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Post by Bluedramon on Apr 20, 2015 19:11:47 GMT -5
Chapter 15: Heading Out
Where were they now? At this point, it was difficult to say. No... Impossible. They were deep in the ground with no light source outside of a very faint glow of the rocks here, and Rudy’s laser. The only way to know was to go up to the surface, but that was too big of a risk right now.
None of them remembered how long they had been walking. It almost felt like hours, but they were certain that was just an exaggeration.
Nonetheless, they had to keep moving. They had already delayed enough time when Rudy had to seal up the opening in order to make it harder for them to follow. The guard that came in would have surely noticed them missing and come after them. Or perhaps tell King Zander and the were would be a whole search party coming after them. This caused Rudy and the others to periodically seal up the path they were presently in in order to buy them some time
But how long would it hold? None of them knew for certain. Even if they did manage to get far away, they were still in enemy territory. If they weren’t careful, they were all in huge trouble. Most definitely the king would have spread word about them, and most of the citizens would know they were here, not just the ones in the city.
How would they react if they ran into them? There could be a variety of reactions. Some might be more understanding and disagree with the king. But as they had seen in the arena, most seemed to side with King Zander. They might report them or try to capture them.
Out of all of them, Rudy was in the most danger of being caught. He presently only had one working arm. The other was broken, and it was still causing him pain and distress. The zoners could take advantage of this and congregate around him. Rudy was going to need to stick close to his friends in order to keep himself from being singled out.
Barney had mentioned something about possibly having a map still stored on his system somewhere, but it would take him a while to find it. Sadly, said map would be out of date if he did have it, so it may not be too useful. Still, it was better than nothign. As they walked along the tunnel, Barney kept himself preoccupied by searching through the database inside of his body pods.
Walking through the tunnel with little light hadn’t been easy. There had been several times when one of them would trip and nearly fall. The ground wasn’t exactly cut smoothly by the laser, nor did it keep the ground from getting moist. Penny found this out the hard way when she stopped on nearly formed ground, only to immediately slip and fall onto her back. Snap helped her back to her feet quickly while making some kind of playful jab.
The process of cutting the tunnels was pretty slow. Rudy had been doing his best to cut quickly, which meant making the tunnel pretty thin and rocky. It was quite often that they would bump into the wall with their shoulders, or hit her foot against one of the turns that Rudy decided to make. They had to form a single file line in order to walk in the tunnel together. Barney himself was unable to turn around and was vulnerable to an attack from behind.
This had encouraged Rudy to work faster and he started to pick up the pace a little. He had tried to keep going straight, but going in different directions works out better, as it would confuse their pursuers more. If they went in just a straight line, then all King Zander would have to do is look at the map of his place, find where their line exits out, and meet them there. The zigzagging, on the other hand, would help prevent this and make it harder for them to find where they were.
Unfortunately, this meant making things harder for themselves. They discussed along the way how they were going to figure out where they were. They didn’t want to go to the edge and end up washed back. The only thing they would do to try to prevent that was to keep an eye on the rocks themselves and ese if there’s any profuse dripping. But even this might not be good enough.
Eventually, Penny decided that they were going to need to stop and think of a plan. There was no sign of danger. No sound. No vibrations. Nothing. They all gathered as close as they could together and spoke of what they could do.
One option was going up. This was tricky and none of them were too willing to do that. They might end up in someone’s house or in the middle of the street. It was possible that they could be very careful about it and just create a small opening, but that would still be tricky. Some zoner might still see it and want to investigate. If they were spotted...
Another option was just to keep going until they found lower land. Penny believed tha they were on a higher portion of the underground cave. If they kept going, they may eventually get to a lower part and come out. But this still came with the same risk as before, unfortunately. And there was always the chance that they’d go too far and end up cutting into the ocean. Which would be fine, except that they had no magic chalk, Barney’s wings were torn off, and they wouldn’t be able to get too far away before the Chalklantians detect them in the water.
And what of that shield? How would they get past that?
They realized they had forgotten about that. This was going to make the escape much harder. How would they get past the line of defense that entrapped their submarine when they last had come here?
Unfortunately, none of them could think of anything they could do except going into some security location where the shield was being controlled, and shut it down. That wouldn’t exactly put them in the most positive of light. After all, they would be deliberately lowering their defenses. This isn’t something they would think the zoners would take too kindly to.
They couldn’t stay for long, however, for fear of the king’s minions coming to find them. They needed to keep moving. Every second they spend wasting, sitting around, was another second the king had to find them. Though uncertain, they kept moving forward.
After several minutes of walking, they reached a series of small tunnels. They were all glad to finally be able to stretch themselves more. Especially Snap, who immediately rushed forward so he could stretch out his arms and legs, which he commented felt really good.
Rudy was glad to not have to use the laser anymore. He placed it in his pocket and he and the others proceeded through the natural tunnels slowly.
The tunnels were angled, twisted, with various different places to go. There were some sharp edges pointing up and down. The stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere, most of them small and easily broken off with a kick. Everything had a sort of wet feeling to it, like someone had sprayed a hose down here to keep it clean. There were a few small puddles of water. The sound dripping of water hitting the puddles caused a loud echo against the walls.
Just like in the tunnels that they had to chisel out, this place had some glow to it. It seemed that Chalklantis had plenty of this...this glowstone as they decided to call it. Penny believed that this was how the plants were able to grow around here. Snap commented that he was just glad they existed, otherwise they would be bumping into each other and everything in the dark.
Whether or not the cave had an exit was a story in of itself. Just like the Real World, there was a chance that this cave really had no exit. It may just be a cavernous opening in some kind of mountain. This was concerning, as tunneling through a cave structure like this was risky. It wasn’t like before when they knew they had thick walls all around them. What if Rudy cut into the wall and all the sharp things broke off and crushed them?
The travel through these caverns was largely uneventful. There was very little to see here other than the glowing rocks, and while they were pretty, they had other things to worry about, prompting them to move faster and hoping to find the exit sooner. That is, if there even was one.
At one point, they took a turn into one of the tunnels at random, since they had no leads, only to run into some tiny birds, who screeched like bats. They screamed and ran off as the birds flew at them, screeching loudly and pecking at them. They ran as fast as they could before they eventually hid in a small crevice. The birds eventually lost interest and fled, allowing them to get out and continue walking.
Not too long after, they nearly ran into a deadly-looking scorpion. It was pretty big for an arachnid, about two feet wall. It raised its stinger and aimed it at them. The group of four froze in terror, watching it carefully as it raised its claws in a threatening display.
Barney quickly looked up the information on it, and thankfully, it did not spray its venom like the manticore did. Despite its size, it behaved more like a regular scorpion, and according to Barney, it was just defending itself.
Being very careful, they moved along the walls, keeping their eyes on the huge scorpion. They kept their backs to the walls, staying close to each other, as they moved around. As soon as they reached the nearest tunnel, they went in and continued to walk down. Soon they were far away from that scorpion.
They continued to walk through the tunnels and the low-ceilinged cave. Other than those two incidents, they didn’t have too much trouble after. The main issue became trying to get out before too much time had passed. There were some serious deadlines to consider, and not just the one for Rudy and Penny’s parents.
For one thing, Rudy and Penny needed food and water, or they would gradually get weaker and perish. By leaving their cell, it also meant leaving behind the food they had brought in. They would both need to be careful to conserve their hydration and energy.
Then there was the matter of King Mumbo Jumbo. How long did he have before King Zander decided to off him? Certainly he would not want a potential rival to his throne, and he’d want to deal with it as soon as possible.
And what of the disease? How long did it have before it would cause massive damage to this place? What if it spread to the surface? They knew they had to figure out the secret behind this head deflator disease at some point. Barney promised to look up the information after they had gotten to a safe spot on the surface.
Not too long after they had entered an unusually rounded tunnel with a series of tiny, sharp stalactites jetting down in a row along the ceiling, Barney had finally pulled up that old map that he had mentioned before. It was a bit corrupted due to the removal of Chalklantis data, and he did have was broken up, resulting in a map that looked not only old, but half finished.
Penny examined it on his pod. After a few moments, she told the others that the shape of this place likely hadn’t changed, only the location and number of buildings, and possibly the number of zoners as well. She believed that if they kept on their current trek, they may be able to come into what appeared to be some kind of forest. Even if there was a chance that it was cut down and replaced with housing at this point, it was their best shot at this point.
They discussed this for a bit. Rudy and Barney were both concerned with the idea, while Snap agreed it was their best chance. They discussed it further before eventually deciding that Penny was right. Not delaying any further, they went down the path that Penny suggested and continued there for a while.
Eventually, as they kept walking, dirt began to show up on the walls. They continued on until the rocks began to slowly dissipate into dirt. Realizing that they must have reached a forested section, Rudy took out his laser and began to cut an opening. As soon as the hole was created and light started to shine through, they cautiously stepped out, fully prepared for fight or flight in case they had miscalculated.
They soon relaxed when they saw where they were.
They had made it into the forest.
sss
“Wow... I never want to walk...” Snap panted heavily, his tongue hanging out. “...that much...that fast...again...”
“Snap, we’ve walked a lot further before.” Penny pointed out.
“Yeah, but we weren’t constantly on the run from a bunch of creepazoids.” Snap pointed out. “Besides, that cave we ventured into was kind of warm!”
“We were probably passing underneath some kind of heated spring or something.” Penny commented. It did seem possible that the person who drew Chalklantis designed it to be that way. Penny didn’t dwell on it too long, however. “Anyway, we don’t have much time to relax. We should get going.”
“But which way should we go?” Snap looked all around. “It all looks the same here!”
“I could fly up and try to find something but...” Barney hesitated, gritting his teeth. Penny and the others looked at him sadly, nodding their heads in understanding.
Rudy’s eyes flashed once. “But your legs are fine, aren’t they?” He pointed at Barney’s feet.
“Yes... Why?” Barney inquired, looking at Rudy with curiosity.
Penny and Snap were interested as well.
“Did you think of somethin’?” Snap asked.
“Yes, Rudy. Did you think of a solution?” Admittingly, Penny couldn’t think of one herself. She had a feeling that it was going to be so simple that she was going to slap herself in the face for not thinking of it earlier.
And sure enough it was.
“Barney, you can climb up walls and other surfaces with those feet. Wouldn’t you be able to walk up one of these trees and see where we are?” Rudy looked around. He soon focused on what appeared to be one of the tallest trees of the area. “Over there!” He pointed. “That looks like a good spot!” He looked back at Barney. “Can’t you climb up that tree?”
Barney stared at the tree, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Well I suppose I could. But it’s one thing to climb up a rocky wall. It’s another to try to climb a tree...”
“Can’t you at least try?” Rudy asked, holding up out his hand in gesture. “Please...it’s the only way we will be able to get our bearings.”
“Oh all right...” Barney began to make his way over towards the tree. “But this is the only time I’ll be doing this!”
As Barney walked towards the tree, Penny took a moment to look at the surroundings that they were presently in. One quick look around told her that she wouldn’t want to stay in here for long, and neither would her friends.
The forest they were in was a bit dark. Not overtly so, but it was like someone took the lights and dimmed them. The trees were all tall and looked similar to redwood. There was a small layer of grass, this one colored more dully than the blue grass they had seen before. There were a few hills, but the land was mostly flat, as if someone had taken a large bulldozer and crushed everything. Tall ferns covered the land as well, colored a dull green, like someone had spilled the color grey all over it.
All around, there was an unsettling black glow. It wasn’t very obvious at first, especially since their minds were still racing from their escape. Now that she was relaxed enough, she started to notice it. All around, the black glow rose up, intermingling with the plants. She realized that this was the reason that the forest was darkened.
The glow itself created an eerie aura. She couldn’t help but rub her shoulders to try to comfort herself. It was getting pretty chilly here the longer she stood. She could practically feel the hairs on her arms start to stand, and she knew it wasn’t just from the cold. She knew they had to get moving. The sooner, the better.
She turned her head and looked at where Barney was. At this point, he had reached the tree. He had stopped in front of it and was looking up and down to examine it. Soon he began his trek up.
“I hope he will be all right.” Rudy commented softly as he watched Barney. “I would feel horrible if he got hurt.”
“Don’t worry, Bucko. Barney will be fine! He was built for this sort of climbing!” Snap raised his hands in the air as he tried to reassure Rudy.
“I’m sure Barney will be fine. But...” Penny stared over at where Barney was. He was a bit of a distance away. She bit her lip. She didn’t like that. Not here, not in this place. “Let’s go join him at the tree. It is best if we stick together.”
“Good idea.” Rudy nodded his head.
The trio headed towards the tree. They constantly looked up as Barney began to make his progress, then they would occassionally look around at their surroundings, visibly flinching at how dreadful this place was starting to look. The arena looked more attractive than this. Okay, so that was a bit of stretch.
As they continued to walk, soon reaching the tree, Penny began to have a feeling of deja vu. And she wasn’t the only one.
“Looks like we’re all together again.” Snap looked up towards the sky, or rather, the ceiling of this enormous cave. “The four of us on an adventure.” He put emphasis on the word ‘four’.
“Yeah, but this isn’t like before.” Rudy’s voice had a solemn tone to it, his eyes furrowing in concern. “This is...so different...”
Indeed it was. Penny couldn’t disagree with that. This was their second adventure with Barney, and it did spring up uncomfortable memories of the balloonemia outbreak.
But their present situation wasn’t like that. In some ways, this was worse. Not only was their an epidemic here, but there were a bunch of human-hating, surface-loathing zoners who seemed to want them dead, they were trapped underwater with literally no way to contact their friends on the surface, and they were chalkless.
Well, at least they were trying. It was all they could do.
Penny looked up at Barney, noticing he had gotten halfway up there at this point. He had slipped a few times, but thankfully managed to hold on. She felt her chest tighten with emotion as she watched him. She hoped that whatever Barney found would be able to help them get out of here.
sss
Climbing up the tree wasn’t as easy of a task as Barney thought it would be. The tree wasn’t exactly smooth, and the branches were weak in some places. This caused him to nearly fall down a few times on his way up. He did manage to hold on, but he suffered a few close calls.
He could feel a wave of familiarity as he did this. It had been a long time since he walked up anything like this. Ever since Rudy gave him wings, wall climbing just seemed...inefficient. Now he was putting that old skill to good use again. It was like riding a bike; he didn’t forget, even if going up initially caused a few hiccups at first.
Barney was careful as he walked up the tree. There were several branches that were lowered towards him, and if he wasn’t careful, he’d brush up against them, hitting his shoulders. Each time his shoulders were touched when he miscalculated, he had to freeze and shiver in pain. Then he’d suffer flashbacks from when Kairos had him tortured. He managed to push back the memories to continue, though for how long, he wasn’t sure.
Barney was not entirely surprised by what Kairos had done. He had known about what he was really like for a long while now. The only thing that truly surprised him was how long it took for Kairos to do something to him. He had pissed off Kairos before, and he had thought he would have tried to get him back sooner.
Knowing that the attack was coming did little to comfort him. That didn’t make his experience any less horrific. He could still feel the pulling, the biting, the tearing....
Barney suddenly hit his foot against a branch. He toppled over, winding up hanging across the limb. He must not have been paying attention enough. He grumbled to himself for such stupidity.
“Barney!”
“Are you okay?!”
Barney nearly jolted at that. He clutched his chest, feeling it beat quickly. Had they been discovered already?
Looking down, he could see that it was just Rudy and his friends. He let out a sigh of relief. He felt a flash of anger and wished that they had been more careful about calling out to him. He quickly shrugged it off and gave an answer back. “I’m fine! Don’t worry!”
Barney turned his head around and looked at the trunk of the tree. He tapped his finger on his chin to try to figure out how best to go about this. Slowly, he placed his feet on the bottom of the branch. He proceeded to walk, goind upside down before quickly rounding himself back up and soon he was on his way again.
He was nearing the top now. The branches had gotten much shorter and thinner at this point. They were curving inward, creating a point at the top. The leaves were in a larger congretation near the top. He was getting ever closer to them and soon he was in their shade.
He paused when he felt one of the branches touch him a little too close to that one spot. He realized, in horror, that he wasn’t going to be able to proceed through here without moving through these branches, which were more numerous and thicker than down further. But he couldn’t just stop now. He was almost there. He could endure a few brushes, couldn’t he?
He had little choice. Narrowing his eyes and sucking in a deep breath, Barney proceeded to go up, preparing himself for the worst.
But he wasn’t prepared for the world of pain he had put himself in as soon as he went up. The several tiny branches constantly scraped against his back, hitting against the nubs where his wings used to be. His eyes bulged and tears of pain began to drip down his face. He stifled his screams, biting down on his tongue, nearly cutting into it.
Despite his mind telling him to stop, he quickened his pace. If he could just get to the top quickly, it would end the pain faster. He tried to ignore the scrapes and the pokes of the branches as he quickly moved up. His feet slipped a few times and he ended up falling a few feet down, forcing him to relive through the pain for longer.
Finally, after much struggling, he reached the top of the tree. He could feel the branches, softer up where, push against his body. He could feel his back radiating in pain from the constant irritation. He was certain that he got something in his back wounds. He would have Penny look at them later.
The first thing he did was look down. He was really high up. He could barely see his friends down there. If they tried to shout at him when he was this high up, there was no way that he would be able to hear them, and they wouldn’t hear him either. He wrapped his body around the narrow tip to give himself some support. He raised himself up and placed a hand over his eyes and looked around.
The forest they were in was quite large. In all directions, it stretched for at least a few miles. He continued to scan the area and tried to see if he could figure out which way was the best.
In one direction, they were near the wall. He could see the tall, rocky, slick structure rise up from the ground and curve upwards many feet up in the air. A large ‘window’, whatever the Chalklantians call it, was directly overhead, allowing him to see a small fish swim by.
Looking in another direction, he could see the hallway tunnels above them, stretching across the ceiling of this place. There was one that zigzagged right over them. There were several windows in them, allowing the zoners inside to see out.
This caused him to pause. This was a great concern. What if the king sent his minions to look for them using these? They were at such an advantage point up there, and they could probably see for quite some distance.
Well, the trees would provide some cover. At least for now. With how far this forest stretched, it would be a while before they could be spotted from above. That was the one positive thing about this forest. It might be a bit spooky with the black, wafering glow, but at least they wouldn’t get so easily spotted from down there.
Looking in yet another direction, he could see that there appeared to be a new biome a bit further down. It appeared to be another forest, with different types of trees and plants. It was hard to say just what was in this forest, or if it would be any better than this place. It was too far away to tell, even from this height.
That forest appeared to be their best place to go to. None of the other directions seemed good. Not only was there a dead end, but the only other way they could go would have led them dangerously close to the colosseum, and they certainly didn’t want to go back there.
He took another look at the second forest, making note of which direction that it was in. Then he began to make his descent down the tree.
sss
Rudy couldn’t turn his eyes away. He kept watching Barney go up the tree the whole time. Although he knew that Barney could climb up walls easily with those feet, and even though he had been the one who had reassured everyone that Barney could do this, he still couldn’t help but worry. If Barney made one slip, he wouldn’t have those wings anymore to help him.
Ironically, as Barney had been climbing up, it had been Penny and Snap who reassured him when they saw that he wasn’t as confident as he thought he was. They moved in a little closer to him to comfort him with their presence. He was grateful.
Despite their comfort for each other, they weren’t able to stop worrying. Especially when Barney had slipped and fallen on that branch. That had been terrifying. Any time that he slipped and was going to fall, he and his friends would gasp in horror and freeze, watching intently at the centipede. They all breathed sighs of relief whenever he managed to get back up and proceeded along the tree.
It was such a relief when Barney made it all the way to the top. They waited patiently for him as he scouted the land up there. They watched with great intent, hoping that he would be able to bring them some useful information. The last thing they wanted to hear was this forest went on forever, or the king had spotted them or something.
Rudy wasn’t sure how long it actually took, but when Barney finally came down the tree, it felt like several hours had passed. He and his friends immediately rushed over to the centipede.
“So? What did you see up there?” Snap asked.
“Did you find anything?” Inquired Penny.
Rudy took a step closer. “What were you able to find out up there?”
“Other than it was high.” Snap chimed in, a small smile on his face. “That much we can gather.
Barney took a moment to brush himself off. “Well, I...” He visibly flinched and shuddered, arching his arms and body to one side.
“Barney? What’s wrong?” Penny moved in closer. “Is something..?”
Barney waved his hands to her. “It’s not important right now. Let me tell...” He let out another yelp, his body jerking to his side. He looked over and noticed the frown that Snap was wearing, the confused look Rudy had, and the concerned on that covered Penny’s face. Barney let out a sigh. “I hit my shoulders against some of the branches up there.”
“Oh Barney...” Penny whispered softly.
Barney quickly waved his hands again, this time more frantically. “B-But it’s fine! It’s not that bad...Really!”
Rudy folded his right arm against his chest. He glared at Barney. He didn’t appreciate Barney lying like that. He could see the look in his eyes. He could tell that he was hurting more than he was letting on. He turned his head towards Penny and gave her a single nod.
Wordlessly, Penny proceeded to move towards Barney. She took position beside him and placed her hands on him carefully. She peered in closely and began to examine Barney’s back.
While she did this, Barney took this opportunity to continue. “Well anyway, based on my discoveries, there’s only one direction we can do. Going over there...” Barney pointed in one way. “..would lead us to a dead end. Going there...” He pointed in another direction. “...we would end up back where we started.”
Rudy nodded his head. He recalled that the particular direction Barney pointed in was the same direction that they had come from. He wondered if Barney could see the arena from where he was. A part of him hoped not; that would mean that someone from the arena might have seen him and know where they were.
Barney pointed in one more direction. “But over that way, we would end up in another forest. Different from this.”
“Another forest?” Snap narrowed his eyes slightly, raising up a hand. “We don’t need another forest. We need to get out of here!”
“Yes, but it’s the only feasible direction. Once we get there, I can climb up another tree to see if I can spot anything. I won’t have the height advantage like there.” He looked up at the tree that he had been on just moments ago. “But it’s better than nothing.”
“That is true.” Snap admitted. He turned his head to look at Rudy. “Think we should proceed there soon?”
Rudy nodded his head, but kept silent. He focused his eyes on Penny. He didn’t want to go anywhere until he knew the condition of Barney. He wasn’t interested in moving so suddenly if Barney needed a bit of treatment. The last thing he wanted was for Barney to get an infection.
Penny was lightly running her fingers along his back, pulling the tears of his vest open further so she could see the wounds better. Barney was doing a good job of holding still, especially with Penny’s fingers that close to his injury. There are a few yelps and flinches from Barney, but other than that, he remained as still as he could while Penny examined him.
Soon Penny pulled her hands away. She shook her head slowly. “We’re going to need to do something about that.” She looked over at the others as she realized that they would want to know. “Barney has a few splinters and some needle pieces in his back. They have to be removed, or they will cause an infection.”
“But we don’t have anything we can use.” Snap pointed out. “Remember? Rudy used the last bit of chalk up.”
“I had no choice! We had to get out of there!” Rudy stopped himself, realizing that arguing wasn’t going to get them anywhere. He took in a deep breath and sighed. “Well, what do you suggest, Penny?” He looked over at her. “Do you have any ideas?”
Penny looked around. She soon settled upon a tall stalk of ferns not too far from where they were. She reached over and pulled off one of the leaves, breaking it at the step. She dropped the leaf itself on the ground and began to fiddle around with the tip of the green stem. “I might be able to use this.”
“I hope it won’t take long.” Snap walked towards one of the trees. He placed his hand against it and leand on it. “Who knows how long we have before...” Suddenly he fell down. “Oof! What the...?”
The ‘tree’ he had been leaning against had moved. They could see the shine of scales, which coated the green-black body of whatever Snap had touched. He took one look at it, gave a yell, and ran back towards the others, who were watching in horror as the creature made itself known.
To Rudy’s confusion, the creature did not appear to be greek mythology related, and instead seemed to be something entirely new that was created by whoever made this place. That only increased the terror he felt as he stared at it.
The creature was a green and black snake. Its tail ended in a nasty-looking hook and it had large bat-like wings that spread out near its head. A hood was spread out, and a skull and cross bones could be seen plainly on its throat. Its blood red eyes stared at them intently, flicking its pink tongue at them. Slowly, it began to move towards them.
The group raised their heads up as they looked at the snake, noticing its height. It was huge, taller than they were, and big enough to swallow them whole. And that looked like exactly what it was going to do as it opened up its jaws, exposing its long, sharp, needle-like fangs at them. It continued to move closer until it stopped a few feet in front of them. Then it began to sway itself from side to side.
“What’s it doing? Not that I’m complaining but...” Snap held up his hands at his sides. “Why isn’t it biting us?”
“I think it’s trying to trick us.” Penny said in a cautionary tone. “It’s doing this to try to confuse us and make it hard for us to decide what to do.”
Snap bit his lip. “Well it’s working! What do we do?”
Penny looked behind her. She then looked back at the snake. “We don’t have much of a choice. Run!”
Immediately, the group turned and began to run in one direction together. As soon as they made their move, the snake had lunged forward. They could hear it smash against one of the trees. There was a splitting sound of would, and then they could hear the tree collapse on the ground. The sound of something sliding was their only way of knowing that the snake was pursuing them.
They ran as fast as they could along the forest floor. Manuevering through here was very difficult. The denseness of the trees might make them hard to see from above, but it was making them easier prey for the snake coming in behind them.
As they ran through the trees, Rudy dared to look behind him. He was horrified when he saw that the snake was easily zigzagging through, wrapping itself around the trees like it was nothing, proceeding to come after them. He turned his head around and pumped his right arm, trying to make himself move even faster.
The winged snake didn’t attempt to fly, which confused Rudy. He guessed that it was too dense here for it to fly. Maybe it came from the other forest and decided to come here for some reason?
Though the snake didn’t try to fly, it did still attack. It was able to get close enough to try to land a few strikes. It rarely tried to strike with its tail, though that was of little comfort to them. Rudy and the others had to dodge quickly to avoid gettting bit. They winced when they felt the snake’s breath against them with each failed bite. They all knew that one wrong move would be enough to get snagged up. They pushed himselves to move faster despite their increased tiredness. They needed to lose the snake, and fast.
Rudy began to realize that, with each strike, the winged snake seemed to be focused largely on him. He was confused by this at first until he remembered he was the one with the broken arm. The snake could tell that his friends were in better shape than him, and Barney appeared larger due to his length and probably warded the snake off.
But as for himself...
Rudy realized in horror that his broken arm was making him look more attractive to the snake. It knows that he’s weakened, and it was trying to get at him. He tried to run faster, feeling ihs heart pound in his chest.
Then he realized something. Maybe he could use this to his advantage. If he could lure the snake away, that would give his friends time to escape. He wasn’t sure yet how he was going to escape the snake. But right now, he was more concerned for his friends’ fates than himself.
As they came up towards one of the trees, Rudy held out his right arm. He grabbed onto the tree and he swung himself around. He proceeded to run in a different direction. Just as he hoped, the winged snake turned its head and came after him.
“Rudy?!” Penny cried in shock. “What are you doing?!”
“Rudy!” Snap shouted.
Rudy looked over his shoulder, noticing that the others had stopped. He shook his head rapidly, moving his hand towards them in quick motions. “No! Keep running! I’ll distract it!”
“Rudy!” Penny and Snap shouted in unison.
Rudy didn’t bother answering them back. He turned his attention back to what was in front of him. He continued to run as fast as he could, trying to keep ahead of the snake.
It wasn’t easy moving through the dense forest. There was so little space between the trees. He still managed to squeeze through them without losing too much speed. He jumped over some roots that were up fron the ground. He ran through some of the ferns, ignoring the sting as they touched his broken arm. He zigzagged, constantly changing direction. All the while, he made sure that the winged snake didn’t lose sight of him and kept on following him.
Suddenly, the snake moved its head out in front of him. Rudy let out a scream and jumped back. He had miscalculated his previous few moves and now the snake was right in front of him. It was too close for him to break off into a run. The low hiss that the snake was making was enough to chill his blood in his veins, and his legs started to become wobbly and stiff.
The snake struck. Rudy managed to move out of the way, narrowly missing getting hit. He pressed himself against the tree as he looked up at the snake. It raised its head high into the air, swaying itself around again as it prepared to strike a second time. He was certain he could see some venom dripping from its long fangs. The sight of them made him shudder.
When the snake struck again, he had no choice but to dive forward. He let out a cry of pain as he smashed against the ground, hitting his broken arm. He writhed on the ground and clutched his arm against himself, a torrent of pain washing over him. He looked at the snake, his vision blurry. The snake was moving in closer to him, quicker, with more deadly intent as it watched him squirm.
Rudy took in a few shaky breaths, his pupils shrinking in horror. He started to push himself onto his feet. He used his right hand to steady himself. He tried to take a step forward, but he ended up slumping, and pressed himself against the next tree. He ignored the scrape of the back against his skin as he panted heavily.
What was he going to do now? If he didn’t get out of the way soon...
Rudy watched as the snake’s mouth split wide open. He stared at the gaping maw, his eyes trailing up to the fangs. He gritted his teeth and sucked in a fear-filled breath. Desperation and terror rising up inside of him, he turned and started to flee as quickly as he could.
The snake struck.
sss
“Oh no you don’t!”
Snap was relieved that he had gotten here before the snake could get Rudy. But that relief soon turned into fear and desperation when he saw just how close the snake was to getting to his friend. It had been in the middle of a strike when he had jumped in.
He got on the snake’s body that was on the ground. The scales were smooth and a little slippery. He formed a fist with his hand and he began to pound the snake. Over and over again, he struck, hitting as hard as he could. Eventually, the snake haulted its attack and looked over at him.
“Yeah! That’s right!” Snap waved his arms in front of himself. “Come get me, you big doofus!”
“Snap...?” He could hear Rudy say.
“Don’t worry, Bucko! I’m here!” Snap assured him. “I..”
“Look out!” Rudy cried in horror.
Snap looked up and saw that the snake was preparing to strike. He stared up at it in horror, and then hunched his body, narrowing his eyes in determination. He did have an idea of how to stop the snake. He wasn’t going to like doing this, but it was either this or risk them all getting killed.
When the snake struck, he stood there for a few extra seconds. Time seemed to slow down. He could hear Rudy’s shout. He could see the snake moving. But despite what his friend said, despite what he could clearly see before him, he didn’t move. He stood there and waited, and then, at the last second, he jumped.
The snake, unable to stop itself in time, bit down onto itself. Snap winced when he heard the sickening slicing sound as the fangs penetrated its own body. Snap moved a few steps back and watched the scene unfold.
The snake let out a shriek when it realized when it had done to itself. It reared its head back, its mouth split wide open. It moved itself from side to side in a wild writhe. It soon shook its head and looked down at him. Snap gulped and took a step back. The snake hissed at him and proceeded to move towards him.
Suddenly it stopped. Despite having no eyelids, its eyes seemed to widen. The pupils started to shrink as it was experiencing what Snap assumed was pain. Its whole body started to shiver like it had a nasty cold. It opened its mouth wider, attempting to suck in a breath. Snap could hear the raspy sound of the futile attempts of breathing. The sight was uncomfortable to watch, and yet Snap couldn’t look away.
The snake collapsed on the ground. Snap had to move out of the way to avoid getting hit. The snake rested there for a few seconds. It then gave a few violent jolts, as if it were trying to desperately get back up. Soon it stopped completely and its chest stopped rising and falling. Snap didn’t need to go check its pulse to know that it was either dead, or it was paralysed, done in by its own venom.
