Chase likewise sending him a wide happy grin as she loped past. What the… No, he couldn’t let them do this, not alone. He’d only taken one step when Gigi was next to him, gripping his arm. “We should go.”
“But the girls.” Watching on horrified as Brynn raced directly towards the monster, its arm swinging, its massive clubbed hand headed straight for her and Brynn either didn’t see it, or didn’t care. Stopping in place, putting her hands on her hips and glaring up at the monstrosity. The defiant scowl on her facea little incongruous with her sky hive beehive do and blue and white bikini.
Nico wincing in horror, anticipating carnage as the massive hand hit her and exploded on contact. Saint Medard. Brynn hadn’t moved a muscle, because clearly she was some kind of immoveable object. The sand monster roaring, lifting its now handless limb into the air. But even before the sound of its roar had finished echoing in the otherwise still air, a new clubbed hand was back in place, replacing the old. The monster, perhaps a tiny bit shorter than it had been a minute ago. Great, it could regenerate and shift the sand around at will.
“Come on. They’re giving us a head start.” Nico allowing Gigi to pull him in the direction of the Transportal gate that Faleph had organised. Located behind the bar for easier transport of alcohol, food and those who didn’t have deity fuelled power to pop into and out of places at will. Problem was, the area behind the bar wasn’t only deserted, there was no sign of the makeshift Portal door either.
Mierda. And double mierda, as the thatched bar broke apart with a crack of wood and the tinkling of breaking glassware. The sand monster having stomped on it. Staring down at them with its featureless face, yet it felt like it could see them somehow.
Chase barrelled around the corner. “It seems to be after you guys. Run!” Except there wasn’t anywhere to run to. The bar had backed onto a small stoney flat piece of ground that was barely ten feet in any direction. Perfect for what was essentially the tradesman’s entrance, but it was essentially a dead end.
“Left. Go left.” Chase instructed.
They raced off to the left, zig zagging between palm trees. Unfortunately, the sand monster didn’t have to zig or zag, it just crushed everything in its path as it followed after them. It wasn’t fast, but it was relentless in its pursuit. Worse, the atoll that Apep had created especially for this occasion was barely amile wide in any direction and would take less than ten minutes to walk around. Definitely less if you were a sand monster and willing to obliterate whatever got in your path.
“Can you explode it? The sand?” Nico questioned, leaping over a fallen smashed palm tree.
“No, its magic fuelled. Different… set of rules.”
“We could maybe punch it apart.” Brynn joined them.
“It would have to stand still.” Chase zigged, then zagged, staying on Gigi’s heels, providing protection.
“We could get behind it, each take an ankle and just start pounding away. If it loses enough sand, maybe it won’t be able to reform.”
“Plan.” Chase agreed. The two girls breaking off and ducking behind the monster, who ignored the twins, it knew its target and refused to be deterred or distracted.
“Keep running.” Brynn called.
“Yeah. Thanks for the advice.” Gigi’s sarcasm was a little blunted by how hard she was breathing.
Nico’s mind racing. He considered proposing they split up, but what if Sandy went after Gigi? Damn, all they could do was run in circles. Five minutes later, though, he was wondering how much longer they could keep that up. All the debris the sand monster was stomping into oblivion was making a hell of an obstacle course for him and Gigi.
“It’s getting smaller.” Brynn yelled at one point.
“But not fast enough.” Chase returned.
“This isn’t working.” Gigi huffed, leaping over some fallen smashed up palm trees, almost stumbling but righting herself at the last moment.
“We could stand. Fight. Let the girls concentrate on a stationary target. What do you think?”
“I don’t think we have a choice. I’m about done.”
“Okay. We stop in five, four, three….” They halted. Turning. The sand monster skidding to a halt in surprise, almost a human reaction, weird. It was smaller. Brynn was correct. But still over twenty feet tall, towering over them. They could hear thuds, as the twins went to work on its ankles, the sounds of their super hardened fists loud in the sudden silence.
The sand monster bending over, two club hands sweeping towards them.
“Drop.” Gigi was pleased Nico followed her instruction. Getting squished by a giant clubbed hand made of sand would not look good on either of their gravestones.
The sand monster roared again, a raspy gravelly sound, as if frustrated, its size decreasing another two feet or so. The twins were making progress.
Nico got to his feet, helping Gigi up. “Okay. I’m presuming we just keep ducking and diving and soon it will be small enough to kick in the head.” Clasping Gigi’s hand in his. Ready to yank her out of the way from Sandy’s next strike, except the monster stood up as tall as it could get and then just let itself fall forward, like a tree being felled in the woods. Mierda. Its long shadow looming over Nico and Gigi.
“Run.” The two of them turning on the spot, thumping away across the debris strewn ground. Nico very aware of the dark shadow lengthening across the ground in front of them. They weren’t going to make it. Grabbing for Gigi’s hand again, urging her to dig deep. And then with one final leap, they were clear.
The sand monster hitting the ground behind them with an atoll trembling thud. Nico and Gigi sharing a relieved grin. Their smiles dropping away instantly as the cloud of sand that had been thrown up settled on their skin. Nico could feel it, magic.
He tried to brush it off. Horrified to look down and note the mounds of sand on the ground suddenly looked like a river, the sand running over his shoes and up his legs. Saint Medard. Hemanaged to take one step closer to Gigi before the sand stopped him in his tracks. His arm wrapped tightly around her waist, as a thick layer of sand climbed up to his thighs.
