Willow and the Lost Tomb (FINAL)

Summary: In her adult years, Willow's studying to be an archaeologist, and she's joining her first expedition! She navigates jungles, fords rivers, and meets a furry friend along the way. This is a commissioned piece for Torasque.

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[Story Listing]

[FIRST PART]

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Time would pass quickly as the drudgery of careful excavation gave way to new encounters, and a healthy dose of culture shock. The archeology team were, initially, rather tense about encountering the aboriginals up close, particularly with sackfuls and crates of historical curiosity all within their possession... but the aboriginal tribe seemed prepared to welcome the outsiders with offerings of dark drinking chocolate; the team was immediately enamoured by its smooth, velvety texture, and its rich, not-too-sweet taste. 

Professor Richter and Ligongo convened and agreed to honour the terms originally presented to Willow; the tribe would reveal the entryway to the temple, and the team would be allowed to study what lay within... but not to take anything. To take only pictures, and to leave only footprints. Richter readily agreed; it would surely accelerate their timeline.

To the team's great surprise and elation, the secrets of the temple wouldn't elude them for long, as an entrance was not far from the tribe's current settlement. Apparently it had been used to store preserved fruits and dried meat produced in times of plentiful bounty, as a stockpile for emergencies kept in the entryway atrium into the temple;; apparently quite a stockpile had accumulated over the years, as the locals preferred to eat fresh and local. 

There was a slight breeze coming out from behind a statue stationed to guard the atrium, clutching a stone-crafted spear; the craftsmanship was remarkable, as was its condition. There was obviously a passage deeper into the temple, but the tribesmen never opted to move it. The statue was massive, for one, and even gathering the might of twenty men to pull the statue forward seemed needlessly dangerous. One archaeologist suggested blowing open a path with dynamite; they were quickly excused to outdoor observation duty. 

These were all cute little asides that Willow was feverishly recounting in another postcard to Tara... while stuck in the depths of the temple with a fellow archeological cohort. Though the situation was unfortunate, Willow thanked her lucky stars that she had the sense of mind to toss Frisky from her knapsack and beckon him to safety before she fell through the floor. 

"You're using up our valuable lamp oil on a letter to your sweetheart...?" A beleaguered Dr. Winchester groaned, trying to glance over Willow's shoulder to eavesdrop on her letter; several of the hair snakes swayed with purpose to obstruct her view. 

"I told her I'd write to her when we found the temple! And we certainly found it..." Willow exclaimed. Though things looked sketchy, she was happy to at least have a friend and colleague down with her. Though Frisky's wellbeing still weighed heavy on her mind... as much as she was trying to keep up a chipper attitude. A rescue was certainly imminent, but Frisky might've fled back to the jungle in that time... if nothing else, Dr. Winchester's curiosity about their new surroundings was infectious enough to provide a distraction. 

"Found ourselves in the pits, that's for sure." Dr. Winchester groaned. "I don't know how you can be so calm about this. This place is ancient, it could collapse further on us in any minute."

"Well, rescue is on the way... nobody else fell through the floor but us." Willow tapped a pen to her chin. "The fact that the rest of the temple is standing firm, it's really a credit to their engineering capabilities."

"They couldn't have planned for a giant snake woman to barge into the place like a kid in a candy store, that's for sure." Dr. Winchester rolled her eyes, adjusting her glasses. "Are you about done with that letter? I want to investigate, and beat the menfolk to some new discoveries."

"Yeah, whatever's down here sure is... big." Willow put a cap on her pen and, with a slight twist of a valve on the bottom, brightening up the chamber a bit more. It cast a light across a vast field. The view resembled a football pitch, with the lengthy field and the tiered seating areas... save for the underground nature of it, and the hole some twenty feet from the ground from which the two of them fell. 

"Yeesh, we fell pretty deep." Willow blinked. "Is your ankle doing any better?"

"I can walk." Dr. Winchester muttered. "Whatever this place is, it makes for a strange place of worship."

"Hmmmmmmm..." Willow shone the lamp behind her, casting light on a strange stone monument. She noted the stonecut architecture, a sideways hoop suspended above ground. There were three such hoops in a row. She looked around the dusty interior, trying not to inhale too deeply so as to avoid a sudden onset sneezing fit. 

"Check out these weird rings..." Willow murmured. 

"There appears to be more on the other side of the room." Dr. Winchester glanced back and forth, folding her arms. "They have a distinctive shape, don't they?"

"What kind of temple has a setup like this, though? Where would the altar be?" She slithered forward to investigate near the air. She spotted some piles of rotten cotton, collapsing from a thick piece of leather; its structural integrity appears to have withered away long ago. 

