Joseph cursed under his breath, his shoulders and skull aching somethin’ fierce. Jilamaka had managed to disappear with that corpse, and with this smaller form, regenerating would require a lot less food. Joe struggled to hold his shotgun aloft, the muscles in his shoulders protesting as he aimed toward the rooftops. Sera, Yugo, and Gerad all kept their eyes peeled, with Sera having her pistol drawn and ready to fire as well. Joe quickly drew his own sidearm, handing it toward Gerad.

“Use this if-” He coughed, “If it comes at ya.”

Gerad took the gun hesitantly, sheathing his sword at his belt and gripping the gun awkwardly.

“The safety is on Gerad,” Sera noted, quickly flipping the little switch for him, “Hold it like I’m holding mine, that’s it.” She explained, showing the halfling her grip, “Wait for us to bring it down, then finish it off if you can.”

Yugo said nothing, darting over to his discarded helmet before kneeling down and sliding it back over his head. Joe’s eyes blurred as the world began to tilt in the other direction, struggling to keep his feet planted. This was not good… with his aim thrown off like this, he’d be practically useless if Jilamaka came back here immediately. Forget chasing it, he couldn’t take a single step forward without nearly falling over. Again Sera stabilized him, moving beneath his arm to act as a pillar for him to lean on.

He scanned the ground for his poleaxe, quickly spotting it just a few feet away. He wasn’t going to be able to kneel down to get it right now, he’d just need to remember where it had fallen so he could retrieve it later. Joe huffed and puffed, shaking his head in a vain attempt to clear his vision. He’d gotten hit pretty hard by plenty of big beasties in his time, but this had to be one of the worst concussions he’d suffered.

Joe felt another wave of nausea wash over him, and his knees buckled. Why did his head hurt…? Something important was happening but the details seemed to have slipped away for an instant.

“Joseph, I don’t think you can fight like this!” A voice… Sera’s voice told him in a concerned tone.

It came back to him then, the Black Hand was after Joe, he had to get up and get to work- He shook his head, no, Jilamaka was the current issue, he remembered. Damn, he was going to be completely useless for this fight unless he got his feet under him. He grit his teeth, standing shakily with heavy breaths. Just how hard had his head hit the ground? Joe shuddered as he imagined what would have happened had he not been wearing his helmet or even if he weren’t wearing his magic necklace.

“Gotta-” He gasped, “Gotta go after it.”

“How do you plan on doing that like this?” She asked, still supporting him, “Another hit like that and you might die…”

“Better than lettin’ you die.” Joe remarked, “I got one grenade left-” He huffed, “We hit it with that, we win.”

“Don’t say such things!” Sera yelled, slapping his breastplate “And you saw how fast it was, there’s no way we’ll be able to catch it in the blast.”

“Fine then, let’s lure it somewhere.” Gerad said, hands still shaking on his pistol, “Somewhere where it can’t get away.”

“Beneath the temple.” Yugo said, “If we draw it beneath, the halls become narrow, the chambers confining. Out here in the open, it has the advantage.”

“It can’t hit you.” Joe pointed out, “You got that armor on, can’t you just go up n’ stab it to death?”

Yugo shook his head, “No, it may be powerful enough to punch straight through the reflection field, and it has already been weakened after it reflected that shot back at you earlier.”

That was good to know, “It’ll just phase right through you though.” Joe said, “That’s what happened last time-” He took a deep breath, “The last time we fought.”

“That was a different enchantment, it has long worn out by now.” Yugo said, “I can still blur, but I will have to solidify to strike it… and with that speed, it may kill me as soon as I do. There is also a limit on how long the spell can last, I can’t distract it forever.”

“Be a ninja and sneak up on it then you dumbass.” Joe said harshly, glaring at him.

Yugo stiffened, “How dare you-”

“Enough.” Sera said, “This arguing will get us nowhere. We know that it will return once it’s healed, it wants all of us dead now, especially Joseph. Now that it’s in this smaller form, all we need to do is have it’s back facing to me. I suspect that it will be easier to paralyze it now that it’s in this state.”

