Let The Games Begin (Pippa, 5th Doctor, Aixa,)

[Deleted]

Let the Games Begin.

Target: The Doctor-5th incarnation.

The Doctor excitedly whizzed around the controls of the Tardis, flipping twitches and pressing what seemed like random buttons, but of course, this was The Doctor. Everything he did was perfectly intentional! He was whisking himself away to a planet he very much longed to see. The lush green landscape of Castrovalva. A planet he had been meaning to bring a companion along to. But since he was sadly companion-less this day, He chalked it up as a personal day. And, after all, how many of those did he have? Well.. Any that was he was going to openly admit to? He stroked the console with a school boy grin as the tardis made it's landing. He pulled on his khaki trench coat, trimmed with vibrant orange, his rather smashing celery pinned firmly in place.

“Aaaaaah Yes!! Well, old girl”, he cooed affectionately to the Tardis “Here we are!! The beautiful planet of Castrovalva, with it's wide spanning meadows of lush green and-” He flung the doors wide open expecting to be greeted by warm sunshine, a soft breeze and lush beautiful green as far as the eye could dare to behold. But just as soon as he had eagerly swung the doors open, he slammed them shut and spun his back to press against the doors. “No.. No no no no, Not today!! We had a deal, old girl!” He spun around again to take a second look out the tiny window of the tardis, his eyes darting back and forth looking at the black sky and the landscape before him was crumbling stone and steel.

He flung himself over the console of the Tardis almost weeping, petting the console. “OH, Come now! We talked about this. Today was special”, But the tardis made a low groaning whoosh of the engines as if to protest his accusations indignantly. The Doctor's head lurched up in surprise at the Tardis' response “Now now, there's no need to get snippy! We both know you're a Brilliant Tardis, the best ever in existence” The tardis seemed to coo in reply as the engine wound down, but still made a low whine of the engine, insisting that it had nothing to do with their current strange location.

“Well, if it's all the same, to you, I'd rather not explore such a dreary place. So.. Come one.. Off we go” he urged flipping a lever to send the tardis on it's way. But the engine wound down to a silence. “Oh Come on! Now you're just being cheeky! I'm certain you dont want to be here any more than I do! So Come on, be a good Old Girl and let's away to find some warm sunshine!”. But the tardis had stopped responding. “Wha-? Oh Come on!! That's just not fair!! Who's mucking about with my Tardis???” His lip quivered into an almost comical pout as he patted the console. He drew in a deep breath, mostly annoyed that his little vacation had been involuntarily postponed.

As he stepped out of the tardis, locking the door behind him, he paused, looking at the landscape, REALLY looking at it. This wasn't even a planet.. Every inch of his skin crawled with a chill he had not felt for a long time. This was The Void. A strange realm that was nestled between realities. He was now sure that The Tardis would have NEVER brought him here intentionally... so.. What did? Very few things chose to exist in the void and none, that he could think of, had any reason to deal with him. So.. What was it? “Come on, brain. Clever brain.. Why are we here? Something wants us here, but what?” as he puzzled over the question, a small impish giggle broke the silence behind him. He whipped around to see the owner of the childish sound but saw no one. “Hmm.. Nothing there... Nothi-... Oooooh...Nothing..” His eyes went wide with the sudden realization. He knew what that something was now.. The Nothing. And there was only one reason it would want him here. Suddenly, the prospect of chewing glass while sipping tea with a Dalek seemed more appealing than being here.

The strange giggle rang out again, now to his left, Again, he spun around to see no one there. Another shudder ran down his spine and he finally called out “I seem to have made a wrong stop. You wouldn't happen to know how to get to Castrovalva would you?” Another giggle. He was growing a bit annoyed with being toyed with and let out a sigh of frustration, only to feel a small tug on the sleeve of his coat. The touch alone made him jump, but when he looked down, he jumped back with a start, arms flailing wildly as he fumbled around his pockets looking for something to wield to defend himself. The item of his salvation? His ever reliable and trustworthy sonic screwdriver. His eyes narrowed as he looked at it, almost disappointed, before having a good look at the owner of the hand that had tugged his sleeve. It was a small girl, Human, from the looks of it, ten years old was his guess. She was grinning playfully as she danced in little twirls around him. The Doctor stared at her for a moment, obviously confused. Was she the one who brought him here? He knelt down to be at eye level with her and offered a dashing smile. Perhaps she had somehow brought him here to rescue her. She did seem rather overjoyed to see him. “Well, Hello there? I'm The Doctor. What's your name?”

The little girl stopped her gleeful dancing to look at him, her arms tucked impishly behind her, rocking happily on her heels “I'm Yvie. It's nice to finally meet you, Doctor.” Finally? So she had been expecting him? He wasn’t sure if this was a comforting thought or not considering where they were. “So tell me, Miss Yvie.. Did you bring me here?” Yvie nodded and giggled once again, dancing away from him, skipping in a circle around him. “Yes.. Yes I did” she replied in a cheerful sing song tone. He tilted his head to the side, growing less and less comfortable with her. She seemed entirely too cheerful given their circumstances. He drew in a slow breath, not sure if he wanted to know the answer to his next question. “Can you tell me why you brought me here, Miss Yvie?”

Just then, Yvie stopped and looked up at him. The sweet childish face vanished into a hard glare, a cruel smile on her little lips. “Of course, Silly Doctor. I brought you here to die”

[Deleted]

Let the Games Begin.

