The Maze of Greed – Part Eleven : SS.

 

Danger is lurking around every corner of the maze.  Lydia and her warlock, Raul are going to be reunited in the hunt for Mariela and Bandit.  Scar, is still trapped in the hat, but he has sent the young witch’s family to her rescue.  While all this goes on, a dark figure watches over all.  Death…is coming.

Scene setting : The Maze of Greed – Seven Sins series.

Co-written with Dessy, Phyln, and Artie.

 

 

Artie:  Bandit helped to keep herself up in Mariela’s arms, her lips pursing slightly at the sounds of hellhounds. Amazing how Lydia got some at her disposal, Lucifer kept them to himself most days. Though, with her obtaining of them Bandit could only assume that they weren’t really the top-notch of his elite squad. “Listen, man, I don’t really know you but those things are literally impossible to kill. You can knock them out but that’s next to impossible. I think our best bet here is to make a run for it, or we’re all going to be fucked.” She looked at Douglas, not quite taking in the irony of her words in that she couldn’t run, much less move her legs at all. She leaned into Mariela yet still felt guilty for having the other person carry her – clearly, Bandit didn’t like relying on others. “And if you even want to see Quinn again, I’m sure you don’t want it to be when she sees your soul thrashing about in the river. That place ain’t for the faint of hearted.

 

Razorbackwriter:  Screaming protests coming from behind him went virtually unheard as the Giant started to run into the direction of where the hell hound roars were coming from. When the chips were down, Duggie was a man of action, not words. This would leave Mariela left behind holding onto Bandit. She’d been given the order to run by the Giant, as he tried to stave off the oncoming attack forces of Lydia. Pounding footfalls raged along the inside of the maze, while a few turns away, the hell-hounds of Greed were getting closer. Their craving for blood so great, having been near starved by the evil Demoness of Greed and Ambition.

As Lydia strolled along behind her trusted dogs of war, there came a spluttering from a nearby hedge wall. It was enough to have the Demoness stop in her tracks. A cloud of leaves spewed out of the hedge covered in spittle, followed by the angry snarl of one very annoyed warlock. Lydia of course, recognized the voice and then stuck her hand into the hedge, only to drag Raul out by his collar. When his head appeared, Lydia leaned down and stared him in the eyes.

“You let yourself get caught in the bushes?!”

“When were you going to tell me that a giant lurked in this maze?” He replied just as angrily. A huge egg like bump on his head. It still smarted. “Giant? What giant?” This was certainly news to her. Lydia brought the maze over from the Fallen mansion. She had no idea that someone was in it. Growling, she gave a good hearty tug of Raul’s collar and the rest of him fell free of the hedge’s grasp. He lay on the ground at her feet, panting heavily, but not before looking up at her. She was wearing a dress and tight pants that were more for hunting. So…she decided to come down off her pedestal and join into the game. The warlock pushed himself up to standing, brushing the leaves off his coat, when Lydia grabbed a fist full of his shirt and snarled at him.

“Don’t EVER disappear on me for the sake of another woman…again!…Do I make myself perfectly clear?” Lydia had a powerful grip, that was easy to see, and though the Warlock tried to pull back he found that she was a lot stronger than she looked.

He was about to answer, when he heard the barking and snarling of the hell hounds that Lydia had released into the maze. “There’s hell hounds in this thing?!” It was the one beast of hell he particularly didn’t care for. They were unpredictable, and savage in their attacks. Rarely paying any attention to their masters, or Mistresses as the case may be. Lydia gave a little shrug, not really caring for his opinion on her actions.

All Raul knew was that his Bandit was in the maze with these hell dogs, and in her state from his recollection, she was not going to possibly outrun the Hell hounds. For once in the evil Warlock’s life, he didn’t want Lydia to win.

“Come along then, my pet and see the end of that cheeky little witch and her babbling alp now!” Skirts swishing as she headed off after her hell hounds, Raul marched along silently behind her. Lydia didn’t know that Scar was no longer in the maze.

