by Han Yang
The two spoke in Strivian with slurs. I caught the mention of gods or sacrifice to the gods. The exchange was faint, broken, and over before I could hear much.
Determined to figure out the mystery, I pressed forward. Using a low crouch, I kept my silhouette minimal, following the tunnel’s edge. The second I could see a large cavern with a big fire, I laid down.
Well, it made sense now as to why Asha had become woozy. I saw a hundred lizard people celebrating. I didn’t know the name of this species, but I did see rows of serrated teeth and hands with sharp claws.
Their skin held tight scales no bigger than a pinky nail. The chest portions came in variations of silver, black, and brown. The main body, along with the back, ranged from purple to blue to red. I wondered if the beings originated in an Ostriva jungle.
They didn’t have more than the odd weapon and were all naked. I couldn’t avert my eyes, and it was really easy to tell the males from the females. Clearly, their culture favored their scales as the only cover needed.
Motion off to the side caught my attention. A bernox laid near a wall. Excessive amounts of rope bound the creature tightly. The beast was huge, easily a problem for a small team to kill. White spots dotted the brown fur, and the muzzled beast sniffed excitedly when the two arrivals tossed goblins against a wall nearby.
That joy ended for the creature when a goblin scrapped the back end of the creature’s butt, extracting a milky substance.
That must be the toxic spray.
A few minutes passed with me fixated. I watched the scene, trying to figure out the situation. Most of the lizard people loitered around a tree root with the interior being used as a huge punch bowl. When the goblin dumped a bit of toxin into the bowl, the lightbulb turned on for me.
They were partying. Well, a strivian variation with thiols - the material a skunk uses - as alcohol.
A female dipped her cup, sniffed the liquid, and then sipped her drink. A large alpha type noticed. She immediately dropped her cup back into the bowl, angering him further. She tried to flee, and the strivian let out a cackling laugh.
He knocked her down, dominating her smaller frame. Her punishment was rough sex that she clearly enjoyed, and I wished I could vomit.
It also proved dreadfully distracting, especially when the goblins were sacrificed and spit roasted over the fire. The lizard people plucked knives from a nearby board to cut sections of flesh.
I had seen enough. Keeping low and out of sight, I retreated. When I arrived, Asha was unconscious. I sighed, pointing to the only other dwarf skeleton in the group. I drew in the fresh dirt for him to carry Asha out of the cavern for now.
I signaled for my army to stay put, returning to scouting. When I hit the bend in the tunnel, I darted down the side passage to where the first two had originated.
The impression I created in my mind started into a conclusion. The bernox dug down here, establishing a new residence. This was occupied by more than one species. The raskers were likely a prey, adding to the usefulness of this tunnel network.
The lizard humanoids, that I nicknamed the lidka, captured a prized bernox who ventured down the wrong set of tunnels. After their win, they celebrated. I knew the party lacked kids, and that likely meant a larger settlement was nearby or the young were vulnerable.
As disturbing as it was to think about killing the weak ones first, an easy win was a win.
I followed the worn path, avoiding the side tunnels and forks. Five minutes became ten, the route extending far further than I anticipated. Finally, I reached a large cavern. The space echoed my footsteps, revealing a mining area that rested empty.
A few clues told me this only led to more problems, and that I needed to turn around. The first being that all the other tunnels were bigger, as in bigger than an ogre but smaller than a cyclops.
Based on the smooth, worn walls, maybe large worms or tunnel wyverns. I saw a few broken mining tools, clearly meant for the lizard people. Whatever operation that had taken place here, ended a while ago.
Seeing enough, I turned around. Right when I went to leave, I heard grumbling with a mix of hissing.
“We’re not supposed to mate, we’re not supposed to mate. The Lords will descale me if I end up pregnant,” a hissing female voice muttered. Her frustration oozed from her words. “I… should have stayed below. I… just a little fun. Scarla, every time this happens.”
