Against the Beast by R. J. Batla

Author:R. J. Batla [Batla, R. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: R.J. Batla
Published: 2017-07-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Royn parried the sword from the left Skeptor and threw up an air shield on his right. Steel clanged against bone as the two traded blows. The second one broke through the air shield quickly and thrust at Royn’s midsection.

Royn teleported at the last second, the creature’s sword hitting nothing but blue light. Growling, they advanced on his new position, circling around again. Clearly they meant to keep his attention divided. The left one started in again, and Royn counterattacked, matching the strikes with his own as the second one circled and jumped in again. Thank God for his Ranger training, or he wouldn’t have lasted ten seconds against these things.

“Flying Knives!” Royn called, arcing his arm and sending dozens of daggers of sharpened air at the Skeptor. They imbedded themselves in the bone, but didn’t penetrate, didn’t even slow the thing down. Again Royn teleported away at the last second.

They continued to circle, and this time Royn put everything he had into his sword work, until he found an opening. “Aha!” he said, driving his blade right into a Skeptor’s chest.

It clanged and bounced harmlessly off the bone armor, the force prying the sword from his hands. “No!” he said, teleporting away, then right back to get his sword and away again too fast for them to react. Damn that was close.

Five more times they circled and advanced, each time Royn throwing a different attack at the second Skeptor, and five more times Royn teleported away. But there was a problem. Royn’s energy was draining quickly—the second bean was wearing off, his reserves already depleted. He was weaker than he thought. He hadn’t fully recovered. He shouldn’t have come. The Skeptors circled again. Like vultures. Might as well be. One of these times they were going to get him. Just a matter of time. How could he win this battle? His attacks fell right off of them, nothing stuck. He was severely out matched.

What is that blasted buzzing? Royn dodged a sword attack and deflected a fireball with an air blast.

“Now.”

From behind him the second Skeptor launched another fireball. Diving away, the heat singed his clothes as he tucked and rolled on the landing, immediately jumping up before he was blasted again.

“Now.”

Another attack from behind him! He dove away, this time narrowly avoiding a hurled boulder. What the heck was going on? Where were these voices coming from?

“Circle around. I’ll distract him, you come in from behind silently, and skewer him.”

Mindspeak! They’re using Mindspeak! And I can hear them!

The first one attacked again, drawing his attention.

“Get ready,” he heard. OK, this was it. He stepped in closer, the smell of the thing gagging him, but he could stand it for a minute. The Skeptor increased the speed of its attacks until its sword was just a white blur whizzing around Royn. “Arg!” Royn said, cuts appearing on his left arm and right leg. Nothing deep, but they slowed him slightly, and he heard the second Skeptor advance.

Wait for it.

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