Shamgar

    The tavern was overly crowded.  The soft hum of the numerous electronics in the room was drowned by the extremely loud voices of the rambunctious customers.  Many were not natives to this arid planet, Paralexia; the alien customers were there only for a diversion from their normal lives.  Mugs clinked, music blared, and seats screeched as everyone was enjoyed himself.  But, in the back of the tavern, no one could hear the fight that was taking place.
         “I will only ask this once more.”  A towering man, with a blazing red cape and fiery crimson armor, had a smaller, frog-like creature’s hand in his grasp; he was breaking its bones.  The knight’s hand engulfed the frog creature’s hand as he continued to cause the creature more pain.  The slimy, brown frog-man yelped in pain as he struggled to get its cumbersome, moist, flipper-like hand from the knight’s grip.
         “Please, let me go…” the frog-creature gasped.  The knight loomed over the creature.  His armor shone in the dim light of the tavern, which was imposing to the frog-man.  The knight also had a huge slab of steel, seemingly too big and too dull to be considered a sword, attached onto his back.
         “Where is the one you call ‘Master’?”  The knight reached for his sword with his free hand.
         “I don’t know!” the monster shrieked back.  The knight shoved the beast into the walls.  It hit with a soft thud, shaking the walls upon impact.  The room suddenly became quiet as everyone watched what was happening.
         The knight had his blade drawn and pointed the frog creature.  “If you know nothing, then you are of little use to me.”  The knight advanced with his sword swiftly.  He swung his sword and severed its arm clean off its shoulders.  The beast looked over where his arm used to be in horror.  It began to scream and wail in pain.  Its arm was now across the floor with a stream of green blood trailing along after it.  The knight kicked the frog creature across the floor and pointed his sword’s tip closer to its neck.  “Next time it’ll be the head.”
         The frog beast clutched the place its arm used to be.  It looked up at the knight as he inched his blade closer  to it.  The creature finally gave up.  “Go west from here.  You’ll find his fortress in less than a days travel if you go by speeder” it stammered out.  The Crimson Knight lowered his blade.
         The knight glanced over his shoulder and glared at his audience.  Immediately the people in the tavern resumed what they were doing.  The knight put up his sword and turned to walk away.  “If you’re asked, ‘Who is after my master?’ tell them, ‘The Crimson Knight approaches’.”  He tossed several oddly-shaped coins to the bar keeper and strided toward the door.

         The Crimson Knight stooped to get out of the swinging bar doors.  His name was Shamgar.  He was a rather imposing man.  He towered above most creatures on the dust ball planet he was on.  The crimson colored armor and the fiery red cape he wore made him seem that much more frightening.  If neither his height nor his attire was enough to cause fear, then his sword would; it was as gigantic as he was.
         The automatic doors of the tavern swished open as Shamgar walked outside into the broiling sun.  The Crimson Knight reached into his pocket and pulled out a capsule.  He flung it onto the ground, and, with a deafening “bang” and in a cloud of smoke and sand, there was a speeder.  Across the sides it had the word “S.T.E.E.D.”, which stands for Stellar Transportation Emergency Evacuation Device.  The speeder, just like Shamgar, was crimson colored.  He hoped onto the motorcycle-like vehicle and started its engine.  It began to make a whirling noise, and it kicked-up more sand.  The knight grabbed the handles, revved up the engine, and sped off to his destination. 

         Meanwhile, across the desert, Abaddon was waiting for Shamgar.  Abaddon knew he was in trouble.  He paced around his chamber, trying to decide what to do next.  He was a scrawny man, with long, black hair and a crooked nose.  Dressed in black and renowned for his “powers”, Abaddon had control of the desert planet Paralexia.  He strided up to his computer and watched the monitors that were around his fortress. Below the screen the current date flashed, “Zuember 35, 2103.”  “I’ll get that fiend,” he muttered to himself.  He realized he was diverting his attention from what he was supposed to be doing; getting ready for his “guest”.  Immediately he shouted into his loud speakers, “I want double the men at the front gates.”  He had a sinister grin around his face; he’d have his fun.