Snap stood there for several moments, his mind racing, having a hard time processing what had just happened. He stared wide-eyed at the prone snake, his breathing growing shaky. Despite the fact that he knew this had to be done, that didn’t lessen the guilt that he felt for doing it. He hardly moved, not even when Rudy had come up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Snap looked up at Rudy. He could see the horrified look in Rudy’s eyes. But he could also see some understanding in them as well. Rudy gently pulled him close, allowing him to press his head against him. Snap rubbed his head against Rudy’s chest, attempting to calm himself after what he had done.
But just like with Penny and the manticore, Snap knew that he was not going to be able to get rid of this feeling anytime soon. He just had to keep reminding himself it was for the best.
Amidst his horror, he felt relief for his friend. He stared up at Rudy. Just seeing that he was still alive was enough to help calm him. His actions had saved Rudy’s life. If he hadn’t tricked the snake into biting himself, then Rudy would have been...
He tried not to think about it. He tried not to think about what he made the snake do. Right now, he just concentrated on the fact that Rudy was okay now. He wrapped his hands around him and pulled him in a tighter embrace.
“Rudy? Snap?”
The two boys looked over and saw that Penny and Barney had found them. Snap was amazed that they were able to catch up so quickly.
Penny noticed the snake. “What happened...?” She whispered softly. She looked at Rudy and Snap. “Did one of you...?”
Snap’s face contorted into sadness. “I had no choice....I...”
Penny and Barney stared at him in shock and sadness. They didn’t say a word. They simply nodded their heads slowly in understanding. Snap could see empathy shining in Penny’s eyes as she looked at him. She understood what it felt like to make a hard decision.
They all stood there in silence for a few moments, each allowing the reality of what happened sink in. They all shook in fear, in shock, but most of all, relief. They had nearly been killed by this creature. If any of them had tripped up... They all shuddered to think what would happened if one of them fell to the beast. How well could they have coped?
But as difficult as it was to start moving again, they knew they had to. If they stayed here too long, they might get figured out, or attract another winged snake. Or maybe even something worse...
Rudy turned his head and looked towards where Barney had indicated before. It was a miracle that he was even still able to figure out which way to go. He stared at that direction for a moment before looking back at the others. “Should we proceed?”
Numbly, they all nodded their heads. Without another word, they all began to head in that direction. They stayed close to each other, comforting each other with their warmth and closeness. It was still a long road ahead, and they had a lot traveling to do.
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Post by Bluedramon on Apr 25, 2015 19:59:29 GMT -5
Chapter 16: A Moment Of Peace
Despite the fact that they were leaving the safety of the thick foliage, Snap was quite happy to be out of there and into the next forest. Especially after what they had to go through to get here.
Crossing that river had been quite hard. There was no other way around it, however. It was either they cross it, or they stayed on the other side until the king found them. And personally, he would rather deal with the river than that lousy, no good king.
Barney had found a tall, dead tree that had tilted downwards about half way. It was tall enough to be able to fit over the water very easily. They worked together to push it down. It took a little while, and Snap could have sworn he pulled a muscle in the process. But soon, they were able to make the tree give way and it collapsed down. They crossed it immediately.
This new forest had an entirely new feel to it. It didn’t have any weird glow like the other forest did. No spooky aura or anything of that nature. It was a more beautiful looking forest. More vibrant in color, and bright; a large light crystal hung overhead, made of the same glowstone as before. This acted like a Day Zone sun, or in Rudy and Penny’s face, a noon sun. Warm, but not too warm.
The trees here were far less numorous, but were wider in size. They appeared a lot softer. They didn’t look like sharp brushes stuck in the ground like in the last forest. It almost looked like it had the consistancy of pillows, and that he could sleep on one of them sometime.
In addition to the nicer-looking trees, there were also rolling hills that rose and fell. Nothing too sharp, but a bit more pronounced than in the last forest. These were mostly covered in tall grasses and flowers, some of the same species that they had seen before. There were also lines of bushes located in various places, some of them wrapping around the trees as if to keep them from going anywhere, despite the silliness of that. Some of these bushes bore some delicious-looking purple and blue berries, and a handful of the trees had orange-colored fruits.
The walk was rather pleasant. Snap could feel a sense of peace come over him. They all felt relaxed. There was just something so calming about this particular forest. None of them spoke as they walked along, too busy admiring the landscape around them to really worry about anything. It was so relaxing, they imagined they could fall asleep and nothing would happen.
This moment of peace was exactly what they needed. After the hell they had gone through before, they deserved a bit of a break. They could feel their anxiety levels go down, returning to more suitable levels. They could feel their bodies relaxing, their fingers stop tensing. And for the first time in hours, their minds felt more clear than they ever did before.
Despite knowing they should remain alert, Snap couldn’t help but smile softly. It did feel good being able to walk without feeling like someone was over his shoulder, ready to get him. They had put so much distance between them and the guards, there was no way they’d catch up by now. Yes, now was time for a bit of relaxing.
The group did stop after a while of walking, leaning against one of the trees. The tree itself felt pretty soft, despite having bark like any tree would. Snap found himself running his hand over it, and noticed that the bark was shaped a bit like fur. Almost. Penny was fascinated by it and was about to take notes, only to realize she didn’t have any. Despite her frustration, Rudy convinced her to just relax and lay down by the tree, promising to help her remember once they got out of there.
Relaxing by the tree felt almost like resting up against some large furry animal. Snap could almost feel the nonexistent rib cage rise and fall. He would have fallen asleep if he didn’t feel Barney nudge him constantly to prevent him from closing his eyes.
After a few minutes of resting, Snap looked up at the holes above them, watching the fish swimming by. The sight of it made his stomach churn. If only they were out in the ocean now... If only they could get back to their friends...
Deciding that break time was over, Snap climbed up to his feet. He looked at the others, giving them a solemn look. They nodded their heads in understanding. Looking back out towards the land, brushing themselves off, they continued.
Soon they reached at all hill with a bit of rocks jetting out of it. Carefully, they moved down. Climbing down this slope was tricky, and there were easy places to trip. Snap nearly fell victim to one, and Penny fell for another. They rushed to her side as they reached the bottom and looked her over. Thankfully, Penny appeared to be all right.
They passed through a couple of tall trees. There was some kind of weird writing on them. Red and faint. But none of them paid any mind. The writing was scribbled and it didn’t even look like any actual language. Then a bit beyond that, they were at another slope, this one much smaller, and at the bottom, Snap took notice of what was possibly the first sign of water in this new location.
Wrapping around some of the hills were small creeks, so thin they could be easily stepped over even by him. They traveled along, emptying out into nothingness. He couldn’t see the source of where they came from, but he was certain that there was at least one large body of water somewhere here.
Staring at the water, Snap felt his mouth start to feel dry. He smacked his lips a few times. He was starting to realize just how parched he was from all the walking and running from before. Staring at the water seemed to put him in a trance. He couldn’t look away. He needed to get over there and have a sip of that water. Just a little sip...
Before he could walk too far, he felt someone grab onto him. He turned his head to see, no surprise, Penny. He narrowed his eyes at her and pulled herself away.
“What is it?”
Penny shook her head. “You shouldn’t go drinking strange water, Snap. You don’t know what’ll happen if you...”
“I know what’ll do. It’ll stop me from being thirsty!” Snap rolled his eyes. He wasn’t sure why Penny was being cautious about this. This was natural spring water, wasn’t it? Sure, she couldn’t drink it, but he and Barney shouldn’t have a problem.
Penny still wouldn’t let him go. She moved in front of him quickly and blocked his path. “It’s best if we..” She paused, realizing the situation with her and Rudy. “If you and Barney don’t eat or drink anything here. Not unless you find out that it’s safe.”
“Yeah?” Snap folded his arms. “And how do you propose we do that?”
Penny raised a finger and opened her mouth. She then paused herself, her eyes widening. She looked at Snap as her finger lowered down. “...by drinking a little bit and...waiting for the...results...”
“Wow, how brilliant.” Snap chuckled. “I never would have thought of that!”
Penny rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, well...” She shook her head and decided to drop it. Keeping her hand against her head, she looked back down at him. “Just try not to drink too much. If there’s any side effects...”
“What could possibly go wrong?” Snap raised his hands at his side.
This time, it wasn’t Penny who answered, or even Rudy. It was Barney.
“You could have a whole host of things happen to you. Some of them may range from being very minor to being life threatening.” Barney approached them slowly. He began to list some things off, pressing a finger against other fingers as he did so. “You should change colors, you could grow an extra limb, you could start speaking another language, you could have your organs liquify, you could become host to a parasitic infection...”
Snap could feel his face losing color, despite it already being white. He stared at the centipede in horror as he listened to all the effects that he was listing off. Some were really silly and probaly would do little more than annoy him. Then others were utterly terrifying. Even just the mention of them was enough to make his skin crawl.
Before Barney could finish, he waved his hands out in front of him rapidly. “Okay! Stop! I’ve had enough! I get it!”
“So what are you going to do, Snap?” Rudy held his hand towards him. “Are you going to test the water?” He moved his hand away. “Or are you just going to forget about it?”
Snap could have easily said to just get going. But curiosity was getting the better of him. They still had a bit of time, didn’t they? It wouldn’t hurt to test out the water. He and Barney could really use it. It’s not like they will be able to just walk into a store and get one.
But with all those things that Barney said about it...
Snap turned his head and stared intently towards Barney. “...maybe you can try it?” He motioned his hand towards the centipede.
“Me?” Barney placed a hand against himself. “You want me to try it?” Snap responded with a simple nod of his head. He took a step back, shaking his head. “I...no, I couldn’t...”
“Come on. Just a little sip.” Snap said. “That’s all it’s going to take.”
“I can’t! What if something happens to me and you guys need the information?” Barney protested. He pointed at Snap. “Why don’t you try it, if you are so desperate to know if it’s safe or not?”
“Because I could be of use if one of those big bad creepazoids show up.” Snap formed a fist with his hand and did a slow uppercut into the air. “I have to keep myself in tip top shape!”
Barney gave him an unimpressed expression. “Yes, because the Chalklantians will fear your mighty stature and run from your shadow.”
Snap detected Barney’s sarcasm and growled at him. “At least I can go places back at home without having a billion people crowding around me like I was some sort of magnet!”
Barney put his hands on his hips. A small smile spread across his face. “If I remember right...” He pointed a finger towards the small zoner. “You sprayed yourself one time with some kind of cologne that made you...” He motioned two fingers on each hand downwards a few times. “...irrestible to anyone who smelled you.”
Snap gaped at this, moving himself back. A few flashes of that incident came to his mind. He soon shook his head and glared at Barney. “Don’t you ever bring that up again...!”
Barney just smiled at him. “And what about the time when...”
“All right enough!” Rudy hissed as he and Penny got between the two. “We’ve wasted enough time! Just choose who is going to test the water!”
“It’s either you chose, or Rudy and I will choose for you.” Penny added, her glare casting upon the two zoners.
Snap and Barney flinched at this. It was clear that Rudy and Penny were rather displeased with their behavior. They looked at each other, and a feeling of guilt came upon them. Their anger wasn’t misplaced; they had been wasting time. Now wasn’t the time to be arguing with each other.
Allowing their emotions to seep through their bodies, allowing their more logical, rational sides to take them over, the two zoners turned to face each other. Their previous anger and annoyance with each other gone, they began to discuss with each other how the water tasting was going to work.
sss
And of course, Snap was the one who ended up being the taster. He wasn’t even sure how he was voted to do it, or how he agreed to do this. He couldn’t even worm his way out of it.
At least he wouldn’t have to do it for a while. The creek was still a distance away, and it would take maybe ten more minutes to reach it. That gave him some time to mentally prepare for the tasting. He had to remember what Penny said. Just a small drop. If there’s any bad in it, he would get a stomach ache and he would inform Barney not to drink it.
If there was a chance that the water was drinkable, he and Barney could use their hands and sip some of the water from the stream. They didn’t have any present means of taking it with. At least he and Barney could hydrate themselves, which will help out immensely in the long run.
He was worried for Rudy and Penny, however. What were they going to do? They couldn’t drink the chalk water, and all the stuff was back at the palace. He looked at them, and already they were showing some minor signs of being thirsty. Snap bit his lip nervously, feeling a pang of worry shoot through his stomach. He could only hope that they are able to get out of here soon. Sure, one day of no food or water is fine, but with them using all their energy running and fighting, the king could still take advantage of that.
He managed to keep himself relatively calm by enjoying the scenery around them. It was quite pretty. He liked this a lot more than the other forest. The Shadow Forest, as Penny had taken to calling it. The warmth of the light above them helped make this place feel much more inviting, even if they were out in the open most of the time, tunnels hanging over them.
He occasionally looked up at the tunnels, but despite all the windows that were in them, he didn’t notice anyone moving through them. They were empty. He wondered if they were even used often. They still couldn’t be ignored, and if he wasn’t looking up, one of his friends were.
But the above ceiling didn’t yield just nerve-wracking stuff. The holes at top that exposed the water outside were pretty to look at, especially when some of the light rays shined through, providing a bit of natural lighting outside of the crystals. He could see some of the sea life moving by, almost dancing about as if they were entirely oblivious to the danger set right below their fins.
But though the scenery provided a nice distraction, it didn’t work for long, and Snap found himself worrying again. This place would seem much more attractive if he knew that they would be able to get out of here. This was a good-looking place and all, but this was not where he wanted to be buried.
“Okay, we’re here.”
Snap shook his mind out of his thoughts as they started to go down a small hill. His foot got caught one of the uplifted roots. He fell forward, and Penny caught him before he could hit the ground. He thanked her and they slowly made their way down.
Soon the group stood in front of the stream. They stared at it warily, cringing slightly as they thought the water was going to come to life and attack them. They looked at each other, exchanging various thoughts, various similar, silent questions being asked.
Was it good idea to do this?
Should they just leave?
What if this was a trap?
There was really only one way to find out. None of them were happy about it. Snap could feel his mind racing as he tried to think of a way to get out of it. In the end, however, he knew there was really no choice.
He looked over at his friends. They all nodded their heads slowly. They gave him looks of concern and encouragement. They also appeared guilty. They didn’t want to have to subject him to this, yet they knew the benefits would be worth it. Escaping here was top priority.
Slowly, Snap made his way towards the creek. He knelt himself down onto one knee and stared intently at the water. He noted the sparkles in it, a product of the light over them. He watched and noticed how still it was, and it almost looked as if nothing was in there. It almost looked more like a vortex that he could jump in, and he’d fall down towards a cloudy sky. Yet he knew better and, as if to confirm, he stuck his hand against the water.
Ripples formed, distorting the image. A feeling of cold and wetness. Yes, this was water all right. He shook his hand to get the water droplets off. He looked back at his friends, who nodded their heads in encouragement. Snap looked back at the water. He gulped nervously before lowering down his hands.
He scooped up a small handful of water. He cradled it up. He could feel it drip through his fingerless hands, running down the sides and falling down. He hesitated, clenching his teeth tightly.
He wasn’t sure if he should do this. The warnings from before... What if something like that happened? Or much worse? Then again, how else was this water going to be tested? It wasn’t like Rudy or Penny could draw anything, and asking Barney to drink it would force those risks on him. He wasn’t sure if he could do that to him.
Sucking in a deep breath and sighing slowly, he lowered his head and stuck out his tongue. The others watched intently as he gingerly placed his tongue in the small puddle of water. He lapped at it twice, gathering a small thing of the cold fluid. And then he swallowed it.
Now all they could do was wait.
Snap waited, standing still as the tense seconds passed. He didn’t bother turning his head and looking at his friends. His eyes were glued on the water, at his own reflection. He kept looking for any signs of change, anything that indicated something was wrong.
After about roughly ten minutes had passed and he detected no change, he let out a sigh of relief. He turned his head and looked over at his friends. He would have given them the thumbs up if he had thumbs. “It’s all good!”
Rudy and Barney looked relieved, but Penny still seemed cautious. She placed her had against her chin and took a step forward.
“It might be a little early. Let’s just wait a little longer and see what happens.” Penny’s voice had that familiar cautious tone.
Snap shrugged his shoulders. “If it was really dangerous, wouldn’t I have felt something by now?”
Penny gave him a look. “If it was something like a parasite, I don’t think you’re going to notice any changes until enough time has passed. Some peple can go on for years without knowing they have a parasite infection.”
The thought of that made them all shiver.
Rudy leaned away from Penny, pulling his right arm towards him. “Please, no visuals, Penny. Not today.”
“Sorry, Rudy.” Penny again turned her attention onto Snap. “I still think we should wait a little longer. Just another minute or two. Just to be safe.”
Snap would have argued, but he didn’t see the point in it, Penny was just going to keep bringing it up until they agreed. She seemed really adament about this. Besides, what’s a few extra minutes anyway? It’s not like there’s been any signs of danger. In this open area, with very few trees, there were little places for any enemy to hide. They were fine.
Snap waited patiently for the few minutes to pass. He kept looking at the water eagerly, licking his lips slowly. The water did have something of an aftertaste, though it wasn’t bad. That small bit not only felt good in his mouth, but he felt much more hydrated already. He couldn’t wait to drink some more of it. He was certain that Barney felt the same way.
“Okay, time is up.” Snap looked over at Penny. About five minutes must have passed by now. “Now can I drink more of the water? I didn’t see anything wrong in my reflection, and I don’t feel any different.”
Penny didn’t answer right away. She looked a bit concerned still. Snap wondered if they would have to wait two hours before she would be satisfied. Not like they had that kind of time, though.
Closing her eyes, she gave a nod of her head. “Okay, go ahead.”
Snap smiled at this before turning his attention back to the water.
“Are you sure, Penny?” Rudy’s cautious voice came. “I mean, what if something...?”
“If the water was dangerous, Snap would have noticed something by now, even if it was just a little stomach ache. It could still have an effect, but at least it’s not toxic.” Penny gave a soft sigh. “If there’s bacteria... Well...”
Snap paid no attention to what Penny said. He focused on the water as he cupped another handful of it and began to drink it. He could hear Barney joining in. Judging from the sounds, Barney was much more hesitant than he was. The sound of slurping gave away that he was drinking some of the water.
Snap wasn’t sure how much he drink. At least two handfuls. He knew that he should have some level of caution. He couldn’t help himself; he had to keep drinking the water. His throat still felt dry and scratchy. The water felt so good against the back of his throat. It was like his mouth suffered a dry spell and was cracked, and the water was soothing them.
After a few moments, he finally stopped. He wiped off his mouth and he turned over to Rudy and Penny. The sound of more slurping told him that Barney was still drinking some himself. Snap was about to tell his friends that he was ready to get going, but suddenly, he froze as he caught a glimpse of something.
“What’s wrong?” He could hear Rudy’s concerned voice say. “What do you see?”
Snap didn’t answer. He just kept staring out into the distance, his eyes widening slowly. His eyes were focused on something behind Rudy and Penny. They looked behind, and instead of being shocked like he was, they were only confused. They scratched their heads and they looked back at Snap.
If they said anything, he hardly heard them. He could hear a gasp from Barney. He, too, was seeing it. Snap’s surroundings almost seemed to fade into darkness, with only this thing in front of him being noticed by his brain. He wasn’t sure whether he should be terrified or not.
“Snap! Answer us!”
Snap began to walk forward slowly. His mouth dropped partially open, almost as if he were in some kind of trance. He felt compelled to walk forward. It was as if something or someone was dragging him by a leash.
His friends attempted to stop him, but he just moved around them and continued on forward. He climbed up the small hill and continued walking straight, leaving behind his thoroughly confused friends.
sss
“Snap! Where are you going?!” Rudy hollered, cupping his hand against his mouth. “Snap! Come back!”
“Where is he going? That’s not the way we were traveling in.” Penny stood next to him, putting her hand to her mouth nervously. “Something is wrong...”
That was an understatement. Rudy cursed to himself. He knew that he and Penny should have been a little more vigilant with the water. Oh why didn’t he see this coming? They should have just passed by the water and continue on, and instead he was dumb enough to allow Snap and Barney to drink from it.
Speaking of Barney, he noticed that he was still there. He hadn’t walked yet. He wondered if it was because he didn’t drink as much. Rudy narrowed his eyes. He looked over at where Snap was going, and then he turned his head towards Barney. He noticed the way his eyes looked, as if they had seen a ghost.
Rudy gripped onto Barney, keeping him in his field of vision. Using his hand, he pulled Barney closer to him and looked at him in the eyes. “What’s going on, Barney? Why are you and Snap acting this way?”
Barney continued to have that dumbfounded expression. His eyes were distant and they were staring out ahead. “...That is...so..pretty...” He whispered softly, his voice barely a whisper.
“What is so pretty?” Rudy gritted his teeth. “What are you and Snap seeing?!”
“Rudy...” Penny placed a hand on his shoulder. “You aren’t going to get many answers out of him that way.” She turned her head and looked at where Snap was now. “Let’s just stay close to him.”
Rudy sighed. At this rate, there was little else they could do. Barney was too large for them to drag without each other, and they had nothing to tie Snap to themselves. “All right then...”
Releasing Barney, the two children watched as he followed to where Snap was. Rudy and Penny gave each other worried glances. They both knew the water had something to do with this, but neither were sure just what it did. It could be some kind of trap set up by a predator. It could be some kind of magical thing with an unknown purpose. It could be something else entirely.
They began to follow the zoners. They stayed close to them. They looked left and right as they kept an eye out for any zoners, animal or sentient. Now would be a perfect time for them to get attacked. These two zoners probably wouldn’t see an arrow coming even if it was right in front of them.
So far, they had some good luck. There were no dangers in sight. Not even in the form of inanimate stuff, like something sharp or a pitfall. This didn’t stop the children from looking and being cautious.
They were glad that the two zoners appeared aware enough to know to avoid them. They kept jumping around, stepping over rocks and branches and whatever else. Even as they walked close to some edges with sudden drops, which were practically camouflaged in this landscape, they managed to avoid it easily. In fact, Rudy and Penny were in more danger themselves of falling than the zoners were. It was as if Snap and Barney had a stronger intuition about this place than they did.
Eventually, they came to a clearing. Specifically, a place of barren grass, as if it had suddenly died. The sight of this made Rudy and Penny cringe. They watched as their friends continued to walk forward. Rudy and Penny eyed each other nervously. There was something about this place that just seemed...off.
Cautiously, they walked forward, keeping an eye on their friends. Snap and Barney continued to walk forward in that same trance, their arms hanging limply at their sides, their mouths staying open. Soon, they stopped in the middle of the dead grass circle and just remained there.
Rudy and Penny stopped just outside of the circle. They looked down at the grass. Rudy pawed at the edge with this foot before turning to Penny.
“Do you think it’s safe? I know they walked across it fine, but...”
Penny stared at the circle, turning her head from one side to the other. “I’m not sure. I think we should just stay out here, just in case.”
Rudy turned his attention back to the zoners. Although they hadn’t answered them before, he decided to give it another chance and he called out to them. “What do you guys see?”
This time, however, they got a response.
“Don’t you see it...?” Snap whispered softly. He raised his hand and pointed outward. “Right there... It’s right there...”
Barney nodded his head in agreement. “It’s so pretty. How can you not see?” He pointed in the same direction as Snap. All the while, he and Snap never turned their heads away.
Rudy gritted his teeth, feeling his blood heat up. It wasn’t them he was mad at; it was at whatever was going on. Something was wrong with this place and he wanted to know once and for all what it was. Someone or something was messing with his friends and he was going to find out what it was.
He whipped his head from side to side, scanning the landscape. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He saw no zoner hiding in the trees. There were few here and the ones that were here had very little cover for any zoner of significant size to hide in. Not unless King Zander sent insects out after them.
“Where are...”
Penny shushed him by placing her hand on him. Rudy noticed how tightly she gripped him, and he could see the look on her face. He whispered her name, and she pointed where their friends where, her finger more downcast. “Rudy...look...”
Rudy looked at the patch that his friends were standing on. He noticed there appeared to be a faint glow. After a few seconds, it glowed a little brighter, whitish in hue. It formed some kind of crude picture. Nothing in too great of detail, but enough that he could see the basic form of what appeared to be a dog and a fox circling each other in some sort of weird yin yang.
“What the..?” Rudy whispered. “What is going on around here?”
He looked over at Penny. They exchanged worried looks, and turned their heads around. At first, they continued to find nothing. They kept looking. Something was wrong. Something didn’t feel right about this place. It was only after a few moments that they finally noticed something.
A sparkle.
Then more sparkles.
A shadow.
A light.
Swirling together, floating towards them. Barely making a form. Sparkling.
Then slowly, something came into view.
Two creatures. Transluscent at first. Then they became opaque.
Rudy and Penny took a step back as they noticed the two new forms now standing before them. It was a fox and a dog. The fox was orange in color, white a white underside and a black mouth, ears, paws, and tail. The dog was white with dark brown and black spots that adorned its body. Their eyes, a set of amber and a set of brown, stared at them intently.
Rudy was stunned, unsure of what to say at first. He couldn’t turn his eyes away from these two creatures. They hadn’t made a move towards them, or even spoke if they could, and yet he found himself unable to shift his eyes away from theirs. There was just something about them that made it difficult to turn away.
Penny grabbed onto him and started to push against him a little. “Rudy? What’s wrong?”
“Do not fight it...” The fox spoke. Its voice was like a wisp, wafering in the wind. It didn’t sound like it came from any less than two directions. “No one can resist.”
“Yes. Best surrender now.” The dog replied, its voice similar to the fox, except a bit heavier, more feminine, and coming from the exact opposite directions as the fox.
Rudy continued to stare at them, and was only stopped when Penny slapped him across the face. His head was jerked to the side, and his eyes bulged, realizing what he was free of whatever had happened. He shook his head and took in a few quick breaths.
“I’m so sorry, Rudy. I didn’t have a choice! I..”
Rudy ignored Penny’s words. He focused his attention all on the two canines that stood before him. Without looking directly at them, he asked them a single, shock-filled question. “What...are you..?”
The canines immediately began to circle each other this.
“We are a pair, and yet we are apart.”
They wrapped around each other, creating what looked to be the same pattern as the yin yang. Other times, they formed the infinity symbol, as of if to signify something.
“We are opposite. We are together.”
The fox and the dog stared at them the entire time as they did this. They kept walking around each other, their mouths curled up into smiles, almost sultry-like expressions shining from their eyes. They almost looked like snakes with the way they were constantly wrapping around each other.
Eventually they stopped, pressing their backs against each other as they rose on their hand legs. Their front feet dangled downward along with their heads. They shut their eyes and spoke again.
“I am Teumessian, the fox that can never be caught.”
“I am Laelaps, the dog that always catches her prey.”
Rudy and Penny immediately froze at this. They took a step back, their bodies hunched. The need to run was strong, yet the words of the two canines kept them locked in place. They both could feel the full weight of those words’ meanings weight down on them.
Slowly, the two canines turned their heads and looked over at them. In unison, they spoke, “And you are our toys for today. Please make this interesting for us. We rarely get to play.”
That was it. They had heard enough of this. Rudy and Penny rushed over towards their friends. They pushed against them, eventually knocking them out of the trance. They didn’t bother telling them any thing except run. Soon, they all ran off in one direction.
Behind them, the dog and fox merely smiled, their eyes glowing red.
“And now the chase has begun.” They spoke in unison before they broke off into a chase.
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Post by Bluedramon on Apr 25, 2015 19:59:45 GMT -5
Chapter 17: Lost And Found
Kairos lifted up his head as he heard the sound of someone fast approaching. He turned and stared at the doorway and waited. He wondered who had the nerve to interrupt the meeting he was having with the king.
He soon got his answer. It was one of those guards. He couldn't quite remember his name. Why bother remembering them, anyway? They could always be replaced if something happened. Replacing them was so common, memorizing names became nothing more than a futile effort. Only those of great importance, like Rudy and his friends, did he bother keeping track names of.
The guard was rushing towards them. Kairos narrowed his eyes in disgust at this. It would seem that, in the guard's haste, he had forgotten about proper etiquette and how to act around their king. Perhaps he needs a little refresher.
"Sire! I.."
The guard immediately stopped when he took notice of Kairos. His demeanor changed abruptly. Though his head already bowing low, there was a flash of fear in the guard's eyes. The guard immediately stopped himself and took a step back.
Kairos glared at him coldly. He said not a word while the guard remained there, standing before him, a fear-tinged expression on his face. He had to admit, a part of him was liking this. The feeling of control over these people. This was part of the reason why he aspired to be the king's general. He was allowed to do almost anything he wanted to whomever the king signaled out.
This guard standing before him knew this quite well. He was clearly trying to be as still as possible, keeping his head low so he did not upset him further. But with his keen eyes, Kairos could see that he was still shivering.
He hid it quite well, but Kairos was enjoying this. He was smiling on the inside. If this guard didn't show him respect now, he would make sure he did later. He demanded the utmost in obedience and discipline. In someways, even more so than King Zander himself. Maybe that's why some of the guards felt more comfortable around the king. He had noticed that pattern.
Oh well, he preferred it that way. He could sense their negative emotion and it helped him feel stronger. This empowerment was why it felt so good to him when he asserted his control over someone.
The things he had done to the centipede were just a fraction of what he had done to prisoners himself. He would have directly done those wounds himself, like he did with most guards, but with Barney, he wanted something different. He had rarely done a group mauling before, and he felt it got the job done better.
Besides, that stupid insect was asking for it. He had challenged the king. He had forced King Zander into a situation he didn't want to be in. It was all his fault that the plans had gotten more complicated. It was only fair that Barney deserved a bit of comeback. If Barney didn't want to get hit, then he would have kept his mouth shut and allowed the king to continue on with his work.
Well, it was worth it. Every scream was like a melody. Each time Barney screamed, he smiled even broader. He allowed the beating to continue for longer than he had planned simply to drive the point home. He doubted that insect would dare speak against his king again, especially when he still had his precious tortoise friend to worry about.
He didn't fully understand why he cared about the tortoise anyway. He could have just left at any time and he would be fine. He didn't really get why the children were bothered by him hurting Barney. After all, he was not directly attacking them. He would never fully understand empathy, but he did know enough to be able to use it to his advantage. He had made many good deals abusing it.
It wasn't just the mental state he didn't understand, either. Despite his ranting before about pain being worse than being trapped, in truth, he himself never felt pain in his life. He was born...er..created without the ability to feel physical pain. As a result, he soon became fascinated in the suffering of others. It was something he could never experience himself, so to understand it, he turned to others.
But despite every scream, every squirm, every bloodshed, he never could feel a tinge of that distress himself. His ability to empathize was utterly nonexistent, and at some points, he was frustrated. Why couldn't he understand what they were feeling? How many more did he have to hurt before he would get it?
No matter. No wasn't the time for that. The silence had gone on long enough, and he could feel King Zander's eyes on him.
With a rush of cold air moving through him, he lowered his head and stepped to the side. Fear for himself was the reason he kept himself in line with King Zander. He watched quietly as the king moved forward and approached the general. Kairos watched in silence.
"What did you come here to tell me? I do hope you had a good reason to interrupt me and my general." King Zander spoke in a matter-of-factly voice. Not like he would have done much of anything to the guard as his mind was elsewhere, but Kairos knew he wanted to make sure the general stayed in line.
The general lowered himself further, his back practically parallel to the ground at this point. "W-Well...I know you didn't want me to c-come back when I told you they escaped, but...we got a s-signal a-a-a-and..."
Kairos noticed the king's eyes twinkling at that. If he looked in a mirror, he would notice the same thing for himself. He was aware of that the guard was referring to. He would have smiled if he wasn't in the king's presence.
"Ah, so they have encountered the fox and the hound?" At the guard's nod, the king gave a small, thin smile. "That is good news. Thank you. You are dismissed."
Kairos watched as the general scurried along. He had mixed emotions about him leaving. On the one hand, he did want to get back to talking with the king. He hated interruptions. But on the other, he was a little disappointed not to have someone lower than him nearby. He was always afraid he would slip up one of these days and offend the king.
