With the breaking of the neck the audience cheered and clapped. It wasn't as strong a cheer though as with the death of the sea serpent. A few of the people in the audience didn't clap at all, but simply stayed silent in their seats. It looked like Teela made a few fans with her attempt at reaching Many-faces.
"That ends the show for today folks. Come back tomorrow for more," shouted Beastman as he snapped his whip. Then he turned his attention to Many-faces.
"Take her body inside while I inform Skeletor of her demise," said Beastman before walking to the door he had come from. Many-faces didn't respond, but simply lifted up Teela easily in his arms and walked to the door he had come from. Once through the doorway, the barred door closed. Many-faces continued to carry Teela as he walked down a long corridor and made a turn. Soon he was inside what was considered his quarters. All that was there was a bed made out of hay and a closet. Slowly Many-faces lowered his mouth to Teela's ear.
"Teela we're safe for now. Yo..you're not dead right?" asked Many-faces as he nervously shook her. A smile slowly crept onto Teela's lips as she opened her eyes.
"Of course not Many, whats wrong? You're such a good actor you even fooled yourself?" asked Teela in a teasing tone. She slid out of Many-faces arms while the actor looked extremely relieved.
"I wasn't sure if I got control of myself in time. I was so close to doing what Beastman wanted Teela. You're lucky to be alive," said Many-faces as he clenched his hands into fists.
"I'm lucky I decided I was going to eat cucumber sticks for lunch," said Teela as she removed three broken cucumber sticks from her sleeve.
"I remember that we used a large carrot to create the sound of a breaking neck in To Fight Another Day. I'm just glad I was able to catch on to your plan," said Many-faces as he continued to gaze at her. His staring was almost unnerving.
"Hey you didn't think I would go in there without a good plan did you?" asked Teela with a raised eyebrow. Truth be told she didn't even think of faking her death until that second when she was hugging Many-faces. No need for him to know that though.
"Look at you Teela. You grew up into a beautiful woman on me," said Many-faces with a grin that seemed friendly even with his fearsome features. Teela was all of sudden conscious that she had grown a bit from the seventeen-year-old girl she once was. She was now a few inches taller and other parts of her body had grown more ample and attractive.
"Yeah well it was bound to happen some day," said Teela shyly, "So why don't you switch to a human face then we'll break out of this place." Many-faces grin instantly faded as he sat on his bed.
"My human and robot faces were destroyed Teela. When Skeletors minions captured me, Tri-clops forced me to use my human and robot face with some device. Then they… they scarred and mutilated them to the point that I could never use them again," growled Many-faces as he once again clenched his hands. Teela simply stood there while not quite sure what to say. Saying 'sorry you were tortured' seemed ridiculous.
"They destroyed my other faces so I would always have to play the role of the monster. A monster that Beastman could control and make part of his freak show," said Many-faces. He seemed totally defeated as he stared lifelessly at the ground. With finally the ability to act on his own, it seemed he was drowning himself in his own grief. Teela gently knelt down before Many-faces and placed her arms around his neck to give him a hug. It seemed to work well back in the pit.
Teela didn't consider herself the best person to console someone. She had just spent the last five years wandering the galaxy with no one to depend on, but herself. It didn't exactly give her good experience at handling situations like this.
"Thank you Teela," muttered Many-faces. He moved an arm around her waist and pulled her to his lap. She could feel his hot breath on her neck, as he seemed to hold onto her body in a steel grip.
"You meant it when you said you won't leave me right?"
"Every word," said Teela as she turned to see his face. He was grinning again as he lifted her up with him and placed her feet on the ground.
"We better leave before Beastman returns for your body. I have some cloaks we can use to help us blend in," said Many-faces as he drew out two cloaks with hoods. He quickly handed one to Teela and put on the other.
"So what problems will we have trying to get out of here?" asked Teela as she tried not to cough. The cloak she was strapping on was extremely dusty and hadn't been used in a while.
"We simply go down the corridor and then up the stairs. That will take us to the ground level of the city," said Many-faces.
"Wait that's it? No guards or locks we have to get through?" asked Teela.
"Oh is this too easy for you?" asked Many-faces in a teasing tone. That teasing tone actually made Teela feel relieved. He was starting to sound like the old Many she knew.
"I'm just wondering why he doesn't keep you more carefully watched?"
"Beastman had no need for guards and locks for me since he had me under his complete control. I was under his control even when walking to these quarters to sleep and eat," said Many-faces with bitterness. Teela silently cursed herself for reminding him of his recent suffering.
"Um shall we go?" asked Teela in a poor attempt to change the subject. Many-faces did a bow and a dramatic gesture for her to lead. Teela rolled her eyes, but opened the door. She stepped out and began walking down the corridor. At least a dozen doors were against the left and right wall.
