I
It was sunny outside, and the caravan was in the middle of nowhere.
The troops marched along with the carts and wagons to make sure that nothing would happen. And of course being that the two of them had just been tranquilized, the Doctor and Asphalon were not up to the idea of trying anything. Allan had come along just for the heck of seeing them executed, and for the fact that he did not like being stuck in an office job all the time. He never really got to get out and do much, and when he did it was usually to go get groceries. But the townsmen of Wearwind were said to be adventurers, and bounty hunters.
Of course Allan was not one of these people, he was just another lowly head of executives that ran a certain part of the corporation. And that would not keep him happy with what he wanted to do, no no, no it wouldn't. But there were many things that he still wanted to know about many things, and he always knew that he had things to learn! The world was so full of stories that were waiting to be told to people like him, and he understood this. But he wanted to make his own story know, and that is why he went out to Wearwind with the guards.
The guards were all over the place, and they were playing with each other, not minding the fact that they had a job to do. They played things like handball, and threw footballs to each other, trying to kill the time as the long journey to Wearwind began. They weren't focused on the prisoners, and of course they weren't focused on any of the company that they brought with them, the women. The women kept them company on a three day journey that would be boring to almost any kind of man. But that was not important, because they had things to do and they cared not of the bores of endless desert until the mountains.
Speaking of the endless deserts, they were vast indeed. They spanned miles across the Lands of Wearwind, and only the northernmost parts of the Land were inhabited by people, who spoke in the Tongue of the Sacred Beings. The travelers needed a translator, but that would be for when they got there, because they still had a desert to cross first. It was almost an unbearable heat, and the plant life was not visible anywhere. There were barely any creatures, save for the few Bantha and Yvote that scavenged the sand for scorpions at night. The winds were scorching and brought nothing but heat along with them as they traveled themselves across the lands as well... Wearwind was nothing but trouble for hundreds of miles, and that is why it is usually left alone by people who travel. But the Land is known for its plentiful riches, and its mining community. It has drills that scratch the gold ore down deep in the True Earth, bringing oils and gases along with precious gems to fuel the lights that make the city run. Its people always work with happy faces, and they are always good at what they do. The work there is plentiful, and the cities in the Wearwind lands are scattered in the mountains that shelter themselves by the seas.
The only troubles that they have from being by the mountains, are the Drake, that also inhabit the area as well... The Drake have lived in the regions for longer than the people have thought of building houses to make warmth. this is probably why the Drakes are always so furious with the inhabitants of Wearwind making their homes in the Sacred nesting grounds of the Drakes. But the Drakes are always a threat, even though the people of the Land seem to have a dominant hold. The fire that they breathe is boiling hot, and can melt any iron crafted by any man or Elf.
But the fears of Drakes have always been around, even without the traveling to the lands of the north. They have known to have traveled on their own down to the Southlands. People had fear of these monsters all over the True Earth. But the truth was, these creatures just wanted to be left alone, and they were more afraid of the Northerners wiping them out, then the humans were of them.
Even at all of this, the people were still always on guard for things other than the Drakes. Many beasts roamed the deserts, and were waiting for the right moment to kill... At night the men would set up the camps away from the moonlight and behind the dunes, so the fires would keep them warm and the winds would not effect them as much. Of course they would have men on guard and patrolling the area in the case of a bandit raid or attack by unknown creatures that lurk in the night.
All of this taken into account, Allan still went on the journey with the guards. He walked, tired and worn out, and his feet were beginning to ache. His leather pouch was carrying the only bread that he had left, and the small rations of protein bars he had brought with him. Every once in a while the guards would stop and distribute water to the travelers, (Except for the prisoners) but that was not enough. Allan was growing tired, for he was not used to this kind of sun. The cool winds of Gillia were pleasing, and the streams rushed forth to bring plentiful amounts of sparkling water. The food was great, and the homes were good as well... But of course like almost every other land that had its home in the world, the jobs were terrible. Nobody really knew why the economy was so bad, but people knew how to survive, and that was what they were always good at. The neighboring Lands, Gaimoni and Emium, were in a much better condition than the rest of the world around them, except for Red. Red was said to have had towering statues that peaked at hundreds of feet in the sky. People harnessed the suns power and sailed their ships on the sky's winds. They had boats that could submerge into the seas, and take out the beasts that plagued the waters below. Their buildings were monolithic, and they were made of metal, all of them. It was said that the land of Red was Rha's city, his design for what he wanted the world to look like. But sadly, the Lands disagreed on what they wanted, thus, war broke out. The Kha was what stood for the Rha in both Emium and Bemium, mining Lands. And the extinction of the Bemians brought about a rage in the lands, resulting in the Kha to lose his popularity. The Lands plunged into a rage, and all of this ended in war against the Elves. The Kha came up with an excuse to blame it on the Nyumphians, and thus began a mass slaughter of them. Eventually they lost, but the Elves were voted illegal in every land but two.
