Snake Ladies

I wish I could say that none of us died.

It was perhaps the most disorganized ambush we have ever done.

Most of the demons guarding the portal were dispatched to investigate the rampaging hills. From what we could tell, a single snake lady demon remained.

The light of the portal to another realm was calling with lightning hailing down randomly around the gate. I knew that our best chance would be to try to block the portal before engaging with the enemy.

So I decided to sneak down to the portal. Pitter went with me as we both could cover the ground very quickly.

Throwdown, ISear, and Arry followed us at a healthy distance while Barrel and his wolf covered us from on high.

As it turns out, Barrel was not far enough away.

As Pitter and I came down, the snake lady suddenly vanished. I broke out into a run, getting into just the right distance to beseech Kord to close the portal.

I could feel the energies whip back at me, my body electrifying as the lightning strode down towards me only to be deflected by the might of Kord. The portal went from blue to red.

At that moment, I smelled an awful stench and heard a plop. Massive horn-rimmed toads suddenly surrounded me, just as Pitter caught up to me. Glancing back, I could see that Barrel was surrounded by two snake ladies as well as another horde of toad creatures. Our middle group was struggling with two towering bear-like creatures.

Focusing on the toad demons in front of me, Pitter and I dispatched them rather quickly. Their bodies decayed into nauseating pools of slime. As I wiped off my sword and began to take steps to help the others, a snake lady popped in front of me. She had six arms with six swords, a strong whipping tail, and hair of snakes. One of her swords seemed to shine a dark brilliance in the light.

She attacked in a flurry of blows, but Pitter and I blocked and dodged her attacks. Pitter counterattacked, staggering her a bit. I then let loose my own flurry of blows. I could see the pain of death in her eyes as I swung my blade for one final killing blow. She raised her shiniest sword to block my blow, my sword crashed into it and shattered. With anguished rage, I continued past her defenses and plunged the jagged remains of my sword into her throat. She staggered back, her mouth open in a silent gasp, and then a thousand snakes flew out as her body crumpled inwards, her remains gone.

I looked down at my mother's broken sword. Curse these demons, I thought. Pitter patted me on the back and then swung violently at a bear-like creature that had crept up on us. A familiar gassy shape floated by us; it seemed to be Throwdown. He never was very good in a one-on-one fight. I looked up the path. ISear and Arry had dispatched the other bear-like creature and moved into help Barrel.

Pitter seemed to have the bear-like creature under control. I slipped away and ran up the path. As I ran, Barrel finished the last of the toad creatures, leaving just a single snake lady. I learned later that the second snake lady attacking Barrel had been an illusion. Barrel had managed to get away from the fight and was bringing his bow to bear. And then I saw it. The snake lady grabbed Arry with her tail and then sliced him into pieces. She flung his mangled corpse down towards me.

His sword, the Sword of Drok, went spinning off the cliffside. I could feel power calling out to me. I reached out my hand and commanded the sword to come to me. And it flew into my hands, as I leaped over Arry's body and unleashed a furious hail of blows on the snake lady. "For the glory of Kord and the vengeance of my blood, you shall be cast down." And so it was that the Sword of Drok slew its first demon in over a thousand years. It glowed with cold, silver light, tinged with red as I plunged the sword into the demon's heart and flung the writhing body over my head and into the ravine where it exploded in a shower of snakes. As the blood soaked into the sword, I could see clearly the ways of snake demons.

Taking a deep breath, I looked around. All was quiet. Arry was dead. Barrel was barely breathing. ThrowDown wafted down from above and took solid form again.

I looked at him. "Glad you got our back," I said with disdain dripping in my words as my gaze fell upon the fallen body of my uncle. If I only had some diamond dust...

Mords of Wisdom: Be prepared for an ambush while ambushing.