I step close to her and with my magic I remove the collar and toss it to the ground.
`You're free to go, Flora! Come on, break the chains and let's go!'
She doesn't do anything...
`Flora, did you hear me?'
Nothing. She just stares forward blankly. I wave my hand before her eyes. Nothing.
`Fuck!'
I slap her. Just slightly, Nothing. Then I slap her again. This time forcefully. Nothing.
`Eh, fuck it!'
I cut her chains with the Sword of Fury, and pick her up over my shoulder. I wave my hand and teleport us outside.
*
We arrive near the little stream that runs close to Mel's citadel. I glance around a couple of times, No-one anywhere in sight.
`Good. We're alone. Now...'
Without hesitation, I throw Flora into the water. She sinks like a bag of rocks.
`That should wake you up!' I exclaim, nodding to myself with a smile.
Long seconds pass and she still doesn't surface.
`Come on, fuck it! Get yourself together and swim to the surface. Come on, fuck it! Come on, fuck it!'
Nothing.
`Eh, fuck it...'
Just as I am about to jump after her, she finally surfaces. She gasps for air as she floats in the water.
`Are you feeling better now?' I ask her.
`What... what... where...'
`Well, at least you're talking now.'
She stares at me and recognition glows in her eyes.
`Did you throw me in the water?!' she asks.
`Yes.'
`Why?!'
`Why? Because you looked like a fucking zombie, that's why! What the fuck's gotten into you?!'
`What are you talking about?' she asks, as she slowly climbs out of the water.
`We were caught, remember that?'
She seems to think for a while. Then she finally replies.
`Yes... I remember.'
`And then? What's the next thing you remember?'
`The water.'
`Are you fucking kidding with me? You blacked out the moment we were captured?'
`I think so...'
`What the fuck where you thinking?! That's no way to react in such a situation! At times like this, you have to be aware of what's happening around you, so you can use the first available opportunity to escape, like I just did! Haven't you ever been taken captive?'
She stares at me in a strange way for a while, but then she just says:
`Let's just get out of here. Let's find that mage and kill him!'
`Yeah, that's just the idea. We have to get the stone back.'
`What?'
`He has taken the stone.'
`Son of a bitch!'
`Yeah, I agree.'
`Where is he?!'
`Dunno, but I think I know how to find him. First, we're going back to my stronghold. I need something from there.'
`Fine. Let's go.'
`Yeah, I'll teleport us to the Gateway in Coldrock in a minute. Just...'
`What?'
`I wanted to say... You look awful sexy all wet like this!'
*
After she kicked me in the balls and told me to shut up and just teleport, I spent a few seconds catching my breath and then teleported us to the Gateway.
`Was it something I said?' I ask her, as I open the Portal.
`Just shut up.'
The Portal opens and we step through. We head to the laboratory, and I call Tano. A while later, Tano finally greets us after a short wait.
`Master! Back so soon?'
I pull out the SMG 11000 and throw it on the ground next to him.
`Tano, take this, and give me the SMG 12000!'
`But Master, you said it needed more testing, that it's still heavily in experimental phase, that it's still quite dangerous to use it.'
`Shut up and give it to me! And give me a motherfucking power stone so I can charge it up!'
`Fully charge it, Master?'
`Yes, fully! What did you think?'
`But you said...'
`I know what I said. I said, that I want the SMG 12000, and a power stone. So, hand them over, right now!'
`Yes, Master...' says Tano with his ears pulled back, and he telekinetically grabs the SMG 11000, and he rushes out of the room with it.
I sit down, and rub my forehead with my fingers. A little while later, Tano returns.
`Here you are, Master!' he says, and he floats the new SMG model and a power stone towards me.
`It's about fucking time!' I tell him, as I grab the two objects. I insert the power stone into the weapon and wait until all the magical energy is transferred from it into the SMG 12000. When it's done, I throw the depleted power stone over my shoulder.