Target: Aixa and Pippa

Pippa was absently skimming the channels on the tellie, looking for something interesting and.. tame to watch. Maybe the cooking channel? But then the idea was watching some master chef slicing and dicing and trying to charm the crowd suddenly lopping his own hand off? Seeing the kitchen erupt into a horrible grease fire, with the screams of the audience as they were engulfed, the fire exit doors unable to open and..? “No.. No cooking!” and she flipped through the channels until she came to the nature channel. There was a small adorable mother rabbit tending to her babies before heading out of her warren to forage for food. Sure Bunnies were cute! But then the music on the station turned sad as the narrator made mention “The rabbit doe takes a great risk leaving her babies, their eyes still closed, to find food to sustain her as she cares for her young. But as she cautiously steps away from the warren, the hawk that had been circling earlier notices movement in the tall grass and-” *CLICK* Her lip hung in a pout and shivered, turning off the T.V. Not the poor bunny!!! She couldn't even enjoy fluffiness without it being ruined.

Elsewhere, just outside of space and time, The Nothing paced. Having The Doctor was not enough. Simply killing him would not do. She needed to liven up the feast somehow. Perhaps another morsel or two. But where to find one. It would take a great surge of energy to nab her attention.

Back on earth, Aixa had been playfully pestering Pippa to try making a wish “Come on! One little wish? You know you're curious?” He had grown so comfortable with his new mistress that he rather enjoyed poking fun at her. Pippa swatted at him as she tried to concentrate on the phone call with her mother. Her mother seemed to be nagging her yet again about something pointless and on and on she went until Pippa finally told her mom she had to finish cooking and would call her back later. “Ugh, I love my mum but she drives me Crazy!”

Aixa eased up on his teasing, seeing her frustrated. Pippa was being so cautious around him, taking very precaution not to start anything she said with “I Wish”. It was actually kind of cute. But this time, her mind was so preoccupied with how annoyed she was that it just slipped out “I wish I could go somewhere quiet! Ten minutes peace and quiet”

Aixa grinned wide and dropped his arm onto Pippa's shoulders “You Got it!”, Pippa's eyes went wide as she realized what had just happened “DONT YOU DARE!!!”

But it was far too late. Aixa has someplace quiet and peaceful in mind, like some tropical island where she could actually HAVE peace and quiet. But suddenly, he felt something pull on him, like a fist in his gut ripping him sideways out of existence.

Sevaros was twirling her fingers like she was reeling something in towards her. This sudden surge of pure energy so close by was simply exquisite. It new, a source she was not familiar with. So of course she was going to tug it over to say hello.

When Pippa and Aixa materialized before her, her puppet, Yvie giggled down at them. The child was sitting on a high ledge looking down at them, swinging her legs in an a jovial way “Oh This is unexpected. Here I was, thinking to myself how much fun it would be to have some new play mates and here you are. It must be fate!” She pushed herself off the high ledge, which was easily 14 feet high, A drop like that would easily snap a bone upon landing. But within three feet of what would have been a sickening crunch, she slowed in mid air and gently touched down, lightly dancing on her tippy toes “My Name's Yvie... And we're going to play a game. For your lives..."

She motioned her arm to their new other playmate, The Doctor, who had only JUST been forced here moments ago. She then spun on her heel, turning her backs to them, arms opened wide and suddenly a gap appeared in the high wall with a corridor leading down the middle that seemed endless. Then another to the left and right appeared. Three different entrances to what could only be descried as stone labyrinth..

“Any Questions before we play?” Yvie looked over her shoulder, those glassy green eyes cold and resolute.

[Deleted]

She had very bluntly admitted that she was about to kill him. He had a feeling that she wasn't pacing the floor just to think of the best way to kill him off. After all he had about eight regenerations left and she could simply kill them off however she pleased. He didn't plan on having that happen, but seeing as how she could simply pluck his TARDIS out of space and time he kind of doubted he'd have a lot of control over anything right now. “Have you ever thought how I feel about all this?” He smirked at her, but he could tell that she wasn't exactly the kind to joke around with. She wasn't paying attention to him anyway.

Suddenly she started to spin her fingers almost as if she were reeling something or someone towards her. He kept vigil and looked around for whatever it was that she was summoning. There was absolutely nothing in the Void except now she had made a ledge appear and sat down on it with that smug look on her face. He really didn't like this little girl. He didn't even mask his frustration with a smile this time it wouldn't do any good and he didn't find the situation amusing at all.

Once he turned around he saw that two people had appeared. She'd summoned two more people to kill off? As far as he could tell they both appeared to be human. The woman looked completely terrified and the boy seemed to be protecting her. He would have exchanged pleasantries except he was furious now that she had pulled two innocent people into whatever it was she was planning. “Oh This is unexpected. Here I was, thinking to myself how much fun it would be to have some new play mates and here you are. It must be fate!” He turned back towards her and watched with a zealous glare as she floated to the ground in a graceful manor, “My Name's Yvie... And we're going to play a game. For your lives..."

The girl motioned towards him, but he didn't react to her. She then spun on her heel and stretched out her arms forming a large gap in the wall she had just been sitting on. Then another appeared and another, almost as if she were creating a labyrinth. She must contain enormous power if she can manipulate the Void so easily. He didn't know much about the Nothing, but he had heard enough stories as a child to know that they were powerful. Of course they had just been stories until now.

