The twang of bowstrings warbled and a hail of arrows followed, many of them aimed right at Cloudhawk. He hunkered down and raised his alpha-wolf pelt. Thud, thud, thud! The arrows pummeled him, but couldn’t fully pierce his coat. They only managed to inflict several nicks and scratches.
Some, though, were aimed at his head where he had no protection.
He was having trouble tracking the black arrows through the darkness, but he felt the danger they posed. There were too many for him to dodge or deflect. Then, in this critical moment, the Bloodsoaked Queen appeared, dagger in hand.
Ting, ting, clang! She knocked the remaining arrows away before pulling Cloudhawk after her in retreat.
Cloudhawk managed to shout his thanks as they ran. He’d succeeded in taking the rotwolf’s nose out of the equation, but it didn’t improve their situation much. Sweepers continued to close in on all sides. They were in danger of being surrounded.
In a matter of minutes, their escape would be completely cut off. Once the three mutants arrive, they would be in even deeper shit.
They didn’t get far. A pair of lizards reared up on their hind legs right in front of them, their riders brandishing weapons. They swung thick, barbaric falchions over their heads and sliced deadly arcs through the air as their lizard mounts propelled them forward.
The blades were right in their faces.
The Bloodsoaked Queen’s body twisted to the side. As though flung from a catapult, her slender and dexterous body flitted through the air, slipping past the sweepers’ blades so she could open their throats with her dagger.
She landed with one foot on the head of the lizard mount, and pushed off again. She spun like a lethal top, a dervish of steel that severed the arteries in another rider’s throat.
By now, Cloudhawk had seen a few experts at work, such as Mad Dog, Slyfox, Grizzly, and others. But he never saw anything close to the Queen’s graceful, flexible, and lethal abilities.
The riders were dead – but their lizards still breathed. Without their riders, they were furious and even more brutal. When their heavy bodies landed back on the ground, they turned to hiss at her, revealing a maw filled with razor-like teeth.
The Bloodsoaked Queen, still airborne, shrunk into a defensive posture. She waited for her prey to attack, ready to bury her dagger in its eye.
Then, something that no one expected happened.
Neither lizard tried to bite her. Instead, barbed tongues shot out at her fast as a whip, with enough force to shatter stone. More importantly, their tongues were peppered with poison-secreting glands. One scrape from those spikes would lead to consequences too gruesome to contemplate.
The Queen had no leverage with which to move herself out of harm’s way so she could only avoid one of them.
Cloudhawk rushed at her brandishing a metal pipe. He brought it crashing down on the head of one of the mutant creatures, cracking its skull and drawing blood. The blow rattled it and altered the trajectory of the beast’s tongue.
The Queen fell back to the ground safely, only to spring up in a cloud of sand. She charged at the other lizard like a gust of wind. Scores of brutal gashes appeared on the lizard’s vulnerable underbelly from throat to abdomen.
“Leave the other one alive!”
Sweepers kept pouring in from all sides. Capable as the Bloodsoaked Queen was, she was just one person and was quickly nearing her limit. Beyond that, her wounds were serious. All this movement was going to be the end of her!
The hunters’ numbers swelled. How could the two of them hope to outrun their pursuers using just their two legs? This situation wasn’t a siege. The hunters would run them down until they were too weak.
Cloudhawk swung himself on top of the other lizard and wrapped its reins around his fist. It immediately started to sway and buck in protest. His eyes filled with that blood-red hue as he expertly smacked the creature on the head with his pipe again. “Chill! The fuck! Out!”
The threat of death from this crazy human caused the lizard to tremble in fear. It was suddenly much more compliant.
He reached out a hand towards the Queen. “What the hell are you staring at? Let’s go!”
She couldn’t believe he’d tamed this creature with nothing but his voice. This guy was chock full of surprises and powers she didn’t know he had. The Queen didn’t hesitate to leap up onto the lizard’s back. She steadied herself by wrapping her arms around Cloudhawk’s waist.
“Get me out of here!”
