Space Wizards

8. Death Barge

Four hours, a meal, and a nap for Murphy later they were standing in the teleportation level of Melock's portable tower parked on the moon.  

"I'm synced with Davie's tracking system and I think we'll be able to put ourselves inside the ship. This isn't an exact science, so we'll have to roll with the punches when we arrive," said Melock. 

"That seems to be the way of things with you," said Murphy, "I am ready."

She stood straight and tall gripping her mace on the spot Melock told her to stand. He double-checked his mobile device, dropped it into his pocket, and placed one hand on his golden amulet and the other on Sister Murphy. A delicate flash of pinks and purple surrounded them and flutters of sparkling light like tiny fireflies sprinkled to the floor after they vanished from the room.

They leapt across the vast distance of space instantaneously. Murphy felt like her stomach was flattened into her spin and her mind rammed through a third eye she didn't know she had. She mentally experienced 47,000 light-years of movement in a single instance. Her head was full of stars. The infinite nature of reality revealed itself to her and she felt the closeness of the gods. A spectacular array of light in every color of the spectrum blinded her eyes as the reverberating hum of an expanding universe deafened her ears. 

Murphy folded over and saw her feet standing on a steel-platted floor. She felt like she was going to throw up. Reaching up to steady herself she put a hand on a cool smooth wall. She looked up into a gigantic bloodshot eye that looked back at her with a gentle curiosity. 

Shimmering light filled the enormous room she was in. She stood dumbstruck before a glass wall as high as any castle and on the other side of it floated a leviathan. An enormous whale bobbed in the blue field of water. It fanned its massive tail and blinked at her. 

She backed away to see the entire animal and there was Melock swimming about upsidedown just above the great whale. His long white hair floated about with his robe; bare feet and legs kicking to reorientate himself in the correct direction. Melock reached out to touch the sea creature that could easily swallow him whole. Its skin was wrinkled and gray with massive white scars raked across its body. 

"What are you doing here?" said a gruff low voice from behind Sister Murphy.

Murphy whipped around to see a nine-foot-tall muscled hulk of an ogre with dark forest green skin, shaggy black hair, and bulging blue eyes. It was wearing ancient-looking once white full-body plate armor and wielding a jagged sword of the same material. Murphy took up a defensive posture and smacked the sword with her mace; moving it to the side slightly and forcing the ogre to tighten the grip of his huge green hands. He smiled with chunky square white teeth behind thick green lips. 

"A little warrior," said the monster, "show me your skill."

Murphy jumped and cracked him in the shoulder with her mace. When she landed, the jagged sword came down fast toward her head. She swung up and locked her mace into the wide sawtooth weapon. The monster pushed on her with his weight and she let him fall forward before slipping out of the way. He stumbled and righted himself before she landed three more blows to his knee, the elbow of his sword hand, and finally his exposed wrist. 

The last hit sent a wave of pain and anger across his face. He swiped hard and fast and Murphy attempted to parry the mighty blow. She put all her strength behind a blocking move and the jagged sword broke her mace in two. She threw the broken handle, hitting him square between the eyes and dodging his next distracted swing. 

"You're good, little one, but fun time is over," said the beast.  

Murphy crouched low readying to avoid his next attack. He swung the sword, distracted her in reach of his left hand, and grabbed her by the waist lifting her off the deck. His elbow went back and he aimed his sword tip at her torso. Murphy closed her eyes and said a last prayer to pass from this life safely and apologize for her failure. 

"Just a moment, if you please," said a dripping wet Melock. 

The ogre froze right before his deadly stab could strike. Murphy pried his thick fingers open and fell from his grip. 

"You're no match for magic!" she exclaimed. 

Through his clenched teeth, the monster growled. Murphy looked around for something to fight with. The room, though huge, was empty sans open steel doors at each end. The whale watched the unfolding scene with interest. Murphy pried the jagged sword from the frozen creature's hand and held the curved awkward blade with both hands. 

"Shall I take his head," she said ready to slay the monster. 

"Now, you wait too. I don't think he is our enemy."

Melock shook like a dog and the water from his robes and hair flew in all directions. When he stopped he was mostly dry. He swooped his hair up into a top knot and smoothed out his mustache. With a wave of his hand, he released the beast. 

"Gastraddars don't believe in magic. Give me sword back or I'll stomp you both!" His large steel boots could easily pulverize the two humans. 

"Ah, a Gastraddar, I wondered what species you were. My associate and I would like to journey with you and your whale here on his pilgrimage. Sister Murphy, if you'd be so good as to give the big fellow his weapon back," said Melock. 

Murphy stepped out of her fighting stance, flipped the sword in the air, caught it by the blade, and pointed the handle to the Gastraddar. He snatched it out of her hand and attached it to the back of his armor magnetically. 

"I am Øregård and this is Hvaal. He is not my whale. He is his own. Hvaal has piloted my tribe's battleship for generations. I'm taking him to the planet of the dead as his last right of life." said Øregård. 

The whale bobbed up and down slightly in the water. Its eye winced in pain with the act. 

"Are we aboard your family's battleship?" ask Melock. 

"No. This is a transport. Small, tough, but not for fighting." 

"Small?" said Murphy as Melock walked around their host to stand at her side.

Øregård sized up his guests and looked to Hvaal for guidance. The whale emitted a series of clicking sounds. A hidden speaker crackled and a translation of cetacean speak came in a computerized voice. 

"Greetings. I am Hvaal. Do not judge my friend for his aggressive attitude. The Gastraddars are much more than simply a warrior species. Though it takes one with keen sensibilities to comprehend the intricacies of their tough-hided culture." 

Murphy dropped to both knees hearing the whale speak. 

"Great Hvaal, Lord of the Ocean. I did not know I was in the presence of an ancient one," she said bowing her head. "I too have chosen the path of the warrior in my quest to vanquish the evils of our world." 

Øregård, noticing the old man was now at his side watching the exchange. He elbowed Melock and said, "your sister is an honorable one." 

"She's not my sister. She is a Sister as in a religious order," said Melock. 

"A holy warrior? That is good," said Øregård. 

"I'm Melock the Wise," he said with a bow. 

Øregård gave him a confused look.

"I'm what you might call a wizard. A practitioner of advanced sciences and magic." 

"No magics," said Øregård. 

"All right then," said Melock. 

Murphy stood next to the glass where Hvaal's eye was and they both, in turn, watched that exchange. 

Hvaal's voice cracked over the speakers again, "Øregård, I would enjoy the company and conversation of this wizard on the last leg of our journey. You could spend some time training this young warrior in the art of combat. Maybe give her a new weapon to replace the one you broke." 

Øregård belched out a huff, picked up the pieces of Murphy's broken mace, and signaled she should follow him. "Come on."

Murphy looked to Melock who settled down into a cross-legged position on the floor in front of the giant fish tank. 

"Go along," he said, "Øregård is a fighter for good, just like you. One mustn't judge a book by its cover. Don't be fooled by his intimidating appearance."

Murphy followed the monster to the aft of the vessel.