Fiction Imrahil's short stories

This is my story for the January-February 2024 Short story contest

The theme was: 'Divine Intervention'

My entry:

Gain a new name

“For the second time, no! We are not taking action yet.” chirped the Skink in the middle of the throne room. A small group of Lizards was gathered here at this hour of the day, just a moment after daybreak. Besides the Skink Oracle, Suqy-nakpa known as the Mouth of Xruzi’o-lla, there were four Skinks of last night’s patrol, six Saurus Temple Guards, stationed in pairs at the entrances and behind the oracle sat Slann Lord Xruzi’o-lla himself on his palanquin. His eyes closed, presumably in meditation.

“We have to!” stated the biggest Skink, Quekkurk'atl, alpha of the patrol “The problem will grow if we do not act now.” He paused to see if his words did find ground. He noticed no change of mind at the Skink in front of him. In reach for a last straw he pointed at the lump of unhealthy fur and bleak skin in between them on the floor, three darts visibly sticking out of it. “Is this not enough evidence!?”
Suqy-nakpa kept his face straight and his hands clenched. “It is as I have said before, by the…” “Quetzl demands us to keep restrain”, intervened a deep and slow voice, the Slann continued: “He will bless us with resilience and endurance to withstand all that will come over us. Like he has done before.”
Two of the Temple Guards couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Quekkurk’atl however let his head down and his shoulders followed. The patrol’s morale visibly dropped. Their Alpha had tried to convince the council, but it fell on deaf ears. Council was actually too high of a praise, it consisted of no more than Lord Xruzi’o-lla and his trusted Oracle. In the olden days the council consisted of two Skink Oracles, two Starseers, two Starpriests and a Slann. Since the Great Departure the stars had not aligned right for new members to rise up.
Although their Lord was still unable to use his magical abilities, he and his Mouth were of one mind, a stubborn one in his opinion.

- o - o - o - o - o -

The sun crested the mountain tops at the east, bathing the Temple City and the lush green jungle valley that surrounded it in morning light. Most of the vegetation was relatively young grown, stimulated by the energy emanating from the city’s stonework.

Quekkurk'atl and his patrol exited the main ziggurat and halted after a couple of steps.
Tetekcotiq turned to their spawn-leader: “What now brother? Are we simply going to wait?”
After a brief silence Quekkurk'atl looked at his brothers around him and replied with a question: “Do you all trust me?”
“With my life and all lifetimes to come!” was Tetekcotiq’s immediate reaction, the other Skinks chirped in conformation. “Will you follow me wherever I go? Do whatever I ask you to do?” Again the patrol gave their support to him. Quekkurk'atl nodded in a thankful response.
“Iquarikuat and Tetekcotiq, you both go back and retrieve the dead rat we brought as evidence. Meet us at the deserted village by sunset.”

- o - o - o - o - o -

The jungle hugged the city at all sides. Mountains trapped the jungle at three sides, the north, south and east. In the west the jungle stretched out to the next valley and eventually meandered to the Scorched Plains in the south.
The thick, dense jungle at the edge of the valley suddenly gave way, there the trees turned brown and began to fall in. A wide groove marked where the jungle had died away, plants had fallen and rotting vegetation was turned into a gray, dusty, rock filled emptiness.
There once was a jungle here, or at least elements of it. A lot of the wooden parts looked sagged, partially sunken in and dried. Almost like they were frozen and left to gray. In the middle of this area were a number of small buildings , a very small village of some kind that was dilapidated. Structures that are mostly intact and some that are just the bare bones exterior, the corners and remnants of where they once stood. There stood a singular obelisk spire emerging from the center square. From top to bottom it showed glyphs in shapes of a language long past. In front of it stood a formidable table created from three big slabs of stone.
Two blue scaled figures hid beside the spire in between the high growth.

At the edge of the area two more figures broke from the vegetation. One of them carried the limp body of a rodent. As they arrived at the village they slowed down and moved around the first building. They halted at the edge of the central square, looking around carefully. The front Skink let out a range of chirps and clicks and then waited. From the side of the spire the opposite range of clicks and chirps sounded as a reaction. Both duo of Skinks moved to the stone slab table in front of the spire.

“There you are.'' confirmed Quekkurk'atl, rather impatient.
“We ran into some trouble on our way,” answered Iquarikuat the unasked question, “they are closer than last night. The problem worsens, just as we thought.”
Quekkurk’atl acknowledged the information as correct: “The more reason to act fast.”
Tetekcotiq hoisted the limp rat atop of the table, a soft squick sounded as its head smashed against the stone. The rat was unconscious but still alive. Quekkurk'atl climbed up on the table beside it. He unveiled a shiny dagger with a blade shaped like a crawling snake, a snake’s head at the cling and ending in a sharp point.

