Watching and Waiting [Solo]

[Zareb]

Zareb lay still, coiled in the corner of his Conclave’s meeting room. His tongue flicked the air every so often. He was early, but that was nothing new. As the members slithered their way into the shadowed room, Zareb took note of each one, lest an unfamiliar face sneak in. Some may call him paranoid, but being thorough gave him peace of mind. The matriarch herself was the last to enter. Must’ve been preoccupied. As usual.

Zareb lifted his chest and slid forward across the floor, making his presence known. The queen Lamia took her spot atop a short, raised plateau and called the meeting to attention. Zareb placed one of his four fists against the ground and tucked his tail beneath himself. He listened intently to the on goings of the tribe. The bears were waking from their hibernation and the Birds were migrating. This wasn’t terribly important, the other Taguel had their yearly cycles and followed them like clockwork.

There was something new though. Something was stomping around a set of nearby ruins. Something different than the Taguel and it wasn’t a monster. The conclave needed somebody to look into this new creature. Everybody in the room knew who that somebody was going to be. Zareb lifted from his torso. “Matriarch. Allow me to… inssspect thisss problem.” Zareb’s black scales meant he was the perfect candidate for the surveillance.

The matriarch agreed for him to go survey the ruins, alone. That was fine with Zareb, he would rather work alone in missions such as these. Less bodies, less noise. It allowed him to hide better. The meeting continued with calls for skirmishers and guardians, both of which, were roles occupied by other Naga. No, Zareb had his role and he knew it well. The meeting was adjourned and Zareb watched the others leave the room before he himself left.

He ascended to the surface of the underground Conclave. The late afternoon sun felt good on his dark scales. The heat helped to warm his cold blood. But he couldn’t spend too much time hanging around, basking in the rays. He had to get into position.

Zareb travelled toward the ruins in question. It was surprisingly closeby. No wonder why this mission took priority over the skirmishes. Zareb surveyed the area and found a couple of fallen pillars to coil up beneath. The sun hadn’t set yet but it was dusk. Perfect. He was already concealed and the lack of light would help with the stealth.

Zareb’s tongue flicked the air. It tasted cold, and worrisome. Something strange was in the area. Or had been in the area, recently. Perhaps a nocturnal hunter or something had just left. Whatever it was, it was Zareb’s mission to find out. And he intended to do so secretly. Zareb got comfortable, if it was a nocturnal predator, it wouldn’t return until the night was nearly through. The sun was just now setting, giving way to the light of the stars and a crescent moon.

[Zareb]

Aside from his flicking tongue, Zareb laid motionless beneath the fallen pillars of the ruins. He was there for half the night, but the taste in the air never faded. It was potent feeling of the unknown. The unknown was always troublesome, but the unknown gives way to known under scrutiny. Zareb was comfortable enough with the protection of his surveillance post to stay here for days.

But that wouldn’t be necessary. Zareb’s tongue picked up on something. That foreign taste, it was growing stronger. Thereby the source was growing nearer. Zareb gave his long body and many limbs a quick check to ensure he was fully concealed. He was. Not to mention the cover of night, but that only really helped against those who aren’t adjusted to the dim light conditions.

Zareb picked up on the vibrations rippling through the ground. The target was coming from the west. Based on the frequency, bipedal. Also heavy, maybe a bear on its hind legs? That seemed like a stretch. The bear tribe was just waking from hibernation and the preliminary intelligence claimed that it was something new. Bears aren’t new to Vinland. They’ve been here for millennia and any Snake worth its skin knew that. The tribe was concerned with the protection of historical knowledge and pursuit of further understanding after all.

So the question was: What is something bipedal, heavy and rare? Zareb did not know off the top of his corba-like head. It couldn’t be a monster, he could taste their stench from a mile away. He waggled his tongue through the air, searching for a hint. The air tasted of metal. Could that be it? One of those heavily armored beorc who have come to the island. But why would they be up so late, without a fire to light the area?

The speculation was close, but still didn’t quite add up. It was perhaps best that Zareb just lie and wait. All would be revealed in time. He just needed to be patient, and careful. The target was drawing ever closer. Zareb kept his serpentine eyes peeled to get a good look at the creature.

