Chapter 5: The Awkward Klavierstück

(A/N: God this chapter took a long time. Three days to be exact. It did not turn out well, in my opinion, but I hope it is.... Bearable? You can skip it if you want.)

(A/N: Maybe listening to dramatic piano music will somewhat help. Probably not though. This chapter is too confusing.)

----------------------------------

Seeing as this was here, Gale felt it was most fitting to play this piece. The sheet had manifested itself here for a reason, right? This had happened when he had touched the card, so this wasn't just any death trap, right?

[Hint here. Compelte the damned challenge and you'll get the card, idiot. Play the piano and complete the song.]

The line of text, was as always, a complete charmer. Embodiment of politeness.

Gale scratched his head. He felt like he knew what he was doing, but at the same time, great concern and paranoia clouded his head.

Adjusting his position on the stool, Gale cleared his throat, squinting at the music sheet in the candlelight. Cracking his knuckles, he began to play.

Immediately, as soon as Gale played the first three notes, he felt something fall upon his fingers.

It was warm, sticky and thick, giving one an unsettling feeling. Looking down, he stopped playing. This was indeed becoming extremely….. Terrifying. His fingers were covered in dripping, red blood.

The substance was definetly blood. Gale could tell, because it looked like blood. This defiently wasn't ketchup or cranberry juice.

Looking on, his skin wrinkled up and his face contorted in terror.

"GROSS!!!" It might have been unsensitive at the time, but Gale was a germaphobic. And this was an unknown person or animals blood that was possibly filled with bacteria. He waved it around, blood splattering across the woodenplanks below. Between germs and demons, Gale would choose demons every day.

While he could tolerate the Hog's Head, that was because he liked the atmosphere.

Gale looked down, watching as blood dripped from the lid. Turning back to the Music Sheet, he noticed a trail of words painted red had now appeared, with blood stains dotted the edges of the paper.

"Brace yourself….?" He said, scratching his head. The bloody words were vivid and had quite the impression.

*FWOOM!!!!*

Out of nowhere, Gale felt something change, as the view around him distorted, and he fell to the ground, stumbling. Hand's on the ground, he noticed that it did not feel of wood, but instead something smooth and cold.

The floor below him was completely black for a short area. Surveying his surroundings, Gale breathed in and out. Well, this was strange. Across the floor, were a few jutted rectangular areas painted black, while the rest was a long strip of white keys….

A giant wooden wall could be seen behind him, painted a rough black, with a single glinting bronze crest emblazoned on the middle.

To the side, Gale could see a giant burning candle, the fire flickering furiously and radiating a burning heat. Yellowed wax dripped down, flowing over the candleholder.

Taking in the surroundings, he was sure of it. The keys, the candle, the crest.

Gale was somehow, standing on top of the piano.

It didn't make sense.

Had he shrunken down? Why?

Looking at it now, Gale could cover about three keys with a single leap.

Slowly hopping down from the black key (sharp), he walked across the natural notes, or white keys. It seemed that he did not have enough weight or power to play it at the moment…. Maybe if he were to use the Ten Rings….

"H-hurry! We must make haste! Complete the music….. Or fear for the worse!"

A hoarse high-pitched voice suddenly arose out of nowhere, startling Gale. He looked around questioningly, not seeing anyone.

"If those hybrids are able to break open the seal...Then…. They will come!"

The speaker was filled with fear and desperation, and while Gale could not find the source, he nodded anyway. Best not dwell on that at the moment. He would have to make haste. Looking up at the sheet, the young teen knew what to do. Just play.

Though… That was easier said than done. Much speed and wit would be required.

Running forwards, Gale blasted off into the air with the rings, shooting down upon a note.

He jumped from key to key, shockwaves blasting about, playing the music as fast as humanly possible. Handily, each key, when played, seemed to go on for a while longer than a normal old grand piano would. His neck was quite sore after turning his neck so often….

Though, launching himself from one side of the piano too the other was hard.

*SKAREGH!!!!*

*WRAAHHH!!!*

And then, they came. The Werewolves, the hybrids, whatever one called them. The creatures appeared, warping into view before him. Now that they were in a lit area, Gale could now make out the entirety of their features.

The beasts, about twenty in number, were surrounded by a faint dark haze, with matted almost wet fur a pitch inky black, and razor-sharp teeth the color of silver. But what was most heart-wrenching and fear-mongering, were their blood red eyes.

