//------------------------------//
// 64 - Lotta Nothing 
// Story: Bind on Pickup 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

Garble shifted his shoulders, cracking his neck as he stepped into his trial, ever determined to put right what had gone wrong. Sure, he had to do it a second time, but he knew what he was doing now. He had to do what his class wanted, and what his class wanted, the best thing was… well...

“I step into the ring, I’ll tell you my tale.” Garble brought his sword up to his side. “These shades I’m gonna wring, and they are gonna wail.”

The first pair of shades appeared, and Garble spun and slashed them, clearing both. He tapped his sword on the ground, energy rhythmically pulsing. “The first are the worst but more will come. I’ll beat them all like I’d beat a drum!”

The next larger one appeared, right on schedule, and Garble brought his sword down, a pillar of light blasting it apart. "Gonna trip me up, gonna slow me down," he intoned, stepping and carving at the oncoming enemies as he went. "But I'll show them I ain't the clown."

He sidestepped as he spoke, "Not twice." He brought his sword in a vicious arc that broke apart the creature into a fine mist. "Ask nice." Each move along with the beat seemed to build a tension, a good tension, like he was working towards something. He was gonna win, he felt sure of it.

Garble leaped to the side, allowing a heavy club that burst into splinters on contact with the stone floor. "Trying so hard. But you I discard." He cut his blade into the wrist of the huge creature, disarming it more literally then usually. "Ain't a soul that can stop me."

Light filled the area, strobing at the slow purposeful pace of his advancing dance. Even the dungeon could feel the beat of his assault. Even it knew how great he was! He smirked with victory as he thrust his sword out at a smaller creature about to run past him. "Try to be fast." He swung in a great arc, sending the creature flying to crash against several others, all three of them exploding into a mist. It seemed monsters in that test did not drop loot. The test was its own reward. "I'm going right past."

"Taking the task." He brought down the hilt of his sword into head of one, already stepping over it to plunge his sword with both hands in a firm stab. "Nothing to ask." He twirled down off the back of the smaller, proceeding forward, his entire body bouncing, moving to the beat that surrounded him. "Made me trip before."

"Didn't give you what you asked for." He slid just in time for a sword to come down in the place he was in. "Not that I care. Do you dare? I'll wipe the smile off your--" He did a twirling uppercut with his blade, driving it into the chin of the much larger beast. "--face."

Outside the test area, his friends cheered him on, not that he could hear them. All three were thrusting their hands in the air and calling out as they watched him advance like an unstoppable wave.

Smolder grinned, her fists clenched with excitement. "See, that's my bro! He has this! Go on, Gar Gar!"

With a great roar, the creature before him was not what he had expected. It was a dragon, a huge dragon, fire of a strange dark-purple licking at its great teeth. "Dragon to dragon, you think that's enough?" He jumped under a great paw swipe to nick the passing limb with a great heave of his sword. "You ain't so tough."

The flame came. Garble expected it and did not fear it. What was fire to a dragon but a mild annoyance at best? But it didn't burn. It froze. He could feel the sting instantly and howled in agony. "What kinda dragon is this? Sends out ice with their hiss. Lousy cheat, Prepare to be beat." The tension he had been feeling was hitting a fever pitch, the only bit of warmth in his chilled form.

He brought his blade up, cutting the incoming torrent in half, a beam of his shout curse slicing through it, wind created by the swipe itself parting the tide of pain before him. "They got magic, what's the deal? I have strength, backed by hard steel."

The dragon lunged for him, teeth coming like an array of swords turned against him. "Coming fast, what to do? Time to get past." He sliced not to meet the teeth head on, but barreling into them from the side. They cracked and began to give away. "Time to get through." The energy in him exploded as his sword pressed with strength beyond him, shattering those teeth. The line of power went right through the dragon, a brilliant plane of power.

The dragon was silent a moment, the two staring at one another. With a great rushing explosion of destroyed monster smoke, the dragon evaporated, allowing Garble to stride forward at his musical pace. "You tried you best, died with the rest, time for me to take it home. You were big, Your doom you dig, time for me to go on and roam." He twirled his blade and hung it on his back.

The battle was done. He was the victor. They rushed to meet him as he came out, high-fives in copious abundance, shared around with more than enough smiles.

Smolder hiked a thumb. "We all passed. Time to go tag past sixty!"

The others looked ready to cheer, but they were mid-motion. They were still.

