Luckily for him, Rayne punched through the scales with his stiletto dagger. The swordbreaker dagger would push through if thrust at the correct angle, but there was much more resistance on that weapon. As the creature faced him, Rayne spotted a claw headed his way. He quickly jumped back to avoid the sharp tips, and as soon as the arm passed, he lunged back in with a strike of the Stiletto Dagger to the neck. The creature collapsed to the ground from the attack.
You have dealt 140 damage to Lizardman (2) (Level 12) (Critical Strike) (Mortal Blow) with Iron Stiletto Dagger.
Lizardman (2) (Level 12) has died.
Lizardman (1) (Level 12) has died.
A quick check of the monsters showed nothing of interest. They didn’t have weapons on them, and, with their scales, they didn’t really need armor. He looked them over and grimaced at the sharp teeth these things had. There was nothing of interest in this tunnel, so he made his way forward.
The lighting continued, and the tunnel heated up even more as he got closer to the next bend in the path. As he neared, he saw something odd near the entrance. There was a thin wire stretched about ankle level along the path. Apparently, these things love traps. Rayne thought to himself.
The wire stretched the entire width of the tunnel, so Rayne followed it to the nearest wall. He saw it firmly anchored on this side, so the trap must be on the opposite side. Following the wire back the other direction led him to the trap mechanism. From the looks of it, the trap would trigger if the wire was pulled or if the tension was released so he couldn’t just cut it. The bad part was that he couldn’t tell what the trap triggered.
The mechanism was entirely enclosed. He was sure it wasn’t something explosive because that might cause a cave-in but anything else was possible. His only option would be to step over it and avoid it and hope he didn’t trip it on the way back in a rush.
A quick step over the trap, and then he moved to the next bend of the cave. A quick look around this cave revealed a sight he was not ready to see.
Chapter 8
The Den of Scales
Rayne stuck his head around the corner to a surprising sight. There was a small city down here with lizardmen walking around and talking in their odd noises. It wasn’t a major city, but it looked like a new starter city. Probably a new outpost that they planned to expand from.
There were at least twenty of the creatures visible. A few buildings stood out from everything in the cavern. Most of the buildings were small little lean-to style buildings, but two large buildings looked to be the main hall and a storage building. The traffic moving in and out of one of them made him believe that it was the main hall for the community while the other building had little traffic, and the two creatures he saw enter, left with small sacks of grain.
The stolen resources he was looking for should be in that room. This situation caused a dilemma for him. There was no way he could take them out in an all-out fight, but his quest was to prevent them from coming back out to the surface to raid. He could try to use the traps he had gained to collapse a tunnel, but there was the chance they wouldn’t be strong enough or that they could just dig out the cave after a few months.
Rayne also didn’t relish the idea of wiping out a city of these creatures, though. They may not be human, but they obviously spoke and had a city-style culture with each other. There was no random violence in the city to show that they were inherently warlike. Rayne’s resolve hardened. He promised Libby he would do anything he had to in order to protect her. She needed him to put a stop to these things which left only one real choice.
It was time to do some hunting. This small community would be a never ending nuisance to the surrounding area if they had already started ranging out and disturbing local farms.
With the light in the cave, he could always wait until some of them came his way and ambush them out of sight of the city, but they would eventually get suspicious about that. He had the immolation traps he could use, but he didn’t want to throw them into the city and risk damaging all the food and items.
This would be a multi-stage plan. He needed to work to get the food out of the storage, which meant a heist was in order. Immediately following that, or even during that, he needed to thin out the crowd. Rayne hoped they would settle down as the day grew longer, and there would be a minimal guard force while most of them slept.
That time would allow him to sneak in and recover as many resources as possible. If he was lucky, he could take out some of the guards during the heist to keep someone from raising the alarm. Rayne settled in and tried to relax near where he was at. This would be a waiting game for a little while.
The day dragged on for a few hours, and then the pace of the small outpost changed. Everything started to wind down, and many of the creatures started heading for the smaller structures. The crowd of people going in and out of the main building slowed to a trickle, and the entire settlement looked to be getting ready for their version of night time.
When most of the creatures had made it into their buildings, a group of two lizardmen started heading his way. They must be a relief force to swap out with the two he dispatched. Rayne made his way backward and away from the bend. There was a small nook in the wall he planned on hiding in as they passed. Once they cleared his position, he would take them out.
The two rounded the corner and were talking in their hissing noises back and forth. Neither was paying any attention as they made their way past him. As soon as they had passed his position, he crept out of his nook and quickly approached them from behind. Since they were side by side, he needed to go for a double kidney strike. He aimed his daggers to strike at the right kidney of the one on his left and the left kidney of the creature on his right.
One last lunge brought him into range, and he slammed the blades into their targets. The stiletto dagger sunk deep into the kidney of the creature on his right but the swordbreaker hit at the wrong angle and scored a cut on the one on the left, but skidded off without digging in.
You have dealt 160 damage to Lizardman (1) (Level 12) (Critical Hit) (Mortal Blow) with Iron Stiletto Dagger.
