“Charge,” Nick and Sophia cried out as one, each having come to the same conclusion. Paul hadn’t hesitated for a heartbeat either, having found a perfect chance to use his ability at last. He yelled out a warning, letting everyone know not to close the distance until his power discharged.
Three seconds later, Paul’s arrow, shining bright with his disabling magic, buried itself into the rhino’s hide. There was a flash of light as the aura around the missile flared up and then vanished after delivering its payload.
Paul must have fired the moment that he knew where the beast would land after its tumble, gambling that it would be too disoriented to dodge in the moment that it regained its feet. Now it’s time to find out how much of a difference it made.
The colorful detonation had obscured Nick’s view of the mutant for the blink of an eye. When it faded, the rhino was weaving drunkenly back and forth, its movements ponderous and clumsy, like the air around it had been replaced with jelly. It seemed that in its weakened state, Paul’s magic was able to take full effect. It’s up to the rest of us to make it count.
Screaming a battle cry, Nick raised his trusty sword and committed to his charge, convinced that this was their last chance of snatching victory free from the jaws of defeat.
When they met the mutant in melee in another handful of heartbeats, it would be for the last time. Only one side would be walking away from the exchange. He was joined by Sophia, Veronica, Devin, and James. Kenji and Bret were still down, guarded by an exhausted Sarah.
As they closed the distance, Paul laid down covering fire, arrows planting themselves deep into the rhino’s face and neck, forcing it to turn its head to preserve its remaining good eye. Most of his shots threaded their way through the forest of horn-spikes, in a remarkable display of precision that kept the beast off balance during this critical moment.
“Whoever it’s facing, focus on evasion,” Nick yelled. “Everyone else, keep circling around to its blind side and dish out some serious damage. If we don’t win this before those spells run out of juice, we’re done for.”
Nick and Devin were leading the pack, almost within striking distance of the dazed monstrosity, who was only now realizing that it was under attack from more than Paul’s barrage. The fell beast cocked its head to one side, trying to track them both with its unobstructed eye, the other still hidden behind the coruscating sheet of darkness summoned by Bret’s ability.
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This is a perfect opportunity for a pincer attack. Nick glanced over at Devin and saw that the same thought had entered his head. Without a word, they split up, each veering to opposite sides as they entered striking range of their lethal adversary. Every scrap of Nick’s attention went into reading the beast’s next move, preparing to attack or dodge depending on who it came for.
The rhino roared out a challenge, wheeling its body to keep its gaze locked onto Devin, freeing Nick to blindside the beast. Even disoriented, trying to evade Paul’s rain of arrows, the creature was remarkably quick, displaying a drunken alacrity that defied its girth.
Nick raised his sword high above his head, ready to strike with the full weight of his body behind it, bolstered by the momentum of his charge. The mutant whipped its head around in a vicious arc, seeking to shred Devin upon the jagged tines of its horns instead of goring the man outright.
At the last possible moment, he pressed the button on the haft of his axe, transforming the weapon into a shield to catch the blow a bare instant before it could claim his life.
Although it lacked the full weight of the beast’s body, the hit was hard enough to send Devin flying again. Nick wanted to run over and help him, but he couldn’t stop now. Instead, he gritted his teeth and swung his sword down as hard as he could.
The pitted weapon bit deep into the rhino’s flank, the edge nearly parallel with its heaving torso. The attack shaved off a wide swath of muscle as thick as his thumb, like a chef carving up a leg of lamb.
The beast let loose an ear-shattering scream and spun to face Nick, two sets of claws and its teeth streaking for the spot he had stood half a heartbeat before. But he was already leaping back and out of harm’s reach, having anticipated the move.
It swung again, claws lashing out to rip off his face. He stumbled, losing the chance to dodge, so he reached down to grab his wand instead. He raised it and fired, just in time to deflect the black blades, and then leap back out of the way.
The creature took a step to follow up, intent on running Nick down before he could retreat, but that was the moment Veronica arrived on scene.
With a cry, the lithe woman dove beneath the razored horns and between the rhino’s legs. Instead of striking at its throat, Veronica rolled under the beast, her wicked claws refulgent beneath the light of an alien sun.
She completed a full revolution, and when her arms came wheeling back around, Veronica lashed out with both weapons at once, carving eight ragged red gashes into the rhino’s underbelly. She must have activated both uses of her remaining ability. Because as she came rolling past the beast’s bulky hindlegs, the cuts erupted into twin fountains of gore.
Her claws opened the cavity where it stores its vital organs. It must need at least some blood after all. The mutant whirled around to face Veronica, who was already back on her feet and ready to run. But before she could bolt, the enraged beast struck in a flash, thrusting its horn straight forward to repeat the maneuver it had used to slaughter its unfortunate cousin at the start of the match.
Veronica saw the attack coming and tried to dodge, but the look on her face told Nick that it wasn’t fast enough. That she knew in that moment that she was about to die.