Far off in the maze, the first of the hell hounds rounded the corner and leapt up at the Giant, who swung his battle axe with a marksman’s like precision. ~WHACK!~

“Cop that ya stinkin’ mongrel!”

~RB~

 

Dessy:  Mariela continued holding Bandit with ease, only adjusting slightly so she could switch the hat to her other hand. She looked down as Bandit spoke, giving a nod of agreement.“I agree with Bandit. I don’t know much about Hellhounds, but I know Lydia. And if Hellhounds are as bad as described, and Lydia has them – we need to run.” she spoke. Bandit mentioned something about his soul thrashing in a river, but the Giant wasn’t listening. Next thing the girls knew, the giant was running towards the Hellhounds, and he was screaming for them to run. “Well… Looks like it’s just us.”Mariela said simply.

But she didn’t argue. “Hold on tight.” she said, then turned around and began running for it. As they ran, they could hear the Giant and his giant axe being smashed on the Hellhounds. But Mariela didn’t turn around – she had a feeling Lydia was searching for her specifically, since the Hellhounds showed up, but no Lydia. She kind of already figured she’d have to fght Lydia, but at the moment her main priority was getting Bandit to safety.

They made it far enough to where the Giant and the Hellhounds could no longer be heard. Mariela slowed down to a walk, walking over and placing Bandit on the ground somewhere, before catching her breathe. “We’re safe, for now. Just give me a second.” she said, looking down at Bandit. She then paused to look around the maze, and narrowed her eyes as if in thought. “I wonder if…” she started, but trailed off. “Here, watch this.” she told Bandit, placing Scar’s hat beside her. She then walked over to a hedge that was covered in vines, tilting her head. She held out one hand, before picking her other one up slowly and beginning to move it. She moved it forward then moved it back, as if she was pulling the vine. The vine moved off of the wall, following the movement of her hand. She moved her hand to the right, and the vine followed. Mariela then moved her hand over her head, moving it in a circle. The vine began to wrap it’s self around a nearby statue.

“It works!” Mariela said with a smile, stopping the hand above her head, causing the vine to stop moving. She then closed her held out hand, before moving both hands down. “That makes things easier.” she said with a nod, turning around to Bandit. She could control Earth and nature – and being in a maze that was full of plants, vines and nature – she had benefits. She smiled as she walked towards Bandit, kneeling down to pick her up again. But then she felt a strange, yet somewhat familiar energy from behind her. “Shit…” she mumbled, standing up and turning around. She suspected it to be Lydia – so she prepared herself. But that’s not who it was.

There was a light, and then a “pop” as three figures stood in front of Mariela and Bandit. “Marie, stop! It’s me. It’s Tessa.”the female of the group spoke, letting go of the collar they were holding and stepping forward. “I’m here with your brothers… Sam and Sean.” she gestured to them, both stepping forward. Sean held the collar, but they all stared at Mariela.

“What?” Mariela asked, blinking in a bit of confusion. But when they stepped forward and she saw their faces, she widened her eyes before running toward them and getting welcomed in a group hug. “Oh my god!” she said when she pulled away. “Wow! Tessa, you’re as beautiful as ever. And Sam and Sean… you two have grown so much!” she spoke to each of them. “What are you doing here?”

“Scar sent us here. His hat sent him down to Earth, and thanks to the help of a spell in one of your journals we were able to save, he managed to send us back.” Sam spoke, nodding to his brother. “He said you needed help with someone named Lydia after we talked to him in the forest. We didn’t believe him for a second.” Sean spoke. “So Scar is alive…” she spoke, turning around to look at Bandit. “That’s why he wanted us to jump into the hat! It’d send us back to Earth where he knew we’d be safe.” she spoke, before turning back around. “Where is Scar?”