“Any Questions before we play?”

He placed his hands in his pockets and looked over his shoulder to the couple that had appeared then back over to the little girl. Did she really expect them to just go along with this with out a fight? He needed to find a way to stop her he just had to. There really were not many options for him at the moment though. So he just leaned back on his heels slightly as he kept his eyes trained on hers. “Yes I have one. What if we don't play this little game of yours?” His tone was calm and not very threatening in nature. Though that was mostly because he already knew the answer.

[Deleted]

Aixa widened his eyes in alarm. No, no, no he thought desperately, trying to fight whatever had a pull on him. He wouldn’t have minded if Pippa hadn’t been there – he would have welcomed the adventure, especially after being Pippa’s Djinn for a few days. Anything exciting would have been great. But this… whatever it was, it felt as though it were feeding on him. They landed hard in a desolate and ugly place. Great, Aixa thought bitterly as he stood in front of Pippa protectively. Now she’s going to think I did this. He casted an apologetic glance and a shrug as though to convey his own confusion to Pippa before returning his gaze to the little girl in front of him.

“Oh this is unexpected. Here I was, thinking to myself how much fun it would be to have some new play mates and here you are. It must be fate!”

“Yeah, sure,” he said drily. “Fate or you ripping my mistress and I to your world of darkness and evil.” Perhaps his description left a little to be wanted, but it was the best he could think of as he watched a little girl drop to the ground and then catch herself. He sighed, annoyed. And now he was going to have be a baby-sitter.

“My name’s Yvie… And we’re going to play a game.

Aixa lifted a hand to his forehead, rubbing the migraine away. Or, trying to. He was feeling a little dizzy, but that was surely because he had just been ripped out of transporting her while still in his energy form. Of course it had left him disoriented. “Must be a very nice game. What do humans call those again, Mistress? Bored games? This isn’t a very interesting game so far, Yvie. I’d say it’s worse than chess,” he said, looking around.

“For your lives,” she said, and then did some weird motion things with her fingers and magic’d up some corridors. “Any questions?” she asked.

Aixa took the form of a hyena. It was his default form to take when he was nervous about his or his owner’s well-being. The hyena did, after all, having a biting force of a thousand pounds. It would easily be suitable to rip someone’s throat out. He didn’t like to resort to violence, but he wouldn’t think much of it if someone tried to hurt Pippa. She was just a human – it wasn’t her fault that she had a Djinn.

“Yes I have one,” the other man said. The hyena looked quickly at him before settling his eyes back on Yvie, growling at her quietly. “What if we don’t play this little game of yours?”

The hyena stepped forward, the fur between its tense shoulder blades spotted and raised. The teeth were bared and he flexed the claws. “Why shouldn’t I attack you for attacking my mistress?”

[Deleted]

“DONT YOU DARE!!!”

Pippa closed her eyes, gripping onto the nearest piece of furniture but it literally disappeared from her grip. She almost felt a warm breeze on her face until it turned ice cold. Her eyes flickered open, Pippa gasped. She wasn’t in Kansas anymore... in a manner of speaking.

Heart practicing pounding out of her chest, she would have screamed if she could find her voice. Her voice were far away from a place she could use. Throat tightened and a feeble exhale was all she could do.

The scariest little girl anyone had ever put in a horror movie was sitting on a ledge. She looked at them in a gay look of hunger... hunger specifically to torture and kill. Pippa’s eyes were locked on her like a deer in headlights.

Was this what Aixa had in mind for a place to relax??!!?!

“Oh This is unexpected. Here I was, thinking to myself how much fun it would be to have some new play mates and here you are. It must be fate!” the little girl pushed herself off the high ledge, Pippa put her hands to her mouth, restraining another desire to scream. The little girl slowed just before hitting the ground. Somehow Pippa knew that was going to happen. She lightly danced on her tiptoes

“Yeah, sure,” Aixa said drily. “Fate or you ripping my mistress and I to your world of darkness and evil.”

Pippa wasn’t very surprised that this wasn’t what Aixa had intended... but that almost made it worse. This little horror was more powerful than Aixa. It didn’t matter if he wanted to protect her or not. In ten minutes there wouldn’t be anything left to protect.

“My Name's Yvie... And we're going to play a game.

“Must be a very nice game. What do humans call those again, Mistress? Bored games? This isn’t a very interesting game so far, Yvie. I’d say it’s worse than chess.” Aixia, said looking around.

Pippa barely heard him, her heart was pounding too loudly.

For your lives..."

Pippa felt her throat tighten even more and it became harder to breath. She was looking at the face of pure evil. Right there. The ultimate persona of horror. This must be hell.

Yvie motioned to another person. Only then did Pippa realize she wasn’t alone. Another hopeless, doomed, person stood, staring at it. Yvie threw her arms wide open and suddenly what looked like a maze appeared. It was startling that Pippa was still standing. The stone Labyrinth stood hauntingly, maliciously stating the obvious fact that Pippa was about to die a miserable, cold death.

“Any Questions before we play?” it looked over with cold green eyes.

Pippa took deep, quick breaths, on the verge of hyperventilating. Her throat was too tight to make a sound and her heart seemed to be pounding in it. Her face was whiter than a ghost, tears built up behind her eyes but all of her emotions were locked up within. She was beginning to have a panic attack.

