The Way of the Ram

by Kevin Hensley

  She looked up again. Chugg was choking Healer to death. Almost of its own accord, the potted flower left her hoof and sailed across the obsidian office, smashing against the side of Chugg’s face.

  The pig flinched and whirled around to face her. His cigar fell to the floor. He rubbed his face, looked at his dirt-covered hand, and smirked. “Can’t wait your turn, huh?”

  While Chugg’s attention was diverted, Healer activated his innate power to undo the damage Chugg had inflicted on him.

  “Arghast talks to you!” Dreamer shouted at Chugg. “Don’t you get it? He guided us here. He’s been manipulating all of us!” She pointed. Chugg glanced at the dead orchid his desk.

  It had transformed. Its glowing white eye watched the scene unfold. The brilliant violet of the petals and green of the writhing stalks shimmered in the firelight. Dreamer’s eyes burned violet, Healer’s green. A perfect match. Dreamer smiled as she saw disbelief and then understanding cross Chugg’s face.

  “He promised me…” Chugg rumbled. “He said he would send a champion ahead of the Render. He meant… you. He convinced me to delay my project to ensure its success. He ordered Toxid to weaken himself by going for a year without blood. It was an act of sabotage all along. Arghast has betrayed me… betrayed his own son…”

  The gigantic pig bared his teeth and set his eyes on Dreamer. “It won’t matter. You’re no match for me. And even if you were, what happens here is immaterial. The things I’ve seen… this world is all dust in a windstorm. We are specks. The will of Toxid shall be carried out, no matter what happens to me.”

  Back at his full strength, Healer flexed his body and rocketed all four of his hooves at Chugg’s head, breaking the distracted pig’s grip and dropping to the floor.

  Chugg went for Healer. Dreamer slipped around behind the pig and tried to reach the computer on the other side of the sacrificial desk, but she was not fast enough. He saw what she was trying to do. Still squared up with Healer, Chugg stepped back to block her path.

  “You think you’ll just unlock that door and schlep out of here, huh? Clever little sheep.” Chugg snickered. “But not clever enough. You got yourself into this mess, now deal with the consequences.”

  Chapter 59

  Healer scraped his hooves against the tile, circling around the desk, eyes on the enemy, trying to calm his racing thoughts. He doesn’t know the real reason we’re after his computer. The idea that Swill could have betrayed him hasn’t crossed his mind. Play it smart. Dreamer was right. I can’t match him for strength. Gain leverage. Find a sore spot.

  “You’re right,” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “We can’t escape you. Good thing the outcome here won’t make any difference.”

  Chugg’s eyes narrowed.

  “It makes sense now. Arghast conned us all. He told us we'd be able to just come up here, defeat you, and take Render home,” Healer continued. “And you know what? I believed him. See, we know about the Hogdogger. We know how you’re going to release it into Fleece City and chase all my people into a sheep farm where they’ll be cloned for a food source for Toxid.”

  Chugg took a deep breath. “Who told you?”

  Healer’s pulse spiked. Found it. “I especially like the part where you kill all the dogs and birds to make sure Karkus and Optera can never come back. Luckily, the other gods aren’t taking that lying down. Arghast may have sent us up here to die, but he’s ruined your plan. Now that you’ve locked yourself in your office way up here instead of dealing with the Render, your beloved project is in jeopardy. While you’re wasting time with me, Dreamer’s just sent a nice psychic message to Render telling it to go ahead and rip the Hogdogger to pieces. Why do you think it stopped coming as soon as we showed up here?”

  Chugg’s fat face twisted into a red mask of eye-bulging wrath. “Who told you about our plan?!” he bellowed. “Arghast? That yellow-bellied Swill? I swear on the Devourer…”

  “Actually, Durdge told me. And Scurvert. Right before they died. They squealed like a… well, you know.” Healer grinned as he backed away from the sacrificial desk. “Suddenly the outcome here is starting to matter a whole lot more, isn’t it, Chugg? Your sons betrayed you and gave up the goods. If that project is your legacy, you’ve got a real problem. Because it’s never going to happen. Durdge made sure of that.”