You have dealt 30 damage to Lizardman (2) (Level 12) (Glancing Blow) with Iron Swordbreaker.
The lizardman he dealt the major damage to fell to a knee and was struggling to rise. The other one turned to face him with rage on its face. It lunged for him with its claws outstretched. With no real opening to get through, Rayne slashed at its extended hands and tried to avoid coming into contact with the claws. The blades cut into the creature’s hands as it hissed and pulled back.
You have dealt 15 damage to Lizardman (2) (Level 12) (Glancing Blow) with Dual Slash.
The creature’s eyes gleamed with murder as it came at him again. Not only were its claws extended, but its mouth was open as it tried to come straight for his head. Rayne had to change tactics and dove to the side since the creature was in a mad lunge without control. He rolled to his feet as he reached his new spot and burned some Air Magic to push him faster. He got the stiletto dagger into its side while it was trying to pull out of its charge.
You have dealt 100 damage to Lizardman (2) (Level 12) (Critical Hit) with Iron Stiletto Dagger.
With momentum on his side, he continued past the creature and brought the swordbreaker in a backward swing to jab into the creature’s other side.
You have dealt 95 damage to Lizardman (2) (Level 12) (Critical Hit) with Iron Swordbreaker.
Lizardman (2) (Level 12) has died.
Rayne took a quick breath as he stood up and flexed his arms for a second. A heavy weight slammed into his back, and he felt a sharp pain in his right leg. He rolled toward what had hit him as he fell and came face to face with the first lizardman. The creature looked on the verge of dying from blood loss, but that didn’t stop its determination to get back at Rayne first.
The creature brought its right hand back to slash at him, and Rayne dropped his swordbreaker and grabbed the arm before it came down. In frustration, the creature lunged f
orward with its teeth leading the way for Rayne’s head. A burst of Air Magic in a fit of panic allowed Rayne’s stiletto dagger to come flying in at an unreal speed and slam into the creature’s eye socket so quickly it knocked the creature off of him.
Lizardman (1) (Level 12) has dealt 15 damage to you with Charge.
You have dealt 20 damage to Lizardman (1) (Level 12) (Critical Hit) (Mortal Blow) with Iron Stiletto Dagger.
Lizardman (1) (Level 12) has died.
Rayne lay in his place on the ground as he took some deep breaths. These creatures were unnerving when they got in your face. Rayne stared down people without a problem, but dealing with creatures that were covered in scales and acted like humans was unnerving.
Neither of these lizardmen had anything interesting on them, so he pulled them to the side of the cavern to hide them. Once they were out of plain sight, he made his way back to the bend in the cavern to get an eye on what was happening.
The cave beyond was quiet. There were three lizardmen that he saw patrolling around the village, but none of them looked to be paying a lot of attention. This would be the perfect chance for some theft.
Rayne worked along the edge of the cavern until he reached the spot that was the shortest distance between the cavern wall and the supply shed. The patrolling lizardmen were not walking in continuous circles. Instead, each was covering a specific section, back and forth. This made it easy for him to avoid the areas he had seen them moving.
A quick bit of scurrying through some huts brought him to the storehouse. He ducked inside and the contents surprised him. There were numerous sacks of grain and seed in here. It was no wonder Jeff was so upset. Most of the items in here looked to be bags made of the same material that Jeff had in his barn. Some were obviously the lizardmen’s handiwork, but most were Jeff’s.
Rayne grinned to himself because it was time to start hauling grain. And I thought I’d never be useful on a farm. Rayne thought to himself with an inward smile. Rayne worked carefully as he carried out a bag of grain at a time. It was a slow process since he had to keep constant eyes on the patrols and make sure he timed his trips to and from the buildings correctly.
When he had stacked all the stolen bags from Jeff back against the wall, he moved them out of the cavern and into the previous hallways behind the tripwire. He wanted them as close to the entrance as he could get them in case things went sideways.
With the goods retrieved and him no longer having to play things as safe, he made his way back to the cavern. Now it was time to thin the ranks. He carefully made his way to the first of the sentries he had been watching. This creature made the mistake of walking too close to one of the buildings during their patrol. Rayne waited in the building's shadow, and, as soon as the creature passed, he ambushed him from stealth. Not wanting to take any chances, he stuck with the stiletto dagger. A burst of Air Magic and a stiletto dagger straight through the side of the skull instantly ended the creature.
You have dealt 240 damage to Lizardman (Level 12) (Brain Rupture) with Iron Stiletto Dagger.
Lizardman (Level 12) has died.
As soon as that one was down, he drug it to the dark spot near the building it had been passing. There was a bit of rubbish in the area that he kicked over parts of the body to attempt to disguise it a little. That job in hand, he moved to the second of the creatures. This one was farther out in the open, so Rayne relied on distraction. Finding a small stone he cast it to the other side of his enemy as he activated his ability.
You have activated Distract.
It was possible to distract people by making noises elsewhere, but they would tend to change their focus if they heard you approach from a different angle. The Distract ability made sure they focused on that specific spot for five seconds before they changed focus. The distance melted away as he drew close and then executed this one in the same fashion as the last.