[Deleted]

-Yvie smirked, sizing the three of them up. The Doctor and the Shape Shifting Male seemed quite brave as they challenged her. She looked amused as the new male seemed very eager to protect the trembling human female, who looked as though she would die from sheer terror any moment.

"Yes I have one. What if we don't play this little game of yours?” The doctor posed to her. She giggled softly and looked to the strange shape shifter.
“Why shouldn’t I attack you for attacking my mistress?”

Their daring to challenge her forced a stiffed laugh as she stepped towards them, a finger to her chin as she weighed her options.

"Well, I could always just kill you now. But what fun would that be?" Her eye seemed to twitch with annoyance and her neck craned to the side rolling her shoulders. "Besides, I'm obligated to offer each of you a sporting chance. Otherwise my symbiot, Yvie, here" , she motioned to herself in a disdainful manner, "She would attempt to rebel and we dont want that. I'd be forced to kill the child as well. Unfortunately I need her.".

She paused with a sigh, obviously annoyed that she had just divulged this information.

She smirked at the shape shifter, amused by his Hyena shape. Yvie stepped away with a giggle and pressed her body against the wall of the labyrinth. With the wave of her arms, wrapping them around herself, the wall cracked and groaned, the sound of stone scraping against itself. She had molded a small section of the wall to form a crude throne and jagged stone and steel. Yvie sat rather daintily in the stone seat she had designed for herself before her cheeks were suddenly drained of color and the smile disappeared to show a thoroughly exhausted child slumping over onto one of the arm rests. And eerie purple glow emanated from the small girl and steadily grew in size, taking on a form of it's own. The form was devoid on any features that defined gender, a black silky sheen that seemed to be it's skin. It was easily twice as tall as any of the adults standing before it and glared down at them with to large glowing orbes that could have only been it's eyes. It had no other facial features. It seemed completely ethereal, having only pure energy as a form.

The child, Yvie, looked at the entity weakly, speaking in a soft meek voice "Please, Sevaros. Only one. They dont all have to die. Just one?" but the creature snapped at her without even turning to look at her "Silence, human. I am well aware. You have set your terms, now I shall set mine!". Yvie flinched, obviously terrified of Sevaros. The Nothing closed on them and towered over them, seeming to analyze each of them. Her eyes stopped when they fell upon the human woman, Pippa. There was no energy coming from her at all. She was of no use to her. The tone of her voice turned dark and cold. "Your female is remarkably... unextraordinary. You asked my why you should play? The one who makes it to the center of the labyrinth and saves the female before her time runs out... leaves with the girl. The loser shall be consumed"

Sevaros curled her talon-like fingers, directing them at Pippa. The ground beneath Pippa's feet began to tremble violently as jagged vines of black steel shot up around her and formed a crude bird cage around her. Long serrated spikes pointed in at her threateningly like blades. "There is a catch, however. With every hour that passes, the little bird's cage will grow smaller and smaller. You can imagine what will happen if you fail to reach her in time." She knew they were well aware of Pippa's fate if they failed, but she chose to demonstrate to the potential outcome, mainly to terrify the human female. With the gentle twirl of her long black talons, a small dove was summoned into the void. Her hands seem to take a solid formas she physically held the terrified fluttering bird in her claws like a cage, letting them observe. Then, suddenly, her fist shut tight, talons curling inwards, impaling the dove, blood gushed and dripped as the poor animal let out a pathetic death gurgle and went limp. Sevaros dropped it on the ground without a second thought.

The child behind her, Yvie, was silently crying as the bird fell. This did not seem like the same child that brought them here. Was she a victim as well? Sevaros then lifted her bloodied claws to the black sky, lifting Pippa's cage into the air and sending it at high speed over the wall to hide her in the labyrinth."Now.. I believe that is incentive enough? Help eachother if you desire, or go at it on your own. I care not. You have Thirteen hours to find the female alive" and she began to shrink down into a mere cloud of particles and light and floated back to the child. The whisps of energy forced themselves into the child's nose, eyes, mouth and ears. Yvie seemed to silently writhe in pain looking helplessly at The Doctor and Aixa and whispered softly to them "I'm so sorry.. I'm so.. so sorry", her tiny voice breaking into a sob before she smiled that cruel smile once more. Yvie sat up and pushed herself out of the chair and levitated to sit once more on the high ledge of the labyrinth wall. "Now.. If there are no more questions.. I'm going to go see to it our little song bird is....'comfortable'. Tah!"

And with that, she kicked herself backwards to fall into the labyrinth, a sadistic impish giggle ringing through the void.

[Deleted]

The Doctor was surprised when one of the two turned into a hyena. Quickly he rationalized that this must be a Djinn. Unfortunately the Doctor didn't have much experience with that race, but it did seem that the girl was his master. So at least he was somewhat reliable. He knew that Djinn could be a little unpredictable with their intentions. Still he kept his wits about him and the hyena snarling menacingly at the girl made him feel a little more confident. Even if it really didn't matter how much brute force they had backing them.

"Well, I could always just kill you now. But what fun would that be?" Her eye seemed to twitch with annoyance and her neck craned to the side rolling her shoulders. "Besides, I'm obligated to offer each of you a sporting chance. Otherwise my symbiot, Yvie, here. She would attempt to rebel and we don't want that. I'd be forced to kill the child as well. Unfortunately I need her.".

