Orc Wars 2 : Lazarus

Chapter 132 - Annazzosh

"Myuu-uuuutt," countered the Bello, human hands on her shapely purple hips. She was not a squid! Stubborn human, she had a few choice words for him. "Myutt, myutt, MYUTT!"

The high level gate keeper did not understand the Bello but her impolite tone made him bristle.

"Pleasse! Both of you, calm down," The Witch interrupted the two who were glaring openly at each other. "Bello, that wasss not a nice thing to say about him ..." she admonished the pouting monster but her eyes flickered to the Thief and the corners of her mouth twitched. Valentine crossed his hands over his chest in response and narrowed his eyes. The Witch tried again.

"My Lord Valentine, the potion isss brewing and isss almosst done. The Warlord will cool it and bring it over when it isss ready."

"It's ready?"

"Myutt, myutt," said the Bello in an I-told-you-so tone to the worried gate keeper.

"So we proceed?"

The Witch studied Lazarus or rather the thick swirling dark mist which had gathered around him. She waved her hand dissipating the dark cloud temporarily. It allowed her to see the pale Assassin before more of the sinister inky miasma leaked from his old Illaru scar to cover him again.

"Yesss, we proceed. It isss time." The Witch turned her attention to Valentine. "You musst be sstrong, fair one."

"Me? You mean Laz, right?"

"No, I mean you, my Lord. It will not be a pretty ssight when the Annazzzzosh encountersss the nauk dzzi vrasss in the dark one'sss body."

"Oh ..."

"But he will be alright, right?"

"We sshall ssee if he can endure the sstronger poisson."

"Not helping," Valentine muttered but steeled himself.

"Bello, pleasse proceed. The dark one hasss no more time."

"Bel-lo," the Boss replied.

The Bello tightened her grip on the frozen limp human. Strong purple tentacles lashed his body securely at his chest, arms and legs. He was not going anywhere. Then she reached out, her human hand hovering over Lazarus' ugly cicatrix. She tilted her head focusing on her hand. Her fingernails elongated hardening into ebony sharpened spikes.

"Myutt," she said softly before she plunged her claw into Lazarus' flesh, the five tips pierced his skin making a neat circle around the ragged scar. Blood beaded immediately and pooled from the wounds. The gatekeeper's eyes flew open in shock but squeezed shut again almost immediately. He did not make a sound. He could not.

The purple Boss flexed her fingers slightly, injecting the blackish purple fluid from her nails. The Annazzosh mixed with red blood before entering the human flesh. Black spots oozed from her fingernails, spreading on the Assassin's skin to converge into an irregular palm size smudge before spreading to cover his entire chest. His body jerked arching awkwardly but he was held down by the alert Bello.

"Oh Gods!"

"Laz?"

"Shit!! Aarrrgghhh!"

Anya and Tania whined in the background.

"Hang in there. The antidote is almost ready."

Lazarus whimpered in pain but managed to pull himself together for a half-hearted attempt at assurance, "H-hanging ..."

"Idiot," Valentine choked and clenched his jaw. He felt so useless.

The Bello kept the flow of Annazzosh going for a few more minutes before retracting her hand. The light layer of frost on Lazarus started melting away. It was a good sign, Valentine hoped. Unfortunately the Assassin's fair skin was turning an ugly mottled grey, just like the Vogeruk stallion earlier. Lazarus' hands and face took on the unsightly splotchy mark of the Annazzosh. Bluish veins stood out on his exposed chest and hands. It also streaked up from his neck, the thicker arteries branching out into finer blood capillaries to snake randomly all over the Assassin's handsome face. His body started to decay whilst he was still 'alive' inside.