You have dealt 240 damage to Lizardman (Level 12) (Brain Rupture) with Iron Stiletto Dagger.
Lizardman (Level 12) has died.
The final patrolling member was on the backside of the village and farthest away from the cave he had entered from. The more of these he got out of the way, the better, though. The plan for this one was the same as the last one. A bit of a distraction and then a blade to the side of the skull. That plan lasted a good two seconds as he launched his stone and activated his skill. He took off before the stone landed and saw a notification that filled him with dread.
You have activated Distract.
Distract was resisted by Lizardman (Level 12).
Oh, shit. Rayne thought. The creature turned to face directly at him as it hissed. The lack of alarm calls coming from the creatures surprised him. What was the purpose of having patrols if you wouldn’t call an alarm if you ran across intruders?
Rayne would not go out of his way to question his fortune in the matter as he charged this lizardman. Without surprise on his side, he would need to stay focused on this fight. This creature wasn’t as reckless as some of the others. Instead of charging in a mad fit, it actually circled with Rayne in a crouched fighting stance. Apparently, not all of them were idiots.
The lizardman took carefully controlled swings to check Rayne’s reaction timing, and Rayne stepped out of the way of each quickly. Rayne swore he saw a grin form on the creature’s mouth, but with all those teeth, it was truly hard to discern that.
Rayne took the offensive instead. Using some mana, he augmented his speed and went for slashing attacks. Aiming for the arms and legs of the creature, he continued attacking. The tough hide of the creatures was not allowing him to do much damage, but the attacks were adding up. The more cuts he managed on the creature’s legs and arms, the slower it responded. When he thought his work was sufficient, he slowed to normal and came to a halt in a crouched position.
You have dealt 160 damage to Lizardman (Level 12) with Dual Slash (Glancing Blow) (x8).
The creature hissed in displeasure as it looked at him. Instead of drag the fight out, Rayne lunged forward with a feint, and as soon as the creature committed to the block, he reversed the attack to plunge the blade into its chest, directly into the heart.
You have deal 80 damage to Lizardman (Level 12) with Iron Stiletto Dagger (Heart Strike).
Lizardman (Level 12) has died.
Rayne couldn’t help but feel respect for the creature. Had it not been for the benefit of his Air Magic, Rayne wasn’t sure that fight would have gone in his favor. With all the patrols out of the way, it was time to figure out a plan to deal with the rest.
There were so many of them that his best bet was to get them in one place at a time. He estimated about fifteen of the creatures were left. Rayne worked his way to the roof of one of the buildings facing the main entrance to the city hall.
I need to get them all in there. The trick was doing it. The only thing he thought of that would cause that would be an attack. He had an idea but was sure it was a stupid one. It may blow up in his face, but he would give it a shot.
Holding his position on the roof and trying to blend in as much as possible, Rayne caused as much noise as he could muster by clashing his blades together while in the middle of town. If he were lucky, they would wake and come to investigate. When they discovered their patrols dead, they might call a meeting in the hall to discuss what happened.
To Rayne’s delight, he saw many of the creatures start to stir and look out of their huts. After a bit of them looking around, many were heading back to their beds when someone finally found one of the patrol bodies. There was a loud chorus of hisses and clicking noises as they all spoke. Shortly after, the other two bodies were found, as well.
Rayne’s plan was working, and he was thrilled about it. These creatures started making their way to the communal hall, and Rayne was relieved his plan was working. Unfortunately, six of these creatures broke from the main group and headed for the tunnel he had entered from. They would stumble upon the dead bodies there and the pile of grain he had stole
n.
There wasn’t anything he could do but stick to the plan. It was imperative he take out as many as possible in this attack. His estimates were off because he counted eleven creatures entering the building before there were none left visible. Rayne crouched on the rooftop and pulled out both of the immolation traps. This would be both disturbing and rewarding.
He stood up quickly and launched both jars with an Air Magic assisted throw as he watched them soar directly into the entrance of the hall. Within seconds of them landing in the building, the entire place had every inch covered in flames. This smoke was starting to fill the upper part of the caverns.
Rayne heard the hiss and clicks of the creatures. Their hissing was so loud it reminded him of cooking meat on an open fire and listening to the fatty juices dripping into the coals to sizzle. His notifications were going crazy as things kept scrolling. They had been hit with the initial damage from the traps but were all taking constant burning damage from staying in the flame. After a short time, the notifications stopped.
You have dealt 1,760 damage to Lizardman (Level 12) (x11) with Jar of Immolation (x2).
Lizardman (Level 12) has died (x11).
The constant burning damage was the key to that one. They would have survived the explosion from the jar, but the constant fire damage from not being able to escape the building spelled their doom. A quick glance around the area showed that no others were visible.
Rayne made his way down from the building and carefully worked toward the entrance he had come from. There were still six of these things that had taken off, and he knew the noise would have them on their way back. He wasn’t sure what he could do to stop them, either.
The only thing he had at his disposal was a few smoke bombs he could activate. His only option would be an ambush. He tossed out a pouch of ingredients and activated his ability at the mouth of the cave and waited by the entrance.
Rayne Page 10