Chapter 6.

The Trap.

After what seemed like an age, there was movement near the edge of the glade. Grubs could scent the musty smell of reptiles as a trio of Lizardmen, scales shifting with dark greens and yellows moved forward. Their corded limbs were lithe and they stalked with the confidence of apex predators, almost swimming through the dense undergrowth.

This was their home. They knew how to move silently through the terrain. One of them its chameleon scales suddenly striping with dark green waves over its back. looked back the way it had come. Its hooded eyes, each scanning the area in sharp darting arcs. It gave a low hiss.

A short time later two more slid up beside the trio. One was a similar type to the first three, lithe and stealthy. A chameleon head widened into a crest, three short horns jutting forward. One from the tip of its snout, two from above the eyes.

It had a long knife in its mitten like hands, thin but wickedly curved like a short scimitar. It was made from some kind of dark metal, flecks of brighter sliver barely visible.

The other however was not small and stealthy, it was almost a whole head taller than even the six foot four Oleksiy.

Its shoulders rippled with muscle visible beneath its scaly hide, it carried a fearsome weapon. a large macuahuitl, a club like length of hardwood its edges studded with rectangular lengths of scalpel sharp obsidian. It was a weapon of war made to leave jagged cuts in any foes. He was adorned in golden trinkets and bright feathers, and he had white body paint covering his shoulders winding up his neck ending beneath his fearsome jaws. White paint sharply contrasting with rust red scales.

He also had a large bony crest at the back of his skull a white painted circle in the middle, he was like a dinosaur, with brutal features a biological weapon.

This wasn't a stealthy hunter but a warrior captain, the leader of a war band.

He scanned the area the area with his bright green eyes, not the slitted pupils of a snake but rounded and merciless.

The glade was riddled with signs of habitation, someone had even made a fire pit that was still smoking. It sat in front of a pile of large granite boulders that were tangled in the roots of the tall jauntily angled tree. Tobias had carved out a faux tunnel that led between the boulders giving the impression of a hidden shelter.

The captain spoke softly and cautiously waved the four hunters forward, under the lead of the horned one. A moment later a handful of heavier set Lizardmen warriors took their place, they were like a smaller version of the captain their colourings ranging from dark brown to pink. There were at least ten of them visible. They started slowly circling the glade, readying themselves for violence.

Grubs felt Oleksiy tense, two thin cords of rope in his hands ready, and he made a gesture with a finger to Jack.

The Lizardmen prowled closer and closer, making it to the fake camp-fire. They spread out to surround the hole, short bamboo pipes held to their reptilian lips. One of the hunters stepped off to the left and was suddenly whipped into the air by its ankle with a violent snap, its companions heads shot across only to see it gone.

There was a burst of action, at the same time Oleksiy pulled the cord in his left hand a javelin streaked from behind him. There was a creaking sound and another hunter was impaled through the torso with sharpened stakes, they were lashed tight to a bent sapling. It sprung back upright pulling the unfortunate Lizardman off his feet, screaming and hissing in agony.

the hunter next to him rushed to help, dropping his blowpipe. The lead hunter spun to face the ambushers, firing a dart with a powerful breath of air. As the dart left the end of the blowpipe a palm sized stone smashed into his shoulder, spinning him painfully to the ground.

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Delia had made Keisuke a twisted thong of cloth, a simple sling. Every single stone in the world, could be turned into a deadly bullet by the ancient weapon. He crouched and loaded another stone, as the no doubt deadly poisoned dart sailed harmlessly past his neck. He whipped his arm up and then down fast, releasing one side of the sling. The stone rocketing out to knock a warrior to the ground. He ducked behind a tree to run, he was hidden further back and had never even revealed himself.

Elina’s javelin meanwhile landed with a wet thud in the chest of a warrior, still lurking on the edges on the far side of the small glade dropping it to the ground. She had aimed for centre mass taking her short skipping run-up to launch her deadly missile. She was now standing out visibly in the open, a purposeful attempt to bait the lurking warriors into moving forward into the small clear space in front of the fake hideout... Under the jaunty tree.

There was a distant CRUNCH! Then a sad thump. The counterweight and the first hunter had landed in the distance. The snare was tied tightly to a heavy rock that was lifted high up into the canopy with a grumpy Tobias' magic, it was designed to pull the target off the ground and into the treetops.

The rope was short only thirty or so meters, it was carefully measured to ensure the victim would be pulled over the top of tree and free-fall to the ground on the other side with their momentum. Crashing through the thick branches on the way up and on the way down. by the sound of the wet thump, the hunter would not be heading home.

A group of warriors roared and split off from the huddled war band running hard for Elina, they were flanked by a small pack of the wolf sized Monitor lizards, one warrior towards the back of the group stumbled. It looked like it had tripped to the ground.

