Slipstream I
Like Swords
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For the last several
hours, things had been getting progressively stranger for
Arngrim. First he'd been taken from the jungle without a word
of warning and had appeared suddenly in this strange city of
glass and steel. Then Beowulf had been trying to persuade him
not to attack the robots who were scattered around the city.
And to top off a pretty bad day, he'd just managed to look a
complete and total coward in front of his teammates! It was
like some malicious deity had been controlling his every move
for those hours...
And I have no idea how I'll ever
manage to explain that hamster demon to Beowulf or Zynk. How
in Midgard did that man manage to keep the fur-fiend from
biting his head off, tucked up in his clothing? Doesn't he
KNOW the little rodents are evil incarnate? Or maybe they just
aren't as dangerous in other worlds as in mine? Naah, can't be
that.
In the meantime, the hamster demon would
have to wait. Arngrim had another problem to deal with -
mainly the crystalline floor several dozen feet below them
which they were rapidly plunging towards. He could see the
other two just above him, descending at a much slower rate,
but he was still getting the full attentions of Madame
Gravity.
Right, then. Arngrim did his best to
control his ungainly fall, aiming his body towards another of
those glass walkways, hoping he could manage to catch onto its
edge and avoid falling any further. To his credit, he
almost managed it - his hands slammed down on the top
of the walkway's handrail, severely bending the metal in the
process, and the pain rushed to his shoulders as his body's
downward motion came to a halt.
But the brief rush of
exultation was short-lived - the metal pole, already weakened
and rusted from the years of neglect this city had suffered,
came loose completely under his fairly considerable weight.
Another startled oath escaped his lips as he fell back,
falling... falling so very far...
The tornado wind
rushed up out of nowhere, pushing at the warrior's back and
actually forcing him upwards again, launching him over the
weakened railing and throwing him onto the surface of the
walkway like some kind of kid's doll. The impact was
considerable, but thankfully the surface seemed to be holding
this time. Levering himself up, Arngrim looked up groggily to
see the others descending towards him, Zynk holding some kind
of glowing orb in his hand.
"Arngrim! Are you all
right?" Beowulf asked him, going over and helping him to
stand.
"Yeah... yeah... I'm okay now," he replied
automatically, turning to Zynk. "Hey, do you know where that
wind came out of? That thing saved my life!"
"I
created it," the robot said matter-of-factly whilst holding
out the orb, "using this relic from my homeland."
"Well, thanks again, metal man. I guess that's two I
owe you now," Arngrim replied. "I'll pay you back for it, just
you see."
"I'm sure we'll see that happen, with things
heating up around here," the temple knight told him. "By the
way, what is it about that creature that scared you so
much? I'd have thought it was the worst demon in hell from the
way you acted!"
"Uhhh... maybe I'll tell you later,"
he managed. Too accurate a description by half, Beowulf,
much too accurate for my liking.
---
OOC: Aaaaah!! I almost thought I'd have to miss the
entire round, I got back to the thread so late! Hopefully I
can make up for my inactivity in the next few hours.
Ph34r t3h h@m$t3rs.
---
"Are you just a blade of grass,
to be blown in the wind?"
Last edited by Slipstream on 08-07-2001
at 12:28 AM |