The creature walked on two legs, as expected. It travelled into the ruins on hooves. Cow-like legs up to the waist, then a humanoid torso, not too much unlike a Naga or Lamia. The beast’s muscular arms were adorned with metal bracelets and armbands. The head, however, was that of a bull. Zareb knew the name of this creature of myth and legend. Minotaur. Zareb racked his memory to regain all the information about the beast. As long as there weren’t any females around and it wasn’t the first Tuesday of the month, the Minotaur should be tame enough.

The Minotaur suddenly stopped moving and turned its snout into the air. It inhaled through its nostrils a couple times and began to look around the ruins. Zareb’s eyes widened. No way. Have I been detected so easily by this beast? The beast continued to search, lifting huge slabs of ruined architecture with its bare hands.

"I know you're here snake."

[Zareb]

Zareb was cursing at himself internally. How could he be discovered in a matter of seconds by a beast? No matter, he could always dash away with his quicksilver speed. It seemed as though the Minotaur hadn’t found his exact location quite yet, so he had some time to think. The only real question was when should he move? He likely wouldn’t get a chance to speak with a Minotaur again. Perhaps the beast had much information to offer him and his tribe. It was a risk, but Zareb decided he would take it.

Zareb slithered from his cover and approached the beast. Upon closer inspection, the Minotaur had tufts of gray fur mixed in with its brown. The Minotaur eyed him up and down, rather nonchalantly. First things first. Perhaps it was pride that made Zareb so curious, maybe he wanted to know how to avoid the same mistake in the future. “Minotaur. How did you detect me sssso quickly.” The beast let out a laugh, huffing air through its nostrils. Zareb squinted his eyes at the act. After a moment the gray haired beast’s laughter died down and it spoke.

“I didn’t detect you. I’ve been moving around these ruins and claiming to see a Snake Taguel each night since I first noticed a couple of them nearby a few days ago.”

Zareb wanted to bash his face against a nearby pillar. He was furious at how he had fallen for such a rookie mistake. The Naga crossed his two sets of arms across his chest. There must be a reason why this Minotaur was so inclined to meet a snake. Zareb would like to know. “Ssssurely you didn’t make a fool of me without reassson.” The snake taguel hissed toward the beast.

The Minotaur laughed lightly. “Of course not friend. You see, I have been around for a mighty long time. Long enough to know the snakes and their connection to the past. Your tribe knows the import of history’s preservation. As do I. That is why I wanted to speak with one of your kind.” Zareb understood, honestly he was somewhat flattered. That is not to say that he was going to let his guard down any time soon.

“I’m here. Ssso ssspeak.” Zareb’s tongue flipped around a couple times from habit. The Minotaur shook his head.

“It’ll probably be better if I show you.” Zareb didn’t like that one bit. He would have to be a fool to follow a potential enemy into a potential trap. But it would also be a fool who refuses a chance to learn. For the sake of completing his mission thoroughly, he agreed.

“Lead the way. Minotaur.” So long as he still had his escape plan, he could afford to be a little bold with his decisions. The beast turned his back to the snake and began stomping off in the opposite direction. Zareb took note that he could strike right now, if he wanted to. He did not. The black cobra let out a puff of air, uncrossed his arms and slithered behind the Minotaur.

[Zareb]

The two moved in silence for a time. Not the complete silence that Zareb was used to. The Minotaur’s heavy footfalls made far too much noise for Zareb to call this silent. Suffice to say they just weren’t speaking. Zareb was still too suspicious of the Minotaur’s desires and motives to speak freely. He was tense, following a few yards behinds the Minotaur. From the myths and legends that he had heard, Minotaurs weren’t particularly tricky or malevolent. That said, they usually weren’t so well spoken. This was clearly an edge case, an unusually kind of Minotaur.

