02 - Temple of the Serpent

by C. L. Werner - (ebook by Undead)

  The courtesan tried to retreat before the lizardman, watching in horror as the reptile stalked after her, dragging its injured leg behind him and balancing himself with frequent slaps of its tail against the ground. She looked with despair at the sword she had let fall from her hand, knowing that her fear and inexperience had left her defenceless before this monster. It had been a reckless impulse that had made Hiltrude rush to aid Adalwolf despite the warrior’s constant pleas for her to run. She had hoped she could take the reptile by surprise, but had been unready for the drag of the heavy sword in her hands or the terror of actually striking such a formidable creature. She didn’t have a warrior’s knowledge of what constituted a killing wound, lashing out almost blindly against the Lizardman.

  Now she was appreciating the magnitude of her mistake. There was no pity, no compassion in the lizardman’s cold eyes as the creature limped after her. Even hate might have comforted her, at least it would have given the reptile a hint of humanity about it. Instead she saw only a merciless determination, as passionless as the hunger of a shark or the predation of a spider.

  With her eyes on the saurus, Hiltrude was unaware when her slow retreat brought her to the edge of the trail. Her feet slid out from under her as she encountered a pile of leaves slimy with rot and decay. She landed on her back, groaning in pain as a rock bit into her soft flesh. The saurus quickened its pace, primal hunting instincts exciting it at the prospect of helpless prey. The Lizardman loped forwards, its head still undulating in its threatening fashion.

  Hiltrude screamed as the lizardman loomed over her, its sword raised for the killing blow. She kicked out at it, her legs locking around its injured one. She rolled her body, using all the leverage she could to twist the lizardman’s wounded leg. The tactic worked. The saurus uttered a frightened chirp then crashed loudly as its leg was pulled out from under it.

  Raking pain seared up Hiltrude’s body as the lizardman’s scrabbling claws gouged her legs. The reptile hissed at her as it struggled to rise, its mouth gaping in a monstrous fashion that displayed each of its long fangs and the powerful jaws in which they were set. Until now, Hiltrude hadn’t thought it was possible to make the lizardmen mad. Now she wished they were as devoid of emotion as she had imagined. The sword, she was sure, would have been much quicker than the reptile’s claws and fangs.

  Pulling itself along her body, its claws digging into her soft flesh, the saurus propelled itself towards Hiltrude’s throat. The woman beat her tiny fists on its head, but the blows couldn’t do much more than annoy it and make it blink its eyes. Once it snapped at one of the dainty fists, its fangs scraping along the knuckles and drawing a welter of blood from her torn skin. The taste of blood in its mouth only goaded the lizardman further and it dug its claws even deeper into the woman’s body as it stretched its head towards the pulsing veins in her neck.

  The saurus recoiled, a gasping croak bubbling up its throat. It tried to reach behind itself, but its hands couldn’t find the blade that had crunched through its spine. Adalwolf had already ripped the ungainly sword free. Now he drove it down again, cleaving through the top of the lizardman’s skull. The reptile’s entire body shivered, its tail lashing furiously in the mud and leaves. The mercenary grunted, struggling to pull the sword free, but it had bitten too deeply. At last, he simply kicked the twitching body onto its side and helped Hiltrude slide out from under it.

  The mercenary stared pityingly at Hiltrude, sorry for the cuts and bruises she had suffered, embarrassed because he hadn’t been able to protect her. She seemed to read his thoughts, giving him a look of sympathy. She started to open her mouth to speak, but suddenly her eyes went wide with renewed fear.

  Adalwolf spun around and found himself staring into the countenance of the other saurus warrior. The reptile’s fangs were bared, its head undulating in what the mercenary now understood was a kind of silent battle cry to these creatures. The sword in the lizardman’s hand was slick with Schachter’s blood. The mercenary clenched his own empty fist and stared at the blade buried in the dead reptile’s skull. Like Hiltrude, he cursed himself for allowing his sword to leave his hand.

  The saurus hissed angrily as it came creeping forwards, its eyes darting from Adalwolf to Hiltrude and back. At the first sign of trouble from its comrade, the lizardman had broken off its fight with Schachter to aid the other saurus. Too late to help, the reptile looked quite ready to avenge.

