Page 108 of Artemis' Bow
“So you jumped in headfirst without a plan… again. Unbelievable.” Jayden shakes his head.
I spin out of the way and flick my whip at the giant stinger that I dodged a second ago. The creature roars as the electricitycrackles over its scales. It lashes out with its pincers, but Jayden shadow walks us out of the way.
“You’re gonna get yourself killed, Beth,” Jayden snarls.
“I’m not so easy to kill now, baby.” I grin at him and spin out of the way of a pincer.
The scorpion lunges again and I call my sword instead, sending the whip back into the ether. The electricity is helpful, but I need to be able to hack at this bastard.
My sword lights up with the same energy and I swing it in a wide arc the next time the pincer comes for me, wide open ready to snap me in half. The sword cuts through the center of the pincer, hacking the top clean off. The scorpion scuttles back with a scream but I advance on it.
“Hey, Dax. Can you get the stinger while we work on the other pincer?” I ask.
“Hey, what about me?” Raven asks.
“Just giving your brother a shot at being a badass like you.” I shrug.
“Fair enough,” Raven says.
“I’ve got this,” Dax shouts with glee.
I really hope I didn’t just get Dax killed. I think both my friends will hate me if he gets skewered by that stinger.
Dax takes a running leap and flips several times before landing nimbly on the scorpion’s back. The scorpion jolts and thrashes but Dax has crazy balance and easily keeps on the scorpion’s back. The stinger strikes out at him, but Dax blocks it with his battle ax without a moment’s hesitation.
The other pincer that’s not a mangled mess lashes out at me, and I duck and slice up, catching the side of it but not doing a lot of damage. I glance back at Orion.
“How do we kill this thing?” I call to the hunter.
“You don’t. You’re simply a demigod. I’m shocked you managed to injure it at all.” Orion shakes his head.
“I’m not simply anything. Now, tell me how to kill it,” I growl.
This pompous jackass is lucky we may need him or I’d zap him back into the fucking stars. I scan my surroundings before zeroing back in on the scorpion. Its center of gravity is close to the ground. Could its underbelly be its weakness? That’s usually the case with most creatures unless they are indestructible.
I spin out of the way of the pincer and bring my sword up to block its attack. The scorpion is insanely strong, but I manage to hold it off until it retreats.
“We need to get under this thing. Its underbelly is most likely its weakness,” I call to Jayden and Raven.
“It’s in the water. Do not go in there, Beth,” Jayden yells.
“That’s why I asked you to do it,” I say sweetly. “I’ll hold off the pincers while Dax keeps the stinger busy. We are the distraction.”
“Fine,” Jayden grumbles as he races into the water.
I jump back when the mutilated pincer swings at me with the deadly, sharp jagged pieces that are left of it.
“Raven, go to the other side,” I say.
“On it, bestie.” She races around the opposite side of Jayden.
The pincer swings her way, but she flips over it and into the water next to the creature’s side.
“Kira?” I yell. “How’s it going?”
“She’s in her zone. She won’t hear you,” Draven calls back.
“Well shit, I guess we won’t be getting whatever she’s creating for us in time.” I flip back away from the pincer again.
