6Vormund felt as if he were falling in a massive ball of flame. His wings instinctively unfurling to their nine foot span to catch at any of the turbulent, broiling winds that flew by him. He felt Beschutzer clinging tightly to his chest, her long neck coiled around his own, and her tail twining down his leg.
It didn't surprise him. Poor Bes had never been more then a hundred feet up, and that was only once when she had been curious about flight. She had sworn to the all father, to the Angles of God, Buddha, Allah, and what ever deities she could recall from her curious studies in her moments of terror that she would never fly again so long as she lived if she could so help it.
He chuckled at the memory, not that he could hear himself over the roar of the flames, which were surprisingly cooler then he would have imagined. How she was oriented now was uncannily similar to that first and final flight. His attention was drawn from his musings as in the front of his vision, a black hole was opening up, growing larger with each passing second. It grew wider and wider until he was gliding through it and into a massive void of starts. He had only ever heard of such places in the newest books of the library and on strange "sci-fi" movies that Hansel had shown him in passing nights.
the view was spectacular, awe inspiring, and so utterly horrifying once he recalled one rather crucial detail to this wondrous place. He needed to breath... He flailed lightly as he tried to take in breath, mild panic at the few pictures he had seen of the few who had ventured to space and had their eyes swell till they popped, and their skin vacuuming to their skeletons passing through his head at frightening speeds.
A few seconds turned to a full minute as he slowly came to the realization that he could not only not feel any pain from what ever imagined horrors of science fiction bloomed in his mind, but that he could breath. Rather easily, in fact. And as he slowly relaxed back into the on edge attention he had had while in the fire ball, he could see that though the flame was diminished, it was still there, creating a faint net a fair distance around his still out stretched wings. It created a rather eiry, yet brilliant ambiance as he floated through the void of space.
It was almost out of nowhere that a mass that he had yet to recognize the approach of fully came into view. It was that of what could only be described as an ebony wheel: its many spokes interconnected through the bulbous center, interconnecting the three circumferential rings. The entirety of the massive station, for that is all that it could have been, cold have been but a mile wide, or several leagues for all Vormund could tell in the depths of the inky space. With nothing to compare it to in terms of size, he was at a lose of what he was possibly dealing with.
But one thing could be certain: They, or it, was getting closer, confirming that they were, in fact, moving.
Beschutzer trembled terribly in his arms, her head never leaving the crook of his neck. This was obviously far too much for her. Vormund stroked her muzzle lightly and hummed comforting tunes to her. He knew not how much longer the two of them would be going until they reached the station, so he did what he could to make the frightening trip even the slightest more bearable for his terrified companion.
A withered, haggard, almost pitiful creature stood before a plethora of viewing monitors, each showing one of a menagerie of beings boasting strange and outlandish forms. His hollow, soulless eyes squinting as he scanned over them. A wicked grin slip his ghastly features. His four, bony legs swayed him lightly in his glee. The time was drawing ever nearer, and with every passing moment, the competition grew stronger.
His black eyed gaze flicked to a screen displaying two competitors slowly descending in a magical fireball onto one of the sixteen landing docks of station S-6-S. A lonely pair of Gargoyles from a time long lost to them. They would very much be at a disadvantage here. "With little knowledge in the technical arts, they might not even live to see their first challenger. Pity." Though he said this with a weight to his words, his dried, gray lips curled back to reveal his dulled and rounded teeth in a sadistic grin and a hoarse cackle bellowed dangerously from his clenched jaw. "Perfect battle fodder for the less... Elegant of our guests." He turned his gaze to the darkened, cavernous ceiling, his grin never leaving his face. "Wouldn't you agree?"
His voice resonated harshly in the open space, dissolving into nothing. He chuckled lightly again, "what? Not going to extend your 'generous' resources to this pair? Have you FINALLY lost the will to fight, even marginally for these poor, PATHETIC souls?"
An eerie and foreboding rustle of mettle on metal revealed the hundreds of blackened chains dangling in the dark. Groans, seemingly comprised of many voices spoken at once, growled out its outrage, raining light flecks of rust and char from its inky depths.
the wicked grin widened even more, "What's the matter? Nothing you can do for the poor souls? Have you already expended too much of your energy that you honestly can't even send out a little maintenance drone to accompany these pathetic creatures?"
The groans grew silent, and the rattling chains grew still.