  Adalwolf tried to push Hiltrude into the jungle. With luck, she could get a few minutes to escape before the Lizardman finished with him. The courtesan resisted, however, instead closing her hand around his own. Her lip trembled with fear, but she stared defiantly at the reptile, offering the saurus her own silent challenge.

  The Lizardman cocked its head to one side, puzzled by the curious behaviour of the humans. For a moment, it was still, even its head unmoving. Before it could move back to the attack, however, the lizardman was thrown forwards as a shrieking body crashed into him from behind.

  Schachter was a bloody mess, his shoulder laid open to the bone, his side gashed so deeply that ribs poked through his flesh every time he took a breath. His scalp had been torn, painting his face crimson. But he still had his sword and he still knew how to use it. Pure adrenaline powered the sea captain’s frenzied assault on the Lizardman. After pitching the reptile forward, Schachter’s sword crunched into the creature’s arm, all but severing it at the elbow.

  The stunned reptile spun about to confront the raging human, its muscular tail sweeping about like the whip of a coachman. Schachter leapt over the bludgeoning tail, coming in close to the Lizardman. His sword smashed into the reptile’s throat, causing it to gag noisily and stagger. He pressed the attack, kicking the saurus in its knee, dropping it to the ground. Burying the edge of his sword in the lizardman’s side, Schachter screamed as the reptile’s jaws locked around his other hand. He let the sword drop from his grasp and tried to gouge the lizardman’s eyes in an effort to make the reptile release him. His efforts only made the monster bite down harder.

  Blood streamed from the socket of the lizardman’s mutilated eye. The creature’s entire body twitched and writhed as its lungs started to fill with blood from its throat wound. A muscular spasm brought the lizardman’s jaws snapping together with a bone-crushing pop.

  Schachter fell away from the dying Lizardman, blood fountaining from his severed wrist. He tried to staunch the spurting blood, but dropped to his knees instead. A moment later he was sprawled on his back, colour draining out of him.

  Adalwolf and Hiltrude rushed beside the dying sea captain. The mercenary could tell it was much too late to help him. Even without blood loss, the wound in his side was a mortal one. The two survivors could only look on in helplessness.

  Schachter saw the look of wonder in their faces and a bitter laugh tortured his ravaged body. “Couldn’t… run out… on… you,” he gasped. “Not… after… you saved…”

  The captain’s eyes became glassy, his breath fell silent. Adalwolf could only shake his head. A rough kind of honour had ruled the man after all, something deeper than the lust for wealth. Adalwolf knew that he owed his life to the unexpected gratitude of the man he would have left behind.

  There was no time to spare to bury Schachter, even if Hiltrude or Adalwolf had felt up to the task. Instead, the two dragged the bag of gold across the trail and set it beside the dead sea captain.

  Somehow, they felt he would understand the gesture.

  The shriek of parrots, the stench of rotting jungle growth, and the damp, smothering grip of air that felt like it had been soaked in boiled urine—these were Thanquol’s complaints of the day. He tried to keep in Boneripper’s monstrous shadow as much as was possible, though even that effort did little to ease the fury of the sun burning down from the Lustrian sky. The grey seer was sorely tempted to call off their pursuit of Chang Fang until nightfall. The hideous thought of being stranded by the assassin made him reluctantly set aside such pleasant ideas. The slinking Eshin
traitor would have much to answer for when Thanquol caught him! He wondered if he would stake Chang Fang out for the ants or just feed him piece by piece to the sharks. Perhaps he could devise a way to do both…

  A groaning rumble shuddered through the jungle, frightening Thanquol from his schemes of vengeance. He leaped off the ground, landing on all four paws, his breath coming in wheezing gasps. He looked about, trying to find the source of the terrible sound. His eyes narrowed spitefully and he bruxed his fangs when he saw Boneripper uprooting another tree that stood in the path with much the same clamour.

  “Mouse-brained oaf!” Thanquol cursed the rat ogre, smacking his flank with the head of his staff. Boneripper turned around, staring at him stupidly with his dull eyes. Thanquol winced when he saw the tangle of leeches fastened to Boneripper’s arms, their bodies bloated with the rat ogre’s blood. He quickly scratched at his own arms to make sure he hadn’t acquired a similar mantle of parasites.

