I was asked a while ago to start a section of the website for fan fiction, like we had on the old Pen forums. I can’t do a separate section on the site, but I can start a blog. I’m glad that Flight 29 Downer posted a fan fiction because it reminded me to do this! So…here you go.
Just one request…be fair/constructive with your comments on the writing.
Challenger Black says:
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 11: Preparing for the Games
So the two shook themselves together and tried to focus on what their main goal for that afternoon was, which was to concentrate and push themselves till they felt as ready as they’d ever be to go into these games with a somewhat positive attitude that they’d make it out again. Alive. Staying alive was key. Like many of the Challengers, they started off with a few simple warm-ups like stretching their arms, bending down seeing if they could touch their toes, rolling their necks, standing on one foot while lifting and holding up the other, shoulder strangles, upward stretches, bicep-wall stretches and basically, copying what all the others were doing.
Bobby, while back at Stony Brook had gotten a lot of practice with the daily routine of warm ups so that part wasn’t so much a big deal. It was what came afterward. Once the warm up was finished, they got right to it. From push-ups to sit-ups to crunches to wall sit ups, they kept going and pushing themselves till they were sweating and gasping for air. Luckily, there were assigned dado’s strolling about the gym, offering the Challengers bottles of water when they needed it and after working their butts off for a good hour so far, they needed a nice, cool drink. It’s amazing how delicious water tastes after you’ve been pushing and pushing yourself till your throat’s dry like crazy.
Bobby chugged down that water as if it were his last which really, it might have been. He sighed heavily and kept on drinking. That water was so cool and so refreshing, it quenched his thirst immediately. He gulped down every little drop.
Layra seemed to be handling the whole thing pretty well for someone who wasn’t very sporty (she was more into the arts) but it was her determination really that kept her going and the fact that she wanted to prove not only to herself that she was in this for the long run but to the one man who kept her spirits up…LaBerge. She knew he’d be stopping by sometime soon to check up on them and see how they were doing and she could hardly wait. She told herself she’d work hard and then when he stopped by, she’d have a little break and the two could talk it over and see where they’d go from there. What bugged her most though was wondering when he was actually going to come. Seeing Veego drag him out of the room so fiercely gave her a pretty convinced feeling she wasn’t too happy. What if he took hours in coming? Worse, what if he didn’t show up? At all?
She shook that thought of her head and joined Bobby as he led her over to another arranged section of the gym, where he led them into a large and massive looking room filled with…wooden staves. There were shelves and shelves stacked with wooden staves that looked familiar. That’s when it hit Bobby. The Grand X had been a mixture of games that came from other territories and here, he was gazing upon a room filled with weapons that belonged on Loor’s territory of Zadaa.
Yet here they were, by the hundreds. It looked like the whole idea of “not mixing territories” had just gotten a million times worse than Bobby’s last stay here on Quillan. Not only were they now mixing tunes and songs from Second Earth but by the sounds of it, it seemed like the people here were now taking it all and cramming it all together.
Because they weren’t sure what sort of games they were going to be tackled with, Bobby felt it was only right to rely on his previous encounters and that meant, passing on what he already knew onto his Challenger partner, Layra. He took two of the short wooden sticks off the shelves and led her back out into the gymnasium, where they found a cleared spot to get in some practice. Bobby remembered too well the sort of game they played back on Zadaa. It was like capture the flag where there were two teams and each team was given pegs and it was their opponent’s job to try and knock the colored pegs off.
But Bobby always looked at it as a sick, brutal version of capture the flag. Luckily he’d played before. Too bad Layra hadn’t. She told Bobby games weren’t a very big part of Rorgan culture back where she came from. Art was always the big picture.
But he went ahead and tried showing her all that Loor had once shown him. He thought back to his terrifying duels with Saint Dane and his weeks of grueling, but worthwhile training at the Mooraj Camp, where he’d been specially trained by in his eyes, two of the most valiant warriors, Loor and Alder.
He didn’t think of himself as much of a warrior, not by a long shot but his training had gotten him far and it seemed to pay off. It wasn’t in his nature to whack somebody in the head or take one’s life, in cold blood like Saint Dane had but in the long run, if he and Layra planned on getting out of these events alive, there were no guarantees as to what would happen. To Bobby’s surprise, Layra caught on pretty quickly to how the game worked. Bobby would circle her as she’d watch, and wait for the perfect time to go in for the catch and in no time, she became an acceptable player.
On and on they circled, Layra watching him carefully with keen eyes as Bobby kept his own stave at the ready. He wasn’t going to go easy on her, not when their lives were at risk. But he didn’t have to worry because after a hard hour’s worth of practicing, Layra had officially learned the rules of this version of capture the flag and if that were going to be part of the Great Four, they’d surely have a chance at victory. Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown may have had the muscles and strength but as Loor had taught Bobby time and again, strength wasn’t what made a warrior. Bobby soon learned you needed a lot more than force and power alone. You needed intelligence and that’s where Bobby had had an advantage. He may not have been overly strong, but he used his senses, by smelling, hearing, seeing and feeling where the enemy was and clearly…it paid off.
To hold the makings of a Warrior, you needed to be fast, you needed to think and be ready, you needed to feel for your enemy, hear them, smell them and know where they’re going to strike. And soon, Layra was aware of that. So far, their training was going along quite smoothly. Before moving on, they sat down for a nice, long drink and took time to lay back and relax. But no sooner did they sit down then they were up and at it, all over again. Training alone took long; hard hours which meant breaks were short.
Bobby and Layra then left that portion of the gym and entered another part that was fairly emptier than the other. That was because here, there were no mats or weights or competitors doing push-ups and sit-ups or running laps. This room consisted of what Bobby remembered using during his last stay on Quillan during the Grand X, while playing yet another game of spinney-do, a game that came from the depths of Cloral. The room consisted of ten, large water tanks that stood about ten feet tall. The towering structures were built entirely of some weird rubbery substance so if someone got thrown off, there’d be no shattering bits of glass. The safety and protection of Challengers came first. They walked on over to one of the smaller tanks as Bobby grabbed one of the familiar round air globes and threw one to Layra, while already adjusting his onto his head.
At once, it formed molded perfectly onto his head. Layra caught the globe, stared at it wide eyed, and back up at Bobby, with a “what the heck’s this?” look on her face. He ignored her for a sec and saw not far off was a long drawer where he expected, the people kept the rubbery suits, like they used back on Cloral. Bobby quickly got changed, and brought out a second suit and tossed it to Layra, who stared at the clothes curiously. This was all new and strange to her. In a way, it was pretty alien coming from a territory of rocky mountains and erupting volcanoes and dry, gravelly ground. Her thing was drawing. Her thing wasn’t jumping into a huge, ten foot tall tank to play some weird game with bizarre looking dolphin critters.
“It’s called spinney-do,” explained Bobby, dipping his legs into the water. “Basically, the object is to try and keep yourself on these dolphin like things in here, okay? Just do whatever you can not to fall off, got it?”
“Dolphin what?” she asked, puzzled.
“I guess you’d call them spinney fish,” Bobby told her, slowly lowering himself into the tank. “They might look like your ordinary dolphins. Trust me…they’re not. As soon as you grab onto its back for a ride, they blow up like crazy. Watch, I’ll show you. I’ll warn ya though, I’m not very good. This part of the Grand X, I didn’t do so well in. I lost.”
As Bobby dropped himself into the cool water, the air globe completely covering his head, Layra watched with a look of both fear and curiosity. She could only wonder what this Great Four would bring, and what to expect. Bobby moved his way easily through the water, coming closer and closer to that strange dolphin like creature known as spinney-fish. They sure looked normal, she thought after a long look. But the moment Bobby stopped and grabbed hold of its back and wrapped his legs as best as he could around its stomach, all hell broke loose.
The animal, which clearly hadn’t seen the guy coming, began squirming and wriggling like mad and within seconds, its body was rapidly growing. The one word Layra could think of right then was “blowfish”. And that’s exactly what it looked like. A small, thin dolphin growing and expanding into a huge, terrified blowfish. It rocked back and forth, side to side, desperately trying to get that crazy kid off its back and soon, Bobby was thrown off and slammed right into the rubbery wall. She rushed up and stared in. He turned round, surfaced, took off the globe and sighed.
“See!” he said, still catching his breath. “It’s a lot harder than it looks. Those things aren’t fun. It’s hard!”
“Guess it’s my turn, huh?” she asked, staring blankly into the tank.
Bobby shrugged.
“Yeah,” was his simple answer.
So after seeing and watching Bobby’s go in the tank, she lifted the air globe up onto her head, quickly changed and came back out, headed straight for the tank. Bobby sat down, grabbed himself a glass of water, while waiting for the show to begin. Layra eased herself carefully into the water, somewhat hesitantly at first but shook herself together with a grunt, and jumped in. She glued her eyes onto the target, moved in, held back for a second and then, like a flash of lightning, she charged in. She took the animal completely by surprise by wrapping her legs around its stomach and clutching firmly onto its spine while holding on for dear life. Bobby watched her intently and though he hated to admit it, it was true. Layra was good. Really good. Heck, she was even better than him, that’s for sure.
She held onto that poor beast as if her life depended on it which in reality, it did. Bobby could have sworn she was screaming and shouting, but he couldn’t hear it too well from outside the tank. But she never loosened her firm grip as the animal thrashed about violently, struggling, twisting, turning and writhing, trying to throw this fastened object off its poor back. Layra lasted in that tank for a good ten minutes. Ten minutes! Bobby could hardly believe she’d lasted that long. It was like crazy! Nuts. Pro. He had no idea she’d be that good, but the better they were, hopefully the better off they’d be later on during the games.
As she climbed out, panting heavily, he strolled up to her saying quickly, “You’re pro!”
She smiled and said breathlessly, “Thanks.”
“I didn’t know you were so good in the water,” he commented.
She shrugged and chuckled. “Hey, neither did I? But there’s one thing we’ve got to be happy about. If they’ve got this game you call spinney-do in the Great Four, then we’ll win for sure, right?”
“Let’s hope so,” he answered.
“So…” said Layra with a tired sigh. “What next?”
Bobby looked around, wondering what they ought to try next when an idea hit him. He took Layra by the arm and led her into yet another room, one of the largest of all the rooms of the intertwined gymnasium. It looked like some sort of field with a real dirty ground and bleachers all around as if it were set up to be a stadium or a track field. After a quick look over the place, Bobby took Layra again and led her to the far left side of the place where she was taken into a long row of wooden stalls. And in those stalls were the last thing she expected. Horses. Or at least, they looked like horses and sounded and acted like horses. Well, sort of.
Bobby told her these weird animals were called zenzens and they were like ordinary horses except for one small thing. They had an extra leg joint. He told her about a game called wippen the people of Eelong of another territory played. They took two of the strange horse like animals out, who were actually pretty okay with the whole thing and they were even in for a bit of luck because a few of the other Challengers were just strolling in and agreed to join them. It wasn’t exactly easy playing wippen with only two players. Teammates were definitely key.
Bobby thought for sure, wippen was a great way to build their strength up and whatnot but what really bothered him was the fact that they still had zenzens here on Quillan. They’d had them there before and it looked like they hadn’t gone anywhere. They kept the animals locked up in these old, smelly stalls when they should have been in the warm, deep forests and jungles of Eelong but here they were serving as tools for the upcoming games. Since Bobby’s last stay, he now saw how drastically Quillan had gone ahead and mingled the territories by bringing animals and games and objects all from other destinations.
And they were all here, here on Quillan to be used for the Quillan Games. Blok had now officially crossed the line with fusing together the individual ways of the different territories. He feared this was just the beginning and if what Fourteen said about the rules being changed, then things truly were just beginning. This was only a warm-up.
After a few rounds of wippen in the field like stadium, Bobby and Layra made their way tiredly back to the first part of the gymnasium where they’d first arrived. To wind things up after a long, grueling, tiring day, they ran a couple of laps around the gym and pushed themselves by doing sprints, always getting on each other to keep up or quicken the pace. They hated each other for it but they’d rather spend one whole day working their butts off than have to go through a living hell the next and possibly not make it back out again. That fear alone was enough to keep them going. Fear often does that.
When they’d finally had enough and felt they’d done all they possibly could to prepare themselves for whatever hell they’d face tomorrow, they sat down and took a nice, well deserved break. Both had broken down into a heavy sweat, Layra especially. She may have been a girl and Bobby was surprised at that, seeing as boys usually sweat a whole lot more and a lot more noticeably than girls but what did make sense was in the long run, Layra had pushed herself to the max. Her max. As she sat there, breathing heavily, her eyes slightly watering, Bobby really did think for a second that they had a chance. Layra helped him think that.
If it were him, alone, just Bobby, he would have probably given up the second he walked through those doors. If not that, he certainly wouldn’t have found that extra urge to keep going. Luckily, he’d gotten that extra push from his Challenger partner. And he wasn’t giving up. Not now. This time was different. He had a partner this time. This time he had a real chance which meant the people of Quillan had a chance at regaining and retrieving their lost lives. No…their stolen lives. Their lives weren’t lost. They’d been stolen.
“I’m beat,” sighed Bobby, leaning his head up against the wall. “I don’t know about you, but all I wanna do is sleep.”
“Bobby, I’m worried,” said Layra quietly.
He turned to her and said, “About what? Layra, I’m the one who should be worried, you should have seen yourself today. You were awesome! Really.”
“No, it’s not that,” she said shakily. “I mean…I’m worried for LaBerge. He promised me he’d come and see me today. He said he’d come and see us and see how we’re doing. He didn’t come.” She frowned and stared down at the ground, lost in thought.
“I’m sure he’s alright,” said Bobby, trying to sound hopeful. “He’s probably off with Veego, getting ready for the games tomorrow, right? They’ve got stuff to do. I’m sure he wanted to come. He was probably just too busy, or Veego was all over him, you know? Don’t worry. By the sounds of it, LaBerge really did want to come. I’m sure he would have if he’d been able to.”
She shook her head, whispering, “I just hope he’s okay.”
Bobby put a hand on her shoulder and assured her, “Trust me. He’s fine.”
“But,” she said, thinking it over. “H-he seemed so nervous this morning! Didn’t you see? Bobby, the poor guy was working up a sweat! That sort of stuff just doesn’t happen. Something’s up. I just know it.”
“Yeah,” said Bobby casually. “But still, he’s-”
“Hello, Challengers,” came a familiar voice. Bobby and Layra turned round to see good old Fourteen strolling up to them, just as formally as always. “I assume today went well?”
“I wouldn’t exactly say that,” said Bobby. “It was a pain. Seriously, my whole body feels like it’s numb.”
“I can only imagine,” Fourteen answered. Of course the dado was only a machine. He never got tired or sweaty or out of breath like ordinary people did. “But other than that, your training went well?”
“Actually, it did,” said Layra. “It went a lot better than I expected. I didn’t know we’d get through so much, but we did. Heck, I even think we stand a chance against those two so called champions. Yeah, I’m scared as hell and all, who wouldn’t be? But who says we, you and I Bobby, can’t do something about it? We’re part of the rebellion, right?”
“Yeah,” said Bobby slowly. “But still, those two are monsters. They’re huge.”
“So what?” shrugged Layra, getting all worked up, “We’ve just worked out buts off for the past six hours. I say we have more than just a chance. I think we can actually get this rebellion going! What do ya say?”
“Uh, I dunno,” Bobby argued, unsure of it all. “Sure our training may have gone well and everything but we can’t just go start a huge rebellion right now! We’re not that good, Layra. Yeah, sure, so I won the Grand X. Big deal? You heard those two; the Great Four is ten times worse than the Grand X. And we’re still up against champions. And one, they’re a hell lot bigger than you and I put together and two, they’ve got loads more experience than either of us and they’ve already played the Great Four! Who knows what they’re capable of?”
“I know,” she said softening, “But I really think we have a shot at this. And I think it’s about time we started taking some serious action. Bobby, time’s running out.”
Bobby shot her a look that read, “Uh, are you nuts?”
Layra turned to Fourteen and asked him, “Is there any possible way for us to speak with the people of Rune, and the rest of Quillan? I think it’d be a good idea to talk to them first and give them an idea of who we are and let them in on what this whole rebellion’s about. We got to let them know one way or another. And if we wait too long, we’ll be too late. Bobby, I know you might not agree with this but, if we don’t make it out of this, well, they’ve got to at least know what this rebellion stands for.”
Those words hit Bobby hard. She had a point. If they came out of this Great Four unsuccessful, which he hated thinking; the citizens at least had the right to know what these two Challengers along with LaBerge were planning on releasing. A revolution against Blok. A revolution to take back Quillan and its stolen past.
“I agree with what you’re saying and all,” said Bobby. “But, still…”
“The means are very simple,” Fourteen explained to her. “Communicating with the people of Rune will allow the entire territory to see you. You’ll be broadcasted up on the screens of the televisions throughout Rune and there, you’ll be able to say whatever you wish. Be aware though that Veego and her trustees back at Blok will realize what you’re doing. Keep that in mind. Wherever they are, they’ll see this.”
“Hey!” said Bobby, suddenly realizing something totally out of the ordinary. “I thought you’re a dado. I thought dados weren’t supposed to reveal stuff like that?”
“We’re allowed to reveal things to a certain extent,” said Fourteen. “I have been specially assigned to your needs, Challenger Red and if your wish is to go live to the people of Rune, I cannot argue against that. Like I’ve said, the rules have changed and perhaps that means I myself have changed. I am not too sure what that alone means, but I am willing to assist you in whatever it is you wish to achieve.”
“Oh.” That was…strange. He wasn’t expecting that.
“Alright then,” said Layra. “Let’s go.”
“Wait,” said Bobby quickly. “Are we absolutely sure about this?”
Layra took a deep breath and answered confidently, “You bet.”
Bobby shook his head doubtfully and replied, “Alright…I’m in.”
Not long after they’d left the gym, they found themselves entering a small, dull looking office. There wasn’t much color in this place. At all but it wasn’t too much of a shock, seeing as the majority of Quillan had gone from being a once ordinary, colorful place to a dull gray world. The walls were gray, no surprise and the picture frames that hung high along the gloom of the walls were, yeah, either gray or black and white. There was a long, wide desk in the room with a stack of papers, a telephone, a lamp and what looked like some sort of microphone like they used at school in the PEA system to broadcast daily announcements. That’s what Bobby thought of, anyway.
Fourteen led them over to the desk, gestured to the microphone like device, saying, “This, is how they get through to the people of Rune. This allows the communication to run evenly throughout the entire city that way everyone, no matter where they are, will be able to turn to the nearest television and watch. All televisions, if you don’t already know are equally connected.”
“So this is what they used to screen the Tato matches?” asked Bobby.
Fourteen nodded. “Yes it is.”
“Can you hook us up to it?” asked Layra, staring at the device curiously. “Do you know how to use it?”
“I am a dado,” said the robot plainly. “I am very good when it comes to machinery. I should know.”
For a second, Bobby wondered what he meant by that but then it hit him like a rock on the head. Fourteen was a machine. Of course he’d be good with that sort of stuff! It was all cut and dry stuff to him. He dug through a few wires, pressed a button or two, flipped a switch here and there and tadaa! They were all set to go. He’d made the whole thing look as easy as counting one, two, three but as Bobby’s eyes looked over the complicated looking device wired up to the microphone and all those weird shaped keys, knobs, buttons and switches, his head began to hurt. No way could he have ever figured out something like that. Machines and wirings weren’t exactly his thing.
“You have now been connected,” said Fourteen.
“So…we’re on the air?” said Layra, sounding somewhat nervous.
“Yes,” Fourteen answered. “You’re on the air and everyone in the streets of Rune can now see you. This is live.”
“Wait, they can see us?” Layra exclaimed. “You mean like, right now?”
“Yes,” was his simple answer.
For a moment, Bobby thought she was going to somehow lose her cool and freak out but she casually strolled up to the little microphone, took a breath and said clearly, “Greetings, to the citizens of Rune and people of Quillan.” Bobby got the idea she was ready for action and quietly stepped up beside her. He figured he’d let her start things off. Fourteen meanwhile, stood off to the side, watching them with as much curiosity as a robot could show which really wasn’t very much. The people of Rune weren’t expecting to hear from two of the Challengers let alone would they be expecting to hear from a dado named Fourteen. This was all very surprising, unpredicted and much unexpected.
Meanwhile, all throughout the streets of Rune, television screens were coming alive. Everyone stopped and looked up, full of curiosity and even with a touch of fear. They saw two faces. One was of a sixteen year old girl with shoulder length brown hair, brown eyes who wore a black sweatshirt with diagonal yellow stripes. They knew what those shirts meant. Challenger. The other was a boy about the same age and he wore a red sweatshirt, only his stripes were black. Suddenly, all who’d been walking now stopped to take a look at what the heck was going on. Nothing like this had been scheduled to go on the air.
“Challengers?” asked one woman, puzzled. “W-what do they think they’re doing?”
“Giving a speech, I’ll say,” a man suggested. “What else would it be?”
“Aren’t those two the ones going up against those champions?” blurted a little girl. “Challenger Red and Challenger Black. Those must be them! Look!”
Challenger Black says:
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 12: The Revolt Against Blok
“Hello to everyone!” said Layra, her voice amplifying. “As you can see, my partner and I are Challengers for the upcoming games in the Great Four tomorrow. My name’s Layra and I’m Challenger Black and this is my partner, Bobby, Challenger Red. As most of you may already know, Challenger Red has been here before, where he played in the Grand X and if any of you don’t already know, he succeeded. Now if you’re wondering why we’re here and what we’re up to, well…we’re going to tell you. Challenger Red and I are about to compete in the Great Four and our plan is to overthrow these two champions but I need to ask something from you all in return. Please…please do not vote for Challengers Gray and Brown.”
She paused for a moment, then went on.
“If you’re tired of these games, if you’re tired of your constantly controlled lives and want it brought to an end, please, vote for us. We’ll do all we can to free you from these deathly games but we need to know all of you are behind us and that you’re here to support us…as a team. We’re part of a rebellion. A rebellion against Blok. Please, our time’s running out. The games are tomorrow and if you want to join this revolution, please, start taking action. Or as much action as you can.”
The people watched curiously, as if their eyes were glued to the screens.
“Do whatever you can, protest or even better, join our rebellion and stand with us! We can’t do this alone. We need all of you if we stand any chance in triumphing. We need you to change your votes, now, or as soon as possible. As soon as we’re done with the Great Four, our next step will be overthrowing Blok and banishing the Quillan games…for good! Stand with us people! We can do this! Those two champions are working with Blok, not against! Believe us, stand with us and I promise you…a rebellion will begin!”
While Layra carried on with her speech, the people of Rune were slowly being drawn to her and her strongly spoken words. At first, it was only a couple of people cheering and rooting her on but the longer she went on, the more hyped up the crowd became and soon, all throughout Rune…people were cheering and screaming their heads off for Challenger Black and Challenger Red and were chanting, “Down-with-Blok, down-with-Blok, down-with-Blok!” and “Red, Red, Red, Red!” and “Black, Black, Black, Black!” Many of them at this point were booing at the champion Challengers, Brown and Gray, shouting, “Down-with-Gray, down-with-Gray!” and “Down-with-Brown, down-with-Brown!”
Signs had been made showing the trustees of Blok with a red circle around it and a slash through the middle. Some seemed angry, not toward the two Challengers, but toward Blok and they were now opening up and showing the anger they’d built up inside them for all this time. After all that time and after how long they’d been caged inside, it was all slowly starting to pour out. They chanted and chanted, waving their arms in the air while marching down the streets in long lines, shouting just as loudly.
A riot had begun and the start of a growing rebellion had begun with it. The word was finally getting out there and it was all because of Layra. And Bobby of course, threw in a few words of his own. But he let Layra take care of the whole thing, seeing how confident she felt and he could tell just by the look in her eye that she meant business. He may not have felt overly comfortable with the whole idea but she sounded pretty sure of herself so he figured he ought to let her do what she needed to do. Besides…it seemed like they had the crowd on their side.
“So it’s official,” said Bobby after Layra’s speech. “We’ve got a second chance at taking back Quillan.”
“You’ve got a second chance,” she corrected with a smile. “And I’m gonna help you. Just like LaBerge is going to help the both of us. It’s all coming together Bobby. We’ve got a shot at this, now that the word’s gotten out there.”
“So, the rebellion’s begun?” asked Bobby.
“It has so begun,” said Layra with a confidant smile.
“Shhhh!” said Bobby suddenly, staring out the window.
“What?”
“Oh, crap!” he said quickly. “We gotta hide. Get under the desk!”
The two hurriedly and in a panic, scrambled under the office desk and tucked their heads in their knees, trying not to make a sound or even a peep. Bobby noticed Fourteen was no longer in the room which meant he must have left some time ago. Question was…where had he gone?
“Who’s there?” Layra whispered.
Bobby clamped his hand over her mouth without a word, and shut his eyes and he had a dam good reason to because into the office came Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown. And they looked pissed. No, they were pissed. Anyone could tell just by staring them in the eye for a solid second.
“What the hell are they doin!” roared Gray furiously. “Goin’ live on television. What’s that all about?”
Brown clenched his teeth, shouting, “I’ll kill ya! Why don’t ya come on out here and see how brave you think you are, huh? Why don’t you show yourselves, you cowards!”
“Come on,” said Gray with a grunt. “We got work to do. Don’t worry, we’ll cream em’. You mark my words…they’ll get theirs.”
“You dam bet we will,” said Brown smugly. “Overthrowing the champions? Yeah…we’ll just see about that.”
A moment later, Layra asked, “Are they gone?” She made sure to speak no louder than a whisper, in fear of them still lurking around.
“I think so,” Bobby whispered. “Hold on, I’ll check.”
Layra sat there waiting while Bobby cautiously lifted his head up, took a quiet, cautious look around the room and sighed with relief saying, “They’re gone.”
“I should have known they’d come after us,” she said shakily. “We gotta be more careful.”
“Gee, you think?” said Bobby sarcastically. He wasn’t trying to sound rude but they’d just been seconds away from being pulverized by two totally pissed guys who probably would have knocked them right into next week or even worse…might have killed them.
They then decided they’d walk around the castle for a bit and try and cool down, if that were even possible. Right now their heads were someplace else while skipping ahead a few hours into what the Great Four would have to offer. Life or death. It was either or. No in-betweens. Bobby had already gone through the Grand X, from spinney-do to the Clown Forest and worst of all…the terrifying Tato match that took you high off the ground on a terrifying, rickety stadium that titled and rocked back and forth, always trying to throw you off balance. If you were thrown off, you were gone and fell into a hole of darkness. And that was the end of you. Game over. He never imagined himself having to go through it all again, yet here he was…one day away from entering yet another day of misery and hell.
“Yay…lucky me,” he thought glumly.
They’d been walking for no more than half an hour when they saw a little robot strolling their way. It was Fourteen. He’d come back.
“Where’d you go?” demanded Bobby. “You just took off on us and-”
“You two must come with me,” he interrupted formally.
“Wait…what?” asked Bobby.
“You’ve been called to the company of Blok. I will take you outside and from there; you’ll be driven to their office. I am sorry to give you this news so unexpectedly but even I was not aware they wanted to see you but it appears they do. It is my duty to inform you so.”
“Oh…” said Layra, and stopped dead in her tracks. She knew exactly what the reason was but didn’t want to admit it. Their speech. No…her speech. From the beginning, it was her idea to announce to the people what their plans were, not Bobby’s.
“It’s my fault,” she said finally. “You said everyone throughout Quillan would hear that speech, right?”
“Yes,” said Fourteen.
“Then they’ve seen it,” said Layra with finality. “They’ve heard it. They know about the rebellion.”
“Great!” groaned Bobby. “Now we’re in for it.”
“You must come with me though, “Fourteen told them. “Veego and her trustees are waiting.”
“Wait,” said Layra. “What about LaBerge? Have you seen him at all?”
“I believe he is already there waiting for you,” he answered. “I have the intention he has been with his sister for the past while and I do believe I overheard Veego mentioning something to him about the wagerings, if I’m correct. I am not fully sure of the details.”
“Thank god!” thought Layra, relieved.
Fourteen led Bobby and Layra down to the castle entrance and took them outside where they saw a small black vehicle was parked just by the curb. Out of the driver’s seat came a tall, formally dressed dado. If Layra didn’t know about dado’s, she’d assume he were an ordinary cab driver except however, for its square head. Last time she checked, people didn’t have square heads and most didn’t speak in deep, monotone voices.
“Wait, aren’t you coming?” asked Bobby when he saw Fourteen wasn’t following.
“No,” said the dado. “My job is to stay here at the castle and keep an eye on things. I am sorry I cannot come with you but I’ve been specifically instructed not to leave the grounds. My place is here at the castle.”
“We’ll tell you how it goes,” Bobby told him, stepping into the car with a wink.
Fourteen replied, “I will be waiting. I wish you the best of luck.”
The inside of the car was pretty nice. The seats were made of deep brown colored leather and as they took off into the streets, they saw the car drove smoothly and almost perfectly, barely hitting any bumps in the road which allowed them to just lay back and let their minds drift. But this wasn’t a time to relax. Heck…was there ever a time to relax?
Layra’s mind was swarming. The fact that Veego and her trustees back at Blok had now officially heard her speech and their plan to build a rebellion against them could only mean bad news, especially with LaBerge being with them. She had so many questions. Did they know LaBerge was part of their rebellion? Did they know LaBerge was secretly in love with Challenger Black and hadn’t told his sister anything about it? Had Veego forced LaBerge to reveal the entire thing? Were they going to be dealt with before the games even began?
She only hoped they weren’t of aware of LaBerge’s working with them because if that were the case, they’d probably tear him away from them and that meant they’d have no chance in proving to the people of Rune and all across Quillan…the LaBerge they thought a goof and a sick, clown loving freak was actually working against Blok. Layra knew that would end up being one thing they’d have to prove. This wasn’t just her and Bobby’s own little rebellion to take down Blok and the Quillan Games but it was LaBerge’s own personal rebellion against his sister. His own blood…his own family.
On and on they drove though the busy, crowded streets, past the towering trees overhead and soon, into a place where the trees began thinning and widening out into nothing but city….a large, busy, and even hectic city. The dado drove for another five minutes or so till he abruptly pulled the car up close to the curb and said formally, “We’ve arrived.”
The dado opened the door for them. Bobby and Layra stepped out into the sunlight let their eyes adjust for a second and stared up at the imposing building. It was massive, as Bobby now remembered. It was pretty much like your ordinary skyscraper, a dark gray color with a sign way up there in deep silver lettering that read simply, Blok. He never imagined he’d be standing here, for a second time, gazing up at the impossibly large structure, a place that held a controlling grip over the hopeless territory.
The dado led them right up to the building through a revolving door and into what Bobby now recalled first seeing during his trip here. A giant lobby. It must have been at least three stories high. All around them were the same words, Blok. It must have been written ten times as they walked along, observing this huge, impressive place.
But they weren’t observing for long because they were soon led into a round elevator with the dado, and were now on their way up to Veego and her awaiting trustees. The elevator soon came to a sudden stop, the doors slid open, and the dado gestured for them to keep moving. They stepped out and were taken to one of the largest rooms with a tall gray door with those same letterings that spelled out the infamous word, Blok.
“Inside,” the dado commanded, opening the door professionally.
Bobby and Layra exchanged one nervous glance…and stepped inside.
GOCLORAL says:
Uhhh…. why did you rewrite the whole chapter?
GOCLORAL says:
Sorry didn’t see the “sequel” part
Hallaman10 says:
The events after book 10 pt 1
Bobby looked at Courtney the girl who had been his source of insiration for years and smiled with the pure happiness he hadnt felt in years. They had just finished going through the journals from his youth brought to him by the fimiliar stranger, Bobby finally figured out who it was but he always had fun keeping Courtney in the dark so he didnt say anything. Then after the final story ended he only had 1 thing to stay, “How the hell am I still alive”. Courteny looked at him and said ” becuase thats the way it was meant to be you idiot”. That answered the question alright that was basicly his mantra through his whole adventure through time and space. Even though he was happy to have relived his past adventures it also made him relise were he would be going, back to the place where all life began, the starting point for Halla. Where everything that has been, is and ever will be is observed by the spirits of man kind. He would soon be a spirit and reunited with his best friend Mark Diamond, he had died of a heart attack a few years back so Bobby was enthralled at the hope of seeing him again. Of course Courtney would soon follow be following him she was no spring chicken either. She leened down to his ear and said something like she was almost reading his mind. “Say hi to Mark for for me” and kissed him one last time and she left the hospital room. He laid back and did nothing but think about the place known as Solara. Next thing he knew, he was face to face with the man who had given him his journals, who had been the reason for those journals being written in the first place and for giving Bobby the chance to live his life again. Uncle Press, they stayed there and just looked at each other for a long time untill Uncle press finally spoke “hey there old man you like the fries”.
Holly says:
@ Challenger Black
Good chapter 12! Like always, it’s AWESOME Challenger Black! How many chapters have you written?!?! 🙂
Challenger Black says:
Thanks Holly!
I’m not sure exactly how many chapters there are, but there are quite a few! 🙂
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 13: The Rebellion is Exposed
It was just as Bobby remembered. A big old office like room with a long, solid black desk with chairs set up on either side and in those chairs sat the trustees. There were ten chairs in all; ten trustees in total and it was then, staring out at those ten chairs…that he recalled Saint Dane sitting there. He’d taken the identity of a man named Mr. Kayto and as far as the other trustees knew, he was the real Mr. Kayto. Little did they know this was anything but true. But there was no Mr. Kayto amongst the waiting trustees.
This could only mean two things. Either Saint Dane wasn’t here or he’d taken the form of one of the other trustees in this room which in that case, meant he’d killed one of them or they’d been dead for some while. The only question remaining was if Saint Dane was in fact present…which trustee had he taken the form of?
Bobby looked to the very end of the table, where a man no older than thirty sat, staring ahead. The man’s black hair was cut short, and like the others, he wore a gray, formal suit. His eyes were small and beady, and hardly seemed to blink. It was then that Bobby noticed the man was staring directly at him. That alone, told him everything. Saint Dane had once again slithered his way in with the trustees. Saint Dane might not have made much of an appearance so far, but even so…he was still part of the action.
Veego meanwhile, stood at the far end of the desk with her arms crossed and a cold glare in her eyes. And next to her stood her brother, LaBerge.
The poor guy was licking his lips and trying to look as professional as possible but after Layra’s recent speech, anyone could see that the guy was terrified. But this time, he wasn’t wearing rich, colorful clothes like he normally did. Here, he looked professional, like a mirror image of his sister. He wore a simple gray blazer, with gray pants and black shoes but what stood out from all of that was the rainbow, polka dotted bow tie. Typical LaBerge.
Layra saw that Veego was whispering something to one of the trustees and quickly, she looked to LaBerge and gave him a confident smile. He nodded and gave her a weak smile back. He might have been nervous, but he was still holding on.
Veego saw this and nudged him roughly in the shoulder with a “Don’t even think about it!” look in her eyes. LaBerge flinched and nodded fretfully. So much for Veego not seeing. Layra figured that woman must have had eyes in the back of her head and kept them fixed onto her brother’s every move. The poor man was like a dog on a leash.
The trustees then turned their attention to Bobby and Layra. One of them, one of the older women, rose from her seat with a gesturing smile and said, “Please, take a seat.”
Of course Bobby and Layra didn’t want to sit down whatsoever, but really, they had no choice. Strolling over, they took a seat, wondering how much trouble they’d be in and what sort of punishment or price they’d have to pay. This could be it. This could very well be the end. Had their training all been for nothing? Were they going to be executed one day too early? Were they even going to get a shot at playing in the Great Four? They were about to find out.
“So,” one said casually. “Looks like you two have really been raising the stakes.”
Bobby and Layra kept quiet.
“Don’t think we don’t know about your little speech,” added another. “We heard everything. What is it you two are planning? A rebellion against Blok? Is that what you called it?”
“Uhh…” said Layra, caught up in her own words. LaBerge watched her with saddened eyes and an unmistakable frown. The guy was just as troubled as she was.
“Look,” said one of the younger women with mock kindness. “We admire your strong choice of words, but you two can’t possibly believe you’re capable of building a revolution, let alone, overthrowing a well organized and well established company that’s been in the making for nearly ten years now! This must be a joke you two are putting on for the crowd, am I right? Is this some well planned game you two are playing?”
Bobby and Layra said nothing.
“These games,” one man continued. “Will carry on till Quillan itself has fallen and crumbled. What we have started is beyond unstoppable and we will not stop this Great Four simply because you two believe you’re capable of throwing together a so called rebellion. And speaking of the games, I assume you two are prepared and ready for tomorrow’s events?”
“We aren’t giving up!” Layra blurted out. “The people of Rune and all of Quillan are already catching onto your little act! It’s only a matter of time till the rebellion begins and when that time comes, we’ll be there.”
LaBerge stared Layra straight in the eye, his eyes gleaming with obvious pride. He may have been scared but knowing she wasn’t going down without a fight gave him that burst of hope he needed. Checking to see that nobody was looking, he gave her a quick thumbs up. Challenger Black was back in the game.
The trustees however, didn’t seem too bothered or concerned with her statement. They shrugged casually and murmured to one another before continuing.
“Challenger Red,” said a woman, with long, shiny black hair. “Do you recall what happened during your last stay here on Quillan?”
“Uh…yeah,” he said. How could he forget?
“Mr. Pop,” she said with no emotion. “Gone. Destroyed. He’s just a memory now and-”
“Didn’t you see the people out there!” Layra argued, losing her cool. “They were cheering and rooting us on and they were booing for Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown! They’re now part of this rebellion. You can’t change that! They know what’s going on and they’re more than ready to get going on anything!”
“We’ll see,” she said, sounding bored. She, just like the others, felt no threat or intimidation from Layra’s bold outbreak.
“I’ll bet they’ve already started changing their votes,” Layra continued.
“Ahh, you’re right,” said Veego with her usual grin. “Over three quarters of Quillan have changed their votes from being in favor of Challengers Brown and Gray to you two, Challenger Red and Challenger Black. The numbers are rapidly increasing. In fact, we’ve been keeping a close watch over the wagerings and it seems like you two are in heavy favor of overthrowing these two. Tell me…how does that make you feel?”
“I already know we can do this,” said Layra surely. “And once this is over, the rebellion will be taken to the next step.”
“Oh?” said Veego, amusing her. “Whatever you say then.”
“You two have had a great impact toward these people,” said another trustee. “You must have quite the confidence if you believe you can simply overthrow two of our greatest champions? Two of Quillan’s greatest champions.”
“Yes!” snapped Layra. “Bobby made it through the Grand X and now I’m here to prove we can make it through just as well in this Great Four. We’re so ready for this.”
Bobby, on the other hand, somehow doubted this. He still believed he was going to get his ass kicked, whether they won or not. It was going to be one hell of a ride, however he looked at it.
“You do know,” said Veego smugly. “That by your little inspiring speech, you’ve just placed the entire territory in great peril and you’ve basically death threatened them all. Not only will you two meet your end but over seventy percent of the entire territory will be right there with you. What’s your opinion on that?”
“We’re not going to lose!” snapped Layra furiously. “Bobby and I are more than ready for this! He did beat your previous challenger didn’t he, Challenger Green? And he can do it again. We’re up for whatever it is this Great Four is all about. Trust me on that. Once this rebellion’s over, there’ll be nothing left of your little games! The people will be free to do as they please! It’s only a matter of time.”
Three of the trustees shook their heads, chuckling lightly and turned their attention to LaBerge, who hadn’t yet said a word. He stood still as a statue, licking his lips and trying not to look like he was working up a nervous sweat, which he clearly was. All eyes were on LaBerge, the suspicious eyes of those of the trustees, the glaring eyes of his cold sister, Layra’s eyes staring worriedly into his own and Bobby’s, who seemed to assure him he’d get through this. Question was…would he?
“LaBerge,” said one of the trustees. “What’s your say on the whole thing? Surely, my friend, you must have something you’d like to say? You’ve been awfully silent.”
“I, uh…well, you see,” he said, gasping for air. He stopped in his words, sniffed and turned to Veego who glared him straight in the eye. He gulped, gasped lightly and continued, “Yes, certainly. What you’ve said is absolutely right, most definitely. You’re, uh, absolutely right and I, uh, couldn’t agree more. Of course.”
He frowned at Layra, who sighed and shook her head in defeat.
Another trustee, Mr. Ferrick, as Bobby then realized was Saint Dane, threw in, “And if I may add, sir, Veego has informed us of your acting very peculiar and strangely over the past while. Would you be so kind as to let us in on what that’s all about? What’s on your mind, friend?”
LaBerge looked each of them over, and hesitated. He cowardly turned away, not wanting to answer.
“Speak!” barked Veego, clenching her teeth. “What’s been on your mind?”
LaBerge whimpered quietly and shook his head with a groan.
“My dear brother,” said Veego, forcing a phony smile. Layra kept her eyes fixed on Veego, doing all she could to stay where she was and not run over and strangle the women. She could see, just by the grin on Veego’s face that she loved watching her brother flinch. “What seems to be troubling you? Please…tell us. We’re all dying to know.”
“I was merely helping these two Challengers out,” he explained, pulling himself together. “Helping them train for the games and offering my personal assistance and whatnot. I thought it would be interesting to see what exactly these two were going up against, is all. I had to make sure they were in tip top shape for the games!” And here he threw in a warm, bubbly smile, hoping they’d fall for it.
Veego stared at him coldly for a moment, then grinned. Bobby could see satisfaction in that grin which meant LaBerge had just gotten through to her. He’d done it.
“Well done, brother,” she said, patting him on the back. “I never knew you cared so much.”
“Ah, yes, well,” he agreed, playing along with it. “I do like to treat my guests with the most proper respect. You know me. Nothing but the best for challengers!”
“And because you care for these Challengers so much,” she went on. “My trustees and I would be honored in handing the job of escorting those who’re unsuccessful in this upcoming event, the losers as we prefer to call them…to the very place of execution.”
LaBerge’s eyes widened. He cried, “W-wait! You don’t mean the…NO!”
“Yes,” said Veego, finishing the sentence. “The Black Forest. We’re handing this most important job over to you seeing as you’re so fond of these Challengers and the games. You’re to escort those who’ve been defeated; along with all those who placed their wagerings on them, to the Black Forest no later than one day after, you understand? As soon as the Great Four is done with, I’d like you, along with a gathered army of dado’s to go around, collect the losers and the following day bring them to the Black Forest. I believe that’s simple enough, is it not?”
LaBerge flinched, not liking where this was going. The idea alone was horrifying.
“And besides,” Veego continued. “It’s about time you started offering us some real help, instead of hopping around with a clown’s smile on your face. Here I’ve been working night and day with these wonderful men and women, observing the wagerings and preparing for the Great Four while you’ve been strolling around the castle getting them ready, you say? My brother, you’re going to have to do a hell lot more than that if you expect to keep your position. This is serious business. What we accomplish here is no joke. You’ve got no time to be lazing around acting like an overzealous buffoon! Get your act together. It’s time you stepped up your act.”
