LogFAQs > #897178488

The explosion startled Key to the point that he took a flying leap at the person next to him -- in this case, the cleric Belicia. He knocked her to the ground to shield her from the blast, almost forgetting, in his haste, that his human weight might be too great for her Elf bones, and he thought that he heard one of her ribs crack, prompting him to apologize quickly and get up again, offering her a hand that she immediately pushed aside as she rose to her feet, holding her side and taking a long, shuddering breath.

Mead, for his part, had been waiting for the adventurers to turn on each other, and they had not disappointed him. He grinned maniacally as he lifted his axe and took a hard swing at Guy, the Druid who had been his friend the night before. He winged him, a line of red marring his robes before he transformed himself into a fine mist in a blink of the eyes, disappearing into the gloom of the Ruins, Mead laughing as he pursued him.

Cyborg followed a similar cue, drawing one of his blades and swinging it in a single smooth motion, cutting Hanagamas across the face. It should have been his throat, by his reckoning, but he had underestimated the half-Dragon and his unnatural reflexes. Hanagamas quickly ducked inside a building that might have once been a tavern, using the darkness inside to conceal himself and vanish from sight, lest the assassin try to get the jump on him again, but Cyborg followed his intuition and did not take the bait.

Rhona had a knife in her hand almost before the explosion, throwing it and catching Fiske in the soft tissue below his right shoulder blade, drawing a hard gasp from the alchemist before he gathered his wits long enough to throw a glass vial to the ground and make it explode in a cloud of white smoke, giving him cover enough to escape. Rhona chuckled, letting him run. She did not have to kill him outright for results.

Wukong and Archmage, watching the drama from a safe distance, turned to each other at the same, but Wukong said it first: "Guess it's time to drop all the pretenses, huh?"

Archmage replied, narrowing his eyes and smiling, "I've been looking forward to this since I found out you were going to be here, demigod. Let's do this." He summoned up his magic in a single gesture, mana-loaded glyphs radiating in circles from his hands and making the air spark and crackle with the sheer power at his command.

To that, Wukong said, laughing, "Okay, you're strong, but let's be honest: Next to me, you're just a little baby. See?" The red pole in his hand immediately doubled in size, catching Archmage in the stomach and sending him rolling on the ground for a fair distance, dispersing his magic and making him look foolish. "Try again later!" Wukong shrugged his shoulders and walked into the ruins, laughing, fearing nothing.

Behind him, Archmage hissed, gasping for breath as he pushed himself up on his elbows, "Oh, you'll be the one who sees, you obsolete piece of --" He coughed, pausing to feel at his stomach for bruising. Despite his words, there was no avoiding the truth: Sun Wukong could have killed him with a single blow, had that been his desire.

On the other side of the ruins, Larry shook his head as the sound of the explosion made his following of prostitutes scatter, screaming as they ran back towards Rostik. "Oh, that's just great. That's what was going to make this whole thing worthwhile." And then he noticed that one had not left. He did not recognize her immediately. She looked exotic, and she had the build of a fighter, not a lady of the night. "You're brave, huh?"

Jen smirked back at him, realizing that he must have been too hung over to realize that she had not been part of his goings-on the night before. "Brave enough. Let's go."

(Continued)
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-- I Abibde / Samuraiter
Laughing at Game FAQs since 2002.