The Doctor watched what happened next very carefully. The child created what looked like a throne out of the wall then the body slumped over and another being came out of her. The Nothing took the shape of a genderless figure with two large glowing eyes that stared down at the group of three. It was obviously made out of pure energy and couldn't survive on the physical plane without some sort of a host. That was what he assumed Yvie was for. He could feel his hearts break when the child looked up at the being and pleaded with it to spare at least one of them. She was frightened by the powerful being that was possessing her and he could feel sympathy tugging at him urging him to find a way to free her if it was even possible.

"Your female is remarkably... unextraordinary. You asked my why you should play? The one who makes it to the center of the labyrinth and saves the female before her time runs out... leaves with the girl. The loser shall be consumed" The Nothing continued. He knew that in the legends he had heard the Nothing draws energy from psychic beings or the energy a regenerating Time Lord gives off. That explains why she had brought a Djinn. He wouldn't be surprised if it had already drawn energy from the poor fellow.

He looked back towards the frightened girl as the Nothing motioned towards her. A cage formed around her and he took a breathe to steady himself. Words would do no good at this point so he kept silent as the Nothing explained what would happen if they took to long to find her within the labyrinth. To demonstrate it summoned a dove and let the bird fly into it's hand. The Doctor looked away just as he heard the bones snap as the fist shut tight around the helpless creature. Yes, obviously you've shown us that you enjoy death. He tightened his jaw as he looked back over to the girl it had trapped. He wasn't sure how this was going to play out, but he couldn't let them die as he sauntered off. Letting the Nothing continue to exist wasn't desirable either.

He focused on the cage as it was lifted into the sky and he kept himself calm as it flew somewhere into the maze. He tried hard not to look at the tiny child crying. There was nothing he wanted more then to help her, but there was no possible way to right now. Focus yourself. He stood vigilantly as it told them that they only had thirteen hours to find the frightened girl she died... and he presumed that they would both consumed. Then it began to descend back into Yvie causing her to writhe in pain. Her eyes fell on him and the Djinn and he looked away unable to hold her gaze.

"I'm so sorry.. I'm so.. so sorry."

Her tiny voice soon vanished as the Nothing took over her body again. It smiled and levitated back onto the ledge where it had been. It's laugh rang through the emptiness as it kicked itself back into the labyrinth. He kept his eyes focused on where it had been sitting for a moment longer then finally looked back down at the Djinn.

He wanted to smile, but after what had just happened he wasn't sure he should. A Djinn was in an awful state when separated from it's master, “I'm the Doctor,” He nodded towards the Djinn, “I'm sorry about all this, but I will try everything in my power to help save her.” It crossed his mind suddenly that the Djinn could simply try and solve the labyrinth before him and leave him for dead. “No one has to die...” He trailed off as he took a step towards the entrances. He grabbed a coin from his pocket and flipped it once then a second time. Looking up confidently he pointed towards the left opening, “This way if you'd like?”

[Deleted]

Pippa was being very quiet. Aixa hazarded a glance towards her, still in hyena form. She seemed to be having a panic attack. His eyes widened in alarm, because he wanted to go back to his human form and shower her in affection and reassure her. He couldn’t for a multitude of reasons – the creepy little girl giving out a very nauseating smell was still alive was the biggest and Pippa wouldn’t let him be affectionate towards her. She still shied away from him every time he tried to take another step closer, or sat next to her on the couch, or sat next to her while they ate ‘human food’.

Aixa looked away reluctantly, guilt wracking his body as he did so. “I could always just kill you now. But what fun would that be?”[/i][/color] she asked. Aixa rumbled another growl, advancing on the creature. Perhaps she did have the power to kill both a Time Lord and a Djinn, but Aixa would fight tooth and nail to ensure Pippa’s safety. “Besides, I’m obligated to offer each of you a sporting chance. Otherwise my symbiot, Yvie, here, she would attempt to rebel and we don’t want that. I’d be forced to kill the child as well. Unfortunately I need her.”[/i][/color]

It needed the girl’s body to live? The hyena’s lips parted, revealing jagged teeth. He snarled and leapt forward, prepared to aim for the throat. Perhaps the child was simply a victim, but she was of little consequence to the Djinn. Her body was being possessed by a creature that wanted his mistress dead and if killing the host was the only way to ensure Pippa’s safety… well. Aixa had no qualms killing an innocent little girl.

His teeth, however, closed around empty air with a loud snap.

He barked out his frustration, not only that she had escaped, but that she was giggling. The high-pitched laugh of a hyena sounded throughout the space around him as Aixa trembled with the anticipation of killing her. If the creature hadn’t stepped away and risen to a throne, he certainly would have torn her throat. Another throaty growl escaped as he watched a purple figure escape the child. His eyes fixated on the girl and his shoulders tensed, preparing himself to lunge at the girl.

“Please, Sevaros. Only one. They don’t all have to die. Just one?” the girl asked, looking at the creature. “Silence, human. I am well aware. You have set your terms, now I shall set mine!” she snapped. Aixa stepped backwards until he was beside Pippa. If it were any other circumstance – if Pippa wasn’t in danger, and it was only Aixa and the Time Lord beside him – then perhaps he would have felt sorry for the girl.