With the reigns in one hand, Cloudhawk whipped the lizard’s hide with his pipe. Although its hide was thick, Cloudhawk was no weakling. The triangular pipe hit hard enough to break skin and the lizard let out a piteous hiss of pain. It bolted, running wildly through the darkness.
“Faster!”
“Faster!”
Cloudhawk saw his pursuers gaining. He beat his pipe against the lizard again and again, urging it on. Desperate to escape the pain, the lizard kicked its webbed feet faster. It raced over slopes and dunes, slowly increasing the distance between them and the sweepers.
They were coming up on a conical pit. The lizard was preparing to cross it when Cloudhawk noticed its sandy depths. Something was moving and sand had begun tumbling down the sides.
This sight was not reassuring. Cloudhawk shook as he broke out in a cold sweat. This wasn’t a normal valley – it was a gateway to hell!
“Stop, stop!”
Cloudhawk pulled hard on the reins and beat his mount with the pipe at the same time. The lizard, confused, took it as a sign to speed up.
“It’s dangerous, we gotta bail!”
He released his hold on the reins and almost immediately, the two of them were thrown off. The lizard continued its headlong rush until it hit the bottom and the whole thing seemed to come alive. An enormous creature burst forth, frightening the lizard. It tried to scramble in another direction, but it was already too late.
The monstrous thing was long, and weighed hundreds of pounds. It lurched through the air, bloody maw agape. In a single snap, half the mutant lizard’s body was ripped away.
The Bloodsoaked Queen stared dumbstruck at the creature. “What the hell is that thing?!”
Dozens of hideous legs wriggled on either side like those of a giant, fat centipede. A marked difference was that this thing was covered in leathery flesh, though it had the same segmented shape. It was at least twenty meters long and was as thick as five burly men tied together. A carapace covered it from the top of its head all the way down its back. Its sides were covered in tumor-like poison glands, and although it had no eyes, ears or nose, it had a savage bite that put a shark to shame.
52 The Edge of Life and Death
The sands shook. The world pitched. Under the dim light of dawn, the monstrous thing was revealed. More than a hundred scythe-like legs wriggled, the ones sprouting from its upper half scarlet red and keen as daggers. They were so tightly packed that they clattered against each other like a host of blades. It was a show of dominance.
The monster also let off a fetid stench of putrescence. It was an agent of death, so terrifying as to petrify even the most elite soldiers.
Cloudhawk was a model of his upbringing, a denizen of the wastes. Aggression steamed from his bones and he was by no means a coward… but before this hellspawn, he stood absolutely stupefied. Those sweepers who were giving chase witnessed it too, watching as the creature burst from its secret nest like a majestic emperor of its territory. It reared up the first third of its body and released from its gaping maw a screech rife with pure fury.
The sound was more terrible than any thunder, worse than the boom of an erupting volcano, and more deafening than a flood! It rolled across the vast wasteland and into the heavens, telling all who dared enter its territory that here, it was master!
Cloudhawk jolted back to his senses. “Run!”
The sweepers’ mounts panicked when they came face to face with the monster. Their riders fought to keep them under control while the one in the
lead thrust his crude axe in the air. “Don’t let them get away! Kill these two rats!”
The other sweepers growled like a pack of cornered wolves. Although this monster’s appearance had startled them, they were not going to give up the chase – a seemingly insane decision.
But one mustn’t forget… this was the wastelands!
As the sands blew in on gusting winds, they brought with them the sounds of bowstrings twanging. Dart after poisonous dart was fired, filling the air with terrifying whistles. The fugitives urged their mounts forward and raced headlong into the sand pit.
Cloudhawk was struck by two of the arrows. They didn’t completely pierce his mystical cloak but they bit into him anyway. Two cuts like knife stabs ached and though he didn’t stop to look, he knew there would be blood.
The desert monster made its move. It sped across the sand as smoothly as any vessel, propelled across the granular sea by its constantly wriggling host of legs. Plumes of sand were kicked up behind it as it madly dashed forward.
The reeking smell of rot mingled with rolling clouds of sand. Cloudhawk’s eyes, mouth and nose were choked shut. He couldn’t see or hear anything, helpless as a drowning man struggling aimlessly.
