Last time our heroes arrived in the dimension from where the time/space distortions were coming from, only to discover that it was also the home world of the long extinct Krell. Apparently the Krell gateway was the means of their destruction, as it allowed the demons to take over their world. As our heroes made their way to the generator of the distortions, they found themselves surrounded by demons. One of the servants of The Dadga Khan grabbed Cornelia and flew away with her. In the ensuing battle Guts faced off with Zodd, a demon he was failure with. Rock Lee powered up to his fullest, opening the Eighth and Ninth Inner Gates, and destroyed Zodd's body. Guts finished off the head. Our heroes have now split up to stop the distortions and to save Cornelia. On with the show!
Chapter 22: Race Against Time
"I've got a signal!" exclaimed Martin as she held up his PDA for better reception, "Cornelia is about 2.6 miles to the west of here."
"The source of the distortions is 3.1 miles to the north," said Violet as she scanned with her spare PDA. "We'll split up," said Will, "Nigel, Taranee, Irma, Martin, Julie, Michael, Fay, Leon and Laura will go with Caleb, along with Garra, Temari, Kankuro, Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji. They'll save Cornelia. The rest will head to the source of the distortions and destroy it. With that out heroes split into two groups: one to save Cornelia, the other to save of all existence.
"How much further?" asked Caleb as they ran down the ruined streets that once was a city of the Krell. "Just under two miles," said Martin, "We'll find her, I promise." "I just hope we're not too late," said Ino, "If that demon has had it's way with Cornelia by now…" "Don't say things like that," said Shikamaru, "They have a way of coming true."
"Any chance," puffed Chouji who was bringing up the rear, "That we could slow down for a second!" "No time to slow down," said Caleb, "In fact, we should hurry!" He began to run faster. "Oh man," said Chouji as the others picked up the pace, "This just isn't my day."
Meanwhile, things weren't looking so good for Cornelia. The demons had taken her to a large temple-like structure that was falling apart at the seams. They had ripped her clothing off and forced her to wear a simple white dress with a hemline above the knee. Then they strapped her to a stone alter, making sure she couldn't move and her legs were forced apart.
"I was hoping that Will would be here to witness the deflowering of her friend," said Pai-Mey, a nasty smile on her lips and a digital camera in her hands, "But she and the others will just have to settle for the DVD." "You're taping it!" exclaimed Cornelia, "I'm about to be raped and impregnated with a demon seed and you're taping it? You really are sick!"
"That's probably the nicest thing I've ever been called," said Pai-Mey as she activated the camera and pointed it at Cornelia, "Now, from what I've heard you dream of being in the movies. Well here's your big break, so smile for the camera!"
"How much further?" asked Caleb. "Less than a mile and a half," answered Martin. "If we run any faster," said Leon, "We'll have nothing to fight with, energy wise I mean." "He's right," Taranee, "We need to think this through." "Look who's talking," gasped Chouji, "You and Irma can fly."
"He's right," said Irma, "We can fly." "Then go fly ahead and see if Cornelia is alright!" exclaimed Caleb. With that Irma and Taranee flew ahead.
"Get that f#ck$ng camera out of my face!" exclaimed Cornelia as Pai-Mey moved in for a close-up. "Did you know that you're more beautiful when you're angry?" asked Pai-Mey, "That's it, get angry, make love to the camera. It's probably the only good loving you're gonna get before The Dadga Khan has his way with you; not like that flaccid boy of yours is ever gonna get in your pants."
Cornelia then spat right into Pai-Mey's eye, startling the disgraced ninja into dropping the camera onto the stone floor. It broke into several pieces. "Don't you ever say that about Caleb!" raged Cornelia, "My man will come for me, just wait and see." "Oh you dirty little slut!" shouted Pai-Mey as she slapped Cornelia across the face, "That was a $400 camera. I hope The Dadga Khan enjoys himself with you for an extra long time."
"Stop playing with my bride, Pai-Mey," said The Dadga Khan as he entered the temple. Cornelia saw that he had removed his red robe. Underneath was a mixture of fur and scales that glinted in the red light. The many demons that were waiting in the temple bowed before their master. "The time has come my friends," said The Dadga Khan, "Now is the time where I take my bride and pass my mind on into the next generation." Caleb, thought Cornelia, Please hurry.
