Re: The Savage Brawl [Round 3: Abandoned Park]
08-27-2010, 08:19 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Not The Author.
The blast wave tore through the mass of meat as though it were little less than paper-mache. The outermost layer, still in a semi-solid state, was instantly blown away by the initial impact. Chunks of rock from the totaled maze peppered the grotesque blob, some moving fast enough to tear through and keep going. Gormand's second-to-last thought was, I don't much care for this park, anyway.
~ Some time earlier ~
The meatball let out a rumbling sigh. This is why I don't deal with other people - they're stupid, lazy, arrogant, or conniving. Usually more than one! Which means I'd best prepare to kill Ekelhaft myself... To that end, Gormand had made his way back to the circle of benches at which he had first arrived. Of course, one not acquainted with the meat virus would never have recognized it as such.
For one thing, the benches were gone.
A thick white needle of bone protruded from the ground where the not-exactly-verdant tree once stood. The ground around the ivory spire had acquired the consistency, appearance, and even smell of well-seasoned-if-tepid steak. This hillock of meat grew noticeably more raw towards the fringes, ending in a bog-like moat where the ground had yet to make up its mind as to whether or not it was mineral or victual. Most of the transformed ground was a superficial topsoil layer formed by the Slaglet simply rolling around, but the initial infection had spread out underground as well. While it certainly wouldn't support any sizable force, there was definitely enough material to bring Gormand up to full strength, with possibly enough left over for a light brigade, or at least a single heavy unit.
But things were never that simple.
Despite the dead air, a few emaciated mutts had managed to find their way to the little islet of meat. They'd torn the place up fairly well, presumably in an attempt to find some foodstuff that didn't taste vaguely sulfurous or rusty. They seemed to be spooked by the Slaglet, but only enough that they were avoiding it and not leaving outright.
Gormand, however, was a different matter. His considerable bulk was enough to send most of the canines scampering off in fear. One of the more curious or stupid, or delisional ones went over to examine the meatball more closely, and received a broken neck for its trouble. That managed to get the mutts in motion. The stragglers fled, one of them carrying off the recently deceased pup. A "doggie bag" joke passed through Gormand's mind, and was discarded immediately.
And then something slammed into his backside.
Though he was caught off guard, the foodbeast rolled with the blow, swivelling to face some rabid animal that could only generously be called dog-like. It was frothing at the mouth, fairly heavily scarred, and Gormand didn't actually get a very good look beyond that as he was trying not to be eaten.
The beast lunged, and while the meatball couldn't exactly dodge, he did manage to throw the beast to the side at the cost of half an arm. It turned back in time to receive a noodle to the face, a bruised nose, and a few shattered teeth, but sadly not the broken jaw a lesser creature would've sustained. A claw that would've looked more at home on a raptor carved a chunk of unpalatable beef from the foodbeast's flank. Grunting more with annoyance than pain, Gormand shoved the creature away and staggered back. They circled, each deciding how best to kill the other.
And then, Gormand realized he probably wouldn't have to.
Having personally participated in a good number of large-scale battles, the foodbeast was not entirely unfamiliar with various types of weaponry; while he'd never encountered the particular device lighting up the maze, it was very clearly charging for some wide-spread devastation. The dog-creature seemed oblivious to the flickering electrical arcs some distance off, but then it clearly wasn't built for intelligence, probably had better smell than sight, and for that matter was being distracted by a brownish gelatin attempting to decompose its leg. Gormand took advantage of the Slaglet's interference, and retreated to the ivory pillar.
His eye, his limbs, the "tree," and the Slaglet all liquefied, turning back to that familiar pinkish meaty fondue.
The entire disgusting mass of meat that had taken over the ground rose up and engulfed Gormand; a hulking sphere of semisolid flesh, shifting and flowing as it hardened and even then having trouble sitting still. The vile cocoon sat in the middle of a shallow crater, offering just that extra little bit of protection from the immenent destruction. The dog-beast, having no such shield, was brained by flying shrapnel as it tried to figure out what the hell was going on with the meat and whether or not it could still be eaten.
The blast wave tore through the mass of meat as though it were little less than paper-mache. The outermost layer, still in a semi-solid state, was instantly blown away by the initial impact. Chunks of rock from the totaled maze peppered the grotesque blob, some moving fast enough to tear through and keep going. Gormand's second-to-last thought was, I don't much care for this park, anyway.
Gormand's last thought was, I'll bet the explosion doesn't kill anyone.
Konka Rar had managed to keep relatively safe by riding the crest of the blast wave, but Gormand's brute-force method had its merits. While he ended up with significant injury, having lost a good majority of his shield to the force of the explosion and flying debris, the maelstrom was now behind him, and growing more distant with each passing minute. The meatwad shrank, holes and dents filling in, rocks and other detritus being forced out, familiar flagella beginning to emerge.