Elina launched a second javelin pinning a hunting lizard to the ground and turned and ran, as soon as Grubs saw her turn I dropped my first Mask totem. Beginning to channel a Knotted Wounds straight away.

Elina melted into the bush vanishing from sight.

As the Lizardmen streamed out towards Elina’s last position they started dropping, as they hit the ground I could see arrows sticking out of their thick necks or under their armpits. Indaya’s work, even I didn’t know where he was. A perfect enfilade.

The arrows only became visible after the dead Lizardmen fell, Indaya was clearly using a skill like the knife fighting [Shadowed Strikes] but geared for a bow, it was a terrifying combination.

Imagine charging for your target only to fall to a sharp sting, unaware of the invisible missile up till the point of your death.

The leading lizards were running side by side, when they tumbled face first to the ground, hitting a thin tripwire. At the same time the ground in front of them fell away, it was only a net... They landed in a concealed hollow, shallow but filled with thin stakes of bamboo. The thin spikes punched through their thick hide and they thrashed in shock and pain, trapped in the shallow hole.

The captain was roaring for the warriors to retreat, his sibilant language interspersed with bird like hoots and whistles. Most of the Lizardmen had overcommitted and he saw that they were too exposed.

My shocking butchery of their fellow tribesman had clouded their judgement, they ran head first into death. Only the commander seeing the trap for what it was and barely controlling the Lizardmen nearest to him holding them back.

Oleksiy pulled the last trap, a small complex looking mechanical object shaped like a plate. It was carved with a magic glyph and when tripped it began to glow.

It was attached to the jaunty tree’s branches directly overhead the small glade, after a beat it started showering a brown oily liquid onto the heads of the Lizardmen in a wide spread.

They all looked up at this new threat just now realising the danger. Only to see a bright flaming dart flash over their heads with a crackling whine.

There was a rush of dry hot air, and I felt Grubs' eyes stinging in the wave of heat. Then a dull crump echoed out and the entire clearing roared up in flames, Jack’s hands smoking, eyes lit with inner flame.

Chaos ensued, the Lizardmen wouldn’t be able to see the path of our retreat, through the roaring flames and hissing steam. The scant five or six that had pulled back far enough looked to the captain for orders, only to see him tumble backwards his savage club raised. A parting shot from Indaya… Then Oleksiy was clear and Grubs lost sight of the pandemonium of the once peaceful glade.

Returning to myself I shook my head, poor Grubs was nearly overwhelmed by the hot blast. I felt like I had tumbled down a cliff, my senses strained.

I waited a few moments recovering, and I saw Elina vaulting athletically through the scrub. Abu tugged me up off the ground and I ran for the stream. We would lead Elina, dropping my Mask totems as we went.

Elina would lead the others, we had four hundred and fifty meters to run wildly not having to worry too much about leaving tracks. Then when we hit the stream I would stop to channel a new masked totem while we regrouped then we would slowly navigate up the stream to hide our tracks.

It was a mad dash. the low brushes and whipping palm leaves cut at my arms and face as I ran wholeheartedly. We had left the Lizardmen bloodied and their leader downed by Indaya’s arrow, Grubs lost track of him with all the flames so I didn’t know if he was dead. the last we saw was him tumbling to the ground, he had his weapon up so I didn't hold much hope that he had fallen.

We had been right, heading off the war band was the right choice. It would give us time to finally prepare ourselves, most of the team didn’t have proper weapons and none of us had any armour.

We had bought time, constantly running from Lizardmen wouldn't be possible. We had to act pro-actively, take control of the battlefield. We had first blood in this war, hopefully it would buy us at least a few days reprieve as the Lizardmen regrouped.

Spotting the river I jumped into the shallows and half swam half waded to the far side, leaning my shoulders into the mud of the steep bank breathing heavily. I held my hand up gripping the mud and channelled my totem so that it would pop up on the grass, Elina dived into the river gracefully behind us before I even finished.

We waited a few moments before seeing the rest of the group excluding Indaya, I peered through the veil into the Ethereal Sea and saw a faint swirl in the currents. He was hidden well, covering our retreat.

We stuck to the stream and started hiking up river. Oleksiy and Jack were beaming, their oil trap was a massive success.The powerful combination, dealing devastating damage to the shadowed glade. It used a lot of Oleksiy’s trap charges however, three of the eight available.

but the slick oil trap was undeniably effective. Jack’s fire heavy focus was perfect for igniting the dastardly thing.

we had a tense couple of hours slowly trekking upstream, ahead of us. We would need to be on guard for threats.

Grubs had lost track of a lot of the remaining Lizardmen in the chaos and I was sure we would deal with them again.

But for now we were in the clear only a few hours trek through a chest high river, and we would be safe.

'I hope there are no crocodiles...'