Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent chapters, will have celebrities in it. I have no knowledge of their sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality. This is all from my own mind. Scary!! People actually get a glimpse into my mind!!!
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox.
Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros.
X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox.
The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice.
Harry Potter, Hogwarts, and all related characters created by J.K. Rowling. Copyright Scholastic Press, Inc.
I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered.
In this story, which has been floating around in my head most of my life, you will find many universes merging, as the above copyrights reveal. I hope you all enjoy this. I appreciate any feedback that you may want to give. This story doesn't deal so much with sex, sex, sex, but more of my feelings that I struggled with and am starting to come to terms with. Part of his background is mine. I do hope that you enjoy it!!!
Any emails you send, please tell me what chapter and story you are commenting on. Thanks.
jmsotc@yahoo.com
Chapter 37 Practice Session
Hyppolyta and I followed Jayce around the castle grounds into a walled area in the back. "This is our training arena," he explained as we entered through a heavy iron gate. "Slayers have trained here for as long as the Council of Watchers has been in existence. Here we will test and train you to your limits. Knowing that your enemy is immortal, it is best you know what you can and cannot withstand."
Hyppolyta and I nodded in understanding.
"The first thing you must do is run the obstacle course. Which of you will go first?"
I turned to Hyppolyta. "Ladies first."
"Thank you," she replied and stepped up to the line.
"This obstacle course is designed to test your agility. You will have to run, jump, climb and crawl to the end where a bell rests. We will listen for the bell. Cameras monitor each obstacle on the course for us to study.
"On the count of three. One...two...three."
Hyppolyta ran up the ramp and, when she reached the top, kicked off. Her body flipped in the air and she came down grabbing a rope and swinging. As her body reached the zenith of her outward swing, she kicked outward, releasing the rope and flipping backwards. She landed on a bar and perched looking around. Then, she hopped backwards grabbing the bar as she fell. She twirled around like on uneven bars. For the second time as she reached her zenith, Hyppolyta released the bar, spun twice in the air and landed firmly on the ground.
Hyppolyta did not let the landing stop her. She continued on to the next obstacle in the course. She ran as fast as she could and jumped into the large pool of water. She swam swiftly through the water. Within moments she came up on the other side and climbed out. Seeing the bell at the top of the rope she jumped instead of climbing the rope. She reached the bell and punched it. The clang sounded out across the obstacle court.
Jayce applauded enthusiastically. "Excellent, your majesty! Excellent!"
Hyppolyta returned to Jayce and I. "Thank you, Mr. Haverhill. You are most kind."
"I believe it is Mr. McCoy's turn."
I nodded. "Of course."
"Ready, Eric?" Jayce asked. I gave him a quick nod." "On three. One...two...three."
I ran as fast as I could up the ramp. I jumped and grabbed the rope. My hands slid a little so I held tighter. The sliding caused my swing to be off. I had to pump my legs and right myself as the rope swayed. When I reached my zenith, I released the rope. As I plummeted, I knew I would not land on the bar. The only recourse I had was to grab the bar and spin around twice, not stopping as Hyppolyta did. I spun, released the bar, and landed on the ground.
I ran as fast as I could and dived into the water. It was very cold. The temperature of the water put me in a temporary shock. I recovered and started swimming as fast as I could, something I couldn't do very well in the first place. I had always had a fear of water. As a child, I imagined being in a shipwreck and sinking to the bottom of the ocean. I imagined the feeling of not having oxygen to breathe and the claustrophobic feelings that came with it. Still I persevered on until I reached the other side.
When I pulled myself up, I took a deep breath and started climbing the rope. I finally reached the top and hit the bell. The clang resounded through the course a second time and I went down the rope and joined my friends.
"Good job, Eric," Hyppolyta praised. "Not bad for a man."
"Thanks," I said with mock sarcasm. Both Jayce and Hyppolyta smiled.
"On to the next course," Jayce replied.
Hyppolyta and I followed Jayce into the next arena. The area resembled more of a horse corral with high walls. Several objects lined the corral. Jayce took us through a doorway and up to a box that overlooked the corral.
"Here you must perform several tasks. The main task is to get the dummy to the other side of the course without it sustaining any critical injuries. You will know of any injury it receives by little flashes on the dummy. If the dummy is fatally injured, the flashes will turn a steady stream of red and a flat-line will sound. Do you both know what a flat-line is?"
