NaNoWriMo Blogging Ten

Well, I posted this one alread at the NaNo forums but I'm going to repost it here because I'm 1) reviewing my manuscript like mad before I press the counting button for the final time and 2) rather pleased with this one. I've also got something planned for this particular little excerpt so stay tuned.

The warrior clutches his wound and crumples. Land is already moving past him, his feet churning the ground as he desperately tries to devour the distance. Buffing his speed on the way he shoots forward waves of fiery energy trailing behind him. His arms back he speeds forward wearing a cloud of particle effects. Fast as he can he follows the dusty path in the long grass. A quick side-step to avoid the boundary of the hillside and he spins to follow the curving route. Dashing up the hill to the overlook where the massive trebuchet waits he frantically tries to center his mouse pointer. As if he were reaching out his arm towards a lever the length of a man and straining with all his might to make his fingers grow just a little longer he surges forward. But the screen keeps twisting and turning to follow his motions. He races the clock slicing each precious second away. Finally, he targets it and clicks once. Twice.

His character slams into the wooden palisade of the trebuchet and comes to a halt. The giant level dips down. The arm slowly - achingly, agonizingly slow it creaks and groans woodenly - begins to descend. Moving smoothly and magically it loads itself. With the whip crack sound of taunt rope and timbers suddenly released a ball of burning pitch traces its way into the sky with smoke.

Flushed with excitement Land yells out, “It’s in the air. It’s in the air.”

Chris steals a glance at the ground and the darkening pool that’s suddenly appeared. Horror congeals at the base of his skull. “Clear out!”

Lady exclaims, “We’re in the shadow, blast is going to hit us.” A slight crack in the calm, icy waters of her voice.

“It’s going to land right on the gate.” Chris says, having pushed down the initial sense of doom, as he slips into command once again.

Joe begins to strafe backward, up the sloping curve behind the group, and towards the safety of the gentle, flower strewn hills. “Pulling back.”

“We’ve got time, those treb shots take forever to land.” Ross continues to hack at a bowman hidden behind the archery slits of the fort’s walls. Trying to focus on the task at hand he barks out an order. “Let’s get some NPCs down first.”