"What? Have I hit a nerve?" He chuckled once more as he turned his attention back to the screens." You should know this game by now, you incorrigible thing."
The groans picked up lightly once more, only at a minute fraction of the previous volume. A tone of helplessness and of biding will ring quietly in the high rafters. There would be no relinquished efforts. Oh no. And even if they were unable to help now, they would most definitely help later.
The decrepit being's smile turned to one of blissful delight. He knew well that this was not the end of this conversation, but even if the station did attempt to help the poor fodder, it would not matter. The game would still be played, the battles would still be waged and he would still retain his place as The Caretaker.
Vormund touched down on the gray metal platform of the nearest spoke of the great black wheel. the massiveness of the station baffled him. The shear size multiplied the size of castle Hohenzollern twenty fold, and the cavernous maw of the entrance to the station left him feeling as if he were standing before the gates of hell. His heart pounded as he looked on passed the great arch and into the room beyond. As wide as the great feasting hall, the area just within the door was large enough to house his full clan three times over comfortably, and was littered with every kind of flight capable vehicle he could imagine. From small wooden framed vessels meant to glide to bazaar crafts of which seemed to have no rhyme of reason.
The bipedal gargoyle turned his attention to his still witless companion. Beschutzer had yet to unravel herself from his person, and as of yet, refused to even open her eyes. "Bes? Come now, Bes, T'is over. Ve haff made it. I need jou to help me look around." He lightly began to move her head form his neck so that she could see for herself that they had, indeed, stopped moving and that they were safe and sound on the ground. Well, as safe as one could be in an unknown place.
The snakes like eyes cracked open and she loosed her neck from its locked position. Glancing around, she slowly pulled herself from her companion and gently lowered herself to the floor. The quadruped swayed lightly in place as she tried to get her barrings back, and unsuccessfully tried to still the unstable world around her. Vormund kept a steadying hand on her shoulders. A gurgling squelch rose from her belly, and light the reptile she resembled, darted off to the nearest large shape and began to heave behind it.
Vormund walked at a more calm pace to the retching form of Beschutzer. He stroked her back as she emptied her stomach contents onto the floor. She dry heaved for a few moments before she lay her head on the kneeling lap before her. "I nevah vant to do zhat again... But I'm going to haff to, aren't I?" Her tone was resigned and unsettled, but to Vormund's mild amusement, Bes had stopped trembling at the very least.
"Aye, Zhat is very much a possibility. Ve do haff to go home, aftah all." He continued to stroke her head and neck gently.
"oh joy off joys..." She pulled her head from Vormund's lap and looked around the cavernous room with mild interest. "Intriguing place, isn't it?" For all of the peculiar items and materials in the room, there was astoundingly very little in terms of amount. there might have been ten or eleven full vehicles that littered the space in any manor of disrepair. Many of them seemed to be so old that they were no longer recognizable.
Their observation was cut off by the sudden appearance of a tiny, floating, turtle shell-like robot. It moved systematically through the debris and materials. A wide banded blue beam scanned over the floor, a bright red optic flashing at every rise it detected on the ground. It stopped suddenly at the detection of movement, and bee-lined for Beschutzer and Vormund, it's light now a bright yellow. It stopped just before they duo, and a lime green light ran over them, flashing red over each of their chests. The strange bot then beeped a low tone at the two before zipping off at a fast pace towards a small vent on the far side of the room, disappearing into the blackened hole.
The gargoyles exchanged wary and confused glances, "Vell... I dun't know about jou, but I certainly dun't like zhat." Vormund nodded. the both of them collected themselves and trotted further into the room and through a massive airlock, which spiraled shut once they were through. The new room they found themselves in could only be described as a Gothic, metallic hall way. It's walls and floors were chard in places, and bits of the metal plating had been dented, curled, and torn. though the disrepair of the decor didn't diminish the over all grandeur of the room.
"Vell, vhat now?" Beschutzer asked as she trotted over to a large door way further down the hall.
"Vhat evah it vas, it didn't seem to particularly enjoy zhe fact zhat ah here."Vormund replied as he followed, keeping an eye behind them as they made their way down the hall. He took note of the many strange containers and chests that were parasitically spread through out the floor. Some appeared to have been broken open, while others remained tightly shut.
They entered the nearest room, glancing around for anything that could give them any information on what they were to be doing, or for any of the other competitors. This room, like every other room they had been in so far, was plated in metal, and had several places of varying disrepair and held a few more of the containers, none of them having been opened, yet.
