[rework] Minglings - chapter 10: More trouble

Jake was the first to snap out of his reverie. He spun around and stared at the jungle. Where those nasty things still after them? Seconds ticked by, but nothing moved in the wall of green except for leaves and shadows. Slowly his fear and anxiety faded, and he looked around. Mason stood next to him, eyes narrowed and fixated on the jungle.

"Perhaps they don't like it out in the open?" Jake whispered.

Mason looked up and shrugged. "Perhaps."

Jake backed up a bit, then turned to look around. It was bliss, being able to look around without leafs an arm's distance from his face. He barely registered that his eyes didn't need time to adjust to the sudden light or how the thin extra eyelids slid back up as he drank in the view of his unblocked surroundings.

Roughly forty feet away was a river filled with glistening rocks jutting out like spearpoints, sharp and pointy. Some reached an arm's length above the water, their points curved like teeth. The jungle continued across the land on the other side, and trees flanked the muddy banks. Both up and downstream, the sparkling turquoise water continued until disappearing into the distant jungle.

Jack felt drawn by the glistening water, a promise of cool reprieve. Overwhelmed by thirst, he walked toward the muddy bank, looking for any movement below the surface. He frowned as he closed in on a thin film of water that washed over the shore. It was different, much brighter than it should be. Something about it worried him, though he couldn't put his finger on the way. Perhaps it would be better to wait.

Behind him, Mason and Emma were also looking around. Mason kept turning back to scan the jungle, but his frown had lessened. Emma stood beside him, all her attention on the water. Almost as if she was sleepwalking, she walked forward, stopping just short of the raging river. A misty cloud of water vapor slowly enveloped her, causing her scales to shine with a dark luster.

"Emma, be careful!" Jake said as he moved forward. He heard Mason curse behind him.

Emma didn't respond but remained frozen on the edge of the glistening wet, muddy banks.

"Shit, now what," Mason muttered behind him.

Jake had almost reached her when he saw a subtle movement in the water. It took a fraction for his eyes to focus, then he felt his heart rate spike. Yellow eyes with dark triangular pupils were looking up at Emma from the water. They were glowing with an inner light as more appeared.

A combination of rage, fear, and protectiveness almost drowned out any reason from Jake's mind. He leaped across the remaining distance, separating him from Emma, grabbed the girl's shoulder, and yanked her away from the river. In his haste, he forgot his new strength and tossed her almost halfway back to the jungle and Mason's path. Ignoring Emma's startled yelp, he kept his eyes on the indistinct figures that seemed to be coming closer.

--

Emma hit the ground, rolled, and raised herself on one knee, shaking her head while Mason rushed next to her.

"You okay?"

"I... I can hear them! They keep whispering, telling me to jump in the water," Emma muttered, shaking her head again.

"Who?" Mason asked.

A low growl caused him to turn around with blinding speed. Jake stood crouched low, growling at the river. Mason didn't hesitate a moment, and with his tail stretched behind him, he sprinted towards his friend.

He wasn't even halfway when Jake let out a guttural, inhuman roar, shattering the silence.

Startled, Mason nearly tripped as he gaped at Jake. His friend was prowling towards the water with his mouth opened so wide that his lower jaw almost touched his chest. He was fixated on something in the water. Mason followed his gaze and saw a dozen shapes swim up from the depths. Feeling his adrenaline spike, he came to a sliding halt.

"Jake, backup! They'll drag you into the water!" Mason roared, his voice dropping two octaves and sounding decidedly feral to his own ears.

--

Jake faintly heard his friend as his naked feet splashed the muddy film of water. Intense hate filled him, bubbling up from deep in his mind and pushing him to jump and maul whatever was in the water. The struggle against the unfamiliar, alien urges felt like wrestling with a giant, and he shivered,  his body a tense coil.

Part of him knew that the surging emotions were there to warn him and keep him safe, but the same part knew that if he gave in to the desire, he wouldn't come out alive. He couldn't jump into the water against an unknown foe that outnumbered him. Frozen in place, he struggled to regain control as the shapes got closer, details becoming clearer. They were reptilian and smaller than him. The closer they got, the more his instincts warred against his common sense, and just when he couldn't hold it anymore and was ready to jump into the water, strong arms pulled him away.

