Getting downstairs, Ajoke held the burning lantern as they reached the iron door. The last Ninki Nanka asleep was still by the dungeon’s door, terribly injured. The black blood painted its scales, making it shiny black instead of dirty green or brown.

Its eyes were both shut, its neck craned at the entrance direction. It purred lightly as if it was sleeping. Asa stretched her sword to touch the scales on its face to see what its reaction would be. Its knees were bent while it sat on its mane and tail curled around it. With all absurd confidence, she touched it again.

‘Grrrnnn! Grrrrrnnn! Grrrrrnnnnn!’

Its snore echoed from the entrance of the dungeon while they watched intensely.

“We aren’t going to leave it for long, are we?” Prince Awade raised.

Ajoke’s hand slowly crawled onto the Prince’s shoulder. He turned to her in surprise while she handed him the burning lamp at hand. Boldly, Ajoke collected prince Awade’s sword and pointed it towards the lying beast.

As her arm gently passed through the iron door, she held on her breath, to be stronger. Slowly, the edgy tip of the silver sword touched its rocky face. It tenderly clanged against it.

‘Grrrrrnnn...’ The grumpy sound of its snore stretches. Ajoke hits it again, and again, and again, but it didn’t flinch or wake.

“This specie of basilisk killed my brother. Doesn’t it want me? Doesn’t it want us?” Ajoke whispered, striking the sword to it once more, a little more aggressive.

“Don’t just sit there?... Fight me!” She whispered louder, hitting it harder and continuously this time. Yet it didn’t move or frighten.

“Just stop it.” Asa warned, scared that it might wake up when they least expect and attack.

“I don’t want to...” she replied, stubbornly. “I need answers before the rest of its kind comes for another attack. I want to end this already. It’s taking long.”

“Perhaps, shouldn’t it be morning yet? Huh?” One prisoner from upstairs walked to them and let out an evil laughter, as if he’s been possessed or something. Ajoke turned to him with a boiling heart. He wasn’t helping the situation.

‘Gggrrrnnnnn! Ggggggrrrrrnnnn!’ the basilisk’s snore grew harder and louder out of its flaming nose. Smoke poured out if it’s wide nostrils, with its eyes still closed.

“It’s still asleep.” Asa muttered.

One word from her and the Ninki Nanka lifted its amethyst eyes. Ajoke quickly took out her hand as the four of them watched it in amazement. It let out an aggressive grumble pushing its head towards the door. They took a step backwards except for Asa, who somehow felt a strange connection towards the perilous beast.

“Step away from it, Asa. You might get burnt. One must be careful, even with a dying fire.” Ajoke’s frightened voice warned.

“They slain our leader, Prince Ayotifa. Now, we have less than fifty soldiers behind. Clearly, the gods are angry with us, and they still are. Perhaps if we make it pass today, we would indeed be successful. No matter how little hope is, it’s still good fortune.” She said, with revenge in her eyes.

And for the first time, it met her eyes. The Ninki Nanka stopped as if Asa’s gaze affected it.

Others left with the lamp, leaving only had to the green-brown creature. It turned towards her, with its purple-gold eyes closed. Like an animal that longed for love. She somehow felt pity for it, but she woke up from the thought. Not being lured, not being persuaded. It’s a magical creature, after all. It could have more powers–evil powers, to lure her into destroying her people.

Asa closed her eyes persistently for a while to think.

“No, you must die!She muttered to herself while her voice shook in fright. Her heart ached, but she took out an arrow. Not letting her guards down this time.

Aiming the bow at it, in an acute position. “You won’t rule over me, or my thoughts.” Her breath thickened as tears lingered down her coal-lined eyes. Then, she fired the shot.

The iron tipped arrow burned while whirring towards it. With one strike, it pierced against its rocky-shelled skin. And... It died in one shot.

Startled, Asa couldn’t fathom how and why the arrow caught fire. “Is it me or it?” Her slim eyebrow quirked in confusion.

Meanwhile, the prisoners walked towards the king, chief and naked man to torture them for killing their women and for no reason, locking them up into the dungeon. After invading their land and stealing their treasures, they still planned to sell them to the northerners? How selfish!

