"What, what's going on" The Doctor said as he was jolted awake.
"It's okay, it's okay Doctor, well it isn't, but at least we're not dead." Elena said as she helped the Time Lord up.
"I remember there was a giant dragon and it ate me, and you and Yarox too. Well obviously that can't be right, so I must have dreamed it. Tell me then where are we?"
"We're in the beasts stomach Doctor." Elena replied.
The Doctor looked up and saw that the roof appeared to be made of flesh and was even pulsating. The walls and the floor meanwhile were all cold and hard metal. Clearly the Dragon that had devoured them was a cyborg that had been turned in a vessel of some kind, or more likely a war ship.
All around the Doctor could see the villagers huddled together in fear as well as the remains of a giant boat at the back, whilst Yarox stayed closer to Elena. Yarox clearly felt safer with Elena than anyone else there, even the Doctor. The Doctor wasn't surprised. "On his first adventure I did get him eaten after all, though perhaps there was more to it than that" the Doctor thought to himself.
The Doctor was soon interrupted from his train of thought when the two doors behind him opened and a hideous, robed creature emerged.
The monster's robes were bright red, whilst its head was squat and green. It had no nose, just a snout, whilst its mouth was filled with small, pointy teeth. Its eyes meanwhile were bright red and set deep into its skull, whilst two tiny bat like ears protuded from either side of its head. Its cape was long and red, and though the Doctor couldn't see it yet, there was a strange black symbol on the back of the monsters cloak. The alien appeared to be part creature, part machine, just like the Dragon they were trapped in. Its arms were completely mechanical, and its entire squat chest was also covered in gold metal, whilst large wires emerged from the top of its head, right down the back of its neck, much like hair would on a person. The entire creature was short. It stood no higher than 5 feet tall.
"We have your TARDIS, Doctor. You will accompany me now." It said.
Elena and Yarox both stood by the Doctor.
"What do you want with him." Elena said defiantly.
"That is of no interest to you. You are all simply pawns for the master. Try to get in his way and." The creature shot an energy beam from its hands at Elena, bringing her to her knees.
"Stop it, please" The Doctor begged the creature, who released Elena.
"I'll do much worse if you don't help the master."
"Okay, okay." The Doctor said begrudgingly as he left the room with the creature. "Just so you know though, I don't have the best track record with people called the Master."
"The Time Lord's vessel is in our custody sir."
"Brilliant." The Inquistore interrupted. "Now we can finally begin the sacrifice."
"The sacrifice is not essential." The section leader snapped back. "The master simply thinks that it will help speed things along."
"All the excuse I need." The Inquistore said with glee.
"You never need any excuse." The leader said with disgust.
The section leader was the oldest of all the strange creatures there. He remembered when their world was actually a beautiful planet, and their race a proud one. Long before the abomination that the others now so willingly called master had come to their reality. The section leader could hardly judge his underlings however, as much as they may have disgusted him. They had been born under the masters rule. They had all been conditioned to be his warriors, creatures of hate who would kill for Scratchman without a seconds hesitation. It was the only reason his species had been allowed to exist. In all his own hundreds of thousands of years of existence however the Leader had never dared even lift a finger against the master. He was happy to condemn thousands, millions if need be to the Demons pit if it meant he didn't end up there. It wasn't fair, he knew that and hated himself for it, but ultimately he didn't have the strength to make the sacrifice that others had against Scratchman.
The Doctor was brought to the control room, which was also a combination of flesh on the roof with steel floors and walls. At the end of the room, several of the strange creatures gathered around a monitor, which contained images of the island, through the Dragons eyes. The Doctor could see several of the Scarecrow's now wandering aimlessly in the woods below.
The commander of these Goblins, who was somewhat larger and had a long, gold cape to represent his rank approached the Doctor.
"I don't understand why the master cares so much about you? You look like one of those animals we have caged below?"
"Well." The Doctor said modestly. "Appearances can be deceiving my good sir. For instance you look like an abomination, but I'm sure you're actually a lovely person."
The alien commander walked towards the monitor where it brought up an image of the Doctors Tardis, contained in what looked a large stomach.
"Ah yes I've heard you've wanted my vessel. To bring someone who claims to be the Devil or something into our world."
"You mean the master? Yes the primitives of this world believe him to be a figure from their mythology, but the truth is far worse."
"What is he?" The Doctor asked out of as much interest as fear.
