Re: Vendetta [S!2 Round 1 ~ Presidentialgon]
04-28-2012, 06:07 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Flummox.
[color=#99z8rz]Felgurd had mostly regained his senses – no longer the confused, stumbling figure he was earlier, he took long, easy strides to keep up with Johnny Raptor, who was faster than any human should possibly be. He felt odd – a weird sense of joy was bubbling up inside him, something he hadn’t felt since, well, he hadn’t felt it ever.
He felt as if he belonged, here, running alongside these two humans, to somewhere he didn’t know. He didn’t know where they were going, no, but there was a certain sense of exhilaration in it all – the reckless speed, wind rushing through his fingers and whipping his necktie up behind his neck – not the feeling of being chased, no, the feeling of chasing. Dare I say it? He felt friendship.
As they careened around corners and raced through hallways, Felgurd said casually, “What is my purpose?”
His voice was no longer hostile, or confused, but had taken on a new tone entirely – one he hadn’t used since Tolgurd had gone – indeed, his voice embodied a tone of wonder. The same wonder that small boys have when they look up at the stars, the wonder that fills men’s voices when they crane their necks to see the top of a roaring waterfall – if he could have smiled, his face would have broken in two. [/color]
Johnny Raptor was far enough ahead that he didn’t hear him over the sound of the horse’s hooves, but Artemis’ feet were pounding along somewhere behind Felgurd – though he was far too out of breath to answer him.
“What is he talking about?” he said internally to Grendel.
“I don’t know! Does it matter? Why don’t you ask him?”
“My lungs are kind of busy doing something else? Why don’t you?” he reached out to touch Felgurd so Grendel could talk to him, but his arm fell short.
“Ugh. Don’t bother.”
But Artemis reached out again, and this time caught hold of his sleeve. He waited for Grendel to start talking, but instead heard another, different sound – an extremely loud, high-pitched, bloodcurdling scream – he jerked his hand back, as if he had touched something scalding – and a blast of mental pain invaded his head, like all the headaches in the history of the world were condensing themselves into a single moment inside his brain – and he fell over, backwards, hitting his head on the floor.
[color=#99z8rz]Felgurd stopped and turned around, staring curiously at Artemis, sprawled on the floor.[/color]
“Chrissakes, Grendel, what the hell was that?”
Grendel’s voice was raw and contorted, obviously the voice of someone who is in a great deal of pain.
“I don’t know – it’s something from another place, another time, another dimension – the creatures of hell have no power over it. It’s soulless, Artemis, it never had a soul. It shouldn’t be alive.”
Felgurd walked over and was about to hoist Artemis to his feet, but he scrambled away, not wishing to experience that again.
“Keep running, kid, they’re getting away from you!” Grendel was back to his normal cynical self. “Ugh, you can’t do anything by yourself, can you.”
And Artemis was off running without a word, though this time not under his own jurisdiction.
[color=#99z8rz]If Felgurd had any knowledge of human gestures, he would have shrugged, but as the case is, he simply stared at Artemis’ figure receding in the hallway. He took off running after him.[/color]
[color=#99z8rz]Felgurd had mostly regained his senses – no longer the confused, stumbling figure he was earlier, he took long, easy strides to keep up with Johnny Raptor, who was faster than any human should possibly be. He felt odd – a weird sense of joy was bubbling up inside him, something he hadn’t felt since, well, he hadn’t felt it ever.
He felt as if he belonged, here, running alongside these two humans, to somewhere he didn’t know. He didn’t know where they were going, no, but there was a certain sense of exhilaration in it all – the reckless speed, wind rushing through his fingers and whipping his necktie up behind his neck – not the feeling of being chased, no, the feeling of chasing. Dare I say it? He felt friendship.
As they careened around corners and raced through hallways, Felgurd said casually, “What is my purpose?”
His voice was no longer hostile, or confused, but had taken on a new tone entirely – one he hadn’t used since Tolgurd had gone – indeed, his voice embodied a tone of wonder. The same wonder that small boys have when they look up at the stars, the wonder that fills men’s voices when they crane their necks to see the top of a roaring waterfall – if he could have smiled, his face would have broken in two. [/color]
Johnny Raptor was far enough ahead that he didn’t hear him over the sound of the horse’s hooves, but Artemis’ feet were pounding along somewhere behind Felgurd – though he was far too out of breath to answer him.
“What is he talking about?” he said internally to Grendel.
“I don’t know! Does it matter? Why don’t you ask him?”
“My lungs are kind of busy doing something else? Why don’t you?” he reached out to touch Felgurd so Grendel could talk to him, but his arm fell short.
“Ugh. Don’t bother.”
But Artemis reached out again, and this time caught hold of his sleeve. He waited for Grendel to start talking, but instead heard another, different sound – an extremely loud, high-pitched, bloodcurdling scream – he jerked his hand back, as if he had touched something scalding – and a blast of mental pain invaded his head, like all the headaches in the history of the world were condensing themselves into a single moment inside his brain – and he fell over, backwards, hitting his head on the floor.
[color=#99z8rz]Felgurd stopped and turned around, staring curiously at Artemis, sprawled on the floor.[/color]
“Chrissakes, Grendel, what the hell was that?”
Grendel’s voice was raw and contorted, obviously the voice of someone who is in a great deal of pain.
“I don’t know – it’s something from another place, another time, another dimension – the creatures of hell have no power over it. It’s soulless, Artemis, it never had a soul. It shouldn’t be alive.”
Felgurd walked over and was about to hoist Artemis to his feet, but he scrambled away, not wishing to experience that again.
“Keep running, kid, they’re getting away from you!” Grendel was back to his normal cynical self. “Ugh, you can’t do anything by yourself, can you.”
And Artemis was off running without a word, though this time not under his own jurisdiction.
[color=#99z8rz]If Felgurd had any knowledge of human gestures, he would have shrugged, but as the case is, he simply stared at Artemis’ figure receding in the hallway. He took off running after him.[/color]