He turned his head and casted a wary glance over to King Zander. He kept his own head low and waited for orders. He was uncertain of exactly what the king had planned, and what he was going to do with this new information. He would find out soon enough.
King Zander looked over at him. He held his head up high in an almost haughty kind of way. A distinct look that a king would give to show how important they were, and how pleased they were. He rarely saw King Zander give this look. It was reserved mostly for when he was very happy with how something turned out. And it wasn't common for him to be extremely happy about anything.
"Come along with me, General Kairos."
Kairos jolted at that. The king had used his title as well as his name. He only did that for things that were really important.
"Come with me. We need to head to our...surveillance room." King Zander turned and began to walk away. "I need to make sure the guard was correct.
Kairos nodded his head. Quietly, he slinked along behind the king and followed him down the hallway.
sss
Great. Just fucking great. Of all the children it could have been, it was those two.
Denny gritted his teeth as he stared at the photograph Ian printed out for him. He told Ian to stay in his security room for now while he tried to think. He needed some time alone to try to figure out how he was going to do this.
At the moment, he was in his own office. The same one that was broken into earlier by those two brats. He sat down in his chair, swiveling himself from one side to the other. His eyes remained locked on the photograph, where he could distinctly see the forms of Rudy and Penny moving towards his office.
He narrowed his eyes. What could those children have wanted in here? They were normally in the children's section or waiting in the front for their parents, or eating lunch or whatever. He didn't have as much of a problem with them compared to other children. The fact that it was them who had broken into his office caused him to feel almost betrayed.
What should he do? He had no problem with reporting one of the other snot-nosed brats. But these two, they were a different story. He had spoken to their parents before. He usually had nothing but positive comments to say about them. Especially the girl; she seemed to keep the boy in check.
Then again, there was always a time to make a mistake. Rudy and Penny were children after all. It was only a matter of time before they did something to disappoint him. He was just sad that it happened so quickly.
He was going to have to call their parents. This place was prohibited to children. They shouldn't have been back here. If his boss was going to turn a blind eye to this, then it was up to him to say something. Considering how close these parents were to their kids, then contacting them was the first step into changing things around here.
As he reached for the phone, he couldn't help but look over behind him. He stared at his room, from the chalkboard, to the papers that he had, to some other stuff he had laying around. He couldn't help but wonder just why those two were back here in the first place. What did he have back here that fascinated them so much? He just couldn't understand it.
Well, he would worry about that later. Right now, he had to get a move on and call the parents.
He picked up the phone and he began to dial the number for Penny Sanchez's mother. He heard the phone ring a few times. He waited patiently, tapping his fingers. Soon, he heard someone pick it up.
"Hello, Dr. Sanchez speaking."
"Hello, miss. It's me, Denny the librarian." Denny did his best to sound calm and professional. "I have some regretful news regarding your daughter."
sss
King Zander was pleased with what he was seeing. He continued to stare at the monitor in front of him, tapping his fingers together with a delighted smile on his face. Yes, this is what he liked to see.
He and Kairos stood in a darkened room, lit up only by the monitor in front of him. Dual monitors specifically, each showing a different, yet similar, image. The 'camera' itself was moving around constantly, never holding still. As a result, the picture was blurry. He could still see enough detail to know what was going on.
The red tinted imagery that he and Kairos were watching showed the children and that centipede running. They could hear the desperation in their voices, their pleads for the creatures to stop chasing them, their shouts of frustration.
From the sound of it, and the look of it, they had been running for a while now. Exactly how long, King Zander couldn't say. But that didn't matter. The fact that the dog and fox had found them at all was good news enough for him at the moment. There were still other things that needed to come into play. But that would be all in due time.
He noticed that Kairos had looked away. The bird zoner never could handle watching fast videos for long, despite the fact that he was a bird. One would think he was used to this sort of thing by now. But oh well. He had caught the gist of it, and that was good enough.
King Zander kept quiet for a few minutes. He found the video to be pretty enjoyable. It was remarkable how they were all able to keep ahead of the dog and fox like that. Especially the dog, considering her natural talent. Even more incredible was the fact that Rudy's left arm was broken and Barney's wings were torn off. Even in all that pain, still they managed to keep ahead.
He had to wonder how long it would last. Just how long would they be able to keep this up? It wouldn't be forever. They could keep running as fast as they wanted to. Sooner or later, something had to give. They were fighting a losing battle. Just how did they think they could cope with a fox that couldn't be caught, never falling into traps, and a hound that always catches her prey and couldn't be stopped?
King Zander gave a broad smile at this, his eyes twinkling. He would be much interested in seeing how these guys get out of that situation. It would be quite enjoyable to see if they could make it out. That would be quite a feat.
Around and around, Laelaps and Teumessian zipped. They rarely strayed away from each other for long, and when they did, it was always in opposite of each other, one taking the right flank and the other taking the left flank. They complimented each other, one making up for the weakness of the other. Together, they were unstoppable. That was why the king placed them together.
Curiously, even when they got close, they didn't try to bite or claw at their victims. They were content on just running. They were toying with the group. This was of no surprise. King Zander was well aware of their playful nature, and how they liked with mess with people's minds. He wondered how far they were going to take it this time.
The only thing that drew him away from looking at the screen was when his general, Kairos, cleared his throat. "Sire...I..."
King Zander turned his head and stared over at the general. His stare startled Kairos and he took a step back. "Is there something on your mind, Kairos?"
The bird nodded his head meekly. "Yes. I was wondering if...if there was...a-anything you..." He stumbled over his words.
"Just spit it out!"
Kairos spoke quickly. "I was wondering if there was any specific task you wanted me to do.."
King Zander thought about this. He stared at Kairos, remaining silent, for a few moments. He turned and looked back at the screen. He watched as the human children and the two zoners screamed and ran. Soon a smile spread across his deer-like muzzle.
"Actually, Kairos... There is." King Zander turned his head and stared at the expectant Kairos. "I do have an important job for you to do."
As Kairos bowed in acceptance, King Zander turned his head back towards the screen. His smile only grew more twisted as he focused on the image of Rudy and Snap running alongside each other.
sss
"I don't know...how long I can...keep this...up.." Snap panted heavily, his tongue hanging out.
"Don't stop!" Rudy cried as he looked behind him. "We still have company!"
Behind them, the white form of Laelaps was not far. She still had that sultry kind of look to her and she was moving in quickly. Her long legs attributed to her speed, and it was clear that she could easily catch them in a matter of seconds.
What was frightening Rudy more was the fact that she had been holding back. Behind that red glow of hers, he could see that she was only playing with them. Laelaps and Teumessian both had been deliberately moving slower to give them more time to run. And for no other reason other than just to have fun.
This chilled Rudy to the bone. The fact that anyone could actually take pleasure in this twisted activity...
"Rudy! Look out!" Snap's voice hollered.
Rudy turned his head and he nearly tripped to the side when Teumessian jumped towards him. His claws narrowly missed him, almost grazing along his skin. The sudden attack caused him to eventually lose his footing and he fell into the ground. He cried out in pain when he hit against his arm.
Snap rushed to his side. "Rudy! Bucko! Are you all right?"
Rudy hardly heard his friend. His mind was swirling in pain as he clutched his arm to himself. His body gave a few pained twitches, his teeth clenched and breathing in and out quickly. It was only after a few moments that he opened up his eyes.
Thought his blurry vision, he could see Teumessian approaching them, his partner not far behind. Just like before, they weren't attacking. They just stood there, watching, smiling. It was quite unsettling. Rudy, in his pain, wanted to shout at them to get it over with. Yet he was certain they would still act like it was some kind of game.
"Over already? That is a shame. We were having so much fun." Teumessian stated. He sat down on his haunches, his tail swirling around behind him almost like a cat that was watching its prey. "Unless you have more for us?"
"We hope you don't give up." Laelaps joined Teumessian at his side. She remained standing, taking on a proudful stance. "That would be a waste of our talents. We thought you would put up a better fight than this. Please prove us correct."
Snap hissed at them. "Why don't you two creepazoids go jump off a cliff?!"
Teumessian sneered, "You are quite the sparker. Perhaps you can encourage your friend to get up?" He tilted his head to one side. "Let us make this enjoyable."
Snap bared his teeth at this. "Enjoyable for you, maybe! Just what kind of sick fiends are you?!"
"We are not sick." Laelaps stated. She closed her eyes, lowering her head. "We are only being ourselves and enjoy life. Perhaps you should do the same." She raised a foot into the air, showing her claws to him. "At least, while you are still able."
"Guys!"
Rudy, Snap, and the two canines turned their heads to see the approaching forms of Penny and Barney. They had worried expressions plastered on their faces. They looked at Rudy with great concern and were about to ask how he was. The sight of the two canines made them freeze in fear.
This delighted the two canines.
"Ah the rest have shown up. Perfect." Said Laelaps.
"Now the chase is complete again." Agreed Teumessian. "Let us restart now? Get up and run. Be quick. And give us more of a challenge."
"Yes." Laelaps wagged her pointed tail from side to side. "It is getting tiresome for us to slow down just to give you a better chance. Soon, we will stop, and you will be dealt with quickly. We do not want that. Entertain us."
Then the two canines began to advance towards them slowly.
Rudy growled at this as he leaned against Penny, who helped to support him. He could hear everyone panting. He wasn’t sure how much more running they could do. They had already used up a lot of their strength in the chase. How much further could they really go before they would collapse?
They couldn’t stay here. They would get caught for certain. But..with how good these two seemed to be, they were going to get caught anyway. It seemed that no matter which way they went, which trick they had up their sleeve, these two just wouldn’t stop. They would somehow always manage to keep up with them, they were faster than them, they ran circles around them...
There was only one option they could take. He shifted himself around so he was facing one direction. He didn’t know where he was, where they’d be going, but anywhere was better than here.
“We have to get out of here!” Rudy cried to his friends. “Let’s go this way!”
“But we don’t know where that...” Penny started to say.
“There’s no time!” Rudy shouted at her. “It’s either we go now or...”
He didn’t get a chance to finish when the dog suddenly lunged forward. Her body moved so swift, it almost looked like she didn’t have any hind legs. She landed a foot away and she snapped her jaws at him, narrowly missing his arm, before jumping back.
The sudden motion caused Rudy to let out a scream and he stumbled backwards, nearly falling down. He shook his head and he glared at Laelaps, who simply gave an amused chuckle at his near accident.
Barney’s scream caused them to whip their heads over and they saw that Teumessian had taken advantage of their distraction and jumped on top of Barney. His claws dug into his back and he gave one of his open wounds a long, slow lick. Barney let out a few loud whimpers of pain as he tried to grab the fox. Teumessian simply jumped out of the way, avoiding capture. He returned to his partner’s side.
“Yes, that’s it. Fight back. We like it.” Teumessian said with a giggle. His pointed snout was stretched into a slightly more mischievious smile. “It makes us feel alive.”
The group glared at them, but they didn’t waste a second longer there. Taking Rudy’s suggestion, they all fled once more.
This time, they stayed closer together. Last time, they had split up, thinking it would help. All it did was bore the two canines and they wound up choosing to torment two of them just for fun. They could only guess that splitting up had been done several times and the two canines wanted something different.
But it wasn’t like Rudy cared what they wanted, and he doubted his friends did, either. All they want to do was get out of here. To hell whatever they think. They were just a couple of sick zoners and they weren’t worth the time.
The group ran across the forest floor. It was hard to tell where they were. There were more trees in this area. Not as densely packed as the other forest still, but it was both a blessing and a curse. This did slow down the canines a little as they couldn’t simply run straight at them. But at the same time, it slowed them down as well.
They grunted, growled, and hissed in frustration and fear as they kept having to slow down and run around a tree, jump over fallen branches, jump across small puddles, whatever else they had found on their way. They nearly tripped over some grooves in the ground.
Snap let out a yelp when he fell victim to one of these grooves his body slamming into the ground. He managed to get up, but he started to limp. Barney helped him the best he could, though he did yelp in pain when Snap accidentally touched his wound. He quickly apologized as they resumed running.
Rudy tried to keep up. He was now able to run on his own without Penny’s support, but the pain that wracked through his arm was still there. He couldn’t it from creeping all along his arm and onto his shoulder. It made him wobble a little to the side. He did his best to push the pain aside as he continued to run.
All the while, the fox and the hound were close behind them. He could hear their chuckling. He could see the way they were darting around them. Even in front of them. The sight of this was unsettling and he could see the looks of fears growing even more pronounced on everyone’s faces.
They watched as Teumessian jumped onto a tree above them, hung by his tail for a second, and then land in front of them. Standing on two feet, he said, “Want to try harder?”
The group turned and ran off in a new direction. This one seemed to take them along a small creek, not unlike the one they had been in earlier. This time, it was Laelaps who came over. She jumped along the stones with ease, as if she were merely floating on air. She jumped across the water and in front of them. She gave them a nasty grin.
“Oh so close. But nope, sorry.”
The group gasped at this, and they turned and tried another direction. They didn’t get far before they realized the line of foliage in front of them was blocking a drop down.
They screamed as they slid down the slope. It curved and twisted, almost like a spiral ride. They collided with each other, oofing as they hit one another. Rudy stifled a scream as his arm was hit, tears forming in his eyes. He held his arm to himself as he and his friends were spun around and around. The spiral seemed to on forever, but it really only lasted a couple seconds, then they were flung outward and hit against solid and muddy ground.
Snap spat out the mud and rubbed his tongue. There was a disgusted look on his face. Bareny simply took off his vest, rolled it up, snapped it out once, and put it back on. He shuddered in pain as the cloth grazed over his wounds.
Penny picked herself up. She brushed herself off. She seemed to have the least problem with the mud. She looked over at Rudy and grabbed onto his right arm. She pulled him up, helping him step out of the small log that his foot was caught in. He quickly thanked her, and the group started to get a move on.
Only to realize that there was nowhere to go.
To their horror, this was a dead end. Right in front of them, a wall of dirt and rock grew out, stretching up back to where they were initially. They had fallen into some random hole in the ground, possibly dug out by someone who was exploring here. They didn’t get very far, judging from how small this bottom pit was.
They had nowhere to go. Rudy had lost the laser thing from before. During the chase with these two canines, he had lost it. He grumbled to himself for being so clumsy. And they had no magic chalk. How were they going to get out of this?
They would have to think of something soon. He could hear them starting to come down the path. Their footsteps were light, yet they still somehow echoed in the walls. They heard every scream, every hum, every breath. They could see their shadows along the walls, contorting and stretching and mushing as they got closer. The group huddled close together, prepared to make a final stand against these monsters if they had to.
Rudy gritted his teeth. There had to be some way out of this. If he knew more about these two, then maybe there could be something they could do. But where could he find...
His eyes widened. He turned his head towards Barney. “Hey, do you have any information on Laelaps and Teumessian?”
Barney looked at him in confusion. “What? I told you, Rudy...” He held his hands up. “I don’t have the information! Well nothing new anyway. All I know about them is what you and Penny and Snap already know.”
“Yeah, Bucko. I know Barney has a wealth of knowledge and all that, but even he can’t pull information out of thin air.” Snap chimed in.
Penny, however, was tapping a finger against her chin thoughtfully. It seemed that she was getting some idea. “I might know where you are going with this...”
“Oh really? Well can you inform me? Because I still don’t know what...” Barney’s voice trailed off when the sinister cackle of the canines could be heard. It would seem that, this time, they weren’t going to just toy with them and run off.
They were moving in for the kill.
Rudy spoke quickly. “You know how everything...well...almost everything here is based off greek mythology in some way? Well the creatures mostly and... well do you get what I’m saying?” At Barney’s nod, Rudy continued. “Well what if these two are based off such a myth? Maybe there’s a greek story somewhere with them in it?”
Snap cocked an eyebrow. “I hadn’t heard of any Teumessian or Laelaps.”
“You know..those names do ring a bell...” Penny rubbed her chin as she tilted her head upwards. “I think I came across something like that before in the library...”
Rudy stared intently at Barney. Right now, he was their best chance. If they were going to survive this, it all depended on if Barney could pull up any information they could use. He hoped that this would work. It just had to. “Barney, please...there has to be something...”
Barney remained quiet. Rudy kept his eyes glued to his. He silently pleaded with him. He hoped that Barney would be able to pull something up. He had to at least try, right?
The sound of footseps, louder, and a taunt or two, caused hairs to raise on their backs.
“We are coming.”
“Best prepare.”
“We will not let you run again.”
“Please hurry!” Rudy cried to Barney.
The centipede closed his eyes, placing his fingertips together, and concentrated. The trio watched as his pods lit up for a few seconds. Then only the pods with the letter L and the letter T remained lit. They started to scroll rapidly as Barney looked through them.
Barney mumbled to himself. “No, that’s not it.” A few seconds later, “No...definitely not.”
Rudy watched him intently, feeling adrenaline rush through his body. He could feel his body tremble, his fingers shaking. He looked back and gasped when he could see an almost perfectly shaped and sized shadow for Teumessian. They were running out of time.
Penny and Snap watched nervously. Snap kept looking more frequently at the shadows. His fists were tightening, and it was clear that he was going to fight if he had to. Penny kept her eyes solely on Barney. She had a hopeful look in her eyes. She whispered a few soft words, and Rudy could only guess that they were prayers for him to succeed.
As this went on, Teumessian and Laelaps were drawing ever closer. They had slowed down their pace significantly, and were now walking at a snail’s pace. They were purposely increasing the tension, drawing this out for as long as possible. A side effect of being bored or from being sadistic, neither were certain. It didn’t matter; it was still just as blood chilling.
Rudy looked up, watching the shadows get closer, and he looked over at Barney. He gritted his teeth, feeling his heart pound.
Snap spoke up, his voice tinged in nervousness. “Did you find anything out yet?”
Barney shook his head. “No, I...” Suddenly he stopped, his eyes widening. He raised his finger into the air. “Oh I think I got something!”
“What is it? Tell us before they arrive!” Rudy didn’t want to rush Barney, but they really didn’t have any options.
Barney seemed to understand. He nodded at the trio, giving them a determined, serious look. He closed his eyes and tapped his fingers together as he began to relay the information to them.
“Both Laelaps and the Teumessian fox are from an ancient legend from the greek mythology. Let’s see... Laelaps is a magical dog who always catches her prey, and the Teumessian Fox was a fox that could never be caught...” Barney paused at this. “Well we already knew that.”
“Yeah...” Snap folded his arms and frowned at him. “Go on...”
“Oh yes, of course.” Barney cleared his throat. “The details are fuzzy, but it mentioned something about how a god pitted the two against each other, and Zeus had to turn them into stone, then banish them, because of their paradoxical natures. A hound that always caught her prey against a fox that couldn’t be caught.”
Snap frowned at this, tilting his head. “I don’t get it.”
“Don’t you see?” Penny was the first one to realize the gravity of this. “Those two working against each other would create an endless cycle. The fox would always get away and the dog would always chase.” Penny brought her fingers together, and then spread them apart. “They would be caught in an infinite loop.”
Rudy’s eyes widened at this. “So if we get them to go against each other...”
Penny looked at him, smiling and nodding her head. “We could get them to chase each other.”
“That’s all well and good, but...” Snap raised his shoulders up. “How are you going to do that?”
Penny narrowed her eyes. “I think I have an idea.”
Rudy hoped so. Because now Teumessian and Laelaps were coming into full view now. He could see the tops of their heads, their ears twitching. He could hear their chuckles of amusement. The time to act was now.
sss
Penny had no idea if this plan would work. A part of her was worried that it wouldn’t, and that it would only hasten their demise. Yet there was little option at this point. She just hoped that Teumessian and Laelaps would give them enough time for her to finish the plan. If they decided to jump at them now...
She watched, biting her lip, as the fox and hound came down slowly, coming into view. They were walking side by side together, their feet movements practically synchronized. Penny gulped. The movements looked so foreboding, despite them not making an aggressive move towards her or her friends.
They all backed up towards the wall. They pressed their bodies against it. The two canines moved in slowly, their glowing red eyes remaining on them. Their smiles were looking even more twisted than before, if that was even possible. They cringed at the sight of them. And when they flashed their teeth, their stomachs practically left their mouths. It was only a matter of time before they decided to end their little ‘game’.
Penny had to make her move now. If she waited much longer, then it could easily be too late. She narrowed her eyes, cleared her throat, and took a few steps in front of her. Rudy, Snap, and Barney looked at her in horror and called out her name. She ignored them as she glared at the two canines in front of her. They had paused, twirling their tails around as they eyed her eagerly.
“What is this? Surrendering yourself to us?”
“Oh how delightful! But disappointing.”
“Yes, couldn’t you have at least begged?”
“We are so bored.”
“We thought you would be entertaining, but we guess we were wrong.”
Penny grimaced at those comments, but did not respond to them. She narrowed her eyes and hunched her shoulders. The others were counting on her to pull this off. She stopped hesitating and she made her move.
“I do have a question, if you do not mind me asking.” Penny said. She smiled. A forced smile that hurt to be made, but she still did it anyway. The two canines immediately paused and looked at her with curiosity. “Which one of you is the leader?”
“Why, that is I.” Laelaps said.
“Now hold on!” Teumessian turned his head towards her. “I thought I was in charge!”
Laelaps chuckled. “In your dreams.”
It appeared to be working, but it wasn’t enough to provoke them into a fight. Penny had to continue. “Well, the one in charge should be the one we should fear the most. Which one of you is the best at catching your victims?”
“Well that’s obvious. I am! I’m the one who can’t get caught. Therefore, any trap will not work on me!” Teumessian puffed himself up with pride.
Now it was Laelaps turn to growl. “Now just a minute! I’m the one who can always catch her prey! That would make me tougher!”
The fox sneered at her. “Well you can still get caught, right? Wouldn’t that mean your prey will get away? Some hunter you are!”
Penny took a step back as the two canines turned towards each other. Any synchrony they had before was gone. Their speaking became more similar to how they would talk, not in unison and not in harmony with each other.
Her plan was working. She could feel herself almost sigh in relief. She managed to hold back, knowing that any sound at this point might distract them. She moved closer to her friends so she could whisper to them without being conspicuous or noticed.
Teumessian’s ears pricked up. “Oh yeah? At least I don’t smell like I hadn’t bathed in a hundred years!”
Laelaps’s lips curled into a snarl. “And I’m not the one who likes to lick random trees!”
Penny took a look at them as their arguing started to grow a little heated. Now was their best chance of escape. She looked over at her friends and she ushered her head to the side, urging them to go. One by one, they all started to leave. They walked along the ground carefully, moving to the side of the canines and then moved up the spiral. All the while, they kept as quiet as a mouse.
Even as they kept going, they could still hear the arguing. Looking over the edge, they could see the two canines still down there. At this point, they had gone onto their hind legs and they raised themselves up, looking like a couple of dogs who were begging. Their heads were lowered and pressed against one another.
“No, I’m the best one for this job!”
“I’m the one who is in charge here! So why don’t you...”
“No I am in charge! Liar!”
“Oh yeah? You want to settle things?”
“No, because why should I reclaim what is mine?”
“You stupid bone spitter!”
Penny and her friends watched this for a moment, noticing how the two canines were moving forward and began as their heads were still paced against each other. Their teeth were bared, and even from up here, they could hear a low rumbling sound.
Despite the relief that they weren’t targeted and amusement on how these two were manipulated to go after each other, they knew they had no time. They knew that, at any second, those canines could use their moves against each other against them. This was enough to make them quicken their pace, leaving behind the two arguing zoners.
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Post by Bluedramon on Apr 25, 2015 20:00:01 GMT -5
Chapter 18: A Destination
From behind them, they could still hear the two canines arguing with each other. No blows had been made yet, but that could change in just a matter of seconds. They had to keep moving, unless they wanted to get caught between the endless cycle of fighting that Teumessian and Laelaps would bring to one another.
“You are such a complainer!”
“You always say you’re the leader when I am!”
“You are never satisfied with anything!”
“You are a selfish pile of fur!”
“At least I don’t inhale ants while I sleep!”
“I don’t do that!”
The bickering went on for a while. The volume of their voices increased. The tension between the two rose greatly. The two canines were going to break into a fight soon if they didn’t stop this escalation.
This realization prompted the group to move even faster out of there. They did not want to get caught in the middle of this kind of fight. The chances of those canines keeping their fight down there were slim. They would likely roll their way back up here and collide with them. Then they might realize they had been tricked and...
They didn’t want to know what would happen in that case. They kept moving up the spiral platform, doing their best to keep a steady, brisk pace.
This wasn’t as easy as they thought it would be. The way up was taking a lot more effort than usual because the ground was slick. There were barely any rough edges that would have allowed them to steady themselves. Instead, they just kept slipping with each step. Each time, they nearly lost their footing and fell into the ground. It took help from one another and a lot of vigilant effort to keep themselves from losing their footing.
They kept walking, occassionally looking over the edge to see if the two were following them yet. The higher they went, the harder it became to actually see either of them. Just small forms and shadows. Only their voices gave away that they were down there.
“You think you could lead? You don’t have the guts!”
“I already lead! It is you who...”
“Oh give me a break! If you led, we would have been cooked by now!”
“How would you know?!”
“Ah, so you admit to not being the leader. Isn’t it nice when you admit when you lie?”
“You little...!”
The group flinched when they heard the sound of yowling and yipping. The fight had begun. They continued to move up, trying to go faster as claws clanged against claws, teeth gnashed on teeth, and the two bodies collided with the rocky ground, kicking up dust.
To their horror, their fears had come true and the canines were starting to chase each other up. They looked behind them, and could see Laelaps and Teumessian attempting to attack each other. Most of their blows missed, and it was mostly a series of attempted bites on one another. They were still engaged in the hostile exchange of blows, their teeth snapping at one another.
So far, the two canines hadn’t noticed them. Their eyes, no longer glowing read and having returned to their normal color, were focused on one another. They circled each other, their tails poofed and raised up in a dominant stance. Their teeth were bared, sparkling in the light.
Teumessian jumped forward and bit down onto Laelaps’s throat. She let out a yelp before pushing back against the fox. She slammed her jaws towards his tail. He managed to jump out of the way in time, missing getting pulled back. They circled each other again and Laelaps jumped, this time managing to collide with the fox. This only lasted a few seconds as Teumessian managed to slip underneath her and run back the other way.
The group let out sighs of relief when they heard the fox and the hound heading down in the opposite direction, back down to where they were before. Knowing this wouldn’t last very long, they continued to move upwards until they were finally back on the top again.
They took a moment to catch their breath. They looked at each other, exchanging looks of relief. They breathed in and out quickly, filling their lungs with oxygen. Only when they had fully recovered did they continue on their way.
They kept moving quickly, knowing that the more space they put between them and the two canines, the better. They continued walking fast, all the while hearing the yowls and yips of Laelaps and Teumessian fighting behind them.
sss
Rudy let out a sigh of relief when they reached an open field. Not because he was happy to be in a place of no trees. That brought its own problems. But he had his doubts that the two canines would follow them out here. They were out in the open and wouldn’t be able to sneak up on them. Out here, no one could get the jump on them.
It did also mean they’d have to move even faster. The feeling of insecurity was starting to outweigh any benefits this place might bring. The lack of any water in sight also proved to be a problem. Snap and Barney were exhausted, just like he and Penny were, and here, they wouldn’t be able to quench their thirst.
Though he isn’t sure if they would even dare drink from another water source here. Not after what happened. Rudy was certain that water had something to do with the canines. Just what, he isn’t sure. But he wasn’t going to take the chance again. The zoners would have to fight the thirst just like he and Penny were.
The group stood on the soft grass, now about twenty feet away from the start of the previous biome. They continued to pant, their minds still swirling from the unfortunate encounter earlier.
Rudy took this moment to look around at the hilly, grassy field they were now in. The boy flinched when he looked up and saw that the tunnels were zigzagging overhead. He didn’t notice if anyone was looking down from there. But he knew that if anyone was up there and if they looked out the window, they would easily see their forms moving across the ground. If they only had access to that laser from before... Oh why did he have to be an idiot and drop it?
Well they could use their hands to dig. The ground felt soft enough for that.
It would take too long. They wouldn’t be able to reach their destination in time. They...
Rudy’s eyes widened. Just where were they going now? They had been assaulted by a snake and harrassed by a fox and a dog. They had been running around so much, it felt as though they had lost their way. Now he can’t remember which direction they were going. What was the destination now?
The first thing that came to his mind was finding their submarine and leaving. He wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. He would be happy if he never set foot in this awful place again. It can stay lost for all he cared.
When his eyes settled on Barney, another thought came to his head. What about King Mumbo Jumbo? He was still trapped here. It wouldn’t be right to leave him locked up with these lunatics, would it? They had to go save him.
There was one problem with that. They had no idea where he was being held. Barney had never mentioned the precise location, or if he even knew. Without that knowledge, there was no way they could help save the tortoise. Rudy would ask now for the information, but Barney looked too shaken up and tired to answer all that well.
But...they had to know now. Despite how tired they all were, they needed to start heading out, and they needed a determined destination, not running around in whatever direction they could. That only made it more likely for them to get caught.
Rudy made his way towards Barney. Penny and Snap noticed the look on his face. They watched intently as he went over towards the centipede. Barney was busy cleaning his antennas, and only noticed Rudy when he was right in front of him.
“Rudy?” Barney looked at the boy, releasing his right antenna, letting it spring back. “It looks like you want to say something to me.”
“Actually yeah. A question.” Rudy had to be careful how he went into this topic. It was sensitive for the centipede. The way he worded this was crucial.
“You wanted to talk to me about something?” Barney asked. When Rudy nodded his head, Barney folded his arms against himself. “Okay, what did you want to know?”
Rudy took in a deep breath and sighed. This was it. The moment of asking. He looked back at his friends, seeing their curious expressions. Penny’s had a spark of recognition in them, and Rudy guessed that she had figured out already what was going to come out of his mouth.
He turned his attention back to Barney. He was patiently waiting for him, one foot tapping to some invisible beat. Rudy didn’t speak up right away; he needed some time to think about how he was going to word this. When he felt he was ready, he spoke his question in a calm voice.
“Do you know exactly where King Mumbo Jumbo is being held?”
Barney’s eyes bulged at this. Penny straightened herself up, her eyes shining with a ‘I knew it’ kind of look. Snap put a hand towards his mouth, looking like he wanted to speak, but being unable to get it out.
Rudy kept the same stern yet curious and worried look on his face as he kept looking at Barney. The centipede didn’t attempt to do anything. It was as if he was stuck on pause mode. If it weren’t for the inflating and deflating of his chest, Rudy would have thought that someone shot him with a frozen spell or something.
“I...” Barney’s voice was soft.
“I know it is hard for you to think about what they did to you...to King Mumbo Jumbo.” Rudy tried to keep himself from bringing up the fact that there were some holes in Barney’s story he wanted to know. Right now, there were more important things to worry about than filling in the extra information. “But...we do not want to leave without him, and I know you don’t either. Please, Barney. If you know where he is, tell us, and we will make arrangements to go there.”
“Yeah. He’s our friend, too.” Penny approached them slowly. “We might not have known him for nearly as long as you...” Penny motioned towards the centipede. “But we are willing to do whatever it takes to get him out of there.”
Snap nodded in agreement. He slammed a fist against his palm. “We will make sure those creepazoids don’t torment him anymore!”
Barney gave a small smile at this. It only lasted a second before his worried complexion returned. He looked away from them, and appeared to be deep in thought. They guessed that he was reliving what had happened, and they decided to give him all the time he needed.
Barney soon looked back at them, his eyes looking at them up and down. He appeared to hesitate, but he was able to force the words out of his mouth.
“He was taken to a high security prison the last I heard. I don’t know the name of it, or the precise location. But...I do remember overhearing one of the guards say something about it being located not too far away from the palace. I guess King Zander likes to keep tabs on his ‘guests’...”
