Diamond Wings

Chapter 10 Blaze Of Glory

   Glik flies up through dark, hot and sulfurous clouds. A breathing apparatus on his face keeps him alive. He hopes the jetpack has enough life in it to finish his mission, and get his friends, and himself out of here. Well, at least Sarena and himself, he thinks.
   The black clouds start to lighten as Glik rises higher, seeming like there might be a light at the end of his smoky tunnel after all. The dark fog grows continuously hotter and brighter as he rises, until he pops out of the cloud cover into a clear reddish sky, harboring a bright, radiant and scorching red sun.
   Glik starts to sweat from the blazing heat in the sun's rays. He pulls out the portal gun, and watches it's charge rise. It charges faster than he's ever seen, and before long, it's full and ready to go.
   He looks down at the dark and reddish fog bank below him, thinking about the terrifying dragon and scared by the thought. He looks back at the portal gun, ready to fire, and thinks about his next move.
   Meanwhile, down on the volcanic and rocky ground, the heated battle rages on.
   "Get some! Get some!" Max yells, as he unloads a clip of explosive rounds into the fiery dragon.
   The beast rolls over from being sprawled out face up, shielding itself with scaly arms held in front. Small explosions like firecrackers light up across the red scaly hide in a stream and barrage of suppressing fire.
   Sarena, still laying defeated and face up, tries to elevate herself just to fall back down battered, bloodied and bruised. Taking a moment to regain some of the air in her lungs, she rolls over and musters the strength to rise onto hands on knees.
   The dragon whips a large sweeping tail around towards Max. Jumping off of his rock, as it gets swept out from underneath him by the broad attack, he discharges an empty clip from the rifle.  
   He falls to the rocky terrain, landing with one knee and one hand touching down to brace himself. A quick reload of the gun and the firing resumes.
   Next the lashing appendage comes down vertically. He rolls to the side, as the tail comes crashing down next to him, only pausing the assault of bullets for a brief moment.
   "Gonna have to do better than that ya big rosie-red lizard!" he taunts some more, suppressing most of the dragon's options as it holds both arms up to block the incoming explosive barrage.
   Getting fed up with the stinging nuisance, the monster launches up off of the ground, with a great thrust of it's mighty wings. The gust of air from the take off sends Max sliding back, as he rolls backwards and returns to his feet and the assault.
   The flying lizard hovers in the air, moving left and right, as it becomes a harder target for the relentless machine gun fire.
   A deep inhale and a glowing, fiery red belly looms over Max.
   "Oh shit," he says, aware of what comes next, rushing to the closest rock big enough to provide some cover.
   The rain of fire rushes down as he dives behind a boulder. The scorching blaze floods over the protective rock as Max tries to tuck in tight to it, crouching down low.
   The burning heat surrounds him as he hides in the small pocket, feeling the burn on his neck and back before it finally dissipates, allowing him to breath again.
   The confident dragon lands, keeping it's gaze over the scorched landscape, investigating for an incinerated corpse.
   Max steps out from behind the smoldering boulder, slightly smoking and smoldering himself as heat distorted air rises from him.
   A shocked and angry look comes over the dragon's face, as it growls in it's frustration.
   "Nice try Pyro. But I'm not a piece of timber, I don't burn easy," Max smirks as he pulls a cigar, lighting it from a tiny flame on his shoulder before patting it out. "But thanks for the light," he says, as the cigar goes into his grinning mouth, and the rifle goes back into both hands, aiming foward.
   The beast lunges with an open claw, as Max spins back behind the large rock. Giant red fingers curl around the hot boulder, searing into the palm's flesh as the monster lifts it up, leaving the frustrating prey with no where else to hide.
   Max turns to re-engage, unleashing more explosive fire.
   The dragon raises a protective scaly arm, throwing the boulder far into the distance with it's other one.
   "Come on big boy, let's go!" he yells, challenging the tyrant even more.
   The monster answers the challenge by lifting it's large stumpy leg, and slamming a giant foot into the ground, shattering the earth around them, and causing a quake to ripple outwards from the massive impact.
   The earthquake causes Max to stop firing, as he gets rocked and shaken, struggling to maintain his footing.
   The dragon, free to swing, capitalizes on the pause in fire. Reaching out with a snatching claw, as it's prey is off balance and unable to dodge.
   "Shit," Max lets out, as he watches the incoming hand and the sadistic grinning monster behind it, helpless and powerless to evade.
   Suddenly, with blinding speed, Sarena appears between them. Rushing to stand with Max to her back, she extends the retrieved sword and holds it firmly.
   The reaching hand doesn't respond in time as the blade plunges into it's encroaching palm. The monster pulls the pierced claw back in pain, screaming out in another hissing shriek, as blood gushes from the gash.
   "It's about time, I thought you were taking a nap," Max says, relieved for the backup. "I know I'm the one that cut in,  but your dance partner is a little too hot headed for my taste. Besides, I think we can both do better," he declares at her back.
   She smiles over her shoulder and back at him. "Thanks for the much needed break, my dancing feet were starting to get sore," she joked.
   Max's face lights up from her surprising joke and metaphor. "Nice."
   As the wounded dragon steps back, growling and looking at it's unexpected wound, Sarena gets serious again.
   "I'm afraid this might be a losing battle, even if the two of us teamed up. Let's get out of here," she decides.  
   Sheathing the bloodied and victorious blade, and reuniting it with the shield on her belt, she turns to Max.  