The monster slithered up behind him. A hundred blood red, knife-like appendages reached out to impale Cloudhawk.
Shafts of light shone over them from the eastern horizon. As the beast opened its maw to devour its prey, the light disappeared down its cavernous mouth. Countless needle-like teeth lined the cavity, resembling a living meat grinder. Hell, with skin of copper and bones of iron, you’d still be ripped apart and Cloudhawk had neither of those things.
He teetered on the razor edge of destruction.
The Bloodsoaked Queen appeared, cloak flapping, kicking up sand in her wake. She snatched Cloudhawk, leapt off the ground and landed right on the monster’s head. It replied by swinging itself back and forth and raising itself higher. But no matter what the monster did, the Queen was fixed to the carapace that formed its skullcap like a magnet. Agile as a sparrow, she slid down its back to the midpoint of its body.
Cloudhawk was in shock. He felt like he’d been snatched from the jaws of death, literally. He’d been so close to dying that he felt like his soul had fled his body! He’d never experienced such a terrifying sensation before.
It was only thanks to the Queen’s fantastic skills that he survived. Even if had ten lives, the beast would have devoured them all. When he looked at her, though, she was not reveling in their escape. Blood dripped continuously from the bottom of her mask. All of this motion and strain was only making her condition worse.
“Are you alright?”
With her mask on, he couldn’t tell by her face. Her response was a cold and dismissive grunt, but it couldn’t hide her weakness. “Worry about yourself. Don’t count on me to save your ass every time.”
Cloudhawk felt extremely unhappy when his well-intentioned question was repaid with contempt.
There was nothing he could do about it. Ten of him couldn’t equal one wounded Bloodsoaked Queen. It would be hard enough for her to break encirclement alone, twice as hard if she had to drag Cloudhawk with her.
Cloudhawk clung to the gaps where the monster’s chitinous armor connected. There he was flung from one side to another as if he were riding some nightmarish rollercoaster. He managed to shout, “If you see a chance to make it, you forget about me!”
“I wasn’t waiting for your permission,” she snapped back.
He knew she’d say something like that because he understood her personality by now. But it was still a blow to his ego. This apathetic, grumpy woman, he lamented to himself. She still thinks I’m a piece of shit!
Cloudhawk opened his mouth to say something, but his words were cut off when a bolt from a sniper’s bow buried itself in the Queen’s chest. She gasped as it pierced her and she faltered, about to collapse.
“Queen!”
Cloudhawk grabbed her and covered her with his cloak. Arrows fell like a lethal hail while the monster, enraged, threw itself at the sweepers. It whipped left and right at the same time, trying to rid itself of the pests latched to its back.
Its multitude of razor sharp arms chewed the earth in front of it. Any sweeper or mount unlucky enough to be caught in its path was cut down like weeds! They were chopped up and disemboweled.
The monster’s charge only served to enrage the sweepers. Two maneaters clad in heavy armor flung themselves forward like crazed bulls, enormous war hammers crashing down on the beast’s head. The blow was powerful enough to stagger the mutant creature. Meanwhile, other sweepers surrounded it and started to stab at it with spears and swords.
Squelch! Squirt!
Each wound the monster suffered popped poison glands, which spurted corrosive toxins. The splashing filth blinded many sweepers and yet the mob did not retreat. Dozens more charged forward, with some of the sweepers even trying to climb onto the creature’s back.
Cloudhawk held the Queen tightly while waving his staff with lethal intent. He put it through the neck of one sweeper that got too close, leaving behind a gaping fountain of blood. It was dead before it hit the ground. Cloudhawk swung around and bludgeoned another sweeper, striking it so hard on the helmet that sparks flew and it was knocked away.
The mutant centipede heaved its girth in any direction it could, trying to break free from the trap it found itself in. But the sweepers were like maggots and clung to it no matter where the monster tried to run. It lashed out at everything that came close, but it couldn’t hold out forever.
