Karkas walked towards the concrete building without any concern. If his reptilian face was hard to understand, then his actions would. Narati, however, was worried. His friend’s attitude and demeanor changed almost immediately, as if he had been holding this feeling in for so long. He acted so differently from the reserved, wise mage he usually was. Now, he looked like a predator who finally had his prey cornered.

Or was he? The young Fa’ar thought it was far too convenient. There were no traps in the yard. It would make sense to have mines and concealed traps or even a pitfall, but there were none of those. Narati wasn’t sure if Karkas noticed this or not, but he had a funny feeling that it was deliberately done so the building would be very inviting.

“Karkas, something’s wrong,” said Narati, voicing his concern. “This is too easy.”

The Croc pushed the metallic door forward. It let out a loud creaking noise, one that could only be produced by rusting hinges of a building that could be more than a thousand years old. Behind it was an empty hall with what looked like a concrete floor.

“You’re right,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to back out.”

“Have you ever considered the possibility that he’s egging you on?” wondered Narati. “That he knew you’d be acting like this?”

“Hence the building, and all the death traps hidden within,” said Karkas. “Yes, I am aware of that, Nara.”

“We should find an alternate route. You know, one that doesn’t involve barging through the front door? I saw a door opening into a basement outside.”

“We’d end up in here, anyway. Nara, I appreciate the concern, but there is nowhere to go but up. Besides, we are already inside.”

“Do you even know what a building full of death trap is?”

“I’d imagine you know. You’re the one I know who’d do such a thing.”

“That’s why I’m concerned. We could be walking over a—”

As if on cue, Narati felt nothing under his feet. In less than a second, he found himself plunging into darkness, with almost no time to react. He let out a panicked squeaking noise as he scrambled to grab something. He was a tad too late. There were no ledges to hold onto and the wall was smooth. The hole was too wide for him to stretch his arms and legs to stop his fall.

Karkas noticed Narati’s disappearance and scrambled towards the hole beside him. Narati was nowhere to be found except for his squeaks. The hole looked very deep, which immediately concerned the Croc.

“Kid!” he called. He looked around to see if there was access to the basement. He immediately scrambled towards the exit but was shocked when the metal door forcefully closed. There was no handle on the interior side. He was trapped, just as Narati feared.

Before he could blame himself for not heeding the one Fa’ar he considered a friend, an arrow whizzed past him. His head jerked towards where the arrow came from. It was dark, but Karkas could sense that someone was there. The Croc immediately pointed forward with his staff, attempting to cast a binding spell. Nothing came out. His eyes widened. Now, he really got himself in trouble for not heeding his friend’s warning.

“Do you really think we would not take precautions against mages, Crocodilian?” said the person in the shadows. His voice was soft, sounding almost like a whisper. Karkas could not tell whether he was mocking him or simply stating the facts.

Whatever the case, he was right. Ever since the door closed, Karkas could not sense the same mana density that was in the air. The room was cut off from the outside, and with it, the mana necessary to cast some spells. The Croc also found that something was dampening the mana reserve in his body, sealing his ability to cast spells.

Staying calm, knowing that it wasn’t the end of everything, Karkas said, “And it matters how, exactly? My magic may be sealed, but same goes for you. I know how a dampening field works. Everyone within will not be able to cast anything.”

“Which isn’t a problem for me. You, however, are one big target. Those scales may be tough, but if you found the right spot, you’ll lose.”

Karkas scoffed. “I want to see you try.”

No sooner than that, several more arrows whizzed towards him. Karkas managed to dodge right at the last moment and returned to where the arrows came from. The low light worked against him, so he could only see what’s immediately in front of him. He could not even sense the person; there was nothing to indicate his heat signature. He clearly knew how to handle a reptilian person.

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Taking the initiative, Karkas rushed forward, keeping his head low and his back forward to reduce his profile and to make use of his bulletproof ridged back. He understood dampening field enough to know that enchanted weapons lost their enchantment, so the arrows would be like regular arrows.

Karkas, however, was not used to a physical fight after relying on his spells for several years. He still remembered his combat training, but he had not trained for a while and as a result, he couldn’t match his opponent’s speed. The archer easily moved away and released several arrows on Karkas, who managed to use his arm to deflect them away.

The more he missed his tackle, the more he realized how bad his situation was. He had his scales, but sooner or later, the archer would find the right spot to shoot. He needed to start moving and fight back, but with what? If he could not grab his opponent, he could never start retaliating.

Karkas had no choice but to get away while keeping his guard up. Several more arrows failed to find its target. The Croc could tell from voice alone that the archer was frustrated. He could hear his frustrated grunt. Sooner or later, the archer would lose his cool, though if he was an experienced archer, that would not come soon enough.

