*** DISCLAIMER: The X-MEN belong to Marvel Comics. They have been used
without permission. No profit has been made from this work. This story,
however, is copyrighted to me.

*** WARNING: This story may contain adult language, adult content, and
violence. If you're offended by these things, please don't read this.

*** NOTE: All previous parts of this story are being kindly archived at
the *Fonts of Wisdom* web page, which is at http://home.att.
net/~lubakmetyk/, and at the *Static Journal* web page, which can be
reached at http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/3169/.

BLACK LOVE (11/12)
By Jon Bartley

PART ELEVEN: "Heart & Soul"

Skuddly raised his index finger over his left eye, and made a quick,
final gesture with it. There was an echoing thud from water fountain
that separated him from Cyclops, and the water that flowed from it
stopped and was drained. Covering the water spout was a ruby the size of
a fist with a gold chain attached to it.
     "Deep within the ruby lies your soul," said Skuddly. He saw Scott's
hands tense, and he raised one hand dismissingly. "Don't reach for it.
Though it contains your soul, the ruby itself was made from the
petrified pieces of my own heart." The wishsmith took off his coat to
reveal a large hole in his shirt and chest. "Neither one of us can touch
it unless I will it." Skuddly motioned toward the ruby. "My heart, your
soul. We fight now. The winner walks away with both."
     Scott was beginning to learn the rules. If he asked under what
circumstances he and Skuddly would fight, in spite of his armor, he
would forfeit any and all cards he may have been holding to Skuddly. He
remained silent.
     "That you're wearing that armor," continued Skuddly, "gives me
reason to believe you've visited with Jessica Fynd."
     "Does that make you mad?"
     "Yes. I'm always upset when my wishers visit with my ex-wife. That
white cloth you tied around your head was the cloth that united us in
marriage."
     "Why did you split up?" Scott was eager to know.
     "You seem adequately armed. Why would I give you another weapon?"
     There was a long bout of silence.
     Scott thought, then said, "We should fight with our hands." It
wasn't a question.
     "We should. I enjoy working with my hands. The only question is
'how?'" That wasn't a question, either. It was an observation. Scott
sensed Skuddly was a very patient man, but even his patience grew thin
at some time. Both men thought hard before they responded. They were
meant to be opponents. Skuddly decided they'd wasted enough time. "We
will fight with our hands--with our wishes. We both will make creations,
and they will battle--in physical combat and philosophical combat."
     "All right. Agreed."
     The two wishers left the room and walked out into a more open space
..
     Skuddly put his hands together, and moved his fingers around. When
he opened his palms, the entire area was coated in darkness. "For my
first creation: BLACK."
     Cyclops grabbed a little portion of the wish-energy in the air, and
sculpted a small flame in his hands. "LIGHT" he said. The flame chased
away the dark.
     "A STRONG WIND."
     The wind blew the flame away.
     "A DRAGON," Scott said, creating a red, scaled dragon. The dragon's
wings were strong, and fought the wind fiercely, before winning.
     "AN HONORABLE KNIGHT."
     The knight slayed the dragon through its heart.
     Cyclops saw scars beginning to show on Skuddly's face, as well as
feeling the pain of his own wishes being defeated. It wasn't just the
wishes dying--the wishers were dying, as well. Scott decided to stop
battling Skuddly's creations with equal creations. He had to bring on
something powerful.
     He moved his hands, and, as he opened them, said: "SHAME."
     The knight's medals disappeared, then so did the knight.
     There was a tearing sound along Skuddly's flesh, and his heartless
chest bled. The wishsmith groaned, and created something else. "LUST."
     An image of a curvaceous woman appeared before Cyclops.
     "LOVE." he responded.
     The woman turned to dust.
     "HATE"
     "IGNORANCE"
     More cuts, scars, stabs, and slices appeared on both creators.
     "PERFECTION"
     "WEAKNESS"
     "GODHOOD"
     "CONSEQUENCE"
     "FUCK"
     Scott felt his head swell, his legs getting weaker, and an
undescribable sensation work its way all over his body. It was getting
increasingly more difficult to create things to battle this devil with.
Then it hit him. Finally, he knew how to defeat him.
     "LIFE" said Scott.
     Flowers filled the ground around them.
     "DEATH"
     They perished. Scott made another gesture, and the flowers had
returned.
     "POLLUTION" said Skuddly, destroying the flowers again.
     Scott made the same movement, and a different species of plantlife,
stronger than the ones before, sprouted from the earth.
     Skuddly gargled, and blood flowed out of his mouth. "I... cahn't...
" As the wishsmith fell to the ground, defeated, vines from the earth
wrapped around him, and life grew from his dead remains.
     Cyclops turned around, and limped off to the water fountain.
Skuddly, he supposed, was dead in a way. And perhaps that was simply a
temporary thing. But he was defeated. Scott grabbed for the ruby, and
put it around his neck.
     As Skuddly's smithy and its surroundings vanished, Scott walked off
into a new scene. He'd won and gotten his soul--and his opponent's heart
--but what he had to do now would be the hardest thing he thought he'd
ever have to do.
     Now, Scott Summers had to destroy his wife.

To Be Concluded...
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