Gormand cracked open his eye, and groaned.
The blast wave tore through the mass of meat as though it were little less than paper-mache. The outermost layer, still in a semi-solid state, was instantly blown away by the initial impact. Chunks of rock from the totaled maze peppered the grotesque blob, some moving fast enough to tear through and keep going. Gormand's second-to-last thought was, I don't much care for this park, anyway.
~ Some time earlier ~
The meatball let out a rumbling sigh. This is why I don't deal with other people - they're stupid, lazy, arrogant, or conniving. Usually more than one! Which means I'd best prepare to kill Ekelhaft myself... To that end, Gormand had made his way back to the circle of benches at which he had first arrived. Of course, one not acquainted with the meat virus would never have recognized it as such.
For one thing, the benches were gone.
A thick white needle of bone protruded from the ground where the not-exactly-verdant tree once stood. The ground around the ivory spire had acquired the consistency, appearance, and even smell of well-seasoned-if-tepid steak. This hillock of meat grew noticeably more raw towards the fringes, ending in a bog-like moat where the ground had yet to make up its mind as to whether or not it was mineral or victual. Most of the transformed ground was a superficial topsoil layer formed by the Slaglet simply rolling around, but the initial infection had spread out underground as well. While it certainly wouldn't support any sizable force, there was definitely enough material to bring Gormand up to full strength, with possibly enough left over for a light brigade, or at least a single heavy unit.
But things were never that simple.
Despite the dead air, a few emaciated mutts had managed to find their way to the little islet of meat. They'd torn the place up fairly well, presumably in an attempt to find some foodstuff that didn't taste vaguely sulfurous or rusty. They seemed to be spooked by the Slaglet, but only enough that they were avoiding it and not leaving outright.
Gormand, however, was a different matter. His considerable bulk was enough to send most of the canines scampering off in fear. One of the more curious or stupid, or delisional ones went over to examine the meatball more closely, and received a broken neck for its trouble. That managed to get the mutts in motion. The stragglers fled, one of them carrying off the recently deceased pup. A "doggie bag" joke passed through Gormand's mind, and was discarded immediately.
And then something slammed into his backside.
Though he was caught off guard, the foodbeast rolled with the blow, swivelling to face some rabid animal that could only generously be called dog-like. It was frothing at the mouth, fairly heavily scarred, and Gormand didn't actually get a very good look beyond that as he was trying not to be eaten.
The beast lunged, and while the meatball couldn't exactly dodge, he did manage to throw the beast to the side at the cost of half an arm. It turned back in time to receive a noodle to the face, a bruised nose, and a few shattered teeth, but sadly not the broken jaw a lesser creature would've sustained. A claw that would've looked more at home on a raptor carved a chunk of unpalatable beef from the foodbeast's flank. Grunting more with annoyance than pain, Gormand shoved the creature away and staggered back. They circled, each deciding how best to kill the other.
And then, Gormand realized he probably wouldn't have to.
Having personally participated in a good number of large-scale battles, the foodbeast was not entirely unfamiliar with various types of weaponry; while he'd never encountered the particular device lighting up the maze, it was very clearly charging for some wide-spread devastation. The dog-creature seemed oblivious to the flickering electrical arcs some distance off, but then it clearly wasn't built for intelligence, probably had better smell than sight, and for that matter was being distracted by a brownish gelatin attempting to decompose its leg. Gormand took advantage of the Slaglet's interference, and retreated to the ivory pillar.
His eye, his limbs, the "tree," and the Slaglet all liquefied, turning back to that familiar pinkish meaty fondue.
The entire disgusting mass of meat that had taken over the ground rose up and engulfed Gormand; a hulking sphere of semisolid flesh, shifting and flowing as it hardened and even then having trouble sitting still. The vile cocoon sat in the middle of a shallow crater, offering just that extra little bit of protection from the immenent destruction. The dog-beast, having no such shield, was brained by flying shrapnel as it tried to figure out what the hell was going on with the meat and whether or not it could still be eaten.
The blast wave tore through the mass of meat as though it were little less than paper-mache. The outermost layer, still in a semi-solid state, was instantly blown away by the initial impact. Chunks of rock from the totaled maze peppered the grotesque blob, some moving fast enough to tear through and keep going. Gormand's second-to-last thought was, I don't much care for this park, anyway.
Gormand's last thought was, I'll bet the explosion doesn't kill anyone.
Konka Rar had managed to keep relatively safe by riding the crest of the blast wave, but Gormand's brute-force method had its merits. While he ended up with significant injury, having lost a good majority of his shield to the force of the explosion and flying debris, the maelstrom was now behind him, and growing more distant with each passing minute. The meatwad shrank, holes and dents filling in, rocks and other detritus being forced out, familiar flagella beginning to emerge.
Gormand cracked open his eye, and groaned.