[Volo]

Taliesin looked around. There were only ten of them left. Beside him stood Azaelia, a bit farther Brinn, Valier, Aganzir and Thinlómien, all of the four smiled. A silence hung over the battlefield. Sally and Emily joined the company of the smiling women.

”So…?” ventured Izz, but nobody answered.

Menel shifted slightly.

Kath hoovered nearer.

The wind had calmed down and no snow fell through the great arches anymore. The situation was so tense that the pressure inside the temple might have really risen. Everybody waited for something to happen and gazes slowly followed one another towards the balcony. Faint footsteps neared.

Aganzir dropped to one knee as the steps grew louder. The ring on her finger chime quietly to the rhythm of the footsteps. ”My love…”

Sauron entered the balcony and his four minions knealt before him. He looked at the ten living warriors in a pondering way and smiled. His look fell on the Wolves. ”I am grateful for what you did. The experiment was successful.” Sauron turned his eyes at Aganzir and let a little smile. ”Khamul, dear, the rest is yours.” He turned around and left.

----------~~

The five winners rose.

”You are Khamul? He who doesn’t lie?” gasped Taliesin.

”Yes, I am Khamul. I am She Who Doesn’t Lie.”

”And you five are the Werewolves?” asked Azaelia.

Brinn took out a cigarette, lit it and chuckled in an insulting manner ”Do we look like Werewolves, or something?”

”No, you don’t. I have never seen a Wolf like you. But you are Wolves, aren’t you?” pondered Izz the Jäger.

”Nope. I said it’s not so obvious”, answered Thinlómien and a little jet of flame from inside ripped open her cheek.

”We’re not exactly Werewolves, though some of us could be”, specified Aganzir and took out her bow.

Another flame leapt out of Thinlómien and left a dark hole behind it. Kath said, ”I fear I know who she is.”

”Me? Of course you know who I am, Kath! I’m what you once were”, laughed Thinlómien, ”I’m Immortal.”

”The what?” shouted Azaelia.

”She’s the Ancient Beast. And I must say that you’re unlucky that she’s here”, explained Valier.

”But what is she?” tried Taliesin, ”Khamul!”

”Hpmh, misusing my honesty like that… It is obvious, you know, that Thinlómien is a Balrog.”

”A Balrog? You mean she has fiery w-” yelled Izz in unhealthy exitement, but before she could finish her sentence or Aganzir answer it, they were interrupted by a loud ”honk” from Emily.

Brinn finished her cigarette and said, ”Don’t you think it’s about time we deal with those fools?”

”It is”, Valier confirmed.

”Well, not necessarily, we don’t need to hurry anything. It would much more fun to pull out the nails first, then cut out their eyes, maybe burn them a bit, eat one of them…” suggested Aganzir.

”Since you mentioned eating, I’m kind of depressed that we didn’t get a laid table waiting for us. That McCaber looked quite tasty, but cyanide… I don’t think even my stomach would manage cyanide well. Emily, maybe – me, no”, complained Sally.

”Enough talk about eating us! It’s disgusting! Show your true forms and you shall see mine!” roared Menel and tried to rush Valier down one more time.

Each Wolf quickly chose a target and four of them leapt away from Menel, while Valier simply dodged.

-----------~~

Valier dodged and turned to face Menel with her magnificent longsword drawn. ”I must say that it’s ironic that you want me dead so madly”, the Ranger said as she thrust at Menel.

”What’s so ironic about that? You’ve been just as madly trying to get me killed?” Menel sidestepped Valier’s blow and continued with a swipe at her feet.

She hopped a few steps backwards and took her stance again. ”You’ll be surprised! And you’ll wish that you hadn’t dropped you hunting skills.”

”Oh, most of them are still here in my head”, to show this the Protector sent out a special blow usually used to bring down bears.

Valier just had enough time to block it. ”Not bad, not bad. However that’s not what I meant. You asked for my true form, fine with me. It would actually clear things significantly.” Between each blow Valier retreated a little bit towards the snow cresent. ”You weren’t so wrong when you said that the snow is a sign, you know.”

”Even if you’re a big nasty snow-woman in reality, you won’t defeat me. I was sent here to fulfill the wish of the Moose Start and that I shall do!”

”Exactly!” that said Valier jumped on the pile of snow and where the Ranger should have stood, a white deer stood.

Menel gasped and decided against following Valier on the snow.

”You didn’t expect me to turn into a bloodthirsty black sheep, did you now?” Valier’s voice said through the deer’s mouth. ”The boy who lived won’t live much longer. That’s what happens to warriors who underestimate their enemy.”

”You-you-you’re- you can’t be-”

”But I am!” the Weredeer stood on the snowpile and looked down on the Protector. ”And you dare call yourself the Mooseslayer! You were that, you definitely were that! But you’re not anymore. How could you be if you couldn’t see that I’m what you had hunted for many years!” She glared at Menel with piercing agony.

