19(S2E6)-Monster of Mass Destruction

19

(Season 2, Episode 6)

Monster of Mass Destruction

 

Kahn had caught up with Mary and Zachariah after they teleported into Avalon.  She was lucky because when she, herself beamed in, the guards were distracted with an obnoxious Zachariah.  It gave Kahn the opportunity to become hidden. Being a ninja of the highest order this was not a problem, even with the high level nexes and druids present.

If a true ninja does not want to be seen, they are not seen.

From there Kahn kept with Zachariah, listening to all the drama in between.  The charges were ridiculous.  Having spent quite a bit of time with, and following Zachariah, she was positive he was incapable of the murder of which they were accusing him.  Not to mention the fact that Zachariah was incapable of killing one ward, let alone three.

She stayed with them and managed to gain entry to their room as well.  Being as big as it was, staying hidden was almost too easy.  She was worried about how enthralled with Mary Zachariah had become.  Considering what she was, it would mean the end of him.  Kahn had begun brainstorming on how to get rid of her when the orc crashed through the front door.

Kahn’s first instinct was to rush in and assist, but her experience held her in place for a time.  She had to come up with a plan, and fast, or this would be over.  Kahn had met very few orcs in her time since they were exclusive to Avalon and ninjas were considered criminals.

She, of course, knew the stories though.

Huge and muscle bound, their green skin is bulletproof.  Add in their pension for violence and they were just about the most deadly thing you could come in contact with, outside of a dragon.

Kahn would need firepower to deal with it.

She pulled a small pack out from her robes and grabbed a book from the shelf she had been perched next to.  She quickly dipped her hand into the bag and came out with two fingers covered with a black, ink-like liquid.

Blast ink.

She quickly drew the Japanese symbol for fire on the book and it began to glow.  She looked up and the orc had Zachariah by the throat.  It was now or never.

She revealed herself and hurled the book.

****

Zachariah had experienced lack of air before.  Once, he had jumped into the lake and forgotten which way was up.  The green monster squeezing Zach’s throat was a completely different feeling.

Not pleasant.

This was when the book struck the orc in the side of the head, and for no reason which Zachariah could understand, exploded.

The blast was like that of a small flash bang or an M-80.  The orc released Zachariah’s throat and went head over heels to the ground.  Zachariah flew backward and slammed into the stone wall.  His ears were ringing and all he could hear was that wah wah voice from those old peanuts cartoons.

He tried to get his bearings and saw the lumbering green beast starting to come to his feet.  His head swiveled and he saw the ninja woman explode out of the shadows grabbing wood from the debris left in the beasts wake.  She pulled her fingers out and drew a symbol on the wood and it began to glow.

“Kahn?!  What the hell are you doing here?!” Zachariah yelled, trying to pull himself to his feet.

****

Kahn heard Zachariah yell and she turned.  “Get into cover!”

“What?!” Zachariah yelled back.

“Hide, you fool!” Kahn yelled back.

“What about a pool?!” Zachariah yelled, still unable to hear her.

She grunted, frustrated with his inability to help at all.

She hurled the small piece of debris and it exploded on the beasts back.  This time the monster was ready and powered through, launching himself at Kahn.  Kahn leapt into the air and flipped over the monsters head.  Her blade lashed out but it barley made a mark in the monster.

She knew she could not take a blow by the orc.  With its power, it would spell doom for the wily ninja.  She landed and rushed away as the orc spun, enraged.  Kahn needed something big to take this guy out in one big blow.  The blast ink was the only way but the explosion it created was directly related to the size of the object marked.

As the orc charged, Kahn decided to buy herself sometime by slashing the monster across the nose.  Still, this did not do a lot of damage but was extremely painful.  The orc raged and it staggered.  Kahn turned, rushing to the oak table top.  It had been broken in half in the initial attack but one half was thick enough to cause a massive blast.  If she could mark it and get the beast to walk on it, she would have a chance.

She had seconds…

****

Zachariah was confused and nearly deaf, but he had still put together what Kahn was doing with the blast ink.  He watched her cut the orc and rush to the table to mark it.  The orc was not as distracted with his bleeding nose as Kahn had expected and was already moving.