"When we get out of here I want you to tell me how Skeletor conquered Eternia," said Teela while keeping a watchful eye for anyone coming towards them. The need to know how Skeletor conquered Eternia had festered in her mind since she came here.
"Of course,"
"Wait a minute! Are there any other Defenders being used as gladiators here?" asked Teela. She stopped and felt Many-faces bump into her.
"No… well at least not unless you count Battle Cat."
"Battle Cat is here!? Why didn't you say anything? We need to go free him," said Teela as she turned to Many-faces.
"It wouldn't do any good Teela. Beastman was never able to control Battle Cat, but he drove the tiger insane with blood lust by having him battle day after day. Beastman had him fight so much during this last few years that I don't think Battle Cat can distinguish friend from foe anymore," said Many-faces. He refused to look her in the eyes when he said those words. Teela couldn't help, but get the feeling that he was hiding something from her.
"Well maybe he'll recognize me. We have to try Many, which door is his?" asked Teela. She wasn't just going to give up on the tiger. She also wanted to ask if that meant He-Man was alive? Was Duncan alive? Was any other Defender alive? But those questions had to wait until they were at a safer place.
"His in that room," said Many-faces as he pointed to a door on her left. Teela quickly opened it before Many-faces could say another word. There in an iron cage was He-Man's fearsome tiger Battle Cat. He looked just as formidable as he had five years ago with his battle armor and impressive body. And at the moment he had his yellow eyes set on Teela as a growl rumbled from his throat. Teela slowly approached while holding up her hands in a peaceful gesture.
"Battle Cat its me Teela. You remember me right? The girl who was always looking for an excuse to hug He-Man," said Teela in a soft tone. As she spoke softly the huge cat seemed to relax and soon she was within five feet of the cage.
Swish!
If Many-faces hadn't pulled her back, she'd literally have had her head clawed off by Battle Cat's huge razor sharp claw. With a snarl Many-faces put a protective arm around Teela.
"Touch her again and I'll kill you Battle Cat," growled Many-faces and soon Battle Cat was returning his challenge with a snarl of his own.
"Many it's not his fault considering what Beastman did to him. We just have to keep trying," said Teela. She tried to pull from his grasp, but he wouldn't let go.
"It's no use Teela. Look behind him and see what he had for dinner," said Many-faces in a resigned voice.
"What does that ha… oh by the Elders," whispered Teela as she spotted what was behind Battle Cat. It was a corpse… a human corpse that had its leg chewed off. Battle Cat was having a human corpse as a meal. The man's face could be seen to have an expression of complete horror. His throat had been torn apart as well.
Without a word Teela pushed herself away from Many-faces hard and ran to a corner of the room. She leaned down as she felt the food rising from her stomach and spew from her mouth. She was barely aware of the hand that stroked her back as she continued to throw up for another minute.
Finally she was able to get her stomach under control and raised her head. Many-faces stood there looking at her with pity and sorrow.
"You knew," whispered Teela in an accusing voice. Many-faces flinched at that tone.
"I didn't want to tell you unless I absolutely had to. You know when Beastman first forced him to fight humans he refused to kill them. But Beastman kept sending them against Battle Cat and after a year he stopped sparing their lives and tore them to pieces. Another year after that he began eating them after he killed them," said Many-faces. Teela took a napkin out of her backpack and wiped her mouth. She couldn't stop giving Battle Cat glances.
"What is that collar on his neck for him?" asked Teela as she put her napkin back in her backpack.
"It's a collar Tri-clops made to make sure Battle Cat never left the pit. If he jumped out of the pit, the collar sent a large shock of electricity through him," said Many-faces.
"Right.. we should go," muttered Teela as she headed for the door. She couldn't very well suggest they try to get the collar off. Even if they succeeded at doing it unharmed, it would be pointless. That would just give Battle Cat a chance to turn the audience who watched the pit into a meal. The image of Battle Cat pouncing on people in the crowd and chewing on them almost made her sick again.
Once they were in the corridor, Teela wasted no time walking to the end of it. And just as Many-faces said, there were some stairs that lead up to an unlocked door. Teela quickly opened it and blinked a few times as bright sunlight filled her vision. Finally her eyes adjusted and she stepped out onto the street before her. They were back in the city streets of Eternia.
"What now?" said Many-faces as he pulled the hood of his cloak tightly over his head. His face wasn't completely hidden, but you would have difficulty getting a good look at it.
"We head to the Whiplash Bar then you tell me how Eternia turned into hell," said Teela as she pulled her own hood over her head. The chances of her being recognized were slim, but there was still a chance.
"Whiplash Bar?"
"I figure its one of the last places Beastman would look for us in this city once he finds us gone," said Teela with a smile before heading there. Most of the streets in the city had the same name before Skeletor took over. So she had no difficulty returning to the alley she left Obbo at. And from there she spotted the Whiplash Bar with a sign that had Whiplash's face on it.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Many-faces as he gave the sign a sour look. Teela herself wasn't crazy about entering the place as well.