“He couldn’t come with us. But he said if you still have his hat, just call his name into it to summon him.” Tessa said, and Mariela turned around and gestured to the hat. “I do have that hat.” she said. “Good… but we don’t have time for that right now. We have to move.” she said, but paused. “Wait…” she said, taking the amulet off and handing it to Mariela. “That survived the fire. I had to wear it to be brought here… plus, I figured you’d need it to have full control of your powers.” Tessa spoke, and Mariela took the amulet. She looked it over, before slipping it around her neck. The red amulet glowed for a second after she put it on, as did Mariela’s green eyes. She nodded her head, before turning around to Bandit. “I know you’re confused… but I’ll explain later. It’s a long story.” she said, kneeling down and picking Bandit up.

“Who’s she?” Sean asked. “This is Bandit. We’re running from the same person. Me and Scar found her in the maze bruised and bleeding, and I tried to heal her. Unfortunately, something went wrong with my magic and she became paralyzed. So she can’t feel her legs.” Mariela said, receiving a nod from them. “There’s one other in the maze – a giant named Douglas. He was holding back the Hellhounds so we could run off. No idea how he got here.” she said.

“Enough talk. Let’s move!” Tessa said, running over to grab Scar’s hat. She then began running forwards, leading the way. Mariela was next to her with Bandit with her two brothers running behind – it was as if they were guarding her.

 

Phyln:  The group parted ways in front of him the giant dashing right past blinded by his own agenda heading back the way Solomon had come. his head turned slowly as he kept his eyes on the giant until he was out of sight and the sound of combat echoed back. his head snapped back towards the two girls as the quickly headed off the other direction, this made his decision easier pivoting on his heel he followed the direction of the giant. the other two don’t seem to be in any immediate danger my best bet is to head to the area of conflict the clacking of his boots and the methodic tick of his cane on the ground was only overshadowed by the sound of battle gradually growing louder as he approached. With a swift movement he changed his grasp on his cane now holding it like a sword as he covered the last few meters and the giant came into view. the sight ahead of him caught him off guard while the giant alone was quiet a surprising sight the hellhounds were an unwelcome one. such rapid feral beast he could easily get dragged into this. With a sigh he finished his approach and remained a small distance away not close enough for the giant to consider him hostile but still maintaining a good view and with any luck staying out of the way of the hounds. unsure of how they would fair against each other he decided that regardless of the victor of the battle he watched he would either have a giants soul or that of a few hounds.

 

Artie:  Bandit held onto the running Mariela, wincing with each bumpy step. She knew that Mariela was trying to be careful, but it wasn’t pleasant. Walking, she had been able to deal with. Running.. each step of the little witch sent Bandit’s wounds to be on fire, the injuries fixed externally but merely patched together hastily internally. As she was set down, the thief breathed relief and focused on Mariela’s powers. Had she been unaccustomed to such shows, perhaps she would have gazed in wonder, let out a “wow” or “whoa.” Alas, Raul’s more intensive magics only made Bandit gaze with apprehension, her brow raising. “You’re stuck inside a giant maze and you only remember now that you have powers over plants?”

A sigh made her tilt her head back and close her eyes, hand resting limply on the ground. As Mariela finished and leaned over her, Bandit would suddenly open her eyes and blink in surprise. “Shit..”

Imagine an invitation to a family reunion of a roommate, but it wasn’t your family to begin with and your roommate who you’d just met invited you to come. Well, you may possibly be involved with your roommate in the future, so you don’t want to get off on the wrong foot and just say ‘no,’ do you? Yet at the same time as they exchange in their ‘hello’s you feel an profound urge to simply run away, but alas you cannot, because you’ve been forced into this situation to begin with. This was exactly the feeling that Bandit had, intensifying the curses in her head that she held for Raul. Blast him! Blast him to bits! Though, this Mariela character had a good heart, and Bandit suddenly found herself wishing to be more like her. Though, in her core Bandit was, it had just not been realized. Care for someone such as Riley did not come from a thief like Bandit, yet it was there. Somehow, she could be turned into the caring individual that, perhaps, living a normal life would have made her be.

“Can’t you just call the guy while we walk? You can call someone and run at the same time, can’t you?” Bandit wasn’t trying to be sarcastic, just bring light on the situation. She figured that right now, it would be best to have all the people on their side as necessary… especially with hellhounds on the loose. “Why don’t you use your powers and just part all the hedges? There’s got to be an exit, or you can make one, can’t you?” She grunted as Mariela ran, taking the brunt of the movements.

