58. Under the Mountain, Part 4: Lizardmen

58. Under the Mountain, Part 4: Lizardmen

Boring caves. Boring rocks. Boring tunnels. Boring stalactites. Boring pebbles. Boring stalagmites. Boring gravel.

“Alex, I can walk.”

“Not a chance. You're my precious new wife, carrying my and my head wife's offspring. I'm not risking you getting snatched by another Burrower. I'm not letting you out of my arms, let alone my sight if I can help it.”

Opal's red scales blush darker as I speak. “T-take a left up here. That's the shortest path to the surface.”

My Kobold lover is leading me through the maze of samey caverns to find a way out. She's lived here her whole life and knows them quite well. I'll be glad to leave this pit of disappointment far behind.

I'm already dreaming of reuniting with Gale when I hear metallic clattering in the distance.

“What's that?”

“The soldiers? What are they going this high up? Alex, go back the other way.”

I'm not one to run from a fight, but I've got a harem girl to worry about. I follow Opal's instruction to retreat. It's just misfortunate we hear the same banging and clanking coming towards us from that direction as well.

“Is this a pincer attack?” How could the enemy know I'm here?

“No, I think they're sweeping the area. They keep talking about how they'll cleanse the mountain of Weblings, and all the Kobolds should join them.”

I stop running. “They're just Kobolds?”

“No, they're Lizardmen.”

Two groups catch me between them and move in formation to engage us.Điscover new chapters at novelhall.com

They're muscular seven-foot-tall humanoid crocodiles by my best approximation. They're covered head to toe in shiny metal armor and wield metallic weapons. The strange thing is that I'm used to Summoned items being basically identical. Every item from pauldron to polearm is weirdly unique and poorly made as if cobbled together from spare parts.

Also, they each bear an identical black collar.

“Intruder under the mountain!”

“She's stealing our women!”

“Recapture the female Kobold!”

“Take them to the Breeding Chambers!”

Not fucking likely.

I summon an ember spear and chuck it at the nearest lizard. To my immense disappointment, the projectile hits a chest plate and scatters coals onto nonflammable steel. They're hairless and naked underneath the armor, giving me nothing to burn.

Earth Magic plus Swarm Slime Multitasking allows me to trip three enemies at once. Third-tier Earth Magic has them falling prone instead of simply stumbling. Except, there're too many of them, and I need one of those focuses to attack.

Next, I aim a normal spear for an open mouth. He snaps his jaw shut in time for my shaft to clang onto his helmet, ripping it off and leaving a few scrapes. The Lizardman covers his bare head with his gauntlets to counter my follow-up spear. Shit.

Another hit shatters my back plate, but I'm on my feet gripping a massive tool that appears deceptively light with my doubled Blood Magic. The Lizardmen are too fanatical to be properly scared. That's fine, as they won't live much longer; I've decided what to call this thing.

“Die, motherfucker.”

Grabbing the shaft, I lift Blood Star high and bring it crashing onto the skull of the lizard who just struck me. My Blood Magic pulls the weapon down with the same force I used to levitate it, adding to my strength by effectively doubling its weight. The result is a reptilian pancake and a truly horrific gore splatter.

That makes the Lizardmen pause.

“Too late to run.”

I swing Blood Star in a horizontal arc around me. Lizardmen go flying with blood spikes piercing through their plate mail. The additional force of the weapon's momentum drives the red crystals through armor like a hammer and stake. Through the haft, I feel bones break and crunch as they take blunt damage from the impact as well. When they fall, they don't get up.

Spilled blood flows through the air, spiraling into Blood Star to replace the spikes that broke off. I love this thing.

Wolf Rush!

I dash forward, barely slowed by Blood Star, and uppercut the nearest Lizardman. My blow rockets him up, his jaws wide in a pained cry, into a stalagmite. The stone spike impales him through the mouth and out the other side.

Wolf Rush!

Another dash, another reptilian struck in the chest and pinned to the wall squirting his guts out of every orifice.

They do finally break ranks and flee. Olindia's tendrils are more useful here, tethering opponents who try to run before I can get to them. I throw Blood Star at a coward, turning him into a smear on the cave floor. My weapon melts into Flou's three bodies, and she shlorps over to me before reforming Blood Star.

“Patience, boys! There's enough of us to go around!”

I spend a few more seconds polishing off the stragglers.

*Slaughtered the Lizardmen – One Draconic Mark*

My blood cools, and sanity returns. I need to find Opal!

Partner Tracker pays for itself a hundred-fold as I trace Opal through the caverns. Even with Mermaid Sight, I'd never be able to catch up with the native underground dwellers. I can't help noticing I'm descending. I don't hesitate despite going in the opposite direction I originally wanted. Also, I refresh my summoned crab armor while I have free time.

Just as I almost close the distance, another patrol of Lizardmen gets in my way. They're fodder with Blood Star in my hand, but getting past them unhindered isn't possible. They're suicidally dedicated to inhibiting my progress.

This time, when they turn tail and run from the slaughter, I notice their black collars radiating dark energy that seems to cause immense pain. They return to blocking my progress after that. The first group must have been extremely terrified to overcome it. These grunts don't survive long enough to feel true fear.

I pass a tunnel that smells like the ocean without comment. The observation registers in the back of my mind, but I don't spare a thought in the moment.

I'm on a mission, and nothing can distract me.

Then something small lands on my back. Many legs scramble for purchase on my armor. I imagine it's an extra-large Servitor until she starts talking.

“Wah ha ha ha! At last, a human to capture!”

It's another damn fucking spider.