“P-perhaps we could hand this job to someone else?” he suggested shakily. “I…don’t think I’m exactly right for this job and-”
“Of course not,” said Veego, glaring him straight in the eye. “You’ll be just fine.”
“Y-yes,” he said, shaking his head anxiously. “W-whatever you say.”
Layra then saw him turn away while Veego was murmuring something to one of the trustees. His eyes were shut tight and tears were trickling down his cheeks. The guy was a mess. He could barely hold himself together, let alone keep himself from crying. He wiped them away quickly and turned back, the red noticeable in his eyes.
“I suppose that’s it then,” sighed Veego. “You two are free to leave.”
“Wait,” said Bobby quickly.
Veego turned to him.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Can’t you tell us anything about this Great Four?” he asked, hoping for a yes. “There’s gotta be something you can tell us, a little hint, or a clue? You haven’t told us much yet.”
The trustees shared unsure looks, then nodded in agreement.
“Well,” said one. “We can’t exactly let you in on what sort of challenges you’ll be faced with, but we can tell you what one of our games are called.”
“That’s stupid!” shouted Bobby. “How’s a silly name going to be any help? I meant could you explain one of the games or even tell us some of the rules?”
“That we can’t do,” said Mr. Ferrick answered, smiling. It took everything inside Bobby not to march over and strangle the guy. He knew Saint Dane well enough, and knew he loved nothing more than watching Bobby battle his own anger. “That would ruin the fun of it being a surprise. Do you wish to know the name or not?”
Bobby sighed and grumbled, “Fine.” He figured knowing something was better than knowing nothing at all.
“It’s called Draygith.”
“Draygith…that’s it?” asked Bobby.
“That’s it,” said Veego simply.
“Gee, thanks,” he murmured. A name of a game wasn’t going to get them very far.
And with that conclusion, Bobby and Layra left the office and were escorted out by two dado’s, who took them outside where they saw the black car parked there, waiting to take them back to the grand castle. They hopped inside and shut the doors and at once, the driver hit the gas…and they were off.
“So that’s why he couldn’t come and see us,” said Layra quietly. “Him and Veego were there all afternoon.”
When they got back to the castle, Bobby saw his little robo friend, Fourteen, formally waiting there to greet them. They stepped out of the car and Bobby strolled up to him.
“How was it?” Fourteen asked.
Bobby sighed tiredly, saying, “Long day. All I wanna do is sleep.”
“That is understandable,” said Fourteen. “I expect you two will be wanting to march straight up to bed.”
Bobby just nodded and hurried by, desperate to jump into bed. Layra followed behind Fourteen, her mind still swarming with questions and worries about what tomorrow would bring for her and her Challenger partner. Did they really stand a chance against two undefeated champions and did they have enough backup for their rebellion to actually take down a company as powerful and successful as Blok?
For now, she could only wonder but by some time tomorrow…she’d soon find out.
Bobby went straight up to his room, changed out of his Challenger shirt and into a warm, cozy pair of pajamas and jumped into bed. Man, was it ever nice to be in bed! He wished he could just stay there all day tomorrow and not have to worry about the possibility of being killed by two champions in a series of games called the Great Four. He couldn’t help but stare up at the ceiling, lost in thought, wondering how much harder this Great Four actually was compared to the Grand X, which alone, was nowhere near easy. Not even close. It still surprised him that he’d walked out victorious…though Saint Dane played a role in having that happen.
And how similar was the Great Four in comparison with the Grand X? Were the games simply taken from other territories like Zadaa, Cloral, Eelong and perhaps Denduron? And it was right then that a horrid thought came to him. If these games were in fact being mixed and mingled together worse than how they’d been with the Grand X, were him and Layra going to be locked up in a huge arena with a massive, hungry, killing machine bear-quig till they were ripped to shreds? Is that what this whole thing was going to come down to? Their being eaten alive? He shivered and pushed that thought out of his head.
Layra, meanwhile, was having just as hard of a time nodding off. All she could think about was the Great Four, Challengers Gray and Brown, Blok, Veego, the trustees and above all…LaBerge. She hadn’t seen him leave the office earlier so she could only assume he was still there, probably with Veego and the trustees, discussing whatever they discussed on a daily basis. She rolled over onto her side, gazed out the window for a long moment…when there came a knock at the door.
When she got up and turned around, listening carefully…there came a second knock.
She got up, walked over to the door and cautiously opened it, wondering who it was. When she saw who it was…her eyes lit up.
“You’re here?” she said with a smile. “I thought you were back at the office?”
LaBerge smiled weakly and whispered, “No. Veego and I were told to come back to the castle. We’re hosting the games, after all.”
“Can you come in?” she asked quietly. “Would anyone know?”
“As long as we’re quiet,” he whispered. “I don’t think Veego will find out.”
So with that, he stepped inside and Layra, as quiet as she could, closed the door.
The two walked over and sat side by side on the edge of the bed. Layra could hardly believe LaBerge was here. She was starting to worry that she’d never get to see him before the games but he was here, sitting beside her. It was just him and her. Finally, they could have some alone time, together. All day she’d been waiting to be with him, to hear his loving support and encouragement and now after hours of nonstop, tiring training, they could lay back and relax. Or try to, at least. But Layra noticed how quiet LaBerge seemed. He just sat there, staring down at the ground in a trance, which got Layra worrying.
She slid a little closer to him and laid her hand on top of his own. He met her gaze and whispered uneasily, “I’m scared for you, Layra…”
She frowned and tried putting on a smile, but found that wasn’t so easy.
“It’s okay,” she said softly. “Bobby and I’ll be alright. We’re all trained and ready for whatever games they’ve got scheduled and-”
“No, it’s not that,” he said shakily. “If you and Bobby don’t win, then…-” and the poor guy just couldn’t take it. He dropped his head in his hands, letting the tears come flooding out of his eyes. Layra didn’t need to finish the sentence. She already knew where he was going with it. She didn’t know what else to do other than to wrap her arms around him and nuzzle her head into his chest.
She told him, through heavy breaths, as if fighting her own doubts, “We’re not going to lose! I promise you LaBerge, we’ll get this rebellion going, save Quillan, and put an end to Blok’s control. I promise you. I’ve gotten a lot more confident over the last few hours, same as Bobby. I’m not sure if he’s with me a hundred percent, but we’re partners. The word’s been spread. All we can do now is wait and hope for the best…okay?”
He nodded, and pressed his head against hers.
“LaBerge, did you hear someone crying last night?” she asked him. “I could have sworn I heard someone out there, but when I looked out…nobody was there.”
He lifted his head, replying softly, “That was me.”
“What happened?” was all she asked.
“Veego called me to her office,” said LaBerge. “She told me all about how she saw me barge out of the Rune Dance and it was then she told me she knew something was up. I tried to hold back from crying but I just couldn’t. And worse…she did catch the two of us together. She checked over every dance room. I should have known. Then she told me how she wouldn’t for a second accept anyone to even consider backfiring against her and her trustees. Layra, I think she knows about you and me and I think she knows we’re…”
“In love?” she asked.
LaBerge nodded, staring at the floor.
“Maybe you could stay here tonight?” she suggested.
He looked up, and told her, “It’s risky. If Veego happened to come by and see this, well, I’d be doomed. But I’m pretty sure the odds of that happening are slim. Nobody’s allowed to come barging into a Challenger’s room, not even a dado unless they’ve been called by the Challenger themself. I’m pretty sure we’re safe.”
So with that, LaBerge agreed to sleep with Layra that night. It eased her mind a whole lot, knowing the man she loved was right there next to her, her nuzzled up into his chest while his arms, like a blanket, were wrapped around her.
As she lie there, gazing at LaBerge, who was already fast asleep and snoring softly, she couldn’t help think he was the most caring, loving and funnest guy she’d ever met, with a hilarious sense of humor and an adorable taste in fashion; his striped shirts, his polka dotted robes and rainbow colored bows and ties but what Layra couldn’t get enough of was the hair. Sure, it did look as if he’d stuck his finger in a toaster, explaining the wacky, wild hairstyle but that’s what she loved about it. On most days, his hair was like that with every stand sticking in all directions and whichever way she looked at things, one thing was certain…she was madly in love with LaBerge. She was madly in love with this hilariously funny, polka dotted clothes wearing, emotional, clown-loving goof. And nothing would change the fact and truth that she was in love. All her life, even as a young girl she’d wondered if she’d ever find a man but she never really did think she’d find someone. She’d been so independent, always doing things on her own, but never had she fallen in real, genuine love. Yet here she was, crazy in love.
Sure, no one else would have thought LaBerge to be the romantic sort or even the “cute” sort, but it didn’t matter to her what they thought. They didn’t know the truth and even if they did, she didn’t care what they thought him because really…it made no difference. It didn’t matter if most looked at him as a freak, a nut-job and a guy who dressed like he was five…she didn’t care. She didn’t feel the same way. Where most always looked more the same sort of guy, she’d always wished a more different man, a real unique man who wasn’t afraid to be himself and above all, had a heart. And LaBerge, without a doubt, had a real big one. And with those thoughts in mind, she dozed off.
Only hours later, with the sun starting to rise, casting a warm, orange glow on the city of Rune, LaBerge rubbed his eyes and gazed out the window. It was here…the Great Four. What he and Layra had feared and worried about for the past days…was finally here. There was no turning back. The games were about to begin.
“Please…help Layra survive,” he prayed, hoping for a miracle…hoping for anything that might help Layra get through the Great Four. “Let her and I be together.”
Hallaman10 says:
Wow these are really long but they are really good Challenger Black
Hallaman10 says:
But I really think that the Quillan games were really an open and shut story, I like what you did with it but it just dosnt feel real to me. No offense and please keep going.
Challenger Black says:
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 14: Round One of the Great Four (PART 1)
This was it. Everything they’d ever believed, everything they’d ever fought for, trained for, prepared for was now going to be put to the ultimate test. Today was the day of the Great Four and teammates Bobby and Layra, Challengers Red and Black were going up against two of the greatest champions of Quillan History, Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown.
In these games, there were no second chances or “Oh, can I try that again?” In these games, you either won…or lost. Winning was beyond crucial. If you won, you were spared and you moved on and above all, you were treated like a King, just like all the previous winners of the Quillan Games had been. That was that. If you lost, on the other hand, there was a price to pay and it wasn’t just a few bucks lost or a slap in the face or whatnot. The results were brutal, deadly and unforgiving. Losing meant death. In the Quillan Games and in the Great Four…it was for all or nothing at all.
That morning, Layra woke to find herself in bed, alone. LaBerge was nowhere to be seen which meant he’d already left. Question was…where’d he go? She guessed he’d gone down with Veego to prepare for the upcoming games and finish up any last little bits. The two were the game hosts after all and it only made sense for both to host the games. It was either Veego and LaBerge or nobody at all. Those two did everything together and it was pretty rare you’d see one without the other. They’d been game masters for countless years. They hosted each and every game and whether it was big or small…they worked together.
Waking up without him there gave her that natural “lonely” feeling inside, but she knew she’d see him again sometime during the Great Four where she’d be fighting bloody hard for both hers and Bobby’s lives. As much as she wanted to see him again, she couldn’t accept that she’d possibly be at death’s door or worse, already gone.
She sat in bed for a long moment, letting her mind drift, wondering if she really did stand even a chance against two tall, beefy, husky champions? Was she way over her head by thinking they even stood a chance? What troubled her most wondering if she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life by promising the people of Rune that by wagering on them, not only would their lives be saved…but they’d be one step closer to overthrowing Blok by joining the Blok rebellion.
After thinking long and hard, over and over about what she’d done, her head began to hurt. But she shook that thought out of her head and gave her arms a quick stretch. She changed into her black Challenger shirt with the diagonal yellow stripes. She stared at the shirt, trying to get over the fact that in just a few hours, she’d be fighting for her life. In a few hours, she could be dead, along with Bobby and possibly thousands. The games were about to begin. It was now officially what she referred to it as. Doomsday… and it was going to be an ugly, frightening ride.
Just then, there came a knock at the door. She turned round to see her robotic servant, Thirteen, standing formally in the doorway with his hands by his side.
“Good morning, Challenger Black,” said the dado. “Sleep well?”
Layra shook her head and frowned.
“Not really.”
“Are you ready for the games?” Thirteen asked her.
Layra sighed and said tiredly, “Look, if I said I was, I’d be lying. I’m just…scared. I don’t even know what I’ve gotten myself into. I’m kidding myself. There’s no way I’ll take down two undefeated champions and live to tell the tale and blah, blah, blah. I’m dead! I’m in way over my head and-” she sighed and added, “And I’ve told of thousands of people to vote for Bobby and I! They’re all counting on me and if I fail them, we’re all dead.”
Thirteen said nothing to this.
After a long silence, he then asked her in that monotone voice, “Would you like some breakfast? I believe your teammate Challenger Red will be joining you.”
“I guess,” she said with a shrug.
“Very well,” said Thirteen. “Follow me.”
So Layra went with Thirteen out into the halls, down the elevator, past a few more halls and finally, into that familiar dining room she’d eaten in so many times before at breakfast. The grand table was all set with rows and rows of endless dishes from freshly whipped up pancakes, scrambled eggs, yogurts of all flavors, crispy slices of bacon, toast and enough fruit salad to last for a week. Once again, the meal looked mouth watering.
But Layra wasn’t in the mood to eat. Not even a little. But going into a series of life threatening games on an empty stomach wouldn’t work out so nicely, so she figured having a quick bite to eat wouldn’t hurt. At least, she hoped not.
“What about the other two?” she asked.
“Excuse me?” asked the dado, unclear on what she’d asked.
“Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown!” she said quickly. “Aren’t they going to eat?”
“They have already eaten,” Thirteen replied. “They are waiting outside the castle for you two to finish. I believe they said not to rush and to take your time. I recall them saying they do not mind waiting. Is that satisfying enough?”
“Yeah, whatever,” said Layra flatly. Hearing that her opponents were so little worried about this upcoming event made her want to crawl up in a ball and just forget the whole thing. Unfortunately, that wasn’t meant to be. Whether she liked it or not…she’d have to face those two.
The dado stood there, staring blankly ahead, as if waiting for another question.
“Wait…” she said, suddenly puzzled. “Where’s Veego and LaBerge?”
“Either with Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown,” answered the dado. “Or they’re currently finishing up last adjustments and preparations before the games.”
Layra didn’t really have to ask that. She knew with Veego and LaBerge being the hosts of the games they’d be off doing whatever they did prior to the events, whether it was taking one final look over the wagerings, going over the rules, and so on and so forth. But she’d rather hear the answer from a robotic machine than hear nothing at all.
As she approached the table to take a seat, she saw Bobby was already seated and helping himself to an early breakfast. But unlike the Bobby she’d known over the past while, a fun, easy going, friendly guy, he didn’t look so cheery. His eyes drooped tiredly and even with all that scrumptious food in front of him, he wasn’t much in the mood for anything. He just scooped up his breakfast, began nibbling on a piece of bacon, that same frown never leaving his face. The guy was troubled. Troubled, distressed and scared for life. She didn’t blame him. They were in the same boat, after all.
She quietly took a seat next to him and said, trying to sound casual, “Hey.”
At first, Bobby just kept on chewing. She waited, wondering if he’d ever speak, till he lifted his head and said flatly, “Hey.”
“You ready?”
“No,” was his simple and honest answer. “You?”
Layra shrugged and frowned. “I’ve…been thinking.”
“Yeah?” asked Bobby. “About what?”
“Yeah,” said Layra shakily. “You know, about the whole speech and all.”
Bobby ignored her, staring down at his plate as if he were possessed.
“You think it was a good idea?”
“Good idea for what?” asked Bobby.
“The speech!” she shouted. “Bobby, you do know thousands of people are counting on us? Both of us! If we fail them, if we lose this then we’re-”
“Don’t even start!” snapped Bobby, losing his cool slightly. “It was your idea to set up this little speech anyway. Not mine. I didn’t want anything to do with it but you wouldn’t listen. If you would’ve just kept quiet and let the people vote for those two nut bag champions, if that’s what they are then maybe this wouldn’t be such a big deal. But you’ve changed everything! You should’ve listened to me!”
Layra stared him right in the eye, struggling to get the words out. She thought for a moment, then said angrily, “Look, don’t get all on me like this is all my fault and-”
“But it is your fault!” he argued. “If we lose this, half the people here are going to be killed. How’s our rebellion going to get going then, huh? You expect a great big rebellion to just pop out of nowhere with a couple of survivors and then wipeee! Quillan’s saved! The rules have changed, Layra. People aren’t just taken off by dados and are forced to work. They’re killed! I never thought things could’ve gotten worse than what went on with the tarz.”
Layra sunk her head onto the table and snapped irritably “Just shut up, alright! You’re not making this any easier. I know it was wrong and I shouldn’t have done it but what else could I have done? Those people had no confidence. We had to do something. I wasn’t just gonna sit there and say nothing. That would have done nothing.”
Bobby just shook his head, bit his lip and declared, “We have to win, okay? That’s our only hope now and after what you’ve done, the pressure’s just that much worse. We have to win.”
“Gee, thanks,” she muttered.
“It’s true!” he shot back. “That speech changed everything. Hell, it might have even been Quillan’s second turning point. Who knows?”
Layra sighed and dropped her head on the table. After a long pause, she asked quietly, “Is this really my fault?”
Bobby hesitated, then said softly, “Layra, look, I know you thought it was a good idea encouraging the people of Rune and all and don’t get me wrong, that’s great, but you’ve gotta think of the bigger picture here. We’ve pretty much got a fifty-fifty chance at being killed here. That’s freakin’ scary, okay? I’ve been though these stupid games before and trust me when I say this…they’re terrifying. A million times worse than any ordinary game. It’s like your worst nightmare. I didn’t think I’d ever step foot on this territory again but I’m here, so I guess I’ve just gotta do it.”
Bobby’s words hit Layra hard. For a while she’d been so worked up, arguing and taking it all out on Bobby as if the entire thing were his fault but after listening to what he’d just said, she realized it wasn’t Bobby’s fault if half the territory was sent off for execution…it’d be hers.
She slammed her hand on the table and screamed, “Idiot!” She punched her hand over and over, whimpering and groaning, finally realizing the horror behind what she’d done. “God, I’m an idiot!”
“Layra?”
“It’s over,” she cried, rubbing her eyes. “God, Bobby…I’m a murderer!” Bobby watched her, somewhat startled. He knew she was stressed and freaked about the Great Four, but with the way she was acting, there was no doubt…she’d soon be falling apart.
“Look…Layra,” he said sincerely. “The games haven’t even started yet. Just calm down, okay? We’ll get through this.”
“Easy for you to say!” she screamed, on the verge of tears.”You’re not the one who gave that stupid speech! They won’t go blaming you. You barely said a word. It was all my idea.”
“Layra, listen,” he said softly. He could see Layra was slowly losing her cool and if he didn’t act fast, he feared he might lose her and losing his teammate only an hour or two previous to basically the most important day of his life, well…that wouldn’t be good. He had to find the right words. “You’ve gotta-”
“We can’t do this!” she shouted impatiently. “We’ve gotta find some way out of this. We could surrender or-”
“Layra, you can’t just go and surrender!” he told her firmly. “It’s not that easy.”
“Well, then we’re dead,” she said bluntly. “We’re dead along with Quillan. This whole rebellion thing’s going to fall because of me because of I was dumb enough to actually think we had a shot at going against champions.” She then paused, breathed heavily and groaned, through clenched teeth. “What the hell have I done?”
“Layra, there’s always a chance,” he said quietly. “I should know. I’ve been here. I know these games. If there’s anyone who knows how this thing works, I’ve got a pretty good idea.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she shot back. “We’re already done. This whole thing’s just crazy.”
Suddenly, Bobby wasn’t feeling so hungry anymore and he hadn’t even eaten much. He just sat there like a lump, staring down at the ground in silence. He now realized after Layra’s hopeful, promising speech for the success of the Blok rebellion and the reclaiming of Quillan’s past, Layra had finally and without a doubt…lost it. She’d cracked. What had once been a sure of herself, overconfident gal who’d inspired an entire territory to once again, take a real, fierce stand was now a depressed looking, glum, negative sounding Challenger. Not a good start to the Great Four. He only hoped she’d somehow find that lost confidence…and fast.
No matter what Bobby said to her or tried saying to calm her down even a tad bit, she’d just shake her head and snap back at him as if she just wanted him to keep quiet. What got Bobby sweating and worrying was the fact that Layra, Challenger Black, was his teammate for the games of the Great Four and out of nowhere…here she was all snappy, moody and discouraged. What good would that do? Bobby knew they’d have to work together if they hoped in even coming close to winning but with Layra in the irritable mood she was, it’d make things a whole lot more difficult and they’d have one, single shot at staying alive. There were no bonus points or free lives or whatnot, like you’d have say in an arcade back on Second Earth. Quillan didn’t work that way. This was sick reality and Layra didn’t look too confident. That meant bad news for her…and double bad for Bobby, who’d have to find some way in cooling her down and cooperating with her. He hoped he’d be able to work something out. If not…they’d both be crushed before round one even began.
After breakfast, Bobby and Layra were led outside by Thirteen and Fourteen, where they met up with their awaiting opponents, who looked surprisingly bored. The two dado’s bid them good luck and strolled back into the castle. Here were Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown and with them, stood Veego and LaBerge.
Veego seemed as ready as could be with her tight, professional clothes and slick, tied back hair and those cold staring eyes. LaBerge of course, appeared nothing like his laid back, relaxed sister. Like last time, as Bobby remembered during the Grand X, he was wearing his multicolored robe, the one that made him look like the king of Gumdrop Mountain with his wild hair in blonde, bouncing curls. The guy’s eyes darted back and forth between Bobby and Layra as if he wanted to drop the whole idea and head inside for a game of Runkle. He could hardly stand up straight and kept on licking his lips and running his fingers through his hair while throwing the Challengers a small, quick smile whenever he caught Veego’s sudden stare in his direction.
“Ah, you’ve made it!” said Gray cheerily, giving Bobby a good smack on the back and then chuckling childishly. “So glad to see you’re up and at it. Have a nice breckie?”
Bobby just glared at the guy and said nothing.
“And you,” said Brown, giving Layra a phony smile. “You must be all reared up and ready to go? Don’t worry…this’ll be a real treat. Can hardly wait!”
“I can,” thought Bobby.
Layra just shrugged and turned away, trying to keep herself from going off the edge like a nut-job who looked like she was about to erupt, which was exactly how she felt. She was already trembling and scared as hell about these chaotic games and hearing these two smug, full-of-themselves jerks go on rambling wasn’t helping much.
She gave Bobby a quick look who just shook his head and sighed heavily. He didn’t look too swell himself but wasn’t going to let a little fear send him over the deep end. Not now.
“Greetings, Challengers,” said Veego. “All ready?”
“No,” said Bobby flatly. “Can we just get this over with?”
Veego gave him a surprised look, and then grinned slyly, “Thought you enjoyed the games? You were in the Grand X, after all, weren’t you?”
“Can we just get on with this?” snapped Bobby. “The sooner we get through this the sooner I’ll be able to get back into bed.”
He then stopped and thought, “If I’m still here, anyway.”
Veego sensed the impatience and chuckled. LaBerge gulped and shuffled his feet. The guy wasn’t doing such a great job at putting on his regular bubbly self the people of Quillan were so familiar with. He wondered if they’d notice. If he kept this up, odds are, they’d sense something wasn’t right or something to do with the games was somehow off balance. Either way, he’d soon find out.
“Eager to start?” grinned Veego, throwing him a smile. “Very well then. I’m sure you’ll be quite satisfied with our new altering and arrangement with the rules of the Great Four. They’re quite interesting.”
“Just get on with it!” said Bobby irritably.
“Watch that temper, boy!” teased Gray. “Don’t let that come back and bite you in the butt!”
Bobby just kept on glaring at Veego, hoping she’d quit mocking and making a good old joke of the whole thing because he felt sure if she kept this up, he’d be done before he even got started. He’d lose his cool and would have no chance at surviving these events. He was once again on the death line and if he didn’t play correctly and efficiently, he’d have no chance in hearing a victory scream. Still, he figured having already experienced the games and having won the Grand X, he’d at least have the practice and familiarity of the games. That is, depending on how much the games have changed.
“As I was saying,” said Veego. “Because the Great Four now runs differently and on a quite different schedule than the Grand X, obviously the given rules apply somewhat, well, let’s just say they’re not exactly as you remember. Now I’ll let you two traveler know the use of traveler abilities and other powers possessed are strictly prohibited from being used during the Great Four and any who wish to go ahead and use any of these powers will face serious consequences. You honestly didn’t think we’d organize these games with no consequences, did you? I advice you take these rules into consideration. If one traveler is caught going against these rules, that round will go directly to the opposite team, no question. However, if both travelers on one team are caught defying and violating the rules, the following round will be given immediately to the opposite team. Yet still, if two challengers on opposing teams are caught cheating, then their partner will face the fall. Think carefully when going about this. Simple enough?”
“That’s not fair!” shouted Bobby. “Nobody ever said anything about not using abilities and wait…how’d you know who we are? I don’t recall anyone ever telling you anything?”
Veego shrugged innocently and said, “Like I’ve been saying, the cooperation of Blok knows practically everything and anything about the people of Quillan and that clearly includes guests, Challengers…and even travelers. We’re a lot smarter than you think, Challenger Red. Don’t underestimate our power. You might think I know nothing of the travelers but trust me when I assure you…I do.”
And Bobby knew almost for sure how she’d know of Travelers. Saint Dane. No doubt, he’d told her all about Halla and Travelers. If that were the case, then he was indeed working to overthrow Quillan and help rise Blok to an even greater height. He guessed the demon, Veego, and maybe the other trustees…all shared the same goal at strengthening Blok.
“Wait,” said Bobby, his head hurting. He turned and looked at Brown and Gray, now feeling closer to getting the answers. “S-so you two are travelers too?”
Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown burst out laughing, slapping each other on the back.
“Hell ya!” whooped Gray. “Fun times, eh bro? Gotta love em.”
“Yeah,” said Brown. “You should’ve seen the look on your face. What a dweeb.”
“So then what territory are you from?” asked Bobby.
He hadn’t planned on changing the subject but he thought he may as well take his chances to learn as much as possible about these two champions as he could. Whatever he learned, it might be useful and even better…it might come in handy later on during the games, when he’d really need it. Besides, he’d told himself over and over, he needed as much luck and confidence as possible and knowing even a little bit about the people he was going up against could help give him an energy boost. Not much, but a little is always better than nothing.
Gray scoffed and said arrogantly, “Well, first off, we’re twins obviously. Hopefully you’re aware of that by now. But we’re not from the same territory?”
“Uh, what?” said Layra, totally lost.
Brown shook his head and told them, “You don’t have to be born on the same territory in order to be brothers. Heck, I thought all travelers knew that. I was born on the territory of Argero and my big old bro here was born on the territory of Nova.”
Bobby saw they weren’t going to go on much further than that, so he asked casually, “Anything, uh, interesting there? You know, what it’s like and all?”
The two brothers exchanged glances and chuckled, not so nicely.
“Eh, Nova’s alright,” said Gray. “It’s pretty much’s your world of light. I swear that’s all you’ll see from that territory. Almost everything there’s made of light. Streets, towns, buildings, cars, trees, even the sky’s made of light. Pretty impressive, huh? Don’t have to worry much about electricity on that place.”
“Uh, if you don’t mind getting blinded,” thought Bobby.
He nodded, pretending to go along with it.
“Argero ain’t so bad either,” added Brown. “Pretty much your average arctic place. All covered in snow, cold weather, good place for fishin’ and seal huntin’. Most live in igloos but there’re some who live up in the mountains or down under the ground in caves and caverns. Nice place and all but round the middle of the year it gets so dam cold you’d freeze your butt off. Trust me…it ain’t pretty.”
“Sounds, fun,” said Bobby sarcastically. Maybe Nova sounded like an okay place to go, without blinding your eyes of course and then Argero, a place where you’d have a ninety nine percent chance of freezing to death…loads of fun.
These two must have known what Bobby was getting onto because it was clear they weren’t going into the niddy-gritty details Bobby so desperately hoped for. They weren’t letting him get to them that easily. Especially not before the games started. That’s where the real fun would begin.
“Done, are we?” asked Veego patiently.
“Whatever,” said Bobby. “Just get on with it.”
LaBerge turned to his sister, opening his mouth to speak, but hesitated when she turned round and said, “Terrific. Follow me. And remember what I said about those rules. You don’t wanna go starting off poorly on your first challenge.”
“Just hurry!” barked Layra. Really, she just wanted to get started. The sooner they got started, the sooner it’d all be over with…for the better, or worse.
LaBerge stared at her wide eyed and she then lowered her eyes to the ground, shuffling nervously.
“As you wish,” sighed Veego. “Come along then. I think you’ll be quite pleased with our first event. It’s a real classic, as LaBerge says so himself. Isn’t that right?” She turned and stared him square in the eye.
“Uh…yes!” he said, nodding with a weak smile. “W-whatever you say.”
So with Veego and LaBerge up front leading, the two teams followed behind as they left the castle and made their way into the surrounding forests, on their way to the first event. Challengers Gray and Brown didn’t seem too worried or anxious as to what they were up against and that’s when Bobby remembered them saying they’d played this game before and they’d said it was…easy. He didn’t like the sound of that. Easy for them meant hard for him and Layra.
He noticed Layra was pretty much working up a sweat as well. She wasn’t that confident, sure of herself girl he’d seen during her influencing speech. She looked scared, tired and a little angry.
As they walked, LaBerge would occasionally glimpse back at both teams and when he saw Brown and Gray throw him a sneer or a smug chuckle, he’d quickly turn away. Layra would have run right up next to him, if Veego weren’t right there, like a guard dog. A very protective guard dog. She feared Veego was aware of their little romance so she was assuring LaBerge kept away from her and she kept away from him. As long as she was there, LaBerge had no chance of sneaking a quick word in with Challenger Black, and both Layra and LaBerge knew this. And they weren’t too happy about it.
Bobby’s only worries were how brutally challenging and torturing these games would be and whether or not he’d make it through alive. The last thing he wanted was another of those frightening Tato matches that took you high off the ground on a rocky, stable stadium that rocked and swayed almost always. It was like being on an out of control log in the water. You try and keep your balance but you’re just on the edge of falling. The only difference was in the Tato match, when you fell…you were history.
But Bobby soon realized round one wasn’t what he thought it’d be. This was no Tato match. It was something a lot more imposing and he recognized a game like this during the Grand X when he’d gone into what LaBerge called the Clown Forest and had to seek out three red flags and make it back out without being tackled and blown over by giggling clowns.
He found himself standing not far from a towering, monstrous maze that stood high off the ground like a series of impressive walls which was exactly what it was. The maze walls were made entirely of shrubs and branches and huge, thick leaves and what must have been tree trunks. He had an oozy feeling there’d be thorns in there. Prickly, itchy, annoying thorns. The wall must have been a massive fifty feet tall, looming over them like a impossibly huge monster. Staring up, Bobby searched for what should have been a clear, blue sky…but all he saw was the seemingly never-ending wall, stretching on for what seemed like forever.
Layra just stared wide eyed, open mouthed at the enormous structure. Bobby thought she was going to puck…or faint. Veego turned to face them, as LaBerge quickly followed. Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown just stood there observing the maze with a bored, tiring look as if it were nothing more than a child’s doll house. Brown yawned and stretched his arms casually. Gray stood there, feet apart with his hands on his hips. Both looked more than ready.
Holly says:
haha nice!!!! Can’t wait for the ACTION!! 🙂 you must be very creative and imaginative to come up with all these cool ideas and games!!! Keep it up! 🙂
Anne says:
Thanks again, Holly! Now the action is about to begin! 🙂
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 15: Round One of the Great Four (PART 2)
“Piece of cake,” Brown shrugged.
Gray nodded, giving a casual, “Yup.”
“I give you round one of the Great Four,” Veego announced, pointing to the massive maze with a slight grin. “I believe you’ll find this event somewhat similar to your last trip into the Clown Forest, Challenger Red. This maze, as I like to refer to it as…is called the Monstrous Maze. The object of the game is simple. Each team will pick a member to enter the maze and their goal is to find the golden flag. Be aware though, that flag’s most likely being guarded. And guarded well, I might add. It’s hidden in there somewhere. As to where it’s hidden, well…you’ll have to find that out for yourselves. But I’ll give you two a warning-” and here she looked at Bobby and Layra. “This might look like an ordinary maze, some boring old structure and whatnot but let me be pleased to tell you, it’s not. I call this place the Monstrous Maze because it’s in fact alive and breathing and as I recall from previous encounters, she’s got a real temper when it comes to Challengers. She’ll smell you out like rats. I suppose you two could look at yourselves as invaders sneaking into an old gal’s home. She’s easily upset, so watch yourselves. Your goal is to get out of there alive and I can promise you she’ll do whatever she can to make sure you don’t get out. Understand?”
“Uh…what?” Bobby shouted. “No one ever told us about some weird, freakin’ maze! This can’t be right. How the hell can a maze be alive?”
“It’s all part of the game,” she mocked. “Don’t worry; if you’re nice, perhaps she’ll give you a break, though I don’t recall her ever giving anyone a break.”
“This is stupid!” he argued. “We can’t actually-”
“I suggest you decide on who’s entering,” Veego said coldly, folding her arms. “And remember…choose wisely.”
While Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown went over who they were sending into the maze, Bobby and Layra stood off a fair distance so they’d have some privacy while speaking.
“So, what are we doing?”
“I’ll go in,” said Layra firmly. “I think I can handle this.”
“Wait,” said Bobby hesitantly. “Maybe I should do this. I’ve been through the Clown Forest, remember? I’ve gone through mazes. Let me do it.”
“No!” snapped Layra furiously. “I already told you I can handle this. Let me take care of round one. Trust me Bobby, I won’t let you down. Just, please…trust me.”
Bobby sighed and said irritably, “Layra, look. I know you might think you’re ready but believe me, these games aren’t simple! I don’t think you understand that. Let me take care of round one. Round two can be yours. I just think it’d be better if I took care of the maze and-”
“I’m going in,” she muttered.
“No!” shouted Bobby. “You aren’t listening! You’re not going in there!”
But Layra was ignoring him. She had her eyes set on that monstrous maze and no matter how much Bobby went on shouting and arguing for her to settle down…she wouldn’t. She had her mind set and nothing was going to change that. Layra was going into the maze, whether Bobby liked it or not.
“Have both teams chosen a contestant?” asked Veego.
Challenger Brown snickered and said, “Pff. Hell, ya! I’m dyin’ to meet her!”
It looked like Brown was all reared up and ready to go. Heck, the guy seemed excited! Bobby felt he was going to be sick, but held himself together and turned to Layra, who walked straight up to Veego and said confidently, “I’m going in.”
“Fabulous!” said Veego, sounding as if she could care less. “Now could you two step up here to start off? Good. Now when the whistle’s blown, you’ll run into the maze and from there, you know what to do.”
Brown nodded. Layra shrugged impatiently. Her insides felt like they were firing up. Whether it was with anger, fear or determination, she wasn’t sure which.
“Alright then,” said Veego. She then turned to LaBerge, who seemed to be thinking about something else. He nodded quickly, shook his head and took out of his pocket a small, delicate purple and yellow striped whistle and raised it to his lips.
Before blowing, he announced, trying to sound as thrilled and zealous as possible for his listening sister, “Challengers, on the ready! And now, people of Quillan, we present to you round one of the infamous Great Four! Five…four…three…two…one…” and then he blew. The shrill sound that followed was deafening. The whistle had done its job. LaBerge shoved the whistle back into his pocket and stared down at the ground in fear of Layra not coming out alive. Worst of all…the Great Four was just beginning.
Instantly, the two Challengers ran up to the maze entrance, both running as fast and desperate as they could. It seemed Brown was going to reach the maze far sooner than Layra, seeing how strong and powerfully built he was, which caused Layra to slow down for a moment. She was already breathing pretty heavily and trying not to trip over a loose stone or do something else stupid that would result in her loss for round one of the Great Four. No…her and Bobby’s loss. But she let out a quick grunt, picked up her speed and shot forward.
Soon, she was catching up to Brown and before he knew it, Challenger Black was zooming past him, barely looking back to see how far behind he was. He growled and hurried up to her, panting and gasping for air while gritting his teeth. He may have been strong and he may have had an impressive body, but like anyone who’s running at top speed, you can’t help find yourself running out of air. And that’s never a good feeling. Like anyone, a person can only run so far till their chest is burning and screaming for a much-needed drink.
Layra reached the tall entrance leading into the seemingly ordinary maze and hesitated. She held back, but hearing the stomp-stomp-stomp of Brown’s heavy feet from behind told her she had to go in. So she rushed in, looked back and saw Brown charging up behind her. He’d caught up!
He shot past her without even throwing her a quick “Hah!” sort a look or even a teasing sneer. He zoomed past and into the maze, with Layra standing there clueless, startled and surprised and above all, afraid.
She looked ahead and stared off into the complicated maze. It was dark. Almost pitch black. There was hardly any light seeping in through the cracks of the grassy walls. She guessed the walls must have been strong and thick which explained why the place was so eerie and quiet and made you feel like you were completely and utterly alone. Not a sound could be heard from the outside world.
She took a moment to catch her breath while taking in her surroundings and decided she’d walk off straight and then take a few right turns. She thought she’d explore one half of the maze first instead of zig zagging all over the place with no idea where in the world she was or where she was going. She was going to do this! She’d conquer the maze, find the flag…and make her way out of there.
So with that in mind, she started forward, almost certain she’d ease her way through this. She took one step…and was attacked by a tree! Though she couldn’t see the entire tree. All she saw was a long branch swoop past her, roughly and widely. She screamed and fell to the ground with the rough branch grabbing fiercely onto her leg. The bloody thing was alive! She struggled and fought against the tree, desperately kicking and digging her fingers into the bark, wondering if that would even do any good. She soon got her answer.
With a bloodcurdling wail, the branch whipped back, shook itself together and instantly, three branches shot up from the ground and dove straight for her. Two branches curled and wrapped themselves securely around her legs, tightening their grip like a coiling snake, preparing for the kill. The other branch turned to her face and showing no mercy, shot forward and gave her a painful whack…followed by another…and another…and another. The monstrous branch whipped and smacked her in the face while the two branches below worked themselves firmly round her body. She was being held down by a tree!
And the thing wasn’t giving in easily. It held onto her as if it were a scrumptious meal and was afraid she’d get up and run away, which was exactly what she was trying to do. She had no idea how strong and powerful trees could be but this one was all too powerful. It slammed her into the ground and slowly, began dragging her further into the maze. For a split second, she panicked and screamed for help, but knew there’d be no one there to come flying to the rescue. She was on her own…this was her round after all.
She dug her fingers desperately into the ground while the branches pulled and heaved, whining and growling while it did so. Not only was the freakin tree alive, it was talking and mumbling in some weird tree like- language which she obviously couldn’t comprehend. She kicked and howled at the tree, trying to push herself forward while the tree fought back just as hard, trying to keep its hold and pull her back, probably to its lair where it would devour her completely. It was now official. The maze had found her and she’d just driven its temper to extreme, deadly heights and worst of all, she was on the menu.
She grunted and screamed, “Get off me!” She was out and out terrified. She’d never witnessed anything to this extreme, not even on Rorga. Sure, she’d been faced by a couple of dragons, but that was common back home. She’d never been faced with live, screaming trees.
The tree responded by smacking her in the face while shrieking like an out of control madman. Or madtree. She squirmed and wriggled as hard as she could, but just couldn’t escape its firm, locked grasp. It had found its next victim. She was seconds away from calling it quits and let the monstrous branches drag her away to wherever…when she saw the one thing that could probably save her life. Not far from her, lying flat on the smooth turf was a blade. A long, blood stained blade. It was dented and scratched pretty badly which meant this baby had seen some violence, war, and a bloody fight or two. Odds are this blood stained blade had belonged to a previous Challenger who’d entered the Great Four. Whether they made it out alive, she had no idea. Layra couldn’t imagine where the blood came from but right then, she didn’t care. She had her mind set on something else.
She turned sideways, and desperately began inching forward while digging her fingers into the ground for support. Having three rough, monstrous branches pulling and heaving at you from behind didn’t help much, but she fought against them by doing whatever she could, whether it was kicking or giving them a good old boot. She gave nothing but her all.
She went on doing this, struggling and wrestling with the oversized branches till she’d finally reached the blade. She could hardly breathe for a moment, but took a breath, reached her arm out and grabbed hold of the blade with a firm grasp. No way she’d be letting go of this tool.
She then turned round and wasting no time, dove into action. She was now free from the tree’s locked clutch which meant she was now in control. Or at least…in some control.
She cautiously stepped up toward the swaying branches, which circled her watchfully and hungrily. She may have held a sharp-as-hell blade, but those limbs looked hungry, if it were even possible for a tree to appear hungry. Because if it was, this tree was three days overdue for a meal.
The tree was growing impatient. Three more limbs shot up from the ground with bloodcurdling shrieks that made Layra’s skin crawl, but that didn’t hold her back. She ran up to the swinging branches, raised the blade high over her shoulder and slammed it down on one of the branches. She chopped, cut, slashed and hacked at the limbs and each time she brought the blade down, she’d grunt furiously. The branches were no match for the sharp, deadly blade and were soon dropping to the ground in defeat with helpless whimpers and pained cries which told her the tree was weakening. She kept on slashing the blade till she’d cut each branch and there, the tree stood with about eight of its branches hacked off.
The branches of the trees must have been where its heart was because if so, she’d found and killed the heart, leaving this tree defeated. Lifeless as a tree could be. But she wasn’t going to take her chances, especially when she’d just noticed a large axe lying a few feet from the chopped off branches. She couldn’t imagine how she hadn’t seen it earlier but when you’re battling for your life against a monstrous tree, odds are, your head wouldn’t have been in the right place. Hers obviously hadn’t been.
She hurried over, grabbed the axe and came back to the tree and without delay, began cutting and hacking away at the beast. She didn’t plan on actually cutting it down. She knew that could take days and time right now wasn’t exactly on her side. A few hacks was all it took to convince her this sucker was dead.
She dropped the blade, still panting and trying to catch her breath. She’d just killed a tree! She could hardly imagine what lurked and prowled deeper in this human-killing, challenger-slaughtering maze. Veego was right about one thing. This mother of a maze had a real temper and she’d been triggered a little sooner than Layra would have liked.
“Where now?” she thought tiredly.
She was so beaten up over the attacking tree that she feared if she took another step, one simple step, she’d fall into a trench of snapping jaws or would be snatched up in the arms of some creep, or would be followed sneakily by a murderous stalker. She creeped forward and walked carefully, keeping her eyes alert. She expected to come right out in the open where she could easily turn to the right, walk through and find her way around that way. But it wasn’t as easy as it looked.
Each time she turned right, she’d keep on coming across dead ends and blocked off corners or one time, she could have sworn she’d heard a guy screaming, but when she hurried off and turned to her left, she came face to face with…a wall. She ran here and there, checking every corner and every path, trying to figure out this maze and it’s weird, unusual route, and more importantly…where the golden flag was.