The little thief could only feel pain, but boy, at least it was something.

 

Razorbackwriter:  

Douglas the Giant was fighting valiantly up ahead in the maze. One…two…three hell hounds were attacking one after the other, as the might giant swung his battle axe at them much like a cricketer swings a bat. For each hell hound he hit, another seemed to take his place. One lunged at the giant’s left arm and the Giant twisted his waist and swung the bastard hound off and into the waiting bushes. The hell hound landed a good ten feet away, before coming to its senses and rising once more. These dogs seemed to be unstoppable, and as much as Douglas tried to keep them at bay, it was soon going to be a lost battle. He was trying to give the witch and her disabled companion time in which to make a getaway, or at least find the center of the labyrinth and end their nightmare.

As he swung at yet another barking hound, he could hear the dark cackle of the arrival of the Mistress of the Hounds of Greed. The Princess bitch herself, Lydia – now rounded the corner, and when the Giant clapped eyes on her, he snorted through his huge nostrils and gave her dog one extra powerful whack. This was enough to send the hell hound flying over the nearest hedge wall – yelping as it did so.

“NO!” Lydia roared, raising up her hand as the dark green energy within her was starting to build out of her fury. Raul came around the corner shortly there after and saw the battered giant facing off against Lydia.

“That’s him! The one that knocked me into the bushes.”

“AYE! AND I DIDN’T HIT YA HARD ENOUGH!”

The giant gripped his battle axe with a white knuckled intensity as he stared the two down. “I’m not afraid of you two. Yer the bitch that put this maze here. Bet ya didn’t think I was here, did ya?” Douglas spat down at the ground at her feet, and sneered. “I seen better heads on a mug of beer, Ya ugly trollop!”

~gasp!~ Did the Giant really say that? Lydia brought her free hand up to her face, absolutely horrified that he would make a crack about her new face. Raul, who was standing in behind tried very hard to suppress a chuckle, since the idea of having a crack at Lydia’s appearance was kinda funny.

“You might want to keep that trap of yours shut, unless you want the Princess here to do something nasty.”

“I AIN’T TAKING ORDERS FROM YOU, YA DICKLESS TWAT!”

Douglas roared again as he swatted away yet another hell hound that lunged at him, this time hitting so hard that all you could see was the hell hounds arse sticking out of the hedge.

“This the best you got, bitch! I lived with a freakin’ hell hound. One a darn sight better than your show dogs.”

Raul brought his hands up, as though he had seen enough as the hair on the back of Lydia’s neck bristled. The powerful green ball was glowering in her hand, and it matched the fury with the one on her face. Her hell hounds were coming off second best to the Giant’s fury and powerful swings. But what he didn’t count on, was the Princess’s power. Gritting her teeth in anger, she released the massive green ball of energy at the Giant, which hit him hard in the chest. Douglas staggered backwards as he jerked and spasmed violently. She continued to warp and bend the energy till it wound its’ way all around Douglas, who now had one band of green light wrapped tight around his neck. It was slowly lifting him off the ground.

Watching from in behind, Raul tuttered and folded his arms.

“I did try to warn you, mate.”

The Giant dropped his battle axe and was clutching at the green energy ringlet around his neck, gasping and spluttering violently, as his legs kicked out in desperation. His eyes were bulging practically out of his head, it was a poor way to see the giant fare against the might of Lydia. Lydia threw her hand far right and this sent Douglas spinning up and well over the hedge wall….far out of sight. Only after a good ten seconds did you hear the earth shuddering crash of his body hitting the earth. The tremor was enough to be felt at least a kilometer away. Reigning in her power, Lydia snarled and pushed up her sleeves.

“One down…..two to go!”

The Princess started to march onward, stepping over the bodies of her fallen hell hounds. Raul let out a sigh and followed along behind. Lydia had no idea that there were more in the maze, than just the alp and the witch. She didn’t count Bandit, as she knew nothing of her.

 

~RB~