Wearwind, and Thyrexia. Thyrexia was a Land on an island, west of the Elvish province of Ungol. It was a poor land, but it took into account that the Elves were master artisans, and could work to better the economy. The Elves formed an alliance with Thyrexia, and became their greatest ally. Red did not mind the accompaniment of the elves, for the elves brought forth more trade and money to their land, and woodwork that they people of Red had not yet seen before, yet it was still illegal to house them publicly in the state.
Allan shook his head, he needed to stop zoning out and giving himself history lessons.
He strolled over to where the guards kept the prisoners, locked up inside the main cart. He leaned in and saw the back of the Doctors mane, and then spoke. "Wakey, wakey! You know we are in the middle of nowhere (He moved forward and sat down on the edge of the cart, riding along on the side railing.) out here! Oh Gunslinger and his Doctor, what do you plan to do now?"
Asphalon lifted his head up to gaze outside the iron bars, "Oh that must be our captor! How do you do?"
"I am doing good... Unlike you, I am actually free to walk around!"
"Ah! Unlike you, I am actually nice and cool inside here!" The Gunslinger smiled and sat back.
Allan was a bit peeved at that, but he spoke on. "You still are a ball of fire, Gunslinger. What about your Doctor?"
The Doctor raised his head and faced Allan. "Hmm? What about the Doctor?"
"Where are you from, horse man? I heard you were a creation made by a wizards wrongdoing. Is this so?"
The Doctor laughed outright, but reclaimed his composure and spoke, "No no no... You have it all wrong. You see, I am something that this world has probably never known to exist. I am a trans-dimensional being that wanders through time at the slightest to correct the wrongs by inserting myself at points in time that matter the most. I am what many would just call a nuisance. But I am a Time Lord..."
"Ah, so you are telling me you are a king of time?"
"Haha! No I am not a king of time... I am just one of my kind..." He paused for a moment. "I am the last of my kind."
"So your race was the Time Lords?" Asphalon asked.
"Yes, and we came from the Planet Gallifrey! A beautiful place thousands of light years and dimensions away."
Allan spoke up again, "Are they all ponies there?"
"Oh no, this was just a... um... Accident!"
"So, what is your name?" Asphalon asked. "If I had to reveal mine, surely you would have no trouble telling yours."
"Well! Its the Doctor."
"Doctor who?" Allan pestered.
"No, just... just the Doctor." He stopped for a moment, recollecting some thoughts. "Hey! By the way, where is Derpy?"
"Derpy?"
Asphalon spoke up as well, "Our other equine friend that was with us when we got caught."
"Ah! She must have been taken to Giamoni! She would be miles and miles back by now. There is no way to get your Derpy."
The Doctor frowned, and looked down at the ground, then immediately got angry. "As soon as I get out of here, I am going to kill you, get my house back, and -"
Allan stopped him there, "Calm down Doctor. I can have Derpy arranged to be brought to the Execution with you. Of course I know that you do not want to die alone." He let off a very subtle wink, which brought questions to the Doctor. He then began to hop off the cart and walk away.
The Doctor turned to Asphalon, "Hey, Gunslinger. Did you see that?"
"See what?"
"He winked at us as he was walking away... He must have meant something by that."
"Yeah, he probably got some sand in his eye Doctor. Stop dreaming and start resting. We need to be rested up for the big arrival at Wearwind. He is lying to you when he says he will get Derpy back to you." He rolled over and laid his head down on the side of the wall, slowly falling asleep.
"Hey! Doctor." The Doctor turned his head outside the bars.
"Who is it?"