Zachariah had to give her time.  He rushed forward and dropped to one knee in front of the rampaging orc, balling his fist and delivering one hard punch to the only place he thought it possible to hurt the lumbering monster.

The crotch.

It was like punching an elephant’s truck.  The punch was deigned to have two effects, to stop the beast and to hurt it.  While he had managed to stop it, hurting it was a different story.  The orc stopped and looked down at the little man with no pain.  Instead, Zachariah saw murderous rage.

“Sorry?”  Zachariah asked in fear.

****

Kahn wrote the symbol and just as the table began to glow she looked up and saw that the fool gaijin, had gotten himself into trouble again.  She had seconds to act.

She did a quick hand gesture to increase her speed and broke into a full sprint.  The world had slowed, still the orc’s massive fist moved at terminal velocity.

She got there and grabbed Zachariah by the back of his collar, pulling him backward and hurling him back the way she came.  She then had to move or get hit herself...

…that’s when she saw stars.

****

Zachariah closed his eyes as the massive hand came down to crush him, but instead of being killed he was hurled backward.  Kahn had saved him again, and he watched as she took the blow in his place.

The fist flattened the ninja and instantly sent her face first into the unforgiving stone floor.  Blood dripped from the ninja’s mask.  The orc didn’t care.  Instead, he looked to finish the job and end her once and for all.

Zachariah turned to his right and saw the glowing table and knew what he had to do.  “HEY!”

Zachariah yelled as he forced his bruised muscles to pull him to his feet.  “Hey, you stinky fuck!”

The orc stopped mid swing and eyed Zach.  “Yeah, you.  I thought you were here for me.”

The orc’s eyes narrowed and Zachariah smiled.  “That’s right.  You came for a shot at the title.”

The orc broke into a full sprint, his powerful legs shaking the room, his huge fist cocking back to deliver the death blow.  Zachariah stood his ground waiting for the right time; the point when the orc couldn’t stop himself.

Zachariah saw his moment and quickly reached down grabbing the table edge and pulling it up in front of himself, just in time to meet the orc’s massive fist.

Zachariah saw an orange light, then blackness.

Big Boom!  The fight has come to its conclusion but questions are left unanswered.  Did Zachariah defeat Vul’ garr?  Was he killed in the explosion?  How much do you hate these cliffhanger endings?

That and more answered next week!

Stranger things: Zachariah’s Trial

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

18(S2E5)-ORC FIGHT!

18

(Season 2, Episode 5)

ORC FIGHT!

The orcs are one of the few remaining creatures of fantasy that, for the most part, only exist on Avalon.  Orcs are larger than humans, the shortest of their race standing at six feet tall.  They have thick green skin that is nearly bullet proof. Their broad shoulders are wide, with heavy set jaws with tusks protruding upward from the bottom jaw. Almost always angry and prone to violent outbursts, they are confined to the ground level of Avalon and only allowed to stay because of their skills at masonry and metal working. By maintaining the bases of the giant towers that stretch above their heads they guarantee their place. Without them, the floating city would have crumbled to dust years ago.

Nevertheless, they are detested by the politicians and kings above them and very rarely do the two civilizations meet.  On the rare occasions that these two worlds collide, it is because the orcs; because their violent tendencies and short tempers make perfect contract killers and strong arms.

It doesn’t help that they are attracted to anything shiny or polished, regardless of its actual value.

Seamus had found and secured one of the biggest, meanest orcs he had ever seen.

The orc’s name was Vul’ Garr.  He stood seven feet five inches tall and was nearly five feet wide.  He had hard piercing red eyes that promised violence.  His head was shaved but for a long black top-knot going down his back.  His body looked as though it had been carved out of wood.

Seamus had to buy two disguise charms from a shifty witch just to get him through the halls undetected.  And even with the two charms, his eyes were still blood red.

Seamus stood at the corner to the hallway leading to the Rognaithe’s room. “Okay, we’re here.  I will get rid of the guards by taking over for them, then, I’ll let you into the room and kill everyone inside.  Did you bring any weapons?”

Vul’ Garr turned his big head toward Seamus and smiled.  “I always have my weapons with me.”