The beast turned its large bull head and eyed Zareb. The bullman squinted his eyes. Zareb coundn’t tell what for. Was the Minotaur upset for some reason? Perhaps it saw red somewhere. Zareb got ready to bail on this whole prospect. “Forgive me, my eyes are old. And even though I know you’re right behind me, it’s terribly difficult to see you in this light.” Zareb understood. The Minotaur was simply squinting because he was well camouflaged in the low light conditions.

“Assss it ssshould be.” That was the only response that came from the Naga’s mouth. His tongue was still flipping through the air. If there was a trap or anything off, he would sense it. He did sense something, like dust was in the air. The Minotaur came upon a ridge, climbed it and paused. Zareb followed. What he saw on the opposite side of the ridge was both surprising and mundane.

The Beorc had set up a mine. They were taking the minerals from the land to convert them into their tools and armor. Zareb knew that this was how Beorc interacted with the land, but they had only recently discovered Vinland. Not to mention that this wasn’t their land to alter. Zareb examined the fading torches that must have been lit earlier in the evening. Not even those had been extinguished properly. It certainly was an annoyance, but what would he do about it. Zareb was certain that the matriarch wouldn’t engage with the Beorc over something like this.

“Why are you sssshowing me thisss?” Zareb asked of the Minotaur. The Minotaur half shrugged. “I wanted to see what you thought of the Beorc converting your homeland into mines. The land of your tribe, your history.” Zareb was curious what the Minotaur was trying to do. Was he trying to incite rage within the snake?

“Would you have me fight them? Protect Vinland? I’m not a warrior.” The Minotaur somewhat shrugged again.

“Your eyes are better than mine. You’re a watcher, keep tabs on them. Make sure that they don’t go too far.” Zareb flicked his tongue through the air. Tasted like iron.

“And if they did go too far… What would I do then?” The Minotaur did not shrug this time.

“I can help you out with that. Those humans frighten easily. If we give them a scare or two, they will likely go running all the way back to their homes on the continent.” Zareb nodded. Of course, he would have to run this by the matriarch before he accepted the Minotaur’s request.

[Zareb]

Zareb returned to the conclave alone. He agreed to meet with the Minotaur at the same ruins where they first met again the next day. Zareb gave his report to the matriarch. He managed to leave out the part where he was so easily tricked into revealing himself. He claimed that he simply tailed the Minotaur to the beorc’s mine. The mine was still in its early stages but Zareb explained the Minotaur’s request to watch it. Zareb was inclined to agree but the matriarch did not quite see it the same way.

The matriarch claimed it was a waste of resources to have him simply watching a mine that may become a problem to the tribe’s habitat. If it became a problem, they would certainly find out about it and then they could drive the beorc away. Zareb wasn’t inclined to argue, but he did request that he get permission to talk to the Minotaur again the next night. Also a waste of resources but the matriarch agreed. Zareb waited for the cover of night once more before travelling to the ruins again.

This time Zareb found a close by tree to slither up and stalk from. He wrapped his long tail around a sturdy tree branch and waited as he had done so many times before. Zareb’s black tongue tasted the air. It tasted like the elderly Minotaur. He was close. Zareb scanned the ruins, but failed to see the beast. If only the beast made a few movements, Zareb would be able to pinpoint the location fairly easily. Also, no region in particular held the Minotaur’s scent. The creature had probably spent so much time trolling these grounds that everything had its scent.

Zareb got comfortable, the same way he had the past night. Who knew how long it would take for the Minotaur to make a move. Zareb closed his eyelids and let his tongue hang from his mouth. Anything he needed to sense would be picked up through taste and touch. Fortunately, he did not have to wait very long before the Minotaur revealed himself.
A few heavy steps into the center of the ruins caused Zareb to open his eyes and let his upper body hang from the tree branch. The Naga scanned the situation just to ensure that this wasn’t some kind of convoluted ruse. It appeared safe enough. He slowly uncoiled his tail, catching himself with his two pairs of arms as they approached the ground. Zareb righted himself and slithered to meet the Minotaur.

The Minotaur didn’t see Zareb coming, so the snake made his presence known. Hopefully avoiding startling the beast in any way. This was still a Minotaur after all. Minotaurs were never known for their ability to diffuse situations. Zareb spoke softly but audibly.

