Wounded and Weaponless

I had the three hundred possessed Coloradoans stumbling like lost zombies before me, ten Darcarre racing up behind me, and Edgar, who now wore the Consciousness Crown, on the back of the last Migo flying hovering above Ethan and me.

“To say we’re surrounded would be the understatement of the year.” Ethan grumbled at my side. He still clutched his wounded arm and I doubted he was strong enough to be much of a help through this.

I was about to retreat through the cave, figuring that if I was going to bust heads, I would rather wail on the Darcarre instead of their helpless victims, when I heard a commotion on the other side of the possessed humans. It sounded like some sort of battle was going on. Flashes of brilliant yellow light could be seen.

“Hannah,” I whispered and then said, “Come on. If we have to go down today, it can at least be all together!”

“I’m glad to hear you are being realistic, Primus,” Edgar taunted from above. “Because your days of usefulness are behind you and if you continue to resist your death is assured. Surrender now and perhaps we’ll let you remain here to entertain us as a circus freak!”

“Follow me,” I hissed under my breath and sprinted toward the small cabin that used to serve as our prison.

Edgar laughed and the Migo fired a blast from its football shaped pistol, but luckily our move was unexpected enough that it failed to hit.

“Where the hell are we going?”

“I have a plan, it might not work on a smart foe, but I’m counting on Edgar’s impatience making him sloppy.”

We dodged through the crowds of the possessed—pushing and elbowing them out of our way. I winced when a Migo blast caused a man’s head to explode and spray us with brains. The ten Darcarre were on our heels, but the stumbling possessed slowed them down as well.

Somehow, we made it to the flimsy cabin, which was once or pathetic prison. Leaping in, I slammed the door shut as soon as Ethan had made it through the doorway.

“What the hell is this going to do?” he yelled, even as the fingernails of the possessed began to claw on the outer boards.

“We’ll see. We just have to hold out for a minute and remember every moment we keep their attention on us makes more time for Hannah and Ink to cause damage.”

Fists created a drum beat from hell as more of the possessed reached us. Soon we were completely surrounded and they milled ten feet deep in every direction. Ethan cried out when a Migo blast burned a six inch hole through the roof and missed hitting his boot by a foot.

“I sure hope you know what you are doing,” he shouted, as he threw his weight against the buckling door.

Bending down, I tore a loose board out of the floor and said, “Yeah, me too.”

                                                                                                                                    

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Surrounded By Darkness

Hannah was captured and who knew where. Ethan lay unconscious on the ground, just inches from death. I was encased in stone up to my neck and had to watch in horror as the Darcarre leader Edgar slipped the Consciousness Crown over his head.

He screamed.

Then fell to one knee groaning. “Oh by the Darkness, there are so many. How could there be so many?”

I struggled against the stone that held me. By any rights my mystic strength should have run dry long ago, but it had been fed when I wore the crown. Reaching down, into my Stalwart essence, I realized that not only had wearing the crown granted me almost unlimited Ki while I wore it, but it had also recharged my well of Ki. I was at full strength, but I still wasn’t sure how much it would matter with both my friends out of the battle and with me facing a powerful Darcarre with nearly unlimited Magickal resources.

The only thing I did know would be that the faster I acted, the better my chances would be. So I quickly enacted my most powerful Yig spell and passed through the stone, and once free, toppled to the floor of the forest. With my hand touching the Earth, I let out a snarl and used my power of Yig, my Earth Magick, to force a pillar of earth to reach up out of the ground and encase Edgar.

This startled the other Darcarre enough, that I had time to snatch up Ethan and throw him over my shoulder. I turned to run, but cried out in agony when a six inch wide laser blast from the last remaining Migo’s oblong pistol struck me in the ribs. I almost lost my footing on the wet leaves, but continued my run and only then realized that I didn’t have any weapons to speak of.

“Flippin great,” was followed by, “Screw it,” as I created a long sliver of stone in my hand. This I threw with all my strength aiming at the thing’s freakish laser. I missed but hit its tentacle that it was suspended from and that was enough to spoil its aim as I dashed through the trees. With a yell, The Darcarre snapped out of their daze and took up the pursuit.

I was burning through my Ki faster a bipolar’s money in a casino, but I healed myself and then figured I should heal Ethan too.

He started moaning as his body slammed up and down on my shoulder. “Oh man, what the hell?”

“You don’t want to know.”

I heard a loud roar from behind me, which could only me one thing—Edgar had freed himself. The Migo was no where to be seen, but the ten Darcarre were still on my trail. A few of them tossed their Black Veins Bestows at me, but luckily they were inexperienced and I was protected enough that I just felt a few strings.

We were still a good distance from the makeshift camp when I saw the possessed Coloradoans start to march out of the small cabins like three hundred zombies. I stopped long enough for Ethan to hop to the ground. We looked up and saw a hysterical Edgar laughing down at us from the back of a Migo.

Ethan was clutching his left arm as he looked at the trouble coming at us from every direction. “You’re right I didn’t want to know.”

A llFather Yig

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