It seemed like the surrounding jungle had waited for this moment to erupt in sound and motion as squeak upon squeak rose from between the trees. Even further away deep guttural roars were heard.

“They caught up on us,” chirped Iquarikuat, “get your blowpipes at the ready!”
As the three Skinks took out their blowpipes they positioned themselves in a half circle with their backs to the table. The first small rodents became visible at the vegetation edge, skittering across the fallen and rotten plants.
Quekkurk’atl stood atop the table with his dagger at the ready. He lifted his head to the sky, closed his eyes and started to call out: “Great Snake of the ages past! Grant us your protection in our hour of need! Accept this sacrifice as a token of our subdication to you, Sotek the Deliverer! Show your strength and a thousand sacrifices will follow!” Quekkurk’atl opened his eyes, now glowing bright white. As he brought the dagger down he chanted and his patrol joined him: “Sotek deliver us! Sotek deliver us! Sotek deliver us!”
With a clean cut the dagger separated the head from the body and its blood gushed freely on the table, over the edge and on the pavement.

A couple of seconds nothing seemed to happen.

Tetekcotiq shot a small rat down at the left side of the square and Iquarikuat aimed at a couple of rat monks peeking around the corner of a building to the right.
Then suddenly a stroke of bright green light burst forth from the table, following the blood flow down to the floor and back to the spire. The light filled the glyphs, starting at the bottom and up to the top, when the top glyph was filled the light struck up into the sky.

Meanwhile, for every rat the Skinks shot down two more appeared. More rat monks showed up around the square’s edges, behind them even bigger creatures emerged, parts of multiple rats vaguely recognizable about them.

Thick clouds pulled together above the village, a breeze of air started to form around the spire. The breeze grew stronger and stronger. In a couple of seconds the air became very tense and heavy to breath. The sound of gusts of wind got paired with the cracking of thunder and in a flash of green light a giant winged snake broke through the clouds coiling down to the square.

The Skink patrol retreated to the spire itself as the monstrous rat ogres and abominations reached the table.
A fraction of a second later green light filled every nook and cranny of the square. The Winged Snake hit with a deafening impact. After the first impact the light circled the square a couple of times increasing the radius by every round before coming to a halt in front of the table.

Quekkurk’atl kneeled in front of the Winged Snake and raised both of his hands presenting the dagger he used in the sacrifice. “O great deliverer, our thanks is great and my determination is eternal. I offer you my life in servitude.” The snake bowed its head and answered without its mouth moving: “Serve me and you’ll be free, follow my guidance and you will go wherever you like. You will speak my words and spread my prophecies. Because of your devotion I will give you a new name: Iqutakkorhuatzi, Devoted Skaven-Slayer of the Cursed Skybeam.” It looked around at the fallen rodents on all sides and said: “Find the ones still breathing, sacrifice them first.”
With that the form shattered in thousand shards of green light, each disappearing even before they hit the ground.

The Skinks stood up, looked at each other and started their gathering of rat bodies at the square.

Grrr, !mrahil


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A word from the author:

I felt like a story of internal struggle in the Lizardmen community. In time this story is a continuation (in some sort) of the last story that described the transition between The-World-That-Was and the Realm of Ghur in the AoS universe. The two sides in the community honoring Quetzl and Sotek have something of my internal struggles in real life to wait and do nothing, see how things will unravel (like the Quetzl followers) or to go and do something to make a change (like the Sotek followers).

I feel like the story led to a somewhat predictable end. It could also have used some more polishing.

Grrr, !mrahil

 

reviews of others:

Thanks for the review. Among these three stories it really is a though crowd to stand out with this story certainly with just one vote to spent .

Thanks man!
The story line being perhaps a bit to clear cut from the beginning...

Grrr, !mrahil

 

This is my story for the April-May 2024 Short story contest

The theme was: 'Tactics and Strategy'

My entry:

Part of the Team

Lush green vegetation and vast areas of treetops stretch at the feet of the mountains to the east. The highest of peaks covered in the eternal snow and yet the forest below is humid of the night air amongst the wild flora and fauna.

As the sun rises at the horizon the damp night is fought back by the rays of light penetrating the canopies. The remainders of nightlife activity retreat together with the fleeing night.

In the relative rest of the early morning a rush of footfalls is heard. A skink rushed forward, heading east, downhill. Once every few steps he looks over his shoulder, left and right, without slowing down.

‘I have to make it! I can make it! just a little longer, just a little further!’ he repeated to himself like a mantra. The vegetation to his left a couple of meters behind him is disturbed by a quick moving subject. To his right another shape caught up with him.

In the trees above him a fellow skink chirped down at him: “Hurry, hurry!! They are catching up! Your lead has faded like the morning dew around you for the rising sun!” He jumped from tree to tree to keep in line with Maqoloktoa, keeping a good view at the scene below, constantly encouraging the skink on the run with increasingly vigorous wording: “you are slacking off now! Keep up your pace or you will not make it!”

