by J Hawk
Ion raced wildly down the land, dodging and leaping over stray hurdles coming in his path. The unlevelled, sloping terrain was the one major setback for Ion, but it was an advantage for those monsters, who had clearly been adapted to this.
He twisted his head back for a quick glance:
The Zelgron swept over the sloping lands like a wave of bodies. Their arms were flailed in rage, and their maddened howls filled the air. They were less than twenty metres apart, with the distance closing steadily.
As Ion turned his head back, his vision caught something in front that made his eyes go wide. But it was too late: there was a rock on his path, dead ahead of his feet. And in his senseless speed, he had come too close to it to stop, or change course on time … The rock enlarged in his vision, slowly, dramatically, as he flew close to it. And then, before he had registered, he was airborne: he had tripped over the rock, and was sailing forward gracefully in the force of his speed. He felt his body soar over the air in slow motion…
Stars exploded before his eyes as he crashed over the ground. His body flowed on over the land, rolling forth at the speed of his landing. As he came to a stop, Ion mustered all his strength and picked himself up. But even as he did, he knew it was of no use: the wave of savage creatures had reached him … even as Ion raised his sword, the wave of creatures together lunged at him…
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