Gargoyles: Chapter 2: All Things Come In Their Time

One thousand years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness. It was a world of fear. It was the age of gargoyles. [Insert epic music] Stone by day, warriors by night. We travel the worlds that are and might not be. Now here in Norway …

In a cave someplace in the Norwegian highlands the main crew went about their work. The sun had risen just maybe half an hour ago so the clan was asleep. As for them, they walked about in their human forms to avoid the stone inducing sleep. Soft balls of magical light drifted around the ceiling to light their way. Yet the greatest source of light came from the open warehouse portal.

As it was the “puppy” that had hatched from that egg ran around sniffing everything it could. After they discovered that the crustal necklace prevented stone hibernation Wanderer had fashioned it into a collar for the dog. It looked like the cross breeding of a dragon that banged a pit-bull. Its skin was sort of that turquoise color you get after copper sits in the rain for decades. While its head sported a small nub that would one day grow into a nose horn and a crest lined with tiny nubs to protect its neck. Staring at the gargbeast Wanderer could see a type of carnivorous, mono-horned, rhino-triceratops thing going on. Although, he still didn’t know if this thing was a boy or a girl. But anyway, Wanderer pulled it off of another gargbeast statute. The puppy was trying to gnaw on the horns of the larger one.

The cave was mostly silent except for the dripping of water off in the distance. “Alright everyone. Let’s get this started.”

Tanthia moved to work closest with Wanderer as Medusa moved off on her own. Something had caused a falling out between the two women. They had both been doing so good until that other him had shown up. The gorgon had been more awkward around him since, Well, no time for that. They had seventy-six gargoyles, seven gargbeasts, and twenty-nine eggs to evacuate before those humans showed up to wreck this place. Making sure to get a good center of gravity he used his Conduit strength to lift the first gargbeast from the ground. Wanderer’s warehouse normally had a large open area for cars and craft projects. Now? Now it had stone statues, but not just any stone statues. These were exact copies of this clan.

The chest he had given to himself had contained much. Names, dates, places, images and so on. One such item was a USB drive with details on well over twenty-five hundred gargoyles grouped by clan. The notes didn’t tell him what to do with any of the information, but one of the more interesting aspects of the details was that they had pictures of the people both awake and stone. And it even gave a 3D model with all dimensions taken into account. A little thinking and he had just made copies.

Then it had just been a matter of getting his hands on the Phoenix Gate. So much easier as David Xanatos had been surprised to find another clan of their kind. The gargoyles had been even more excited. Medusa not so much, as she had to reject several advances from the trio. xanatos had been more surprised to find that Wanderer was the leader. Once again there were stories about him. Something about Pompeii and more, but the act that sealed the deal was that another Wanderer appeared escorting an older Xanatos that vouched that Wanderer could be trusted and with would greatly benefit all involved in a few years time.

Tanthia didn’t even bother to use her super strength. She just placed a tiny statue on the ground before waving a hand to change it back to normal. At the same time the copy shrank to a more manageable size. While he considered it cheating, he also knew that Tanthia wouldn’t do more work than she had to.

Time passed in relative silence. Tanny was sulking. Medusa was trying to keep away from her. And Krieger? He was off being Krieger. Mitsuko was the most cheerful of the group. Flying around all holographic as she was. Cheching out the cave and sleeping gargoyles. After the last of the gargoyles proper were stashed away it became time for the eggs.

Medusa talked as she placed one of the infertile eggs. She finally talked. “Don’t you think this is going just a little too far? Replacing the clan with inanimate statues was genius. But this ” she said … patting a foot tall, speckled egg, “This is just creepy. It’s the equivalent of you setting out human infants knowing that they will be butchered.”

“Meddy, it’s not the same. Dr. Krieger messed up this batch of clones.”

Dr. Krieger looked up from his egg. “It could have happened. I was trying to learn new sciences. There is bound to be some trial and error.”

“Yeah, and you would much rather have these stillborns smashed up than the real eggs. Krieger is doing important work to restore your kind. So don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” Placing an egg he looked up as he twisted it into its groove. “But I do understand your point. Now, that is the last of them. And that means we need to leave before those humans show up.”

“Wanderer-sama, Watashi wa sore ni tsuite kangaete kimashita. Gāgoiru ga sono yōna basho ni sumu koto ga muzukashī to sureba, do no yōna ningen ga sore o yatta nodarou ka? Korera no gake wa dono toshi kara mo tōidesu.”

