Each impact of the winged creature sent dirt raining down, thin shafts of light spearing through the cracks above.
Shakti slowly made its way up from the ground. The carapace of mud on Shakti's back formed cracks from the impact and fissures throughout its back originating from the bite.
Shakti inhaled deeply and let out a bellowing growl, "SKAAAWWW", directed towards the winged beast.
Yet it kept its sight set on the body on the floor. Shakti rushed towards the wyvern only to be dismissed by the wyvern with a quick flick of its long neck. The force sent Shakti crashing against the same root as before. This time, it stayed on its feet, already stepping forward to charge again
"Wait!" Shakti paused where it stood. Cuthbert eyed the dead body and locked onto the satchel around the Lacertilla's shoulder.
He crawled closer to the body to see what exactly the man was carrying, at least he looked like a man. The Lacertilia seemed to be anxious about the arrival of the wyvern as much as he was weary about seeing him and the trog which Cuthbert took to mean that they weren't part of the group hunting him down. Cuthbert reached for the satchel and the wyvern quickly let out another screech towards Cuthbert.
It was too big to enter, and its neck wasn't long enough to reach Cuthbert.
The wyvern froze mid-thrash, its nostrils flaring, its unblinking eyes locked onto Cuthbert. It watched—not as a mindless beast, but as something desperate, something yearning.
He slowly opened the satchel a bit fearful about how the wyvern would react and what exactly he'd find in there. He reached in and pulled out what he assumed to be an egg. It fit comfortably around his fingers and began pulsating stronger the longer he held it in his hands. The distinct feeling of magic. He quickly placed the egg back in the bag in fear.
Cuthbert normally had to concentrate to pull magic from objects or even push it into items to activate them but this was different. The magic forced itself into him. It could feel the strength of the magic creep into his fingertips the longer he held it. As soon as he let go his hands began to burn, he suspected that the egg was coated with a corrosive element. The sight of the egg was enough to set the wyvern off again. This time its rampage was accompanied with fearful screeching instead of the aggressive tone it had earlier. If Cuthbert was right about this situation being separate from the horde of skeletons, then he could get this wyvern away from them.
At the present moment they couldn't leave the hole for obvious reasons, the wyvern.
But what if he handed the egg to the wyvern?
Would it leave them alone?
He started to remove the satchel from the body. At first the wyvern scared him away as it got more anxious the closer Cuthbert got to the egg but after realizing it couldn't reach him he made quick work of grabbing the satchel by the cord. The wyvern stopped again and watched Cuthbert closely.
Eagerly
"I think it wants the egg," Cuthbert absently said out loud.
Cuthbert got up, looked at the wyvern, and instantly reconsidered his plan. For a moment, Cuthbert imagined it: walking up, handing over the satchel, and watching the wyvern simply take it and leave. It was a neat, clean solution. Then he actually looked at the thing. The deep, focused eyes. The saliva sizzling where it touched the ground. The slow, controlled breathing—each exhale like the rush of a forge. And he realized, with a sinking feeling, just how stupid his plan was.
The trog made it seem so simple with the way it was ready to rush at it multiple times that Cuthbert forgot exactly what they were up against.
"Give Shakti egg," The trog stood there, its toothy grin fixed on Cuthbert, who remained frozen in place.
He was still uncertain about how much the trog understood him. He stared at the trog, at the way it held itself tall even after being bitten by the wyvern.
'Did it even feel pain?'
He could see that the bite mark still sizzled with the saliva of the wyvern. Before he could even say anything the trog was already walking towards him. Cuthbert found it uncomfortable that it could tell what he was thinking, what he was feeling at all times.
Shakti grabbed the bag without saying another word and walked towards the wyvern with no hesitation, toothy grinned. It stopped right in front of the wyvern and took the egg out of the pouch. The wyvern rampaged once more, doing its best to get deeper into the cave. Fighting to get even a few more inches closer to its egg. Shakti took one glance back at Cuthbert before it opened its mouth and swallowed the egg whole.
The wyvern's entire body convulsed as it let out a piercing, mind-shattering screech. The force sent another shower of dirt and debris raining down. It slammed its body against the cave entrance, talons ripping at the earth, desperate to claw its way inside. The air itself felt like it was trembling.
Its sight only on Shakti.
Cuthbert's blood ran cold. He staggered back, his hands gripping his head. "What the hell are you thinking?!" he choked out. He barely heard his own voice over the wyvern's screeching. It wasn't just angry. It was insane. And now, they were trapped with it.
Shakti just stood there with its toothy grin and it's spear head in hand.