Menel shook his head in disbelief. ”Norsolit… The Weremoose of the North…”

”Yees, now you see. I told you. But may I correct you that I’m not actually a Weremoose, I’m a true Weredeer. That helm you have was once my brother Tilnosor, the Were-elk of the East. And you, my dear fool, are the slayer of my other brother, Sorontil, the Weremoose of the West.”

”I know it, dammit! Why, why did you follow me here?”

”Did I follow you?” Norsolit said and tried to look innocent, but had some trouble looking more innocent than a fanged deer. ”I was just as shoked to see you here! Had you not crowned yourself with my brother’s antlers and claimed that filthy title, I probably wouldn’t have recognised you.”

”Then how?”

”Haa! Now here’s something you didn’t know, listen carefully. The Moosestar…” said the Weredeer and made a dramatic pause.

”What!?”

”Has two sides!”

”No way!” Menel yelled and whiped the freezing sweat off his brow.

”Yes yes, you know only the Evil side of it. Why else whould you think the Maia of our kind wanted to kill us?”

Menel stopped, clearly pondering on it. Then he grimassed in mental pain having to accept it.

”One day, the Good Moosestar came to me and told me that I would become the hero of my kind by travelling to this very competition. It’s only a guess, but I think that was the same day the Evil Moosestar set you to your mission.”

Suddenly Menel was very calm and showed no emotion. ”Thanks for all the fish.”

”What?” a tiny sign of worry flew with the Weredeer’s voice.

”’Thanks for all the fish’. That was it… Hey, Valier, did the Good Moosestar say anything like that?”

”No…”

”Hmh… How very, very strange…”

”Whatever! Now we’re both here. Finally I can avenge my brothers and save us!” She leapt off the snowpile in the deerform and plunged at Menel’s face.”

Menel would have lifted his sword and cut the Weredeer’s head off if it weren’t for the Scar. As Valier left the snow, the antler-shaped scar on Menel’s brow sent a paralyzing wave of pain and rendered him helpless.

Valier sunk her fangs deep into the ex-Mooseslayer’s face and ripped it open.

So ended the eternal struggle between the Good side and the Evil side of the Moosestar.

---------~~

An odd set of objects flew at Izz: Several iocane-dipped arrows, a spork, three magical cards and a heavy load of sarcarm. Izz wasn’t a person who concentrated on defense, or at least true defense, as she was the follower of the phrase ”offence is the best defense”. In this situation however offence served little help. She’d have to survive without fancy shields. Luckly for her, her reflexes very quite remarkable - when they weren’t drowned in Jägermeister.

Izz decided to deal with the incoming missiles by getting rid of the most dangerous items first. She threw three knives with great precision at the three magical cards, which exploded as they were hit.

The arrows were trickier. Izz had to do some serious blocking with her Plunger of DOOM. Even the tiniest contact of the arrows and her skin might have become fatal. She managed.

Now for the sarcasm, the deadliest of them all. Good thing was that sarcasm is quite slow to reach its target. Izz grabbed her Pint of Jäger and swooped the sarcasm into it. With one effifient gulp she swallowed the whole pint and left it to her gastric acids to defuse the sarcasm.

At that moment the spork hit her right in the middle of her forehead, leaving a bloody bruise.

”Never, ever, underestimate the spork”, said Sally, who followed her missiles would-be-more-peacefully, ”I’m a very nice person really so I’ll comfort you with the knowledge that rarelly my enemies reach as far as the spork, and those who do, fall by it.”

Izz had a hard skull so she still had options of doing something. She whiped her skull making it less bloody. ”You’re a Werewolf and nothing more. I can deal with such!”

”Quack?” asked Emily, who followed Sally would-be-even-more-peacefully-than-Sally.

”No, soon”, Sally answered Emily and turned to Izz, ”I’d like to quote Brinn. Do I look like a Werewolf? Do I?”

Izz didn’t bother answering.

”Hm. Emily, do I look like a Werewolf?”

”Honk, honk.”

”There. Emily doesn’t think I look like a Werewolf. Don’t bother asking ’What are you then?’ I’m not much, just Sally Underdale, Keeper of the Random Objects, a friend of Emily’s.”

The Jäger answered by tossing two knives.

Sally tossed two magic cards and the knives exploded. ”Works both ways, doesn’t it. Emily, please.”

The duck dissolved into thin air.

”I must say it was nice knowing you.” Said Sally and winked.

”I’m not dead yet!” shouted Izz in annoyance. The sarcasm had finally been digested. The Jäger grabbed the Plunger of DOOM and leapt at would-be-peaceful Sally.

”I see you have the Plunger of DOOM, well I’ve also got an item of DOOM in my possession.”

Just as Izz was about to plunge the Plunger into Sally, her arms threw themselves into the opposite direction of the Duck Whisperer. Her feet were frozen to the grownd, but something pulled her arms. Izz’s whole body was assailed by pain and she lost control of all her muscles.

To make matters worse, Sally drew out her enchanted compass and placed it under Izz. The compass glowed- no, burned, with a purple flame. The flames licked Izz’s body and the unknown force continued ripping her appart. Joint by joint Izz’s body cracked and broke. Her outstreched body moved to hang directly over the purple fire.