Vul’ Garr flexed his hands in front of himself cracking all his knuckles at once.  Seamus understood what he meant.

“You will have to hit me to make it look like I tried to stop you.”  Seamus said.

Vul’ Garr grinned again his tusks making him look distorted and ugly.  “Not a problem.”

Seamus nodded, still worried about using the beast.  He had always found them to be unpredictable wild cards when it came to the job, but this was his father’s wish.

Seamus walked out around the corner and the two nexs standing guard nodded to him with a smile.  “Hey Seamus, what’s up?”

Seamus waved.  “Shift change fellas, let the druids watch them for now.  Go get some rest.”

The two skinny sorcerers looked at each other.  One adjusted his glasses.  “But we still have an hour on our shift.”

Seamus looked confused.  “Didn’t think you would mind getting off early, but if that’s the way you want it…”

He left it hanging and the nex not wearing glasses laughed it off.  “No, no, they’re all yours.  The forsaken is in the library studying.”

The rule following nex started to protest but was silenced by his partner.  “Catch you later Seamus.”

Seamus waited until the two left his sight then motioned the orc to come forward.

Vul’ Garr strode around the corner and ripped off the charms revealing his hulking true self.

Seamus nodded to him.  “Okay remember, hit me to make it-”

Seamus was unable to finish the sentence as Vul’Garr stepped in and pivoted on his back foot sending his massive fist into the completely unprepared druid.  The blow was explosive, sending Seamus flipping backward through the air twenty feet before crashing into the wall and falling to the stone floor, completely unconscious.

Vul’ Garr grinned maliciously.  “Like I said, not a problem.”

Vul’ Garr then turned to the door, behind which were his targets.

They had no idea what was about to hit them.

****

The door exploded off its hinges and flipped into the room with a crash.  This event happened at the exact same time as Zachariah was taking a drink of is beer.  The resulting surprise made Zach also inhale, sending the beer up his nose.

He began to choke and gag as the lumbering green monster ducked through the door way and entered the room.  It swiveled its head and locked its eyes on Zachariah.  “Are you Zachariah?”

Its rumbling voice was low and full of intent.  Zachariah continued choking, trying to catch his breath.

The thing took a few huge steps toward him.  “Are you Zachariah?”

Zachariah, still trying to catch his breath, managed to speak.  “Um… no?”

The thing seemed to smile but it was hard to tell through his giant upward pointing tusks.  “Wrong answer.”

It cocked its hand back to throw a punch that would end Zachariah in one blow.  Zach grimaced and chucked his beer into the beast’s blood red eyes.  It howled and launched a wild haymaker, but Zach was able to use the distraction and the beast’s sudden lack of sight to throw himself over the counter and into the dining area.

At the same time, the monster’s massive fist collided with the solid oak cabinets, turning them instantly into kindling.  It roared and Zachariah scrambled to his feet. Mary was on her feet now and staring in disbelief.

“What the fuck is that?!”  She screamed at the top of her lungs just to be heard over the creature’s roaring.

Zachariah slid to a stop next to her.  “I’m not sure but I think I made it angry!”

 On cue, the creature smashed the oak and stone counters between it and the dining area.

“I don’t like it when it’s angry!”  Zachariah said and the comment forced Mary lose focus on the creature and narrow her eyes on Zachariah.  “You’re making Hulk jokes?”

Zachariah smiled back at her.  “I love you just cuase you know that was a Hulk joke.”

The creature was not impressed with their romantic cuteness and began to charge, hurling the giant oak table out of its way with one hand.  They turned back as it gained steam, raising both its hands above its head in order to finish the two love birds.

Mary, completely at a loss as to what to do, turned and hit the beast to the face with a right cross.  The blow had thunderous effect to it and the green giant actually staggered backwards.

Zachariah watched in disbelief and stared at her, confused.  Her reaction mirrored his as she stared at her hand as if it was foreign to her body.

“How did you …” Zachariah began to ask.

“I have no idea.” Mary answered, unable to take her eyes off her fist.

The creature was not giving them time to figure it out.  It picked up a person sized chunk of the counter top that had been destroyed and hurled it with ease, sending it slamming into Mary.