  Chugg threw himself over the desk with a speed that Healer would never have imagined. The ram barely got out of the way in time. Old-Timer’s skull, the cigar and ashtray, the nameplate, and the other orchid were scattered to the floor. Chugg landed on all fours, letting out a shriek like a steam engine whistle that vibrated the walls and floor.

  Gone feral, the pig lowered his tusks and charged, smashing the chairs to pieces as he went for Healer. The ram scampered around the room, trying to get enough distance to turn around and counterattack. But Chugg stayed right on his heels.

  Healer got around the desk and managed to keep it between him and his enemy. He wondered why Chugg didn’t just throw it out of the way until he saw that it was bolted to the floor. He eyed the iron spikes coming out of the front and sides, forged three-dimensional figures of the snout-and-tusks Chugg company logo.

  Chugg lunged, but Healer jumped on top of the desk. The pig collided with the mounted block of iron. The spikes on the side ripped open the front of Chugg’s shirt, but scraped harmlessly against his skin as if it were concrete.

  “Pointless!” the pig thundered. “I’ve survived dog bites, gunfire, bombs, missiles, and any other war machine you can imagine! You can hit me with my own mounted cannons if you like! You think you can do anything to me?”

  “It’s a shame you didn’t pass on that trait!” Healer yelled back. He jumped off the desk to avoid a retaliatory swing of Chugg’s hand. “Durdge and Scurvert sure weren’t immune to a good stab! They bled out like stuck… well, you know.”

  Chugg dove into another uncontrolled charge. Healer tried to dodge, but this time he was caught. The best he could do was turn his head and deflect the oncoming tusks with his horns. But Chugg’s shoulder hit him, and the pig’s overwhelming mass was enough to throw Healer against the fireplace. The ram sank to the floor, stunned.

  “Heh.” Chugg got to his feet and picked up Healer’s unresisting body by one horn. “I’d just kill you outright, but my master has gone without for too long. And he prefers his sacrifices to be alive when he takes them.”

  “But you… killed… my father… at our house…”

  “Oh, Old-Timer. He wasn’t a sacrifice. That one was all for me.” Chugg tossed Healer onto the desk that doubled as the blood altar.

  Healer tried to focus his bleary eyes, but the blow to his head had done a number on him. He could see motion from the mass of black iron above him. When he realized what was happening, he tried to worm his way off the desk. The eyes of the Toxid statue above him changed from black to glowing yellow. The jaws flexed, reaching for him. Healer called on his hidden power to cure his concussion and give himself the strength to escape the reaching mandibles.

  But they had stopped.

  “They’re here,” came Toxid’s dissonant multitude of voices. “Karkus and Optera.”

  Healer and Chugg both looked. The unmistakable silhouettes of the two gods had appeared in the dancing light the fireplace threw against the wall.

  “Something is happening,” Toxid hissed.

  Chapter 60

  Dreamer crawled on her belly as fast as she could. She had avoided going near the computer for fear of being crushed by Chugg’s tantrum, but now the pig stood still. Chugg’s attention was entirely focused on Healer’s stunned form lying on the sacrificial altar. Toxid’s head reached down to drain Healer’s blood. Now was the time to act, and she had only seconds.

  She stayed low to the ground beside the wall, passing the fireplace and scrambling directly behind Chugg’s huge feet. She crossed in front of the little table the computer stood on. As quietly as she could, she took hold of the bundled cables and
tried to pull the assembly out of the wall.

  Chugg glanced out the window at the sound of the cannons roaring to life, but there was nothing to see. As he turned to look out the other window, Dreamer froze. There was no place for her to hide. His eyes fell on her.

  “Let go of that,” Chugg ordered.

  Out of options, Dreamer picked up the computer and threw it in the fireplace. The window blinds flipped rapidly from open to shut until the mechanism broke and the slats dropped to the floor, exposing the plate glass. The double door sealing them in the office swung open. The cannons outside went silent.

  Chugg howled with anger as he realized what she had done. Dreamer tried to run, but she was caught and pinned to the floor. Chugg threw her onto the table next to Healer.

  “Consume them quickly!” the pig shouted to his god. “You will need the strength!”