`There, a fully charged SMG 12000, ready to raise Hell and whoop ass!'
`So, what now?' asks Flora.
`We're going back to Ghaubel. We're gonna have a nice chat, she and I. And you know what? She's gonna learn that payback's a bitch!'
Payback's a bitch
Near Sil Velies, Draconia, present day (1 day and 5 hours before Twilightfall)
`Here we are!' I exclaim, as we arrive near Ghaubel's lair.
`Why did you bring us here? Why aren't we right at the gates?' asks Flora.
`We're close enough. We can walk the rest of the way, and this thing will be ready by the time we encounter the guards.' I tell her, as I pat the SMG 12000.
`What's the deal with this weapon? I saw you use it in Coldrock against Grenshaur's trolls. I seem to recall that the albino orc told me something about it, but I don't remember the details. What is this thing?'
`Well, first of all, you saw an earlier model in Coldrock. This is the new version. The SMG 12000. Sands' Magic Gun 12000, that is. It is a magical weapon similar to a wand, but it is a shapeshifting weapon. It has different shapes, and each of them fires a different projectile. The version number is the product of the total number of charges that the weapon can hold within and the number of shapes it has. All models have one thousand standard charges, so model 12000 means that it has twelve different shapes, as opposed to the eleven different shapes of the 11000 model that you saw me use in Coldrock.'
`So, it's a wand?'
`Not exactly, but it functions in a similar way. It uses magic charges to create a projectile which is subsequently emitted from it. In that, it's exactly like a wand. However, the projectile this thing creates is not a magical projectile, despite being conjured by magic. It varies with each shape of the weapon. Each shape was designed after real weapons that I encountered during my travels among the Planes. Real, non-magical ranged weapons.
This basic shape you see, is the pistol shape. It consumes one charge per shot, and fires a single lead bullet. Like a sling, but much faster. Now, that single shot may not be much, but if you aim it right, it can kill a guy. Shoot him in the head, he drops dead. Shoot him in the heart, and unless his armor was too thick, he drops dead.
Other shapes of the weapon consume more charges per shot, but in exchange they fire more powerful projectiles. Now this thing here...'
I turn the SMG 12000 into the new, experimental shape.
`This, is the newest shape. It consumes twenty charges per shot. But each shot has a devastating effect!'
`This thing is big. Longer than your arm, and thicker than your torso... Can you even hold it steady?'
`Barely...'
`What the Hell is it called?'
`Now that's a tough question. I have no idea.
You know, I picked up the original weapon upon which this shape was based in a world crawling with demons. It was a Material Plane, but apparently it was overrun completely by demons. I couldn't find a single living soul anywhere, no matter where I went. Only demons and zombies and the like. And corpses. Lots of mutilated corpses lying in pools of blood. I gotta tell you, those guys were doomed...
Anyway, I found the weapon next to one of the corpses. The guy clearly didn't need it
any more, so I took it with me. I have no idea what it's called, I found no-one alive to tell me. Whatever it's called, it sure is one big fucking gun!'
`Is it as powerful as it is big?'
`Damn motherfucking right it is! You'll see in a moment...'
*
We walk towards Sil Velies, and I can slowly see some movement in the distance.
`They spotted us!' says Flora.
`I would say Ghaubel herself spotted us first, unless she's been sleeping. Anyway, it doesn't matter.'
Not much later, we arrive close to the main gates. About two dozen of Ghaubel's well armored guards are standing there with weapons drawn. One of them calls out to me.
`Turn around and leave! You are not allowed to be here. You have one minute to leave. If you don't we will kill you!'
`How many times have I heard that before?' I ask, and I raise the barrel of the SMG 12000 in his direction. I pull the trigger.
The gun fires a small green orb towards the guards, and it strikes right into the chest of the speaker. As it hits, it explodes into a gigantic green fireball and literally obliterates everything within a thirty-foot radius. The guards are torn to shreds in the explosion, and their limbs fly all over the place. As the green ball completely dissolves and the smoke clears, a huge crater is revealed at the place where the guards were standing.
