The Dragon's Scale (COMPLETE, EDITING)

22.3 || Survival

Josh sprinted up the steps. He retracted the lightning and instead created a film of light over his sword.

Faster. He had to go faster. To reach Mara before the worst happened.

Everything moved in slow motion as Josh climbed higher and higher. The reaper cocked its arm back. Just a slight movement he barely noticed. Only a few more steps between him and Mara, with Josh taking them two at a time. He leapt upward, sword drawn back. Mara's wide eyes flickered to him. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Instead, the reaper spun around as quick as lightning.

Move! Boomer's voice resonated through Josh's head, and he pulled his shield shoulder back a few inches.

An excruciating pain ripped through the top of Josh's shoulder. He gritted his teeth, watering eyes darting to the reaper's bloody spear-hand as it pulled back. If Boomer's will hadn't helped Josh move in time, the reaper would have skewered him instead of slicing his shoulder open.

Planting his foot, Josh forced his body to move forward once more. The light-coated sword sunk into the reaper's side with ease. Josh stumbled forward, eyes wide. Light should hurt it, so why was he slipping through—

The reaper's wail split the air. It felt as if the air itself vibrated, and it took everything in Josh not to drop his hilt and cover his ears. Dark purple gas gushed from around his sword.

Water splashed, but the gas blocked Josh from viewing why. A moment later, the reaper let loose another wail.

Arms wrapped around his middle as a weight tackled him, and he fell backward. The reaper's arm swiped the air where his head had been. He hit the floor of the pyramid's top. Stars burst into his vision. The impact, the dirty water, or maybe both made the shoulder wound burn like an inferno.

Mara released her hold on his waist and turned. She fired a blue-white beam at the reaper. Pure light or not, the reaper was quick to retreat from it. The distance between them revealed a glowing dagger buried in its arm.

Mara took hold of Josh's arm and yanked. "Come on," she said.

Doing his best to ignore his shoulder, Josh hurried to his feet to follow Mara down the steps.

Cale was still on one knee atop the only top-tier step he hadn't sunk, an arm flung around Aharon's shoulders. Even after all his magic usage, Cale lifted a hand and blasted light into the air. The reaper's shriek proved the energy hit its mark.

"That thing just won't die!" Josh stopped before Mara did and spun to face the reaper. He lifted his sword. His shield was lower than he would have liked, but the pain refused to let him bring it any higher.

Liquid sloshed against Josh's shoes, reminding him the reaper wasn't their only issue.

"What if it just wants me...?"

He almost didn't hear Aharon's whisper over the sound of him and Mara blasting light at the reaper.

"It'll kill us anyway," Cale said, his own voice not much louder than Aharon's. He kicked up water. Probably stubbornly getting back to his feet like a moron, but Josh wouldn't risk looking away from the reaper to find out. "So, we just have to figure out how to kill it first."

"You guys really just won't give up," Aharon murmured. His words caught, and he sniffled.

There has to be a way to do this, Boomer said. All monsters die somehow.