It reminded him of something Gale had seen before. Not from the original purple card…. But from other things not related to the Wizarding World in the slightest.

Like the Ten Rings, it was definitely a part of some form of media… Perhaps, anime?

Shaking his head, Gale raised his hands, punching them together in defiance. A shockwave radiated outwards, knocking back a few of the closer "hybrids". This was enough of a signal for them to attack. About half of the wolves charged forwards towards him, while the other few went towards the middle of the Piano.

He narrowed his eyes. Those creatures were heading towards that bronze crest… Could it have something to do with the seal?

"Hurry! The music must be played! Otherwise, the sealing will fail! I couldn't finish it in my life!"

The hoarse, high-pitched voice spoke once more, this time panicking even more.

Pumping his hands into the air, Gale took off once more, twirling a bit in the air. Flailing his arms a little, he punched out, a ring flying out.

It shot off, smashing into a note, and another vibration rocked the Piano, the sound resonating in Gale's ears. At this, the werewolves paused for a second, howling in pain.

'Seems like playing it temporarily stuns them….' He mused.

Landing to the ground with a thump, Gale winced in pain, feeling the fall on his left knee. Still wasn't a complete expert at this.

Roaring, Gale raised both of his arms and lashed out once more.

*THOOM!!!!*

The Ten Rings acted, shooting out from his arms collectively. And then, they stopped moving, silver electricity crackling, the pressure in the air humming furiously.

Whirling his arms around, the Ten Rings followed like whips, striking the ground.

Gale gritted his teeth, feet clacking against the keys as he charged in head-on.

Swinging his arms forward, they became a blur of silver.

*Swsh!*

The "whips" came forwards, smashing into the werewolves at breakneck speeds.

Purple blood-splattered and the werewolves cried out in pain as they were sent flying.

Turning, Gale swung once more, the rings shooting out like bullets.

*THOOM! THOOM! THOOM!*

They shot outwards in the direction of the other group of werewolves, demolishing them.

Gale was quite surprised. It seemed that he had sort of gotten the hang of things….

As he fought, time seemed to almost slow down as he jumped down on a key, another low note humming.

*Boom!*

Thrusting forwards, he met the rest of the werewolves, fists a blur as he knocked them back.

*SKAERGH!!!!*

*RRARUGH!!!*

*SKREEEE!!!!*

Blood splattered against Gale's shirt as his fist of iron clashed against ragged claws.

All calm had left his body… Only instinct was left.

The Ten Rings made contact with the werewolves' claws, sparks flying in the air as they rapidly exchanged blows. Three on one. The feeling was wonderful, this pressure and adrenaline, the near-death experience.

Kicking out, Gale grimaced as he sent a werewolf back a pace. His legs did not contain the power of the Ten Rings, so it hurt quite a bit.

But it worked for him. The rings came down upon the werewolf, bludgeoning its skull into the ivory keys below.

He danced about the piano, his rings flashing and twirling about.

Gale whirled about, silver whips lashing out at every opportunity.

It was very awkward, the whole thing, but he was making it work. The only requirements were completing the song and not letting the werewolves open the lid, or break the seal. Honestly, the whole song sounded sort of distorted and awkward, due to the irregular intervals each note was plated at.

It would be something Gale was probably going to be ashamed of later on in the future. How had he, the three-time winner of the Sapporo Youth's Piano Championship fallen so low!? It was pure blasphemy.

Fighting away, Gale smacked one to the ground with the rings, spinning around. It really was quite a miracle he'd been holding on for so long without any injury. Glancing up, his eyes darted across the sheet. About twenty notes left.

He turned, eyes widening as he ducked, a claw nearly piercing his throat.

*SHCK!*

Coughing out blood, he looked down as the beast's other claw pierced his chest, blood spurting out. He'd really overestimated his own ability….

Gale watched in horror and pain as the werewolves descended upon him, vile serrated teeth attempting to bite him. He kicked and panicked, sending the werewolf flying with a devious uppercut.

"Crap. Crap. Crap." BIting his tongue, Gale cursed internally, one hand clutching his chest as blood spilled on the ivory keys, staining them a dim red.

*THWCK!!!!* Gale thrust out his arm, the rings flashing forwards and dismantling a few more werewolves.

"Quick! They are attacking the seal!" That annoying voice cried out, and Gale rushed back, retreating a little as he watched a few werewolves harass the bronze crest, swinging around their claws and biting with their fanged teeth.