A young man approached the cart, slowly making his way up to the bars and onto the railing. "My name is Vius. I am in the accompaniment of Allan. I was there when he shot you with the Tranquilizer Gun, and I felt I needed to tell you some things."
"Of course, I don't mind being told things. It always helps to know more."
"It is about where you are going. To the Land of Red."
"But we aren't-"
"Quiet Doctor." He interrupted him. "I am sure that you know not what is in the Lands that are to come. That is why I am here right now. We aren't here to kill you Doctor."
"But-"
"I said quiet Doctor!" This time it did it for good. "I have to tell you, it was hard. We only stopped you from breaking out so that we could plan an ambush on the guards. We needed you completely safe, same with the Gelfling. He is the only one who knows the true way to the Edge Earth, and this is why he is sacred to us. We are not going to let you two die, yet we are going to let you stay here for a while. And as for your dear Derpy, she is safe and sound in another carriage here, with us. We are trying to make sure that you do not know too much Doctor, or else the guards will suspect of us, and we will have to end the plan right here and now."
"So what is of the Lands to come?"
"Ah! The Gunslinger is trying to take you to the Gates to the East. But little does he know that those pathways are an unholy feeding ground for creatures that are hell themselves."
"What creatures?"
"He is speaking of the Abyssials." Asphalon leaned forward and spoke. "A wretched myth that is a tormentor of man, elf, and the dwarven of old."
"Aye, but they be no myth, Gunslinger."
"You and I know they are a story for folks that scare their progeny at night. A bed time story is all of the Abyssials wrath."
The Doctor then butted in, "What are the stories?"
"Ah! Dear Doctor, the stories are treacherous. The beast is something that is never seen, yet, it drives the insanity into the minds of meager men. The eyes of the beast are numbered in a dozen, and its face is rotten and torn from wriggling itself from a dark birthing cave. The Abyssial is said to be nothing but a black mass of flesh with eyes and fangs the size of boulders, lurking in the rocks underneath the surface of the True Earth. Its size is unfathomable, that is why they call them Abyssials, because you cannot tell whether you are staring into an abyss, or at the face of the beast."
"Meager men? Hah..." The Gunslinger laughed. "We are not meager men. It would take a lot more than a myth to torment me. You say that you are here to rescue us?"
"Yes, I am. And also is Allan."
"Then speak me this. How do you plan to do this, in one of the most guarded lands in the True Earth?"
"Trust me Gunslinger, Faeruminiostea has their ways."
"Ah! So the Fire Under Stars isn't a renegade group after all?"
"No, we aren't as such. But we will be labeled that from time to time. I do warn you, Gunslinger. I am only freeing you so that you may live, you aren't to speak of us whatsoever after this encounter. Do you understand?"
The Gunslinger replied with a nod, and then Vius asked the same with the Doctor, which he gave the same response as well...
"Now you two, I am not going to give you the go ahead on your mission. I am going to warn you about the risks you take when you venture into those Lands."
"What are all of the risks?" The Doctor asked.
"The beasts, especially the Abyssials. You must take care of yourselves out in the Wilds. I can not bare to see a legend taken down by ravenous beasts."
"These Abyssials, tell me more..." The Doctor stopped for a moment. "Tell me where the stories came from."
Vius spoke as he wiped sweat off his face, "The stories are older than me, Doctor. And older than the Kha himself. We know that the stories came from weary travelers that lost their friends in the marshlands, those lands are forbidden. They were said to be the Darkest part of the True Earth, and people now know not to go venturing into the marshlands. But none know of where the beasts come from, because they are said to dwell where we can not. They are harbingers of death, and we try to avoid the lands east of Red. People before the Nyundra used to speak of a wizard, who would summon the shadows, of course to do his bidding. It was rumored that he lost control of the lot of them, and they ate him. Thus stating that they became rogue shadows, or the Abyssials that we know today. That is just a theory, but it is known as a fact that no wizard has the magic to create something from nothing. And we on this planet, Doctor, know that there are strange things that Rha himself could have made to punish the wicked."
Asphalon leaned over, "So you still think that if it was real, it could have been our god Rha's creation? Rha himself would not dare to make such treachery."
"How is it up to a Gelfling to decide what the god Rha makes and doesn't?"
