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The Doomed Bastards: Reckoning (story complete)
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 3834858" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Fear not; Varo is still around. Closer than you think, even. </p><p></p><p>* * * * * </p><p></p><p>Chapter 273</p><p></p><p>THE TOMB OF AMAR-SINA</p><p></p><p></p><p>The click was a faint sound, barely audible over the sound of their own breathing.</p><p></p><p>But Esir dropped and snapped out his feet, kicking Tammuz solidly in the chest. The surprised mystic staggered back as darts flashed across his path, the tiny missiles shattering as they struck the opposite wall. Anku, bringing up the rear, had caught Tammuz as he fell backward. The lithe thief recovered smoothly, landing in a crouch before he slowly turned back to face his companions. </p><p></p><p>Tammuz, having recovered his equilibrium, grimaced and looked down at his forearm. Two tiny darts were embedded in his flesh. He shook his head, and plucked them out. </p><p></p><p>Esir recovered one of the darts that had missed, and sniffed the head. “Sagar,” he said. “The poison forms a crystal when the substance evaporates, which allows it to remain preserved over long periods of time. The crystal dissolves instantly in the bloodstream. Extremely deadly.”</p><p></p><p>Anku watched the mystic expectantly, but the man merely incanted some words and waved his hand over the damaged limb. He still looked a bit pale, but did not appear likely to suddenly keel over dead. </p><p></p><p>“It would appear that you are difficult to kill,” Esir said. </p><p></p><p>“The gods watch over me,” the mystic said. “And I thank you for your quick reflexes, Esir. Had those darts struck closer to my heart, I may not have had the leisure to neutralize the poison.” </p><p></p><p>The rogue nodded. He looked down at the floor, where the trigger for the trap had been located. </p><p></p><p>“I walked precisely where you walked,” Tammuz said. </p><p></p><p>Esir rubbed his chin. “Clever, very clever,” he said. He held his hand over one of the flagstones. “The trap was set to trigger only when a certain weight was placed upon it. I did not trip it, but you, with your armor and other gear, did. I believe it was intended to catch a thief on his way out, perhaps, burdened with sacks of treasure...”</p><p></p><p>The mystic nodded. “We will have to be careful. This tomb’s traps will not be depleted, and there will almost certainly be guardians.”</p><p></p><p>Esir fixed him with a stare. “How did you know that this tomb was hidden here?”</p><p></p><p>The other man’s return stare was perfectly level. “No secret is beyond the knowing of the gods, my friend.”</p><p></p><p>They made their way deeper into the complex, bypassing another two deadly traps through the talents of Esir. The narrow tunnel twisted and turned at right angles, progressing without apparent reason or plan further under the ground. It finally deposited them in a small room, only maybe fifteen feet across. The chamber was dominated by a dark shaft in the center, about ten feet wide. As Tammuz’s light fell across it, they could see that a very narrow stair curved around the inside of the shaft, barely six inches wide. </p><p></p><p>“Can you manage it?” Esir asked. </p><p></p><p>“I believe so, although it might be preferable to have a contingency in place.”</p><p></p><p>Esir nodded to Anku, who was already digging out a coil of silk cord from his bag. The tribesman secured the line to a nearby protruding slab, and handed it to Esir. Rather than tossing it down the shaft, the rogue carefully looped the line around his arm. </p><p></p><p>“All right. I will go first, and lay out the line as I go. Tammuz, start down when you hear my whistle. Anku, you bring up the rear.”</p><p></p><p>“What about the light?” Tammuz asked. </p><p></p><p>The rogue’s eyes glimmered as he looked at the mystic. “I work better in the dark.” With a wry grin, the thief vanished into the shaft. </p><p></p><p>The signal came about a minute later, and the others followed him down. Tammuz was the only one to have difficulty on the narrow stair, but the rope steadied him, and he was able to make it down without serious threat of falling. Esir was waiting for them at the bottom. </p><p></p><p>“I do not like the smell of this place,” he said, gesturing out toward the room. </p><p></p><p>The shaft had opened along one side of an underground vault. They had been deposited on a stone ledge, maybe ten feet wide and half again as long. The floor of the chamber was another fifteen feet or so below them, accessed by another staircase that ran down from the ledge. There were a few low archways below, which offered the possibility of exits from this place. The chamber was empty, thick with dust, and as silent as the grave. </p><p></p><p>“Do you detect anything?” Tammuz asked. Esir looked back at him from the top step of the stair, and shook his head. </p><p></p><p>“Cold,” Anku said. And in fact it was noticeably cooler here, a subtle chill that sought to seep the life and warmth from their bodies. The tribesman drew out his falchion, the heavy blade giving the man an overt air of deadliness as he followed Esir forward. Tammuz trailed behind them, the light of his torch casting long shadows over the two men ahead. </p><p></p><p>Esir had nearly reached the bottom of the stairs when a soft wind stirred in the center of the room. A plume of dust rose into the air on the breeze, which had come, apparently, out of nowhere. The thief froze, alert to any new danger that this unexpected event might presage. </p><p></p><p>“We are not alone here,” Tammuz said, his voice sounding hollow in the open depths of the vault. </p><p></p><p>As if in response to his words, three... <em>things</em> materialized out of the swirling dust. They were vague, insubstantial things, creatures of air and spirit rather than of flesh. Even as the dust was flung away the three forms became more distinct, and as they surged toward the alarmed tomb raiders, they became more defined. They were not quite human, but the air-creatures had taken on the outlines of human shape, at least from the chest up. Slender “arms” jutted from the masses of their bodies, and at the top of their forms heads and faces became evident, even if nearly transparent. </p><p></p><p>To their surprise and alarm, each of the three intruders found their own features looking back at them. The faces that the monsters had taken on were their own.