"How much further?" asked Caleb. "If you ask me that one more time," said Martin, "I'll bash your brains in with my PDA. We'll be there in less than a minute." They had arrived at the temple, Taranee and Irma were waiting for them. "They've got Cornelia strapped to an alter," said Taranee, "And I think that demon is about to stick it to her."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," said Caleb as she drew his sword. "If you go charging into there without a plan," said Leon, "You'll just get yourself killed, and then what good will it do for Cornelia?" "Well do you have a plan?" asked Caleb, "Because I'm all ears." "As a matter of fact," said Leon as he pulled out from his bag several blue colored grenades, "I do have one."
"Let the ritual begin," said The Dadga Khan, "Racorw, start the invocation." "Yes master," said Racorw as it began to chant:
Deep within the womb of time
the creature thus be born
the seed of live is united
with the egg of eternity
gestates within the womb
of life for three quarter
and nigh a year
The creature thus be born!
The creature thus be formed!
"Now I shall take pleasure with my bride," said The Dadga Khan as it advanced towards Cornelia. "Would you look at that," said Cornelia who was grinning like she just heard or saw something funny, "It's so small, I can't even see it! You must have a lot of issues growing up."
"I'm big enough," said The Dadga Khan, "you'll feel it in a few seconds, then you shall truly be mine!" There then came the sound of something clattering to the ground, followed by several loud 'Bang's' and several blinding flashes.
"Go!" shouted Leon as he and the others rushed into the temple. All around them the demons clutched their eyes and ears from the bright light and loud noise. Even Pai-Mey and The Dadga Khan were incapacitated. "Those flash/bangs grenades really work," said Shikamaru, "But I would have thought of it sooner or later." "Sure you would," said Ino.
Caleb was the first to reach Cornelia, he cut the straps and gathered her in his arms. "Let's go!" he shouted. "You go," said Fay as the demons began to recover, "I'll hold them off." "Not without me," said Leon, "Besides, you already died once." "I have no intention of dieing again," said Fay. "We'll stay too," said Garra. Temari and Kankuro nodded in agreement.
"Let's go already!" exclaimed Nigel. He tugged at Caleb's arm. They carried Cornelia out of the temple, leaving Fay, Leon, Temari, Garra and Kankuro to face The Dadga Khan, Pai-Mey and the demons.
"Is she all right?" asked Irma. "Just in shock," said Ino, "she'll snap out of it soon." Seconds later Cornelia regained her senses. She saw Caleb and embraced him. "I knew you would find me," she said, "I never doubted you for a second."
"I hate to interrupt this tender moment," said Chouji, "But we've got company!" Several demons came running after them, lead by Racorw. "Kill the others!" shouted the lead demon, "Keep the master's bride alive!" "I hope you're up for some running, Chouji," said Shikamaru. "Not really," said Chouji, "You get out of here, I'll hold them off." "You sure you want to do this?" asked Ino. "I'm sure," said Chouji, "Just get out of here and keep Cornelia safe. If I don't make it, it's been fun." He shook Shikamaur's hand, then Ino's hand before facing the demons, "Let's go. Body Expansion! Meat Tank Jutsu!" He expanded his body and began to roll towards the oncoming demons.
"You interloping humans have pushed me to the limit," said The Dadga Khan, "I won't be denied my bride!" "Oh really," said Fay, her knifes drawn and ready for stabbing, "Let's see what you got!" "Gladly!" exclaimed The Dadga Khan as he charged at Fay. He raised a clawed hand, ready to strike, but it slashed only at empty air as Fay sidestepped and slashed the demon in the side.
"Is that all you got?" asked Fay, a look on her face saying she was really having fun. Roaring with furry, The Dadga Khan charged at Fay again, who dodged and slashed the demon again. Three more times this repeated. "You disappoint me," taunted Fay, "I expected more from the mastermind behind the time/space distortions. Oh well, you can't have everything."