"It isn't, but-"
"But nothing, Gunslinger." He stared him in the eyes. "I have many things to say, and not the time needed for it. You will listen to me now, and not interrupt me. Do you understand?" Both Asphalon and the Doctor said yes, and Vius spoke again. "There will be bandits that approach the caravan, and they are hired by the Land of Emium to destroy the Gunslinger at all costs. There is no task that we can create that will save you two, you will have to be stealthy and light on your feet if you want to escape. We will be watching from the dunes far away, and hope that you and your companions are able to safely escape. If not, I and Allan will interfere just this once, to save you. The bandits are armed with the cutlasses of Iron Ore, and pure galvanized steel. Gunslinger, I suggest you try and wretch a weapon from someone, because you fight like a champion, but these bandits are strong in numbers."
He jumped off the cart and proceeded in scrambling across the sand. He moved atop the nearest hill of sand he saw, and stood watch above the moving cavalcade.
II
Nighttime in the desert, a beautiful thing.
The scouts cleared the distance between themselves and the Flakwurm, a scaled beast that pillared out of the dunes for an unlucky meal. They watched as it blindly scoured the surrounding sands for a catch. They loaded their harpoons with silver bolts, poisonous to the beast, and stood by for the go ahead. Of course they wouldn't have to wait long, the boss gave the order shortly, and the beast was assailed with sharp gaffs. The snares caught themselves into the body of the beast, and snagged it down to the ground. It was a horrific sound, enough to wake an entire city, but no one was around to hear it but the hunters.
The Flakwurm was dead in minutes, or even within two.
"CAPTAIN!"
A man stepped forward with a long beard, rather long for his age. He was wearing what seemed to be a bear hide, and scale armor bracers and gauntlets paraded his body. His hair was an ashen grey, but he was a youthful man, showing signs of endeavor. He was bigger than the average man, his muscles briskly showing through his plate mail, and through his undershirt. His skin was an ashy sort of white, and peppered with scars from battle. He stood taller than most men around him, revealing his sort of leadership.
"What is it?" He spoke, in a sort of taxing voice.
"Well sir, there seems to have been a mishap with the deal. We found that the prisoners are being taken to a place that is not as we thought! They are being re-positioned to Wearwind, and only Rha knows why."
"Tell me, were they being handled like the prisoners they are?"
"Well, they seemed to keep conversation with a few active guards, or what seemed to be guards."
"What do you mean, What seemed to be guards?"
The hunter shook his hair around with his hand, placing it on the back of his head, signaling nervousness. The Captain could tell this just by reading the body language of another person, because that was his talent. "Well sir, the men that paroled the carts that housed the prisoner, they seemed to be regular men! Not men of the Lands, but just men who had tagged along for the journey. Of course I am not saying that they did not look important, I am just saying they loo-" The Captain raised his hand and stopped him there.
He then moved to the site above where they had just killed the Flakwurm, a peak that gazed over the field of sand. "Tell me, the time in which it would take our forces to reach this caravan of the law."
"A good seven hours, sir."
"Then lets get to it! Why are we standing around when the seven hours are not making themselves! Get down there and tell the men that there are plenty of Flakwurm in the sea, we need catch only one of these criminals to be rich..."
III
"What have you learned about the beasts in the seas?"
"Oh gunslinger, you ask too many questions. But I shouldn't hold you from what you want to know." Vius spoke softly.
It was night, and a cold night at that. The moons hung low in their bed, and the stars were newly light candles. The sands slowly shifted across themselves, and the wind whistled with them, howling slowly to the sadness of the night. The pathway was bogged down with dunes that crept up and down from occasionally strong gusts of winds that would push a little extra sand than usual, and bring it into a pile. The lanterns were really the only company to the people that were on the road at the moment, and these they had to carry themselves, because a night in the desert is a dark one. But the caravan carried many of these lanterns, and so they had the light necessary to stay on the right path. Of course the people that wanted to sleep would be bothered by this problem, the excessive amount of light that saturated the dark. They usually stayed up in case of a Flakwurm attack, but those were very unusual when a group of people were around.
"I wish to know about the tales of the beast, the ones that haunt the sailors to their land." Asphalon asked.
