Deathstalker 03 - Deathstalker War

all coming to the same, unspoken, thought. That the man who had already saved them twice was probably dying, and there was nothing they could do. Except hope he died soon, for his sake and theirs. So they leaned on the guardrails, looking out at the River and the passing trees, and tried not to hear the sounds coming from the esper's cabin.

    The toys were the most distressed. Another human was dying, because of toys.
    Even Anything became quieter and less argumentative. Bruin Bear and the Sea Goat and Halloweenie began taking turns sitting outside the door to Julian's cabin, so they'd be there if he called for anything. As though daring Death to get past them.
    About midmorning, they rounded another long curve in the River, and found the trees falling suddenly away on one side to reveal a modern city. Or, at least, a replica of a city. There were great towers and buildings rearing up into the sky, but all of them were one-dimensional wooden flats. Brightly colored, incredibly detailed fakes. It looked fairly convincing, until you got up close.
    And it was only then that the humans saw what a wreck the place was. Jagged holes appeared in most of the walls, as though something heavy had smashed through them. There were cracks and gaping rents everywhere, and some traces of what looked like fire damage. The fake city was about fifty blocks square, shining brightly in the sun. There was no sign of life anywhere. The Merry Mrs.
    Trusspot slowed her approach, and everyone crowded to one side of the boat for a better look.
    "What is this place?" said Finlay. "Who lives here?"
    "No one lives here," said Bruin Bear. "It's just another playground."
    "Looks like they play rough," said Giles.
    "Oh, they do," said the Sea Goat. "The bastards. This is the stamping ground of the superpeople. Superheroes and supervillains, fighting their eternal battles.
    Tends to be rather hard on the surroundings, so they were designed to be easily and quickly replaced, in time for the next fight. They used to put on a show for the human patrons; displays of strength and speed and flight, every hour, regular as clockwork. See the heroes beat the villains all about the town; see
    the buildings crumble and the walls come tumbling down. It was very popular.
    Until the superpeople became intelligent and aware. And realized they'd spent their entire existence jumping through hoops for Humanity's entertainment. They were the most human of the toys here, so perhaps they took it the hardest.
    Down-River, we were fishing bits of bodies out of the waters for weeks afterward."
    "Wait a minute," said Finlay. "Didn't any of the heroes fight the villains to protect the humans? I mean, they were heroes, like you and the Bear."
    "They were the superpeople," said the Sea Goat, his large upper lip curling.
    "And they didn't give a damn for mere unpowered humans. After the slaughter was over, they went back to doing the only thing that interested them. Fighting their endless bloody battles, to see who was stronger, faster, or the better flier. They've never taken part in the war. I think they believe it's beneath them. And I'll tell you something else. For as long as Toystown has been a refuge and a sanctuary, we've never had one superperson come to us, seeking redemption or forgiveness for all the blood they spilled. Bastards."
    "Is it dangerous here?" said Evangeline.
    "Hell yes," said Bruin Bear. "They hate the thought that inferior Humanity created them. The only thing they'd interrupt their contests for is a chance to kill some more humans."
    "Then why are we slowing down?" said Toby.
    "Well, sweeties," said a familiar voice behind them, "I'm rather afraid we need more fuel. I mean, darlings, you wouldn't believe how much wood it takes to keep our boilers running." They turned around, and there was the Captain, balancing on his two peg legs and looking decidedly upset. The parrot dozed on his
    shoulder, muttering obscenities to itself. The Captain tried an ingratiating smile. "We need more wood, sweeties, and this is our last chance to stock up before we hit the Forest. And believe you me, we don't want to stop in the Forest for more wood. Not if you like your head in the general vicinity of your shoulders."
    "All right," said the Bear. "Pull us in to the side, and we'll gather as much as we can. They'll never miss a few flats. But be ready to leave at a moment's notice. This is a bad place, people."
    He strode off with the Sea Goat to organize some axes. The