I ducked behind a pile of old mining rocks, waiting inside the cavern. The female who erred earlier walked with an odd gait, a sneer etched onto her face. I didn’t fault her for venting. Clearly, something else was going on that I didn’t understand.
Why breeding restrictions? Who were the Lords? Did this mean this party wasn’t allowed?
Much like the two lidka from earlier that had carried the goblins, she was transfixed by her own problems and internal musings. She walked right by where I hid, continuing to grumble loud enough for my stalking steps to not be noticed.
I crept behind, seeking an opening.
Slight problem. She stood twice my height. I tiptoed behind her, unable to get a great angle. My hesitation led us to the middle of the cavern.
My toe kicked a rock, and I flinched in surprise.
She spun, hearing the scrape.
I knew I had to act at that very instant.
I hacked down, slicing her calf until the blade bit bone. She screamed a horrific cry of pain, blowing any chance of a stealthy kill.
When the female collapsed to her knee, I swung hard for her neck. A forearm shot up, blocking the blow and catching my blade.
My expectation of cutting through the bone proved wrong. The blade lodged into the lidka’s scales until it cut tendons and muscle.
Her torso pivoted, foreshadowing a strike.
I shifted my shield, absorbing an errant haymaker.
Clang.
Bones in her hand shattered, and my arm fell out of the socket. I backed up, miffed, confused, and in wonderment that I had lost an arm.
With two ruined arms, she dove forward in desperation, ripping the blade out of her arm. Her teeth missed my leg by inches, snapping loudly in the big cavern. The echo sent chills down my spine.
My foe rolled, large green eyes understanding that day was her last. She didn’t quit, though. Her attempt to spin her body for a kick with her good leg failed, and when I stepped closer to her skull, I thrust my blade down, driving it in between her eyes.
Leaving the blade embedded in her brain, I grabbed a foot, hauling her away from the cavern and towards my army. As awesome as it was to be in this dwarf body, risking little to my own self besides being vulnerable, I hated not being able to give commands.
Next adventure, I’m tying myself to a horse to scout. That way I’m able to tell my army to rush to aid the scout or adjust based on what I see in real time.
My thoughts ended abruptly when the ground shook so hard debris from the roof rained down. Without a doubt, something big raced toward the cavern I had already exited, their mass trembling so thoroughly I found it hard to walk. From the direction of the party, I heard the sound of running lizard people.
Without many options, I yanked my blade free of her face, abandoning her body.
I bolted down a side tunnel and hid behind a jutting rock formation. I really, really hated giving up free loot. I knew the story of Harvish that said he could revive from a distance, but he couldn’t see the battlefield. I was… really far and deep underground.
I fled until I reached a dead end not far off the main tunnel. I sat back, leaning against the wall to play dead.
“Keronsh!” the name boomed. The baritone voice seethed with rage.
“Coming, Lord Darta,” the hissing lidka voice said.
That was likely the alpha from earlier.
“What have I told you about traveling near the surface!?” Lord Darta bellowed.
“We must stay below. To avoid our discovery, your greatness,” Keronsh groveled.
The sound of the lidka
people running down the hall increased, telling me that they all left the smaller tunnel out of fear. This Lord Darta, while I desperately wished I could see him, remained a mystery.
“She reeks of ber-juice. Did she die fighting a bernox instead of being murdered by an unhappy lover?” Lord Darta asked, giving Keronsh an out.
“Exactly, oh great and mighty lord.” Keronsh’s hissing eased into happiness.
Shifting the blame probably excited him. I had figured they’d start scouring for me upon her discovery. Nope. They probably figured it was a lidka on likda slaying.
“Her death went unnoticed, and I do not have a great report on her valiant fight,” Keronsh said.
“Ha, that is the least of your worries. You broke our laws. This cavern smells of unsanctioned mating and ber-juice consumption. The question is, how do I punish you?” Lord Darta asked, letting the lidka take the bait.
