87 Lizards
1474 Words
"See My Lady?" Tai'dra said. "Stag Millipedes aren't that harmful. Relative to anything else in the Forest these creatures can be considered---- OH NO, WHAT IS THAT?" she screamed.
Janus's vision was obscured. Four sets of faces looked at him from above.
A few murmurs arose.
"Oh my."
"Oh dear."
"The council will kill us."
"What hapened?" Janus asked.
Haruna gasped. One of the hunters chuckled, much to his dismay.
"Oh dear. Oh my, this can't be good. I'm afraid we'll have to halt the operation right now your highness. We need to take you to the infirmary immediately." Tai'dra said.
"Why? Whuddexactly happened?" He asked, struggling to get the words out.
"Princey not looking good. Princey looks like a mother toad had laid eggs on its own face." Said Luffin. The goblin had a knack for brutal honesty.
Janus felt itchiness in the millions of pores that lined his skin from his chest to his temples. His face had swollen, and was throbbing hot. He attempted to scratch it, but it hurt like hell.
"That's it!" The I'reen scholar yelled with glee. "That's why the Stag Millipede was wriggling in the Wart-thorn bush. It's a symbiotic relationship. The Millipede wraps itself in the plant's thorns, absorbing toxins as a defense mechanism while the plant benefits from having its seeds distributed via the thorns."
Janus heard the sound of scribbling.
"What are you doing Tai'dra? We need to help Janus. Look at his face!" Haruna cried.
"Right, it seems as though the Prince has an allergic reaction to Wart-thorn. It happens on rare occasions, but when it does it's nasty."
"Then what do we do?"
"Infirmary of course! And immediately, I must add. Before the plant's toxin creep on to the rest of his body. We don't want those to scar, oh no. He'd be disfigured."
"Is there a cure we can find here somewhere? Like on some bushes or weeds or something? Hunters and rangers have those right?"
Tai'dra turned to Luffin.
"Chieftess Yashiek has oils for Wart-thorn. Teeko has bottles to fix swelling." Luffin shrugged.
"There you have it. Let's get the Prince to the wagon. I'm assuming you can still stand up right, your highness?"
Janus scrambled to get up, assisted by the two hunters. Luffin and Rozon tried to carry him but he was much to big for the goblin and I'reen.
"I'll be the one to carry him." Haruna stepped in. "All of you cover us while we head to the wagon."
Tai'dra nodded. "Right this way."
"How is it Prince Janus?" Haruna asked while they were trodded back. "Your face looks like a pile of rotten tomatoes. Are you hurting?"
The swelling has indeed grown, and his eyebrows caught some of it. As a result, his vision was dimmed. His jaw ached.
"I'm o-okay." He lied. Surprised at the gurgling sound that came out. His tongue was swollen as well. A headache was beginning to crack his head.
"Oh no you're not. We need to get you there quickly. Luffin, how far are we?"
"Around a hundred more yards mistress. Don't worry, as soon as we get to the village, the Prince should be healed as good as new."
"Damn it. Why'd you want to do this test anyway?" Haruna said. "Surely there are a lot more creatures close to the borders."
"Fforr Science." Janus managed to blurt out.
It wasn't that bad, right? They'd find the wagon, get the ox to move as quickly as they can, and he'd lie down on the cushioned seat with Haruna caring for her. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
His arm was currently around Haruna's shoulder, and she was accompanying him like how Bodwin would take Dulfo home when he was too drunk to stand. It felt nice being close to her, all things considered. All he had to do was to get stung a hundred times and get an allergic reaction.
Then the stinging sensation came again, the allergens distributing itself to his lower torso.
"Ow!" he cried.
"Hang in there, we're almost there. I can see the road from here." She whispered.
They dodged roots and crouched down on vines. The hunters were frantically hacking away whatever they can reach with their swords and machetes, hurrying to get back home.
But as they were about to reach the clearing where the wagon was parked, the party halted.
"Oh my. This can't be good." Tai'dra whispered.