`Hell yeah! I love this fucking gun!' I exclaim.
Flora slowly observes the sight in mild shock.
`You know... I wouldn't want to be your enemy...' she says, slowly.
`You're not the only one.' I tell her. `Let's go!'
We walk to the gate, but of course it's locked. Like that matters...
`Can you teleport us across the gate?' asks Flora.
`Probably, but there's no need. I have the key. Come, lets stand back a bit...'
We walk away from the gate, and once we're far enough, I aim the SMG 12000 at the gate, and pull the trigger.
As the green little orb impacts into the door, it explodes into a gigantic green fireball. It rips the gate open, and tears down a large portion of the bastion on the left side of the gate. Bricks and rubble fly around for a while, then the smoke finally clears. The gate is gone, but the left side of it is totally collapsed. The right side however is wide open.
`Maybe I should call this gun a universal key, haha!' I exclaim, and I walk towards the door. Flora follows me as I walk through the opened gate and enter the courtyard. Not long after we both step inside, the other bastion collapses, and completely seals the gate behind us with rubble.
I slowly turn around and observe it, then glance at Flora.
`Universal key, huh?' she asks with a frown.
I shrug my shoulders and turn back towards the courtyard. A short way ahead, more of Ghaubel's lackeys are waiting for us. Roughly forty-fifty night elf guards, all dressed in enchanted chainmail armor, waiting with their weapons drawn.
`Hey, Ghaubel!' I exclaim. `Why don't you come out here? I just want to talk!'
No response.
`Fine. Have it your way!' I exclaim, and I aim the SMG 12000 at the guards and pull the trigger.
The guards scatter away as best they can before the green ball would impact into them, half of them running left, the other half running right. I aim the SMG 12000 towards the left group and pull the trigger again, not even waiting for the first shot to explode. Then I turn the barrel towards the right group and pull the trigger again. At exactly that moment, the first ball explodes.
The resulting green fireball takes out a few of the guards, but most of them manage to get away. The second green ball however gets the left group right in the middle, and as it hits, it blows them away and rips them to shreds. The third ball impacts into one of the night elves at the edge of the right group, and the resulting explosion takes out a little over half of them.
As the smoke clears, the last few surviving night elves charge towards me with their weapons drawn. I aim the barrel at them, but they are getting too close.
Or not...
I aim the barrel a bit upwards, and pull the trigger. The weapon fires another green orb and it flies just over the head of the approaching night elves, and then hits the ground. It explodes into a huge green ball of fire and rips into the approaching guards, and blows them away, towards us. I quickly duck, and so does Flora. The night elves hit the dirt at least twenty feet behind us. I stand up and look at them. A few of them are still moving. I fire the SMG 12000 at them once more, and the resulting green fireball rips them apart.
I look around and survey the courtyard. There are five large craters in the ground caused by the SMG 12000, and the body parts of the dead guards are scattered all over the courtyard. I love this fucking gun!
`So much for the guards, haha!'
I turn towards the main door of the fortress and call out to Ghaubel.
`Hey, darlin'! No need to panic! It's just your pissed off ex-boyfriend here to tear down the house and kick your ass!'
I aim the SMG 12000 towards the door and pull the trigger.
The resulting blast completely destroys the main door and much of the wall around it. Part of the wall caves in after the explosion, making it hard to get inside. So, I pull the trigger again to clear the rubble. The second blast blows the rubble away, but it also breaks down the wall above the door, resulting in much more rubble blocking our way than before.
`Eh, fuck it!'
I fire three more shots at various parts of the wall around and above the main door, and the resulting explosions pretty much tear the whole wall section to bits. As the dust clears and the rubble stops falling, I finally see a way inside. A large hole on the wall on the left side of the main door.
`See, Flora? Universal key!'