Eyes glancing down at his wound and back, he heard that accursed sound once more.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Looking up, he watched as out of the lid, a dark mist came spewing out in droves.

"Damn. This hurts a lot…." Gale growled, enduring the pain as he raised his arms and slammed down, rocketing through the air, a blur of black and silver as he arrived in the midst of the werewolves. "Hello, friends!!!! Let me send you straight to your funeral!!!!!"

His breath was short and his heart beating at an unhealthy rate, he smashed his fists into the key below as hard as he could.

*BOOOOMMMM!!!!!!*

An explosion rocked the area, keys playing off randomly. The abominable werewolves were sent back flying. This really wasn't going to be a very good performance. Random notes in the middle? Off-tune? Delayed Keys? Gale smiled widely, but his inner musician was hurting a lot more than his chest.

Mouth wide and eyes narrow, Gale flexed his muscles, flinching. His impression on werewolves was decreasing by the moment. Still liked Professor Lupin though. He was a favorite from the series after all. Intuition told him that these werewolves were…. Different. Less human.

Body caked in red blood and purple blood, Gale growled. He'd probably get a nasty infection after this, but that wasn't the priority now. Running across, he slid about, stomping down and smashing a few keys to continue the scratchy unearthly orchestra.

Stumbling a bit, his vision was swimming and his legs felt like lead. Still, willpower, perseverance, adrenaline, and self-preservation were all running through his veins.

The whole game became a bloody arduous ordeal as he made his way down the piano, the candle flickering and wavering greatly, almost all of the wax melted.

And then.

15 Notes.

14 Notes.

13 Notes.

12 Notes.

11 Notes.

Only ten remained.

Gale slid through a beast's legs, fist making contact with its face.

*SKAER-*

The beast didn't finish speaking before its head was burst like a balloon.

Those… "Hybrids". Werewolves, whatever one was to call them. They just kept coming. Warping into existence, and being a complete pain. Gale winced in pain just thinking about them. His body was covered in gashes and bite marks. Purple and red blood mixed together, coating his entire face and body. He didn't really want to deal with it.

Dashing about, Gale made his way across the piano. Only ten notes. Only ten. He could manage. As long as his heart was still pumping, and his brain functioning, he could get the hell out of here alive!

Jumping, he dove forwards towards the key. Making a handstand, he jumped up, shooting a ring down, and the note played. Propelled upwards by the blast, Gale narrowly dodged a charging werewolf as it tripped to the ground, sliding across the keys and off the piano.

Wind blowing in his face, Gale, in all his delirium and pain, smiled widely. Times like this, and having to fight for one's life were both driving him a little crazy. He himself would admit, that at times, he had a….. Strange side to him.

Landing on the ground, Gale surveyed the area. The piano was at this point, looked like a dirtied canvas of modern art. A white paper covered in purple, with a few splotches of diluted red spilled about. Honestly, though, Gale couldn't really understand the lure of modern art. Someone literally sold a banana taped to a wall, and it sold for…. $120,000?

He was definitely not judging.

Part of the reason he'd survived so long was the shock effect that each key, when played right, would emit.

Otherwise the demonic abyssal demon or whatever inside of the piano lid would be out and about, and he would have been doggie chowder. Gale did not want to be eaten alive. In his opinion, it seemed like a pretty gruesome death.

Punching a werewolf in the gut, he aimed a few rings, blooms of purple arising as they made impact. His aim had really improved. Life and death experiences. Essential in his current situation, but not welcomed.

As he danced about, or more accurately, hopped around like a near dying fish. It was technically true though. He was nearly dying, and humans were technically descended from fish.

So did that make humans related to merepeople? Probably. After all, if what Gale remembered, all animals on Earth were related to each other in some way. Was it the same for the Wizarding World?

Shaking it off, Gale sprinted forwards, heading towards the next key. It took him about ten seconds to get from one side to the other, but the next two were pretty close together.

As he ran, dodging past the ever-increasing werewolves, his rings flew about, demolishing any werewolves that went near the seal. It was easier than one would think, as the dumb beasts seemed to want human blood more than the releasing of whatever hellish catastrophe awaited within the piano.

Gale was very thankful for this. He stepped across the blood, his feet covered in purple blood. Killing these beasts. It pained him. While a violent soul in general, he was actually pretty sensitive to many things and hated his uncontrollable temper and bloodlust.

He was easily pissed off when he was younger, provoked at the slightest taunt, or joke. It got better as he grew up, but anyone who showed Gale hostility and actually tried to get physical was usually beaten to a pulp, well, or he was beaten to a pulp.