"Whatever this is doesn't seem so artisanal..." Willow looked it over. She wanted to prod it more, but she felt like her gaze alone would've caused the sad little pile of mush to fetter away entirely. 

"...Say..." Dr. Winchester approached, casting a look at the collapsed bundle of fluff, before glancing around to you. "Taking a stab in the dark, but I wonder if this is a temple of a different point of worship." 

"Maybe... the hoops have a funny shape." Willow tilted her head. "Like something you'd see in handball, or football. Extremityball..." 

Willow tapped her chin thoughtfully, oblivious to the look Dr. Winchester gave her. She pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose. 

"That pile of whatsits in the corner. What do you make of it?" The doctor asked.

"Well, it's rather worse for wear, but with a little imagination, I reckon it used to be a toy ball." Willow pondered. "A thick layer of tanned leather wrapped around a dense ball of cotton."

"Leather? Interesting." Dr. Winchester kneeled to examine the pile closer, scrunching her nose as she appraised the acrid stench of decay. "Tanned leather was considered a luxury by the Xpocan people, yes?"

"That's what I remember from my classes." Willow nodded. "Meat was a commodity for the imperial elites, and leather as a product of cattle were reserved for them. I wonder if we looked hard enough we'd find an imperial ranch around here."

"If we think this is an arena of sorts, then perhaps not." Dr. Winchester tapped her arm. "Unless they were serving barbecue as concession items..."

"If this was an imperial venue, it'd make sense that they could fashion balls from real leather." Willow reared up, glancing around. "I've seen other museums with wooden balls about this size."

"Look, along the walls," Dr. Winchester started to break into a jog, before wincing slightly and slowing down, resting her weight on a cabinet of sorts.

"Wh-whoa, easy!" Willow hurriedly slithered to catch up. "Didn't think you'd get so excited down here!"

"Yeah, well, there's a lot to unpack." Dr. Winchester mumbled, opening the cabinet; the stonecraft doors slid open with a heavy clunk, revealing about half a dozen leather-bound balls... and among them, some other pieces of equipment, like rope and chalk. 

"Omigosh! Everything's so well-preserved in here!" Willow glanced inside. 

"The way it was sealed up, it was pretty dry in there." Dr. Winchester folded their arms. "We should close the door back up, to restore the sealed environment and preserve the space until we can- h-hey, Willow!" 

Willow reached for one of the balls, pulling it out and feeling the heft of it in her arms. It felt sturdy and well-made, thick stitching with some sort of fibrous plant spiralling around the ball... but it also felt a little hefty in her grip.

"C'mon! Gotta test this stuff out, right?" Willow passed the ball to the doctor.

"Oomph!" The doctor wheezed, feeling the heavy ball in her hands. Blustering and visibly flustered, she sent the ball back to Willow. "No, I don't think we gotta!"

"Suit yourself!" Willow slithered towards one of the hoops suspended along the stadium walls; though it was suspended some ten feet from the ground, Willow reared up to make up the difference and dunked it in! The ball fell to the ground and bounced once or twice, before rolling to the corner.

"WOO!" Willow lowered, bouncing excitedly. "So this is a sports stadium! Dedicated by the Emperor, you think?"

"Mrrgh..." The professor grimaced from Willow's reckless behaviour, but as the topic turned to more speculation, she glanced around. "An underground stadium... there has to be more mechanisms to uncover here. Like the ceiling..."

The professor gestured to the ceiling, pointing specifically to the narrow gap running along the center, perpendicular to the length of the field. "The ceiling appears to be two slabs of stonework. Maybe more, I can't get a good look. I wonder if they opened up to reveal sunlight."

"They'd have to be pretty thin to move like that." Willow scratched her head. "No wonder we fell through the way we did."

"At least you managed to catch my fall." Dr. Winchester smirked. "I owe you a drink whenever we get back to base camp."

"Awww, I didn't do anything." Willow prodded her fingers together bashfully. "Just at the right place at the right time..."

"So you don't want a drink on me." Dr. Winchester shrugged. "Fine by me."

"Wait." Willow straightened up; she felt a momentary twinge, as if she had cheated herself out of something. "That's not what I-"

BOOOOOOOM!!

The two ladies shrieked as the temple rocked with a loud explosion, originating from the nearer of the two endgoals. Stonework began to collapse, starting with the hoops, as a porting of the wall broke down. The room was lit up, ever so slightly, with the glow of natural sunlight. 

"Dr. Winchester?? Ms. Connelly-Hutchins!?" A familiar voice called out, coughing through the smoke and dust clouds produced from the explosion.