The path in front was relatively clear and the gate of the city came into sight. The last twenty meters to the gate the surface was just grass, without the roots and branches to dodge or jump over. Maqoloktoa took a last deep breath to then push for his maximum speed. He felt his legs cramp and knew he couldn’t hold this pace for a long stretch. The gate seemed further than he thought, too far. After five steps on the grass he saw them right and left of him. They swept past him and passed the gatehouse several seconds before him.

As Maqoloktoa ran through the gate he was met with a group of skinks leaning against the wall and the nearest buildings catching their breaths and transpiring their body warmth via open mouths, curled in a smirk the moment he came into sight.

“We beat you again!” stated the biggest and most athletically built skink, “even the head start did not give you enough time to make it to the gate first.” The others chuckle after his remark.

Maqoloktoa looked down in embarrassment and would have blushed if he was able to.

From the gatehouse behind a voice sounds: “I think I have heard and seen enough.” Oxolkekotl, trainer of skink spawnings, since ages past, walked through the gate to observe the current batch of pupils he had been training with the last couple of weeks. Although he had seen many years he still looked agile and athletically built. “Take a rest for now, we will resume training at midday.” The group took a collective sigh of relief and some of the skinks leaning against the stonework let their legs slip from underneath them and glided to the ground to sit in the morning shadows for a couple of minutes.

Maqolokta backed off slowly to the gate looking for a quieter place. As he passed Oxolkekotl he called him over “Maqolokta, walk with me,” side by side they go through the gate, “Thank you for your work today.”

The pupil looked ashamed at the trainer: “work with no result.” he summarized before Oxolkekotl could continue: “please let me transfer to a builders or beast handlers unit. I am not made for the quick response unit. Please sir.”

“On the contrary” was his reply, “your efforts make the rest of the unit stronger. Without you they wouldn't be half as fast and half as strong. Your role in this unit is of most significance.”
“As entertainment for the rest!?”
“They may not see it yet but one day they will”
Maqolokta could not see it happen, he also recognized that further conversation would not convince his trainer otherwise, thus he let it rest.

During the afternoon another attempt at reaching the gate first, with a sizeable head start, led to the same outcome…

Grrr, !mrahil


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A word from the author:

I had two thoughts for a story with the theme. The first was to make the start of the story look like a chase after a battle or a skink scout fleeing for intruders, turning out to be a training exercise. That made it to the story.
The second thought was to make the story full circle and fulfill the need of importance of the protagonist in a future battle of mission. The more I tried to find a situation that met the criteria the more I struggled and felt the protagonist's acceptance of his roll made for a fitting end.
We do not always see our efforts rewarded in a way we envisioned it at forehand or don't see reward at all. It can be reassuring to know there is a part for all of us to play in a greater scheme of things.

Grrr, !mrahil

 

Sadly only one review:

Thanks for the kind words, I am glad you liked it and was able to sympathize with it

Grrr, !mrahil

 

This is my story for the July-August 2024 Short story contest

The theme was: 'Hope and/or Despair'

My entry:

He said he would come

Underneath gray-green foliage a unit of Skinks slowly follows a narrow path through a desolate forestry swamp. Twisted trees to the left and corrupted branches to the right. Everything cascading in a sickening green hue.
‘Do we need to go much further?’ chirped the skink in the back, ‘I have seen and smelled enough to report back to Oytlakeqo.’
‘No, this is not enough evidence.’ Spoke the leader, “Based on what we see and smell here we can make assumptions, but we all know: “assumptions are the spawning pool of all failures“. On top of that Oytlakeqo said he would follow us soon with the rest of the starhost.’
And with that the unit moved forward again.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Sunlight stroked the wide stretched canopies of the jungles north of Mekitopsar. The city located at the southern edge of a vast area of jungle trees and all sorts of vegetation, began its life many years ago as a rundown Temple ship. Since then the city grew and grew, crews of Skinks and Kroxigors bonded over construction sites, expanding the city to its current glory.

Much of the growth could be attributed to the working class, but an equal contribution to it was the relative peace provided by the northbound jungle. At the gates of the city a wide and open plain reached from the east to the west crawling along the southern wall. Bare rock and dirt with a sparse plumage of dried grass.

This side of the city was more troubled with occasional visitors.
Once in a blue moon the city endured a ravaging horde of Orruks. Almost all of the time it was the Bloodtoofs clan that stirred the pot. The last rampage had been three or so years ago.
Due to the wide and far view the attackers were seen far in advance of the actual attack and the city was prepared for them.

