Sapphire Run: Encounter 06
Drawing Down the Moon (Part One)
:::: Begin Transmission ::::
The sounds of battle echoed through the forest as Morgause pressed herself against a large oak tree. Lucifer knelt be her side, a low growl coming from the demon dog’s throat as half-ling and monster battled in the clearing.
She had followed one of the two men who killed her hounds into the forest, the one who called himself ‘Nightmare’, and was pleased to see him engaged in a life or death struggle with a giant Minotaur. She smiled as Nightmare hit the ground with a satisfying thud.
Nightmare struggled to his feet, willing his body back into demon form. The Minotaur snorted again, charging Nightmare like the giant bull it was. Acting on instinct, Nightmare leapt straight up, landing on the Minotaur’s back.
With a thought, Nightmare’s fingers grew into four-inch long claws, and he buried them in the massive monster’s back causing it to shriek in pain. While the monster was still distracted, he charged forward, bringing the shadows together in his hands once more in the form of a sword.
The creature turned at the last second, swinging it’s claws around to rip Nightmare in half. Nightmare ducked under the deathblow, and darted forward, his sword carving deeply into the Minotaur’s leg. With a splash of blood and a pained yelp it fell to its knees, hands cupping it’s wound.
Nightmare brought the sword up, letting the black blade catch the moon light. With an angry roar, the Minotaur reached for him. Nightmare leapt straight up, readying his sword. He plunged back toward the ground, head first, his sword stretched out in front of him.
“Die,” he said calmly as his sword severed the creature’s arm. It’s howl of pain echoed even as it brought it’s other hand around to crush Nightmare. He brought his weapon up in front of him at the last second, slicing the creature’s hand from its wrist. A massive spray of blood spewed from the severed limb; coating the entire clearing in thick red liquid, save for the white deer.
With a start, Morgause recognized Nightmare’s fighting style, and it twisted her gut in anger. Nightmare leapt forward, slicing through the muscle of the creature’s shoulder and hacking it off.
The creature snorted in agony, and kicked Nightmare in the midsection with its good leg. The blow sent the half-ling sailing back. He slammed into a tree, cracking it in half upon impact. He fell to the ground, and after a few seconds, he slowly got to his feet, as he coughed up a large amount of blood.
Nightmare rasped a single word. “Die.”
The Minotaur snorted again, sending it’s cloven hoof straight at Nightmare’s gut once more.
“Die… die… DIE… DIE!” Nightmare shouted as he leapt over the Minotaur’s leg. He extended his arms, swinging his long bladed black sword around. The long sword sliced cleanly through the Minotaur’s neck. Nightmare landed on the ground, kneeling 20 feet behind the crippled Minotaur. Blood sprayed from the creature’s neck, and it’s head fell off as it’s body collapsed in a heap.
Morgause knew she had seen this ‘Nightmare’ fight before… she knew it in her bones… She pulled away from the thick oak tree, pulling Lucifer with her. The dog yelped in protest, but Nightmare didn’t notice.
The Minotaur’s blood covering the ground pooled. The Questing Beast rose from the thick red lagoon.
“The test thou hast passed, and thou art free to go,” the creature said unexpectedly. “However, A question for you I do have. If you had failed, the Angels would have wept, but regardless, the Devil Sings at Dawn… what will thou do?”
With an angered and pained snarl, Nightmare lopped off the beast’s head. It turned back into blood and splattered on the ground.
Nightmare turned to leave, and the forest shifted, revealing Merlin standing in front of the demon hunter.
“As you have heard by now, Lance, you have passed your test…” Merlin said. A fist to his jaw shut his mouth.
“You set me up. Why?” Nightmare snarled impatiently. The old man shrugged, and rubbed his swore jaw.
With a disgruntled snort, Nightmare shattered like a pain of glass, and was gone. The old man smiled as his owl landed on his shoulder.
“Congratulations, Mr. Locksley…” the old man whispered into the night. “The angels are singing… but so is the devil…”
Morgause’s eyes narrowed as Merlin finished speaking. Smiling, he turned his eyes to the forest, almost to the exact spot Morgause stood, and smiled. In a flash of blue he was gone.
