07-25-2017, 04:46 AM
The monkey boy slumped on the ground, the echo of the skeleton's smashed skull resonating in the room. The light that jetted from his hand lingered a moment as the headless apparition still found a way to operate. It hopped between the trio and the portal, its fleshless arms reaching into its cloak. Their only way of exiting the dissolving realm was through the undead gunslinger. Jim hadn't fought this hard to fail here.
"Kid!" Jim yelled. "Kid! Are you OK?"
Sun Ogong murmured something, his head slightly tilting on the sandstone floor. At least he wasn't dead.
The headless skeleton reached out towards the wall and tore one of the sandstone blocks free; it yielded surprisingly easily, but Jim didn't know whether to put that on the undead's mystical strength or the cohesion of the bricks breaking apart. He slammed the sandstone block on the stump of his spine, stuck out his thumb and jabbed two holes in the front of it. Tiny dust particles spilled from the indentations and lifted into the air, carried by the abyss' irresistible call. Another stab of his bony thumb drew a half crescent line beneath the holes, effectively finishing its 'face.'
There stood a skeleton with four arms, missing a leg beneath the knee, wearing a tattered cloak and a sandstone block as a head, with its 'eyes' and 'smile' carved right into it.
Jim measured up the situation quickly. He and an injured old man had to destroy a deranged skeleton cowboy before the whole of reality around them inexplicably stopped existing, a skeleton who had survived every attempt on its life so far, while ensuring that a hybrid human-monkey boy wasn't forgotten or accidentally killed in the process.
Of all the crazy situations Jim had found himself in during his action-packed life, this ranked somewhere in the middle.
The entire corridor behind them splintered and crumbled into chunks, some of the debris heading upwards in an artistic spiral while the rest plummeted below. It seemed the end of the world was no longer just above them, but below them and squeezing in towards them from all angles. Jim kept his eyes on the hobbled skeleton and the swirling gateway behind him, unwilling to gaze into the depths of nihilism actualised that drew closer with every passing moment.
"All right, Somerled," Jim said, watching ahead. "We haven't been able to put this son of a bitch down yet, but this ain't the time to be goin' easy on him. Now, the way I see it-"
Somerled dashed ahead of Jim, limping awkwardly on his broken foot.
Jim shrugged. "Sure, why not? Plannin' hasn't got us too far."
A thunderous crack shook the ground, rending a jagged fissure between Jim and Somerled. The thin man stumbled at the quake, his thrown fist knocked off balance. The skeleton gunslinger toppled to the side, the weight of his new skull causing him some difficulty in retaining his footing.
The fissure split. The floor on Jim's side of the crack dislodged and floated backwards. A stomach-turning pit of nothingness opened between Raynor and the remaining chunk of ground that housed the portal. Jim hurriedly stuffed his Impaler rifle into the compartment of his leg, knowing two free hands were more important than a weapon.
Jim pressed down on the hovering platform, tipping the edge. Sun Ogong's limp body slid towards the bleak void, and Jim frantically reached out, snagging the monkey boy by his furry tail as his body skidded free. Taking a deep breath, Jim locked his eyes on the portal platform.
"Jumpjets, adjutant!"
Flames belched from Jim's armour as he blasted from his floor segment, sending it spinning away before it simply never existed. Moving in a muted arc, Jim landed on the other side, still gripping his young ally. Somerled rose to his feet, as did their cinderblock-headed enemy.
"Somerled!" Jim yelled, pointing at the portal. The tear in space and time opened up into the temple where they had slain the dark priests. "Get in there now! We're right behind you!"
The thin man obeyed, hobbling towards his salvation. Jim gave chase, hoisting Sun Ogong onto his shoulder. The skeleton gunslinger wasn't done yet, though. He flourished four pistols from within his cloak and took aim at Somerled. Eyes wide, breath catching in his chest, Jim stretched out towards the undead. His metal fingers snagged the ghoul by its rib cage, penetrating its tan, gossamer flesh, and he yanked it backwards. The bullets sped off into the sky, screaming readily into the end of all things.
Jim shot a glance over his shoulder, watching the smiling blockhead windmilling his arms at the edge of the platform. His bony heel slipped and he fell backwards into the awaiting void.
Jim sighed heavily, feeling a weight leave his chest. "Good, he's finally done. Now-"
Something clawed at his ankle and snared it. A chill rattled Jim's spine as he spotted the skeleton gunslinger grasping at Raynor's armoured leg, dangling above the abyss.
