Duke
To you, it was no question at all. You were going to bring Duke. He was probably one of the physically strongest out of all the group- despite his older age. You figured that his powerful muscular physique had been enough to match yours. Your decision wasn’t even a choice. Duke was the first person you met; Duke was the man you were going to bring.
“Duke?” You asked. “Why don’t you come with me?” You continued before you gestured for him to come in with you. You could see the others around you, agreeing that this was definitely the best choice- in general, it was useful for the one who trusted you the least to come along, just so he felt secure in the decision as well.
The exchange was nearly wordless as the two of you solidified your decision to move on together. It was almost as if you were brothers the way you both finally came to an agreement on something- finally decided to work together. You hoped with all your heart and soul that this would have worked out.
Before long, you found yourself passing the threshold between the legs of the statue. You took one final look back at the others as you and Duke made your way into the entrance and almost immediately you could feel the rumbling of the ground beneath your feet. The door was slowly descending, shutting behind you as you both moved forward.
“I guess we’re stuck here for now, then.” He said to you, smiling. The skin around the scar on his eye pulled back as he took his place next to you in the final room within the tomb.
You stood before a massive black sarcophagus and took a moment to take in the scene before you. The blue pulsating lights had been resonating from this sort of singularity. It all sparked from the deep, black, and ornate coffin. “Wow.” Duke said as his eyes watched the throbbing tubular veins twisting and turning before expanding through the rest of the massive pyramid.
“Yeah… It’s amazing, isn’t it.” You asked the canine before he turned to you and nodded in agreement. “We just have to remove this coffin. Then we’ll be all set.” You weren’t truly sure if this was it. Part of you wanted to help him, and another part of you wanted to help yourself.
“That’s right.” Duke replied. “Now we just gotta figure out how to get this thing outta here.” You two discussed. “You can do that easily, right?” The dog turned to you and asked.
“Well.” You gave your response solemnly. “I brought you because you’re one of the strongest- the leader of the pack.” You took your time with your words just to make sure you didn’t offend him with your comments. Still, Duke laughed humbly.
“Aahahah!” The gritty sound of his voice echoing throughout the small room. “You seem to be a bit mistaken my friend.” He pointed to the grey furs on his muzzle. “I’m a lot older than I may seem.” He started. “That’s why I depended so much on the vast skill set of the other members of the group; that’s what teamwork is about my friend.” You listened to Duke continue to give his explanation.
“Oh?” Was all you could muster. You were taken aback- completely at a loss for words.
“I was expecting you to do the heavy lifting, honestly.” Duke remarked. “With those wings and your powerful muscles, I figured you’d have it in you to be able to move this sarcophagus all by yourself?” He concluded.
“I don’t think I can-” You responded.
“But you’re like, some kind of god right? A diety?!” He argued, as usual. “Unless… My assumptions were correct.” He continued with a snarky attitude. “Are you… Really who you said you were?” He asked, looking straight into your lying eyes.
Written by Drifting Dragon on 12 February 2022