Blend the Light

Finale Part 2

"Wasteland guards in three, two, one." They rush out from behind a door, swords drawn.

"We were supposed to catch them off guard! Guthrie Harper will be so upset! How'd they even figure out we were there?" One turns to his friends.

"They've got two dogs. How do you think?" Another replies with a glare.

"Oh, yeah. Do-." He's cut off when an arrow sinks into his chest, and he drops to the ground.

Mia Blends herself into the black mamba. She slowly slithers forwards, lifting her head up off the ground and flaring her hood as she hisses. I smirk when a few of the Wasteland guards step backwards. "What the hell, bro. What would Guthrie Harper think of you fleeing from a Raydownian? Especially a Blender."

"We've got to kill it." It? The Wasteland guards make the first move. A few of them run at Mia. She lands a bite on one of their ankles, but misses on the others. The one she got collapses a few seconds later as blood streams across his foot. One of the Wasteland guards swings their sword, and nearly cuts her in half, but she manages to dart to the side just in time.

I try to run to help her, but a Wasteland guard cuts me off. Their sword flashes, causing me to have to throw my own weapon up to deflect the attack. Strength flows through my veins as we settle into a rhythm of attacking and deflecting. Several wounds appear on my arms, and another on my knee, but the adrenaline coursing through me numbs the pain. I get tunnel vision. I can't see anything but the enemy in front of me, and everything else is blurry. Rex growls behind me, and Jay hisses in pain. The Wasteland guard I'm fighting missteps, leaving me with the opportunity to stab him between the ribs. He falls as I send an assault of stars flying through the air in an arc of silver. A few Wasteland guards grunt as the stars hit home.

The hallway echoes with a computerized shriek, which is closely followed by another. The Wasteland guards pull each other into motion, and they scurry into a nearby room. "Come on! Guthrie Harper will have our necks if we don't get out of here right now!" Guthrie Harper probably won't- he uses you guys to do his work, right? Two... Two abominations, if that's the right word, stand before us, hunched over and spasming as metal screeches, reforming them into even bigger monstrosities. They're like the Click's at the Wasteland, only bigger and with more spines. Their eyes glow blood orange, and the red light blinks on and off every second. One of them hisses, its lips pulling back to reveal sharp, pointy teeth. I curse. "Precisely what I was thinking," Mia murmurs. She's removed her Blend, and is now brushing off dried blood and dirt from her arms.

"They're so big..." Callie breathes, her eyes widening as her grip on her spear tightens.

I watch one of the Clicks. It prowls forwards in slow, deliberate steps. Don't let it get to your head. You can beat it. I wrestle with the fear and force it to the back of my mind, locking it in a box. Callie starts towards the Clicks, but Jay stops her with a hand. "Stop. Let them make the first move. Hawk, get your stars ready. We'll see if we can kill them without engaging them." Engaging? When did he start talking like that? It's so... So formal. I pull a few more stars from my belt. There are only a couple left, so I'll have to remember to get the rest back. Gary nocks an arrow in his bow as the Clicks draw closer, and Callie tightens her grip on her spear as she adjusts her stance. One of the Clicks drops down to all fours, leaving the other standing behind it. It runs forwards, gaining momentum as it closes the distance. "Fire!" Jay manages to yell before the Click is on us. Gary lets his arrow fly as I hurl the stars at the monstrosity. The arrow sinks into the Click's shoulder, but only one of the stars sticks- all the rest just glance of the metal plates. Callie throws her spear, and it pierces through the monstrosity's stomach. Yet it doesn't break stride as it swipes at us. Its claws nearly tear through Mia's arm, but she escapes with just scratches when she Blends herself into the black mamba. "Hawk. Gary. Rex. Take on the other one. We'll get this one." Jay shoos us away as he sizes up the closest Click.