Rudy widened his eyes at this. He looked over at his friends. He could see they were just as shocked and nervous as he was. They all knew what this meant. If King Mumbo Jumbo was located back in that city...
...then they would have to travel back there to get him.
Rudy could feel his heart tightening as he tried to deal with the difficult decision. He had to decide what was best for the group. Which course of action should they end up taking?
They could keep on their current course. They could keep traveling in their present direction until they found their way back where they came from. They could leave and never have to come back. They wouldn’t have to see or hear from King Zander ever again.
But what about King Mumbo Jumbo? They couldn’t just leave him. They could travel back to the city... But they could get caught. How would they be able to sneak in? Surely the king had sounded the alarm at this point, and most zoners were probably on the lookout for them now. They needed to figure something else out. But...what could they do?
Then a chilling thought entered their minds.
Would they even be safe from the king on the surface?
King Zander did say that he had spies on the surface, and Barney had confirmed this. Even if they did escape here, what if King Zander planned on going to the surface? If he could send up spies, why not himself? Or an army? What if King Zander wanted to bring all of the surface down into his oceaniac kingdom? There was little to suggest this wasn’t a possibility.
They had to do something about this king. Arresting him wasn’t an option. He was top dog around here and all the residents appeared to respect him. No, their best option was to find a way to seal them in Chalklantis for good, cutting off their ties with the surface completely.
But first, they needed to focus on one task at a time. And right now, he needed to decide what they should do.
Keep trying to find the exit, but forcing Barney to leave his friend behind.
Or save King Mumbo Jumbo, but risk getting caught by King Zander.
“Getting to this prison won’t be easy, even if we did spot it.” Barney looked at the ground sadly and nervously. His fingers fumbled against each other. “They always have it guarded. And I heard it’s not by pigs like we had seen...”
“Boars.” Penny corrected.
Barney went on. “Instead, they are supposed to be large crabs, with tall spines running along their backs that I think can shoot more spikes, and their pinchers are huge and razor sharp, they have four or six eyes at least, and their bodies are covered in a hard shell that makes it hard to harm them.”
Snap gave an impressed whistle. “I can see why it’s so well guarded.”
“With that kind of security, there must be a number of zoners in there that had opposted the king in some way. I can imagine him using this place to keep them ‘in line’, so to speak.” Penny furrowed her eyes as she thought about that. “I can see why he’d send King Mumbo Jumbo there...”
“How are we gunna find this place?” Snap raised his hands into the air. “If we’re going to save this guy, we need to know which direction we should be headed in.” He looked at Barney. “Any ideas?”
Barney closed his eyes. “If I had my wings...” His voice trailed off.
The mention of that brought back a series of bad memories to the group. They could hear Barney’s screams and the sound of ripping and tearing when Kairos had tortured him earlier. The trio gave him an understanding look and didn’t press him to continue.
Rudy attempted to change the subject a little. “I’m sure if we think hard enough, we might be able to figure out something.”
“Yeah? Like what? In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re out in an open field. With nothing to climb on. No advantage point.” Snap gave a quick look around. He turned back to Rudy. “What do you suggest we do?”
Rudy folded his arm against himself, tapping his foot. There had to be something they could do. Then his mind clicked. “Wait... Barney?” He looked over at the centipede. “Maybe that map would help? I know it’s outdated, but maybe it could show us about where the castle is.”
“That is a good idea, Rudy.” Penny stated. “It’s unlikely that King Zander would waste time building a new palace for him to stay in. We could use the old map to find its location, and from there, figure out where the prison is.”
“I’m sure we would be able to spot it quickly.” Snap said. “I’m sure that the so-called king would want everyone to know what would happen to those who cross the line.”
Rudy nodded in agreement. “We don’t have to know the exact location of the prison. If we just figure out where the palace is, we can go from there.” He took a step towards Barney. “Can you pull up the map again?”
“Well okay.” Barney closed his eyes and concentrated. One of his pods began to glow and soon he was able to pull up the map. He turned his head and looked at it. He gave a frown. “This is problematic. I can’t tell where we are.”
“Oh? Let us see.”
The trio walked towards the centipede, their eyes on the pod. They leaned in and stared at the modestly sized screen. The map was small, but they could still see all the details that it provided. They skimmed around it with their eyes and soon concluded that Barney was right. There were no dots to indicate their location.
This was of great concern. Without knowing exactly where they were, they wouldn’t be able to figure out which way they were supposed to go. How were they going to find King Mumbo Jumbo now?
Rudy frowned. He refused to give up. There had to be a way to figure out their spot on the map. Maybe if they zoomed in, they could see hints of some important details perhaps. Or they could just keep traveling until they reached a biome with a tall structure to climb on. Whether it be a tree or a rock face.
But would traveling without knowing where they were be the smartest idea? What if they ended up getting caught again? They would need to discuss this further before making any definite decisions.
sss
The decision was soon made, and they decided their best option was to keep moving. They needed to get to the next biome quickly. It was hard to tell what it was from this distance, but they were certain they could see some trees. This was good news as it would allow them an advantage point to figure out where they were.
They continued to walk, rarely speaking to one another. None of them could think of what to say, and all they were focused on was getting away from here. They kept their eyes glued forward, turning their gaze from one side to the other, carefully scanning the land for any signs of trouble.
They didn’t run into much of anything out here. There were a few birds they saw overhead. They stiffened at the sight of them, wondering if they could be working for King Zander. They wanted to rush forward and get out of their sights faster, but Penny told them no, that it would just draw attention quicker if they did.
Despite the tension of possibly being watched, the group managed to keep moving forward. They eventually came to realize the birds were likely not spies when they started to fight one another for some scrap of food that one of them was carrying. Another looked like it was trying court a female, and another male didn’t like it. Then one of the males won and... The group averted their eyes after this, not interested in seeing this miracle of nature right now.
Besides the birds and the occasional mammal, something like a weasel, the group didn’t really run into many animals out here. This was of little surprise to them. Except for those who could burrow or fly, this open space was just inviting danger.
That changed when they saw a herd of large deer with a few sharp teeth lined in their dark-colored mouths. They were placed between two large hills, pressed close together, some young in the center, protecting them.
They realized it was dangerous to keep moving forward. The deer might see them as a threat to their young and attack. They were about to leave when Rudy suggested that maybe there was a water source not far beyond the deer, and perhaps this was the edge of the biome. But Penny disagreed and reminded them of the sheer size of the Shadow Forest and the Canine Forest. It was unlikely that this biome would end so soon.
Penny turned out to be correct. When two male deer spotted them and chased after them, they ran towards their usual direction, trying to outrun the bucks. When they came over the hill, they saw that it just dipped downward and spilled into another open field. Just like the other one, only it was flat with little hill creation in sight.
They did, however, come across a large lake. It formed a near perfect circle. From the looks of it, this was the only water source of this biome. They immediately jumped into it and swam forward. Barney ignored the pain in his shoulders as he carried Rudy, Penny, and Snap towards the center of the huge lake. Penny and Snap held onto Rudy to keep him from falling off.
The bucks stopped by the water. They stared out at them, their cold, black eyes somehow shining with intent. The group stared at them in fear, wondering if they were going to walk around the two edges of the lake and confront them at a point. But thankfully, the bucks were satisfied with their chase and they wandered off.
The group got out of the water and dried themselves off the best they could. They stared at the deer for a few seconds before they resumed their walking, their hearts still pounding from that chase.
Despite their fear, they started to enjoy the walk. It wasn’t too bad. It was a good temperature. Nice and warm. There was hardly any danger anywhere, and even the tunnels above them seemed to diminish in number, which helped them relax more. They looked left and right, taking in the sight of the plain yet pretty looking landscape.
It was kind of nice to finally being able to explore a little. Even though this wasn’t what they had in mind. They knew they were on the run from the king and trying to escape, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t enjoy themselves a little, and take in the sights all around them. Somehow, despite it all being the same, it didn’t get boring. Maybe it was the grass, which sometimes had a rainbowish glow it, making every sight unique. Maybe it was the birds singing, playing a different song for them as the seconds passed on.
Soon, up ahead, they started to see the beginnings of the next biome. It was confusing how the biomes seem to blend together a little, and had no sharp defining point or any walls to separate them from one another. They didn’t question it for too long, knowing the king’s men could be fast approaching them. They continued on their way.
The biome in front of them appeared to be a jungle of some kind. It had densely populated trees, similar to the Shadow Forest biome they were in earlier. This jungle lacked that aura feeling, but still seemed less inviting than the Canine Forest. And, as exposed by a low, rumbling sound, there were animals populating this jungle. Big ones.
They looked at each other as their pacing slowed down. They had no plans on stopping, but how were they going to go about this? What would they do once they reached the jungle biome?
They needed to figure out something fast, or else they would likely become targets of some kind of big, hungry animal zoner. After their previous chases, and how little rest they were getting, they weren’t sure if they could handle another chase so soon.
Before they went too much further, Penny suggested they relax. It was dangerous out in the open, but they needed some rest, and at least out here, it was relatively safe. The others agreed and they sat down on the ground. The feel of the weight being lifted from their sore feet felt so good.
They took this time to begin planning. As they spoke, they kept turning their heads to make sure no one or nothing was attempting to sneak behind them. They kept speaking with each other, each hoping that they would get out of here, reassuring the others that they would.
But that was a huge question that none of them were certain could be answered yet.
Would they get out of here?
sss
Unbeknownst to them, a pair of bright orange eyes were watching from a distance.
Kairos was glad that he had been created with such magnificent eye sight. Even perched high on the tallest tree of this sparsely populated forest biome, he was able to see the three brats and stupid insect. He could see all the details, as if he were standing right in front of them.
He hadn’t been here for too long. The king had sent him out here and he flew as fast as he could. He had arrived in time to witness them being chased by the herd of deer. As amusing as it was to watch, he was glad they made it away. It wouldn’t have been as much fun if they had perished to the deer.
He remembered his king’s orders and he remained put. He had no plans on flying out right when they resumed their walk. It was too risk to fly out any further. They might spot him. That would blow his whole mission.
Instead, he was going to have to wait until they were in the cover of the forest, then he’d fly over real quick, always keeping high above the ground to avoid being spotted.
He replayed his king’s plan over and over again in his mind. He wasn’t entirely sure if it would work, but he dare not question King Zander. He knew what he was doing. After all, he knew just how to bring them down in the first place, and he knew how they were going to react when he told them the lie about disappearances. He had only miscalculated a few things, and even then, things were underway.
That didn’t mean that he didn’t have some level of doubt. What he had planned now was tricky. It all rided on what these four were going to do.
That was where he came in.
The group was moving now. They were going towards the jungle. Kairos stared at them intently. When they began to enter, he spread his metallic wings. It was time to make his move.
sss
“This place is pretty nice. A lot better than that stupid Shadow Forest.” Snap said as he tilted his head up and looked around this new biome.
The others couldn’t exactly disagree. They had only just entered the jungle and already they could tell it was a lot better, more comforting than any other biome they had been in. From a distance, it didn’t seem like it, but now they were in it, this place made them feel the safest.
Plenty of places to hide.
Plenty of room.
Plenty of light.
This was a huge improvement over the previous biomes, which were either densely populated but had a darker aura to them, especially the Shadow Forest, or they were well lit yet out in the open, like the Canine Forest. This was a happy balance between the two and it allowed them to feel safer as they walked through it.
They didn’t stand around too long to look around. They casted a glance behind them, taking one last look at the Open Fields before they started to go on their way.
Snap couldn’t help but take in a deep breath, smelling the frest air all around them. He listened to the chirping of birds, the scurrying of small lizards and mammals, the buzzing of insects. It almost sounded like a lullaby of some kind, making his mouth tick into a small smile. This was one of the most relaxing things he had heard since they got here.
But he never lost sight of what kind of situation they were in. They may have rested for a little while, but they were still a little tired. And though they tried to plan, they couldn’t really get any further than ‘explore’. Normally he loved exploring, but here, he knew that one wrong move could get them all recaptured.
He remained close to his friends. Both for comfort and to offer them security. They felt safer together, especially after what happened with the last couple of biomes. In each one, they got chased. They couldn’t afford to let that keep happening in each biome. They would tread lightly in this jungle one.
He feared for his friends. He...they all witnessed what King Zander was capable of doing. Now that they had expected, they had no idea just what to expect from the king. Would he be ‘merciful’ and just keep them fighting in the arena for the entertainment of his people? Or would he do something much worse?
Snap wanted to do whatever it took to protect them. And he knew they would do the same for him and each other. But he wasn’t sure if it was going to be enough. The king had a lot of followers, a ton of loyal citizens. Just how much of a chance did they stand at protecting each other if they were surrounded by at least twenty guards?
They weren’t going to give up, regardless. They would do whatever they could to help one another, even if it seemed futile. They were all they had in this forsaken place. If the Chalklantians wanted to take that way from them, they would have to use force.
Snap wasn’t sure how long they had been walking in this jungle biome. Probably only a few minutes. It felt so much longer. Time dragged on as everyone remained on edge on some level despite the relative calmness of this place.
It must be the trees. Snap looked left and right, noting all the trees around them. They did feel safe at first in here, under the shade of the trees. But now the horror was starting to settle in, and suddenly, this jungle was feeling less and less safe. What kind of angers was this place hiding? All the more reason to get a move on.
Suddenly, there was a snap of a twig, causing all of them to jolt and stiffen, looking left and right. Despite his broken arm, Rudy put himself in front of the others, forming a fist with his hand. Penny looked at him cautiously while Snap looked out in another direction, his body hunched as he prepared for an attack. Barney was facing the opposite way, worried that the sound was coming from somewhere behind them.
The echo of the sound made it near impossible for them to know which direction the sound came from. This did little to comfort them. They could feel a cold chill go up their bodies at the realization that someone might be following them.
“What was that?” Penny whispered.
“I don’t know.” Rudy turned his eyes upward. “I think it came from above, but...I can’t tell.”
Barney was still looking behind the. “I’m not seeing anyone trying to flank us from over here.”
“Or here.” Penny noticed as she looked at one direction.
“And I can’t...” Snap’s voice trailed off when he noticed something in front of them. He tilted his head to one side, wondering what it could be. He began to walk towards it. “Wait a minute...”
“Snap? Where are you going?” Rudy called out to his friend. “Don’t stray too far!”
“Don’t worry. I won’t!” Snap told him as he continued on his way.
Snap could see something whitish near a thick bushy foliage. He was cautious when approaching it knowing that this bush could be dangerous, or hiding some dangerous animal. Each step towards it was slow and careful, and he had frequent pauses before continuing on.
With his eyes focused on this white thing, he slowly drew closer, and soon he stood just outside of the foliage. He paused, unsure of how to continue. The only way to get the item was if he reached his hand inside. Could he risk that? What if there was a venomous snake there?
But what if there was something in there that could help? At this rate, they could use all the help they could get.
Snap closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath to compose himself. Gathering up as much courage as he could, he dropped down onto his knees and reached out with his hand slowly, carefully.
These few moments were tense. He could feel his heart pounding. He could feel sweat moving down his face as he constantly expected to get attacked, or to fall into some sort of trap. He could feel his friends’ eyes on him, hear their voices calling out to him to be careful or to get back. All the while, Snap kept reaching for the white thing.
Soon he touched it. He wrapped his rounded hand on it and he quickly pulled it out. He scrambled to get away from the bush as quickly as he could. Once he was felt he was far enough away, he looked down at the item that he had taken.
His eyes widened. It couldn’t be... It would never be this easy, right? Not again..
Yet the item felt too real. No matter how long he stared at it, there it remained. It even sparkled like the real deal.
It was another piece of magic chalk.
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Post by Bluedramon on Apr 25, 2015 20:00:16 GMT -5
Chapter 19: Calling For Favors
A piece of magic chalk. The second one from today. Just laying there, with no indication of how it got there. It seemed like it was too good to be true. How would a rogue piece of chalk end up out here? Why was this happening? What was going on?
It could be seen as a blessing. They needed magic chalk to help themselves get through here. There was little chance they’d be able to save King Mumbo Jumbo, let alone get out of this place without magic chalk. Even if they did find a way, they had a lot of obstacles to overcome, namely getting past King Zander and Kairos, and those who followed them.
But something was feeling really wrong about this. A piece of magic chalk just appearing out of the blue once was strange enough. But for another to appear? That seemed like too big a coincidence. Something was going on here. The group looked around for any signs of someone there. Though they found no one, they kept themselves on edge.
Penny kept her hands raised up and pressed against herself in a nervous fashion. She moved her eyes around to get another look at her surroundings. This forest did have a lot of animals and plants, as they could very well see and hear. That alone made them all nervous enough, as any of these animals could decide to attack them. But to know what there might be someone watching them from between the foliage... It was unsettling.
Penny had thought about telling Snap to chuck the chalk, but she kept her mouth shut. Despite the uncertainty of the whole thing, she still felt a compulsion to keep the chalk.
But what if it was fake? What if it was something that King Zander created in order to track them? Having it there with them would only increase the odds of them being found then. But...what if it was real? It certainly looked like it was real magic chalk. And if it was real, wouldn’t they benefit more from taking it than throwing it away?
Penny was at a loss of what to do. Her mind was at war with itself, fighting to decide how to handle the magic chalk. Either throw it away in case it was a trick, or keep it in case they needed it. Both had their ups and downs. Which one should they choose?
“I wonder how this thin’ got all the way out here.” Snap rubbed the back of his head as he examined the chalk. “Could it be one of yours?”
Rudy shook his head. “I doubt it. The king took mine, remember? And Penny’s.” He motioned towards Penny. “After that trouble of separating it from us, do you think he’d just leave it scattered across the land like this? Unguarded?”
“It would seem really strange.” Penny had to agree with Rudy’s assessment. Something seemed really off about what Snap had suggested. “He doesn’t want us to be able to use our drawing skills. I think he has the pieces locked up in his room somewhere.”
Snap frowned. “Then where do you think he got the magic chalk from then?”
Penny paused to think about this. Snap did make a good case, too. She and Rudy were the only ones who came here recently with magic chalk. It was possible that the pieces they had found did indeed belong to them.
But that wouldn’t explain how they got there. King Zander would have kept them locked up, wouldn’t he? Or was it possible that someone among that palace found the pieces and decided to shatter them and spread them across Chalklantis just because they could? That seemed odd, but maybe the individual thought they were decreasing their odds of finding the pieces like that.
But there was another possibility. She wasn’t sure of the likelihood of this, as she knew less about magic chalk as her friends. But it was the only other thing she could come up with that might make sense.
“Maybe the chalk pieces came from previous creators who were here?” Penny raised her hand up in gesture. “I know you and Snap told me that there had been other creators in the past. Maybe one of them is the true owner? And we just happened to stumble upon it?”
Snap shook his head. “I don’t think so, Buckette.” Snap pointed his hand towards her. “Magic chalk rots.”
“Yeah, Penny. The last kid before me is an adult now at the very least. That would have been a long time ago. The chalk would have been rotten by then.” Rudy said.
“Precisely. It would be illogical for this magic chalk to come from a previous creator.” Barney said as he lit up one of his pods. He scrolled through the different entries until he came to one that talked about past creators. There was an image of a few small children running around with magic chalk. “The last kid here...”
Penny recognized the image of the scottish kid that had created Biclops. She flinched when she saw his expression. He looked a little meaner than she remembered.
“He was last seen in ChalkZone probably forty years ago. Or maybe mid thirties... Either way, a few deconds.” Barney twirled his hand once as he spoke. “That would be long enough for any piece to rot. At least in ChalkZone. I’m not sure about the Real World.”
Snap folded his arms. “And I doubt any of them had come back recently.” He raised his arm up. “We would have heard the news all over ChalkZone!”
“Hmm.. That is true...” Penny rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Then the only other conclusion is...”
“That it’s Rudy Tabootie’s chalk.” Barney said. “And yours.”
That didn’t make much sense. Penny could not fathom why the king would do such a thing. There was little reason for the king to do that. He didn’t want them to escape, and surely he must be looking for them now. Why would he leave the chalk pieces for them to find?
Unless... he didn’t.
Penny’s eyes widened a little as a new idea came to her mind. One that she hadn’t considered earlier. What if they were getting help from the inside? What if someone from the kingdom who did not agree with the king’s ways was giving them a helping hand?
It was entirely possible. Not all kings pleased all their citizens. There was always room for disgruntlement. Maybe someone working for the king, perhaps one of the slaves, took the chalk pieces and scattered them?
Wait, how was that possible? This new idea had some holes in it that she found difficult to plug. She wasn’t sure if anything she thought of right now would help solve this mystery. They could keep an eye out, but that’s what they’ve been doing and still they find no one. This meant the pieces had to be placed ahead of time. But...how...?
Well that was enough thinking about that. They had wasted enough time trying to figure out what to do with the chalk. They needed to get a move on.
Turning to Rudy, she said, “Rudy, why don’t you use that chalk to draw yourself a sling?” She looked at his arm and grimaced. “You could risk further injuring it.”
Rudy had a mixed expression on his face. “But..what if we need it later on?” He looked at the chalk that Snap still held in his hand. “We could end up in another tight situation if we don’t have it.”
“I know, Rudy. But if you don’t do something about your arm, you may become too incapacitated to draw.” Penny had a hard time looking away from his arm. She was glad it was not an open break, but the sight of the large bruising still chilled her.
“She has a good point.” Barney said. “Your arm makes for an easy tarket. You should try protecting it in a sling.”
“But...are you sure? What if we need it?” Rudy looked at them all sadly, rubbing his hand on his left arm, avoiding the break. “I don’t want to use up our only chance of escape.”
“And we don’t want to see you get hurt.” Snap took a few steps forward, going towards Rudy. He looked at the piece of magic chalk that he held. He then turned to Rudy and moved his hand towards him. “This piece is pretty big compared to the last one. I think you can draw a quick sling and then save the rest for an emergency, can’t you?”
“Well...I suppose I can.” Rudy took the magic chalk. He then looked at the others. They all watched him expectantly. He turned back to the chalk and then nodded his head slowly. “All right then. Hold on a moment.”
Penny watched as Rudy began to draw himself a small sling. She smiled at this. The sling wouldn’t stop attacks, but it would keep his broken arm from dangling off to the side. It would also be harder to anyone to grab onto, as it would be pressed at the side of his body.
In a few seconds, Rudy had the sling drawn. He put the magic chalk in his pocket and he started to try to set up the slung for himself. He did not do so well and he ended up yelping in pain. Penny grimaced at this. Perhaps he should have drawn a makeshift cast as well. This would have to do. Recalling that her mom had her help with putting bandages on some animals, Penny walked towards him.
“Let me try, Rudy.”
Rudy did not offer up any fuss. He handed her the sling he had drawn. She held in her hands for a few seconds while she eyed Rudy up and down. Once she figured out a strategy, she moved closer.
“Now, hold still.”
sss
The travel through the jungle was so far largely uneventful. Despite all the creatures they were hearing, none of them had tried to attack. They couldn’t be sure what it was, if the animals were terrified of them or busy with something else or what. The lack of movements against them did offer them some comfort. This was already better than the last few biomes they were in.
None of them would let their guard down. That was one mistake they refused to do. Though the past two biomes seemed safe, they had run into trouble with both of them, and the first one had that winged snake. This place was filled to the brim with animals. Any of them could decide to attack. Or even all of them.
The thought of that made Rudy keep his arm rested against himself. He looked down at it for a few moments. His left arm was now supported by a sling, tied around behind his neck. This was such a relief. Now he didn’t feel like his left arm was going to get caught somewhere during a chase or moving through thick foliage. Even some of the pain had eased up when his arm was being rested up at level.
Penny had done a good job of applying the sling. Rudy didn’t do so welll at holding still, though. He yelped in pain the moment Penny had touched it. It required the help of Snap and Barney to keep him still so that Penny could apply the sling.
Although it was painful, Rudy was grateful for it. He apologized for his behavior. His friends were understanding. They gave each other a reassuring hug before they continued on their way.
Rudy glanced over at Barney. He thought about using the last bit of chalk to draw some medicine for him. He held off on it for now, as they had to keep moving, and he wasn’t even sure what to draw anyway. He did still feel guilty for not doing anything, and he made a promise to himself that if they found another piece of magic chalk, he would draw something for Barney’s wounds.
They continued to move through the jungle slowly, keeping their eyes ahead, watching out for danger. They all did their best not to scream or jump at the sounds of the animals. Penny warned them that any sudden movement may trigger an attack.
Not that keeping calm and quiet would have helped either. They were aware that acting this way could also make them targets to some animal zoners here. There was really no safe way they could travel. No magic chalk and no proper equipment. This was all going to be based on luck.
It didn’t help that they did catch a glimpse of some animals. Not very many as most of them were hiding. But to any of them who had a keen eye and a quick head movement, the sight of a few animals could be noticed. Though some of the animals were herbivorous, most of what they had seen were carnivores, which made them feel even less safe.
They could see the shadow of a wild griffon tearing apart its meal. They could see the blur of a smaller, comparitively less dangerous manticore hunting down some small animal. And a serpent-like dragon glided in the air, snapping its jaws at what looked like a smaller version of itself.
One of the very few herbivores they saw was a unicorn. It had its head lowered towards some water. Its split hooves were pressed against the ground, and they could hear its tongue lapping away. When Snap stepped on a twig, the unicorn swiveled its head and looked at them. It lowered its head, pointing its horn at them. This prompted them to move faster. Thankfully, the unicorn did not give chase and just resumed drinking.
A wild hippalectryon was also out here as well. It was in a partially open area. Its tail feathers were relaxed, dragging along the ground, while its horse-like head was nibbling at the grass. This one looked less ferocious than the one that they had to fight earlier, but the memories of that beast made them feel no less safe here. So they picked up the pace.
They continued on their way, traveling through the thick foliage. While they moved along, they couldn’t help but admire the beauty of this place. Yes, it was dangerous. Yes the animal sounds were making them nervous. But they would be lying if they didn’t admit to thinking this place to be pretty.
Rudy looked all around, taking in the sights around him. The trees were plentiful here. Not as much as the Shadow Forest, but more dense than the Canine Forest. The trees were a bit thick and somewhat tall, with bright green leaves covering the branches. Vines were lowered down, many dangling against the ground. Tall bushes and ferns also covered the landscape, as well as flowers and other plants that they could not identify.
Off in the distance, they could see some mountains covered in green at the top, with some tall trees that could be seen even from this distance. A thick fog covered the land, making it difficult to see all of the details. But, as they stopped for a moment at a clearing along the edge of a cliff, they could see some faint details of green, and the shadows of a few birds that flew down, possibly returning to their nests.
Such a place reminded the group that, despite their cruel treatment here, Chalklantis really was a beautiful place. It made the trio sad that they weren’t able to properly explore this place. If the king wasn’t such a...a creepazoid, then everything would be a lot better.
Or peraps just not coming here at all. Rudy wished they had ignored the letter. He wished they had listened to Penny’s cautiousness before. Then none of them would have been in this mess.
But then...no one would have come to help Barney or King Mumbo Jumbo.... They were trapped here, too. If he and his friends didn’t come, then..who would have helped them...?
All of a sudden, he heard some kind of sound in the distance. He couldn’t tell what it was at first. It was too far away. Or maybe the trees were blocking it. He cupped his hand to his ear and leaned to one side, hoping to catch the sound next time.
There it was again. A little distant, distorted. But still there nonetheless. It didn’t sound like a roar per say. It sounded more like a shout. The exact emotion behind it, he couldn’t figure out. But whatever emotion was there, Rudy could tell it was strong. Perhaps it was anger or annoyance. Those seemed like the highest probability.
The sound of the voice did make him freeze in fear. Just who was all the way out here? Was it more of the king’s followers? Was it someone else who was unrelated to the kingdom? If so, were they dangerous? Should they go in a new direction?
He looked at the others. They appeared quite nervous as well. They were glancing at each other as they listened to the distant yelling. He could see the expressions in their eyes and tell that a million thoughts were going through them.
“Penny...?” Rudy asked cautiously. “What...do you think we should do...?”
All eyes turned to her.
“Yeah, do you think we should proceed forward or try to find another way around?” Asked Snap.
“Well, I...” Penny paused for a moment, turning her gaze upwards as she thought. After a few moments, she looked back at them and said, “It might be better if we...”
Barney’s antennas straightened up and he whipped his head to look behind him. Without warning, his arms shot out at their sides, his fingers spread and stretching. “You might want to hold that thought for later, Penny! Run!”
The trio watched as Barney immediately bolted to one side. They barely had time to register this when something large burst through the foliage. They looked up in horror as they jumped away. They landed in different places. Rudy winced as he felt his leg bend a little the wrong way in the process. They all remained where they were, panting for a few seconds, before they opened their eyes and looked up at what had came in.
There was a massive, reptilian creature standing before them. It had a thick body with a thinner yet still muscular tail swirling behind it. It was tipped in a webbed-like blade. It only had two limbs, which were centered around the middle of its body. Thick and strong, they easily supported the massive, solid black creature’s weight.
Huge, wing-like fins jetted out the sides of its body. They were bent downward, almost like the creature was about to take flight. Part of the membrane attached to the neck, about half way up. Around this point, the neck split into three heads. They all possed long jaws and super long teeth. Their mouths were open and they hissed loudly, flicking their long, snake-like tongues as their necks danced around. Their piercing yellow eyes were hard to look away from.
Sitting on top of it was a human-like zoner. He was dressed in some kind of stylized armor and held a long spear with a serrated, curved tip. With the way he was holding it, it almost looked like he was going to strike someone with it.
He glared down at them, his eyes barely visible behind his decorative helmet, which held a couple gold and red gems in it. He pointed his spear directly at them in a threatening manner. “Who goes there?!”
Rudy was frozen, and couldn’t respond right away. Whenever he tried to speak, he would just stammer, his tongue slipping over his words. The silence did not do well for the newcomer, and his eyes narrowed further and he moved the blade closer to them.
“Answer me!”
Luckily Barney seemed to have found his voice. He cleared his throat and raised his hand up a little to get the human zoner’s attention. He looked at the spear nervously, but nonetheless was able to proceed talking.
“H-Hello there! We’re just some travelings coming through. Please pay us no mind.” Barney grinned nervously. From the tone of his voice, he was not used to conversing with someone else like this. Considering his isolation, this was of no surprise to the trio. “Who might you be?”
The humanoid zoner narrowed his eyes. “My name is Theron, the best hunter of this forest. And when I ask you a question, you best answer it in full! Now...” He narrowed his eyes dangerously, looking poised to just slice Barney right then and there. “What. Are. Your. Names...?”
“Oh well I’m B-Barney and these are my friends...” Barney motioned to the others, who started to wave their hands nervously. “Rudy, Penny, and Snap.”
Theron’s eyes widened at this. “Did you say...Rudy and Penny and Snap..?” He tilted his head to one side. “Those are the three who are with you...?”
Rudy didn’t like the way the zoner was looking at them, nor did he like the sound of his voice. He didn’t sound at all happy to hear about them, and it almost sounded like he was hiding something important. They wanted to run, but with that beast, they wouldn’t get away much longer. And there was almost nothing Rudy could think of to draw in the moment, his mind frozen in fear.
Theron was quiet for a few moments after they all nervously nodded their heads. He seemed to contemplate what he was going to do with them. His expression was undreadable; it was impossible to tell just what he was thinking about. None of them knew the fate that was in store for them. Was he going to capture them, kill them, or something else?
The silence was quite tense. Their teeth were clenched and their muscles tightened. Their minds roared them to run, yet they could not move. It was as if Theron had some kind of power that disabled their leg muscles. All they could do was stand there and wait.
Rudy glanced down with his eyes, staring at where his magic chalk was. Even though he knew there was too little left, a part of him was telling him that he had to pull it out and use it. All his instincts were warning him of the threat that Theron possessed and reminded him of his past experiences with the Chalkantians. Theron wouldn’t be any different. He had to make his move now.