“Then we can throw the grenade.” Joe nodded, “We’ll have the punk throw it.” He nodded to Gerad, “It might be enough of a boom to kill it outright.” He huffed, knees wobbling, “How good are you at throwing, kid?”

“Good enough, just tell me how it works.” Gerad said, his face hardening, “I want to get this over with.”

Joe reached down to his belt with a shaky hand, pulling out the grenade and handing it to Gerad, “See that pin in the top?” Joe asked, “You gotta pull that out before you throw it. It’s timed so don’t hold it longer than three seconds after pulling it, or yer dead.”

Gerad audibly gulped as he stared at the frag, as if it would blow up right then and there, “W-we got to have it see us move down into the temple, or else it might not follow.”

“If it sees us moving down there,” Joe huffed, “It’ll catch us before we can set anything up, it’s faster than ten cheetahs combined.”

“Why not simply paralyze it out here?” Sera asked.

Yugo shook his head, “If we’re all out here, it won’t focus on me, it could charge any one of you once it realizes that it’s attacks phase right through me, that includes you Sera. If you happen to be the one Jilamaka chooses to attack, we lose. We have to minimize risk by trapping it in a room. The damage from the explosion will also be more effective within an enclosed space, no?” He asked, not waiting for a reply before continuing, “We must move below and prepare, find a chamber of your choice and ready the trap.” Yugo said, “I’ll await it here and then blur. When it returns, I will make a show of a panicked retreat into the temple.”

Joe nodded, that could work, but there was still a problem, “How do we lure it into the room?”

A brief lapse of silence before Sera said, “Simple, Yugo and you will be our bait. Yugo will lure it in, and Joe will stand at the far end of the chamber, Yugo will run toward Joseph so Jilamaka gives chase… I will be standing in the corner, on the opposite wall. Once Jilamaka comes in, I will paralyze it and then after we leave the chamber, Gerad will throw in the grenade and shut the door.”

“You can’t break eye contact with his back.” Joe huffed, “If ya do, we’ll be screwed, it’s fast enough to dodge bullets, it might be able to break out as soon as you let go of that contact.”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“No, I never said that.” Sera said quickly, “It’s as soon as I lose sight of them completely, that is when it’s broken, but still, what do you suggest?”

“Easy, scrap the grenade plan for now, you paralyze it, we’ll shoot it in the legs, then have Gerry boy throw in the frag, and if that ain’t enough, then we’ll have him shoot it till it dies.”

“Alright, that sounds good but let's go now!” Gerad exclaimed, “It could be back any-”

A loud screech tore through the air, a shotgun blast ringing out from somewhere amongst the ruined buildings. Either it was one of the dwarven guards, or it was Varig, but it seemed they had run into Jilamaka, and hopefully had gotten a shot off on it. Joe tried to run in that direction, but fell to his knees instead, the world shifting after he took that first step. Whoever fired that shot was in danger and needed help, if Jilamaka was wounded from that then they could finish it off.

“You cannot push yourself like that!” Sera scolded, kneeling down beside him.

Another shotgun blast rang out, closer this time, accompanied by distinctively low pops. Pistol fire. Prolo was over there too, and if that was the case, the owner of that shotgun definitely had to be Varig. Joe grit his teeth and stood shakily, taking slow, deliberate steps toward the approaching gunfire. Sera easily stopped him, putting herself in his path before turning him around.

“Whoever they are, they’re coming this way, let's head to the temple and Yugo will urge them to follow. Remember the plan.” Sera urged, guiding him away.

He found it hard to argue with her logic, but there was no way Varig or even Prolo would be able to outpace the Forgotten Beast. Not unless they had specifically targeted its legs. They may have done just that… but his reasoning felt muddy after he’d taken that hit. Maybe it would be best to just let Sera lead the way for now, he’d pray that Prolo and Varig would be safe.

----------------------------------------

Varig pumped his dwarven legs as hard as he possibly could, hearing the strange shoulder-eyed beast clawing after them from behind. He did not know where it had come from, but it was clear that it was another Forgotten Beast, of the smaller variety. Young Pienturshuld was running just ahead of him, back toward the plaza where Jilamaka had gone, where they’d heard the explosions. Joseph must have laid out that c4 of his as a trap, and had lured the monster back there to be killed.