"Ah! So the beast of the waters of Thyrexia? A serpent by the name of Sāgara sarpa, he is said to have eyes that pierce the dark veil of night and illuminate the depths of the murk, and can kill anything they lay gaze upon. Their size is said to be that of a small island, but of course they can move with the speed of a lightning bolt. They are always on the move, and that is why you do not see them."
The Doctor tapped on the side of the cart to draw attention to himself. "Excuse me, but if they are never seen, and it is said that they are so fast to not be seen, maybe the sailors are sinking by accident?"
"Nay Doctor, nay." Vius spoke. "There have been sightings of the creature, of course it is rare (He did just say to them that you don't see them) to see them, and someone has. It was a while ago... A captain took his crew out towards the Thyrexia area, and lo and behold, the beast struck. It broke his ship in two, killing almost his entire crew, and what was left went insane. The captain only lived to tell the tale with tact."
"I doubt fully that he is telling all the truth." Asphalon spoke.
"Surely there is some reasonable explanation for what is going on, and a sea serpent is not the culprit to your wreckage's in the sea." The Doctor added.
"Well of course there are many other beasts that you would need to know about if you are crossing the lands of our lord. Oh don't forget to take into account the wild Shveaks, or the Coyotes. Even the Jantu are dangerous here. All of them with the reputation of killing travelers, and of course that is what you are."
"We are not the average traveler, and I am not the average person. I am still a gunslinger, do not forget my heritage."
"Oh trust me, I wont, Gelfling."
Vius bundled himself up in a double breasted overcoat that was layered and of course lined on the inside. He wrapped a scarf around his neck, and the cold air was now at the least, noticeable. He then proceeded to move to the supply cart, and grab a few warm blankets for the two prisoners, having to argue with the guards first about whether or not it was alright to give the prisoners a blanket. Of course Vius was just being nice, that is what he intended, and that is also what Allan intended, being that they both wanted to get the two companions out of the prison they were in.
"Here you two, these will keep you warm for the night." He handed out the two wool blankets (Of course they don't have sheep, so in these parts, the animal of choice is the Rhiodoron. A vicious creature with long fangs, but a wool coat that drapes down across their body in multiple color fashions depending on the gender. They usually migrate based on the climate or supply in their feeding grounds, and they travel in packs of no less than 10.) to the both of them, and continued to speak. "We have a long night ahead of us, and we need to be careful as travelers, for we are about to enter The Silmarillion. You two really need to sleep, the storms shall be upon us soon."
"Wait, wait... You said the Silmarillion? But that's.." The doctor faded out.
"Yes, it is a storm from which no creature returns. It is said to bring about the strangest of dreams, those of the darkest fates, and atrocious worlds."
"A storm you say? Tell me, has anyone ever survived this storm?" Asphalon said.
"Of course!" He spritely said back, "Deaths In the storm are rare! It is just that when it does catch you, you cannot live. But everyone experiences the dreams."
The Doctor spoke up, "You said something earlier about a renegade group of bandits. Tell me, who are they?"
"Well..." He was stopped, Allan walked up beside him and tapped him on the shoulder, then looked at the doctor.
Allan spoke up from behind, "We mustn't stay here for longer, Vius. It is time we go, they are here, after the travel they have undergone. The guards are unknowing yet, but they will know when the fight begins." He turned to the Gunslinger. "Be ready, but also, try and get your rest. You are going to need it soon, I promise you both this."
He jumped down, as did Vius, from the carriage, and walked out to the nearest slope in the sand. They then left the Gunslinger and the Doctor to sleep.
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"What do you think they will do once they are under the siege?"
Allan responded, "I think that Asphalon will release his hate for the Bandit kind, and of course, stop at nothing to break free. He is in fact, a Gelfling with a knack for killing."
"Will they make it to Red?"
Allan stared at the sky for a moment, picking and choosing the constellations and stars he wished to see. He then looked back at Vius. "Boy, look at these eyes. They have seen so many things, and of course they shall run out of the power that fuels them soon. I am close to death, and the days of this seer are over. But I shall soothsay you this, he will make it much farther than the Land of Red. And what he finds past that, I know not. But if it be the stories of the beasts that come to pass, and they face the Abyssials, then their quest is fruitless. Those beasts that lurk in the dark swamps, the terrors that haunt the minds of travelers, they will have difficulties."
