Lost in Transit

4

^^ Frogman ^^

There was no one in the way, and no danger at all, but it was ridiculously irritating to see the plans we had go right to shit, as if to spite us, as the train car landed back on its wheels, rocking gently and shedding even more broken glass all around.

I sighed deeply, then took a breath. "Well!... that is certainly... interesting! At least we can move it where we want now, I suppose?"

"How do you plan to move that... monstrosity?" Luna asked, hurrying to soothe the scared horses.

"It's on wheels; I'll just pull it. It's not that difficult to move, really, it's more difficult to stop." I shrugged, unconcerned. Slick Stone was good for going, but not for stopping, so I'd need to make some blocks to throw under the wheels to slow it, or perhaps access to the brakes? If they even work anymore, that is. Or the horses could be on the other side, and pull a yoke? That would work as an emergency brake, I suppose.

A loud croaking sound behind us on the mountainside had me turning, confused, only to see a tall frog/man/thing wearing a metal breastplate and clothes, currently wielding a sword and shield.

"What... in all creation... the fuck is that?" I asked Luna slowly, reaching for my hammer, which laid on the ground nearby.

The creature reacted instantly, bunching its legs under itself and launching towards me with incredible speed, covering the fifty-foot gap before I could blink. It seemed capable of just as much agility as speed, as it was already slashing downwards as it reached me.

I blocked with my forearms, and grunted in pain as the sword cracked my forearms, going all the way to the bone in one slash. "God fucking damn you you piece of-!!! Ow!!!" I hissed at it, and rolled towards my hammer, swinging at its chest as fast as I could. Instead, I hit open air, as it had flipped over me with unnatural dexterity, and was now swinging at my neck from behind.

A black blade embedded with a glowing fist-sized pearl intercepted, while Luna frowned at me severely. "Language, please!" She chided me, and then swung the sword casually at the retreating Frogman. She seemed to miss, barely scratching the edge of the creature's shoulder, but contrary to my expectations he keeled over almost instantly. A tangled web of black lines became visible, tracing his veins back from the wound to his heart and brain, clearly some sort of forced necrosis.

"Ouch. Nasty stuff, huh?" I grinned as she healed my arms swiftly with a hand-wave and some blue light; healing magic would need to be something we learned, soon. It seemed very useful, and in high demand.

"Necrotic Magic? Yes, quite an unpleasant application of healing magic... but indisputably effective." She nodded at the corpse as it slowly turned into a featureless grey blob, and began slinking off towards the edge of the cliff.

"Whoa hey no!!!" I snatched at a small golf-ball-sized crystal in the center, and ripped it out of the creature, making the slime melt and dissipate into a disgusting fog that Luna waved away. "Why'd you let him get away?" I asked her curiously,

"That's a Crystal Core; all monsters that come from dungeons have them, and all of them melt like that after death. I planned on tracking it back to its Dungeon home so I could destroy the dungeon itself." She answered dryly.

"Ah... Sorry." I held out the crystal, and she nodded, placing it in her pocket.

"There's no need to apologize, you did right... I didn't explain, and that was because I wished to be dramatic; a failing of mine, not yours." She patted a horse that'd come up to her carefully, sensing the danger had passed, and it nearly unbalanced her as it nuzzled under her arm happily.