  “Find Chang Fang!” he snapped. “Quick-quick!”

  Boneripper didn’t move, instead continuing to stare at his master. The longer the big brute continued to stand there looking at him, the more Thanquol started to appreciate the immense muscles beneath his leech-draped arms, the sword-like claws that tipped his fingers, the necklace of skulls that hung about his neck. Maybe he’d been just a little hasty reprimanding his dutiful bodyguard.

  “Good-nice Boneripper,” Thanquol said, taking a tenuous step back. He fingered a little nugget of warpstone, wondering if he was far enough away from the frog-thing to dare use his magic.

  Before the grey seer could act, the huge rat ogre was charging towards him, the ground shaking from his thunderous footfalls. Thanquol squeaked in fright, leaping out of the crazed rat ogre’s way, hugging his staff across his body and frantically thrusting the warpstone into his mouth. He crashed into a thicket, feeling the thorns dig into his fur and snag in his robes. He thrashed about in the ugly plants trying to pull himself free enough that he might weave the aethyr into a spell that would settle the problem of Boneripper’s rebellion.

  Just as he pulled himself free, Thanquol noticed that Boneripper wasn’t interested in him. The rat ogre was storming back down the path, beating his chest in challenge with his clawed hands. The grey seer was starting to think the jungle heat had deranged his bodyguard when a patch of trees suddenly burst apart and an enormous reptile lumbered onto the trail.

  The sour stink of musk dripping down his leg barely registered as Thanquol stared in horror at the gigantic beast. It was like some great scaly bird crossed with a crocodile, lumbering about on two immense, tree-like legs while scrawny useless-looking arms dangled from its chest. Its head looked like nothing so much as a dwarf steam-shovel he’d once helped some Clan Skryre warlock-engineers steal, its fangs impossibly large even for so massive a head. A long tail smashed the trees behind it, splintering them like old mouse bones.

  More frightening to Thanquol than the beast itself was the monster who rode it. A snakeskin saddle adorned with talismans of gold was lashed about the big reptile and from this seat reared a massively built saurus warrior, its powerful body pitted and slashed with old scars from countless battles. The Lizardman wore armour fashioned from bones and many of its scales had been painted with strange glyphs that hurt the ratman’s eyes to look upon. The head of the saurus chief was locked within a helm fashioned from the skull of a horned reptile and in its claws it carried a murderous lance with a golden blade.

  The Lizardman roared something in its own language of hisses and then began to undulate its head in rapid—and threatening—fashion. The carnosaur it rode lowered its huge head and lunged forwards. The saurus chief urged its mount towards Thanquol, its yellow eyes locked upon the terrified grey seer. Opening its maw to utter its own deafening roar, the carnosaur charged, swatting Boneripper aside with a sidewise sweep of its head.

  Seeing twenty tons of reptilian death barrelling down at him made Thanquol remember the nugget of warpstone he’d popped into his mouth. Fat frog-things were forgotten as he bit down on the rock, grinding it into powder with his fangs. Frantically, Thanquol swallowed each portion as it slid onto his tongue.

  Invigorating power swelled within him, quickening his pulse, making his limbs fee! as though steel had been poured onto his bones. Thanquol straightened out of his cringing posture, glaring defiance at the onrushing saurus chief. What was such a crude creature beside the godlike power that now coursed through his veins? Nothing! Less than nothing! With a single flick of his claw he would hurl the Lizardman and its slavering mount across the jungle and back to Quetza! He’d smash their scaly carcasses into paste and then grind that paste into powder so fine even an ant couldn’t make a meal of it! Then he’d find that impertinent frog-thing and pop every wart on his slimy body before burning out his eyes and…

  Intoxicating visions of what he would do to his enemies with the power searing through his body almost made Thanquol forget about the reptiles thundering down the trail towards him. Something like panic made him flinch when he realised they were only a few dozen yards away. Then he remembered who he was and the powers at his command.

