Of Stinking Sewers and Man-Eating Monsters
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: Gen Words: 2,810
Relationship: Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach & Yennefer of Vengerberg
Additional Tags: Sewers, ancient abomination, zeugl, terrifying tentacles
Summary: On the run from the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, Yennefer and Cahir travers the ancient elven aqueduct on their way from Gors Velen to Oxenfurt to find the Sandpiper. But not only the monster with the many tentacles is lurking in the sewers.
Yennefer turns around the corner. And freezes. She cannot see much in the near darkness of the sewer but there is some kind of huge, black shadow squatting right in the middle of the tunnel. Another monster. Fuck! As if that tentacle thing a few hours ago was not enough. And now they do not even have a torch. Why on the continent did the Nilfgaardian throw away their only source of light and means to defend themselves? Right, to grab and save her, she cannot really blame him for that, can she now. But still, a torch would have made their journey through the ancient elven aqueduct so much easier. And especially so if the monster from earlier that killed Dermain and almost her too, is not the only one lurking in these godforsaken tunnels.
Standing still as a statue, Yennefer stares at the creature. In the dim light of the air shaft illuminating it from behind, it reminds her of a gigantic toad. The toad-like beast opens its mouth and a fleshy, long tongue emerges. It looks greyish in the twilight, but she is sure it must have some disgustingly slimy, brown-red colour. It is probably sticky as hell, too, and several metres long. The creature moves its tongue from side to side while protruding and retracting it repeatedly with some kind of smacking sound.
“What is it?” Cahir whispers, stopping in his tracks right behind her, so close she can feel his warm breath on her wet skin. Her disgustingly dirty and stinking skin. Good thing he is no less dirty and wet than her.
“Quiet. I think it hasn’t noticed us yet,” Yennefer breathes, taking a cautious step backward.
Unfortunately, her assessment is overly optimistic. With its sensitive tongue the toad has tasted the air, smelled the scent of delicious prey. It is hungry, too. Not many animals of a size bigger than rats stray into the tunnel system that has been its home for many hundred years. And these weird, two-legged beings are the creature’s favourite. Sweet, juicy meat, and lots of it. It has had only a few of them during its very long life, but recently more of these delicacies seem to traverse the main tunnels than ever before. That’s why it has left its usual, darker hunting grounds and come to this place. Here it has sat on watch waiting for many hours. Patiently. As it has been its habit, its nature for all its very long life. But now the time to feast has finally come. With a loud splash, the ancient amphibian starts to move through the foul water. It moves straight toward them, and a lot faster than Yennefer would have imagined possible with its enormous bulk.
"Run!" she exclaims, whipping round.
Continue reading on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46953019
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