The Scaly kingdom

The Hunt

It has been some time since I have met the shaman. I still have no sense of time for I have grown exponentially in my time with him I am now as tall as Secrona. I am on my way to the warrior quarter for the coming-of-age hunt. They have paired me up with some others from my age group for this hunt it is a team building exercise. I approach my team as they have been described to me as Sharshas is a large muscular sort with two hand axes and some hides surrounding his great build. While Sormas is a slender and smaller sort with angled features and top teeth hanging out of his mouth over his bottom jaw he is normally waring a tanned hide cloak with a bandolier of daggers. Sharshas is from the warrior class and Sormas is from the hunter class. I have decided that I would be wearing my shaman garb of hides with a shawl that goes around my head and neck and forms perfectly in with my robes and I am brandishing a spear with ruins on it to attract spirits. I approach my team and right as I get there it seemed that a conversation that was happening and it just stopped abruptly as they saw me.

“What are you supposed to be dressed up like that you know we are hunting a dangerous beast not going to a festival”, Sharshas scoffed looking me up and down not impressed.

“What are we supposed to do with a shaman anyway most of them are just talk”, Sormas hissed. I just looked at them and gave a nod giving myself a mental pat on the back for covering as much as I did, they haven’t seemed to notice. I just chuckled but I realized that it came out as a long hiss and turned to walk away. That is when I was grabbed from behind and pulled backwards to see Sharshas grabbing ahold of my robe.

“Hey, I’m not done talking to you what is your problem”, Sharshas said with a serious look in his eye.

“I am not here for the heckling, I am just here to kill the thing we hunt so I can go back to practicing my art”, I shouted back in his face! “Now let go and we should be off to kill this Triphedon, or whatever it is called”, as I pull free of his grasp.

“Ok no need to shout. I though all shamans are supposed to be like the Old Scale you know all calm and stuff”, Sharshas whispered to Sormas but still loud enough for me to hear. As I walked forward, the two of them rushed up behind me to keep up as I have read the map and know where the hunting grounds of the Triphedon is supposed to be. I start by leading them out of the village and into the wilderness it surprises me on just how empty everything is out here and as I am wondering this; I can’t help but wonder where does all of the food in our village come from. It seems that to feed such a large group of carnivorous Lizard people they must go out hunting on a regular basis. But just as I am thinking this Sharshas tackles me to the ground and a puff of dust spreads out around us! Just as I am about to yell out, I catch the sight of his pointing finger I follow the claw to the location and in my thought, I missed the coming danger. There is a two legged, scaled creature that stands hunched and two arms hanging down to the ground ending in sharp claws with a narrowed face with many teeth protruding from its jaws.

“What iss that thing”! I quietly hissed at Sharshas looking over at the creature that hasn’t seemed to notice us yet.

“I don’t know, do I look like a hunter to you? Sormas saw it and told me to tackle you!” he exclaimed. Just before I have formulated a response, I saw a flash of movement rushing toward the creature. It was Sormas rushing towards it daggers in hand and by the time I got Sharshas off of me, Sormas was in melee with the beast. Swinging dagger cutting deep into the flesh and jumping back avoiding the wicked sharp claws of the creature. Once he landed lunging forward stabbing at the left flank. It let out a shriek of pain and fell over motionless before ether of us had time to respond.

“Is that how most hunters fight or is it just Sormas”, I asked Sharshas!

“No just Sormas; Sormas has always been an up-close fighter and those daggers are deadly in his hands”, Sharshas said confidently. As we had our little conversation, Sormas already started to skin and clean the corpse creating a pile of meat on a sheet of leather. By the time I got over to him he had already started to skin the thing. He looks up from his work for just long enough to acknowledge my presents.

“Did Sharshas hurt you with his tackle? He can be careless with his brute strength. The Viltage can be a fearsome opponent for the unprepared, so I had to strike before it got the edge no offence”, he stated with a flat tone.

“No offence taken good that you saw it before I got my head bitten off when trying to be rid of the thing”, I said back with a little hurt other than my pride. “To my understanding you have the best eyes of the group so maybe you should lead us to the hunting grounds. It seems that my path has led us through another creatures hunt so I will just give this to you”, I said while holding out my hand containing the map to the Triphedon’s hunting ground.

