Here be Dragons!
Chapter 18
Rick and Alexis were out front, followed by Addison, then Aiden, and Kate as they went down the trail that had been left for them. "Remember, don't just follow the tracks. Listen and look. Have the birds suddenly gone quiet? Have they suddenly burst into the air because something spooked them? The jungle, forest, or even the desert is talking. The question is, are you listening?" Rick was still in teaching mode.
Rick had his sword out as did Alexis. What neither of them wanted was to come across a normal constrictor or poisonous snake looking for a quick meal. Did you scare him and he tried to bite you before slithering away as fast as he could?
Based on the possible weight of the wagon they were both betting they were gaining on at least the wagon which wouldn't be left alone, they were sure. It held what they had come here for so losing it wasn't an option.
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Kate, Addison, and Aiden were standing next to the campfire while Rick and Alexis took a look around after taking down their tent.
"How many?" Rick asked her, still in teaching mode.
"Definitely a camp site. I'd say about 12 though 2 of them looked to be walking. I saw footprints in addition to the snake tracks." That was the puzzling part for her.
"I counted 14, however, you're right about the two walking tracks. Opinion?" Rick was willing to listen.
"They captured two of the miners instead of killing them. Slave labor, perhaps? That or they have pets. What I don't get is why Lulu isn't more interested. Are snakes scentless?" Alexis had noticed something else that was a bit odd and looked at her. She was content to be sitting at Rick's feet.
"Lulu's a puppy. Maybe she just doesn't care. As for those two, slaves are a possibility. But why just two? Why not the other eleven? Based on the stride of the steps I would say adults and not children. As for male or female, I'm going to say female. Most males who don't care don't walk with their feet pointed straight while most women do care. These prints suggest female or perhaps that's just how their pet walks." It was all Rick had.
"No shoes, either. I saw toes with a possibility of claws," Alexis mentioned.
"You're getting better." Rick was proud of her. He gave her another test. "How far out in front of us are they?"
"About a day. We're making up ground pretty fast. Also this campsite has been used before. There was old burnt wood at the bottom," Alexis added, trying to impress her father.
Rick nodded. "Empty coming but heavy going. Suggests they're pressing to get home. The person pulling the cart is going to be dead tired when they make it. The others may be right behind him."
"Afraid we or someone else is following maybe?" Alexis suggested.
"Afraid of a man-eating dinosaur more likely." Kate had overheard all of it.
Rick hummed. It was possible. "Eat some jerky and let's move. Maybe we can catch them before they make it to wherever they're going. At least we might get a good look before we do anything." Rick was interested in seeing just what they were following and what weapons they had.
The dead bodies suggest one or several had blades.
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"The sun will be down in just a few hours, Dad," Alexis said.
"Yeah, we're about 3 hours out yet and we're going to get rained on tonight." Rick looked up and stopped where he was. "Scout a good spot for the tent. They win this round. We're just too far behind." Rick waited for the others while Alexis took off.
Alexis hadn't gotten far when she spotted a good place that was a little elevated.
Together Alexis and Rick set out three traps for later and were soon back. They found everyone else had picked their area of the tent and had started stripping down for the night. Rick got his space next to Kate who he gave his sleeping bag to so she could combine them while Alexis took what was left to her.
Feeding five almost emptied their fresh bags. Neither Rick nor Kate remembered them being empty this fast.
Rick and Kate woke in the middle of the night to the sound of rain. It was raining hard. They also saw Alexis standing at the tent opening wearing her night clothes, watching it rain.
"Like father like daughter," Kate smiled and snuggled in a little closer.
"She's learning fast," Rick agreed and tried to let himself go back to sleep.
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Come morning it was still raining which meant one at a time stripped down as far as they were willing and went outside just far enough to do their business before coming back soaked to the bone.
Rick took Lulu and they both came back soaked. Most of the rest of the day was boring as they listened or watched it rain. "Homesick already?" Rick teased their three children.
"No, just bored," was pretty much what they got back from all three.
It was going to be dark in about 2 hours when the rain turned into a mist. Rick with his boots on took out his sword while still barely dressed. "Be right back. I'm going to check our traps." Rick slipped outside.
