The Llama Chronicles - The Diary of a South American Pack Animal Book 6 - Apathy is a waste of time
Chapter 26: "Oh shit."
Lee slipped quietly into the room. She smiled softly to herself. From an adjoining door-way came the noise of a shower. The panther at her side sniffed the air curiously and growled softly in it's throat. Tugging it's ear, she bopped it on the nose with a finger. "No!" she hissed to it. The panther gave her an expression like that of a child being scolded. "I want him - he's mine! Your just to intimidate him - a little." The big cat blinked at her and rolled it's eyes upwards as if to say 'here we go again'. Straightening up, she slipped her jeans down over silky smooth thighs. Rubbing the soft, light-brown of her pubic hair with one hand, she padded quietly forward to the shower-room doorway. Motioning with one hand she told the panther to sit in the doorway. The Big cat led down with a yawn, an expression of total disinterest on it's feline face. Steam fills the bathroom, spilling out from behind a large shower curtain that hides a shower large enough for an entire football team. Behind the curtain can be seen the vague form of a single person. Pulling back the curtain at one end, the blonde girl slipped into the shower. Warm water spraying down plastered her hair to her scalp, and her firm aroused breasts strain against the wet clingingness of her T-shirt. In front of her, with his back to her, stood naked, was a young man. With a devilish glint in one eye, she extended a hand between his legs and grasped him by the scrotum.
Llama entered the computer room, and stood behind Sick and Yeti who were busy tapping away at keyboards. a stream of information was flashing across the screens before them, and two or three printers in the room were busy throwing out reams of printed paper. "Found out anything interesting yet?" she asked. "Oh, You've woken up then!" Yeti smiled at her, his fingers never ceasing their frantic tapping at the keys. "How's the head?" "Fine," replied Llama, "What happened? Last thing I remember is that damn panther disappearing..." "Well, you tried jumping out of the pit and over did it." explained Sick, without even turning to look at her, "And you knocked yourself out cold on the ceiling. So we carried on into the tunnels, met the hermit, and ended up here." "Oh." said Llama, "I see. How long was I out for?" "Oh, it's been almost a day now." replied Yeti. Gurth, who was sat to one side, looking bored, nodded in agreement. Llama walked over to a fridge in the corner of the room and took out a beer. She took a long hard draught on it, and sighed loudly. "I take it you DO know where we are," asked Sick. "Yes." replied Llama, "I do recognise it. Just don't ask me what it's all doing here, because I don't have an answer for that." "Oh." said Sick, "okay. Well, we've managed to find out some interesting things from Elly here." "Like what?" Llama asked, pulling up a chair and sitting on it backwards. She took another swig from the beer. "Like the extent to which these tunnels extend through the mountain," replied Sick. "and that the monastery is really a base-camp for guards, who are protecting something buried deep inside this mountain." "Oh yeah?" said Llama, "like what?" "We don't know that yet," answered Yeti, "But we have just learned where it's located." "Yes," agreed Sick, then "A-ha! It appears to be a power-source of some sort. It says here that ~it's a source of great power~, anyway. What's the hell's a Ziph lattice?" "It's a gem." replied Llama. "And it's our way home, if we can get to it." "Eh?" replied Sick, "How?" "I don't know, you've seen the maps." replied Llama. "No, not how do we get to it," admonished Sick, "How does it get us home?" "Oh! well by feeding power into the stone, it causes it to vibrate." she explained, "The frequency of the vibrations can rip open the very fabric of space and time. By altering the power level, the frequency of the vibrations can be controlled, and so should therefore allow us to return to our own world." she finished. "Either that, or it'll tear this world apart," she added darkly under her breath. "I see." said Sick. "Oh." said Yeti.
A cold wet hand closed round his balls. Percy leapt with shock, and spun round rapidly, his eyes wide with surprise. "What the hell...?" he sputtered, brushing water out of his eyes. Lee laughed, and smiled at him, hand reaching forward to grasp him again. Percy batted the hand away,, and put his hands protectively over his groin. "Stop that!" he scolded. Lee gave him a knowing smile, and wrapped her arms around him, her breasts pressing through her T-shirt and against his bare chest. "I want you." she murmured, in a soft, low voice. Percy looked bewildered, then pushed her away from him. "L..l.look," he stammered, "I, uh, that is, um, It's not that I don't like you or anything," "Good." she replied, peeling off her wet T-shirt and stepping forward, leaning up to kiss him. Percy stumbled backward, one foot slipping in the wet on a bar of soap. Falling, his hand shot out to grab the shower curtain for support, but all he ended up doing was pulling it down. As he landed on his back, Lee was on top of him, and they were both covered by the shower curtain. She grinned at him, and he rolled out from underneath as quickly as he could, scrambling away on hands and knees, trying to make for the door and his clothes in the room beyond. He stopped when he came nose-to-nose with the panther led in the doorway. The cat growled, it's ears flattening against it's head, and hissed in his face. Percy froze. A warm, wet body landed on him from behind, and he was acutely aware of firm young breasts pushing into his back. "Shh, Zari." soothed Lee's voice. The panther settled back down, it's ears still flattened to it's skull. Wrapping her arms around him, she whispered in his ear, "You'd better do exactly what I tell you, or you'll upset Zari." As her hands grasped him again, she made a surprised noise of pleasure as she felt him respond. As she rolled him over onto his back, Percy knew he'd lost.
Llama strode into a large kitchen area, followed by Sick, Yeti and Gurth. The rest of the companions, with the exception of Percy and Lee, were there, lounging around a large table in the centre of the room. Beast was chomping down on a large roast haunch of something, dribbles of grease running down the fur on his chin. Megan and Amanda were chatting with Oof, who looked less than comfortable. H'rutt and DeOre were busy arguing over the merits of magic and brawn when it came to adventuring. Sick, Yeti and Gurth sat down in free chairs. Llama hoisted herself up on one of the work surfaces and sat drumming her heels against the cupboard door beneath. "Where's Percy?" asked Gurth. Oof shrugged. "Uh, he's busy - taking a shower." said Amanda, trying hard to keep a straight face. Megan burst out giggling. Gurth looked thoroughly bemused. "What's so funny?" asked Llama, puzzled. "Well," explained Megan, "That friend of yours, the Hermit, decided to go and help him. Only I don't think they'll be doing much showering." Amanda burst into fits of laughter this time. Llama looked bewildered. "Who is this hermit?" she asked, "do I know him?" "Him? Oh god, of course, you were unconscious!" blurted out Sick. "You don't know who this ~Hermit~ is, do you? OH boy, are you in for a shock!" "Who IS he?" asked Llama, a worried look crossing her face. "Do I know him?" The others fell about hooting with laughter. "What?" protested Llama. "What?"
