The shock hit him in successive waves. First, a series of sharp ones smashed into him like a jackhammer to the skull- followed by larger shocks that sent him sprawling backwards.
Confusion.
Black.
Wake up!
Grunting, he shook his head.
The sand! Get off the sand, you stupid man.
He raised his head and saw that he was lying on the edge of the road, his upper body half-sunk in the sand. In a quick burst of effort, he leaned on his elbows just in time to see the quicksilver scorpion transmute in front of his eyes. The creature raised its giant pincers and unfurled its tail- tipped with a venomous stinger.
He braced for the strike, knowing that there was nothing he could do, against certain death.
A pink laser cut through the air, leaving a cloud of smoke where the scorpion's tail used to be. The smell of charred meat. The creature shrieked. Another shot of hot pink fire, and its exoskeleton exploded in a shower of sand.
Aleister spotted Lhasa's rod lying on the road. Mustering his strength, he jumped up and snatched it up in one fell swoop as he sprinted down the road. The desert whirled all around him with the swarming scarabs. Lhasa was nowhere in sight. He raised the rod, and the blue shield burst to life. The scarabs smashed against it in a barrage of flashy explosions.
The rivershore.
Then silence.
***
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