Chapter 08: Magba's Methods

  I wake with my mind still swimming with images of Ksh'zar and the fall of his empire. The weight of Magba's expectations sits heavy on my chest.

  But sleep also brought some very rewarding news.

  [Ability Upgraded!]

  [Lizardman Language]

  [Understanding: Advanced]

  You can now fully speak and understand this language.

  Finally!! No more shhshh it nor shhshh that! Good lord, how annoying those meaningless slithering sounds were. Now I’ll have a real conversation with that old witch and demand some expla…

  “Hhr! Khhhhk!” I am assaulted with a sudden fit of cough, as something terrible reaches my nostrils that almost makes me choke. What in the world is this abominable smell?

  From very far across a tunnel, I can see Magba smiling and walking towards my direction with a big bowl in her hands. As she comes closer, the nasty smell only intensifies, and I must cover my nose just to maintain consciousness.

  “Please don’t come near me!” I desperately say to her, with a strange nasal sound.

  “Ooh don’t be such a shshshsh little boy! Old Magba brought you some soup to give you strength.” Why are there still the shh shh sounds without translation? And is this dreadful thing supposed to be soup? It’s like someone used boiled water from a dumpster to make it.

  “No way! Shhs no! I will never eat this horrible thing!” I hastily try to walk back from the old witch but unfortunately, I end up with my back against a wall.

  Still, the vile crone corners me, displaying her shameless smile while seemingly enjoying my misery. “No escape, little one! It’s good for you, yes!” she cackles, shoving the revolting bowl closer.

  Every nerve of mine screams to run, so I try to dash past her, but the old witch is surprisingly very fast for her decrepit form. With a sudden sweep of her tail, she trips me, sending me sprawling to the damp floor.

  She comes near me with a spoon, filled with the nasty stuff. I try to deflect it but am immediately attacked by the godly disgusting smell. It’s too damn hard to defend myself and close my nostrils at the same time with only one arm.

  “Please, Magba, let's talk! I can fully speak our tongue now. We can communicate perf…” The damn crone shoves a spoon in my mouth and instantly shuts it, so I don’t throw up the horrific content.

  “Good, good, very smart little Lizardling. Now eat!” Nooo, she is way too strong and keeps shoving more “soup” in my mouth despite my squirms and protests.

  I’m dying! No, it’s definitely worse! I’ve died before and it was not as terrible as this. This dreadful liquid wholly burns my mouth. It’s a mixture of the hottest pepper with the bitterest herb and something really rotten at the same time.

  Suddenly, my vision blurs, and my body seizes in a fit of shivers and a loss of control at the same time.

  Through the haze of agony, I see Magba’s distorted face and a warped sound as she says. “You think Magba try kill you? No, no! She teaches you!”

  “Teach me...what...exactly?!” I gasp, struggling against the burning fire in my gut.

  “To survive poison, you must know poison!” she replies with a hiss. “And no warrior can fight long without knowing pain.”

  “You poisoned me, you shh shh hag?” I really can’t believe it. This is definitely Hell! There is no way they can subject an infant to all this torture in a normal place, not even the Spartans.

  “Only a little bit of poison. It is good to help a young one to adapt.” My god, her face is becoming even more hideous now, with the shape changing constantly. I have never used drugs before, but the sensation surely feels similar to the descriptions.

  “Soon little one will feel much better.” She says, while I’m totally paralyzed, having the worst bad trip ever and feeling like my body is tearing itself with pain. Well, at least things cannot get any worse than this.

  But just as I think my suffering is reaching its limit, Magba crouches down beside me.

  "Good, good. Little one still breathes well." Her long fingers prod my stomach with unnecessary force. “Means you ready.”

  “Ready...?” I manage to croak. “For what? A second dose of poison?” I swear, I'd rather throw myself into the damn moat this time.

  She cackles, delighted by my misery. "No, no. Little one not ready for more soup yet." She pats my head like I'm some kind of kid. "Ready for training!"

  I stare at her, incredulously. "Training? In this state? You are really shhshhh with me!" And what the hell is it with this damn parental control?