"Sure," I replied. "That is when a person's heart is monitored and the person passes away. The heart beat sound turns into a long beep sound."
"Correct. Through the obstacle course, your abilities in decision-making and ingenuity will be assessed."
"I surely hope this isn't a test of my abilities," Hyppolyta replied.
"No, your majesty, of course not. This is so the council has an assessment of what your strengths and weaknesses are so we can devise an appropriate way of battling the demon Macai."
Hyppolyta looked upon Jayce narrowly. No matter what Jayce said to sugarcoat the explanation, the basic meaning was still identifiable. They wanted to know if Hyppolyta could cut it, plain and simple.
"I will go first," I volunteered. "Hyppolyta went first last time. It is only fair that we take turns."
"Very well," Jayce replied. "If there are no objections from your majesty."
"Go ahead," Hyppolyta replied. "I would like to see you improvise."
I smiled at her and went back down the stairs and out the door to the arena. For the first time, I saw the dummy held up against the wall with wooden pegs under its arms. The gate to the previous obstacle course closed with a creak behind me.
"When you take the dummy off the pegs, the test will begin, Eric. Good luck."
I waved to the box and approached the dummy. It was almost as heavy as a human being. Good. They weren't going to take it easy. I didn't want nor need to be coddled. I had three months of rest, the last month nothing but coddling. I did not need any more.
As soon as the dummy was over my shoulder, I heard the sound of panels opening. I found the machine guns just before they open fire on me. I jumped out of the way and rolled behind a stack of crates. Bullets riddled the wooden shield. I made my way to the other end of the crates and looked. The guns still faced the other side. That would give me a few extra seconds to run to the next barrier, a cube.
Taking a deep breath, I ran as fast as I could. As I neared the cube, I saw panels on the far wall open revealing three rockets. "Great," I muttered.
The rockets launched and headed right towards me. I tossed the dummy behind the cube and jumped back toward the crates as the machine gun turned and open fire on my position. The bullets hit the rockets and caused them to explode prematurely.
"Fortune favors the brave," I thought. "Or the foolish."
I ran back over to the dummy and checked it for any "injuries". I could find none and decided to go on my way. The only way this thing would end would be for the dummy to die, me to die, or to complete the obstacle. The last one was the most favorable of the three outcomes.
I picked up the dummy, placed it on my shoulders and ran from wall to wall, shield to shield, waiting in anticipation for the next test in this obstacle course. As I rounded a corner, a creature swung the back of its hand at me. It connected with my face and I flew back trying not to injure the dummy.
The assault seemed cold and hard, more metallic than flesh. "It must be a robot," I thought, "disguised as a demon."
I laid the dummy down and turned to face the robot-demon. It swung a fist at me. I dodged to the side, grabbed the wrist and brought my leg up, connecting with the abdomen. It hunched over with the impact. Grabbing it by the back of the neck, I rammed it into the wall over and over again until the thing went "unconscious". Thank goodness it was programmed to take assaults with reality of a demon and not a robot.
I turned back and saw a large spider climbing near the dummy.
"No you don't," I replied. Holding my hand up, a fireball formed and I hurled it at the spider. It burst into flames and scurried off screeching. I approached the dummy, assessed any new "injuries" and found none, thank goodness. Placing it on my shoulders, I continued on.
For about fifteen minutes I battled obstacle after obstacle, enemy after enemy, until I reached the end. The dummy did not acquire any serious injuries. I received a satisfactory rating on my objectives. As long as I was returning to normal, optimal performance, I was happy.
Next came Hyppolyta's turn. She looked at me and smiled as we passed on the stairs.
"Nice work," she complimented.
"Thanks," I replied. I was interested in seeing her performance on the test. After the short battle we had the other night, I was anxious to see her in full battle mode.
I reached the observation box and settled into a chair next to Jayce.
Hyppolyta approached the dummy. As soon as she picked it up, the guns came out of the hiding place in the walls. She carried the dummy over to the cube and placed it out of firing range. The bullets flew out of the gun bearing down on her. She swung her arms, deflecting the bullets with her golden gauntlets. Hyppolyta advanced on the guns, blocking the bullets as she went. Some of the bullets ricocheted back onto the gun, damaging the weapons. When she reached the guns, she grabbed one and ripped it out of the wall. Then she swung it like a baseball bat and smashed the other ones.
"She's very strong!" I commented.