So, she thought, Merlin had know that she was there. It didn’t really matter to her in the long run. What mattered to her was Nightmare. If her suspicions were right, and she suspected they were, all that mattered to her was turning his life into a living hell. Oh yes. She would make sure this Lance Locksley cursed they day he parents met.
“Come, Lucifer,” she said as she grabbed the dog’s collar. “We have much to do.”
With that, she was gone.
*
This new world, Morgause decided, was to her liking. So much death, so much violence. And the pollution was fabulous. A new world indeed.
Lucifer curled in front of her legs. Grimacing, she petted the huge demon dog, and recalled her encounter with this so called ‘Nightmare.’ He fought like a man insane, and she had only seen one man in all her years that could fight like that. Not even her beloved son Mordred had that kind of fighting ability. No, it could only be one man…
Suddenly she sensed a presence in the cave with her and a low growl came from Lucifer.
“Why, Merlin. What ever brings you to my humble cave,” she said with mock-happiness at the old man’s presence. Merlin smiled, and lit a joint.
“You can skip passed the pleasantries, Morgause. Small talk is something I don’t really have time for.” Merlin replied with a slight grin.
“Fine. Your toys killed 4 of my hounds, old man. That’s something I don’t take lightly… oh, and I believe I know who your ‘Mister Locksley’ is.” She replied as she stood, Lucifer growling as he too got to his feet.
“Good. Then you also know that your time is growing short. The Shadow has risen, and all that was old is new. I believe you know the next part,” Merlin said. “Do not try to stop what has been centuries in the making, my former Pupil. This is your warning, the only one you will receive.” Merlin looked Morgause in the eye, and then disappeared in a flash of blue.
Morgause snorted, and bent to scratch Lucifer’s ear. “A warning indeed. I’ll do as I please, old man, as soon, you and your ‘Nightmare’ shall see.” A sadistic smile crossed her face, and Lucifer snuggled against her leg.
*
Pre dawn light poured through the window of the room Lance and Bekka shared. Bekka stirred and sat up, stretching as the thin cotton sheet that was covering her slid off revealing her nude form.
Lance was still fast asleep. Sliding out of bed, Bekka put on her black lace bra and black lace panties, and then wrapped a long black robe around her slender form before heading down stairs.
“Sponge Bob Square Pants! Sponge Bob Square Pants! Sponge Boooob! Squaare Paaants!” Tony shouted along with the television. Bekka hit him in the head.
“Be quite. It’s too early to be shouting...” Bekka mumbled sleepily.
“Heeeey…I wasn’t shoutin’… I was singin’!” Tony retorted while rubbing the rapidly forming lump on the back of his skull.
“… Just be quiet… you’ll wake the dead…” Bekka yawned. “I need coffee… you want anything while I’m in the kitchen?”
“Nah… I don’t eat breakfast,” Tony replied, his eyes glued to the idiot box in front of him. Suddenly he burst out laughing. “Oh, Sponge Bob! You ninny!”
Bekka snorted and shook her head as she entered the kitchen. She rummaged around in the cabinets for a few seconds, pulling out a large can of coffee. She put on a pot of coffee and sat at the kitchen table with her head resting on her folded arms.
The coffee pot chimed, signaling the coffee was brewed. She poured her self a cup and downed it as she climbed the stairs, trying her hardest to ignore the insane sounds coming from the living room. She entered her bedroom, and opened the closet quietly. She pulled out a black mesh shirt, and a long black leather skirt and stepped into the bathroom.
*
Tony laughed hysterically, almost not hearing the knock on the front door. With a shrug, he did a handspring over the couch, landing in front of the front door.
“Smoochie Boochies,” he nearly screamed as he swung the front door open. “You ain’t selling cookies are ya, cause I want some cookies!”
“…. No?” The tall black haired women replied, sounding rather confused. “I er… I was wondering if perhaps this was where Lance Locksley lived…?”