Rick came back wet yet again, however, in one hand he had their three traps. In the other hand he had the tails of three iguanas and around his neck was a massive dead boa constrictor.
"These three were in the traps while this bad guy I think just ate a monkey so we need to be careful with him." Rick set them all down. "Alexis, you're with me. Pick up an iguana and I'll show you how to gut this guy and reach the meat." They both went outside to do it since it was going to make a mess.
"So which is which?" Aiden asked since he wasn't sure he wanted to eat one of them. The boa had indeed eaten a monkey recently that also got gutted along with the snake.
"It's a stew with a few spices; they're all in there," Kate informed him. Everyone had to take what they got in their bowl. They learned yet again that Mom knew how to cook.
That night, unlike last night, was filled with the sounds of a jungle now that it had stopped raining.
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Come morning everyone was all geared up and ready to keep moving. They went back to Rick and Alexis being out front by a little bit.
It was near lunch when they both stopped and were a little amazed while they waited for the others to join them.
"Interesting… They've been busy," Kate commented.
In front of them was a wide open space with only low grass showing. It was easily about 400 feet by 400 feet of clear space. There were three piles of stripped trees on the far side. Over there with them were three buildings made of logs with sloped log roofs. Each was about 15 x 15 feet square.
To their right was a small stream that had running water in it. To their left was a short mountain. However, Alexis believed she saw something then slapped a mosquito that was trying to bite her.
"Are those stairs?" Alexis queried as she heard someone else slap another one. The rain was gone and they were being eaten alive and miserable. The bug repellent in the city sort of worked but it didn't stop everything all the time.
"We hug the mountain until we reach those stairs. Our trail leads right into that area," Rick ordered and moved out with Alexis right behind him followed by the others.
Moving left the mosquitoes mostly behind for now. Once to the mountain Rick and Alexis ready their bows while Addison pulled out a wand.
They were about 100 feet away when they all spotted movement. Rick guessed a guard that had moved instead of staying unseen. That was always the problem with guards. They get bored and complacent and did things they shouldn't.
Rick wanted this guy so he loaded his bow with two magic arrows and took a bead on him. He fired and watched him fall. Alexis liked it and was all set to tell him that was a nice shot when suddenly he was running. Everyone else ran to catch up.
The stairs led up to a set of wide double doors made of wood that was set into the mountain under an overhang. Alexis found the wheels of the cart led right to the stairs. "They took the jade inside." Alexis ran fingers over the track and looked up at the door. Then followed everyone up to the doors.
"Locked or barred," Rick stated. He hated the idea of busting them open physically since that would make noise. Maybe the Yuan-ti he'd killed had a key if it needed a key?
"My turn, Dad." Addison changed wands, pointed, and waited for a signal to use her Wand of Knock. A nod told her that everyone had a weapon out and was ready. She spoke the command word and they all watched as the doors burst up into the space. She quickly slipped that wand away and took the Wand of Lightning Bolt back out.
They slowly went inside and Alexis noticed that the doors were 2 inches thick and had iron bars reinforcing them.
Inside was a massive chamber, easily 160 feet long x 120 feet wide. It was clearly open to the level above them. Up there there were 5 large chandeliers. On this level, though, there was this enormous bone skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
As they moved inside and tried to spread out and stay next to the walls they quickly found out that the bones aren't just decoration as it took a step and moved its head.
Kate rushed it and used her staff to easily hit it in a leg. It was big and slow and she was rewarded with seeing bit of bone come flying off. Getting the idea, Addison used her Wand of Lightning Bolt and shot it in the other leg. She was rewarded by seeing bits of bone to fly off. Unfortunately it was still standing.
Rick had the wrong weapon for this. His bow was basically useless. But he did see someone move at the very far end as it tried to hide behind a raised round pool of water. Now that guy he could hit. Rick lined up his shot, fired two arrows, and hit him. He and watched him fall to the ground. It had a snake head so it had to be enemy. He would apologize later if it wasn't.