"Oh no, you ain't comin' on this trip!"
Jim shook his foot, jostling the skeleton, but his four hands clamped him in a death grip.
"Come on, you son of a -"
Jim's stomach jumped into his throat as the ground beneath his feet crumbled. Shouting, adrenaline soaring into his mind, he dropped like a tonne of robotic armour, the portal whooshing out of view. He threw out both hands, snagging the edge of the floor. His body whiplashed at the sudden halt. Still the skeleton clung onto him.
"Kid!" Jim yelled, realising Ogong was no longer perched on his shoulder.
"It's OK! He's up here!" Somerled shouted back. "He slipped off you when you slipped!" He kneeled over the edge. "I'll help you up!"
"No!" Jim said, rattling his leg. "You only got one good hand as it is. I'll pull us both down!"
Somerled looked from side to side. "I can't just-"
"Get yourself and the kid back through the portal!" Jim said. "I'll work it out!"
"I-"
"Go!"
Somerled hesitated a moment longer. "Dammit!" His head vanished.
The end of everything crept upwards at an alarming rate. Jim could feel it crawling through the air, scouting out the new atoms it would metabolise. It buzzed in his teeth, sent goosebumps over his skin, even dried his closed mouth.
The skeleton threw a hand up to Jim's thigh, climbing up his leg. Startled, Jim clenched a hand, crumbling the floor into chalky rocks. He sucked in a breath as he dangled by one arm, noticing how precariously close his other hand hold was from shattering.
"Jumpjets!"
"Fuel depleted," the adjutant said, as if nothing was wrong. "Jumpjets unable to activate."
Another hand snapped just below his waist.
Jim grit his teeth. One option. "Adjutant, eject and into my console!"
He didn't have time to confirm.
The marine armour burst open, hinging at the hips. Jim saw the white of the skeleton's fingers stretch for his shirt as the armour launched him like a rocket. He watched as the gunslinger clambered to the cavity of the suit just as the fingers lost their hold. The four-armed undead smiled his sandstone-brick smile as he plunged into the void with the CMC-400 armour.
Jim bounced and rolled onto the floor, leaping to his feet and sprinting towards the gateway to safety.
"Kid!" Jim yelled. "Kid! Are you OK?"
Sun Ogong murmured something, his head slightly tilting on the sandstone floor. At least he wasn't dead.
The headless skeleton reached out towards the wall and tore one of the sandstone blocks free; it yielded surprisingly easily, but Jim didn't know whether to put that on the undead's mystical strength or the cohesion of the bricks breaking apart. He slammed the sandstone block on the stump of his spine, stuck out his thumb and jabbed two holes in the front of it. Tiny dust particles spilled from the indentations and lifted into the air, carried by the abyss' irresistible call. Another stab of his bony thumb drew a half crescent line beneath the holes, effectively finishing its 'face.'
There stood a skeleton with four arms, missing a leg beneath the knee, wearing a tattered cloak and a sandstone block as a head, with its 'eyes' and 'smile' carved right into it.
Jim measured up the situation quickly. He and an injured old man had to destroy a deranged skeleton cowboy before the whole of reality around them inexplicably stopped existing, a skeleton who had survived every attempt on its life so far, while ensuring that a hybrid human-monkey boy wasn't forgotten or accidentally killed in the process.
Of all the crazy situations Jim had found himself in during his action-packed life, this ranked somewhere in the middle.
The entire corridor behind them splintered and crumbled into chunks, some of the debris heading upwards in an artistic spiral while the rest plummeted below. It seemed the end of the world was no longer just above them, but below them and squeezing in towards them from all angles. Jim kept his eyes on the hobbled skeleton and the swirling gateway behind him, unwilling to gaze into the depths of nihilism actualised that drew closer with every passing moment.
"All right, Somerled," Jim said, watching ahead. "We haven't been able to put this son of a bitch down yet, but this ain't the time to be goin' easy on him. Now, the way I see it-"
Somerled dashed ahead of Jim, limping awkwardly on his broken foot.
Jim shrugged. "Sure, why not? Plannin' hasn't got us too far."
A thunderous crack shook the ground, rending a jagged fissure between Jim and Somerled. The thin man stumbled at the quake, his thrown fist knocked off balance. The skeleton gunslinger toppled to the side, the weight of his new skull causing him some difficulty in retaining his footing.