“We simply wanted some fun, and we earned a live bernox to add to our vast city’s power.” The boisterous tone swapped into a sighing sound of defeat. “A year of meditated power transferred to the great lords,” Keronsh offered.
“I’ll make you a deal. I happened to be bored and decided to surf toward the smell of death. A new bernox being added to the breeding pits will help my esteem. On a few conditions, I’ll let you out of your punishment,” Lord Darta said, earning excitement from the lidka. “You say I sent you up top based on verified intel. We had minimal risk of discovery by the great foe to add to our power.”
“Easily obeyed and understood,” Keronsh said in excitement.
“When Great Lord Simbo sends his magus team to drag the bernox down, not a single member of your tribe will be in that cavern beside this dead female. Leave her by the bernox body and say she died during its apprehension,” Lord Darta said.
“And the goblins we fed it?” Keronsh asked.
“Irrelevant. The magus will report that they died in a trap or whatever. Just remove the fact you were obtaining illegal ber-juice,” Lord Darta said.
“As the great Dragon Lord commands,” Keronsh said, and my eyes widened.
A Dragon Lord! Hmm… likely a swarm of them biding time in a deep city. The dwarves are doing something similar. Maybe the old gods were wanting an epic battle down the line. Or maybe there were gods like Caitlyn; low in the rank but waiting for the cataclysm to settle.
I waited, hearing them return to the bernox cavern to clean up for the dragon’s boss. I didn’t know what a magus team was, but they were going to come and retrieve the prized bernox. This could be a great time to take the bernox and run, or to ambush a high level team.
It became clear the death of the female didn’t warrant a true investigation. What mattered was impressing the Great Lord Simbo.
Knowing we had an opportunity, I extracted myself from the skeleton body. The feeling of soaring through the forest invigorated my resolve.
I traveled between the trees, over digging dwarves, and into my body. My lips ejected a gasp, and this time I found myself alone.
Not wanting to waste any time, I hurried off the bedding to the end table with pencil and paper. I wrote a request to Bell, asking for all the crossbows to be brought over. When I finished, I exited the tent, seeing most of my revived soldiers guarding my body.
“Follow me. Where is Tarla?” I asked.
“Over here,” Tarla said, her voice coming from the portal area. “Tossing in these raskers. With the dozen of guards not willing to leave you, the job needed help.”
“Go help,” I ordered my living minions.
The dwarves and gnomes raced forward to aid in removing the dead that were piled high on the cart.
Tarla left them to handle the work, coming to my side right as Jark found me.
She went to talk, biting in her comment when her brother said, “Any new orders?”
“I’m at a crossroads, but I want to prepare for both options. What do we know about tunneling dragon lords?” I asked.
Tarla frowned, retreating into our tent with an index held up for us to pause.
I plucked a stone off the forest floor, brushing grit off the surface. I wrapped my note around the stone, approached the portal, and tossed in the message.
“I don’t know much about dragon lords, Damien. I do know spider queens are notorious for betraying others to gain power,” Jark said hesitantly.
“Don’t hesitate to give me your opinion. Also, the thought of a betrayal has crossed my mind. I see a few problems with it. Her people aren’t thralls, and they can kill her quickly if she sells them out. She knows this.
“Next, Seqa is becoming a devout town with prospects of growth and stability. Who will rule it when I leave? She stands to gain everything from a power perspective. If we grow the city by hundreds, if not thousands, that is a huge boon, and a hell of a reason to not try to kill me. Of course, this is assuming the main gates are never broken down or Selma invades,” I said.
“Yeah, but that Selma lady, she worries me,” Jark said.
I sighed, enjoying the actual process. “Selma will be a problem, and I agree. However, I have to believe Nessio is different. Clearly, she is. Her way aligns with us, and not all strivians are backstabbing, evil beings.”
“Lelu is watching Nessio and the gates for us,” Jark said, his tone a bit dejected.
I nodded, knowing her dwarves were likely watching me. Lelu was his troll lover, the two of them happy in their lives. Well, Jark was semi happy. I was fairly certain he hated being my minion and was only grateful because of my magic hold over him.
