splash, bang, so corrosive, don't get close if it's explosive (part LX)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part LIX. Written by Justine!)

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

Justine opened the door of Steamopolis to find a pile of Amazon boxes. She gathered them up to take to the Prometheus when she found herself under attack from above. Two monsters, one green, one black, both tentacle-y, and no respect for personal boundaries.

Hitting her comm, she started to speak, and one rapidly dove for her. What she was going to say turned into "AAAEEEEIIIIIIIIEEEEE!!!!!"

Emilly's voice was there. "What?"

"TEN--TA--CLE!" she shouted. "MONSTERS!!"

Emilly gasped. "NO!" she shouted back through the link. "WHERE?!"

"Outside Steamopolis--"

She rose from the ground, flying fast towards the Dark Sea, something the Duke and Duchess seemed to do on their own, but the small propulsor unit the Duke had given her working just as well to launch her into the air. She didn't hear the unearthly howls and turned in midair--just in time to see Emilly appear and fly up from Darktow.

The monsters turned, darting towards the newcomer.

"Look out!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAH--!" she heard back.

"Cross the border, they can't come across!"

Seeing Emilly in distress, plunging towards the water, she flew back into Gearhaven proper, getting close enough to grab the attention of the flailing beasts, then fled again.

She crossed into the Dark Sea again, watching Emilly drag herself to shore on Darktow and stand.
"No--" she heard, then "Whoa. How--you got them not to attack?"

"They did attack. But they can't cross to the Dark Sea. I'm just over the border." She looked over, where angry tentacle beasts lashed the air. "But they can still smell me."

Justine watched, wide-eyed, as Emilly rose into the air again. Both beasts instantly turned, racing across the sky.

"RUN--" Justine yelled. She heard a yelp, and watched the small figure plummet to the side of Darktow on the Dark Sea, landing on the watchtower.

"WOW, THEY got a sniff of you and dashed at you."

"They are not happy with me," the duchess muttered.

Justine tapped open a new connect point. "Zaaaaaaack!"

She heard firing. She looked around in alarm.

"Um...why is the Prometheus firing??" The Duchess sounded unnerved.

Justin watched her launch again, only to dodge heavy cyan bolts of plasma.

"WHERE...group tag??"

There was silence.

"Change your group tag!" Justine yelled.

"AAAAH--"

"Jesus! We're either eaten by monsters or shot!!"

"OW--" Emilly yelped. "They're still firing!"

"What are they firing AT?"

"ME! I changed my group tag--"

Justine thought furiously. "Try...leaving and coming back?"

She watched the Duchess spin in mid-air, seemingly pushed across the sky by the bolts.

"The black tentacle monster shot off somewhere. The green is still patrolling where it last saw me."

"ACK--"

Another bolt saw Emilly careening across the sky again, hissing into the comm. She dropped like a rock, leaving the plasma bolts to hit dead center on the black beast, cutting it into collops.

"I...think it was in the line of fire from the Prometheus." She sighed, alighting on the island. Looking up at the rotating green monstrosity over her head. "So, great, Darktow is haunted again."

"Are you serious? The black one got hit by the prometheus fire??? That is BRILLIANT!"

There was a moment of silence before Emilly spoke again. "So, what, I should change tags again?!"

"All I have to do is change my tag, then draw the green beast to the border, get targeted by the Prometheus, and dodge? I can do that!"

She switched her group tag and saw the turret cannons swivel in her direction. She flew in a zig-zag pattern between the guns and the remaining green monster, crossing into and out of Dark Sea's airspace.

"That thing is WAY too good at dodging," Emilly muttered.

Justine's comm pinged.

"Hello, Justine!" Zack said cheerily. "How are you, dear?"

"TENTACLE MONSTERS, ZACK!!!!"

"What??"

(Continued in part LXI.)