The world was spinning too fast.

Normally a man like Skyblue wouldn't be worried about the world spinning. After all, men had evolved to stay anchored to the spinning behemoth. No, this was something entirely new and menacing, and those kids over there needed to be saved. Skyblue ran as fast as he could - which, presently, was a shambling stumble - to warn them of the impending danger, not once wondering why none of them seemed to notice what would normally be quite obvious.

Closer and closer he drew, the miles of field between him and his quarry melting away before his blistering speed - in his still-sleep-ridden mind, at least. As he prepared to make the last final leap, a purple monstrosity suddenly showed up in his path! It was too late for him to correct his course, though, so he braced himself for impact.

As the final meters were crossed, the beast roared a warm invitation to do battle. [i]Wait, 'warm'?[/i] queried Skyblue's addled mind moments before the final impact. The world shook, unable to continue its spinning under the sheer force of Skyblue colliding with the monster at a breathtaking quarter of a mile per hour. Stars flew before Skyblue's eyes, surely a sign of the monster's magical blasts flying past him harmlessly. He grappled the beast to prevent its escape - his hand settling onto the woman's shoulder for support - and felt a sudden sting - as sensation returned to his thorn-torn body.

[i]Poison![/i]

Skyblue had to get it out of his system. The longer it stayed, the more likely his doom - and then who would save those children? Warning sirens wailed in his ears as he forced himself to experience nausea. The world spun once more, but he wouldn't let go no matter how hard it tore him from the monster - his body bent forward with his hand still holding the woman in purple for support. And then, finally... Purification.

Skyblue heaved for a good five seconds straight as the foul substance that would have destroyed him poured from his mouth... and onto the feet of a woman. [i]That's strange,[/i] he thought. [i]What happened to the monster?[/i] He slowly righted himself, trying to make sense of what had just taken place, and idly used the cloth held in hand to wipe the last of the vile substance from his mask. Realization slowly dawned upon him as he looked up from the soiled purple cloth.

"Oh, shit."

[@tipssyCalibrator]