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Authors: Michael R. Underwood
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the only thing worse than a mopey drunk magician was a mopey drunk magician with extra power.
“Are we going to stop this thing, or just wait until everything’s broken?” Ree asked, trying to rally the troops, herself included.
“Gimme a minute. Not all of us are young like you or crazy like Eastwood.” Grognard took a long swig from the bottle.
In chorus, Ree said, “Thanks,” while Eastwood said, “Hey!” The bartender sighed and walked his way back over.
“Any new ideas?” Ree asked.
“Some of these things will just run down their nostalgia batteries. It’d take an epic amount of energy to keep them running past that point, and if Lucretia had that much power at her disposal, she’d probably just make Eastwood’s heart explode.”
The former astral cowboy squinted. “Seems like.”
Drake stood from behind a table, his rifle still braced and ready. “If we could retrieve a few of the objects from the store, I believe I could concoct a countermeasure, absorb the ambient chaos energy, and convert it into another form. The project I’ve been working on was designed to answer a similar, if not identical, question. And I just so happened to have brought it with me today. It’s in the back.”
“How convenient!” Wickham said, slurring her words.
“Providence, my disbelieving . . . colleague.” Ree chuckled to herself, as Drake clearly had to search for a moment to find a word that fit both his distaste and his manners. Drake had the uncanny knack to be where he needed to be when he needed to be there. And if it extended to knowing what tool to bring, Ree wasn’t going to question him. The chances that Drake was collaborating with Lucretia were about one in a flobbidy-jillion.
“It’s a deal. Get in there and start adjusting while things are at a lull,” Grognard said, pointing his thumb back at the office.
Drake nodded and made for the office. Ree turned back to the storefront just in time to see an insectoid monster jump the railing.
“Shit!” Ree said, drawing her lightsaber in a hurry.
Chapter Six
Speak Technobabble to Me, Baby
Talon lunged forward and stabbed at the mega-bug, intercepting it before it could pounce on Ree. The totally-not-inspired-by- Alien creature batted her sword away, but halted its attack, turning to focus on the swordswoman. Grognard hefted his glaive-guisarme and took a swing at the creature. The insect abomination ducked, and the three of them moved to encircle the creature.
Ree wished she had some thicker armor, especially when a claw swipe tore her apron in half, dropping the phaser to the floor. As soon as it hit the ground, the phaser started firing wildly. The three geeks scattered to the ground to avoid the blasts.
The bug-beast bounded over the table where Ree had taken cover, but it managed to jump right onto the blade of the lightsaber, which Ree’d held up over her head.
Ree’s fortuitous duck-and-cover : 1
Bug Thing : 0.
Advantage : Reyes.
Ree, Grognard, Talon, and Chandra held off the randomly spawned creatures while ducking the erratic fire from assorted weaponry. Drake emerged from the back room with a device that looked like the unholy offspring of a Hookah and a vacuum tube television.
Drake set the machine down behind one of the tables and started unfolding a set of four chrome legs, each ending in a polished claw-foot. “Once I activate this, it may be best to keep your own magical tools out of the directional input valve.”
“And that looks like what, exactly?” Ree asked, gesturing to the assortment of pipes, valves, and thingamabobs coming out of the machine.
He wiggled an opening that looked suspiciously like the store’s vacuum cleaner’s wide nozzle. “This one.”
“Got it,” Ree said, taking a step back.
Drake spooled up the device, which made a sucking sound that Ree didn’t hear with her ears as much as with her . . . soul, maybe? Whatever it was, it felt woogy.
Whoa. Ree flashed back to
“Are we going to stop this thing, or just wait until everything’s broken?” Ree asked, trying to rally the troops, herself included.
“Gimme a minute. Not all of us are young like you or crazy like Eastwood.” Grognard took a long swig from the bottle.
In chorus, Ree said, “Thanks,” while Eastwood said, “Hey!” The bartender sighed and walked his way back over.
“Any new ideas?” Ree asked.
“Some of these things will just run down their nostalgia batteries. It’d take an epic amount of energy to keep them running past that point, and if Lucretia had that much power at her disposal, she’d probably just make Eastwood’s heart explode.”
The former astral cowboy squinted. “Seems like.”
Drake stood from behind a table, his rifle still braced and ready. “If we could retrieve a few of the objects from the store, I believe I could concoct a countermeasure, absorb the ambient chaos energy, and convert it into another form. The project I’ve been working on was designed to answer a similar, if not identical, question. And I just so happened to have brought it with me today. It’s in the back.”
“How convenient!” Wickham said, slurring her words.
“Providence, my disbelieving . . . colleague.” Ree chuckled to herself, as Drake clearly had to search for a moment to find a word that fit both his distaste and his manners. Drake had the uncanny knack to be where he needed to be when he needed to be there. And if it extended to knowing what tool to bring, Ree wasn’t going to question him. The chances that Drake was collaborating with Lucretia were about one in a flobbidy-jillion.
“It’s a deal. Get in there and start adjusting while things are at a lull,” Grognard said, pointing his thumb back at the office.
Drake nodded and made for the office. Ree turned back to the storefront just in time to see an insectoid monster jump the railing.
“Shit!” Ree said, drawing her lightsaber in a hurry.
Chapter Six
Speak Technobabble to Me, Baby
Talon lunged forward and stabbed at the mega-bug, intercepting it before it could pounce on Ree. The totally-not-inspired-by- Alien creature batted her sword away, but halted its attack, turning to focus on the swordswoman. Grognard hefted his glaive-guisarme and took a swing at the creature. The insect abomination ducked, and the three of them moved to encircle the creature.
Ree wished she had some thicker armor, especially when a claw swipe tore her apron in half, dropping the phaser to the floor. As soon as it hit the ground, the phaser started firing wildly. The three geeks scattered to the ground to avoid the blasts.
The bug-beast bounded over the table where Ree had taken cover, but it managed to jump right onto the blade of the lightsaber, which Ree’d held up over her head.
Ree’s fortuitous duck-and-cover : 1
Bug Thing : 0.
Advantage : Reyes.
Ree, Grognard, Talon, and Chandra held off the randomly spawned creatures while ducking the erratic fire from assorted weaponry. Drake emerged from the back room with a device that looked like the unholy offspring of a Hookah and a vacuum tube television.
Drake set the machine down behind one of the tables and started unfolding a set of four chrome legs, each ending in a polished claw-foot. “Once I activate this, it may be best to keep your own magical tools out of the directional input valve.”
“And that looks like what, exactly?” Ree asked, gesturing to the assortment of pipes, valves, and thingamabobs coming out of the machine.
He wiggled an opening that looked suspiciously like the store’s vacuum cleaner’s wide nozzle. “This one.”
“Got it,” Ree said, taking a step back.
Drake spooled up the device, which made a sucking sound that Ree didn’t hear with her ears as much as with her . . . soul, maybe? Whatever it was, it felt woogy.
Whoa. Ree flashed back to
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