To prevent foes from the north closing in unseen, a starhost is located in the jungle. The starhost consisted of three units of Skinks, a unit of Kroxigors and two Scar-Veterans on Carnosaur, under control of Skink Starseer Oytlakeqo

-0-0-0-0-0-

The patrol found its way through crumbled walls and broken stone. The forest growing more twisted and sickness spreading far around. The bright blue of and vibrant red of their scales and crests fading to a dull gray-green emanating from the boiling pools of thick syrupy liquid.

Kektuotl led the patrol. Carefully scanning the surroundings. He halted the unit, lifted his nose in the air and sniffed for clues. To their right, between a pit of the green liquid and a once minor ziggurat, something attracted his attention. Shadows appeared on the wall. At first just one hunched shadow with a pointy nose, soon several more followed.

Ru'akuil turned to his leader: “The rat-men! Just as I assumed!” accentuating the last word although whispered. Kektuotl looked annoyed back at him and answered firmly: ”We will stand our ground, Oytlakeqo said he would come!”

-0-0-0-0-0-

On a clearing in the jungle, just outside the walls of the city, there was a coming and going of lizards in different sizes. All around stood the remnants of what, not long ago, had been an encampment for a complete starhost. To the side of the clearing hovered a stone chair with a skink overseeing the activities. Beside him, on either side, stood a Scar-Veteran ready to mount their Carnosaurs when the order were to be given to march out.

A skink approached the palanquin: "Starseer Oytlakeqo, in a couple of minutes the campsite will be cleared and everybody will be ready to go.” The Starseer answered with a nod of acknowledgement and the skink went back to work.
Tzun-tlaoc, the Scar-Veteran to the right, turned to Starseer Oytlakeqo: “Is there any word from our scouting party yet?”
“No word yet, I had hoped for more information, but we will march forward as planned.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

With a loud squeak one of the rat-men embraced a spiked club with its skull while the last one fell face down in the swamp pinned with three darts in its back.
Kektuotl pried his club out of the rat “This was a scouting party of theirs, the main army will not be far behind.”
“All the more reason to head back to the host and report” responded Ru’akuil firmly.
The skink alpha looked at him and weighed the options. After a couple of seconds he nodded and looked around to the eight other members of the patrol. “Group together, we are heading …”
Before he could end the order, two rays of hellish green light buzzed through the air. Two skinks got hit and were ripped apart in an instance, leaving just burning parts of skin and scales. The second ray hit a tree behind the unit and shattered it to thousands of splinters.

“Warp lighting, take cover!" The remaining skinks scattered to nearby trees and rocks to hide behind. “What will we do now, Kektuotl?”
“We have to stand our ground, Oytlakeqo said he would come.”

-0-0-0-0-0-

The clearing in the jungle had emptied. The starhost traveled northward under the cover of the thick jungle canopy. Slowly but carefully tracking the path that the scouting patrol had followed.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The sickening green hue still lighted everything around the pools and casted shadows of creatures on the treetops above.
Five skinks jumped over the last remnants of a wall to take new cover again. They were followed by the sound of warp lighting, bullets and throwing daggers clanging against stone. Two at a time the skinks fire darts back at the enemy line. Now and then hearing a squeak or dropping of a limp body.

Suddenly the sounds of attacks came to a halt. Pressing silence came over the area. Kektuotl turned around to look through the broken stones and caught a glimpse of a large horned figure approaching the wall.
“They have a Vermin lord” he uttered under his breath

The strike of a giant double-side scythe filled the air and stone broke apart taking three skinks with it. A second swing struck the stone behind Kektuotl and pierced his shoulder.
He spoke to Ru’akuil as he awaited the final blow: “He said he would come…”

Grrr, !mrahil


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A word from the author:

The intent of the story came rather quickly to me, the mantra of "he said he would come" in a growing despair.
A scouting patrol waiting for backup/the host to release them from their attackers.
The thing that I had to work on, and in my opinion did not at all succeed in, was the reason why the host would not be there. Or the reason why a Starseer was not able to hold his word.

With no conclusive reason I decided to leave it at that, inconclusive, just not in time to help them.

Grrr, !mrahil

 

Reviews:

Thank you for your review, I am glad you liked the story. Funny to see you side with the subordinate skink in the patrol
If only he would have listened

Thanks for the review. I must say that my lack in Skaven knowhow played me parts here. I had not enough time to research this accurately for a good representation in the story. My writing style seems to lack polishing most of the times, English grammar isn't my strong suit and a lot of the times Dutch grammar doesn't translate well into an English sentence. Thanks for the advice

Thank you for your review. As said in the post above I wasn't sure what or how to make the Starseer break his word and left it inconclusive in the story. For the reader to wonder about I am glad you liked the word choices that particular sentence was one I liked a lot myself. Lizardmen's lack of sexuality would not led them have a sentence like: "Assumptions are the mother of all f*ck-ups"

Grrr, !mrahil