[At Ryu’s warning, Joshua’s arms erupt in flame as he hastily calls upon a barrier. The air around him shimmers and blisters with dreamotion as he braces against the centipede’s massive, off-kilter body slamming against the shield. To his credit, it works, even if the force of the blows pushes him stumbling backwards.]
[It’s the proximity of the creature that’s the problem.]
[Whatever control it has over nightmare energy is impressive, and Joshua would muse on such if he and Ryu weren’t in a life-or-death situation. None of that energy manages to slither into his chest, as it did from the wounded noctaere deep underground.]
[That doesn’t stop whatever darkness already lingering there from reacting.]
[The thin veneer of cold erupts into a clenching vice, forcing the air out of his lungs, and with a pained cry, Joshua’s shield drops.]
[Once the barrier shatters, the centipede rebounds and manages to regain a foothold on its remaining legs. Injured and angry, it lashes out at its attackers—starting with the one that’s left himself open. Leveraging its new center of gravity, the massive creature swings its chitinous body.]
[This isn’t the first time he’s been attacked by a monster several times his size (seriously, Clive has dragged him on plenty of hunts that seemed far too dangerous for anyone’s good), and normally, Joshua is capable of taking a hit or two if he’s unable to dodge them. But this is the equivalent to getting hit by a wall. A pissed off wall that wants to see him and his friend dead—the quicker, the better.]
[Joshua tumbles along the cave floor in a mess of limbs and residual embers. He’s vaguely aware of his sword clattering out of his hand as the flames of his dreamotion snuff out, obscuring his view as to where it could’ve gone. Not that their light would’ve done much good—he barely recognizes up from down as he lays sprawled on the ground.]
[All he knows are stars blinking across his vision, the throbbing in his chest, and what he’s pretty sure is blood trickling down his face from a stray rock he must’ve hit along the way.]
no subject
[It’s the proximity of the creature that’s the problem.]
[Whatever control it has over nightmare energy is impressive, and Joshua would muse on such if he and Ryu weren’t in a life-or-death situation. None of that energy manages to slither into his chest, as it did from the wounded noctaere deep underground.]
[That doesn’t stop whatever darkness already lingering there from reacting.]
[The thin veneer of cold erupts into a clenching vice, forcing the air out of his lungs, and with a pained cry, Joshua’s shield drops.]
[Once the barrier shatters, the centipede rebounds and manages to regain a foothold on its remaining legs. Injured and angry, it lashes out at its attackers—starting with the one that’s left himself open. Leveraging its new center of gravity, the massive creature swings its chitinous body.]
[This isn’t the first time he’s been attacked by a monster several times his size (seriously, Clive has dragged him on plenty of hunts that seemed far too dangerous for anyone’s good), and normally, Joshua is capable of taking a hit or two if he’s unable to dodge them. But this is the equivalent to getting hit by a wall. A pissed off wall that wants to see him and his friend dead—the quicker, the better.]
[Joshua tumbles along the cave floor in a mess of limbs and residual embers. He’s vaguely aware of his sword clattering out of his hand as the flames of his dreamotion snuff out, obscuring his view as to where it could’ve gone. Not that their light would’ve done much good—he barely recognizes up from down as he lays sprawled on the ground.]
[All he knows are stars blinking across his vision, the throbbing in his chest, and what he’s pretty sure is blood trickling down his face from a stray rock he must’ve hit along the way.]