level, unconscious, topical, vegetarian, eventually, twice, hip, like, cast, and shift
What I came up with makes for a pretty interesting read, I think. Even thought it's only a first draft (DISCLAIMER: only a first draft), I like what I have here and thought I would post it for your reading enjoyment.
Tero ducked a blast aimed at his head, and it hit the protoplasmic wall behind him with a concussive boom.
The boss he and his partner were battling was ox-like in strength and had a tough, scaly hide that was difficult to pierce, but thankfully, Tero and Keesa had the agility advantage. As much as the brute was defended like a tank, he also moved like one.
The tricky part was that his aim was disconcertingly accurate if you weren't moving fast enough.
Keesa, the smaller and paler of the two, looked every bit her part of spellcaster as she darted around the small arena. Ribbons on her outfit trailed behind her as she ran, and ribbons of light did the same as she dodged the powerhouse's blows. White energy charged the air between her hand as she built up a spell.
Tero took aim with a powerful explosives launcher and fired on the creature to buy his partner some time. Although he felt bulky with the equipment he was carrying, the sophisticated and powerful firearms strapped to his limbs paired with his knowledge and skill made him a force to be reckoned with as a weapons specialist.
Tero tried not to wish for their former “tank” powerhouse, who had been a physically unstoppable and a valuable member of their team. He had been killed back at level twelve. It was just the two of them now. Tero told himself that they could make it on their own.
That philosophy worked well until Keesa got hit.
Tero took his shot the moment he saw it, but just as his blast of ammo made its way to the monster, it caught Keesa in an inferno while she was standing still for a moment too long, building up her power. Tero fired again with his slower, more powerful blaster when he had weakened the boss, but he finished it a few seconds too late. By the time he ran to Keesa, he feared that the worst had already occurred.
Tero ran to her motionless form, feeling a sob catch in his throat. When he saw that she was breathing, he thought he might be rendered unconscious from relief. He had already lost one of his team members, and if that happened twice, he didn't think he'd be able to finish the game.
“Keesa!” he cried out. “Are you okay?” It was often impossible for characters to tell if other characters were injured just from appearance, and he was hoping for a pleasant surprise, like the classic bulletproof vest in a crime show after the cop had been shot. Of course, in this universe, the equivalent would be something like a fireproof potion, but he hoped for the best simply because he'd found her alive. Traditionally, Tero knew that this was a very good sign, because it meant that the action would shoot to video, and there was always a chance for redemption in those moments.
He gazed down at Keesa, this girl who his future was all wrapped up in. Without her, he would be left to face all the terrors of this world alone.
Her eyes had been clenched tight from the pain, but she opened them now and stared up at him in terror.
His heart sank. He knew what that meant. There was no potion, no special resistance, no extra life. She wasn't saved.
Would he be able to do anything about it?
Tero checked the pouch at his hip in vain, knowing that the potions he kept there did not include one for health. He had run out of those two rooms ago. He cast his gaze desperately around the bio-chamber, hoping to see anything that might have appeared after the heat of battle to help him save her. And there, many paces away, was a tree.
He was scared to leave Keesa, but if she had survived this long, he didn't think she would leave him when he had stepped away. The way these videos worked, she would either be saved by his efforts or die in his arms.
The way the tree almost seemed to glimmer in his sight, Tero knew that it had to be a useful object. He could just see a fruit poking out from behind the leaves. This meant more hope, because he knew that Keesa's character was a vegetarian that believed in the value of life in all beasts. The game was providing an item compatible with her character.
Tero jumped with no success. It took him equipping the Double Jump ability before he could reach what he hoped to be a healing fruit.
Tero obtained fruit, the screen read.
He reached Keesa again and ripped off a piece of the fruit for her to eat.
“What is it?” she asked in a quiet voice that alarmed Tero as she let him feed it to her.
“It's some topical fruit I found on a glimmering tree,” he told her gently. He knew that she would like that. She's always had an affinity for pretty things.
She smiled weakly as he fed her.
The rest of the story will be in tomorrow's post at 8:30 am. Come back then for the conclusion!
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