Pax RP

Coolpikaaa stopped, skittering on the damp cave floor as the tendril wriggled towards him in a three dimensional 'S' shape. It seemed to be searching the grounds, and covering the area quite well as it moved both up and down, and side to side.

He could possibly try out speeding the tendril... though one miscalculated jump may lead to him being squashed on either the floor or ceiling. After a few moments of careful observation, Cp finally found a small opening he may be able to exploit. With his window closing fast, he folded C's paper tightly, (holding it for now in his mouth), gripped the horn and pounced, aiming right for the middle most section.

"That was the worst elaboration on something funny, Ever." he said through muffled lips, hoping with all his might he could land this one...

Lucky for CP, the electric rodent landed right in the middle of the sweeping tendril. Unluckily though, now it knew where he was, and stopped it's searching for the tapered tip to double back over the main part and come speeding towards him. It wasn't aiming to whip or stab this time though-it was aiming to grab.

The paper also had another, more disdainful message for him:
'Pfah. You try writing when you're-well, that's none of your business. Your friend Guardian though is giving me lots of entertainment, fighting with my worm'

He couldn't believe it.

Coolpikaaa had actually landed the amazin-

"Gah!" The electric rodent yelled, rolling to the side. It was the tiniest bit of a second, where Cp was actually once more sailing through the air.

The realization hit him just as hard as the ground.

Laying on his back, staring at the tendril curl to hook a target that was no longer there, Coolpikaaa simply tried to breathe. The impact had forced all the air out of his lungs, temporarily disabling the electric rodent. Adrenaline had just enough effect to cause him to curl to the side- where he saw the horn roll a lazy circle, and the collector's paper to flutter down.

He had to move.

Coolpikaaa took a shallow gulp, and forced himself up. Quickly picking up his lost items, the horn, paper, and pouch where he kept everything else, he began to run at the stone while the tendril was distracted.

((You tricked me CP XD.

Very nice ^_^))

The tendril hooked... nothing, because there was nothing but air where the rodent had been. Whibh in turn served to make the tendril-and The Collector herself-quite mad, so the lim went on a rampage, sweeping the floor and changing it's height chaotically.
The barbed limb wound itself back, ready for one more shot at the speeding yellow flash. C certainly wasn't going to let up now.

((Yeah... Tricked... You. Falling off was totally part of an eleborate master plan! XD))

Coolpikaaa ran, literally for his life. He had to get the Altar, reunite the horn, slow down the Collector's hold. Any doubts in his mind that this was just a shot in the dark, that it was just a average horn that had broken off needed to be pushed away.

"While...? While what?!" he gasped, looking down every so often to try and decipher The Collector's latest message. While he only spared a short half second to read each time, the electric mouse had gathered most of the letter. He was surprised when the Guardian's name came up, glad there was someone else out there fighting the good fight. He just hoped the Draconian had enough sense to not do anything to rash...

He was almost there!

Looking up, he saw the barbed tendril rear up to strike again. Of course C wasn't going to make this easy. He had to remember to watch out for the tendril-

Coolpikaaa's feet were lifted right off the ground, his body hurtling like a grain of sand caught by a broom. The first tendril, the one he had just escaped from, had done a wild and furious sweep, catching the small figure right in the back.

CP crumpled as he hit the cave wall, rolling down it like a discarded ragdoll.

Wheezing, Guardian pushed against the enormous monster, his talons digging into the ground as they tried to get as much purchase as they could as he tried to hold his weight. However, despite his enormous bulk, he simply couldn't stand against the worm's power. His talons rent long lines into the cavern as he slid backward, still standing despite the force that would make some other being topple over.

He roared a few choice words in his own language, and rebuffed his efforts, his entire body straining. Digging his claws into the creature's flesh, instead of pushing, he twisted his arms sideways, aiming to break whatever served for the beast's neck. That is, if it even had bones.

~This being is not dissimilar to the Rock Worms back home.~ he mused, as he twisted.

The last message that showed up on the black paper was abrupt and quite obviously angry, the words wrote themselves even as CP slid down the wall.
'While I deal with MY agent. Now if you'll excuse me'

The tendril that had just smacked CP into the wall appeared to do a little dance at it's success in sweeping the little rat into the wall-before a blunt tip turned and headed over in the direction that he'd 'flown'.