The fissure split. The floor on Jim's side of the crack dislodged and floated backwards. A stomach-turning pit of nothingness opened between Raynor and the remaining chunk of ground that housed the portal. Jim hurriedly stuffed his Impaler rifle into the compartment of his leg, knowing two free hands were more important than a weapon.
Jim pressed down on the hovering platform, tipping the edge. Sun Ogong's limp body slid towards the bleak void, and Jim frantically reached out, snagging the monkey boy by his furry tail as his body skidded free. Taking a deep breath, Jim locked his eyes on the portal platform.
"Jumpjets, adjutant!"
Flames belched from Jim's armour as he blasted from his floor segment, sending it spinning away before it simply never existed. Moving in a muted arc, Jim landed on the other side, still gripping his young ally. Somerled rose to his feet, as did their cinderblock-headed enemy.
"Somerled!" Jim yelled, pointing at the portal. The tear in space and time opened up into the temple where they had slain the dark priests. "Get in there now! We're right behind you!"
The thin man obeyed, hobbling towards his salvation. Jim gave chase, hoisting Sun Ogong onto his shoulder. The skeleton gunslinger wasn't done yet, though. He flourished four pistols from within his cloak and took aim at Somerled. Eyes wide, breath catching in his chest, Jim stretched out towards the undead. His metal fingers snagged the ghoul by its rib cage, penetrating its tan, gossamer flesh, and he yanked it backwards. The bullets sped off into the sky, screaming readily into the end of all things.
Jim shot a glance over his shoulder, watching the smiling blockhead windmilling his arms at the edge of the platform. His bony heel slipped and he fell backwards into the awaiting void.
Jim sighed heavily, feeling a weight leave his chest. "Good, he's finally done. Now-"
Something clawed at his ankle and snared it. A chill rattled Jim's spine as he spotted the skeleton gunslinger grasping at Raynor's armoured leg, dangling above the abyss.
"Oh no, you ain't comin' on this trip!"
Jim shook his foot, jostling the skeleton, but his four hands clamped him in a death grip.
"Come on, you son of a -"
Jim's stomach jumped into his throat as the ground beneath his feet crumbled. Shouting, adrenaline soaring into his mind, he dropped like a tonne of robotic armour, the portal whooshing out of view. He threw out both hands, snagging the edge of the floor. His body whiplashed at the sudden halt. Still the skeleton clung onto him.
"Kid!" Jim yelled, realising Ogong was no longer perched on his shoulder.
"It's OK! He's up here!" Somerled shouted back. "He slipped off you when you slipped!" He kneeled over the edge. "I'll help you up!"
"No!" Jim said, rattling his leg. "You only got one good hand as it is. I'll pull us both down!"
Somerled looked from side to side. "I can't just-"
"Get yourself and the kid back through the portal!" Jim said. "I'll work it out!"
"I-"
"Go!"
Somerled hesitated a moment longer. "Dammit!" His head vanished.
The end of everything crept upwards at an alarming rate. Jim could feel it crawling through the air, scouting out the new atoms it would metabolise. It buzzed in his teeth, sent goosebumps over his skin, even dried his closed mouth.
The skeleton threw a hand up to Jim's thigh, climbing up his leg. Startled, Jim clenched a hand, crumbling the floor into chalky rocks. He sucked in a breath as he dangled by one arm, noticing how precariously close his other hand hold was from shattering.
"Jumpjets!"
"Fuel depleted," the adjutant said, as if nothing was wrong. "Jumpjets unable to activate."
Another hand snapped just below his waist.
Jim grit his teeth. One option. "Adjutant, eject and into my console!"
He didn't have time to confirm.
The marine armour burst open, hinging at the hips. Jim saw the white of the skeleton's fingers stretch for his shirt as the armour launched him like a rocket. He watched as the gunslinger clambered to the cavity of the suit just as the fingers lost their hold. The four-armed undead smiled his sandstone-brick smile as he plunged into the void with the CMC-400 armour.
Jim bounced and rolled onto the floor, leaping to his feet and sprinting towards the gateway to safety.
Quote:1229 words makes an even 2000 with my other post.
The skeleton has fallen into the abyss. Jim's CMC-400 armour has too; Jim is now in his Alternate Form (normal human Jim).
ATK: 2
DEF: 2
SPD: 2
TEC: 5
Will Jim, Somerled and Ogong make it to the portal before everything ceases to exist?!?!!?
![[Image: jimsig.jpg]](http://www.cytokineindustries.com/chevereto/images/2017/07/07/jimsig.jpg)