Beschutzur nosed around the closest container, a white chest-like box that looked a lot like one of the freezer chests Hansel kept in the back of the large pantry of the castle kitchen. He walked the circumference of the box before stepping to the side without the hinges, and pulled in a deep breath. The sent of chill, and frost hung lightly on the box, and with a soft huff, Vormund lifting the lid, revealing a treasure trove of freeze dried foods of earthen origin. The labels of american foods such as cured meats, dried fruits, vegetables, and breads.
"Vell, looks as if ve ah socked for a while yet."Beschutzer chuckled as she nosed through the various foods. Vormund nodded, walking away to inspect one of the other chests in the room. His attention was grabbed by heavy foot steps emanating from the entrance to the room, and startled when four massive bipedal robots marched single file past the door, turning to face them, one clumsily trudging forward to slam its massive fists into the ground right where Beschutzer was standing. She bolted to the side, delivering a swipe of her sharp claws to it's forearm, not even leaving a scratch. It looked dumbly up from it's implanted fists to the quadruped creature and stood back up, preparing to aim a second blow.
Vormund, who stood but a few inches taller then the drone, though under weighed it by at least half a ton, tackled its middle, throwing off the blow enough to let Beschutzer escape. He punched at the drone's helm, knocking it forcefully to the side with a loud clang. A shallow dent formed, but any other sign of damage to the drone was so minuscule to be none existent.
Cussed under his breath as he leaped clear of the swinging fist. He drew his long sword, swinging at the now exposed side of the drone. It clanged harshly against that thick metal hide, and he had to leap back to avoid the hurtling fist once more. A second fist from the side caught his eyes and he ducked just as the large arm barreled past, a heavy 'woosh' of air displacing sounded as it passed.
As Vormund continued to brawl with his two drones, Beschutzer amused herself with playing keep away with the two drones that had had targeted her. She scurried, leaped, pranced, and swiped or nipped occasionally at the open joint. Both of her drones were lightly sparking from their knees and ankles, but didn't seem to be taking any more damage. She ducked as a fist came in just over her head, and she clawed her way up the proffered arm, slipping her claws into the joints and striking her head forward to latch deeply into the back of the drone's neck. She wretched dozens of wired free, and she tasted the bitter and fowl tang of foreign fluids on her tongue and smiled as the drone seemed to FINALLY stall in it's attack. Her victory was short lived, however when it's arm flew to he own neck, grabbing hold, and ripping her free. She flailed as she struggled to breath, her body wrapping itself along the limb to try and force herself free to no avail.
As her sight began to leave her from lack of breath, the drone threw her to the far wall, her nearly limp body cascading to the floor in a crumpled heap, feeling a torn bit of metal catch her hide, sending jolts of pain lancing up her leg. It staked jerkily closer as she struggled to right herself, her limbs refusing to do more then shove her weakly in random directions. As it loomed over her, she looked up in time to see the long blade of Vormund's sword dig itself deep into the drone's wiring between the neck and shoulder, bright golden sparks flying forth in a shower of light. It jerked profusely as Vormund pulled the blade free, rushing to his young companion's side, "Are jou alright, Bes?"
He checked her over as she surveyed the area, noting that the larger gargoyle had dispatched the other three drones in much the same manor as he had the one that had nearly killed her. "Jah..." She smiled. "Jus peachy." She struggled to stand again, and managed to force herself to her feet, standing wobbly before sitting hard on her haunches with a pained sigh. "But I zhink I might need to rest a bit..."
Vormund pressed lightly into her side and checked for any internal injury, as there was no sign of anything but heavy bruising on her skin outside of a long gash running down her left leg. She flinched away as he pressed into her thigh, noting that she more then likely had bruised her pelvis as well, but was other wise unharmed. He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off as more thuds of metallic foot steps rang through the hall way.
"Ve need to go. Now." He punctuated his statement by taring off a section of his cloak to gently dress the open wound on her leg before hoisting the smaller gargoyle onto his shoulder. He walked to the box of food, heaped his small pouch full of the dried meats, then promptly left the room, heading in the opposite direction of the thunderous foot steps. As they moved it became more and more apparent that they were obviously not the only ones to have encountered these mechanical beasts. The sounds of combat resonated loudly through the halls, and heavy impact rumbles reverberated through the floor.
