Thursday, March 20, 2014

~~FLOM: Chapter Eighteen--Getting Ready for the End~~

I wandered through the room until I eventually found others. I met up with Drizzt in one of the darker tunnels, Sylvaris and Legolas in the archery range, and Haruhi scarfing 'fancy tuna' in one of the dining rooms. Knowing I needed all of them on board if I was going to get anywhere close to winning this, I led them all back to a large meeting room.

We found Slenderman there already, with a large host of other people. He was in Slenderman form, and he was clearly speaking to them. When he saw us, he included us in his conversation. "We'll fight in three days. We need to get prepared first, of course. There's a lot of planning and weaponry we need to make. I also need to get planning and tactics from Mitchie here. That is, if she knows anything about how to fight a war."

I bit my lip. Okay, so he probably was right. I didn't know a thing about fighting a war. However, did he really need to point it out?

I shook my head at him. "I know some, but I wouldn't mind getting help with planning.

Slenderman nodded. "I've been around for a very long time, and I do believe that many of the people here, who are fighters, also know a way around all of the battlefields. Who here knows about fighting?"

Drizzt raised his hand. "I can fight very well. If you show me what kind of troops we have to deal with and who we fight against, I am certain I could do something with them."

I smiled thankfully at the black-skinned Drow. "Sounds good, my friend. Any other volunteers?"

Spriggs held up a red-suited hand. I grinned. Okay, he would be useful. He didn't talk, but with his Mongoose he could easily be used as a distraction. I looked over, and spotted Willy nearby. He was staring hatefully at Spriggs. Okay, this was definitely looking good. Willy was really good at blowing things up. It showed very clearly in how often he blew everything around him up in his numerous attempts to kill Spriggs….

I looked around at the troops. We wouldn't run out of archers or melee fighters any time soon….

Eventually, inevitably, my eyes turned back to Slenderman. He was examining me closely, and he looked actually pretty tense. I swallowed. He looked away from me, and said to the rest, "Let's get the planning started."

After a good long while of debating and map drawing—and a brief interlude of random dancing that I will never understand—we had made our choices.

Willy will be stationed with half of the soldiers from Halo and Sylvaris on both sides of the path, on the mountains. Legolas will be stationed in the back of the main fighting force, riding on the back of Spriggs' Mongoose. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, every last one of the Butlers from Black Butler, and Drizzt Do'Urden will make up the first defensive line. Behind them will be Buffy, and she'll go wherever she is needed. The Potter Puppet Pals—and their seemingly endless supply of pipe bombs—will ride on a large platform carried by dragons. In the air, Hiccup, Toothless, the other dragons, and a handful of pegasus will watch over us and charge the enemies.

Hopefully, we will do very well in this fight.

Swallowing, I looked around at the soldiers. Everyone seemed brave and ready for it, but I had the crazy feeling that we would need a lot more than bravery for this fight. We'd need smarts, tactics, and the ability to actually work together as a group.

And the ability to work together as a group probably wouldn't be the best…..Sighing, I decided that all we could do was fight and try not to get in each other's way, and it wasn't at all worth dwelling on the pain we were going to endure in the fight.

Knowing I had no other choice, I put on my brave face and said quite cheerily: "Shall we get ready for war?"

My troops nodded, and together Slenderman and I led our troops out of the room to the armory. I knew there would be a lot of us, and I also knew we would be very hard pressed to come up with all of the ammo needed. Knowing this could probably turn the entire course of the fight, I asked, "How much ammo do the Halo people have?"

Slenderman looked over at me. "A massive amount, my friend. More than I hope we'll need. Around…..Ten thousand rounds per person, and that's just the Needler ammo."

I grinned. Okay, so we definitely were not going to run out of ammunition very soon. "And arrows?"

Legolas yelled over at me, "We have more than enough. If Sylvaris' skill is anywhere close to mine, we will do very, very well."

I nodded to him thankfully. This was going to be good….

I smiled up at Slenderman, and saw him once again in human form. He caught me looking at him and held out his hand. I took it quickly, and he clutched it tightly. He raised it to his 'lips', and planted a kiss on it. "You alright? You seem nervous."

"I'm about to fight a war with what has to be the oddest assortment of troops in history, how am I not going to be nervous?"

He grinned at me. "Relax, would you? You're going to be fine, and hey…." Slendy leaned in close to me, and whispered into my ear gently, "We're going to be okay too."