Izz wasn’t sure what the fire did to her, partly because there was very little space for concentration left in her. If it could be possible, she felt like boiling allover.

While Izz was still somehow conscious, Emily appeared on top of her. Sally came over and digged out Izz’s heart with a spork.

The last thing Izz saw was Emily honking in joy and ripping at her boiling heart.

---------~~

There was so much battle going on. The noise, the smell, the tension, the madness… It was crazy! She was trying to find a way out. Why did she ever end up here in the first place? She couldn’t even remember herself. It might have been because of her older brother. He always goes on talking about his exciting adventures and – yes – he probably convinced her. Or was it some other place he had told he had been to? Maybe… Azaelia tripped over her own heel.

”Oh dear, I don’t think that’s even average. I must be turning below-average”, she said to herself. Azaelia stood up and hit her head against something. She creamed and turned around. A throwing axe was stuck to the wall of the arena.

Whiuhiuhiuhiuhiuhiuh –THUNK!

Another throwing axe was now stuck to the wall, and with it Azaelia’s sleeve. She screemed! Then she screemed again and tried to free her sleeve, but the axe didn’t move. She screamed for a third time, even more wildly and pulled at the axe with her whole strength. Nothing happened.

Azaelia braced herself against a better-aimed axe coming next, but instead of an axe, Aganzir herself came. Showing even less emotion than usually, Aganzir walked right up to Azaelia and plucked the two axes off the wall. Azaelia watched in fright.

”Get up, little Miss”, said Aganzir and yanked Azaelia to her feet. ”Do you have idea why I didn’t kill you with an axe?”

”No!” Azaelia squeaked.

”If I didn’t have a reputation to keep up I’d lie to you, but I missed with the first two ones.”

Azaelia gulped at Aganzir’s gaze, the most uninterested staring gaze any mortal had ever encountered.

”I didn’t throw a third one because you were caught with that sleeve of yours. I prefer running targets, although I have to admit that you were screaming quite heartwarmingly.”

Azaelia wanted to gulp again but found that she couldn’t dare to do so. She grabbed the edges of her dress instead and started sobbing. How could somebody be so cruel, why could somebody be so cruel? Her sobbing turned into crying.

"Quit that. Now, get ready to fight and die." Aganzir moved a few steps away from Azaelia and continued with the most uninterested evil laughter ever heard, "Muahahahaha. No man can kill me!"

"Don't kill me! Please..." Azaelia gulped several times and quietened down letting only irregular sobs.

Aganzir stood in front of Azaelia and waited for something, almost suggestively she said "No man can kill me!"

Azaelia quietened completely and looked confusedly at Aganzir. Then suddenly her face brightened, but just for a shirt time. "Why do you tell that to me?"

"As I said, I prefer killing moving targets."

"O. k... But I don't have a weapon." Azaelia only now noticed that she had left even her kebab stickers in her chamber.

"That is pathetic", Aganzir took out a long dagger from under her black cloak and tossed it to Azaelia's feet. She herself lifted a decorated hatchet.

Azaelia lifted the dagger, thought about her big brother and tried to stab Aganzir, who dodged and punched at Azaelia with her left fist. The hit caught Azaelia, but she bravely attacked back. Each time Azaelia tried to swing the dagger at Aganzir, it was met by the axe and pushed far away after which Aganzir sent another humiliating punch. The stabs and swings became more careless with each time Azaelia was hit. All bruised and bleeding, she would have exhausted herself to death if not for Azaelia stubling over her own heel while pushing herself for a thrust.

The axe parried empty air while the blade of the dagger pierced Aganzir under the ribs. Azaelia let go off the dagger in fear when she noticed that it had stuck in her enemy. She backed off uncertainly.

”I don’t want to die”, said the Black Easterling and looked down at her wound. Slowly she lifted her stare into Azaelia’s eyes, who decided that fear was passed along with dagger.

Comprehending what she had done, Azaelia’s mouth moved into a grin and she cried. ”I’m no longer Azaelia the Average! I’m Azaelia the Above-Average. And no! I’m more! I’m Azaelia the 20-Times-Better-Than-The-Best-Of-The-Above-Average! Yes. I am!” She glanced at Aganzir who continued standing pierced. She stopped too and they both stared at each other for a moment.

”I beat Khamul! I beat Khamul! I’m Azaelia! And I beat Khamul! And that’s because I’m 20-Times-Better-Than-Th–”

With a cling the dagger fell at Azaelia’s feet. Aganzir stood before her with her outstreched arm and open palm. All the time she gazed at Azaelia completely uninterestedly.

”You, you, you lied! You lied to me!” Azaelia roared with anger. ”You betrayed me!”

”No. You misunderstood my words”. For the first time Aganzir smiled amusedly. ”Funny how you people think that mortal women are someway better at killing me than mortal men. Seriously”. She lifted the sacrificial hatchet and brought it down on Azaelia’s forhead.

---------~~

More narration coming later.