The three running pluxes split up. Two bounded towards me, and one went for the blind guy. A moment before they separated, the orange plux behind them did something — I couldn’t tell what. Something on its body moved in the place where normal creatures would have a neck. The regular dark pluxes didn’t have anything there except flat, scaly skin. But the bright one had something… something like a growth.
“Plux coming at you!” I yelled. “Ten steps away! Nine!”
“Got it!”
“Elb!” Came a frightened yell from above.
“Stay there!” I barked and, clenching my teeth, jumped forward. I knew it would hurt. A lot.
I landed and took a huge step. A blurred shape leaped onto me and I felt a horrific pain in my left shin that made me want to arch my back, collapse, and writhe on the floor. I growled through clenched teeth. The other plux leaped, grabbing at my other leg. Suddenly, the dark veil of pain lifted from my eyes and my vision cleared. Dragging the attached pluxes along, trying not to look down, screaming in excruciating pain, I managed to take two steps and fall forward with my knife held out in front of me. The pain was tearing me into wriggling, screeching pieces. I wondered if I even still had legs. But I kept my eyes on my target.
I stabbed.
With a squelching sound, the glass shard embedded itself up to the handle in that spot I had noticed before. I hardly felt any resistance. The orange creature tumbled to the floor, legs splayed. I pulled out the glass blade, crouched and almost blindly stabbed at its leg. The blade scratched at the scaly hide, but couldn’t pierce it.
A deafening yell rang out, and I saw Yorka standing above me, her face twisted with rage. She swung her arm and the heavy metal block she was holding hit the ugly, scaly tumor that was the plux’s body with all its weight.
The creature unclenched its limbs and released my leg, opening its maw, stained with my blood, twisting in pain, and gnashing its teeth. It had been squashed, and was writhing in agony. However, the second plux was still tearing at my other leg. Then it suddenly lost its grip on my leg and fell to the floor, paralyzed. I threw the blade aside, tucked my legs under me, picked up the block with two hands — ignoring the protests from my bad elbow — and brought it down on the monster. Then I lifted the cube and smashed the plux again. Adrenaline was rushing through me, and I didn’t even notice the weight of the steel cube. I lifted it a third time and finished off the second plux. Then I glanced at the motionless orange plux, got up, and rushed to help the blind guy. He was curled up on the bloodied floor next to the feebly-twitching plux with an awl in its flank. Yorka ran up to it and pulled the awl out. I finished that one off with the cube, too, splattering thick green blood across the floor.
Then I groaned and fell to my knees.
“Oh, shit! Oh, shit!”
“Elb! Elb!”
“I’m fine, it’s okay...”
“You think this is okay?! Your legs are torn to shreds!”
“How’s the other guy? Go check on him!”
“No!” Yorka snapped. She took off her handkerchief and twisted it into a tourniquet, holding one end between her knees. “We’re a party. I’m helping you first!”
It was pointless to argue. I was slowly coming to my senses, watching helplessly as she applied the tourniquet below my knee, using her teeth and knees to tighten it. Then she did something clever with the awl to tighten it even more. She helped me take off my sling so I could help her bandage the other leg. I looked down at my wounds. Most of them were claw marks, and I shuddered to think of the potential for infection. Two of them were deep lacerations down to the bone, with perforated edges. That was where their jaws had torn into my flesh.
I struggled to my feet and inched towards the blind guy. My legs could barely hold me up. The bleeding had stopped, but I had to get to a medblock as soon as possible. I asked Yorka once again:
“Go check on the other guy!”
“Fine.”
I picked up the slippery blade, covered in greenish-yellow blood. Only then did I notice a slash on my palm — after that last attack, my hand had slipped off the handle and the blade cut deep into my skin. I shrugged it off. Just a scratch.
I staggered over to the limp body of the orange plux, bent over and picked it up by a leg. With a groan, I stood straight and went to grab the second one, automatically looking up at the ceiling. A dome hovered above me, silent and motionless. The system was watching closely. The second dome moved swiftly around the perimeter of the hall, but the red lights and the alarm had been turned off.
“Elb! He doesn’t look good! His stomach is punctured!”
I hissed angrily. “Shit!”
“His hands are slashed, too, but nothing serious. His stomach, though… We won’t be able to bandage it!”