"Prof. Richter!!" Willow exclaimed, slithering forward... before hesitating, and allowing the injured doctor to catch up. 

"What was that about not bringing out the dynamite? This is a historical site!" Dr. Winchester snapped. 

"It was an emergency!" Richter insisted. "We didn't know where the two of you had fallen, or for how far! We had to find another way in."

"I guess you had to make your own way..." Willow frowned. "But... this buried chamber is huge. How'd you find us?"

"Ah, about that..." Richter adjusted his collar. "It was that furball you let go before you both, er, plummeted."

"Furball? Frisky??" Willow leaned forward.

"The jaguar cub?" Dr. Winchester's eyebrow perked up. "You named the wild animal...?"

"Well, the creature gave us explorers a bit of a start, and we tried to shoo it off, but..." Richter tried to explain, but before he could get started...

"ROWR!" On excited footsteps, Frisky pushed between the legs of the crowd of explorers and tribesmen, making a beeline for Willow.

"FRISKYYYY!" Willow bent over, tearfully picking up Frisky in a big hug. She bounced him up and down as he playfully batted at her face... and at her mess of snake hair.

"The tribesman believe the jaguar cub picked up on your scent, and it was making all sorts of a fuss digging at this one particular spot." Richter laughed, scratching his neck. "So we did some digging, spotted some stonework... and took our shot with the TNT we brought with us." 

"We were just fine making discoveries in here without you." Dr. Winchester grumbled. "Do you know what sort of damage your stunt inflicted to this relic? Generations of history lost to satisfy your hypermasculine urges for destruction..."

"H-Hey!" Willow raised her hands. "There's still a lot we need to uncover! Like if they played other games in this stadium. What if it was multiuse..."

"Multi-use? Stadium?" Richter blinked. "I thought we were excavating a great temple??"

"Ah, well, about that..." Willow smiled and sighed to herself. It was nice to have the full team on hand for the recap, and so their excavation could truly begin in earnest. Frisky settled in her arms, writhing happily to get in a more comfortable spot as Willow recounted their discoveries and their spitballed theories up 'til now...

---

Eighteen months later after their great discovery, Willow would return to Viana Cay on a luxury passenger vessel. A lot had happened since then, much of it exciting... and much of it fairly mundane. Archeology wasn't all tomb raiding and dungeon crawling.

This time, however, she hadn't come to Viana Cay alone; Professor Rousseau had tagged along with her to follow her trek through the jungle, a journey which culminated in a truly marvellous archeological discovery. 

Willow was the first off of the boat, her size and stature clearing a path for the professor who followed some ways behind, giving a wide berth to her tail. 

"Oooooh! The tropical sun is so niiiiiiiiiice!~" Willow swooned, turning back to the professor. "I think the weather's even better than the first time I was here!"

"Mm, yes, well, it's nice to get off that creaky old vessel and stretch one's legs." Professor Rousseau nodded, adjusting his pithe helmet. The other departing passengers seemed to tower over the short, four foot six man, nevermind Willow herself; his camping gear he hauled on his back looked comically oversized compared to his own stature. His bushy grey moustache bristled as his eyes adjusted to the bright tropical sun. "I'd much like to hit one of the local watering holes and sample the local ale before we begin our trek through the jungle, eh wot?"

"Oh c'mon, don't tell me you forgot already!" Willow swivelled around, placing her hands on her hips. "The very first thing we were gonna check out upon arrival?"

"Mm? Oh, yes, quite." Rousseau tapped his chin. "The special surprise you concocted. Truthfully, I hadn't thought much of it."

"Ehhh? Professor..." Willow pouted, her hair snakes drooping in turn. 

"You've been so cheekily coy about the whole thing, my dear!" The professor shook his head, his oversized pithe helmet bobbing upon his cranium. "I was just prepared for you to reveal the whole deal eventually; should I presume it has anything to do with that expedition you interned on?"

"Well, yes!" Willow nodded. "I wanted to catch up with an old friend. We met in the jungle, you see."

"An old friend?" Rousseau tilted his head. "One of the aboriginals?"

"You'll see!~" Willow winked, leading the way through the crowded streets, which instinctively parted like some biblical sea to give Willow a wide berth. It was a bit of a trek to the periphery of town, where the bordering jungle inched closed to consume the rest of the settlement, so the professor hustled for some small talk. 

"Is this the same friend you mentioned prior?" Rousseau regarded Willow. "The one who rescued you?" 

