#gnomenasher

[thequantumlyunstableman]

Arguments to Not Leave 29 Jan-4 Feb

"How hard can that be?" Tam repeated. "To give locomotion to a large metal box? You do realize we're in the bottom of the ocean, don't you? It's not like there's an Engines R' Us right next door? It's not like there's anywhere I can go buy a giant propeller."

"Yes, I realize that," I told them, as I treaded water, noting that both of us stayed above the surface despite both of us currently being able to breath underwater. "But I also realize you're not just som joe schmoe off the street. And neither am I. We can do this. We can take this room, take the devices and electronics of the room and we can transform them into something that can help us. I know we can."

"I'm not so sure. This is a room. Not a car. A holding cell, not an electronics shop."

"What other options do we have?"

"You think we don't have other options?"

"I'm open to whatever suggestion you have."

"No, you're not."

"You're right," I said. "I'm not open to abandoning these people. I'm not open to letting this animal die."

"See? You're not open to any of my suggestions."

"Are you going to be serious?"

"I am serious. We should leave these strangers and go and save our comrades."

"Outside of Kink, you and your comrades are as much strangers to me as these people are."

"That may be true, but we are aligned against a common foe."

And the Sheriff and his deputies helped without having a common enemy, they helped me because I needed it. So I should abandon them, just because things are getting tough? I should leave them just because their selfish needs are not necessarily the same as mine?"

"You know," Tam replied. "Your insistence on playing the hero is going to get us killed."

"If it keeps everyone safe," I said, "then so be it."

"Do I count amongst the 'everyone' who's going to be safe?"

I smiled. "I sure hope so."

to be continued next week

or everyday on @QuantumUnstable

[thequantumlyunstableman]

How Do You Transport a Giant Gerbil Through the Ocean? 15-21 Jan

The room had been filled with air. The Lowardens had kept Gnomenasher in it, keeping him alive, keeping him trapped. I had never expected it to be that way. I had expected them to have fitted him with something to help him breath as the Merapolian had done to us. So the air-filled room, now opened to the ocean, began to fill with water and stream air out. If we waited another second, Gnomenasher would surely be killed. Fortunately Tam realized this as soon as did (perhaps sooner) and the two of us rushed inside,closing the door behind us.

The door sealed shut. The room was half-filled with water. And while Tam and I could conceivably keep breathing the oxygen in the water, Gnomenasher still needed the air to breath and we just greatly reduced the amount of oxygen in the room. One would imagine, though, that the Lowardians were pumping air into this room, otherwise Gnomenasher probably would have died from CO2 poisoning hours ago. So, that meant there was a chance the room might even pump the water out of the room as well.

Unfortunately, getting out of there was still a problem. We had to leave at some point, not only because we all wanted to get back to their homes, but also because the Lowardians would eventually find us and imprison us, at the best. "Can you get Gnomenasher out of here safely?"

"Are you asking if I can somehow magically carry that big pile of meat out of here while somehow keeping him from drowning in that ocean of water we have to swim through and keeping him from being killed by the army of other dimensional beings that want us all to die?" Tam asked.

"I wouldn't have used the word 'magically', but, yes, can you keep him from drowning and being shot?"

"And how do you think I can do that while also trying to escape?"

"I don't know. A force field?"

"And I'd keep him from suffocating inside it, how?"

"The same way you keep yourself from suffocating."

"Frank," Tam replied, "I've been bioengineered to survive under extreme conditions. Your giant rabbit here, hasn't it. He's going to die if we take him out there."

"Ok. So then what are we going to do?"

to be continued next week

or everyday on @QuantumUnstable

[thequantumlyunstableman]

So Many Holes to Choose 2-8 Jan

"More than one!?" a farmer exclaimed. "How will we know which one will take us home?"

"There's really only one way to find out," the Sheriff replied.

"We've got to try them all?" Toleuk asked.

"No," I said. "I've got to try them all. My friends are at the ends of the others. The rest of you just have to wait for me to come back. Either I'll have returned to the bar and I'll come back immediately or I won't have."

"And I'm just supposed to let you do all of that?" the sheriff asked. "You could be jumping off to your death."

"Maybe, but you've got more than a dozen people to worry about. You can't abandon them."

"That's why Darmuk invented deputies."

"And we're supposed to just let you go all by yourself?" Toleuk said. "We're your deputies, sir. It's our job to protect you."

"No, Toleuk," he said. "It's your job to do what I say and, yes, a lot of times that's doing the dangerous stuff. But more often, it's doing the stuff I don't want to do. But when it's something that needs to be done, well, that's when I have to do it."

"Sheriff," said another of the deputies, "we can't just let you go alone."

"Don't worry I'll be going with this human. And I'll be taking Gnomenasher with me."

"No offense to anyone, but neither of them are trained to help you out. You need a deputy."

"Or two," Toleuk added.

"Fine," the Sheriff conceded, whoever wants to come with us can come with us, but atleast 2 deputies are staying behind to watch the civilians." After three deputies volunteered to stay, the sheriff said, "Anymore questions or are we finally ready to get moving?"

"Let's get moving," I said. "Every second we wait..."

"Agreed. You want to take the lead or should I?"

"I think it should be me. Because if the first thing they see is you suddenly appearing..."

"Fair enough," the Sheriff admitted. "Then go on ahead. We'll be right behind you," the sheriff said. "Do your best not to die before we get there."

"I'll do my best." I jumped randomly through a portal because it didn't really matter which one I chose at that point. I just hoped it led me to my friends.

to be continued next week

or everyday on @QuantumUnstable