Jake stumbled and fell flat on his back. The weird spell he had been under snapped, leaving him with a mild headache as he lay on the wet, muddy bank of the river, sucking in great gulps of air.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Mason yelled, keeping his eyes glued to the river.

Jake opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Anger rose again, and he took a deep breath, forced his eyes closed, and finally felt the muscles in his body ease up. He opened his eyes and saw the figures reaching the side of the river, taloned fingers reaching up from the lapping stream.

"Incoming!" A surging motion from the river accompanied his word.

Amidst a burst of waterdrops and foam, a group of green and black beings jumped out onto the river bank. They resembled an ugly cross between a Kobold and an alligator, covered in scales and with a long protruding reptilian snout.

These things are way more reptilian than us, Jake thought as he scrambled up.

The ugly Kobolds, leather armor strapped to their torsos and long spears in hand, glared at him while making odd chittering and clicking noises.

Jake's anger surged up again as if the sounds triggered the same instinct as before. He growled and stepped beside Mason, who was visibly shaking. Jake knew exactly how he felt. Every fiber of his body was telling him to attack and leave no survivors, and it took every bit of his willpower to keep himself in check.

A hissing sound next to him partially broke through the fog. He turned aside and saw Emma standing next to them, lips curled back, flashing her dangerously sharp canines. A look of utter rage covered her face while her hands kept opening and clenching.

"Jaaaayyke!"

Jake felt his scale itch as Mason's deep growl came from beside him. A small voice deep inside his mind screamed for him to snap out of it. But before he could do anything, a sudden movement caused him to look up and dodge to the side. Spears flew through the air he had been standing. Next to him, Mason and Emma crashed into the ground at the same time.

Dull thuds came from far behind, likely where the spears hit the ground, but Jake had no time to look at them because the creatures were madly rushing their way. Their taloned hands and feet splashed mud everywhere as they hissed dangerously.

A roar louder than a dozen lions came from Mason as he ran forward, meeting the first of the creatures in mid-air. Like the excellent rugby player he used to be, he knocked the smaller creature to the ground. Jake knew there was no stopping it now and released the last hold on his sanity. Feeling bloodlust drown out his reason, he rushed forward, jumping at the first creature he saw.

Jake slashes sideways while simultaneously slapping an incoming arm away. His talons slit through a shoulder, leaving behind a bloody gash. A reddish haze covered everything, and the next thing he knew, he was jumping back from two ripped-apart bodies, drawing deep breaths and looking around.

Mason was standing amidst three bodies, swinging another monster around, using it to keep the others away. Emma had managed to jump on the back of one of the creatures, clawing at its exposed scales, while the beast was trying to shake her off.

Jake felt his conscious self ripple for a moment. As it did, something moved deep in his mind, and the weird clicking and hissing sounds began to make sense. A click became 'kill' followed by another noise that sounded like 'female.' Everything began to make sense as if someone was tuning the radio to the proper channel. Within moments he comprehended every word the creatures were shouting as they tried to overtake their larger prey.

Two of the creatures rushed him, dodging low across the ground to try and grab him. They seemed to be moving slowly, and he stepped sideways and kicked one away before stomping one on the ground. As it shot back up, he grabbed it around the neck, squeezing.

"Kill them! Mighty we are if we do! Show power of the Hydraci," the beast screeched through clenched teeth.

Jake squeezed the flesh of the soft, unscaled throat and ignored the words as best he could. Instead, he blinded with a quick sweep of his taloned hand across the thing's face. It screamed in pain, but Jake hardly felt any sympathy. He prepared to finish it when he heard something thud behind him. Before he could react, he was tackled by three more Hydraci and pushed to the ground.

Kicks and blows started raining down on him, and he covered his face with his arms as he tried to push himself back. Then a sharp, searing pain erupted from his shoulder, and he felt scales and flesh split. Jake yelped and tried to scramble away from a grinning Hydraci. It was wielding a long, curved dagger that was dripping with blood. Before he could think of doing anything useful, his arms were grabbed, and he was held tight.

"Let go," Jake snarled as he tried to rip free, but his wounded arm wasn't cooperating, and the two held him.

The blade-wielding Hydraci snarled and moved in for the kill.

