The massive lizardman who held the lantern in its jaws bent down and picked up Emmaline to rest on his huge shoulder, the ridges of his armor-like skin poking her uncomfortably but moving or wriggling would send her falling nine feet into the root covered ground. Amal had been ready to stab the thing in the back, but once he realized he was merely carrying her he held his weapon back from striking. What he did not expect was the entire contingent turning face and walking back into the jungle with Emmaline, the lead lizard in the headdress leading the way. 

"HEY!" Amal cried and followed them, annoyed they ignored him and worried they were going to sacrifice Emmaline to some forsaken god. It was lucky that they paid him no mind in an aggressive manner, either. They simply ignored his existence, even when he came close enough to brush one of the warrior Lizardmen's serpent-like tail, the skin dried and cold along his lower leg. It simply looked back and bared its fangs in a warning, but didn't turn to try and rip him open. 

What seemed like hours passed as the group of man-lizards trekked and waded expertly, moving as an inexorable force. Amal marveled at their stamina, as through the night they neither slowed or showed any discomfort to the jungle around them. Amal felt like the prime meal for the large bugs that landed and bit onto his skin. Even the little ones leaped and hopped above the larger roots, only pausing to flit their eyes and heads in an alien fashion before continuing on. Soon they found the jungle receding and the ground was now simply filled with weeds and low reeds, the group now coming upon a moderately sized pool of water, collected by a waterfall from a strange, carved cliff. In the light of the rising sun, Amal could see the faintest outlines of strange statues and heiroglyphs behind the moss and water above them. 

Gathered around, the lizardmen formed a huddle and discussed in grunts and roars that seemed almost intelligible. As if it was a theatrical performance, the priest-like lizard stepped out of the group and began waving his gecko-like arms, thrusting its hips this way and that in a strange and unabashedly suggestive dance as the others cried. "Sotek! Sotek! Sotek! Sotek!" In its hand was a staff with a frog-like figure head at the top, and he shook it with delight as it began to glow like a small star. 

The waterfall almost imperceptibly began to recede in its flow, slowing to smaller trickles that unveiled an ancient stone tunnel in the shape of a vast serpent's mouth, complete with stone fangs framing the entryway. It was chasmic enough so that Emmaline and her 'steed' could walk in without needing to duck. 

The lead lizard began to shake its butt and strut towards the entrance, the others beginning to follow. Amal's eyes locked on Emmaline who looked frazzled but otherwise unharmed. The Arabyan took a few steps further, the Lizards all stopped as if he had personally stomped upon each of their tails, and they turned to look at him in unison. It was difficult to see any emotion on their faces, but judging by the looks of things, he was finally not welcome to follow them within. 

"If you think you can skip hop in there with her and leave me out here, you've got large imaginations for walking crocodiles." He said haughtily, crossing his arms. To his displeasure, they made no sound or movement at all. They simply watched him, which was unnerving after a few moments. Ever the rebel, he decided to suddenly jerk to the left and right, and still they didn't move. "Hmmm..." He whispered, and decided to take a step forward. 

Immediately the lizard's weapons were bared and ready, Amal mirroring the movement lightning quick with the short sword and a dagger in his offhand. 

"Zalleench." The gecko-like leader squawked, looking at Emmaline before bobbing its head to the others. "Zalleench!" Somehow, Emmaline could understand it's meaning: Challenge.

"Zaaalleench! Zaaalleench! Zaaalleench! Zaaalleench!" During the chanting, one of the warrior lizards stepped forward. In the light of the sun, it looked less ominous but even more formidable. A powerfully built warrior organism, cold intelligence in its eyes. It was a pure predator of unrelenting energy. In the march the things had moved deceptively sluggishly, but here it's leap forward was lightning quick. As its tail lashed like a whip, Amal saw it armed with an obsidian headed axe and a shield made of the hide of a mighty beast. 
[@Penny]