“Hello, Minotaur. I have sssome… upsssetting newsss.” The minotaur turned to face the Naga. The beast didn't seem too upset by the introduction. Perhaps it had expected as much.

[Zareb]

The Minotaur had already guessed what had gone wrong. "Matriarch turned my proposition down huh?" Zareb got the feeling that he wasn't the first snake tribe the Minotaur had come across. for the beast to be so well versed in the politics of the tribe, he must have been around a mighty long time. Zareb looked away. He had wanted to help the Minotaur but rules are rules. These particular rules have been in place for a long time. They are what kept the snake tribes so safe and concealed throughout their years.

"Isn't there some way you could disobey? Just this once?" Zareb immediately shook his cobra head. That would be tantamount to him breaking every moral he had developed over his thirty three years of life. He would never disobey the matriarch's orders. Nobody in any snake tribe would.

"You ssshould know I can't do that." The Minotaur smirked and blew some air out of his nostrils, in a laughing fashion. The air quickly turned into steam in the cool night. Zareb gathered that the Minotaur wasn't being entirely serious with the question. He coiled his tail beneath his torso and leaned back upon it. It was a form of sitting that one without legs could do. Two of his arms crossed his chest while the third and fourth ones braced against his serpentine chin. If he had a beard of any sort he would stroke it as he contemplated. Perhaps there was a way for them to work together. The Naga lifted his tail and rose slightly to speak to the Minotaur.

The Minotaur gave the dark Naga its attention as he began to speak. "Would you mind ssspeaking with the Matriarch yourssself?" This could come off as a loaded question. Zareb's tribe was entirely protective of their conclave, not to mention their matriarch. If they saw a beast strolling into the territory, he would be attacked on sight.

"Does that really seem like the best course of action?" Maybe the Minotaur was correct.It probably wasn't worth the risk. Also, this large creature wasn't the stealthiest of beings. If the roles were reversed, Zareb was confident he could infiltrate a community of Minotaurs. If it wasn't the first Tuesday of course. The Naga 'sat' back down.

"You're likely correct." He relented. The duo continued to ponder their options. The thought crossed his mind that maybe he could convince the matriarch to come out here and speak with the Minotaur. She wouldn't go for that. At the very least she would take an escort and that provided too many variables. They needed to come up with something simple but convincing. Zareb came up with an idea.

"We need evidenccce... That thessse beorc are dangerousss." The minotaur slowly nodded his agreement.

"And how do we provide this evidence?" A solid question, but Zareb had already thought of that part.

"Sssimple. I infiltrate the mine and find sssome." Zareb flicked his black tongue through the air as if to punctuate his plan.

[Zareb]

The Minotaur chuckled heartily. "I like it." Zareb nodded. He was glad the Minotaur was on board with his plan. It was simple but effective. Perhaps they were becoming fast friends. Now all that mattered was the execution. That and actually finding something that could be construed as dangerous. The beast and the Taguel made their way back to the hillside that overlooked the Beorc's mine. They paused at the crest of the hill and surveyed the situation. As with the night before, the majority of the torches were burning low. This was good for Zareb, he thrived in low light situations.

Zareb tasted the air. The smell of Beorc was too strong for them to be completely gone. Perhaps they had patrols. But if they had patrols, then they were protecting something. Something important. Zareb had an intention of finding out what that something was. He gave the Minotaur a look, pointed at the beast and then to the ground. He then pointed toward himself and then to the mine. Then hand gestures indicated that the Minotaur would stay here and keep a lookout, while he went down to the mine, alone.

Of course moving alone meant he would have to be careful not to get detected. That was nothing new for the spy. He had been trained in infiltration and espionage. Now was time to use his abilities. Zareb quickly slithered down the hillside, using the brush as cover. He climbed a tree, similar to how he did before as he waited for the Minotaur. This time, he laid in wait for a patrol to come around.

