Chapter 26: Journey of the Serpentfolk

August 31st, 2053 (present day)

US Duremar Territory, Crystal Coast

As Captain Frank Miller's command Rhino crested the hill, a vast blue expanse came into view. After a long week of travel his company finally made it to Crystal Coast. Even from inside the command cabin he could make out dark blue sparkles along the beach, continuing on in either direction. Further out, the ocean endlessly stretched out across the horizon.

His company was composed of three platoons, themselves made up of three squads each. Two squads from each platoon were in Rhinos while the third was split between two Humvees. Each platoon also had a medical Rhino attached to it. An additional logistics platoon of three squads was divided among six logistic trucks and additional humvees. They were escorting a group of scientists and land surveyors to assess the resources at Crystal Coast.

"Let's start setting up shop," Captain Miller said. "First Sergeant Mendez, sweep the beach with droids before the civvies get down there. Have a Rhino on standby just in case. I don't want any surprises."

They had already fought off several packs of spider hogs and a forest ghoul on the way here. He didn't want to be taken by surprise by any nasties hiding under the sand or in the water. Stories from the Deep Recon Teams had been spreading like wildfire. They were finding all manner of hostile native life. Who knew what was lurking beneath the waves?

"Yes sir!" Mendez replied.

"Second Lieutenant Woods, Second Lieutenant Garza, I want platoons one and two to secure a perimeter," he continued over the radio. "Second Lieutenant Horne, Third platoon is in charge of setting up base camp. I want to be cooking s'mores by the time the sun goes down. Let's go people, move it!"

A chorus of 'yes sirs' followed his orders.

Frank opened the Rhino's top hatch and stuck his head out, feeling the fresh ocean breeze. He admired the breathtaking view. The beach sparkled with mana crystals, sea birds flew in the air, and waves crashed on the shore. Barring any incidents with native animals, this looked like a damn nice place to be stationed.

Something out at sea caught his eye. He pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked towards the horizon. It looked like a triangular fin, almost like a shark, but it was way too far away to see something that small. Whatever that fin belonged to it must be big. Then, it began to rise out of the water, and his suspicions were confirmed; it was big alright. The fin grew to two, then three times its original size, revealing that what he originally saw was only the tip of the iceberg. Whatever that fin belonged to, it must be enormous.

Suddenly, a jet of water sprayed up into the air in front of the fin. It shot a dozen meters into the air. Then, the creature sank back beneath the water and disappeared from view. He was glad that whatever it was was way too big to come close to shore.

"Captain!" First Sergeant Diego Mendez called from inside the Rhino. Captain Miller went back inside, pulled back to reality. "Aerial reconnaissance spotted a coastal town ten kilometers north of us."

"First Lieutenant Wagner," he began, speaking to his XO. "Take a squad from First platoon and make contact with the locals. See if they need any assistance and find out if there's any dangerous fauna we should be aware of."

"Yes sir!" He replied. He got up and exited the command Rhino, coordinating with Second Lieutenant Woods of First platoon.

Hopefully the neighbors were nice.



July 12th, 2053 (six days after departing Khesu'Bhet)

Mhreknet Jungle

Lord Commander Teos'Khat led the expedition as they slithered through the Krass'Ebri river. They were going upstream, but the extra exertion wasn't an issue. Archmage Mahrak'Nesaht cast endurance and speed spells over them so they could move fast without rest.

Even without magic, Serpentfolk were excellent swimmers. The occasional kar fish provided them with a snack to hold them over until they could stop to feed on a more substantial meal.

Yesterday, they passed through the Bemhek mountain pass into the Mhreknet Jungle. This section of the Krass'Ebri was less winding than back home. Thick jungle trees lined the river banks. Their network of roots held the soil in place, preventing erosion; something that was all too common in the shifting sands of the Sandorian desert. Sometimes villages built too close to the banks had to be relocated when the river shifted course.

As they swam through the murky jungle water, he spotted a wooden rope bridge spanning the river. It was a simple thing, no more than a meter in width; it swayed in the light wind. The telltale sign of civilization was cause for concern.

"Nik'Dhish, have you any knowledge of the humans in these parts?" He asked.