  Toxid’s iron jaws reached down again. Chugg laid a hand on the neck of each of the sheep, holding them both in place.

  Healer and Dreamer struggled mightily against Chugg’s grip, but they could not get free. Toxid reared back his ugly head and flexed his jaws, preparing to snap down for the kill.

  Dreamer turned her eyes away, unwilling to watch. She was thus the only one to see the terrible red form that flew past the window. Render circled around, angling into a dive, picking up speed, hurtling toward the glass.

  Chapter 61

  Amidst a deafening crash, a spray of glass shards, and a sudden rush of wind, Render flew into the room and collided with Chugg. The red cloak covered the pig’s face, obscuring his vision. He yanked the intruder off just in time to see the two sheep scrambling off the sacrificial table.

  Render clung to Chugg’s head, digging with its claws and pounding into his skull with the beak on its mask. The pig stumbled out from behind the iron desk, taking a grip on Render’s wrists and wrenching its hands away from him. It was very strong, but he was stronger.

  The red beast leapt back, rebounding off the wall and coming at him again. Chugg grinned and rushed forward to meet its charge. Render whipped its arms in a wide arcing slash.

  Chugg withdrew in shock, both hands flying to his face. They came away covered in blood.

  “We are anointed by gods,” Render growled. “Your equal and opposite. We can hurt you.”

  Render attacked, pressing whatever psychological advantage it thought it had. But it faltered. It shook its head and clamped its hands over its ears.

  Chugg wasted no time. He grabbed Render’s hood and threw his huge gut forward, slamming the smaller creature backward. He kept hold of the robe, yanking Render in for a headbutt to the face. Then he took hold of Render’s head in both hands and squeezed.

  “Goes both ways, I’m afraid.” Chugg laughed. “Let’s test the limits of that enhanced durability of yours.”

  He beat Render’s head against the fireplace and then spiked the robed creature right into the tile floor. Render lay there, sputtering, blood flowing from the eyeholes in its mask. Chugg took the liberty of stomping on its chest, eliciting a high-pitched scream.

  Stepping away, Chugg picked up the dropped cigar, flicked a clump of ash from the end, and took a drag. He eyed the two gods watching in shadow.

  “They quarrel,” Toxid hissed. “In the beast’s mind I can hear them shouting at each other. They overwhelm it with their conflicting instructions. The same arrogance that gave me victory over their world.”

  “What’s the matter, Karkus? Optera?” Chugg snickered. “Afraid to let your champion fight on its own?”

  For emphasis, he stomped Render again, this time on the head.

  Chapter 62

  Sinking into unconsciousness, Render could hear voices arguing. That was nothing new.

  “I’ve got to get in there and help!”

  “Stay with me and help from here, Healer! Use our powers! This is why Arghast wanted us to be up here. You keep Render alive. I’ll use my ability to help shut out Karkus and Optera’s nonsense. We can win this—but I need you to do your job!”

  “Alright… you’re right. But if that fails, I’m jumping in.”

  Those were not the voices of the gods. It was Healer and Dreamer. Lovely friends. They were sorely missed.

  Ponder. Mauler. Listen to me.

  Oh, pretty Dreamer. Render’s thoughts turned to her face as the sights and sounds of the battle faded.

  You’ve shown me that you’re not lost. Those gods may have turned you into a monster, but you are both still in there. I’ve seen it. You freed the little lambs. You showed mercy to the man in the lab. You focused everything you had on going after the one responsible, and now you’re here.

  Render felt the other competing voices becoming faint as Dreamer’s grew clearer. Then Render realized that it was not losing consciousness. It was just losing the noise. Everything else was coming into focus. It was here, in the present, in the office, with a broken body, with the giant pig bearing down on it.

  Healer was right, Dreamer’s voice said in its head. This pig is out to hurt everyone we love and he won’t stop unless we make him. He started this fight, but the four of us are going to finish it. Then we can all go home.

  These last words from Dreamer came at the same instant as a powerful burst of energy from Healer. There was a grinding shift as Render’s vertebrae returned to their proper anatomical position. With the healing came a new surge of strength through its ropy muscles.