Considering that Jilamaka’s rampage had ceased, it was safe to assume that it was dead, or at the very least, critically injured. He and Prolo had been on the way back to investigate, and had happened across this vile monster, devouring a human carcass. As any good dwarf would, he opened fire on the fiend, blasting a gaping hole in its back. That should have been the end of it but…

“Eat you!” It shouted, drawing ever closer despite its harrowing wounds, “Eat you!” It repeated.

The hole had completely sealed over, and while the beast was now thinner, it was still horribly fast. The only thing keeping him and Prolo alive was firing behind themselves when it drew close. He knew that this was not sustainable, the only way they would live was to return to the plaza and rendezvous with Joseph, as well as any other survivors of their expedition.

He heard claws scratching stone behind him, and Varig quickly turned, opening fire and sending the Forgotten Beast skitting back to avoid it. How could it be so fast as to avoid gunfire? At least with Jilamaka it was impossible to miss! This tall willowy monster was thin and fast, making it difficult to hit.

“We’re almost there!” Prolo shouted, “Just a bit longer, keep up!”

Varig grit his teeth, “I’m trying!”

His squat form was not built for this, his race was meant to stand their ground, not flee. Prolo’s long legs outpaced him easily, leaving Varig in the dust as he sprinted toward the plaza. The only reason he hadn’t been caught by this beast was by firing at it to force it back. Prolo’s pistol had clicked empty, and the boy knew not how to reload it nor did he have any ammunition left. It was up to Varig and his shotgun to keep them both alive… at least until they reached Joseph. The Outworlder surely must have something up his sleeve for such a speedy beast.

He fired again as they finally entered the plaza, seeing the massive corpse of Jilamaka laying in the center. Bodies lay strewn everywhere, of man and dwarf, some melting into puddles of ooze as Jilamaka’s blood pooled around them from the corpse. A small instant of relief filled him once he saw that his people’s enemy was dead, at long last. He only regretted that it hadn’t been him to deal the final blow… That and the lives of the good dwarves that had been lost.

Prolo didn’t cease his sprint, heading straight for the half-ruined base of the Black-Hand… and standing there at the entrance, was a tall dark-armored man, the one that Joseph had been about to duel before Jilamaka had made itself known. Oddly, he saw Joseph hobbling into the ruin,a smaller figure supporting him beneath the shoulder. A woman…? Where had she come from?

It didn’t matter, all he knew was that he needed to reach the same ruin or he was done for. He’d ready a blast for the assassin should he prove aggressive. Prolo reached it first, rushing right past the armored man who didn’t seem to pay the boy any mind. Then suddenly, the man blurred, just as his compatriots had done earlier, and he rushed forward. Varig twisted and fired off another shot right as the beast reached his heels, but again it dodged the shot… but he suspected that he figured out the pattern.

It wasn’t that the monster was dodging the shot, rather, it moved just before Varig pulled the trigger. It was anticipating the shots, not necessarily dodging them after they were fired. However, earlier it seemed as if it had been. Was the creature slowing down? He didn’t risk a shot, instead immediately turning to run toward the ruin, Prolo urging him along as the armored assassin charged toward the Forgotten Beast. Joseph and the stranger stood further back, the woman now with a hood pulled over her head.

Varig’s chest felt like it was going to explode from all this damned running, and his short legs felt as if they had become fire. He was going to fall if he kept this pace, but what other choice did he have? After he passed the threshold, he turned his head, the blurred figure of the assassin dodging around the beast, its claws passing through his body as if he were air. He slowed his pace, approaching Joseph, the man’s head seeming to hang slightly as the hooded woman supported his weight.

“We need to kill this new beast-” Varig huffed, “Do you have a plan?”

“We gotta lure it down into the chambers below n’ blow it to hell.” Joe said, his voice faint, “I’ll be the bait, my friend here has magic that can paralyze. Once we do that, the halflin’ here will throw in a grenade n’ kill it.” Joe finished, pointing to a figure even shorter than Varig.

He blinked as he saw the halfling, already standing back by an archway. No doubt it would lead deeper into the ruins… but wasn’t this the Black Hand’s base? There could be a trap, why would Joseph, the most paranoid human in the world, desire to head into the belly of the beast? Well… Varig supposed that it was either this belly, or the new monster’s. He knew which one he would pick.