A high-pitched scream, filled with fear and anger, caused both Jake and the Hydraci to look to the side. Wide-eyed, Emma was staring at Mason, who was being strangled by one Hydraci while four others were sitting on him, holding him in place. Rampaging as he was, the creatures seemed hard pressed to hold him down.

"Honor to the many-headed ones! Kill the weak ones, and much honor to us!"

Emma screamed again as her muscles bulged far too large for such a small child. She rushed towards the Hydraci strangling Mason. Dodging a blow, she lunged forward, biting the slightly larger creature in its neck. A spray of greenish blood covered her face while the Hydraci tried to rip her off.

A movement from the corner of his eye was all the warning Jake got. The dagger slashed at his face, and he was too slow to jerk his head aside. He knew there should be fear and pain, but as the blade slashed across his cheek, Jake felt his anger awaken something. As if his howling rage got a tiny echo.

The echo caused a small and detached part of himself to focus, absently noticing how the Hydraci triumphantly raised the dagger and licked the blade. He felt a mysterious power surge from a place deep inside him, moving through his body like electricity. With a sudden movement, he ripped a hand free.

The eyes of the Hydraci in front of him widened, but it was too late.

Jake pulled himself towards the Hydraci, still holding him and around, wrapping his arms around the thing as he placed it between him and the armed one. With a roar, he clenched his arms around the struggling Hydraci, ignoring the pain from his wound. Seeing the neck before him, he didn't hesitate and bit down.

There was only a moment of resistance before his razor-sharp teeth pierced through the scales with a high-pitched screeching sound, like metal on metal. Then a salty and revolting fluid filled his mouth. Thick, like syrup, it was cold and slightly metallic and caused him to gag. The creature began howling and struggling. Jake ripped his mouth free and shoved the Hydraci away, causing it to trip and fall to the ground between him and the other two.

They stared at him with wide-eyed fear and took a step back as he snarled at them. Sensing an opportunity, Jake grabbed the Hydraci he had bitten as it struggled to stand. He placed both hands around the angular and elongated skull and smiled evilly. With a sharp twist followed by a dull snap, the creature sagged into a small heap. Roaring, blood still dripping from his mouth, Jake rushed towards the two remaining Hydraci.

"They are too strong! Flee? Flee!" one of the two screamed, and both backed up.

Mason, Jake thought, feeling a moment of calm. He took a quick look around.

To the side, Emma had managed to disrupt the hold on Mason. The muscular red and golden Kobold was now strangling two of the creatures at the same time. A single spear jutted from his lower back just below his shoulder blade. However, two unmoving shapes showed the price the Hydraci had to pay for wounding him.

As the two creatures, locked down by his arms, became motionless, the remaining Hydraci began backing up. Jake stepped sideways, closer to Mason and Emma, feeling his calm returning.

"Pay! You will pay when the elders come! Our island, not yours," one snarled.

Mason surged forward and tossed the two corpses he held towards the howling Hydraci like they were baseballs. With screeches of fear and panic, the smaller figures jumped out of the way before scrambling towards the river. With one more curse directed at 'Mason's manhood, they dove into the water, disappearing into the dark depths.

Jake felt the last of his burning rage fade as he stared at the river. A soft thud came from somewhere beside him. Startled, he looked up to find that Mason had fallen to the ground, holding himself up with both hands. His friend's chest was heaving like a forge below, and drops of blood fell from his partially opened mouth, splashing on the wet ground.

"Mason!"

Jake wanted to rush forward, but before he could, Emma's small form blurred passed him, appearing next to Mason. Emma shivered as she put her hands on the fallen Kobold's face. The unchildlike rage that had still covered her own disappeared, replaced by a terrified look. Mason nodded, but Emma didn't seem to see as she circled him and gaped at the wound on his back. Tears started falling from her eyes as she touched the spear, shivering and shaking with each of Mason's breaths.

Jake felt relieved by Mason's nod. He knew the other wouldn't have nodded if he needed immediate help. He slowly moved next to his friend and put a hand on Mason's scaled shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked, cringing at the stupid question.

"..yeah… but it hurts. Pull it out, will ya?" Mason answered weakly.

