Cinnamon Bun Chapter Eighty-Seven -Trouble in Parad-ice!

Chapter Eighty-Seven -Trouble in Parad-ice!

The mont the rope was in my hand I had to move. First I pulled myself back towards the centre of the golems back, then I looped the rope around one of the thick joints of the golems rear legs and tied a quick and very crude knot.

I yanked the knot tight just as the rope went taut.

Having the very fast platform I was sitting on co to a complete, and rather jarring, stop wasnt the most fun.

I was thrown off with a yelp only to crash on the icey floor and slide a dozen ters on my side. Ouch, I said.

I panted while staring up at the dod ceiling for a mont. Then the loud booming crash of golems running into each other had craning my neck up to see what was going on.

Three of the golems had tangled together and were sliding across the floor on a direct path for .

I eeped and rolled onto my front, feet kicking out for purchase as I tried to get up.

They were almost on when my foot caught and I launched myself into the air and out of the golems path.

This ti my landing was a little better as I hopped onto the stone disk in the centre of the room and took a mont to stare at the carnage Awen and I had caused. Three of the golems had crashed together and were wriggling about, trying desperately to untangle their now-bent and battered limbs. A fourth had veered so badly off course that it was now embedded into the far wall, though it was still alive, judging by the twitches.

Two of the golems remained intact, circling around the middle at a dizzying speed. I tried to think of a way to take them out, but nothing ca to mind.

Then I shrugged. I didnt have any weapons on except for a camp knife--my shovel was sowhere in the pile up off to the side--which ant that I only had myself to use.

I ran along the middle of the disk, then jumped, timing it so that I landed atop the golem closest to the middle. The mont I was on it I slid one leg over its centre and rode it as if it was the strangest horse ever.

Throwing my weight from one side to the other didnt do much, and I didnt think my magic could do anything to really hurt the golem. I could try filling it with fire, but my fire was always a little anemic and I didnt think I could get it hot enough to ruin its chanisms.

Broccoli! Awen scread.

I looked up in ti to see her spinning around on the ice, then she flung sothing up and high into the air.

My eyes widened as I recognized her hamr.

Got it! I scread as I jumped up and caught the weapon out of the air. The extra weight made my landing back on the golems back a little precarious, but I managed to keep my feet.

And then I had the perfect tool to fix my golem problem.

Hah! I scread as I brought Awens hamr down on the crossbow atop the golems back. It went sproing and a few bits flew off in a most satisfactory way. The next blow hit one of the golems legs, bending it and throwing the golem to the side for a mont before it shifted its weight to the other legs.

That gave an idea.

I searched around until I spotted the golem pile up way off on the other side of the rink. We were approaching it fast though.

I whacked at the next leg on the golems side until it too tore off. We began to veer towards the pile, but the clever golem shifted its feet to change directions.

Oh no, I said as I whacked its head as hard as I could.

The golem went haywire.

I jumped off its back and landed in a slippery crouch just before the golem ran into its buddies at full speed.

Congratulations! You iced two (2) Brass Ice Slipper Golem, level 7!

Just two? I looked over and counted. There was only one golem left moving, the rest were all in various states of... crashiness. Still, they were twitching and moving, so I supposed that they counted as alive.

My attention snapped back around to the final golem.

The bot shifted, planting all of its skates down at an angle so that it slid sideways and threw off a huge spray of ice. Then it clicked and clacked around, walking on the ice instead of skating in interminable circles as it had been.

Thats different, I said as I weighed the hamr in my hand.

The golem shifted, first becoming wider, then unfolding so that parts of its body slid into others. It reminded of those toy cars that turned into neat robots, only this thing was turning from a neat robot into sothing else.

I learned what when, with a final shift of its legs, the golem unfolded into a large brass scorpion, its huge tail tipped by three crossbows that were pointing right at .

Oh shoot, I said.

The room went white. I felt the air warming up and my hair rising.

When I blinked back the green tinge that covered my vision it was to find that the scorpion golem was sitting in a puddle of foot-deep water, parts of its brass fra still glowing white-red and other bits looked like they had fused together.

The cords tied to its crossbows were on fire, and sparks were bursting out from the side of its head. It was, in short, dead.

Hah! Im not useless! Amaryllis cheered.

Then her feet slipped out from under her and she crashed to the ice again.

I lowered Awens hamr and looked about. Well, I guess thats it for this one.

Skating over to Awen, I handed her back her hamr with a big goofy grin. Thanks, that was good thinking.

Awa, th-thanks! She said.

