Free Attack the Geek by Michael R. Underwood Page A

Fighting
     
    “Go!” Grognard shouted as Eastwood threw open the door and they dove back into the tunnel.
    Eastwood’s glow sticks still lit the tunnel in water-tinted yellow light. Shadows played off the tunnel walls as dozens of shapes moved outside the door.
    While Ree and company were busy with the crazy storm, the Minotaur had brought some friends.
    A dozen or so gnomes had returned, some clutching broken limbs or bloodied faces. Along with them were a handful of reptilian creatures that looked like crocodiles mixed with pit bulls—they had thicker bodies, stubby legs with knee joints that stuck straight out like a bulldog’s, and forked tails.
    Ree didn’t even have time to gripe before Grognard leapt forward with a growl, leading with his Hulk hands. The Minotaur slashed with its axe, but Grognard swatted it aside with incredible strength and kept going for the creature’s nose ring. The destruction of his store had lit jet fuel in his blood, and nothing was going to stop him.
    Glad I didn’t try to insist, Ree thought. She stepped into the tunnel and contorted her left hand to unload a burst of webbing at a cluster of gnomes and one of the bull-crocs. The netting hit and stuck the creatures together, collapsing into the murky water that sat in the base of the tunnel. Ree jumped up onto the opposite side of the tunnel, then dove blade-first at another bull-croc, burying the blade to the hilt in between the creature’s shoulders before it could turn to face her.
    The Minotaur was flailing around, stomping back and forth and slamming into the wall. The rumbles of vibration filled the tunnel, and yellow-gray snow fell around her as dust shook free from the old construction.
    Go down already! she wanted to shout at the creature. But if she drew its attention back this way, Grognard would have to crawl over the creature’s back to get to the nose ring.
    Ree shot a burst of webbing at the Minotaur’s feet, hoping to pin it down long enough for Grognard to rip the ring free and remove the creature’s protections so she could backstab the thing for x4 damage and end this nightmare of a shift. The first web wrapped around the creature’s fire-hydrant-size hoof and stuck it to the concrete walkway.
    She saw Grognard laid out with a huge swing of the Minotaur’s axe, folding the chain mail into his Lacuna Coil tour shirt. Her magical charge was nearly spent, but she shot another burst of webbing to pin the creature’s other leg, keeping it from following up.
    “Get him away from that thing!” Ree shouted.
    All of a sudden, she fell into shadow as the Minotaur turned and loomed over her, showing a bloodied nose and a face that made hamburger look good. The creature tore through the webbing before it could settle, leaving it free to pivot like a homicidal Bulls mascot.
    Eeep. Well, nothing left to do but the stupid thing. Ree rammed Sting into the Minotaur’s right arm, then used the sword as a handhold and did her best howler monkey impression, climbing up the side of the creature until she was perched on the creature’s shoulder.
    And because she had learned to take precautions, she pulled out the Ring of Giant Strength she’d pocketed from Grognard’s case, slipped it onto her finger, then dove over the Minotaur’s shoulder, catching herself on the nose ring. All of her body weight plus her enhanced strength hauled on the ring, and she felt something tear in the creature’s nose. But it didn’t come loose.
    “Dogpile, now!” Ree said as the Minotaur started to flail, whipping her around like a dog with a toy. Her stomach simultaneously tried to escape out her toes while threatening to defy centrifugal force and come back up her throat. Eeuuuccch.
    Remembering long nights at the county fair riding the Whirl & Hurl, she tucked her legs up and then did an inverted sit-up, crouching against the creature’s face while the rest of the crew bound the axe down so it couldn’t take her head off. Springing off