But as it was, the only thing on Aixa’s mind was ripping out her entrails and making her innards her outtards until the creature couldn’t use the girl as a Host. This creature was nothing but a parasite, a pest that needed to be thrown out.

“Your female is remarkably… unextraordinary.” No. “You asked me why you should play? The one who makes it to the center of the labyrinth and saves the female before her time runs out… leaves with the girl. The loser shall be consumed.”[/i][/color] And, with that, Pippa was stolen and put in a bird cage. Aixa’s eyes widened and he looked at the small child with renewed homicidal intent. He ignored the purple creature as she killed a dove – he’d done far worse for various masters and Aixa was no stranger to murder.

“I’m so sorry… I’m so.. so sorry…”[/color][/i]

She was going to be. Aixa held her stare, the hyena’s bright blue eyes burning furiously.

The hyena snarled as the creature – Sevaros, the human child had called it – told the two males she was going to see to Pippa. He lunged at the throne, tearing at the wall as she kicked herself off into the labyrinth. He took the form of various animals, all desperately trying to smash their way into the labyrinth where he had seen the cage being flown off. He could find her with no difficulty; as long as Pippa had his Lamp, her location was broadcasted like a GPS signal.

He was getting so tired. He finally turned back into a human, still slamming himself against the wall stubbornly. He finally took a step away, wiping away his tears angrily. His fingers were drenched in blood and his fingernails were torn and broken from scraping frantically at the stone walls of the labyrinth. He had to get her back. He just had to. There was no way that Pippa could survive without him. Not here. He took a deep breath, wondering why he felt exhausted. He slammed himself against the stone, cursing in Arabic.

When he got his hands on that little girl, she was going to wish that it was only Sevaros who was the Big Bad Energy Monster.

“I’m the Doctor.”

Aixa turned to the Time Lord slowly. Pale blue eyes narrowed suspiciously as he walked towards the Doctor. “You’re a doctor? You can help Pippa if she’s hurt?” he asked hopefully. His own healing prowess would be laughably weak until eight thousand more years. “I’m Aixa,” he said finally, rubbing a hand against his eyes, leaving a bloody trail against his face.

“I’m sorry about all this, but I will try everything in my power to help save her.”

“Don’t apologize for things that aren’t your fault,” Aixa said shortly, his lips twitching into another snarl as he felt another wave of both energy and sleepiness. He turned back to the labyrinth, looking at the three entrances with a scowl. He could tell where Pippa was, but that didn’t help him know which path to choose.

“No one has to die…”

Aixa shook his head, wondering if all Time Lords were as peaceful as this one. The Nomad certainly didn’t like to kill things either. “If any harm befalls Pippa, someone will die,” he said coldly.

“This way if you’d like.”

Aixa looked at the entrance the Doctor chose and lifted his shoulders with a meek shrug, walking towards it. “I can tell where she is, but I’m afraid that doesn’t help me know which route we should take… still, I think I’ll be able to tell if we’re going off track,” he said, trying to be helpful. “I’d try to turn into a bird, but… I-I think I must not have rested enough recently,” Aixa said uncertainly.

He certainly didn’t want to admit his fear in front of this stranger. He had to remain tough for Pippa. Sure, he was nearly a millennium and a half years old, but he was barely much older than an adolescent compared to other Jinn.[/size][/font]

[Deleted]

[/i], after creating a terrifying throne, came out of the girl. The purple demon towered above them. It was worse than anything she had imagined.

The surprise and shock almost jump started her heart. Inhaling sharply and quickly, Pippa stumbled to the ground. She only had eyes for it.

She didn’t even notice the awful little girl cowering at it also.


“Your female is remarkably… unextraordinary. You asked me why you should play? The one who makes it to the center of the labyrinth and saves the female before her time runs out… leaves with the girl. The loser shall be consumed.” Sevaros said coldly, Pippa gasped. She had to run... she had to run...

Pippa shakily got to her feet but just as Sevaros curled her terrible fingers, the ground beneath her shook violently. Pippa couldn’t catch her breath to scream, instead short gasps came out, ”Aixa! Aixa!!”

Jagged vines of black steel came up around her, she tried her best to maintain her balance but Pippa was clumsy. She toppled over, trying to grab onto something, but there were only pointed blades of death.

Pippa moved to the middle, a six inch gash on her arm and the hand that had saved her from plummeting into the wall of the cage entirely was bleeding profusely.

Pippa was lucky.

"There is a catch, however. With every hour that passes, the little bird's cage will grow smaller and smaller. You can imagine what will happen if you fail to reach her in time." As it told of the latest threat, Pippa looked meekly at the serrated spikes. She was going to die.

Pippa watched as she crushed a dove in her hand... She was left trying to not imagine her own death... It was too real.

Then with bloody gesture, Pippa felt herself rising into the air. She was going to be separated from Aixa.

”A-Aixa?!” she looked at him, unable to say what her heart was wishing desperately for.

Then suddenly the cage jerked forward at high speeds, it was then Pippa found her voice. She screamed and screamed, a scream that echoed throughout the walls of the Labyrinth.

When the cage finally stopped. Pippa looked around with frightened eyes. She had several minor cuts she endured from the trip over.

Being alone, all she could hear was her shaky breathing as she looked around. She had no idea where she was.

A sadistic giggle was heard and Pippa gasped, whirling around to see that little girl.

