" I am the mighty Cotl, so old my name has been lost in antiquity. I rule these lands and will soon rule the outlands as well." the enormous constrictor bellowed. Fire and smoke billowed from his nostrils. "I will rise up and crush you, impudent kit. I represent the gods for I go down into their abode and bring their edicts from below. The gods desire the death of all who live in the outlands for all are abominations of the Hume's inventions. Die!"<br/><br/>The Cotl coiled and slithered toward the Kuguar. His scales tough, thick as a leviathan, pulsed with dead life as all serpents. His eyes flat and black in his expressionless face. His power lay not in venom but in the noxious fumes of his smoke and his deadly grip. Never had he been defeated and today would not mark that event.<br/><br/>The diamond shards ricocheted from the scales,barely making a mark. The earth shook and the Cotl slid, losing some of his momentum. The exposure to the outside light after so many years in the darkness made his eyes burn but still, with flicks of his forked tongue, the great serpent honed in on his target.