05-23-2018, 04:48 PM
Cole managed a meek laugh at the boy robot’s joke as he hefted Cole over him and began running. After the burning pain subsided, the aching took hold again. And the coldness, the ice coldness that seeped into him with every bump and jostle he took. No matter how much he fanned his flames for warmth, it didn’t subside, and only encroached upon him more. To make matters worse, his sight was slowly fading to black, not that there was much to see when you were staring at the ground limply beyond scrap, oil, dead grass, and rocks of assorted sizes. To try and stave off unconsciousness, Cole began counting the rocks as they passed, groaning with every leap, quick turn, or other unwanted movement that caused the pain to nearly numb pain to flare up again.
”You lost too much blood from your recklessness, Aloysius.” Fumetsu chided him clear as day. Despite the haze that was coming over him, and how slow his thoughts were going now, it seemed he remained unaffected.
Focus your thoughts on the now, keep counting, keep the energy flowing.” Alex butted in, having been silent for most of the extended battle now, trying now to cheer him on.
But try as Cole might, his mind continued to fade, slowly. The pain was gradually dissipating to coldness, and he kept losing count of the pretty rocks that passed by, glistening in the fog they now seemed to be in.
He could have sworn Protoman said something, but everything was quiet now. So quiet… peaceful, actually, and familiar. He felt like he was falling again, forever. His remaining gun began to fade into mist-like energy, his flames died down akin to an ember’s light, and everything went to black all at once.
”NO!” A voice cried out in protest, and a small flame kindled in the darkness. Then another voice, his own voice, joined in and repeated, ”NO!”
The flame grew stronger, and faded from the dancing scarlet to a dazzling sapphire as it grew stronger and brighter. And soon it became a conflagration in his mind and soul, as energy flowed again, his body surging to life. The pain came rushing in as the cold faded, the sharpness of it causing him to gasp for air. The haze over his mind burned away in the sudden rush of consciousness.
“Cole? Cole! Stay awake!” He could hear Protoman speak again, as the young robot effortlessly sliced through one of the shambling scraploids in his way with his saber. All around them was a fog with towering spikes of differing heights cutting up from the ground and the occasional crater to add to the aesthetic of it all.
Cole awoke with a blaze of blue flames that settled down quickly into a dim aura around him. His body was still numb, save for the pain, and while he could move, it was like pulling the strings of a puppet than actual movement. That is to say, it was slow and difficult to manage any level of precision. But he could see, and hear, much as it was like perceiving through someone else. With a groan, he managed to reconjure his gun in his hand, with it now appearing in a blaze of blue flame.
"Keep going. We will overcome.” Cole spoke with a reverbing undertone. He took aim, shakey at first before commanding himself to be steady, and then he fired at one of the scraploids behind them, missing at first and then hitting with the next volley. Everything was difficult, and occasionally his focus would slip, and his mind almost fade to black on the spot, but some force of will, a flame within, kept him going, however tenuous it may be.
Protoman breathed a sigh of relief, “You’re still alive. Try to hang on, this may get a little bumpy.”
And with his warning, Protoman began leaping from spike to spike, trying to stick to the path he took before when he wanted to enter the industrial hellscape with moderate success, as the scraploids succumbed to the still active mines behind them. With Cole on his back, though, he had to be meticulous on how he jumped, because dropping the gunslinger would mean death, and if he wasn’t careful enough, a fall could mean a similar fate for both of them.
”You lost too much blood from your recklessness, Aloysius.” Fumetsu chided him clear as day. Despite the haze that was coming over him, and how slow his thoughts were going now, it seemed he remained unaffected.
Focus your thoughts on the now, keep counting, keep the energy flowing.” Alex butted in, having been silent for most of the extended battle now, trying now to cheer him on.
But try as Cole might, his mind continued to fade, slowly. The pain was gradually dissipating to coldness, and he kept losing count of the pretty rocks that passed by, glistening in the fog they now seemed to be in.
He could have sworn Protoman said something, but everything was quiet now. So quiet… peaceful, actually, and familiar. He felt like he was falling again, forever. His remaining gun began to fade into mist-like energy, his flames died down akin to an ember’s light, and everything went to black all at once.
”NO!” A voice cried out in protest, and a small flame kindled in the darkness. Then another voice, his own voice, joined in and repeated, ”NO!”
The flame grew stronger, and faded from the dancing scarlet to a dazzling sapphire as it grew stronger and brighter. And soon it became a conflagration in his mind and soul, as energy flowed again, his body surging to life. The pain came rushing in as the cold faded, the sharpness of it causing him to gasp for air. The haze over his mind burned away in the sudden rush of consciousness.
“Cole? Cole! Stay awake!” He could hear Protoman speak again, as the young robot effortlessly sliced through one of the shambling scraploids in his way with his saber. All around them was a fog with towering spikes of differing heights cutting up from the ground and the occasional crater to add to the aesthetic of it all.
Cole awoke with a blaze of blue flames that settled down quickly into a dim aura around him. His body was still numb, save for the pain, and while he could move, it was like pulling the strings of a puppet than actual movement. That is to say, it was slow and difficult to manage any level of precision. But he could see, and hear, much as it was like perceiving through someone else. With a groan, he managed to reconjure his gun in his hand, with it now appearing in a blaze of blue flame.
"Keep going. We will overcome.” Cole spoke with a reverbing undertone. He took aim, shakey at first before commanding himself to be steady, and then he fired at one of the scraploids behind them, missing at first and then hitting with the next volley. Everything was difficult, and occasionally his focus would slip, and his mind almost fade to black on the spot, but some force of will, a flame within, kept him going, however tenuous it may be.
Protoman breathed a sigh of relief, “You’re still alive. Try to hang on, this may get a little bumpy.”
And with his warning, Protoman began leaping from spike to spike, trying to stick to the path he took before when he wanted to enter the industrial hellscape with moderate success, as the scraploids succumbed to the still active mines behind them. With Cole on his back, though, he had to be meticulous on how he jumped, because dropping the gunslinger would mean death, and if he wasn’t careful enough, a fall could mean a similar fate for both of them.
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