“That’s Jilamaka by the way.” Joe said, clearing his throat, “It had a smaller body in the big one.”

Varig’s eyes widened, “I’ve not heard of such a wretched ability- but no matter, let us draw it below!” He urged, moving past them toward the halfling.

“Boy!” Varig pointed, “Lead the way!”

“It’s Gerad!” The halfling yelled as he ran into the archway.

Varig paused before passing through, urging the others to go ahead of him. He explained that he’d keep his gun trained behind them for once Jilamaka’s new form appeared, in case they couldn’t lure it into the trap. Joseph didn’t argue, nor could he in his current state. The Outworlder had clearly taken a severe blow to the head, and his scaled coat was now torn at the shoulders. Dragon bone had saved his life.

They moved deeper into the darkness of the Black Hand’s base, Prolo helping him stay on track as he followed them backwards. They passed thousands of engravings, each one attempting to draw his eye. A large part of him wanted to give in and begin studying the artwork, to see a portion of Old Ugals history, but there would be plenty of time for that after Jilamaka was slain.

The halls, unsurprisingly, were lit by captive Fumu, no doubt utilized by the Black Hand. They were trapped in glass spheres, set into iron sconces. They would dissipate if they could not feed, but that would take months. He grit his teeth in frustration; trying to distract himself from the terror he felt would not make it go away. He needed to focus on the here and now.

They had been moving for only a few minutes before the blurred figure of the assassin appeared, darting down the hall quickly with the gaunt figure of Jilamaka on his heels. The beast let out a horrid shriek as it saw them, dropping to all fours before running straight for them at dizzying speed. The assassin’s blur seemed to be fading quickly as his long legs carried him quickly to them. Cleary he was privy to the plan… Varig held his fire, the hall was far too narrow, he’d end up killing the man if he unloaded now.

But that also meant that Jilamaka wouldn’t be able to get out of the way… His finger went to the trigger and he shouted, “Get down!” Aiming his shotgun.

The man seemed to understand, and leapt forward, metal grinding on stone as his breastplate skidded across the ground. Then Varig opened fire, the shotgun blast tearing through stone and flesh both. Jilamaka flew backward with a scream of agony, and Varig grinned madly running forward as opportunity presented itself. The Forgotten Beast scrambled to its feet, attempting to flee. If it reached the outside, it would be able to feed again and regrow its wounds, he could kill it now and avenge Old Ugals!

However, that wouldn’t come to pass. Jilamaka’s hands slapped the ground, sending its body flying up to the ceiling. It twisted its wretched form mid-air, sinking its claws into the ceiling before it began skittering overhead, right in Varig’s direction. Not to be dissuaded, he opened fire once more, but unfortunately, it dropped right as he pulled the trigger. The slug blew a crumbling hole in the ceiling where it had been, but now the beast was falling toward him.

Instinct took over, and he rolled out of its path before running for his life, his confidence washed away in a flood of cold terror. He heard it hit the ground and ahead, he saw Joseph and the others disappearing into a room… the plan they had previously discussed. All he had to do was make it to that chamber, and he would survive. The assassin was ahead of him already, moving quickly into the chamber after them. Varig hastily reloaded his shotgun, turning to fire off a shot-

Blood, his blood, flooded his mouth as he was sent flying back down the hall, his vision blurring as his backplate slid across the stone, illuminating the ground with sparks as he went. By the time he stopped, his vision was going dark… All he could bring himself to do was raise his head to see what had happened to him. There was a massive dent in his breastplate now… and based on that crunching sensation in his torso, his ribs were broken. All of them.

Had it been a kick…? Blood fountained out of his mouth, the edges of his vision going dark. His attempt to rise only served to cause him worse agony, and the back of his helmet hit the ground. Was this… the end? The last thing he heard before the world vanished was an explosion… it seemed distant, his ears only barely able to pick up on the sound, yet the ruin he occupied shook the ground he lay upon.

As his eyes shut, he found himself praying to the Overseer that the plan had worked, at the same time, cursing himself for his arrogance.