She rolled away as the debris shattered and went everywhere.  Mary’s body came to a stop ten feet away against the far wall.  She was bleeding from her forehead and was not moving.

Zachariah’s eyes narrowed and he turned toward the smiling monster.  “You ugly, son of a bitch!”

Zachariah charged the monster, picking up a chair in both hands and yelling as he swung the object over head into the giants face.

The chair shattered and the monster didn’t even flinch.  Its head just turned toward Zachariah and cracked its neck.

Zachariah frowned at the piece of chair he had left in his hand.  “Okay, so that didn’t work.  Look before Hulk smash puny human, can I at least know why you’re here?”

The creature snarled.  “No.”

“That’s fair.”  Zachariah shrugged.

The creature took a step in his direction and Zachariah winged the stick into the beast’s eye.

It yowled in pain and grabbed its eye staggering and Zachariah saw his opening, leaping onto the beasts back and wrapping his hands around its throat while hooking its legs around its waist.

“Time to go to sleep!”  He said as he applied the choke hold.

The breast however, just shook his head.  Its neck was far too thick and muscular for Zach to even remotely affect it.

The beast just took a deep breath as if frustrated with the stupidity of the maneuver.

“Are you at least feeling a little drowsy?” Zachariah finally asked, pitifully.

The orc reached back, grabbed Zachariah’s shoulder and ripped him off his back, sending him crashing through the oak table and leaving Zachariah in a broken heap gasping for air.  Before Zachariah could do anything but moan, the monster had his neck pulling him up and off his feet, squeezing the very life out of him with one hand.

“Now, you die.” The beast growled.

All hope looks lost for our hero (for lack of a better word).  Will he be able to escape the beast’s grasp?  With his trial a day away, it looks like Zachariah won’t even make it. What has become of Mary?

Find out next time on…

Stranger Things:  Zachariah’s Trial.

TO BE CONTIUED…

17(S2E4)-Find Me An Orc

17

(Season 2 Episode 4)

Find me an Orc.

The slap was loud and echoed in the druid clan-leader’s quarters.  To see it without understanding the situation would have made it look comical; the smaller Aodan slapping the broad and muscle bound Seamus.

To understand Seamus’ relationship with his father made the act anything but.

“Do you realize what you’ve done?!” Aodan spat the words at Seamus in old time Gaelic.

“I’m sorry father.” Seamus replied, regretfully.

“You’re sorry?!  That is your response?  You may have doomed us all.  I told you the Rognaithe could not return alive!”

Seamus frowned, “Father, I don’t understand.  He’s here and he is on trial for murder! Why not just let justice run its course?”

Aodan shook his head.  “You still don’t get it, do you?  This is not about your foolish sister or some dead wards.  The Rognaithe must die.”

Seamus’s look of hurt shifted to one of anger.  “My sister was not a fool.”

Aodan’s eyes narrowed.  “Are you challenging me, boy?  I can assure you, you are not ready.”

Seamus took a deep breath and backed off.  “Alright father, what would you have me do?”

Aodan seemed to consider this.  “I want you to go to the ground level, find me the biggest meanest orc and bring him to me.”

Seamus stared at him.  “An orc?  In the high city?”

Aodan gave Seamus another hard look and Seamus backed down again.  “Yes father your will be done.”

Seamus walked out and Aodan frowned.  He wished he could fill in Seamus, to explain what was going on.  This was not the way Aodan preferred to handle it, but desperate times called for desperate measures.  Aodan knew the true secret of the Rognaithe and it had nothing to do with an ancient wyvern.

The Rognaithe had to be destroyed before he destroyed all of creation.

****

Their room was something to behold.  It was huge and wide open with cathedral ceilings high above them.  To the right was a staircase built along the stone leading to sleeping quarters with three small bedrooms.  The main floor had all the amenities one could ask for; beautiful, comfortable furniture in the living area, a wide and open kitchen area to the right when they entered and a large and old table to dine on between the two.

“This place is an Antique Road Show judge’s wet dream,” Zach muttered as he surveyed his surroundings.

“Get used to it.  You guys aren’t to leave until the trial is over.”  Mel said as he walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer.

Zachariah’s eyes widened.  “You have beer here?”

