Intertwine

65 - All I Did Was Shoot

Roara

"You'd really think," I screamed, throwing another knife, "that they'd die easier!"

"One would hope!" Loki shouted, blasting green energy towards the largest of the thrangians.

"What kind of messed up eco system fucking created these monstrosities!" I slammed a dagger into the side of one of the boars, using it as a grip hold to throw myself upwards, pulling the dagger out as I somersaulted through the air and landed on the animals back.

"At least they're not the type that breaths fire." Loki replied, flipping a knife up into air to throw another energy blast before catch it again in the same hand.

"There's a type that breathes fire!" I screamed. "WHAT THE FUCK LOKI? FIRE?"

"Must have forgotten," he pushed a thragian's mouth away from him, his heels digging into the floor, "to tell you!"

"You don't happen to have a bow and arrow do you?" I shouted, gripping onto the boars back with all my might.

"Do I look like I just happen to carry archery equipment around with me?"

I grunted and made my way along the animals back as it shook, trying to throw me off.

"Don't you have a gun?" He asked, running full speed away from one of the beasts.

"I've only got six bullets!" I replied.

"THEN USE THEM!" He screamed, throwing a thrangian back using telekinesis. It landed on its back squealing.

I pulled my gun out, one hand grabbing a fist full of coarse boar hair, the other trying desperately to cock my gun. I managed to cock it just as Loki slid under the belly of one of the boars, slicing it's underneath as he went.

"That's one down!" He called, pulling out a knife from its side.

"Five more to go." I muttered, squeezing my thighs around the animals neck as I aimed the gun. My left leg was screaming in resistance but I ignored it. I breathed out slowly and pulled the trigger. The thrangian underneath me bucked, and I flew up into the air, flipping manically.

I screamed as I fell, sure I was going to hit the ground. I stopped, inches from the grass, hovering above the forest floor. Then dropped. I scrambled upright and turned just in time to see the inside of a thrangian's mouth coming towards me, it's teeth barbed and massive. I shot. The bullet went straight into the roof of it's mouth and out the other side. With a grunt it fell over.

I looked out over the body, gun still in front of me, to see Loki staring at me, arms covered in dark purple thrangian blood to the elbow. He was looking at me like I'd just done the sexiest thing possible in existence.

"All I did was shoot it!" I shouted. "3 o'clock!"

He turned to see a boar coming at him. He blasted it backwards, but it shook off the energy and began to charge again. The other three thrangians were coming towards me, cornering me. I threw a weak fireball in Loki's direction and hurtled forwards towards the animals.

"That was 9 o'clock!" I heard Loki yell.

"Sorry!"

I threw a knife as I ran, embedding it in the largest one's eye. It screamed and reared its head. This one had tusks. Sharp, big tusks. Tusks that could throw me off my feet.

"Shit." I pivoted and ran in the other direction, feet pounding on the floor, my leg excruciating. I was nowhere near as fast as I usually was.

I could hear Loki shouting. "I've killed one!"

"GREAT! Now do that three more times!" I screamed, running past him as he turned to see what was chasing me.

"Oh fuck." He muttered.

I twisted and shot two more rounds, trying to get the other two down. All it did was slow them.

"Loki, throw me a knife!"

He turned, flipping his hair out of his face, and threw the knife. I caught it and ran, tears of pain running down my face. I skidded down onto the ground, using my momentum to propel me forward as I slashed two of the legs of one of the boars.

I just hoped I'd aimed it right, and I was proven correct when the boar keeled over, squeaking.

"What the hell did you do?" I heard Loki shout above the chaos.

"Cut the tendons!" I replied, staggering up. I fell forwards. I couldn't do this. My leg was just too bad.

"Roara!" I heard him scream.

I looked up. "Ugh, Jesus." I was flung into the air, the tusk hitting me for a second time with full force as I flew upwards. I tried to control the winds as I fell, but I was spinning too much. I hit the floor hard, screaming out in pain.

"ROARA!"

I rolled over onto my back. "KILL THE DAMN THINGS YOU MORON!" I shouted. "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!"

Then it came again, a hit like a tow truck, the ivory tusk flinging my towards the sky. It was toying with me, coming after me when I landed. Just as I was about to hit the floor it threw me up again, my body like a rag-doll, flimsy and limp. I landed on the floor. I couldn't even scream I was in so much pain. 

I turned my face and saw Loki, cornered by two of the remaining three giant boars, only a single knife in his hands. My face fell back into the mud.

Roara, get up. 

I don't want to. It hurts too much. Everything hurts.

Roara, you must get up.

I can't do this.

Yes, you can. You are my daughter. You must rise.

Somehow I dragged myself to my feet, my body almost acting of it's own accord. I felt the hum of power at my fingertips, felt my feet rise from the earth, the low rumble of the ground below me. I could see it all. The lava at the core of this planet, every blade of grass growing, water in the streams and rivers, the gusts of wind as they moved the mists across the mountains. I saw it all, felt it all. 

Up and up I rose, the wind carrying me. I felt like everything was in slow motion. I moved my hands in a circle, feeling the wind and fire rotating together, merging into one. I thrust my palms forward and continued to move my hands round and round. 

It was like a column of fire, a tornado of flames, engulfing the massive wild boars, lifting them and burning them and spitting them out, before pulling them back in again. All three of them were squealing, their bodies taken up by the tornado of wind and fire. I closed my hands into a fist, dropping them all to the ground. They lay, motionless, on the grass. Nothing else burnt or charred, as though my fire had never been there.

Then I fell, my body slamming onto the earth.

I felt hands turn me over onto my back, holding my face.

"Did I do it?" I whispered.

"You did it." Loki said, his forehead pressed to mine. I could feel his hand pushing down on my stomach. "You did it."

"Am I okay?" I asked. I couldn't open my eyes. I was too tired.

"You'll be fine." He muttered, unzipping my suit. I felt the cool air hit my body down to my waist as he pulled the two sections of my suit apart to look at my abdomen.

"Am I gonna die?" I asked wearily.

"Not on my watch." He grunted, his hands pressed again to my stomach.

"What's the damage?" I croaked.

"Uh," I heard him swallow. 

"C'mon. Lay it on me asshole." 

He didn't say anything.

I opened my eyes and looked down. "Well shit will you look at that I got impaled on a tusk."

And that was precisely when I passed out.