"We have yet to enter the Rontak Empire," he answered. "The human jungle tribes here are easily placated with simple works, but they are not fond of outsiders."

"Gheso'Fhor, Hetho'Dehkt, stay alert," he said, addressing his two battlemages. "The treeline provides many opportunities for–"

A spear sailed into the water barely an arm's length away from his head. Whooping cries erupted from the river banks as humans jumped out and threw missiles at them.

"Ambush!" Gheso'Fhor yelled, finishing his sentence.

Archmage Mahrak'Nesaht immediately conjured a magical shield in the shape of a dome. The rest of them were quick to gather under the barrier. More spears rained down, impacting harmlessly off the shield. Each hit caused the shield to ripple, but it held strong. The mana crystal in Archmage's staff pulsed with each hit, draining its mana to reinforce the shield and keep it at maximum strength.

Teos'Khat observed their human assailants. Most of them had warpaint and were dressed in nothing more than loincloths and ceremonial jewelry. They hollered and shouted at them in indiscernible screeches; it wasn't a language, they were just being loud for the sake of it. What savages.

"These are the beings you find 'fascinating', Nik'Dhish?" He asked sarcastically as they continued swimming upriver under the protection of the shield.

"Well, I suppose these particular humans have lost my enthusiasm," the merchant replied.

"Is there anything we can do to get them to let us pass peacefully," Mahrak'Nesaht asked.

"No, I doubt it," Nik'Dhish answered regretfully. "I suggest that you return their hospitality. Perhaps we can drive them off."

Hetho'Dehkt and Gheso'Fhor pulled out their wands and began a counter attack. They used water magic to fling projectiles made of ice from the river back at the humans. Each icicle was about six inches long and had a pointed tip. They weren't particularly accurate, but enough found their mark for it to be effective. Their fast firing speed, as quickly as they could motion with their arms, meant that low accuracy wasn't a significant hindrance.

A few of the humans were hit and dragged back into the brush by the others. The onslaught of flying spears temporarily slowed down as they pulled their wounded comrades to safety. However, bushes rustled along the banks and shadows moved through the jungle, following their progress up the river. The humans were keeping pace with them.

Up ahead he saw campfire smoke rising from nearby the river. It looked like the tribe's village. As they passed through the village, the attack intensified. There were round huts built at the base of trees made out of mud and thatch. The ground was mostly cleared of trees and bushes, revealing a flat, mud-clay plaza. A wide, circular hearth was burning, despite the flammability of the surrounding trees and huts.

Humans wearing grandiose war masks jumped out of the huts with oversized dart blowers. They must have been using some kind of air magic to propel them, because the darts rivaled arrows in length and spears in diameter. Luckily, Archmage Mahrak'Nesaht's shield was strong enough to protect them. The darts did nothing to impede their progress, but the fishing net set up at the far end of the village would. It was lowered into the water and blocked the way forward.

A horn blew from somewhere in the village, cutting through the whoops and hollers of the humans. Another net raised behind them, trapping them. It was concealed by bushes and trees from downstream, but clearly visible from this side. The humans pushed small canoes into the water and paddled towards them. They were only armed with clubs and sharpened sticks, but there were dozens of them.

"Hold them off!" Teos'Khat yelled to his comrades. "I'll find us a way out of here!"

He dove underwater to try and find an escape route while his battlemages fought off the humans. He easily found the fishing net, but it went to the very bottom of the river, all the way across. It was secured by rocks weighing it down. Thinking on his tail, he used magic to freeze the water around one of the rocks. Dark blue particles swirled from his hand as a layer of ice built up around it. When the ice expanded to roughly twice the size of the encased rock, it began to slowly float upwards, taking a section of the net with it. He Froze a bit more ice around it, to make sure it stayed afloat, and then surfaced inside Mahrak'Nesaht's shield.

"The way is clear!" he announced. Gesturing to Nik'Dhish and the battle mages he continued, "Swim under the net!"

Gheso'Fhor and Hetho'Dehkt ceased flinging ice projectiles and dove underwater, followed by Nik'Dhish. Archmage Mahrak'Nesaht couldn't dive without dropping the shield, leaving him vulnerable to attack.