She was growing tired, weary and frustrated, but in spite of it all she kept on going. She knew Challenger Brown couldn’t be far off and what really kept her going was the constant fear that he’d come across that flag and tadaa! She’d lose. She had to find that flag. And fast. If Challenger Brown didn’t find the flag soon enough, it wouldn’t matter because it seemed like if she wasn’t out beaten, odds are, she’d be smothered and crushed by this murderous maze and it’s predatory trees.
At one point, she saw the ground widening out in front of her. She rushed out, expecting to come to an empty glade and there, she’d find the golden glade and walla! Victory! But what happened next was just the opposite.
The instant she came forward and into the opening, out of nowhere, a huge, bushy, shrubbery arm stretched out in front of her, running horizontally which meant she was blocked off and there was no way for her to get past. This leafy arm wasn’t going anywhere and as much as she would have rushed into the arm and struggled to get past, she had a pretty good feeling there’d be thorns in there. Sharp, prickly thorns. She jumped back and forth, left and right trying to distract the arm while trying to figure out some plan in sneaking by. She wasn’t fooling anyone. The bushy arm moved as she moved and at one point, stretched out and gave her a soft, but violent push that sent her tumbling onto her back. One question was answered. There were thorns.
She struggled to her feet and took a moment to catch her breath. She screamed with frustration and punched the ground.
“I’m not gonna make this,” she thought, the truth finally hitting her. “Why didn’t I let Bobby do this? This thing’s gonna kill me!”
Suddenly, she heard a voice. She stopped in her tracks and listened, her eyes widening. The growling voice came nearer and nearer, growing louder. Whoever or whatever it was, it sounded angry. No, pissed. And she soon realized it wasn’t just one voice closing in on her. There were dozens. A pack of some sort, probably. She backed away, slowly, not sure where to go or where to hide, assuming there was anywhere to hide in a monstrous, killer maze that was on the verge of swallowing you up.
She couldn’t tell where the growling was coming form, so she did the only thing she could think of doing. She ran.
She left the blocking, shrubbery arm and darted without looking back in fear of being chased by some snarling dogs or any other beasts that could tear the shreds out of a tired, exhausted traveler who could barely keep running. But while she ran, the growlings and snarls increased, as if they were following her and watching her every move through the walls of the maze. She cut through corners, dodged a few swiping branches that shot out unexpectedly and kept on running through the long grassy aisles.
She could have sworn she’d heard a man scream from the other side of the wall, who she guessed was Challenger Brown, fleeing for the exact same reason. Or had “they” already gotten to him and he’d been thrown down for a meal to some lurking fiends? If that were the case, all she’d have to do is escape them, find the golden flag, find her way on out of there and round one would be theirs! It all seemed so easy and simple the longer she went on imagining it, but she knew the chances were pretty much fifty-fifty. But she couldn’t help feeling boastful all the same. She felt like she was so close…yet so far away.
Soon, after a long, tiring run, the growling voices stopped. She stood there, listening closely and realized they had in fact stopped and the maze was once more eerily and creepily silent. It was so quiet; she could hear her own breathing and her own heart pounding out of control, ba-boom-ba-boom, ba-boom. She’d just escaped another near death incident. Question was, could she do it again? And again and again till she’d found the golden flag…if she found the golden flag?
At one point she could have sworn she’d come face to face with the actual heart of the maze herself. The core. The center. She found herself being completely surrounded by tall, towering walls from all corners that seemed to be closing in on her. It didn’t surprise her when she realized the walls themselves were in fact moving themselves in. And that’s when the longest wall of all came right in front of her and to Layra’s horror, it began to shriek. And as it shrieked, its shrubbery mouth of a hundred thorns opened to a frightening height that stretched and grew till it was the height of a sky scraper. Or maybe it was just her imagination, but however tall it was…it was tall enough to swallow her up hole.
Then came the eyes. They were nothing more than two large gaps engraved in the wall but what struck Layra was the sheer look of them. The dark emptiness was just…creepy. And to make things worse, from either side of the growing face came two arms of thick entwined branches, all with sharp, prickly thorns the size of rocks. The fingers themselves were long and razor-sharp and by the sounds of this howling, screaming monster…it was starving.
How she managed to escape the fiend, she had no idea. She was surprised she’d even gotten out of that mess alive. But luckily, she was a lot faster than the enormous shrub beast and it didn’t take her too long to bolt on out of there and out of its sights. But all the same, it wasn’t easy dodging its swiping branches and its gigantic mouth as it slammed down onto the ground while reaching and stretching out to grab hold of the tasty Challenger.
As she hurried on, she turned to the right and found the ground had opened up widely and sunk down into an impossibly large chasm that stretched for what looked like a hundred feet. Her head hurt just looking at it. Here was this huge, massive trench that stretched hopelessly far, hopelessly deep, and she had no easy way of getting across. If it didn’t seem so bloody important to cross the horrid trench, she would have turned round and taken another direction where the ground didn’t sink down into an unknown depth of darkness.
But she had a reason for wanting, no, needing to cross that gap. There was no other way.
Far off, distantly on the opposite side of the trench was a faint glistening object that shone a dim, yellowish color. At first, she thought she was going nuts and seeing things but when she fixed her eyes on this little light…she realized she’d found it. She’d found the golden flag! The flag of victory. After wrestling a hungry tree, escaping a dozen or so snarling, howling beasts hidden within the walls of the maze, she’d found it. At last…she’d claimed victory.
Unfortunately, there was no easy, straightforward way in getting across. Luck wasn’t on her side. There was no bridge or invisible rope to help her ease her way across. It looked like she had to do some thinking. But she didn’t have time to think! Challenger Brown could already be on his way to the flag or even worse, he may have already seen the flag and was on his way there right this second. This wasn’t the time to be messing around.
After a quick, careful thought, she made up her mind. It wasn’t the greatest or even the smartest idea, but she was convinced there was no other way. It had to be done and whether she wanted to do it or not, she was going to do it. Right now, she didn’t care what Veego, or Brown or Gray or even Bobby thought. She was going to get dangerous, take risks and get her way across that dark, bottomless chasm.
She was going to transform. Which meant she’d be using her traveler abilities. Which meant she’d be violating the rules. Which meant Challenger Brown had a pretty good chance in being victorious. Which meant she’d be one step closer to losing the Great Four and losing her life. A lot was at stake here but she wasn’t going to just stand around moping and hoping for some miracle to come soaring to the rescue. No. She was going to take her chances and go with her gut and her gut was telling her this was the only way in reaching the golden flag. From the way she saw it…there was no other way.
Standing up straight, she closed her eyes and focused. She’d used her traveler powers time and again back on Rorga. She’d went up against the quig-dragons by changing and transforming into impossible things from tiny, microscopic bugs to impossibly large beasts with snapping jaws and bat like wings or at other times, she’d simply change into an easier form like dust or a cloud.
While she focused and concentrated, she centered her thoughts to one specific image, one creature alone that would do the trick in crossing a deathly chasm. She kept her eyes shut and brought the image slowly into focus, visualizing and remembering it’s appearance as she’d seen it so many times back on Rorga. She’d seen it soaring and roaming the skies like a prowler and now…she was going to become one herself.
Her body melted into a wet, gooey liquid that dripped onto the ground. First her head began to change. Gone was the pale human skin. In its place, popping up from beneath the altering skin were hundreds of feathers. Her nose vanished along with her eyes and mouth and even her ears. Her changing face was now growing longer and coming to a point. Soon, her nose was smaller and instead of having a human’s nose, she now had a sharp, curved beak. Her body soon followed after and went through the exact process. The feathers kept on multiplying and spreading till both Layra’s arms vanished and just as they faded, two, huge, feathery wings opened up. Like her arms, her feet were soon gone. In its place were short legs with long, curled toes with sharp, black talons. And from behind was a chocolate brown, wedge shaped tail.
She was no longer human. Her feather covered body was now deep brown in color with a perfectly white head. She was an animal. A bird. An eagle from her mountainous, volcanic, dragon infested home of Rorga. She looked like any eagle you’d see on Second Earth. The only difference was Rorgan eagles were two times larger which meant their wings were twice as large, as well as their tails and beaks and above all…their killer talons meant for snatching prey.
This was it. She was going to make it! She could smell victory. It was staring her straight in the face, the golden flag! She now saw how easy it was. She wasn’t going to get caught. Nobody was going to see her and what she was doing. Now was her chance to snatch victory and move onto round two of the Great Four. Besides, what were the odds are them knowing the difference between a Rorgan eagle and a Quillan eagle? People saw birds roam the skies all the time. Surely they weren’t going to spot one and immediately think, “Cheater!” She was now starting to think luck was on her side after all. She just hadn’t seen it.
So with that in mind, she lifted up off the ground, going as quietly and secretly as she could. She kept her mouth shut…or beak.
She flew higher and higher till she was high enough off the ground to have a good, decent view of the overall maze and what she saw made her want to fly back down and catch her breath. She’d had no idea how enormously large this monster maze was, but now she knew. She was seeing this living maze from a bird’s eye view. Literally.
The shrubbery structure ran for endless, never-ending miles. By the looks of it, it seemed as if this mother maze stretched off into oblivion, but she knew the end had to be somewhere. Mazes didn’t just go on forever! Or, she hoped not at least. She told herself the maze was probably just fooling with her and messing her mind up by playing with her mind so it looked like there was no end, no escape, and no chance for escape. If this maze was as clever as all that…that had to be it.
Looking around, she couldn’t spot Challenger Brown which meant he had to be far off, somewhere out there. Lost or busy going head to head with a killer tree, she hoped. She swooped down and kept her small, beady eyes glued on that shining, glowing golden flag.
She soon reached the ground and just before she landed, she’d transformed back into a human girl, back to her old self. It took a grand total of three seconds to go from being bird to human. She stumbled onto the ground but quickly got back up and looked ahead to see, just in front of her, the golden flag. It stood tall and proud, it’s flag snapping freely in the breeze. There was no image or pattern on the flag. It was a simple golden color that at the time meant the world to Layra. It was her chance to triumph! She was going to make it through this, just like she’d told Bobby. There were no doubts now. It was all coming together.
Victory was just in front of her. She walked up to the flag, trembling slightly, took hold of it…and squealed quietly. She couldn’t help it. Here she was holding the flag that would be the first victory of the Great Four. Challenger Brown had lost. She and Bobby were going to be given this victory. Round one would belong to them.
“Nobody would have seen me anyway!” she thought confidently. “I know Bobby had doubts…but I was right. We did it!”
Just then, she heard a rustling sound from behind. She turned round and saw Challenger Brown stumbling out of a tangled bush. He was covered in leaves, thorns and looked more than a little irritated. The guy looked like he’d just been wrestling with a killer tree. He and Challenger Gray claimed to have played these games before but that didn’t mean it was always going to be an easy go.
His eyes turned to Layra and the golden flag. She was holding the key to being victorious in round one of the Great Four.
He dropped his head in defeat. He let out a small grunt, clenching his teeth in obvious anger.
“So you’ve won,” he said gloomily. “You’ve found the golden flag. Gee…congrats.”
“I told you we’d win!” she shot back proudly. “I told you Bobby and I stood a chance. You didn’t believe me! Well we’ve got round one.”
Brown shrugged and walked off.
“Alright, alright!” he muttered. “You win. Guess that means I’m done here. Oh well.”
Layra followed behind, holding the golden flag proudly and arrogantly. She still couldn’t believe Challenger Brown had actually lost. More so, she’d gotten away with violating the rules and as long as it stayed secret and no one knew what she’d done, round one would be all theirs. Brown didn’t say anything on the way back. She guessed he was too upset and blown over to speak. Luckily, the maze was calm and hushed while they passed by. Layra guessed as long as the golden flag, which must have been the prized possession of the mother maze was out of place, the maze fell quiet or fell into a deep sleep or something along those lines. She wasn’t too sure how this strange maze worked and she didn’t exactly want to find out. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter because the trees stood like ordinary trees and there were no shrubbery arms shooting out of walls or growling beasts stalking the aisles. Layra had beaten the maze of all mazes herself…and she felt great.
As the two Challengers came strolling out of the maze, Brown slumping over, Layra boldly and confidently skipping out…they saw they weren’t alone.
Watching them eagerly, was Veego herself, standing there formally with those glaring eyes and of course, seeing the golden flag, she grinned and clapped lightly. This could only mean twice as much thrill for LaBerge. The guy, who’d nearly an hour ago been troubled and worried like nuts was now smiling and clapping proudly for Layra. His Layra had won! He was so relieved, he could hardly keep from screaming and whooping and running over and twirling her in his arms. Truth was, if Veego saw that…he’d be thrown into the death maze himself. He had to control his excitement and save it till later once the Great Four had come to an end.
But the scene didn’t add up. Something was wrong. While Veego was clapping with that eerie grin and LaBerge was smiling warmly at Layra, Brown’s partner, Gray…was punching the air and cheering like crazy. The guy was out of control. Brown ran over to him, slapped him on the back and the two cheered and screamed as if they’d just won the Olympics. Layra shook her head, puzzled.
This wasn’t right. Challenger Brown had just lost and here he and his partner were whooping and patting each other on the back as if they’d actually won. And what made things all the more complicated was seeing Bobby. She hurried up to him, showed him the golden flag and cried, “We won…look! I got the flag!”
But the reaction she got from Bobby wasn’t what she expected. It was the opposite. It made her want to drop to the ground and sob. Her teammate, her challenger partner…just stared her in the eye. She wondered if he were ever going to blink.
After one solid minute, he lowered his head, took a deep breath and sighed. Layra didn’t understand. She had the flag! She put a hand softly on his shoulder but he pulled away and looked her in the eye but this time, Bobby looked angry, furious and downright pissed. He glared at her as if he was going to smack her in the face, but he didn’t. He just went on staring at her, never even acknowledging the flag, as if it meant no more than a worthless crumb.
“Bobby!” said Layra desperately, offering him the flag. “We won! Don’t you get it? Round one’s ours!”
Bobby shook his head and said through clenched teeth, “You don’t listen…I told you!”
“Bobby, why can’t you see-”
“You don’t get it Layra!” screamed Bobby, furious. “You were so busy listening to yourself. You just didn’t listen! I told you, you should’ve let me do this.”
Veego walked up to them with LaBerge following hesitantly behind, his hands trembling.
Veego looked them over, announcing “And round one of the Great Four goes to none other than Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown. Congratulations to both of you on receiving your first victory of the Great Four.” She threw a quick smirk at Layra, who just shook her head in disbelief and clutched the flag in fear.
“No!” she howled. “W-we won! I’ve got the flag! It was me who went in there and got the flag, j-just like you said. Round one is ours!”
Veego shrugged carelessly and said, “I’m afraid not. Perhaps you should have listened more carefully.”
LaBerge turned to Layra with tear in his eyes. Layra stared him right in the eye, trying to make out what he was trying to say, but she couldn’t read the sorrow in his eyes. He dropped his head, turned away and quietly wept to himself. After seeing Layra, and hearing what Veego had just said, the poor guy was losing it and could barely keep it together. Between his controlling sister, the violent games and the fifty- fifty chance of losing the one girl he loved, no, the one girl he’d ever loved…was just too much. It was too unbearable and was too much to cope with. But he was an official host of the Quillan games and once the games got going…there was no going back. He was there till the end.
“You stupid girl!” teased Brown, waiving his hands in her face. “You’re just so full of yourself, aren’t ya? Thought gettin’ the flag the easy way, takin’ a little short cut would do ya good? Not gonna happen, sweety! You broke the rules, broke the rules, broke the rules! Hah! You were just so sure you were gonna win. It’s hilarious. You actually thought I’d never see. Let me tell ya kid; I’ve got eyes in the back of my head. You’re no match for me and the mighty bro!”
Gray snickered and threw in, “Snooze ya loose, sucker! Who’s the loser now?”
“She’s just such a little baby,” Brown went on. “Poor little Layra didn’t get to win…shame.”
“So much for the flag of victory,” mocked Gray. “Thought the almighty flag would come to the rescue, huh? Look where that got ya!”
“You’re sittin’ on the crushed throne, you are!” laughed Brown. Gray laughed even harder.
Layra turned to Bobby for support.
“Bobby…” she pleaded, her voice cracking. “I can explain.”
“Explain what?” he snapped angrily. “Explain how you broke the rules by deciding to just cheat? I told you Layra, you don’t listen! Look what you’ve done already. You thought you were doing good doing that. Think again! It’s because of you they’ve won this victory. I’ve been trying to get through to you all day and you just didn’t listen. You’re…you’re such an idiot!”
“Bobby, I-” but Bobby wasn’t sticking around any longer. He scowled and turned off, storming g off in a huff. Layra shouted something back, but knew he had every right to be as furious and annoyed as he was. She’d just let herself down and more importantly, she’d let Challenger Red, her partner in the Great Four down.
“But, how’d you know?” she asked Veego shakily. “Nobody was there. Brown couldn’t have seen me, he couldn’t have. How can you possibly know?”
Veego turned to her calmly and replied, “Trust me, we know. We of Blok have our ways in seeing into those who go against our assigned rules. And you’ve just gone against one of them. Congratulations though in finding the golden flag. Very impressive yet…not so.”
Layra dropped the flag and sighed in defeat. She’d just cheated. She’d just gone against the rules of the Great Four and by doing so, she’d disobeyed Bobby. She’d pretty much given round one to Challengers Brown and Gray and they didn’t even have to find the flag! Round one was now theirs Layra had assured Bobby she’d win round one and get them through it…but they’d lost. Layra may have been the one who violated the rules but because Bobby was her teammate, her challenger partner, he was at loss just as much as she was. She’d just blown it for both of them.
“Now,” announced Veego. “If you three will follow us off, LaBerge and I will lead you to part two of the Great Four. I believe you’ll find this event most interesting. And again, congratulations to our two competitors, Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown. A victory well earned.”
Holly says:
Awesome chapter 14!!! kind of a surprising twist in the end! And i just noticed you changed your username. But anyways, i want to find out what the next game is!
Challenger Black says:
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 15: Round Two of the Great Four (PART 1)
After having just lost round one of the Great Four, Bobby wasn’t exactly what you’d call a happy camper. There was no doubt about it…he was pissed. Layra had just violated the rules by using her traveler ability of transformation to reach the golden flag. Though she knew well enough that it was wrong, she’d still gone ahead and shape shifted anyway. She thought she’d just walk away scot free without being seen and they’d be given round one. Was she ever wrong.
He was so frustrated; he could barely look her in the eye and refused to talk to her till they reached round two. He kept his distance from her, while mumbling to himself. It wasn’t that he was trying to give her the cold shoulder or totally avoid her but after what she’d just done; he wasn’t going to take his chances. Not yet, anyway. He needed to have this little bit of time to allow himself to cool down and get his head back in the game. Round two was fast approaching…and he had to be ready.
Veego and LaBerge led the way, while Challenger Brown and Challenger Gray kept close behind Layra. They went on whispering and cackling and teasing her about how she’d broken the rules and kept on singing, “Cheater, cheater-nothin’ but a cheater!”
She would have turned around and spat something right back, but knew she couldn’t. She had to stay calm, cool down, and hope that when round two came, her and Bobby could push their worries aside and just get through it. Just losing round one, they had no choice. They couldn’t afford to lose another and after the huge loss Layra had just brought not only to herself, but to Bobby…concentration and determination had just been given entirely new importance.
Bobby and Layra had no idea where Veego was leading them, but their opponents seemed to have an idea. They were giggling and shoving each other casually, with big grins on their faces. They were now miles away from the monstrous maze which proved they must have been far off if that enormous structure could no longer be seen. The freakin’ thing stretched on for acres.
They were led deeper and further into the woods. The trip altogether must have taken a good hour at least, if not, at least an hour and a half. By the time they stepped out of the woods and into an empty clearing, Bobby felt as if his feet were going to fall off. Literally. Hiking for a long while will do that, but he didn’t bother complain. He needed all the exercise and preparation he could get for whatever he’d find at round two. He had the idea it’d be a million times worse than a long, tiresome walk through the woods.
But all things considered, there was no mistaking where they were. They were staring at round two of the Great Four, and it was nothing like round one. It looked weird, unusual and flat out creepy. It wasn’t like there were giant fire breathing dragons or snarling dogs with snapping jaws or packs of hungry quigs or anything. It was just the opposite…and that’s what creeped Bobby out.
Out in front of them, laid down on the flat, grassy ground were two plain, simple, everyday, just your average looking…rugs. Or Bobby assumed they were rugs. They could have been mats or magical flying carpets that took you on rides for all he cared but just staring at those two seemingly ordinary rugs gave him the creeps. They were a dark blue color and they looked old and worn down as if they’d been sat on countless times. There were even a few rips and holes in the ancient looking material.
As Bobby and Layra stood staring blankly at the rugs, Veego walked up beside them and said smugly, “Welcome, Challengers…to round two of the Great Four.”
“How about telling us a bit about it?” Bobby demanded. He was getting tired of her smug attitude.
“Poor little boy,” teased Brown. “Wait till ya get a load of this!”
Gray sniggered, and nudged his brother in the shoulder while covering his mouth with laughter. Whatever the joke was, Bobby guessed…it couldn’t have been that funny.
“This,” Veego announced. “Is a game that takes concentration, determination and incredible control. I hope you two can handle this or else you’ll have no hopes of conquering it. This game’s been given multiple names like the Measure of Pain, the Pain Meter or my personal favorite…the Scream Meter. This event runs almost identical to the first. Each team will select one player to participate. That chosen player must then make their way onto the rug, lie down, close their eyes and from there…the game begins. And might I add, these aren’t just ordinary rugs, as you might have guessed. They’re pain rugs. They’re filled with drops of pain and don’t worry…there’s plenty to go around. The elements in these rugs crawl through your mind and pull out your deepest, darkest fears and worries and turn them against you. One person must face the pain rug. It’s their teammate’s job to watch over their partners and I strongly advise you to watch closely. While on the rugs, your mind will take you on a private adventure and I’ll be the first to say this isn’t a fun, care-free adventure. This journey is a challenge of pain, and depending on how strong you actually are, you could be in for a real surprise. You’ll deal with separate levels of pain. You’ll be forced to fight back at whatever’s thrown at you and believe me when I say…there’ll be pain. It’s your job to fight against it. It’s your job to walk out alive. If not, well, your teammate will have to carry on alone. If you can make it past whatever you’re faced with, odds are you’ll survive. Remember, the journey is in your mind but once you close your eyes, you’re pretty much re-entering reality. The pain you feel will be just as real as if you hadn’t stepped foot on the rug and-”
“But,” interrupted Layra. “How can the other teammate do anything, if they’re stuck there? That’s no help!”
“You can help them however you wish,” Veego explained. “You can try talking to them by comforting and soothing them or giving them words of support. Do whatever you feel might help. Your teammate’s the one who’ll be dealing with the real pain. But whatever you plan on doing, you could play a most crucial part in their survival. Understand?”
Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown were well aware of the rules and the game. They slithered away and huddled together, deciding who they were going to send onto that plain, ordinary rug and into the wacko, pain measuring experiment.
Bobby took Layra by the arm and pulled her away from Veego and LaBerge and whispered quickly, “Layra, I know what you’re thinking, but let me explain. After you going on and doing what you did back there, I can’t let you do this. Sorry if that sounds harsh…but you have to agree with me on this.”
“Bobby, I promise I won’t-”
“I’m sorry,” Bobby argued firmly. “But I can’t take my chances. I know you’re my teammate and all but…I just can’t trust you. Not right now, anyway. I’m going in.”
“You sure?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yeah,” he said bluntly. “Layra trust me, I’ve been through a living hell in the last while. I’ve been trained by two of the best warriors I’ve known so I’d say I should take this. It might be a real kick in the ass, but I’m pretty sure I can handle it. Just let me take care of this, alright? Who knows what’ll happen if you go breaking the rules again. If we’re disqualified…it’s over.”
Layra had to admit, Bobby did know what he was talking about. She decided she’d let him take care of this, after having gone against him by using her traveler abilities. He may not have yet forgiven her for what she’d done, but he was still in the game. So it was settled they’d send Bobby onto the rug while Layra stood by, doing whatever she could to make sure he got out of there alive.
“Are both teams ready?” asked Veego, grinning slightly.
“I’m doing it,” said Bobby, stepping forward.
“And how ’bout you two?” asked Veego, turning to Gray and Brown.
Gray stomped up and roared, “I’ll do it! Heck, I’d love a little pain! Set me up!”
“Very well,” Veego announced. “Both Challengers can make their way onto the rugs. Challenger Black and Challenger Brown, follow behind please.”
LaBerge watched Layra with relieved, yet fearful eyes. She’d just violated the rules. She and Bobby weren’t off to a good start. It was enough having to just stand there and watch while the women he loved pretty much had a fifty-fifty chance of being killed. He kept behind Veego, occasionally throwing Layra a quick, nervous look. He tried taking deep breaths to control himself but he was so worked up about the whole thing, he could barely keep still.
Veego noticed his fretful behavior and hissed, “Get a hold of yourself, ninny!” LaBerge nodded and stammered, “W-whatever you say.” In all honesty, the guy felt like he was going to puke, but hoped he’d have enough time to get off the field and find a place where he could “do what he needed to do” without her seeing.
Challenger Red and Challenger Gray stepped up to the rugs and looked down.
All of a sudden, Bobby wasn’t feeling so great with the whole idea. How bad exactly was this going to be? Was he going to break an arm, a leg? Was he going to be beaten to death by the demon traveler or worse, was he going to be stalked by giggling, terrifying clown dolls with sharp, razor teeth? Not the friendly, common ones LaBerge liked…but the ones that liked nothing more than terrorizing.
Whether he liked it or not, he was about to find out. Gray took the first, bold step onto the rug. He chuckled to himself as if it were no big deal and moved his way onto the rug, and whooped, “Bring it on!”
Bobby slowly followed, easing himself onto the rug while taking deep breaths. Layra stooped down next to the rug and stared down at her teammate nervously. Bobby just shrugged and kept on breathing. He knew the instant he closed his eyes…all hell would break loose and round two of the Great Four would begin. He had to cherish these last few seconds of sanity. Soon, there’d be no escape and he’d be trapped up in his own deadly head battling unwanted fears.
“Are both Challengers ready?” asked Veego, stepping between the rugs.
“No!” screamed Bobby.
“Bring it on!” was Gray’s arrogant answer.
Bobby just shot the guy a look as if to say, “Are you nuts?” He couldn’t fathom the fearless attitude these guys had for the games. Either it really was no big deal for them…or they liked putting on a good show.
“Very well,” said Veego. “On the whistle, I’ll ask the two of you to relax, take a breath, and close your eyes.
Both did so, and only a moment later, Veego announced, “Four…three…two…one…” and here, she blew the tiny yellow and purple striped whistle and at once, Bobby and Brown shut their eyes closed and at once…their bodies went limp.
For a second, Layra jumped back in surprise. Even Brown was somewhat startled. It was as if their bodies had suddenly gone cold, or had been dumped into a bucket of ice. Their legs fastened together, their arms clasped onto their sides while both eyes of the competitors remained shut tight. Layra and Brown kneeled down next to their teammates, watching, listening and observing carefully. Veego and LaBerge remained standing. Veego stared down keenly while LaBerge fidgeted and gulped, trying to keep himself from breaking down right then and there. But he couldn’t help working up a nervous, terrified sweat. He only hoped Veego wouldn’t see…or else he’d be doomed.
“Doin’ alright, Gray?” said Brown casually.
Gray didn’t answer. His mouth was shut tight and his eyes were closed. Brown just sat there, sighed and kept his eyes glued onto his partner, waiting for the first sign that signaled they’d been struck. At this point, the game had just begun and not much was happening. Bobby and Gray just lay there, still as statues as if they were in fact, dead. Layra hoped the game wasn’t over already.
Just then, she saw Bobby move his head. He was moving! She moved in closer and said shakily, “Bobby?”
He didn’t answer. He just jerked his head, left and right while moaning in agony.
“Bobby, talk to me!” she demanded. “Say something! What’s happening?”
“STOP!” he screamed. “God…make it STOP!”
“Bobby!” shouted Layra, grabbing onto his arms. “Bobby, can you hear me?”
“Please…stop!” he begged through agonizing cries. “Help me! Somebody help me! I can’t…I can’t!”
“What can I do?” she cried. “What do you need? Tell me!”
Bobby made a face. He clenched his teeth and hissed desperately, “Water…grab me some water. HURRY!”
Shakily, she got up, hurried off and looked around. Water! She needed to find water, but she couldn’t find any sight of water…till she saw a distant pool not far off.
As fast as she could, she ran over to the lake, completely out of breath, and looked for something she could use to scoop up a cupful of fresh water. She hurried into the water and saw a small, foam cup floating freely at the shore. She dove in and grabbed hold of it, filling it with fresh, cool water.
She then raced out of the pool and rushed back to her teammate, hoping she wasn’t too late. When she reached him, she saw his body was no longer fixed and unmoving. The guy was out of control. He was kicking and punching the air and howling out with bloodcurdling screams while croaking, “WATER!”
She sat down, held Bobby’s head up, and raised the water to his lips. At first, he refused it. But she forced the water into his throat and instantly, he drank. Once he’d drunken the water, she threw the cup aside and asked, “Is the better?”
Bobby replied with a content sigh and smiled in relief. It seemed a cool, satisfying drink was all he needed to help with whatever it was he was fighting against…almost.
Only a moment or two later…he burst out screaming again.
Layra leaned in and yelled, “Bobby!”
He squirmed and dug his fingers into the rug for support while twisting his body uncontrollably. Gray was in the same condition. Both bodies were fighting and struggling against some unknown force and by the looks of it, both Challengers weren’t doing too well. Bobby’s breathing came in quick, heavy gasps as if some invisible hand had grabbed hold of his throat and was smothering him. Layra tried speaking to him, but only got howls and cries.
She then tried comforting him by rubbing his forehead or holding down his arms but he fought against her, like she was the enemy and hissed, “NO!”
Layra just shook her head and fell to the ground, staring at Bobby in disbelief. Her teammate was suffering in hell and sitting there…she felt completely and utterly helpless.
Just then, she heard a terrifying sound. She raised her head and what she saw made her want to puke. Bobby’s Challenger shirt was ripped off and torn into pieces and with his shirt off, his chest was now out in the open…exposed…vulnerable…and unprotected. What happened next was nothing short of a nightmare.
Bobby was attacked. Two fresh cuts were slashed right across his chest and as Layra watched in terror…she saw the cuts were deep. Drops of blood trickled down Bobby’s opened chest as he wailed and hollered through dry, heavy breaths. His eyes began watering while his face turned a bright, red color. But Bobby’s chest wasn’t the only part of his body to take such a severe beating. Whatever or whoever it was…was just beginning.
Bobby’s arms were soon slashed with fresh, deep wounds and by his pained howls and cries, he was taking one hell of a beating and it was only getting worse. Both his arms were bruised to the bone. His arms were no longer pale, but a mixture of red and purple. Layra couldn’t help but break down, seeing the poor guy suffering in such agony and pain. She’d just disobeyed him and now he was suffering such pain like she’d never even imagined. If something wasn’t done, if Bobby didn’t manage to get himself out of there, this event would soon evolve into a slaughter. He was being whipped and slapped and beaten to a pulp. By who, or what, she had no idea. What got her head hurting was which of these two Challengers could take the worst beating, Challenger Red, or Challenger Gray? She’d soon find out. Right now, all she cared about was Bobby surviving. She couldn’t go on without her teammate. She’d be history! She needed him.
There wasn’t much she could say or do that would help him. He was on his own. This was his struggle. But she had to at least try.
“Bobby!” she shouted, giving him a good shake. “Tell me what I can do! There has to be something! Just tell me!”
But it was no use. It was as if Bobby’s ears had been clogged and he had no possible way in hearing her. His hands were trembling, his head was shaking, and his entire body was writhing and struggling against whatever it was he was up against. There could have been two of them, or a hundred, or even a thousand. The point was, Bobby appeared to be losing and it didn’t look like he was going to make it through this.
Gray at least, had calmed down somewhat from his previous outbreak. He was no longer quivering and screaming to his teammate. His breathing still came heavily and occasionally, a pained whimper or a frightened gasp escaped his lips. But that was about it. His body had cooled down and he must have managed to get through whatever it was that had struck him. Bobby on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky.
Layra felt completely helpless. Here she was, next to her partner, barely doing a thing while poor Bobby was being clawed and covered in cuts and scrapes! He was taking the ultimate beating from hell. A round of sheer torture. She had to do something. She got up, took a quick look around and saw a small object lying on the ground only a few feet away.
Grabbing her attention, she hurried over, took a close look and saw this must just be what she needed to help her miserable teammate. It didn’t seem like much but anything was better than nothing at all. She grabbed the little object and dashed back over to the rug of nightmares…and her suffering partner.
Holly says:
dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn…….. This is getting intense and good!!!!! haha 🙂
Challenger Black says:
Thanks Holly! Glad you’re enjoying 🙂
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 16: Round Two of the Great Four (PART 2)
She kneeled down next to him and placed a cold, wet facecloth on his forehead. At first, she realized Bobby hadn’t responded or felt the cold wetness, but nearly a second later, she got a reaction. It wasn’t much, but it was there. Bobby’s lips loosened up, his toes wiggled slightly and out of his mouth came a soft, relieved sigh. It was working!
She then decided to keep working. She moved her hands onto his shoulders and softly began rubbing. She figured she’d have to keep helping if she expected Bobby to calm down. She gave him a relaxing massage. At times, he’d cry out in pain or he’d groan deeply, but the longer she went on massaging him, the quieter he became. She then moved to his neck and slowly rubbed, trying not to rub too hard in fear or upsetting him. She had to keep Bobby focused. She had to keep him comforted. She had to let him know that he wasn’t alone in this. She was there, right next to him.
When Gray noticed what Layra was doing, he moved in closer to his teammate and began doing the exact same thing. He rubbed Gray’s shoulder, with a little more force, seeing as he was a whole lot stronger and heftier than Layra, but it wasn’t having much of an effect. Gray was continuously whimpering and whining and punching the air while howling, “Back off…GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! PLEASE! JUST GO!”
Bobby meanwhile, had calmed down entirely. His breathing was soft and came naturally. It even sounded as though Bobby were in fact sleeping.
He murmured softly, “Fly…fly…fly away. Fly away. I’ll go. I’ll fly away…thank you.”
While Bobby’s mind was calming, softening and quieting down, Gray was getting worse. He was on the edge of punching someone in the face if they got too close, but Brown knew he had to help his teammate, before it was too late. There was no telling how much time left his partner had. A minute? Five minutes? An hour? How was he supposed to know?
He inched up to Gray’s head and shouted, “HEY!”
Gray moaned something in response. Brown knelt down to Gray’s ear and asked shakily, “What?”
Gray opened his mouth to speak but to Brown’s horror, words never came. The second Gray opened his mouth even a touch, a thick dribble of blood poured out. Brown gasped and stepped back, breathing heavily.
“Gray!” he screamed. But his teammate wasn’t listening. Odds are, he couldn’t even hear. His mind was somewhere else. Hell, most likely.
“Gray, speak to me!” wailed Brown. “Come on, man…snap out of it! Gray, COME ON! I know you’re there! Wake up!”
But the blood kept on coming. Soon, the blood was trickling down his neck and onto his gray Challenger shirt. Gray was bleeding from his insides which could only mean whatever or whoever was messing with this Challenger, was battering him up from inside. Brown just sat there staring in horror while his brother continued on bleeding, trying to speak to his partner, but whatever he was trying to say, wasn’t coming out. He, like Bobby, was suffering.
“Come on Gray, come on!” Brown pleaded, his eyes watering. “You can do this! Please!”
Brown was now sure of it, that his brother wasn’t going to make it. He may have kept going in the game longer than his opponent which would have proven victory but if Gray was just on the edge of being killed, slaughtered, murdered, that meant Challenger Red and Challenger Black would stand victorious. These games could easily kill. Brown dropped his head onto his brother’s eyes and screamed, digging his fingers down his teammate’s chest. This was it. The end was near.
But the end never came. Just when Brown thought Gray’s heartbeat was fading into oblivion, he gasped loudly and coughed, fresh drops of blood seeping from his mouth. His eyes shot open, bloodshot red from whatever death-defying horror he’d just escaped. He jerked his head, left, then right and saw he was right back where he started. His brother stared at him, wide eyed and then, the truth sunk in. Brown’s head sunk as he let out a defeated groan.
Gray soon realized the truth. His hands began trembling. He shook his head, took a breath and slammed his hands furiously on the ground.
“NOOOOO!” he screamed. “I-I was so close! I was so dam close! Why? It’s not fair!”
Brown grunted, “Nevertheless, we’ve got this.”
Gray shot him a glare.
“I hope you’re right. That game belongs to us!”
“You’ll get yours,” Brown assured him. “Don’t worry. The games have just begin. Those two nut heads are in for a big surprise.”
Gray sighed. “It was just too much. I…I couldn’t take it anymore. It was a living hell! They would’ve killed me. I had to get out of there.”
Challenger Gray may have awoken from his living nightmare but Bobby, Challenger Red was still going. He hadn’t yet given up. Layra remained by his side, watching him carefully. She stared at him with awe. Here Bobby was probably being chased down by monstrous beasts or being beaten to death or burned or frozen or who knows what else and all she could do was watch. But as scraped and bloodied up as Bobby looked, he looked to doing fairly well. He’d gone quiet for some time. He was no longer wailing and crying and screaming out. All Layra could do was watch and wait and pray he’d come back. How far was he willing to go? Was he taking this to the very end or worse, was he trapped from ever escaping? Or was he eventually going to be killed sometime later on? Layra shook that thought out of her head and focused on Bobby.
Veego and LaBerge stood silent, watching the remaining contestant just as carefully. There was a sort of coldness firing in Veego’s eyes whereas LaBerge’s eyes were of fear, worry and relief. It seemed Layra and Bobby had this round one or at least, he hoped they did.
“Come on, Bobby,” thought Layra. “Please, come back. You can do this!”
“Leave me alone!” whined Bobby. “Please, just…go away!”
“What is it?” Layra demanded. “Bobby, who is it? Who’s there?”
“He…he…stop! Owwww. Oh, just stop!”
“Bobby!” Layra shouted. “Come on Bobby, get out of there!”
“Layra,” cried Bobby, squirming. “Where are you! I can’t see you!”
“I’m here, right here, Bobby!” she said, shaking him anxiously. “Come on, hear me! Right here, just follow my voice!”
“H-help…help me,” he croaked weakly. “Layra…get…me…out. GET ME OUT! Please!”
“B-Bobby,” she stammered. “Come on! Listen to me, you’re going to get through this. Just follow my voice! You’re almost there. We’re almost there!”
“There!” he screamed. “I see it…I see it! I’M FREE! I’M GOING HOME!”
And then, almost instantly, Bobby’s eyes shot open as he sat up, took a tired, exhausted look around, saw Layra staring at him, both relieved and terrified.
He took a deep sigh and croaked softly, “I did it.”
Layra took a breath. “You did it! I-I can’t believe it. Bobby, you won!”
He sighed and lay back down.
“Round two is ours!” he said relieved. Layra could feel the pride in his voice. And he had every right to feel proud. No. To be proud. He’d just proven himself a great partner and a great teammate and Layra knew if she hoped on making it through these death-defying games, she’d have to work with Bobby, instead of going against the rules and handing over an effortless round to their opponents. She had to work harder and be a better teammate, for both Bobby, herself and of course, LaBerge.
“Congratulations!” LaBerge announced, sounding noticeably thrilled. “Round two’s now been given to Challenger Red and Challenger Black! Well done!”
Veego shot him a glare. He gulped and stepped back a pace, turning away.
“Ah, yes,” she spat. “We’re all well aware of that. Very well, Challenger Red has out beaten Challenger Gray. Round two goes to Bobby and Layra, Challenger Red and Challenger Black.”
Layra and LaBerge exchanged a quick glance. LaBerge threw her a warm, proud smile. She smiled back and nodded weakly. It seemed like things really were turning around for the better. All her and Bobby had to do was keep it up and perhaps they’d even win this thing.
“Now,” said Veego formally. “Both teams shall be given an hour of break time. Get some rest, prepare, because once the hour’s up, it’s off to round three of the Great Four and seeing as you’re both bruised up as badly as you are, you’ll need the time to cool down. Have a snack, have a drink. Take a quick nap even. Just get ready. And as you now know, the scores are officially tied. Both teams have been given one victory. Remember, in order to win the Great Four, you must achieve three solid wins. Keep that in mind.”
So while Veego and LaBerge privately went about their formal discussions, LaBerge not wanting to be there whatsoever, both teams strolled off and took a break near a small, quiet lake. Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown sat down at the edge of the peer. Challenger Brown helped his brother out by patching him up and lying him down and making sure he got as much rest as possible. Layra and Bobby meanwhile, went off a little further. They stopped and rested at the very edge of the lake, where they could sit down on the grassy turf while dipping their feet in the cool water, which at the time, felt pretty relieving to Bobby’s feet.
Layra had brought a couple of bandages and ointments and whatnot to help with the wounds and stingings. After a few drops of some blue, gooey liquid, Bobby was both relieved eased to see the pain had vanished. Just like that. The two fresh wounds on his chest however, were another story. The most Layra could do was rub a tab of some healing lotion she’d been given from LaBerge who had somehow, managed to hand it to her without Veego’s knowing. She didn’t know how he’d done it, but she was glad he did. It didn’t do a whole lot for Bobby’s chest pain, but it did make a difference, which was always better than nothing. And depending on who’d be competing in round three of the competition, Bobby needed as much care and rest as possible. Layra hadn’t gone through what he had, and she could hardly imagine how he’d dealt with it all.
As they sat there, staring out beyond the lake, Bobby let her in on what had happened while lying on that dreadful rug. He told her everything. He told her how the rug literally dug into your mind, finding all your fears and what things made you weak and how it could use those against you in order to create a deadly, unbearable pain whacker. He explained how he’d found himself in a lonely, pitch dark sort of place and all he could hear were growls and hissing noises and grunts and bellowing and it wasn’t much later he realized he was completely surrounded by an army of quigs. And not just the quig-dogs from Second Earth. The whole family was there. The quig-bears from Denduron, the quig-sharks from Cloral, the gar-quigs from Eelong, the quig-snakes from Zadaa, the robotic quig-spiders from Quillan and finally, the quig-bees from Ibara.
How he’d managed to outrun them all without being smothered or crushed to death, he had absolutely no idea. He assumed it was sheer luck. But the immense army of quigs wasn’t the worst of it. Not by a long shot. He’d nearly fallen off a cliff; he’d been seconds away from being shot in the head, thrown into a fiery chasm, locked into a freezer of ice and what came finally pretty much got him running for his life. Someone had paid him a visit and it wasn’t some kind old gal with a plate of freshly baked cookies either. Not even close. It was the traveler himself in his real, true form. Saint Dane. He was just as Bobby remembered, time and again. He stood about seven feet tall with long gray hair, pale white skin and like always, he wore that familiar, black Asian suit that buttoned up to his chin. But what stood out most about the guy were his eyes. Those blue-white eyes were haunting.