Theron spoke before he could. “All right then. The four of you, come with me.”
Snap took a step forward. “And what if we don’t?”
Theron patted the back of the multi-headed serpent. “Then I will sic my pet drakon on you. She does need the exercise, don’t you Aris?” He stroked her side gently, speaking to her like she was his big baby.
Rudy clenched his teeth. He glanced at his friends, noting their expressions. His mind swirled as he thought about what choices they had. What should they do?
sss
“Stay close to me and stay quiet.” Theron ordered the four. “I do not want you to startle anyone here.”
Rudy nodded his head as he and his friends followed close beside Theron. They looked left and right, taking note of their surroundings.
After agreeing to follow, Theron led them down a different path in the jungle. After what was likely twenty minutes, they had arrived at their destination. Of course, to even get there, they had to move through some thick foliage and walk along some difficult-to-navigate grounds. These grounds were covered in fallen trees and twigs, giving away that some zoners were living here.
Now they were in their town. It wasn’t very large. Rudy thought that maybe there were only twenty houses here or less. There were multiple humanoid zoners here, some with a little bit of animal features. Most were staring at them as they gone by, most regarding them with a sense of fear. None of them made a move towards them, but that did not make the group feel safer. These zoners could carry just as much hatred towards them as the Chalkantians in the city around the palace.
They walked along a dirt trail, which was a little muddy likely from the water source nearby. A large river cut along below the edge, and they could hear it splash up against the rocks. The green and colorful foliage was everywhere, encasing the town in its beauty, offering both shade and plenty of light to shine through from the light crystal above them.
The buildings around here did not look all that impressive. They were a bit worn out, some tilting a little to the side. They weren’t too bad by any means. Nothing like the slums of a city. But compared to what they had seen in the palace, this was second rate.
This place had very few statues, and the ones that did looked moldy, a little rotten, about to break apart. There appeared to be some attempts to fix them, but it was clear that it wasn’t working.
About the only place here that looked a little impressive aside from the plants that grew around here was the market area. They were passing through it now, doing their best to avoid the zoners walking through. There appeared to be a stand for every house, with every zoner selling something. Fruits, vegetables, meats, household items, all sorts of stuff. They looked even more impressive than most that they had seen back on the surface.
Rudy wondered just what Theron wanted to do with them. He hadn’t attempted to tell them anything; just follow them. He glanced at his friends. They exchanged worried looks with each other. It was far too late to run now; these zoners may catch them easily.
Rudy watched as Theron was leading them towards some gate. The smell of animal filled the air and he realized they were being taken to the holding chambers. His heart skipped a beat and his panicked mind wanted to run. Only the hiss of Aris was able to keep him going forward. Theron pushed open the gates and they walked inside.
It was only after they were heading towards the tall cages that Theron began to speak.
“I’m sure you’re all wondering why I took you here.”
Rudy swallowed dryly and nodded his head. “You...never told us what you were going to do to us.”
Theron stopped, prompting the others to stop as well. They looked up at him expectantly. “I have...heard tales of you three. Gossip might stay largely in the king’s city, but some of it does reach out here.” He turned and looked at Rudy. “I am aware that you are the Great Creator. I have heard of your...exploits on the surface.”
“Are you going to blame us for the cause of your problems?” Snap asked bitterly.
Penny nudged him. “Snap!”
“Nevermind him.” Barney said quickly, smiling nervously. “He’s..just a little...um...”
“I see.” Theron stared intently at Snap, his eyes narrowed. “I see you met King Zander.”
Penny nodded her head. “Yeah. He put us in an arena and made us fight a couple of beasts.”
Theron folded his arms against his chest. “I wouldn’t doubt it. That seems like something he would do. Not to worry. I have something more important I want you to do than fight for me.” He jumped off of Aris and took a step towards them. The spear was still held in his hands, but at least it wasn’t being pointed at them anymore. “I need you to do me a favor.”
Rudy frowned slightly at this. “Like what?”
“I am aware that you help people on the surface, am I right?”
At this, Snap nodded his head. “He helps a lot of people!”
“Ah, good. Then maybe he can help me with this.” Theron reached into a sleeve in his robe. He moved it around inside for a few moments, and then he pulled out a picture. He handed it to Rudy. “I want you to find her. Althea. Aris’s daughter.”
Rudy lifted up the picture and looked at it carefully. Pictured was another drakon like Aris, only smaller, lighter in color, and probably faster, too.
“The little scoundrel had gotten out of her cage when I went to feed her. If I don’t get her back, the chief will have my head.”
Penny flinched at this. “Is your chief as bad as the king?” Her eyes widened when she realized what she said. She put a hand to her mouth. “I-I mean...”
Theron gave a small smile. “Ah, don’t worry about it.” He waved his hand dismissively. “None of us like the king very much.” He spread his hands outward. “Why do you think we came to live here in this jungle? The king and his minions don’t come out this way.”
“Ah, so you don’t like the king either?” Barney asked.
Theron shook his head. “He’s a top of the line crook, if you ask me.”
After a few moments of studying the image, Rudy turned to Theron. “How do you expect us to catch this critter? Just run? We’ve done enough running around and...”
“Oh not to worry about that.” Theron continued to smile at them. “That is why I brought you here.” He gestured for them to follow. “I never intended on you running after Althea on your own. You would never catch up to her. That is why you need a mount. I have one for the three of you, but your insectoid friend here must stay; I don’t have any available mount suited for him.”
Barney nodded his head. “All right then...”
Rudy, Penny, and Snap moved in front of the cage that Theron was gesturing to. When they got in the front and looked inside, they saw that there was a trio of hippogriffs. They all looked identical, with brown bodies, white heads, and golden eyes. The only things that distinguished them were different colored collars and their subtle differences in their sizes.
“In exchange for your services...” Theron went over to grab what appeared to be some black leashes and reigns that hung over a metal pole. He began to walk towards them. “I will grant you save passage through this jungle, and into the next biome.”
Rudy and his friends looked at one another. They exchanged quick looks, wordlessly speaking to each other on what they should do. There was still some level of skepticism, but Theron was the first Chalklantian they met who seemed to be genuinely friendly to them.
And the idea of being escorted by someone who knows their way around this place did sound like a really good idea. It was much better than wandering around here blind.
Having made up his mind, Rudy turned his attention to Theron. He gave a single nod of his head. “All right. We’ll help you.”
Theron smiled at this. “Excellent.”
sss
Snap couldn’t believe that they were going to play fetch quest for some guy they didn’t know during a time like this. They were supposed to be on the run and trying to get out of this place. Yet here they were, trying to find some guy’s lost pet in the middle of a jungle they know nothing about.
The least Theron could have done was come with them to make sure they didn’t get lost. Instead, he was staying back at the town, probably speaking with Barney and asking him various questions about the surface or something like that.
Oh well, there was no use complaining about it now. They had already agreed to do this. Might as well see it through. Besides, Snap didn’t want to be rude and not help. And Theron was offering help if they succeeded. They could use all the help they could get. None of them had a good idea of how many biomes they had to go through in order to get to the city. At least Theron’s help would make it easier getting through this one.
He and his friends were walking along the forest, looking left and right as they tried to find any sign of the drakon. Their hippogriffs were constantly looking as well. They did not have a strong sense of smell, but their eye sight was terrific. Or so said Theron. They hadn’t seen any evidence for this keen eyesight just yet.
Theron told them that Althea had ran off in this direction, into this part of the jungle. Supposedly, it’s more dangerous than the parts they were previously in, which made them all more nervous about coming here. Especially Rudy, who had a hard time holding on because of his broken arm. Snap could see his feet pressing against the hippogriff’s flank just to get extra grippage.
Snap had to admit, he did feel a lot safer moving through this jungle on the back of a hippogriff. A lot less work, his feet could rest, and if danger shows up, they could run away really fast, or even fly away if they absolutely had to.
He still flinched as he heard the sounds of animals all around them. The hippogriffs didn’t seem to mind. They were obviously used to this. But as for Snap and his friends, each growl put them on edge. This place sounded busier than any forest they had ever been. Penny had admitted earlier that even in a Real World forest or jungle, it wasn’t this noisy. This fact only increased their nervousness as they all imagined just how busy this jungle had to be in order for it to be this noisy.
They continued along their path. The hippogriffs moved mostly silently through the grass and tall ferns, their feet crushing the plants underneath them. The light from the ‘window’ on the ceiling shined down, and the trees all around them created a doppled kind of effect. It looked pretty nice, almost partially disguising the fact that this was a dangerous place.
They walked for several minutes and so far, they spotted nothing. Just more plants, another river, and the occasional animal. At least once, they had to keep control of their hippogriffs to keep them from running off after the animals out of instinct.
Soon, after a while more of walking, the hippogriffs suddenly stopped. The trio looked at them in confusion. The hippogriffs just stood there, their crests raising into the air, their heads swiveling from one side to the other. Their large, yellow eyes scanned the landscape.
“What’s going on?” Snap asked. “Did they spot something?”
“They must have.” Penny looked around herself.
Snap frowned at this. “I didn’t see anything.”
“Well Theron did say that these hippogriffs had better eyesight than we do.” Rudy reminded him.
Snap rubbed the side of his head for a few moments. “Yeah...that’s true.” He looked out ahead of them, his eyes desperately trying to scan whatever the hippogriffs had seen. “I just hope that it was Althea they saw, and not some random animal.”
Rudy grimaced at that. “I don’t know how many more times I’ll be able to hold off my hippogriff. He seems really eager to start chasing something.”
“Yeah, Theron did say that they do enjoy a good run.” Penny agreed. “We will have to hold on tightly when...”
Suddenly, there was a snap of a twig. The hippogriffs ruffled their feathers, their bodies getting into a new position. Their horse-like tails thrashed with eagerness, their claws scraping the ground. This could only mean one thing.
They had found their target.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, something jumped out of the bushes. It was Althea, and she was chasing some kind of small animal. She zigzagged along the ground, trying to catch it. She only stopped when one of the hippogriffs let out a low hiss.
Althea and the trio exchanged glances for a few seconds. Then Althea started to back up as her eyes turned to settle on the hippogriffs. The winged beasts began to walk slowly towards her, their piercing eyes practically staring through her soul. As they moved in closer, Snap and Penny grabbed onto the rope that Theron had given them for recapturing Althea.
Before they could get close enough, Althea let out a hiss from her mouths and turned and started to run away. This act caught the hippogriff’s attention and, with a sparkle in their eyes, they bolted off. The chase had now begun.
sss
Mrs. Sanchez had a hard time believing it. She replayed the phone call over and over again in her mind, hoping that it wasn’t true, that it was some kind of mistake. Nothing like this had ever happened before. It couldn’t be possible that...
But there was no other Penny Sanchez in Plainsville, and she had her doubts that Denny would lie to her on purpose. She might not know him as well as the Tabooties, but what would the librarian gain from lying to her?
She rubbed her head, trying to fight back against the ache that spread through it. She had been resting on her couch for a while. She forgot how long it had been. An hour? Maybe not, but it sure felt like it. Time had slowed down greatly for her as she tried to make sense of what was going on. Just..how was any of this possible?
Her phone call with the school did not make things any better. All it did was increase her worry and anxiety. She hadn’t called the Tabooties yet; she was in such a state of shock, she couldn’t even get up off the couch, let alone work up the strength to pick the phone back up and call them. She wanted to call them so badly, yet she could not get herself to move.
She was used to stress. She had all kinds of appointments to take care of, animals to treat, people to speak with. She thought she would be able to handle an emergency. But now that something finally happened, it struck her so hard, she wasn’t able to properly react. Perhaps because this was her daughter, and not a client, and her maternal instincts were taking over. She had never felt more terrified in her life than right now, finding out that her daughter was missing.
The school had told her that her daughter called in sick. As soon as she heard those words, Mrs. Sanchez knew something was terribly wrong. She informed the school that her daughter had never told her such a thing, and that she had dropped her off at the library where the school was going to pick her up.
But, as she found out, that’s not where they were going to be picked up. There was never any arrangements to meet at the library. It had all been a lie that Penny and Rudy had cooked up.
But why? Why would they lie like this? Why would they do such a thing? It didn’t make any sense. Their children never lied before. Why would they start now?
And the librarian didn’t make the situation any better. He informed her that Rudy and Penny had broke into his office earlier, and that they were both in trouble. Mrs. Sanchez agreed to speak to him to try to work something out, but she needed some time. Denny did permit it, but he warned her that if she didn’t think of something soon, he was going to have the children taken to the police station.
Mrs. Sanchez wasn’t really sure how serious he was, but it wasn’t him she was most concerned about. Her heart pounded in her chest, a sickening feeling settling in her stomach. Where was Penny if she wasn’t at on the field trip? Where was her daughter?
She looked over at the phone again. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie... They were going to be crushed to find out that their son had lied to them, that he had gone missing along with her daughter. But as much as it pained her to tell them, they needed to know. But she wouldn’t call them. No, she had a better idea. For this situation, she felt it was better she spoke to them in person.
She pushed herself off her couch. She stumbled forward, her legs still feeling stiff and wobbly from the shock. She stood there for a few moments, trying to regain her bearings and her strength. She took in a deep breath and sighed. Then she began to walk towards the door.
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Post by Bluedramon on Apr 25, 2015 20:00:29 GMT -5
Chapter 20: Encounter
The chase had gone on for what felt like an hour. Okay, it wasn’t that extreme. No way that much time could have passed. But it did feel that way.
Rudy did his best to hang on. It was not easy holding on with just one hand. He could feel his arm aching. He found it difficult to press himself against the hippogriff; the slighest pressure against his broken arm caused him to yelp loudly in pain.
His friends weren’t having much more luck than him. Even with two working arms, they still were clearly having some trouble. He could hear Snap shout at the hippogriffs to take it easy, and he could see the clenched teeth of Penny as she tried to hang on.
But nothing they did or said was going to stop the hippogriffs. They were on the hunt now. They were going to keep up the chase until they caught the critter. No matter how many flips and turns and lunges they made, no matter how much they were flipped around in the process, the hippogriffs clearly had no interest in stopping. And they were going to keep this up until they caught Althea.
They ran across the jungle foor, zipping past the plants and the other animals. They ran between trees, through bushes, jumped over fallen trees, trekked through water, whatever else came to mind. Most of the animals lef them alone, but at least a couple had given temporary chase. The hippogriffs easily lost them by taking to the air, and landing in a spot further away. All the while, they never lost track of the drakon that was trying to escape them.
At first, the movements seemed random, and Rudy couldn’t fathom what they were thinking. The hippogriffs weren’t listening to their commands like before. They were operating on full instinct. This caused his stomach to churn.
Hippogriffs were omnivores. They might be trying to eat Althea. What would Theron do to them if they didn’t succeed in bringing Althea back safely? What would Aris do to them?
This anxiety only increased when his hippogriff lunged at Althea beside a tree. Rudy shut his eyes and tried to cope with the pain when he banged against the large animal. He heard the snapping of jaws and a loud hiss. He looked up and was relieved that his hippogriff didn’t strike Althea. But he could see the panic in her eyes. He bit his lip.
He and his friends attempted again to regain control of the hippogriffs. They needed to control their predatory urges in order to capture the fleeing drakon. Theron entrusted them to bring her back safely. He was the first zoner here that had agreed to help them genuinely. They did not want to lose that support.
Their efforts were in vain. The hippogriffs ignored their pulls and their tugs and their feet against their sides. Their minds were made up, their attention full on the baby drakon. There was little that could be done to stop their pursuit. They had the stubbornness of a mule and the killing intent of a tasmanian devil.
“Whoa!” Snap cried as his hippogriff tried to slash at the drakon with its claws. The claws thankfully missed, striking against a tree instead. “How do we get them to stop?!”
“I’m not sure if there’s anything we can do! It wasn’t like Theron taught us how to stop these things!” Rudy hissed, clenching his teeth. He wished that Theron had been more thorough about his. He could have told them more about how to control the hippogriffs.
Penny pulled on the reigns of her hippogriff. This hadn’t been the first time she tried. And just like before, it failed. She shook her head. “We will just have to keep trying. That’s all we can do.”
And keep on trying they did. Despite repeated failures, there was little else they could do. None of them were willing to just give up and let the hippogriffs have their way. They couldn’t subject Althea to that, plus how would that reflect upon them? How would Theron and the others feel if they found out that they did nothing more to stop the hippogriffs? They coud lie, but who is to say he wouldn’t find out eventually?
While they endlessly tried to regain control of the hippogriffs and stop them from trying to attack, the hipppogriffs themselves kept up the chase. Althea rarely left their sights at this point. The hippogriffs’ sight allowed them to see her and they always managed to catch up to her. Many times, they got close enough to attack. At least half the time, they’d try, resulting in poor Althea to screech in fear and running off in a new direction, only to have one of the hippogriffs block her path.
The whole thing was becoming frustrating. How were they going to get the drakon back to her mother if the hippogriffs kept trying to rip her apart? They thought about dismounting, but that would only make it worse as they wouldn’t be able to catch up to her anymore.
Rudy had some magic chalk, but in his present state, he was not able to use it. He glanced down at his pocket, feeling a pang of frustration as he realized that if he grabbed it, he would only cause himself to topple off the hippogriff and possibly hurt himself more.
He cursed to himself when he realized he could have just given the chalk to Penny. She still had both her hands working. She could have drawn something. Now it was too late to give her the chalk.
Soon they entered a clearing. There was a tall mountain here, covered in various patches of green foliage. It curved around, nearly making a complete closure. Only a small opening existed.
And it was through this opening that the baby drakon had ran through. She easily slipped inside, the gap being wide enough. The hippogriffs followed suit. They collided with the opening and thrashed around. The force of this was enough to break some rocks free, and the hippogriffs jumped into the opening.
To Rudy’s horror, the drakon had nowhere to go this time. She looked around in desperation, calling out loudly as if to signal her mother. He and his friends exchanged nervous glances and they pulled on their reigns, trying to stop the hippogriffs.
But no matter what they did, the hippogriffs just weren’t listening to them. Their bodies were hunched, heads lowered. Ther gleaming eyes stared at the drakon hungrily. They moved in slowly towards the cornered drakon, their tails thrashing from side to side. Althea’s body quivered in fright, her body lowering to the ground as she stared up at them.
Making a last ditch effort to get free, she jumped into the air, whipping her tail and hitting the hippogriffs in the face. She dashed towards the exit. Rudy’s hippogriff immediately took action. It twisted its body around and bolted towards the exit. It leapt into the air and landed right in front. It spread out its wings, lowered its head, and let out a screech, bringing its paws forward and spreading its wings widely.
This display frightened the critter, causing her to scramble back, letting out a few panicked chirps. She tried to find another place to exit out of. She tried to climb up the wall. Her claws, though sharp, kept slipping on the rocks and she never made it that far up. She soon hunched towards the ground, whipping her heads from side to side. All three of them began to display an expression of hopelessness and terror.
Rudy watched the critter with a sympathetic expression. He bit his lip, wishing he could do something to stop the hippogriffs. But given this situation, there was little reason to expect that he could stop them in time.
Two of the hippogriffs were quickly closing in around the young drakon while his remained put at the exit. It was clear that it was trying to block the path to make sure the drakon didn’t escape. Rudy could get off the hippogriff now and draw, but with a broken arm, he’d be delayed, and the hippogriffs were moving too quickly for him to react.
“Wait!” Penny cried. “Stop! This isn’t what you were ordered to do!”
Snap pulled on the reigns as hard as he could. That did little to deter his hippogriff. “Cease this at once!”
But all they could do was sit there and wait for the hippogriffs to make their move. Preparing themselves for a gruesome sight, they shut their eyes and looked away.
sss
Theron smiled as he watched the group walking back into the town. “Ah I see you succeeded.”
Barney looked over and felt a sigh of relief escaping him when Rudy, Penny, and Snap were walking into the town. Their hippogriff mounts were walking in a formation. Two at the side, one in front. He could see the shadow of something walking between Penny and Snap, who rode on the side hippogriffs. He could soon make out the details of the drakon they were sent to retrieve. They were using rope to hold onto the drakon.
Rudy was on the hippogriff in the front. He held a look that showed not only relief, but a whole hidden story behind what had happened. He looked as if he had almost given up hope, or something else had happened. Barney would learn sooon enough what that was.
The trio walked forward slowly, further into the two. The zoners had gathered around and watched them carefully. None of them moved in too close, keeping their distance as they stared in awe and uncertainty. The hippogriffs held their heads up eye as if to show how proud they were of what they did. The trio looked relieved to just be done with all of this.
Theron stood with his arms folded. He smiled at they got closer, running his fingers through his brown hair. His thin frame and slightly thicker arms were soon shadowed partially by the beast that Rudy rode, which also happened to be the largest one.
Theron studied them for a moment before walking to the side of the hippogriffs. He grabbed onto the rope and began to drag the baby drakon over. He led her towards his larger drakon. The youngster immediately screeched in eagerness and bolted towards her mother. Althea cuddled up against her mother, who immediately lowered her heads down to nuzzle her. There was a collection of awes coming from the zoners around them.
Theron put his hands on his hips and watched this with a smile. He then turned to the trio. He placed a hand against his chest. “You’ve earned my trust.” He motioned his hand towards them. “As promised, I will escort you out of the jungle.”
Rudy gave a smile at this. “Thank you. We appreciate the help.”
“Not a problem at all! It would be my pleasure!” Theron sounded a lot more friendly and cheerful than when they had first met him. He motioned for them to follow him. “Come along now. I do need to be somewhere later today. So the faster we do this, the better.”
Barney watched as the three children got off of the hippogriffs. Rudy appeared to have the hardest time. He couldn’t help but give him a sympathetic flinch when he pressed against his broken arm by mistake. Poor kid... He wished he could do something to help.
He didn’t dwell on it long. He noticed that they were waiting for him, standing near the adult drakon. He immediately rushed over, not wanting to keep them waiting for long. As soon as he joined them, they were on their way, moving through the town towards another section. Instead of heading towards the pen, they instead veered off somewhere else, much to the insect’s confusion.
He looked left and right as they moved through this new part. During his stay, he hadn’t been back here. This was all new to him. He quickly noticed how the buildings here looked like they were in slightly better shape, and the paths looked cleaner, too. Even the plants looked more neat and orderly. It seemed like this part was more well kempt than most of the other locations.
But why was that? Why would this one location be more cleaned up than the rest? What was the significance of this location compared to the others? Luckily, he and the children didn’t have to wonder for long.
Up ahead of them was a large building. Bigger than the others, though not a palace by any means. It had some large windows and open doors, stone-like steps leading up to it. They traversed up as Theron led them through. As they walked inside, they noticed that there appeared to be some decorations in this place, making it stand out from everything else. And when they entered a room with a single elderly man sitting here, a fruit hat on his head, they all had a good idea of where they were.
This must be the chief’s place. Immediately, they all lowered themselves down in the presence of this man, not wanting to do anything to offend him. Even though they don’t know why they were brought here, they knew better than to cause trouble with this zoner seeing them.
Theron took a few steps forward, keeping his head low, his hands fumbling agianst each other, his fingers intertwining. “Chief sir...I...I have a special request...”
The way he spoke to the chief was a bit reminiscent of Kairos to King Zander. This realization gave Barney a headache. He rubbed his head and tried his best to push back those negative feelings.
The chief stared at him intently. His eyes could hardly be seen underneath those folds. He was quite a large fellow. Not skinny by any means. His robe was opened up down the middle and spread, allowing them to see his gut. He looked as if he is the one eating all the food of this place. The fruit hat sure hinted at that.
The chief lifted up his large, heavy arm and moved it along his forehead. His eyes, though mostly hidden, still managed to pierce through their souls. He looked from Theron and then to Barney, Snap, and the two humans. He turned his head up and down as he regarded them.
“Strangers. What are they doing here?”
“They were passing through and I asked them for help catching Althea.” Theron said in a soft voice. “They are not enemies.”
The chief narrowed his eyes at this. “It was not their job to catch Althea. It was your job.” The chief pointed a finger in his direction. “You should have done it yourself. I am very disappointed in you.”
Theron lowered himself down further, pressing his body against the ground. His back was completely exposed to the chief. “Please, forgive me... I won’t do it again... I promise...”
“I supose I can let it slide just this once.” The chief turned his head back to Barney and the others. “Now, what do you intend on doing with them?”
Theron appeared to hesitate, as if worried that his chief would be upset with his answer. This made sense. After what they had seen of the chief, he did seem like the sort that would get upset about this.
But Theron did realize that he had to tell him, or else they weren’t going anywhere.
“They need a way out of the jungle. I-I told them I would escort them.”
“You did what?” The chief’s voice was tinged in, not in anger, but disappointment. “I never gave you the approval.”
“Yes, I know. But..I felt like I owed it to them and...”
“Silence!”
This sent jolts through everyone. Barney exchanged looks with the others, biting his lip. They looked just as nervous as he did. He could feel his own heart pounding. He could hear the heartbeats from his friends, intermingling with his own and echoing in his head.
Looking at Theron, he noticed that he had cringed down even futher. He looked more helpless than he ever did before. He wasn’t even trying to get up and run away. If the chief decided to hurt him now, there would be no way he could get out of the way in time. The only way that he would look even more helpless was if he laid down completely, which Barney honestly thought was up next, if this continued on for much longer.
The chief stood up and took a few steps forward. With them so low to the ground, Barney and the children could easily feel the vibrations. Every step that this zoner took sounded heavier and heavier. It made him appear less goofy, and more intimidating. His weight appeared to compliment his power.
The chief stared at them for a few seconds. He studied them carefully, his squinted eyes looking at them up and down. He then finally turned to Theron. He said, “I am still disappointed that you had brought strangers into my village without telling me. I still believe that we do not owe them any favors.”
Barney gritted his teeth at that. He worried that the chief was just going to send them away and force them to find their own way out of the jungle.
Though, as the trio would agree with him, if they had to do that, they would. They got through a few other biomes without the assistance of anyone. Just each other. They could do the same for this one.
“But... This is going against my judgment...” The chief’s voice softened up a little. “I will allow this.”
At this, the group raised their heads slightly. Smiles of relief spread across their faces. They were tempted to express their joy and gratitude, but they feared they would make things worse. So they kept quiet and watched.
Theron got back up to his feet. He still kept his head and front of his body low. He didn’t even sound happy, as if he thought if he got too excited, the chief would change his mind. He merely kept his head down low, keeping silent as he waited for the chief to continue speaking.
The chief took a step towards him. He managed to fold his arms behind himself. “I will not be granting this every time. I trust that the next time you see strangers, you leave them be. Or chase them out if they become a problem. Do you understand me?”
Theron nodded his head. “Yes, sir...”
“All right then.” The chief turned his back to them. He moved back towards his chair. He raised his hand up and waved it dismissively. “You may take them away. Just don’t take long.”
“Thank you...” Theron whispered softly. It looked like he was going to say something else. The chief caught onto this really quickly.
“Before you ask, yes. You may use Thaddeus.”
Theron smiled at this. “I am grateful.”
The chief sat back down in his chair. He motioned his hand towards them. “Now be on your way before I change my mind.”
“Yes, sir.” Theron bowed deeper before turning to the others. He kept his hunched shoulders, but his voice took on that liveliness from before. “All right, lets get a move on!”
“Thaddeus?” Snap said as soon as all of them stepped out of the building. “Who is Thaddeus?”
“Another animal?” Penny asked.
“Why do you want to use him?” Rudy raised his hand into the air. “I mean, the hippogriffs worked and...”
“But what of your friend?” Theron looked directly at Barney as he said this. “I don’t think you want to leave him behind, now do you?”
Rudy bit his lip. He shook his head. “N-No.. We don’t.”
“Well that’s good then.” Theron raised his arm up and motioned with it. Upon this signal, Rudy, Penny, Snap, and Barney followed suit. “As for who Thaddeus is, he’s Aris’s mate. He’s not as bit, but he is big enough to hold your friend. And he’s a lot quicker. I’ll have you out of this jungle in no time!”
“That’s good. Because this jungle gives me the creeps.” Admitted Snap.
Theron chuckled. “Which is why my people and I chose to live here.” He frowned a little. “It was rough getting used to. Having some of these beasts on our side helped. But still...” He shut his eyes for a few seconds. “It’s a lot better than living at that palace...”
This caused the group to exchange looks with one another. The way Theron spoke of that, it made them wonder just what it was about the palace and the king that he did not like. Curiosity ate away at them, and it was so tempting to ask. They held back, knowing it wasn’t any of their business. They didn’t need to know the story to know that King Zander was untrustworthy. They had seen proof of that already.
After some walking, they soon reached another pen area, this one located behind the building they had just been in. Unlike the other location, this one only held one pen, and one single animal inside: A large, black, red striped drakon that they recognized must be Thaddeus.
Theron motioned them to follow him. Slowly, they began to approach. They stared up nervously at the beast. Thaddeus’s heads were all raised and he was looking down at them. His eyes appeared to glow and he had long sharp teeth that protruded out of his mouth, even with his jaws fully shut. He slowly rose up to his feet and began to make his way towards them.
Theron raised up his hand and made a quick gesture. The beast appeared to recognize this and he lowered his heads down towards him. Theron patted him on the heads gently, whispering soft words to him. It was quite a sight to see. It was almost as if Thaddeus was just one giant teddy bear. They would forget that he wasn’t if it weren’t for the long sharp teeth and the wicked hooked claws.
Theron climbed up on top of the drakon, his feet dangling around the base of the neck. He looked down at them and motioned for them to come. “Don’t worry. He won’t bite.”
Looking at the creature, watching him flick his tongues, the group gulped nervously and slowly approached the drakon.
sss
“There. That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” Theron asked as Rudy and the others slid off the drakon, using his wing-like frills to get off. “I told you that Thaddeus was harmless.”
“Yeah, but he is also a little too loud.” Thaddeus lowered one of his heads and licked Snap along his face. Snap wiped himself off. “Yuck..and he’s also quite gross, too.”
Penny chuckled and she walked over towards him. She reached out with her hand. “Let me help you with that...”
Rudy and Barney stood next to each other as they looked up at Theron, who remained on top of the drakon. There was a moment of silence that lasted a little while as Rudy tried to think of exactly what to say. Words couldn’t fully describe his gratitude for Theron’s help.
He could tell Barney felt the same way. As well as Penny and Snap. They all wanted to get out of here as quickly as they could. They all wanted to rescue King Mumbo Jumbo.
The thought of that king made Rudy’s heart twist. He could only hope that nothing bad was happening to him now. The king knows they were gone. He might use this as an opportunity to punish King Mumbo Jumbo. The longer they stayed a way, the more they could not do for him. Rudy couldn’t wait until they got there so they could get the tortoise out of that horrible situation.
“Well...I...” Rudy tried to think of the words to say. He rubbed the back of his head with his right hand. “Thanks for the help.”
“It’s no trouble at all.” Theron grabbed onto the reigns attached to Thaddeus. “Now, you be careful. This desert might be small, but it’s the hottest biome in this whole dang unerwater cave. The good news is that parts of the cave ‘fold in’ here, so you will find some shade.”
“Fold in?” Rudy asked, furrowing his eyes in curiosity.
“Well, cave formations, you know? Stalagmites, stalactites, the others...I don’t know what they’re called...”
“Oh, that.” Rudy looked towards the ground. “Sometimes I forget that this place is a cave.”
“It’s easy to forget that. There used to be a lot more ‘cavey’ structures in this cave, but most of them had been cleaned out to make this place look a lot smoother. It gave us a lot more room and it became easier to navigate.” Theron said.
“Yeah, that does make sense.” Penny came up towards them after she had finished wiping the drool from Snap’s face. “It would be hard traveling around here if you didn’t do a little construction.”