Tony blinked several times. “No cookies? Oh... Oh yeah! Yeah Lance lives here!”
“Good. May I come in?” The black haired woman asked.
“I dunno…” Tony replied, tapping the tip of his nose with a single finger. “Lance is still asleep. Dude sleeps like a…. a… something that is hard to wake up! Yeah!”
“That’s all right,” The woman replied, her eye beginning to twitch. “I can wait for him to wake up…”
“Oh. Okie dokie. C’mon in! You like cartoons??”
“… car… toons?”
“Yeah! You know! Tom ‘n’ Jerry, Bugs Bunny! Sponge Bob Square Pants! Cartoons!” Tony replied as he jumped over the back of the couch to land on it’s cushions. “Have a seat. I’m Tony, by the way.”
“My name is Morg… Morgan,” she replied after a brief hesitation.
“Morg Morgan… weird name…” Tony replied, eyes once again glued to the television. “Your like what? German? No… you’re like Japexican ain’t ya?”
“…Ja.. what?” Morgan asked, utterly confused.
“Ah, Nevermind… ain’t important anywho.” Tony replied. “So how do ya know Lancey?”
“Lancey???” She asked. Tony snickered.
“Yeah, Lancey. It really makes him mad when I call him that! His face turns all red and he gets all mean sounding…”
“….right… Um… Lance and I grew up together…” Morgan responded, watching to see if the lunatic beside her believed it.
“Tony? Who are you talking to? Is Lance awake?” Bekka called as she descended the stairs. Morgan’s head jerked around to look at the figure on the staircase, and froze as their eyes met.
Bekka’s eyes were violet, and they shocked Morgan to the core. She knew those eyes.
Bekka cocked her head to one side. “Do… do I know you?” Bekka asked as she headed down the stairs and stopped in front of Tony and Morgan. Morgan stood, her eyes still locked with Bekka’s.
“No… no you don’t… Lance and I are old friends…” She replied. Bekka grimaced.
At that exact moment, Lance descended the stairs, yawning. He stopped halfway. “What’s going on? And who is she…?” Lance asked, pointing at Morgan.
“Actually, Luv,” Bekka said as she backed away from Morgan, “I was about to ask you the same question. She said she’s an old friend of yours…”
Lance vaulted over the banister, the shadows ripping from the walls to form a black shirt and pants. “Never seen her before…” He said as he landed behind Bekka.
Tony back flipped over the couch, landing in a crouched
position in front of the door. “Hey! You tricked me with the promise
of cookies, you…. Well, I don’t really know what you are, but yer
mean, Morgan!”
Morgan, Lance and Bekka all turned and stared blankly at Tony.
“…I never offered you anything…” Morgan replied, slightly annoyed. “And my name is not Morgan, it’s Morgause. It will be the last name you ever hear.”
“Dang…. What kind of mom would name her kid ‘Morgause’?” Tony wondered aloud as he stood and scratched his head. “I mean, wow, that’s one clunker of a name!”
With a wordless growl, Morgause extended her hand, and sent a bolt of lightning hurtling at Tony. He managed to dodge the blast, but just barely.
“HEY! It’s not nice to throw lightning at peoples! It could poke out their eyes…. But I guess that’s kinda the point, huh?”
Morgause snarled, and raised her hand again. Lance bolted forward, wrapping the shadows around him, as he became Nightmare. With lightning speed, he grabbed Morgause’s wrist, and twisted it behind her back. She let out a startled yelp.
“I don’t know what this about, and I don’t care. Get out of my home. NOW.” Nightmare snarled savagely in her ear. Morgause just giggled.
“Such protectiveness. My, were I any other woman, I would be pregnant with fear…” Morgause said as she freed her wrist from Nightmare’s hand. “But I’m not any other woman, Lance Locksley. I owe you.” She snarled as her hands balled into fists. “I owe you over 1,600 years of pain!” Morgause spun, thrusting her hand towards Bekka. “And what better way to cause you pain than to kill your lovely wife. Fireball!” Morgause screamed as a huge ball shot from her palm, heading straight for Bekka.