Saint Dane fooled and messed with him till his head was about to explode. He began shifting and morphing into impossible shapes from eight headed dragons with oversized jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth, swirling fog people with long, coiled fingers and what nearly sent Bobby over the edge…clowns. And not just one. Saint Dane had called upon an entire army of clown dolls. They were small, sneaky and clever. Their eyes were like round, black little buttons, their clothes were rainbow colored, their shoes long and red as blood and their laughs…their laughs were just bloody terrifying. They circled around Bobby, singing, “Ring around the rosy, a pocket full of clown dolls!” till he’d gone screaming and wailing like mad.
Saint Dane had enjoyed his little performance and almost immediately, he’d flown off in the form of a raven. Where he’d gone, Bobby had no idea. Probably to mess with someone else’s head by tormenting them with singing, dancing clown dolls. Sure, LaBerge liked clowns but the clowns back in the Clown Forest during the Grand X were nothing compared to what the demon had whipped up. He’d pretty much whipped up a great big helping of horrifying clowns. Bobby even wondered, while staring around at all those tiny creeps, whether it wouldn’t scared the living hell out of LaBerge. He had the idea it probably would have. Those creeps weren’t clowns. They were horrors. Period.
After Bobby had finished his disturbing story, Layra hardly knew what to say.
Finally, she spoke up.
“I’m sorry,” was all she could say.
Bobby looked at her and said, “You are?”
“I know I shouldn’t have done what I did,” she admitted. “And I really am sorry. It was a stupid thing for me to have done. Again, I wish I could take back what I did. I should’ve just listened to you in the first place.”
“It’s not that you meant to do it or anything,” said Bobby. “It’s just…Layra, look. I understand you’re sorry and all, but you’ve got to start listening to me! These games play with your head. That’s what Veego and the trustees of Blok are trying to do. They’re working to get these games to control all of Quillan right along with Blok itself. You’re a great partner Layra and I know you’ve got confidence and all that but you’ve just got to start taking this seriously and well, you’ve got to smarten up. If we lose this, we’re done. If Blok gains any more power than they’ve already got, then we’re all gonners.”
Layra said nothing.
“I’ve been through these games before,” he continued. “Not anything as extreme as the Great Four, but the Grand X wasn’t exactly my cup of tea either. It was brutal. They’re grueling Layra and from what I’ve seen, we have no chance at gettin’ out of here alive unless we work together. We have to work together, as a team; we have to listen to each other. Layra, it’s all we’ve got left. Look at those two Challengers. Sure they’re brothers and they’re cocky as hell, but they work together and that’s why they, god I hate to admit it, but that’s why they’re champions. I can almost guarantee you that’s why. How else would they have gotten this far?”
Layra took in Bobby’s words for a moment. He waited for her to say something, but she just kept on staring out at the lake, as if in a trance.
“Look,” she said, sound a tad bit angry. “I know what I did was wrong. But you’re saying all this as if you think you know everything about these games. Well, I think you’re-”
Bobby stared her straight in the eye and shook his head. Layra understand and sighed, letting out a slight groan. As long as the two of them were arguing, they’d get nowhere. Round three was fast approaching and they were still trying to work together and so far, it wasn’t turning as so well as Bobby had hoped. He tried getting through to Layra by explaining his experiences with the Quillan Games and the Grand X with Challenger Green, but she’d just argue back saying he’s getting all smart on her, thinking he knows how it all works. They couldn’t agree on much very well but when they were now on the edge of arguing, they quieted themselves.
So with that conversation ended, the two gazed out at the lake, both lost in thought. By this time, Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown had already gotten up and headed back to where Veego and LaBerge were standing.
Bobby and Layra sat there for about thirty minutes till they heard Veego’s voice calling, “Challenger Red and Challenger Black. The break is officially over. Now if you’ll come up, LaBerge and I will escort you to round three of the Great Four.”
They got up and strolled off. Veego then threw Bobby a grin, saying, “And Challenger Red…I hope you’ve had a good, long rest. I believe you’ll be in need of it…now more than ever.”
He didn’t like the sound of that.
Challenger Black says:
Alright, Round 2 of the Great Four (PART 2) is up. Now, here’s Round 3! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 17: Round Three of the Great Four (PART 1)
After hearing what Veego had just said, “I hope you’ve had a good, long rest. I believe you’ll be in need of it…now more than ever,” Bobby was wondering, fearing and speculating at what the next challenge could possibly be. Whatever it was…he didn’t want to know. He couldn’t imagine anything worse than murderous, pain rugs. That was sheer torture, so moving onto round three with the intentions that he’d need rest gave him a sick feeling to his stomach and made his head feel like it was in a million spots.
And it didn’t help much that he was still bruised up. The lotions and ointments Layra had given him helped a good deal…but the stings were still there. He just hoped they’d hurry on and get this over with. He was tired, in pain, and the one thing he missed more than anything right now was bed. It’s crazy how spending your day playing death-defying games will do that. Luckily, their wait wasn’t long.
It took them half an hour to reach the next challenge and there, they saw the ground was no longer a smooth, green grassy turf. The ground was nothing short of a mess. They were stepping over mounds of mud, dirt and dry, sandy soil. The further along they walked, the drier and dustier the ground became. It reminded Bobby of some old western movie with the grounds always being dusty and dirty. He could only imagine what the next grueling test would be in a weird place like this. It must have been a very dry place because far off, fields and fields away were rocky, towering mountains. All around them, as far as the eye could see were sandy hills and mounds that must have gone on for miles.
Overall, it was an eerily quiet place. There were no roads, no homes, no animals, no people only them and whatever horror would come out of this new challenge of the Great Four.
As they made their way down one final hill, they saw the ground flattening out. Here, there were no bumps or mounds or oversized rocks or boulders to stumble over. They were now staring at a large round- shaped ring. The ring itself was carved in the ground, probably out of some enormous stick or some other tool used to create the massive ring. It must have been dug in there pretty deep because the ring was visibly dark and you could hardly see the actual depth and how far down it’d actually been carved. The overall size of the ring must have been half that of a soccer field.
It was a simple, drawn out ring. But what was the game? That’s what got Bobby’s head spinning like it’d been only so many times when faced with these horrid games. It looked easy and harmless…just like those rugs which turned out to be torturing, pain rugs. Who would have guessed? He had a pretty good feeling this wasn’t going to be a carefree skip around the block. It never was with the Quillan Games. There was always some extra catch that made a seemingly harmless game a death-defying struggle…one that meant life or death.
Veego called both teams over to explain the rules of the game. LaBerge stood there, fidgeting and staring wide eyed at the ring as if he were going to faint. Bobby thought if ever there was a time when LaBerge would faint, it was now. His face was slowly changing from pale to white and his eyes darted all over the place but he kept on acting like he was fine, which clearly…he wasn’t. But he wasn’t going to let Veego catch on.
“Welcome to round three of the Great Four,” Veego announced. “Here, you see a carefully drawn out ring in the ground. As you might have guessed, that’s where you’ll be spending your time fighting your next challenge. Now before I get into any rules, I’ll tell you this game is going to take a lot more out of you than the monstrous maze…or even the pain rugs. Trust me on that. As for the name of the game, it’s simply called Life or Death. Not much to it.”
Suddenly…LaBerge croaked. He coughed once, twice, till he could hardly breathe and stepped back a pace to regain himself.
“Snap out of it, ninny!” barked Veego irritably. “You need some water?”
LaBerge shook his head and in a raspy voice, said, “I-I’m fine. Carry on.”
He took a deep sigh and sunk his head into his chest while his sister carried on with the instructions.
“As I was saying,” said Veego, turning back to the Challengers. “This game’s called Life or Death. As to why it’s called that, it’s quite simple. The goal of the game is to see how far you’re willing to go. We’d like to see how far you’re actually willing to go to reach victory. We’re curious in seeing how long two of you can survive without surrendering to your opponent. You might step in the ring and decide you don’t want to play. It’s all about how far the two of you can push yourselves to go. Are you willing to push yourselves to the limits…your limits? Only you can decide that.”
“So…” said Bobby. “What do we do?”
“Each player will be given a wooden stave,” Veego explained. “These staves will be the one weapon you’ll be allowed using during the game. I’ll warn you; these aren’t your common staves. They’re called element staves. Each stave holds a number of forces, like fire and ice, wind, metal, electricity and water. When you go at your opponent with the weapon, even if it’s no more than a simple whack, they’ll feel a quick jolt of whichever element’s released. It may only be a quick, simple jolt but trust me when I say… there’s pain. Look at this way…the longer you go on getting whacked and blown in the face, the easier and harder you’ll feel the force. And too many of these blows can bring you down to failure. I advise you to keep that in mind. And…once you’ve stepped in the ring, there’s no stepping out. There’ll be no leaving that ring till the game’s done. I say that because the moment you step foot inside that ring, there’s an invisible, electric force field that comes into play that completely surrounds the arena. You’ll be trapped inside till the end of the game. Not only that…it prevents you from hearing all sounds from the outside. Trying to get past that thing’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Feel free though…to try and escape…it’s you game, after all.”
“Yeah, not likely,” muttered Gray. Brown nodded with a grin. They weren’t falling for it.
“Nice try, Veego,” said Brown, grinning slightly. “For a second, you almost had us there. We’ll be careful.”
Veego shrugged carelessly.
“And how do we win?” asked Layra.
“As for being victorious,” Veego went on. “There are three possible outcomes as to how the game of Life or Death can result. It’s the same every time. We’ve seen three outcomes repeated, time and again. First off, you’ll either pin your opponent down and they’ll surrender. Secondly, you can pin your opponent down and instead of them simply surrendering…they’ll take the blade.”
“And what’s that mean?” asked Layra shakily. She didn’t like where this was going. Bobby wasn’t too fond of it either. Things were getting ugly…real fast.
“Taking the blade,” chuckled Veego. “Means giving yourself up to your opponent. When you take the blade….you die. But keep in mind, taking the blade isn’t a bad thing. If you’re willing to go that far, as far as death, your teammate officially becomes victorious. That surviving teammate will then continue on through the Great Four, alone. A third outcome could be if one of the competitors managed to actually kill their opponent. Remember, the goal of the game is to see how far you’re both willing to go. Will you back down, will you take the blade…or do you have the guts to kill your opponent? It’s your call. But if you’re not willing to take the blade, you prove to us you’re not willing to go as far as needed, and therefore…victory goes to the opposing team. Got it?”
“What if-” said Bobby, but stopped to catch his breath. He could barely get the words out. “Has a Challenger, ever taken the blade…on themselves?”
“Suicide, you mean?” Veego said coolly. “Good gracious, no.” Here she chuckled lightly. “No, taking the blade upon one’s self proves to us you’re a coward. Therefore, if one decides to take the blade upon themselves…they’re simply handing the victory over to their opponents. Simple as that. You’re not proving to us you’re willing to go very far when you take it upon yourself! That’s taking the easy way out. Then again, if the game’s too much…do as you wish. We’re here to observe on where you’ll go with this and which route you’ll take, whether that’d be the easy route or the more difficult route.”
Veego turned to LaBerge, saying, “Isn’t that right?”
The poor guy shook his head and nodded meekly. “Y-yes…of course.”
“We’re looking for three things,” Veego told them. “We’re expecting from each challenger, strength, agility, wits…and perhaps sacrifice.”
Bobby and Layra gulped. Brown and Gray just laughed. Bobby assumed those two were either foolishly brave or terrifyingly scared and not showing it. As champions…probably a little of both.
“And one more thing,” added Veego.
All four Challengers listened carefully.
“You’re not exactly going up against your opponent, not in the sense you’re thinking.”
“What’s that mean?” Layra blurted out. “Who’re we up against?”
“What I’m saying,” Veego said casually. “You’re expecting to go up against Challenger Gray or Challenger Brown. All I can say…is that you’re in for a surprise. Keep in mind that electric force field’s filled with force, power…and illusions. That ring’s filled with delusions and tricks that fool with your mind. The game’s full of illusions but the one illusion you’ll have to watch out for is your opponent, whoever or whatever that might be. Either of you might be expecting to go up against Challenger Brown. In reality, it’s quite the opposite. Because of the illusions that come into play, your opponent will really be an illusion. That’s who you’ll be up against. Each team selects a player and each of those teammates will be up against…something. The question is who’s willing to take it to the very end? That’s where the fun begins. And what’s better is once the illusions come into play, your opponent becomes, well…invisible, I guess you could say. You’ll both be in that arena, but your eyes will see you and your illusion only. Your opponent won’t even be there, really. And those are the rules behind Life or Death. Play safe now and most important…have some fun! These games are meant to be fun!”
Veego then motioned for LaBerge to take the Challengers over to quickly prepare them for the game. He led them a little ways off to a large wooden bucket, where, filled inside…were numerous staves. They reminded Bobby of those wooden staves he’d used back on Zadaa during his weeks of training at the Mooraj camp with Loor and Alder. There was one major difference, however. These staves were an inch or two longer and instead of the end being hard and round… it came to point. It wasn’t as sharp and cruel like the end of a warrior’s blade, but that wooden tip could do serious damage if in the right hands and used properly.
LaBerge told each team to take one stave, head back to the ring, and choose one player to enter the ring…and the game of Life or Death.
He then left and went back to Veego were he stood there, staring at the ground with a worried frown. The guy was hating this. But he couldn’t let his sister let onto it. He’d be toast. So he just stood there, trying to look as enthusiastic as possible, which really…was nothing at all. A small, worthless smile at the most.
Both teams were now discussing who they were going to send into the ring. Who was going to play Life or Death? Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown weren’t too worried but they were taking things just as seriously. Every now and then, they’d steal a quick glimpse to their opponents and seeing them staring back, they’d turn their heads and carry on whispering. Bobby guessed since Gray had taken the agonizing whacks back on the pain rug, odds are Brown would take a turn at this next challenge. Gray seemed just as beaten as Bobby and allowing Gray to rest would only give them both an advantage, letting one unharmed play the game while the other sat back and relaxed. The fourth game unfortunately…still had yet to come.
Bobby and Layra were having a tough time reaching a decision. Bobby didn’t say much and Layra had a pretty good reason as to why. The guy had just dealt with unbearable pain and here Layra had taken a few hits from a dancing tree, a few growlings, only to have gone and morphed into an eagle, reached the golden flag to then find out they’d lost round one, due to her violating the rules. In comparison to what Bobby had gone through, Layra hadn’t been through very much. She could only imagine what he was thinking. He didn’t want to play Life or Death but he was being very quiet and easy going about it. She knew it was up to her. It was her turn to play. She couldn’t send Bobby out there in the bruised, bloodied up condition he was in.
“Bobby,” she said uneasily. “I’ll play.”
Bobby looked up at her. “Layra, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I mean-”
“No way…you’re a mess,” she said quietly. “I’ll do it. Really.”
“You sure?”
She nodded and smiled weakly. “Y-yeah…sure. I mean, it can’t be any worse than what you dealt with…right?”
Bobby shrugged. “I don’t know. Honestly, I can’t tell where this thing’s going. Could go anywhere, I guess.”
Layra frowned and stammered, “I-I just hope I’ll have a chance. You know, with those staves. I’ve never even used a blade before, let alone one of those things. I never used anything like that back on Rorga! I just wish I had some training like you.”
Bobby looked her straight in the eye and said firmly, “Layra, I think you have a chance. You had a chance last time. But you cheated. You can’t do that kind of thing, not here, anyway. Just make sure you focus, obey the rules and you should be fine…hopefully. I just have the feeling we can do this, if we work together. Man though…my head’s killing me.”
“B-Bobby,” said Layra shakily.
“Yeah?”
Layra hesitated, then went on, “I-I know I shouldn’t be asking you this…I already feel bad for even wanting to, but-”
“But what?”
As much pain as the guy was even, Bobby seemed pretty soft and understanding right then, even after what Layra had done. She felt a dry lump settling into her throat, and felt she could hardly speak.
She took a breath and continued, “Well, I, it’s just, about this whole game. I wanna play and all, really, I do. I just keep looking at those two, being champions and all and even you Bobby! You were trained by warriors. Who’d you say trained you again?”
“Loor?”
“Yeah!” she exclaimed. “You must have loads more experience than me. I may have gone up against fire breathing dragons and all…but never alone! That was all done in groups. I just can’t see myself going up against them, with…with those wooden things.”
“You know,” said Bobby thoughtfully. “Loor always told me a warrior doesn’t need to have strength or even know all there is to know. She always said a true warrior is able to feel their opponent, even smell them, know what they’re going to do and sense their moves even before they’ve moved. Sure, you might not be the greatest fighter in the world, but I’d say you have a shot. Don’t you?”
Layra tried nodding…but held back. She shook her head and admitted, “Not really.”
Bobby tried thinking of what to say to her. She was losing confidence…fast.
With no emotion, he declared, “You don’t want to go out there.”
“No, Bobby…listen!” she argued. “It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just-”
“No, I get it,” he said quickly. “You weren’t trained by real warriors…”
“Bobby, please don’t be-”
“I’m not angry,” he told her. “Really, I’m not. But if you want me to go out there…I can always try.”
“Really!”
Bobby shot her a glare. He could have sworn he’d heard unmistakable relief in her voice…as if heading into that ring was the last thing in the world she’d want to do.
“You sound relieved!” he snapped angrily.
“No!” she said shakily. “It’s not that. I just think-”
“I know you don’t wanna do this,” he shot back. “I get it, alright? You think because I’ve got the so called experience of being a warrior and all that I should go out there. Fine. But if I don’t do that great of a job…don’t get all snappy with me. I’m doing as much as I can to get through this and make things easy for both of us but you’re not helping much. I feel like crap. But look, if you want me to take this challenge, I will. Let’s just figure out who’s playing.”
“Look, Bobby…I’m sorry,” said Layra quickly. “I just think you’d be a better choice, is all. I feel awful about it…”
“Yeah, after I’ve just been pulverized,” he muttered.
Layra dropped her head.
“Funny how you weren’t listening to what I was saying earlier back at the maze and now here, when you don’t wanna go out there, you listen to me! This isn’t going to work so well. We’re supposed to work together Layra. All we’re doing is bickering, back and forth, back and forth.”
“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“I’ll go,” he told her, his mind made up. “If you think since I’ve got the experience, well, I’ll give it a go. Not much we can do from here. I’m just worried about the whole illusions thing. That just sounds freaky.”
“God…be careful,” she said nervously, wanting to puke. “You don’t even look well.”
“Ya well, someone’s got to go out there,” was his simple answer. “Hand me the stave.”
Once Bobby was given his wooden stave, he followed Brown, who was apparently the chosen player to compete in the event, down the hillside and cautiously up to the ring. The game was about to begin. Brown towered over Bobby, looking over the ring with a smug, know it all smile.
He turned to Bobby and said cheerily “Ready?”
“No,” said Bobby flatly. “You?”
Brown shrugged and answered, “Nah, but we’ll give her a go. Sounds like fun.”
Fun? In Bobby’s opinion, that guy had some serious issues but it didn’t matter if he had issues or not. He was the champion here. He could say whatever he wanted and still walk out victorious.
“What do think your illusion will be?” asked Bobby.
“And I’m gonna tell you because…?”
Bobby turned away. So much for that idea.
“Nice try, kid,” spat Brown, amused. “I’d like to see who you’re up against though.”
“I think I already know,” said Bobby, staring ahead, eyes locked on the arena.
“Who?” asked Brown curiously.
“And I’m gonna tell you because…?”
Brown snorted. “Whatever. Let’s go. The sooner I get in there, the sooner I can kick your ass. How’s that sound?”
“Yeah…we’ll see,” thought Bobby. He may have been pained and bruised up, but he felt more determined than ever to win another round and have the relief that they were one step closer to winning the Great Four…and staying alive.
The two strolled past Veego and LaBerge, who watched them carefully. Veego kept her eyes glued on them while LaBerge’s eyes darted here and there, not knowing what to think. The guy looked like he was on the edge of panicking but was somehow able to hold himself together.
Layra and Challenger Gray, meanwhile, stood off to the sides of the arena, watching and waiting. Gray gave Brown a little nod and Brown acknowledged him with a wink. Layra just stood there, staring at Bobby with a look of guilt and shame in her eyes. Here Challenger Brown and Challenger Gray had come to a wise, thoughtful decision. Seeing as Gray had been the one who took the beating upon the pain rug during round two of the Great Four, it only made sense for his teammate, Brown, to have a turn while Gray took the time to recover and heal to assure he’d be up and ready for the next challenge.
Bobby and Layra were another story completely.
Here Bobby was, all bruised up and beaten to a pulp while Layra stood tall, unharmed with a small scrape or two on her back, and yet…Bobby was the one being sent into the game. Layra could tell Veego was surprised and even a little confused. LaBerge looked downright terrified. He kept his eyes to the ground, hardly moving a muscle. When Veego caught sight of Bobby slowly making his way into the arena, she grinned and chuckled to herself.
Brown tightened his hold on his wooden stave and casually jumped inside the ring while hollering an enthusiastic “Whoo!”Gray cheered him on, while clapping his hands in rhythm, “Brown-Brown-Brown-Brown!”
Bobby carefully stepped inside and turned back to face Layra, who met his gaze with fearful eyes. She just dropped her head in shame. Really, it should’ve been here out in that arena, yet that’s not how things had turned out.
While Brown stood there, moving around like a know-it-all idiot and show off, Bobby turned his attention to the edge of the ring. He was curious as to what Veego had said about an electric force field enclosing on them, preventing their escaping. He wondered if that wasn’t just some dumb old rule made up to scare Challengers and get them going downhill before the game even began…to build up their fear and worry and have them panicking throughout the entire game. He decided he was going to find out for himself.
He slowly approached the ring, taking one step at a time, expecting to feel the electric force buzz through his veins. It didn’t come.
He then took an even bigger step that was close to a jump and just when he thought it was all a joke…BAM! That one step brought Bobby face to face with the electric force field which hurled him right back onto his back. Bobby got slammed right into next week. He’d already gotten himself in a mess of unbearable pain and that little throw on the back there had just made it ten times worse. It looked like Veego wasn’t kidding when she said the force field was electric. It hurt!
He rose to his feet, trying to stretch his arms to get the adrenaline back. There wasn’t much to begin with but if this illusion were going to stroll in, he had to be ready. Brown was still there, staring around which meant the illusions hadn’t begun yet.
As Bobby looked around, he noticed he could still see through the force field which meant even though it prevented them from going out…it didn’t prevent them from seeing anyone out there. Then again, seeing them didn’t do much good. As long as he was blocked off from hearing Layra or anyone else, he’d be on his own. He’d rather hear someone than see them any day. But there wasn’t much he could do now, so he took a breath, clutched his stave readily…and waited.
At first, he wondered if the game were even going to start. He and Brown must have stood in that arena for a good ten minutes before either of them began to get worried. Brown cautiously began circling the arena, his stave ready at his side. Bobby could tell the guy was working up a sweat and no wonder. Back on the pain rug, you were faced with fears and worries and your ability on how well you could take pain was put to the test whereas here…you came face to face with an illusion. You were facing things that weren’t really there! The longer Bobby went on thinking about what that meant, the quicker the horrid truth and reality of this game sunk in.
He now understood what Veego meant by this game being a test of strength, agility and wits because if he was right, not only was he going to be faced with illusions, he’d be faced with things that weren’t illusions. It was a mixture of both. Reality. That meant he was playing against reality and fantasy. Illusions and non-illusions. He suddenly wasn’t feeling too great going around that ring and now wished more than ever that Layra had taken her chances with this because the odds of him walking out of there any less beaten up than he already was after his lay down on the pain rug…was slim to none. But before he had time to feel any worse, he began to hear voices. Deep, gurgling voices.
Brown jerked his head sideways, holding onto his stave so tight, Bobby was surprised it hadn’t yet snapped. He went about the arena, cautiously and watchfully but just then, Bobby saw, no… he felt some unseeable force whoosh by, headed straight for Brown.
The champion wasn’t aware of it yet but about two seconds later, Brown’s face went white, he yelped, stumbled onto his back and that was the end of Challenger Brown till round three of the Great Four had come to an end. Challenger Brown was now invisible and Bobby could no longer see, hear, smell or even feel Brown around him. He was now truly alone. What illusion was waiting for him?
That’s when Bobby heard a voice. A familiar voice. He listened carefully and right out of the blue came a deafening…”YEEEEEEEEEE HAWWW!”
Bobby’s blood ran cold. His feet felt glued to the ground hearing that voice. He’d heard that voice time and again but hearing it just then gave him the shivers. All he could do now was wait. Wait for him to arrive…and his wait wasn’t long.
Somewhere, though he couldn’t tell where… a man slowly strolled up to the ring. Bobby stood there, watching the man carefully. Was this the illusion? He didn’t need to think twice. He knew the game was just warming up and thinking back to those pain rugs, he knew this would be ten times worse. It was always a struggle, a battle, a one on one confrontation with this guy.
And Bobby knew this guy liked to play games.
He’d proven it during Bobby’s last stay on Quillan during the Grand X. He may not have won, but he’d pushed Quillan off the edge and into relentless chaos with the after destruction of Mr. Pop. The games were back into play which meant, Challenger Green was back. But he wasn’t dressed like last time, with that familiar green Challenger shirt with the black diagonal stripes.
The man had now stepped into the ring with a casual leap and was now approaching Bobby with that swaggering stride, acting as if he owned the place. Bobby thought for a second and assumed he probably did, seeing as Bobby was bruised terribly and couldn’t do much for himself. Now that Bobby could see the man up close, he now realized, for sure…he was in for one hell of a ride.
Standing in front of him, with a hand placed firmly on his hip was obviously and unmistakably…a cowboy. Now if this were some ordinary cowboy, Bobby might have actually thought he had some sort of a chance at winning. But knowing who this guy was changed everything. The guy stood about seven feet tall, wearing a long, black coat over a sleeved red shirt and brown pants with a black cowboy hat. His long gray hair fell down the length of his back like a mane. Fastened onto his belt were two six-twin shooters, all rebbed up and ready for action. He wore a tall pair of black boots but like always, what stood out most about him, cowboy or not…were the eyes. Those cold white-blue eyes that were staring Bobby down as if he were in fact no more than a simpleton.
He touched his hat, gave a little nod, grinned and whooped jovially, “Howdy Pendragon!”
The game had begun. The illusion was here. Saint Dane had arrived.
Challenger Black says:
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 18: Round Three of the Great Four (PART 2)
Bobby just stared at the guy, not knowing what to think. His head was in a million spots. He couldn’t think properly. The guy was an illusion which meant whatever happened here, wouldn’t be real…would it? His mind was now racing with ache and he knew there was no stopping it. He held onto his stave and waited for Saint Dane to make the first move. Like Loor had always told him, never make the first move. She’d told him that time and again…and he wasn’t going to forget that. It was key, and was one of many things that would help keep him alive and focused.
Saint Dane looked Bobby over and whistled. “My, you’ve been on quite the ride. So how’s it feel to be here at the Great Four with me?”
“You’re not even real,” Bobby said, trying to sound more confident than he actually felt. Really, he felt like he was going to be sick, but he wasn’t going to show that. The most he could do was put on a bold face and do what he could to appear fearless. As best he could, anyway. “This whole game’s not even real. You’re only a fake.”
Saint Dane chuckled. “Am I?”
Bobby hesitated, then argued, “She said the game’s an illusion, which means whatever happens here isn’t real.”
“She said I was the illusion,” he corrected, with a sly grin. “She never said the game itself was an illusion. Pay attention, Pendragon! Now lighten up…it’s time we had some fun!”
Bobby held back. But Saint Dane was approaching him, his hand still near his guns. Were those an illusion? Bobby prayed they were, or else he’d be over and done with if they weren’t.
The demon seemed to be enjoying this. He circled around Bobby with a casual, careless stroll, his hands behind his back and a toothed smile on his face. He knew well enough that he was in charge. Illusion or not…Saint Dane was always on top.
“Whoooooooo-e!” he shouted, giving his foot a good swing. “Time to get this ol’ life or death thing goin! Buckle up, partner!”
Bobby didn’t like the sound of that, and kept his arm firmly on his stave and slowly circled around the demon traveler. Whether he truly was just an illusion or the real flesh and blood demon…he couldn’t be sure. He was now beginning to wonder whether this whole game wasn’t an illusion, but reality in the flesh.
Saint Dane sure seemed real. He looked, sounded and above all…acted real. The two went on, circling each other, trying to feel the other’s weight and figure out their next move. But Bobby already had his plan figured out. Not to make the first move.
Just then, he backed off as Saint Dane took a step forward and faked a swing. Bobby flinched. Again, Saint Dane snuck behind him, faked a swing and Bobby held back. So far, he wasn’t enjoying this, but his possible-illusion-opponent sure as heck was. He was whopping and yodeling like an out of control cowboy. Bobby then took a chance, hurried toward him and raised his stave at the demon, ready to give him a surprise blow when…Saint Dane blocked it.
He gave Bobby a little shove and exclaimed, “Nice try, partner!” It was his turn now.
He hopped and skipped around Bobby, faking continuous swings and jabbing at him in the stomach. Bobby tried blocking as best as he could but this guy was fast. This was Bobby and Saint Dane’s rodeo show down. Bobby could hardly pull off a swing, not with the demon watching his every move while moving around like a devious crab. But with how badly bruised and bloodied up Bobby was, he was doing a pretty good job, despite how sore and injured he felt. Now that he was here and playing the game, all he could do was give it his all and hope when this was all over, he and Layra will have won. But right then…that felt light-years away.
Bobby wasn’t too worked up yet. That is, till Saint Dane took things to another level and turned up the heat.
He stepped back, gave Bobby a sly grin and reached for his gun! He pulled out the twin-shooter, raised it above his head and POW! That gun was loaded and ready for a go. Bobby nearly fell onto his back with horror. He stared at the demon with stunned, unblinking eyes. If this gun was only an illusion, well…it wouldn’t matter whether it got him or not. He’d live. But on the other hand, were the bullets in that gun real, with weight, power and force? Now he was starting to wish he were anywhere but there. He began sweating.
He backed away, trying to find some way out but the moment his body touched the force field, the electric jolt pushed him back. He was a helpless prisoner in a cage of hell and his play date with the demon cowboy was just beginning.
Saint Dane sensed the terror in Bobby’s eyes slowly and moved in closer. He gave a jovial whistle, stepped right up to Bobby and planted the gun smack down onto his forehead. Bobby was now breathing hard. His heart was beating abnormally fast, ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-ba boom, ba-boom. He knew this was it. Was this the end? He was going to find out.
Feeling the tip of that loaded gun on his sweaty forehead, he did the one and only thing he could do in a time like that, seconds away from possible death. He closed his eyes…and braced himself for the death-defying impact.
“It’s over…” he thought to himself.
“WHOOOOOOO-E!” screamed Saint Dane. He pulled the trigger and POW!
For a second…Bobby thought he’d heard the sound of the bullet drilling into his forehead but to his utter shock, when he opened his eyes…he saw he wasn’t dead! He was alive! He’d survived a shot to the head. He let out a relieved breath and grabbed hold of his stave. Now that he knew the gun’s bullets were indeed part of the illusion, he felt a rush of confidence flood through his body. He was now in the game.
Saint Dane chuckled, “How’d that feel?”
“I told you it was all fake,” said Bobby, his confidence soaring. “I can do this!”
“Ahhh…but can you?” Saint Dane questioned slyly, circling him. “Are you willing to do as Veego says and take the blade like no other has done before?”
“I don’t have to!” Bobby shot back, getting his stave ready. “As long as I get you…I got this.”
“Well…good luck then, partner!” and with that, the demon lunged at Bobby, his stave high over his shoulder, ready to give him a good smack to the head. The gun, perhaps, may have been just an illusion but this stave was real. It had weight which meant it could do serious head-cracking damage. It wasn’t long before the two were going at it so hard, they were both gasping for air.
Even the demon had to stop for a moment to regain himself. He might have been strong and more than a bit cocky, but like anyone…got out of breath. Though Saint Dane had a real advantage with Bobby being in the unfortunate condition he was. Bobby’s moves were slowly starting to weaken and his breathing was becoming heavier, the harder he kept going and pushing himself…and Saint Dane could see this. Bobby might have held the training from a real Batu warrior, but being bloodied up took a whole lot out of him and it was now, more than ever that he wished Layra had taken the game instead of him. He was a mess and judging by how weak and drained he’d now become…he felt winning Life or Death was no longer possible.
The two must have gone on whacking and drilling each other for a good twenty minutes till Bobby, coughing and panting…could no longer take it. He stopped where he was and took a deep, pained breath. He dropped his head and gasped for air, desperate to get any bit of air in his lungs. It didn’t help that he’d now taken a good number of blows and with every blow, he’d been struck with a jolt of blazing fire or freezing ice or sharp, scraping metal or furious winds that felt like a mini hurricane. The force in those staves was starting to add up. He felt like the world was spinning, or maybe that was just him spinning. He had no idea. It was all just one crazy blur. He stood there, hunched over, fighting to stay conscious but felt he’d black out with any second.
“Feeling ill, partner?” the demon teased. “Need a break…a drink of water? What do you need?”
Bobby just went on coughing.
Saint Dane smiled and shook his head, amused.
“You know,” he mocked. “You’ve gone down quite the hill after going at it with me, haven’t you? Look at the trouble and pain I’ve caused you, Pendragon! Heck, if I weren’t here, your life would just be simply and perfectly normal, wouldn’t it? But look at what I’ve done. I’ve really gotten to you. Oh, and how’ve things been without your Uncle around? Things must really have taken a toll after he’s been gone, I assume…and your family! You never got back to me on where they’ve gone to! Really, it’s been how long since you’ve seen them…years?”
After hearing this, Bobby had officially been pushed over the edge. He was pissed. He didn’t care how sore his legs, arms or even his throbbing head were. When Saint Dane got to him like that, that was personal and illusion or not…he was going to get his.
Bobby clutched hold of his stave and stormed his way up to Saint Dane. He clenched his teeth and breathed heavily. The pain was wearing him down…but the anger inside was screaming to get out.
“Oh…I almost forgot,” Saint Dane said innocently. “It was I who killed your dear, beloved uncle…yes?”
Bobby couldn’t take it anymore. He was shaking. He pulled himself together, grunted and screamed furiously, “SHUT UP!”
He didn’t hesitate. He was fully charged and ready to go.
He charged head on at the demon with his wooden stave raised for a blow. But Saint Dane blocked it as if this were no more than a child’s game. Blow after blow, Bobby kept on going at the demon, screaming with every knock. He swiped like crazy, trying to nail the guy right in the chest. Luckily, a few times, he caught Saint Dane by surprise with a whack in the side which really had some impact. And every time he managed to sneak in these blows, the demon would reach down to his belt, grab hold of the guns, sometimes two at a time and start shooting. BAM-BAM-BAM.
Over and over, he unloaded, but Bobby was now convinced those guns were simply there to fool with him and he wasn’t going to be fooled anymore. He knew they weren’t real. They were only illusions. But could he say the same about Saint Dane? Was he really just an illusion or was this him in the flesh? Either way, he sure seemed like the real thing. Things always felt real with that guy. Or was that some extra part of the game? Did your illusion opponent have the power in convincing you into believing they truly were in the flesh and not some said to be illusion? He could only wonder.
After his guns were no longer of any use, Saint Dane tossed them aside and turned back to Bobby with that fierce glare in his eyes. Those cold blue-white eyes. The intensity in those eyes was unreal. It was enough to make anyone’s blood run cold.
He took a swing at Bobby and once again, the two were circling each other, jabbing and using their staves for defense. Bobby didn’t back down for a second, not when the stakes were as high as life or death. That was enough to keep anyone going.
But Saint Dane was tall and quick and, well…he wasn’t bloodied up the way Bobby was. His arms weren’t bruised and covered in wounds and his head wasn’t aching and he didn’t feel like he was going to fall down at any second. He was in perfect condition for a duel of violence, brutality and aggression. Challenger Red…wasn’t.
As for Saint Dane himself, the guy was barely working up a sweat. And being dressed up big, heavy clothes, Bobby was surprised at how he could keep it up at all without growing even a bit tired or warm. Then again…things never exactly made sense with this guy.
In no time at all, Bobby was lying flat on the ground, panting desperately. He cried out, gritting his teeth. The pain by now was unbearable. He wanted to be home. He wanted to be in bed. He wanted to be watching T.V with Marley at his side and his family with him…just like things used to be. He wanted to be anywhere. But here he was, stuck in the Great Four with the one person he’d dread to be anywhere with.
Saint Dane strolled up to him, put his hands on his hips and declared, staring him in the eye, “Well, that was quite the rodeo, partner! Gotta do better than that if you expect to bring down the Master! Better luck next time!”
“You’re not even here,” croaked Bobby. “It’s not real!”
Saint Dane sighed and said, sounding somewhat bored with the whole thing, “But it is, Pendragon. I’m here, sadly. And as helpless and hopeless as you are, I’m not quite done yet. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Bobby groaned, “Just leave me alone! I can’t do this anymore!”
“Leave you alone!” Saint Dane exclaimed. “Now why on earth would I leave you alone when we’re just getting started? We’re livin’ Wild West style, Pendragon! Now, let me know what you think of this. You tell me after I’m done here, whether this was what you like to call an illusion! You be the judge of that.”
And that’s when the demon struck…hard. Bobby was now so sore and covered in wounds, he barely had the energy to get to his feet. He was stuck there, hopelessly on the floor while the jovial cowboy jumped in, got his killer wooden stave out and got going. And like always…he showed no mercy. He gave Bobby such a hard, brutal beating that for a second, Bobby really thought he was going to die and the whole Great Four would be over, just like that. As much pain as he was in, he reached weakly for his stave in one last desperate attempt…when Saint Dane’s hand clutched firmly onto his arm.
The demon grinned and said, “Ah, ah, ah, don’t wanna hurt anyone here, do we? Those toys are dangerous. Too dangerous for a guy like you.”
Blow after blow, whack after whack, kick after kick, Bobby felt the horrid jolts seep through his body. And with each blow, Bobby couldn’t hold back an anguished scream or a pained howl or a whimpering cry. And with each scream, Saint Dane chuckled. Every second, he felt the fire burn through his veins only to have to feel the frosty ice blow through his body and the water rushing onto him, right onto his freshly cut wounds. Saint Dane was in complete control now and he wasn’t going to stop…not now.
The demon kept on going. POW, POW, POW, POW! Bobby wondered if he was ever going to stop or if he was just going to keep going till Bobby’s body could no longer take it.
Finally, from somewhere inside him, Bobby screamed at the demon and gave him a hard WHACK square on the nose. Saint Dane wheeled back and grabbed hold of his nose, groaning in pain. Bobby stood up, halfway, and took a second to catch his breath. He couldn’t see things straight. He was losing focus. But he was going to try and get up and hope he’d be steady enough to fight back.
Saint Dane charged. He grabbed Bobby firmly by the shoulders, gave him a light, effortless shove and pushed him onto the ground. He lowered his foot onto his chest and pushed down. Bobby screamed and struggled against the powerful weight. It was no use. The fight was long gone out of him. The end was near.
The demon then lowered himself down so he was staring Bobby right in the eye. He wasted no time in crawling over top of him, resting all his strength and weight onto Bobby’s weak, helpless body. He outspread both his arms and pinned them down with his hefty legs.
He then leaned into Challenger Red’s ear and whispered teasingly, “Round three…mine. Or should I say…Brown’s.”
“No!” cried Bobby, struggling to get up. “I got this!”
“Shhhh, shhhhhhh,” Saint Dane whispered. “No need to argue. Now, let’s see how far you really are willing to go…shall we? Let’s see now, ah! Here we are. Let’s see how this feels.”
And it was then Bobby felt the sharp blade of a knife pressing against his throat. He immediately panicked and struggled to rise but Saint Dane kept the blade in place. The moment he felt Bobby move even the slightest, he dug the cruel tip into Bobby’s skin, forcing him back onto the ground. There was no escape, nowhere to run…nowhere to hide.
“Not that tough now, are you?” Saint Dane teased. “Thought you’d win, didn’t you? Great try though partner! Better luck next time. Now, onto the real question. How far are you willing to go, Pendragon? Will you be the heroic warrior that violent Loor taught you to be? Or will you cower away, like so many before you have done? The decision’s all yours my friend.”
And then the demon, slowly…began pressing the knife harder and more forcefully into Bobby’s neck, chuckling while doing so.
For a moment, he seemed shocked and exclaimed, surprised, “My, Challenger Red! So you’ve chosen to take the blade after all? Good for you! You’re a brave one, you are! I’ll bet you’d make Layra proud. I’ll bet she’ll feel real proud after knowing what you’ve done.”
But feeling that sharp, murderous blade against his throat was more than enough to convince Bobby giving himself up wasn’t going to happen. He wasn’t going to just sit there and let Saint Dane shove a knife into his throat. No way. He really didn’t care what people called him. He was seconds away from death…and failure.
“Alright…STOP!”
“Oh, so close,” said the demon with mock sympathy. “And yet…so far. No medal for you, I’m afraid!”
Bobby just glared up into the demon’s eyes. The hatred he felt against this guy had just reached an entirely new level.
“Just tell me, are you real?” he demanded.
Bobby at this point, couldn’t do much, but he at least had to know whether or not this guy was real or a terribly realistic illusion that had beaten him to a pulp and gotten a real good laugh out of it.
“Ahh, that, I won’t say,” Saint Dane said with a playful grin. “You’ll just have to figure that one out on your own. Until next time, Pendragon! Much work has to be done.”
“Work?”
“I’ll admit, Veego makes quite the partner. Sharing my vision, soon, Quillan will be no more. She’s done much to ensure the vision is met and let me assure you…time’s almost up. I advise you, Pendragon…to move on. Leave Quillan. The revolution you and that Challenger girl think you can accomplish is nowhere near doable. Accept that Blok’s power is only reaching greater heights and it makes no difference what you, Layra…or that fool LaBerge try and achieve.”
Saint Dane shook his head, chuckling, “Not much that clown could do anyway.”
Bobby stared up, somehow feeling like things were all just starting to fall apart. The revolution, the Great Four…himself. Was Quillan’s end really approaching?
“And again,” Saint Dane added. “Thanks for the rodeo! We’ll have to do it again sometime. I’ll make sure to set something up.”
And with that, the demon traveler winked…and was gone. Just like that. Round three of the Great Four was now over. He and Layra had lost.
Just then, Challenger Brown appeared, out of breath…but grinning all the same. He waved to Bobby with a quick “thanks” and hurried out of the ring, where his teammate was already waiting. He could hear the two cheering and boasting and babbling on and whooping like crazy like overexcited idiots. Then again, they’d just won. They could do whatever they want and still walk out victorious.
He then heard the electric force field give a quick, simple whoosh and was gone. The force field was no more. He turned to his left and saw Veego and LaBerge slowly approaching, with Layra standing behind them, with tears in her eyes. The champions meanwhile…carried on with their celebration.