`Right...' she says, frowning.
We move forwards and step through the gap in the wall.
We arrive in the main entry hall of the fortress, with the three corridors leading away from the main door. The one on the left is now collapsed, and the one in the center doesn't look much better, either.
`Dammit, we gotta go around!' I exclaim, and head towards the corridor on the right. Shortly, the corridor makes a sharp left turn, and a while later, another one.
`We're approaching the back entrance of Ghaubel's Observation Room. Get ready, there may be more guards in there with her.'
`Are you sure she's in there?' asks Flora.
`It's the most well protected part of the stronghold. She's there. No doubt about it.'
So, we arrive at the back door of the Observation Room. Of course, it's locked. But not just locked, magically sealed.
`Let's stand back a bit.'
`Do you want to break it down with that thing? You'll make the whole building collapse on us!'
`Nah, not if we stand far enough! Come along!'
We walk all the way back to the last turning point of the corridor, and from there, I carefully aim the SMG 12000 at the door and pull the trigger.
A green little ball is fired towards the door, and a while later it impacts into it. Then, it explodes into a green ball of fire, and bricks go flying in the wake of the explosion. As the smoke clears however, I see that while there is a small crater filled with rubble just in front of the door, the door itself is still standing.
`What kind of door is that?' asks Flora. `From what I've seen outside, this weapon of yours should have broken it down!'
`The whole room is magically sealed. But don't worry! The seal is weaker now. Sooner or later, I'll break it down.'
I aim the SMG 12000 at the door and pull the trigger three times in quick succession, sending three green orbs towards the door. Soon, three powerful explosions shake the ground, and I smile in satisfaction and lower the weapon. A while later, the smoke clears, and I see that... That the motherfucking door is still standing!
`What the fuck?! You wanna fuck with me, huh?!'
I raise the barrel and fire the SMG 12000 another four times in quick succession.
The resulti
ng blast causes the biggest cloud of dust so far, and finally I hear a sound that suggests the door has been broken down.
`Ha! Suck on this, bitch!' I exclaim victoriously. As the smoke clears, I finally behold that the way is clear.
We walk towards the door and enter the Observation Room. Ghaubel is right there, in the far end of the room. She's alone.
I lower the SMG 12000 and turn it back into its pistol shape, then stick it in my belt.
`Hi, darlin'! Did you miss me?'
*
Ghaubel looks at me with disgust and anger, but she doesn't speak. I approach her.
`You didn't think I'd survive meeting Voi'Shek, did you? You sellout! How could you sink so low?! How could you bow before him?'
`Voi'Shek is the future of Arghard.' she replies. `I never wanted this, but what am I supposed to do against him? There's no defeating him, there just isn't! I knew I had to bow down to him the moment I learned of his return... Joining the one who will rule this world is the right thing to do. Either with him, or as one of his slaves. It's not a hard choice, Zack.'
`If you can't beat them, join them? Fuck that! I say, if you can't beat them, cheat, and try again! I thought you had more guts than this... Or did you think you might be able to betray him someday, and take his place? Don't be naive, bitch!'
`Don't waste your words on me, Zack. I know you're good with them, but you'll get no answers from me.'
`I don't really want any answers from you. It's your business what you do. But there is one thing I want to know, and you're going to tell me.'
`I have nothing to say to you!'
`Yes you do. Where is Voi'Shek?'
She looks at me strictly and remains silent. So be it...
`I will not ask again.' I tell her. `But I will kill you if you don't tell me where he is!'
`If you kill me, my brother will hunt you down!' she says.
`Eric? Ha! When was the last time you talked to him? Two hundred years ago?'
`It's one thing if a man is not on the best of terms with his sister. It's another if some asshole kills her! Trust me, he'd go after you!'
`You know what? I think I'll take my chances. I taught him black magic, remember? I think I can practice this art on a higher level than he can. I'm not afraid of Eric.
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