"Even we don't know exactly, but I do know he is not from another universe. He devours each universe he visits. He feeds on negative emotions such as fear, hatred, and suffering. Whenever he visits a universe he tends to work in the shadows at first, playing us against each other, starting wars, until he is strong enough to not only take over, but reshape it in his own image. At some point however he was trapped in his own reality, but there was one tiny rip in his prison, which led to this world. For centuries he was able to absorb some, not all. Not even close to all, but some minds from, as well as send some of us through. Over the centuries we have widened it until he was able to send the elite, the Scarecrows, the Hydra and us through."
"I don't like where this is going." The Doctor said.
"Like your pet said below, the master has been observing your visits to this world for quite a while Doctor. Your vessel, run down and obsolete as it may be, is still a relic of arguably the most advanced race in your universe. The power it contains will be able to widen the gaps we have created just enough for Scratchman to enter this world. Then your universe will become like ours. Just think of what the master will do with your race, Time Lord."
"It will never happen." The Doctor said proudly. "Why do you serve that horror? There must be some part of you that still remembers what it was like think for yourself." The Doctor asked.
"Before Scratchman came to our universe we were conquerors. We had an empire spanning hundreds of galaxies. Now thanks to Scratchman we shall conquer universes. The master chose us to be his most loyal foot soldiers, because he believed that out of all the life forms in the universe we were the strongest."
"Or maybe he knew you were the weakest and would be most likely to bend the knee." The Doctor hit back.
The Goblin held the Doctor up by the scruff of his frock coat for a few moments before he saw the Doctor wasn't intimidated and dropped him.
"Take him to the vessel. He can help us divert its power to the rips. I don't have to tell you what will happen to those animals below who you seem so desperate to protect if you disobey us."
"I take it back." The Doctor said. "You're clearly not a very nice person."
Little did the Doctor know the Goblin was lying to him. All of the villagers and Elena and Yarox had been brought to the lower section of the Dragons stomach, just below where the Tardis was kept.
The Inquistore couldn't wait to have his fun with the prisoners. He was one of the most sadistic followers of Scratchman. In a universe filled with Demons and twisted monstrous caricatures, his cruelty still stood out.
"Why have you brought us here?" Elena said as she stood in front of the others.
"What a strange creature." The Inquistore said at the sight of Elena.
"I like its large eye. I'll keep that after I'm done with it. Will be fun to squeeze. The rest of you meanwhile, you are here to help his ascension."
A large ball of fire began to appear in the middle of the room.
"What is that." One of the villagers cried out in fear.
"A little piece of home."
The Goblin wasn't lying. This portal led to their home planet, which Scratchman had after claiming their universe, turned into the darkest and most feared hell world in the universe.
The cyborgs above meanwhile led the Doctor across a large walkway. 50 or so feet below, the Time Lord could see the TARDIS.
"It must be hard for you two Demons not to have to kill me." The Doctor said.
"It is." One of the Demons answered back. "We've helped to break so many who looked like you when their minds come to our domain."
"Yes but you need me. You need me to help rewire my own ship to bring your vile master into this world, so there's only one thing I can do" The Doctor said as he jumped over the railing of the walkway. One of the Goblins reached out to pull him back, but the Doctor who held onto the railings instead pulled it by the hand over the railing. The Doctor then hurled himself over the railing back onto the walkway and into the other Goblin as it came nearer.
"I'm a lot more spry than I look." The Doctor said, though he wasn't really. Still he did have the skills from his earlier incarnations passed down, and used them to try and subdue the Goblin with a bit of Venusian karate. The creature however proved to be immune and pushed the Doctor back before firing its energy beam at him. The Doctor however jumped down and rammed into the Goblin to try and push it over the edge. The monster however did not budge and easily overpowered the Time Lord. The Doctor however still managed to reach his arm round and rip the wires from the back of the Goblins head. The creature staggered back in pain before collapsing dead.
The Doctor stared at its lifeless corpse as well as that of the Goblin below for a few seconds. He hated having to do this, but the monsters had left him no choice.
The time traveller then ran to the end of the walkway and down the stairs to where the TARDIS was.
"Oh old girl I honestly though I wasn't going to see you again." The Doctor said with affection as he reached for the key.
"Don't worry. I won't let them." Suddenly the Goblin the Doctor had pulled over the edge of the walkway reached up. It was still alive and strong enough to crush the life out of the Doctor.
To Be Continued