When he felt attacked or provoked, an unadulterated pure rage took over, and most reasons left him, adrenaline and hatred prevailing and sometimes leading to some gruesome incidents. He'd never killed anyone before though. The worse had been a few broken bones….

Dashing forwards, Gale's head was filled with doubt and conflicting emotions. The pain and fatigue he was feeling did nothing to stop it.

As he ran, ramming into a few werewolves, another, had secretly managed to make it to the seal.

The creature drooled and slobbered, feeling something from this crest…. It was something unknown… But it was tempting, and felt familiar…. Almost welcoming….

*SCRATCH!*

The werewolf raised its muscular arm, and swung, claws scraping against the side of the seal. It was a painful, flinch-worthy sound.

Gale stopped in his tracks, punching a werewolf off of the pian, whirling around. But it was too late.

With this blow, the bronze crest shook, as if sustaining a heavy blow. The runes and letters engraved upon its surface glowed furiously as it turned a searing red, steam trailing into the air.

And then, something finally happened. The viscous black fog began pouring out with a vigor unlike anything before, and that loud bestial scream was heard once more.

*SKEAKRGH!!!!*

It was somewhat similar to that of the fog outside this shack, but it was different. Unlike before, this one was more…. Malevolent. It, like the werewolves, felt corrupted and full of hatred.

"Dodge! Dodge!" The nasal voice in his head seemed as terrified as always, but Gale listened this time. And it was probably what saved his life.

*Fwoom!!!!*

The lid snapped open, and crackling dark energy poured out, vile tendrils spilling throughout, all aimed straight towards him.

*TRCHK!!!*

Jumping, Gale crashed to the ground, rolling as the tendrils morphed and whirled about, forming a giant maw and crashing down upon the location where he just stood. The maw had razor-sharp teeth, made of the likes of shadows and ragged spikes down the sides of its jaw.

Screeching, the maw turned, displaying two crimson red eyes, that seemed to stare directly into Gale's soul. Then, with a loud screech, the creature was pulled back into the lid by some unknown force, the bronze crest emitting a low groan.

It seemed that the creature within did not care about the werewolves either, as the bodies of werewolves crashing to the ground could be seen, purple entrails spilled out.

Turning, Gale started running as fast as he could, pupils dilated. He really didn't know that things would turn out this way. Turned out that attempting to collect these cards could get pretty terrifying.

Arms trembling, he stepped on another note. Following in the wake of the attack, the remaining werewolves seemed more sluggish and terrified, and they all charged towards the bronze crest, ignoring Gale.

"Well, this is fine." Slamming down on another note, he flicked a few rings towards the preoccupied werewolves, demolishing them.

Six Keys.

Coughing, Gale stumbled forwards, arms and fists flurrying as a rain of silver annihilated any incoming or threatening werewolves. Keeping a distance had been doing him good. The maw had sort of shaken him out of his blood-lusting stupor and given him back some reason.

Five Keys.

Four Keys.

Three Keys.

Sprinting forwards, Gale zig-zagged through the werewolves. He was so close. Just two more. And then, he could possibly rest. Hopefully.

"Yes! Hurry! Surpass your limits!" The nasal voice, as encouraging as ever yelled out.

One Key.

Then, as he lunged for the last one, Gale felt a cold chill creeping up his spine. Stumbling a little, he raised his fist, about to smash down upon it as the piece reached its final moments.

*SKEARGHEH!!!!!* A screech rattled his ears as his fist was about to make contact with the key, and then, he was blown away.

The tendrils had gotten to him. The maw from before, manifested once more, rammed straight into Gale, sending him flying.

"Ah, sh*t." For the first time in a while, Gale wholeheartedly cursed out loud, spinning about. He fell, and fell, his body detached and broken.

But it wouldn't end like this. As the maw screeched in triumph, snapping back into the piano lid, Gale made one last desperate attempt.

Crying out, he flung a ring forwards, towards that one key. The silver projectile tanked, zipping about before it slammed into the piano.

*Rrrmm….* That final resonation shook the very ground, and as Gale dropped, plummeting towards the magnified wooden floor, everything around him…. Stopped.

-------------------------

I really underestimated how long this would take. it didn't turn out the way I wanted it either. I'll try not to make each "Card", this long and confusing in the future. As usual, please point out any plot holes or mistakes! Thank you~