As if in answer to her question, the panther walked in through the doorway. It looked curiously round the room, and wandered over to sniff at Llama's legs. It curled a lip up to reveal a long, gleaming white fang. "Zari, go and lie down." came a low, soft female voice from the doorway. The panther turned to look, then wandered off to a basket in one corner of the kitchen, where it yawned and curled up. Llama tore her gaze away from the panther and looked at the figure in the doorway. "Who..." she started, getting off the worktop and walking over to the Hermit. "Wait a minute, I know you. Don't I?" she asked. "Sure, Llama." said Lee, dryly. "Although it's been nearly five years." "Hold on, I've almost got it." said Llama, waving one hand in the air. "Um. It was at College, right? I knew you from Kingston. Oh, goddamnit, my lousy sodding memory! I never forget a face, but I'm ..." "Hopeless with names." finished Lee. "You don't bloody change do you?" She looked Llama up and down, then amended "Well, not much, anyway." "Errr." continued Llama. "No. I give up. Sorry, I just can't get your name." she shrugged. The Hermit stepped closer to Llama, her long blonde hair cascading down over her shoulders as she leaned forward until her nose almost touched Llama's. Her eyebrows raised, and there was a warning glint in her eye. She peered at Llama for a couple of seconds before announcing, "My god. you really don't remember my name, do you?" She took a step back, shaking her head. Llama looked her up and down from head to toe. Long blonde hair framing blue eyes in a cute face. A well-endowed curvy figure, dressed in a simple white T-shirt and denim shorts, and bare legs and feet. Llama stared at those bare feet, and a fleeting image of running barefoot through waves breaking on a beach shot through her mind, followed by an image of night-time, curled up with someone soft and warm by a glowing fire, with the sound of waves breaking on the beach in the background. Stars winked in the sky above through the heat of the fire, and off to one side a cassette/radio played soft music into the night. A nearly empty bottle of wine leant against the warm stones surrounding the fire. Click. Click. Click. Slap. A sharp stinging sensation hit Llama on the cheek. She snapped out of her reverie and back into the kitchen. "Ow!" she cried, somewhat belatedly. "What d'you do that for, Lee?" "My name!" cried Lee, joyfully, "You remembered my name!" She rushed forward and threw her arms round Llama in a big hug and kiss. Llama stood there, stunned for a few seconds, unsure of what to do. In the corner, the panther made whimpering whining noise. Sick shook his head in disgust. "After all Llama's done, leaving her stuck in this dump for five years, and she's still glad to see him. Her. Ooer!" "Ahem." coughed DeOre. "Huh?" questioned Llama, then she twigged. Stepping back smartly she separated herself from Lee. She coughed, embarrassed. "So," asked Lee, "Just what ARE you doing here, Llama?"
"Well," replied Llama, "You'd better sit down. It's quite a story."
A long and complicated explanation later, with everyone interrupting with their own version of certain events all over the place, found most of the companions asleep where they sat. Llama yawned loudly, and Lee raised a sleepy head. H'rutt was snoring face down on the table. Percy entered the kitchen, somewhat dishevelled. scratching at his arm. With his shirt hanging out and undone, only one sock on, and his hair sticking up all over the place, he looked like he'd just got up. He scratched at his chest. Yawning, he wandered over to the kettle and began to make himself a cup of coffee. "Oh, hi Llama. I see you've woken up at last then." he greeted. "Morning Lee." he added sleepily, smiling at the dozing blonde, who opened one eye. She waved her fingers at him, and went back to sleep. "What time is it?" asked Llama. "Uh, it's.... Oh shit!" he cried, loud enough to wake everyone up. He was staring at his arm in horror. Staring at where his skin had turned hard, green and scaly.
Chapter 27: "Heroine's can really screw you up!"
Megan examined the green scales that ran up both arms and across Percy's chest and back. She glanced round at the others who were crowding into the medical room. "Pull your trousers down." she ordered. "What?" protested Percy. "Here? Now? In front of everybody?" "Everybody out." She ordered. After a brief protest, the other companions complied. Percy dropped his trousers. The hard green scales ran down his legs as well. "Oh hell," he moaned, "What the fuck is it?" "I... I just don't know." admitted Megan, "I've never seen anything like it. never." "Shit!" shouted Llama, bursting into the room. "We've got to get him outside, fast!" she grabbed Percy by the arm and started dragging him towards the door. "Oi! Do you mind?" said Percy angrily, covering himself up. "Wait just a minute!" protested Megan, grabbing Percy by the other arm and pulling. "What do you mean, we've got to get him outside? Why? What's the hurry?" "It's a full moon." explained Llama, pulling harder and dragging both Percy and Megan out into the corridor. The other companions stood looking stunned. "Do any of you know what the hell she's on about?" asked Megan, angrily. Llama continued dragging them down the corridor towards the hatch she had opened earlier. "He's suffering from lycanthropy." continued Llama. "So?" asked Megan, giving up on pulling Percy and moving quickly to stand in Llama's way. "He's only a were-girl. That doesn't explain this." "So, he rode a bloody dragon." explained Llama, "And the form of lycanthropy he's got would have picked up ANY other DNA he encountered." "But he rode a horse before that," argued Megan, "why wouldn't he turn into a were-horse?" Percy started to cough. Llama pushed Megan aside and continued dragging him towards the hatch. "There was a saddle on the horse." she explained, "Not on the dragon. I don't know how it happened, maybe the dragon sweated or something. But it sure looks like he's a were-dragon to me now. and that means that any second he's gonna get too big to contain in here. Now will you help me get him outside?" Percy's coughing turned into a choking fit. He curled up on the floor, spluttering. His limbs went rigid, and his body was racked by spasms. "Quickly!" shouted Llama, hitting the emergency release for the door. The stone drawbridge, instead of lowering slowly outwards, this time slammed down into place. Grabbing Percy by an arm, she dragged him out onto the drawbridge, then stepped back inside.
Percy felt as if he couldn't breath. His throat felt like it had swollen and expanded inside of him. he gasped, as every vein in his body felt like it was on fire. He fell, helpless to the floor as every muscle spasmed, swelling and feeling as if it were going to burst through his skin. He was dimly aware of the others arguing about him, and of being dragged out onto something cold and hard. Something really hurt now, on a deeper, cellular level. It felt like every part of his body were being impossibly twisted and stretched simultaneously. Shit, it was agony! His mind screamed, though he no longer had any control over his vocal chords. But his mind offered no refuge, either. Strange, alien thoughts, feelings and instincts were invading his consciousness. Now something different was happening. He stretched his taloned legs, and rolled over, arching his back as great leathery wings burst forth from his shoulder blades and arched skyward from his back. Now the pain slackened off as it felt like every cell in his body ballooned outwards, expanding, as if it had been cramped into a tiny, tight, too small space. A long, slender scaly tail stretched and twitched behind him. He opened his iridescent eyes and gazed down his scaly snout. The talons of his hind legs gripped the edge of a tiny stone ledge beneath. Above, a full moon glowed brightly. Lifting his head to the moon, he opened his jaws and bellowed. Launching himself from the ledge, he spread his wings wide, and glided off into the moonlit night.
