Apocalypse: Generic System, Macronomicon [e book reader android txt] 📗

cave, but he preferred to keep the high ground and slowly strangle off their ability to escape, rather than pursue that limited advantage.

No, they would throw a javelin every time one of the creatures ducked a head out, until they were mere feet away from the entrance, then they would toss in a choke-smoke bag to take the fight out of them before finishing the hunt.

Hunting was never a glorious competition between equal parties. It was brutal and unfair. And that was just the way Ch’goth preferred it.

He felt a pulse of Myst from something beside his foot, and time slowed down.

SHHHH!

Blades of Myst manifested all around him, whipping toward him from both directions at an obscene speed.

In that fraction of a second, Ch’goth’s mind was able to map the trajectory of all of the blades. Using his spear as leverage, Ch’goth jumped, tucking his arms and legs into the tiny pocket of safety as best he could.

The sound of tearing flesh filled Ch’goth’s ears as those around him too slow to react were torn into large chunks of quivering flesh, their natural armor shredded.

He fell to the ground, burning pain spreading from his right foot. His prized spear toppled to the ground beside him in pieces.

Ch’goth gave a trumpet of pain as he realized he hadn’t been able to tuck all of his foot inside the pocket of safety.

He pushed himself up and glanced backwards. No less than thirty warriors had been lost to the vicious trap.

“Run, NOW!” Ch’goth shouted through the pain. His warriors nodded and began running without hesitation. He was proud of their training.

A thought occurred to Ch’goth, and he looked at where he had felt the pulse of Myst. There was an unnaturally round glass marble made of crude opaque glass.

“Beware!” Ch’goth shouted, picking up the marble and tossing it to his warriors. The rearmost S’ketchan turned back and snatched the marble out of the air with a nod before rejoining the pack, leaving Ch’goth alone with the corpses of his hunters.

He turned back to the cave and spotted a brilliant light emerge from the front, rising into the air in a spectacular display.

“Haha! Look at my Glory and despair, heathens!”

Ch’goth couldn’t understand what the creature was saying. It was a garbled mess of guttural noises.

It looked vaguely S’ketchan, with two arms and two legs, but it lacked the smooth, attractive natural copper armor. Its muscles were clearly on display, reminding him of some kind of skinned corpse that moved.

It also had some kind of strange wings on its back, and a fiery length of burning metal in its hand.

It was so bright and attention-grabbing, that Ch’goth didn’t notice the dark little marbles streaming out of the cave, moving under their own power.

***Jeb***

Jeb took a chance and ducked his head out while Mike acted as a flare.

The creatures were….retreating. There was a semicircular swath of chunked corpses near the edge of the camp, where he’d tossed the betties the night before.

Huh. I guess my evil plan wasn’t necessary.

Still gonna do it, though.

“They’re running away!” Amanda said, poking her head out from behind Jeb. “One of them’s still alive!”

“Amanda, what the hell are you –“Jeb tried to put a hand in front of her to keep her inside the safety of the cave, but she was a lot stronger than him.

The healer broke out into the open and Jeb began spinning up the old Myst engine. He needed to be able to ward off a spear and pull her out of the way if necessary.

“Brett!?” Jeb demanded as the soldier sprinted past him, carrying the heavy shield they kept to seal the cave entrance.

“I know!” Brett shouted with a grin. “Why do you think I married her?”

Damnit, Jeb thought, running out after them, slowed by his pegleg

He ran out into the field through the jagged rocky terrain wearing nothing but his briefs. Brett ran up to where Amanda was approaching the wounded copper-skinned insect creature and interposed himself and the heavy shield between her and the retreating creatures

The coppery monster hissed and spit at her, trying to hop up to one foot and take a swipe when she got close.

Amanda rushed forward and physically overpowered the creature, pressing it to the ground as a spark of white Myst leapt between them.

The creature’s wound immediately sealed itself off, and its struggle intensified, biting Amanda in the process.

The healer pushed herself away from the monster, running a hand over the bite mark, the wound disappearing as she did.

The creature hopped away from her, before it’s head cocked in obvious confusion. It glanced down at its leg, then over to Amanda.

Amanda held her hands up in a placating gesture, slowly backing away from it.

“It’s okay,” She said. “I don’t want to hurt you. We don’t have to fight.”

It studied her for a moment, before glancing around, noticing Jeb and Brett facing it.

It gave a soft hiss, and slowly bent down to pick up a nearby spear that hadn’t been shredded.

Jeb tensed, prepared to turn the creature into swiss cheese, but it simply rested its weight on the shaft of the spear, studying them.

Slowly, the creature reached into the pouch on its waist and retrieved something small and shiny.

It was a strange-looking tool, composed of a bronze handle that widened out to a wide, flat knob at the base, that narrowed down to where a crimson red gemstone was set at the tip.

It looked like a chisel with a ruby set at the tip.

Actually, I think that might be exactly what it is.

The creature tossed the strange tool to Amanda before turning away, using his spear as a crutch.

“Did you just Ghibli-princess a monster?” Ron asked from the entrance of the cave.

“See?”