The first humans were almost to the edge of the shield now. Mahrak'Nesaht was too focused on keeping the shield up to help fight them off. He risked a glance behind him and saw the crystal in the Archmage's staff was significantly dimmed. They had to get out of here, now.

He looked around for something to distract the humans. The thatch roofs of their crude dwellings looked dangerously flammable... He formed a fireball in his hand and lobbed it through the shield at the nearest hut. Flames quickly engulfed it and began spreading throughout the village.

"That should keep the humans busy," he remarked.

As he had hoped, the hail of projectiles slowed as the humans stopped their attack to put out the fires. The canoes turned around and paddled back to shore to help put out the flames. Together, the two of them dove underwater and swam towards the opening in the net. A few spears and darts slowly floated past them as they slipped under and joined their companions on the other side. As the humans tended to their burning homes, the serpentfolk slithered onwards.



July 14th, 2053

Mhreknet Jungle Outskirts

As they cleared the outskirts of the jungle, Teos'Khat saw the light of fires above the water. Concealed by the darkness of night, he raised his neck out of the water to get a better look. There was a human town situated on the riverbanks. It had multiple stone bridges spanning the river and a few waterwheels and small docks.

It was deserted at this late hour, but he could still hear sounds of civilization as they passed through. A human hatchling cried from one of the houses. Cattle squealed in the barns. A fire rat drank from the shore, and ran off in a burst of flames when it noticed them swimming through the water.

"Ah, at last we find civilized humans," Nik'Dhish said. "Perhaps they can trade us some food. My stomach grumbles. It's been days since a proper–"

"Hush, Nik'Dhish," Geso'Fhor said, pointing to a bridge in front of them. A human guardsman carrying a torch and a spear walked across. His shield was painted with the colors of the Rontak Empire; they were in enemy territory now. There would be no trading with these humans. The five of them silently swam unnoticed under the bridge while the guardsman continued on his route.

"We must be careful," Teos'Khat said, gliding through the water. "If we are discovered, we will have no choice but to make a hasty withdrawal. It would take days to go around a village of this size over land without being spotted."

Just as he finished, a scream came from the bridge just in front of them. Teos'Khat looked up and saw a human female pointing at them.

"Serpentfolk!" She yelled. "Invaders! Guards, help!"

He could hear the clatter and clinking of armor as several guardsmen came running towards the bridge, made visible by their torchlight. The woman ran towards the end of the bridge but before she could make it Mahrak'Nesaht sent a burst of wind at the human woman, knocking her into the water. Hopefully the guards and any villagers who came to her rescue would simply think she fell in and panicked, giving them a headstart to make their escape. They all dove underwater and hastily swam past the edge of the village.

On the outskirts of the village, they found fields of rembles sleeping in their nests. The group eyed the enticing meals, theirs for the taking. Alarm bells sounded from the village, but had the humans pursued them up the river, they would have seen their approaching torchlight. Humans had abysmal eyesight in the dark.

"I can smell those delectable rembles from here," Nik'Dhish said as he flicked his forked tongue, reminding them of his grumbling stomach.

Teos'Khat's own appetite had been growing. The merchant was right; it had been quite some time since a proper meal. Even the frequent Kar fish he devoured as they swam up the river were starting to become stale in taste.

"Very well," he said at last. "We shall feed tonight, but only on the eggs. Tomorrow we shall rest and continue on our journey the day after."

They went from nest to nest harvesting any remble eggs they came across. He unhinged his jaw and swallowed the large eggs whole. He could feel the eggshells crack as they slid down to his stomach, spilling their nourishing contents.

Teos'Khat would have preferred to feast on a whole remble, but it was too dangerous this close to a Rontak village. A meal of that size would necessitate several days of rest before continuing on their journey. If discovered by the humans, he doubted they would be very forgiving of the theft of their rembles. After they were satisfied with their meal, Teos'Khat led his companions to a wooded river bank where they slept and took turns on watch.



August 28th, 2053

Rontak Empire, Kashir Forest

As he slithered through the forest with his companions, the Teos'Khat noticed discarded Rontak weapons and armor. They came across several destroyed traps and abandoned fortifications. There were scorch marks indicative of fire magic, but in strange patterns unfamiliar to him. Frequent craters impeded their progress.