   Launching up and over his head with beating wings, she grabs him by the shoulders, and carries them both off as fast as she can.
   The dragon looks up from it's bleeding paw, and at the retreating meal. Growling and snarling in anger, it beats it's own mighty wings in pursuit.
   "We have incoming!" Max yells out from the corner of his mouth, still smoking the cigar lit by dragon fire, as he reloads his gun, facing back towards the beast, as it gains on them in the air.
   "We have to find Glik!" she yells back, trying to fly as fast as possible.
   "I was wondering where the little green guy was," Max responds. "Jus' kinda figured he turned tail and took off for the hills."
   "Glik wouldn't do that," Sarena defends. "He went to charge the portal gun and our way out. I just hope he was successful."
   "We better come up with a plan B, in case he left us here to die," he suggests, opening cover fire behind them, slowing the pursuing dragon slightly.
   "I said, he won't leave us, now keep looking around for him," she scolds.
   "Well, you never know. And, I'm a lil' busy keepin' a giant killer lizard off our backs. Your driving and on lookout," Max corrects her.
   "I do know—" Sarena's words suddenly cut off by the sound of Glik's.
   "Sarena? Sarena are there?" Glik asks, coming from the device on her belt.
   "Where is that coming from?" Max asks.
   "The communicator on my belt!" she yells, as she remembers it's there. "I completely forgot about it," Sarena claims as a hand comes off of Max's shoulder to reach for the gadget on her belt.
   "Whoa!" Max yells, as he swings by one of Sarena's hands, firing eradically. "Hey, gimme a heads up if we're gonna be experiencing some turbulence on this flight? And you've had a walkie-talkie this whole time and haven't used it?"
   "I don't know what a wacky tacky is but relax, I have you. And I'm using it now," she explains. "Glik, we're here, where are you? Are you ok?"
   "Sarena, the gun is charged and I'm floating below the cloud line," Glik explains. "It looks like I can see the dragon flying away in the distance, maybe? You fought it off? That's great, where are you?"
   "Not exactly Glik. We're kind of running for our lives, so to speak. But if you can see the dragon flying away then we'll double back for you." Sarena plans.
   "Um, excuse me, but you don't plan on turning around with that bloodthirsty monster on our tail, do ya?" Max asks, worried as he struggles to keep the beast back.
   "You have a better idea?" she questions.
   "Ya, maybe." He attaches the rifle to his chest before pulling a grenade from the strap around him. "When I tell you, turn flank and fly like the dickens."
   "What does any of that mean?" Sarena asks.
   Max sighs, before explaining, "Turn right and fly real fast."
   "Why couldn't you just say that?"
   "I did," both of them shaking their heads at one another as the hungry dragon starts to close the gap.
   Max pulls the pin on the grenade.
   "Is that what I think it is?" Sarena asks looking down, remembering the sight and sound from the last world.
   "It sure is," he answers grinning and excited.
   "Get rid of it!" she yells, worried and remembering what happens next.
   "Not yet."
   "Do it now!"
   "Not yet!"
   "MAX!"
   "Now," he says, throwing the bomb back at the flying doom closing in.
   The dragon's eyes grow wide but it's too late. The grenade explodes gloriously in it's face. The fiery explosion launches Sarena and Max foward from the forceful shockwave, as she tries to hang right, swinging around and doubling back.
   Scanning the horizon, as they pass the blinded beast they see blasts of red energy in the distance, coming from Glik like a beacon.
   "There!" Sarena yells, as they rocket through the air towards the way out.
   "Well, I'll be damned, the little guy has a pretty big set of cahoneys after all," Max says, giving him a little credit.
   The dragon recovers, shaking it's scorched head and regaining eyesight. Looking around it finds the fleeing prey, and blasts away after them.
   "It's coming back!" Max yells, as they retreat.
   "Glik, we're coming, be ready," Sarena instructs.
   Glik turns in the air and fires the portal gun, releasing the green orb a few feet before it explodes into the large, glowing green and circular door.
   Suddenly, Glik's jetpack starts to sputter out. "Sarena! You better hurry, my jetpack's dying and I think if I go through the portal with the gun, it'll close behind me."
   Sarena tightens her eyes on the prize, and gives it all she's got, furiously beating her wings foward.
   Max starts firing again, trying to keep a gap between them and the ravenous dragon.
   They close in on Glik and the green door, as he throttles his jetpack, spurts of fire ejecting from the pack, barely keeping him in the air.
   The three start to smile as they converge, looking like their gonna make it. Sarena and Max get close, as they watch Glik's pack die, dropping him like a stone.
   Sarena dips down in her rapid flight.
   "Max!" she yells.
   He turns his head to see Glik falling, reaching out a hand to him as they dip down in the air.
   Glik reaches up desperately to Max's stretched out arm.
   Their hands meet and grasp firmly.
   "Got em', now get us the hell outta here!" Max yells looking back at the dragon almost on top of them.
   Sarena gives it all her might to thrust upwards, with the weight from both of her friends.
   They reach the portal at an angle from below. Sarena, Max, and finally Glik fly through the glowing green door and disappear, followed by the door itself.
   Hungry jaws snap down on nothing but air, as the dragon misses somehow. It hovers in air, confused and looking around. Anger and rage grow, as it realizes the meal escaped mysteriously. The dragon explodes in a fit of rage, a screaming roar followed by magnificent fire filling the sky, as it goes hungry again.