         Back in the desert, the dusty sand of the planet attacked Shamgar from all sides as he continued on toward Abaddons’ fortress.  It seemed as if he’d never reach where he was going; sand covered everything the eye could see.  He didn’t care about the sand, though, nor did he care about how hot the sun bad been or how far this fortress was; nothing would keep him from Abaddon.  The speeder thundered as it tore through the sands of Paralexia.  The sandstorm blocked out the sun from view, making the trip a little more bareable. 
         “Vrr, vrr, vrr, vrr, vrr, vrrr, vrr, boom!” The speeder suddenly exploded, tossing Shamgar into a sand dune.  He flailed around, trying to get on his feet, but the sandstorm fought against him, sending Shamgar back onto the ground.
         The rust-colored sand was beating against him.  Shamgar struggled to get back on his feet; he was furious. “A S.T.E.E.D. is a top of the line speeder, it’s not like they just blow up!” he said as he searched for the speeder’s remains.  The sand storm was quickly covering up what was left.  Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something that glisoned in what little sun that there was.  Shamgar made his way toward the object; he advanced quickly onto this metallic object, hoping to get to it before the sand consumed it.  He made it to the dune it was in, yanked it out with one hand, and was shocked to see what it was.
         Shamgar couldn’t believe what he was seeing.  He was staring at a miniature android.  It was odd, though, because it was made of metal and had wings that resembled a butterfly’s wings.  It looked like a girl, with short, pink bristles for hair and glowing yellow eyes.  The metal girl wasn’t in good shape, though; it obviously was the thing that made his S.T.E.E.D. blow up.  The android girl looked like it had got caught in the air vents of the speeder.  It had a rip in its side, with multi-colored wires spilling out.
         Shamgar didn’t have much more time to gawk; the sand storm would bury them if he didn’t start moving.  He tore an edge off his cape and wrapped the micro-human in it.  He covered his face and started back toward Abaddon’s castle.

         Meanwhile, a lone guard was walking towards Abaddon’s chamber.  “Insane!  He’s purely insane!  Forty guards stationed at the front gate just for one man?!  Purely insane!”  The guard trotted hurriedly toward Abaddon’s lair.  The soldier was indistinguishable from the others’ he was garbed in tan fatigues, with a helmet that covered past his ears and wrapped around the back of his head.  His boots made a loud clicking sound as he made his way down the hallway.  The huge lazer-gun strapped around his shoulders banged against his back while he walked; he tried to steady it with his worn, brown gloves.
         As he approached where Abaddon was holed up, he was able to hear Abaddon talking with someone else.  The other voice was deep and imposing; it made him suddenly shiver.  “Remember, Abaddon, that if you fail us…”
         “My liege,” Abaddon started, “I swear to you that this mere mortal will not pass my front line of men.”
         “Don’t be too arrogant.  We know what he’s capable of”
         “Yes, my master.”  The guard heard a soft click and then nothing.
         “This is more serious than I thought,” the guard thought to himself.  He turned around and started off into the other direction, convinced that now wouldn’t be a good time to disturb Abaddon.