"Tai'dra. Up here!" it was the voice of Ramgol, the coachman who was left behind to watch the cart. He was nestled on top of a tree, apparently waiting for them to get back.
"I'm sorry. It was that big lizard, it got my good old Moxy. I tried to defend him but my crossbow malfunctioned." Ramgol said in between sobs.
In front of them was Moxy the ox's dead corpse. It was hacked away at the stomach. The so-called "big lizard" was there, still feeding on his rear legs. It was busy devouring what's left of the ox. It didn't seem to mind the arrival of newcomers, or Ramgol's cries of defeat.
"Oh no, you don't." Haruna let go of Janus' arm. Leaving him to fall to the ground on his knees.
"Harmnnaa pleeess." He said. His mouth was so numb that talking felt like he was gargling sand.
But it was no use. She couldn't hear him, nor did she hear Tai'dra's pleas for her to stand down.
"It's no ordinary lizard. It's a Basilisk!" The I'reen scholar cried.
"I don't care. Janus is hurt damn it!"
A large ball of fire emerged in front of her. It was larger than anything he'd ever seen, even from Cornelia. It seemed like a bit of an overkill for a creature such as this. Looks like she really has overcome the blockade of her powers.
"Mistress, please. No! That won't----"
The Basilisk looked back and finally noticed them. It reared its head and opened up its frills like a giant fan. It opened its mouth and a flash of light emerged from its radiant display.
Janus had read the entry about Frilled Basilisks from the Merrimen's records before. They had a habit of hunting down oxen and horses from the village, but their ranges were supposed to be further north and not this close to the forest. Had Haruna known the same things he did, she wouldn't have used a fire spell. It's hide was as thick as stone, and the only effective way of fighting it was using blunt force to the head.
But she didn't know. And now she had succumbed to its maleficent gaze.
Don't look at the Basilisk's eyes. Especially, when it starts raising its frill in a threatening manner. If even a sliver of light were to slip into the cornea of your eyes, you'll be petrified temporarily. If possible, cover your eyes with your hand or any headgear.
Haruna's fireball connected, but it did not do much except throw the Basilisk a few inches back, burning what's left of Moxy's corpse into a barbecue. A large patch of the earth was now burning, just a few inches from the wagon.
She stood there frozen, pale as an ice sculpture. Her eyes raging with fury.
"Quick!" Tai'dra said. "Push the wagon away. Luffin? Rozon? What are you waiting for?"
Janus, who was still on the ground didn't need much effort to close his eyes from the attack. His swollen cheeks and eyelids did half of the job for him. He looked around at his men. All of them were stunned, Ramgol was frozen on top of the tree. Thankfully his butt and arms were clinging tightly to a branch.
"No, you fools! You know better than to look at it!" Tai'dra cried.
The Basilisk raised its head and screeched. No doubt pissed off by Haruna's attack. The stun was temporary, but the deadly thing about the large lizard wasn't its ability to petrify. Its best weapon was its arsenal of sharp claws and serrated teeth.
The creature charged in a frenzy, but Janus was already running to meet it. A second wind urged his feet to defend his friends.
"Staahp!" he yelled. Arms outstretched before him, shielding Haruna and the hunter's frozen bodies.
His finger vibrated. An inaudible frequency rang across the forest, startling the Basilisk in its tracks. It stopped its charge abruptly, causing it to turn and tumble in the scorched earth.
It reared up on all fours and looked at him.
"Don't move." Janus said.
The Basilisk didn't.
"Sit down."
The Basilisk obeyed.
Janus breathed a sigh of release. It worked. Finally, it worked.
"Oh Almighty, save me." Tai'dra said. "What a string of disastrous events. Are you okay Prince Janus?"
"I'm okay. Well, at least better than the three of them."
"So does this mean that the spell works solely on high-level creatures?"
"It seems so. But I'll have to make a few tests. How long before the Basilisk sting wears off?"
"Around fifteen minutes in point-blank range. I still can't believe it caught my men unaware. They should know better, Mistress Haruna is one thing, but for seasoned hunters this is unacceptable."
"Well, at least we're all alive now. We have to head back soon."
- Writer