I blushed heavily. So he had been reading my mind….

He nodded at me, and ruffled my hair playfully. "I have very little doubt that you will one day love me, little one. However, for now, I would like to know that you care about me and can and will accept me."

I looked up at him, and he grinned. "Oh, just kiss me will you?"

And kiss me he did, to the applause of the troops. They definitely liked us. He hugged me tightly, before letting me go and continuing to walk.

It didn't take us very long until we got to the armory. When we got there, Slenderman shot me a smile and said dryly, "I don't know if I mentioned it yet, but I do believe some new recruits should have turned up by the time we get done here…."

I looked at him excitedly. New recruits? Those were always good. "What kind of new recruits are they?"

Slenderman just smiled at me. "You'll need to wait and see, my love."

I blushed profusely. "Please don't call me that…."

"But you're so cute when you blush. I can't resist." He laughed, kissing my head as we walked into the room.

It was definitely a lot more packed than I remembered it. Weapons of every shape and size lined the walls. The weapons ranged from Halo futuristic to rustic swords and slings. Legolas went right over to the rack of bows, examining each and every one. He chose one, and took it with him out of the room with a large stack of arrows. Seeing him leave with a quiver full, I asked Slenderman: "Do we have anyone on arrow making?"

Slenderman nodded. "Better than that. We have Haruhi on it, as well as Ciel and Alois. They also have the delightful job of making pitch…."

Pitch.

We had pitch.

I grinned very widely. "You're joking, aren't you? I don't think Herobrine has pitch. Where did you guys get it?"

Slenderman went very still, looking around at the gaggle of soldiers choosing their new favorite toys. Finally, he answered, "I do believe that is a mystery best left unsolved by you, little one."

I stared at him awkwardly. He shook his head and hugged me briefly, before he started wandering around as well. He picked up a few swords, multiple arms growing so he could carry them all. Eventually, armed with five rapiers, a Needler, and what can only be classified as a big friggin' gun, he turned back to face me. He had grown a face, just so he could smile hugely at me like a kid in a candy store. "This is going to be so much fun, Mitchie!"

I rolled my eyes at him. Okay, maybe I needed more guy friends….

Unfortunately, he really didn't seem to think so and so he just pulled me very close to him in another hug. I could feel the weapons he held so proudly pressing into my back. I blushed. He really was ready to fight for me….

All I could hope for was that I didn't wake up during the fight, and leave him and all of my troops alone. Slenderman guessed my thoughts, and kissed me gently. "Easy, little one. You won't be hurt. And you won't leave us."

I frowned at him. "How do you know that?"

He looked away awkwardly. "I, uh, just know I guess…."
I was starting to get a little worried here. "And you know how? Slenderman, I trust you with my life and everything I care about, but I need to know….How do you know I won't wake up? And how did you get here?"

He bit his lip awkwardly, and he got shorter, seeming to need to be less noticed. He trembled, continuing to look away from me. "I uh….You see, Mitchie, there was this giant floating creeper head and well…."

The giant floating creeper head.

Okay, that made sense. Getting the weird feeling I didn't want to know anymore, I stammered quickly, "No, never mind, it's fine….I'm okay, I don't think I want to know any more."

Slendy relaxed, before he frowned at me. "You sound kinda paranoid right now, sweetheart. Are you sure there isn't anything wrong that I should know about?"

I nodded. "Of course there's nothing wrong. I'm fine, just a bit stressed about the upcoming fight and all…."

He tried to smile. "I can read your thoughts, and I know that's not what's wrong. Would you rather I just read your mind, or would you prefer to save me the bother and just tell me?"

I trembled. "The giant floating creeper head said that I was the only hope the world had for protection from Tulpas….Those are what you are, right?"

Slenderman nodded, and he seemed to get it. "You're scared of me?"

So, he didn't get it. He didn't realize that, no matter who or what he was or how well armed he happened to be at the time (no pun intended) I couldn't be scared of him…..

I shrugged. "I am scared that, if things go wrong…..And I get brainwashed again….All of the other Tulpas and Dark Ones will get free and they won't be as nice as you are."

He looked at me closely. "They aren't as nice as me, little one. There's a massive amount of things that are not only more powerful than me, but also a lot stronger. I might be Slenderman, but I'm not exactly all powerful. I wish I was, but there's a lot out there that will make me run for cover."

Okay, so that last sentence scared me a lot more than he meant it to. "There's…things that powerful out there?"

