Snippet #2769157

Otis hated snakes. He didn't really know why. Maybe it was their eyes, or the way they moved. Looking into the snake eyes of Cobran's god, Otis really hated them. Watching the slimy worm creature undulate next to the snake god, Otis wondered things, thoughts he dared not share, but questions he felt obliged to ask himself.

Deception is the basis of any cult - make someone believe something that gives you power, subdue their will to your own, and show the pretense of guidance, leadership, or protection. Give the people a light to blind themselves with. They'll stare at it willingly, while you control their steps from the shadows.

The worm undulated, and Otis couldn't help but question that the worm, under control of the snake god, hadn't been under its control when the attack began. That the attack, in truth, was nothing more than an illusion, a show designed to prove the god's power to the others.

But Otis said nothing, and did less. Perhaps, one day, someone with more power than him would come and find out the truth. But he dared not challenge the snake, not here, not now.

***

Otis watched the other members of the ragtag group and tried to shake off the uneasy feelings that he had been burdened with since entering Cobran. They were leaving easily enough, and they all needed to get along in order to cooperate.

"That's the right attitude... Horik, was it?" Otis said, smiling and spreading his hands. "No one's perfect, after all. I'm Otis, by the way. A... well, never mind. I'm in this to win it, wherever it takes us. And even though I'm probably not the best one for the job, I'll do my best to make sure you all make it through as well, even if it means my own life is lost."