"How so? A difficulty? Those beasts are more than you could think of, Allan. I know not what they are capable of, and we know that they stand in between the destiny of the Gelfling, and the others who seek the Edge Earth."
"It will be difficult because of the doubt that the Doctor has. He is not knowing of the world we are in today, and that is how you can tell that he is different from the other travelers. He is not from this Earth."
"The Doctor?" Vius turned and shot a quick glance over to the moving cart that held the equine. "What effect does he have upon the quest?"
"He is the independent variable."
"Yes... I see... So it seems that he is ever changing to the course of the quest. And the fixed point would be the Gelfling. Understandable, to a degree."
"Still, he mustn't be harmed, it would be a disaster that the Time Lord be lost."
Vius turned his head back to the moving cavalcade, slowly watching as the carts moved on by. "Time Lord... Rha shall watch over you with vigilance dear Doctor..."
BOOOOM!!!
It shattered the air, and the ground when it hit. The cannonball smacked just feet away from where the Doctors carriage was, and shook the surrounding area. It awoke Asphalon in a blur, and he tried to connect the dots immediately about what happened. The Doctor swung up in a fury, and instantly tried to break his chains. They were both trying to break out, as the sound of more cannonballs being fired could be heard all around.
BOOOOM!!! BOOOOM!!! BOOOOM!!! Riveting the air around them.
Vius and Allan ran and ducked for cover, trying to find the safest route to get to the other side of the carriages, They swerved from side to side, running and dodging in a bee line, and tried to serpentine to not get hit by bulletfire.
That's right... Bulletfire. The bandits carried as many guns as they could, and all of the carriage knew this, they were helpless. Those killing machines now rested in the hands of ruthless men, that had little to no care about what happens to the innocent, and are of course, walking death. It was still a sinecure, for them at least, but they released the pain and pressure inside themselves onto the people at the other ends of their guns. The bullets bounced about the desert floor, and drowned out the sounds of the screams mixed with cries. The slowly moved down the dunes, and continued the barrage of bullets onto the guards below. The guards, as for themselves, they dropped one by one, blood flying in every direction possible. The guts of one ended up on the face of another. And after a swift moment, the gunfire stopped.
"Vius, Vius my Boy!" Allan whispered. "Put the blood on yourself, rub it on your body, permeate your clothing, and make sure you play at the best, dead..." Vius just nodded, and proceeded to do as Allan had said.
The bandits stopped, almost as if they were synchronized to each other, controlled by something. But it was not that, it was just that they were used to killing this way, and the Captain had trained them well.
Speaking of the captain, he moved through the sand slowly, glancing around at all of the dead guards, laying about in expressed positions. He closed his eyes and began to sense for the ones whom he saught. The Dreamer and the Doctor both in the same carriage, brilliant. As he took steps closer, he ordered his guards to check for any surviving guards, and kill them of they breathed. The Captain walked up to the opening in the cart, and stared into it.
"Asphalon... Come out you filthy injun. I wish to see your face."
The gunslinger rose up and met the mans eyes with his own. "Insult me? I would kill you if I were out of these chains you twat!" He seemed a bit enraged, fr doctor could only just think that. But of course, innocent guards have been slain because of him. "Why do you wish this audience with me? Who are you?"
"Hahahaha! I am Captain Vjorn, of the land of Bemium. Raised a royals son, but of course this is what politics can do to a just man. I was next in line for the throne of my Kingdom, and seeing the injustice that my father let wreak the land, I became a vagabond, a sort of vigilante if you will."
"A royals son, turned a vigilante? Strange.... Why would you want me, Captain?"
The captain took a seat on a barrel that had been rolled out for him, and he laid down his arms and hat, and relaxed himself. "The pay for someone so valuable as yourself is great, Gunslinger. You are a very important person. It is rare to see a Gelfling of your stature, and of course with your skills. We would not want you to break free, and use those skills against us..." He signaled for his assistant. "Bring me the bonds, they will be shackled around the prisoner. As for the horse, he will be tied with the rope."
The Doctor spoke up, "Excuse me captain, but tell me, if I am able to ask. Where did you get the knowledge of this mans name?"
"Everyone knows who Asphalon is... He is born of the witch. She was infamous of escaping crimes she had committed, and he was born of incestuous deeds."
