Necromancer For Hire- Arc 1

Arc 1, Chapter 9

The Immuring

The sound of rustling in the canopy above them shot terror into Umbra's heart. He clutched Victor close to him, and the boy held onto him just as tightly.

In a flash of dark green, the canopy burst open and three creatures dropped onto the forest floor.

Umbra's eyes dilated in shock. "Nagas..." He whispered hoarsely, throat feeling dry.

The three creatures had the torso of a human, and the strong, thrashing tail of a serpent. Their builds were brawny, with thick arms and defined abdominal muscles. The serpent people wore no type of clothing, all of them baring their chests, even the female one. Their hair was chopped short, and necklaces of bones embellished their necks. All three of the nagas carried a massive bow and arrow, with a matching quiver stashed on their backs.

The one in the lead approached Umbra and Victor, notching an arrow in the bowstring and drawing it back. He aimed it directly at Umbra's throat, and then spoke slowly.

"You have trespassed onto our lands, strangers. State yourselves." He boomed, black tail slashing through the air with irritation.

Swallowing, Umbra held up his hands as a sign of peace. "I am Umbra Mortis, and this is my son Victor. We do not mean you any harm-"

"That's enough," the naga barked, turning his head to his companions. "Apprehend these two and transport them to the dungeon." He slithered back into the brush, hissing under his breath. "That'll teach them to respect boundaries..."

The remaining nagas, a female with brown scales and a male with navy blue scales, slithered towards them, casting down their bows. The female, with a swift and swooping motion, snatched two strange plants that were growing on a nearby tree.

The plants resembled a small pitcher-plant, with a thin, bowl like cavity within it, and a leaf growing above it as a sort of lid. They were a dark ebony color, with a greenish inside. Thick, clear liquid sloshed within the plants.

"Open your mouths and there won't be any trouble," she muttered, her voice as gruff and deep as the others.

Umbra's eyes darted from the plant to the leering naga, and his shoulders hunched in disgust. "We are not drinking that!" he shouted, glaring at her.

The brown scaled naga shrugged, Umbra's brazen inveigher barely fazing her. "That's what they always say. Kemah, hold down the tall one first. I have a feeling he's going to be the most difficult."

Kemah smirked, and in only a few seconds he spanned the distance between them, wrapping his beefy fingers around Umbra's skinny neck. Victor screamed in fear as Kemah dragged Umbra away from him, tossing the fae roughly on the ground.

Umbra hit the forest floor hard, grasping his throat and coughing. Kemah was quickly on top of him, crushing him down with his weight. His tail wrapped around Umbra's legs to keep him from kicking Kemah, and the naga pinned Umbra's wrists to the ground.

The female naga slithered to his side, using two of her fingers to pry Umbra's mouth open. She carefully poured the plant's liquid down his throat, massaging his neck to make sure it went down correctly.

Umbra coughed and gagged on the acidic liquid, but it slid down his esophagus before he could spit it out.

Kemah quickly let go of him, and started to creep towards Victor, who was frozen in shock.

Umbra rose up quickly, ready to draw the blood of anyone who dared to touch his son, but a suddenly onset of dizziness stopped his violently paternalistic moment. His vision swam, making everything in front of him a green, black, and brown blur.

"W-What's going on...?" Umbra murmured drunkenly, his voice heavy and slurred.

A hot feeling flashed through his entire body, and then he fell over.

Author's Note- Immure:
1 a : to enclose within or as if within walls
b : imprison
2 : to build into a wall; especially : to entomb in a wall