Vormund let his companion curl herself around his neck and down his back as he proceeded to cling a thick bulkhead at a T intersection. He looked from the high rafters down onto a brawl not unlike the very one he and Beschutzer had just survived, only it was obvious that, whoever this was, was far more outnumbered then the two gargoyles had been.
In the center of the hall way stood a petite female human dressed in light varying shades of tans, wielding a glowing green blade. She swung and leaped, slicing and skewering drone after drone, leaving an ever growing trail of incapacitated drones in her wake. Easily four times the number of drones that the duo had faced had come against this warrior, and just under half of them lay decimated at her feet.
But as the two watched, it became obvious that her strength was diminishing. Fast.
She took a swing too early, and both sets of watching eyes went wide as the fist she failed to block collided with her side, sending her flying into a wall, a hollow thud resonating over the heavy steps of the drones. She stumbled before being rammed back into the wall by a charging drone. Her head hit the wall with a defining crack, and she struggled to run, her legs pulling her as fast as they would go. she picked up spead ever so slowly, but she did gain a lead. She continued until a fair distance had been created between her and the pack of drones before turning on her heal and facing the raging bots.
She threw her hands out as if demanding the metallic beasts to cease by will alone. As if by magic, though no words were spoken, the first line of drones slowed as if being pushed by a mighty wind. She stepped forward forcefully, her stance that of one holding back a falling wall, and each of the drones, minutely at first then by greater speeds, were forced back. She continued to walk forward, her stance slightly faulting, but never giving way.
Then, as if blown out like a night light's candle, the power she seemed to posses died out, leaving her weak and helpless as she collapsed to the ground to her hands and knees. She spared one last glance up at the rush of drones that had picked back up. Her entire form seemed to deflate in defeat as her gaze fell to the floor as she awaited her fate.
"Vormund! Ve can't just sit here and let her get killed!" Beschutzer wriggled, flinching at the sharp pain of the bruised bone in her hip, but gritting through it to try to get down.
Vormund's entire form tensed as he stood as strait as the minimal space allowed, before unfurling his mighty wings."Aye, that we can't."
With a great flex of his wings, he dove off the high perch, throwing Beschutzer to his back, orienting her into a backpacked position all in one fluid move. The both of them dove in a near vertical fall, gaining speed as the drone mob grew ever closer to the crouched form of the female. With a powerful beat of his wings, Vormund directed himself and Beschutzer as a veritable missile towards the girl,reaching her in the blink of an eye.
With deft claws, he cupped her middle with one hand, and pulled her legs to her chest with the other, picking her up as if she were but a mere infant, carefully directing her body in a way that would prevent any more concussive forces onto her prone from then was preventable, and used the momentum to carry the three of them up, over, and away from the mob of drones that still charged blindly in their narrow minded goal of crushing the target that was no longer there.
the girl looke up from her culled position in the massive gargoyle's arms with a confused and shocked expression. "Wha..."
"Vait untill ve land. Zhen ve vill tolk." Vormund's voice boomed with authoritative power gained from years of leading his clan. He felt a light nudge of question against his consciousness, and he instinctively thought back to the looks of those he directed, giving the verbal replay, "Ve need to fall back und regroup. No progress can be made here."
The girl nodded and settled, not quite relaxed, but mildly trusting, into his arms, and waited for him to land.
They few over the heads of a half dozen more drones on the minimal gliding power of the first jump, and kicked off a couple more times from the rafters before they found an area that didn't resonate with the foot falls of any more drone guards. He back winged to a graceful landing on a high stack of crates with a large, flat, cleared area up top on one side of a smaller hall that branched off the main hall, out of sight from anything that might come looking for them. He lowered the girl to the floor against the wall, laying her gently in case of hidden injury.
He felt Beschutzer leap from his back and crawl over to the far side of the crate, dry heaving over the side. He gave her an apologizing look before turning his attention back to the panting form looking back up at him. "So... What... Why ...Did you... Did you save... Me?" She panted out between breaths. She pulled a large pack from her side and began to pull out bandages and ointments that were unfamiliar to the Gargoyles.
"Jou vere in trouble. should ve haff not interfeared, jou vould haff been killed. Jou fought bravely against so many, and to let one lose their life vhen I know I can do somezhing vould not rest vell on miene consciousness."
He knelt by her carefully, still very aware that this was in fact another opponent, but feeling it would be dishonorable to dispatch of her without a proper duel. He aided her as she lathered the ointments onto the several as of yet unseen cuts and bruises littered on her fore arms and legs before wrapping the bandage over the medicines.
