P-Nerg Chapter 51

Read Table of Content | +Kyla Scurchio
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     I hit an Alnilam mouse head on. I felt its sharpened spear cut through my layers of clothes and slice my arm. I wacked it aside with the back arm and let the magic in me flow, pulling the grasses into my power. The stalks tangled themselves around the feet of the mouse and pulled it to the ground struggling. My tattoos glowed and the next mouse ran in terror. I continued on to the next enemy.
I slashed out with my make shift dagger and called my now full sized trap to my aid. The Last Move really didn’t
withstand much but it was threatening just the same. The ambush trap I placed back and left to do its work on its own. Repairs would come later.
     I was grateful for the different tribe colors, because without them all the mice looked the same to me. I took out three more Alnilam mice with my spell before they started to catch on and avoided the tall grasses. A Conqueror mouse saw the pile of bodies around me dropping and headed to aid his fellow tribe members. The Champion mouse sent a slash of water at him but he deflected it with a swipe of its powerful sword. His war cry made me stumble back, as I did I stumbled over a tangled up body. My trap sidestepped to guard me taking a brutal blow to its middle. The champion stepped in to assist me and took the Conqueror mouse on, leaving me to avoid a mob of Alnilam mice. Unable to disentangle myself from the fallen mouse fast enough to avoid my new threat; I did a spell that caused the ground to become much like quicksand, sending the mice into the ground. I ended the spell leaving the mice half buried. I lunged to my feet and took off at a run to the center of the battle.
     I felt the glowing of my markings intensify as I kept the magic flowing at the surface of my consciousness. It would have been enough to threaten any of my next attackers had they been thinking creatures. Instead I encountered a wild beast that had to be controlled by one of the Beast Tamers hidden in the trees just outside of the ring of battle. The beast roared and swiped a massive paw at my torso. I dodged aside feeling a whoosh just miss the back of my head.
     In the center of the chaos was what I was looking for; the Chief hiding safely behind his guards. The Defender and Slayer mice stood crouched at the ready, waiting to spring at me when I got close enough. I dodged several more blows from unknown mice as I worked my way towards the Chief.
Once in range, the Defender let out a roar so deafening it shook the earth at my feet. Mice nearby paused and looked around. He bounded for me, but before he reached me the Slayer mouse used its powerful magic supply to hurl a nearby boulder my way. I cringed not prepared to face it when my trap stepped in front of me again. I hadn’t even realized it was there, and I felt bad when the large rock turned it into a pile of rubble. I was now a hunter without a trap. I suddenly felt very vulnerable.
     The slayer hurled two more boulders at me and I had to dodge side to side to avoid them. The Defender lunged swiping his massive axe at my throat. I just barely avoided its razor sharp edge. I swiped out with my dagger but it had no effect on the mouse. He noticeably laughed and then with its large paw hit me across the head sending me to the ground.
      I saw a flash of blue and to my left and right the Protector and Champion mice had come to my aid. Each took on its own counterpart leaving me to take out the chief. The clashing of weapons was all I could hear. The air around us vibrated with magic and strength. The Champion mouse sent out torrents of water slashing at the Slayer mouse with blinding accuracy.
      I stumbled towards the tiny little chief mouse. He didn’t even look threatening. He babbled incoherent words and phrases screaming at his protectors and pointing in my direction. I grinned and felt the power in me flow to the surface as I prepared to unleash it all on him, when I heard a roar unlike any battle cry around me; an intense terrifying roar that meant only death for all.
      Every mouse in the area froze. Silence filled the clearing and I felt my heart beat quicken even more. I followed the gaze of every mouse around me. In the sky was a beast unlike any I had ever seen before. Massive wings spread across the sun and the beast went into a dive. A terrified yell shouted out from the still silence.
“DRAGON!”
      Chaos erupted around me; some mouse ran into me sending me to the ground once more. The Dragon gave another roar and blew fire from its mouth. The stream nearly reached us and I felt a numbing fear grip me.
      Each tribe forgot the battle completely and ducked for cover, behind trees or rocks blending in with their environment so well that even I had a hard time finding each one of them. And suddenly I realized I stuck out like a sore thumb. My tattoos glowed, a beacon calling forth the dragon to my presence. It was hungry. It was angry. And I was alone.