Chapter 12

chapter twelve Slam adventurer collision. Quint bounces off Dirk and the cart topples, tossing Galamelon to the floor! "Dirk!" Quint gasps. "You're running, too? What are you running from?" "The Drakkor," Dirk shouts. "It's a hulk!"

"We ditched it at the Pizza Theater," Kimmy says. "But it could be anywhere! This is its lair!" "Ugh, you guys still didn't slay it? C'mon..." Galamelon groans. "Just be happy we don't slay you, con-man!" Kimmy snaps. "Wait..." Dirk says. "What are you guys running from?" "HER!" Quint shouts, as Skaelka bursts around the corner— more creatures to test my limb cleaver on double the fun. Hey, you found the queen in armor? Hey, wail that's our armor. Hey, wait, that's our skulker. Wait, the queen is scalco.

"I am no one's Skaelka, strange boy!" Skaelka roars. "Yeah, Dirk, about that? She's only sorta Skaelka..." Quint starts to say, grabbing Dirk and pulling. "You'll see. For now—RUN!!" Quint, Dirk, Galamelon, and Kimmy speed down one twisty corridor after another, desperately trying to stay one step ahead of Skaelka while also searching for a way out. "Skaelka, what are you doing?" Dirk shouts over his shoulder. "We're buddies!" Kimmy exclaims, "You're buddies with the Queen in Armor?! AND the Blarg Slayer? Talk about friends in high places! When this is all over, we should hang! Like, all the time! I'm free most Wednesdays." Suddenly, the end of the hallway ERUPTS in an explosion of plastic and concrete as—

"Drakkor!" Kimmy shrieks, and at once everyone's trying—and failing—to screech to a halt. Their feet slip on the slick black oil-goo—Dirk tumbles into Galamelon, Galamelon flops in front of Quint, and Quint flips over all of them. Only Skaelka avoids a fall, nimbly bounding up and over the heroes' backs. "You there, Drakkor!" Skaelka barks, as she pounces onto the Drakkor's snout, unleashing a flurry of axe blows! "Skaelka is very pleased to inflict pain upon you!"

But even the great warrior Skaelka is no match for the Drakkor! Icy cold energy begins to radiate from the Drakkor. Freakish purple light, like a strange frozen flame, flashes inside the monster. "Uh-oh. I've seen this before," Kimmy says. "And we will not enjoy what happens next." And whatever that is, Quint thinks, I can't let Skaelka have a front-row seat. He lunges forward, tugging at her armor. "Skaelka, he's going to destroy you!" Quint shouts, yanking her off the Drakkor.

"Who dares—!" Skaelka cries as she topples backward. The purple energy blazing inside the Drakkor builds, glowing brighter and brighter. "Quint, the conjuration you were working on all night!" Galamelon says, fumbling open the book and flipping to a dog-eared page. "Kinetic Volley. Do it." Quint catches Galamelon's eye—and forces a nod. "All right," he says, though he sounds anything but sure. He plants his feet and grips the conjurer's cane in his hands. Quint's entire body is quaking. The fear for his friends' lives—and his own—is almost all- consuming. Remember, Quint, he whispers to himself, use only enough energy as needed. You do not want another accidental teleportation. He flicks a toggle at the base of his cane, and a whining buzz rings out. The smell of electricity—like an old Hot Wheels track—fills the air. He holds the microphone close to his mouth, like a nervous kid about to belt out his first song at the school talent show. But this verse is simply two words: Kinetic Volley. He repeats the words in his head, over and over, like a mantra. It's supposed to help him visualize the