“And round three of the Great Four officially goes to Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown,” Veego announced, entering the arena. “Well done, gentlemen. You two put on an impressive show. Though I must admit, Pendragon, I was expecting more out of you. Looks like you weren’t willing to take the blade, just like all the rest. Just like the rest, you’re a coward and you’ve just proven so. Brown and Gray, you now hold two wins, rounds one and three. Challengers Red and Black, you’ve but one victory, round two. Now for the upcoming challenge, round four, you’ll have to play carefully. Red and Black, if you two happen to succeed in this next event, you’ll tie the game and therefore, we’ll have to throw in our tie breaker, which will then decide the winning team of the Great Four. Challenger Brown and Challenger Gray, if you carry on and steal the final event, you’ll have won three victories, which will officially name you as champions of the Great Four. Remember, three victories are needed to win this tournament. Right now, Brown and Gray are leading. Red and Black…looks like you two have some catching up to do.”
Bobby just groaned and dropped his head back on the ground. He didn’t want to get up and go anywhere. He just wanted to lie there, if only for a while, an hour…or even a few minutes. That’s all he needed.
But almost instantly, the whole world was fading into blackness. He struggled against it but it was too much for him and before long…Bobby lost sight of things altogether and collapsed. He was now unconscious. Everything had turned upside down and inside out.
Layra was right there next to him. After seeing how bruised and beaten up the poor guy was, she could hardly stand sitting there next to him. Bobby had just gotten double the beating and it was all her fault. She’d sent him out here. Right then…she felt about as worst a teammate as she could imagine.
“Bobby!” she shouted. “Bobby, come on! You’ve gotta get up! Please!”
But the guy was out cold.
After about ten minutes…she felt sure Bobby could very well be dead and started to panic. Veego and LaBerge just stood there watching. Veego didn’t seem too concerned whereas LaBerge was breathing heavily and shaking his head, trying to hold back tears. Challenger Brown and Challenger Gray went on babbling and chit chatting as if it weren’t that big of a deal, which for them, it wasn’t. They’d just won round three and couldn’t care less if one of their opponents were struggling. They were on top.
Layra shook him firmly, praying her teammate hadn’t been killed and thank heavens…he hadn’t been.
He sniffed lightly, and groaned “Mmmmm?”
“Bobby!” Layra exclaimed. “Thank god!”
Bobby lifted his head, rubbed his eyes and said tiredly, “What?”
“It’s time to go,” said Veego hurriedly. “Round four’s waiting.”
Layra carefully helped Bobby to his feet and on their way to the fourth round, he leaned up against her for support. He was still pretty shaky and definitely couldn’t walk on his own.
“D-did we win?” he asked unsteadily. She could tell the guy was wanting a positive answer. She felt her stomach twist when she realized she’d have to tell him. After blacking out…he must have forgotten him giving into the demon, choosing to live rather than take the blade.
Layra frowned, shook her head and croaked sadly, “No.”
Bobby shot her a shocked look. “Huh?”
“I’m sorry, it’s my fault. Bobby, I was stupid. I shouldn’t have sent you out there! You were already in bad enough shape, but I didn’t listen. It’s my fault we lost.”
He groaned and put his face in his hands. He was slowly coming back to reality.
“Why’d you force me into this!” he cried nervously. “Haven’t I done enough already? I felt like crap. Now I feel ten times worse! I feel like my head’s gonna explode.”
“I know, I know,” she said sympathetically. “I don’t even know what to say. You’ve been the one doing all the work and I’ve done nothing. You were almost killed. It should have been me out there.”
“I can’t believe you did that,” he argued. “I counted on you, Layra! We’re at round four and look at me! I’m a mess. Why can’t you just listen to me, for once? Just once, why can’t you listen?”
While they walked, Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown were having a grand old time. After having just been told they were leading with two wins, they felt on top of the world, like the real champions they were.
“We so got this,” said Brown casually. “I mean, really. Those guys don’t stand a chance.”
“You said it,” laughed Gray. “They’re a bunch of amateurs, if you ask me. I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when we win this thing. It’s gonna be classic.”
“You’re tellin me!” cried Brown. “Those two can’t even get along. It’s hilarious. I’m tellin ya, bro, if they keep this up, this Great Four will be like taking candy from a baby!”
“Yeah,” said Gray. “Too bad there’s no candy involved.”
Holly says:
GREAT chapters! You’re really getting me thinking on what the next challenge will be? very creative ideas! 🙂
Challenger Black says:
Thanks Holly! Glad you like the games! Here are the next 2 chapters. Hope you like Round 4! 🙂
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 19: Round Four of the Great Four (PART 1)
After having dealt with a monstrous maze, torturous pain rugs, and a violent showdown with Saint Dane Bobby and Layra were scared out of their minds at what the fourth and possibly final round was going to be. At this point, it could be anything. Were they going to have to go up against each other? Were they going to have to solve some sort of impossibly challenging test? Were they going to have to build a giant, humungous puzzle of a clear, blue sky of countless pieces? That truly…would have been the end. And after what Bobby had gone through, Layra wasn’t sure they stood much of a chance. Their chances of winning had just dropped drastically and she knew, though she hated to admit it…she really was to blame.
As for Bobby, the poor guy was a mess and could hardly walk straight without tripping or stumbling and moaning in pain. It was then she saw what a poor and awful partner she’d been to Bobby. No…a lousy partner. Not only had she cheated in round one of the contest, she’d forced Bobby, after having dealt with murderous rugs…into a third round. And he’d already been bloodied up enough as it was. Right now, Layra wasn’t so much scared as to what the fourth round would be or even how good a chance they stood against champions Gray and Brown. What worried her was losing Bobby. For good. There was no question, as to who’d be dealing with the upcoming game. Bobby needed a nice, long break. He more than deserved it. If one player alone was needed for the fourth round, then there was only one possible person who’d have to play. Layra.
It wasn’t long before they reached the area where the fourth round of the Great Four would be held. It wasn’t much different from the carved ring where Bobby had just played. The ground was still dry and dirty. There were still a few rocky mountains far off beyond them and the sky was now growing a dark, near-brownish color. Bobby had never seen a sky that color before but didn’t like the looks of it. Where the heck were they going? By the looks of the reddish-brown sky and dark colored clouds which back on Second Earth, would have been your ordinary pale white…they were being led a long way’s off from the mother of mazes, the pain rugs, and the ring of illusions.
What showed them they were now approaching their next game was an enormous, wooden gate that towered high in front of them. It reached up for what looked like miles and circled around, like some vast blanket of protection.
They walked up to a monstrous sized door and Veego tapped lightly three times and instantly…the huge doors swung slowly open with a loud, ear-splitting screeeeeech. Without a word, they made their way in, Bobby and Layra following cautiously behind while Gray and Brown hopped on in as if they couldn’t wait to get started. Were they actually enjoying this?
Veego and LaBerge kept in front, formally leading them in. Veego of course, showed no fear while LaBerge was shaking as usual. He kept on stealing a look back at both teams and Layra could see the guy was terrified. He may have been the host along with Veego and a game master, but knowing the death-defying games these challengers were put up against was almost unbearable. And it didn’t help that Gray and Brown were leading. The score was 2-1 for them and if things continued rolling on as smoothly as they were, Gray and Brown would no doubt, walk out victorious after the fourth round which meant Challenger Red and Challenger Black had to act…fast.
They were entering a giant stadium. It seemed to Bobby to be some sort of sports ground or a field. The ground was covered in dirt, but it was dry, not the gooey, filthy, grimy kind of dirt that got your feet soaked. That was one good thing. There were two doors to get in and out of: the one they’d just come through and one on the opposite side of the arena.
But what caught Bobby’s eye was what he saw farther off in the stadium. He could have sworn he was seeing black caves. Seeing a couple of caves could mean only one thing. Round four. But what was waiting for them in those pitch dark caves? Until they found out the game and the rules and the expectations, he could only wonder. And hope he wouldn’t get sick to his stomach just thinking about it.
Surrounding them in the great stadium were tall, dark bleachers, with the stands completely full. It was crowded, big time. There wasn’t one part that wasn’t filled. There were people seated all around and Bobby had a pretty good idea they were here for a show. They were here for entertainment and they were about to get it. There must have been at least thousands of people up in those stands. Many were chatting casually and talking about whatever people talked about on a daily basis. Odds are they were rambling on about the Quillan Games, like “Who do you thinks’ gonna win?” and “Who’re you betting on?” and “So, what’re you doing’ with your wagers?”
The people of Rune, as Bobby now remembered, had been so mesmerized and hypnotized into the games that they’d pretty much forgotten about their old, far-away lives and anything else that wasn’t related to the games. The games, with Blok right on top, had taken complete control over Quillan. Their imaginations and memories of the past had been snatched and burned to bits.
When Bobby saw Layra taking it all in, he realized she seemed a heck lot more worried than him. Her eyes were wide and glued at those strange caves at the far end of the stadium and when he tried shaking her, she’d just keep on staring as if he weren’t even there.
“Layra!” he shouted firmly.
She blinked and looked him right in the eye. Staring back, all he could see was dread.
“I’ve seen this,” she said nervously. “It all makes sense…I should’ve known.”
“How?” he demanded. “Should’ve known what?”
Layra dropped her head and murmured something.
“Layra, tell me!” he insisted, his voice cracking.
But at that moment, they were interrupted by Veego, who was addressing the crowd. Her cold voice boomed loudly over the entire place as all in the arena grew still as stone. Not a word was spoken. They just sat there and listened like a pack of freaked-out zombies. Bobby guessed they probably were on the verge of panic if they’d placed their bets on these Challengers and had a possible chance of dying. Who wouldn’t be scared? She then brought her brief speech to an end and turned to face the Challengers.
She put on a fake smile and announced, “Welcome to the fourth round of the Great Four. Depending on how events play out, this could very well be your final challenge. If so…work hard and make the best of it!”
Gray and Brown just laughed.
Bobby scowled and asked, “So what’s the deal?”
“Patience,” Veego shot back. “All in good time.”
“Just tell us!” spat Bobby. “Look, we’ve worked our butts off. Stop messing around and tell us what this is!”
Veego turned to Layra and smirked.
“Surely you know what’s going on, don’t you?”
Layra just stared at the ground, lost in thought.
“Layra, what is this?” asked Bobby, with a touch of fear. “You’ve seen this before?”
Layra said nothing.
Veego shook her head, took a breath and bellowed, “Welcome one and all to the Great Four! As many of you know, we’ve come a long way since the beginning of this competition. And now, it gives me great pride and honor to announce to you our playing teams, our well known champions who’ve returned yet again for a shot at round four…Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown!”
There was a brief applause. They may have been champs, but this crowd wasn’t so convinced and Bobby had a pretty good reason as to why.
“And playing against them,” Veego went on. “Their opponents, Challenger Red, a previous challenger in the Grand X as I’m sure many of you remember and his partner, Challenger Black.”
That’s when the crowd erupted like mad. Everyone rose out of their seats and clapped. They cheered and shouted and whooped as if this were the big football game of the year. These people clearly thought a lot of these two, and why not? After hearing Layra’s bold speech prior to the games, why shouldn’t they root for them? Layra had promised them freedom and a chance at building a rebellion against Blok and the horrid acts carried out in seizing control of the once grand territory. Layra had made them a promise and by the looks of all those people…they believed each and every word. It was the inspiration and determination they needed after being sucked into the games for all those years. After the annihilation of Mr. Pop which now felt like years ago, they’d finally been given new hope.
The question was…could Layra keep that promise? It all came down to this. Bobby and Layra could either make or break in what was in store for Quillan’s future, along with a third of the population’s people, not to mention themselves. Saying there was a lot of pressure was probably the biggest understatement of all time…or at least the biggest understatement of all time during the Great Four.
She then focused her attention back to the Challengers. LaBerge stood on, staring up at the now silent crowd, blinking and licking his lips. He was terrified.
“First off,” she explained. “You’ll have to know this game involves cooperation, teamwork and the ability to work together as teammates. Yes, all four of you will be a part of this fourth task. That’s the goal. We’re interested in seeing how well you challengers can work together. You’ve come a long way, both teams, and we’d like to see just how well you really have been working together. This, you could call your final test as challenger teammates. Not only will you have to work together, you’ll have to collaborate, listen to each other and respect what the other’s saying. Trust me when I say…listen. There’s no second chance once this begins.”
“Just tell us the game already!” shouted Bobby. The guy felt like wetting his pants with fear and hearing Veego ramble on so unnecessarily was driving him nuts. And it didn’t exactly help that he was sore as hell and wanted to run off and puke somewhere, supposing they even had a thing such as a restroom in this dirty hole. The place smelled like it hadn’t been cleaned in months and if the whole stench thing was an actual component of the event, then he’d pretty much be a goner. The place stunk!
Veego chuckled, sighed, and went on, “The game’s called Draygith. And if you remember, I gave you that little bit of info not long ago. The key thing you’ll want to know about this game is that each team will be going up against a most fierce marauder…a predator and a monster.”
“Yeah…go on,” said Bobby shakily.
“Dragons,” said Veego flatly. “You’ll be going up against dragons. Fat, ugly, fire breathing dragons. Your job is nothing less than to bring down the oversized giants.”
“What!” screamed Bobby. “You’ve gotta be kidding me?”
“It’s true,” said Layra quietly.
“So you do know about this?” Bobby asked her.
“I should know,” said Layra, staring straight ahead. “This game here’s from my own home on Rorga. These dragons aren’t from Quillan.”
“You’re serious?” asked Bobby.
Layra nodded and added dryly, “This won’t be easy.”
“Wait,” said Bobby, thinking out loud. “Didn’t you say the dragons on Rorga were…?”
“Quigs,” said Layra, finishing the sentence. “Yeah. The quigs on Rorga are dragons.”
Bobby shook his head, trying to take in what he was hearing. They weren’t just going up against dragons. They were going up against a beast he’d seen and faced time and again, back at the flumes.
“As I was saying,” Veego went on. “Each team will be faced with their own dragon. And I’ll let you know a little bit about these fiends. You’ll be up against either a male or a female. And trust me when I say there’s a difference in gender. Male dragons, ordinarily, are much smaller than females and can weigh up to about six hundred pounds, at the most. Females on the other hand, are much heavier and slower moving than the males…and can weigh up to nine hundred pounds, if not…more. The females carry this extra ounce of weight, because they’re capable of giving birth twice a month, which explains why they’re so regularly huge. And Layra, you should know, seeing as these fascinating things come from your own home.”
Layra just shrugged. Her mind was racing and she wasn’t in the mood for a joke.
“Yeah, those things are fat!” Brown exclaimed. “Like, crazy fat!”
“I know!” Gray agreed, with a grin. “They’re huge! They’re all blubber and fat!”
“Disgusting, if that’s what you mean,” laughed Brown.
“Yeah, that too,” said Gray.
Veego chuckled and threw in, “Don’t get too confident. Those things are beastly.”
“Is that all?” said Brown cockily. “A little fat ain’t gonna scare me.”
“We’ve seen it all,” Gray boasted. “Nothin’ too worry about.”
Veego smiled and said arrogantly, “Very well.”
“Anything else we should know about?” asked Bobby. Already, his head was screaming and his stomach was twisting and turning. He figured things by now couldn’t get much worse. Or at least he hoped so. He could think of a million things that could make going up against a fire breathing dragon all the million times worse. He quickly shook that thought away and focused.
Veego thought for a moment and said, “Yes, I suppose. Take into consideration that females are often a good deal more protective than the males. Especially when it comes to protecting their young. The males aren’t much different, but they’re far more aggressive and can throw a real bloody show. No doubt about that. We’ve seen many previous challengers taken away by the males and like always…we never saw them again. Let that be a warning, you won’t be a welcoming guest. Look at it this way. You four are intruders strolling into a dragon’s territory. Those females will have one look at you, see you as what you really are, thieves and, well…they’ll stop at nothing to kill you. The males will want to shred you apart out of sheer anger while the females, wanting to protect and shield their young, will do the one thing female dragons often do in a situation like that.”
“Which is?” said Bobby.
“They’ll eat you,” said Veego simply. “Either way, you’ll be killed. Whether you’re killed by the claws of a six hundred pound, enraged male or by the jaws of a nine hundred pound mother, it really doesn’t matter. We’ve had several of our competitors devoured by just as many males as females. And when two teams are going up against dragons that have been bonded, well, that makes the game all the more interesting. When two dragons that’ve been bonded, are separated…there’s no stopping them. Now I’m not quite sure what’s going on with your dragons but keep in mind if those two have formed a bond and worse, if the female is in fact expecting…all I can say is you’re in for one hell of a ride. The entire stadium’s yours. And as you can see right now, there’re preparing a giant wall. You’re all going to participate, but each team will be on opposite sides.”
All four Challengers turned and watched as a handful of guys lifted and struggled in lifting up the enormous wall. There must have been holes dug deep in the ground because the men seemed to be working to force the base of the wall straight into the ground. Bobby wondered if that wall was strong and sturdy enough to withstand an out of control frenzy of six and nine hundred pound dragons. Odds are if they’ve done this event before, it was. And Layra told him they played this game back on her own territory so the wall must have been built strong enough because if that wall by some means collapsed and those dragons came into contact, well…who knows what would happen?
“Just one question,” said Bobby, still thinking. “You said those things are fire breathing?”
“Yes?” said Veego. “Is that a problem?”
“Not that,” he said quickly. “I mean…can they fly?”
Veego turned to LaBerge, who casually looked away and back at the Challengers. It was obvious the guy didn’t want to talk, but he didn’t have to worry because Veego had been doing all the explaining.
“No,” she told him. “During the event, those dragons will have no way in flying. The wings have been calmed, which means they’ve been frozen I suppose you could call it and until they’re unfrozen, they’ll have no way in lifting off the ground. They won’t be leaving the stadium any time soon.”
“And you think we actually stand a chance?” Bobby spat at her. “You’re nuts!”
Veego shrugged carelessly, saying, “There’s always a chance.”
“Has anyone ever won?” he asked her.
“Not exactly,” she said flatly. “They’ve all been killed, except for our two champions here. Those quigs have been well fed, from what I’ve seen. Not much left once they’re done with you. Look at it as a campfire. They’re the hosts and you’re the meal.”
“That’s just sick!” Bobby shouted. “This whole thing’s sick! I can’t believe you still play these stupid games! You think it’s all fun and harmless, like’s it’s nothing.”
“Its business,” said Veego with no emotion. “You can’t change the order in which we’ve built. Blok is unstoppable and the games have just begun. There’s no end…only beginnings to what we’ve started.”
Bobby just shook his head and mumbled, “Whatever.”
He was starting to hate these people more and more. He couldn’t say Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown thought the same. They were champions. They probably didn’t have much to fear. Heck, those smug, know-it-all jerks could be working right alongside with Blok and no one would ever know. But now wasn’t the time for questions. They had a death-match to get ready for.
“Now,” said Veego formally. “On to the basics of the game. Each team player will be assigned their own specific job. That’s the basic idea of the event. One player will be responsible in the slaying of the beast. If you haven’t yet figured out, the only way in claiming victory in a game like this is staying alive and to do that, you’re going to have to somehow bring your beast down. How you do that is entirely up to you. Let me remind you, using traveler powers is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate loss of the event. And for you two, seeing as you’ve already violated the rules during round one of this competition, if you’re caught doing it twice…that’s immediate disqualification. Think carefully on that. Now, for the other player. It’s their job to do whatever they can to divert and distract the beast and let me warn you, that’s just as hard a job as bringing down the quig. Your lives are being put on the line but then again, if you follow the rules and work together, you should have no problem in being victorious. Let me remind you it hasn’t been done by anyone besides our two champions here, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done…depending on how hard you’re willing to play.”
“So basically,” said Bobby, his head spinning. “One player kills the quig while the other plays tag with it?”
“That’s an interesting way in putting it, but, yes, I suppose you could say that,” smiled Veego. LaBerge just shivered to himself and looked on at the awaiting crowd, feeling as if he were going to be sick. He wanted to just grab those two Challengers and make a run for it. But as long as Veego was there, he stayed there. He was a dog on a leash, and as long as Veego held onto that leash, there was no getting away. He was here till the end…for the better or worse.
“During the Grand X,” said Veego. “The rules worked somewhat differently, with there being only two players for each challenge. However, during the Great Four, with there being two teams of two players, I along with the trustees of Blok have decided to make things a little more interesting?”
“How much more interesting?” said Bobby suspiciously. He didn’t like the way she’d just said that.
Veego chuckled innocently and answered, “No need to get snappy, Challenger Red! All I’m saying is the rules change slightly, no harm. Basically what happens is, it isn’t a simple win or lose situation like the Grand X where there were two challengers in play. Here, depending on which team comes out, well, unsuccessful…there’ll be a draw.”
“A draw?” shouted Layra. “What sort of draw?”
“A simple, innocent draw,” said Veego. “A draw to decide who shall take the fall of the overall defeat. What I mean is one player survives…while the other doesn’t.”
“So one lives and one dies, is what you’re saying!” said Bobby furiously.
“Yes,” said Veego thoughtfully. “That about sums it up.”
“You’re sick,” said Bobby, clenching his teeth. “You know that?”
“Perhaps,” said Veego. “But that’s business here on Quillan.”
Bobby now realized what was truly behind the whole draw for execution thing. They were only doing that simply to attract more bets and more wagerings from the people of Rune. The trustees of Blok were downright sneaky and now that he thought of it, the more he saw how sick these people actually were. Every opportunity and every little dig they could get in to draw more people into their horrid games, they would. Things had gotten a lot worse since his last stay and he was now wondering whether they stood a chance with this whole rebellion idea at all, let alone winning the Great Four. Heck, they’d been falling apart since round one after what Layra had done. Were they only going to keep on falling till they hit the ground in failure?
“Now then,” Veego announced. “The event starts in exactly one hour so the four of you can head off, prepare, get ready, do whatever you need to do. The changing rooms are just off to your right. You’ll find all your tools and things you’ll need in there. They might come in handy, or they might not. Take whatever you like. Do whatever you wish. The game’s all yours. Just make sure you’re back here at the starting bell. I’ll warn you not to be late.”
“Why?” asked Bobby.
“Disqualification,” was the cold answer.
“LaBerge,” said Veego, turning to her brother. “Would you mind showing them to their rooms?”
“Y-yes, of course,” he stammered, smiling weakly. “Now, uh, if you four would just follow me, I’ll show you to your rooms.”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Brown hurriedly. “Let’s move it Clowny!”
LaBerge nodded meekly, gestured for Bobby and Layra to follow and soon, the five of them were making their way across the stadium to the changing rooms. Bobby looked back and saw Veego standing around, staring up at the awaiting people with that cold glare in her eye. He could hardly imagine what was going through her head. Blok, the Great Four, her trustees, her goof brother, the wagerings. All typical Veego.
LaBerge took them into a small wooden room that was shaped somewhat like a hut that looked rather private. In a way it was. It was used by Challengers only and inside were shelves and baskets and ledges and storage bins and tubs all filled with…weapons.
This little place held all sorts of weapons from curved blades to long, straight blades to daggers and bows and arrows, scalpels, spears, spikes and long leather ropes. And the bits of armor were just flat out incredible. They had every possible part you could imagine; helmets, gardbraces, breastplates, greaves, plackarts and stop ribs. There was old fashioned metal armor and there was armor similar to what the Bedoowan knights wore on Denduron, as well as what the Batu wore on Zadaa.
This was quite the collection but after having a good long look at the place, Bobby felt sure there’d be enough here to bring down a dragon and at the same time…make it back out bothered him was the fact that he was still a mess. He couldn’t go out there in all that violence. Not after having dealt with pain rugs and cowboy illusions. No way. That would only result in another Challenger death, for sure.
Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown weren’t too shy either. They dove into the pile, grabbing at whatever they could. They quickly got changed in one of the stalls and when they came back out, they looked ready to charge on out and take down a fire breathing dragon. Bobby thought this whole idea was very medieval-like with knights, dragons and battles. Gray and Brown then took a few bows and arrows, and a sharp blade for each.
They then turned and faced Bobby and Layra.
“All ready for the big game?” Brown exclaimed with a sneer.
“No,” was Bobby’s flat answer.
“Aw, lighten up,” teased Gray. “You’re just jealous because you’re in worse shape.”
Bobby said nothing to this. They were right, but he wasn’t going to let onto that. He was tired of arguing.
Luckily, Gray and Brown didn’t stick around long. They left the room and went back out into the awaiting stadium. They said they were going to stroll around for a bit, to get ready and all. Bobby peeked out and saw they were just walking around the stadium perimeter, simple chit chatting as if this were a simple game.
Layra then wasted no time in changing herself. When she came back out, Bobby saw she looked just like a Bedoowan knight. Her heavy armor was dark brown and made of leather and the blade she held was long, fine and wasn’t already smeared in dragon’s blood. That would come later, hopefully. Blood meant death for the dragon…and victory for them.
“You uh, look good,” said Bobby, feeling somewhat awkward.
Layra just shrugged.
“You can’t fight, Bobby,” she told him firmly. “You need to rest.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t,” he argued. “You heard Veego. This is a two player game, remember?”
Just then, LaBerge walked up to them with a small frown.
“You know,” he told them, looking around nervously. “There’s something I might be able to do, to help you out with this, if you like.”
“Like what?” asked Bobby.
“Well,” LaBerge told him. It’s going against my sister and all but I guess I’ve got to. I think there might be a way in healing you.”
“Seriously?” Bobby exclaimed. “You mean like, now?”
LaBerge nodded and said, “Yes…but keep it down! If my sister finds out what I’m doing, well, I’m pretty much dead. Now, come over here and I’ll see what I can do with you. I hope I’ve got the right stuff.”
Bobby followed LaBerge over and sat down on one of the small benches while he watched as LaBerge dug through a large, polka-dotted bag.
He must have found what he was looking for because almost immediately he pulled out a long violet, spiral shaped bottle of some yellowish liquid and said, “Ah! Here we go. A bit of this ought to make you feel good as new!”
While LaBerge was opening the bottle, Bobby asked in surprise, “Where’d you get all this?”
Challenger Black says:
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 20: Round Four of the Great Four (PART 2)
LaBerge didn’t answer at first. After he poured a touch of the gooey yellowish liquid on one of the long, wooden spoons and popped it into Bobby’s mouth, he said, “I guess you could say I went shopping, you know…got a few things, did a few errands. I figured I had to. Every year, Challengers at this point have been so bloodied up and not many make it five minutes into this round. I had to pick up a few things and it’s a good thing I did! Look at your arm…it’s already working!”
And it was. Bobby was amazed to see the once fresh, stinging wounds were now slowly fading. Soon, both his arms were wound free and he could move them again. It felt great. LaBerge then dug through his bag and pulled out a round-shaped bottle that had a label that read simply, “Lotion.” He squeezed a handful of it into his palm and began rubbing it onto Bobby’s arms.
“This’ll take care of the rest,” LaBerge explained. “And a little lotion never hurts.”
After LaBerge finished up with the healing lotion, Bobby couldn’t believe the difference. There was still one small wound under his eye but he was told that would fade in no time at all. He was pretty much back to his old self and even though he was going up against a fire breathing beast…he couldn’t help feel relieved he’d been “unbloodied.” It felt good.
Bobby couldn’t think of what to say, so he said the one thing he could think of.
“Thanks.”
LaBerge smiled and said, “It’s the least I can do. He then frowned and added, “And I’m so sorry you had to go through all this…”
“You sure Veego won’t find out?” asked Bobby.
LaBerge took a quick look out the hut, saying, “I’m not sure. All that matters is getting you in shape. You two take care of yourselves and I’ll deal with her. You’d better get changed though.”
So Bobby took a few minutes to gear himself up and when he was all dressed, he looked just like Layra. He now felt like a real Bedoowan knight, ready to go off and slay a dragon. Well…not really…but somehow he still felt like a knight. Somewhat. Like Layra, he’d brought a sharp blade along. He wasn’t going to be involved in the actual slaying of the quig but he thought, “Hey, can’t hurt.” If he was going to be playing with the beast, he figured he’d better be armed and ready and not walk out there armless. That would have been suicide.
“I guess this is it,” sighed Layra tiredly.
“Yup,” said Bobby, trying to sound more confident than he felt. “If we win this, there’s be a tiebreaker.”
“Let’s hope so,” said Layra. “We’re done if we don’t win this.”
Bobby hesitated, then said, “I know. But Layra…you heard what Veego said. This game’s all about teamwork and if we don’t work together, for real, we’ll be toast. You gotta listen to me, okay?”
“I will,” she assured him. “Don’t worry. We’ve come too far to give this victory to those two jerks. We’ve got this, Bobby. Don’t worry…I’m with you.”
Bobby wasn’t too convinced, but he went along and said, “Alright. We better go then. Game’s about to start.”
“Good luck,” said LaBerge quietly.
Layra turned and looked into his sad, worried eyes. She took a breath, hurried over to him and hugged him tightly.
“I love you,” he whispered into her ear. Right then, all Layra wanted to do was stay there in LaBerge’s arms and cuddle and murmur “I love you’s,” and laugh till it hurt. Sadly…that just couldn’t be.
She nuzzled into his neck and said shakily, “I love you too, LaBerge.”
“We gotta go, Layra,” said Bobby softly.
Layra nodded and with Bobby, left the hut and saw Veego wandering around with that cold expression as always. They couldn’t see Gray or Brown but had the idea they were on the other side already getting ready for this wild, freaky event. Bobby and Layra walked a little way’s to the center of their side of the stadium, their hearts pounding and their heads about to explode at what they were up against.
Veego threw them a sly wink, turned to the crowd and bellowed, “And now, our four Challengers have entered the arena and are awaiting the start of round four of the Great Four! To your right, we have our former champions…Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown!”
There was a slight applause. Not much enthusiasm there and Veego could tell but just the same, she kept on going.
“And to your left,” she hollered. “Their opponents…Challenger Red and Challenger Black.”
That’s when the applause really got going.
“Good luck to both teams,” Veego announced. “And may the best team win! And most important…have fun!”
She then took out of her pocket a small black whistle and before blowing, shouted, “Let the game begin!”
This was it. The starting whistle to begin the game had officially been sounded. There was no running away now. No hiding, cowering or means of escape. Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t. There were guards standing a few feet apart around the perimeter of the arena, assuring they stayed in during the game and didn’t try throwing in a few sneaky acts. Bobby and Layra stood there, breathing heavily, waiting to see the horror they’d soon face.
They waited and waited, and were starting to wonder if there really were a dragon or two around when they heard it. The sound was unmistakable. It was a dragon’s roar. A loud, furious, bellowing roar. But it wasn’t coming from their side of the stadium, it was coming from Gray and Brown’s. There was no doubt they’d have the first taste in what was to come.
Bobby and Layra, meanwhile, stood there, staring around wide eyed, waiting and wondering when their own big beast was going to strike.
While the four Challengers armed themselves, Veego joined LaBerge and threw him a suspicious look.
“I see Challenger Red has made a most immaculate recovery,” she seethed, moving in closer. “I wonder why.”
LaBerge gulped and said, “Y-yes, but please, let me explain. I-”
“You’re pathetic,” she hissed. “You’re responsible for his healing, aren’t you? Don’t lie.”
“Veego, let me explain!” he pleaded, backing away.”You must agree with me on the conditions and needs of the challengers. Having Challenger Red enter the stadium in that state would be a mess! This is our competition after all. Shouldn’t it be a fair, clean game for all competitors? Challengers should be in the best of shape to ensure a decent match for all!”
Veego stared him cold in the eye, then answered, “Yeah…we’ll see.”
“And you must understand-”
“Shut up!” she growled.
LaBerge whimpered, sat down and put his head in his hands and kept quiet.
That was the end of that conversation.
Over on the other side, while Gray and Brown stood there staring nervously and excitedly at the dark, black mouth of the cave…they saw it. Like all quigs, there was one thing it had in common with the bear-quigs and the shark-quigs and the dog-quigs back on Bobby’s home of Second Earth. Its eyes were a burning yellow. There was no fear in those eyes, just anger and hunger and the need to kill…Gray and Brown were first on the list. Or the menu, depending on what gender it was. Females would be aiming for an out and out kill while males would basically be there for a slaughter. So if it was a male, they’d be ripped to shreds. If it was a female, they’d be eaten. Either way, they’d be killed so it really didn’t matter.
The yellow eyes burned brighter, drawing closer to the mouth of the cave. They could hear its deep, rattling breathing coming from deep within the walls of it’s lair. There were even a few slurps and snarls.
When at last the great beast came out, both Gray and Brown gasped. Not exactly in fear… but shock. Out of the cave came what they expected. A fat, hefty, overweight, fire breathing dragon, jaws and all. And this thing looked ready to kill…or devour.
This dragon wasn’t your ordinary, fire breather from the medieval times. This was a fat, monstrous, humungous brute. The thing they guessed, must have weighed between six and seven hundred pounds. Its skin was layered in rough, jagged scales, darker than any brown they’d ever seen. Its arms were plump with sagging fat and its legs were flabby and stout. Its head was massive with even bigger jaws which revealed sets of sharp, curled jaws that could tear the hell out of whomever and whatever it wished. It had a long, thin, tapering tail that whipped and thrashed angrily. And out of its spine were long pointed spikes like the cannibal bears back on Denduron. Its strong, thick horns were ox shaped and its wings as Gray and Brown saw were drooping. As they were told, the wings had been calmed which meant there’d be no flying during this game. But that couldn’t compare with the fact that these suckers breathed fire. Hot, sizzling, burning fire. The Rorgan quig was now in the game and was ready for a kill.
Gray spoke up, whispering, “Man…that’s fat!”
“Tell me about it,” Brown murmured. “I’d say it’s a male. That thing looks pissed! Just look at it!”
And not long after, Bobby and Layra’s dragon came slithering onto the field, dragging all its fat and weight and blubber right with it. This thing must have been at least two hundred pounds heavier than the quig next door, but Bobby and Layra hadn’t seen the other so they weren’t sure if this was the male or female. By the looks of it, they guessed it had to be the female. This thing was beyond fat and they were surprised the thing could move at all. It was a struggle just for the beast to move forward…but that never stopped it. With each step, it grunted and bellowed out to its intruders. The two flinched and backed off for a second.
Veego and LaBerge were now up in the stands, observing it all. Veego watched with intense eyes. LaBerge couldn’t bear to watch so he turned and covered his eyes, hoping the match wouldn’t last long.
“Y-you’ve done this before?” squeaked Bobby.
Suddenly…he wasn’t feeling so great. That mother of terror could be done with him before the real game even begun.
Layra must have been sizing the quig up. She was looking it over, head to tail with fixed, unblinking eyes.
After a careful look, she said, “Yeah. But I’ve always had someone with me. Nobody could bring a thing like this down alone. Let’s just hope that load of weight will bring it down.”
“Uh, are you forgetting?” shouted Bobby. “It breathes fire! How ’bout that little sweetheart?”
“Don’t worry,” Layra assured him. “These things are slow. As long as we keep moving, we should be okay.”
“You better be!” he shot back. “That thing looks pissed.”
“They’re always pissed,” said Layra. “Aren’t all quigs?”
“I guess,” said Bobby uneasily. “But-”
“Now,” said Layra, sounding all business. “I want you to sneak behind it.”
“Layra!” he argued. “Shouldn’t we wait till-”
“Go!” she commanded. “We gotta move! We don’t have time!”
Without arguing, Bobby took off in direction of the quig. It watched him intently, observing his every move.
But then Layra bounced in, teasing the beast threateningly with her blade. It growled and crouched to the ground, revealing a killer set of jaws that could do some horrid damage. Bobby snuck carefully behind the beast and let out a loud whoop! The quig blinked and slowly turned its head. Bobby didn’t hold back. He stomped his foot on the ground and moved his way cautiously around the enormous quig. It stared him down hungrily and took a swipe with one of its massive paws. Bobby dove out of the way and could have sworn he’d saw a look of discouragement in those cold, yellow eyes.
The quig grunted and crawled forward, moving dreadfully slowly because of its massive weight.
“Come on,” Bobby taunted, circling his way around. “Come on…”
Of course Bobby had no wish in seeing what a fire breathing dragon had, but he had to keep the quig occupied while Layra figured out a way in slaying the bloody thing. That was the key of the game after all…teamwork. And Bobby had to find just the right thing to keep this sucker busy. And that’s when he saw what he needed. It was perfect for a big old hungry thing like this. He stole a quick look at the quig to see it was staring him down furiously. Bobby didn’t think twice about what he had to do.
He turned around and bolted right across the arena, while the quig bellowed and swiped the air angrily. It couldn’t possibly keep up and it was acting as sulkily as possible just to make up for it. Meanwhile, Bobby had reached his destination and found what he was looking for. A big old juicy steak. He felt sure a dragon-quig that size couldn’t resist such a tasty treat. Quigs loved meat, any meat. So far so good.
He grabbed the steak and made his way back to where Layra was waiting, just behind the dragon. She urged him to hurry. He jumped in front of the quig and slowly, very slowly, dangled it in the air…tempting the hungry quig. The quig’s eyes widened. It growled slightly and lowered its head to the ground and licked its lips. Bobby kept on dangling the meat while the enormous quig gradually made its way forward. Step by step, it moved closer, carrying all that blubbery weight with it. Bobby backed away and went on dangling the juicy steak.
He coaxed, “Come on…come and get it.” Really, he felt like screaming, “Hey fatty! Come and get it!” But if these quigs were smarter than others in that respect, he’d be crushed right there and then. He wasn’t going to take his chances name-calling at a nine hundred pound monster that could swallow him whole with one effortless gulp.
Just when Bobby was going to hide the steak, the dragon sheathed its claws, rose up onto its legs, roared and came back onto the ground, its mouth wide open. Bobby stood there, frozen for a moment but then dove frantically out of the way. This thing was hungry and it was tired of waiting. It kept its yellow eyes on Bobby and then shot a mouthful of blazing fire straight at him! Luckily, Bobby was much faster than this oversized quig so he dodged it just in time. He’d been seconds away from being toasted.
He went back to the steak and began waiving it teasingly. The beast screamed and shook its head in a frenzy. But then, right there, the quig did something so out of its nature Bobby didn’t know how to react. The quig stopped, dropped its head and whimpered. The thing actually whimpered! It sounded just like a dog when it knows it’s done something wrong or when it misses someone. Bobby just stood there, blinking. He dangled the steak, slower this time and watched the quig’s following eyes. The beast whined and rubbed its head with its paw. Was this actually happening?
“Layra, hurry!” whispered Bobby anxiously.
“Okay, okay!” she called back. “I’m going in! Stay there.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” he called back sarcastically. “I’m not going far.”
Layra carefully eased her way behind the plump quig, deciding where she ought to go with this. It was up to her to bring the fiend down, but right now her mind was in so many places, she wasn’t sure if she could think straight. Was slaying a nine-hundred pound dragon as easy as some said it was? Sure they were slow and fat, but they breathed fire. She snuck in a little farther and then stopped so she was right behind the big giant.
She reached into her pack and pulled out a bow and quickly but carefully…got it ready. She fitted her arrow, backed up a few spots, kept her eyes on her target and whizz! She shot the arrow directly at the beast’s head and…missed. Just as she was pulling her bow back, preparing for the kill, the beast had cocked its head to the side. Layra punched the air. She’d missed! She looked up and saw the quig was now inching its way toward Bobby and that nice juicy meal. It was tired of waiting.
“Layra, come on!” shouted Bobby. “Little help over here!”
Layra started to panic. Maybe bringing down this quig wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought. Sure they were slow, but they were immensely fat which meant drilling a blade into their skin probably wasn’t going to have the same effect as if they were six hundred pounds lighter. If arrows weren’t going to work, she had to think of something else. And fast. Here Bobby was doing all he could to hold the quig off and she was still wondering, “What next?” She had to act or she’d have no teammate left to help.
She quickly put her bow away and cautiously snuck her way around the quig’s side. She felt sure she’d have a better chance striking near its head instead of way back near its perfectly plump bottom. She went to her blade, quietly pulled it out of its sheath and got ready for a real, good whack when suddenly, the quig jerked its head sideways, followed by its entire body and let out a screaming, thunderous roar. Layra tightened the grip on her blade. She felt like she’d been hit by a monstrous wave. She backed away…but the beast kept on her. It sniffed the air curiously, snarled, and took a swipe at her, one paw after the other. It reached hungrily for her but Layra was quick. She missed each swipe, just by a few inches. As if discouraged, the quig stomped its paw on the ground and bellowed its fury to the sky. It glared back to Bobby and to his horror, it began drooling. The ground was soon in puddles of the dragon’s wet, gooey slobber. The two just hoped they wouldn’t go slipping over it. That wouldn’t be good.
Bobby couldn’t take it anymore. He lifted the steak high over his head and screamed, “Hey, you! Go and get it!”
He released the steak with one, mighty throw which hurled right up onto the quig’s head. It grunted, reached up onto its head and dropped the tasty treat down in front of its paws. With one loud crash, it fell to the ground and began nibbling and chewing on its delicious beef. It dribbled and slobbered as it ate and while Bobby and Layra stood there wide eyed…they saw the steak was devoured within seconds. Question was…were they on the menu as dessert? Odds are these huge fiends stayed hungry till they’d been fed a good four or five meals, not to mention a good sized dessert or two.
Layra shook herself together and while the quig sat there licking its chops and giving itself a quick clean, she rushed over to the beast’s side. She had to act. She grabbed hold of her blade, positioned it and took a good whack at the quig’s side, right under its belly. Bingo. The blade must have been sharp because instantly, blood began spewing and spurting out of its side like a pool of blood. Layra flinched and backed away hurriedly. She didn’t need to stay and watch. The beast, now realizing its wound, shook its head wildly and screeched. It slammed its paws on the ground and thrashed its tail in pain. It tried opening its wings, but found it couldn’t and roared even louder. She’d officially gotten the quig pissed.
“Hey!” shouted Bobby urgently. “I’ve got an idea. How about we-”
“No!” Layra argued, watching the quig intently. “I’ve got it under control, trust me. I got this.”
“Layra, we gotta-”
“Bobby, I said I’ve got it!” snapped Layra, sliding her sword back into its sheath. “Don’t worry. Just follow me. I got this under control.”
“I don’t care!” Bobby yelled back. “You don’t get it, I already told you, you wouldn’t listen!”
“You’re just mad because-” and that’s when it happened. The two had been bickering and arguing that they hadn’t realized the quig had thought up a plan of its own. A deadly plan. While the two were disputing, the quig had slowly and quietly inched its way behind them and after what Layra had done to its poor belly, it was going to strike back. It rose up to its full height, its arms sagging and took a fierce swipe at Layra’s shoulder. The quig struck hard. It’s longest claw had slashed deeply into Layra’s shoulder, tearing at the soft, delicate skin.
Layra felt its claw instantly and screamed in agony. Bobby backed away, his face as pale as a ghost. The quig jerked its head and glared at him, its lips curled back in a proud, devious grin. Bobby gulped…knowing he’d be next.
“Layra, run!” he yelled.
Layra held onto her shoulder, her eyes watering but Bobby grabbed hold of her and the two were off. The quig was now officially on a rampage and they were smack down in the middle of it.
“Just run!” screamed Bobby. “We have to outrun it!”
Layra tried answering, but only cringed in pain. The quig had gotten her good. Her shirt was already drenched in blood and she had nothing to stop the flowing. The quig may have been overweight, no question, but it was now beyond mad and it was chasing them down like an angry wolf on a plump chicken. It kept on them, never backing away or slowing down.
