chapter 44-Battle as a team-think as one

I shudder back, turning my body. The room was designed like a worn and torn church - wooden long pews aligned in rows, multi-colored stained glass windows with no light showing in the back, gray marble floors. And there, at the center, was what seemed to be a floating eye - or as a professional nerd would call it, a beholder, some kind of evil outer dimensional creature.

We quickly hid behind the long row of pew chairs.

Did it see us? Did it know we were here?

"What do we do? It seems preoccupied, maybe it didn't notice us," Max whispered.

Suddenly, a green laser shot past over our heads, striking the iron door. It didn't leave a mark, but it evaporated the tips of our hair.

"Motherfucker, we're doomed..."

"Swap positions and don't split up. Tommy, make a shield - create shiny metal that works like a mirror with a long handle. Once you do, give it to Max so he can scout and see where the beholder is looking," I said, huffing out a breath I'd been holding.

"Maybe we can use a reflection to counter the laser?"

"Not possible, too risky. In movies it's fine, but this is real shit. From the looks of it, that laser had some density to it, so a direct reflection seems not an option. But that doesn't mean we can't still use a reflection, if you know what I mean."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Remember primary school camp, how we saw those optical illusions? I have an idea. Do as I say - make that shield but combine it into a concave shape, and create a smaller flat mirror like I said earlier. The plan is you distract that thing while Max and I creep closer and closer."

"You're crazy, motherfucker. This is why women live longer than men."

"Just wait a second, I need to time this thing." Using a dagger I summoned, I threw it in the air, and it was quickly shot down by a laser beam. I threw another in the opposite direction, and the time interval between each hit was a split second.

I then threw them simultaneously in different directions. It went for the left first, then the right, missing as the daggers went to cover before getting hit.

There was a delay - it seemed it could only shoot one at a time with enough force to go through wood. That meant my body wouldn't be able to tank a hit. So the timing within that delay meant a chance, and from the looks of it, the laser didn't move at light speed. If it did, we'd be dead once we saw the damn beholder.

As Tommy created a suit of armour, the mirrored concave shield, and the small flat mirror, we had everything prepared.

Step one, I threw a dagger in one direction to get its focus for that brief second while we moved behind Tommy as we crept closer and closer.

The plan for the mirror shield was an optical illusion we saw years back year 6 learning about the history of war and weapons or items they used in the trenches of war. They used a periscope to see the enemy while being shielded from their shots. It worked by using angled mirrors with a slight curve - we were doing the same but on a larger scale. To the beholder, we'd be slightly invisible for the moment while Max used the mirror to view it at an angle, unseen. This worked by reflecting the ground while without being seen.

We kept getting closer, sweat pouring off us - I could literally smell it. I gripped my dagger tighter and tighter. The fallen spirit enhancement faded long ago, so my speed was our only reliable asset right now. By the gods' mercy, please allow us to slaughter this wretched thing.

But in Max's mirror view, he could see the beholder's eyes staring us down, green energy swirling in its center.

"Tommy, now!" I shouted.

We didn't go in blind, were not that dumb enough to charge in with no backup plans.