"THOSE ARE LIES!!!" The Gunslinger shouted out, almost as if he was a beast.
"You are nothing but a pitiful animal, Asphalon." The Captain continued. "And a rabid one at that. You will be treated like any other rabid animal would be treated, you shall be put down. It is your time."
"What about me and my assistant?" The Doctor asked.
"Assistant?" The Captain looked over to his servants. "Do you know of any assistant?"
The servants scrambled around to look for any evidence of another horse and or assistant, trying to get an answer for their captain. They of course, returned with the answer, no.
"I am sorry, Doctor. But we know nothing of your assistant. We really do not need you actually, and I know that you have just been another victim tricked by Asphalon's lies. We shall set you free on one agreement."
"What would that be?" The Doctor then thought to himself. I really cannot trust them, but if I get free, I might have a chance to save the Gunslinger and find Derpy. I just have to wait for the right moment...
He smiled, reaching into his pocket and lighting a cigar. The smoke rushed up through the air and to his face, breaking the view between them. The smell was an ashy oak, of a simple tree. And the dim lighting of the embers inside, the nicotine chars dripping off the end. "Dear Doctor, you are not allowed to follow us whatsoever. I shall tell you what direction to go in... and you will listen. Wont you?"
I cant...
"Will it be fast?" The Doctor asked.
"Hey? Are you on their side, or were you working with them all along?" Asphalon asked.
The Doctor turned to him, winking his eye, and of course this let out a small grin in the Gunslinger, which then faded away. He couldn't let the Captain see that they were plotting something. But the Doctor knew that the Captain still suspected something, and this is why he had to go get Derpy and get out as soon as he could. The captain ordered his guards to free the Doctor after he agreed to not help Asphalon any further in his plans. The carriage was opened and the Time Lord released, gently set on the ground, and let on his way. The equine then proceeded to take his leave of the situation.
"Remember Doctor! Do not come back, or you and your assistant will be the target of me and my men! For as long as we live!"
The Doctor took this into account, but he knew that he had to help the Gunslinger, because only the gunslinger knew how to get to the Edge Earth and get the TARDIS back. Of course there are still many things that the Doctor and his friends would have to do to get there, but there was still the fact he needed to get his assistant free from one of these carriages. One after the next he looked inside, and of course he didn't like what he saw. Dead guards, just a repetition of the nonstop bodies that was showing in his mind, and he was afraid that he would find Derpy's body in one of those, just laying there, so innocent. Of course there was just nothing but guards though, and they were mauled, just the goriest of injuries, impaled and eviscerated. So many things could go wrong with the body, and the bodies were roasted or charred, skinned and boiled, everything was wrong with them. The carriages themselves were torn to shreds, like a tornado had come through, or a Star Whale had landed in the area, and the off-cast of wind had blown through.
Through a wreckage of iron cages, the Doctor spotted an untouched cart. The unscathed wood and iron, the locked door, and quiet sounds were a soothing sight to the Doctors eyes, but of course he had no reassurance that this was the cart that held Derpy, nor any reassurance she was even here. He approached the cart with care, and soundness. He removed his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, and set it to setting 42. He opens the cage, and of course as soon as he uses the screwdriver, without his word, he can hear the exiting voice of the pegasus pony. "Is that you Doctor?!"
In an upbeat voice, the dusky brown earth pony answered, "Oh! You know it is, Derpy! Now, let me get you out of there! Hold on!"
In a short click of the screwdriver, the bolts on the door opened, revealing a very tired and beaten Derpy. The facial expression on the Doctor changed immediately.
"What did they do to you?"
"Oh, well... they tried to get information..."
"It should have never come to this..." He turned his back to her, and she could see the tears. The tears just coming down his face. Her wounds were not the worst, and of course she wasn't in the worst of pain. But there was the fact that she had gotten hurt was just enough for the Doctor to be upset. He had never wanted any of his assistants to get hurt. He was thinking of the other times that he had to bring them back home because of the bad things that happened to them, of course that was when he was a human, like these monsters here. Everything here though, is just so superstitious, and evil. They are probably just trying to protect themselves from all of the monsters and all of the wars, but he knew this time that they had crossed the line. His own assistant, and he couldn't forgive anyone for hurting his assistant, not even himself.
"Derpy, tell me what they did to you."
