Today is a brief one (well, technically not really as we have the latest chapter of Phantom Dawn for your reading pleasure!), but there is relatively scant news of anything else I'm afraid. I have new ideas floating around my head which certainly aren't helping! Anyone up for a fantasy epic inexplicably featuring giant robots (powered by a magician working over time?), anyone at all or just me! Probably just me then...
I've also been thinking about the eventual edit of Phantom Dawn and my early thoughts of changing the perspective to first person rather than the third I currently use. Chapters like today's would certainly disappear under that situation...
Before you get to read to see what I mean, let's move on and see how Riz fared after his time alone...
The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz
...And that's the end of that! So yeah, I decided to do just one more part and it came out okay (folded arms are apparently the bane of my existence at the moment).
What's next though? Hmm no idea but I do think the devilish little gears in Riz’s head are spinning with regards to the holiday season...oh dear.
Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 18
At last, things are moving quicker now, as Kurz and Mason attempt to fend off the gigantic menace, in order to buy time for Rose to recover. Will their plan succeed? Read on to find out!
Phantom Dawn Chapter Index
Chapter 18
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Chapter 18: Stand and Fight
Kurz’s first look at the creature made him realise how little their chance of success had really been. It was the red eyes that he noticed first, and how high off the ground they were. The spider-like creature that Rose had fought had been big, but this one was in a league of its own, standing several storeys above that one. Its general shape was of a bipedal monster with a bulbous back, covered in a rocky skin with magma glowing in the cracks. Its hands, they could be called hands, looked like long thin diamonds that glinted in the glow of the Phantom Dawn, and the monster’s teeth looked to be made of the same material. Luckily for them, speed was not an attribute that the creature possessed as it slowly lumbered towards the town. Each heavy step shaking things.
“Any ideas?” Mason asked hesitantly. “I was kind of hoping that it was another small one…”
“Me too, but we’ve got to deal with what’s in front of us,” Kurz replied, gritting his teeth as he looked the monster over again. It was getting closer and closer to the town with each massive step, and there really wasn’t anything the pair could do to hurt it.
Can we slow it down though? Kurz thought. He scanned the scant area between them and the monster, what he needed was a sinkhole to open up, one large enough to swallow it in one go, thus giving ample time for the evacuation. How this would be accomplished though was the hard part. Then, an idea struck him, and he knew that they had to act fast.
“Mason! Do you know of anything in any of Finch’s storehouses around here that can cause an explosion?” He asked, wasting no time breathing between words. “Even better, is there any in the direction of that thing!”
“Well, yeah, but that’s going to be on top of us before we can set anything!”
“We need to buy time for everyone to get out of here, and this is how we do it!”
“And if this fails?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when it comes to it, alright?”
Mason looked up at the creature getting ever closer, and thought of Rose, and clenched his fist.
“Fine! Follow me, if you can keep up!”
Mason led Kurz to a small ramshackle shed that the latter realised he’d constantly overlooked due to how it looked half buried. Inside it were different containers that had clearly been repurposed. Various coloured liquids sloshed around as Mason grabbed what he could, and shoved even more into Kurz’s arms. For his part, Kurz spotted a sturdy rope, and made sure to grab it, wrapping it around his arm.
“Do I even want to know what’s in these?”
“You want things that’ll explode, these will explode. Just be careful with them otherwise we’ll be the ones doing the exploding!”
“I’ve got no plans of dying tonight, so don’t you worry about me,” Kurz replied, as he looked over to the creature which was now within a few footsteps of the town. The panic that had been a constant background noise was sounding more organised, so Kurz hoped that meant his grandfather had been able to marshal an effective evacuation order. If things didn’t turn out how he wanted with this plan, he’d hoped the people were prepared to run for the hills, and that nothing else was waiting for them.
“Are we doing this?” Mason asked, trying to appear more stoic then he was actually feeling.
“Of course, just follow my lead.”
The pair got as close to the creature as they dared, trying to keep steady as the ground around them shook violently with every footstep.
“Will these explode if we leave them for him to stand on?” Kurz asked.
“We’ll need to put it near those sharp rocks, one spark will take care of all of this. Is it a bad time to mention that the blast radius of all this might include us?” Mason added.
“I kind of figured that, I’ll take my chances all the same.”
Mason could only nod at Kurz’s determination, he shared it, but he was left with a lingering sense of if it was enough. If this act could atone for anything he did while working under Finch. If it would be enough in Rose’s eyes.
“Just tell me when you want to throw them,” Mason announced. “Though I didn’t think I’d be doing something like this by your side, of all people.”
“The feeling’s mutual. Wasn’t what I thought of either. Especially after beating you up earlier.”
“Alright, alright, you don’t have to rub it in okay? It’s only slightly more humiliating then getting beaten up by Rose.”
“Slightly more?”
“Well, she has super strength and is a goddess. You’re just a human, like me.”
“Can’t argue with that, but these two humans are about to cause a big explosion.”
“That is one way to go I suppose…”
The pair stopped just as the creature was lifting its foot up again. It was now or never, as they only had this small window to try and do damage, and they had to take it.
“Ready?” Kurz asked.
“As ready as you can get. Throw everything on those rocks there,” Mason pointed at the perfect place to execute their plan.
