Down the Rabbit Hole...

[Secondary Characters]

As rock came charging at the Jabberwock, it leapt skyward. Wings spread and sent it rocketing upwards, like a massive space vessel at blastoff. It stopped, pausing in mid-air to observe the battleground below.

It saw him... and when HE demanded better, the Jabberwock would chuckle darkly. "Very well, fellow monster... but be warned I aim to kill..." it spoke in a dark, demonic voice before opening its mouth wide... light charging within...

A moment of silence passed, and particles of light would pull from the world around it, literally SUCKING life energy from everything in the area until its charge was complete... and in one massive, tremendous blast, it shot a ray of radiant white light, streaked with lightning and life energy, using the very essence of the world as its weapon... showing its total disregard of all that existed...

It was aimed with armed-forces precision... at Orestes' heart.

[Orestes]

Orestes watched with admiration as the Jabberwock unfurled its glistening wings, oily and leather like a slimy lizard, and rocketed into the sky. His body began to burn with the lust of battle and the premise of having a worthy opponent. He watched the wings beat once, twice, then the beast was high in the air above him.

Collecting his rock armor once more, Orestes began hurling spears of earth at his foe, intending to find a weak spot in his armor. It was only then that Orestes noticed the creature's body glowing with white light. He sensed a terrible power emanating from its belly, growing more fervent and wild with each passing breath.

Soon, the creature opened its gaping maw and Orestes leapt forward, intending to put a spear into its heart. He realized at the last moment that it was not a good idea. A ball of white energy began to grow inside of its mouth, and Orestes felt the drain of the grass, trees, even the stone and his heartless army as the Jabberwock harnessed all of it in a massive burst.

He lifted himself up, pushing a column of earth upwards to propel him higher in the air the instant the Jabberwock fired. The blast was centered at his heart, and he barely managed to avoid that. Being in such close proximity, the pure white light blinded him, and he cried out in anger and pain, losing balance in the air.

He flailed momentarily, slamming into the ground with no protection. He screamed aloud again as he felt something in his shoulder pop, and his back arched as he pulled himself to his feet. The hole left by the beast's powerful blast was impressive, and it seemed to destroy any and all darkness that came in contact with it.

Orestes already felt slightly winded, and he steeled himself, gripping his shoulder with his opposite hand and yanking hard to the left. A sickening POP! sounded, and he gritted his teeth as his shoulder re-located itself. Stumbling a few steps before he caught himself, he raised his fists, grinning insanely at the Jabberwock.

"That was nice...show me what else you got!"

[Secondary Characters]

In response to the man's obstinate yelling, the terror that was the Jabberwock came streaking down from the sky like a bolt of black lightning. At the last second, it's wings burst open to slow its descent only slightly, the entire heft of its considerable bulk slamming down on the man, one of its hands more than enough to cover his entire torso, its nails like prison bars locked about his shoulders, sides, and one quite expertly placed right through his knee.

The monster leaned down, the foul scent of its breath fogging over the heartless' face. It was the smell of death and decay, of a thousand corpses eaten and the scraps left dangling between the twisted points of the Jabberwock's razor-sharp teeth. Eyes would twist within their sockets, far out of reach of the man's fists and many-segmented like an insects, but Orestes should know... each and every one of them was trained on a different muscle in his form, all aware and all knowing of his every twitch.

"It would seem the standard magicks are of little use to you while mobile..." its voice would rumble like something out of a nightmare. And then, that sound would emit once more, the sound of life draining from the world. Inside the creature's gullet, light would begin to glow once more.

"...but what of a point-blank attack..." it spoke, then opened wide its maw to reveal that energy beam building in the back its throat once more...

[Orestes]

Orestes pulled himself (or rather, attempted to) to the left and the right, attempting to free his body from the grasp of the Jabberwork as it slammed into his body. He felt a talon enter his knee, and yelled aloud in pain, slamming his fists against the creature's thick hide. He could not penetrate it, and felt himself growing desperate, shattering earth and hurling sharp fragments against every visible inch of the beast.

"Let me go! Argh!" He gritted his teeth as the creature spoke, hinting at a point-blank magical assault. He saw the white beam of energy building in its mouth, and a cruel idea began to form in the back of his mind. As the creature prepared to blast him, he opened a corridor of darkness above the Jabberwock out of its line of sight, aiming directly for its eyes.

He gathered his power up within him, preparing to open another corridor right as the creature blasted him. There would be no time to counter. Only time for Orestes to taste the familiar flavor of victory as his foe was vanquished, once and for all. He began to laugh in spite of himself, staring the glowing ball in the face with contempt.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" He goaded, his body becoming still as he focused his power for just the right moment to strike...

[Secondary Characters]

The power built... and when it was released, the great irony of the prepared attack would surge forth. Into the gaping maws of the corridor would go the bright blast of the Jabberwock's gathered energies, and just as Orestes had twisted time and space, so too did he twist fate.

Downward it would come, funnelled and redirected through darkness this light of power. Into the back of the monster's head it would course, not giving the creature time to react as it had clearly no idea that the attack would be so skillfully rebounded. One-two, one-two and through and through, the vorpal blast went snicker-snack...