         Shamgar had finally made through the sandstorm.  After passing through he decided to rest before reaching the fortress.  He took off his cape and spread it out over the burning sand.  Shamgar reached for his hip-flask and guzzled the red liquid inside.  As he started to put it back, he felt something in his pocket.  He realized it was the micro-human.  Shamgar pulled it out of his pocket and unwrapped it; it was in bad shape, but the thought he could fix it.  He rummaged through his tool belt to find the appropriate tools, then started to work.  It took several hours to finally make it function.
         The micro-human jumped.  It began to squirm madly in Shamgar’s hand.  “Please, don’t eat me!” it yelped.  It looked up at him and saw his confused face.  “Ummm…” it started.
         “I don’t eat metal,” Shamgar said bluntly.
         “Oh!  Scuz me!” It jumped to its feet and fluttered around Shamgar’s head with her butterfly wings.  “I guess I could introduce meself; I’m a M.E.G.H.A.N., but ya can just call me Meghan instead of using the symbals and all.”
         “What do the symbals stand for?” Shamgar asked.
         “Moreah’s Evironment Guider of Hostile And New planets.”
         “Strange that the P isn’t used in your name,” he said bluntly.
         Meghan giggled, “Can’t quite make a good name with all them symabls and da P, can ya?”
“Do you purposely talk the way you do?  I always thought that a robot is supposed to talk proper.”
         “Don’t you know nuthin’?!”  I’ve been programmed to talk this way!”  Meghan zoomed past his head.
         “Well, whatever,” Shamgar said.  He sprung up onto his feet.
         “I told you my name, why don’t cha tell me yours?”  Meghan floated beside his ear, her voice sounding more high pitched than before.
         “Shamgar,” he mumbled.
         Meghan jumped back.  “Shamgar?  Your mama musta really not liked you or sumthin’.” Meghan flew back a little bit further from him.  “So, what cha doin out in the middle of this desert?”
         “Look, you bug, I’m out here mindin my own business when you come out of nowhere and tear up my speeder!  I fixed you because I could, so now just leave me be!”  He grabbed his cape, attached it back onto his metal epaulets, and started going toward Abaddon’s fortress.
         “Well!” Meghan stuck out her metallic tongue.  “See if I help ya!” Shamgar wasn’t phased.  He continued walking.
         “Better not stick around too long; some nasty creatures come out at night around here.”
         Meghan started looking around.  “Hey!  Wait!”  She flew towards Shamgar.  I…I…I can help you out!  I’m programmed to navigate!  Name a planet and I can tell you all about it!  Just please, please, please don’t leave me!”
         Shamgar paused.  He had begun thinking about how useful a navigator might really be.
         “Come on!  Please?”  She started begging.
         “All right, but you can stay with me only until my quest is over.  Then I’m leaving you where ever I am.”
         “Better than just leavin me here.”  The two started off towards the horizon.  “So, uh, where we off to?”
         “I’m going to Abaddon’s castle.  You, however, will wait outside for me when we get there so I don’t have to baby-sit you as well.”
         “What cha gonna do when ya get there?”
         “I’m going to kill him.”
         There was an awkward silence between Shamgar and M.E.G.H.A.N.  “Kill him?!  What for?!” She buzzed around nervously.
         Shamgar let out a sigh.  “Let me put it this way; Abaddon helped to take the one thing I care about in the whole universe, and I’m going to make him tell me what he’s done with this…”he paused, then said, “…thing I love.”
         Meghan and Shamgar didn’t exchange words for the rest of the day.

         The twin moons loomed overhead in the days fading light as Shamgar and Meghan approached Abaddon’s castle.  It was now beginning to get cold; a blessing on Paralexia.  The violent wind had completely died down, and the sands had finally settled in for the night.  Shamgar and Meghan had finally reached their destination.  Shamgar gazed at the imposing castle.  In the twilight of the day, the castle casted a forbidding shadow.  It was black, save for the lights that were on, and heavily guarded.  Shamgar spotted a large group of soldiers standing at the front gate.
         “He must’ve known I was coming.”  Shamgar violently kicked the sand.  It infuriated him that Abaddon was prepared for his arrival.  He paused for a moment to think about what he was going to do next, looked toward the guards, and then started to walk towards the castle.
         “Hey!  Don’t tell me you’re gunna go ahead and go there?!” Meghan swirled around his head.
         “Fine, I won’t tell you,” he said back with a smirk.  “Just stay out of my way; things are going to be gruesome in a moment.”  He flung his cape back and headed toward the soldiers.
         