"It looks like the Rontak Empire fought a great battle here," Mahrak'Nesaht said. "It looks as though their enemy has powerful magic."

"It looks like they lost," Gheso'Fhor added. "Their foe must be truly powerful."

"This must be the remains of a battle against the Kingdom of America," Teos'Khat surmised. His companions muttered their agreements.

"If they advanced this far south, then where is their army?" Hetho'Dehkt asked. "Should we not have encountered it, or at least scouts?"

Teos'Khat was about to respond when a glimmer of light caught his eye. He turned and spotted a pile of discarded equipment on the side of the road. He easily recognized it as Imperial Rontak gear, but it was soaked in blood. A disturbing amount of blood. He slithered over and picked up a helmet. It had a series of dents and punctures all over it, like teeth marks. As if several long snouted tooth fish each gnawed at the human's head in a star shaped pattern. What could do something like this?

"If the Kingdom of America won this battle, then why did they take the Rontak corpses but not their weapons and armor?" Nik'Dhish asked.

"I don't know... Perhaps this wasn't their doing" Teos'Khat muttered, holding up the mutilated helmet. He tossed the blood stained helmet aside and moved on.

Something didn't feel right. They hadn't come across any Rontak or American soldiers. It was almost like they were avoiding this part of the forest. That's when he noticed how quiet it was. The sound of animals was completely absent. Aside from the noise they made as they slithered along the road, it was completely silent. Then, the eerie stillness was broken by crunching leaves and a snapped twig.

He held up his arm to signal his companions to stop as he scanned the dimly lit forest for anything that could pose a threat. His gaze settled on an ominous glowing orange cloud of mist slowly floating out from behind a large tree. It leisurely crept along the forest floor towards them.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he leaned forward and reached out his hand to touch it. As soon as his fingers made contact with the mist, he wished he hadn't. Incredible pain shot through his hand. He screamed louder than the firestorms of the western Sandorian desert, startling his companions.

His bones felt like they were shattering, his skin felt like it was being ripped off, and an incredible burning sensation hotter than any flame he'd ever felt engulfed his entire hand. It felt like he was being flayed alive, burned, and crushed under a mountain all at once. He couldn't imagine a more intense pain.

He pulled his hand back in an instant and collapsed on the ground. Despite his brief contact, the agonizing pain felt like minutes. Even after his hand was clear of the mist, he felt a lingering pain even though the mist barely touched his finger tips.

"Lord Commander!" Hetho'Dehkt yelled in concern.

Mahrak'Nesaht raised his staff and used air magic to blow the mist away from them.

Laying in the dirt, quivering in pain was not becoming of a Lord Commander. With the strength of the Pharaoh he raised himself back up.

"Ready yourselves!" Teos'Khat shouted as he held up his spear. The mithril shaft provided a slight glow around him.

The battlemages pulled out their wands and lowered their spears. Mahrak'Nesaht formed a shield bubble around them and the mist drifted around it. Faint ripples emanated from where the shield touched the mist.

"What is this foul smog?" Gheso'Fhor asked.

Nik'Dhish pulled out a small dagger and stood behind the four of them, not quite cowering, but certainly not standing firm. The others all coiled themselves like springs, ready to lash out and strike beyond the shield at whatever appeared next.

From behind a tree, the source of the mist stepped out of the shadows. He saw a black tail with a bulbous mass that seemed to sniff around towards them. Then, a second one appeared right beside it and he realized they were heads, not tails. He noticed a small set of glowing orange eyes on each of them. Teos'Khat felt his body quiver with fear as he shrank towards the ground; it was a demon.

He had heard ancient tales of such monstrosities, but was lucky enough never to encounter one. Indeed, they were extraordinarily rare in the Sandorian desert. All study and practice of demonic magic was outlawed under the pane of death centuries ago by the Pharaoh of the time. Was 'America' the name of some demon the Rontaks unwittingly unleashed on themselves? He could dwell on that later. The more pressing issue was the demon immediately in front of him and his companions.

The rest of the horrid beast stepped out from behind the tree, revealing that its necks were connected to a large avian body with two long, bipedal legs. Its feet were large and flat; combined with its legs, he estimated it could run very fast. Its entire body was pitch black, darker than night itself.

