Risen

Chapter 16

As Sienna fired round after round at the Chieftain, she could see Narvuk and Poppy holding their own against the Wizards out of the corner of her eye. The Scorn took cover behind one of the statues, and Sienna cursed as her shot pinged off the obstacle. She held the sight line for a moment more before darting towards another outcropping with a better angle. Halfway there, however, the ground beneath her erupted and she was thrown off her feet, losing her grip on the rifle as she flew.

She hit the ground and rolled for several feet, the breath forced from her lungs by the impact onto the rocks and gravel. The Hunter scrambled to her feet and was greeted by two of the Abominations they had seen earlier advancing on her, Arc energies gathering in their outstretched palms. Sienna tensed, then leapt out towards her weapon as bolts of Arc lanced out to where she had crouched. She scooped up her rifle, whirled to aim, and fired two rounds into one of the Abominations' chests, staggering it back into its companion. It did not fall, however, and recovered quickly, blasting again and again at its prey. She dodged as many as she could, but one bolt found its mark in her shoulder. "Gah! Son of a bitch, that hurt! Let's see if you handle fire like you handle lead, asshole!," Sienna barked as she tossed an incendiary grenade between her assailants.

For a moment, the grenade did nothing, and the Abominations moved ever closer towards the Hunter. Then it detonated, and the Abominations staggered again as they caught fire. They swayed and flailed for a few moments before falling to ashes. "Yeah, didn't think so," Sienna panted, the adrenaline wearing off. "Alright, back to work."

Narvuk spun as a volley of Arc balls raced past, one of the monoliths providing cover. He struggled to catch his breath, the barrage continuing past his head. Poppy fell in beside him, also out of breath, and reloaded her Jade Rabbit. "Any... bright ideas... big guy?," the Warlock asked as her wounds slowly sealed. The Knight shook his head slightly, then ducked down as another Arc blast came dangerously close to taking a piece of his shoulder off. He looked back to his friend and saw an Abomination coming around behind her.

"Down!," he shouted, and Poppy instinctively dropped to the ground as Narvuk let off a bolt of Arc lightning that vaporized his target instantly. She stood and nodded to Narvuk, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by one of the Wizards, who exchanged looks with its partner before turning and gliding away. The other raised its claws and uttered a shrieking cry, the pitch and intensity driving Poppy and Narvuk to their knees. As they clutched at their heads, Thrall began burrowing up around them.

Narvuk was the first to recover and saw close to two dozen of them surrounding him and Poppy, but not attacking. "Poppy? Poppy, get up. Up, Warlock!," he ordered, shaking her with one hand, his eyes never leaving the Thrall around them. She groaned, propped herself up on her hands, then jerked back when she noticed the Thrall. "Easy, easy!" Narvuk grabbed her arm as it shot out for her weapon. "There must be a good rreason they haven't killed us already."

"Yeah, well, I'm not planning on waiting to find out what that reason is," she whispered harshly, still grasping for the rifle. Her fingers brushed its grip and the Thrall tensed and hissed. "Okay then, change of plans," she grumbled. Before them, the Thrall stepped to each side, opening a walkway for the Chieftain, who stomped toward them, snarling at any Thrall that was too close. "You got a plan, big guy?," Poppy muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

"Sienna is still out there, remember. The advantagge is still ours," the Knight whispered back before a Thrall shrieked at him, cutting him off. The Chieftain came to stand in front of the Guardians and roared in their faces, spittle flying and speckling their faces. "Any second now..." Narvuk's eyes flicked in all directions for any sign of their friend. But there was nothing to be seen.