The companions watched as Percy writhed and twisted out on the ledge, the scales spreading all over his body. Then his frame began to change shape. His ribs burst outward and down. His arms and legs stretched, and joints bent and twisted to new positions. Talons burst forth from fingers and toes that were elongating and swelling. A tail stretched out behind him. Wings burst forth from his shoulders. Simultaneously, he started to grow at an alarming rate, swelling and increasing in bulk fantastically. The dragon that had been Percy bellowed, and flew off into the darkness, leaving the companions behind stunned and speechless.
"Fuck." breathed Sick. "Poor bastard. I wouldn't wish that on anyone." "Aieee." yipped Gurth. "Ei-ei-ei-ei-ei." "What's up?" asked Megan, concerned. "Are you feeling unwell?" "Eh? Oh, no, I'm fine." said Gurth. "I just realised something, that's all." "Oh? What's that then?" asked Yeti, curious. "Well," said Gurth, "Percy's just turned into a were-dragon, right?" "Oh, I hadn't noticed. Perhaps that's why we're all stood here in a cold draught." commented Yeti sarcastically. "So," continued Gurth, ignoring him, "The dragon was most probably infected when Percy rode it. Somewhere out there, is a poor dragon who's just turned into a were-human." "Ah! I see." said Yeti. Llama stared at them as if she'd just seen a ghost. "Are you all right?" Yeti asked her. "No." she replied. "My dream - the dragon - the fight. That's what it was about. It was happening, like you just said. The dragon was turning human. But how?" "Oh that's easy." explained Gurth, helpfully. "Lycanthropy can be passed on in any body fluid - blood, saliva, even sweat." "No, not that." interrupted Llama, "I meant how could I dream about it like that?" "You ARE The Maker." DeOre reminded her. "Perhaps it's your powers manifesting themselves. Maybe that bump on the head did some good." "That's not even funny." scowled Llama, turning and walking back up the corridor into the kitchen area. The others followed. One figure remained, staring out into the darkness. Gurth walked out onto the stone platform, and sat down. He ran his fingers along the grooves torn into the stone by the dragon's talons. He sighed, and looked out into the starry night. Lee stood a small distance back, hidden in the darkness of the corridor, watching him. She scratched absent-mindedly at her chest. She moved to walk down the corridor and sit down next to Gurth. She didn't say anything for a few minutes, just sat there. "You know," said Gurth, finally breaking the silence. "You know, don't you." Lee nodded. "I had sorta guessed." she told him. "Does he know?" "No, I don't think so." replied Gurth. "Shit. What I really want to know is, how the hell are we going to find him in the morning?" "Oh, I expect he'll find his own way home." answered Lee. "Like a pigeon, you know?" "Oh." said Gurth. then after a moments pause, "What's a pigeon?"
Llama sat in the panther's basket, the great cat led half across her lap and purring softly as she rubbed it behind the ears. She stared into space in front of her, absent-mindedly scratching at a bruise on her knee, obviously deep in thought. "What do you think she's thinking about?" Oof as Sick, in a conspirational whisper. "I don't WANT to know." replied Sick. "Oh... why not?" asked Oof. "Because, whatever it is, it's bound to mean trouble." explained Yeti. "When you've known Llama as long as we have..." "...and survived." interrupted Sick. "Yes," said Yeti, "and survived, then you know that whenever Llama starts to think hard, it means trouble." "You see," explained Sick, "Llama is a very spontaneous sort of person. Things just sort of happen to Llama, until they fall into place, usually in a great big mess." "A very big mess." agreed Yeti. "So If he, sorry, she has to think about things hard, then that usually means that things are either a lot worse than usual..." "...Or are going to be." finished off Sick. "Oh. I see." said Oof, "So it's bad news, right?" "You could say that." agreed Sick. They all looked back at Llama. H'Rutt, who was sat next to them and had listened to the conversation in interest, grunted.
Llama pushed the panther off of her lap and stood up. "It's no good," she announced, "I can't concentrate with all this quiet." and she walked out of the room. The men looked at each other, puzzled, then rushed after her. Megan and Amanda tagged along after , curious as to where everyone was going. Llama walked back down the corridor and into the pool room. She searched the room for a couple of minutes, looking for something. Eventually she found it, and held up the remote-control triumphantly. She glanced at the crowd watching her from the doorway, and said "Well, are you coming in or aren't you?" They filed into the room, unsure of what was going to happen next. Llama pointed the remote control at the doorway and pressed a button. A large slab of stone slid silently out of the ceiling and sealed the doorway shut. Pressing another button caused the lighting in the room to dim. A section of rocky wall slid open, to reveal another doorway. Llama walked through, carrying the remote with her and beckoning the others to follow, which they did, hesitantly. The room beyond was dark. So dark it was not easy to see just how large the chamber was. "What the hell's this?" hissed Yeti. "I don't know." whispered Sick back, "I don't recognise it." "Oh shit." whispered Yeti. "Yeah, and then some." agreed Sick. Llama walked forward into the gloom, till she almost disappeared from sight. She clicked her fingers, and a single spotlight came on, focusing on her. Something lowered from the ceiling on a long wire, and she grasped it in one hand. "RIGHT, YOU LOT." her voice boomed out from huge speakers hidden in the ceiling and walls of the chamber. "Shit!" cursed Yeti, as he and the others threw their hands over their ears protectively. "OOOPS! Sorry!" apologised Llama, lowering the volume of the microphone and amplifier. "Right," she continued, "Elly. Concentration program, er, number five. Level fifteen. Gradient rise to level sixty, shut-down override, priority one only. Start in thirty" "Confirmed." Boomed Elly's flat emotionless voice around the chamber. "What the hell?" asked Yeti. "Oh no." moaned Sick, "she's going to play some music." "What did all that mean then?" asked Yeti. Sick explained. "Number five is heavy rock music. Level fifteen is the volume - fairly loud to start with, rising steadily to downright deafening at sixty. Level hundred melts rock. priority one over-ride only means only she can stop it. and it's all about to start in another ten seconds." he added. "Oh." said Yeti. "Yes." said Sick, "And you know what Llama's taste in music is like." he added. "What? she hasn't got any." said Yeti. "Exactly." confirmed Sick. "Oh." said Yeti. They both turned and started walking towards the doorway. "Five." boomed Elly's voice. "Four." Sick and Yeti broke into a run. "Three." "Two." They dove through the doorway, rolling for cover. "One." They both grabbed as many bean-bags and cushions as possible and buried themselves under them. A boom, comparable to that of a fairly large explosion, shook the walls and floor. it was followed in quick succession by several more. Then, impossibly loud, the discordant strains of an electric guitar twanged the air. A female voice started to sing some incomprehensible lyrics along to it at a volume that would have made a deaf man wince. "What.The. Hell. Is. That.?" Yeti shouted at Sick. "I. Dunno. Japanese. I. Think." replied Sick. "MAD MACHINE!" screamed the female vocalist.
