Chapter 247
There were dozens of them, milling around the upward slope that overlooked the reservoir. Odd, malformed chimeras with twisted limbs and human faces bumped into each other, as if whatever commanding presence that directed them until that point had suddenly severed the connection, leaving them stranded and agitated.
It probably had.
I cocked my head and listened. There was the minotaurs pounding footsteps growing closer, nearly loud enough to drown out everything beyond them. After a moment, Perception prevailed. Human shouts and war cries, drawing closer. Keening squeals followed by explosions marked casters in the mix. From the sound of it, it was a decent sized group making their way down the main road, and barring some significant obstacle theyd have eyes on me in under a minute. More than likely, the group that contained Aaron, Tyler, and Nick.
Which meant I needed to work quickly.
Matt had the misfortune of being perceived as a teenager. This worked to my purposes most of the time and allowed me to slip beneath the radar, an unfortunate byproduct was that doing anything exceptional would raise eyebrows. Id already shined a spotlight on Matt once in the wake of the first event, and while saving this region had afforded me certain advantages and a staggering amount of goodwill from the locals, it also meant Id effectively lost my anonymous status and become a conundrum.
And when youre an enigma, people start watching. Questioning your every move, critiquing every loss, win, and stroke luck that comes your way. It didnt matter that most of them were amateurs. With enough would-be detectives, conspiracy theorists, and meddlers in the cheap seats, eventually, someones going to get it right.
I could deal with the Minotaur. The landslide of battery, mockery, and frustration Id subjected him to practically guaranteed hed be both desperate and spitting madpossibly the best state of mind for an opponent to be in.
But the decisive blow would be too ostentatious to hide. I needed to frame it in a way that made me look like I was on my last leg, disguise the coup de grce as a Hail Mary.
Go,
Relief from constriction Id barely even noticed washed over me as Audrey released the makeshift harness from beneath my hoodie and flung herself through the crowd of chimeras, lashing out freely with her attack vines as her mobility vines worked overtime to keep the fragile plant summon out of their reach. Snarls and clawed hands reached for her, but she was too nimble and crafty as she baited them in, letting them almost touch her before she danced away to another part of the crowd.
Simultaneously, I made a break for the reservoir, curving around the crowd and pumping asphalt until I reached the railing. Fifty feet to the water, nothing but concrete on the way down. Once there, I withdrew the bag that held the minotaurs head, along with my most recent purchase. The object was smaller than I thought, a black brick that felt solid and cold to the touch, the only hint to its significance a small line of three capacitors on the top left side.
For the first time, the minotaur didnt repeat the same two words hed been chanting like a mantra. Instead, a low, repetitive huff came from his neck. Almost like he was choking, or
Laughing.
My smile was all teeth. Oh. You come into my house, fuck with my people. And you think its funny.
The minotaur continued to chortle.
I moved on, undeterred. Whoever your master is, its obvious he cares about you. From what Ive seen, most of these freaks have the survival instinct of a lemming, but you? The second I hacked your head off and stuffed it into a pocket dimension your goals changed. Shifted to self-preservation in a way that is almost human.
His laughter died as I put my arm into it and the bag spun faster. Guessing he let you keep that because youre not exactly cheap to engineer, and he wanted to protect his investment. Still, its something we have in common. Wanting to live and whatnot. This is how we both get what we want. Theres a device in this bag thats about to open up a portal to a realm of flauros. A random realm. The portal will stay open for exactly five seconds. Being at the center of this portal, this bag and naturally, your head, will be the first objects sucked in. Maybe Im underestimating your abilities and your awareness works across realms.
The creature shivered. Whether it was out of fear or anger didnt matter. I was getting to him.
My smile turned to a smirk. But Im willing to bet it doesnt. And if thats the case Id really, really try to catch this before it lands.
Before he could react, I flung the bag off to the side and over the edge of the reservoir. And like a dog after a frisbee, the minotaur charged after it, powerful hooved legs propelling him up and over the railing that housed the overlook. He sailed through the air, almost perfectly on target and grabbed the bag with both arms before he lost forward momentum and plunged downward.
I hit the deck and covered my head.
Even fully shielded from the blast, the teeth-rattling shockwave of the detonation rocked me to my core.