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 3834858, member: 143"] Fear not; Varo is still around. Closer than you think, even. * * * * * Chapter 273 THE TOMB OF AMAR-SINA The click was a faint sound, barely audible over the sound of their own breathing. But Esir dropped and snapped out his feet, kicking Tammuz solidly in the chest. The surprised mystic staggered back as darts flashed across his path, the tiny missiles shattering as they struck the opposite wall. Anku, bringing up the rear, had caught Tammuz as he fell backward. The lithe thief recovered smoothly, landing in a crouch before he slowly turned back to face his companions. Tammuz, having recovered his equilibrium, grimaced and looked down at his forearm. Two tiny darts were embedded in his flesh. He shook his head, and plucked them out. Esir recovered one of the darts that had missed, and sniffed the head. “Sagar,” he said. “The poison forms a crystal when the substance evaporates, which allows it to remain preserved over long periods of time. The crystal dissolves instantly in the bloodstream. Extremely deadly.” Anku watched the mystic expectantly, but the man merely incanted some words and waved his hand over the damaged limb. He still looked a bit pale, but did not appear likely to suddenly keel over dead. “It would appear that you are difficult to kill,” Esir said. “The gods watch over me,” the mystic said. “And I thank you for your quick reflexes, Esir. Had those darts struck closer to my heart, I may not have had the leisure to neutralize the poison.” The rogue nodded. He looked down at the floor, where the trigger for the trap had been located. “I walked precisely where you walked,” Tammuz said. Esir rubbed his chin. “Clever, very clever,” he said. He held his hand over one of the flagstones. “The trap was set to trigger only when a certain weight was placed upon it. I did not trip it, but you, with your armor and other gear, did. I believe it was intended to catch a thief on his way out, perhaps, burdened with sacks of treasure...” The mystic nodded. “We will have to be careful. This tomb’s traps will not be depleted, and there will almost certainly be guardians.” Esir fixed him with a stare. “How did you know that this tomb was hidden here?” The other man’s return stare was perfectly level. “No secret is beyond the knowing of the gods, my friend.” They made their way deeper into the complex, bypassing another two deadly traps through the talents of Esir. The narrow tunnel twisted and turned at right angles, progressing without apparent reason or plan further under the ground. It finally deposited them in a small room, only maybe fifteen feet across. The chamber was dominated by a dark shaft in the center, about ten feet wide. As Tammuz’s light fell across it, they could see that a very narrow stair curved around the inside of the shaft, barely six inches wide. “Can you manage it?” Esir asked. “I believe so, although it might be preferable to have a contingency in place.” Esir nodded to Anku, who was already digging out a coil of silk cord from his bag. The tribesman secured the line to a nearby protruding slab, and handed it to Esir. Rather than tossing it down the shaft, the rogue carefully looped the line around his arm. “All right. I will go first, and lay out the line as I go. Tammuz, start down when you hear my whistle. Anku, you bring up the rear.” “What about the light?” Tammuz asked. The rogue’s eyes glimmered as he looked at the mystic. “I work better in the dark.” With a wry grin, the thief vanished into the shaft. The signal came about a minute later, and the others followed him down. Tammuz was the only one to have difficulty on the narrow stair, but the rope steadied him, and he was able to make it down without serious threat of falling. Esir was waiting for them at the bottom. “I do not like the smell of this place,” he said, gesturing out toward the room. The shaft had opened along one side of an underground vault. They had been deposited on a stone ledge, maybe ten feet wide and half again as long. The floor of the chamber was another fifteen feet or so below them, accessed by another staircase that ran down from the ledge. There were a few low archways below, which offered the possibility of exits from this place. The chamber was empty, thick with dust, and as silent as the grave. “Do you detect anything?” Tammuz asked. Esir looked back at him from the top step of the stair, and shook his head. “Cold,” Anku said. And in fact it was noticeably cooler here, a subtle chill that sought to seep the life and warmth from their bodies. The tribesman drew out his falchion, the heavy blade giving the man an overt air of deadliness as he followed Esir forward. Tammuz trailed behind them, the light of his torch casting long shadows over the two men ahead. Esir had nearly reached the bottom of the stairs when a soft wind stirred in the center of the room. A plume of dust rose into the air on the breeze, which had come, apparently, out of nowhere. The thief froze, alert to any new danger that this unexpected event might presage. “We are not alone here,” Tammuz said, his voice sounding hollow in the open depths of the vault. As if in response to his words, three... [i]things[/i] materialized out of the swirling dust. They were vague, insubstantial things, creatures of air and spirit rather than of flesh. Even as the dust was flung away the three forms became more distinct, and as they surged toward the alarmed tomb raiders, they became more defined. They were not quite human, but the air-creatures had taken on the outlines of human shape, at least from the chest up. Slender “arms” jutted from the masses of their bodies, and at the top of their forms heads and faces became evident, even if nearly transparent. To their surprise and alarm, each of the three intruders found their own features looking back at them. The faces that the monsters had taken on were their own. [/QUOTE]
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