"What was that?" asked Gurth, feeling the shockwaves run through the platform and the vibrations in the rock. "I don't know." replied Lee, getting to her feet, worried. Gurth joined her. Together they began to make their cautious way back up the corridor. Small rivulets of dust and gravel trickled down from the shaking ceiling. The farther they got up the passageway, the louder the noise got. They reached the doorway into the pool-room but the stone slab sealed it effectively. Lee pushed at the door but it wouldn't move. "Elly, open the door." commanded Lee. "I'm sorry," said Elly's voice, apologetically, "But the Master has commanded a priority one override. I can't." "What?" blared Lee, incredulously. "Besides," added Elly, "You really don't want to go in there just now." There was an almighty crashing noise from the room beyond, followed by an ominous, "something terrible has just happened" threatening silence.
Chapter 28: "When in doubt, get the fuck out!"
"Elly, open this damn door right NOW!" ordered Lee. "I can't." replied Elly. "Oh. Wait a minute. Llama's unconscious. Okay, now I can!" with a hiss, the door slid open. Dust and smoke poured out through the open doorway into the corridor. Inside the pool room was dark. Percy and Yeti staggered out from the smoke, each clutching a bean-bag over their heads, coughing and spluttering. Yeti threw his to the ground in disgust. "I never knew bean-bags could cough." he commented. "What the hell happened in there?" asked Lee. "Audio overload." said Sick, shaking his head and wiggling a finger in his ear. "Shit! I think I've gone deaf!" he moaned. Lee walked into the dark room. "Elly, lights." she commanded. "Are you sure?" asked Elly, "It's not a pretty sight...." "Just turn the bloody lights on would you?" asked Lee, losing her patience. Elly complied.
The room was a mess. Several of the lights on the wall were smashed, lumps of rock had fallen from the walls and ceiling, revealing cables and other circuits buried in the walls, and the crater containing the pool had split allowing most of the water to escape, and run off through a fissure that had opened in the floor. What little water remained puddled in the heart of the crater was dirty with dust and grit. Smoke curled out of the "other" doorway and snaked across the ceiling. Lee made her way carefully over to the "other" doorway, side-stepping bits of rock. Looking in, she saw the companions huddled in a heap in one corner, most of them unconscious. Oof stirred somewhere on the bottom of the heap, and groaned. Around the rest of the room was an even bigger mess than the one before. Great cables had dropped looping down from the ceiling, attached to huge loudspeakers and lighting booms, which were lying battered and broken where they had fallen. Huge lumps of rock lay scattered around the large chamber, some as big as cars. Oof crawled out from under the pile, nursing his head. The movement he caused stirred some of the others too. One by one, they slowly came to and made their way gingerly over to slump against the wall. Last to recover was H'Rutt, who stood gazing around the room with a puzzled expression on his face. Gurth walked in and surveyed the mess. "What the hell happened?" he asked. "Well," moaned Sick, "I guess the sound system hasn't been used in over five years, and just couldn't take the strain. I should have known that nothing Llama built would last very long." "Oh." said Gurth. "And where is she?" "Er." said Sick. "Over here!" cried H'Rutt "I need a hand!" The others hurried over to see. There, where he pointed, lay one of the huge loudspeakers from the ceiling, face down. A pair of small silver feet stuck out from beneath it at one end, and a small, slender, delicate-looking silver-coated hand from each side. "Oh shit!" said Oof, "Looks like she's squished!" Megan knelt down next to the speaker and felt for a pulse in the silver-coated wrist attached to the hand. She stood up and shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry." she said, "Cold as ice, and no pulse. It must have been quick. She didn't suffer." "Pity." muttered Yeti. "I suppose we ought to bury her." suggested Oof. "She looks pretty well buried to me." muttered Yeti. H'Rutt grunted. Bending down, he put his hands under the edge of the huge speaker and lifted it, rolling it to one side and exposing Llama. And exposing was right - she was stark naked. Only her hands and feet were encased in silver, up to her elbows and knees. . Amanda stepped forward and knelt down next to her, one hand on her chest. "Quick, give me your shirt." she instructed Sick. Sick obeyed, only thinking to ask her "Why?" as he handed her the shirt. "She's breathing." explained Amanda as she covered Llama's exposed body with the shirt. "Shit." muttered Yeti, "I knew it was too good to be true."
Llama's eyes flew open. She sat bolt upright, one arm clasping the shirt to her chest covering herself. Her eyes stared straight ahead, without focusing on anyone present. "Oh, shit no!" she moaned, jumping to her feet and dashing from the room. Yeti threw Sick a concerned and bemused glance. Sick fumbled the catch, and shrugged back. They all trooped out after Llama. Back in the pool room, Llama was busy throwing beanbags, rocks and cushions out of the way as she searched the floor for something. Sick retrieved his shirt from where Llama had discarded it in the doorway. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" she muttered as she searched. "Not again!" "What's she looking for?" hissed H'Rutt. "I dunno... Oh, no!" replied Amanda in a whisper. "Llama's body... we left it here, in this room! Where is it?!" "Uh oh." commented Yeti. Llama had now found the fissure that had opened wide in the floor. kneeling, she leaned over the edge and looked down. Her eyes widened in horror and she smashed one silver fist into the floor in anger as she cried, "No!". When she lifted her hand up again, there were knuckle indentations left in the floor. She stopped, staring at the hand as if seeing it for the first time. "What..." she mumbled, examining the hand closely. She looked at the other hand as well, then glanced down at her bare breasts. "I don't understand..." she mumbled. Megan took the shirt off of Sick and stepped over to sit beside Llama, draping the shirt around her shoulders. Llama didn't move, she just sat there staring at her silver hand. Megan put a supporting arm round her shoulders. With Amanda's assistance, she helped Llama her to her feet, and led her out the room and down the corridor to the medical centre. Once there, she made Llama lie down on the bed, and covered her with a blanket. Amanda took a chair next to the bed. "The others have gone to the kitchen." explained Amanda. "They felt they'd just be in the way here. What do you thinks wrong with her?" "It's shock, I think." said Megan. "I'm not surprised." commented Amanda. "It can't be easy seeing your own body all smashed up like that." "I don't know what this silver on her hands and feet is though." admitted Megan. "It's most puzzling." "Oh that." said Amanda, "Well, it's sort of like a suit of armour. Only it's supposed to cover her whole body, like a protective skin. I don't know how or why she's only got it on her arms and legs." Lee poked her head around the door. "Ah!" said Megan, "Just the person!. Do you have some spare clothes? For Llama I mean." "Uh, sure." said Lee. "Um, could I see you in a minute? Alone?" she eyed Amanda nervously. "Okay." agreed Megan. Lee nodded and left. "What was that all about?" Megan asked Amanda. "Well," started Amanda, "If I guess correctly, then she's got a BIG problem." "Oh?" asked Megan. "I think she's worried about a few small green scales she's got appearing on her chest." explained Amanda. "What, like Percy?" asked Megan, frowning as she remembered the transformation they had witnessed earlier that night. "Yes." continued Amanda, "You see, Percy had Lycanthropy. He was were dragon." "Are you saying he bit her?" asked Megan. "No." said Amanda. "I'm saying that Lycanthropy is a disease that is transmitted in any body fluid - saliva, blood, tears... and she and him got a little intimate yesterday..." "Oh!" said Megan, realising. "Shades! that must be the WORST ever sexually transmitted disease!" "There are worse," said Amanda, "but Lycanthropy is one of the, er, most unusual." "But doesn't that mean that she's going to turn into a dragon as well?" asked Megan. "Oh, I doubt it. Not this time." Amanda shook her head. "You see, this full moon is almost over, and the infection hasn't spread far enough throughout her body for a full transformation to take place. Next month though..." There was a crashing noise from down the corridor, and both Amanda and Megan looked at each other. "What the hell is that now?" asked Megan. "Stay here - I'll find out." instructed Amanda, leaving the room. "You've got to be kidding." muttered Megan, following her.
