Dragon Apocalypse (The Berserker and the Pedant Book 2) (21 page)

Phage continued to drop from the wall.
 
Shkkkt-splat, shkkkt-splat.
 
The zombie ants plunged into them with reanimated pincers.
 
The Phage latched onto their heads and pushed their tentacles into the ants’ mouths, only to have the tentacles cleaved off by the ants’ pincers.

Simultaneously, the Phage ceased this tactic and swarmed the ants, plucking off their legs.
 
The ants lay there, pincers snapping at the air, and the Phage retreated to swarm another ant.

“Oh, no,” Maximina said.

“Don’t touch the one with the hammer, Clem!” Pellonia said.
 
“You’ll be frozen.
 
Take the one with the axe.”

Clem picked up a small boulder and heaved it at the Pellonia with the axe.
 
She dodged away and rolled closer.
 
Clem heaved another stone, which Pellonia easily evaded.
 
Clem, not displaying the resourcefulness that might be expected from a creature that was made from parts and pieces of Arthur, picked up yet another stone.

This time, Pellonia rolled in close and struck Clem.
 
Clem held the stone up, blocking the axe.
 
The axe bit into the stone.
 
The stone crackled as ice radiated out from the axe along the surface of the rock.
 
Once it was fully enveloped, the rock shattered.
 
Pellonia grinned.

Gurken roared as he ran towards the beholder.
 
A bolt of freezing air flew from the orb, striking the axe.
 
The axe made a creaking sound and frost formed around it.
 
Gurken dropped the axe and held on to his numb, unmoving hand.
 

The axe fell to the ground with a clatter of steel on stone, and Gurken fell to one knee, unconsciously rubbing his frozen hand.
 
He raised his head towards the creature and gritted his teeth.
 
“You’ll pay for that, one eye!”

He lunged forward, reaching out his good hand, fingers straining.
 
Another blast of cold struck him in the face, casting him to the ground.
 
Gurken sat up slowly, a wintry fog steaming from his frost stiffened beard.

Shkkkt-splat-shkkkt-splat.
 
Phage continued to drop off of the wall, more quickly than before.
 
Dozens of legless zombie ants lay sprawled around the floor, killing any Phage that ventured too close.

Maximina smiled and reached into her magic sack.
 
She pulled out a jar, which she popped open.
 
She dipped her hand inside, and it came out covered in a thick, viscous jelly that clung to her hand.
 
She spread it around her face and body until every inch of her was covered.
 
She pulled out two short swords and spread the jelly over them as well, then she picked up a sword in either hand.

“Apocalypse!” Maximina yelled.
 
“Light me up!”

Apocalypse looked at her in confusion, his brows furled.

Maximina sighed and put one sword under her arm, held up her free hand, and squished the jelly between her fingers.
 
“Flammable, yet protects the skin at the same time.
 
Come on!
 
We haven’t got all day!”

Apocalypse shrugged and huffed a short blast of flame at Maximina. Fffooooom!
 
She lit up like a dried pine tree.

She charged into the fray, swinging her swords at the Phage, hooting and shouting with joy.
 
Apocalypse let loose a conflagration, crisping Phage and legless zombie ant alike.
 
Phage leapt at Maximina’s head, only to recoil as the flames took them and die as she sliced through them.

Until… “Owwwwww!” Maximina yelled, dropping the swords and blowing on her hands.
 
“Hot. Hot. Hot hot!”
 
Apocalypse watched as her swords fell to the ground and the flames enveloping the swords licked out, the blades glowed red with heat.

The Phage circled Maximina and Apocalypse, keeping a short distance between them.
 
They crawled over and around each other, swarming at a respectful distance.
 
Maximina feinted and they backed away, swarming back in as she retreated a step.
 
Apocalypse breathed more flames on them, but the Phage ignored them and pressed forward.

Then the flames on Maximina’s body went out.

“Uh oh,” she gulped.

“Clem no like cold,” Clem said as ice rippled through his body.
 
Then, in another tone, as the ice stretched over his neck and finally over his head, “I am not especially fond of the col—.”

Pellonia drew the axe from Clem’s body, where it had struck.
 
She grinned at his now frozen form, entirely encased in ice.

“These are nice,” she said to Pellonia, hefting the axe.

“Best gifts ever,” said another.

“Don’t you worry, we’ll make good use of them after you’re gone,” said the third.

They smiled and took a step toward Pellonia.

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY

The Berserker and the Beholder

AS THE FLAMES covering Maximina snuffed out, she rummaged around in her sack.
 
“Come on, come on! Magic shovel, no.
 
Wondrous wand, no.
 
Crystal parrot?”
 

The Phage sprung back as the crystal parrot flew out of the sack, fluttering around the room.
 
“Enemies sighted!
 
Squawk!
 
Wake up!
 
Enemies are near!”

Maximina frowned and shook her fist at the bird as it flew about.
 
“Thanks, crystal parrot.”
 
A Phage jumped at the parrot, latching on and shattering it between its tentacles.
 
The Phage surrounding Maximina and Apocalypse sprang forward.

Gurken sat up slowly, frost stiffening his beard.
 
He shook his head and flecks of ice sprayed out, forming a halo around his head.
 
He stood up.

The beholder raced toward him, mouth gaping.
 
Gurken ducked underneath the floating head and rolled to the other side.
 
He jumped up after the beholder passed by and grabbed onto one of the tentacles on top of the creature’s head and pulled himself up.
 
The beholder spun upside down in the direction Gurken pulled, quickly rotating until the tentacles on top of its head were underneath, tossing Gurken off.

Gurken sailed through the air, landing a few feet away and rolling into a crouch.
 
The beholder spun towards Gurken, who sprang out of the way, landing in a heap.

The beholder blasted Gurken with a sustained blast of cold, freezing him solid.
 
A dwarf in an ice cube, a look of despair on his face, one hand extending out of the ice.

The Pellonias split up and started to circle Pellonia.
 
Pellonia backed up, making it more difficult for them to surround her.