“It isn’t my fault. I’m not one of them.” The royal naked man shivered. The flow of blood tickled from his nostrils.

“Too bad you hit on the wrong town because we’re not the forgiving sort. Where are our treasures, and the other gun powder you’ve stolen? And our women, if it left anyone hidden or sold, where are they?!” the short man with long hair scolded.

The king, however, had already sustained injury on his forehead from their hostile interrogation. He didn’t know where anything was and who anyone was. He was just a puppet being played and even now; he wants to escape so badly.

“No, he won’t answer.” The man with brown teeth hissed at them in hatred.

“I’m going to cut your dicks off! Give me that knife!”

“Before that,” He Intervened. “These three are the last of their kind. Now listen, the three of you. I’d give you five seconds to speak. Else, I would cut your tongues and use it as a pendant. Now... Would you tell me whe--”

An arrow whizzed past him, and his knife dropped.

The five prisoners raised their gaze at Asa as she find her way towards them. “Enough of that. What we need now is a way out of here! And... As of now, they’re our prisoners! Our only means to trade!”

She rushed to Sanmi who was watching and grabbed him full fist.

“Come with me!” He followed her towards the dwarfs, but then, her face met with the man with brown, broken teeth.

“You stole my keys earlier on. You must think of me as a fool, right?!” Her teeth gritted in anger while she warned.

“Easy miss, we’re all fighting for a way out.” He muttered. “It’s nothing personal.”

She pushes him away and grabbed the interpreter on the chest. Ajoke, too, pushed the man away and warned. “She’s our new leader now so, I suggest you respect her instead of playing around!” She rolled her eyes at him and walked towards Iretiola.

“Ask him what’s going on. These weird creatures only want them!” Asa pushed Sanmi towards the dwarfs. “Why?”

All the people moved aside to watch what would happen next. Ajoke handed the sword over to the trusted witch to check what the blood mean, if it was possible... She should read its mind and stop this bloodbath from happening.

Iretiola deepened her right hand into her back pause and brings out a while chalk. She drew a big circle on the flat ground and made a big X sign, right in the middle of it. Making it into four divisions, she started drawing some sacred signs of it, and arranged her white cowries into it, respectively. With this, she lingered her index and middle finger on the sword, running it in a straight line from the middle of her forehead to the middle of her collarbone.

She placed the sword right in the middle of it and started making the incantations.

“I want to know if there’s another way around or if there’s another way we can kill the three horned beasts!”

“There’s a secret way out to the seafront.  There’s only one boat there.” The king suggested.

“Way out? We’d take it!” The short man muttered, more interestedly, but Ajoke rolled her eyes at them. They were acting silly, as if everyone in the room were stupid not to have taken the boat.

“There’s no way out. The ocean isn’t settled, meaning... with the current of the waves, you’d crash along with the boat.” Her right hand settled on her slim waist as she warned.

“We can swim.” He pointed. Ajoke ended up laughing at the men.

“It would crush your bodies against the rocks. Have you seen the weather, outs-”

“I don’t care about your opinion, girl! Don’t tell me what to do!” He hissed abruptly.

“Where would we find this boat?”

“At the basement, near the cells, is a small passageway. It leads to the docks. I kept it there for a long time for unexpected times like this, but you can use it.” The king explained.

“Wait!” Banjoko called back. “I request that you stay.”

“He requests that you stay.” Sammi translated.

“Else you’d waste your lives.” He added.

“Else you’ll die.” Sanmi expatiated, using his own words.

“Come on now,” the short man dragged three others along with him. They ran to the basement, hoping to escape as soon as possible before they get attacked again by the beasts.

Suddenly, Iretiola’s eyeballs all went white. She spread her fingers wide, as if reading a vision on de her mind.

“All I see is darkness... Fire, blood, bones and stones.”

“What darkness?” Ajoke asked with worry laced in her eyes. “Aren’t we going to make it out alive?”

“City of ashes. We are all ashes and dusts. The Ninki Nanka would take over the ruins of this land.” She said.

“What else do you see?” Asa turned to her with full concentration.

“Nothing but darkness. There’s no light, just darkness.”