Mel frowned at him.  “Of course.  What did you think, because we live in a castle we’re all primitives?”

Zachariah shrugged.  “It was a natural assumption.”

Mel found that he couldn’t really argue with that so he just shrugged and said, “Well… we’re not.”

Zachariah began to rifle through the cupboards for a glass and Mel shook his head. “Just drink it out of the bottle.”

Zachariah frowned at him.  “That’s the wrong way to drink it.”

You’re on a floating castle awaiting a trial to begin where, if you lose, you will be killed and you are worried about drinking beer out of a glass?”

Zachariah nodded ignoring his sarcasm.  “Yes, speaking of this floating city, how the hell is it floating?”

“Remember that light in the sky when we got here?” Mel began, taking another drink.

Zachariah smiled as he found a beer glass.  He popped the top and began to pour.  “I do.”

“That is the chamber.  That’s what keeps us afloat and keeps people from seeing us.  Unless, of course, you’re in the city, itself,” Mel continued.  “At the top of the highest tower, they built a room around the light that they call The Chamber.  It has a very special, very old and very deadly spell cast on it that only one person may enter The Chamber at any time.”

Zachariah nodded.  “What happens if a second person enters?”

“Poof, human air freshener,” Mel said with a grin.

Zachariah frowned.  “Congrats.  I think that was the worst possible way you could have said that.  So, the light, what is it?  How does it keep the city afloat?”

Mel shrugged.  “It keeps us afloat with magic.  For someone who has been where you have been, it surprises me that you need that explained to you.  As for what it is, some say it’s a direct line to God, others say some super power spell cast at the beginning of time.  Personally, I think it’s a crack where the life force actually touches our world. Anybody who has ever entered the room has seen something different.”

Zachariah thought about that and could vaguely remember a dream about Jim Rockford.  He suddenly wondered if he would see Jim Rockford.  “Have you ever entered the room?”

Mel frowned suddenly, the emotion draining out of his face.  “Every nex is brought to the room on their thirteenth birthday.  It is a rite of passage.  They say it is to see your destiny.”

Zachariah leaned forward, intrigued now.  “Did you?”

Mel nodded.

“What did you see?” Zachariah asked.

Mel forced a smile, but it was empty.  “I haven’t stopped running since.”

“It’s all real.” Mary’s voice broke the surreal moment of contemplation and Zachariah was hit with a ping of guilt, as they had forgotten about Mary.

“That story you used to tell us when you got really drunk, about the ninjas and the dragons, it’s all real?” She questioned.

Zachariah had told about all of these things after a certain amount of alcohol had been consumed.  Everyone around him thought it was a joke.

Mary was now realizing that it was not a joke.

She fell into a chair at the dining table and Zachariah set down his beer and went to her.

“I’m gonna head to the library to work on the case,” Mel said awkwardly, before leaving.

“Look, I’m sorry about all this.”  Zachariah was trying to find the words and Mary turned toward at him with a strange look on her face.

“No, No.  I feel like somehow I should have known.”  Mary said as if confused with her own words.  “I feel like I should have known it was the truth the whole time.”

Zachariah sat down next to her.  “And it is very obvious that you need me, so I’m here.”

The words almost made Zachariah tear up.  He moved in and they kissed, once quick and then a second time, deep.  The kiss had its usual amazing effect on Zachariah, his knees went weak and his body felt tingly.

It was as if he was sharing his life with Mary.  Giving it to her.

****

Mel peeked through the door before he left, watching the exchange and knowing without a shadow of a doubt his original suspicions were dead on.  He frowned and slowly let the door shut before moving past the guards and down the hall to the library.

As usual, Zachariah had gotten himself into serious danger and was completely unaware of it.  Mel tried to shake it off, one problem at a time.

Mary would never get the chance to kill Zach if Mel didn’t find a way to prove he was innocent.

Mary kill Zachariah?  They seem to be so much in love?  What a bummer.  At the end of the day, will any of it matter?  Who will save them from Aodan and his orc assassin?  And what exactly does Aodan mean by ‘the Rognaithe will destroy everything’?

Most of these question answered next week on…

Stranger Things: Zachariah’s Trial.

To Be Continued….