The Desert is Cold in the Dark [Dark Data]

[Dr. McNinja]

Ogong watched in awe on Jim's shoulder as small metal canisters were launched with a deep "PUNG" from under Jim's rifle. They seemed to be mechanical fireballs, almost - small totems that were preset to cast a version of Ogong's flame spells. What's more, he was shooting them much faster than Ogong or even Master Barley ever could. When Jim finished blasting the two raiders, he stood up. Ogong hopped lightly off of the soldier's shoulders. Ogong drew Yeo-Ee-Pil, slightly jealous.

"We need to get us one of those," Yeo-Ee-Pil muttered.

Jim quietly chuckled before moving closer.

"No blood, no bodies, where'd they-"

The sand erupted behind them. Ogong faced the sound, gripping Yeo-Ee-Pil warily. Jim turned as well and sighed.

"Ah. There they are."

Ogong smirked. "Dibs on the big one with the sweh-gyum*!"

He sprinted forward, sand trailing behind his heels. He ducked and rolled to avoid the two henchmen, going straight for the head honcho. Leaping into the air, he lifted his club high above his head and swung downwards.

Before he got anywhere close to the baddie, a bloody, rusty chain wrapped around the staff.

"Uhhh, Ogong?" Yeo-Ee-Pil cried out, "HELP!"

The staff was yanked out of the monkey's hands. The momentum also threw Ogong off his original trajectory, causing him to fall forward sooner than planned. The misstep was almost a lethal one - if Ogong wasn't so short, his head might have been the temporary home of a giant meat hook.

"Why do you guys keep taking Yeo-Ee-Pil? That staff is NOT as good as you guys think!" the monkey howled, brushing sand off of his clothes. Yeo-Ee-Pil protested the claim, but his mouth(?) was in the sand.

The big guy said nothing. He just snarled, swinging the vicious chain around like a murder lasso.

He let the chain fly. Ogong stepped casually to the left, letting the chain pass him. He reached up to grab the chain, hopefully disarm the big guy right back, but the man was stronger and faster than he expected. The blade of the machete flew back into the bandit's grasp, slicing Ogong's palm on the way. The monkey yelped, gripping his wrist to inspect the wound. The cut was deep, and, to Ogong's horror, on his left hand. It was the hand that he casted magic with.

He looked at the bandit with fury. The leader was now swinging the weapon in a circle over his head, the steel chain screeching. He was going for another run.

With great pain, Ogong cast another fireball. The magical energy seemed to leak a little through the cut, weakening the fireball.

"Dammit..."

Ogong, for the first time in a while, had a thought in the middle of a fight. He realized sharpshooting wasn't going to happen with his fireballs, especially since the bandit seemed very skilled with his makeshift sweh-gyum. In fact, if anything, Jim needed Ogong to cause some melee distraction to the group while he shot them from a distance.

Well, distracting was what he was good at.

The other two minions slowly turned around, their lack of speed likely due to having been pulled forcibly from fast-moving vehicles and, well, exploding. Ogong lined himself up so that he stood between one minion and the big guy. He threw the fireball.

With no effort whatsoever, the baddie knocked the fireball off-course with the meathook, and in the same movement launched the machete forward. Thanks to the distracting fireball, Ogong was able to simply step to the side once more, standing relatively in between the two minions. The rusty blade embedded itself into the chest of a minion, who emitted a disarming "Mur?" from his mouth. The leader yanked the machete sideways, hoping to lop off the monkey's head. But he was a monkey. A halfhearted duck rendered the swing useless, instead landing inside the neck of the other minion.

"Dummy," the monkey taunted.

The leader roared in frustration and pulled the machete backwards. He started swinging the chain again, rebuilding momentum. Ogong slowly ran forward, watching the chain's movement closely. The leader launched the meathook forward, which Ogong dodged with an acrobatic flip. Before the leader could recover the weapon, Ogong launched himself forward as fast as he could, tackling the leader and pinning him to the dunes.

"Hey, gorgeous," Ogong said.

The leader responded by roaring flames at the monkey's face, which Ogong barely dodged. Even still, his front hairs were singed.

"OH FOR GOODNESS SAKE"

Ogong flipped, kicking the leader in the face from the side at the same time to stop the firebreathing. Ignoring the pain from kicking screws while barefeet, he clenched the chain and flung it as far as he could.

The leader slowly stood up, preparing to shoot fire once more. Ogong reached behind him, feeling Yeo-Ee-Pil with his fingertips. He yanked the staff from the sand.

"You finally pull me out, you ungrateful-"

Ogong launched the staff like a lance into the leader's mouth and disrupted the fire. Ogong kicked the leader back, grabbing the staff and brandishing it once more.

"Sorry, Yeo-Ee-Pil."

"Yeah, yeah, you'll be sorry when I shove your face down a flame-breathing throat."

Jim reached out and grabbed Ogong by the back of the hoodie.

"Try working together next time," the soldier muttered.

Ogong shrugged. "Worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"You almost got both of us killed."

"Both...?"

Jim pointed to one of the minions, who lay in the sand smoldering and full of holes.

"Oh. My bad."

Somerled joined them. Ogong eyed him.

"Uh... your arm."

Somerled shrugged and lifted his whip. "I got a spare."

Ogong grimaced and turned his attention to the leader and his one remaining minion.

* Korean for kusarigama, the whippy-blade weapon that the leader has