Alchymist Read Online Free PDF

they're for?' asked Flangers.
    'Something
to do with flesh-forming. I expect; said Irisis.
    He
swallowed. That dark Art was beyond the comprehension of the greatest hero.
    Other
rooms contained similar objects, all with a vaguely organic appearance, all
equally inexplicable. They passed out into a round chamber with a series of
five closed doors on the far side.
    'What
a warren!' Flangers wiped sweat from his brow.
    He
opened the door on the left and uttered a low whistle. The room held ten cages,
well separated, and inside each was a creature unlike anything he had ever
seen: all horns, spines, teeth and armour plating. Each was different, and all
were dead, killed by blows to the skull.
    Irisis
clutched the bars of the first cage, staring at the flesh-formed monstrosity
inside. The grey-green, coated teeth were like shards of glass. 'Imagine that
beast sticking its teeth into your leg while you're trying to fight the enemy.'
    'It
could bite straight through bone,' said Flangers. 'And it looks fast. It'd be
hard to attack, too.'
    'Doubtless
they're breeding thousands of them. Ivar/ Irisis said to the young soldier,
whose eyes were sticking out like boiled eggs, 'run and tell the perquisitor
we've found them. Can you find your way back to the place where we separated?'
    'Yes,
Crafter.' Ivar ran off, glad to be going.
    Irisis
continued around the room. She was examining a beast whose maw was half the
length of its body when Flangers called out, 'Irisis! This one's still alive.'
    The
creature, a heavy-headed monster with as many teeth as a crocodile and a row of
yellow-tipped spines all the way down its backbone, lay on its side, its head
half-covered in blood. The mouth was open and a trickle of grey matter oozed
from one rimmed nostril. The chest did not move. As Irisis approached, the
yellow and black eye shifted slightly, then the warty lid came down over it.
    'It's
dead now. We'll leave Fyn-Mah to check them,' said Irisis. 'Let's try the next
room.'
    It
proved much the same as the first, and all the flesh-formed creatures were
dead. Irisis shuddered and headed to the third room. Here the beasts were
smaller, still spined and fanged but less armoured, more fleet-footed and with
larger brain cases.
    'These
look smarter than the others,' she said, studying a creature the length of a
large dog. Even dead, it made her feel uneasy.
    'They've
not long been killed,' said Flangers.
    'They're
thick-skulled. It could take them quite a while to die. Let's try the doors on
the far side.'
    They
took the door furthest to the right. It was dark inside, but as soon as she
entered Irisis could tell that this was different. There was no smell of blood,
and the stench of fresh ordure was strong.
    She
motioned Flangers to hold up his lantern. The room had the same layout as the
others but the creatures were alive. They were smaller still — the size of
small dogs — and as the light fell on them they clawed at the bars.
    'We'll
take one or two back,' Irisis said, walking along the row. She was wondering
how they could carry the cages without the beasts inside striking at them.
    As
she reached the other end of the room, an unseen door opened and a lyrinx
stepped in. It was almost as startled as she was.
    Irisis
took a step backwards, overcome by panic. The lyrinx, a tall female, carried a
bloodstained club. For an instant it stared at her, then swung the club. Irisis
cried, 'Flangers, look out!' and threw herself behind one of the cages.
    Letting
out a deafening bellow, the lyrinx swatted the cage out of the way. Irisis
scuttled between two more, knowing she was not going to make it. The lyrinx was
too strong and fast. It sprang onto the cages, lifting the club high. The blow
would not just cave in her skull, it would splatter her brains halfway across
the room.
    The
bars bent under the weight, one foot slipped through and the fanged creature
inside sank its teeth in. The lyrinx tried to jerk free, stumbled and came
crashing down on a pair of