It roared and snarled and when it got close enough, it opened its mouth even wider and shot out a mouthful of flames. Bobby and Layra had to keep looking back to see how close it was and when they saw it preparing for the blast, they’d leap out of the way just in time to miss the fiery outburst. They were chased all across the stadium. It was now a question of who was going to give up first. The challengers…or this giant, out-of-control quig? If this were in fact the female, they could hardly imagine how Gray and Brown were getting along with their quig, the male. Males were said to be far more aggressive and furiously tempered than females. And this female was already as pissed as could be! How much more pissed could you get? They didn’t wanna find out.
While they ran, panting heavily and painfully out of breath, they could hear the deafening roars and bellowing from next door. They may not have seen the male, but they could certainly hear it in all its fury and rage. Its voice was deep and gurgled and howled constantly. They could hear its massive paws stomping the ground as it treaded and tramped about the arena. They could hear its long, whip like tail thrashing on the ground like a lasso. A crazy and violent lasso. And above all…they could hear the sounds of the arising fire crackling and burning like a storm. There was a fight alright…but who was winning?
“What do we do?” screamed Bobby.
Holly says:
wow…. this is getting intense!! Awesome job 🙂 Can’t wait for the next chapter!!!!
Challenger Black says:
Thanks Holly! And Once the games finish up, it gets even more intense! 🙂
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 21: Round Four of the Great Four (PART 3)
“I…I don’t know!” yelled Layra. “I’ve never been up against a thing like this.”
Bobby’s eyes widened.
“I thought you said you had been!” he hollered.
“Yeah,” she called back. “But nothing like this! This is insane!”
“We gotta move!” he shouted. “Those two are probably getting on a whole hell lot better than we are. We can’t lose, Layra! We’ll die! C’mon…think!”
“I can’t!” she wailed. “We can’t do this!” She was losing it. All the fear, frustration and doubt were now finally creeping in and staring them down was the awaiting prey…mouth open and talons ready.
“YES WE CAN!” screamed Bobby. He grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a firm shake. “Layra, we’ve gotta work together. Come on! This is it. We’ve worked hours for this. We’re not gonna blow this! It’s now or never!”
Layra groaned, “We can’t do this…we just can’t! How can we bring down a nine hundred pound quig? This whole stupid game’s impossible!”
If Layra would have known the truth, she would have realized she’d never been more wrong in her life when she’d claimed, “This whole stupid game’s impossible!” Her and Bobby were about to find out, right there, right then in that stadium.
First came the gasps and the arguing voices from up in the roaring, echoing stands. The two looked all around and saw all eyes were on the opposite side of the arena and by the looks of it…something horrid and unbearable had happened. Something they’d feared from the very start, not only of that round…but at the very start of the Great Four. It was the one thing they’d stressed and worried about when they’d been dragged and forced into the competition as Challenger Red and Challenger Black.
But it wasn’t just the surprised reaction from the audience that got them fearing the worst. The quig’s continuous roarings and bellowing and howls had come to a stop completely. One moment, the deafening roars filled the vast stadium. Now…sheer and utter silence. There were no more snarls, furious growls or bloodcurdling shrieks… just silence.
And just when Bobby and Layra were catching on to the unfortunate truth, that the silent quig on the other side had no doubt been slain… they heard it. It was brief and distant at first but after a few seconds, the entire stadium was blaring. The sound they heard came from a loud, piercing bell that could be heard by all. Up in the stands, some had to cover their ears to block out the immense, high-pitched chime.
The ringing must have gone on for minutes…though it felt like endless hours for Bobby and Layra. “RING-A-LING-A-LING-A-LING-A-LING-A-LING!” Bobby and Layra looked up into the stands and saw Veego up on her feet, clapping with a big, enthusiastic smile on her face. LaBerge just sat there, slumped over with his head in his trembling hands.
But they didn’t have time to stand there and watch because just then, they heard another sound not far off. Just next-door, exploding far up into the once dull, brownish sky…were fireworks. They blasted and erupted with all colors from sapphire blues, ruby reds, golden yellows, emerald greens and lavender purples. They bounced off one another in intricate and magnificent patterns but what got Bobby and Layra’s hearts pounding as out of control as they were… were the glittering, shimmering words high above them.
They read, clear as day in big capital letters, “WINNERS OF QUILLAN’S GREAT FOUR TOURNAMENT: CHALLENGER GRAY AND CHALLENGER BROWN!”
Layra couldn’t believe it…she couldn’t. There was a mistake. They couldn’thave lost the Great Four! How could they have lost!
She dropped onto the ground, shaking her head and pounded the ground with her fists and screamed, “It’s not FAIR!”
That was it. Round four of the Great Four was officially over…done. There’d be no fifth round or tiebreaker. There was no getting around the fact that Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown had won. Bobby and Layra had lost which meant they, along with three fourths of Quillan; all those who’d wagered on Red and Black winning the competition…were going to be killed. Everything they’d ever trained and fought and prepared for was all a waste. There was no stopping things now. If you were on that list, you were doomed.
But then suddenly, Bobby and Layra remembered what Veego had said about there being a draw. They’d been told that one of them was going to suffer for their loss, which meant more people were going to wager on this recent bet which meant only more would be killed. Odds are they’d already placed their bets and were anxiously waiting for the draw to begin.
“Attention everyone!” Veego bellowed.
The crowd fell silent. The place was quiet…Not a voice could be heard and all was so quiet, one could hardly hear another’s breathing. Only Veego’s booming voice could be heard above the dreary stillness throughout the grand stadium.
“As you all know,” she began loudly. “We have ourselves our winners of the Great Four: Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown. Congratulations to you both for putting on such a magnificent show. You worked hard and you’ve earned this well deserved victory. Well done. And now, as you’ve been informed, there’s going to be a draw on Challenger Red and Challenger Black’s side as to who shall take the fall for this most unfortunate loss. Any last wagerings should be placed immediately.”
Veego gave the crowd about five minutes to place their final wagerings and then, when she saw they were all waiting anxiously, some holding their breath, she gestured to one of the dado’s to come forth. It nodded and approached, holding out a small, black hat. As if excited, Veego gave an eager smile to the robot. The dado, no surprise, just stood there with as blank an expression as always.
She pulled out two bits of white paper, scribbled Bobby on one, Layra on the other, dropped them into the hat and watched silently as the dado shook the hat for a quick moment, then held it up to her. There was no emotion in that guy’s face while Veego’s was filled with secret excitement.
As Bobby stood there, trying to breathe and hold himself together, he could have sworn he’d seen a small grin on her face while she reached into the hat. How sick could you get?
Slowly, she pulled out of one of the tiny strips, chuckled lightly and bellowed, “And the chosen challenger who’ll hereby take the fall for the loss of the infamous, Great Four is…” and what felt like an eternity later, she screamed loudly, “LAYRA!”
Layra couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t…she wouldn’t. She fell to the ground, shook her head and pounded the ground with her fists and screamed, “It’s not fair!” Bobby just stood next to her, staring down at her in a trance, not knowing what to think. He was relieved his name hadn’t been picked but here Layra was about to be thrown to her death and he could do nothing about it. Absolutely nothing. All he could feel in his own mind was a building numbness. Was this really happening?
“Layra…if you would have just listened to me,” he said softly. “We could have won. You just didn’t listen.”
“I tried…okay!” she cried, her eyes red from crying. “I tried my best, I really did! It just wasn’t enough. I shouldn’t have given that speech! It’s my fault! I was an idiot thinking we could have saved them…now it’s over.”
Bobby had no idea what to say, so he said nothing. He couldn’t imagine how he’d feel if he were the one drawn to be executed. So he kept shut. There was nothing in the world he could say that could possibly begin to say to make Layra feel any better. Not only had she failed to listen to him at every round of the Great Four…but her name was now drawn to be killed.
By the gasps and shocked howls from the crowd, it seemed they were just as devastated. They were only a group of poor, innocent citizens….everyday people trying to get by. They’d placed their faith and trust in Challenger Black when she said the rebellion against Blok would lead them to freedom and liberty and now here they were all being sentenced to death all because they’d bet on these horrific games. That’s the way it had been for all those years and by the looks of it…odds are it was going to stay that way for a long, long time. If things carried on and the Quillan Games weren’t put to a stop…history would only repeat itself.
Bobby just stood there, staring down at Layra, with a pained lump in his throat. They’d had a chance to turn this competition around…and they blew it. To win, you had to collaborate and work together and listen to your partner. Bobby and Layra hadn’t done that. But then again, Layra promised Bobby she’d listen to him and yet she hadn’t. As much as Bobby was upset with her and even angry, he couldn’t stay that way for long knowing the unbearable pain she was now up against. Holding a grudge would only make things worse. He had to push the anger of Layra’s actions off his shoulder, forget them…and focus on the troubling fact that she’d soon be dead.
Some time tomorrow, she’d be dead. He just couldn’t bring himself together to think the future of Quillan once had a chance at rescuing itself and now, after the events of the Great Four…it was all going to continue on just as deadly, just as death-defying and just as murderous with those cruel wagerings. It seemed like the Quillan Games weren’t going anywhere anytime soon and neither was Blok or Veego or her trustees and of course…the dados.
While Bobby stood there, lost in thought…Layra was a mess. She could hardly keep still and her breathing was getting heavy and raspy. She just sat there, lying on the ground sobbing and crying. The poor girl was barely holding it together. And like her, all those people in the stands were having a difficult time accepting the painful truth. Several were hugging and holding onto each other for support. Mothers held young ones against their chests, trying to keep them calm but even they couldn’t help but sob with misery.
Despite all those whose lives had just taken a horrid toll, there were some who weren’t so desolate. Some were clapping one another on the back and hugging and crying. But they weren’t crying in fear. They were crying for joy. These clearly must have been the few lucky ones who hadn’t voted for Challenger Red and Challenger Black. They’d placed their votes on Black and Brown who’d won…which meant their lives would be spared and they’d now be given food for their families. All was well for them.
Suddenly, Veego pulled out that same black whistle, blew into it and bellowed, “The game will now be closed. I’ll ask all of you to head back to…wherever. Challengers, the four of you will head back to the castle.”
While Bobby stood there, wondering why she’d blown the whistle…he got his answer. A few of the dados were strolling slowly up to the cave and each was holding a large, juicy steak. Some carried hams and turkeys, pork’s and beefs. They were luring the hungry beast back into its cave, probably to get it rested up and rebbed for its next victim. It took the female quig a mere second to catch onto the familiar smell. Her eyes widened, her wings lifted slightly and she gradually but eagerly, made her way back to her dark lair. She followed the dados and then, crawled impatiently into the cave and there, Bobby heard the immediate growls and snarls of the satisfied killer. He now knew what slobs quigs could really be…dragons especially.
The crowd in the stands now nervously made their way out of the stadium. Many were still crying and trying to get over the fact that Bobby and Layra had lost. But Veego hurried them off. There was no compassion from that woman. She was all business. LaBerge stood there, frozen to his feet as he watched with pained eyes as miserable citizens made their way out of the stadium and back to their homes…only to have to be killed and thrown to their deaths sometime the following day. There’d be no sleep from those people…only endless nightmares.
Layra, meanwhile, just lay there, breathing heavily and trying to take in all that was happening. She couldn’t help but scream.
“It’s not FAIR!” she cried in a raspy voice.
Veego and LaBerge, who stood high up in the stands, staring down at the emptying stadium, watched the last crowd of people make their way out of the arena while sobbing in agony.
Veego turned to her brother and said gravely, “You know what to do.”
“V-Veego,” he stammered desperately. “Please, can’t we-”
“LaBerge!” she hissed. “Don’t even go there. You gave me your word you’d do this. You know there’s no other way…what’s done is done. Now as I was saying, you know what to do…understand? Or perhaps I’ll have to throw you in there as well.”
LaBerge whimpered and cried, “Y-yes, I-I understand.”
“Good,” said Veego calmly. “Then we’re all set. Wonderful game by the way…don’t you agree?”
LaBerge just nodded weakly and turned away, wanting to gag. He was now going to face the one thing he’d feared for all this time. It had stuck with him ever since Veego had brought it up and now the haunting nightmare was reality.
It was officially his job to escort Layra, the drawn challenger chosen for execution, along with all the others who’d placed their bets on Bobby and Layra…to the Black Forest. Of course he wasn’t going to do it all alone. A gathered army of dados were going to meet with him and take hold of all those who’d lost and escort them to the Black Forest…where they’d await their proper and deadly punishment. Execution. Time and again this had happened…and the people of Blok never hesitated in what they had to do. If they had to kill lives in cold blood…then they’d kill lives in cold blood. It was all part of the everyday life and style on Quillan. It was all about the games. If people won, they were rewarded and treated and pampered like royalty, but if they lost…they were killed. Nothing there had changed and after the recent Great Four, with Challenger Gray and Challenger Brown triumphing once more…it would only get that much worse.
Mozartghost says:
Caveman Bob run fast.
Caveman Bob fall in hole.
Caveman Bob say:
“I miss the good old days where all you had to worry about was nouns and verbs,”
Holly says:
@ challenger Black
…………………..you’re making this part of the story very interesting! It makes me think of whats really going to happen next! But i have no clue! Awesome! 🙂
Challenger Black says:
Thanks Holly! Still more to come after the games, and one of the most intense parts of the story has yet to come…I won’t spoil it though! 🙂
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 22: The Unexpected Visitor (PART 1)
The Great Four was officially over and things couldn’t have gone worse. Bobby and Layra had lost. They’d been defeated by their victorious opponents, the “champs” as they called themselves, Challenger Brown and Challenger Gray. And it wasn’t just them who had lost…the entire territory had lost right along with them as if they too had played as Challengers. They’d put all their faith in Layra and Bobby after hearing Layra’s inspiring speech…and they’d failed them. Worse, the rules of the games had changed. If the one you wagered on lost…you were put to death. And that’s exactly where things were going.
More than half the population was going to be killed. Bobby and Layra as teammates might have lost the Great Four but apparently, the rules worked somewhat differently than the Grand X. Instead of both competitors being put to execution, there was a draw to settle on who’d take the horrendous fall. And the player’s name drawn…had been Layra. Bobby had been freed from death, but that didn’t make the situation any better. He was now going to witness the final fall of Quillan and its people. He felt completely and utterly helpless. Having to see Quillan fall once was bad enough, but having to go through all again…was just horrid. He knew right from the start that it was a messed up and out of control territory… but he never imagined things could have gotten this bad. Of all the territories…Quillan was headed for the devastating fall.
While the stadium was still emptying, Bobby and Layra were driven back to the castle by one of the dados. Neither said anything on the way back and besides…what could they possibly say to make things better? Nobody could change what was going to happen. They’d lost and were now going to pay the price.
The drive took about ten minutes…but felt more like an hour to Bobby…and an eternity to Layra. Right then, she wasn’t exactly “all there” either.
Layra got out of the car, slammed the door and stormed up to the castle. Bobby quietly followed behind, his head still hurting while his stomach felt like it would burst. How could they have let this happen? All this time, all the practice and dedication they’d put into preparing for this grand event and now here… Layra along with the rest of Quillan would be sentenced to death. It was too huge a thing to even imagine, let alone accept. Had all the hard work and preparation been for nothing? Had all their effort been a waste? With the way things were heading…it sure seemed like it. Things were going downhill, and with each moment…things were getting worse.
As the two entered the castle, they saw all the Challengers standing around, staring at them with wide and shocked eyes. The second they saw Layra barge in, they gasped. Some even stepped back as if they were afraid she’d hear. Bobby followed close behind and saw them all staring at Layra as if she’d grown two heads.
“That’s her,” whispered one. “The girl whose name got drawn.”
“She’s gonna be killed,” said another nervously.
“Can you believe it?” exclaimed a third shakily. “Look at all the people who’re goin’ down with her! It’s crazy!”
Layra couldn’t take it. Hearing all those Challengers whispering and murmuring about how she’d lost the Great Four…she lost it. It was hard enough having to accept that she’d messed everything up, but hearing it all in her face was too much.
She turned on them savagely and shouted, “Just shut up, okay?”
And with that, she stormed up the stairs and headed back to her room. The Challengers watched her go, all with open mouths and unblinking eyes. Bobby was somewhat shocked by Layra’s outburst…but couldn’t help feel sorry for her all the same. She was going to be killed! He couldn’t blame her for being pushed off the deep end after what she’d gone through in the past few hours. The games, along with Challenger Brown and Challenger Gray…had gotten to her. And most of all, she’d gotten to herself and Bobby was pretty sure he now saw it all.
He thought back to when Layra had first given powerful speech to the people of Rune and how she’d promised them freedom and liberty and how they had a chance in joining a rebellion against Blok and the Quillan Games. But that, sadly, had taken a turn for the worst. Layra, then, might have seen certain and convinced but once the games got going that was so far off Bobby couldn’t even remember her saying it all. In round one, she’d cheated. That’s exactly what she’d done and it had cost them a round. They were told not to go violating the rules but Layra did so anyway and they’d paid the price. Because they were partners…both took the blame.
They’d won round two but when round three came…Layra got the guts to ask Bobby if he was willing to have a go at whatever it was they’d be up against. At first, he couldn’t believe she’d actually ask him but after seeing what she’d gotten on with two rounds ago, he went ahead and tried anyway…and lost.
And then came the very worst…the one round that threw everything off track completely. They’d teamed up in round four against the quig dragons from the territory of Rorga. Their goal was to slay the monster and like before…Layra had lost confidence. Bobby had kept going…but Layra had given up hope. As a result…they’d lost the Great Four. It was all over.
As he stood there, staring around at all the wide eyed Challengers, he couldn’t take it anymore so he hurried up into his own room. He knew they were all dying to hear what happened but he wasn’t in the mood to relive the horror all over again. Not by a long shot.
So he opened the door to his room, barged inside and flopped down onto his bed with a tired sigh. All he wanted to do was forget this whole thing had happened and go home…home to his old life. Now that his Challenger partner and half the territory were going to be gone sometime tomorrow, where would he go next…what would he do and what would become of him? Were the games just beginning? Was he eventually going to meet the same fate as his doomed partner? The very thought made him cringe. Or was he going to have no choice but to get off Quillan and hurry off to another territory in need? He had no idea.
Just then, there came a knock at the door.
Bobby turned his head and saw standing in the doorway, was his robo buddy, Fourteen.
The dado stood there with no expression and said formally, “Good evening, Challenger Red.”
“Hi,” said Bobby flatly.
“May I come in?” asked Fourteen.
Bobby shrugged and said, “I guess.”
Fourteen strolled into the room and said, “I heard what happened about the Great Four. I am sorry things turned out this way.”
Bobby sighed tiredly, saying, “Yeah, me too. Man, I just wanna get out of here.”
Fourteen stared at him for a moment, then added, “Yes, I can understand where you’re coming from. We dados may have been programmed for certain uses only, that I know, but sometimes I do wonder what would become of us if we were freed in going about our own lives. That, I cannot help but wonder about.”
“Is that even possible?” asked Bobby. He’d always had to intention dados had no care for a free life or their own independence. They were only machines.
“That I do not know,” said the dado. “And it is something we most likely will never find out. But about tomorrow, it is said more than half the people of Quillan are being taken to their deaths.”
Bobby just shook his head and groaned.
“Here I came back thinking we actually had a shot at winning back Quillan and I lost…again.”
“It seems as though Blok’s power is only growing,” said Fourteen, a hint of sympathy in his voice. “Their control has become the downfall for this territory and after seeing what happened today with the Great Four, it’s only gotten worse. These trustees and their wagerings are going to be Quillan’s death, if ever that day comes…which I fear it will, and soon.”
“And Layra’s going with them,” said Bobby, lost in thought. “She’s a Traveler.”
“You told me some while back you too were a Traveler,” said Fourteen.
“Yeah,” he said grimly. “There goes another Traveler. We came so close to winning this. I was so sure we had it. I actually thought we’d get through this. It just doesn’t feel real. It just feels like a dream, I guess.”
“Excuse me?” came a voice from outside the door. Both Bobby and Fourteen turned to see who it was. It was Thirteen. The dado was Layra’s personal helper, who attended to all her needs, yet here he was. But what did he want? And why was he here?
“Thirteen,” said Fourteen, facing the dado. “Why are you here?”
“I am here to deliver a message,” answered the dado.
“By whom?” said Fourteen.
Thirteen shook his head and said, “I cannot say. They’ve given me strict orders to keep this quiet. But they’ve ordered me to come here, find Challenger Red and Challenger Black and take them outside the castle into the woods immediately.”
“Wait…what?” said Bobby, quickly getting to his feet. “Who told you this?”
“I cannot say,” Thirteen repeated. “It is their orders and I cannot go against them. I am only here to pass on the message.”
“But, what’s this all about?” he demanded. “I mean, does it have to go with the games or the executions or anything?”
Thirteen paused for a second, then said, “Come with me. You’ll soon find out. I’ve already told Challenger Black to meet you outside. She is on her way there now. You are both being expected and from what I’ve heard…you’ll be seeing an even bigger audience. As to who that is, again, I cannot say. If you follow me down, I can assure you, you’ll find out.”
Bobby looked to Fourteen for encouragement. The dado simply gave him a look as if to say, “Might as well.”
Bobby gave a sigh and then said, “Alright. But who’d wanna see us this late at night?”
“An unexpected guest, I believe,” Thirteen replied. “By the sounds of it, it’s quite serious. Otherwise…they wouldn’t be organizing such a large gathering this late at night.”
Hearing that gave Bobby the idea this wasn’t going to turn out so well. He even thought of forgetting it all and hiding under the bed for the night…but if Layra was going, he figured he better as well. It could have been anyone but what got Bobby worrying was if it simply wasn’t Veego and her band of trustees slithering up to the castle for an early execution? They were the ones with the power. They could do whatever they pleased and still get away with it. There was only one way to find out so he, with Fourteen following…went with Thirteen through the halls of the castle.
They took the elevator down to the main floor and made their way out through the back doors. It was evening by now and darkness was just starting to close in. Not too many guests were out enjoying a supper that night. It was so quiet you could hear the running water in the fountains and the owls or even the crickets far off. It was an eerie and lonely night.
Thirteen led them past the castle gardens and shrubbery, past the enormous pools till they reached the back woods. The castle of course was in the very middle of the woods themselves but during his stay, Bobby never really ventured this far back. The dark shadows of the trees towered high over them and cast the woods in such blackness, Bobby was surprised he hadn’t fallen or tripped already. But soon there were dim lights shimmering somewhere ahead. Thirteen kept them going. He told them he was ordered to bring him into the deepest parts of the forests. That right away…got Bobby set in panic mode. For one, it was getting late at night and for someone to invite you out that late at night in the woods where it was dark and lonely…was suspicious. He wasn’t feeling so great about this and wondered what Layra was thinking.
He just couldn’t fathom why they’d be sent so far from the castle? It was now so dark, the only light they had to go by was that of the moon and it was getting later by the minute. They were now so far from the castle, he could no longer see it over the distant hills. No doubt…it would take hours to get back.
“This, I believe,” said the dado stopping. “Is where they told me to meet them.”
“Great,” said Bobby sarcastically. “Way out here in the woods alone. Perfect.”
“Where is this guest?” asked Fourteen.
“Not here, I suppose,” Thirteen answered. “They told me they were on their way. I assume they’ll be arriving shortly. They weren’t far off when I last spoke with them.”
Fourteen nodded.
So they waited, waited, and waited some more…but nobody came.
“Bobby?” called a familiar voice.
Bobby turned and saw just who he’d just been wondering about. Layra hurried up to him, wrapped him in a tight hug and said shakily, “Thank god you’re here.”
“What’s this all about?” Bobby asked, staring around. “Who’s this guest and what’re they thinking making us come all this way?”
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I have no idea. I was just told it was important. I mean, if we’re all going to be gone tomorrow, then…” but she couldn’t finish. She just stood there, staring at the ground. Bobby understood. The thought of what tomorrow would bring was just too horrible.
Just then, Layra jerked her head and whispered, “What’s that?”
“What’s what?” said Bobby.
“T-there’s someone out there,” she said nervously. “What if it’s Veego?”
Bobby shrugged and said, “It could be anyone.”
“That’s her!” came one of the voices. “That’s her right there!”
“I see her!” screamed another angrily. “It’s her fault we’re all here!”
“You liar! You got us into this mess!” cried one. “It’s because of you we’re all doomed!”
“You promised us freedom!” howled one. “Now look what you’ve done! You’ve ruined everything! Why’d you go and do this?”
“I told you she’d do no good,” argued another. “She thinks she’s done such good with her speech and now look what she’s done! Why didn’t we just go and vote for those other Challengers?”
And then, the voices grew louder and louder and when Bobby and Layra finally saw where they were coming from…they felt like running for their lives. It was that frightening and that alarming.
Charging into the woods running at full speed was a mob. A swam of angry, screaming people. It was a wild, out of control mob. And they didn’t look too friendly. At first, Bobby thought it might have been Veego and her trustees coming to take them all away, but they wouldn’t have gone on that crazily. They weren’t mad. But as the crowd grew bigger and they formed all round them, some holding torches in their hands while others shouted and screamed…Bobby felt sure he knew who these people were. They were the poor, unlucky people who’d wagered on him and Layra in hopes of them winning the Great Four and granting them freedom.
They stood shoulder to shoulder, closing in on Bobby, Layra and the two dados as if they feared they’d try and escape…which was exactly what Bobby thought of doing till he saw hundreds approaching. They were trapped. Bobby looked up at their faces and could have sworn he’d not only seen, but felt their misery. He wasn’t sure if they’d actually come here to kill both him and Layra, but it was obvious they were devastated and heart torn at the results of the Great Four and weren’t going down without a fight. Sure, thought Bobby, these people must be going through a living hell, knowing sometime tomorrow they’d all be thrown at death’s door…but were they actually going to go as far as murdering these two Challengers themselves? Bobby knew they were shocked and horrified after hearing Layra’s encouraging speech and sure, they had every right to be mad…but how far were they willing to go with this? They’d soon find out.
There were men and woman of all ages and to Bobby’s horror…there were children. Some were too busy bawling and sobbing and whimpering to even look them in the eye while others were all about shouting out their anger at the girl who’d promised them freedom. The girl who’d let them and their families down. The girl who’d failed them…and failed Bobby.
“You lied to us!” screamed a man through tears. “You went and cheated! Why?”
Layra tried speaking, but they out ruled her with their arguments.
“Why’d you go and do this to us?” cried a woman miserably. “We trusted you and now look what you’ve done to us! What about our families?”
Layra dropped her head, trying to ignore the screams and comments. As much as she just wanted to leave and get out of there, she couldn’t ignore the truth. They had every right to be screaming. She’d promised them a chance at winning back their lives and their home of Quillan and now they weren’t going to get that chance…all because she’d cheated and lost the empowering confidence she once had. She hadn’t listened to Bobby and because of that…everything was ruined.
These people wanted answers and if they weren’t going to get answers…who knew what they’d plan on doing? Bobby just hoped things wouldn’t get violent if they didn’t get the answers they wanted.
“I’m sorry!” Layra cried. “I-I know I should’ve worked harder but-”
“You cheated!” sobbed one of the children. “Why? Cheating is wrong! Don’t you know that?”
She just shook her head and snivelled, “I don’t know…”
“And now we’re all doomed!”
“They’ll gonna kill us!
“It’s all your fault! You lied to us! We trusted you…and you failed us!”
“Please,” came a soft, soothing voice. “Try and quiet down.”
“Quiet down?” howled a man. “You’re telling us to quiet down when this girl’s the reason we’re all going to be killed and you’re telling us to keep quiet? We’ve got to do something!
“That’s why I’m here,” the voice told them firmly. “I’m gonna do something.”
Freya says:
Great to see some fanfiction up again! I wish there was a way to link Demon’s Daughter though, since it’s the longest Pendragon fanfic and was really popular on the old forums. It’s really long and still going so it wouldn’t be good to post here but is there a way to link to it?
Challenger Black says:
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 23: The Unexpected Visitor (PART 2)
Suddenly, Bobby and Layra were amazed to see all the people had in fact, stopped their screaming to listen to the approaching voice. The first thing Bobby realized was it was a man’s voice and it seemed familiar…yet for some reason, he couldn’t recognize it. Not yet anyway. Things were happening a little too quickly for him to put his tongue on it. After all the howling and commotion he’d just witnessed, his head was still somewhat shaky.
“Who are you?” a woman demanded. “What do you want with us?”
“I’m here to help,” it said quietly. “That’s why I called Challenger Red and Challenger Black here.”
“What can you do?” argued a man. “What can you possibly do against Blok? Nothing can stop these murderers. It’s all impossible!”
“We can try,” said the man…and that’s when everyone saw him.
He came slowly into the clearing and when the people finally saw who it was, some gasped and some of the woman even fainted while a few turned away as if they couldn’t bare accept what they were seeing. The children stood there holding each other, trembling and burying their heads in their chests. The men stared the approaching guy with fierce, untrusting glares while the woman just stared with open mouths, in total shock. There was no doubt these people were scared out of their minds but they were doing all they could to stand tall and look braver than most actually felt.
But Bobby and Layra (especially Layra), knew they had no reason to be frightened or unsure. LaBerge was here to help. But Layra couldn’t expect any of these people to know any better. They didn’t know LaBerge like Layra did. They didn’t know he was in fact against his very sister, Veego and her trustees of Blok and of course, the Quillan Games. To them, he was Veego’s clown loving, maniac brother who was here to drag them all off to their deaths. To them…he was no more than the enemy and a member of Blok. For them…it was all a living nightmare.
“Leave us alone!” cried a woman, holding her son to her chest. “Y-you can’t do this to us! Please…just leave!”
“I’ll kill you!” one man threatened, taking a bold step toward LaBerge. “I swear I’ll kill you. You take one step at my family and it’ll be the last move you ever make, count on it!”
For a moment, LaBerge and the man locked eyes. LaBerge then frowned, dropped his head and said softly, “Would you believe me if I said I was here to help you?”
“Why should we believe you?” spat one. “You’re part of Blok! You work for those killers! You’re just another part of these sick games. You’re no better than Veego!”
“Please!” LaBerge begged. “I’m not here to cause a panic! I’m here to help. I know you’re upset about how things turned out and I can only imagine your pain. But believe me when I say…I don’t agree with what the trustees of Blok have done or what they’re doing. I’m just as against them as you all are. That’s why I brought Layra and Bobby here…and why I asked for all of you to come here. It’s not too late to take a stand. It’s not too late to start the rebellion. There’s still time…but you have to believe me!”
“There isn’t enough time!” sobbed one miserably “We’ll be gone by tomorrow!”
“Not if I can help it,” LaBerge told them.
“How can we trust you?” asked a woman distrustfully, looking him over.
She walked up to LaBerge, stared him straight in the eye and saw to her surprise, a look of sadness, softness and above all…trust.
She stepped back for a moment and asked, “Y-you’re not going to take us away, are you?”
LaBerge smiled and told her kindly, “I’m here to start the rebellion…our rebellion. If there’s anyone who can take down Blok for good and all the horror they’ve built, it’s all of you. As long as I’m here, I won’t let them take you. Believe me. That’s all I ask.”
“They’ll find you,” said one quietly. “They’ll just do the same to you.”
LaBerge paused, and then said, “Maybe, but we’ll never know unless we try. Please, we have to act! Trust me! I won’t let them take you away. I’ll do all I can to keep you all safe. That’s why I’m here. I can show you a far off place miles from here, and even past Rune. A place not even Blok knows of. I promise… you’ll be safe there. But you’ve got to believe me. We’ve only got one shot at this and if we don’t hurry…it’ll be too late.”
It took some while to get the people to settle down and listen to what LaBerge had to say. The majority were still against the idea of going alongside LaBerge and actually following him to wherever he planned on taking them. Most had the fear he was secretly going to ship them all off to Blok where Veego and her trustees would have them all to themselves. For some time, they went on debating, arguing and discussing on whether or not they ought to go with him. The youngest ones were too scared and begged their parents if they could just go home. Sadly…they weren’t aware of the saddening truth. From that point on…they couldn’t return home.
Just then, they heard a girl’s voice shout, “He’s not lying!”
The crowd broke out murmuring and one asked, “How can we trust him? How do we know he’s not just lying? How can we take our chances when we’re all going to be killed?”
The girl who’d just spoken stepped forward and everyone saw who it was. Bobby recognized her instantly and for a second, wondered what the heck she was doing. The mob was still furious and upset with her for having gotten them into this mess. Why was she going to face them like this?
“He’s not lying!” Layra repeated, more firmly. “Trust me! I know LaBerge. He’s part of the rebellion just as much as I am and Bobby and all of you!”
“Yeah right!” scoffed one. “Why the hell would a member of Blok go against his own company? That’s just stupid!”
“It’s not!” Layra argued. “I know you might just think LaBerge is like them, but he’s not! He’s not like Veego and the rest at Blok. I know LaBerge better than anyone and trust me…he’s on our side. He’s just as much against his own sister as all of you are. And yes, I know this war to save all of you has to do with Blok and the games but again, it’s not just about that. As bad as that sounds…there’s something else you’re not aware of.”
“And what’s that?” one demanded.
“It’s his war too!” she told them. “He’s got his own worries. This is his and Veego’s own personal war just as much as it’s yours and Blok’s war. They go hand in hand. LaBerge is against his sister just like you’re all against Blok. He wouldn’t have come all this way for nothing! If you stay here, they’ll find you and take you away. You’ve got to go with LaBerge. He knows what he’s doing and if you don’t listen, there’ll be no chance at putting together a rebellion. I know you’re all probably against me and please, I understand why. You’ve every right to be but don’t do this for me…do it for LaBerge. He’s come all this way to help you. He’s been with me since the beginning and we’ve been waiting for the right moment to kick start this rebellion and now I think that time’s come. Think about what he’s saying. He only wants to help, like Bobby and I.”
Some were still unsure of whether or not they ought to believe him, but in the end, after a long while of second thoughts, arguments and serious discussion…they agreed to follow him. After hearing what he had to say, they couldn’t help think he really was there to help, even if he was part of the whole deadly mess. They needed any bit of assurance they could get and if it weren’t for Layra and LaBerge even going along with the idea of a rebellion against Blok, they themselves as the people of Quillan…might never have even considered the idea.
After witnessing what happened with Mr. Pop and the destruction of Quillan’s past, their lives and hope were washed right down the drain. But after years of living the same, horrid lives against Blok and the games, hearing there was a second chance at reclaiming their lives did just the thing to reach down and find that small bit of hope and desire and longing they needed. All they had to do now was trust LaBerge and after listening to what Layra had just said…they were seriously considering it. After all, he might very well be their last and final hope at survival.
Before they set off, Layra had a quick word with LaBerge while Bobby went around, trying to calm the poor people, since most were still trying to get over the fact that they’d be snatched and killed some time tomorrow. They were still just as scared and just as terrified by what the following day would bring. The children above all, were pretty mesmerized but they were glad to sit down and talk to Bobby. Luckily, in the short amount of time he had…he was able to calm them down and help put their minds at ease.
Layra wasn’t sure what to say to LaBerge. There was just too much crammed in her head. There were a million things she wanted to say, but there was one thing she had to say right there and then. It was the simplest, but most honest thing she had to.
“I’m sorry.”
LaBerge looked her in the eye and asked, “Sorry?”
“I cheated,” said Layra, fighting to hold back tears. “I promised all these people freedom and look what I’ve done. They trusted me. It’s my fault Blok’s after them. If I would have just followed the rules and listened to Bobby…we wouldn’t be in this mess. I ruined everything.”
LaBerge’s eyes softened.
“I know you tried,” he said sincerely. “Things…things just didn’t turn out the way we hoped. But we can’t look back on the past, Layra. We’ve got to look forward. That’s why I’m here. I know you’re upset about this. Believe me, I am too…but we’ve got keep going.”
“You know they’ll be after you,” she told him, shaking her head. “Once they know you’re missing.”
“I know,” said LaBerge. “But there was one thing you were right about when you gave that speech. It’s time to start the rebellion against Blok.”
“And Veego,” he thought nervously. The one on one confrontation between him and his sister had yet to come. He only feared how it’d turn out once it was actually upon them. What would happen then? He only wished he’d know when that time would come and what to expect.
“I guess so,” she said, smiling weakly.
LaBerge met her gaze, still lost in thought and told her, “And Layra, if it weren’t for you, I don’t even think they’d agree to follow me. You convinced them!”
“Yeah but-” she wasn’t quite sure what to say.
“All I can say is thank you,” said LaBerge. “I couldn’t have done this on my own. It’s a good thing you’re here. I just hope, we-” he stopped and dropped his head.
“What?” she asked worriedly.
“I’m just so scared,” he frowned. “You’re all I have, Layra. I don’t have a family to go home to, or friends to get help from, or anywhere to go. I don’t want to lose you.”
Layra stared him in the eye, hugged him and told him, “You won’t.”
LaBerge nuzzled into her neck and whispered, “I love you, Layra.”
Layra ran her fingers through his soft hair, and whispered, “I love you too…”
These were the moments she wished her and LaBerge could share forever, just the two of them together, alone and out of Veego and Blok’s concern. Sadly, that just didn’t seem like it was the way it was meant to be. Layra only hoped, someday, when the whole thing was over…her and LaBerge could finally go about their own lives together. Even though the whole war and uproar with Blok was the highlight of their lives at the moment, on top of that…she and LaBerge had their own lives they hoped they’d get the chance to live in peace. Layra loved LaBerge…and LaBerge loved Layra. Dealing with all that commotion just wasn’t what they’d wished for.
Holly says:
Nice job like always! Can’t wait for the next chapters!
Challenger Black says:
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 24: Escaping to the Woods (PART 1)
After Bobby had gone around and spoken to as many of the people as he could while doing his best to calm them down and once all were in agreement to follow…they set off with LaBerge leading. He assured them he knew of a place far off beyond the streets and very office of Blok itself that was so unknown and so secret…not even the trustees were aware of its location. That’s how he gave them his word they’d be safe there. The mothers were somewhat nervous and unsure of whether they ought to trust this guy, after seeing what he, along with his sister had done to them and their families over the years, but hearing him speak so confidently and so comfortingly…they couldn’t deny him. Especially after what Layra had said. Even though she had in fact lied to them and gotten them into this mess…they were in no position to say no to a chance at escaping death.
And knowing Veego and her trustees at that very moment were preparing for tomorrow’s horrid executions, they’d do absolutely anything to get out of it. The thought of being killed was just too unbearable. That much they all agreed on. And that’s how they came to the final decision to follow LaBerge away from the castle into the far off woods, not knowing what to expect or what this secret place was or where it was located. All they knew was it was some mysterious place where they’d be granted safety. Right then, that’s all they really cared about.
The traveled in silence. Nobody was sure of what to say or think or do so all they really could do was keep to themselves and pray that following LaBerge, a guy who’d promised them safety…was on their side and not truly one of them. Layra, on the other hand, knew LaBerge better than anyone and she assured them they might have seen him as a sick goof but she told them to listen to him because if they gave up by this point, and worse, if they gave up on the rebellion…there’d be no hope in overthrowing Blok. This was the final straw and they didn’t have time to back down now. Things had gone too far from where they’d first started and if the end was near, they weren’t just going to blow it. They couldn’t afford to. Not when their lives were at stake.
LaBerge led them deeper into the woods, turning corners, directing them beyond bubbling streams and hills till they found themselves growing farther from the familiar castle they remembered so well. They were now some while away from home and by the looks of most of them, they were already home sick. Many of the kids had brought blankets and wrapped themselves in them to keep warm against the evening breeze. One child was carrying a stuffed bear while another had brought a doll. The kids tagged along without saying a word. It wasn’t too hard to see they were secretly afraid of LaBerge as if he weren’t an ordinary guy, but some frightening monster that had come up from under their beds. But they didn’t want him to see this. One of the girls was even a little afraid of his wild, wacky blonde hair and every time he’d look to make sure the crowd was following behind, she’d look away, hoping he hadn’t seen her staring. But as for LaBerge, he himself was nervous enough and kept on hoping he was directing these people down the right path.
Bobby and Layra kept close together, whispering about what this whole thing was going to bring. What got Bobby worried was what Veego and her trustees were going to get out of this. Hearing one of their employees, one of the hosts and announcers of the Quillan Games himself was going against their rules and their laws… wouldn’t go over so well. LaBerge might not have been among the brightest ones of Blok but hearing and seeing what he’d gone on with earlier…got Bobby convinced maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. As much as he hated clowns, that didn’t mean LaBerge was a bad guy. He just…liked clowns. He always had the idea of there being only two kinds of people in the world. There were people who hated clowns and clowns but then again, perhaps there were others out there who liked clowns? LaBerge liked them.
The trip into the woods must have taken them hours, though it felt more like days. That right there told Bobby they were no longer near the gaming castle. After crossing through a few streets in Rune and a few more trails in the woods and a vast river…they finally made it.
LaBerge quietly motioned for them to stop and there, they got their first look at the place he’d been telling them about…the place he’d assured them was safe. It was a huge clearing in the middle of a forest, but instead of all the trees standing about, wherever in whatever order, they were all in one giant circle. Not far off beyond that, were small hills and mounds with grassy turf. Staring around, they wondered what lie beyond the hills. But they weren’t here to explore. They were here to hide…from death. And if LaBerge assured them they’d be safe here, than the most they could do was trust him and hope they’d make it through the night, and the next day…the day they were all supposed to be picked up and shipped off for execution.
“Well,” said LaBerge, facing the crowd. “This is where we stop. We’ll stay here.”
“You mean spend the night?” asked one.
He nodded, saying, “The longer we stay away from Blok and out of their sights, the better. Trust me, we’ll be safe here tonight, I promise. I know it’s not much comfort out here in the woods but we’ll have to make do. There’s nowhere else to go that they won’t know about. Here’s our best option.”
“And we’ll be safe here?” asked a woman shakily. “You can give us your word?”
LaBerge approached the woman, looked her in the eye and said softly, “As long as I’m in charge, I won’t let them harm anyone. If there’s a chance in going up against Blok, if it means forming a rebellion…then so be it. I’m just as against them as you are. I’m tired of my life. I’m tired of serving for these games and pretending to be all sorts of happy when all they do is bring heartache. Sure, I like games just as much as anyone…but these aren’t games. Veego and her monsters might have taken over me for the past twenty years…but not anymore. I’m done with this!”
“Yes but, what if they do find us?” asked another in fear. “We’ll be dead.”
“I know you’re all scared,” said LaBerge, trying to show bravery. “But believe me, it’s best if we all settle down and try and get some rest. Staying up like this won’t do us any good. As long as I’m around, I’m in charge and I won’t let them harm you, okay? You’ve got to trust me.”
“They won’t take me!” exclaimed one. “They won’t take me alive!”
“Or me!” threw in another.
Half the crowd had now gone from being totally frightened and scared out of their minds to angry and furious and ready to get the rebellion going…which was exactly what LaBerge hoped for. The more people he had behind him, along with Bobby and Layra, the better chance they stood in actually going up against the almighty Blok, whenever that might be. And if things turned out badly, with him keeping all these “supposed to be executed tomorrow” people here, away from them, well…he could only imagine when they’d act. It wouldn’t be long before they caught onto to it and then, they’d get the idea something was no doubt going on and with LaBerge out of sight that could only raise the chances of them growing suspicious. For all he knew…they were already onto him.