”Aixa will come for me.” Pippa said, not believing a single one of her own words, ”Y-you can still save yourself. He-he’s br-brave enough to date a werewolf, he’ll come for me.”
[/size][/ul]

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The Labyrinth was dark and ominous. There was no source of light except for the dreary sky above. There was a chilling mist that clung to the ground of the maze that swirled around their legs with every step. Once The Doctor and Aixa had stepped about seven feet or so into the labyrinth, the sound of stone scraping was heard behind them. The entrance of the labyrinth sealed shut. Now there truly was no turning back. A moment later, a loud and constant tick could be heard, like the sway of a pendulum inside a grandfather clock. Their count down had begun. At the moment there was nowhere to go but forward...

As they proceeded forth, the ground began to slope downward, leading them underground. The sounds of the ticking was still clear as ever as the came to a spiral staircase leading down, Two flame torches on either side of the entryway of the stairwell. The smell that emanated from the stairwell was dank and musty, the slow drip of water heard in the distance beyond the stairs....

A soft and quiet voice seemed to hiss from the stairwell., like a whisper. “Such bold and brave young men. Now we shall see just how brave. Within these walls and catacombs are more than twists and turns. For you, Doctor... I retain the knowledge and memories of every Time Lord I have slain. So I know a thing or two about what makes a Gallifreyan tick. The mutt however” her voice seemed to crack with an evil chuckle. “.. I shall be watching you... very closely. You are.... quite fascinating. And delicious. I doubt you will make it to your destination. Hmm, Pity” it said with mock sadness. “Oh, try if you can.. Your little human is.. dying to see you.” In that moment, Pippa's cries of terror echoed from the stairwell.

Just down the stairwell was a large chamber with five archways; One directly ahead, two to the left, and two to the right. Five Possible choices.

Your Progress thus far (As Aixa and The Doctor progress through the labyrinth, I will clear away sections of the map and update the image for reference..... Because I'm nice like that -evil grin- )


At that same moment, elsewhere in the labyrinth:

Pippa's jagged steel birdcage was nestled at the top of a spiraling tower that looked out over the labyrinth. The chamber was open to the sky, but there was nothing to behold. Only darkness. Not even the stars were there to shine a hint of hope to her. Pippa's steal cage was set upon a pillar and a chilling wind howled through the tower, chilling poor Pippa to the bone. As Pippa shuddered, that haunting giggle echoed in the distance and seemed to be coming closer. Within moments, Yvie dropped in from the open ceiling and smiled sweetly at Pippa, skipping jovially around the pillar as it suddenly began to lower, bringing Pippa down to Yvie.

A sadistic giggle was heard and Pippa gasped, whirling around to see that little girl.

”Aixa will come for me.” Pippa said, not believing a single one of her own words, ”Y-you can still save yourself. He-he’s br-brave enough to date a werewolf, he’ll come for me.”

Yvie leaned in close, her face nearly touching the cage bars and she grinned. “I doubt he will survive. The closer he gets to me, the weaker he will become.. Now, the time lord, I have to kill first to make a meal of him... But your little friend... what ever he is.. Just being in his presence, I can taste his power. Feel the swell of his rage as he hunts for you, desperate to save you. You must be very dear to him.” Yvie chuckled darkly, thick tresses of dark brown hair trailing over her eyes as she glared at Pippa, a smile that no child should have been able to make. A smile that even the bravest man would shy away from. “Oh, but I certainly hope he makes it to the tower. I want to see the look on you face as the light leaves his eyes before you die.”

Her eyes went wide with a sudden joyful realization “OH yes! I almost forget! We must keep track of the time! We wouldn't want your heroes to be late, now would we?” She danced in a circle around Pippa's cage and on the floor appeared deep carved grooves in the floor that resembled a clock. But instead of twelve slots, there were thirteen. In each slot, instead of numbers were large black steel and glass hour glasses. Each one was filled with white sand except for one. The hourglass that stood at the thirteenth hour's place was filled with dark blood red sand. “I imagine they have already begun their journey to find you.. Let's begin your countdown, shall we?” and she waved to the first hourglass and it gently flipped over, the sand slowly and soundlessly beginning it's fall to the empty chamber below.

She stepped away to observe Pippa's reaction with a cold smile. She seemed to be enjoying her torment.

[Deleted]

The Doctor smiled slightly when he saw the Djinn calm down somewhat. At least he would be agreeable and follow along. Right now he could use both of their help to figure this out, although he didn't want that girl to endanger her own life. Something told him though that she wasn't going to be doing anything dangerous any time soon. He put his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground as he walked in through the entrance. Aixa explained that he could still feel where she was and that would be a good standard to set for their path depending on how complex this labyrinth was.

“I’d try to turn into a bird, but… I-I think I must not have rested enough recently,” The Doctor looked up at Aixa's blood stained face. The boy did look rather exhausted and that could be because the energy he had spent trying to break through the wall. He hoped it was because of that though and not the Nothing feeding off of his energy. He looked away again and pondered of the situation a little more. This was all so strange to be captured by a creature he had heard of as a child. It was like a nightmare come true.

An eerie mist wavered just above the ground and as they got farther in he a stone door close shut locking them into this tragic game. His head looked back over his shoulder and he was dismayed to see that the only way out was forward now. Not a moment after a loud ticking boomed across the halls and his eyes trailed over the sky above them and across the room, “I suppose we'd better get moving.” He just knew that the ticking was going to drive him insane if the pressure he was feeling didn't get to his mind first.