<hr />

The worm that had been putting it's and Guardians strength to the test felt the scaly subterranean creature take a different hold of it's bulk and twist. To the worms great horror, it felt it's body begin to twist the same way. Unable to go anywhere now that it's opponent had such a hold, all it could do was scream in it's odd way again. Whilst flesh gave way at the front, the back stayed still, and with a sickening snap the beasts body was literally torn in two. A great tear across the middle sent gushers of dark blood along the tunnels as the beast stopped screaming.

Guardian was free of any more tunnel guards-for now.

Eyes pressed hard shut, the small form of Coolpikaaa pushed himself right side up, using only one arm. The cool stone felt good resting against his back, and was quite seriously the only thing in this world he could say that about at this moment.

His left arm was numb, unfeeling and unmovable. But the shoulder. The shoulder hurt. He had wondered if he lost consciousness at all, hitting the wall like he did. To have ignored the tendril behind him was a rookie mistake, something he should have been aware of, especially in a case against The Collector. He was bleeding again, the earlier wound having been ripped open by the impact. He could feel the blood on the outside.

He wondered if any foe he had faced had ever pushed him this hard...

Cp moved his head, opening his eyes long enough to see the tendril wiggle and curve, slinking through the air directly toward him. He needed a second to regroup, then he could go again. Luckily, the tendril this time didn't seem to be moving as fast as he knew it could. That was good. In a minute he could be up again, and he could do.

Coolpikaaa let his head drop, closing his eyes. The truth was, he was farther away now. Farther from the Altar than he had been before, as the sweep had knocked him clear across the room. There were a few rays of sunshine though. He still had the horn, knowing by it's interesting feel in his good arm. The horn, and the thought that there were currently no tendrils on his side were certainly good motivators.

"You know, C ..." he muttered just audibly, still looking unresponsive. "You'd really got to start taking better care of your toys. You're going to end up breaking them one of... these..... days..."

The papers latest message faded, and remained dark for long moments. The tendril too, paused at CPs words, as though not only was their controller distracted, but she was seriously considering the electric rodents words.

Until 'You know, you're probably right.' wrote itself onto the paper, quickly followed by more 'But, see, I'd be just as happy collecting your body as I would collecting you alive. I'm sure your bones would make an excellent display, and even your torn pelt would provide much pleasure.

Of course, my offer to keep you-healthy and alive-in my realm still stands. I will even tend your wounds.

But, that would mean that you'd have to stop defying me... right now, and come to my door. I would happily miss out on the challenge you're bringing, should you do so.

Come willingly into my care, or we can continue to play and risk my breaking you.

It's really up to you, dear interesting one'.

The tendril that had paused once the words had started began to move again once The Collector had finished, albeit more slowly now. It would seem the entitys desire to possess the yellow rodent was still as strong as ever-and was interfering with her desire to stay in the realm of Pax.

"You know, really, you're probably right." Coolpikaaa wheezed between wracks of pain from his damaged limb. He had spent several quiet moments reading the Collector's note, even after it appeared she had finished. She had simply explained that he was coming with her, dead or alive. Evil would even find a use for his skin, after he passed.

How nice.

The Collector could heal him, give care to his wounds. He would live inside her realm with the utmost of care, a precious artifact in her menagerie of lost souls. All he needed to do was give up something that had now been proven futile. Coolpikaaa was losing the fight, and both knew it.

"You're right. I should stop before our play-date becomes a tragedy. A tragedy for me. Don't worry, you've made your point clear of how neat my bones would be to have in your hallway."

Coolpikaaa moved forward, intending to stand before The Collector. He managed to balance on his three remaining limbs, breathing heavily.

It was a start.

"But... I won't. I can't. I will fight you until my last breath, to defend a realm that isn't even mine. I will do this because I must, because I can't live watching these innocent people subjected to the forces of your realm. I can't accept this fate, even if it means I will die before you here today."

"I may lose, and you may break me. But I will go down fighting. Literally fighting evil itself. And to be honest, that's probably one of the best ways a guy like me could go..."

Coolpikaaa pushed, shaking, to his feet, and stood before the tendril of The Collector. He wobbled, bruised and battered, but smiling.

"So C.

Let's play."

Guardian panted heavily, taking a step back from the great worm's broken body. He rubbed the smoke out of his eyes, and took a deep breath. He had to continue on. But the beast's body was blocking the passage. . He growled at himself, before cracking his knuckles. His talons, despite being very useful as a weapon, were designed for digging, being roughly spade-shaped. It wouldn't be as useful against muscle, but what other choice did he have? His friend needed his help.