As Karkas kept moving to confuse and frustrate the archer (who shot in quick succession but with a mixed quality of aim), the Croc mage found a broken metal panel. Thinking quickly, he held up the panel like a shield and used it against the arrows. It, however, was not as effective as his scales. Some of the arrows managed to penetrate the shield.

“A shield will do you no good, Crocodilian,” taunted the archer.

Yet, Karkas had a different idea. He knew the shield was never going to work and was redundant, considering how his scales could withstand the normal arrows. But the shield was for a different purpose, and that was to surprise the archer. He had determined that the archer needed to stay still for a steady aim, and after being shot a couple of times, Karkas could hear a noise similar to a twig snapping, followed by a click. The arrow would get to him a split second later.

He only hoped that the archer had no enhanced physical reflexes because his plan relied on catching the archer unaware. He needed to time it right, and that’s where the improvised shield came into play. He used the shield to determine the source of the arrows after he heard the noise, letting it pierce through the metal panel.

He was also helped by the fact that the archer, by now frustrated, started to taunt and mock Karkas more often. Once, he angrily taunted Karkas to fight back or he’d come and do it himself. That would be his biggest mistake, and he knew it. Karkas was not so easily intimidated and focused on where his voice came from.

Three more shots, and Karkas finally got the timing right. He immediately turned towards where he heard the snapping noise and, just before the click, he threw the metal panel towards it and started running. The metal panel evidently hit the archer as Karkas heard a grunt, just before he tackled something soft and warm.

With an effort, Karkas lifted the surprised archer, who let out a rather panicked, “What?!” before Karkas slammed him down to the concrete floor. There was a loud crack, and a painful scream.

Karkas did not relent. Now that he got his opponent, he proceeded to grab him again. The archer’s light physique caused him to leave the ground over Karkas’s head. Without so much of a hesitation, Karkas threw him anywhere in the darkness, hitting one of the panels that closed the window. It broke, letting sunlight in, bathing the room with light. He quickly identified his opponent. He was a Fa’ar, slightly taller than Narati and with brownish fur and red eyes. He was not using a bow, but instead, it was a crossbow. Clearly, he knew he was going against someone with tough armor, but he underestimated a Crocodilian’s ridged scales.

The throw that produced the crack was due to Karkas slamming him on to the floor with a metal bar once used for securing anchor. It broke his back, and as a result, the rat was convulsing and twitching, unable to move after being rendered paraplegic. The throw that opened the sunlight into the room further injured him.

He couldn’t say anything, though he kept glaring at Karkas defiantly, at least until Karkas caught his breath and loomed over him, during which his expression turned into fear. The mage put both his hands around the rat person’s head, engulfing it except for his snout.

“Surrender yourself to Ammit, Judge of the Underworld,” murmured Karkas, preparing the archer’s last rite. “Know that you fought bravely against a…former…priest of Sobek.”

Then he forcefully twisted his opponent’s neck. He heard a crack, then silence. The warm body under him became limp as he removed his hands from his head, letting the lifeless body of the Fa’ar archer fall to the floor. He sighed, then stood without even looking at the body. He knew his last rites were hollow at best, considering that his opponent was not a Crocodilian and he was no longer a priest. But he felt he should do so, anyway, especially after he promised Narati that he would atone from his past mistakes. This Fa'ar was never part of that, thus he deserved his last rites.

He soon returned to the situation at hand. As expected, the dampener was still on. The doors were still locked and the windows were reinforced with metal, meaning that he was trapped. Even the trapdoor where Narati fell in wouldn’t budge; something sealed them shut.

“If Nara’s still here, I might be able to blow the door,” thought Karkas. “But that might not be the best idea in a room this small.”

As he pondered about what to do next, a nearby door creaked open, revealing a long, dark corridor, barely lit by electric lamps. No one was waiting for him, but he had a feeling that it was another trap. He had no choice but to move forward, knowing that he couldn’t go back out without Narati or his magic. He also started wondering if Asran or whoever was in the tower was toying with him.

“So, you want me to play your games, huh?” said Karkas. “And you won’t take no for an answer. Okay. If this is how it’s going to be, then, let’s play…Asran. I’ll prove that I’m more than just a priest.”

Determined to exact his revenge, and to hopefully find a way to save Narati from the basement somehow, Karkas walked forward and through the double metal door leading deeper into the building. It slammed shut behind him as he continued forward.

“Nara,” said Karkas. “I’ll come to get you, kid. Don’t die.”