That stopped them all in their tracks. “Well, it must have been some hikers or ” Stopping mid … sentence a crystal orb appeared in his hand. Images flashed before Wanderer smashed it against the head of one of the fakes. “Fuck!”

“Love?”

“There aren’t any humans in range! The blizzard is keeping them away just like it kept you three away.” “Oh no, no, no ” Medusa said shaking her head. … “Yeah,” Wanderer said looking each in the face. “So looks like we have to start smashing this … place up.”

“I call dibs on Brock!” Krieger shouted as bolts of electricity shot from his hands.

- - - - - Eyrie Building: 9 A.M., 1 year before jump ends- - - - -

The tell-tale ball of fire that was the Phoenix Gate vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Over three dozen Wanderers ran about carrying sleeping gargoyles to various places. Others were helping. A few Kriegers, several Medusa, at least one Tanthia and a number of robots all dashed about with sleeping gargoyles from different times and places. And so it was in the middle of it all Demona sat on her knees weeping at the sight of all those she thought lost finally being returned.

A trio of women approached and from their auras they were not near human. If asked Wanderer would say that they have fey like auras, but not quite. “So the World Walker has returned once more,” the golden haired Phoebe said.

“Um ” he said. He could feel Tanthia’s rage and jealousy just behind him. “Do I know you?” … The next to speak was the silver haired Luna. “Our paths have crossed several times and will again.”

“After all, our offer still stands,” That from the black haired one, Selene.

Wanderer was hesitant. These weren’t people to cross, at least not yet. “What offer?”

“Surely you remember,” Selene said.

“The Wanderer requires companions who are knowledgeable in magic,” Phoebe stated.

They way they kept talking was starting to get on his nerves. It was as if three bodies with one … mind. Wanderer understood. Even if they were individuals they were all the same person overall. “I have a sorceress.” He made sure to pull Tanthia in close, but still in front enough to be seen.

With a tilt of her head Luna finished their thought. “It seems that for now you are not the Wanderer we made our offer to.”

“You three! Get away from him!” An older and blood stained Wanderer ran up. He was missing his right eye and left hand, but that never bothered Wanderer. Those things could easily pop off without pain. It was still funny to see the look of disbelief of peoples’ faces when they tried to decapitate him. “You three know the rules, no spoilers.”

“How are we to know which Wanderer he is?”

“You all look the same after all.”

“At least most of you do.” Snide bitch.

“Shove it, you three. Why don’t you go find a Wanderer willing to put up with you?” They didn’t argue. They just turned and left. Turning the bloody man smiled. Wisps of flame and smoke drifted out of the missing ye socket as a new one grew as did a new hand. The hand took a few seconds longer. Wanderer knew how it worked. The healing required Conduit power and he lost a bit of charge to regrow things. Not much, but enough to make sure to keep just a little charged. “So, you’re the newbie.”

“I suppose ” … At that moment just under a dozen Tanthias rushed over grabbing his Tanthia. “We need her. Girl talk.” Just far enough away their Phoenix Gate swept them away.

“Yeah, they do that every time. Anyway, all of you need to put these on.” Each were given name tags with the number one embossed on it. “They’re for ” … “Identifying which incarnation in the timeline we are. Yeah, I get it, dick.”

“So, see you finished your first rescue.”

“Yeah ” … “Things aren’t going to be so easy for some of the rescues. Some of these,” he waved at the gargoyles resting on different pedestals. “Some of these you are going to have to get your hands on while people are around and watching. Come on. I’ll show you where to put them.”

- - - - - Place Unknown - - - - -

The light of the Phoenix Gate faded to leave Tanthia being stared at by upwards of fifty older versions of herself. Some looked nicer while quite a bit looked to grow more and more disheveled. “Good, now that she’s here, we can get started.”

“You said that last time!”

“Well, it’s my turn to give the speech.” One moved through the crowd without worry. She wore an almost calm look on her face. “To be so young and naive. I have some words to say before I leave. Your time in this world will be short and hard. You will fight and struggle, but in the end we all fail. I’ve tried and failed so many times. I am so tired of fighting.”

“What are we fighting?”

“You know, you have known for a while. It is the reason you are so upset at Medusa. The reason the Weird Sisters seek his attention. When we are finished here I will go to face my death. I do not know what awaits me after that. Maybe I will return to the fires of Hell. All I know and my greatest comfort is that our husband will hold me in his arms while I pass.”