"I have a friend in here we have to get anyway," said Teela before entering. You can always tell how good the lives of people are by the number of customers that was in a bar during the day. If the number was low then that meant most people had jobs and could earn a living. If the number was high then that meant there were few job and people were drowning their problems in ale.
"Excuse me, can I get through?" muttered Teela. She squirmed her way into the crowd of people before her. This bar had a very HIGH number of people in it. Giving Teela a good clue of how many people had jobs in Eternia at the moment.
"Give the woman space."
The deep voice that cut through the room caused the crowd to instantly react. Teela found people taking a few steps back from her while looking fearfully at Many-faces. Even with his face hidden he was still an impressive sight with his large build and the way he cracked his knuckles. Now that Teela had some space, she could see Obbo at the bar drinking a large mug of ale.
"Obbo! Come over here!" shouted Teela. Obbo waved back to her and with a grunt lifted his mug. He floated over the people to her. He held the mug as if it was his only child.
"Obbo this is Many-faces. Many-faces may I introduce Obbo. I met him during my travels away. Try not to kill him even though you'll soon want to," said Teela. Many-faces gave Obbo a nod while the little wizard studied the huge man.
"Boyfriend?" asked Obbo in a slurred voice as he turned his gaze back to Teela. Teela rolled her eyes then looked around.
"We need a table to sit at," said Teela as she squinted her eyes. It seemed hopeless to get a free table though in such a crowded place.
"Leave it to me," said Many-faces as he walked towards the nearest table. Four men sat at the table playing cards. Each one carried a knife on his belt and didn't look like he would hesitate to use it. Many-faces approached the men who noticed him coming. They pulled out their knives while giving him a challenging look. Many-faces responded by stepping closer and lifting his hood.
"Move," growled Many-faces as he exposed his demon-like features to the men. They quickly turned pale and got out of their seats.
"Thanks Many," said Teela with a smile. Many-faces returned the smile and pulled out a chair for her. Feeling slightly ridiculous, Teela sat in the chair and let Many-faces push it towards the table. She couldn't remember the last time a man pulled out a chair for her.
"No offense Teela, but don't you think you can find a boyfriend that isn't as ugly?" asked Obbo as he took a seat. Once again Obbo showed his ability to put himself in utter danger without even trying. Teela could hear a low growl eminent from Many-faces as he took a seat as well.
"Obbo please shut up and drink your ale. Many I need you to tell me what happened? And also whether the others are alive," said Teela. Many-faces ceased his growling and turned to Teela.
"Well after you left things went as they normally did. Skeletor would come up with some plan to enter Gray Skull or conquer Eternia and we'd stop him. But then about a year after you left, something happened," said Many-faces.
"What?" asked Teela softly.
"It happened when we were battling them at the gates of Eternia Palace…"
With a roar Many-faces lifted Lockjaw and flung him onto the palace wall. Hopefully that would knock him out.
Boom!
The explosion sent Many-faces flying and he grunted as he hit the stone floor hard. He raised his head to find Skeletor flying on a griffon as he blasted people down below with his staff. The magical blasts of pure energy caused massive explosions when they hit the ground.
Boom! Boom!
"Get inside the palace," barked Duncan as he fired his canon towards Skeletor. The griffin easily dodged Man-at-arm's shots, but it distracted Skeletor long enough for the Defenders to get inside the palace.
Many-faces and Ram Man closed the iron gates and held them firmly in place with their incredible strength.
"They're coming at us with everything they got," said Mekaneck as he held his injured arm where Tri-clops blasted him.
"We need He-Man," said Duncan as a pounding sound came from the iron gates. They were attempting to break through.
~He-Man shall be there…~
The voice had come from nowhere and yet everywhere. Most of the Defenders looked around nervously except for Duncan who appeared relieved.
"Sorceress do you know where He-Man is?" asked Duncan.
~I sense him, but cannot make contact with his mind. I will go to him in person and make sure he comes to your aid.~
"Thank you Sorceress. Ok people, we just have to hold them off until He-Man comes," said Duncan with new confidence. The other Defenders nodded while feeling their spirits rise.
"And then…?" asked Teela while totally enthralled by the story. Even Obbo had stopped drinking in favor of listening to Many-faces.
"We were able to hold the gate closed for another hour after that they broke in and we fought. For four hours we battled with all our guards and even the King joining us in battle. But not one of us could go up against Skeletor with his blasted staff. Finally we were defeated with Duncan being the last to fall. He-Man never came," said Many-faces with bitterness. Then he unexpectedly grabbed Obbo's mug and took a swing.