Spike turned in place, the only one not frozen. "Time to talk."

"It is that." There he was, sitting next to Spike. "You think I'm a monster."

"You've given me a lot of reason to," countered Spike. "You're welcome to give a reason I shouldn't think that."

"You are young." He raised a brow. "In the way of dragons I know, you are barely born, let alone to know the truth of things that persist too long. There is nothing in your short life that has reached an end that you don't wish could persist at least a moment longer…"

Spike stared at him half lidded. “I know more than one creature thousands of years old and none of them felt like lectures about how things have to end are a good idea.”

"What a charmed world you come from." He steepled his finger, a tired sigh on his lips. "And you deserve to return to it. This can be done, will be done. You're drawing closer."

"To you killing," cut in Spike with a scowl. "I'm not going with that."

"And yet, you remain." He spread his hands slowly. "You walk the road even as you curse it."

“I don’t think that it would stop you if we did leave.” Spike grumbled.

The man broke out into a smile. “You do understand.”

“That’s no-” Spike growled. “That’s not the response I’m looking for.”

“I doubt it is, but we do have an understanding, if a reluctant one. You understand you cannot stop, and I understand you’ll get what you want. Everyone will get what they want.”

“Except Sandra.” Spike glared at the man.

The man said nothing but his smile continued. “But, enough. I believe you understand well enough, but our deal is retained, and whether or not you’re happy with me, I intend to make a good show of it.” He put a hand to his chest melodramatically. “Untrusted as I may be, I shall keep my word.”

"You're taking the easy way out." Spike fixed himself in a firm position, glaring.

"Easy? I spent untold years overseeing this place. You don't know me, or us. Don't assume you can place yourself in my position so easily." He waved it away. "Enough, ask your question."

"Alright, fine." He threw up his hands. "One question, but I want an answer, a real answer."

"I have only given such, proceed."

"Let's see how you feel after hearing it. If there was another way, a better way, would you accept that, even if it wasn't as dramatic as you'd like it?" He leveled a finger at the man. "Think before answering."

The man stood very still, unbreathing. The only sense he was still alive was the mirth draining from his face. Finally he spoke. “There is no other answer. I am bound by this tower, which is older and more powerful than I. I serve as it’s will, in a fashion, but I also serve it’s will. A will I do not entirely understand.” He grew closer to Spike, now looming over him. “Sometimes I am fantastically powerful and able to assert my desire, other times I am entirely helpless.”

“You… you orchestrated all of this, though!” Spike pointed a finger at the man.

“Yes, but if I could have done what I wanted without it I would have. This is the only option available. And, like I said, the outcome we are working toward is one everyone can accept. It will give you what you want, it will give me what I want, and it will give the girl what she wants.”

“No, it won’t give me what I want, because what I want is all of my friends to come out of this safe and sound.” Spike regripped his staff, slamming it into the ground. “And I, no, we’ll all fight to change this outcome.

The man shook his head. “Again, you must live a charmed life.” He actually floated up into the air. “Events are already in motion, if you think you can change the inevitability and reality of this, you are welcome to try, but my outcome is the only option that doesn’t simply prolong the circumstances we find ourselves caught in.”

"You'll accept it?"

The two's eyes were locked, the question heavy in the air. "Impossible." A faint smile curled at his lips. "Go ahead and prove me wrong. I doubt it."

"Spike? Comin'?" Smolder was looking over her shoulder at Spike, the others already moving towards the teleport point beyond their test. "Do they throw parties for 60 like they do at 20?"

Garble huffed as he tromped with the others. "Did that jerk come to visit you again? What's up with that? Not fair. I want a chance to yell at him."

Sandra shook her head. "Ever think maybe that's why he doesn't visit you?"

Even as he swatted at Sandra, Garble was smirking viciously. "I think she has a point there, but hey, Spike, what'd he say? Anything we need to know?"

“Well,” Spike rubbed the back of his head. “I kinda tried to get him to back down off of his plan, telling him we’ll figure out another plan, but he was caught up in it being impossible to change.” He rubbed his eyes in frustration. “And said something about how he can’t actually change what is going to happen, even if he planned it… part of it? He said that the tower had its own mind and he had to follow that too.”

Garble rolled his eyes. “Sounds like a whole lotta nothing, then.”

"But." Smolder raised a finger even as she raised the same hand to the teleport point, it flaring with recognition. "He didn't say 'no' exactly either."