Percy rolled along the cold, stone floor of the corridor, eventually coming to a stop. He lay there, curled into a ball, not wanting to move for a couple of minutes. He didn't want to think about how close he'd just come to not making it - to plummeting a thousand or more feet down the cliff-face below. He lay there, with his eyes closed, thinking human thoughts again, feeling soft warm human skin under his fingertips - HIS soft, warm human skin. He ran his fingers through the short hairs on his arms. Behind him the first rays of the sun shone through the shattered stone doorway and almost directly up the corridor onto the stunned faces of Gurth, Amanda and Megan. A large, hot, wet and rough tongue rasped across his cheek, feeling like it was taking half the skin with it. He opened one eye and stared directly into the panther's face. "Oh shit, not you again." he moaned. Lee shoved her way past the others and rushed towards him. She wrapped her arms around him protectively. "You know," he told her as she cradled his head in her lap, "We really have got to stop meeting like this." "Huh?" asked Lee. "You." he explained, "Every time I'm naked, you've got your arms around me." Lee laughed, and leaned over to kiss him. "Here, you look like you could use this." said Llama. She was stood there, wrapped in a blanket, looking down at them. She threw another blanket to Percy. "What happened to you?" asked Percy, wrapping himself in the blanket and getting to his feet. "You look like hell." He looked down at his toes, wriggling them. "God, you don't know how good it is to see you guys again." he muttered. Llama looked him up and down. "You don't look so good yourself." she retorted. "Well, I feel great!" said Percy, smiling and throwing one arm around Lee's shoulders. Llama grinned - a grin with a hint of insanity in it. "Well," she said, smiling, "It's nice to have you back. Let's go and find some clothes and get on with this crazy adventure." "Now hold on a minute..." interrupted Sick, "Just what are you planning to do?" "Yeah," agreed Yeti, "I mean, shouldn't we get your body out of that crack first?" "Um." said Llama. "Let me get some clothes on, then I'll sort that out. Then we have got to get moving."
A few minutes later found Llama dressed in a short skirt and halter top, and stood on the edge of the fissure in the pool-room. Percy was also dressed and stood with the others surrounding the pit. "I don't know why you guys have got to watch," moaned Llama, "I mean, I'm only going to retrieve my body and fix it." "Yeah, well, this I GOTTA see!" said Sick, "It's not often we get to see a god at work." "Okay," said Llama, "But I think you're going to find it pretty boring..." She looked into the pit, mumbled something to her self, and then looked at the others with a satisfied smile on her face. "Well?" said Yeti, "Don't just stand there. Get on with it." "I already did." said Llama, "Look behind you." All the companions turned. There, led on the floor behind them, was Llama's body, unscathed. Not believing what he saw, Sick looked back down the fissure, then behind him at the body again. "That's it?" he asked, a note of disappointment in his voice. "Yes, said Llama, "What did you expect? Fireworks or something?" DeOre looked puzzled. "the laws of magic require an equal mass to move in the opposite direction," he muttered, as much to himself as to anyone else. "So how did she do that? There must be a reaction." "Well," hypothesised Gurth, "The laws of magic apply when using existing magical energy. But the Laws of magic state that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Since The Maker creates her own magical energy as she needs it, then it's not entirely unlikely that she can defy the laws of magic." "Yes," agreed DeOre, "That's true. But if that's so, then the possibilities and repercussions are astounding..." "Indeed." agreed Gurth, "For instance..." "DO YOU TWO MIND?" bellowed H'Rutt. Gurth and DeOre turned to stare at him, surprised expressions on their startled faces. "Thank you." said H'Rutt. "You know, I just hate to break up such an intellectual conversation, but I think it's time to go." He motioned to where the others were leaving the room.
Chapter 29: "In Fate we trust... are we suckers or what?!!!"
Llama turned yet another corner in the maze of corridors and stopped. In front of her was yet another fork in the path. Percy walked into the back of her. Behind she heard cries of "Whoa!" and "Everyone stop!" as the small party drew to a halt. "Which way now?" asked Percy. Llama clicked her fingers in the air. One of the tunnels ahead lit up, the other disappeared in darkness. Llama pointed to the lit tunnel. "That way." she said, and started forward again.
Beast pushed his way past the others to walk alongside Llama. She turned to look at him, never slowing the brisk pace she was setting, a question on her face. "I can smell something." He told her, "Something bad. I don't know what it is, but it's big, it's bad, and it has a real B.O. problem." "Oh." said Llama, "Thanks. For letting me know, I mean." "Anytime." said Beast, and dropped back to his place in the line. Percy leant forward to talk into Llama's ear. "I just want you to know, I heard that." he said. "I hope you've got a plan, this time. A real one, I mean, not just made up as we go along." "Um." replied Llama, "Sure. I have. A plan. Really. Honest!" "Harrumph!" snorted Percy. Megan tugged Yeti's sleeve. "Where are we?" she asked. Yeti leaned forward and looked over Sick's shoulder. Sick was busy juggling armful's of printed paper, trying to follow a complex map of the labyrinth. "Where are we?" Yeti asked him. "Right about here." pointed Sick. "And this big chamber here is where we want to get to." he indicated on the map. "I see." said Yeti, "Not far to go then. Pooh, what's that smell?" "It's not me!" protested Sick, "I never farted!" "Well?" Megan asked Yeti. "It's not much farther." Yeti told her, "We're almost there. Can't you smell it?" "Smell what?" asked Megan, sniffing the air. "Nope." she shook her head. "I can't smell anything." Lee sneezed and pinched her nose shut with her fingers. "Ughh! That's disgusting!" she complained.