After the creature fully emerged from its hiding place, the bulbous masses at the end of its necks opened into four flanged jaws. The inside of its flexible jaws were covered in rows of sharp, obsidian teeth. The mystery of the Rontak helmet had been solved. Orange mist passively emanated from its mouths as each head made a flat raspy roar.

Teos'Khat straightened himself up to match the creature's height. If they were going to survive this, he had to set an example for his companions.

"Sp-spears at the ready!" He tried to yell, but it came out as more of a stammer.

"The shield won't protect us from the demon!" Gheso'Fhor exclaimed.

"No, but it will keep the mist from touching us," Teos'Khat said. "Keep the shield up and don't let the demon inside!"

The demon stalked around the shield, studying them the way a predator studies its prey. It was entirely unaffected by the mist. The battlemages thrust their spears out of the shield, careful not to let their hands venture past the protective bubble. The demon cautiously backed away from each strike with ease, not letting them get within proper range.

It made a few attempts to pass through the shield and break their stance, but three adamantium tipped spears deterred it from a prolonged stay. Hetho'Dehkt raised his torso above the fog and lunged out of the shield at the demon from above. It scampered back on its two legs, narrowly avoiding his spear thrust. Before he could withdraw back inside the shield, the demon spewed a gust of orange mist at him.

Nik'Dhish grabbed Hetho'Dehkt's body and pulled him back inside the shield just before the mist reached him.

"You have my thanks," he said to Nik'Dhish.

"Stay focused," Teos'Khat ordered more firmly, as he jabbed his spear out of the shield. "Do not let the mist touch you or you will feel excruciating pain!"

Hetho'Dehkt quickly got up and rejoined them. They occasionally lunged their coiled bodies to strike at the demon with their spears. They were sure to keep above the fog while outside the shield.

The demon jumped back from each thrust. It snapped its heads at them through the shield, but it was too slow and outnumbered. Whenever it ventured into the shield, it couldn't stay inside for more than a split second before another spear flew at it. However, it was wearing them down; and it knew that.

"We can't keep this up forever," Hetho'Dehkt said, as the fight continued on.

Despite Mahrak'Nesaht's endurance magic, Teos'Khat could feel his muscles weakening with each lunge. The demon, on the other hand, wasn't fatigued at all. The shield rippled as the mist clung to it at the ground, continuously draining Mahrak'Nesaht's mana. The mana crystal in his staff was less than half full now. If it drained completely and the mist flooded in...

"We have to go on the offensive," Teos'Khat said. "Gheso'Fhor, use air magic to blow away the mist around the shield."

"It shall be done, Lord Commander," he replied.

"Hetho'Dehkt, you and I will lunge at the demon. Avoid the heads, they are to nimble. Strike at the body."

"By your command," Hetho'Dehkt answered.

"What should I–"

"Nik'Dhish, if any of us touch the mist, you will pull us back inside the shield," Teos'Khat interrupted him. The frightened merchant nodded solemnly. "Act decisively and with haste. Any hesitation will condemn us to agony beyond comprehension."

"I won't fail you, Lord Commander," Nik'Dhish nodded. Teos'Khat knew the merchant was far out of his element. But which of them was not? None of them were prepared for this.

"Good," he said. "Make ready!"

He and the two battlemages coiled themselves at the edge of the shield, ready to venture beyond the protective bubble. Gheso'Fhor went first, and with a motion of his wand, blew a gust of wind dispersing orange flurries in all directions, safely away from the shield.

Teos'Khat lunged at the demon from the left, and Hetho'Dehkt from the right. The demon jumped far to the right on its powerful legs. It spun around with surprising agility and flanked Hetho'Dehkt, still outstretched from his lunge. It charged forward with its powerful legs and feet digging into the ground with each step. It's long necks reached out and bit into him, as if his leather armor wasn't there.

Hetho'Dehkt wailed out in anguish and began writhing on the ground. The demon gleefully tore into his flesh with its muscular, flanged jaws, Orange mist oozed from where the demon's mouths were mauling into his side.