The bone dinosaur had a problem. The one at its leg had hit it and was the closest. It was just that its head was too big to reach it. The few at the front door were under the large balcony above so it couldn't yet reach them. It could, however, reach that guy over there. It took a small step and tried to bite Rick but missed badly though it was sure it had hit his armor. However, a moment later its leg fell off and the entire thing shattered when it hit the floor in a loud noise. Kate was happy as she dodged bones flying everywhere.
"This way." Alexis saw a wide open entryway in the wall for them to move to and get out of this hall. She was now out in front and realized it was a steep ramp that was a wide arc and went up. She was guessing to the balcony area above.
The railing up there looked solid and if they stayed really low they could hide behind it. Alexis saw doors to her right. There was a door far across the way and another opening just like this one directly across that looked like it went up.
She made a choice and turned right, trying to stay down low; she saw her mother right behind her. Addison and Aiden were next with Rick and his bow now in the back.
Alexis shifted to her sword as she neared the door. She and Kate moved to the door while the other three hid behind the wall. Alexis tested the door and didn't find it locked. She saw her mother nod so she opened the door and Kate rushed in.
Inside the room Kate found four beds separated by low freestanding screens to provide a minimal amount of privacy. She also saw four Yuan-ti snake creatures relaxing on their beds doing nothing with no weapons in hand.
The closest one took a hit from her staff that was a stun attack and was rewarded with finding him just lying there still. The other three though sat up as one watched Alexis rush in to take a swing at him. It actually hurt, too.
The other two were up but were without weapons. Kate was ready for the first one and hit him in the head, knocking him to the ground.
A clawed hand swung at Alexis and hit her which actually hurt. So she swung back and almost sliced off his head. "Gross!" It fell to the floor as a little blood started to pool beneath it.
Kate watched the fourth try and swing his clawed hand at her but he missed. She in turn poked him hard in the stomach area, then over the head, and saw blood ooze from his head. As the first one started to get out of bed Kate hit and killed him, too.
Kate saw her older daughter standing next to her and she saw blood. "You've been hit." That was so not acceptable. No one hurt her children.
"It kinda hurts, too." She'd fallen and scraped arms and legs before but this was different. She watched as Kate touched that area and the pain was gone. "Thanks, Mom." Alexis knew she was capable. She'd come home crying after being hurt before.
The door on the left that Kate checked opened to an empty room with one empty and dusty bed. The next double door opened into another barracks room that went similar to the last fight. Save that Kate ran to the far end since she saw doors down there leading to somewhere else. Another quick heal and Alexis was fine again.
Kate changed places with Rick this time as Alexis went with her father.
Kate's hunch proved correct. It was another barracks just like this one. This time Rick waited for each snake get up and shot them dead with a normal arrow while Alexis guarded him with her sword.
The door in that room led to another barracks just like the one across the way while there was another abandoned room with a dusty single bed.
This barrack held four snakes in their beds with all of them asleep. Rick let each one wake up for a split second before he plunged his dagger into their necks and let them bleed out.
Now they were at the curved steep ramp going up. "Up, back down, or that door over there?" Rick queried and pointed at the door since he was out in front now with Kate in the back.
"Up, babe. While they still don't know we're here." Granted she didn't know what was down there or if there was a level below that which was possible. After all they went up a set of stairs to get into this place. Rick saw three nodding heads. So up they went.
Going up they all found that unlike the levels below they were going up into darkness. As they went up the air got drier and drier and it felt as if the space was evil with waves of vile wickedness washing over them.
"I can't see a thing," Alexis whispered to her dad who was supposed to be right in front of her.
"You three stay here. Send your mother up here and watch your backs," Rick asked her.
"Dark. I see four columns in the middle. An opening just like this one across the way. The three doors of lightning are obvious." Then she looked left. "There's another opening right next to us. The ceiling here is 50 to 60 feet tall and there's a large pyramid structure in the middle of the room to the left. I don't see anyone."
"Take a peek upstairs since I'm betting there's another ramp going up to a level above us somehow," Rick asked her.
"That 50 to 60 foot ceiling is only where the pyramid is, babe." But she went up. Upstairs she saw another wide open room with four more columns and another opening across the way. She saw no one though there was a railing looking out onto the area above the pyramid.
