TechgnosisWeb Prime

Heads up, loyal readers! The Friday episode of Massively Multiplayeris up… on a Saturday morning at nearly 1 A.M. Better late than never, eh? Dont’ worry, MM will start in on its new thrice-a-week schedule on Monday, so I’ll be posting up the next part of the story on Sunday night, and you can check in Monday morning to get your fix. Enjoy!

Tonight’s snippet shows what happens when a skilled warrior drinks a Potion of Speed: carnage. Bullet-time, medieval style, and the first inkling that all is not as it seems in Rathnar’s little world…

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Baneweaver sang through the air as Rathnar spun around and counterattacked. The extra speed from the potion would only last a few moments, so every second counted. With grim efficiency, he swung his enchanted blade, severing the head of the nearest bird. He watched the creatures attempt to regroup, to try and flank him, but to his augmented senses, they seemed to move as if in a daze, and he easily sidestepped their movements, swinging Baneweaver once more with a crackle of enchantment, leaving another bird dead on the jungle floor. Two down, two to go.

Turning to face the remaining creatures, Rathnar saw that the bird with its beak stuck in the tree had managed to free itself, and was now charging straight for him at full speed. At any other moment, he would have been impaled on its razor-tipped beak, but with the Speed Potion empowering him, he flicked Baneweaver up in a flash, deflecting the bird’s attack with the flat of the blade while he lashed out with a solid kick that sent the bird sprawling back. He leaped after it, his enchanted blade rising up and then falling down hard, nearly cleaving the unfortunate animal in twain.

A whisper of movement behind him alerted Rathnar to the presence of the last bird, right behind him and coming in fast. He attempted to sidestep the charge, but even with the Potion of Speed, wasn’t quite fast enough. A line of sparks arched out in slow motion as the bird’s iron-hard beak scraped along the side of Rathnar’s heavy plate armor. The impact staggered him, and he found himself falling sideways towards the ground. With a frown, he twisted in midair, and removed one hand from Baneweaver’s hilt, moving it with blinding speed towards his belt and the dagger strapped to it. With a movement so fast it seemed to blur, the dagger was out of its sheath and streaking towards the bird, which was just twisting towards him to finish the attack. With a dull thunk, it sank all the way to the hilt between the bird’s eyes. It squawked once, loudly, and then fell over, dead.

Rathnar lay on the ground for a few moments, panting, feeling the effects of the Potion of Speed drain away, feeling the world start to move again at the right speed around him. No other sounds came from the jungle, nothing rustled in the trees, ready to leap out at him. He had made it. He had survived. He had killed four of them, on his own. Not bad, not bad at all. As he sat up and got to his feet, cleaning Baneweaver’s blade from the gore and blood that coated it, he began to consider what his next step was. These thoughts were interrupted, however, when a line of glowing words appeared right at his feet.

<DethAdder> d00d! Been looking all over for you!

To be continued…Hc