his hands, but he jumped to his feet and drew Soulrazor/Avenger.
The artifact weapon guided him. With it in his grip he was deadly, unstoppable. It made him more, and he hated it for that.
He held his breath as he moved in low, watching the grisly red-skinned creature. It had deep yellow eyes like cuts and broken black teeth. The muzzle of the wide-bored weapon pointed in his direction.
A blast of fire lanced out and took the creature in the back. Danica stormed out of the trees as the second Troj fell to the ground behind her, choking on its own blood. A corona of light surrounded her like a blazing star.
Distracted, the Troj offered up no resistance as Cross came close and cleaved through its mid-section, spilling metal and guts to the ground in a noisy splash. The beast groaned and fell forward.
There were more. Gargoyles descended from the sky and the nearby hills, and he could only surmise that they’d spotted he and Danica during their approach. The grey-skinned brutes were armed with hooked chains and crude blades affixed to their forearms.
Movement on the ridge above indicated the arrival of more troops. He heard vehicles and shouts.
“Go!” he called to her.
Danica shouted something in protest, but Cross didn’t hear what as he turned and took a gargoyle’s head off at the shoulders. The creatures filled the air like a horde of armored bats. Their edged armor glinted in the failing light as they crashed through the trees, snapping branches in explosions of dead wood.
“Get them to safety!” he said to Danica as he stepped close, leaned in and kissed her. Their lips touched for just moments.
Danica pulled away and fired past him with the G36C, spraying hexed bullets into grey flesh and bringing several fliers crashing to the forest floor. Cross turned and hacked through two more, then tossed a grenade into the trees just as a chain wrapped around his legs and pulled him to the ground.
Everything spun. Snapped branches and upturned roots painfully pelted his back and neck as was he dragged through the forest, and he barely rolled in time to avoid crashing into a tree stump and an upturned stone before his blade found the chain and severed it with a clang. He saw gunfire in the distance, but no sign of Danica; he’d lost her somewhere in the trees.
The grenade went off, a thermal explosion that sent showers of sparks into the sky. Several trees immolated in controlled burns that would extinguish in a matter of moments, thaumaturgic flames that wouldn’t spread but that eliminated anything living caught in their blast, including the half-dozen gargoyles and another Troj who writhed and twisted in agony.
The fires went out, and the world was suddenly dark. Cross rose, tried to gain his bearings, but before he could figure out where he was bullets ripped through the trees. He ducked and ran, and he made it a few yards before he smelled the chill of smoking ice. Hexed tendrils wrapped around him, and he severed them with the blade, feeling its sharpness as the ethereal appendages shrank back. He felt the Raza’s spirit out there, swarming towards him, so he readied his weapon to meet it head on.
Cross stepped backwards into a creek slain by night frost. He ducked down and readied himself in the bank so whatever came for him would have to clear the rise.
Something black poured in at him, dark claws and white-set eyes. For a moment he thought it was the Maloj, and his insides froze. Fingers clenched and eyes set, Cross launched himself forward, not realizing until the last second that it was a trap – an illusory assailant meant to lure him out.
The shot took him in the neck. He felt pain spread through his body as something steamed his blood. The blades tried to fight it, tried to purge him of whatever poison it was that blazed like wildfire through his veins, but a chain launched out from a silhouette that moments ago hadn’t been
The artifact weapon guided him. With it in his grip he was deadly, unstoppable. It made him more, and he hated it for that.
He held his breath as he moved in low, watching the grisly red-skinned creature. It had deep yellow eyes like cuts and broken black teeth. The muzzle of the wide-bored weapon pointed in his direction.
A blast of fire lanced out and took the creature in the back. Danica stormed out of the trees as the second Troj fell to the ground behind her, choking on its own blood. A corona of light surrounded her like a blazing star.
Distracted, the Troj offered up no resistance as Cross came close and cleaved through its mid-section, spilling metal and guts to the ground in a noisy splash. The beast groaned and fell forward.
There were more. Gargoyles descended from the sky and the nearby hills, and he could only surmise that they’d spotted he and Danica during their approach. The grey-skinned brutes were armed with hooked chains and crude blades affixed to their forearms.
Movement on the ridge above indicated the arrival of more troops. He heard vehicles and shouts.
“Go!” he called to her.
Danica shouted something in protest, but Cross didn’t hear what as he turned and took a gargoyle’s head off at the shoulders. The creatures filled the air like a horde of armored bats. Their edged armor glinted in the failing light as they crashed through the trees, snapping branches in explosions of dead wood.
“Get them to safety!” he said to Danica as he stepped close, leaned in and kissed her. Their lips touched for just moments.
Danica pulled away and fired past him with the G36C, spraying hexed bullets into grey flesh and bringing several fliers crashing to the forest floor. Cross turned and hacked through two more, then tossed a grenade into the trees just as a chain wrapped around his legs and pulled him to the ground.
Everything spun. Snapped branches and upturned roots painfully pelted his back and neck as was he dragged through the forest, and he barely rolled in time to avoid crashing into a tree stump and an upturned stone before his blade found the chain and severed it with a clang. He saw gunfire in the distance, but no sign of Danica; he’d lost her somewhere in the trees.
The grenade went off, a thermal explosion that sent showers of sparks into the sky. Several trees immolated in controlled burns that would extinguish in a matter of moments, thaumaturgic flames that wouldn’t spread but that eliminated anything living caught in their blast, including the half-dozen gargoyles and another Troj who writhed and twisted in agony.
The fires went out, and the world was suddenly dark. Cross rose, tried to gain his bearings, but before he could figure out where he was bullets ripped through the trees. He ducked and ran, and he made it a few yards before he smelled the chill of smoking ice. Hexed tendrils wrapped around him, and he severed them with the blade, feeling its sharpness as the ethereal appendages shrank back. He felt the Raza’s spirit out there, swarming towards him, so he readied his weapon to meet it head on.
Cross stepped backwards into a creek slain by night frost. He ducked down and readied himself in the bank so whatever came for him would have to clear the rise.
Something black poured in at him, dark claws and white-set eyes. For a moment he thought it was the Maloj, and his insides froze. Fingers clenched and eyes set, Cross launched himself forward, not realizing until the last second that it was a trap – an illusory assailant meant to lure him out.
The shot took him in the neck. He felt pain spread through his body as something steamed his blood. The blades tried to fight it, tried to purge him of whatever poison it was that blazed like wildfire through his veins, but a chain launched out from a silhouette that moments ago hadn’t been
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