Jayce looked at me with a grin. "Yes, she is."
Hyppolyta returned to the dummy as the other wall opened and the missiles came into view. She wasted no time. Pulling out her golden lasso, she stood ready. The missiles launched. In no time, the lasso was around one of the missiles on the far end. With a jerk of her wrist, the missile collided with the one next to it. A domino effect ensued with missile impacting missile, explosion after explosion. With all the explosives taken care of, Hyppolyta gathered up the dummy and went on her way.
The robot-demon and robot-spider were easy for her as well. A punch here and a kick there and they were in need of some major bodywork and repairs. Hyppolyta reached the end with a near-perfect score. I congratulated her and we headed back to the castle.
As the sun set, we dined, nourishing our bodies. Harry and Professor Dumbledore looked tired. Whatever they had been doing all day, they had worked hard at it. I believe all of us felt and looked tired with the exception of Hyppolyta. She seemed perfectly at ease with the day's workout.
The door to the dining room opened and in walked Marius, the blonde-haired vampire I had met the night before.
"Hello, Eric," he greeted.
"Hello, Marius."
"Please, have a seat," Jayce invited.
"Thank you."
Marius pulled up a chair at the end of the table and sat. He looked at the table and smiled.
Harry leaned over and whispered to Professor Dumbledore., "shouldn't we offer something for him to eat?"
"No, thank you," Marius replied to young Harry. "I ate before I came. Besides, your food would do nothing for me."
Harry looked confused for a moment. Professor Dumbledore looked upon Marius with closer examination and realization formed on his face. He leaned over and whispered in Harry's ear what Marius was. Harry's eyes widened with fear and dread. I had to keep from laughing. My heart went out to the cute little boy. I knew what he was feeling inside. I felt it, too, when I faced my first vampire. Fortunately, the species of vampire Marius was from was not the soulless creatures the Watchers' Council was formed to fight.
We finished eating and retired to the sitting room. Harry rushed over to me and sat down.
"Can you believe a vampire is in this castle with us?"
"Exciting, isn't it?" I replied.
"Exciting? It is terrifying. What if he decides to eat us all?"
"I highly doubt that."
"Why?"
"He said he ate before he came over. He's too full to eat any of us."
Marius walked into the room and Harry inched closer to me. I felt so bad for Harry. He was terrified.
"Do not fear, little one," Marius said. "I would not feed off you even if I was hungry. I only feed off the evildoer. I love humanity and feel I should protect them."
This alleviated some of Harry's stress but not all.
"How can you love humanity?" Harry asked. "I'll I've ever read about vampires was that they are demonic in nature."
"There are many species of vampire," Marius began. "The species I am from retains their soul when turned. Although there are some of my species that do not care to protect humanity and will feed off anyone they wish."
"There are many other species of vampires, as well, Harry," I added. "Some are almost animalistic in nature. They turn into large bat-like creatures when they prepare to feed. But any other time they appear as human. There are also the demonic kinds that lose their soul when turned. They retain the memories of the person turned, but a demon inhabits their body. When they are agitated or ready to feed, their face turns demonic in nature."
"There are also those infected by a vampiric disease making them vampires," Professor Dumbledore added. "They are human in every way, however they still have the thirst for blood and do not like the rest of humanity."
Harry nodded soaking in all this information.
"You will be ready for next year's Defense Against the Dark Arts class," Dumbledore said.
Harry laughed a little. I could sense the alleviation of the fear. It wasn't gone. That would only come with comfort of experience. But knowledge always helps eliminate fear.
"All this talk of vampires," Hyppolyta said. "Just wait until you have to deal with Macai. Immortal creatures are a whole new arena. By immortal creature, I mean those who cannot be killed easily. Vampires are strong, yes, but sunlight, decapitation, stake through the heart, holy water crosses, and silver can kill them. With creatures like Macai, stopping them takes courage and strength. Working together, we will prevail."
"Here, here," Dumbledore said in agreement.
Jayce entered the room and looked at Marius and I. "Mr. Travers would like to speak to you two. An urgent matter has arisen that he needs your expertise in dealing with."
"Certainly," Marius replied. He and I stood. "If you will excuse us."
Hyppolyta, Dumbledore and Harry nodded to us. We walked out of the room and heard Harry ask Hyppolyta where she came from. That would have been an interesting story to hear. But more pressing matters were at hand.
To Be Continued...