  Render left the floor with such force that Chugg staggered backward. The creature anchored itself high on the wall, out of the pig’s reach.

  “Why run?” Chugg jeered to hide his surprise. “Don’t you understand what’s happening here? There’s much more riding on this match than even I’d anticipated. This is the title belt, and you and I are the prizefighters. Look around you. See your gods? See my god?”

  Render raised its head, showing that its orange eyes were again mixed with violet. The eyes rolled about behind the mask and then focused on Chugg.

  “We see you.”

  Render spread its wings and came lunging back at the pig. It raked with its claws, leapt out of reach from Chugg’s vicious counterattack, and then dove in for another slash. Again and again it repeated this pattern, deftly leaping around its enraged enemy. Chugg was dogged in his pursuit of Render, but every cut just made him a little slower. Every time Chugg managed to land a hit on his foe, the bones would mend or the wounds would close up as if he had done nothing at all.

  Toxid’s iron head swiveled about on its post. “The meat-sheep are interfering.”

  Chugg turned his head to see what his god was talking about, and so did Render. The two sheep stood in the doorway, eyes aglow.

  “Arghast mocks us with his sheep lackeys,” Chugg growled. He broke away from Render and charged back across his office. He laid both hands on the iron desk and, with a tremendous effort accompanied by a deep-throated grunt, he tore the spiked metal block free of the bolts holding it to the floor. Then he lifted it to chest level and hurled it at the two sheep.

  Render managed to get in the way and take the blow, deflecting the desk just enough to save Healer and Dreamer from being crushed. The oak panels on the desk were splintered off by the impact with Render’s body, revealing the desk as a single forged piece of iron. Render shoved it aside and took to the air to continue its assault on Chugg.

  But the hit from the heavy desk had rattled it, and Chugg caught it in the air. He took a two-handed hold on the front of Render’s cloak, ignoring the claws tearing into his face.

  “Let’s see those sheep bring you back from this,” he growled, yanking Render in close. He lowered his head and aimed his tusks to impale Render through the chest.

  At the last second Chugg seized up, dropping Render and screaming as he fell to one knee.

  Chapter 63

  Healer withdrew his horns from the back of Chugg’s leg, lining up for another attack. Render scrambled away as Chugg dragged himself around to see who had struck him.

 
; “What happened?” the pig howled. “I’m invincible to the likes of you! I’m blessed by a god!”

  “So am I,” Healer said, his tone cold. “More than one, in fact. You’re outmatched here. Toxid loses.”

  Chugg got to his hands and knees, laughing. “No, no. Toxid doesn’t need me. Just like Arghast doesn’t need you, and Karkus and Optera don’t need that freak. We’re pieces on their board. Not even key ones. We’re pawns, all of us. Our job is to get the big pieces in position. Like my project. And even if that fails, Toxid will endure.” With incredible effort, the pig stood up. “Toxid will have his way in the end. You cannot stop this.”

  Healer leaned to one side and whispered to Render. The red beast dropped to all fours and leapt at the pig. Chugg caught it by the throat and squeezed, preparing to break the beast’s neck. Render ignored the choking grip, instead taking a powerful hold on both Chugg’s wrists.

  Healer darted from under the sleeve of Render’s cloak, climbing up onto Chugg’s chest. The massive pig’s arms were trapped, and he could only watch as Healer drew back and then whipped his upper body forward. It was the last thing Chugg ever saw.

  The eyes that had dominated Healer’s nightmares went dark at last as he plunged his horns into them all the way up to his forehead. He was tossed away as the shrieking pig swung his head from side to side, flinging blood onto the walls. Chugg let go of Render as his hands flew up to his face.

  “You haven’t won!” Chugg rasped as he staggered back against the unbroken window. “You think you’re special, but I know better! We are all just foot soldiers in a war that started long before we were born in a world far from here! And it will keep raging on long after we’re all dead! I hope your little vengeance is satisfying for you, because in the end it’s nothing! I’m talking about other worlds, Healer! Other worlds! Nothing you can do here will ever matter!”

  Healer shook the blood from his head and glanced behind him. “You still have to go. Bye, now.”