It was at that time that Fay had the bad luck of tripping over her untied shoelace. She fell on her back, her knifes clattering sever feet away beyond her reach. "You have made me bleed my own blood," fumed The Dadga Khan as it grabbed Fay around the neck and began to choke her, "I cannot like that." The demon raised its other clawed hand in the air, preparing to slash Fay's face off, when the clawed hand was grabbed by another hand, one made of sand.
The sand hand came out of Garra's gourd, a look of glee on his face as he used his chakra to throw The Dadga Khan off of Fay. Garra then used more of his sand to form a giant fist, one aimed at The Dadga Khan, "Sand Fist!" shouted Garra as he sent the fist at the Dadga Kahn's face, knocking it out completely.
"Thanks," said Fay as she stood up, "For a second I thought I was a goner, again." "Not today," said Garra. "Where's Pai-Mey?" asked Temari, she had returned her giant fan to her back after blasting the remaining demons. "She's gone," said Leon, "Oh man, Caleb and the others!" "Go," said Fay, "Go help them, I'm not done here."
Not wanting to argue with Fay, Leon, Temari and Kankuro left the temple, leaving Fay, Garra and the unconscious Dadga Khan. "Now," said Fay, "What to do with this bag of pig vomit?" "Allow me the honor of killing it," said Garra eagerly. "You can kill it," said Fay, "But not until I'm done," she then removed from her bag a hacksaw and several lengths of rubber tubing, "I've only just begun to work on this creep." "Mind if I watch?" asked Garra. "Not at all my friend," said Fay, "Not at all. You can even help; hold this bastard's head while I remove its tongue."
"I still can't believe Chouji is gone," said Ino, "He saved us, and now he's gone." They had managed to lose the demons by running down a side alley, so they stopped by a ruined fountain to rest for a minute. "He died a hero's death," said Shikamaru, "When we get home I'll make sure nobody forgets him and what he did for us. If I have to build a monument in his name, I'll do it with my bare hands." "I'll help you," said Ino.
"First thing's first," said Nigel, "We have to get home. Martin, any idea where we are?" "I'm working on it," said Martin as he checked his PDA, "I had tracking chips put on the others in case we were separated, so it shouldn't be too hard finding our way back to them." "Max and the others have their own locating devices," said Leon, "We'll go back for Fay and the others at the temple soon enough."
Just then they heard the demons running up the street. "Here we go again," said Taranee as she and Irma flew up to face the oncoming demons. Michael, Leon, Julie, Martin, Ino and Shikamaru stood up to fight the demons. "This chase ends here," said Julie as she reloaded her rifle, "Caleb, get Cornelia out of here, we'll find you."
"What if you don't make it?" asked Cornelia. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," said Michael as he activate his energy swords, "Now get going!" Cornelia and Caleb then ran down another side alley.
The demons charged at Michael and the others. They attacked first; Michael as a blue and green blur with his energy swords. Leon used his bursts of super speed to avoid the demon's strikes. Since Voodoo doesn't work on demons, he had to rely on his service knife to slay the creatures. Nigel just used his super strength to rip the demons apart, while Julie had taken a high position on top of the fountain to snipe at the demons. Ino and Shikamaru were doing their thing on the ground, Irma and Taranee were doing their thing in the air.
However even the best defenses aren't perfect; Racorw and about ten demons slipped past the defenders and continued after Caleb and Cornelia.
Caleb and Cornelia meanwhile had taken refuge in an abandoned house. They blocked up the door as best as they could, but knew it was only a matter of time before the demons found them. "This isn't how I figured my life would end," said Cornelia. "And how did you figure it would end?" asked Caleb. "With you of course," said Cornelia, "After a long and full life together."
"I don't know about a long and full life," said Caleb, "But at least we're together, I won't let those things take you." They looked into each other's eyes. "Caleb," said Cornelia, "Answer me this, do you love me?" "With all my heart," answered Caleb. "Then love me," said Cornelia, "just love me." And love her he did.
"They're down here somewhere," said Racorw, "The master is waiting for his bride, we mustn't disappoint him." "Sir!" exclaimed one of the demons, "I think I've found them," he was shoving at a barred door. Racorw shoved the demon aside and kicked the door open. The demons rushed inside to see Caleb and Cornelia straightening their clothing.