Cloudhawk had lost count of his injuries. He was too weak to use his exorcist rod. All he could do was cling desperately to the monster’s carapace and be flung around. If he lost his grip and hit the sand, the sweepers would be on him in a minute. He seemed destined for a brutal death, a seemingly inevitable reward for his frantic attempts to survive. In its mad haze, the monster didn’t realize the number of sweepers was only increasing. If this continued, no matter how strong it was, it would soon also be slain!
The Bloodsoaked Queen feebly extended a hand, letting it fall on the monster’s body.
From her fingers, a scorching flame ignited. The outer part of the creature resisted the lapping fires, but the heat was boiling it alive on the inside. It screeched in pain and raced forward with wild abandon. The maneaters were knocked aside and the monster plunged into the sea of waiting sweepers.
The Queen never ceased infusing the monster with her burning power. Like a beast gone mad with pain, the mutant insect rampaged through the press of enemies.
Thanks to the overwhelming power of this monster, Cloudhawk and the Queen broke free of the encirclement. It was ignorant of how far it had run, focused only on the pain the Burning Angels were causing by charring its innards. As its life force quickly began draining away, it heaved a forlorn cry and fell limp onto the sand.
At last, neither Cloudhawk nor the Queen could stem off the waves of exhaustion that consumed them. Due to her armor, the arrow lodged in the Queen’s chest was blessedly shallow [1]. They figured the arrow tips were poisoned, but weren’t sure which toxins had been used. Cloudhawk could only resort to emergency measures, so he pulled the Queen’s armor to the side and helped her pull out the arrow. Her wound began to bleed freely.
The Queen did not resist. She likely didn’t have the strength to. Dawn had arrived but the sun had yet to cover the wasteland in its callous light. Cloudhawk made his way to the peak of a dune and looked out to where the yellow-brown horizon met the equally repellent sky.
A cloud of opaque brown grew thick rapidly. The closer it got, the darker things became until they were nearly plunged into darkness once again. Cloudhawk had grown up in the wastelands, so of course he knew what this phenomenon was.
He threw one of the Queen’s arms over his shoulder. “Mother fucker, we got a beast of a sandstorm headed our way. We have to find a place to hide otherwise, we’re gonna get blown away!”
This wa
s a real sandstorm, one birthed by nature. The area these storms covered was massive and they were powerful. Gusts so intense they’d throw whole cars into the air were not uncommon. It was one of the most devastating natural disasters they could encounter!
The Queen’s mouth lolled open. “Leave me.”
He gaped at her. “What did you say?”
For the first time this mighty woman looked like she was ready to surrender in defeat. “I won’t survive the sandstorm. You have to go alone.”
She wasn’t being dramatic. Be it physically or mentally, she had long since passed her limits. Her wounds, the pain – none of those hurt her as badly as the knowledge that she’d failed her mission. She’d ignored all opposition and violated demon hunter rules to come out here herself and hunt her prey. In the end, she’d never even glimpsed the demon’s face. Now she faced a miserable, choking death.
It was hopeless! All was lost!
Even at her best, the Queen was no match for the demon, much less his control over the wastelands. Now, with her task doomed to failure, it looked like her sins would be carried with her to the grave.
“What sort of bullshit are you spouting?”
Cloudhawk refused to acknowledge her pleas and lifted the Queen onto his shoulder. She wasn’t heavy, but he also had the wind and sand to fight against as he stumbled onward, fighting his exhaustion. Ten minutes later, the full brunt of the sandstorm swallowed them up. Stone-laden winds buffeted him like a storm of blades.
Beyond the danger of being cut apart or crushed by a stray rock, the winds could also send them flying into the wastes.
Cloudhawk found a mound somewhat sheltered by a boulder. He huddled close and used his cloak to shield the Queen from the elements. It didn’t stop airborne stones from pelting them constantly.
The storm was here and they had no choice but to wait it out!
In the back of her mind, the Queen rued the notion that she and some young wastelander would die side by side. With effort, she opened her eyes and dragged her vision along his dirty face. Suddenly, she didn’t find him so repugnant. She saw the anxiety on his face, the fear, but what was striking was the calm. Whether they lived or died, he had done all he could.
The Wastelander Page 40