Chapter 303 - The Devils in the Dunes (II) (2/2)

The closer Aegin got, the more terrified he became, he knew instinctually that his swords would do little good. Those bodies, they did not look in the least bit solid.

Still, Aegin roared as his arm reared back. The creatures leapt towards their targets. Rima and Tigin shrunk back, Sevis holding his weapon before him.

Aegin barrelled through them, slashing his sword as he did. The sand, for an instant, dispersed, like it was somewhat shocked at his arrival.

”It's not done!” Sevis cried out as he grabbed Rima's hand and pulled her behind him, making a run for it. The horses had long bolted, leaving them to their fate. Not that the horses could be blamed, surely they were the smart ones here. Indeed, as Aegin turned back and took in the six, beastly, wolf-like creatures that seemed to form from the wind aligning the sand, he could not help but shudder as those starry blue eyes turned on him.

It felt like a face-off between two apex predators. Aegin could not help the instincts that made his eyes shine red and his fangs extended in a threatening display. His growled deeply.

The Sand Devils growled back, their growls half taken by the wind that kept their bodies somewhat whole. They snapped their jaws at him, then three of them leaped for him, while the other three went after Sevis, Tigin and Rima.

Aegin shifted to intercept them, ”Your fight is with me!”

He slashed his sword, though it was as Sevis' reports, the blade when right through them. As he began to chase them he felt the undeniable pain of claws scraping at the back of his legs. He hissed at the pain. But as his wound closed over, he suddenly understood.

He could not fight these creatures, not as they were. Nobody could unless they had power matching the Master. Because these Sand Devils, they were puppets on strings. They could not be destroyed by physical force, only by a natural or magical one. As he was now, Aegin had neither of these things.

He decided using brute force would be his best bet.

He discarded his swords, choosing to punch, kick, barrel and pummel his way through the mini-roaring sandstorms continuously. He could not destroy them, but he could slow them down. His movements were reckless, and he earned far more injuries than he ever had in a fight. Though this was perhaps one of the most unfair fights he had ever experienced. He had absolutely no way to fight back effectively.

Eventually, the frustration of his inner self being so disadvantages roared out.

”These puppets are a coward's tools! Only a coward fights without showing his face! Show your face Djinn! Show your face to this Vampire if you dare!”

Incredibly, the creatures stopped. Aegin hesitated, staring at them with an expression somewhere between his earlier frustration, and his shock at the stupid provocation having worked.

Seriously? Plenty of brave men fought without showing their faces all the time. In fact, there wasn't a brave man out there that wasn't a coward on the inside. Cowardice was what kept them alive. Blind bravery was for the stupid. It was one of the first lessons he'd ever learned as a Ridge Man.

The Sand Devils stared at him with their blue eyes, more dead and eerie now that Aegin had become accustomed to their star-like quality. Then, without a word or further movement, they simply vanished.

Aegin breathed heavily for a moment, waiting for them to mount a surprise attack, then, when his fighting instincts began to ebb, he gave a heavy sigh and sat down on the sand dune. His wounds itched near painfully as they closed. He was hungry now. Hungry, tired, sore, and had sand in places it had no business to be.

This had been a stupid plan. But at least he knew that the Sand Devils had a master somewhere pulling their strings.