  Calmly, Grey Seer Thanquol pointed his staff at the carnosaur and its rider. A few sharp curses, a few focused thoughts, and he sent a storm of warp-lightning crashing into the reptiles. He grinned in savage triumph. Then his eyes widened in appreciative horror as he saw the warp-lightning being funnelled into the golden amulets riveted into the saurus chief’s scales. Beast and master came roaring through the magical onslaught as unfazed as a fish in a flood!

  Whining in sheer terror, Thanquol dived back into the thicket. The chiefs lance came so close to him that it tore a great flap in the back of his robe. But the momentum of the carnosaur could not be stopped. The immense monster kept thundering down the trail. It was several dozen yards before the lizardman could turn it back around.

  By that time, Thanquol was back on the trail, conjuring another spell to destroy his enemy. Still invigorated by the warpstone, he held his staff on high, muttering invocations to the Horned Rat. As the carnosaur turned to charge him again, he brought the staff smashing down against the ground. The earth trembled and shuddered as the focused malignancy of his magic coursed through it. Trees cracked and toppled, stones were sent bouncing into the jungle. A jagged fissure opened, snaking straight down the trail towards the onrushing carnosaur.

  Just as the sorcerous fissure should reach the reptile’s feet, it stopped. Even more incredible, as the monster lumbered forwards, the ground closed up before it. Thanquol could see the charms nailed into the saurus chiefs hide blazing with magical energies. Those ancient amulets were doing more than simply warding off his sorcery, they were actively undoing it!

  Thanquol felt his gorge rise and his nethers shrink as the carnosaur charged at him for the second time. He could not tear his eyes from the cold orbs of the saurus chief. He could sense the primordial, passionless hate in the lizardman’s mind and knew that here was an old enemy to all his kind. There would be no treating with this beast, no bribe he could offer the lizardman to spare his life. Helpless to turn away, Thanquol could only watch as the chiefs golden lance came stabbing towards him.

  Before the lance could be driven home, the carnosaur reared back, almost throwing its rider. Interposing itself between the reptiles and Thanquol was a big black shape. Boneripper snarled up at the saurus, then dived straight at the carnosaur.

  Thanquol blinked in amazement as he watched Boneripper’s claws tear through the carnosaur’s thick scales, opening a great gash in its chest where those tiny arms dangled uselessly The carnosaur swatted at him with those arms, but Boneripper seized one in his jaws and with a sidewise twist of his head popped it from its socket.

  Maddened with pain, the carnosaur jerked away from Boneripper. The saurus chief made the mistake of trying to restrain its retreat. Twisting about, the giant reptile arched its back and neck, writhing and turning, trying to unseat the lizardman upon its back, its
tiny brain shifting blame for its pain onto its rider now that he had drawn its attention.

  Quickly, Thanquol raised his staff, hoping that what he had in mind would work. Potent wards of protection such as the Lizardman wore often required at least some concentration on the part of their wearers. At the moment, the saurus chief was fully occupied just staying in his saddle.

  Green lightning burst from Thanquol’s staff, searing across the trail and smashing full into the saurus chief. Unlike the first time, the amulets riveted into its scales didn’t absorb the energies. This time the deadly burst of magical energy swirled and crackled around it, blackening its scales and melting the golden trinkets embedded in its skin. The straps holding it into the saddle snapped as the lightning seared it and it was pitched from the back of the furious carnosaur, then smashed beneath its pounding feet.

  The carnosaur continued its mindless madness, snapping at its back where Thanquol’s fire had burned it. The great brute was oblivious to the rat ogre who circled it. Boneripper watched and waited, choosing the moment when the reptile’s weight was shifted to one side to pounce. The rat ogre crashed into the side of the unbalanced carnosaur, using its own weight to throw it across the trail. A stand of bamboo splintered as the beast smashed into it, the jagged shafts punching through its scaly body as it impaled itself upon them with its own momentum.

  Boneripper raked his claws across the belly of the pinned carnosaur, the sword-like talons shredding the soft scales of its underside. The reptile struggled to pull itself off the bamboo stakes, trying to snap at Boneripper with its jaws. One of its legs had been broken in the fall, but the other proved a greater menace to the rat ogre, slashing his shoulder open. He staggered away from the attack, glaring at the flailing reptile.