You should go finish off the rest of the golems, I think a few of them are still alive and I dont know if youll get any experience if I kill them off myself.

Th-thats generous.

I snorted and shook my head. Were in this together, its just normal, yeah?

R-right! Awen said.

She fumbled her way over to the golem pile off to the far end of the room, her gait a little slow and uncertain, and she almost fell once or twice, but she was getting the hang of it.

I skated over to Amaryllis, stopping with a twist of my ankles just next to the harpy. Do you want so tips? I asked.

Amaryllis looked up to , crossed her wings over her chest, and pouted. I dont need help, she said.

Of course not, I said.

She glared.

I smiled.

She glared harder.

I pushed back, and--while cheating a little with so cleaning magic--started to skate around her with my hands behind my back. I even did a bit of a twirl.

I hate you, she said.

And you are one clumsy duckling.

She shifted onto her tummy, pushed off the ice, and was halfway to standing when her arms shot out to either side and she planted into the ice.

I bit my lip so hard I was almost bleeding. Do you need help... mallard-y? I said. Then a giggle escaped.

Theres no ice where Im from, Amaryllis said.

Dont you live on a mountain? I wondered.

We have fire mages, she said.

Ah, I said. So your entire species has... trouble with ice? I asked as I crouched down before her.

She turned her head around and pinned with a glare. If I could stand up right now, I would slap you for that.

Giggling, I moved over to her side and helped her first to her knees, then onto her feet. Wrap an arm around my neck, I said.

Dont tempt , she said, but still did as I asked and placed a wing over my shoulders. She almost slipped, but I managed to keep us standing.

Okay, so, first, dont raise your feet off the ground. You move with your hips and with your knees. You need to squat a little. I instructed.

I dont actually want to learn how to skate, she said.

Aww, but think how aweso youll look when you show up all of your harpy friends? I asked.

Amaryllis was silent for a bit. So I need to keep my centre of balance lower? she asked.

We eventually made it to the disk in the centre of the room where Awen was waiting for us. She had a smile all ready and on full display when we arrived. I figured out the door, she said.

Neat! I replied. Amaryllis is only a few hours away from figuring out how to skate. We had only almost-fallen three tis.

We stepped onto the platform, Amaryllis with a sigh of relief, and we all kind of just relaxed for a mont. I stretched a little, then told the girls that I would be back before I skated back to the entrance and got my backpack (and Orange).

Awa, I found your spade, and one of the golems dropped sothing, Awen said as she removed her own backpack and pulled sothing out of it.

An enchanted compound crossbow of rare quality, new.

I grabbed the bow and turned it this way and that. There was a trigger beneath it, and an all-tal stock ant to be pressed against the shoulder. The forward section of the device had a pair of arms that folded back and swept along the sides of the bow. The chanism to reload it looked a bit like a large crank built into one side, with plenty of little gears and pulleys.

Nice, I said. What does it do? I handed it back to Awen who took it gingerly as if it was a baby rather than a weapon.

Awen flipped it over and tapped the underside. There are two compartnts here. This one is for placing bolts that you can reload with the sa crank that pulls back the string. She pointed to an opening on the other side. This one stores even more bolts, but its not connected to the rest. Ah, and theres more string too. Its enchanted for durability and theres an enchantnt that increases the draw weight that activates once its prid.

Cool, I said. Well, have fun with it.

Awa? Are you sure? She asked. It might be worth a lot.

I shrugged. Then itll be worth a lot to you. Im not the crossbow-y sort. And Amaryllis, ah, doesn't have fingers.

Im certain I could operate it given so practice, Amaryllis said.

Th-then do you want it? Awen asked. She was hugging the bow in a way that suggested she really didnt want to give it away.

Awen, when I want sothing dead from far away, Ill call down thunder and lightning on it. I dont need a toy to do it. Keep it. It suits your specialty.

Awa, thank you! Awen said.

Her smile made it all worth it.

Okay! Now we need to skate to the other end, I said.

Oh please no.

I could carry you? I asked Amaryllis.

I could fry you, she returned.

We did eventually make it to the other side, and with minimal spills at that. The door was wide open, welcoming us onto the sa sort of glass bridge we had been using all day.

Oof, that was a rough one, I said.

It was, Amaryllis agreed. Lets get this over with.

Crossing was easy as pie now that we were used to it, and the next door was just as simple as the ones before it.

The room it opened onto was huge, with glass pillars rising a dozen ters into the air, and yet they only reached a quarter way up to the ceiling above. There was enough room under the glowing ceiling to fit a small village.

And in the middle of it, sat a dragon.

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