part 12

Jay McIntyre, Cyber-novelist. Lillith Skye Rael, HTML artiste.

     Mike found his way to the center of the Doom game, and found 
himself confronted with the mightiest demon of them all.

     "Oh smeg," he said.  There's really nothing else to be said.  It's 
too horrible, and anyway the BBC wouldn't have had the budget to 
describe it.  Suffice it to say that it was large, and sluggish, and 
tentacled, and huge, and slimy.  Yuch.

     Mike clambered on to a rising platform and shot it between the 
eyes.  "I told you," he grinned, "I know this game well."

     The Toymaker did not answer, save to goad the monstrosity to fire 
it's own monster-making blasts back.  Mike ducked and dodged, and 
blasted it between the eyes again and again. 

     BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

     The demon died messily, and Mike was blasted back over a wall of 
the labyrinth.  He landed on something soft, fortunately.  
Unfortunately, it was alive.  Mike screamed, jumped up, and ran.

     Maxx clawed his way through trees.  They had driven off a tiger, a 
leopard, and a carnivorous monkey, all in the last twenty minutes.  Sir 
Kalador had proved valuable, with his sword and strength.

     "There are many beasts in this land," Kalador said.

     "Yes, but they fear the Maxx!"  Maxx boomed.  Kalador raised an 
eyebrow at him, and the other three rolled their eyes.  

     "Testosterone overdrive," muttered Ace.

     "Survival of the fittest," tutted the Doctor.

     "Exile from the b-movies," said Joel, who should know.

     At length, they finally came to the other side of the ravine.  

     "How do we get up?"  Asked Ace.  "We can't use the ladder from down 
'ere."

     "Fear not, follow the Maxx!"  He clambered up the cliff, using his 
claws.  This left handholds for the others to use.

     Ace looked at Joel.  "You mention any plot conveience theatre 
jokes," she warned, "And I'll introduce you to a woman named Kate and 
all the things she can do with chocolate.  And trust me, you won't like 
it."     

     One by one, they clambered up the wall.

     Mike came to a giant chess board, and stared, for the life sized 
pieces were moving.  "Oh great,"  He said, lacking the enthusiasm for 
anything more.

     Torgo burst in on Gone and the Toymaker.  "Th-they are coming out 
of the valley!"  he exclaimed.

     Gone grinned.  "Let them come.  We are more than ready for them."