The tunnels of sandstone soon turned into a variety pack of laboratory nightmares!

Andril and Haryk jumped, skipped and skidded in the sand and rock.  They sped through the tunnels, rounding corners and trying to keep their wits in case another of the dragon monstrosities appeared.  What in the fuck kind of nightmare am I in? It was the only thought that kept coming back to Haryk’s mind besides how good a nice cold brew and a plate full of roast boar would taste. He held tightly to his pistol, hoping for one clean shot. I’ve been kidnapped by a dragon which is some kind of librarian. Attacked by an island full of zombies and now a laboratory full of his creations is after me. As long as I get to shoot something in the face, it might still be worth it! The little owl swirled around Andril who would then send it off again into the darkness to reconnaissance.

Haryk led the way, the gemstone shining bright in his outstretched hand. Just behind the gem, his other hand held his pistol at the ready.  He waited for the mouth of the beast to appear and swallow him after rounding each bend.  Surely he and the mage didn’t think they would just be allowed to walk out the front door.  That thing had set the trap of the century for them in the Challenge of Champions.  Whatever Abraxas the Ancient was after, he wasn’t about to lose it–or let it walk away.

Haryk just wanted one shot. “Right between the eyes you son of a hag. I’m going to put it right between your fucking eyes.”

It was this warm and happy thought that helped him power through another foot race.

They were bounding over some oaken beams set against a pile of loose rubble when the small cavern complex they had run into suddenly burst into movement. The walls literally began to crawl with dark scales. A flash. A beam of light here, from there, struck him. Blinking, he stopped and whirled his weapon around, waiting for a form to appear in all of the action.  And then everything around him, above him, was legs, wings, teeth, and claws. He fired. Then fired again, and again and again. He wasn’t sure where he was shooting; He was letting instinct guide him. It turned out, this was a good thing.

He was about to scream for the mage, when Andril nonchalantly walked past him. His arms were outstretched and from them, as though each hand were torches, flames leapt out. They flickered and snapped at the air, growing outwards in front of him.  He moved slowly, step by step, and Haryk saw the monsters back up and back into the tunnel beyond the little cave area. With a wave, Andril motioned to the side and moved his hands in a line.  The little flames shot to either side, hitting the ground and then growing upwards as if they had struck dry wood. A massive, solid wall of flame formed in front of the mage, completely blocking the tunnel off, as well as the dragon-like creatures in it.

Haryk watched in wonder as the mage used his new powers. He had never seen such a feat of magic. With this one spell, Andril Tainer had become the most powerful magician he had ever seen or heard of in the isles.

He had taken a second to think, and that was a no no in a battle. Haryk had forgotten for only the briefest of moments.

He heard a scraping noise from above him, and he slid to his side with his senses tingling, just as something fell to the ground next to him. It was something from the cavern’s ceiling that he had shot. There was a great crack as one of the creature’s bones  broke against the hard packed sandstone. Now lying next to him, it slashed out with taloned feet, slicing into Haryk’s exposed calf muscle. He cried out in pain, dropping the lantern and kept on shooting wildly at it. He could see it’s long, lithe body whirl around, teeth and claws ripping for his flesh. This creature had horns and frilled skin, dark blue wicked eyes. It crawled on dozens of legs, each as big as a man’s. It’s tail whipped behind it. It smelled like shit.

His cries were answered by the roars and shrieks of the monster.  Bang! Bang! He squeezed and squeezed and squeezed. He knew he was hitting it, he could see the impact, and he watched as the beast’s movement was slowed with each bullet. But it just kept coming!

Behind it, Andril held his hands up. He could only see his silhouette against the massive wall of fire he had conjured.

A snout followed rapidly by a cavernous jaw appeared in the darkness just beyond the light in his hand. Haryk’s elvish eyes saw it coming, but he was being attacked on multiple sides by the rest of it’s snaking body. There were legs everywhere! By the time he trained his weapon at the thing, the jaw was wide open, as wide as he was tall.  A sliver of light danced deep in it’s throat. Haryk felt the metal pull together in his armor by some force.

Haryk aimed one last time, and pulled the trigger mechanism just as a bolt of electricity streaked towards him. The bullet and the bolt struck each of them both at exactly the same time.  Haryk lost sight of his enemy and felt the lightning striking his breastplate. In an instant there was nothing else but the pain erupting inside of him.

He felt his insides turning into jelly as the jolt careened through his guts, his legs, his arms and head. He felt his skin grow hot from the inside out,  heard the crackling of his ligaments and the burning of his tendons. His muscles baked with hot fury. There was a smell of hair burning, his. He smelt the reptilian stench of the thing as it’s white underside slid over him, and it’s mouth began to tear into the flesh in between his armor.

“Help! Fucking help!!!!!!!!!!!” Haryk cried, and he knew that there would be no other words he would say without help.

And that’s when help arrived, but Haryk didn’t see it. Not yet, anyway.