“Such bold and brave young men. Now we shall see just how brave. Within these walls and catacombs are more than twists and turns. For you, Doctor... I retain the knowledge and memories of every Time Lord I have slain. So I know a thing or two about what makes a Gallifreyan tick.” The voice sent a shiver down his spine. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself by not thinking of what it was planning on how to kill him. Even though it had said one of them would live he knew that it wasn't going to keep that promise. Really all the maze was for was entertainment as far as he could tell.

Calmly he strode up to the stair well, glancing at the torches on either side of them. A few steps down he could feel the moisture as if it were an actual dungeon that had been sitting there for ages. The atmosphere definitely gave it a creepy sort of feeling, the kind of feeling a child gets from the darkness inside their closet. When he emerged into the room with five other pathways he frowned at the aspect of having to make more decisions. He really wasn't good at this so instead he walked over to one wall and placed a hand on it. Feeling it carefully he whipped out his pair of glasses with his other hand and put them on gingerly. After further examination they appeared to be real enough. Very clever. It didn't matter how clever it all was though, it didn't help him any. He looked around the room, taking in every aspect of it, and leaning forward whenever he passed by an entrance. He was really trying hard to concentrate, but fear was beginning to take a hold. There wasn't much to examine, but he tried to look like he was getting something out of it for Aixa's sake. He didn't want to reveal just how scared he was.

Finishing his walk around the room he came back to Aixa as he took off his glasses. Placing them into his pocket he raised a brow, “Well since you know the general direction to walk in I guess you should lead the way.” He didn't smile even though he would have liked to. This was serious, very serious, not the kind of serious that was easy to mask over with a grin. That and he felt Aixa would feel like he was patronizing him or something along those lines.

[Deleted]

Aixa continued forward, his fists clenched as anger rolled off him in waves. He probably had bruises under his eyes from the sudden exhaustion. He wanted to play it off as he had been trying too hard to get her back, but somewhere he knew it was something else. He had a ton of energy – if the humans could harness his energy it could be used to power the entirety of France for a few years. And that energy would only increase until he was very old. So it took a lot for him to even begin to feel tired.

He ignored it as the stone closed around him and the ticking began. He bared his teeth, planning all the beautiful ways he could eviscerate the young girl and rip about the stupid idiotic little energy monster. Oh, wouldn’t it be just so beautiful if he could take her to the Middle East and have her essence ripped out and stomped on and pulled apart and he was going to kill her if she hurt Pippa. Another flair of anger shot out from him, sending a ripple of hot air around them.

“I suppose we’d better get moving.”

Aixa stared at him darkly. He opened his mouth to tell the Doctor that yes, unless he wanted to be stranded and without the djinn’s company, he had better put some pep in his step because Aixa sure as hell wasn’t waiting on him. But he thought better of it – if the man truly was a doctor, then he couldn’t afford the possibility of being stranded with Pippa hurt and he wouldn’t be able to fix her. Panic rose in his chest – the Nomad had been killed and he had not been able to stop it. “Yes, we should,” Aixa said shortly, continuing down the path.

“The mutt however,” A mutt? Really? That was the best she could come up with? He was pure energy – he didn’t need a host. So who, exactly, was the mutt? “I shall be watching you very closely. You are… quite fascinating. And delicious. I doubt you will make it to your destination. Hmm, Pity. Oh, try if you can… your little human is… dying to see you.”

Aixa ignored the creature. It was only trying to bait him. What did she mean ‘delicious’? He looked at the Doctor silently, wondering if the Time Lord knew anything. After all, it was in his experience that Time Lords knew pretty much everything about pretty much anything. Granted, he’d only known one Time Lord…

He opened his mouth to ask, when he heard Pippa’s scream. His question turned into a snarl, his fingers descending into jagged claws, and a feral looked appeared in his eyes. He clawed at the wall, pretending it was the girl’s throat as the stone chipped away. He dropped his hands, feeling the Doctor’s apprehensiveness. “I promised her I’d keep her safe,” he said, his voice guttural and he couldn’t lose Pippa. He continued walking, his anger rising with each stride.

He was going to get Pippa back, he was going to keep this Lord of Time alive, and he was going to make it very clear to the little girl and her dyke of a demon that she was not to ever bother with his little Pippa again.

He slowed as he watched the Doctor pull out his glasses and began examining the wall. Aixa raised an eyebrow, not sure exactly what the Doctor anticipated to get out of examining it. But he didn’t want to disturb the man – perhaps he wasn’t a medical doctor, but a geology doctor. “If you’re quite done, Doc Rock,” Aixa said, unsure if he was annoyed or amused from the Time Lord’s antics, “I’d like to go find my mistress. She’s very important to me,” he finished.

Unless Aixa’s imagination was getting the best of him, he’d say that the Doctor looked a little scared. He stared at him quietly. “Well since you know the general direction to walk in I guess you should lead the way.”

Aixa nodded, turning down the second corridor on his right. He couldn’t tell if it was the right way to go as he felt Pippa equally no matter which way he went into.

“We’ll get Pippa,” he said, looking over at the Doctor in an attempt to comfort the Time Lord. “I’ve been through much worse than this, so don’t worry,” he said, taking several deep breaths to calm himself down.