Beschutzer made her way from the side to watch over the two as they worked, keeping a keen ear out for the thundering foot steps of the drones. "So vhat is jour name?" She asked as she took to pulling the hastily tied bandage of Vormund's cloak from her leg and began to lick the wound clean.
The girl finished up her personal healing before making her way over to Beschutzer's side, looking over the skin that was injured, took out a wash cloth and a small jar of solvant before responding, "My name is Aer Haloege, I am an apprentice jedi healer. What spaces are you? I don't recognize it."
Beschutzer hissed as Aer applied a generous dollop of ointment to the cut before taking out a role of gauze and a role of what looked like tape. "A healer? Vhat is a healer doing in a vorrior's tournament?" she asked through clenched teeth.
"Planning to stop the terrible game the sadistic thing that hosts this tournament every fifty years. I'm not so much competing as I am working my way up to stop the endless vicious cycle of death that encircles this place. This vile place has taken too many lives, and I plan to put a stop to it as best I can." She stated with determination as she cut off one last piece of tape and placing it on the neat bandaged would on the quadruped creature's haunch.
Vormund nodded, "Vhat a noble qvest jou follow, Aer Haloege. Zhe von jou haff been vorking on es Beschutzer. I ahm Vormund Der Kekuns', ve ah ze last of zhe gargoyles zhat resided in castle Hohenzollern."
"The last? You mean your speices is nearly extinct?" She asked with a hint of pity.
"Ve vouden't truly know about zhe off zhe ahzher clans in zhe land. Zhey had remained quiet to us in zhe years ve had been awake, but as fah as ve know, Ve ah zhe last." The older gargoyle's voice held the heavy weight of lose, the tone one of excepted mourning. "But Ve hope to change zhat. Should ve vin zhis tournament, ve haff been promised zhe granting of our passage back to our home, back before zhe corruption off our clan, and zhe chance to lead zhem vith our knowledge through zhe hard times, and hopefully into a brightah future." His voice grew determined as he spoke, and the fire in his eyes were plain to see for the young healer.
"You do realize that if you win there is a possibility that you will not see your clan again?" her tone was sad and held an under tone of withheld knowledge.
The bipedal gargoyle's face tightened, "And vhy vould ve not gain our prize in our victory?"
"Very few have ever come back from this place. And those that do never speak that they were ever here. The horrors here are unlike anywhere else in the universe. And there have been no boasts of those of great power or wealth from the prizes of this tournament. This is a foul and dangerous place. It should not be trusted."
Beschutzer and Vormund exchanged glances before beschutzer spoke, "But zhat is not to zay zhat zhe prizes vere zhat of smaller, less known vinners. Zhey might haff been like us. Zhose zhat vanted a razher powerful, yet zimple gift. Not von of vide spread glory and fame, but off peace and prosperity."
Aer blinked and sighed, "That is true, but I suppose there is not much I can personally do to deter with that said, I suppose that it would be better for me to work through you then to work against you. I am not a fighter. I am a healer, and I was nearly killed by a horde of drones. If the competition will be as heavy as I suspect, I will not be able to go this alone. Epic power of the force or not."
She thought hard for a moment, analyzing her choices before turning back to the two. It might be better for me and you both, and quite possibly for both of our respective goals, if we were to work together as apposed to against one another. I seek no true prize but to end this once and for all, and you wish to go back to your time. With the help of one another, one of us is sure to gain their goal. Even should you not win, I have friends that can meld with the temporal streams. should we both make it out alive, I can see what I can do to get you both home, with or without the true victory."
"Und Vhat vill jou get out off zhis?" Vormund asked as he stood to look back over the edge of the crates.
"I will get the chance to end this horid game once and for all." She walked to stand beside the towering gargoyle.
"Zhis it exceptionable to me."
"But I suppose we truly can't proceed until one of us stands victor. "Vormund looked to her confused, " I here by yeald to you, Vormund Der Kekuns' and Beschutzer in this tournament, and I thank you dearly for sparing my life. I wish to accompany you in your ventures through this hardship, and I hope you will except my request." She held out her hand to seal.
Vormund turned to her with a determined expression, and clasped her arm as she did to his. "aye, Aer Haloege, I eccept jour defeat, und gladly grant jour request. I hope ve can be off value to von ahnozher, und may ze gods be vith jou."
She smiled, "May the force be with you as well."