...and the head of the Jabberwock exploded in a rain of crimson and grey, the body falling limp and collapsing over Orestes in a steaming pile of dead meat. The Jabberwock, the great monster of Wonderland... had been beheaded.

[Orestes]

Orestes laughed. He laughed until his throat was raw, then laughed some more. He laughed until the echoes rang loudly in his ears, then stood to his feet, sloughing off the weight of the dead monster like so much unused slop. Cackling, the blood and grey matter of the great Jabberwock dripping from his body, he celebrated the moment by doing a snappy little tap-dance.

He cleared his throat, whistling shrilly, and the Heartless soldiers that were still in place in the courtyard melted into the shadows, drifting aimlessly towards him to regroup in a tight formation behind Orestes' back. He took a few steps towards the Queen, who, he was delighted to find shaking from a mix of exhaustion and terror. Perfect.

Orestes clapped his hands together, bringing silence to the courtyard before he spoke.

"What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet..." He turned to regard the Queen, taking another step towards her.

"Be bloody, bold, and resolute! Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm..." He let the word linger, savoring the last bit of the sentence as it passed from his lips. "Orestes! A crude twist on a classic, but it fits, yes? But enough of that! There are matters of the utmost importance to attend to!"

He floated on a small ledge of rock that dug through the ground, letting it take him to the foot of the throne. He looked up at the Queen, locking eyes on this frabjous day and beckoning towards her with his hand. He gave her a most beamish smile, and for a moment he resembled a young boy, far from the corruption and evils that had taken root in his soul.

"Will you surrender peacefully, or must I crush you under my heel...?!"

[Secondary Characters]

The queen took a step back, in complete shock and awe at this monster who had bested the Jabberwock! She shook her head, her knuckles white as her fingers tightened on her heart-shaped scepter. She gritted her teeth despite herself, somewhere between pure terror and raging inward anger. Then... strangely... she began to laugh.

Her head tilted backward, and she let out a loud cuffawing laugh at the poem the man muttered, as though she were obeying his command to scorn him. Then, she looked right at him, a wide grin on her face as she spoke. "You are a FOOL!" she yelled.

Suddenly, a horrible, massive talon would erupt from the man's chest. Someone... had forgotten about the recovering Jub-Jub bird...

[Orestes]

Orestes waited for the Queen to submit. He really did. He wanted her to lay the crown down peacefully, put away her scepter, and submit to him as the superior being, so he could go about ending her in the most amusing fashion, probably by utilizing the darkness of his soldiers. He needed more brutal, quick-thinking people like her in the Heartless Army.

But nothing ever went his way. He was beginning to realize that as the Queen laughed in his face. His mouth twisted upwards into a cruel sneer, and he began to gather rock on his body, preparing to skewer her body into a spike. He'd laugh in her face then, tease her about how weak the mortal flesh was, then he'd rend her apart before devouring her heart.

"You're just like the Jabberwock. You just don't know when to-"

He was interrupted by a sickening CRRRRRRRRRACK! as a massive talon burst from the front of his body. He gasped, his mouth open for a moment before the pain hit him. Instant and intense, it tore across his entire body. It crept up from inside of him, and threatened to rip him to shreds. He was reduced to a screaming, roaring blur of angry limbs as he fought tooth and nail (literally!) to remove it from himself.

Finally succeeding in pushing the clawed talon out of his chest, he cried out again as blood spurted from his gaping wound. He howled at the Queen in his rage, pointing a menacing finger at her before a cloak of darkness enveloped him and he disappeared from view.

"I'm not finished here...You'll be next!" He spat, the corridor of darkness vanishing.

*Several Moments Later*

Orestes tumbled out of the corridor, the maze-like green of the passage the rabbit ran through dark and murky in his vision. He crumpled to his knees, nursing his wound and biting his tongue to keep from crying out. His breath came in short heaves, and he felt darkness begin to peck at the corners of his vision. He fought to stay conscious, but he was losing the battle fast...

[Secondary Characters]

"and the momeraths..." a voice echoed... a familiar voice.

"Out graaaa~bah" it finished, its owner materializing nearby. The Cat was resting in mid-air, its toothy grin stretching wide as he observed the heartless below. "It would seem you've run afowl of something with wicked claws..." it said, chuckling a bit.

The Cat leapt down, and waddled over to where Orestes was, observing the hole. "My my, that's a wound... But you know... if you ever want to heal the dark, you need only turn on the LIGHT..." he hinted, pointing upward at the chandelier above. If Orestes tried to grab the Cat, he'd find that he already asn't there...

"T'was Brillig... and the slithy tothes..." the voice sang lightly in the distance... disappearing once more.

[Orestes]

Orestes mused momentarily about the Cheshire Cat's words.

"Turn on the light..." He knew that his wound would take time to heal. It was no small injury. He decided that he would contact his master and find out what his next mission would be, since he would need time to recover before grinding Wonderland to a pulp. He concentrated the energy around him, feeling his body becoming lighter...

Then with a snap, he disappeared, leaving only a few wisps of darkness in his wake that quickly floated to the ground and vanished.



***Orestes has corridor-transported to The World that Never Was***