  "Yes, best time!" Magba claps her hands together, standing up. "Come, come, no more resting. Lizardlings do not grow strong lying on back."

  I open my mouth to protest, but before I can, she grabs me by the scruff of my neck like an unruly hatchling and drags me toward the cave entrance.

  "Magba, I can walk! Magba, let go!" I try to flail, but my limbs feel like lead and my body, still twitching from whatever hellish concoction Magba fed me, refuses to listen.

  The dim glow of the cavern transitions to a deeper darkness as we descend into a series of tunnels I haven't seen before. The air is damp, the scent of stagnant water thick in my nostrils. While we walk, the fire in my veins slowly subsides, but the nausea remains.

  But the good news is cut short, and my unease grows as we approach what seems to be a big hole in one of the tunnels. I can also hear some faint scratching noises echoing from somewhere below.

  Something is definitely down there, and judging by Magba’s ever-present wicked grin, this something is about to become my problem.

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  “Magba, please, let’s tal…” Still grinning, the evil, disgusting, horrible hag tosses me directly into the hole without a second of pity or consideration.

  Fortunately, the hole actually seems to be a tunnel, because I almost instantly hit a slope and roughly slide the rest of the way down. As soon as I hit the stone-cold floor at the bottom, I can hear the echoing voice from the witch. "Good! Now, you fight."

  I push myself up on shaky legs, trying to steady my breathing. My vision is still hazy, the edges of my world swirling. "Fight what?”

  She doesn't answer. Instead, that strange clicking noise from before is now way louder and appears to be coming from a single tunnel in front of me.

  The scratching intensifies as the thing making those noises seemingly approaches.

  From the darkness ahead, something emerges.

  A wave of fear and revulsion shudders through me as I take in the creature. A chitinous creature, with its mandibles clattering and twitching hungrily burst forth. This nightmarish creature looks like something out of an ancient fossil display, only infinitely worse, because this one was alive, nearly as large as I am, and lunging straight for me.

  As a biologist, people usually suppose one would have an appreciation or even love for all forms of life. Ohh, but not me. I really hate bugs!

  The creature dashes with its multitude of legs skittering in an unsettling rhythm. I barely have time to react before the thing’s sharp forelegs snaps forward. My instincts, my lizard instincts, not my human ones, again saves me, forcing my body into a desperate roll just before its pointy legs scratch against the stone where I just stood.

  After dodging, the tunnel where the creature came from is now open. Should I just run for it?

  As if reading my mind, Magba screams from the top of the hole. "And don’t try to run, little one. There are more of those down there" she declares cheerfully.

  "That's easy for you to say! You’re not the one fighting a giant arthropod monster you shhsh hag.” All I can do is curse and jump again out of the creature’s way, as it clicks its mandibles and rushes forward, faster than something that disgusting has any right to move.

  I don’t have a weapon. I don’t even have my left arm. This creature’s exoskeleton looks as thick as ballistic armor. What the hell am I supposed to do?

  At least it does not turn very fast, its bulk working against it as it scrabbles to reorient itself after each charge. But as it locks onto me again and charges once more, this time I don’t have enough space to evade completely. A sharp pain erupts in my side as one of its spiny legs scrapes against my ribs.

  I stumble back panting, as another shout from the crone reaches me. "Use brain, little one. But also use instinct. And claws!"

  Yeah, let’s say all this to the recently poisoned cripple, facing a giant murderous bug. Thanks for the profound wisdom! But fair enough, there surely must be a way out of this. If I can't overpower it, I'll have to outsmart it.

  I force myself to slow my breathing, to observe rather than just react. The creature circles, mandibles clicking in what almost sounds like anticipation. Its movements, though terrifying, are becoming predictable.

  Firstly, I know that the creature doesn’t appear to be very smart and always attacks in the same way, a straight charge followed by a stabbing motion with its forelegs. Also, it is slow to change its direction and can’t really move sideways. And finally, its carapace is very thick, but it could be a disadvantage… like a beetle…

  That’s all I need! Once more the monster runs straight at me, and I jump out of its path. Using the small window when it slowly turns, I put all my strength and slam the creature with my shoulder on its side, trying to flip it.