Once the excitement and volume of the crowd died down, the people settled down and tried to get some rest. Unfortunately, there were no pillows or blankets or anything to keep warm, except for a few kids who’d brought their own blankets along. That meant they’d all be sleeping on cold, hard ground. It wasn’t the best place for a nap but when you’re running for your life…it really doesn’t matter.
The forest was packed with families and because of that, there wasn’t a whole lot of room. There were families of five, four, three, two and even some who were sadly…alone. LaBerge figured they’d lost loved ones some time during the Quillan Games. Like others, they’d probably went along and bet on the games, only to have the horror of being dragged off and killed…leaving their loved ones crushed and alone. Staring around at all those without family or children made him wonder if he was truly doing the right thing. He tried forcing those thoughts out of his head and decided he better try and get some shut eye if he planned on being up for tomorrow…doomsday.
LaBerge had just found a nice spot and was about to lie down and try and get some rest…when he heard someone crying. He stood up, listened and noticed it was the voice of a young girl. He looked around and saw most everyone was just gazing up at the sky, lost in thought…so he got up and walked toward the voice.
He hadn’t been looking very long when he came across a young girl who couldn’t have been any older than four, sitting with her back against a tree and her head in her knees…sobbing. LaBerge stared at the poor girl and frowned. There might have been young ones there, maybe too young to get the idea of what was going on, but it wasn’t hard to see this girl knew it all…and she was scared out of her mind.
He wasn’t sure if he ought to leave her alone, or try and calm her down. His head was in a million spots but seeing a little girl there crying her eyes out tore him apart. And if he was right, it was Veego, her trustees and ultimately Blok’s fault she was here as miserable as she was. So he did the most sensible thing he could do. He walked over and sat down next to her.
The girl lifted her head and he saw she’d been doing a lot of crying because her eyes were red as cherries.
She stared him in the eye and cried, “Are you going to save us, sir?”
That question caught LaBerge by surprise. He hadn’t expected the younger ones to actually understand what he’d said to the crowd earlier back near the castle but it seemed as though they had. Or at least this one did anyway.
He met her gaze and said softly, “I can promise you…I’m gonna try.”
She wiped her eyes and asked, “What’s your name?”
LaBerge hesitated…then said timidly “LaBerge.”
The girl gasped, backed away for a moment and frowned while covering her face. LaBerge dropped his head when he saw the poor girl was trembling. This little girl was scared…of him! He’d felt a lot of pain in his life, from being snapped at by his heartless sister from being ordered and controlled by the dominant people of Blok…but never had he felt so pained. Now he knew the true power of Blok. People feared them and because they were such an unstoppable force…no one messed with them.
“I-I’m sorry,” LaBerge said softly. “I won’t hurt you. I’m here to help, that’s all. I’m just here to help.”
He even held out his hand, hoping she’d believe him and not rethink the idea that he was nothing more than a monster.
The girl stared at him for a long moment, then crawled back over and sat down next to him. But what she did next shocked LaBerge so much…he really didn’t know what to think of it. The girl got onto her knees and slowly crawled up onto his lap and rested her head against his chest while wrapping her arms as far around him as she could. She ran her fingers along his soft, furry robe…and dug her face into it. LaBerge stared down at the girl with widened eyes. She was hugging him! Only a second ago she’d been terrified but she was now nuzzling her face into his soft robe. She then broke out sobbing and whimpering.
LaBerge stared at the girl, wanting to cry and believe there was truly hope in turning things around. He couldn’t bare think what might happen if Blok got a hold of them.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and with the other… softly stroked the back of her head.
He let her cry and when she looked up at him she sobbed, “I miss them…mommy and daddy.”
Hallaman10 says:
Ah dude I like the story but why are you making LaBerge seem like a nice guy at the end there, I mean in the book hes a weird, childistic, freak. so Just givin a touch of reality there man
Challenger Black says:
@Hallaman10
If you read the beginning chapters, there is a reason for that. The story focuses on Veego and LaBerge, and how he is actually rebelling against his own sister. In my story, Veego always controlled him and he was always miserable. So now, he’s trying to break free and have his own life. I just thought it would be a fun thing to write about 🙂
Challenger Black says:
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 25: Escaping to the Woods (PART 2)
That right there hit LaBerge hard. The little girl then went on and told him how her parents had wagered on the games and ever since…she’d never seen them. They’d apparently been missing for a few days now and there was no word on where they could be. But hearing that sad story come from a little girl…took a toll on him. He wanted to give words of hope and strength to her, but he couldn’t think of anything to say that could possibly make her feel any better. All he could do was be there for her. He held her in his arms, while letting her cry and most of all…was there for her.
She kept saying, “I miss them,” and “I want them to come back,” and “It’s not fair.” The poor child was devastated and didn’t know anyone else to turn to. But LaBerge let her cry on his shoulder while she let it all out. No way would he let Blok drag her away.
LaBerge stayed with the girl that night. Knowing she was alone and had no one to go to or no one to turn to for help, he could only stay. He acted like a father to her or…as best a father as he could be. He wasn’t sure if he was of any help to her but the girl wouldn’t let go of him. It was like she was putting all her hope into LaBerge…and he could feel it. So he stayed with her for the rest of the night, with her curled up into his soft, robe like blanket and an arm wrapped securely around her. He wasn’t going to let her get snatched up by a mindless dado…not while he was around.
Next morning, most everyone was awake. Most were up by at least eight, not because they were early risers…but because they knew today was the day of their arranged deaths. Today was the day they were all scheduled to be led by LaBerge and his army of dados off to the mysterious Black Forest to be killed. But as LaBerge had told them…they weren’t going anywhere. He said this was one of the few places beyond Rune that not even Blok was aware of. It was a quiet, dull morning and there was no chance of a proper breakfast…but LaBerge made sure of it they all got something to eat. He had to assure they left with full stomachs.
He led them a little way’s further into the woods where he showed them a couple of trees. There were apple trees, orange trees, pineapple trees and his personal favorite…tribbun trees. So everyone picked as many fruits as they could and walked back to their hideaway and quietly enjoyed a freshly picked breakfast of ripe fruits. LaBerge nibbled on a few bits of tribbun…but found he wasn’t really in the mood to eat. He was too busy remembering what Veego had told him. He was to bring Layra herself to the trustees and his following dados were to escort the rest of the “wagerers” to them as well. She made it clear he was to be no later than three o’ clock and by the time they’d all gotten up and had their fill of fruit…it was near twelve o’ clock. They were running out of time which meant sometime soon Veego and her trustees would be on the move. He only hoped he’d brought these people to the right place because if not…they’d be doomed.
Bobby and Layra didn’t say much as the hours passed. They stuck by LaBerge and did all they could do. Think. Was Veego already on the move or were they eagerly waiting back at the office of Blok, waiting for LaBerge to carry in the supposed to be executed? What they didn’t know was he wasn’t planning to go there at all. He was running away with thousands. Not an easy thing to do. What got LaBerge worrying wasn’t too much Veego and her trustees and how they’d react…but how many dados they planned on sending. How many could they send? A hundred? Thousand? Ten thousand?
The thought alone made him want to crawl up in a ball and hide. He knew if the dados came, they’d have no hope in avoiding death. They had no chance in going up against robots. And even if they did have some chance, they’d never be able to overpower their numbers. Dados could march in by the thousands and even if you crushed them…there’d still be thousands more to come. It was like a never ending army, a never ending army possibly on their way right now to get them and drag them all away. LaBerge had to think of something. And fast. The longer they sat around doing nothing but worrying and hoping they wouldn’t be caught, the easier it’d be for Veego and her trustees to track them down. And if they were found, well, if he knew his sister…she wouldn’t be happy. Especially if she found out what he’d been secretly getting on, going against Blok’s orders. There’d be no getting out of that one.
LaBerge spent most of the afternoon sitting up against a tree, thinking, wondering and fearing what his sister was up to. How much time did they have? He guessed by now it must have been close to three which meant at any second…they could be caught. It was only a matter of time before things got going. Or perhaps they truly were safe in this little forest. Or maybe he was just hoping that were the case. He wasn’t thinking properly and kept on hearing Veego’s cold voice booming and screaming about in his head.
And just then, he heard voices. He turned around and for a second, thought he was seeing things. It was the little girl he’d seen last night, the one who’d been crying, the one whose parents had disappeared.
What he saw right there…made him want to laugh and cry and cheer all at the same time. The little girl had found her parents! Or maybe her parents had found her but either way, the three were reunited as the family they were. LaBerge watched silently, with a warm smile. They might been there hiding from death’s door, but seeing the three of them laughing and hugging…made LaBerge think there really was hope in turning things around.
LaBerge laid his head back on the trunk and sighed.
What he really wanted to do right then was rest and think up some sort of extra plan…till he heard a voice crying, “There! That’s him!”
LaBerge quickly turned around and saw the little girl leading her parent’s right up to…him! He pushed himself further behind the tree. It wasn’t so much that he was scared…but he knew how much the mothers and fathers of Rune hated Veego and LaBerge for hosting such deadly, horrid games and putting not only themselves, but their children in danger of getting killed. Now that he thought of it, he remembered a lot of times when parents would throw arguments and complaints at the two game hosts, demanding them to put an end to it and quit what they were doing and of course, with Veego being under control of her trustees…they were ignored completely. He knew he’d only comforted the girl and tried to be there for her…but would her parents think the same, especially when they saw who it was? Would they be so forgiving?
The little girl hopped right in front of LaBerge, pointing and smiling, saying, “There he is mommy, that’s him!”
“Molly,” laughed her mother. “What on…oooohh!”
When her mother saw LaBerge sitting there in his red and black bath robe, his blonde hair widely out place (as usual)…she gave out a little gasp, as if not believing what she was hearing…and seeing. Her father saw him as well, but his reaction was quite different. He just stood there, staring at LaBerge with a look of suspicion and distrust. Here sat one of the hosts of the Quillan Games themselves. And their daughter was acting like he was just the greatest thing there in all of Quillan. They were puzzled, afraid and unsure all at the same time. They weren’t sure how to react.
But their daughter, Molly, kept saying, “He helped me! He stayed with me all night and talked to me. His name’s LaBerge! He’s really nice!”
LaBerge stared into her parent’s eyes, hoping they’d see through him and not think he was just the crazy lunatic all the others at one point thought him to be.
Instead, her mother stepped forward, kneeled down and said quietly, “Is that true? Were you with Molly?”
LaBerge froze, then stammered, “Well, uh…I was only trying to help a-and…I thought I ought to do something for the girl. Please, I-”
Molly’s mother smiled and said kindly, “Thank you, LaBerge.”
For a second, LaBerge thought he was hearing things. Had Molly’s mother just thanked him? Maybe they weren’t going to bash on him after all.
“You’re welcome,” said LaBerge. “I’m glad I could help.”
“We’ve heard about the rebellion,” said Molly’s father. “And I’ve got to be honest, LaBerge…never would I have dreamed seeing you as leader of the rebellion itself. I’ll admit, I’m shocked after seeing Veego and her trustees back at Blok but now you…” but he couldn’t finish the sentence. It was like he was so blown over by the mere thought of LaBerge, one of the game hosts, actually leading a rebellion against his own company. He had a look of both shock and amazement.
“I’ll do whatever I can,” LaBerge said with a weak smile. “You can count on that.”
Molly stepped up to LaBerge, giggled and jumped into his arms. LaBerge let out a soft ooph…but was soon laughing too.
She nuzzled her head into his chest and said, “You can do it, LaBerge! I believe in you.”
LaBerge couldn’t help smile at this. All the children of Quillan at one point had been so terrified of him that they wouldn’t even throw him a second glance…but that was all changing.
“You have a wonderful daughter,” he told Molly’s parents. “She’s got more spirit than I’ve seen from a child.”
They nodded and before finally leaving with their daughter, Molly’s mother gave LaBerge a sincere hug and said through tears, “Thank you…for everything.”
With that, Molly and her parents left LaBerge and strolled off to…somewhere. Probably farther into the woods where they’d safe or at least…safe till the dados came into sight. It was only a matter of time till an army of dados came into sight.
And it was at that very moment…there came a scream. A loud, bloodcurdling scream. And it was coming from deep within the woods. LaBerge jumped to his feet, looked around but couldn’t see anyone. He saw all the others were in a panic as well, clutching each other and whimpering in fear. Looks like they’d be shipped off after all. They held onto each other, staring with wide eyes around the woods, trying to keep quiet.
Seconds later…there was a piercing howl, followed by a scream, then another and another and so on till the entire forest was nothing but terrified screams and cries of, “No!” They’d officially run out of time… which meant Veego and her trustees were just getting started. The real terror was about to begin. Things were about to get real ugly, real fast.
With all the uproar and commotion going on, LaBerge could barely squeeze himself through the crowd. He had to find Bobby and Layra and see what was going on. It didn’t take him long to find them standing at the edge of the woods, where the trees opened out into a still, eerie blackness.
He hurried up to them, totally out of breath and demanded, “What’s happening?”
Bobby and Layra just stood staring, wide eyed into the distance. It was like they were hypnotized and hadn’t even noticed LaBerge.
Finally, Layra turned around, frowned, and said pointing, “They’re here.”
LaBerge shook his head, not wanting to believe it and asked shakily, “Dados?”
Layra just nodded and dropped her head.
“They found us,” she squeaked, her voice cracking.
Bobby stood staring, his mouth open. The two were terrified. And who wouldn’t be?
What they saw next was almost overwhelming…too much to even watch. But they had to. LaBerge forced himself to look and what he saw made him fall to his feet and sob. They were now officially doomed. Layra was right. They’d been found, tracked down by Veego…and no wonder. Of course Veego and her trustees weren’t aware of this secret hideaway…but robotic machines were. They could find anyone, anywhere…at any time. That’s how they’d been found by this vast army of dados. And they were closing in. Fast. Row by row they came in frightening numbers, one after the other.
The people in the woods were running in a panic, screaming and begging for mercy but sadly…dados felt no emotion. Their only job was to capture them all and drag them to their deaths. As horrid a thing as that was…they were only machines.
At the first glimpse, LaBerge guessed there were a hundred of them, quickly approaching but as he looked harder…he saw the ugly truth. Blok was smarter than that. They’d brought thousands. If LaBerge wasn’t going to keep to his end of the agreement, they’d take matter into their own hands which was exactly what they were doing, sending their own army off to gobble them up and send them off to the treacherous Black Forest. A forest of death. LaBerge had been asked directly and specially to bring Layra herself, who was to be the first executed, but it seemed now he wouldn’t have to worry about that because she’d just as easily be snatched up by a dado.
LaBerge tried not to fly into a panic, but that was near impossible. The people were out of their minds in fear. They were trying to flee from the approaching robots who’d come to take them all to their deaths.
“Stay where you are!” screamed LaBerge, waving his arms frantically. “Everyone hold back!”
flight29downer says:
@challengerblack u want to talk about pendragon movie on the forum im bored and no one else seems to be on
Challenger Black says:
Sure 🙂
flight29downer says:
Challengerblack
Do u have a twitter i would love to follow u and have u follow me
Plz answer on the movie blog cause i dont norm check this one
Challenger Black says:
Chapter 24, and 25 are now up. Here’s chapter 26 🙂
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 26: The Arrangement with Blok (PART 1)
LaBerge wondered if they’d even heard him above all the screaming and howling unfolding around him. Mothers were sobbing and holding their children against their chests while fathers stood in front, bravely trying to ward off the dados…but they knew the truth. It was no use. It was a heart breaking sight, families in such misery, knowing some time that afternoon…they’d be no more. It was gut-wrenching. But though their efforts were hopeless…the families did all they could by bundling and gathering together in tight crowds, trying to do as LaBerge said by keeping together. He even saw briefly, Molly, burying her face into her mother’s chest while sobbing miserably. The hope she’d had just hours ago was long gone. The dados had snatched the hope right out of her, along with the thousands of others who stood trembling and quivering in fear…knowing the end was close.
The dados were closing in fast. It took no time before they were completely surrounding the gathered crowd of terrified people. LaBerge stared around, trembling, and approached one of the dados. He could barely keep still but he knew how frightened and helpless those people looked and seeing as he himself was a member of Blok, a host of the Quillan Games…he had to act. He had to stand strong. His options were officially running out since their new company had arrived.
He straightened himself, stood tall, cleared his throat and demanded, “G-go away, cretins! You’re not wanted here. Go back to your mistress! That’s an order!”
The dados weren’t intimidated, no surprise. Not even slightly.
One of them strolled forward and sat flatly, “Veego and her awaiting trustees are growing impatient and therefore, we’ve been given strict orders to come find you and bring you there ourselves.”
Several of the mothers burst out sobbing, not wanting to believe it.
LaBerge looked back, his heart pounding like crazy and faced the dado, saying, “Well, they’re not going anywhere! You can-”
“Veego has demanded an immediate wish to see you,” the dado told him strictly. “She’d like to meet with you immediately.”
“D-does she now?” said LaBerge, trying to sound tough. Truth was, the poor guy was losing it…but was holding on to whatever bit of strength he had, which wasn’t much. “Well now, you can march right back to Veego and tell her that we’re not going anywhere!”
The dados exchanged emotionless looks, turned back to LaBerge and said flatly, “You are.”
And with that, two of them rushed forward, clutched him roughly by the arm and held him there. The poor guy was no match for these machines, just like all the rest. He squirmed and struggled against their hold but they kept their firm, tight hold. He wasn’t going anywhere…not yet anyway. He dropped his head and whimpered in defeat. The real show was about to begin. The show he’d feared for all this time was finally about to unfold. And there was nothing he could do to stop it.
“Dados!” announced one formally, who must have been in control of the pack. “Grab the rest. You know your orders!”
The dados gave a simple nod and were off. They had no trouble whatsoever keeping up with the terrified crowd, who were so petrified, they could hardly move. The easiest to catch were the young ones who sadly, had no possible chance in escaping. They were the first to be snatched. The mothers desperately tried warding off the dados, trying to reach their screaming children but they were so outnumbered and out powered…they were soon held firmly, having no chance at helping their child. They were all grabbed and clutched, being absolutely no match for these unbeatable dados.
The fathers and a few of the older men didn’t back down so easily. They formed together in a tight circle and fought off the robots, with no more chance in sending them off than the helpless women. They too went down, just as quickly. The dados struck them so hard many of them saw stars and even a few went unconscious, which made it all the easier for the dados to drag them along without having to deal with their constant squirming and struggling. It made the job that much simpler.
Before she knew it, Layra was being dragged right along with the others. Thousands of innocent people were being hauled to their deaths and there was nothing they or LaBerge could do about it. They were powerless against Blok’s ruthless army.
But LaBerge wasn’t going down without a fight. He dug frantically into his pocket and pulled out a little toy that looked no bigger than a pen. It was the infamous Runkle.
He showed it to the dados and begged desperately, “Please, let me show you a Runkle! It’s impressive to all. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Please!”
But the dados weren’t interested or bothered with LaBerge’s silly attempts or more so…his strange, childish little toy. They just kept their hold on him and dragged him along. These guys didn’t care about Runkles or clowns or tribbun. They’d been sent on a mission and that’s all they cared about. That’s all they’d been programmed and designed to care about. Feeling emotion and sadness for others sadly wasn’t on the list.
It was a heart breaking sight seeing and hearing the young ones screaming, “I want my mommy!” or “Daddy!” and “Let me go!” There wasn’t anyone in that crowd who wasn’t in tears. They were all bawling and struggling to break free. But it was no use. Their efforts were futile.
Bobby stared in horror at the marching dados and suddenly…felt strong arms grabbing onto him. He jerked his head and saw he too was being seized.
“You can’t take me!” he told them. “What have I got to do with this? I’m not part of this!”
“You’ve been ordered to come along to assure you’ll be out of the way in time for the executions.”
“Let me go!” screamed Bobby, kicking his legs widely.
But the dados just kept pulling him along, not bothered by his screaming. He might have been trained by a warrior but these dados were strong and hefty and even if he managed to slam down a few, he could never go up against more than ten of them…let alone a thousand. There were just too many. He couldn’t deny the harsh truth of it all. They’d been outnumbered, and there was no chance of escape.
Layra meanwhile, was throwing such a fuss and kicking so widely, she actually broke free. The dados looked surprised, or as surprised as a robot could look and quickly hurried after her. She ran like mad, breathing hard and pumping her legs faster than she thought possible. There was one person she was trying to find. She charged her way through the crowd of dados, who all watched her emotionlessly as she went, as if shocked by her efforts.
At last, she saw him and shot forward, calling, “La,” but it was too late. The two dados had caught up with her. They slammed her onto the ground, hard like a rock. They held her arms down and pushed all their weight on top of her so she couldn’t escape. Not this time. She squirmed desperately against them, turned her head, saw him and screamed out, “LABERGE!”
LaBerge looked helplessly over his shoulder and frowned. She could see the defeat and grief in his eyes. She’d never seen him look like this. The fire and energy he’d once had…was no longer there. He’d failed and because of that… thousands of innocent people were going to pay, right along with Layra…the woman he loved. The only friend he’d ever known and cared for.
He fought against the dados, grunting and whimpering desperately. But they didn’t loosen their hold.
The army of dados then stopped what they were doing and turned to their leader, who faced them all and commanded, “March!”
And that’s exactly what they did. They regrouped themselves, stood together at the ready and set off in perfect, organized rows. The dados had turned around and LaBerge now saw they were heading off the in the opposite direction he’d first led the crowd. They were leaving the woods and going…somewhere else. It took a long while for the dados to leave the forests. LaBerge had traveled a long way, far past the castle and even further past the known streets of Rune itself. But the dados knew their way too well. They never got lost and never had to question which way to go. They were programmed to know every street, forest and hideout. They knew just where to go…and that’s where they were going.
Somewhere along the way, Layra found herself being dragged alongside of LaBerge, whose head was dropped miserably. The poor guy was beat. There was no fight left in him. Everything he’d heard and seen…had taken the strength right out of him.
“LaBerge!” she called.
He lifted his head, saw Layra…and smiled weakly.
“We’ll get through this,” he said, trying to sound positive. “D-don’t worry.” But Layra could sense the tension and fear in his voice. He was just as terrified as all the rest.
Layra just shook her head and sobbed, “It doesn’t matter LaBerge. I’ve ruined everything. If I would have just kept quiet instead of going off and making these people a promise I knew I couldn’t keep…this wouldn’t be happening! I promised them freedom. I told them we’d win the Great Four and now look where we are! Those people knew the champions would win! They had their votes all ready and placed for the wagerings. I made them change their votes. I even used some persuasion back there…when I was giving that speech. I know it was wrong and I shouldn’t have done it. I’ve killed half of Quillan. There’ll be no one left, LaBerge…they’re all doomed.”
Barely getting the words out, she croaked, “I just can’t believe it…”
LaBerge said nothing. He gazed into her eyes sadly, sensing her anguish.
Layra went on, “I’ve treated Bobby like crap. Instead of listening to him like a teammate should, I just pushed him aside. I cheated and made him go out when he was sick as a dog and then right when he needed me the most, right when the game was ending…I let him down. I just gave up. He was right the whole time, LaBerge. He’s been through these games before. I haven’t. I thought I could do everything myself…but I couldn’t.”
The dado’s led them far past the game castle itself, which towered high above them in all its magnificent glory. The terrified people stared up at the imposing structure, lost in thought and sunk their heads hopelessly. In a matter of time, they’d be dead. They had every right to throw all their anger and fury at Layra, who’d promised them freedom, only to let them down but right now they were so mesmerized, they barely had the energy to even bother. And besides, would good would that have done? All they could think about was being sent off, killed. Families would be torn apart and the trustees of Blok would carry on just as cruelly and just as powerfully as they had years ago. Only now, their power had grown to new heights and if LaBerge was right, form all he’d heard about, Veego and her people over time had been working and organizing together a new project. Once Quillan had fallen, they’d gather up the crushed bits and with those final pieces, they’d get rid of the old territory and in its place, they’d build a new territory. One called Blok.
They left the castle and the forests and soon, they were taken far into the city of Rune. They were carried through the streets which were practically empty. There was no traffic, no cars, no people strolling along the sidewalks, no nothing. They’d all bet on the Quillan Games and they were now going to pay the price. In other words, they’d all lost.
As Layra stared around at the desolate city, knowing she’d influenced all these people into trusting her, only to fail them so tragically…she felt sick to her stomach. Bobby saw the pained look on her face. As angry and annoyed as he was with her for having gotten them all into this mess, he couldn’t help but feel bad for her and LaBerge, of course. What would Veego think of him now? He’d gone off, violated the rules and regulations of Blok and the games and above all…he’d disobeyed his sister, his partner. He’d pretty much crossed the line. As for Layra, sure, she might have tipped Quillan’s turning point for the worst…but he could tell she was hurting badly. She was shaking and quivering like crazy. She’d once been a Challenger of strength and confidence and now, here she was, sobbing while being dragged along to her death…along with so many others.
Soon, Bobby and the rest realized they weren’t being taken to the building of Blok. The dados casually strolled by without even a glance and continued on…to where?
The dados led them on till they found themselves out of the streets of Rune and into yet another forest. It crossed one of their minds if the dados hadn’t taken a wrong turn and brought them right back to where they started…but they knew better. These robots were programmed perfectly to know all the locations and directions of Quillan. They dragged them into the woods where they dropped them, letting them fall to the ground with a hard thud. The kids cried in pain and rushed up to their parents where they sobbed and hugged onto each other for dear life. They knew what was coming and didn’t want to be separated… never to see each other again. It was all sadly…falling apart.
That’s when LaBerge saw they weren’t alone. Standing there in the middle of the glade, surrounded on either side by her trustees…was Veego. The trustees, ten in all, stood right next to her. They stood tall and proud and LaBerge even saw in many of them, a look of hunger. Veego stepped forward, took a look around at the crying, whimpering people, shrugged carelessly and gave a quick nod to the trustees. They acknowledged her nod by quietly stepping forward. LaBerge could see after looking them over carefully, they were beyond the point of sitting around waiting. They were stern, impatient and were demanding for explanations…ones he knew he’d have to give.
Veego turned to the dados and said flatly, “Drop him.”
The dados did as they were told and dropped LaBerge…hard. He groaned and rubbed his head, trying to pull himself together. Was he seeing stars? It sure felt like it. Everything just looked white and blurry and weird for a moment. He let out a tired breath, rose to his feet and looked to his sister, who glared fiercely back.
The two locked eyes for a moment before Veego broke the intense silence by saying quietly “Come here, LaBerge.”
LaBerge opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. Shakily, he took a few steps closer and held back.
Veego sensed his fear and said calmly, “Closer…”
LaBerge hesitated, but stepped forward till the two, brother and sister were face to face. It was strange and sort of creepy seeing these two completely different people staring each other in the eye. Where Veego had her act all together, LaBerge didn’t exactly have his act all together. Where Veego’s hair was slick and combed back perfectly, LaBerge’s hair was wacky and all over the place. Where Veego dressed formally and professionally, LaBerge dressed in every color from lime green to bright yellow or even rainbow colored. But above all, where Veego was cold, cruel and nasty, LaBerge was a bubbly, cheery, always ready for fun sort of guy. This brother and sister had nothing in common.
LaBerge did all he could to look his sister in the eye…but couldn’t. Her eyes overpowered his. He dropped her gaze and stared at the ground, still trembling and fidgeting with his fingers. That’s when it happened. Nobody expected it…but it happened.
Veego gave a disgusted grunt…and smacked her brother across the face. LaBerge stumbled and touched his cheek and felt the burn. He looked up at her, his eyes watering and frowned.
“You disgust me, LaBerge,” she spat. “Did I not make it clear to be at the Black Forest no later than three o’ clock? And now it’s near after four. Something’s wrong here.”
“Veego, p-please,” he begged. “I was only,”
“You were only what?” she barked. “Going against the trustees, myself and the rules of Blok? You, of all people should have known better. You’re a member of Blok, LaBerge. I gave you the job in handing these people over to me…yet you run off and hide like a child. Here my trustees and I have been patiently waiting for your arrival…and here you’ve been hiding for all this time. Did you really think you’d save them all? Is that it? You thought you’d save them all? You know the games better than that! You’ve been my partner for years now, brother. I’m sickened in thinking you’d go against me and my trustees like this. This requires an explanation…which I’m sure you have.”
“Yes,” added one of the trustees flatly. “Tell us what you’ve been up to, LaBerge. Surely, you’re just dying to tell us?”
“What’s your excuse?” demanded another. “What’s your excuse for being late? Why’ve you kept us waiting like this?”
Challenger Black says:
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 27: The Arrangement with Blok (PART 2)
“I…” LaBerge said nervously. “I won’t let you kill them! This isn’t right! Veego, please! Does it have to be this way? You can change this!”
Veego and her trustees exchanged glances and then…burst out laughing.
“Well of course, yes!” cried Veego. “This has always been the way Quillan’s run and we’ve no intentions in changing that. Do you have a problem with that?”
LaBerge dropped his head.
Veego nodded and said coldly, “That’s what I thought.”
“And now,” said a trustee. “I believe you know what comes next.”
LaBerge lifted his head, his eyes widening and yelled, “N-NO!”
“LaBerge,” said Veego sternly. “Challenger Black, as you know well… is nothing more than a liar. Not only has she violated the rules of the Great Four itself, she’s taken matters into her own hands by claiming thousands of votes from the people themselves. And now, as you know, there’s a price to be paid. You know well, LaBerge…what comes next.”
Layra stared at Veego, trembling and whimpering.
“Your sister’s right, LaBerge,” added a trustee. “You can’t change the past. What’s done is done. It’s time to accept that and move forward.”
LaBerge kept quiet.
Veego shook her head furiously and grabbed her brother by the robe, pulled him right up so their noses were touching, and hissed, “That child belongs to me! I demand you hand her over or else we’ll have to deal with you ourselves. You know well that child rightfully belongs to me and the people of Blok. She’s an official Challenger and because she’s lost to our champions, she, like all the others…must pay the price! Don’t lie to me, brother. She and all the others out there belong to us.”
LaBerge sniveled, “Don’t do this, Veego. Please, can’t we-”
Veego snickered, pushed her brother away and snapped, “You’re just as useless as you were years ago. Time and again we offer you a chance at greatness, yet you refuse us each and every time. Are you that worthless, LaBerge? My fellow trustees offer you such power like you couldn’t imagine. It’s all right here. All I’m asking is for that Challenger.”
“I…I won’t let you take her!” LaBerge cried.
There came a gasp from the crowd and instantly, all eyes were on LaBerge. The shocked eyes of the people of Rune, the disgusted eyes of the trustees…and the cold eyes of his sister.
She chuckled and said quietly, “Excuse me?”
LaBerge was breaking out into a sweat. “Uh, what I meant to say was-”
“I’ve got no time for this!” screamed Veego furiously. “Dados! Hand her over! Because she’s a Challenger, she’ll be the first to be dealt with. Take her to the Black Forest. You’ll know what to do.”
The dados did as they were told. They hurried over to Layra, grabbed her tightly and strolled off with Layra screaming miserably.
LaBerge whimpered and turned back to Veego and shouted, “Stop!”
Veego turned to him, nodded to the dados who stopped in confusion…and approached her brother.
“What is it, brother?” she sneered. “What now?”
“C-could we perhaps work something out and-” he began.
Veego sensed his fear, took a step forward and hissed, “I haven’t got time for this! That Challenger will die at the Black Forest as Blok’s rightful tradition! You’ve no say in the matter.”
“WAIT!” pleaded LaBerge, now in tears. “I-I’d like to…” but he stopped and looked over at Layra. She’d given up squirming against the dados. She knew her efforts were a waste. There’d be no escaping. LaBerge stared into her eyes and staring back…Layra sensed LaBerge was thinking. He didn’t talk, or even blink. He just gazed into her eyes with a look of grief…and fear.
Finally, he sighed, dropped his head and whispered to Veego, “Could I talk with you alone?”
Veego blinked and turned to her trustees, who only shrugged. They weren’t sure how to react.
Veego looked back to her brother, gave a little nod to the dados to release Layra and said, “Very well.”
LaBerge turned and faced the wide eyed crowd, meeting their gazes. The children held onto their mothers in terror. The mothers stared at LaBerge softly, as if praying he’d set them all free. The fathers watched LaBerge with looks that seemed to say, “You’re in control now. We trust you.”
LaBerge, with his head dropped, followed his sister deep into the forest. He followed her till they were completely out sight where they could speak in private. The trustees meanwhile, stood around, murmuring and whispering to each other suspiciously. LaBerge wanting to speak with Veego alone …seemed strange, even for them. LaBerge might have been a part of their company but lately, he’d broken a lot of rules and had pretty much gone off the deep end. What was he doing? Bobby and Layra stood together, wondering what the two were saying. They could be discussing anything, and they’d never hear it. Whatever it was…was between Veego and LaBerge.
By what they’d seen of LaBerge so far and what he’d done…it couldn’t be good. What chance did he actually have in convincing Veego and her trustees to release their hold on Layra…let alone thousands of people? It was impossible. Layra and the rest belonged to Veego. What made LaBerge think he could change that? What could he possibly work out with her and her trustees that could prevent thousands of deaths? Layra just sat there with her head in her knees while Bobby sat down next to her.
All the people behind them must have sensed their worry because they were all whispering in fear and saying, “What’s he doing?” and “What’s he up to?” They were all just as scared as they were.
They must have stood there for an hour. No one imagined the two to be gone that long…but they had. And when they all turned and saw two figures slowly approaching the glade, everyone held their breath. The crowd grew still as stone. The trustees even grew somewhat tense, wondering what Veego and her brother had discussed.
As they drew closer, they all saw that Veego was leading. And when she was just coming close, they saw a huge grin on her face. She chuckled to herself and gave a sly nod at the trustees who shrugged and gathered around Veego to hear all about what she and her brother had said. They whispered to her and by the sounds of it…Bobby and Layra had the feeling LaBerge had failed in freeing those to be executed. It looked like Layra was taking a trip to the Black Forest after all. Veego went on sniggering like she’d just won the lottery, which in a way…she pretty much had if she had all of Rune in her clutch. And her brother could do nothing about it.
Then came LaBerge. He entered the clearing without even lifting his head. When he finally did, the crowd saw a huge frown on his face and his eyes were bloodshot red which meant he’d been crying. He didn’t seem cheery whatsoever. He looked depressed. He just stood there, staring around at the people as if his heart would break.
He met Layra’s gaze and for a moment…she thought she was going to faint. He then lowered his gaze and stared at the ground, in a complete trance. She breathed heavily and shook her head…trying to hold back tears. This was it. This was the moment she’d feared for so long…the moment when she’d be taken to her death. It was the end of her, her life, and the one man she’d ever loved…LaBerge.
But what followed was just the opposite.
He lifted his head and announced shakily, “Veego and her trustees have renounced their claim on Layra …and the people of Rune. Y-you’re all free.”
There was a moment of silence and then everyone breathed in relief and hugged each other and cried. But they weren’t crying in fear. They sobbed and held onto each other in sheer joy. They’d been freed! They weren’t sure what LaBerge had said to get Veego to change her and her trustee’s minds…but he’d done it! He’d kept to his word in leading the rebellion against Blok and now they truly had a chance in overthrowing them. It was all finally coming together.
While Veego and her trustees went on murmuring, Veego suddenly turned around, looked to her brother and snapped, “LaBerge!”
He turned slowly and met her gaze.
“Tomorrow night, nine thirty…you know where.”
LaBerge just nodded and sniveled, wiping his eyes.
Veego then turned back to her crew as they set off on their march back to Blok. They were done here. Meanwhile, the crowd was erupting and cheering with such joy, Layra was surprised her ears weren’t shattering. She joined them and went around hugging strangers and crying in relief. LaBerge had brought them a celebration. Whatever he’d done, he’d made thousands of once miserable people as happy as could be and they could hardly keep themselves from shouting with delight, while laughing and joking. They’d been freed and all they could do was let it all out.
Bobby ran over to Layra, wrapped his arms around her and exclaimed, “We did it! I can’t believe it! You know what this means? This was Quillan’s turning point! We won! LaBerge saved thousands from being killed. I can’t believe it. I never would have thought we’d have a chance at saving Quillan…but we did!”
Just then…Bobby stopped talking. He grew eerily quiet. Layra turned around and saw LaBerge standing there. His eyes were watering. She stared him in the eye, not sure what to say but she didn’t have to say anything.
He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and whispered, “You’re safe now, don’t worry. I’ve taken care of it. Nobody’s gonna hurt you.”
“LaBerge, w-what happened?” she asked. He didn’t sound too good. What she couldn’t understand was why.
He hesitated, then said, “I-it’s alright,” he stammered. “You don’t need to worry. I’ve got it all under control. E-everything’s going to be fine.”
And with that, he turned and walked away.
“What was that about?” asked Bobby, puzzled.
Layra shrugged, still staring at LaBerge.
“I-I dunno,” she said honestly. “I can’t but help think-” and then she stopped. LaBerge was now almost out of the clearing completely. He stared back at Layra…with nothing but sadness. Layra just shook her head, not understanding and met his troubled gaze. He then turned away and left the forest, leaving her and Bobby completely troubled and confused. What was going on?
“W-what’s the matter with him?” she cried. “He should be happy!”
“You don’t think…you know?” said Bobby nervously. “Something happened?”
“Sure he went against the rules and all,” Layra went on, thinking it over, “But why’s he like this? I’ve never seen LaBerge like this.”
“You don’t think-” said Bobby. “He got fired?”
“It’s gotta be worse than that!” she exclaimed. “Wouldn’t he want to leave Blok? Isn’t that the whole point of this? To get rid of them?”
“Well,” said Bobby, lost in thought. “You don’t think he’s…become a trustee himself?”
Layra sighed and croaked out, “He’d just be one of them! You don’t think he…he wouldn’t!” Then more quietly, she asked, “Do you…?”
“I dunno,” said Bobby. “But we’ll find out.”
Layra faced him and said, “How?”
“Tomorrow night,” said Bobby. “Veego said nine thirty, you know where. You don’t think she meant-”
“They’re taking him to Blok!” cried Layra, the truth hitting her. “Veego always said her brother was useless. They’re raising him to their level. Bobby…they’re forcing him into their power! They want him to become one of them…to join them!”
There was a long, frightful pause.
“We’ll find out,” said Bobby with finality. “Tomorrow night…we’re going to Blok.”
Holly says:
AWESOME! You’re story’s just getting better and better! 🙂
Challenger Black says:
Thanks again, Holly! Glad you’re liking it 🙂
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 28: Heading to Blok
At this point, things were only getting more confusing. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. It was all just one giant blur for Layra and Bobby. One they couldn’t seem to understand or even have any idea about. They’d lost the Great Four which meant Layra, along with thousands were supposed to be snatched off and shipped off to their deaths.
That is, till someone did something about it. LaBerge, who’d been specially asked in escorting Layra herself off to the Black Forest, while his army of dados snatched up the rest…had gone against every rule and regulation there was with Blok.
He’d called them all out near the back part of his and Veego’s castle where he laid out his plan. Because he himself was a long time member of Blok and the games, it made the whole crazy idea all the more dangerous but LaBerge seemed so convincing in helping and guiding them through this…the people joined him at once. And after hearing Layra herself say a few words, the people were in no situation to pass down the chance at survival.
Before any of this, the people of Rune all looked at LaBerge the same way. They thought he was sick minded, a freak, and a guy who loved watching people get torn apart in deadly and extreme obstacles. But they soon discovered that wasn’t the case. It was like the guy had been hidden under a coat of paint …and it was all starting to wash off.
People were seeing another side of him…and they loved it. They no longer feared LaBerge like they had some time ago and the more they heard from him and listened to him, the more they felt he alone, he himself…was their new salvation. Could he be the new Mr. Pop?
He’d led them deep into the woods where they spent the night. He assured them in these parts of the woods…they’d be safe. Not even Blok was aware of its location. But he wasn’t aware that dados were. They’d been found and dragged off to Veego and her waiting trustees.
LaBerge had spoken with Veego and worked something out and now Layra and so many others…would be saved. But in spite of the celebration…something was wrong.
After speaking with his sister, Layra saw LaBerge looking more distracted and troubled than she’d seen him in weeks. The poor guy was a mess. His eyes had been red, his hair looked messier than usual and he just didn’t have that bubbly smile she loved and was so used to. What was happening? Whatever it was, her and Bobby were about to find out. Both agreed that the following day, at nine thirty, they were going to go to Blok to figure out what this arrangement with the trustees truly was. Nobody else had really seen LaBerge, since they were so overjoyed and relieved at having been freed. They hadn’t noticed their troubled savior.
So till then, the two kept at the castle, strolling around and trying to keep themselves together. Bobby kept trying to convince himself Quillan’s second turning point had gone the right way. The people of Quillan had been saved.
But the more he thought about it…he knew that wasn’t the case. It was never that easy. There had to be more to it. There always was and whether Saint Dane was playing a side somewhere in the whole thing or not…he had to get the facts. And fast.
What bothered Layra was the unknown, not knowing what went on between Veego and LaBerge. What was said? And what really got her in a panic was seeing the satisfied grins from Veego and her trustees after having lost their bait! They’d lost a Challenger and all the rest they’d caught! What was to be happy about? But Layra knew whatever the agreement was…it couldn’t be good. Not when LaBerge was in tears and stumbling around with his head dropped.
They walked about the castle, not doing much. Most of the Challengers after hearing about what went on the previous night, were both anxious and curious in hearing more about it, but Bobby and Layra hardly knew much themselves and didn’t want to go starting rumors. Things at that point were so out of control they could hardly keep their heads on, let alone let every Challenger in on what was happening.
“All we can do is wait,” said Bobby with a shrug. “Not much going on here.”
Layra bit her lip, and said, “Do you really think that was it?”
“What?” he asked.
“You know,” said Layra uncomfortably. “Quillan’s turning point?”
Bobby thought for a moment and said, unsurely, “Honestly, I have no idea. Man, there’s been so much going on, it’s hard to tell one thing from another. I just hope when it comes, if it hasn’t already…it’ll be for the better. We already lost Quillan once. We can’t lose it again. Mr. Pop’s gone and the only hope left now is LaBerge. He’s the tip of this whole rebellion. The people believe in him and want to be there with him when Blok falls.”
“But you saw them back in the forest!” Layra exclaimed. “They’re up to something! It’s obvious! I just wish I knew what it was.”
Bobby paused and then added, “Well, following them to Blok should give us a clue. Let’s just not get caught, alright? We gotta be careful.”
“As long as we find out what the agreement is,” said Layra. “We can stop it…right?”
Bobby forced an unsure smile and said, “We’ll try.”
They spent most of the day going about the castle, gathering thoughts and trying to get their heads around everything. One thing they both realized was that Veego was gone.
They even went around and asked some of the dados if they’d seen her around but all they’d do is shrug and walk away. But then…Bobby and Layra saw something that got their attention. Their main thoughts at the time were on Veego and her trustees and why they’d seemed so satisfied back in the woods, but just then…they saw somebody else. They saw him more than a few times, making his way around the castle, slowly strolling through the halls with his head dropped.