"Mmhm! You wouldn't know him, he wasn't part of the expedition." Willow's wandering eyes looked to the stretching shoreline to her right. "I wanted to visit a whole lot sooner, but y'know how busy it's been since we all got back the first time."

"Aha, with my assistants it's been all hands on deck with the rote busywork. Categorising, classifying, translation..."

"Ooh, I just got a new translation assistant!" Willow nodded. "He didn't wanna come, said he was overloaded with work. But I reckon he's just a lil spooked around his supervisor, hehe~"

"Yes, well..." The professor's gaze followed the stretch of her tail. "There's certainly a lot of work with the notes from the expedition. Though I would've much liked to have brought some of those artefacts back to the lab. Technologies for studying such things have certainly come a long way."

"Weeeell, we took plenty of notes. It was part of our deal with the locals." Willow shook her head. "Take only photos, leave only footsteps."

"Yes, well... better to have the site protected in its current state. And I'm certainly grateful for the opportunity to study the artefacts in person, in their original environment." Rousseau absent-mindedly scratched his moustache. "There are some secrets you can't uncover without some intense analysis..."

"Looking to play with those big lab toys huh?" Willow smirked. "Maybe in a couple more years they'll be small enough to carry in a briefcase... ooh, we're here!" 

Willow hurried forward. The older professor gawked at the speed at which she could slither, and struggled to keep up. He glanced up towards an overhanging sign, squinting at the glare from the sun reflecting onto the lens of his glasses. 

"Viana Animal Sanctuary...?" He muttered quizzically. "Perhaps she meant a former hunter...?"

Willow excitedly approached the young secretary manning the front desk, for which a conversation rapidly took place; it seemed the two were familiar with one another. She introduced the professor, and then asked about the big cat exhibit. Willow was pleased to hear that it was just as it was before, and encouraged the professor to come along through the back. 

"I-I'd much rather stay behind, if it's all the same to you, Dr. Connelly-Hutchins." The professor murmured. "I much rather prefer viewing such powerful animals from the safety of a zoo enclosure, not... this."

He gestured around. Though natural barricades and fencing was set up, the large sweeping landscapes, bordering with the dense jungle foliage. He watched Willow sneak up behind some bushes overlooking a clearing, and carefully approached alongside her. 

"I say, Willow, we're still on a schedule, yes? I was hoping to leave my things with the pilot enrout..." He made up an excuse. 

"Just one sec, just need to look for, aaahhh..." Her eyes narrowed, her hairsnakes rearing up in turn to scan the surroundings up ahead. "He should be nearby, aaaand... ooh! Frisky! Friiiiiskyyyyyy!~" 

Willow rose up a little taller, cupping her scaled hands together to project her voice. The professor squinted; he couldn't make out a darned thing within the bushes. Willow often bragged about her own eyesight, he supposed. He reached into his sidepouch for a spyglass and raised to peer through the lens.

He spotted rustling bushes, and was surprised when a jaguar emerged! He yelped, lowering it to spot the jaguar's far off, yet rapid approach. Willow emerged from the bushes in turn, her torso lowering to the ground as she spread her arms. 

"W-Willow!" The doctor recoiled in horror as the creature pounced at Willow... and landed directly in her arms. Willow toppled over to the ground, laughing giddily as the jaguar rubbed its head into her squinting face; her hair snakes swayed around, booping the jaguar on all sides with their snoots. 

"My word..." Rousseau watched the strange encounter play out, from an appreciable distance. 

"Omigosh, Frisky, you got so biiiig!" Willow beamed, looking him over. In the time since they had parted, he had grown to about the size of a labrador dog. "And the caretakers say you're gonna get even bigger by next year! How exciting!~"

Frisky yowled, seemingly an affirmation, giving Willow some playful nips. If the large cat was a rough playmate, Willow didn't seem to mind; must've been those thick scales. 

"...I should perhaps be more surprised that Willow befriended a wild animal, but..." the professor sighed under his breath, relaxing with a beleaguered smirk. 

"Okay, that's everyone!" Willow rose up. "We ought to get back on our journey now!"

"W-wait, that's-" The professor gawked as Frisky paced to Willow's side. "He's not coming with us, right??"

"Why not? He's fierce, and he scares other predators away!" Willow winked. "He'll protect you for sure! I trust him with my life!~"

"Y-yes, it's my life that I'm worried about." Rousseau's face went pale. "Oh dear..." 

With the new discoveries uncovered at the temple in such a short span of time, it was only natural that Willow would be called back to give her expert consultation. And though she was certainly thankful that her old mentor had opted to accompany her, she was most happy of all to see Frisky doing better than ever. 

THE END