Part 24 (1/2)

”Back up, all of you. Find somewhere to hide!” I yell to the others. Then I charge and swing another hammer blow, but am met by a gust of wind that slams into me and sends me flying. I land with a flop and a crack.

”ARGH!” I scream in pain, but it only lasts a moment. I look down and find my legs have both healed already.

Um, okay...That's a new one.

I stand, in no pain, absolutely none. I honestly feel like I just woke up from the perfect nap. My heart rate is normal, not even raised the slightest. I lift my hands and see they aren't even shaking.

”What...who?” Nannot asks not understanding.

I take another giant leap forward and will the air to carry me. It works perfectly. I land twenty feet away from him as confident as ever.

”My name is Hank Boyd and I am the Last Priest of Atlantis!” I kick out and slam an invisible bus-sized column of energy into Nannot sending him sprawling to the ground. He tumbles to a stop, looking up at me, confused.

”Your brothers say h.e.l.lo,” I say letting my natural c.o.c.kiness get the better of me.

I crack my knuckles and lay into him with three more savage punches. His face pieces back together and he stares up at me through bleeding eyeless sockets.

”Oh, and by the way...so does your father.”

45.

Now if I had actually thought this through, I wouldn't have antagonized an immortal-city-killing-death-monster. We'll call this one a rookie mistake. The bad news is, he killed me five times. The good news is, I came back after all of them stronger than ever. And that's something I've noticed too. Each time one of us dies, we come back st.u.r.dier, harder to kill. It forces us to come up with an even stronger attack the next time we have a go at each other.

Like when he used a burst of fire to melt my face and I came back with a move I learned in the arcades as a kid playing Mortal Kombat. I hit him so hard that I knocked his head off, Johnny Cage-style. All I needed was the sungla.s.ses, but dammit-to-h.e.l.l, he mended back together.

”You know...we can keep going at this all night...but I'm not sure anyone...is going to actually kill the other. Why don't we...try to figure out...another solution-?”

He grabs me and launches us both into the air. We hit terminal velocity and slam straight into the ceiling of the cave, bursting through. We explode into the courtyard, directly underneath a stone column. We hit it at full speed, turning it to dust, and go tumbling in different directions when exiting.

I go sailing into the patio, taking out an unsuspecting man-lizard combo. I hit him so hard he basically disintegrates. I even saw a leg go flying into the air. I finally come to a stop by slamming into a very hard and very unrelenting ma.s.s.

In the time it takes me to realize what I hit, Nannot lands and just stands there, staring daggers into me.

”So, what did he have to say?” The man-demon asks.

”Who?” I croak out. My throat's meat literally just reconnected and he wants to have a conversation? Come on man, have some manners.

He glances up and I follow his deadly gaze, recognizing the object I hit, and dented. Oops. It's the gleaming monument to Thoth, Nannot's father.

”Your father-”

”He's not my father!” Nannot screams in anger.

”He said that he and your brothers forgive you.”

”Forgive me? They forgive me? For what? I did nothing wrong. They saw me as an oppressor and an executioner-”

”You murdered thousands! I saw it with my own eyes. You killed your own people, the ones you swore to protect. And after all of the vile things you did, your family still loves you.”

”ARGH!” Nannot's form flickers and just for a moment I think I see Omar standing there, no sign of the evil parasite.

”Ha-ha-ha, little one. Nice try,” And then he's back, just like that. ”Your little game of love and affection can't save you and this wretched race of abominations.”

SCREEE!.

I jump to my feet and turn at the sound of something to my left. It sounded like a very large bird, maybe a hawk.

That's when I see it perched on a pedestal, wings outstretched. The Peregrine Falcon has a wing span of about twelve feet. The talons on its feet are the size of butchers knives. The human face and bird beak mix gives me the chills, but the eyes aren't focused on me like Rhonar. They are focused somewhere else. The creature looks in the air behind me.

SCREEE!.

SCREEE!.

The Nightmare screeches into the air as if calling someone, and that's exactly what happens.

s.h.i.+t.

Three more of these things appear surrounding us. It's basically a petting zoo from h.e.l.l, and I'm in the middle of it.

We now have a Tiger-lady, a silver-back gorilla-man and a bat...man. I swear to you, an honest-to-G.o.d eyeless bat-guy is perched on one of the other stands.

A bat-man...if only Kane was here to see this, I think while trying to put together a battle plan.

That's when I remember my friends down in the bas.e.m.e.nt under the pyramid. I hope the roof didn't cave in when I got body-slammed through it. That would really ruin my day. The minute I turn immortal my team dies.

I turn, doing a 360, and take in my surroundings. Nannot is in front of me, back to the iron gate of the pyramid. I have a flying creature on either side of me, paired with another stone Minotaur.

”This may end badly,” I mutter to myself realizing I'm seriously outgunned.

”Looks like your little freak show family arrived just in time to watch you get your a.s.s kick Na-”

POP!.

A bullet tears into the back of my shoulder, the force of it spinning me around. Before I can register the pain it quickly heals over. Confused at who just shot me, I turn to see a loan man, covered in blood, standing at the edge of the forest, automatic rifle in hand. He takes a step forward, but doesn't make it any farther.

ROAR!.

A humungous beast leaps out of the taller trees lining the courtyard and lands directly on top of the shooter, smearing the ground with his blood and whatever innards survived the impact.

Ugh, gross.

This thing is an absolute monster. Yes, it's a literal monster, but it's also huge in size. It stands on all fours, but is still easily two stories tall from foot-to-back and just over that from snout-to-tail. Oh, and it's covered in blood...human blood.