LaBerge just wasn’t himself. Layra had never seen him like this. LaBerge was a bubbly, humorous guy who liked laughing and chit chatting and rhyming. When they saw him, they saw he wasn’t laughing or putting on a big smile like he usually did or trying to lighten up people’s spirits. He looked no one in the eye and pretty much kept to himself while strolling about, lost in his thoughts. It was like the guy was possessed or something. But Layra knew if Veego and her trustees were actually planning on possessing the guy, it wouldn’t be till nine thirty that night. That time was crucial.
But whatever the reason was…the guy was flat out miserable and they had no idea why. But they were desperate to know, for two completely different reasons. Bobby of course, wanted to find out where LaBerge stood in this whole dilemma and figure out if that meeting back in the woods truly was the second point for Quillan because if not, he needed to find out what was.
Layra, on the other hand, was bothered and worried and feeling sick seeing the once jovial man so cheerless. Then again, it didn’t help that the guy she worried about was also the guy she was madly and completely in love with. She wanted to help. But after her “mess up” during the Great Four, she wondered if she ought to just wait till they went to Blok. She had to be more cautious and not risk ruining the whole thing. She’d learned that the hard way, and wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
And it wasn’t just them who saw the change in LaBerge. Many of the guests shot him surprised, concerned looks seeing the host of the castle so troubled. A few threw him a couple of warm smiles and a wave…but he barely saw them. He just kept walking while staring at the ground, hardly blinking. It didn’t take much to see he was bothered. It was like he was in a whole other world and really, in a way… wasn’t even there. Layra noticed he wasn’t even eating. Dados would offer him a scrumptious helping of fresh tribbun…but it was no use. He was in no mood to eat.
Even the Challengers shared a few whispers as to what was up. LaBerge just wasn’t the guy to go around all quiet and depressed without a good old smile, a pat on the back or a casual hand shake. This definitely wasn’t LaBerge…not the LaBerge they knew.
The hours dragged on horribly. The two were dying to just get out of there and head straight down to Blok. If they knew the arrangement with Veego was, maybe they could stop it. Then again, odds are they couldn’t. LaBerge had made an official agreement with Veego, not only to save Layra’s life but the lives of thousands. If they interfered…all hell could break loose and with LaBerge having the impact he had on the people, they couldn’t just go and wreck it all. But time was running out…and they had to act.
The afternoon might have dragged on slowly, but the hours finally passed and it was soon eight thirty, which meant Bobby and Layra had get going. By the time they were out wandering the streets, they saw daylight was fading and darkness was fast approaching. They only hoped they’d get there in time and more important…hope they’d get in.
Like before, the streets of Rune were mostly bare. And no wonder. Families were probably out doing things…fun things. And that’s just what they were doing. They were out exploring, berry picking, having picnics, playing soccer, throwing Frisbees, reading…and being together.
It didn’t take long for Bobby and Layra to make it through the quiet streets to the center of Blok itself. The only question was…could they get in? With one look and a shrug, they slowly creeped up to the entrance, took a peek inside and to their surprise…saw no one. It was both a shock and a relief seeing nobody there. Maybe they’d get inside after all.
So cautiously but quickly, they made their way through the revolving door and found themselves in a huge lobby. They looked around and saw the place was enormous with floors that towered high above them with escalators and stores all labeled with that familiar name they’d grown to hate…Blok.
They took careful looks around, peering in stores only to see the places were as empty as if no one had ever been there. They went about the building, searching room after room, store after store, office after office…only to come across the exact same thing.
Finally, they made their way onto the top floor, where Veego and her trustees ought to be. This was it. Veego and LaBerge could be in that room. Bobby remembered the place all too well. There was a long gray table where the ten trustees, five men and five women sat.
With one nervous look, they took a breath, slowly opened the door, stepped inside, took a peek around… and saw the last thing they would have thought. Empty. All ten chairs where the trustees ought to have been were empty. The first thing that came to mind was “they’re not coming.” But Bobby suggested they hide for a while, wait, and see what happened. The two figured if LaBerge was meeting Veego at nine thirty, and it was sometime close to that…odds are they were on their way right now. So the two hid themselves carefully behind one of the desks in the corner of the room and waited. It was a bit of a struggle for both to fit and there was a bit of squirming, but they managed.
They must have sat behind that desk for twenty minutes. They were now at the point where they were wondering why they weren’t here and why they hadn’t come. Veego said “nine thirty, you know where.” Blok had to be the place! Yet they weren’t here. And the big question was…why? And the even bigger question was if they weren’t here in the office of Blok…where were they? They were running out of time. Veego and her gang had this thing set up for nine thirty…which meant they had to get going. This was too big a thing to miss.
They immediately left the building of Blok and were once again out in the streets of Rune. It was now growing dark and there wasn’t much light to guide them. They first had to decide where they would go. Veego and her trustees could be anywhere. And they had to find them before nine thirty.
And that’s when it hit Layra. It was the next most obvious place. She told Bobby and ten minutes later…the two had left the streets of Rune and were now out wandering in the woods. They were on their way to the Black Forest. This was the chosen place for the executions of Challenger Black and all those who’d placed wagers on her…but they’d been saved. Then again, maybe Veego and her trustees decided in going there because it was a quiet, undisturbed place. Whatever the reason…they knew that’s where they had to go.
They went through the woods trying to find this so called Black Forest…but only found themselves entering deeper and darker and more complicated woods. They both sat down for a moment and the two agreed they were pretty much lost. Either that, or they weren’t near this Black Forest or worse, Veego and her trustees weren’t going there which meant it was all for nothing.
Hallaman10 says:
Oh cool alittle non canon but thats interesting
Holly says:
Nice! You’re having me really think on what i think will happen next! 😀
Challenger Black says:
Thanks Holly! The next few chapters are gonna get pretty intense!
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 29: LaBerge, Veego, and the Pact (PART 1)
“They’re somewhere,” Layra declared with a sigh. “They wouldn’t just do this for nothing! They’re out there!”
“I know,” said Bobby, trying to calm her down. “We’ll find them.”
“Really though,” said Layra, speaking more to herself. “What could the arrangement be?”
Bobby shrugged and said honestly, “I have no idea. I mean, it’s gotta do with LaBerge, that’s for sure, but how can we know what that is? It could be anything.”
“He’s never like this,” she said shakily. “It’s just not him! We’ll find the Black Forest. I don’t care. If not hearing that agreement means having to see LaBerge walk around depressed and upset like that, well…I don’t care! We’re gonna find them. I swear, Bobby…we’ll find them.”
“I hope you’re right” he said tiredly and rolled onto his side. Five minutes later and he was snoring away.
Layra was anything but tired and kept thinking, “Where’re they?” and “Where’s LaBerge?” and “What’s going on?” She tried getting some rest but then figured if they both slept, they’d probably sleep the entire night and they’d never find them. One of them had to stay awake. She knew Bobby was tired but knowing LaBerge was out there, somewhere, bothered and troubled…made her see just how cruel Veego truly was. Sure the trustees were bad, being the big leaders of Blok and all but Veego was LaBerge’s sister. His only family. And whatever those two had discussed back in the woods, it couldn’t have been good on their part. It tore at her heart knowing the once bubbly and lively guy was so upset.
It pained her even more seeing Veego treat him so cruelly. She’d been in control of him for years and by the looks of it…she wasn’t going to stop. Layra loved LaBerge. She loved everything about him. And laying there, thinking more and more about it, she began to realize all those times before and how LaBerge had been looked at. People, especially from Blok barely gave him a second glance. Challengers tried to avoid him. Children, whenever they saw him, squealed in fear and ran away, sometimes even crying. And the people of Rune were upset, angry and depressed at what he and his sister had begun, along with Blok. Unlike others who’d just push him away or not even bother…she felt something strange and different about LaBerge and the more she got to know him, the more she saw how great the guy actually was. He didn’t really care how he dressed or what people thought of his clothes or the way he acted. He was his own man…and she loved him for that. She loved his totally out of place, wacky hair, his bubbly laughs, his colorful wardrobe, his catchy rhymes, his humor, his smiles…and everything about him. He was probably the most unique, fun and cheerful guy she’d ever met. It was then she realized she’d stop at nothing to help him through this.
That’s when she heard it. It was low and far off at first but she listened closely, and heard it again. She rolled side to side, trying to ignore it, thinking it was nothing. But there was something about it. It was a deep, low grunt. She sat up, looked around for a second and wondered if there were wolves or other animals around. It was nighttime after all. She saw Bobby was still asleep and thought about waking him up…when she heard it again. And again. Someone or something was out there grunting.
She quickly crawled up to Bobby, shook him and said urgently, “Bobby! Get up!”
Bobby groaned, rolled over and said tiredly, “What?”
“There’s someone out there!” she exclaimed. “I just heard them!”
“Seriously?” he said, suddenly more awake.
He got up, rubbed his eyes and asked, looking around, “Where?”
“I dunno,” she said quickly. “But they’re out there. Wait!”
“What?”
“Look!” she said, pointing ahead. “See it?”
Bobby looked harder and said, “No.”
“Right there!” she said quickly. “Someone’s out there, see?”
“Oh-” he said after a hard look. “Yeah. Wonder who it is.”
“We’re gonna find out and-” but she stopped for a moment. Bobby sat up and saw her eyes were fixed on whatever or whoever it was that was out there. And that’s when he saw it too. Not far off, slowly moving along with their head dropped…was a tall, lone figure. They couldn’t make much out of the person but from what they could see, they saw whoever or whatever it was…was in no hurry. They slowly trudged along.
Layra watched the lone figure, then took a breath, and sniveled. She quickly got up, gave one look to Bobby, who got the idea and got up as well. She quietly moved her way among the trees, wanting to keep up with them, or it, which wasn’t hard. They weren’t moving quickly. It was like they were gradually taking their time.
They were led even deeper into the woods and here, far off from Blok, Rune and even the grand castle itself…things looked different. And not in a good way. It was eerily dark here and it was enough trouble trying to watch out for trees and logs and stumps and whatnot. There was barely enough light to go by. And the trees, not like those back at the castle in Rune, were impossibly tall. They must have been stories tall, like huge skyscrapers. Only these were a lot bigger. And the trees themselves looked darker and blended in so well with the evening darkness you could hardly see them.
But Bobby and Layra didn’t notice these changes. They were so focused on following this figure, wanting to see where they were going and what they were up to. Perhaps it was Veego, or one of her trustees or even…LaBerge. They couldn’t quite tell with them being so far off. But Bobby and Layra slowly got closer to the figure and saw whoever it was had long hair. The two tried stepping as quietly as they could which wasn’t easy with fallen branches scattered everywhere. But whoever it was…didn’t hear or acknowledge them. They hadn’t been seen…yet.
They were now fairly close. There wasn’t much space between them and the moving person. But somewhere along the way, Bobby tripped over a twig and landed face first into a sea of moss.
Luckily the soft cushion of moss was there but the second he began to fall, he cried, “Layra!” And he’d forgotten they had to be quiet. Tripping over a twig can do that…especially when it’s so dark you can’t see where you’re going.
The dark figure stopped, turned around and looked straight at them. For a moment…Layra thought it was kind of creepy. They didn’t move and kept on staring. Bobby slowly got up and saw the figure staring at them. The two just stood there, not knowing what to do. So they cautiously eased their way forward. They didn’t have to go far till they saw who it was and when they saw him…they both froze. Bobby just stood there, staring at the guy in shock while Layra just shook her head, trying to hold back tears. But she couldn’t help it. She rushed forward, wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her head into his neck.
They’d been following LaBerge the entire time. He may not have been acting like his old self, but he sure looked like his old self. He was wearing his multicolored robe Layra had seen so many times with the bright, vibrant colors. His hair was just as wacky and out of place as it was hours ago, only now it seemed messier than usual and covering his feet were furry, colorful slippers…clown slippers. One look at those slippers and Bobby had to look away. He couldn’t help it. He hated clowns. He tried doing it casually. The guy was a mess and had a lot on his plate so Bobby figured why make it worse? Layra on the other hand, loved the slippers. And there was something in his robe pocket. All they saw was a big lump on the side of his robe. They didn’t dare ask what it was. But above all, when they looked at LaBerge, they saw one thing above the rest. He looked like he hadn’t gotten a good night’s rest in weeks. The guy looked tired.
Layra couldn’t think of a word to say to him. All she could squeak out was a simple, “Where’re you going?”
LaBerge kept his head down for a moment, then looked into her eyes. When Layra saw the pained look in those deep blue eyes…she felt like crying. He wasn’t himself.
“I-,” he sighed heavily and said quietly, “Shouldn’t you two be back at the castle?”
Layra frowned and said, “I-I didn’t wanna leave you…”
LaBerge said nothing. He just held her gaze and softly nodded.
Bobby stepped up and asked, hesitantly, “Can we come with you, wherever you’re going?”
LaBerge shook his head and said sadly, “I’m afraid not.”
“Why?” cried Layra. “LaBerge, please! Can’t we come? We’ve been trying to find you all day and I-I don’t wanna lose you! Please let us come.”
LaBerge sniffled. His eyes were now filled with tears.
“Layra,” he sobbed, reaching down and putting her hands into his own. “Know that I love you and-”
“Y-you’re not leaving are you?” she cried in horror. “LaBerge, please don’t say you’re leaving!”
“I’m-” he hesitated. “It’s the agreement. It’s between me and Veego. And Blok.”
“Can’t we come?” she asked, more calmly.
LaBerge dropped his head and said in anguish, “No…you can’t come.”
Layra nodded in a daze, frowned and asked, “Would you mind if we…walked with you?”
LaBerge thought for a moment.
He nodded and said, almost in a whisper, “You can come but you can’t be seen by them. I can’t let you two be caught. It’s me they want…it’s me they’re expecting.”
Holly says:
woe……. Can’t wait for the next chapter!!!!!!!!!! 😀
Holly says:
woe……. it’s getting good! 😀
Challenger Black says:
Thanks Holly! 🙂
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 30: LaBerge, Veego, and the Pact (PART 2)
Layra just couldn’t wrap her head around what was happening. Here, she’d finally found LaBerge. She wanted to be happy and relieved…but how could she? The guy could barely put up a smile and his voice was tired and depressed. He just wasn’t the LaBerge Layra knew…and she missed him. If LaBerge wasn’t going to tell them what this agreement was all about, how were they going to find out? Or perhaps part of the agreement was to keep it secret? If so, LaBerge was keeping to the agreement.
So with that, Bobby and Layra went with LaBerge. Where they were going…they could only wonder. They kept their eyes on the woods but couldn’t help throw a quick, nervous look at LaBerge. It didn’t matter though. The guy just kept staring down at the ground in a trance. His steps were slow and clumsy and he kept tripping over his feet.
At one point, he had to stop to gather his thoughts. But as the two stood there, waiting for him to continue…they saw he wasn’t holding on well. He dropped to the ground, put his head in his hands and wept like a baby. Bobby stared at him, not liking where this was going. Depending on what the turning point, the second turning point for Quillan was and when it was going to happen, seeing LaBerge break down like this couldn’t be good.
Layra quietly approached him, rubbed his head, wrapped her arms around him but saw it was no good. The guy kept sobbing like his heart was going to break. Layra tried to be strong but soon found herself fighting against her own tears and soon…the two were holding each other while they cried in misery. LaBerge, for whatever the agreement with Veego and her trustees was and Layra, for seeing the man she loved, her best friend in such misery.
Bobby didn’t know what to think. He knew how much Layra loved LaBerge and it hurt him, seeing her like this. They’d been teammates. And then there was LaBerge, a guy he used to hate but after hearing his hidden story and after him opening up with the truth, he was beginning to like the guy and realized there was more to LaBerge than he once thought.
But not long after, LaBerge slowly shook himself together, got to his feet and the three continued on into the woods. Layra held onto her lover’s hand while he kept staring at the ground quietly. It took them ten minutes before they reached a part of the woods which opened up into a far off glade. Layra could have sworn, after a closer look she’d seen a glowing light coming from that direction. Was this the dreaded Black Forest?
LaBerge stopped and said tearfully, “Here, I go on alone.”
Layra sniveled and wrapped him in a hug and chocked out in tears, “I love you, LaBerge. You know that. Please don’t leave…stay with me.”
“You’re safe now,” he whispered shakily, holding her close. “You and the people of Rune are safe.”
Finally, Layra couldn’t take it anymore.
“You’ll get through this…right?”
LaBerge frowned and dropped his head.
“LaBerge, please!” she begged. “Tell me whatever this arrangement with Blok is…you’ll get through it!”
“This has to be done,” he sobbed. “There’s no other choice. It’s the only way.”
“You’re not…leaving though?” she cried, touching his cheek.
He put his own hand on hers, while caressing her neck and said firmly, but sadly, “I love you, Layra. Nothing will ever change that. You know I love you. I’ll always love you…and I’ll never leave you.”
“So, you can’t tell us anything?” asked Bobby nervously.
LaBerge just shook his head, wiped his tears and told him, “This pact is between Veego and me.”
Bobby nodded and turned away. He couldn’t imagine what was going to happen, let alone did he want to find out. His head was hurting enough.
“I…I have to go,” said LaBerge quietly. “Bobby, take care and Layra-” he turned to face her but as soon as he saw her trying to hold back tears, he couldn’t take it.
He wrapped her into his arms and sobbed, “I love you so much, Layra. You’ve made me feel like my old self again. You’ve liked me for who I am, you’ve given me friendship and you’ve done something for me no one’s ever done before…you’ve given me love. You don’t know how long I’ve waited for someone like you. Thank you.”
The two shared one sad, final embrace and one deep, passionate kiss that seemed to last for only a small second. It brought them back to the night out by the pools where they’d shared their first kiss…and confessed their love for each other. They just didn’t want to separate. They wanted to stay in each other’s arms. They wanted to hug, cuddle and murmur “I love yous.” All the things Layra wanted to do with LaBerge, she only hoped she’d get a chance to do those things with him after this whole arrangement was dealt with. She wanted to stay with LaBerge at the castle while he showed her all the great sights and places to see. She wanted to make rhymes with him and play Runkle and eat tribbun and see more of his collection of clowns. But what bothered her was…would she get that chance?
LaBerge then pulled away from her and began his journey deeper into the forest. Layra watched as he slowly, very slowly…made his way up the hill to…somewhere. He could be going anywhere but wherever Veego and her trustees were, Layra had a good idea it was somewhere in the Black Forest. It had to be.
After a long moment, Bobby said, “We should go.”
Layra shook her head and said, lost in thought, “Not yet.”
“Layra, he told us to go back!” he told her. “You heard him yourself. It’s between him, Veego and the trustees. We can’t get involved! We’re not supposed to be here.”
“No but-” she hesitated and said, “I’m not leaving him. You can go back to the castle without me.”
“What’re you doing?” he exclaimed. “We’re not supposed to follow!”
“I can’t just leave him, Bobby!” she cried, her voice cracking. “You don’t understand! There’s something going on and I’m not gonna let him go alone. I’m following him. Go back to the castle and wait for me there.”
Bobby sighed and said tiredly, “Fine, I’ll go with you but if things get out of control…I’m leaving.”
Layra ignored him. It wasn’t that she was being rude…but she had her eyes fixed on LaBerge and she was going to follow him wherever he went. If he swam across the coldest river, so be it. She’d follow. She wasn’t just going to leave him to go on alone.
So she carefully and quietly moved her way through the forest with Bobby following close behind. He wasn’t exactly in favor of the idea and would rather have gone back to the castle but he figured they’d better stick together.
It was grueling work going about the woods, trying to avoid trees and stumps and fallen logs. Bobby wished they’d brought a flashlight. As they grew deeper and deeper into the forest, they saw LaBerge was slowing down, as if he were afraid to go on. He’d stop every now and then, take a deep breath…and continue on. And when he wasn’t watching where he was going, at times, he’d trip and stumble right onto his back. He tripped about five times and each time…he looked and sounded more tired than ever. It was like the guy was losing his energy. On a regular day, he’d bounce and jump and dance around with a big smile on his face…but not tonight.
After a good ten minutes of creeping through the woods, they found themselves staring ahead into an open glade. The trees parted all around it so they circled the place in a giant circle. The glade itself seemed to go upward, leading up to a small hill. As for the trees themselves…they weren’t like ordinary trees. Like the trees they’d seen back in the woods, they were dark, shadowy…and looked almost black. And that’s what those trees were. They were solid black. There wasn’t a touch of brown or green in those trees. Even the leaves were black. It only made the place look that much more creepy and haunting. Bobby and Layra now knew the meaning behind this place. Now they knew why it was called the Black Forest.
They carefully hid themselves behind a row of shrubs, luckily…was of no thorns. They could easily hide themselves in those huge plants without being seen. And they didn’t want to be seen with that giant crowd out there. The glade was crammed with hundreds of people, many of whom carried torches that burned a crackling light in the black darkness. The flames blazed and crackled in the silence. Layra could have sworn she’d heard them cackling. Some held them still while others slowly waved them back and forth while others waved them up and down as if they were cheering.
There might have been a lot of people there, more than half them being complete strangers, but there were eleven whom Bobby and Layra recognized. These were the people they’d been searching for. Standing in the center of the glade, away from the crowd was Veego, and next to her on either side, the men on one side and the women on the other, were her ten trustees. They stood stock still, their eyes staring down into the gloomy depths of the forest. For a second, Layra thought Veego was staring directly at her. But she looked again and saw Veego couldn’t see her at all. She had her sights on someone else…LaBerge.
The poor guy stood there, staring up at the awaiting crowd. This was it. There was no turning back. The arrangement between him, Veego and the trustees had been made, sealed and agreed on. So he breathed, took a deep sigh and slowly made his way into the glade. Layra and Bobby stayed right where they were, watching nervously as the host made his way slowly in. The crowd meanwhile…welcomed their guest by erupting in screams and shouts and hollers.
They hurried up to him and formed two long, straight lines on either side of him. He stopped, looked them over, dropped his head and made his way past them, trying hard not to look them in the eye which was near impossible with them all jumping in his face like a pack of wolves. They were so excited and thrilled at LaBerge’s arrival that they could hardly keep still.
As he passed through, one of the youngest guys crept behind him and gave him a good pinch on the leg. LaBerge flinched…but kept on going. The guy laughed.
Two of the older guys then leaned in and screamed, “Clowny, clowny, clowny! Look whose come!”
The crowd, all together…burst out laughing.
They pointed at the poor guy, saying, “Look what the circus dragged in!” They were enjoying themselves. And because LaBerge just kept moving through, not responding or fighting against them… they could do whatever they want.
They kicked at him, they sneered and jeered, grabbing onto his robe and saying, “Who the hell wears a colored robe? Huh? Go back to the circus, you big creep!”
And that wasn’t even the worst of it. There must have been hundreds in those two lines and every one of them had to have a turn. They all got one. They pushed and shoved him around and punched him in the arm and worst…spit on him. At least ten of them had to have done that but in spite of it all…the brave guy just kept on going with his head down and his eyes closed. But when they saw him ignoring them all… they just laughed harder.
“Tell me clowny,” one sneered. “What’s it like being a clown, huh? Real fun, I’ll bet!”
“Yeah, being a big moron!” laughed one. “The guy’s a goof!”
“Look at the clothes,” said one, dying of laughter. “I mean, who goes around wearing those kinda clothes? Seriously! It’s a disgrace! He dresses like a five year old!”
“That’s ‘cuz he is a five year old!” jeered one. “The guy’s an idiot. Everyone knows that!”
“LaBerge,” one cackled. “What sort of name’s that anyway?”
“A MORON’S NAME!” screamed one.
The crowd was dying of laughter. They were slapping one another on the back, their eyes were watering and some were even falling to the ground while hollering out, “Moron, moron, nothing but a moron!”
“And that’s not the best of it!” added another. “You should hear the rhymes. How’s it go again?”
“Oh yeah!” said one, suddenly remembering. “Something like…riggedy riggedy white, come and spend the night, blah, blah blah.”
“We’ll play some games!” sang one mockingly. “Some wild, some tame. Cause if you will, you might!”
The crowd roared like crazy.
“What a joke!” they all shouted. “What kind of guy goes around making up rhymes?”
“That aren’t even good!” added another. “Such an embarrassment! Hasn’t he got anything better to do?”
“Doubt it!” laughed one.
But poor LaBerge kept on going. He tried keeping his head away from all the wicked sneers…but they were all around him. They jumped in his face, they pulled at his hair, they slapped him on the back and though LaBerge kept quiet…they were getting to him. It was a harsh, horrible nightmare.
He thought back to all those times he’d been made fun of. Everyone pointed and whispered…and nobody liked him. They just thought of him as a pathetic goof who liked clowns and dressed like a five year old. It was all coming back to him. The horror was happening all over again. He wondered if it would ever stop…or if he truly was just a big stupid goof to all of Quillan. Right then…it seemed so. It was now clear to him. All he ever wanted growing up was to make friends and to laugh and joke and have fun but with Veego around…that was impossible. She’d controlled him, watched his every move and bossed him around and worst of all, treated him so badly…he’d end up crying almost every night. But she never knew. So many times he’d try to escape…but she was always onto him. He was her slave and prisoner. For years, he’d been a dog on a leash.
He walked into the glade where Veego and her trustees stood, waiting and watching, all with grins on their faces. Two of them pushed LaBerge forward, who almost fell to the ground, but managed to keep steady. The crowd just laughed. He looked up at them, all eleven of them. At once…Veego and her brother’s eyes met.
They held that gaze for a good, solid minute before Veego broke out into a wide grin and announced loudly, “Behold my good people…the disgrace, embarrassment and shame of our impressive Blok and all its power.”
The crowd erupted in cackles.
Veego mocked, staring into her brother’s eyes, “Behold…the Clown of Blok.”
Challenger Black says:
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 31: LaBerge, Veego, and the Pact (PART 3)
LaBerge dropped his head and frowned while the crowd kept hollering, “Clown-clown-clown! Look at the clowny! What a freak!”
One of the men stepped forward, a big, muscular guy and cackled, “Hey, clowny! Yeah, I’m talkin’ to you! Where’s your wig, huh? Lost your wig, have we? Shame…can’t go anywhere without your wig, now can we?”
“He’s probably too stupid to even find it!” hollered a woman. “With a moron like him!”
“Yeah…he’s useless!”
While Layra and Bobby sat there hiding in the shrubs, thinking things couldn’t possibly get any worse…they did.
Out of nowhere, from somewhere in the crowd, came a young girl who couldn’t have been any older than sixteen. She had short curly brown hair that fell to her shoulders, blues eyes and wore dangling hoop earrings. She was a little overweight with flabby arms and what looked like a double chin. Jiggy V had officially joined the party.
She bounced up to LaBerge, circled him a few times and giggled with glee, “Well, well…look whose here!”
LaBerge just stood there, not saying a word.
Jiggy put her hand on her hip, scoffed and said with a flick of her hair, “Uh, I’m talkin to you!”
LaBerge said nothing. He stared at her for a quick second but looked away just as quickly. Jiggy-V slowly approached him, leaned into him…and slapped him across the face. She laughed and waved her hands in the air. The others joined in and screamed out to her.
“This clown makes me sick!” jeered Jiggy, looking him over in disgust. “Just look at him. He’s just gross! I mean, seriously…WHO goes around dressing like THAT? Uh, no-one! That’s who!”
“He wears robes!” laughed one. “Who the hell goes around wearing robes? What a joke.”
The laughs and jeers and sneers must have gone on for hours, or at least…it felt like hours for LaBerge. He just stood there, taking it all in without doing a thing. The crowd seemed pleased with him doing nothing. He basically let them do whatever they wanted. Jiggy-V was the worst. She’d dance and bounce around him, calling him names and spitting him right in the face. She was the center of it all and she wasn’t going to disappoint them. She’d make sure she rebbed them up real good, which she did. She had them out of control with excitement.
LaBerge just kept his head down while sobbing to himself. He knew he ought to ignore them, but he couldn’t help it. It had been like this his entire life…people always jeering and teasing and making fun of him and that night was beyond the worst. He only wished he could be accepted like all the others…but they just wouldn’t accept him. They saw him only as a goof, a freak, a creep and a moron. He tried to hide his face but with big Jiggy-V dancing around, that was impossible.
She turned, faced the ground and sand jovially, “Crying, crying! The poor clown’s crying!”
“Let’s get ’em!” one suggested.
“YEAH!” they all screamed. “Get the clown!”
Jiggy V quickly gathered them up and pushed them up to him. She was hollering and screaming and pretty much going insane. What she’d gotten on with back at the Rune Dance was only a start. This was the real deal. And the crowd didn’t hesitate.
They pushed each other, shoved and were basically desperate to reach the clown. They rolled him over onto his side and all at once…began kicking him like crazy. LaBerge didn’t fight back. He just took the pain, struggling not to cry out…but couldn’t help it. With each kick, he’d whimper and take a pained breath, only to be kicked again…and again…and again. They were enjoying themselves, especially because LaBerge wasn’t fighting back. They could do whatever they wanted with him and he’d do nothing about it. Jiggy-V and her monstrous crowd were in charge.
“Poor clowny can’t take it!” one cried, giving him a hard kick in the side. “Poor clowny!”
Another man laughed, and added with glee, “Hey LaBerge! Where’s all your little clown buddies now, hmm? Where’d they all go? Oh, that’s right…YOU DON’T HAVE ANY FRIENDS!” He spoke that last bit with such a scream…the hairs on the back of LaBerge’s neck were on end. He just laid his head on the ground and stared sadly ahead at nothing.
Jiggy-V then quieted the crowd for a moment and looked up to Veego, who gave a simple nod.
She quickly turned back to the crowd and cried, “Don’t just stand there…GET HIM!”
The people nodded with grins and gathered around LaBerge. One of the men hurried into the circle, holding what looked like a giant piece of rope. Another man entered the crowd and he too was holding a long piece of rope, though it was very thin. The crowd parted slightly, letting the men enter. They jumped in, held their ropes up, looked them over and laughed. They gave one nod and got to work.
One man knelt down near LaBerge’s head while the other knelt down next to his legs. One of the men grabbed hold of his arms, forced them behind his back, held them together…and quickly began tying his arms with the strand of rope. The other man did the same with LaBerge’s legs. He took his legs, held them together…and worked the rope around them a good few times till his legs were unbearably tight.
The two men then finished him off by tying the ropes securely to make sure there was no chance in getting away. The poor man’s arms and legs were tied so tightly…he could have sworn they’d cut into his flesh. When he looked over to his side, he saw a drop of blood, followed by another…and another. LaBerge just whimpered and sunk his head back on the ground, breathing heavily…trying to keep his eyes shut.
“How do ya like THAT, Clowny?” sneered one of the men. “Hmmm? How’re ya gonna get out of this one?”
“I’d like to see the goof try!” one woman cried. “Maybe he’ll do some sorta circus trick!”
Everyone laughed…Jiggy-V the hardest of all. She leaned into his face, gurgled…and spit right in his face. The others cheered and rooted her on. LaBerge just lay there, staring at the ground. The others, seeing Jiggy-V’s actions…followed along and spit right in his face. By the time they were done and satisfied, the poor man’s face was nothing more than a mess of saliva. But again…he didn’t say a word.
Veego, who stood a fair distance away while watching the entire thing, grinned. The trustees kept quiet and observed the wild commotion. Even they couldn’t help throw in a sneer or two.
Jiggy-V and her followers however…were growing impatient. They gathered around, took hold of LaBerge, two of the men holding onto his arms and two others holding onto his legs and began to carry him up to Veego and her trustees. Jiggy-V though, seeing what they were doing, scowled and freaked and told them they ought to drag the clown. That got them worked up. So they dropped the man flat on his back, laughed when they saw him give out a pained, “oof!” and then, grabbed hold of him and this time… dragged and hauled him farther into the glade.
Jiggy-V nodded and said smugly, “Much better.”
They heaved LaBerge closer to where Veego and her awaiting trustees stood. But just when they were about to climb the hill onto the next glade, Veego screamed, “STOP!”
Jiggy-V looked up at her wide-eyed, along with the rest of them. They all stood there, frozen, staring up at Veego as if to say, “Wah?”
Veego grinned, chuckled lightly and told them, “Why not assist to the poor clown…shall we?”
Jiggy-V got the idea at once, and so did the rest. There were a few minutes of snickering and giggling among the crowd. But they quickly pulled themselves together long enough for them to “get ready.” Bobby and Layra just sat there…watching it all. Bobby didn’t know what to think. His head was pretty much in a million spots. Layra felt like she was going to be downright sick. All she could do was stare while sobbing…trying to keep from going over the edge. But there was still a long way to go.
The crowd wasted no time in preparing to “assist to the clown” as Veego called it.
Bobby and Layra had no idea what they meant by that, but had the idea it wasn’t good. They soon found out they couldn’t have been more wrong. From somewhere in the crowd, a small, round faced guy jumped up to LaBerge. Everything about him was tiny. His eyes, nose, hands…everything. He had shoulder length brown hair and beady little eyes that were alive with insanity. He was also holding what looked like a wig…a big, rainbow colored wig that looked like an afro. The little man was soon followed by a few more. One guy bounced in holding a round, red nose while the others carried long tubes that must have been face paint.
Wasting no time…they quickly got to work.
Cave Man Bob says:
Cave Man Bob.
Jump in fire.
Fire too hot.
Jump in pot.
Pot too black.
Jump in Crack.
Crack too high.
Jump in sky.
Sky too blue.
Jump in canoe.
Canoe too shallow.
Jump in tallow.
Tallow too soft.
Jump in loft.
Loft too rotten.
Jump in cotton.
Cotton just right.
He stay there all night.
HollyLR says:
@challenger black
Its HORIBLE how those people are treating Laberge! but good writting though! 🙂
Challenger Black says:
A Sequel to the Quillan Games
Chapter 32: LaBerge, Veego, and the Pact (PART 4)
The people around them, who stood watching, suddenly broke out hollering, “Let me though!” and “I wanna see!” and “Move out of the way!” They didn’t want to miss the show…and they weren’t about to.
The little people were just getting started and before they even began their work, one of the women shouted, “What’s that?”
“There’s somethin’ in his pocket!” cried one. “Get it out!”
One of the men crouched down, dug his hand into LaBerge’s robe pocket and pulled out…a doll. It was a large clown doll with colorful hair, a big, friendly smile and when you squeezed its hand, it chirped, “Riggedy riggedy white!”
The crowd exchanged looks, struggled to hold back laughter…but couldn’t help it. They cried so hard their eyes were watering.
“We’ll I’ll be,” said the man, observing the colorful doll. “A clown for a clown!”
“Let’s burn it!” one hollered. “Burn the clown’s clown!”
LaBerge jerked his head, stared up at the doll and thought desperately, “No!”
“YEAH!” screamed the crowd and they all chanted, “Burn-burn-burn-burn!”
One of the men hopped up, while the other held the doll out and everyone watched as the guy lowered his torch onto the doll’s hair…which broke out into fiery flames. The crackling fire quickly spread over the entire doll so the guy dropped it, with the rest of the crowd pointing and hopping up and down cheering like they’d done something terrific. In about ten seconds…the clown doll was no more than a pile of black ashes. LaBerge stared at the ashes with a pained look. That doll was in fact…his favorite doll. He’d had it ever since he was a kid and now…it was gone. Whenever he was sad or lonely or downright miserable, “Old Riggedy”, as he liked to call him would always listen and be there for him when he needed a friend to talk to. Now it was no more than a pile of ashes.
Seeing the burned doll, the crowd laughed even harder…Jiggy-V the hardest of all.
The guy with the rainbow colored wig knelt down next to LaBerge’s head, sneered and yelled back to the others, “Little help over here!”
Instantly, five of the men jumped in, got onto their knees, gave one nod…and dove in. Showing no mercy, they grabbed onto the man’s long, blonde hair…and gave it a cruel, agonizing yank. LaBerge whimpered, tears filling his eyes. The strands of hair were pulled right off the man’s skull and the harder they tugged and yanked…the messier his skull became. His head began to bleed. In no time at all, after the unbearable yanks and snip-snip-snipping of scissors…LaBerge was left nearly bald. His blonde hair was no more. He groaned in pain, took an anguished breath…and slowly lowered his head back on the ground. That is…till the little man with the wig stopped him.
“Hurry up, will ya!” one demanded. “Don’t keep us waiting!”
“Ah, ah, ah!” the man with the wig teased, waving it at LaBerge. “We’re not finished yet! Don’t wanna be rude…now do we?”
He then forced the rainbow colored wig firmly onto LaBerge’s now bleeding, but bald head, stepped back, lifted his arms up and declared, “Now there’s what you’d call a clown!”
“And that’s exactly what he is,” sneered another. “A worthless, pathetic clown!”
“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” one screamed. “That’s what you are, LaBerge! There’s a rhyme for ya!”
Next came the round red nose. It matched the wild colored wig perfectly. There was an uproar of laughter from the crowd, no surprise. They danced and cheered and whistled as if they were enjoying it…which clearly they were.
Three of the other men who held the long colored tubes, hopped forward and took their turn. One of them popped open the tube, squeezed a handful of it into his palm, rubbed it and began piling it onto LaBerge’s face. It was a pale, pasty white color. He coated the man’s entire face. The other two then joined in by coloring him up by painting red circles around his eyes with blue stripes and stars and polka dots. After a few dabs here and there…they’d done their job. By the time they were done and standing back, observing their work…LaBerge looked like he’d just stepped out of a circus. With his multicolored robe and his bright, vibrant clown slippers…he really did look like a clown.
After dressing him up so he truly looked like what they called him, a clown, they then grabbed onto his arms and began dragging and hauling him up the hill. Some of them hurried behind, giving LaBerge a good kick in the side while laughing out to him. He just stared at the ground, his eyes bloodshot red and his mouth hanging open. The guy was a mess but under all that makeup…you’d hardly see the real pain. The clown makeup covered it all.
Veego, who stood high up on the glade, just watched as the men and women hauled her helpless brother up the steep hill. She stared with no emotion as they brought him closer. At one point, they had to push him up onto the glade and in doing so…his clown slippers rolled down the hill. They didn’t seem to care though. Most just laughed and carried on hauling him up the hill…all but Jiggy-V.
Snickering, she rushed up to him, grabbed his foot…and bit it. A few of the woman gasped with a surprised, “Eww!” but when they heard a pained yelp escape LaBerge’s lips…they grinned and cheered Jiggy on.
Finally, when they reached Veego and her awaiting trustees, they lifted LaBerge up off the ground, as high as they could…and gave him a good throw. He landed hard on the ground, just at his sister’s feet. He whimpered breathlessly and struggled onto his back. It took all the strength in him to move even an inch. But he did. He lifted his head and stared up into his sister’s eyes, his own eyes bloodshot red from the constant crying.
Veego glared down at him, showing no emotion and smiled, saying almost in a whisper, “Really LaBerge, I should’ve known it’d come to this. You really are a clown…aren’t you?”
And it was at that exact moment…it began. After Veego had spoken, with the crowd still roaring and screaming and shouting up at them, she lifted her arms up and the crowd instantly fell into a hush. For a few seconds, there was complete and utter silence.
From where they sat, Bobby and Layra could hear the crackling flames of the fiery torches. But that eerie silence didn’t last long because a moment later…the hush left the crowd. They then broke out into a riot.
All together, the people of that crowd began to clap. Slowly, in union, they clapped while keeping their eyes on LaBerge, Veego and her ten trustees. The real show had just begun. While they clapped, the men hollered out in victory and triumph while the woman cheered and even Jiggy-V and some of the younger ones there danced and hopped about with joy.
The trustees stood stock still, staring down at LaBerge, showing just as little emotion as Veego herself.
After a few moments, Veego knelt down next to LaBerge and smiled, “You know, brother, I’m somewhat disappointed in you. I’ll admit, I was amazed and stunned by your staggering offer but if this truly is what you want…then I’ll be the first in saying I can do nothing but agree. Sure, my good people, my trustees play just as big a role in this whole event, but when it comes down to it…this pact belongs to you and I. The whole thing’s always been about you and I, no?”
LaBerge breathed heavily…but stared up at his sister while listening.
“And now,” she said, more softly. “Now that you’re out of the picture, we’ll be given complete dominance and control over the Quillan Games and of Quillan itself. Those games have served quite well but once we’re done here…it won’t really matter. The games simply brought them all into our grasp and because of your little girlfriend, what’s her name, Layra? Well, because of her…we’ve got all of Rune and it’s people in our hold and now because of what you’re doing, LaBerge…you’ve just made our job that much easier!”
LaBerge sniveled, dropped his head and cried, “What?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t see the big picture!” she exclaimed. “Don’t you see the growing bond between my trustees and I? Because of this pact and what you’re doing right here, right now, they’ve asked me to step up to a higher level and take the role as Blok’s new Executive. Surely, you know what that means? You’re looking at Blok’s new trustee. Top Trustee as my fellow people refer to it as. With the immaculate power we hold, there’ll be no one left in our way. The games were only a start. We’re now moving onto the next level. You could call it a game, I suppose. But with you gone, LaBerge…the next door’s just been opened. With you out of the picture…there’ll be no stopping us.”
LaBerge sunk his head onto the ground, shut his eyes and howled. Veego watched him coldly with no expression.
She then moved up closer to him and whispered into his ear, “Know, LaBerge…that you’ve handed Challenger Black to me. You’ve given me Challenger Red and all those of Rune and Quillan itself.”
She then grabbed hold of her brother and moved him so he was laying flat on his back, with his hands tied and his legs held firmly in place.
“My dear brother,” she said, putting a hand on his throbbing cheek. “You’re worthless. Face it, LaBerge…you’re only a sad, miserable clown who’s spent the last thirty years of your life as a moron. And that’s what you are. Whether you like it or not…it’s just who you are.”
She then pressed her face against his and hissed, “You’re an embarrassment. You’re a sad, worthless ninny who’s just lost the whole package. We offered you greatness, LaBerge, and you spat it back in our faces. Don’t blame me…blame yourself. This is all on your own cause. So many times I tried raising you to a higher level, of higher power and even higher control. You’ve always been like this. Call me whatever you wish but in all honesty…I’m glad you’re doing this. It’s about time I told you my inner feelings and how I truly feel about you. Dear brother…I’ve always hated you. I’ve waited my entire life for a time like this and thankfully…you’re foolish enough to give it to me. And on your own cause! You’ve held me back, LaBerge. Now, how about you run along and play with a Runkle?”
Before rising to her feet, she murmured coldly into his ear, “The way I see it…you don’t even exist.”
“Veego,” he sobbed, watching her rise. “Please…”
“Remember that, LaBerge,” she said with a smile. “You and I partners…impossible.”
“Veego, please!” he begged through tears. “I…I did love you! You were my sister!”
“Oh, how brotherly,” she teased with mock sympathy. “Drop the act, ninny. What’s done is done.”
LaBerge dropped his head and cried out miserably “I cared about you! You know that! I tried to be good to you!”
“Yes,” said Veego calmly. “But do I really care? Do I really care about you?”
LaBerge turned away, with a pained look but he quickly turned back when he heard Veego chuckling, “Layra and LaBerge? So much for love…”