Snap looked left and right. “I wonder what this place was like before it was renovated.”
“Crowded and cluttered, I’m sure.” Barney said.
Theron stared at him in confusion. “I thought you were...”
Barney looked over at him. “The dear king had my entries messed with.”
“Oh..I see. That sounds like him.” Theron’s voice was briefly filled with bitterness. “I don’t know why anyone follows that guy.” He sighed and shook his head. “Anyway, I need to head back.” He raised his hand and waved at them. “Good luck!”
“Bye!” The group cried as they waved goodbye to him. They watched as Theron and Thaddeus left them alone at the edge of the desert biome.
Rudy stood there, staring out at the desert. Theron wasn’t joking about it being small. Even from here, he could see the beginnings of the next biome, which appeared to be a mountain sector. They could see the tall structures from over here. Many of them appeared to jagged. Rudy gulped at the sight of them. He hoped that traversing through there won’t be too much of a problem.
Knowing they couldn’t waste anymore time, he turned his head to the others. He gave them each a nod. “Let’s get going.”
They nodded in return. They turned their attention to the desert biome. Slowly but surely, they all began to walk into the desert, preparing themselves for the worst. At least, once they get into the next biome, they would be, hopefully, one step closer to getting out of here.
sss
Hot...so hot... When were deserts this hot? Why couldn’t they be a little cooler? Or at least a bit wetter? It didn’t help that there were multiple light crystals in this section. The heat from them could be easily felt, making the air around them feel thicker and heavier.
It didn’t help that there was no wind here. There wasn’t wind anywhere in this place. It was fine when they first arrivd, as the city they had gone to wasn’t that bad. It was a decent temperature. And even in the previous biomes, it wasn’t too bad, though the jungle was a slightly different story. But here, in the desert, it felt like they were going to collapse and melt at any time.
Oh if only there was some water around here. Just a small glass of water would do. That’s all they wanted. Just some water...
Snap could feel his tongue dry up as it hung out of his mouth. He smacked his lips a few times, feeling just how scratchy his throat had become in such a short time. He had his eyes halfway open as it was hard to open them up all the way. He was walking slowly. He needed to conserve his hydration. But it felt like the longer they took, the more water he was going to lose.
But as they kept walking along the hot sand and heated rocks, he knew that they couldn’t just start running. They needed to keep themselves as hydrated as possible, and this meant conserving themselves. They had to be very careful of how much they walked and how quickly. They were already a little dehydrated from the previous biomes. They didn’t need to make things worse for themselves.
Then, after a while of walking, they noticed something that was a relief to their sore eyes.
One of those cave-like structures that Theron had told them about. Some rocky thing, which somehow still looked cold despite being in a desert, jetted out of the ground and formed an arch. It wasn’t the prettiest thing in the world, but it did look like it offered shade. And it was at the halfway point, too, which was perfect. They could use this to relax for a few minutes and cool off.
They looked at each other and nodded their heads once. They didn’t need to speak to each other to know what they all wanted to do. All of them had exhausted expressions and dried up tongues. None of them would object to going underneath the rock for some shelter.
They moved as quickly as they could without breaking into a run. Their brisk pace made them feel hotter in the desert, but with the welcome of the shade, they didn’t mind it too much. They kept moving and soon they reached the shelter. They immediately moved inside, underneath the wonderful, beautiful shade.
The temperature difference in here was incredible. It was almost as if someone had jacked up an A/C here. Snap collapsed on the ground, pressing his face against the cold sand. Such a welcome feeling compared to the heat of the outside.
Rudy and Penny sat down on the ground, pressing themselves against a rock. Barney settled down as well, his many legs and feet splaying out at his sides. He let out a sigh of relief, leaning his front portion back a little as he stretched his arms upward.
“This is more like it.” He said. No one could disagree with him.
“Normally I would question how this rock is keeping it this cool in here, but...” Penny closed her eyes as she pressed the back of her head against the rock. “This is just so nice..”
“After all that, yeah.” Rudy agreed, a smile stretching along his face. “I say we stay in here for a few minutes before continuing out there.” He looked over his shoulder, staring at the other exit on the other side. He bit his lip. “I’m not looking forward to it...”
Snap looked at him, motioning his hand towards him. “None of us are, Bucko. But...we haven’t much of a choice, do we?”
Rudy shook his head. “No, we don’t.”
Penny turned to Rudy. “We will make it.”
“Yeah, I know we will.” Rudy said.
Snap and Barney exchanged quick glances with each other. They both gave the other a knowing look. Both of them knew that Rudy was lying a little. So was Penny. None of them could be sure they would get out. But they were glad that they still had the hopes that they would. They needed that positive attitude.
For now, they needed to rest. Snap settled down further, curling up on the ground and shutting his eyes to rest them. His eyes had gotten a bit too much light before. It felt good to be able to close them and let his eyes recover a little.
As he did this, he started to hear something. Some kind of vibrations. He opened his eyes and raised up his head. He stared down at the ground, moving his hand a long it, pushing away the sand. He wondered what that noise could be. It wasn’t too loud, yet it was enough that he could hear it from up here. It almost sounded like...
“Snap? What’s going on?” Penny stared over at the small zoner. “What do you...”
Snap lifted up his head and looked over at them. He paused for a moment as he allowed a chilling realization wash over him. “I think someone might live here...”
“What?” Barney whipped his head towards Snap. “Are you sure?”
Snap nodded his head. “I could feel some vibrations in the ground. They’re getting louder. They’re coming back.” He looked left and right, rubbing his hands nervously. “They were coming in pretty fast...”
“That might explain why it’s so cool in here. Maybe he had something to do with it...” Penny said.
Snap stared at her and spoke through clenched teeth. “Yeah, we can do with the explaining later.” A louder vibration caused him to shiver. “We need to get going before...”
Before he was ble to finish that sentence, there was a loud honking sound not too far away. The group immediately jumped to their feet. They looked around quickly, trying to find a place to hide. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to find any place before a military green-colored jeep drove into the place. The speed was so quick, they didn’t stand a chance.
The group coughed a few times as sand was kicked up into the air. They had to shield their eyes for a few moments before they could look over at the zoner in the jeep.
Sitting there in the jeep was a green and brown grasshopper-like zoner. He looked a little short, but rounded in muscle. His huge legs easily stuck out of the car, being incredibly long and surely packed with muscle. They could only imagine the kicks this guy could deliver. His mouth, filled with sharp teeth, was partially open as his eyes stared at them in shock, looking just as shocked to see them.
As they stared at each other, the radio, which had been turned on in the jeep, started to beep a warning. That familiar screech that Rudy and Penny had to endure whenever a test happened or they report something, such as a kidnapping. It struck fear in their hearts and they immediately huddled in on themselves.
Then the announcement came.
“King Zander has just issued a state-wide emergency. The dangerous creators from the above world known as Rudy Tabootie and Penny Sanchez have escaped, along with their associates, Snap White and Barney the Encyclocentipedia. The king wants everyone to stay inside and use extreme caution. He warns they are not to be trusted and are dangerous. He will do what he can to apprehend them, but if anyone spots them, he would greatly appreciate it if they are delivered to him.”
At this, the group felt their hearts freeze solid. They could barely think, barely let the consequences of what was just said pour down over them. They immediately stared to back up, their eyes never leaving the grasshopper’s gaze.
The grasshopper stared at them for a few seconds. It appeared he was having a hard time registering what was said. Soon, he narrowed his eyes and growled. He recognized them, and as his eyes held nothing but contempt for them, they knew he did not have the best of plans for them.
“You...You will pay for what you did to my family!” The grasshopper shouted. Before Snap or his friends could say anything in response to that, the grasshopper pressed his foot down on the gas pedal. “Die!”
Screaming, the group turned and fled.
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Post by Bluedramon on Apr 30, 2015 18:37:21 GMT -5
Chapter 21: Instincts
Barney could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he ran. One would think that his many legs would make it easier to run fast. No, they only complicated things. He could feel himself start to drag behind, especially as they spent longer in the burning heat.
Rudy, Penny, and Snap were ahead of him. Snap was the fastest, being out in front of them all. Rudy and Penny were close together, although Rudy appeared to be having some problems himself. The pain in his arm must be slowing him down. No, it wasn’t just that. It was dehydration. They were all exhausted, but Rudy and Penny... They had it worse.
Unlike him and Snap, Rudy and Penny did not have anything to drink recently. They had been traveling for at least an hour at the very least. He was certain it was much longer than that. This meant that they had to be even more dehydrated. That would make them an easier target than him or Snap.
Barney wished he could do something to help them. How could he do that when he couldn’t even catch up to them? And the pain in his shoulders.... It hadn’t really gotten all that much better. He had been able to ignore it before, but now it was getting much worse.
Behind him, he could hear the loud roar of the machine. That grasshopper zoner... He was getting closer. He could hear the honking of his horn and the roar of his engine. They were gradually getting louder. And the barrage of words didn’t stop.
“You monsters! Come back here! You need to face what you have done! All my family members are dead because of that disease you unleashed here! I will get you back for that!”
Barney bit his lip at this. He wasn’t sure what the insect zoner chasing them was talking about. How would Rudy, Penny, and Snap have released it all the way down here? Something about his logic...not just him, the king’s logic... It didn’t add up. The trio had never been down here before. How could they have done anything like this?
The only time they accidentally released a dangerous disease was with balloonemia. That was simply due to a mistake on Rudy’s part. He had fixed it quickly, and minimized the damage. He wasn’t sure if they saved everyone, but at least the disease didn’t kill as many zoners as it had back then. The thought of it still made him shudder. He had seen some of them pop...
He had a feeling that something was very wrong here. He was certain that King Zander was lying about something, or he could simply be mistaken. Even if this was a misunderstanding, that didn’t excuse the way he was treating them. If he had just tried to talk to them before, perhaps things could have been...
His thoughts were cut off when a large shadow casted over him. He looked up, his eyes wide in horror.
“Barney!” He heard Penny shout at him. “Get out of the way!”
Barney scrambled back as quickly as he could. He could feel his feet slipping underneath him. He soon managed to get back just in time for the jeep to jump next to him. The sand was kicked up and he head to put a hand over his face to protect it.
The grasshopper zoner had taken advantage of a slope they had gone down. He had used it to gain some air and distance, and now he was right next to Barney. However, instead of attacking him, his eyes were fully on Rudy and Penny. With them being creators, Barney deduced that most of this zoner’s fury was going to be directed at them.
The grasshopper aimed a gun at Rudy and Penny. He closed one of his eyes, gritting his teeth. Rudy and Penny watched in fear and attempted to run again. “You’re not going anymore...” The grasshopper hissed as he pulled the trigger.
There was a loud bang, a splash of smoke, and then a net shot out. It spent through the air, weights clanging together. Barney was unable to do anything as the net sailed towards Rudy and Penny. Time seemed to slow down. All he could do was reach out towards them and scream their names. Even that was in slow motion, his voice dragging on as if it were being run through an audio editor.
He was relieved when he saw Rudy and Penny jump to the side. They grunted as they collided with the ground, rolling across it. They pushed themselves up by their hands. Penny did anyway. She gave a few coughs before she bolted to Rudy, heling him to his feet. At this point, Snap had seen they were falling behind and he rushed over to help them. That was when the grasshopper aimed at him.
“Maybe if I did something to your friend here...” The grasshopper hissed.
Rudy’s eyes widened at this. He turned his head to the grasshopper zoner. “N-No... Don’t...” He staggered towards the grasshopper. “Please. Just leave him alone... He didn’t do anything to...”
The grasshopper glared at him harshly. “He’s associated with you. He’s your creation, is he not?”
Rudy stammered. “I-I... Yes he is.”
The grasshopper scowled at this. “Then he has your evil running through him. I must snuff him out.” He aimed his gun at Snap, fully preparing to shoot. “Or perhaps, we can work out a deal.”
“What do you want?” Penny asked, despite surely knowing how dumb of a question that was.
The grasshopper gave a bitter smile. “Well, for starters, you could...”
Barney made his move. He had been sneaking around behind the grasshopper while he was distracted with the trio. He had been careful not to make any noise or draw attention. And it was working. Soon he was in position behind him, he began to rear up, pulling some of his legs off the ground. In that moment, his subconscious mind remembered that he was a centipede, and centipedes were hunters. He pulled his head back, spreading out his hands, and then, his pupils shrinking, he struck.
The grasshopper barely had time for a scream when Barney collided with him. He wrapped his limbs around him securely, keeping him in a tight embrace. He could see a few flashes of the trio’s shocked faces, but his mind was fully on the centipede.
At first, all Barney wanted to do was hold him down long enough for Rudy to use the remaining magic chalk to restrain him somehow. He called out to Rudy to do something. But Rudy couldn’t move. He just stood there, staring at him in shock. Barney felt burning frustration in his mind. Why wasn’t the boy doing anything?
...Why did he feel this frustrated? Not like he hadn’t been before, but this seemed...different. The longer he held onto the squirming grasshopper, preventing him from reaching his gun, the more this frustration increased. And the more he felt temptation start to come over him.
Barney had never felt anything like this before. It was...different. It was scary. Yet it also felt so good. When he started to accept this new feeling, the more calm he started to get. He stared down at the grasshopper he held. He felt as if he was going into a trance. There was something so....tempting...
Without warning, he big down on the grasshopper’s shoulder.
sss
“Ahhhhhh!”
Rudy could feel his blood run cold when he heard the scream. What horrified him more was the fact that it wasn’t Barney who had screamed. IT was the grasshopper.
“Oy caloy! What’s going on?!” Snap placed his hands against his face. “What is Barney doing?!”
“I-I don’t know..” Rudy whispered, his wide, green eyes unable to leave the horrific sight before him.
He hadn’t even seen Barney behind the grasshopper at first. He was too busy staring at the gun and trying to find a way to make the grasshopper leave his friends alone. His mind had been swirling with rapid thoughts as he tried to think of a way out of this situation. Penny had been busy doing this as well, and Snap was distracted with trying to help them. None of them noticed the orange and pink centipede behind the grasshopper. Not until it was too late.
They had been shocked, but also a little relieved at first. Barney was doing a pretty good job with holding the grasshopper down. All those legs were coming in handy in this moment. It gave him more leverage than the grasshopper, and he was able to subdue four of his limbs, his longer legs kicking out almost helplessly behind him.
Then things started to get scary. Barney was holding a little too tightly. More so than what was necessary. He started to wrap himself around the grasshopper, like a snake would with its prey. Then he started to look at the grasshopper in a weird way. A look that Rudy and his friends had never seen in him before, but he had seen it in that gigantic preying mantis. And then Barney bit the grasshopper.
Rudy’s eyes couldn’t tear away from the sight of blood moving down the grasshopper’s body as Barney sank his teeth into his exoskeleton easily. He didn’t tear away the chunk of flesh, but that didn’t make the scene any less horrific or brutal.
“Barney!” Rudy screamed when he couldn’t take it any longer. “Stop! Release him! You’re hurting him!” His eyes bulged when he saw Barney press his claws against the grasshopper’s chest, starting to slice it open. “Barney!”
He could feel a nudge next to him He turned his head, staring into the eyes of Penny. They held horror and dread, but also some recognition. Rudy panted a few times, realizing that Penny must have an idea of what is going on.
“Penny..? What’s going on with Barney?”
Penny looked over at Barney sadly. She flinched as she watched him hold onto the squirming, screaming grasshopper. “He’s in predatory mode.”
Rudy and Snap looked at each other in confusion.
“Predatory mode?” Snap asked. He held up his hand. “What does that mean?”
“Well, he is a centipede. An encyclocentipedia. But still a centipede. Centipedes are carnivores.” Penny looked at Rudy and Snap, making sure that they were listening to every word she said. With everything she said, the duo’s dread only inreased. “Seeing that grasshopper squirm against him must have triggered his more animalistic instincts. If we don’t do something to stop him, he’s going to eat that grasshopper.”
Rudy gasped at this, seeing Snap cringe beside him. They stared at each other in horror. They both had a feeling that this was going to be bad news. None of them could have imagined it was going to be anything like this.
The idea of Barney acting on predatory instinct was a horrifying one, especially for someone that seemed so refined and civil. Barney had even lived in a home with furniture and drank tea. The idea of someone like that being this... It was just too diffcult for them to swallow.
Rudy stared over at Barney, biting his lip. He started to feel his legs regain some control, and he took a step forward. Another scream from the grasshopper zoner made him shake his head. “Penny, what should I draw?”
Snap looked at him nervously. “Whatever you do draw, make sure it counts. We only have one shot at this.”
Rudy knew that all too well. There was still some time left to save the grasshopper. He needed to stop Barney before he tore off more flesh. At the moment, the grasshopper was not able to get away and even his legs were now restrained in the twisted body.
Penny tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. “It’s not going to be easy. So long as he is in that wild state, he is going to be difficult to catch. Always twisting and turning...” She looked at Rudy and Snap. “We’re going to have to trap him.”
“In what? A cage?”
Penny nodded. “But to make it work, we’re going to need some bait.” She folded her arms. “That would mean you’d have to draw something...”
Rudy shook his head. “I’m not drawing a live zoner for...!”
“I didn’t say you had to.” Penny cut him off, raising a finger. “Just something that moves around and looks alive.” She looked at where his pocket was. “Do you have enough in there for that?”
Rudy fished out the magic chalk from his pocket. He held it up, staring at it as it lay in the palm of his hand. He saw just how tiny it was. It was only a tad larger than the first piece that he had before. He bit his lip. Drawing something with this was going to be tricky, especially a cage and some bait inside of it.
He shook his head slowly. “I don’t know if there’s enough...” He looked over at Barney. “He’s so long... I would need to make a long cage for him. And with this...” He looked back at the chalk. “I could make some sort of cage, but I won’t have enough for anything useful after that.”
Penny thought about this. “Well... Maybe Snap could be the bait.”
“What?!” Snap cried, shooting his arms up at his sides. “Are you referring to moi?!”
Penny looked at him with a sad smile. “Sorry, Snap. But there’s not much of a choice here. We need to...”
“Nah uh! No way!” Snap turned his head away, closing his eyes and waving his hand dismissively. “I am not going to be part of this...”
“But Snap...! What about Barney?” Penny cried out to him. “He’s out of control! We need to stop him!”
Snap glared at her. “Then why don’t you come up with a plan that doesn’t involve any of us risking our necks? In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re in no position to get more injured. What if that Kairos guy is somewhere nearby?” Snap motioned his hand out, his glare on Penny. “What if this plan of yours causes one of us to...”
“Tranquilizer dart.” Rudy said, his eyes widening. His friends immediately stopped shouting at each other and looked over at him, blinking a few times.
Penny was the first one to respond. “A tranquilizer dart...?” She looked away, staring at the ground and rubbing her chin again. “Yes...that might work. But you would need to draw an extra strong needle to pierce his body. Otherwise...”
“Yeah, I know.” Rudy held up his hand.
“Well? Get a move on, Bucko!” Snap waved his hands in desperation. “There isn’t much time! I don’t know how long that grasshopper will last!”
Rudy looked over his shoulder and stared at where the grasshopper was. He gulped when he saw that Barney managed to take two large bites out of him and there were huge gashes in his chest and side. The kicks of the insectoid zoner were getting weaker and weaker by the second. He could see the wide eyes, silently pleading for help.
Rudy did not waste anymore time. He quickly began to sketch the gun in the air. He made sure just to add the details necessary but did not go overboard. As soon as the tranquilizer gun came into view, he grabbed onto it and he aimed it towards Barney.
The dart sailed through the air and it hit its target. Barney flinched and stiffened at this. He looked down at the dart stuck in him. He pulled it out and threw it aside. He turned his eyes towards Rudy and with a glint in his eyes, Rudy knew he had put two and two together. A few tense seconds passed before Barney reacted.
He slithered off of the grasshopper, releasing him. The grasshopper’s body plopped to the ground. The group watched in horrified sympathy as the grasshopper’s body started to spasm from the various bloody wounds he had been given.
Rudy took a few steps back when he saw that Barney was now headed towards him. He couldn’t even recognize the centipede zoner anymore. His pupils were covering almost his entire eye, making them look like black voids. It was the look a cat might give when concentrating on its prey.
Rudy scrambled to defend himself, but he couldn’t stop Barney in time. In seconds, the centipede’s body slammed against him, knocking him into the ground.
“Rudy!”
The boy struggled, but he didn’t get too far when he felt a sharp pain in his side. His eyes widened and he let out a bloodcurdling scream.
“Aaaarrrgghhhh!”
sss
Snap stood and watched in horror at the scene before him. He couldn’t believe what was happening. He never thought he would see something like this.
Barney was biting Rudy in his side. He could see the blood start to be spilled. It wasn’t too much, but enough to tell him and Penny that Barney’s teeth had penetrated skin. Thankfully, Barney didn’t bite long as he reacted in pain due to Rudy’s blood’s Real World properties. But that didn’t mean Rudy was out of the woods yet.
“Rudy!” Snap cried out, his body shaking as he tried to think of what to do. He looked over at Penny for help. “What do we do?!”
It took Penny only a few seconds to come up with a decision. She looked down at where the tranquilizer gun still lay. She immediately bolted towards it, moving as quickly as she could. It didn’t take her too long to reach it. She grabbed it and she tossed it towards Snap.
The zoner fumbled with it as he tried to catch it. It dropped down to the ground despite his best efforts. Then he picked it up and held it in his hands. He looked at it and then looked over at Penny.
“Use that! I’ll try to keep Barney still!”
“But...”
“Just do it! I’ll be fine!”
Snap wasn’t sure. He hadn’t shot something like this before. He didn’t regard himself as having the best aim. What if he missed? What if he ended up hitting Penny in a sensitive spot, like her eye..?
Nonetheless, he knew that he needed to do this. A scream from Rudy prompted him to lift the tranquilizer gun, preparing it for a shot. He leveled it in front of his head as he took aim. He looked through the scope attached to the top, trying to line the bars at Barney’s neck.
While he was busy steadying the gun, Penny had rushed over and she jumped on Barney’s back. Snap couldn’t help but flinch when he saw her touch against his back injuries. The centipede let out a hissing screech and let go of Rudy. His back parts swatted the boy away, then they began to wrap around Penny.
“B-Barney...i-it’s me...” Penny grabbed onto Barney’s face and started to push back. “Please...”
But Barney wasn’t listening. He just growled and hissed at her as he tried to bite her.
Penny turned her head and stared at Snap. “Shoot! Now!”
Snap’s hands and arms started to trumble as he started to pull the trigger. He hesitated for a second as Barney started to squirm around, holding Penny against him. It was almost as if Barney knew what was going to happen and was purposely trying to complicate things. Snap shook his head and didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
He watched as the dart was launched from the gun. It moved swiftly across the air, cutting past Rudy and landed against Barney’s neck. A bullseye. Snap would have celebrated if the situation wasn’t so dire.
With the dart in his neck, Barney released Penny. He squirmed back, his legs kicking wildly. He grabbed onto the dart and pulled it out. He threw it down and looked back at them. He slowly began to advance. Snap readied the tranquilizer gun in case he decided to attack again.
This time, however, Barney froze. His eyes widened as the drug started to take effect. He swayed from side to side, and his legs couldn’t hold him up anymore. They slid down no matter how many times he kicked them to get up. He soon collapsed on the ground. Barney let out a few panicked cries as he tried not to fall into unconsciousness. His body was fighting so hard, not wanting him to be in such a vulnerable position.
But soon, the drug won over. Barney’s thrashes stopped, and soon he laid on the ground, still and quiet. His eyes remained open, but the life seemed partially faded, an indication that he was not presently with them. Asleep with his eyes open, and yet still not sleeping.
The trio stared at him, panting heavily from what had happened. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with terror and shock. It was still hard for them all to fully digest what had happened just now. They thought that maybe they were just hallucinating but..
No, they weren’t. The blood all around them. Coating the ground. Clinging to the centipede and themselves. It was real. Barney had lost it, and he had tried to attack them.
Snap let the gun slip out of his hand as he dropped down to the ground. His legs were so wobbly, he couldn’t even think to stand up anymore. He looked towards the ground, unable to blink. He panted a few times as he struggled to find the words to say. Nothing would come out. All he could do was sit there as his mind swirled rapidly with thoughts.
After a few minutes, their heart rates began to go back to normal, and their thoughts started to settle down. With the initial shock now finally over, they could begin to think about the next step that they needed to take.
Snap slowly approached Barney’s prone form. His friends joined in. They couldn’t tear their eyes away from him. They bit their lips as they looked at each other. The same question rushed through their heads.
What were they going to do about Barney? How were they going to continue forth with him like this? Should they just stay and wait for him to wake up and hope that he would be back to normal? Or should they move him before the grasshopper guy woke up and...
Snap’s eyes bulged at this. The grasshopper... He whipped his head over to where the grasshopper laid. He took in a few nervous pants when he saw that he wasn’t moving. “I-Is he...?”
Penny walked over to the grasshopper zoner. She knelt down beside him. She reached over and placed a few fingers against his neck. She waited a few seconds. She looked back at her friends and shook her head.
Rudy and Snap’s faces paled at this as they looked at each other.
sss
Rudy couldn’t believe it. He wanted to believe that the grasshopper was still alive somehow. That Penny had made some sort of mistake. But the evidence was right there before them. No matter how much his pounding mind wanted to deny, there was no way he could ignore this for long.
Barney had killed a zoner.
Rudy’s mind flashed back to when Penny accidentally killed the manticore. And then Snap accidentally killed the snake.
But this was different. This was a purposeful act. Barney had deliberately killed him. No... his animal side did. His sentient side seemed to have been knocked out for the time being. Rudy couldn’t bring himself to be angry at the centipede.
He was still worried, however. How could he not be? This case was worse than the manticore and the snake. Although he was sad that they perished, they were still just animals to the zoners around here. There would be anger, but not quite as much as this case. Barney had killed a sentient zoner. If word of this got out...
Rudy shook his head. He tried to fight back the emotions swelling up inside of him. He couldn’t allow them to drag him down. He had to keep focusing on moving on ahead. He and his friends could worry about their devasted reactions after they got out of here. Right now, they all had to stay in survival mode and try to get out.
He looked over at his friends, narrowing his eyes slightly. “We need to get moving.”
“Not that I am disagreeing with you. I would love to get out of this heat.” Snap wiped his brow. “But what about him?” He motioned down towards the centipede.
“And what of you, Rudy?” Penny looked at his injury. “You’re hurt. Again.”
Rudy flinched when he felt the pain growing in his side. He looked down, seeing the tooth marks from where Barney had bit him. He clenched his teeth as he placed his hand against it. He could feel the warmth of his blood staining it. He pulled back. He was relieved that there wasn’t too much bleeding, but this injury was going to cause problems.
There wasn’t much he could do, either. He had no more magic chalk at this point. So there was no drawing that could be done. He could tear off part of his clothing, though without scissors, such a task would be difficult. And after all that had happened to them, using his own cloth was going to be problematic. He didn’t want to risk getting an infection.
He had no choice but to conclude that there was nothing he could do for now. He would have to move on without any sort of bandage until they find another piece of magic chalk. He was still nervous on how that magic chalk kept appearing, but in this situation, he could hardly complain.
Then there was the situation with Barney. How were they going to move him? He’s not exactly a small zoner like Snap. The drug was going to remain in effect for a while. This meant that they had only two choices.
Either they drag Barney towards the next biome, or they sit here and wait until he woke up.
He narrowed his eyes. There was no way they could stay here. They had to keep moving. For all they knew, the king and his general may have sent soldiers this way. Maybe the grasshopper had sent out a signal and the king now knows of their location. If that’s the case, time to get a move on.
“Penny, Snap.” Rudy said as he stared at them. He made a gesture towards Barney. “Grab his arms and drag him with.”
Snap looked over at the still form of the grasshopper. “And him?”
Rudy closed his eyes and looked away. “Leave him. There’s nothing we can do for him.” As much as it pained him to leave the grasshopper zoner there, there wasn’t anything they could do. He couldn’t drag him in this state, and he would find that a bit disrespectful. Plus, it would slow them down, and now isn’t the time for being slowed down.
Although reluctant, Rudy’s friends eventually agreed to this, agreeing that there really wasn’t too much else they could do. They casted one last sad look at the grasshopper zoner, whispering their apologies for such a thing happening, and then they grabbed onto Barney’s arms. Carefully, they beagn to move him.
Rudy watched them and waited until they got close enough. He then turned his head and looked out at where they were headed. The chase had brought them closer. He could see the mountain sector now. He took in a deep breath and then, nodding to his friends, they began to head over that way.
sss
As the group walked, they didn’t notice the bird zoner flying overhead. They didn’t see Kairos’s eyes gleaming from out of their line of sight. They didn’t see his bronze beak curving into a sadistic smile.
And they certainly weren’t aware of one particular feature of Kairos. It wasn’t just Teumessian and Laelaps whose eyes could shoot what they see over to the king. Kairos’s eyes were glowing red, getting brighter the close someone would look at them. And deep inside, one might catch the reflection of the king as he leaned back, arms folded, smirking.
King Zander couldn’t help but feel some level of impressivemente when it came to those four. They had proven to be better at surviving without magic chalk than he ever could have dreamed of. Despite his hatred for what they did, especially the humans, he had to congratulate them on a job well done.
The footage that he had gathered from this could make for great entertainment. His people would love it. He knew they had gotten quite nervous lately due to his announcement of their escape. But this might help them channel all that negative energy and let it be driven out. They had been excited before when they watched them fight in the arena. Perhaps seeing them try to survive on their own would make for a lovely alternative.
He soon narrowed his eyes. He had to remember the reason for all of this. He couldn’t lose sight of it. He was doing something far bigger than just making them his entertainment. That hadn’t even been his initial idea; his people wanted more, so he gave them more.
He had to keep it a secret, however. Some may not understand why he was doing this, and even feel betrayed. He didn’t want that. The only one in the kingdom he could trust with this knowledge was Kairos, and even he wasn’t entirely sure if this was a good idea or not.
But King Zander was going to stick with it. It was far too late to back down anyway. He had already come this far, and he was going to see this through.
He watched as the group continued to move on. He narrowed his eyes softly. There was another concern he had to make note of. Despite being clearly unskilled in the area, they had managed to kill three zoners while they were here. One was even sentient and speaking. He wasn’t too broken up. He had more important things to worry about than to stay mad at something as insignificant as that.
All that mattered was the entirety of his kingdom. The community as a hole. A few dots pecked off here or there didn’t really make much of a difference. Just everything in its entirety.
He looked down at a piece of magic chalk he still had. He clutched it tightly, watching as it sparkled, indicating its magic. He curled his lip slightly, showing part of his teeth. Everything was falling into place, but if he wasn’t careful... He shut his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. He had to make sure he did whatever he could to prevent this from being a failure.
He had no choice.
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Post by Bluedramon on Apr 30, 2015 18:37:35 GMT -5
Chapter 22: Getting The Drop
Barney moved slowly behind the trio. He couldn’t bring himself to move any faster, even when they called out to him to hurry up. He was too shaken by what he had done earlier. He looked down at his hands and shuddered. He never felt so filthy before in his life.
How could he have done that? He had taken a life. He had killed..no he murdered that grasshopper zoner earlier. All he wanted to do was hold onto him, and now his blood stained his hands. He could still see the crusted red stuff stuck to his finger tips. He closed his eyes and allowed a few tears to form.
He knew when word of this got out, things won’t reflect too well on him or the others. They may use this as an excuse to say how all top siders are dangerous. The king might use this as a reasoning to send troops up there, if he did end up going that far. And the worst part? He didn’t think he could do much to defend himself. He felt so disgusting right now. He couldn’t even trust himself anymore.
Oh what had he done...?
