RE: The Broken Prophecy (Walls O' Text)
04-28-2012, 11:58 PM
"I may have an idea," Edwin said. "Do you think I could create some sort of mask from a crystal shard, to protect me from the gas?"
"Worth a try, I suppose," Blackbird mused. He handed Edwin a shard. "Here, use this one; yours are best saved for after you get through the gateway."
"Thank you." Edwin thought over an appropriate incantation, and then settled on it.
"May the air I breathe be true!"
In a flash of light, a strangely-shaped crystalline helmet covered Edwin's face. He stared at Blackbird through a transparent visor.
"It appears to have worked," Edwin said. "Now, you said you could likely get through this on your own?"
"I've got experience with this cave, and I'm not held down by that armor," the hunter replied.
"All right. Then you go ahead with your own plan, and keep the moth distracted if you can. I'll try to run past the slugs while this mask lasts. If anything goes wrong, well, I suppose I'll deal with that when I get there"
And with that, Edwin rushed forward. Blackbird smirked as he looked at the giant moth.
"Look at that fool, rushing headfirst into danger with only the barest hint of a plan. Now that brings back memories."
Blackbird leapt for the wall just as the floor collapsed below him, and quickly grabbed onto one of the embedded skulls. Just before the bones bit down on his fingers, he leapt for a rib cage further up the wall. Quickly, but deliberately, he made his way higher up the cavern, towards its ceiling.
Edwin would have been impressed by the hunter's agility if he had taken the time to look up. As it was, he simply rushed through slugs blindly, ignoring the toxic fumes from their slime trails, and rushing forward, unsure of how long the crystal would protect him.
And then he stepped the tip of a slug's tail. It turned towards him and screeched loudly. The noise echoed through the crystal of Edwin's helmet, nearly deafening him.
Nonetheless, Edwin pressed on, only stopping to regain his bearings when a massive spined leg dug into the stone behind him.
The slug's cry had drawn its mother's attention. The moth was trying to crush him, and he had only avoided that first blow by pure luck. He would have to pause and predict its next strike - but could he afford the delay while deep in this pit of toxins?
And then he heard Blackbird's voice from above.
"Keep moving!" the hunter shouted. He grabbed onto an arm sticking out of the ceiling, and leapt from it onto the moth's back.
Edwin's short time with Blackbird had already taught him to obey orders. He kept running forward, as Blackbird kicked the titanic insect with great force.
The moth seemed confused, and tried to strike the intruder on its back, losing sight of the other one threatening its young. When the flailing of its limbs failed, it started flapping its wings, and smashing into the walls of the cavern.
And then Edwin felt the ground under his feet starting to give way.
"Damn this cave!" he shouted, running forward faster and leaping with all his might into the air. He caught one of the moth queen's spiked legs, and grabbed onto it for dear life, now worried about the stability of the rest of the ground.
"Nice move there, youngster!" Blackbird shouted down to him. "Now, have you got any bright ideas for what we do from here?"
"Worth a try, I suppose," Blackbird mused. He handed Edwin a shard. "Here, use this one; yours are best saved for after you get through the gateway."
"Thank you." Edwin thought over an appropriate incantation, and then settled on it.
"May the air I breathe be true!"
In a flash of light, a strangely-shaped crystalline helmet covered Edwin's face. He stared at Blackbird through a transparent visor.
"It appears to have worked," Edwin said. "Now, you said you could likely get through this on your own?"
"I've got experience with this cave, and I'm not held down by that armor," the hunter replied.
"All right. Then you go ahead with your own plan, and keep the moth distracted if you can. I'll try to run past the slugs while this mask lasts. If anything goes wrong, well, I suppose I'll deal with that when I get there"
And with that, Edwin rushed forward. Blackbird smirked as he looked at the giant moth.
"Look at that fool, rushing headfirst into danger with only the barest hint of a plan. Now that brings back memories."
Blackbird leapt for the wall just as the floor collapsed below him, and quickly grabbed onto one of the embedded skulls. Just before the bones bit down on his fingers, he leapt for a rib cage further up the wall. Quickly, but deliberately, he made his way higher up the cavern, towards its ceiling.
Edwin would have been impressed by the hunter's agility if he had taken the time to look up. As it was, he simply rushed through slugs blindly, ignoring the toxic fumes from their slime trails, and rushing forward, unsure of how long the crystal would protect him.
And then he stepped the tip of a slug's tail. It turned towards him and screeched loudly. The noise echoed through the crystal of Edwin's helmet, nearly deafening him.
Nonetheless, Edwin pressed on, only stopping to regain his bearings when a massive spined leg dug into the stone behind him.
The slug's cry had drawn its mother's attention. The moth was trying to crush him, and he had only avoided that first blow by pure luck. He would have to pause and predict its next strike - but could he afford the delay while deep in this pit of toxins?
And then he heard Blackbird's voice from above.
"Keep moving!" the hunter shouted. He grabbed onto an arm sticking out of the ceiling, and leapt from it onto the moth's back.
Edwin's short time with Blackbird had already taught him to obey orders. He kept running forward, as Blackbird kicked the titanic insect with great force.
The moth seemed confused, and tried to strike the intruder on its back, losing sight of the other one threatening its young. When the flailing of its limbs failed, it started flapping its wings, and smashing into the walls of the cavern.
And then Edwin felt the ground under his feet starting to give way.
"Damn this cave!" he shouted, running forward faster and leaping with all his might into the air. He caught one of the moth queen's spiked legs, and grabbed onto it for dear life, now worried about the stability of the rest of the ground.
"Nice move there, youngster!" Blackbird shouted down to him. "Now, have you got any bright ideas for what we do from here?"