    The front line of soldiers sprung into action as the towering Shamgar made his way toward them.  The head of the guards saw the man dressed in crimson first.  “You there, what business do you have with our master?” he shouted toward him. 
The Crimson Knight just smirked back and replied, “I’m here for his head.”
The rest of the guards readied their weapons.  “No one is to pass through these walls unless the master finds them fit!  Turn back now and your life shall be sparred!”
Shamgar slowly drew his sword.  “I’m getting in that castle, even if it means I have to go through all of you first.”
    The guards chuckled amongst themselves.
    “Fine, so be it.”  Shamgar sprung towards the guards.  The speed at which he moved was incredible.  The first ten guards were down before the other guards realized what was happening.  Shamgar stood in front of the remaining guards as they looked down upon their comrade’s maimed corpses.  All of the guards immediately dropped their weapons and fled away from the castle.  Shamgar holstered his sword back onto his back and opened the double doors in front of him.
    Shamgar entered the main room and was awestruck.  Morbid paintings, outlandish weapons, and grotesque statues littered the walls.  He saw two sets of spiral stairs, one leading up, the other going down.  “Not much of a decorator,” he muttered.  He didn’t want to waste much more time, though; Abaddon probably was preparing for him.  His only dilemma was which way to go, either up or down.  “I’ll gamble on it,” he said to himself and decided to take the stairs leading up.  Shamgar began running up the stairs, barely hitting the steps with the tips of his boots.  It seemed as if he wasn’t touching the stairs at all because of the speed at which he took each step.  The stairs twisted round and round up several stories.  “At least he could’ve put in a set of escaladers.”
    Shamgar got to the top of the stairs and came to a long hall.  At the end of the hall were double doors with a glowing light emitting from it.  He silently made his way toward the doors.  He crept up onto them, careful not to make any kind of noise.  He leaned his head toward the crack of the door and peered inside; he caught a glimpse of Abaddon.  Shamgar drew his sword, busted down the door, and shouted, “Abaddon!”  The funny looking woman standing there jumped in fright, and said, “No!  I’m not him!  He’s over there!” and pointed to the other side of the room.  She was standing at Abaddon’s computer fixing some wires.  She was dressed in clothes that were exactly like Abaddon’s.  Shamgar looked to where she pointed and saw that Abaddon was smileing sinisterly. 
    Shamgar wasn’t worried about the woman so much as himself because he lost the element of surprise.  He advanced slowly toward Abaddon, cautious not to let his guard down.  Abaddon raised his hands and shot a fireball towards Shamgar.  “Let’s save ourselves the trouble of talking and do the inevitable” Abaddon stated coldly.
    Shamgar took his sword and easily deflected the fireball.  It went soaring back past Shamgar and hit the woman at the computer.  It immediately incinerated both the woman and the computer console, leaving only ashes.  Shamgar glanced back and roared to Abaddon, “Gotta do better than that!” 
    “Fine,” he said, and shot out bolts of electricity.  Shamgar tried to side step away from the electricity, but was caught instead.  He immediately dropped his sword and fell to his knees.  Abaddon cackled.  “Ha!  The mighty Crimson Knight shall fall this day!” 
         Shamgar couldn’t move.  As he was still standing in place, he felt as if everything inside of him was being fried.  He attempted to reach out for his sword, but he wasn’t able to even move his fingers.  “I…can’t die yet!” He muttered.  “This isn’t…how it’s supposed to end!”
    Suddenly, Abaddon stopped shooting out electricity.  Shamgar collapsed onto the floor, worn out from the shock.  He lifted his head to see what made him stop, and saw Meghan pulling at Abaddon’s eyelids.  “Stop hurting him, ya big bully!”  The android buzzed around Abaddon’s head, taunting him the whole time.  Shamgar couldn’t believe what he was seeing; after talking to it so harshly, it still was helping him out.  He stared for a moment, confused still, but realized he was just wasting time.  He inched toward his sword and lifted himself up with it.  Shamgar brought up the sword with one hand and charged at Abaddon, who was too busy to notice what he was doing because of Meghan.    Shamgar raised the sword and struck Abaddon across the shoulder down to his waist.  Abaddon shrieked as the lower half of his body dropped onto the floor, smearing the once white tiles with scarlet blood.  Meghan flew back behind Shamgar, disgusted at the gruesome sight. 
         Shamgar didn’t waste time.  He grabbed the upper half of Abaddon by the neck and slammed it against the wall.  “Quickly, tell me where she is!” Meghan suddenly realized what this “precious object” was; it was Shamgar’s maiden. 
Abaddon spit blood in Shamgar’s face.  “Go to Hell”
         Shamgar tightened his grip around his throat.  “I’ll make your death slow and painful if you’d like me to.” 
         “It doesn’t m…m…matter,” Abaddon smiled back, “in ten days, she’ll be dead.”
Shamgar slammed his body harder.  “Damn you!  I asked where is she!” 
Abaddon chuckled.  “Won’t do you any good, but she’s on the black planet.  You’ll die before you get through my six comrades.  Happy hunting, Crimson Knigh….” Abaddon’s head lowered.  Now having no use for the body, Shamgar flung what remained of Abaddon aside.  He stood there in disbelief. 
Meghan spoke up.  “Well, what are we supposed to do now?”
    Shamgar said back coolly, “I’m getting her back, and not even the powers of Hell will stop me.”  He drew his sword and limped out of the room.  As he left the castle, he thought of what he was going to have to do next.  If the other six were anywhere close to Abaddon’s power, he may have some trouble.  But for now, Shamgar left the castle to recover.  Meghan accompanied him still, worried about what decisions Shamgar was going to make. 
    And off on a planet enveloped in black, a man with a black cape stood watching a screen, showing a man dressed in crimson.  He knew that this man would be there, but he would have to face many perils before he did.  “That’s when we’ll crush him,” he said to himself.  He turned off the screen and left the room.