"You didn't," said Racorw as the demons grabbed hold of Caleb and Cornelia, "You couldn't have, you didn't have enough time to do so." At that Caleb and Cornelia both smiled widely as if they were both truly happy. "You did!" raged Racorw before glaring at Cornelia, "But I bet you didn't enjoy it." That was the last thing Racorw said before a green energy blade cut him in half from bottom to top. Michael stepped over the split demon, while Ino, Shikamaru and Nigel dispatched the remaining demons. "Now that's what I call separation anxiety," he said.
"Are you alright?" asked Taranee as she and Irma entered the building. "I'm fine," said Cornelia who was still smiling widely. "We're both fine," said Caleb, "And Cornelia is beyond the reach of The Dadga Khan forever, he can't touch her now." "Why?" asked Irma before clarity dawned on her face, "Oh no, you did it, didn't you?"
"Yes," said Cornelia, "And I'm glad, not only to be safe form that creep, but my man truly is a man, if you know what I mean." "Oh I know," said Taranee, "And I think we shouldn't be hanging around here waiting for more demons."
As they made their way back up the street, they saw Leon, Temari and Kankuro. "What happened?" asked Kankuro, "Where's Chouji?" "He bought the farm," said Shikamaru, "But he took a lot of demons with him." "Where's Fay and Garra?" asked Irma. "They're back at the temple," said Temari, "She said she wasn't done with The Dadga Khan." "I can't even begin to imagine what Fay is doing to that creature," said Leon, "Or maybe I just don't want to."
Meanwhile…
"The way I see things, Garra," said Fay as she continued her work, "There are genetic predispositions that allow people to do certain things naturally. In our case, it's killing." "That is logical," said Garra as he watched Fay, "When did you first feel the urge to kill?" "The first time I truly desired to take the life of a fellow human being," said Fay, "Was when I was 9. It wasn't until I was 13 that I acted on said urges. I witnessed a mugging and chased down the mugger. I slashed his throat with my pocketknife. That was the first time I ever killed a person. When did you first feel the desire for death?"
"I've felt the urges all my life," said Garra, "I've been killing with chakra controlled sand since I've been able to walk. Since then I've been killing anyone who stood in my way. I tried to stop, but I've learned that killing is in my nature, it's what I am." "You kill there fore you are," said Fay, "I once thought that way. There was a time when I was completely out of control as a vigilante, it felt so good to be the one killing evil. It wasn't until I met Jill Sparrow and the other Ramblers that I learned that I had the power to stop all along. I've since turned my urges for killing people into killing demons, and it's been very fulfilling, and in cases like this, rather artistic. There, I'm finished."
Fay then leaned back to admire her work. "I got to tell you, Garra," she said, "I'm good and bushed. It wasn't from the fighting today, it's from all the sawing and tube tying. It got a little messy at one point, but I think the squirted blood adds to the image. What do you think?" "I think it's beautiful," said Garra truly, "You're a real artist." "I try," said Fay as she stood up, she and Garra admiring her work. Squirming on the ground was what was left of The Dadga Khan; his tongue and eyes torn out, his legs sawed off at the knee, the arms removed at the elbows. "What do you call such a beautiful work of art?" asked Garra. "I really don't have a name for it," said Fay, "But since you and I have so much in common, I think I'll call this 'the start of a beautiful friendship.'"
"I like it," said Garra, "Yes, this is the start of a beautiful friendship." "We'd better try to find the others," said Fay as she repacked her bag, "There's still so much to do today." Just before she and Garra left the temple, she turned around as if remembering something, "That reminds me," she said as she pulled out her service pistol, "There are times when it is okay to show mercy." "Allow me," said Garra. He used some of his sand to completely cover The Dadga Khan's mouth and nostrils. Three minutes later the demon was dead from lack of oxygen. "Very well done," said Fay, "Now we can go."
The end of chapter 22. Next chapter, we focus on Will and the others as they finally locate the device generating the distortions. Please review, and I'll see you next time!