The Curse of the Desert Temple

Chapter 16 - Time to Brawl

Jessie loaded her electric water rifle and increased its electrical output. This Evil Gene was...something. It was beyond her technological capabilities, something of magic. Yes, that was it.

She rolled to the side to avoid a splitting fireball. It crashed to her side before exploding into sandy grains. Despite the radiating heat of the impact, she was shivering in fear. She stood mindful of her surroundings.

Evil Gene then tapped the rocky ground with his shoe, which smashed the ground. Red lights shot from the ground, eventually morphing into scarlet, screeching monsters with one eye each. They rushed towards the impending brawlers.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Bull charging, knocking over three monsters, which sprawled out like fallen bowling pins. Evil Gene fired a ball of fire towards Bull.

Jessie sprinted towards Bull, extinguishing said fireball with her rifle Bull veered towards Jessie with a grateful glance and gave a thumbs-up before swatting another red abhorrence.

Jessie beamed and moved onwards. They had the upper hand in this battle.

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Exactly ten minutes ago, Barley was serving drinks for those at the beach. Now, he was jogging at a quick pace, bottles in hand and his moustache twitching from keeping his sentient eye open.

Barley sighed. Quite the bizarre change of setting. Ah, well. At the very least, I don't need to try out those sunglasses. They always serve the two eyes. Odd.

He tossed a handful of acidic Molotov Cocktails, burning off a few of those red disgusting nightmares. As the liquid evaporated with skull-shaped, poisonous smoke, a much stronger, taller, monster towered over him. It swung its hand, revealing a sun-coloured blade. However, it seemed to Barley that there was nothing sunny to that sabre.

Barley reloaded a single cocktail and prepared to chuck the fluid. Unfortunately, the monster swiped away the bottle, its contents spilling as it shattered on the earth.

Barley's knees knocked in panic as the abnormality sharpened its own sword, the sound more and more unwelcome with each swipe. The blade plunged, aiming right for Barley's head. Barley closed his one eye.

THUNK.

Wait, why am I not in absolute suffering?

Barley opened his yellow eye to stare at the flustered monster. Its blade had dropped onto a shovel.

"Mortis?" Barley inquired, perplexed.

The mortician smirked, staring down at the bartender. With an expert flick of his shovel, the monster was thrown back. Mortis nodded to Barley, who understood and hurled his Last Call. The red fiend screeched, scrabbling the air with its claws as it withered and scorched.

Mortis high-five Barley in celebration. "You still owe me a game of Brawl Ball together, " Mortis mentioned.

Barley sighed. His friend (and sometimes foe) never forgot. Surprising for a 300-year old-ish immortal.

"Ok, but I request that you, by any circumstances, do NOT try to own goal--"

"NO PROMISESSSSS!" Mortis cried, dashing into the fray of anomalies, leaving a somewhat exasperated Barley.

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Dynamike's lungs wheezed as he ran from the red monster. He had never run this much in his whole life. At least, that time when ol' Mortis got Coiled Snake made second to that...

He stumbled over his creaky feet and fell to the hard ground. The monster shook, starting at Dynamike with its unblinking eye before unleashing a sharp tendril.

"DYNAMIKE!"

Sandy shouted, running over. He shoved the monster away. The burning surface of the monster sizzled Sandy's skin. He hissed in irritation and readied a handful of sharp rocks.

The monster turned his back on Dynamike to duel with Sandy. Dynamike saw his chance and quickly lighted a stick of TNT under the monster. He snapped his fingers before running off. The scarlet anomaly turned and looked down.

BOOM!

Bits of abnormal rained down on the duo as Sandy walked towards Dynamike.

"You ok?" Sandy queried.

Dynamike stretched his legs, making them crack before shaking his body and hands. "Yep, yep, I'm fine, " he muttered, checking that his beloved canary was safe under his helmet. Its yellow feathers shivered in fear, but it seemed fine.

From the corner of his eye, Gene's lamp raced through the carnage to sit on Sandy's head. He let it settle there.

Crow stabbed yet another monster sneaking behind Dynamike and sighed. "This battle is getting absolutely nowhere. Look!" he noted, pointing a feathered finger.

Evil Gene snapped his colossal fingers, making more red abnormalities rise from the cracks. One of then lunged towards Mortis, who'd just defeated the last monster.

"He's trying to tire us, " Crow concluded. "Either that or making us surrender to him."

"We can't let that happen!" Dyamike shouted, wringing his hands in fear. His wrists were still throbbing like crazy from his dynamite hurling. The others weren't in the greatest condition. Sandy, for example, had been awake for a good 5 to 6 hours. Too much time without sleep.

Gale gasped, dropping to the ground before rolling over to avoid a pouncing red terror. Crow stabbed the monster, which melted into the ground.

"Thank you, " Gale said, catching his breath. "I've tried everything to defeat Evil Gene himself: attacking him, blowing him away...no effect! Not even a darn good sliver of health gone! I tell ya, that's worse than Jessie as the Big Brawler in Big Gam--"

"We get it, " Crow muttered, swinging his dagger an inch from the handyman's face to quieten him.

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Sandy (and the lamp) stared at Evil Gene, his face slowly burning from the black tendrils corrupting it.

Behind his lamp, the lengths of gold had merged to form one thick string, which the tendrils had snaked around. Every time he summoned a new fleet of monsters, the tendrils shone.

While the others disputed on how they could defeat Evil Gene, Sandy was running towards him. Gale noticed and ran after him. "Sandy!" he cried, panting.

Sandy skidded to a stop behind Evil Gene. He started at the tendrils, gnarly and black, high in the air. How can I get there?

Gale caught up to him, puffing. "Jeez, stop running so much! My legs can't handle this--"

Sandy quickly shushed him and pointed to the dark tendrils stemming from Evil Gene's lamp. "Think you can get me up there?"

Gale shot a quizzical look, but complied his request. He placed down a Spring Ejector. "I really hope you're not going to do something darn bizarre."

"It is bizarre," Sandy laughed. He stepped onto the spring trap and launched himself towards Evil Gene.

Hang in there, Gene.

I'm coming to save you.