Bekka’s eyes widened. “Forces of the ether enfold me in your arms! Barrier!”
The fireball collided with a transparent sphere around Bekka, sending it bouncing back at Morgause. She held out her hand, and the fireball dissipated.
“Well, what an interesting turn. How many years did it take you to learn that, Lady Elayne,” Morgause asked, addressing Bekka.
“…My name is Bekka. And I can cast more than a simple barrier…”
Morgause smiled. “I’m sure you can, Bekka. Let’s take this… else where.” With a flick of her wrist, Morgause transported Nightmare, Bekka, Tony and herself to a deserted field.
“ACK!!!” Tony screamed he took in his surroundings. “I’m missing my cartoons!”
“Shut up,” Nightmare suggested as he edged closer to Bekka. “You alright?”
“I’m fine… I have my magick…. You and Tony had better find some weapons though…” Nightmare nodded, and pulled the shadows together to form his sword and Tony’s Butterfly Shurikin. He casually tossed the weapon to Tony, who caught it and spun it around.
“Alrighty-o! Let’s get this over with, What-ever-yer-name-is! I’ve got ants crawling on my ankles!”
Nightmare shook his head, and didn’t even bother acknowledging Tony as he charged toward Morgause, the blade of his sword stretched out behind him.
Tony bolted forward, flicking open the shurikin and spinning it in his hands. He leapt straight up, and came down screaming, one blade of the shurikin ready to slice Morgause in half. The blade struck and invisible barrier, and Tony bounced off of it, landing on his keister 10 feet from Morgause.
Nightmare’s blade spun in his hand, quickly coming around to the ready position. He swung the blade with all his might, and clashed into the force-shield around Morgause.
Morgause smiled, and pointed a single finger at Nightmare. “Glacier.”
A bolt of ice shot from her fingers, freezing Nightmare in a sheet of ice.
“LANCE!” Bekka screamed as she raced forward, her long black skirt a hindrance to her. “Caste B'longe!” She shouted, sending a wave a blue energy at Morgause, which was simply deflected.
“Hey! Let him outta the ice cube!” Tony shouted as he again leapt into the air, shurikin once again spinning in his hands. “GOBBLE GOBBLE PIECE OF ICE!”
Tony landed beside Nightmare, wildly chipping away at the sheet of ice in casing him. With an amused laugh, Morgause encased Tony in his own sheet of ice, frozen as he was chipping away at Lance’s block.
“… No…” Bekka whispered as she stared at the twin blocks. “…no…”
“Oh, don’t worry my dear, they’re very much alive. In fact, they can see everything that’s happening.” Morgause said with a smile. “Just think of it, Dear, your darling Lance is going to watch you die...”
“Why…” Bekka asked as she clenched her fists at her sides. “I don’t even know you! Why do you want to cause Lance pain?” Silently, she prepared the spell, hoping against hope that Morgause would drop her guard, if only for an instant.
“Oh, that’s quiet simple my dear…” Morgause replied, her voice sounding almost friendly. It gave Bekka chills. “But it appears to me that neither of you know who, or for that matter, what you are… and that is not my secret to tell. So, I shall simply say this: Because of your darling Lance, my son has slept restlessly for thousands of years, waiting for the day he awakens so he can shape this world as his own. And by killing you, I cause Lance pain…”
“Your quiet sick.” Bekka spat. Her spell was almost ready; she just had to keep Morgause talking.
“That was uncalled for,” Morgause replied. “Oh well… Time to end this farce… You who have sworn. You who uphold. You whose Power I call. Come before me, grant me your strength! You who hold the Fires of Heaven….”
“DIGGER’S BLAST!” Bekka shouted before Morgause could finish the incantation. The earth under Morgause’s feet suddenly exploded, sending her into the air along with 2 tons of rock and soil. Bekka, however knew that she wasn’t gone. “Zeus, mighty god of thunder, let flow your power! Let it gather on my fingertips and be my power!”