Jake nodded and moved behind him. "Emma, make sure those things don't come back, okay?" he said while inspecting the spear sticking out of Mason's back.

It took Jake a second to realize Emma wasn't responding, and he looked up. Emma had a terrified look on her face. Her lips were trembling, and she seemed close to crying as she looked at him. Jake managed a weak smile and nodded at the little Kobold. He hesitated between telling her everything would be fine and complimenting her, then reasoned she might start crying if he showed too much sympathy now. They might not have the time for it.

"You did really great against those monsters," he said. "I've never seen a kid fight like that. Can you stay brave and make sure nobody sneaks up on us?"

He saw Emma start staring at him wide-eyed. It looked like she was going to cry for a second, then he saw her jaw clench. A look of resolve crossed her face, quickly replacing the fear, and she nodded abruptly. She turned around and began scanning the river and the treeline, her head swiveling from left to right.

Jake suppressed a sigh of relief and turned his attention to the bleeding hole in his friend's back. Bright red blood oozed out from the edges, syrupy and thick, much thicker than human blood was. Putting his hand around the base of the grey wooden spear, he felt Mason shudder and heard him suppress a groan.

"Did you see if their spears have barbs?" Mason whispered, sounding scared.

Jake shivered when he realized the implications, then quickly shook his head. "I don't know. Wait here. There are a few over there. I'll go grab one to make sure."

Jake jumped up and rushed along the river bank as fast as he could. One of the spears was sticking out from the mud a few meters away. Going way too fast, he grabbed it while coming to a sliding stop, his taloned feet leaving long lines. Turning around, he saw Emma was staring at him, a scared look on her face. Jake forced a smile and waved the spear at her while running back, and he saw her shakily nod before looking back at the river.

We will have to help her, talk to her after this, Jake thought. If they didn't, she'd keep a lifelong trauma from everything happening. He also knew he had no idea how he was going to do that.

He reached Mason and raised the tip close for inspection. It was long and angular, with a weird curve at the top part.

"No barbs," he said in relief, holding it up for Mason to inspect.

"Oke, then get this thing out," Mason grunted.

Jake nodded, taking one more look at the spear. The spear tip was a hand-long black rock wedged into the wood by force, and he had no idea why it wasn't falling out. Intrigued by the black and shiny surface, he raised the spear close to his eye. There were lines along the rocklike tip, and there seemed to be a pattern in it as if tiny hands crafted it. A quick touch revealed it was cold to the touch and smooth like silk.

"How about you make love to that thing after you pull its brother from my back?" Mason groaned, an annoyed and painful look on his face.

Jake felt the skin under the scales on his face heat up, and he knew the scales would be going darker. The corner of Mason's lip angled up in a pained, humorless grin.

"Sorry," Jake mumbled before handing the spear to Mason.

His friend examined the edges briefly before dropping the spear and visibly steeling himself. "Pull it out.." Halfway his voice broke and sounded more like a growl.

Jake swallowed back some growing fear and put both hands on Mason's back. Wondering if he should count, he decided nothing would make it more pleasant for his friend, and he better just be done with it. Without as much a warning, he pulled the spear out, feeling only a little resistance at the start. As the spear slid out, scales came with it, and a sliver of meat and blood was attached to the tip. Mason didn't make a single noise, but all the muscles in his body bulged, causing ripples as if snakes were wrestling underneath a smooth, incredibly dense, golden scale mail. When the spear left the wound, he sank to the ground taking a shuddering gulp of air.

"We need to bind that," Jake said, looking at the stream of blood pouring from the wound.

"Yes, but not yet. The blood will wash out any infection." Mason replied, his voice sounding weak and tired.

Jake nodded, looking in a daze at the blood flowing from Mason's back. Something started tickling the end of his mind as he did, trying to get his attention. Distracted, he ignored Mason back for a moment as a memory from a tunnel, what now seemed weeks ago, replayed through his mind.

Jake snapped his head up, his gaze whipping around. Then he found it. A small cloud of barely noticeable specs hung half a meter above the ground, near one of the corpses strewn across the river bank. It was slowly drifting towards the water. With how bright the sun was, he would never have spotted them if he had not known they were there. As he saw it, he recognized others.

