Clash of Heroes: Nath Dragon meets The Darkslayer Read Online Free PDF Page B

in comparison to him, were convincing.
    What do I do?
    Scanning the cave, he found no place to go. Instead, he stood and watched the odd little person gather an urn and scroll and place them in a chest. The chest rose from the dirt and floated after the jewel-eyed rat-man into the cave.
    Toting his bloody sword, Nath, having no idea where to go or who to trust, followed Oran onto the small barge. Two total strangers from different worlds sailed the Current together.

 
    CHAPTER 9
     
     
    “You are quite adept, quite adept indeed,” Oran said to Nath.
    The old pair were sitting at a table inside the underling's cave lair, leagues away from the Underland. Oran had been working with Nath, teaching him the common language of Bish. Nath had found just about everything within the lair disturbing and odd—the glass jars, huge and small, with heads from many races in them, on deep shelves. Potions and odd decanters. Oran, however, had little trouble explaining his experimentation. He just said, when asked, “That’s what I was created to do.”
    “I can understand losing my memory,” Nath said to Oran, “but I don’t understand why I would lose my speech.”
    Gaping, Oran said to him, “Marvelous. You spoke that so well. Why, I’ve never had such an apt pupil. Of course, it’s only natural that your common language would return so quickly.
    My, this creature is smart. He memorizes everything I show him. If I could only somehow duplicate him. Oh, an army of him! Now that would be something.
    He pushed a burning candle toward Nath, looked at Nath’s arm, and said, “Do you mind?”
    “Mind what?”
    “Eh, holding your hand over the flame? For experimental purposes. I need to see how these scales hold up.”
    Nath held his scaled hands over the flames. The orange-yellow glow licked around his fingers. He shrugged.
    “That is marvelous, just marvelous.” Oran scurried away and returned with a small scalpel-like knife. “Take your hand out of the flame.”
    Nath withdrew his arm. “What are you going to do with that?”
    “Just be still.” Oran leaned over and sliced the scales on the summoned creature's forearm. The fine blade didn’t make a mark. “Did you feel that?”
    “I felt it, but there was no discomfort.”
    “I see. Let me try something else.” He held the scalpel up to Nath's cheek and cut a straight line.
    “What was that for?” Nath said.
    Oran wiped the laceration with his finger. The wound closed before his eyes. “Fascinating. My, you are a quick healer. Astounding.” He wiped the blood from his fingertip into a small vial and stowed it away on a nearby shelf.
    “I don’t follow why you are surprised by these things. Did we not know each other before?” Nath got up from his stool and stretched his long limbs. “And how much longer do we need to be stuck inside this cave? I’m curious. Is there nothing to see other than the black water of this abyss?”
    Oran made his way over to a rack of bottles stacked against the wall. He withdrew one, a wine bottle from the world of the races above. He found some metal goblets and poured two glasses of wine. He handed one to Nath. “Have a drink. Now that you’ve grasped the language, I’ll try to make this clear to you.”
    Nath took the wine, sniffed it, and handed it back.
    Oran set the goblets aside. He took Nath by the arm and led him over to a large sofa. It was plush and covered in soft red-and-purple patterns, with a fine view of the stagnant Current. “Please, sit.”
    Nath obliged.
    Oran felt another moment of triumph. He didn’t have complete control over the creature that sat beside him, but he had enough. Unlike most summoned creatures, this one operated with a will of its own. Very, very unique and otherworldly. But it was clear: Oran hadn't summoned some mindless monster but rather a person from elsewhere. Still, it was going to be difficult to earn the dragon man’s trust. Oran had his work cut out for him. Turning him into a