"Krom!" cussed H'Rutt, "What IS that smell?" Amanda, who was walking behind him, sniffed the air. "What smell?" she asked, "I can't smell anything." Percy wrinkled his nose in disgust. "You've gotta be kidding me." he said, "That stinks!" Llama sniffed the air too. "Nope," she said, "You guys must be imagining it..." "Do you realise what you just said?" asked Amanda, "That's it! that's the answer!" "What?" asked Percy, alarmed. "Well," explained Amanda, "I think it's dragon shit. But only certain people can smell it." "Oh." said Percy, "Like only women, you mean?" "Not exactly." said Amanda, "Some women can too. Only those - of virtue - you know, as in sacrifice, can't smell it." "Eh?" asked Percy "I don't get it." "Only virgin's can't smell it." explained Llama, impatiently, then realising what she'd just said, "Oops! I mean, uh..." "That's right." agreed Amanda. Percy looked at Amanda, then at Llama, and smirked. "Don't you dare bloody laugh." warned Llama, "I can't help it if this body..." "Okay okay!" chortled Percy, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He turned to look at Yeti and Megan. "You mean you two... you never..." Megan slapped him across the face. "And just what sort of girl do you think I am?" she demanded angrily, getting ready to hit him again. Percy was saved at that moment by Lee crying out. Her eyes crossed, her knees went, and she crumpled to the floor. "What is it?" asked Percy, concerned. "What's wrong with her?" "The... the smell." stuttered Oof, his eyes rolling back into his head as he too toppled over backwards. "Oh great." said Llama, "Now we gotta carry them, I suppose." "Urf." said H'Rutt. "What?" asked Llama, watching in disbelief as H'Rutt too collapsed. Percy too gave a half-strangled squawk and dropped. Looking around, Llama realised that DeOre and Beast were also out cold. "Great!" said Yeti, "How are we supposed to carry all of them?" Megan looked at him, then smiled. Amanda smirked and giggled, and Llama stifled a laugh. "What?" asked Yeti, bewildered. "Er." said Llama, "Your the only MAN who's not unconscious. Geddit?" "Eh? Oh! Hold, I don't get it." questioned Yeti, "I can smell it, and it smells bad, but not that strong." "Well," mused Amanda, "I guess all men can smell it. I guess though that only, uh, experienced, men find the smell so intolerable as to render them unconscious. Others, like you" she indicated Yeti, "whilst still able to smell it, don't find the odour incapacitating." "You what?" asked Llama. "Never mind," said Yeti, "I get the gist. So what do we do now?" "I suggest we move these sleeping beauties back up the corridor where the smell isn't so bad, so that they can recover, while we four carry on." said Amanda. "Okay." agreed Megan, picking Lee up under the shoulders and starting to drag her back up the corridor a little way. The others helped, and soon they had all the unconscious members of the party a short distance back up the corridor. Pretty soon the foursome were ready to continue exploring. They set off back down the corridor, towards the source of the evil smell.
A few hundred yards further down the path from where the smell had incapacitated their comrades, the corridor widened out into a much larger cave. In the centre of the cave were a series of large, rounded rocks, ranging in colour from chalky white through sulphurous yellow to deep brown. Wandering around these strange round rocks, the foursome soon discovered that this larger cave was dwarfed by the huge cavern that opened out again from where they were stood. Rising up, from twenty or thirty yards inside the cavern, was a pile of gold, and gems, and jewellery and armour and weapons like nothing they had ever seen, rising to a peak that must have been hundreds of feet high in the middle. It stretched for as far as they could see, which was quite a long way, as the cavern was well lit through several large openings in the ceiling and walls. Llama sat down in shock. Megan leaned on Amanda for support, and Yeti staggered backwards to lean against one of the brown spheroid rocks, his mouth hanging open in amazement. A frown crossed Yeti's face, and he patted one hand against the rock he was leaning against. Quickly he straightened up, edging away from the rock, and sniffed his hand. "Arrgghhh!" he gargled. "What? What? What's wrong?" asked Llama, whirling. "It's shit!" cried Yeti. "It's the biggest fucking pile of shit I've ever seen!" "You sure?" asked Llama, "It looks like gold to me." "Not out there, you stupid twit." cussed Yeti, "In here. This. This is a giant turd." Llama looked at the huge brown rock, mouth agape. "Shit!" she said. "Exactly." commented Amanda. "It looks like you've found the dragon's dung pit." "Not the same dragon that we met on the way here?" asked Llama, "He wasn't that big. I could manage him." "No." agreed Amanda, "This one looks much larger. And, judging by that horde out there, much meaner. I'd guess this one is a female." "How come?" asked Yeti, wiping his hands off in his jeans, and removing the jacket he was wearing. he took one look at the brown stain down the back of the jacket and discarded it in disgust. "The female of the species is much larger than the male," explained Megan, "And she's alot more aggressive too. This horde is more likely to be her nest. They like soft metals, you see." she added. "Great." said Yeti, "So what your saying is that she's not only alot nastier, but that there's also probably eggs or young in here that she's going to be protecting?" "That's about right." agreed Megan. "The question is, can Llama handle her?" Yeti asked Amanda. "I don't know." Amanda admitted, "I can't, and you two don't stand a chance. As for Llama - who knows? If she really IS The Maker, then maybe she's got a chance. But I wouldn't like to put money on it." "So, what now?" he asked. "I suggest we start looking for the Zyph gem." suggested Amanda. "And the dragon?" asked Yeti. "We worry about that when we meet her." stated Amanda. "You and Megan start on that side, Llama and I'll start over there." she pointed to opposite sides of the huge pile of treasure.
"Um." said Yeti as they explored the pile of treasure. "What exactly does this Zyph gem look like?" he asked Megan. "How should I know?" she replied, "I thought YOU knew what we were looking for." "Oh, I know what we're looking for." he admitted, "I just don't know what it looks like." "Aw, hell." moaned Megan. "This gets better by the minute..." "Hey, It could be worse," pointed out Yeti, "We could have run into the dragon... Ouch!" This last was added as he tripped over something. "Don't even think about it!" warned Megan, "Oh! Are you alright?" "Yeah." muttered Yeti, "What the hell did I trip over? Oh. Shit." He poked at a long scaly tubular thing about the thickness of his arm lying across the gold and gems. Following the length of the object along one way, it tapered to about a finger's width, and stopped. Yeti looked at it puzzled. He raised one foot to give it a good hearty kick, when Megan laid a hand on his arm and raised a finger to her lips. "Shhh." she warned him, pointing the other way, where the tube thickened out and disappeared into the heart of the huge pile of treasure. "What?" he asked, puzzled. The pile of gold stirred.
