Shadow Gambit by Adam Drake Page B

the other side, then took aim with my bow and fired into one of them. It shattered and its blue light beam winked off.
     
    There was a roar, and I turned to spot Mutant-Thorm lumbering toward me. He knocked over two pylons in his haste and their beams went off.
     
    Hey, I thought. I may be on to something.
     
    Back into Shadow and instead of dodging I ran right past him. When he reached the spot where I had stood he swung the sword-fist against another pylon which collapsed. Another beam died out.
     
    Okay, this might be fun.
     
    For several long minutes I played this suicidal game of peek-a-boo with the lumbering monstrosity. Each time I fired at a pylon, he'd come running over like a bull in a china shop, knocking pylons over, and then swinging at the spot I had vacated.
     
    He was doing a better job at destroying them than me.
     
    Soon, over two thirds of the pylons were blue rubble on the ground. The light feeding into the portal had dimmed significantly.
     
    But once I shot at the next pylon, the ground shook violently. Mutant-Thorm fell over, crashing into more pylons.
     
    The shaking continued.
     
    When I hit the next pylon, the shaking intensified so much I had to keep my sure-footed ability continuously active.
     
    A chat request popped up on my screen.
     
    Annoyed, I opened it as I dodged another charge from the Mutant-Thorm.
     
    Mudhoof was on the screen. “Vee! You're alive!” He looked to be running.
     
    I rolled out of the way of a sword-fist swing and went into Shadow as I scrambled around a pylon.
     
    “Where are you?” I whispered. Mutant-Thorm thumped by, one huge eye scanning around for me.
     
    “Coming to you now!” Mudhoof said.
     
    I looked around and spotted him in the distance at the very far edge of the cavern. Feign ran along beside him, robes billowing about.
     
    I was about to offer a grateful response when I spotted two other figures appear from a side tunnel behind Mudhoof. They ran at top speed to catch up to the minotaur and mage.
     
    It was the centaur-samurai and the stone mage.
     
    “Look out! Behind you!” I shouted. On the screen, Mudhoof spun about, but I didn't see more because Mutant-Thorm had heard me.
     
    The contorted monster blindly slammed his sword down at the spot my voice came from.
     
    I jumped but not before the huge knuckles of his fist glanced heavily off my back. The contact sent me sprawling in a heap along the ground where I crashed against a pylon.
     
    As I tried to get me senses back, the ground heaved and shattered before me. I scrambled back grasping at the ore pylon for balance, my sure-footed ability switching off having used it too many times that day.
     
    A chasm gaped before me and the pylon I hung on to suddenly crumbled. Shouting in surprise, I slipped over the edge.
     
    With both my hands I clung to the chasm edge. Behind me came a roar. Mutant-Thorm, having regained his balance spotted me and charged.
     
    This would not end well, I thought morbidly. I pulled myself up, but I wasn't fast enough.
     
    When Mutant-Thorm reached the chasm edge he raised his meaty sword-fist to smite me for the last time.
     
    The ground he was on suddenly shifted and with a mighty crack, broke off. It dropped straight down, taking the monstrosity with it. Even as he fell, the thing took a swing at me.
     
    I had to heave my body up and curl my legs under me as the sword clanged mere inches from my butt.
     
    Then I saw the Mutant-Thorm vanish into the dusty darkness of the chasm, roaring all the way down.
     
    I finally got myself up over the ledge and crawled a safe distance away. But what was really safe anymore?
     
    A glance toward my friends told me they were joined in full battle. Mudhoof, armed with his uber ax, traded blows with the centaur who wielded a long handled halberd. Feign was back pedaling away from the stone mage who cast boulders at him. As the boulders shot forward, Feign summoned a large wedge of ice in front of it,