Zareb was motionless for what he estimated as fifteen minutes. Then he felt a pair of footsteps reverberating from the mouth of the man-made cave. Two patrolmen. Lightly armored. But why the armor? What are they thinking of fighting? Zareb didn't like the fact that they were armed, but it gave him even more reason to inspect the mine. The two patrolmen reentered the mineshaft, chatting away, suspecting nothing. Zareb still waited. He wanted to make sure there were no more patrols, perhaps working in tandem.

An estimated twenty minutes passed before the guards returned. They were the same guards as before. Good. It didn't mean that there werent others deeper in the mine, but at least for the beginning area, it was just these two. They returned into the mine and after they had a bit of a lead, Zareb followed them into the man made mineshaft. Zareb flicked the air with his tongue, but it didn't taste solely like beorc and earthen minerals. There was also a faint taste of... something. It was familiar, but he couldn't place it. Whatever the smell was, it was both literally and figuratively on the tip of his tongue.

Zareb spiraled around to the roof of the cave, clinging to the top of the mine with his four reptilian arms. He moved deeper into the mine, careful not to make too much noise as he traveled.

[Zareb]

Zareb clung to the ceiling with his claws. His four arms and tail helped him support his weight like some sort of gecko-snake. He pulled himself forward, silently as possible. The further into the mine shaft he got, the dimmer it became. Fantastic. The black scaled Naga reached a fork in the shaft. There were three branching paths. Zareb flicked his black tongue through the air. From the taste of things, the patrolmen moved east. Unfortunately, that familiar taste was also east. No matter, Zareb was patient. For the time being, he moved to slightly into the western path. He would post up here and wait for the patrolmen to leave the eastern cavern.

Zareb laid in wait on the ceiling of the western wing. His tongue was hanging from his mouth, desperately trying to place what that taste in the air was. It was weighing heavily on his mind. But all he had to do was wait. He would find his answer soon enough. It was soon, when the two patrolmen returned to the branching path and turned to the Northern branch. Lucky guess. Zareb took the chance to move down into the eastern branch.

The father he travelled the more potent it got. Then Zareb found its source, one particular box among many others. There were some books nearby. Zareb’s curiosity got the best of him. He flipped through the book. The Beorc were drawing sketches of the Taguel that they had come across so far. Birds, rabbits, bears. Zareb didn’t like it, but he figured there was nothing wrong with drawing pictures. Zareb replaced the book, as if he had never moved it. He couldn’t waste any more time in this branch, the patrolmen would be continuing their rounds soon.

Zareb silently opened the box and what he saw was concerning indeed. It was a portion of a shed skin. One of a Naga’s hand. That was bad, had it been of a tail, then the humans would have figured it was just a large snake. But since it was a hand, the beorc likely had inclinations of the snake taguel tribes. Zareb wanted to curse. How could someone have been so careless? They were supposed to be the secret protectors of history and knowledge. How could they remain secret if they were leaving evidence of their existence all about?

Zareb had a theory of how it happened. Under the full moon, Lamias transformed and got… intense. Some Naga probably got caught up in the action and well, the rest could explain itself. Zareb shook his head and clenched the shed skin in one of his hands. This was probably evidence enough. Not to mention, he didn’t want the beorc to have physical evidence of their existence. Zareb could feel the patrolmen already on their way back from the entrance.

He must’ve been so caught up here that he lost his track of timing. He knew it was likely a dead end behind him, so he had to make his move, quickly.

[Zareb]

Clock was ticking, Zareb had to flee or risk being spotted or worse. He couldn't allow himself to be captured here. He technically didn't even have authorization from the matriarch to go snooping around in the beorc's mine. If it even was a mine. From the way it seemed, this place was more of a front for something more, sinister. Zareb could feel the vibrations of their footsteps growing nearer. The taste of their furless skin growing stronger. The naga made an inaudible hiss.

He usually liked to save this adaptation of his for last ditch escape plans. Specifically, Zareb preferred to hold onto his quicksilver for after he had been detected and needed a quick way out. But he had no other choice here. Zareb tapped into his quicksilver adaptation and began to slither. He slithered silently and quickly, leaving the west wing and crossing the main tunnel. He dipped into the eastern wing and climbed up the walls in order to cling to the ceiling once again. 