Oof woke up. There was a terrible stench in his nostrils. Shaking his head to try and clear it of the wooziness he was feeling, he looked about him, at H'Rutt, Percy, Beast, DeOre, Gurth and Lee all unconscious. There was no sign of Llama, Amanda, Yeti or Megan he noticed. Getting to his feet, he brushed the dirt off of his armour. In doing so his fingers accidentally brushed against the control panel down one side, and he only noticed when he banged his head on the ceiling that his feet were no longer on the floor. Frantically fiddling with the control panel, he finally managed to hit the right switch, and dropped like a stone right across the others. The force of his landing was enough to wake them up, and for a few seconds confusion reigned. When things had finally settled down, and everyone knew what had happened, the group decided that they had better go and look for the missing members of the party. Unfortunately they were at a node in the tunnel complex, with multiple pathways leading off in all directions. H'Rutt thought he recognised the route they had arrived by, which left three other possible paths. They decided that the best course of action would be to split up. H'Rutt and DeOre went one way, Beast and Oof another. Lee, Percy and Gurth took the remaining path.
Amanda and Llama rounded another large mound in the pile of gold, and caught sight of Megan and Yeti. They seemed to be resting behind a couple of chests that were piled against each other, gems and gold coins spilling from the open lids. "Hi you two!" waved Llama, "No luck?" "Shhh!" hissed Yeti, waving frantically for them to be quiet. Llama frowned, puzzled. Amanda started to look around warily. "What's up?" whispered Llama, when they got close enough to talk quietly. In reply, Yeti pointed a finger at the long tail lying in the pile of gold, following it along to where it disappeared into the pile of gold. "Oh hell." she whispered quietly. Llama tapped Amanda on the shoulder. Amanda turned and looked at her questioningly. "What?" she asked. "I've got an idea." explained Llama. Yeti groaned loudly. Llama continued, "Follow me." She started to walk down the pile of gold towards the wall of the cavern. Megan shrugged to the other two, and all three followed her down, curious. When they got to the cavern wall, they could see that there were openings all the way around the cavern. Llama led them into one of these rooms, where suits of armour and shields and swords and other weapons were piled and stacked against the walls. "You don't seriously think you're going to get me dressed up in one of those overgrown tin-cans?" warned Yeti. "We'd be roasted alive in those things!" "No not these." Llama shook her head and headed for the back of the room. She moved several large suits of armour aside and triumphantly pulled at a doorway that was exposed behind them. The door swung slowly open, with a grating creak, and several other suits of armour and shields fell crashing to the floor. "Shit!" exclaimed Megan, "Go careful, or you'll wake the dragon up!" Llama walked into the room beyond. Dust swirled around her feet, and fumbling along the wall, she flicked the light switch on. "There!" she cried triumphantly, "I knew they were here somewhere!" "Yes, but what exactly are they?" asked Amanda dubiously, eyeing the four feminine shapes stood in the middle of the room.
Chapter 30: "Vampire's are a pain in the neck!"
"These," announced Llama proudly, walking up to the figures and brushing dust off of one of them, "are the legendary Battle-Suits of the fearsome Tantrite Rebels." "Who?" asked Yeti. "Only the four most incredible female warrior's ever," explained Amanda, "They single handedly destroyed the evil empire of Rathos." she continued. "Even my own fighting programs are based on their techniques and skills." "Tantrites..." muttered Megan, "Rathos - weren't they the ones who used the Rath Fire to conquer their enemies, and take over half the known world?" she asked. "That's right," agreed Amanda, "although it was more like three quarters of the known world. Rath Fire is the equivalent of a miniature nuclear explosion in your world, Yeti." she explained. "It can be controlled and directed to wipe out a small area of only a hundred yards or so, or lay waste entire continents. Not even armies employing dragons could withstand it..." "...and the Tantrite four were able to destroy the empire because their armour could withstand the Rath Fire!" finished Megan, "So if we wear their armour, we should be protected against the dragon's breath!" "Right!" agreed Llama, grabbing a rag off of a row of pegs on the wall. Shaking the rag out revealed it to be a one-piece leotard affair, and Llama quickly slipped out of her clothes and into the leotard. She indicated to the others to do likewise, as she proceeded to strip the armour off of the dummy it was mounted on and don it herself. When she was fully dressed in the armour, she turned to examine herself in a conveniently placed full-height mirror, and gave herself an approving smile. Amanda and Megan had changed into the leotards, and climbed into two of the Battle-Suits in the manner that Llama had demonstrated. The remaining suit sat empty. "Well?" asked Llama, turning to Yeti. "Hey, these are great!" commented Megan, "It's like I'm not wearing armour at all. It's really light and free to move!" "You don't seriously expect me to dress in that?" complained Yeti, "It's designed for a girl!" "So?" asked Llama, picking up an ovoid-shaped helmet off of a rack on the wall. "Don't be silly." scolded Amanda, "It's about your size. It's either that or get roasted! Now get changed." Yeti shook his head. "I suppose I haven't got any choice," he muttered, "But I am NOT wearing that bloody thing!" he pointed finger at the leotard. "Well, you can't wear your clothes in it." said Amanda, "It's too tight a fit. You'll have to strip down to your underwear." Grumbling and muttering Yeti stripped down to his underpants and climbed into the suit, with assistance from the three girls. When it had all been fastened into place, Llama handed him another helmet from the bench. The other two had already put their helmets on. "Are we ready?" asked Amanda, her voice sounding funny from inside the helmet. . "I guess so." replied Yeti, examining himself in the female armour. "God, I hope none of the others see me in this." "They wouldn't know it was you if they did," replied Megan. The rest of her sentence was cut off by a deafening roar, and everything disappearing in a blinding whirl as the room filled with a rushing inferno of flame.
H'Rutt emerged from the corridor into a store-room, full of barrels and shelves full of cheeses and other foodstuffs. DeOre appeared in the room behind him. H'rutt readied a hand on the huge longsword strapped to his back, and trod silently forward. DeOre silently mouthed an incantation ready, and raising his hands in the classic spell-casting poise in preparation, tiptoed after the huge barbarian. Climbing the steps at the other end of the room quietly one at a time, H'Rutt put one hand out on the door ready. He gave the door a huge shove, sending it crashing back on it's hinges, and stepped quickly through, pointing the sword first to one side then the other as he made sure the room beyond was clear. He beckoned to DeOre to follow. Carefully they proceeded from room to room, encountering no-one, until they emerged into a courtyard. Unfortunately the courtyard was full of monks - all well-armed and practising various forms of combat around the yard.
Llama picked herself up from where the blast of the dragon's breath had blown her against the wall, and brushed herself down. She turned to make sure the other's were okay. "Everyone alright?" she asked, giving Yeti a helping hand to his feet. "Yeah..." replied Yeti, "What the fuck happened?" "I think the dragon woke up." commented Amanda dryly. "The bitch!" cursed Llama, "Sneaking an attack on us like that! I'll bloody well teach her!" "Wait..." started Megan, but Llama was already storming out of the chamber into the room beyond. "Oh shit." said Amanda, "I don't think that was a good idea on her part..." "Well, don't just stand there, let's go help her!" urged Megan. "I meant the dragon!" explained Amanda. "Oh." said Megan as they hurried out of the room after Llama.