  Surprisingly, the damn monster barely budges. It is way heavier than I thought and its center of gravity too low. I pay dearly for my mistake when one of its razor-sharp front legs impales me through the chest, the pointed tip entering just below my collarbone and emerging from my back in a spray of blood.

  Pain explodes through my body, white-hot and all-consuming. A scream tears from my throat, primal and raw. For a moment, the world narrows to just this: the agony, the creature's fetid breath on my face, the cold stone beneath my feet.

  Barely managing to disentangle myself from the creature I circle around to create some time to adjust. I am weak enough already and can’t take this sort of punishment much longer.

  I really need a new plan. Maybe use the uneven terrain as leverage but it will be much more dangerous. I scan the cavern floor, noting the rises and falls, the jagged stones and deep crevices. There, near the far wall, a deep groove with a sharp drop-off on one side.

  The creature lunges again, but this time, I won't move away. Instead, I steel myself, ignoring the screaming pain in my chest and the weakness in my limbs.

  This time I backpedal toward a jagged rise in the cavern floor, carefully positioning myself near that deep groove in the rock. If my guess is right, the thing's own weight will be its downfall.

  As soon as it lunges, I duck low, forcing myself into the small gap between its skittering legs. The creature hesitates for just a second, thrown off by the unexpected movement. That’s all I need.

  I twist my body and slash at its underbelly with my claws, feeling them sink into something softer than the armored exterior. The creature shrieks and jerks violently. At the same time, I push off the ground and slam my shoulder into its side, using all my strength to force it toward the uneven terrain.

  The damn creature's spiny legs leave me with some deep cuts, but it stumbles, its momentum carrying it forward even as its legs on the other side scrape against the rocky ground, failing to find footing. Not much, but enough.

  With a final heave, I claw my way up its side, using every ounce of weight and momentum to tip it over. For a split second, it seems to hang in the air, Its legs wave frantically, seeking footing that just isn't there.

  And then, with a sickening crunch, it topples onto its back, crashing against the stone with a loud impact.

  Its limbs kick at empty air, stabbing wildly but hitting nothing. The thick plating that once protected it is now a prison, and its exposed underside quivers defenselessly, soft segments pulsing with internal organs.

  I exhale sharply, the sound ragged through my damaged chest. I actually did it. A hysterical laugh bubbles up, quickly cut short by the pain. Now, I just need to end this before it finds a way to turn itself over.

  With my remaining arm, I drive my claws into the exposed flesh beneath its shell, tearing with every ounce of strength I have while the creature’s limbs flail wildly.

  The bug lets out a horrible, high-pitched screech as a yellow liquid oozes from the wound. It convulses violently.

  With a final, brutal twist of my claws, the creature spasms one last time before completely stopping. I just stand there for a few moments, before the adrenaline wears off, and I collapse right beside it, all my body aching from the injuries and effort.

  A moment of silence. Then Magba suddenly appears beside me without so much as a sound. She walks over and pokes the carcass with the tip of her stick. "Hmm," she hums, surveying my work with clinical detachment. "Not bad, little one. Not bad at all. Killed your first crawler."

  I roll onto my back, panting, each breath a fresh stab of pain through my chest. "I hate you!"

  She just grins, her teeth gleaming in the dim light. "Good. That means I do job right." She crouches down beside me, her ancient face looming in my fading vision. "Having life in danger teaches better than any teacher. Almost-death teaches best of all."

  I groan, staring up at the cavern ceiling. My body is covered in stinging cuts, but despite the pain, despite the exhaustion, something inside me stirs. A warmth that begins in my center and slowly spreads outward, reaching tendrils of fire through every limb and every scale.

  This feels… different. Oh sh…

  I barely have time to curse before my entire body feels like burning from the inside out, every cell screaming as if needing a release. The last thing I see before darkness claims me is Magba's satisfied smile, the witch's eyes reflecting something ancient and knowing.

  [Conditions are met.]

  [You will now evolve from Lizardling to Minor Lizardman.]