He snatched the map out of my hand and said, “Where did you get this it shows the exact location of the hunting grounds, I didn’t know such a thing existed”? He looks at the from the map to me then back.

“I found it in the records of the Elder Scales. What is so significant about having a map?” I look from Sormas to Sharshas. “Is it so strange that I have a map of the area? It really doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal”, I said with a scrutinizing look.

“Ya it is. You don’t see this kind of thing anywhere else in the village. Whom ever made this is not from the village and should be hunted down to find out what they know about the area”. Sormas said looking over the map one more time before handing it back to me. “We should go this way to avoid any more Viltage that might be roaming about”. He turned around to walk away and we started heading toward the setting sun and by the time the sun has completely set we made it to the cave that is in the center of the Triphedon’s hunting ground. With the entrance of the cave in view we decided to take the stealthy approach. As the three of us move through the night and into the mouth of the cave I heard a loud snarl coming from the cave. Just as I heard the sound Sormas’s hand went up in a balled fist to signal the stopping motion and waved us over. “Alright the Triphedon is most likely asleep so we should sneak in and kill the thing before it awakens”, he whispered to both Sharshas and I. Sharshas and I both nod our heads and all three of us move into the cave as quietly as we possibly can. Just as we went a hundred feet down into the cave it opened into a vast chamber. In the vast cavern laying amongst the stalagmites and stalactites is a huge creature with four massive legs covered in bone plates leading to a spiked tail and a head adorned with three horns jutting out of the plates of the head. As we start to approach the Triphedon Sormas draws his daggers and Sharshas axes in hand. I look around to see the density of spirits in the area and to my surprise it is extremely populated with the multicolored specs. I reach out and grab at one of them and focus inwards concentrating on my Zeon to cast a spell. As I open my hand three red, black globes circles my hand as I shout, “Look out”. As I launch the spheres at the Triphedon. As they sore through the air flying past the other two and hit the creature it rolls to its feet with a snarl of pain and look of anger in its face it begins its charge scratching its clawed foot across the ground it runs towards us. Sharshas and Sormas slide to ether side of the beast cutting at the legs of the creature and I launch another volley of red, black spheres at the head of the creature blasting off one of its horns but this only seem to anger the beast as it continues its charge and rams directly into me causing me to lose my breath luckily it was the horn that I blew off but it was a hit painful that I have never felt before. As the burning pain of my torso spread through out my body and I struggle to keep consciousness in my field of view as I am launched into the air by the Triphedon. My back strikes against a hard surface as I land and struggle to look up to see both of my teammates lunging at the beast cutting it down with a furry of blows with their weapons.

The next thing I know is the sound of Sormas asking if I am alright and helping me to my feet. As I look around at the Triphedon seeing the many cuts on its body. “Sorry I wasn’t much of a help in the fight”, I hiss holding my now unwrapped head and stop as I realize that Sharshas is not getting any closer to me I look up and say, “What is your problem”.

He shakes his head clearly embarrassed at his judgment “Nothin never knew how ugly you are is all”.

“I don’t have to takkke hat fro”, just as I said the words blackness took my vision. I could hear my body being dragged but I couldn’t see at all my vision shifted to my home in the hatchery and the Old Scale’s hut then to a table. Sitting at the table with me is Old Scale and Secrona the smell of cooked meat and herbal elixirs filled the room. I look around and find them both and myself sitting in a void of blackness. I look up to Secrona and ask in and my voice echos through the space, “Where are we”.

She turns and looks me directly in the eye and smiles. “Look at you all grown up”.

Old Scale tilts his head and look me dead on, “your skill will be unmatched some day just keep at it”. They echo through my head as I try to focus on what they are saying.

“Wait this all sounds familiar this was the last thing that they said to me as I left for the hunt”. As the words echo out of my mouth the void bursts into flame and as it was all was devoured, I tried to reach for them, but they were quickly overtaken. I feel a sharp pain in my ribs as the heat of the fire overtakes me and I hear Secrona’s voice screaming.

“Wake up oh gods please wake up”, I hear repeating.

“He is out of the worst of it let’s just hope”.