Page 27 of Alien Barbarian's Little Human

But the volley of arrows can only last so long. If he’s affected by the weight of arrow impacts, then maybe something really heavy will actually hurt him.

I rush over to the construction site, and heave a ten foot wide block of volcanic onxystone onto my shoulders. The weight is horrific, worse than I anticipated. I almost sink to one knee.

Then I remember that monster wants to harm my jalshagar, my one true love. I will not let him have her. I will protect her at all costs, even if it kills me.

I stagger over to where Svarz remains harried by the arrow assault. Just as I make it within ten feet of him, the arrows cease. The archers are out of ammunition.

Svarz lifts his arm and a stream of white hot fireflies shoots out in a blur. Or at least, they look like fireflies.

When they strike the ramparts, the effect is immediate. Drokan fall, writhing in agony.

And then they explode.

No, I will not let this thing anywhere near my Micah. I will slay it here and now.

With a groan, my back creaking under the strain, I hurl the stone the last few feet to Svarz. It strikes him in the midsection and bears him immediately to the ground. His lower half flattened, Svarz makes a strange sound as he squirms about in confusion.

My fingers seize the lower edge of the stone I dropped on him. With a grunt, I flip the block over to crush his upper half as well.

Panting, I lean against the stone, sweat pouring off my body. I did it. Micah is safe.

“Tend to the wounded,” Chief Ral cries. “Including Gog. No one could lift such a weight and not injure themselves.”

“I am fine, my Chief,” I say, holding my hand up to stop the medicine men. “Attend to those who truly need the help. I must go to my mate and tell her all is well.”

The wind picks up. Chief Ral waves away dust from his face, coughing and sputtering.

Gray dust.

“Chief Ral?”

His eyes squeeze shut, then open as something else. Glowing pits of fire, which seem to be slowly turning away his flesh.

“We are a nanite colony. You cannot destroy us so easily. I sense that it would be a worse punishment to let you live without your mate, so I will spare you.”

I scream and run at the Chief. My spear takes him in the gut, going all the way through to the hilt. He should be dead. Instead, he looks down at me and smiles as more skin burns to ash and flakes away from his metallic skull.

“The progeny will not be born. The Baragon will not be destroyed. Our victory is inevitable as time itself.”

His hand snatches hold of my throat. I batter at him, struggling to breathe, but he holds me aloft as if it’s nothing.

“Stop!”

Svarz turns its head toward the sound of a voice I dreaded to hear. Not now, in this place.

I can’t turn my head, but Micah steps into my field of vision. Her blue eyes hold terror, but also resignation.

“I’m the one you want. Let him go and take me.”

“Star Woman,” Svarz says, practically tittering with excitement. “Star Woman. My objective. Star Woman.”

As when he heard his name spoken back to him before, Svarz seems to be suffering some kind of fit. The sight of my beloved in danger pushes me over the edge of my limits. Skin tears away from my neck as I plant my feet on his chest and wrench myself free.

Ignoring the blood streaming down my chest, I pick up a stray warhammer and spin it around in my grip.

“You can’t use your exploding shells this close, can you?” I grin as I taunt him, taking a few experimental swings with the hammer. He avoids letting the hammer contact him. That means he fears it.

That’s all I needed to know.

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