Journal #52 continued.
I had maybe a second and a half to decide what I was about to do. One Tang was coming at me from ahead and the other from my right. Even if I threw myself against one rotating wall and tried to keep it shut, the other would be left wide open for dinner time, and frankly raw Traveler was not an option I was hoping to let on the menu.
My eyes automatically glanced down at the dark-matter imbued shackles still attached to my wrist and just the right synapse went off in my brain. I nearly shot the idea that formed down just as quickly as I had come across it once I realized what I had just thought: Put my hand in a Tangs mouth. No, thank you!
Maybe if I smashed it against the wall I could break them, but at most I'd get one off, leaving me still vulnerable. My decision making time came to an end as the rotating walls opened fully and each Tang briefly paused inside, eying me up before attacking.
"Nrgh!" One launched forward at me and slashed with its left set of talons, and I barely managed to throw myself aside, smashing into the wall. The other Tang shot forward at me as the first got its talons caught in the wall for a few moments. I tried to duck beneath its slash but after seeing my last dodging act it seemed ready for me, and slashed across my chest viciously, leaving three deep red gashes.
I gasped as pain rushed through me, and the raptor took the opportunity to slam be back up against the wall. It was about that point when the other Tang got its claws loose and turned on its fellow brethren, apparently angry about its meal(me) getting taken away.
Lovely.
Having two Tangs go at each other inches away from you is about as pleasant as being caught between a couple of rottweilers on steroids. Green blood leaked across the ground as the first to attack me got its teeth into the others neck, and quickly latched on for all it was worth, even as it was slashed repeatedly by the other.
I finally figured out I should take this chance to get away and, stumbling past the two, I used the wall to help keep me steady as I pushed through the rotating wall ahead of me, pressing my body up against it to try and keep those two from coming after me again.
As luck would have it, the problem I though of earlier with this idea decided to rear its ugly, green head. Across from me another section of wall rotated on its access and I found myself staring eye to eye with the third Tang in this nightmare I was living. It sniffed the air, narrowed its eyes, and launched forward just as the victor from my previous square decided to slam into the wall I was up against.
In short, I was thrown into the path of the enemy. I think that surprised it. It slammed into me at about shoulder height and sent me to the ground at its side, while the Tang ended up rolling behind me and tripping up the one charging forward, knocking it over as well.
Another little skirmish erupted between them as the blood on Tang 1 caught the attention of Tang 3. I didn't wait to see who survived this time. I coughed up a small mouthful of blood as the wounds in my chest were driven down into the harsh soil, but managed to push up onto my hands and feet and hightail it through the doorway ahead of me. I really needed to get these shackles off!
I attempted to smash the right shackle against the wall, but it was no good. The dark matter was a lot more resilient than that.
Man, how do I get myself into these situations?
The slash marks in my chest were starting to seriously burn, and I was sure the blood would be attracting the attention of Tang 4 and Tang 5 before much longer. Sure enough from the wall to my right, the hideous odor wafts through and I can hear one of them hissing. This one smashed through the wall so fast the wall was left spinning in place several times.
I didn't even have time to dodge it and got trampled in the process, and let me tell you, I had a few new holes in my back when it was done. On the plus side, its tail did manage to slap me upside the head as it passed.
You know that old saying, knock some sense into someone? Well, that Tang did, and it quite possibly saved my life. 'What am I doing trying to break the whole shackle for??' I demanded mentally, rolling over with a groan of pain and smashing the dark matter fragments against one another.
In a flash of blinding white light and faint tinkle of sound they exploded before me, wisps of black smoke rising up from the remains. It stunned me for a moment, and it had to have given that Tang one heck of a surprise as well, because it began hissing deeper, and looking at me like I was some some sort of danger instead of an easy meal.
With a concentrated effort of will and a low moan of pain, my chest briefly blurred as white mist trailed off from it, and the next thing I knew the damage was gone.
My strength was returning now that the dark matter was off, and I was going to make every use of it I could. With another effort of will, I summoned one of the only weapons that could deal out some serious pain to a Tang.
Its own set of claws, fashioned into a formidable though short-ranged dagger-like tool. I guess the Quillan Games had a little bit of usefulness after all.
/pause Journal #52.