"They were always asking about who I had come with, but I knew they had known. They were just asking to see if I had known where we were going, I think... And when I didn't tell them, they would just beat me. I was so scared Doctor... I didn't know what to do but I knew that you would get me out somehow. I heard that they were moving some prisoners to be executed, and I immediately thought that you were one of the criminals. They questioned me on what you and I were, and why we were here and where we are from. I couldn't tell them anything about you, and I really told them only a little about me, but they thought I was lying. So they just continued to hurt me, oh Doctor that is all they did, these people. They did feed me though, and they tried to make it convenient enough for me to live inside there. The few days I was there, I understood how things were, they let me out, and I enjoyed the city life."
"They let you out!?"
"Well of course! They let me go look at the shops, and eat at the wonderful restaurants at the Gaimonian court. And then they let me stay in a real bed! Oh Doctor the zoos were wonderful! But still, it was scary being hurt like this, and the pain..."
"Don't worry Derpy, I know how you feel. But I have something to ask of you right now."
She stepped out of the cart, and stood up beside the Doctor, all four hooves operable. "Anything, Doctor."
He smiled, then sliding his screwdriver back into his pocket. "We need to help The Gunslinger. Those bandits that just attacked the caravan and killed all the guards have taken him, and are about the do the same to him. We need to come up with a plan to get him out of there."
"Doctor!!!" A voice called from a short distance away. It then repeated after the Doctor did not answer, and this time louder. "Doctor!!!"
"Who is it?"
Two people appeared over the dune, and it appeared that it was the two who had informed him about the attack. Vius and Allan. They were still alive, and of course they could be helpful in getting the Gunslinger out. And they had the same thought as the Doctor. They ran down the sandy hill and met with the two equines. "Are you two alright, are you hurt?"
"Doctor, who are these two?" Derpy asked.
"Ah! Great question. They are the two who warned me and the Gunslinger about the bandits who were going to attack the caravan. Of course we stayed safe, and they stayed safe as well..."
Vius continued, "Doctor, they have taken Asphalon. We need to hurry and go get him back! He is the key to this master plan. The Higher of Wearwind will use his knowledge to find the path to get to the Edge Earth!"
"I was just about to ask you to help me go and get him back... He needs to help me get to the Edge Earth! I lost my home... and me and my assistant need to get it b-" Derpy immediately interrupted him, asking questions like usual.
"Where have they taken him? And how are we supposed to get there if we don't have anything to travel with?"
Allan answered her question with a grin. "We walk, and we will be walking a long while. We will have to stay out of sight from the bandits, and make sure that we do not get spotted by any beasts out in the wild."
"B-b-beasts? W-what kind of b-beasts?" Derpy said stuttering.
"Oh just the usual... Agradons, and Shveaks, and Matra, Nuberia, maybe some Jantu. All of those horrid creatures. Oh and mind the Flakwurms, they have entire fields of nesting grounds and feeding grounds." Vius was trying to scare Derpy a bit, of course it was working.
"Stop it Vius, we need their confidence..."
"Sorry Allan..."
The Doctor then spoke up, "We need to hurry and leave, Wearwind is not too far away, the Caravan did bring us quite a distance."
"This is true Doctor...," Allan spoke, "We need to leave in the next thirty minutes, so both of you need to hurry up and gather supplies. Go out and look for as much food as you can! Gather clothes and water, and weapons in case of emergency. We need everything we can carry..."
Allan and Vius both trudged off to get their own supplies, as the Doctor and Derpy did theirs. But something still haunted the Doctors mind, in the center of it. Something still still sat there and made him wonder about the journey ahead. The Doctor was still thinking about what was ahead if they did succeed, the Beasts. The stories of those things... the tales of those monsters that had no true origin, the things that dwelt in the deep... Everything that would happen later in the journey, the Doctor knew that he had to keep Derpy safe, and he knew that it would be hard with what was ahead. What was ahead? Oh he knew, but he also had no idea at the same time... The creature couldn't be described with the words, or any imagination that could be used.
The Doctor knew that something would happen later or even sooner than he would want it to, and it would occur at random. Some things are going to happen, and he knew this. It was his Time Lord instinct, and he felt it inside of him that he was feeling those beasts were drawing nearer... The monsters that kept home in the abyss...