Gheso'Fhor was quick to bring his spear to bear on the demon. Distracted by its prey, it didn't notice the adamantium tipped spear until it was sailing between its necks, deep into its body. The demon released Hetho'Dehkt and staggered to the ground. Teos'Khat slithered over and plunged his spear directly into its body. Then into each of its heads for good measure.

The demon sputtered out a bit more orange mist and then its eyes dimmed. Its body began to evaporate in black wisps of smoke, as demons did when they were killed. Teos'Khat turned his attention to his fallen comrade, still suffering the agony of having the demon's mist injected into his wounds.

"Mahrak'Nesaht, what can we do!?" Gheso'Fhor asked desperately.

"I have neither the knowledge nor the materials for this kind of wound," he answered.

"Nik'Dhish, what about you?" Gheso'Fhor pleaded. "Do you know of any remedy from your travels?"

Hetho'Dehkt's screams became more intense. Orange cracks started to appear from the wounds, slowly spreading over his body.

"No, I-I, I've never encountered anything like this," he stammered, shaking his head.

"Then there is only one solution," Teos'Khat said, raising his spear over his companion's head.

"You can't be serious!" Gheso'Fhor exclaimed, grabbing hold of the Lord Commander's spear. "Surely there must be something we can do!"

"Perhaps a treatment does exist for such wounds, but time is of the essence," Mahrak'Nesaht said. "Hetho'Dehkt does not have enough left for us to find it. Look at him, Gheso'Fhor. There is nothing we can do to save him."

"But we can spare him of much suffering if we kill him ourselves. You did not touch the mist. You cannot imagine this pain," Teos'Khat said, almost sounding more scared than somber. "Every second we waste is an eternity under that foul demon's poison."

Gheso'Fhor looked down at his friend, his eyes full of pain. The orange cracks had spread across most of his body now. Orange light was glowing from them, as if a demonic inferno was raging inside of him. He released his hold on the spear and looked away.

Teos'Khat drove his spear right into Hetho'Dhekt's head, killing him instantly. One last bit of orange mist flowed out of his mouth as he exhaled his last breath. His body continued to wriggle on the ground as the orange cracks dimmed. The body was charred, as if burnt by a flame.

"A kingdom powerful enough to rival the Rontak Empire? Demons?" Teos'Khat asked as he watched the cindering remains of Hetho'Dehkt crumble into ash. "What in Mukhwana's name is going on in Duremar?"



August 31st, 2053

United States Duremar Territory, South Duremar Plains

In the days since they slayed the demon, the expedition had emerged from the Kashir Forest. Teos'Khat's hand still had lingering pains from his exposure to the demonic mist. His hand throbbed and felt like it was being held over a fire; not hot enough to burn, but uncomfortably warm.

He was about to take off his gloved gauntlet and see if something was wrong when Nik'Dhish stopped and looked toward the sky.

Teos'Khat turned to the merchant and asked, "What are you doing? We must move on."

"Do you hear that?" Nik'Dhish asked.

"I hear nothing," Mahrak'Nesaht declared as he slithered past him.

Teos'Khat looked up. A small speck was flying over them in the sky. He could hear the faint sound of its wings buzzing in the distance.

"There!" He said pointing to it. "What... is that?"

Mahrak'Nesaht turned around and looked to where he was pointing. "I don't know. Probably some creature native to Duremar."

"Aren't there swarms of crawlers in the high north?" Nik'Dhish asked.

"Crawlers do not fly," Gheso'Fhor mocked.

"I know that!" Nik'Dhish retorted. "But what if it's some kind of swarming insect?"

"That demon made you jittery," Gheso'Fhor said coldly.

The group fell silent as they were reminded of their fallen companion.

"We must make certain that Hetho'Dehkt's death was not in vain. We must push onwards and find the Kingdom of America," Teos'Khat proclaimed. "He would have wanted us to fulfill Pharoah's will."

The four of them slithered on, continuing northwest. The strange creature followed them, its faint high pitched buzzing quickly growing wearisome.



Author's Note: I am so sorry this took so long. I am NOT discontinuing the story. I will NOT take anywhere near as long to get the next chapter out.

I kinda flew through my usual proofreading and editing phase to get this chapter out as soon as it was presentable, even if it isn't my best work. I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors I missed.