First Blood
Still haven't found Harmony yet. You'd think it'd be easy to find a girl wearing bright pink down here in the Warrens, but for all I know, she's somewhere in the Uppers looking for a Neiman-Marcus.
But last night, the local Slayer found me.
I'm lucky I was able to walk away.
She's a different kind of fighter than Buffy or Faith. No wisecracks. No discussion. Right to the kill.
Years ago, I knew a chessmaster in Korea named Jin. He wasn't one to announce what gambit he opened with, and I'm not really sure he used them at all. He had a simple strategy: Put your opponent in check, then keep them there. Never let up.
I don't know if this Melaka Fray plays chess, but she sure had Jin's strategy in mind.
She was hard enough to deal with on her own. But then she pulled out this...scythe. Had to have been mystical, judging by the vibes I got from it. After that, it was all I could do to stay away from it.
She finally had me down. She twirled that scythe thing around to where the wooden stake on the end was pointed directly at my heart. And then she gave me an opening.
She muttered, "You don't look like those other toy lurks."
I have no idea what a toy lurk is, but it gave me a chance to knock her off-balance before she could stake me. By that time, we were a few stories up, not to Uppers level by any stretch, but high enough to where I might've felt it if I'd fell.
She probably felt it, too, though she was able to slow her fall with that battleaxe of hers.
I didn't stick around to see if she'd come back for me. I headed in the general direction of where Harm and I first appeared here in Futureworld. If she was going to track me again, like I figured she did before, I was going to wear her out on the way.
But I guess maybe she had enough for one night.
So, let's assess the situation. Still stuck in the future. Still don't have any idea how to get home. Still can't find Harmony, or even know if she's still alive.
And now this generation's Slayer has a mad-on for me.
I'd been thinking, if our paths crossed, maybe I could talk to her before things got bloody. Maybe explain our situation. Maybe speak to her Watcher...if she's got one. But obviously, she's a pummel-first kind of girl.
Terrific.
Things keep getting better and better...
But last night, the local Slayer found me.
I'm lucky I was able to walk away.
She's a different kind of fighter than Buffy or Faith. No wisecracks. No discussion. Right to the kill.
Years ago, I knew a chessmaster in Korea named Jin. He wasn't one to announce what gambit he opened with, and I'm not really sure he used them at all. He had a simple strategy: Put your opponent in check, then keep them there. Never let up.
I don't know if this Melaka Fray plays chess, but she sure had Jin's strategy in mind.
She was hard enough to deal with on her own. But then she pulled out this...scythe. Had to have been mystical, judging by the vibes I got from it. After that, it was all I could do to stay away from it.
She finally had me down. She twirled that scythe thing around to where the wooden stake on the end was pointed directly at my heart. And then she gave me an opening.
She muttered, "You don't look like those other toy lurks."
I have no idea what a toy lurk is, but it gave me a chance to knock her off-balance before she could stake me. By that time, we were a few stories up, not to Uppers level by any stretch, but high enough to where I might've felt it if I'd fell.
She probably felt it, too, though she was able to slow her fall with that battleaxe of hers.
I didn't stick around to see if she'd come back for me. I headed in the general direction of where Harm and I first appeared here in Futureworld. If she was going to track me again, like I figured she did before, I was going to wear her out on the way.
But I guess maybe she had enough for one night.
So, let's assess the situation. Still stuck in the future. Still don't have any idea how to get home. Still can't find Harmony, or even know if she's still alive.
And now this generation's Slayer has a mad-on for me.
I'd been thinking, if our paths crossed, maybe I could talk to her before things got bloody. Maybe explain our situation. Maybe speak to her Watcher...if she's got one. But obviously, she's a pummel-first kind of girl.
Terrific.
Things keep getting better and better...