GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
The air rumbles at the power of that voice and, in the back of my mind, I note the suffocating aura that rolls off momma croc growing stronger, ever so slightly. And then again.
She’s coming!
Oh no-no-no-no-NO-NO-NO!
I’m NOT going down here like this!
I refuse to end my second life as croca plops. Refuse! I’d rather be fed to a nest of claw-centipedes. I’d rather be melted down and eaten by an acid slug. Heck, I’d prefer to be chewed up by a stupid thorn lizard than get eaten by Garralosh!
I spin in place, expertly presenting my business district to the first barrier.
POW! POW! POW! POW!
As I spin, I unleash my acid of perpetual prosperity which splashes into the barrier and adheres to it, sizzling as it begins to eat away at the Mana.
[Tiny! Get over here, buddy!] Unfortunately, Tiny has been caught inside the barrier with me. [Crinis! Any chance you can tenderise any of these mage slaves?]
Since she’d been hanging back, Crinis hasn’t been trapped with us, but she still has plenty of monsters to deal with, even if they’re temporarily stunned for a moment.
[I’m trying, Master!] she cries. [There is something blocking me!]
I curse. They must have planned ahead after seeing how Crinis operates in order to prevent her getting a tentacle on these mages. Makes sense. I don’t think the big lizard wants to risk any more of them and wouldn’t have sent them out if he thought they’d be separated into bite size chunks.
My acid is bubbling away at the barrier, but it’s taking its sweet time. Were they able to counter the effects of the acid in some way?
I’m not a fan of this, not a fan at all.
With a flash, another barrier forms behind me, completing the encirclement. Most frustrating of all, every one of the six Setsulah used to create this cage of light walls is on the outside. Cowards! How dare they entrap me like this. What did I ever do to them? Other than kill one of them that time…
What’s happening now?
To my shock and surprise, the combined barriers beging to slowly extend upward. Looks like they’re intent on creating a complete cage! I check on the progress of my acid, but it isn’t working fast enough for my taste. They must have done something to resist its effects, the crafty sods.
However, they didn’t count on one thing.
[Tiny! Grab me and jump out of here!]
[Raaaaah!]
Not needing to be told twice, Tiny grabs me up in his arms and throws me onto his back where I cling with all the strength my claws can manage. As the barrier continues to close overhead and the oppressive aura of Garralosh presses down on us, Tiny takes two running steps and explodes forth.
He pushes every fibre of his bunched leg muscles to the limit and bursts into the air.
Holy smokes!
The air whistles over my carapace, pushing my antennae back against my head and driving the micro hairs on my face nuts.
I knew Tiny had some jumping power, I’d seen him leap often enough, but being carried by him is a very different experience!
We soar through the air and out of the still-forming cage, the light barrier melding shut beneath Tiny’s feet.
THUD!
We slam into the ground and only my Grip Skill keeps me from falling flat on my face. Haha! Stupid mages! You think you can trap us that easy?
Oh snap!
No sooner do we soar out of the barrier and heavily land, than fire begins erupting around us. The Setsulah mage servants had dropped the light barrier the moment we’d escaped and are now attempting to BBQ what they failed to contain.
BOOM!
Yeeouch! That was close. Fireballs fly through the air, accompanied by jets of flame and arcing balls of flaming death that rain down from above.
Isn’t this a little excessive?
I cling to Tiny for dear life as he begins to shift and sway, displaying the full extent of his Fancy Feet. With a grace that belies his size, he shimmies here, spins there and navigates the maze of destruction by the thinnest of margins. By gosh it’s close!
The sharp sound of whistling arrows pierce through the roar of flames, lifting my heart. Isaac has turned up! Right on time.
109. Lightning Crashes
On a nearby rise to the side of the road, Isaac and his archers appear, each one bending their bows and taking aim at the mage slaves. As the arrows speed through the air, the mages are forced to split their attention, raising barriers to defend themselves from the barrage whilst maintaining their own offensive.
Some of the mages turn their attention to disrupting Isaac and his hunting party, flinging spells that sear the air. But at this range, it’s hard to be accurate and deadly enough. The archers are able to scramble out of the danger zone, avoiding injury. Except the mages succeed in scattering the archers, which was their aim.
All this time, Tiny weaves his way through the danger. He is doing remarkably well, enough that I’m convinced we’re going to get into the clear.
Then came the lightning…
Damn, Wizard Lizard! This may be a bit unreasonable, but I wish you’d let me kill off your servants without exacting vengeance.
With my Mana Sense flipped on, I can tell the great working is finished now. Garralosh has topped off her core and is heading this way, and the Ka’armodo have enough free attention to weave together another lightning storm. Which is something we do not need!
[I’m jumping off, Tiny!] I shout and leap clear of the big ape the moment I see a chance.
Crinis is frantically waddling through the grass to the side of the road, her basketball-sized body supported on her small, stubby permanent tentacles. It would have been adorable in a situation less fraught with mortal peril.
[Crinis, reach out to me!] I bellow.
As she wiggles and wobbles, Crinis extends a long limb from her main body out to me.
DASH!
Stamina infuses my body, sending me hurtling forward with vital energy. Bursts of flame erupt around me, singeing my carapace as lightning begins to rain down from above.
I focus my sub-brains to their limits, using them to analyse the information from my antennae, the heat I sense from the fire and the blurry lines of the future that are whispered to me. By juking left and right, I do everything I can to throw off the aim of my tormentors as I make my way to Crinis.
[Grab hold!]
My charge takes me close enough that Crinis is able to latch hold of my carapace and begins to haul herself onto me.
[Don’t let go, Crinis!]
[I never will, Master!]
That… didn’t sound right. Never mind it now. We need to get the hell out of here! Once again, time to Dash.
BOOM! BOOM!
The rolling thunder sounds more like an explosion as the strikes land just metres away. Tiny leaps close and is struck multiple times, shrugging it off as best he can as he tanks the lightning magic for me.
Isaac is on the hill, hopping from one foot to the other and shouting at me. I can’t understand, you moron! I’m not about to create a Mind Bridge in the middle of this fiasco! His fellow archers are still dodging the odd fireball and unleashing arrows when they can. It’d be nice if their leader would bother to help out.
With every second that passes, we put another metre between the horde, the mages and us, and before long, it’s becoming easier to dodge and avoid the spells, with the obvious exception of the lightning strikes.