For shits and giggles she pulled out her old Wand of Detect Secret Doors that she hadn't used in what felt like years and laughed since it had been even before she met Rick. "Really?" It was dark as hell up here like it was downstairs but she'd found a small door.
Back downstairs. "Hand in hand we go upstairs. Addison, you're right behind me. I have a job for you." Kate took her hand and one by one, hand in hand, they followed Kate upstairs.
"I know you can't see it but there's a hidden door right in front of you. I want you to knock it open for us," Kate said to her. She watched her change wands carefully by feel since she couldn't see what she was doing.
Kate watched as the door burst open into the tight corridor beyond. "Good girl. Now take my hand and bring the others with you." Kate led them into the opening and into what turned out to be a tight corridor barely tall enough for her, meaning Rick was likely bent over since he was too tall.
Instantly Kate had a choice to make. It turned left or it went straight, though straight looked like it went down, so she turned left and found another door.
"Another door, honey," Kate told Addison and watched her switch wands carefully again. Addison pointed and in a moment light flooded into the room allowing everyone to see.
This room turned out to be a hexagon shaped room about 90 feet wide. There was a door filled with lightning and an open set of stairs going up. Otherwise it was empty.
The kids were looking up the stairs while Rick and Kate looked over the door filled with lightning. "Looks just like the ones downstairs," Kate noted.
"I'm not using them but it might be their idea of permanent teleport. I don't see anything on the other side but maybe I'm not supposed to. Which means the other two go somewhere as well," Rick said.
It was then that Lulu, who had been following everywhere Rick went, started growling. There was something near here that she didn't like. That had everyone looking at her as she backed away from the stairs.
"Looks like that is bad idea, Dad," Alexis said.
"The best way to avoid a trap is to know it is a trap," Kate said which has Rick smiling wide since she had just stolen one of his sayings and it earned her a kiss to her cheek.
"Addison, you're with me this time again. Keep your wand handy. Maybe web this time," Kate asked her and watched her change wands again. Wands could be and were so far very helpful.
Kate went first and was trying to be ready for anything as was Addison. Then suddenly Lulu started barking her head off which was followed by Kate seeing something show up in front of her that looked like an oversized monkey that screamed at her and showed her just how big a set of teeth it had. Kate hit it under its chin with her staff and saw it start to tumble down the stairs past her and stop at Addison's feet.
That was followed by two more. "Addison!" Kate needed for her to use her wand since this stairway was tight. Kate smiled wide when suddenly both of them were struggling mightily and screaming at the top of their lungs.
Rick pulled Addison back, nocked a standard arrow, and shot and killed both of them.
"Nasty fangs." Alexis was studying the one that had landed at her sister's feet. "Dad, I think they're hollow which might suggest poison like a snake and I think these are snake scales down its back." Alexis stepped aside so he could look it over.
"Mostly monkey and part snake maybe?" Rick wondered aloud.
Simply burning the webs got rid of them quickly. Going up around the stairs ended in yet another door. Kate was out front again. "Addison, honey." They were going to have to buy her another one of these wands at this rate. Each wand only had 50 uses and once those were used up it was dead.
The door ended in a half room of half of the hex of this space. There was a door filled with lightning. However, there was also a human chained to the wall. Kate carefully put two fingers to her throat. "She's dead. Does she look different to anyone?" Kate couldn't quite put her fingers on it.
That had Rick moving forward and forcing open her mouth. "Snake tongue. …Snake scales behind the ears. A hybrid perhaps?" Rick suggested and stepped back to look her over.
"Think there are any of these in the city?" Kate questioned.
"We know everyone in the city, Mom, it's not possible." Aiden didn't see how. "Unless it's hiding out in the Temple to Sune. None of us usually go there much."
"We'll look when we get home," Rick informed them.
"Interesting sword." Alexis pulled out a bastard sword in a scabbard that had a snake head on the hilt and was made of silver. "And one rusty dagger that looks like it's about to fall apart." Alexis held it up.
"Keep both of them for now. We can get rid of them later. Looks like a dead end, though." It meant going back the way they had come until there was a different way to go.
"That door on the balcony that we skipped," Kate said. She was back out in front until they had to go hand in hand since the kids couldn't see in the dark.