“Hopefully, Nessio is never a problem,” I said, seeing Tarla coming back with a book.
“Four legs or two on the dragons?” she asked.
“Oh, I only heard them. Based on the fact I didn’t see large footprints, I’d guess no feet,” I said.
“Hmm…” She flicked through the pages of the strivian identifier book. “There was a species called the Great Wurms by the Falsion Empire. According to this, they called themselves dragons but were not. Maybe some distant variation, but they are now snakes with dragon heads. Or wurms.
“This says they were found in a nest. Negotiations were conducted for peace, and the terms were extremely favorable to the Falsion Empire. The end result is unknown, and the peace may still last,” Tarla said with a shrug.
“They seemed worried about the surface. I do know they’re too big to go into the cavern where the bernox is. They have subservient species; ten-foot tall lizard people,” I said.
Tarla thumbed the pages, changing sections. She showed me a few pictures until I saw the right species.
“This one. I called them lidkas. I guess that’s worse than orc-lizards,” I said with a shrug.
“If this is the magus team, they’ll be hard to kill and not worth a drawn out fight,” Tarla said.
“Yeah, the scales are tough, but not tough enough for -” A bundle of crossbows flew through the portal. “A crossbow bolt. Either way, I’m stealing the bernox they left bound. The knockout stink should be removed by the time we arrive.”
“Wait, you want to go in person? What exactly is going on?” Tarla asked.
I filled her in about what I had experienced and then said, “There’s something at play. Politics of some sort. The wurm wants to impress his boss, and I get that. The boss is sending a team to claim the captured bernox and make it an official capture. If I had to guess, the Great Lord Simbo retrieving the bernox is more fruitful than a minor lord bringing it back. Again, just a guess.”
“This said, the wurms used a variety of species. The magus team could be anything smaller than an ogre,” Tarla said with concern.
“Well, here’s my plan,” I said, going into a thorough briefing as to what I wanted to have happen.
CHAPTER 42
Igorn Forest
I returned to my dwarf’s body, seeing my arm reattached. Taking a risk, I trotted to the edge of the main cavern-way. When I peeked out, both directions were clear. A pile of blood rested
where the female I had slain had rested for a short while.
A few splashes against the gritty stone floor told me the lidka dragged the main source of the obnoxious smelling liquid out of the party cavern.
I went right, heading for the main cavern where Lord Darta had been.
When I arrived, I scanned the area, seeing a single guard on duty who watched the opposite side. I only spent a few seconds trying to see dragon footprints. When I didn’t find any, I retreated.
I ran for the bernox, knowing timing was going to be everything.
When I arrived, my skeleton army had already secured the cavern with the large animal. Asha glanced at me for permission, standing by the bernox’s head.
I nodded in approval.
I had to give it to the elva. He was always so damn fast. His blade lanced out with lightning speed, driving into the eye of the bernox.
A startled whimper of shock escaped the defenseless animal and then silence. He jerked his blade out, creating a sucking sound, and flicked the gore off the tip.
After using a dead goblin’s jerking to clean his blade, he sat down to meditate.
This part of the plan revolved around the skeletons protecting Asha, the only one of us able to claim the Z. He chanted a cadence about how Zorta gave life. Each sentence had me on edge.
My fears of some massive army descending on us while we tried to steal some easy Z were unwarranted. He convinced the bernox to give up its orbs, and a minute later he did the same to the dead lidka.
That was phase one. Not that it was over, I had a decision to make.
“Well, Boss,” Asha said, walking over with two small colorful orbs. “Thirty seven for the bernox and six from the lidka. Odd to think about, but killing the raskers was worth more.”
I nodded, pointing to the bodies and then to the surface.
“You sure it’ll take an hour to drag the bernox corpse up to the surface? We may miss the ability to ambush whoever is coming to claim the prize,” Asha said, having me second guessing my decision.
