The second last time lord (Eleventh doctor) - Doctor Who

Snakes and Willow Trees (Part 3)

The Doctor grins, "Let's go!"

The four of them made their way down the dark staircase, in a single file. The doctor, at the front of the line was a picture of confidence. The doctor loves adventures, after all, living for as long as he did, days by himself get lonely. And even though he wasn't the lass timelord anymore... he hated being alone. It seemed as if the both of them had the same ways of coping with the loss of their planet. Picking up companions from earth, showing them amazing places, just to keep busy, just to keep the thoughts busy. When The Doctor found himself alone, he'd become so careless for his own health, that having a companion with him was always compulsory to keep him out of trouble.

The sorceress followed closely behind him. She too was confident, but always kept her senses at the ready. She had a cautious nature, of which she had learned after many years of being as careless as The Doctor was. But unlike him, she had become cautious after years of being alone. Cautious and protective, perhaps to an extent that was a little unhealthy. She rarely let anyone close to her, for fear they would get hurt. After all "it's better to never meet someone than to lose them".

Next in line, Marla cautiously walked. She was nervously excited. Before she had met The Sorceress her life had seem so boring. So repetitive. She lived for the excitement, but it rarely came. That was, until The Sorceress mysteriously arrived, and the two sisters decided to help her. It was if this was the escape from life that she had been looking for. And she wouldn't miss it for the world... well until she almost lost her sister. Then she realised how dangerous this could be. So she tried to stay close to the two timelords. They were, after all, the more experienced out of the lot of them.

Keeping up the back of the single file line, Bee hesitantly followed. She was terrified. These headless monks sounded terrifying, and this dark staircase didn't look to inviting. There wasn't much Bee wasn't scared of. And all these fears had worsened after the events in the Dalek ship. But she couldn't show that she was afraid, after all everybody else was being brave. She didn't want to be seen as weak. So she tagged along, even though it terrified her.

The staircase that led down turned sharper and steeper, and the light had completely disappeared at this point. None of them could see much, besides the stuff illuminated by the green and pink light from the two timelord's sonics. But the darkness fell like a blanket, and the screwdrivers did little to help them see. Dust and cobwebs fell on their heads as the went down and down.

It seemed a while before the bottom of the stairs came into view, but after a while, a pale yellow light began to emerge from the bottom of the staircase. The four of the climb further down, the light growing brighter and brighter as they did so. 

The Doctor emerged from the bottom of the staircase first, walking out into a small cavern lighten by lanterns on the walls around it. A small table, filled with various tubes and liquids occupied one side of the cavern. A dozens of the same tubes they had found earlier lay on the table in the middle. Dust laid on everything apart from the vials.

"They've been placed here recently," the doctor muttered under his breath, as he walked slowly towards the table. 

He began to closely examine the table and it's contents, while the three others slowly made their way into the cramped room.

And yet.... 

There were oblivious to the small door that was hidden in the dark corner behind them, slowly opening as their attention was kept on the table.

Doctor.

The doctor stiffens, turning swiftly around and pushing the sorceress behind him. His stance become protective as he shielded her from possible damage. 

"Where are you?" He harshly asked, his voice slightly threatening.

The door creaked open further, and a hooded figured, dressed in a dark red cloak stepped through into the room, a long sword grasped tightly in both hands. It was followed by two more monks, dressed exactly the same.

Doctor.

"What do you want? I thought I frightened you away! I thought you'd finished manipulating people!"

Doctor.

"What. Do. You. Want?"

Silence proceeds the doctor's anger. None of the monks move a muscle, swords still at the ready.

The sorceress steps out from behind the doctor, "Why are you here?"

Where you go we go.

"Excuse me?!" The sorceress exclaims, confused.

Where you go we go.

"Sorceress," the doctor's voice contains a worried tone that wasn't missed by any of them, "What do they mean?"

She shakes her head quickly, "I don't know."

The Doctor glares down at the monks again, "What are you doing with all this poison anyways?"

He picks up one of the vials, turning it over in his fingers.

"What could you do with snake venom? What could you do with snake venom," he mumbles to himself, lost in his thoughts.

The sorceress nudges him with her elbow, "Aren't the side effects hallucinations?"

"Hallucinations?" Bee asks, "I thought you said it would make us sick."

The doctor smiles a little, "It would make humans sick, yes. Humans are severely underdeveloped for their time. Their diets don't help them either. But the Saxills. The Saxills are a bit more developed with their immune system and fighting bacteria. To them, this venom does little but provide hallucinations for a couple hours."

An idea strikes him and he reaches behind him for a different glass jar with a purple liquid in it.

"But this. This will elongate the effects and allow the venom to weaken the mind, allowing easy manipulation. You couldn't mind control the Saxills like you did the wolf people of Drorolara. The Saxills are smart, highly advice life forms. But this. This is brilliant. Not sure how you managed to think of it without any heads... no offence."

He sheepishly smiles at them. 

Marla interrupts him, "Well maybe... they had help?"

The doctor shakes his head, "The monks work alone. Or at least, they usually do. But it wouldn't surprise me if they teamed up with something else. Shouldn't trust them though. If things starts to go south..."

He slides a finger across his throat, making the sisters flinch.

"Forever bringing people to their sides," the sorceress grimaces.

"Those swords. Never used for fighting. Each and every time is to behead people. All they want is a bigger army."

The headless monks were having enough of the chatter, and they began to step closer to the group.

The doctor and sorceress hurriedly pull out their sonics, brandishing it in front of them almost in sync.