"Mason, look! More of those lights that we saw in the tunnel. They can heal you. We need to hurry before they dissipate," Jake rambled, at the same time running towards the lights.

--

Mason looked up, his back a mess of pain. It took him a moment to understand what Jake was talking about, then he rose and staggered after his friend towards the nearest body.

His entire body was a writhing mess of muscle pain, and he only managed a snake's pace. He barely reached the small cloud when they were almost touching the ground. He wanted to kneel but almost fell facefirst and only just managed to catch himself with his hands plunging into the middle of the cloud. The minute lights didn't react and seemed to slide away from him. Frustrated, Mason tried to catch one, but it just passed through his hand.

"Dammit, why doesn't this work?!" he growled, banging a fist on the ground.

"Over here!" Jake yelled.

Mason looked up to see Jake close to the water, surrounded by a swirling mass of lights that was slowly disappearing inside his scales which began glowing. With hardly any clothes remaining to cover him, besides some ragged remains of his trousers, the glowing scales started glistening as if they were wet, and all the minor cuts and bruises visibly knit closed.

"What the hell?" Mason growled as he struggled up.

--

Jake felt like he was in a rain cloud of healing, each drop cooling the pains in his body. He wanted nothing more than to just stand there and enjoy it, but instead, he moved towards Mason. He kept moving his arms away from the tiny specs, trying to keep them from disappearing inside his scaly skin. Ten steps later, he put his hands on Mason's, and they both held their breath when one of the lights touched Mason's golden and red scales.

"Come on, come on," Jake muttered.

The light seemed to disappear for a moment, but then it just popped out at the other side of Mason's arm before drifting away, eventually going inside Jake's leg.

"Damnit!" Jake growled, and at the same time, Mason sagged down on the ground with a lost look on his face.

A shuffle to the side caused Jake to snap back to attention, afraid of another attack. His eyes widened as he stared at Emma, who was standing near them, staring with wide-eyed wonder at her arms. Several of the lights had floated her way and were now disappearing inside her scales.

"Damnit, I get it..." Mason said, sounding tired, before laying down on his back and closing his eyes.

Jake nodded. He'd realized it at the same instant.

"The colors need to match. Whatever the lights are, we can only absorb those matching the colors of our scales," Jake said with a weary sigh.

Giving them another look, he ignored the lights and moved back to the river. The lights remained around him, continuing to be absorbed into his body. Jake didn't care right now. He scooped up water with his hands and brought it to Mason, dripping the crystal clear liquid on his back wound.

Then he tore a small part of what remained of his jeans and started cleaning the wound. Mason groaned in protest but did not move.

"You are as gentle as a bull in heat," Mason said through clenched teeth.

Jake was glad to hear his friend was able to joke, and he was about to reply when Emma knelt next to him. Her tiny hands were filled with water which she poured across Mason's back. "What does, in heat, mean? Can bulls catch fire?" she asked in a curious voice. A tiny cloud of lights was flowing after her, and she absently put her hand below them, letting them absorb in her palm.

Jake shook his head and rubbed a bit harder on Mason's back, causing his friend to squeal in protest. "No, Emma. This big loaf always likes saying silly things. Ignore him. Can you bring me some more water? And be careful, make sure there are no more of those monsters."

Jake smiled at her, glad to see she appeared to be feeling better already. At the same time, he knew this was far from normal. Normal for a human, he corrected himself.

Emma nodded, her black, shoulder-length hair barely moving. Cluttered as it was with small twigs, mud, and filth, Jake wondered why he didn't smell her. Then again, he looked at Mason and himself. They must all stink.

In the end, it took them almost one hour to clean Mason's wound, and it was a good thing no more monsters attacked. Mason had fallen asleep halfway, and if the pain from cleaning his wound didn't wake him, Jake knew just shaking wouldn't help.

Sitting close to the river, Jake and Emma discussed what to do. Mason was lying next to them, curled on his side. The wound on his back had already started closing, much to Jake's relief, and he kept an eye on his friend to ensure he didn't roll onto his back.

He was just wondering if they should go up or downstream when Mason woke again, when Emma's head jerked up, and she looked at the jungle. Slight panic appeared in her eyes while she bared her teeth and growled softly.

"Jake… I hear voices!"