it into his mouth. His human tongue slipping over the surface of his flesh, Joey moaned, the end of his tail twitching in enjoyment as the warm maw clamped down over his cock and he felt it jolt with the sudden heat. The human's unphasing stare was priceless as he began to work up and down the snake's shaft seamlessly. He was inhaling and exhaling through his nostrils, breathing hard and growing feverishly fond of his 'master's' member. "Good... very good, human." Joey said, flicking his tongue out in delight as his cock received a good workover. He could feel his precum dripping from the tip and into Nathan's mouth, who readily swallowed it.

"Hey!" A voice nearly distracted the snake from his hypnotic stare, though he was able to cast a casual glance as Jordan, Jen and Martin all moved into the campsite, aiming rifles at the beast currently fucking Nathan's mouth full. "What the--what the fuck are you?" Martin asked, training his gun on him.

"Your master." The snake answered darkly, his mouth curling into a wide grin. "You all are worthy of my gift. This one is not." He said, grabbing the man's face tighter.

"Worthy of wh--"

Martin's voice was cut off by a scream as his head was suddenly clasped by another snake's skull that pulled itself over his head like a mask. Jordan and Jen were both suddenly grabbed by two others, and all three of them fell to the ground writhing in agony as their bodies began to contort and twist viciously around.

Jen's chest caved in, becoming flatter before her abdomen rippled with musculature. As her clothes were torn off and her skin began to peel, revealing a red reptile underneath. Her face almost immediately shed off, and bright blue eyes emerged from under them. Her body increased heavily in muscle mass, and a new mass of flesh began to form between her legs as she slowly transitioned to a new, more desired sex for her master. Martin ripped his shirt open, and along with it, the skin off his chest tore away, revealing a darker, more bluish-green color scale. He tossed his head back and screamed as a fin began to protrude from his skull, angling it upward as his face came out. He fell to the ground, dropping his gun and when he tried to reach for it, a thick reptilian claw emerged from the skin of his hand. His musculature was pretty thick to start with, and remained about the same as he changed. Both he and Jen's legs did similar to Joey's own and merged into one long, slithering tail as Nathan watched, gurgling his screams of horror as his mouth continuously flooded with Joey's precum

Jordan was the last to transform, resisting the hold of the mask until his team was mostly underway, he fell back, tearing at the mask until it became his face and he ripped that off first. He screamed in pain as a bluish reptilian face emerged from it. His legs remained apart, but the ankles snapped back giving him screams of anguishing pain as claws began to emerge from the tips of his toes, separating into three long, dagger-like talons instead of a singular tail like the others. His muscles bulged out, making him easily the biggest of the crowd as his cock, which remained the same size became erect like Martin's and Jen's new one. The smell of Nathan pissing himself filled the air and made Joey smile as he looked down on him.

"You were unworthy to become one of us." He said. "But are you worthy to take us all? If so, we may let you go."

Tears were streaming from Nathan's eyes as he nodded in agreement. Joey grasped Nathan's face and plunged his cock into the man's mouth, causing him to gag and writhe in terror as the others approached their master, kissing and nuzzling him cautiously. Eyeing Jordan, Joey's tongue slid along his sharp fangs and he pulled himself from the human's mouth. Before he could scream however, Jen grasped him and pulled him back into his dazed trance before inserting her cock into him. Martin and Jordan were already arguing over who would take Nathan's round ass and Joey chuckled as he approached them. "Brothers, brothers. This is a time to share in our feast." He said, putting the two of them side by side, directing their cocks toward Nathan's trembling large backside. "After all, we are now a family again." He lifted Jordan's ass and spread the cheeks apart. Licking his lips as he pushed against Jordan's pucker he grinned. "It has been too long since any have wandered so close to my den."

THE END