|
Registered User
Currently Offline
|
Posts: 1021
Join Date: Jan 2008
|
Rick retrieved his sword and climbed to his feet to stand alongside Hawk who now held his Spectre in his hands. The automaton’s surrounded them in a circle and began closing in to constrict their movements. Each one had a large blinking red eye in the center of its forehead and razor sharp claws.
One of the mechanical constructs leapt forward at lightning fast speed. Its claws were opened in a grasping motion as it tried to clutch Hawk’s neck. But Hawk opened fire with his submachine gun. Even though the bullets did no permanent damage the force of the impact threw the robot off course and allowed him to dodge the attack. Then he drew his dirk and stabbed the mindless creature in its eye.
“Go for the red eye” Hawk shouted to Rick.
Rick parried an incoming set of claws and then thrust the tip of his sword through the automaton’s blinking eye. It dropped to the floor on top of its fallen brethren and convulsed. The remaining eight looked at each other uncertainly before advancing again. Two of them lunged at Rick. Their claws dug into his arms as they latched on restricting his movement.
“AAAAHHHHHH!!!” Rick screamed out in pain as blood dripped from his arm.
The former ADF Captain maintained the grip on his sword with some effort but could not swing it around far enough to strike his enemies down. Instead he kicked out with his left foot and struck one of the robots on the shin causing its center of gravity to shift. The automaton wobbled unsteadily and loosened its grip on his arm.
Rick managed to free himself from the second one then and swung his sword in a horizontal arc decapitating the both of them. Their heads rolled free and their bodies dropped. Once more he was awed by the quality of his sword, Durendal, and marveled at the ability of the Magmas Prime monks. He would have to thank them again for this remarkable weapon.
While that battle was going on to his left, Hawk managed to slay three more of the constructs using the technique of parrying with his Spectre and then thrusting his knife into their eyes. Only three of the mindless robots remained to be taken down. He decided now was his chance to escape so he ran across the room and searched for a control panel that would open the double doors. He found it and pressed the button. With a lurch the doors swung outward revealing more of the neon green drops and the path Hawk must follow.
“So long my friend” Hawk saluted Rick and then he was gone.
“Why you little…” Rick shouted at Hawk’s fleeing backside!
The three robots decided to dog pile him using the weight of their metallic bodies to pin him down. He struggled to free himself but one of them managed to swat his sword from his hands. Their claws dug into his flesh with excruciating pain. Then something fast slammed into one of the constructs knocking it off of him. Seconds later another one was removed the same way.
Rick was able to heave the third one off of him and then he went for his sword to finish it off. The deed done, he then turned his attention towards his savior. His robotic navigator Coyote morphed back into its humanoid form and stared back at him with a lopsided metallic grin.
“I knew you’d need my help Captain.”
“Thanks” Rick replied “but I thought I told you to stay with Skylar on the ship?”
“He did” Skylar Blu said entering the room “but I disobeyed forcing him to follow me.”
She ran over to him and threw her arms around him. Rick noticed the warmth of her body against his and hugged her back. The two embraced for thirty more seconds before he had to force himself to pull away. He still had a job to do and Hawk had a head start on him.
“It’s good to see you’re okay” Rick told her “but I have to go after him” he said motioning towards the double doors.
“We’re going with you” Skylar announced proudly “and don’t even think of arguing with me. You know I always win” she winked at him as she said this.
“She’s right Captain” Coyote confirmed unaware of the hidden message that passed between them “I tried arguing with her to stay on the ship and even with my infallible logic I seem to have lost for we are now here.”
Rick Rapture sheathed his sword and the trio walked through the now opened double doors into the large walkway beyond. The floor was more like a bridge than anything else for on either side there was empty space that continued down into the recesses of the structure. Coyote could not even detect where it ended with his enhanced sight.
The bridge only went twenty feet before entering another set of double doors. These were already opened, presumably left that way by Hawk, and preceded another large chamber. This one was filled with various species of plants reminding Skylar of the Royal Greenhouse back on Mithuna. Then one of the plants whipped out with its vines snaring their legs.
“That’s a Dragonsnare” Skylar said noticing for the first time the dragon snout shape at the top of its stem “very dangerous.”
“Poisonous?” Rick asked drawing his sword.
“Carnivorous” she answered.
Rick sliced the vines that held him and Skylar while Coyote’s hands morphed into rotating blades and cut it free. The dragonsnare howled in pain and snapped at them with is thorn filled snout. All three of them leapt backwards avoiding its sharp teeth like thorns. But then it spat a stream of fire at them which managed to barbecue Rick’s shirt sleeve.
“I see why it’s named after dragons” Rick commented slicing the snout from the stem “are there any other dangerous plants in here we need to know about?”
“I’m not sure” Skylar confessed “I recognize some of these but there are a lot here I don’t know.”
“Scanning now Captain” Coyote said as the sensors in its eyes flashed on and off repeatedly as its head rotated around 360 degrees “there is two poisonous Manta Stingers in the left hand corner of the room but they are easily avoided.”
“Good less move on, mutant plants creep me out” Rick said as he headed for the only other door in the room.
__________________
|
Nog Nog Noga Noga Nog Nog!