Slenderman nodded. "And I'm pretty sure that Herobrine's army will consist of at least a few of those beings…."

I looked up at him. "Don't tell me that…Please don't tell me that." I begged quietly, and he held me closely to him soothingly. "Tell me everything will be okay. Lie to me if you have to, but tell me that you can protect me and keep me safe. I need you to. I need you to be brave and strong, my amazing Slenderman….Please, be strong for me….."

He hugged me tightly, kissing the top of my head. I trembled in his arms, and he said quietly, "I will. I will do anything for you, Mitchie. And even if it means my death, I will keep you and those you care about safe. On my honour, I will see you through this. I will make the world okay. I will not let you die."

I relaxed in his arms. He was holding me still, and it took him a long time to be ready to let me go again. It took me even longer to be ready to be let go of. I smiled weakly up at him, and he smiled again before he told me to close my eyes. I did, and when I reopened them I was smiling at the pure white face of the creature that had sworn its life in service of me.

As his arms raised the weapons and held them proudly, I knew deep inside that I would never want it any other way. He was going to save me, and no one, especially not one of my fellow humans, would be able to do that for me.

Besides, he was Slenderman. Slenderman was in love with me. Who in God's name would turn him down? Especially because, if he felt bad enough, he could always just kill you….

And, with all of those weapons he held so proudly in his hands, he wouldn't find it very hard at all to kill absolutely everyone he came across.

Heck, knowing him, I doubted he needed the weapons at all….

Slenderman made a large holster, filled with ammunition and throwing daggers. He hung it from his left shoulder to his right hip, and shot me a grin. "Are you looking forward to this as much as I am?"

I shook my head, biting my lip. "Definitely not. I don't want to risk anyone getting hurt….Especially not you."

Slenderman eyed me carefully. "You know I won't be hurt, right? I'm very, very strong and I am also really dam tough to kill. I know I sound just a bit egotistical, but I really am going to be able to protect you and the others. I'll be with you the entire time, leading the charge by your side, just like I should be."

I smiled. "Thank you so much."

He flushed. "You know, you are the only one who has ever told me thank you. I know it sounds sad, but it really is true. You are one hell of a special girl, Mitchie."

I looked down, blushing again. "I really am new to you, aren't I? I'm special."

He laughed, nodding. "You really are, little one. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, shall you choose your weapons so we can move on and head back so we can inspect the new recruits? I'm sure you'll like them. I definitely do."

I nodded, and looked around. I could feel my heart catch in my throat when I spotted the most perfect thing I had ever seen in my life: A diamond sword. I picked it up, testing its weight in my hand. It was a good weight—not too heavy, and not too light. I gave it an experimental swing, and watched with wonder how the light glimmered off of the steel.

Slenderman smiled happily. "That looks good in your hand. Have you ever used a sword before?"

I nodded. "Quite a few times, in fact. Managed to save my own ass a few times in Minecraft. I never thought I'd need to use it again, though…."

He probably could tell I was feeling a little nauseous from thinking about this, so he pulled me close and hugged me tight. "Easy, little one, easy. This is going to go fine. You'll be with me every moment, and you know that I will never let anyone or anything ever get close to harming you.

I blushed. Okay, he was getting way too good at making me blush…..

He grinned at me, and hugged me tightly before saying, "You good with that? I think I'd like it if you took a Needler as well. Just as a backup weapon."

I nodded, and he led me to a huge pile of the purple spiky guns. I picked one up happily. "I've always wanted to try these….I don't play Halo very much, but it….It's really an amazing gun."

He nodded happily. "I have one, too. It's going to be my favorite gun, I just know it."

I smiled, and he pulled me for a quick hug before he let me go again. "Come on, girl. We need to get going."

Following him happily, the other soldiers and I darted outside of the base.

Of course, no one could ever expect what was waiting for us outside, least of all me….

Now, I want you guys to think back to your childhoods. Remember Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius? Yes? Good. Remember the movie…? And the really, really big alien chicken?

Yeah.

That was going to be fighting for us.

We had a gigantic alien chicken on our sides.

This was going to be a very, very fun fight.

I grinned, and looked up at Slenderman. He wasn't looking at me, but instead staring ahead at the source of the huge thuds that were echoing through the air. Feeling odd, I looked over and spotted….

Dinosaurs.

"Are….Are those dinos on our sides?" I asked weakly, and he nodded with a grin.

"We have dinos."

This was going to be very, very fun.

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