Can Hari get food from the goblin?
Part Two - the Kill?
Hari had identified a possibility – a gap between a massive silver pipe against the wall to his left. He watched, now, as the bots patrolled back and forth, waiting to see if he could make a dash for it without being sensed. He watched for some time, forging their mechanical routes into his brain so that the timings of the gangway would become clear. Bot One (as he called it) walked away to the right. Hari could advance on its fifth step to a point some eight paces away, then would have to make an immediate left to avoid Bot Two. He would then need to wait for Bot Three to swivel away in its turn before dashing straight for the pipe and scrambling over it. Behind the pipe, he hoped there would be gap enough to stretch out fully. More than that, he hoped the pipe would be warm.
Hari was beginning to get dangerously chilled. He had been frozen on his spot for some time now, long minutes passing as he watched the bots’ threatening dance with calculating intensity. Once he moved, he was committed – one wrong turn, one mis-timing, and he would be dead. Over and over again he watched his opening arise and let it pass, rehearsing his route mentally. And the time was coming when it would be now or never. The cold was starting to seep into his bones. Soon it would cause him to stiffen and slow; his movements would become awkward, unacceptably increasing his risk factor.
Now! It passed in a gut-wrenching minute, his heightened senses making everything stand out with a solid clarity rare to experience. Then he was rolling belly down over the pipe, relieved beyond belief that the pipe was not freezing to the touch but oh-so-faintly, warm. Behind it, hari fell into a darkened, dusty space. The gap between the pipe and the wall was wide enough for Hari to slide through, and then it widened under the curve of the pipe to offer space enough to sit and lie comfortably. The space was bounded on both sides by steel girders that held the pipe in place and reached right to the ceiling of the engine house. It was about eight feet long, and there was no access to it except between the pipe and wall; a space too small for any of the bots, and beyond the reach of any sensors. The floor was covered with thick dust and small bits of debris. With this to cover him, and the faint warmth of the pipe, Hari might even survive another day.
He had not slept properly for fifty hours. First, he collected as much dust and debris as he could and made it into a pile. Then he wedged himself half under the pipe. Debris already under the pipe blocked the narrow gap between it and the floor. Hari pulled the pile towards him, covering his body with it but taking care not to cover his face. He then lay very still, feeling his mind relax for the first time in days. He was pretty sure the pipe and his insulation would raise his temperature to something bearable, and after a few minutes he began to feel a most agreeable physical sensation, a warming relaxation that led to sleep.
Hari slept for a long time. When he awoke, he swallowed the last of the water in his waterskin and ate the last of his cheese. Where on earth was he to get more food and water? There would hardly be a vendor down here (though stranger things had been known). Nor would the bots carry food since they ran on oil and petrol, and...water. Also, water ran through some of the heating and cooling pipes, although some carried gases. So there must be a water source, or ways to get water, down here. But Hari would need to move, to search, to investigate.
But moving was dangerous. Every inch of the floor space was a hazard. Hari pulled himself up so his head poked over the top of the pipe. Everywhere he could see pipes, boilers, engine consoles and other parts of machinery he could not identify. Black bots patrolled, whirring busily, in complicated patterns. Worker bots stood still at the consoles, busy inputting information. And then he saw it – a small, white-jacketed figure – a humanoid. It was some kind of goblin, an engineer or a scientist, but what made his heart leap was its level. It was level 6, just one higher than himself.
A possible kill. Better still, a possible drop. What might it be carrying – food, water, gold, perhaps some potions or a magical necklace? Hari watched closely, feeling the saliva race into his mouth as he anticipated his first kill for weeks. He was fed up of scavenging. And despite his lowly equipment, he felt sure he could take on the little goblin scientist and win. He hadn’t forgotten his fighting skills, had he?
He pulled himself up onto the top of the pipe and crouched there. Now, with prey in his sights he no longer felt scared and vulnerable. He was the hunter now. He rocked on his haunches, feeling the tension in his thighs. He pulled his rusty dagger out of his backpack. Rusty or not, it would do.
The goblin was walking around busily, stopping to tak to groups of bots and then moving on. Hari could hardly believe his luck as it moved closer and closer to him until it was directly below his section of the pipe! He dropped. The goblin never saw him coming. Hari was on its back and the knife sliding into its neck in one swift movement. The strike was critical. The goblin was dispatched, dying with a bubbling cry as green blood spurted from its wound. Hari quickly pulled its backpack from its back and took it with him over the pipe into his safe space, where he could inspect his loot at leisure.
By SabreenaRead Part One of this WoW story earlier on in my blog posts, and watch out for Part Three - what's in the bag? Follow the blog to be sure you don't miss it.
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