In the main cavern, there was no sign of the dragon. Climbing rapidly up the treasure pile, Llama soon reached the point where Yeti had found the dragon's tail sticking out from the pile of gold. Sure enough, there it was. Amanda, Megan and Yeti stood at the bottom of the pile, looking up, watching Llama. "She's not going to do what I think she's going to do, is she?" asked Yeti with a note of impending doom in his voice. "Probably." replied Amanda. "I thought so." said Yeti. Up on the pile, Llama grasped the tail with both hands and gave it an almighty jerk. Bellowing with pain, the dragon burst out from under the pile of gold, roaring and swiping at the small figure that had caused it so much pain. It's eyes focused on Llama, and hissing, it drew it's head back and breathed flame at her. Llama disappeared from view in an incandescent inferno. All in all, the flame only lasted for about ten seconds or so, but to those stood watching below, it seemed like an eternity. "God," muttered Yeti, "I sure hope this armour works!" The flames subsided, and there was no sign of Llama where she had been stood. Rivulets of molten gold and gems ran down the heap, to form cooling puddles on the floor nearby. "Shit!" said Yeti, "Looks like she was wrong..." "I don't understand..." said Megan. "Wait," cautioned Amanda, "Don't be so hasty. She's not done for yet." As if on cue, a slender figure clambered into view, from somewhere below their line of sight up the heap. Llama stood, unscathed, and waved a finger in the air at the dragon. "I get it!" said Yeti, "The heat melted the gold she was stood on, and she sank into the puddle! But How did you know?" he asked. "Like you always say," explained Amanda, "You're never that lucky." The dragon lunged at Llama, great jaws snapping shut about her. It stood there, frozen for a second, jaws locked shut, a puzzled expression on it's face. Then the top of its head exploded outwards, showering blood and brains everywhere, as the figure of Llama burst out in a fountain of gore. The dragon slumped forward down the heap, dead. "Hooray!" shouted Megan, "She did it! She did it! she killed the dragon!" "Uh-oh." warned Amanda, "I think the mother's going to be a little upset..." "Mother...?" asked Megan, puzzled. She was answered by a deafening roar, and the sight of something incredibly huge dropping downwards from the ceiling of the cavern straight at Llama.
Percy put one arm around Lee's shoulders comfortingly. He carefully examined the wall and floor for any more traps or secret buttons, and sat them both down, to recover from the shock. A few yards away, Gurth's body lay smashed and buried beneath a huge boulder, his lifeless eyes staring out, and one hand stretched as if asking for help. "Why?" cried Lee, burying her face and tears in Percy's shoulder. "There, there." soothed Percy, not knowing what else he could say. "We didn't know there would be traps. There was nothing we could do about it." He wrapped his arms around her. Lee sat up and searched for something in Percy's face. "What?" he asked, brushing a tear from her cheek. "You... you never knew, did you?" she sobbed. "Knew what?" asked Percy. "About him. About how he felt - about you." "Eh?" asked Percy, confused. "He loved you." she explained. "Eh?" asked Percy again, even more confused. "He loved you. He was... you know." she explained. "What? Gay?" asked Percy, an alarmed expression crossing his face. "Yes." she told him. "Oh, don't be so bloody silly." she chided when she saw the look of horror that crossed his face. "Did he make a pass at you? hmm?" "Well... no." admitted Percy, calming down a bit. "Well then." she got to her feet and brushed herself down. "We'd better get on. There's nothing more we can do here. For him." Percy joined her, throwing back one last look to the body under the rock. Something dangled about six inches from his nose, and he jerked back hurriedly. It was a huge spider, a tarantula, and as he watched, more and more dropped on silky threads from the cavern roof. "Let's get out of here NOW!" he suggested, hurrying off down the corridor, leading Lee by the hand.
H'Rutt felt the power surge through him as the cursed sword blade bit deep and drained yet another monk of his life-energy, feeding it through to H'Rutt. The monk's lifeless body slid off the end of the blade, a look of extreme horror in his eyes. Behind him DeOre was frying, flaming, freezing and impaling monks with various different forms of offensive magic. "Where are you getting all that energy from?" asked H'Rutt over his shoulder, as he sliced another monk's head off. "I wish I knew!" replied DeOre, as he caused a series of fist-sized metal balls to materialise out of thin air and batter an approaching group of monks. "I think Llama must be doing something - there's an incredible amount of magical energy pouring forth from the middle of this mountain, it seems almost limitless." He ducked as H'Rutt's sword swung through the air over his head, decapitating a monk who had been sneaking up behind him.
Llama disappeared as the huge dragon landed on top of her, driving them both deep into the treasure pile, and sending a spray of gold and gems flying in the air as if it were a liquid. Megan, Amanda and Yeti ran for cover as metal rained down around them. "I thought she killed it?" Yeti asked, from the shelter of the rock ledge they were hiding under. "That was one of her young." explained Amanda, "This is the mother. And she's pissed at Llama for killing her baby." "Ah!" said Yeti, comprehending. Another shower of metal exploded from the heap as the incredibly huge body of the dragon flew upwards to land on it's back the other side of the cavern with an earthshaking crash. Llama emerged from the deep chasm left in the heap and looked around for the dragon. The huge beast rolled over onto all fours, and turned to face her. The dragon hissed at her, its mouth towering open just in front of Llama, teeth like Greek columns dripping saliva, as gems and coins twinkled where they were wedged between the teeth and embedded in the gums of the dragons mouth. Llama waved a hand in front of her face, turning her head to one side. "Pooh! Bad breath!" she said, kicking the beast under the chin with one foot. Impossibly the huge head flew upwards and back, as if it had Llama had been the same size as the dragon, and not impossibly small in comparison. The dragon shook it's head, and stared at Llama disbelievingly. An inferno like blast erupted from the dragon's mouth, blasting past and over Llama. It subsided, and Llama stood there, unmoved by even the full force of the blast. The dragon lashed out angrily with a taloned paw, but Llama stopped it dead in mid swipe by catching it with one hand. The huge, scaly tail swept round like a whip, incredibly fast, and before Llama could respond, it had swept her up and sent her smashing into the rock wall of the cavern. She hung there, embedded in the rock for a minute by the force of the blow, then fell slowly to the floor. The armour she was wearing, shattered by the force of the blow, fell apart as she dropped. Lying there, prone on the rocky floor, Llama raised herself to her hands and knees, shaking her head woozily. She groaned. Staggering to her feet, she unsteadily tottered forward, then collapsed to her knees again. "Shit," said Yeti, "Looks like she's done for..." Llama looked up, and focused on the dragon, who was sat watching. There was a flash of light, and the leotard disintegrated in a flash of ashes, Leaving Llama purely in the body-hugging Silver Birthday suit. Llama pointed one finger at the dragon and got to her feet.