Appo watched helplessly as the Krazeek charged, using their long limbs to swing their bodies across the ground in a leapfrogging jump. Uten squeezed through the hole in the barricade, but his axe became caught on the wall. He wouldn’t be able to make it in time.
“NO!” Tomi yelled. She pushed past Appo, thrusting both hands outward. The Krazeek stopped mid-leap and turned. As they did, a rush of static built up around Tomi as she released a powerful force of air, ripping through the ground toward the Krazeek. Shale and panels burst from the sides as the energy hit them, knocking them off their feet. The hut that had hidden them exploded into wooden shrapnel. The burst of air continued past the Krazeek, destroying the part of the upper barricade on the other side.
After the energy dispersed, Tomi stumbled. Appo barely caught her as she fell back into his good arm.
“Did I… did we-”
“Yeah, good job,” Appo said. As he did, he saw the Krazeek getting to their feet. Despite Tomi hitting them with the full strength of one of her blasts, they were far from harmed. They were barely stunned.
Appo had little time to think. He couldn't drag Tomi to the wall, and his gauntlet would be of little use against the four creatures.
Instead of running, Appo pushed Tomi towards the firepit. He knew nothing about Krazeek, but he doubted they were fireproof.
The two nearly stumbled over the bagged bodies, each of them little more than limbless, squirming torsos by this point. Appo set Tomi down, grabbing a random assortment of wooden rods that had recently been tossed in the pile. As Appo grabbed his makeshift torch, the helmetless Krazeek rounded the pit at astonishing speed before halting at the sight of the flaming rods. It screeched at the two, flaring its chalky white teeth. Its pearl-like eyes shined a faint glowing orange in the bonfire’s reflection, calling over the others. Appo waved the rods in its face and the Krazeek responded with swipes from its long limbs. From here, Appo could see that the Krazeek was smaller than him, but its arm span was massive. He’d have to keep his distance.
“Back off!” Appo hissed, swinging the torch. He looked to his side, trying to spot the others. Two were still on the ground, dazed but rousing. A third was unmoving, knocked unconscious by the blast.
“Plan?” Tomi asked, half slurring.
“Yeah!” Appo shouted. “Grab the flask hanging off my belt and throw it down in front of us! Hurry!” Tomi nodded, grabbing Appo’s bottle of spirit and cracking in front of them. The Krazeek screeched at the effort before flashing its teeth again. As they lunged, Appo lowered his torch into the puddle of spirit, resulting in a column of flame rising in a burst. The Krazeek leaped back in fright as the torch became relit.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Appo turned to his right, seeing that the other two Krazeek were now rushing towards them. One flame wouldn’t be enough to wave them all off, but with Tomi now back on her feet, he had an idea.
“Tomi!” Appo shouted through gritted teeth. “Light touch!”
Tomi planted her feet and released a small amount of energy towards the torch, creating a ball of flame that launched outwards. Both Krazeek croaked and yipped in pain as the flames engulfed their bodies. It hit one directly, its arms and head catching fire before falling to the ground, thrashing and flailing its entire body in pain. The flame grazed the other’s right arm, causing it to shriek and gallop away. Appo watched as it effortlessly climbed over the barricade, abandoning the other on the ground. It desperately tried to put out the fire across its body before quickly coming still.
“Okay,” Appo hissed. “Let's go.”
The hole in the barricaded wall had collapsed with a wooden board blocking the path. Uten stood on the other side, sticking out his hand. Appo pushed Tomi through first, her smaller size allowing her to squeeze through with ease. As Uten pulled Tomi through the rubble, Appo dropped the torch and followed. He had to push against the board, groaning as his belly pushed against the barricade.
Just as Appo pulled himself through, he felt a powerful tug on his leg, bringing him back halfway through the hole. The grip of the helmetless Krazeek was strong, and Appo’s knee nearly gave as the Krazeek wrapped its massive fingers around his shin. Appo barely caught on the other side of the barricade, keeping him from being dragged through completely. The Krazeek screeched its guttural call as it gave another hard tug.
Appo kicked the Krazeek’s fingers, releasing its grip just enough to allow Appo to tuck his legs through the hole. The Krazeek lunged forward, again grabbing Appo’s leg with its outstretched arm. This grip was much tighter, and now without a hold, Appo prepared to be dragged back into the fortress.
Before the Krazeek pulled Appo back in, Uten stood above Appo and swung his axe at the ground, slicing through the Krazeek’s lanky forearm. The Krazeek screamed as purplish blood burst from the fresh wound, slamming its body against the wall. The flimsy barricade collapsed, and the guttural cries from the Krazeek became echoes as the gap between them closed.
Appo kicked away the severed clawed hand of the Krazeek. He lay on the ground for just a moment, catching his breath. As he did, Uten stood over him with his arm stretched out.
“Need a hand?” asked Uten, smiling at his own poor joke.
Appo chuckled as he reached up. As he did, a bird’s cry shrieked from behind him. Uten looked up momentarily before a large arrow slammed into his chest, knocking him back against the wall with a thud. Uten somehow stayed on his feet, momentarily caressing the large wooden rod sticking almost a meter out below his sternum. He rubbed his fingers over the rod before collapsing into the ground, dead.