It wasn’t just that zoner he had harmed, either. He could barely look at Rudy. He had hurt him to. He bit him. He could see the blood on the boy’s side. A testament to his actions.
He could feel his blood run cold at the sight. It was bad enough that he had killed another zoner, but he had also harmed the Great Creator. One of the only obstacles that prevented ChalkZone from being exploited. The person who had stopped balloonemia and found a cure for it. Why did he do it? Why..?
He tried to hold back his tears. He couldn’t stop them completely. He could feel streams moving down his face. He could feel the guilt twist up inside of him. It gave him a foul taste in his mouth. He was so tempted to punch himself in the face. He couldn’t believe that he had allowed himself to get taken over like that. Why did he have to act like such a...such a wild animal? That’s not who he was.
The others had forgiven him. They had told him they didn’t believe he did it on purpose. Penny even theorized that his lack of interacting with other zoners might have worsened his predatory instincts somehow, not out of any innate ill will towards others.
But their words didn’t make him feel much better. He still felt like a horrible monster. He felt he should be locked up somewhere, away from everyone else so he couldn’t hurt them anymore. He couldn’t believe the others still trusted him after what he did. They should have just tied him up or something. He didn’t deserve their kindness.
He tried his best to push past these feelings. It was difficult. Despite that, he was aware that him moping around wasn’t going to solve anything. He had to try to keep his chin up and keep moving. Right now, the others did still need him and he won’t be of much help if he let himself drown in his own woes.
He slowly narrowed his eyes slightly as he felt himself regain some control. The bitter sorrow and self hatred he was feeling were forcibly pushed back as he did his best to clear his mind. As he did this, he noticed that he was starting to move a little faster. It didn’t take him too long to catch up with the others.
“Now that’s more like it.” Snap said to him with a smile. “Are you feelin’ any better?”
Barney couldn’t lie. “No.” He shook his head. “I’m still...”
“I understand. Don’t kick yourself too much, though.” Snap looked at him sympathetically. “You did not mean to kill that guy. We don’t blame you for it.”
“Yeah. You’re not a murderer, Barney.” Penny looked back at Barney and smiled. “We won’t thnk any differently of you.”
Barney smiled back. Despite some reservations against himself and some confusion towards what he percieved as easy forgiveness, he was still glad that they were being understanding. They didn’t do anything to make him feel worse. They knew he was suffering enough mentally from the realization of his actions.
He soon frowned and looked around at their surroundings. He bit his lip. “I wonder how long this biome goes for.”
“I don’t know. I think a little while.” Penny shrugged her shoulders. “So far, we hadn’t run into any resistance. If this keeps up, then we’ll get to the next biome and...”
“Or if there is another biome.” Rudy bit his lip. “We might be heading towards a wall. I see a curve up ahead.” He pointed.
Indeed, they could see a wall up ahead, stretching down and attaching to the ground. This made them all look at each other. Were they going to have to go all the way back and try again? After what they already went through, none of them were interested in doing something like that. They were exhausted enough.
Besides, maybe there was something ahead that could help them. For all they knew, this might be the way out. They could have been going the right way the whole time. The only way to find out for certain was just to keep moving. And that’s exactly what they did.
The land they were in was pretty barren. No trees. Just a few sparse bushes and some vines. Most areas on here were covered in rocks and dirt. The landscape had mountains raise up out of the ground, forming sharp tips at the top and then sloping downward. Several paths zigzagged along the ground, which made traveling a little easier for them. But all the up and down was getting to them, and their legs ached.
They did not stop, though. They had to keep moving. Especially in land like this. The rocks and boulders all around looked like they could fall at any time. They silently hoped that they wouldn’t run into any trouble this time. Yet, knowing their luck, this was nothing more than wishful thinking.
They were presently walking between two mountains. They appeared to be some of the tallest here. They would have climbed up them to get an advantage point, but this task was impossible. There was no slope on either mountain. It was just smooth all the way down. The presence of some jagged cave-like spikes at the bottom did little to make them feel secure about climbing these mountains.
But, as the path winded in one direction, they could see the beginnings of another mountain. This one looked a little taller, and they could see a winding path going around it like a snake. Perhaps this mountain would have a place for them to look?
They decided wordlessly to head in that direction. The mountain didn’t look too far. They would get there in no time right?
Well that no time sure extended really fast. What had looked to be just a few minutes away was really a lot further than that. The mountain seemed to taunt them with every step they take. It almost seemed like it was getting smaller. It was just their imagination, but it still messed with their heads. They could almost see the distant mountain develop a face and sticking its tongue out at them.
Soon they had left the space between the mountains. Ahead of them, they could see that they were standing on a ridge with a drop down below. Lots more cave-like jagged rocks here. Stalagmites. And some stalactites grew overhead as well. Not too many, but still enough to indicate that this area wasn’t all that cleaned out when the king decided to expand. Perhaps this spot just wasn’t a bit enough attraction to consider moving to. Considering the precarious-looking mountains, it wasn’t like they could blame the king.
But how were they going to get across? There didn’t seem to be any clear path from here to the mountain. Did they need to go through the spikes? That didn’t seem like a smart direction to go. There was so little room between the stalagmites.
They looked all around, and for a while, none of them could see anything that they could use to get out. No indication of safe passage. No alternative routes. Nothing.
It was at this moment that Barney wished he had his wings. He flinched at the memory of what happened to them. He could still feel the pain spreading through his body, centering around where his wings had been. It wasn’t as big of a blow as it could have been since he was created without wings. But it was still quite a harsh blow to him. He felt...vulnerable without the wings.
Sadly, Rudy used the last of his chalk creating a tranquilizer dart to calm him down. And there was little reason to think that they would get another piece soon.
Their only option now was to find a path to get to the mountain. But where could they...?
Suddenly there was a loud yelp. Barney whipped his head to the side to see that Snap had suddenly disappeared. He widened his eyes in confusion.
“Snap..? Where did you go?”
Rudy and Penny had stopped as well. They turned their heads and they gasped when they saw Snap was gone. They looked at Barney, who could only shrug in confusion. The three began to look left and right, calling out Snap’s name.
They started to hear some kind of muffled sound. It sounded like Snap. But it was so distant and garbled. They weren’t even sure if it was him or not. They kept walking around, continuing to encourage Snap, or whoever it was, to speak so they could follow the voice.
But strangely, it all led to the same spot. They blinked in confusion. What was going on? There was nothing here. Sure, there was a small raised stalagmite. A little thick for one. And a circular pattern. But there wasn’t much else here. Was Snap communicating through the rock? Possibly. That could explain the garbledness of his voice.
No, something else was going on around here.
Barney stared closely at the circular pattern. There was something really familiar about it. He was certain he had something about this in his internal database. He took a few steps closer and reached down towards it. His hand immediately started to slip in, and the ‘rock’ started to ripple. He yanked his hand out.
“Just as I thought.” Barney said as Rudy and Penny looked at him. “A dipping pool.”
Rudy raised an eyebrow. “A dipping pool?”
“Like...for diving?” Penny asked, raising her hands up. “That’s the only kind of dipping pool I know of.”
Barney felt his heart clench. He put his hand against the side of his face, lightly rubbing it. This wasn’t good. No, this was awful. He turned his head to Rudy and Penny, watching as they gave him confused expressions. It was clear they had no idea what they were up against. He swallowed and struggled to find the words to say. Soon he managed to spit out a couple short though meaningful words.
“He needs help!”
“Wh-What?” Rudy asked. He moved his head down and stared at where Snap dropped down. He took a cautious step forward, reaching his right hand towards it. He couldn’t get too far standing up. “Is he..?”
“Barney, what’s going on?” Penny demanded, staring at him with those wide, fear-filled eyes.
Barney would love to tell them. But there was no time for that. They had to get moving before it was too late. There was only one thing they could do at this point. He didn’t want to do this, but it was either this, or Snap died a gruesome death.
He took a few steps closer to the dipping pool. He stopped when his front-most feet were right on the edge. He could see the slight rippling underneath his feet. He bit his lip. He couldn’t believe he was about to do this. He lifted up his head and looked over at Rudy and Penny. He motioned for them to follow him. He could see them exchange nervous looks. He stared at them sympathetically and then gave them a serious frown, silently telling them that they needed to come with him.
He then looked down at the pool. He could feel his heart pounding. He knew exactly what was waiting for them on the other side. Despite that, knowing that Snap was down there, he worked up the courage to jump.
sss
“Barney!” Penny cried as she reached a hand forward. She tried to grab onto the centipede, but it was too late. He had already dropped down.
She and Rudy stood in silence for several moments. They couldn’t move, not even to look at each other. All they could do was stare at the dipping pool where both Barney and Snap had disappeared down. This turn of events had been so sudden, so unexpected. Their minds couldn’t even fully comprehend it.
Just a short time ago, both Snap and Barney had been up here with them. They were all walking along the path to find a way to get to the tallest mountain up ahead. Then Snap screamed and he disappeared. Now Barney was gone, too.
And it was all because of this dipping pool. From how Barney reacted to it, it wasn’t anything that they wanted to spend a lot of time in. He had looked so worried.. Penny felt her heart twist. Just what was at the bottom of this thing? Were Barney and Snap okay? What was happening to them? What should she and Rudy do?
She managed to look over at her friend, her eyes bulging in worry. Rudy was still staring at the dipping pool. His eyes had widened up further than she ever saw them. His mouth was partially open. She could see a bit of shivering as emotion swept through him. She couldn’t tell exactly what emotion it was, but she guessed that shock was one of them. He looked poised to just jump in.
Penny hesitated. Should they jump? What if something happened to them, too? What if they got hot? How would they help anyone in that state? But they couldn’t just move on either. They couldn’t leave Barney and Snap to this horrible fate, whatever fate that might be. They...They had to do something...anything...
She turned her head and saw that Rudy was already getting closer to the edge. His foot was now partially in the hole. He turned to look at her. He didn’t utter a word. He simply gave her a look that she knew all too well. It was the same look he would give her when he was about to do something really risky when no other options were available. It was the same look he gave her when he...
..when he had her lock him up in the temple...
Penny choked back a small cry at that horrible memory. Even now, it haunted her. Even though everything turned out fine, the fact that she nearly lost her friend still ripped her up inside. She clutched her hands to her chest and stared at him.
Rudy gave her an understanding look. His eyes raised up a little, conveying a message of sadness to her. He then looked at the dipping pool. He took in a deep breath. Then he jumped into it. Penny watched helplessly as he disappeared.
Now she stood here all alone. She looked left and right, hearing absolutely nothing. Not even distant calls of animals or rocks rolling. Just..nothing. Just silence and emptiness.
She stared at the dipping pool intently. She gulped, then narrowed her eyes. She couldn’t allow this stupid pool slow her down. Her friends were down there. They might need her help. She couldn’t chicken out now. She couldn’t fall into the helpless mindset. That’s not who she was. She never did that before and she wasn’t about to start now.
She sucked in a deep breath mentally preparing herself. Then she formed fists with her hands and moved her arms back and forth, gathering up energy. Then she thrust herself forward and launched herself into the air. Down the dipping pool she went.
When she fell in, she felt some kind of weird sensation. It felt cool and wet and yet at the same time, not. It felt like she had gone through something solid, even though it was clearly liquid. Her brain was getting mixed signals, and it temporarily gave her a headache.
That strange sensation wasn’t the oddest thing about this place. Looking all around it was as if they entered a void. There was emerald green and black all around, cloud shapes and stars. There didn’t appear to be any solid ground anywhere. Nothing below or to the side. Just this swirling green and black vortex that made it look like they had fallen into space itself. And the way everything was twisting and turning, as if this was taking place from the point of view of a shaky camera, Penny could feel her stomach churning.
Down further, she could see the falling forms of Rudy and Barney. Their limbs were stretched out as if they were merely diving into a pool. Speaking of which, it was kind of starting to feel like that now. Penny thought she hit something solild and wet. She did not see anything wet on her, but when she moved her arms through the air, that’s what it felt like. Each stroke seemed to take more and more effort.
Penny shivered when she heard what sounded like deep laughter. She moved her side to the side and in a second, something shot up. She didn’t get a good enough look to tell what it was. Then another appeared and she moved to the other side.
“Remain calm!”
Penny looked down and saw that Barney had taken notice of her. He must have heard her small cry when she tried to dodge the...whatever they were before.
“Just keep yourself from panicking and everything will be all right!” Barney called out to her.
Penny nodded her head shakingly. But on the inside, she was still panicking. She swallowed hard and tried to relax. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to think of happier thoughts. She had to get her heart rate to slow down, or... Wait, what would happen?
At that moment, something else came after her. This one was larger, black in color, and all jagged and twisted. Penny stared at it in fear, putting her hands over her mouth. In a second, the thing took shape, and when it did, Penny couldn’t stifle the gasp of shock.
The manticore she had killed. It looked just like it now. Right down to the minor details. Only solid black in color. Only the eyes, which glowed a bright yellow, were any different. The creator opened up its mouth and let out a roar at her. Penny scrambled to get back, and could feel the rush of air as the shadow beast attempted to strike her.
“Don’t move! It’s not real!” Barney put his hands to his mouth so she could hear. “Just close your eyes and relax!”
“Barney, what’s going on?!” Rudy’s cry could be heard.
Barney’s answer came immediately. “This is what a dipping pool is! It gives you apparitions of things you feel guilty about. It’s trying to mentally weaken you. If you allow the apparitions to get to you, then it will kill you from shere fright!”
Penny shut her eyes tightly and took in a few quick breaths. She tried her best to ignore the growling around her. “S-So.. So we just have to pretend nothing is there and stay calm?”
“At least until we get down at the bottom.”
Rudy turned Barney. “What’s at the bottom?”
Barney narrowed his eyes. “The brain. It’s a vine-like structure. Once victims have been scared to death, it devours them. For those who somehow get past that, it will simply tear them apart and eat them alive.”
At this, Penny could feel her stomach nearly rip up from the inside. She struggled to control the nausea feeling she got, and it took all her might not to throw up from the shere horror of what she and Rudy had learned. Snap had been falling in here for quite a while now. Does that mean he...?
She shook her head. No, he was fine. He just had to be. They just needed to reach him. They would soon get to him if they keep falling at this rate. Snap would be fine. He was a smart little zoner. He’d be able to dodge the creature’s attack.
Despite this confidence in her friend, Penny still couldn’t help but worry. Snap was still just one person and he was down there all alone. How long would he be able to dodge the attacks before she and the others get to him? She hoped and prayed that Snap would be able to hold on for just a little longer.
Then finally, after what felt like many hours of falling, of seeing nothing but twirling imagery, of trying to pretend not to see the shadow manticore get to her, it appeared they were reaching the bottom. The twirling had begun to stop and settle down. The shadow beast that was harrassing her had dissipated into the air, vanishing completely. Then they hit against the flattened, still ‘ground’, if it could be called that.
Seconds later, they began to sink into it. It felt like the entrance, except a little more.... She wasn’t even sure she could describe it in words. Perhaps something like melted metal, and sharp. Somehow. Penny winced as they moved through and soon dropped into a new space on the other side.
She collided with cold, wet ground. She pushed herself up and shook her head. She looked at her hands, noticing the slickness of it. She put her nose close and took a sniff. Just water. She wiped it off and pushed herself up to her feet. She took a moment to look around.
They were in some kind of deep cave system. This must be a few miles underneath Chalklantis. She wondered if the Chalklantians used this for anything. Maybe some Chalklantians still lived down here. In that case, they would need to tread carefully.
They were presently in a large chamber. There were multiple tunnel systems all around them. Some appeared to go up while others dipped down. There was a larger tunnel in the middle. No, not a tunnel, but an actual opening that led into another room. It wasn’t a rounded opening, either, but more jagged, with a ridge of rock snaking down almost like it had been liquid at one time.
Large cave-like formations were all around them. Not just the usual stalagmites and stalactites, which there were a few of here, jetting out of the ground as if eager to come out and play. But there were also formations that she hadn’t seen in most other caves in ChalkZone, likely due to children having a lack of knowledge of such formations. Columns and flowstone also decorated this place. The flowstone was mostly on the walls, and like their namesake, they appeared to ‘flow down’ along the side. They thinned at the bottom, looking almost like thin pancakes stacked one on top of the other. The columns themselves were were spread in a few parts of the room. They weren’t as numerous as the stalactites or stalagmites, but what was there looked rather impressive. They were thick and smooth, almost as if they had been carved, and they were stained with a few colors, as if someone had been painting on them. The tops spread out like a fan, making it look almost like a rock-based mushroom.
Penny would have stared a little longer at the beauty of this place, but she had more important things to do. She took a few steps forward, turning her head from one side to the other as she looked for any sign of Snap.
Behind her, she could hear Barney and Rudy joining her. She wasn’t sure where they were or when they arrived. Those questions didn’t matter to her. She just kept walking. The three of them continued their search for Snap.
Penny wondered where Snap could have gone. He couldn’t have gone that far, right? He hadn’t been down there that much longer than them. But then again, with all these tunnels, he could have gone anywhere. She bit her lip. How were they going to locate their friend at this point? They couldn’t even see any indication of where he had gone. Not even footprints. The ground was too hard to form those.
They didn’t give up. They stayed close together and walked through the large chamber. The first place they thought to go was through the opening. Perhaps Snap went in here. It seemed like the first place he would go if he was exploring this area.
It took them a few more moments of walking, but soon they walked through the opening. They were surprised at how small it really was. It looked bigger somehow from where they were. But now that they were here, they had to squeeze through. Penny winced when she felt her sides get a little scraped from the jagged rocks. Rudy and Barney came in after her.
The next area they entered was larger, and completely lacking in any rocky structure they had seen before, outside of the rocky walls. But that didn’t mean that this room was empty. No, there was something here all right. Something that made them pause and stare in shock.
There was a tall vine-like thing, just like what Barney mentioned would be here. It was huge, stretching upwards, its tendrils moving about on each side. It had an oval shaped ‘head’ that was split down the middle. Its ‘mouth’ was open up, showing off what appeared to be tooth-like impressions. There were no visible eyes on the creature, and yet somehow, it appeared to see them. It turned its head to them and struck the ground multiple times with its tendrils.
“Be careful.” Barney whispered softly, his wide eyes glued to the thing. “It can detect vibrations and air changes. If you move too quickly, it will know that you are here.”
Rudy clenched his teeth. “I think it already knows...”
Penny was about to say that talking counted as air changes, since the words caused vibrations in the air. She didn’t want to contribute to the problem and thus kept her mouth zipped up.
She focused her eyes on the creature. It was so huge and massive... If lives weren’t in danger, she would have loved to study this thing a little more, understand its habits better. It was unlike anything she’s seen before. The closest thing she could think of to describe it was a venus fly trap. Even that didn’t come close to what this was.
She soon realized that this thing didn’t have just one head structure. There appeared to be several, but most of them were a lot smaller than the first head they saw. The main head was huge, looking like it was easily large enough to swallow at least two Skrawls in a single gulp. The other hads were still quite large and could eat them in a single bite.
Her eyes widened in horror when she saw that one of the heads seemed occupied. She could see what appeared to be a bulge in this one, and it was the only head that was closed. The others were split open, exposing their leaf-like structured mouths with no visible tube going down its ‘throat’. It didn’t take Penny much time to realize what this bulge might be.
“It’s Snap!”
Rudy whipped his head towards Penny. “S-Snap...? Are you sure..?”
Penny nodded her head slowly. “Y-Yeah... It’s him. He’s trapped inside...” Penny immediately turned her head towards Barney. “What do we do?”
Barney took a small step back. “Well I..” He closed his eyes, put his fingertips together, and started to search. “Let’s see here...”
“Come on, Barney.” Rudy said through clenched teeth. “Hurry up!”
“Rudy, he’s looking!” Penny turned and glared at her friend. She understood the frustration. She was getting impatient, too. But them spouting at Barney would not make him go any faster.
“Okay then! I found something!” Barney began to relay what he had found. “The blindtrap is not able to see. Reacts to sound only. Too much sound causes it distress.” At this, he whipped his head in Rudy’s direction. “You need to draw something that...”
“I can’t, remember?” Rudy growled in frustration. “No magic chalk!”
Penny looked up in horror, her blood running cold. “Well I hope you figure out something soon. Because I don’t think Snap has much longer left...”
Penny couldn’t take her eyes away from the thing. Snap was struggling inside, and each movement seemed to get weaker and weaker. She was surprised that he had been able to struggle this long. How long would he be able to last before he...?
“Snap! Let him go, you monster!”
Penny’s eyes widened in horror when she saw Rudy charge towards the vine creature. She held her hand out. “Rudy! Stop!”
Her words couldn’t stop him. All she could do was stand there and watch in fear as her best friend rushed out towards the creature.
sss
Kairos sat perched on a high ledge. He was watching the spectacle down below. He knew a back way in here, without having to go through that dreadful vortex thing that the blindtrap uses to disorient its prey. He was not interested in having his own personal fears being thrust at him.
What did interest him, however, were the events taking place right now in this cave.
Those two brats and the centipede going up against the blindtrap to save their pitiful little blue friend. It was a spectable he didn’t think he’d see coming in. But now that he was witnessing it for himself, he couldn’t help but smile. This was going to be quite the show. Far more interesting than he thought it was going to be.
He kept himself out of sight. He took care not to press himself against the sharp rocks. Though he could not feel the pain associated with them, he was still full aware of what would happen if he wasn’t careful. He did not want to slice his feet up and risk getting an infection.
At least keeping the others from noticing him was easy. They were too busy trying to do something to rescue their friend to pay attention to him. That meant that he could make his move soon.
But not yet. First he wanted to watch them. He wanted to see what they were capable of in this situation without any magic chalk to help them. This...was going to be quite fun to watch. He couldn’t help but stretch his bronze beak into a wide smile.
He could feel himself grow more and more excited on the inside. He could feel his heart pumping with adrenaline. He could feel his body start to quake as he felt the emotion sweep through his body relentlessly. He thought he was going to explode. It took all of his strength to keep himself from lunging down there and doing something himself.
A part of him wanted to rip into them himself. A part of him wanted to take his metal feathers and slice into their bodies, feel their blood, hear them gasping for breath. He still wanted to show them what real fear was like. He did not think he got the message through completely with Barney. No, it would be better if he had a little fun with Rudy, Penny, and Snap himself. Oh the things he could do to them...
The only reason he held back was because King Zander wanted them to stay alive for however long he felt they deserved it. And even when he decided to get rid of them, Kairos didn’t really know if they would be killed by beast or by one of his men. It was not his decision to make. The odds of him being chosen for the task were slim to none.
That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to butter up to the king in order to get that position. He had managed to get the role of general; he could easily get the role of executioner. He scraped his metal feathers together. He would be perfect for the job.
As he stared at them, watching them beginning their fight against the blindtrap, he couldn’t help but keep his eyes locked on Barney. He took notice of the blood stains on his hands. Although he knew that wasn’t Barney’s blood, the sight of it did cause Kairos to start licking his lips slowly. He had never thought about it before, but...perhaps a little change in diet is in order.
He raised his left foot into the air. He curled his talons inward, letting them gleam a little in the light. All it would take is a single strike in the right spot, and that centipede would be his. His body was so long and each section was so...round. What kind of meat was he hiding underneath there? What did he taste like?
And Snap didn’t look half bad either. Too small to be a meal. But he’d make a great snack, perhaps. He didn’t have that big of a body, but he was probably still packed with flavor. And his head, so large and around. It must house a big brain, right? Those were probably rather tasty.
He shook his head, snapping himself back to reality. He couldn’t let himself fall into his predatory instincts. He remembered what happened to Barney. He let out a low growl to himself and moved a little. Regaining his rational side, he hunkered down like a bird about to lay an egg. He watched from a safe distance as the fight continued. He would remain here until he saw an opening to make his move.
And judging from this rate, he didn’t think he’d have to wait for too long.
sss
Rudy let out a grunt as the vine creature knocked him back. He rolled across the ground. He howled in pain when his broken arm was hit. He clutched it to himself and trumbled. He glared in the direction of the plant, baring his teeth. He wasn’t giving up yet. He just needed to figure out the perfect strategy and..
The blindtrap wasn’t finished with him yet. One of its tendrils wrapped around his leg and pulled him up into the air. He dangled up there and was tossed from side to side. He scrambled to hold on with his one hand. But that hardly did anything. No matter how hard he held on, the creature just kept shaking him, making him slowly lose his grip. Soon he no longer could hold on and he was tossed through the air.
He cried out in pain when his back was thrust against the hard, rocky surface. He slid down, hanging his head over. He shut his eyes softly and let out a groan. He clenched his teeth and hissed. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought. Then again, whoever said it was going to be easy?
“Rudy! You need to stop!” Penny called out to him. “We need a strategy! Come back here!”
Rudy’s rational side wanted to listen to her, but his impulsive side wanted to keep going. Snap was in that pod. He needed help. He was trying to escape, and sooner or later, he was going to fail completely. He would stop moving because those stomach acids or whatever were going to get to him eventually. There was no time to plan. If they didn’t do something soon...
Rudy got up to his feet. Ignoring the cries from his friend and centipede, Rudy dashed again towards the blindtrap. He thought that maybe if he ran around a bit, zigzagging, he would be able to confuse the plant monster and he could get to the vine.
So as he ran, he didn’t go in a straight line like he had been before. He jumped from one side to the other, making the chase very erratic. The plant kept trying to get to him, swinging its vines in his direction. And for a while, the vines kept on missing, the tendrils grazing him by an inch at least, if not more. Rudy was getting ever closer to the pod where Snap was being held. He pushed himself to move faster, his heart tightening up in emotion as he neared where his friend was.
He wanted to tell Snap that he was almost there, but at the moment, his voice was gone. He was too busy panting and trying to dodge the tendrils to be able to speak. It was probably for the best. If he made anymore noise, then this creature might catch him.
Almost there... Just a few feet in front of him. If he could just keep up the pace, he could lunge at the pod and force this thing to let his friend go.
Then the rug was pulled out from underneath him. Before he knew it, a tendril wrapped around his body and raised him up. He struggled frantically, kicking his legs. His eyes bulged and he let out a bloodcurdling scream when the tendrils squeezed his broken arm tightly, causing an eruption of pain throughout his body.
“Rudy!” Penny’s voice echoed in the chamber.
Rudy opened up one eye and saw that Penny and Barney were coming over towards him. He clenched his teeth tightly as each breath became harder and harder to take. “N-No...” He choked out. “S-Stay back...”
He then closed his eyes as his vision became a little blurry from the pain. He knew his friends weren’t going to listen to him. He didn’t know why he even bothered to try to tell them to leave. He could only hope that they were smart enough to stay away. He didn’t want them to get hurt, too.
As he was being squeezed to death, he could see his life flashing before his eyes. Even with them closed, he could see flash after flash. Some good memories, others bad. All of them made his eyes start to water.
So, this is how it was going to end, eh? He had always expected that he might die on some grand adventure. He just never thought he would lose his life so quickly, and in such a way, too. To be strangled to death by some vine-like creature in ChalkZone. Heh, at least no one could say he died a boring death. He smiled bitterly at that poor excuse for a joke as he awaited his end.
Suddenly, the pressure was removed from his body. The sudden loss of pressure caused him to intake a sharp breath as he plummeted to the ground. He ignored the pain in his shoulder as he sat up. He let out a low groan as his body reverberated with pain. It took him several seconds to open up his eyes and see just what was going on.
He could see Barney and Penny standing there. Rudy felt a wave of confusion rush through him. Why didn’t they run? How exactly did they even make the creature let go? He didn’t see any kind of weapon or anything. What happened?
He didn’t have time to fully register this as Barney rushed towards him. He grabbed onto him and helped him up to his feet. He was saying something to him. Rudy wasn’t sure exactly. Maybe something about how he was feeling. Rudy tried to speak. He could only manage a few coughs as he tried to get all the dust and dirt from his mouth.
He was aware of Barney taking him towards one of the nearest walls and had him lean against it. Rudy shut his eyes for a few moments, trying to regain his composure. He could hear a few sounds away from him. They were too confusing for him to make out right now. He wondered just how badly he had been struck.
Then after a few more seconds, he started to understand the speech again. He could hear Barney calling out to him, waving his hand in front of him and trying to get him to respond.
Rudy stared at him, still a little dazed at first. He then shook his head and placed his hand against the side of his face. “Wow...what happened...?”
“You need to lay down.” Barney told him gently. “You hit your head pretty badly.”
“My head...?” Rudy didn’t notice it before, but now that Barney mentioned it, the side of his head did feel rather sore. Was that why he was so disoriented earlier? “Wh-Where’s...?”
“Penny is distracting the blindtrap.”
Rudy opened his eyes and looked over around the cave room. He soon saw Penny facing off against the blindtrap. She was doing her best to dodge it. She was getting closer to Snap like he did. She was doing a better job than him, too, likely due to the benefit of having both arms in tact.
Rudy felt a compulsion to help. He started to climb up to his feet. He soon managed to stand up. He took a step forward. Suddenly a wave of dizziness struck him. He let out a cry of pain and immediately dropped down to his knees. He could feel Barney calling out to him and asking if he was okay. Rudy found it hard to answer, and he just clutched his head and gritted his teeth.
But he couldn’t just give up. Penny needed his help. He had to do something, before...
He heard a small clanging sound. Then something rolling towards him. He whipped his head around, his eyes scanning the ground for the source of the noise. He soon settled his eyes upon something that he didn’t expect to see, and yet had grown accustomed to, with all that was going on.
He picked up the new piece of magic chalk. Just like the others, this one had been broken. Snapped into pieces, and he only got one piece. He held it up, pressing it between two fingers. The piece was less than an inch long. He stared at it closely, examining it. There wasn’t much that could be drawn with this piece. But, maybe there was enough to...
Ignoring Barney’s confused cries, Rudy dashed out to where Penny was currently being swung into the ground. He raised up the tiny piece of chalk and began to draw.
All the while, he was not aware of the gleaming orange eyes watching him with great interest...
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Post by Bluedramon on Apr 30, 2015 18:37:55 GMT -5
Chapter 23: Arrival
Snap wasn’t sure what was going on. He could hardly see anything. And his hearing was quite grabled up. He thought he could make out flashes and shadows. He was certain he could hear his frieds calling out to him. They sounded so far away...
He was aware of being in something wet and warm. Yet there was nothing comfortable about this warmth. It didn’t make him feel secure. It made him feel terrified. He was trying to push himself out. No matter how hard he tried, no matter what he did, it just wasn’t working. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he struggled to make sense of what was happening to him.
Why was he feeling so weak now? Why was he wanting to just collapse down and close his eyes? The back of his mind knew he was in danger and prevented him from closing his eyes for too long. Yet the temptation was getting harder and harder to resist.
And why was his body feeling all tingly? Was it because...?
Snap felt his eyes widen into saucers when something finally clicked with him. He thought back to that goolah monster that he and Penny had been swallowed by. This had the same sensation as that. And that only meant one thing.
He was being digested alive.
He scrambled to get out. He pushed against the walls around him. They were soft, and he felt them partially give way as he pushed them. He pushed harder again and again, applying as much pressure as he could. As the tingly sensation began to get worse, he slammed against the walls around him. He let out shouts and cries to be freed.
But nothing changed his situation. He remained trapped in the...whatever this thing was. He couldn’t even see where he was. Not even his own hands in front of his face. He was unable to tell just how much damage had been done to him. He was starting to detect a strange odor though...
His heart pounding in his chest, he struck against the wall more, using up more and more of his strength. But no matter what, the walls weren’t bursting. He then tried to just stand still and push until it gave way. He leaned against it, his hands pressed against the moist wall. He applied pressure, but he only succeeded in causing himself to drop down to his knees. He flinched when he felt some of the digestive juices himself in the face. He scrambled to wipe it off.