The muscled draconian took a deep breath, and started digging his way through the creature's body, ignoring the blood congealing around him.
---

In the darkness, surrounded by dead flesh, he heard something talking. It sounded like Coolpikaaa's voice, but it was muffled. Guardian clawed further, en-heartened by the voice, before breathing fresh air. Having dug through the majority of the beast, he extricated himself from the worm's innards. It was just an echo, from somewhere further in the tunnel, but Guardian could hear it more clearly. He sounded injured, but CP was still alive.

"So C.

Let's play."

"You won't fight alone&#33;" Guardian roared, and started tromping further down the tunnel. He realized that he had to hurry before any more minions showed up, and picked up the pace; his scales darkened into an almost pure-black as he ran. He was in his element again; under cold, merciless rock.

The tendril CP stood in front of pulsed once, as though blood was being pumped through to the very tapered end, as the message on CPs paper faded, until it was replaced by one single word:

'Pity'

The message was soon followed by the dancing limb descending rapidly, intending to simply crush the rodent in his weakened state.

The Collector wasn't laughing anymore, and CP'd get no more responses from her for the time being.

Nor was she paying any mind to Guardian anymore, and no more guards showed up to stop him... Though there was a noise of something very large being dragged across the flonr behind him, that got fainter with every step he took towards the stone altar.

Guardian tore through the tunnels; Whatever that sound behind him was, he didn't like it. If it was growing quieter, then he must be getting away from it.

Hopefully that was a good thing.

He came through the tunnel, choosing the correct paths by virtue of his nose, smelling for the odd, somehow perverse smell of unicorn blood, and his subterranean instincts. It seemed like whoever or whatever dug these tunnels did it in such a way as to be intentionally confusing to intruders. He burst into the- for lack of a better term- antechamber, and took in the unicorn, the altar; Most of all, he took in the tendril, striking towards CP. Continuing his momentum, Guardian jumped, his feet talons leaving deep gouges in the ground. His body seemed to unfurl, as if he was a spring that had been tightly compressed until now. By merit of his raw strength, he launched through the air, attempting to...

To do what, exactly? He hadn't planned anything; he'd only seen that action was needed and so took action. He couldn't be sure that the tendrils wouldn't vaporize him entirely if he touched them, and he couldn't be sure that CP was in a state where he could survive being violently shoved away. At the very least, he decided, he could cover CP with his body. Guardian landed between the tendril and the lightning mouse on palms and knees, taking care not to crush CP with his bulk.

He accepted whatever would come of this.

"...Pity?" CP breathed, reading the note in confusion. For some reason... Coolpikaaa almost expected more from The Collector. If it could even be such a thing when communicating with evil, Cp felt as though her response was maybe too brief.

The electric mouse looked to the tendril, and was surprised to see it had seemingly bulked up quite a bit. But why would...?

SLAM&#33;

In a blink, the tendril came down towards the injured CP, intending to crush him right there.

"... Heh. Took you long enough, mate." Coolpikaaa said with a weak smile, looking up at the towering form of Guardian, who was holding up the tendril from crushing them both. "I was just starting to..."

The electric mouse coughed again, the action sending another clearly visible shock of pain through his damaged shoulder. "... Get warmed up." he eventually croaked.

Flipping the horn once in his grasp, Coolpikaaa squeezed past the Draconian's legs, standing just beside where the tendril should fall when let down.

"I have a plan. On your ready, let go, and stick this on that." he whispered, stamping The Collector's paper under his foot, and holding the horn back to the Draconian. He gestured, pointing to the altar, and the unicorn. "It the only chance we have of getting out of this cave alive. I may not be that speedy at the moment..." he said, beginning to spark. "But I'll keep 'em busy for you."

He stepped back once to an even safer distance, an obvious charge built up.

The bulked up tendril hit the subterranean reptile with some force, and though exerting nearly as much pressure as the worm on Guardians muscular body was stopped enough in it's tracks that it didn't crush anybody. Guardian might find the feel of the thing a bit strange, once the sting had worn off. Though the tendril looked fairly shiny it wasn't slimy, and though it pulsated the 'skin' on the outside was relatively soft.

However, this wasn't a worm he was fighting this time, this was one of the entity's appendages, and it soon switched tactics once it realised this wasn't working. Rather than keep pressing down, the tendril let up just a little bit.... so it could begin curling around Guardian. If it got a good hold of him, it would begin to squeeze the creatures chest.

It seemed she'd rather concentrate on wearing down the less fresh enemy than continue to attempt to get CP, who was already well injured. She might have something else 'up her sleeve' in here, or possibly, she might just be angry. Either way, this might be a relief for CP-but it was worse for Guardian.