Not moments later the two patrolmen reached the fork in the tunnel. Zareb, of course, had expected them to turn left down the western tunnel. That was the whole reason why he had to use his adaptation to flee the area. However, the patrolmen just stopped. The were waiting at the fork for some reason. Zareb could hear them speaking, but couldn't tell what they were saying. He had to assume the worst. Perhaps they had picked up on his trail. Or maybe they caught a glimpse of him skirting past at high speeds.

Whatever the reason, the patrolmen split up. One moved west, the other came east, toward Zareb. Well, one was better than two. But this was far from the ideal situation. Zareb retreated into the cavern a little more, trying to stay as perfectly hidden as possible. It was dim in the cave, so he was still confident that he could remain undetected.

The solitary patrolman drew closer. He recalled how the Minotaur claimed these beorc scared easily. Perhaps, that explained why the patrolman had one of his tools of sharpened metal drawn. Zareb didn't know what it was that could've given him away. It didn't matter. He simply had to stay hidden. The beorc patrolman strolled close, scanning the floors and walls. Good. If he kept that pattern up, he would completely miss Zareb, who was using three of his four hands to cling to the ceiling. The fourth was holding onto the shed naga skin. That's when Zareb noticed, his fourth hand was entirely empty. 

Talk about being careless. It his quicksilver haste he had dropped the evidence. Not only had he given himself away, he also lost the one thing he was here to obtain. Zareb mentally cursed at himself. He would have to make up for that mistake. When the chance presented itself of course. For now, a beorc patrolman was walking beneath him with a drawn weapon. The Beorc spoke.

"Come on out I know you're here!"

[Zareb]

There was absolutely zero chance that Zareb was going to fall for that again. The Minotaur had tricked him into revealing himself just the day prior with a similar statement. Zareb stayed clung to the ceiling, silent and hiding. He had already used his adaptation, so fleeing wasn’t as much of a possibility as it had been. Zareb may have to covertly take this patrolman out. He wasn’t much of a fighter, but if he got the drop on this beorc, he may be able to kill him.

Zareb considered the possibilities. If he were quick enough, he may have the ability to kill the beorc prior to him calling for assistance. But if he messed up, and the human called for the other patrolman he would certainly have his four hands full. But the beorc wasn’t moving. Now was his chance to strike. Zared flicked his tongue. He resolved himself to fight. It was probably his best shot at getting out of here since they knew he was around. They wouldn’t stop until he was discovered and likely killed. Maybe even captured.

Zareb began to lower his long tail behind the standing beorc. He was silent. Then. In one snapping motion he coiled his tail around the human’s neck and yanked upward. The beorc was lifted off his feet and dropped his weapon to the floor. The man made muffled struggling noises, but the weapon clattered on the floor. It echoed off the walls. Zareb knew it was far too loud to be ignored. The other patrolman called out.

“You okay? Whats going on.” Zareb could hear the man jogging through the halls. He had to dispose of the body. Wait no, he didn’t have time.

He tightened his coil on the patrolman’s throat. After the man stopped struggling, Zareb dropped the body to the floor. He began to crawl along the ceiling, back to the branching path. It was there that he locked eyes with the second patrolman. The man stammered out some incoherent words.

Zareb flicked the air with his black tongue. The patrolman slashed upward at Zareb. The black Naga dodged by falling to the floor. He countered by spinning his tail around at the patrolman’s legs. The second patrolman was surprisingly agile, jumping over the tail whip. The patrolman slashed again, forcing Zareb to retreat backward. He didn’t have much practice fighting against these beorc tools of destruction.

Zareb continued to retreat from the onslaught on slashes and cuts until his back was against a cavern wall. A final cut came, aimed for Zareb’s cobra head. Zareb crawled up the wall, allowing the cut to slash into a piece of his tail. Zareb collapsed back to the floor in pain. He lashed out with an angry hiss. He sunk his fangs into the beorc’s legs. The patrolman grunted in pain.

But all the man needed to do was turn his sword over and bring it down on the back of Zareb’s head. The metal arm began its descent.