A Monster Life

71 - Deception

Valdys touched the black stone doors. 'These are made from one of the hardest stones available, and the lock is too complicated to pick before the dwarves descend upon us.'

Ulric touched the door as well. 'Let me give it a try anyway.' he said, armoured his hind legs, and kicked it with all his might.

The result was a dull thud and a gritting of his teeth while he nursed his aching paw. Frustrated, he armoured one fist and punched the unflinching door with all he had.

He wiggled his stinging paw and Tipper laughed. 'Try yelling at it.'

Ulric took a deep breath. 'Why not? I'm just in the right mood.' he said and tensed himself. 'Girls, cover your ears.'

Tipper thought he was kidding, until she saw the girls cover their ears for real. She slapped her hands on hers just in time before the bloodwolf let out his deafening angry roar. 'BREAK!'

She thought it was rather amusing after all and grinned. 'How impressi-' she began, when a crack snapped across the lock of the door.

Ulric gazed at it for a moment, and hit it once again with all his might.

Tipper stood with open mouth as the lock part broke into pieces and the doors creaked partially open. Iphigenia kissed Ulric's muzzle. 'You never cease to amaze me, Wolfie.'

He chuckled. 'Nor I myself.'

'You have a weird way.' muttered Tipper.

He pushed open the doors further, and they gazed into more deep darkness until Valdys sent her light spheres into it. 'I wonder if we'll ever find an artefact simply in a box in a closet or something.' Ulric said as they gazed upon a large, natural cave with a wide column in the middle formed by a fused stalactite and stalagmite. Rough stone circular posts stood scattered around the floor.

'There's a tomb at the foot of the column.' said Caylais.

'It's most likely there.' said Valdys. 'Let's be careful.'

They moved cautiously towards the oblong and plain tomb, and felt relieved nothing had stirred when they reached it. 'I hope this isn't a practical joke with a nasty surprise inside it.' said Ulric as he grabbed the lid to lift it. He froze at the tremble rocking the cave.

Limbs thrust out from the ground along with more snakes and sand crabs. 'Not again.' grumbled Ulric.

A shock ran through the cave when a large section of the ground burst upwards, and a giant snake skeleton rose up in the middle of the dirt rain.

'I didn't mean to say we really needed some bigger monster instead.' Ulric said as he transformed his fur into scales all over while muttering 'Badger badger badger badger badger.'

Caylais unleashed her lightning at it at once.

The barely affected snake shot forward. Ulric bolted towards it at the same time and collided hard against the snake's nose. It jerked back but attacked him again straight away.

Caylais shot her lightning and stunned the undead along with the snakes and crabs around them, but more kept coming. Iphigenia, Elzbieta, and Oono stepped in fast to finish the stunned ones off. Even Tipper needed to join in and swing her spade around to prevent the attackers from overruhelming them.

Valdys shot fire and ice at the creatures in the rear. 'If I put up a barrier, they'll likely turn against Ulric, so we have to hold them off until he takes out that snake.'

Ulric jumped around to deflect the snake's attacks. 'Crap! I hardly scratched it!'

'It is cursed just like the others.' said Valdys. 'But there must be something around here to break it.'