The Whispering Woods: The Companions [Book 1]

[13] Drowning Pool

"Dag!  What sorcery is this?"  Haygen clutched Icefang in a vice-like grip, the blue leather wrap on the handle squeaked in submission.  The double-bladed ax seemed to hunger for glory in contrast to the wielder who gazed in wonder at the serpent of water.  He had never seen the likes of this creature.  It seemed entwined with terror and beauty as its head coiled so high it blocked the setting sun.  At one angle, its watery body shined in a brilliant blue, a shade darker than the sky.  At another angle, the greens stood out and an edge of foam appeared on the top of its head and edges of its gaping mouth.

"Wess!" cried Kayla.  "Wess!"  She held her staff poised for combat.  The first thing that came to her mind was fire.  Would it harm such a beast made purely of the lac?  She had no time to think.  Years of dungeon crawling made her revert to her favorite spell.  She rubbed a bit of coal on her hands and screamed her mystic words, "Arsonas Rundalla!"   The flaming red ball flared from her hand with such ferocity it scorched the sleeves of her robes.  The spell connected and the reaction blinded them all.  Steam poured from the serpent's wound, but it did not have the effect the Wizard hoped for.

"Form up!" The Dwarf commanded over the chaos of the fight.  He saw the reaction from the fireball and murmured a request to his deity.  A beam of sunlight pierced the clouds and struck the flowing body of the monster and it buckled in pain with a grunt.

Wess tried to kick and stroke his way up out of his watery deathtrap, but to no avail.  He found the monster's grip far too strong and it pulled him deeper and deeper to the depths of the lac. He could only hold his breath and keep turning and twisting to try and break free from the hold.

The serpent slithered towards Kayla and it bit down hard on her leg as she tried to dodge out of its way.  The serpent found the wild She-elf too feisty to hold on to, and it let her loose.  Kayla grunted through the pain and stood to further challenge the beast contemplating her next move.

The monster's lunge at the Wizard brought its giant, tubular body right into Haygen's path and he swung Icefang down trying to cut it in half.  To his surprise, bricks of ice burst from the gash and the serpent flinched, letting go of a howl that echoed across the surface of the lac.  With surprising speed, the Barbarian then cut an angular path sending more ice chunks to the muddy embankment.

"Kayla!" Yelled Haygen.  "Ice!  Ice!"

The drowning Assassin felt the tension of the serpent's grip slacken.  Not one to waste an opportunity, he kicked and paddled as hard as he could for the surface.  He could see the light of the sun, but it seemed so far away.  His chest burned and ached as he gagged on thin streams of lac water that forced its way into his mouth and up his nose.

"Graaah!" Otis brought his shield to front and charged the beast with his warhammer.  He brought his weapon down on to the watery form and the large square head smacked with an enormous SLAP!   The lac monster responded with an echoing wail of pain.  Otis smiled. "We're killing it!"

Wess finally broke the surface of the lac and spewed out foul water.  He thanked the gods for the fresh air in his lungs until he saw the chaos happening around him.  The Faeling took in the scene watching the monster attack his friends.  He sneered.  Like a sneaky pirate, he slid his long Elven dagger from its sheath and clamped his teeth down on the blade and swam to the body of the monster.    

Coiling its body, the serpent tried to wrap around Haygen.  The big Barbarian wouldn't fall for it, though, and sprung out of the creature's path with deft agility.  He rolled into a practiced tumble and readied his ax as the attacker recoiled.  The monster then took a swipe at Otis with its flowing neck as it reeled back. The strike connected and the Dwarf went flying to the mud, his hammer sent sailing out of his reach. Otis groaned in protest, dazed from the slam.