Swirling black clouds quickly gathered overhead and
sent bolt after bolt of jagged lightning into the cloud of dirt and rock.
The rolling crescendo of thunder was answered by an agonized scream. Slowly
the exploded soil fell to the earth, and the black swirling clouds dissipated,
but there was no sign of Morgause.
Cautiously, Bekka walked forward, inching closer to the twin blocks of ice containing her husband and her friend.
“Good show, Bekka. I never knew you were so magickally inclined.” Morgause said as she landed behind Bekka. She crossed her arms under her breasts and waited for Bekka to turn around, which she did. “I at least have some respect for you now. Given the right teacher, you could be truly magnificent…. However, you won’t have that chance…”
A low growl came from behind Bekka, and her heart sunk to her ankles as she turned to find a large hellhound behind her.
“Lucifer hasn’t been fed today…. Be a dear and see that he eats, won’t you?”
Lucifer growled loudly as he slowly circled Bekka. Sweat rolled down her brow. She knew that if Lucifer pounced, there was no way she could avoid it. And the hound did pounce. It tackled her to the ground.
It’s muzzle was no more than two inches from her face, and her small hands could not hold it back. All Bekka could do was scream.
As her scream pierced the air, the demon-dog yelped and backpedaled off of her. Puzzled, Bekka scrambled to her feet as fast as she could. As soon as she stood, Lucifer pounced again.
“B'rm Belfor!” Bekka shouted, thrusting both her hands at the leaping hellhound. A ball of whitish-blue energy flew from her hands, killing the hellhound on impact.
With an angered shriek, Morgause leapt at Bekka, grabbing fists full of the blonde woman’s hair.
With a yelp, Bekka brought her hands up. She drew in all the magickal energy she could. “Ni'cofla!” A crystalline sphere of ice flew from her hands, hitting Morgause in the stomach and making her stumble back.
Bekka turned, and ran as fast as she could, preparing yet another spell. “Swirling storms, twisting winds… Lend me your strength! Tempest's Song!” Black clouds again formed overhead, and a powerful gust of wind blew across the ground, taking Morgause off her feet.
Bekka skidded to a halt, once again glancing at the twin blocks of ice. She only knew one spell powerful enough to stop Morgause. Unfortunately, it was a spell no one had ever cast before… She stilled herself, and drew in all the magick she could. The wind was beginning to die down, and Morgause was slowly stalking toward her. She had no choice.
“Gods of Fire…” She said, raising her hands over her head. They immediately began glowing with magickal power. “Gods of War. You, who hold the flames of heaven, those who feast upon destruction!”
Morgause snorted. “You killed my hound, girl… you are very talented indeed…”
“Grant me your gifts….”
“But a spell I’ve never heard of isn’t going to save you,” Morgause snorted, readying her own magick.
“So I may defeat those who dare question your Righteous Power!”
“Inferno!” Morgause roared as a huge ball of flame leapt at Bekka, who had her own ball of fire ready. Morgause’s flame struck an invisible barrier, and was sucked into Bekka’s fireball.
“Flame…. Wake!”
For a moment nothing happened, and then Bekka let loose a blood curdling scream as a Massive shockwave of fire flew from her body, followed by another and another and another…
As the flaming waves of energy washed over Morgause, slowly scorching her flesh away, she could do nothing but scream.
*
Bekka’s eyelids fluttered open, her body ached all over.
“Awake huh?” Lance said as he sat down on the edge of their bed. “We almost lost you…”
“…Whoa, whoa.. backup. Lost me?” Bekka said, shaking her head. “Start from the beginning… I remember casting Flame Wake…”
“Well.. Morgause is gone. You killed her. And you nearly killed yourself in the process..” Lance gently took her hand. “We nearly lost you…”
Bekka smiled gently. “Don’t worry I Luv, I’m not going anywhere..”
Lance smiled and gently pressed his lips to hers.
The End
Next: Sapphire Run Encounter 07: All Things, Seen or Otherwise.