The creature moved its foot above where they were standing, and seeing as they had no time left, the pair threw everything they had, littering the area with what they hoped was enough explosives to do damage. Container after container landed at the site, with the foot getting closer and closer overhead. Mason grabbed Kurz and threw him off to the side, before leaping himself, as the colossal foot crushed the area. The blast was instantaneous, causing more shockwaves than what the creature itself was doing. A plume of fire shot up and to their shock, the creature howled in pain, and then, as if to use up all their luck, the ground underneath collapsed, and the creature started to sink as the land became unstable. Kurz and Mason scrambled to get away as fast as their legs could carry them. Neither said a word as they silently watched the creature disappear amidst smoke and the rolling earth.
It was only once the dust had settled before Mason dared say something.
“What a night eh?” he nudged Kurz in the arm who was still laying there, as the shock slowly subsided.
“Why did you throw me?” he sat up bolt right, casting an accusing glance at Mason.
“Because I was trying to save your life! You idiot! If I hadn't done that, you’d been squished and then blown up! A little gratitude would be nice!”
“Gratitude? You messed up that throw up and you would have killed me!”
“Well, you’re still alive so quit complaining about it!”
The pair then laughed at the absurdity of the situation, before reality began to creep back in.
“Do you think that was enough?” Mason peered over the hole, wanting to get a good look at what lay beneath. All he could see was smoke, and rock, but he couldn’t tell where the rock had come from, if it had been blown up from the surface, or blasted off the creature.
Kurz didn’t have to reply, as the creature did that, with a roar that got the impression across that all they’d managed to do was enrage it, rather than killing it.
They backed up in shock as the ground began shaking again, as though something was clawing at it repeatedly, then the creature shot out from the ground, landing ahead of them with a tremendous crash. It was now a lot smaller than before, having lost a lot of its weight, and size. It also seemed to move with more purpose and speed. While it was no longer the towering giant it had been, it was still the biggest threat put against them, and now, it wasn’t looking at the town, it was staring at Kurz and Mason, clearly recognising them as the cause for its pain. With unexpected ferocity, the creature charged at the pair, its speed having increased dramatically, and it was upon them before they had even realised it. Mason took the first blow, the creature kicking him mid stride before turning to face Kurz fully. Mason flew through several mounds of dirt before sliding to a stop, his body feeling nothing but the pain of the impact.
Kurz was determined not to let that happen to him, and rolled out of the way when the creature took a swing at him, kicking up a huge groove in the ground from the sheer force of the blow. Getting back to his feet, Kurz took the rope off his arm and started swinging it. There was no plan in mind, just the desire to not let it all end there. The creature ran forward with a punch, its rocky fingers folding up to make a fist the size of Kurz, one blow would shatter every bone in his body with little effort. He dodged out of the way, taking advantage of how close he was and how slow the creature was at turning, despite its much improved agility elsewhere. In between the dodges, Kurz prepared the rope. He knew there were some tricks he wouldn’t be able to pull off, but he wasn’t without options. Narrowly avoiding another blow, he secured the rope to an old pole that jutted out of the ground, making sure it was as tight as could be within the time he had. He had to let go of the rope for its own sake as the creature rampaged around, then the perfect opportunity presented itself, as he went under the creature’s foot as it went to stamp on him, and he grabbed the rope again. Either the monster didn’t acknowledge the rope or didn’t care about it, as it took no notice of it as it took steps towards Kurz, who had arranged himself to be on his back, the rope firmly in his two hands. He pulled it tight and the pattern he’d carefully wrought it into became apparent as it wrapped around the legs, constricting the monster’s movement, and causing it to fall over with a thud that cracked the ground, causing more of it to fall into the already massive pit. Kurz let go of the rope when it became clear what was going to happen as the creature disappeared over the edge again, rope and all. He had no time to be happy with the outcome as he knew it was only temporary. He rushed over to Mason who was struggling to get back on his feet, his arms buckling under the strain.
“We got to move! Now!” Kurz yelled.
“Then help me!” Mason replied as he collapsed again. “That thing hits worse than Rose!”
Kurz grunted in dissatisfaction but helped him all the same, but the pair hadn’t got more than a few meters away when they heard the roar again, as the creature landed in front of them, the magma in the cracks burning white. The pair were helpless before it, and it seemed to know this as it advanced on them slowly.
“Is it bad taste to say nice knowing you?” Mason asked, wishing he had the strength to stand alone.
“Coming from you, yes, it is bad taste, but I get the sentiment.” Kurz himself didn’t have the strength to do anything else. The act of resistance he already performed had taken everything out of him, leaving him with nothing in reserve.
“Do you think it’ll be painless?” Mason enquired, sadly already knowing the answer.
Kurz laughed nervously, and faced the creature dead in what he assumed was its eyes. They both awaited whatever attack was launched at them, but the sound of running distracted them, and even the creature turned to see what was the source of it. The next thing the pair saw was the creature being shunted out of the way, as Rose, already in whatever state she’d been in when the last creature attacked, landed a jumping kick. Without acknowledging either Mason or Kurz, Rose stood ready to fight.
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Next Chapter (not finished yet!)
That's it for this week!
Till next time...
Keep on writing
Peter James Martin
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