"Hey that's mine!" said Obbo as he began to whimper. Teela waited until he put the mug down before asking her next question.
"What happened to the other Defenders and the royal family?" asked Teela.
"Skeletor had the King and Queen executed. The only Defenders I know that are alive are Man-at-arms and He-Man. Man-at-arms is now Tri-clops assistant and slave. It's said that Skeletor has imprisoned He-Man at Snake Mountain," said Many-faces. He said the word 'He-Man' with such hate that it made Teela shiver.
"I'm sure it wasn't his fault. There must have been a good reason why he didn't come," said Teela. She was slightly surprised at her own need to defend the man's honor. She could remember how she had a crush on him back as a Defender. She was over that though… at least she was pretty sure she was over it.
"He should have been there Teela. He was supposed to protect Eternia and he failed. And we suffered for it," growled Many-faces. His crimson eyes flashed anger that made Teela uncomfortable. She put a hand on his shoulder. He tensed up at first, but soon relaxed under her touch. The anger from his eyes disappeared, but she knew it was only because he wasn't thinking of He-Man. Suddenly another name popped into Teela's mind.
"What happened to Prince Adam? Is he safe?" asked Teela as she tried to ignore the guilt that always came with saying that name. She had tried for years to forget him and her failure to protect him.
"Skeletor was never able to find him. He could very well be alive, but where he is I don't have a clue. You know he missed you very much after you left. It was obvious to all of us," said Many-faces. Teela drew her hand away from his shoulder and looked away.
"I.. you know of course how I failed him right? How he almost got killed?" asked Teela. Her voice grew a little shaky.
"I simply heard that you failed as his bodyguard, no details though. If you don't want to talk about it then we won't," said Many-faces with concern.
"Yeah babe we can get wasted instead," said Obbo cheerfully.
Thump!
"Owie," moaned Obbo. His mug had just been slammed into his own face. He rubbed his face while muttering curses about green skinned monsters. Teela couldn't stop the giggle that she gave off. Many-faces gave her a grin as she finally turned to look at him.
"Thanks I needed that. I guess it's about time I told someone exactly what happened. Prince Adam and I were walking along the river…"
"Race you to the lake," shouted Teela before dashing ahead. Adam didn't bother replying, but sprinted after her. Cringer easily ran along side them. In most of their time together Teela and Adam competed against each other in games and contests. Rather it was a simple race or a game of fireball as long as she could remember they tried to out do the other. And most of those times she won because she was willing to put in that extra effort. That was Adam for you though, lazy and mellow as a prince comes.
Teela paused in her running and grabbed Adam. Before Adam could protest she pulled them both behind a bush. Cringer instantly followed and lay beside them.
"Hey wh-"
"Ssshh! Lockjaw is up ahead," whispered Teela as she pointed down the river. Adam slowly raised his head over the bush. There was Lockjaw beside the river carrying a huge iron barrel.
"What's he doing?" whispered Adam as he watched Lockjaw set the barrel down. Lockjaw lifted the top off the barrel and a greenish smoke escaped from the metal container. After studying the barrel for a second, Teela was hit with the realization of what exactly Lockjaw planned to do.
"His going to pour what's in that barrel into the river that goes to Eternia Palace. His going to poison the drinking water of the city," whispered Teela as she pulled out her staff.
"I'll go get he- whoah!"
Adam had attempted to crawl away, but was grabbed by Teela.
"Oh no you don't! Look it's just him and no one else. We can both take him. You're not chickening out of this fight!" hissed Teela. She had grown sick of seeing Adam run away from fight after fight. Maybe if he were forced into a battle he would realize that he didn't have to run like a coward all the time.
"Well I guess since its just Lockjaw," said Adam as he returned to his position beside her. Cringer looked absolutely terrified as he hid behind the bush with them.
"Don't worry I'll be doing most of the fighting. You just back me up," said Teela as she got ready to charge. Adam nodded and drew his sword.
"HEYA!" cried Teela as she leaped over the bush. Lockjaw was just about to lift the barrel when he froze in surprise. After executing a few flips and a beautiful somersault, Teela striked him from the air. Lockjaw let go of the barrel and made a grunting sound of annoyance. He raised his metal arm, which turned into a pair of large metal pincers. He swiped at Teela and as she dodged she swung her staff against the back of his legs, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"Good move Teela," said Adam with a grin as he raised his sword and prepared to join in. He never saw the blast of energy that was shot at him until it was too late.
Vvvvrrooommmm!
"Aaaggghhhh!
Adam's screams caused Teela to turn towards him. He was lying on the ground with the back of shirt burned away. The skin on his back was burned and scorched as well. Tri-clops stepped out from behind a bush with a sinister smile. Teela simply stood there frozen in horror, giving Lockjaw the perfect opportunity to knock her out from behind with a swipe of his hand.
