Crack.
The shotgun blast cut through the neck of the emerging Dobhar-chu. It let out a squealing bark like a drill bit on a chalkboard. The thing shuddered then shuffled on its stubby legs towards me faster than I realized it could move. I pumped the Mossberg and popped off a shot again.
Crack.
This time I scored a hit along its left flank.
At the same time Rob shifted into an owl and began dive bombing, trying to scratch the monster otters’ eyes out. While it was distracted, I charged the monster, cocked the gun a third time and leapt into the air, sending my trajectory into the monster’s face, effectively putting myself between the monster and the woman. My knee sunk into the otter’s snout and it rolled over, howling in pain grasping at its face with its claws. As it exposed its underbelly to me I shot it point-blank in the stomach.
Crack.
Guts exploded, running down into the muck of the wetland mire.
With the second threat eliminated I turned to the first Dobhar-chu. This would be more complicated. I couldn’t shoot it because a bloodied and battered Jeremy slumped between me and the monster. I tried to circumnavigate and get a better angle, but muddy water rose up to my ankles.
The wet cool water seeped into my socks and shoes and the water more than distracted me. Don’t think about the water, don’t think about the water. But all the inner chanting to myself over and over did was make me think more about the water.
The shotgun was useless now and I put it back in my holster. Time for a little Good Luck.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the Oak leaf holding it with both hands in front of my face. The Dobhar-chu took notice of me. The same Keening that enabled me to sense monsters also drew them to me. I was basically a walking target for mythological monstrosities. And this creature of Chaos was literally made of the antithesis of my very power.
Its eyes locked on mine and began shuffling towards me. Pure instinct drew my hand to my sword hilt, except it was not there. I cursed under my breath as my muscle memory betrayed my actual memory. Quickly I switched tactics dug into my pocket for the Oak leaf. Closing my eyes and focused on the leaf, feeling the power of the Oak tree flowing through the leaf. I drew on that power and felt it building up in my chest. I pushed it out of my chest to my hands and they began to glow with warm emerald light. But a small part of my focus was distracted by the water and the fact that a ten foot long otter from hell barreled towards me. I couldn’t get a full draw from the well of power.
I opened my eyes as the Dobhar-chu lunged right at my face ready to crush my neck between its jaws. With my Luck magic coursing through me I dodged backwards at the extreme last second and rolled out of the way, long claws narrowly missing my face. The otter flew clean over me.
“Haha,” I said, my heart thumping fast with power and adrenaline.
I sidestepped out of the water and found firm footing on the solid dirt path. Relief rushed over me as I let go of my breath. I widened my stance, fell into one of my kata forms, and began launching raw magical energy blasts at the otter from my hands.
Swirling Celtic knots of raw Luck magic exploded all over the Dobhar-chu’s body, entangling and entwining its neck. I grasped at the magic strands and pulled them towards me, tightening the knots like some kind of marionette puppeteer. The knots tightened around its neck like a noose. It thrashed on the ground, rolling over and over, its tongue protruding from its open maw. I pulled so hard that its eyes popped out of its head.
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“Hey Sean,” said Rob, “Otter pop! Get it?”
“Shut up,” I said grinning.
The swelling pride of eminent victory welled in my chest until it was rudely interrupted by two more demon otters exploding from the water.
Again I reached for my katana. Again it was not there.
Even with Rob trying to claw their eyes out and my Luck magic, I wouldn’t stand a chance. That sinking feeling of nausea hit my stomach.
By this time the battered and bruised boyfriend Jeremy had made it back to Blondie. But the Dobhar-chu seeing blood, figured he was an easy target and went after him and not me or Rob the Hob. I whipped out the Mossberg pumped it and fired a shot.
Crack.
But I missed horribly.
Jeremy placed himself between the monsters and his girlfriend as I did, but he didn’t have any of my weapons and was already bleeding.
The water was so close. What if I fell in? What if I had to go in after Jeremy or his girlfriend?
I fired off another shot.
Crack.
I missed again. The two oversized otters latched on to Jeremy’s arms and begin tugging at him, each one fighting to get their scraps. Together they dragged him back into the water. Jeremy kicked and screamed the whole way. Without thinking I jogged into the water until it was almost knee-high then realized where I was and froze.
An image of my sister’s face submerged in water, eyes wide and skin deathly pale flashed in my head and there was nothing I could do to shake the memory.
I was rudely ripped out of my own head when a fifth Dobhar-chu emerged from the water and latched onto my arm. Its teeth didn’t sink deep but they did puncture my long sleeve jacket. Pain laced up my arm into my brain snapping me out of my stupor momentarily, only to be dragged back under the very water that sent me into shock seconds before.
Water rose all around me seeping into every pore, moving through every article of clothing in every fiber of my being. I wanted to hyperventilate but subconsciously my body kept me from doing that. Water rose over me, and if nothing changed in a few minutes it would be moving through me, into my lungs.
I thrashed violently kicking at the monster. I wish I’d had the tenacity to summon my Luck magic again, but all that I could think of was the wet darkness that completely enveloped my being.
My lungs burned and I involuntarily coughed underwater, liquid finding its way into my lungs. I brought my other hand over my mouth to keep myself from swallowing even more water. Stars flashed behind my closed eyes. And then, when all was lost, an amethyst flash of light surrounded me and suddenly I was being tugged out of the water, not by teeth and claws but by the strong grip of a firm hand.
I fell on my hands and knees and half vomited, half coughed up all the water, and in between heaving, gasped for breath. The foul odor of the stagnant water covered me completely, but I was simply thankful that I could once again breathe through my nose and smell anything at all.
I tried to rise to my feet but fell over and rolled on my back looking up at the night sky.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Shots from a .357 Magnum revolver echoed in the night. The flash from the muzzle mingled with the flashes of purple Bad Luck magic.
I stumbled to my feet shaking the water out of my red hair.
In front of me Nehemiah the wizard stood keeping the Dobhar-chu at bay. He holstered his revolver and attacked the Dobhar-chus with a glowing spinal whip, like a black Castlevania character complete with trench coat, a much younger Jamie-Foxx-looking Belmont.
I found my gun but couldn’t get a clear shot without harming the injured man.
As Nehemiah struck at the beasts, the cursed whip turned on him and he struggled to control it. It wrapped itself around his arm like a boa constrictor, preventing him or me from getting close enough to rescue Jeremy.
The monsters recoiled into the darkness, back into their murky dwelling. They took with them Jeremy the jogger, leaving us to deal with the aftermath of his shocked girlfriend.