SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Seventy-Six
“Did he just say something about Odin?” Charlie looked shaken.
“Polar bear!” Griffin and Cadence high-fived each other.
“Absolutely!” DeLeon concurred.
“Should I be concerned that things like this don’t even phase me anymore?” Cadence queried. “I mean, hybrid creatures, time travel, a giant magical koi? Shouldn’t I be freaking out about my best friend turning into a polar. . .?
“Duck!” Griffin pushed her to the ground as Dorian’s blade whizzed toward her head. He deflected the strike with his staff and spun a full circle to face Dorian holding his bow as a spear.
“Dory, stop! We’re your friends!”
Dorian replied with a roar. As he swung again, Griffin leaped up and remained aloft.
“I will handle him!” He called to the group below. “Get to the portal. Use it to return!”
Dorian took another unfruitful swipe at Griffin, passing beneath him by a good two feet. He turned his attention to Cadence sprawled on the floor in front of him. He raised his sword over his head and prepared to strike.
“Please, Dory, stop! Don’t you recognize me?”
Dorian hesitated. Griffin used the moment to get in front of the downswing. He flew at the blade as hard as he could, holding his staff horizontally before him. The weapons clashed throwing each of them off-kilter. DeLeon raced in and pulled Cadence to her feet as Dorian readied another swipe. As DeLeon passed Cadence to Reese the tip of the blade cut across his upper back, slicing a crescent between shoulder blades. It was deep enough to draw blood, but nothing catastrophic.
“Why would he attack me?” Cadence cried.
“He doesn’t know who you are. He’s in a frenzy,” Reese replied.
“He’s crazed!” Joey declared.
“He’s transmuted into a berzerker. He has no control over what’s happening,” Reese corrected. “He changed as soon as he drew the sword. That
has got to be the cause of it.”
“Make him drop the sword!” Joey called to Griffin. “His power lies within the sword!”
“That’s easier said than done!” Griffin called back. “But, I’ve got an idea!”
Griffin flapped his wings and ascended toward the grotto’s ceiling.
“What are you doing?” DeLeon shouted.
“I just learned a new trick,” Griffin replied. “This thing has a battle golem mode.”
“What the hell is a battle a la mode?” DeLeon questioned.
“GOLEM MODE!” Griffin replied. “Just watch!”
Griffin flapped a few times to rise higher. As he did, he rotated adornments in the sternum of the breastplate. The metal shell became lithe, then transformed into a viscous liquid. It snaked down the contours of Griffin’s torso and legs pooling on the grotto’s floor. Wisps of metallic filament spiraled upward from the mirror-like puddle, weaving a wireframe that sheathed Griffin in a glistening mesh. The silver tendrils spun wildly creating a cage around his torso. The suit grew exponentially as sinuous bands of sliver threw themselves in every direction. Griffin remained suspended by the breastplate’s central crest within a protective suit of metallic filaments that was eightfold the size of his human-ish form. Its arms and legs moved in sync with his.
“I didn’t know it did that!” DeLeon exclaimed.
“Neither did I! It not only mirrors my every move, but it senses my purpose and works to assist me!”
Griffin faltered to the side as Dorian assaulted the leg of the metal giant. The suit swatted him, knocking him onto his back.
“Get back to the gazebo! I’ll deal with Dorian.”
“Don’t hurt him!” Cadence pleaded.
“I wasn’t prepared! The suit acted on its own to protect me. I’ll make sure it understands the goal is to disarm and not destroy! Now, go! I can handle this!”
The group rushed toward the tunnel leading to the cavern.
Dorian sprang to his feet and charged at them. Griffin dove, managing to drop his mattress-sized hand between the berzerker and the others.
Charlie jumped into their path.
“No! I have worked too hard for this to go sideways!”
“We’re way past sideways,” DeLeon replied. He put a blade point to Charlie’s chest. “Step aside.”
“You dare challenge me?” Charlie’s eyes narrowed. His demonic true self appeared through growing fissures in his mid-century facade. He wrapped his hand around the end of the blade.
“Really, DeLeon? That move didn’t bode well for you when you pulled it on me! What makes you think that it would work with him?” Reese responded, exasperated.
“If you remember correctly, I ran you through. I didn’t threaten you.”
“And I was gracious enough to let you live. Do you think he will be as kind?” Reese countered.
“At least he won’t bite me.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Charlie growled.
“Demon or not, you’re nothing but a lackey bound to a contract. I’m sure the entities above you would have something to say about this.”
“I can’t believe you just threatened to call his manager!” Cadence laughed.
“Guys, I can’t hold him forever!” Griffin struggled to contain Dorian trapped within his giant interlaced fingers. He wriggled and stabbed at them like a captured weaponized rodent.
“Someone disarm him!” Charlie demanded. “Or face my wrath!”
“Your wrath would be a cakewalk compared to battling that! I welcome your wrath. Have at me!” DeLeon spread his arms wide. “Or better yet, have at him!” DeLeon pointed a blade toward the berzerker.
“I will not!” Charlie balked.
There was a crackle of static in the air and a sense of a hiccup in time as if it had rewound a second and then sped forward to catch up with the present.
“We waited for you to return, but decided to bracelet up when you didn’t reapp . . . WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON?”
Leslie and Gary appeared at the center of the compass rose in front of Griffin piloting the prone exoskeleton.
“The sword has transformed Dorian into a maniacal polar bear guy bent on slaughtering everybody!” Griffin called out. “And I’m losing my grip on him!”
“Why don’t you simply use the armor to zap everyone out of here?”
“It’s busy being a golem right now and it’s not very good at multitasking! Someone needs to disarm him and soon! I can’t hold onto him much longer!”