He wasn’t sure how long he had been struggling. For all he knew, several hours had passed by. He could feel himself grow weaker as time passed on. His struggles grew less and less powerful. He found it increasingly difficult to push against the walls, and his eyes were getting harder to stay open.
Soon he slumped down. He tried not to, but he was unable to keep his eyes open. They slowly closed and he collapsed onto the ground. He could feel the warm, yuckiness of the digestive fluids all around him. It started to rise a little, covering him up a bit. He could feel the tingly sensation increase, spreading throughout his small body. Realizing what was going to happen to him, Snap allowed a single tear to stroll down his face.
He couldn’t believe this was happening to him. Of all the ways to go.. Why did it have to be like this? Why digested alive? That was such a...a cruel fate. He tried to be strong and face his incoming demise with dignity. But all he succeeded in doing was letting out a small whimper of fear.
Rudy, Penny, everyone else... He was going to miss them.
He could feel the tingly sensation start to grow painful. He sucked in a sharp breath. He would have struggled. He lost too much strength to do that at this point. He could only just lay there and take it.
Without warning, there was a loud thud. A whack. He was shaken up, thrown to the side as the pod was hit by something. Snap grunted and coughed as some of the digestive fluids got into his mouth. He wiped it off his tongue in a panic before being tossed forward without any warning. He landed upside down and slid, his whole body getting more soaked.
Then suddenly, with a jerk towards the back, the thing that was holding Snap apparently couldn’t do so anymore. He could feel himself being pulled back and, with a loud wretching sound, whatever had a hold of him suddenly released him.
The flash of light from being in the dark so long caused him to shut his eyes and clench his teeth. He could feel himself being tossed through the air. He then became aware of smashing into the ground. He rolled across the floor painfully, and he was certain he slid in a few circles before finally reaching a stop against something hard yet warm.
“Snap!” A garbled voice called out to him. “Are you okay?!”
Snap didn’t answer the voice at first. He was too dazed and confused from what happened. He just laid there, half expecting something to drag him up into the air and dangle him like he was some sort of pinata. Only when he started to feel some of his senses return did he open up his eyes.
He could see Barney standing there, his eyes filled with worry. Snap stared at him for a few moments before he shut his eyes and coughed a few times. He slowly pushed himself up off the ground. He stumbled forward and Barney managed to catch him, holding him up. Barney kept him steady while his mind struggled to stop spinning.
“D-Define o-o-okay.” Snap managed to matter while he was trying to settle his mind. He shook his head, trying to clear it the best he could.”
Penny came towards him, placing her hand on his shoulder. “How are you feeling? Anything hurt?”
Snap flinched and rubbed his arm a little. “Everything tingles..” He couldn’t believe he worded it like that. He needn’t explain it any further with Penny for her to understand what he meant.
Penny turned to Barney. “We need to get the rest of the digestive juices off of him!”
Barney nodded in agreement. “Yes, but what about Rudy?”
Snap’s eyes widened at the mention of his friend’s name. He looked left and right and realized that Rudy wasn’t in this group. He took in a few quick breaths. Where had his friend gone? He struggled to find him, ignoring the unsteadiness of his head as he did so. He soon found him.
Rudy was going up against the vine creature. He had some kind of long bat drawn. This caused some brief confusion in Snap. Why would Rudy draw something like that? Its only use was.... Unless Rudy meant to attack with it. Snap could feel the pieces of the puzzle fall rapidly into place as the complete picture came to view. Yes, that’s what was going on. Rudy must not have had much of a choice.
Snap felt the compulsion to run towards his friend and help him. The only thing that stopped him was his own weakness. He was still zapped of his strength. He struggled to even remain on his feet. Even with Penny and Barney’s help, there was little he could do to keep his feet from slipping from underneath himself.
He watched helplessly as Rudy continued to go up against the vine creature. He soon realized that Rudy was not attacking the blindtrap that much. Only occassionally would he strike. Most of his blows were towards the ground, confusing the creature. The sudden shakes weren’t from Rudy’s strikes, but rather from the creature’s attempt to get at something that wasn’t even there.
“Rudy! Snap is out! Let’s get out of here!” Penny shouted to him. “Get away from the blindtrap!”
This turned out to be a mistake on Penny’s part. The blindtrap had heard her and now it was moving one of its ‘heads’ towards her. The image caused Snap to flash back to how he had gotten in that situation. He had been walking through and he ended up shouting for help, and he had attracted the attention of this creature and...
Snap resisted the urge to call out to Penny, knowing that his cries would only make things worse. He wriggled himself free and managed to pull her back as the vine got closer.
Thankfully, it didn’t get too close as Rudy had rushed over and struck it. The sound of the piece of metal clanging against the stem, echoing in the cave, could be heard. The vine creature would have let out a loud hiss if it had any vocal cords. Instead, it merely wriggled and quivered in what Snap guessed was pain. It turned its attention towards its attacker.
The blind trap struck out at Rudy again and again, each time just narrowly missing the boy. It kept trying to gulp him in one of its ‘mouths’, condemning him to the same slow death that he nearly suffered himself. Snap could feel his blood run cold at this realization. If something isn’t done soon...
He narrowed his eyes. They had to do something to help Rudy. There was no indication of how long he’d be able to keep this up. If this went on for too long, Rudy would surely run out of gas. The blindtrap might be able to have near boundless energy, but Rudy did not. It wasn’t like Rudy could rush over towards them. With all those strikes that the vine thing was making... That task was impossible. He needed help.
Snap looked at Penny and Barney. “We need to distract the thing!” He watched as the two exchanged worried looks with each other. “We need to draw its attention away from Rudy!”
This is something the two didn’t disagree on. He could see the looks in their eyes. He could see the way they were looking at Rudy. There was also fear in those eyes, too. Snap didn’t need them to speak to know what was going on in their heads.
How would they pull this off without accidentally bringing harm to Rudy? That was not going to be an easy thing to accomplish. If they messed this up, then they could hurt, or worse. Yet...there was little choice in the matter. They needed to take this risk, or they would potentially lose Rudy to this thing.
Now managing to fully steady himself on his feet, Snap glared in the direction of the blindtrap. Barney and Penny stood beside him, giving him a downwards glance, waiting for him to speak. Snap glared in the direction of the vine creature. He could feel his heart pounding. He formed a fist with his hand. It was now or never.
“Let’s go.”
With that, the group began to rush over towards the blindtrap.
sss
Mr. Tabootie acted like he was fine and did his best to maintain his composure. That was only because he wanted to be brave for his wife. He didn’t want to make himself look emotionally broken in front of her. He may look strong on the outside, but inside, he was ripped apart.
He was beside himself in worry. He was leaning against the wall, staring sadly at his wife as she sat down on the couch. Her head was bowed, the house phone still clutched tightly in her hands. She had hardly moved since she had gotten that dreaded phone call. She didn’t speak, didn’t even eat anything, despite being hungry prior. She was just...quiet.
It wasn’t like he could blame her. The phonecall she had recieved was...rather disturbing. And it was from one of their own friends. It was from Mrs. Sanchez, or Dr. Sanchez as she prefers to be called officially. She had alerted them to some rather disturbing knews.
And that news was their children were missing.
As soon as they had gotten the news, the two adults were in denial at first. They refused to believe that their son had lied to them. They refused to believe that something could have happened to him and his friend. Surely, this had to be some kind of mistake.
But when his wife had called up the school and asked them, their worst fears became a reality. Their children had never shown up, and had apparently called in sick. The field trip pick up as at the school, not at the library like their children had stated. And when they checked, the librarians were unable to find their kids. This only left them with the conclusion that their children were indeed gone.
Where could they have gone? What could have happened? The fact that it was the library did little to help them. That library was so quiet, if someone were stealthy enough, they could have...
Mr. Tabootie tried to keep those horrible thoughts out of his head. Rudy and Penny were fine. They..They were probably just playing hooky. He had done that a couple times when he was a kid. He wouldn’t be happy with his son, but he would much rather that, than believe that something awful happened to him.
He took in a deep breath and sighed. He tried his best to relax. He told himself that everything was going to be okay. He had already called the police a few minutes ago on his cellphone. They would take care of things. He would see, and his wife and Mrs. Sanchez would also see. The police would find their kids and bring them home safe and sound.
He could hear his wife give a few sniffles. “Oh, Rudy... Why..? Why did you do this..?”
Mr. Tabootie bit his lip. It hurt him so much to see his wife like this. This wasn’t like the time when Rudy disappeared for a few hours before their trip. His wife looked much more devastated now, because Rudy was missing and no one knew where he was. And he knew, deep down, if the police don’t find him...
He curled his fingers against his palm. He had to try to stay hopeful, especially for his wife. She needed it. They all needed it. It was all they could do while they waited for word from the police regarding their children.
He began to make his way towards his wife. It didn’t take him long to reach her. She looked up and saw him. He stared down at her sadly, biting his lip. He reached down and touched her gently on her arm reassuringly. His wife stared at him, her lower lip quivering.
“Shh...” He reached down and stroked away a tear from her eye. “It’s going to be okay. They will find them. You’ll see.”
“I...How can you be so sure?” His wife squeaked out. “What...What if they...?”
“Now, now Millie...” Mr. Tabootie cupped his wife’s chin gently, tilting it upwards. “You shouldn’t think such things. They will be fine. Everything is going to be fine.”
His wife sniffled and a few tears streamed down her face. “I..I hope you’re right, Joe.” She shut her eyes and whimpered softly. “I-I hope you’re right..”
Mr. Tabootie bit his lip as he listened to his wife start crying. He moved in closer and wrapped his arms around her large body. She returned the hug, cuddling up against him. She placed her head against his shoulder and cried into it. Mr. Tabootie ignored the wetness on his shoulder as he gently rubbed his wife’s back, whispering soft words of comfort to her.
sss
Rudy laid on the ground, the whole side of his body pounding in pain. He looked out in horror at what was going on. He tried to get up and help. He only ended up slipping and falling back down. He tried to ignore the pain that wracked through his body as his slightly unfocused eyes watched his friends distract the blindtrap.
They were doing a pretty good job at first. They had been able to stay one step ahead of the creature, forcing it to move in different directions just to get them, dividing its attention. This was a useful strategy...for only a few minutes.
Now, as he watched, they were being cornered against one of the walls. The creature had gotten smart and started to strike on either side of them. How it was able to do this without seeing them was beyond him, but it wasn’t something that was on his mind. Right now, all he could think of was trying to find some way to save them. If he didn’t get up and go to them soon...
Slowly he started to push himself up to his feet. He wobbled back and forth before he managed to stop himself from falling down. He stared in the direction of the blindtrap, his mind racing as he struggled to think of exactly what to do.
His eyes soon fell upon something that he hadn’t noticed about the blindtrap. There appeared to be a bulbeous sack located against the wall. This seemed to be the origin of this creature, where it was rooted to the ground. He theorized that this must be its most vulnerable spot. If he were to strike it, then he might be able to make the creature let go of his friends and they could make a run for it.
But that area was quite well guarded. There were many of those ‘head’ things around, the vines wriggling around like snakes. How would he get around them?
A sudden scream made him realize that he had to act fast. The blindtrap had struck at his friends, knocking them to the ground. The largest ‘head’ was moving towards them and was getting ready to eat them whole. His breath quickened as he stared from that, then to the bulbeous structure in the wall. It was now or never.
Without further hesitation, Rudy, knowing what he had to do, made a run for it towards that bulbeous structure. He ran as fast as he could, his mouth open and panting heavily. He jumped over the vines as he lashed out towards him. He moved from side to side, barely avoiding getting hit. The adrenaline that pumped through his body made it possible for him to ignore the pain, and allow him to focus only on one thing: saving his friends.
The blindtrap didn’t make things easy for him. It kept trying to get at him, striking at him blindly. He dodged from side to side, narrowing his eyes in determination. His eyes concentrated on that bulbeous structure. He was getting closer. Just a little more...
He nearly tripped when his foot caught on one of the vines. He screamed and stumbled forward, raising his right arm into the air and struggling to get some footing. He moved around in a circle or two in his struggle to keep standing. Then he continued on running, taking one step that was a little too big, which nearly caused him to fall down again.
Once he was close enough to the structure, he tightened up the muscles in his right arm. He pulled it back and, without thinking, he struck down as hard as he could. He immediately recoiled from the waves shooting up the bat along his arm.
This action caused the blindtrap to turn its attention fully on him. He stared up at the creature, trying his best to hide his fear. He glared at it, baring his teeth in determination. All he had to do was keep this thing’s attention long enough to allow his friends to get away.
“Rudy! No! Get back!”
Rudy refused to move. He hunched his body, preparing to jump out of the way before the creature could attack. The large ‘head’ hovered over him, moving from one side to the other. It was trying to disorient him. Rudy did his best to keep his mind focused, eyes pointed towards the ceiling while using his side vision to keep attention to the moving head.
The creature struck. He jumped, narrowly missing getting hit. The head pulled back and it tried again, snapping its ‘jaws’ where he once stood. Rudy did his best to dodge, but he could already feel his heart pounding and burning. How much longer could he keep this up before...?
He let out a scream of fright when he was nearly taken off guard with one of the smaller heads. He struck out in self defense, striking the head and making it fold backwards. The head hit against the bulbeous structure, and when it pulled its head back, there was a ripping sound.
Rudy’s eyes widened at this sound. He looked over and saw that, somehow, the creature had managed to bite itself. Its tooth-like structures had severed its own body, and now there was a deep gash in it. Something was spilling out rapidly from the wound, and the creature was responding in agony. Its heads raised up and violently quivered. All Rudy could do was stare in shock.
“Rudy! We need to get going!”
Rudy could barely respond as Penny and Snap grabbed onto him. They had immediately started to run. Rudy’s eyes remained open, glued to the creature. The last thing he saw before they disappeared out of that cave room was the creature starting to wither, which made Rudy come to a horrifying conclusion.
The creature was being eaten alive by its own digestive juices...
sss
Rudy was still in a daze after what had happened. He had not spoken a word since they had gotten out. He could not react to anything. His mind was locked in that shocked state. The only thing he could do was move really slowly behind his friends as they moved along the rocky tunnel, trying to find a way out of here.
Rudy was hardly aware of anything. He could see the rounded, dug out tunnel they were in. He could see the small lights that had been set up by someone obviously using part of these tunnels for something. But his mind wasn’t fully registering it.
His friends had already tried to cheer him up. They tried to get him to realize that it wasn’t his fault. But their words had no effect on him. He knew that, deep down, it was his fault. He had allowed this to happen. He should have known better. And because of him, the blindtrap was dead.
After what he had seen, there was no doubt in his mind that it was dead. There was no way that it could have survived that. He could hear it being to crumble apart as they had left. He could hear it collapse. If they went back down there now, they would find that it was dead. And it was all because of him...
Now he knew what his friends had gone through. He knew their pain, their mental suffering. He knew what it felt like to take a life without meaning to. He knew the feeling was bad, but he never knew it would be this awful and twisted. He felt like he was going to throw up. He wondered how the others had managed to keep moving as they did.
He couldn’t believe he had done that. He... He never meant to hurt the creature that bad... He was just trying to defend himself and his friends. Was that so wrong...?
He should have been more careful. He should have aimed better. He should have done more avoiding, less striking. He should have done something else to help his friends. He could have done something to avoid killing the blindtrap. If he had only just...
“Rudy, I know what you’re thinking.” Penny said.
Rudy turned his head, his mind finally snapping to attention, out of his thoughts. He looked at Penny, who had came up to him and began to walk beside him. She was looking at him sternly, sympathetically. He didn’t answer her, and just looked away.
“I know how you feel. But...you have to understand..it wasn’t your fault.” Penny gently gripped his arm. Rudy flinched and pulled away. “Rudy, you need to stop kicking yourself over this. There’s nothing that can be done now.”
Rudy sighed. “I should have...”
“You should have nothing.” Penny cut him off before he could finish. “It was an accident. We all felt your pain and you know that. You were there for us. Now we will be here for you. It wasn’t your fault.”
Rudy wasn’t sure how much he could believe her. He had just killed something with his own hands. Okay so the creature struck itself. But it was still his blow that had caused it. He had used the bat to strike the head and that caused the head to hit itself against is body. That had been his actions. He..He should have been more careful.
But she was right about one thing. She did understand. They all understood. They all now had one thing in common: they had all killed, taken a life during their stay here. They all now had to live with the consequence of their actions. Their innocense had been shattered. Even if they got out of here alive, there was no way they would be able to return to exactly how they were. The memory of their kills would continue to haunt them.
He wondered how the Chalklantians were going to handle the kills. Would they use it as more of a reason to hate them? He imagined so. Especially with that grasshopper zoner that Barney had killed. That had been a sentient zoner. What if he had some friends that was in the audience at the colosseum? What would they think when they find out that their friend was dead...?
“It’s okay, Rudy.” Penny leaned and put her arm around him. Rudy could feel her warmth traveling through his body. “It’s going to be fine. You’ll see.”
Rudy looked over at her. He stared into her eyes. He found it hard to look away. They were just so comforting. He soon found himself smiling, in spite of himself, and leaned against her, seeking her comfort and warmth. She obligued, holding him tighter with one arm.
Rudy realized that she was right. They had been in sticky situations before. Things might look bad now, but..they will work out, somehow. She was right; he couldn’t allow the creature’s death haunt him. It was an accident. He hadn’t meant to do it. He needed to learn to forgive himself. Even if he wasn’t able to right now, he needed to work up the courage to do so. Otherwise, he’d never recover.
He looked over at her and gave her a smile. “Thank you...” He whispered softly.
Penny smiled back at him. She pressed her forehead against him in a nuzzle. “You’re welcome, Rudy.”
“Hey, you two! Look here!”
Rudy and Penny looked over at where their friends were. They could see them standing on what appeared to be the very edge of the tunnel. They were frozen, as if they were in awe at whatever they were seeing. The two looked at each other, and then they began to walk forward slowly. It didn’t take them long to reach Barney and Snap.
Rudy looked down at Snap. The blue zoner noticed him immediately. He waved his hand forward and motioned it out in front of him. “Look over there.”
Rudy and Penny walked forward. Barney and Snap stepped aside to give them room. The two children stood on the edge of the tunnel, and stared out at what was ahead of them.
The first thing they noticed was the brighter light. They had to turn their heads away, feeling an ache in their eyes. They had to shut them tightly, clenching their teeth. After they managed to recover, they slowly opened up their eyes and looked over at ahead once more. This time, they were able to see just what was down below them.
They couldn’t help but gasp in shock. They glanced at each other and then their friends. They wondered if what they were seeing was real. It... It couldn’t be possible that they had..
But no matter how many times they rubbed their eyes and blinked, the image stayed the same. That was when they realized that it was true.
They had made it back to the city.
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Post by Bluedramon on Apr 30, 2015 18:38:09 GMT -5
Chapter 24: Cautionary Steps
Kairos remained perched high up, his claws gripping the rock ledge tightly. He peered down and watched the group as they ventured further out. He had seen them hesitate as they looked at their surroundings. He had seen them speak with each other. He did not hear them, but then, he didn't need to. All he was told to do at this point was observe.
Well that, and drop of pieces of magic chalk strategically. The king would always message him through the walkie-talkie styled communication devices, letting him know when it was time to drop off another piece. They had been few and far between. The king didn't want to make things too easy for them.
If it had been up to Kairos, he probably would not have dropped off any, and force the group to rely on their own wits to get out. He didn't have much doubt that they could do it. Not after how he had seen them handle their previous situations. Magic chalk certainly helped, but most of the time, they had to rely on their own skill. Specifically, their intelligence.
Ah, intelligence... The main weapon, the strongest weapon, the one that would surely secure victory after victory. If someone didn't have a decent level of intelligence, then anything they would try would be moot. Easily thwarted. He would almost pity any idiot who was actually dumb enough to try to stand in the way of a true genius.
He continued to watch them as the group headed out further, going towards a new pathway. It would seem they finally made up their minds on where they were going to go. He had to wonder what they were going to do. It wasn't like they could hide very easily here.
The tunnel they had taken had gotten them back to the Chalklantis City. Specifically, one of the backwaters of it. An area they hadn't really seen up close for themselves, but he was certain they had seen it while he was taking them for a walk to the palace. Some of these structures could be seen even from that pathway.
Kairos himself had hardly ever been in this particular spot. It wasn't of his duty. So it didn't really matter to him. He wasn't stupid, though. He knew how important this place was.
It was the power plant. This was where all the power in the city came from. The citizens that lived in the city relied on this system for everyday tasks, and of course, for the hospital. The machines can't run any other way. If the power goes out, they might as well kiss goodbye to a chunk of the population.
The place was surrounded by a tall gate, with barbed wire at the top. It was set by a large river, which was fed by the sea itself. There were a few pipes that jetted out of the ground and looped back in, and others that were positioned off the ground. There were a few large buildings set near each other. Two had some smoke coming out of them while the third rested at the water's edge. It had a wheel with platforms moving through the water, turning it slowly.
Although it could not be seen, there were all kinds of wires and more pipes hidden underneath. These carried the power all across the underwater cave, powering not just the city, but the light crystals that were spread throughout, which substituted the sun. These had to be set in place because the plants were starting to die off so long ago, he couldn't even remember the exact date anymore.
Completing the image was a large yellow and black striped sign that warned intruders to stay out. Only certain zoners were permitted to go in. He himself could head in as he was the second-in-command of this place. He just chose not to, as he would rather not waste his time with this place. He had other obligations.
He could see the group was getting closer towards the power plant. He couldn't tell if they were going to head straight in or not. He narrowed his eyes, turning his head slightly to one side. He had to wonder what they were up to. Could they be...?
No, probably not. There wasn't any other way down. They weer probably just going to pass through. Still, he needed to keep an eye on them to make sure they weren't going to do anything. They were already in enough hot water with killing those zoners. They did not need anything else to add to their plate.
After all, if they get into too much trouble, then it might be a little hard for the king to keep them alive for long. He may order their assassination. And while Kairos would love to be the one to do that, he still doubted he'd be chosen. This meant that the only time he would get to play with them was during whenever they were eventually recaptured.
True, King Zander could go against what the people want and keep the group alive, but that would cause problems for later. It was imperative that they keep the people's trust. Otherwise, things will just get a lot harder in the future.
There was more going on than either he nor his king were willing to say. But that wasn't a problem so long as the citizens trusted them. If they were given any reason to doubt them... And if they start asking questions...
Kairos shook his head. He shouldn't worry about that. Everything was going to be fine. King Zander figured out as much as he could, and he had made adjustments along the way. Everything had been more or less fine up to this point. So long as they keep this up, things would work out in the end.
He gritted his beak. That didn't mean he was entirely fond of this plan. He would remain prepared for the worst.
Seeing the group had moved down further, he lifted up his walkie-talkie and, in a low, soft voice, he began to speak into it. "You see where they are going?"
He could feel his eyes glow red, and then he heard the king say, "Yes, I do. I see they are near the power plant."
Kairos nodded his head. "What shall I do, sire?"
There was a moment of silence as the king contemplated the next move. It took a few minutes before he gave an answer.
"Follow them."
The same two words he had been told before. The same thing he had been doing this whole time. Kairos resisted the urge to groan. Nonetheless, he obeyed. He spread his wings and was about to take to the skies.
He paused. No, that would not be a good idea. He had no cover up there. It was different before. They were so busy being chased, it was easy to find a place to hide. No, this time, he would just walk. There were plenty of cave-like structures to hide behind, and plenty of shadows due to the buildings. He should be able to get in close and hide himself without the group realizing he was there.
Taking in a deep breath, he began to move in closer, keeping his body low.
sss
Denny felt some level of guilt of having to call the parents. He couldn't imagine what was running through their minds right now.
They had thought that their kids were safe and sound, only to realize that they had lied to them. Mrs. Sanchez had made it clear to him on the phone that she had dropped her daughter and her friend off there because of some field trip, to which Denny knew had been a lie. The library had never arranged such a thing.
But he didn't feel too guilty about it. The parents did deserve to know about this. They were their kids after all. He might not be overtly fond of them, but he did feel some sympathy for parents when their child goes missing.
Plus, this whole thing could work in his favor. He could use this incident as more reason why his boss should not be in charge anymore. If he had been vigilant and actually doing his job, he would have known that the school bus was not going to pick up Rudy or Penny there like they said was arranged. He would have known they were playing hooky and called their parents right away.
Yes this incident would indeed help him out. It would secure his case rather well. Children gone missing because the manager didn't bother to check to make sure that they were actually supposed to be there. If he knew these parents well enough, they would definitely bring this incident up.
For now, all he could do was wait. He couldn't make a move just yet. He still needed to get ready. Ian was going through more footage and see if there was anything else they could use. Or rather, he could use. Ian was not fond of betraying his boss, but with the blackmail he had given him, he would not dare disobey.
Besides, this would all be for the better anyway. This library would go through huge changes that would make this a better place to work and be. Everyone would benefit from it. Even the little brats that scurry around like some kind of vermin. Oh sure, the children might complain about things being too strict. But they would eventually thank them, even if it takes them until adulthood to realize it.
There was one thing, though, he still couldn't understand. None of the footage he had seen helped out either. There was one piece of the puzzle that he still wanted to figure out as soon as possible.
Why were Rudy and Penny so interested in the chalkboard?
He remembered the smudges on it. He had realized they weren't there before. They snuck into his office to use it. That seemed rather...random... Unless there was something going on that he wasn't realizing. Just what was it about the chalkboard they wanted so badly? What was he missing?
He supposed the only way to find out was to interrogate them himself.
sss
"Keep low, and move slowly." Penny whispered. Her eyes stared out at the buildings before her. "This place could be heavily guarded."
Snap took a moment to look around. "Well if it is, they are doing a very poor job of it."
Barney turned his head and gave him a sideways glance. "They might all be inside."
"As long as we keep quiet and stay low, I think we should be good." Rudy whispered softly. His narrowed eyes looked left and right, making sure that the coast was clear. "We need to keep an eye out for any kind of map. If there's any place that would have them, this is it."
Penny nodded her head. "I'm not sure which building it would be in, but they may have one on the outside. We should keep our eyes peeled."
"And if someone sees us?" Snap asked.
Penny hesitated, biting her lip. "We run."
Run. Of course. That's all they had been doing. Running. Snap should have known that would be her answer for this.
Then again, they didn't have much of a choice anyway. They were out of magic chalk, again, and they were getting inside enemy territory again. They were in greater danger here than they were back in the mountainous region. At least that place was less populated.
But here? They were getting further and further into the city and closer to the zoners that hate them so much. They had to use extra caution around here. For all they knew, the king's guards were hidden everywhere, watching them, waiting for them to get close enough for an ambush. Without magic chalk and being easily outmatched by the many guards the king had, they really did only have run as an option.
They had originally planned on moving away from this place and finding another pathway that was hidden from the city. Maybe even a way to the tunnels above so they could use the height advantage to see if they could locate the jail from there.
But Penny had a theory. Since this place was a power plant, they would need a map to all places in Chalklantis to know where everything goes, to properly distribute power, and see the status of power all across the underwater cave. If they looked around while remaining out of sight, they may be able to find the map and locate the jail where King Mumbo Jumbo was being held.
Then after that... Well they hadn't gone that far yet. They needed a general location so they could figure out how to get there using the path of least resistance. But even then, they still needed a plan to get the tortoise out of there. Such a task won't be easy. Just how were they going to bypass all that security?
And what of King Zander and his second-in-command, Kairos? They had been able to stay away from them this whole time, but how long would their luck last? What if they were recaptured before they could get out of here? How would they escape?
King Zander would have taken steps to ensure that it wouldn’t happen again. He would likely move them to another holding area, or make stronger cages, or set up guards. Anything to keep them from getting away. Then what would he do for punishment? The same arena stuff, or would he think of something different? The thoughts of what that zoner could do to them chilled Snap’s blood, and he knew the others were quite worried as well.
That was why they had to keep moving. They had to take this risk and find that map. They had to figure out which way to go so they could escape from here. If they didn’t do this, then they were running blind, and that would increase their chances of getting recaptured. That was something none of them were willing to do. It was not something they could afford.
The group continued to move along slowly. They kept their bodies pressed against the walls of the buildings. Thankfully the windows were a little high, which made it easier to sneak by. The large rooves casted dark shadows on the ground, which they could use to slip through without attracting someone’s attention if they were looking through one of the windows.
Moving through this place was going to be difficult. They kept looking left and right and trying to see if there was anyone here. They had to remain alert. King Zander’s guards could be hiding anywhere, and they never knew when one of the zoners working in this place would come out.
Snap wondered if it was a good idea for all of them to come. Perhaps only one should have come and scoped out the area. One would have drawn less attention.
Yet... One would have had a harder time defending themselves in case they were spotted. That one would have taken away time from them as they would then have to rescue their comrade before going on the other rescue mission to save King Mumbo Jumbo. There was, after all, safety in numbers.
Snap bit his lip. He hoped that King Mumbo Jumbo was okay. He couldn’t imagine what kind of pain and turmoil Barney would be put through if something were to happen to him. Yet, he doubted that King Mumbo Jumbo was unscathed. King Zander had already proven how dangerous and untrustworthy he was. He might have even...
He shook his head. He tried not to think such horrible thoughts. King Mumbo Jumbo would be fine. He just...had to keep believing that he was. He had to stay positive. If he allowed himself to get too dragged down in emotion, how well would he be able to defend himself, let alone find a way to get the tortoise out of there?
Snap grunted when the group suddenly came to a stop. He nearly collided with Penny. He narrowed his eyes and was about to ask them what the hold up was. But seeing the looks in their eyes, he froze himself. He turned and looked around himself.
They had stopped at a tall incline, leading up to a multi-level building. There were multiple yellow and black warning signs, indicating this must be the main source of power, the one that the other buildings relied on, the heart of this underwater cave. He could practically hear the humming of the machines inside, churning and turning and sparking and twisting.
It took him a few moments, but he was finally able to see what really caused them to freeze.
The door was opening.
Snap’s eyes bulged as he watched the knob turn down slowly. He took a few steps back. Oh no.. If they stayed around here, then...
The small zoner immediately reacted. Upon seeing that his friends weren’t moving, he grabbed onto Penny and Rudy, yanking them back. He then grabbed Barney and tugged on his vest. This helped the three to regain their senses. Following Snap, they immediately rushed to the side of the building. They pressed themselves, trying to hide in the shadows the best they could.
Soon they could hear the door opening from above. They could hear footprings, the clanging of metal as feet hit against the ground. Then they could hear voices.
“Thanks for taking over my shift.”
“Not a problem!”
“I’m going to grab myself something to eat. I’m starving!”
“...Just be careful, okay?”
“Oh not to worry about me. I’ll be fine!”
“Well, you know what they say...”
“I’m aware that there are two ‘creators’ as you put it out there. Do you think I’m scared of them?”
“I just don’t want you getting hurt. You know what King Zander said.”
“King Zander is just paranoid. He always has been. Now, if you excuse me, I need to get going.”
The group stayed low as they heard the zoner come down the steps. They glanced at one another. That one zoner sounded really terrified of them, which didn’t surprise them. The zoners down here don’t seem to have much experience or understanding of creators. Whatever they knew were probably in the form of lies told to them by King Zander himself.
But that one zoner... He didn’t seem afraid of them at all. In fact, he sounded almost... The exact word alluded them, but they had a feeling that if they and him were to confront one another, he would offer them some kind of challenge. He seemed like a thrill seeker. He was brave and outgoing, not afraid to seek an adventure.
This...might prove to be a problem. If he spotted them, then he might end up drawing attention to them. A screaming zoner was bad enough, but if this guy tried to fight them...
Snap’s eyes twinkled as an idea came to him. He turned to the others.
“Hey guys?” He kept his voice as low as possible. They turned to him. “This guy appears to work here, right?”
“Yes...”
“And he would know this place inside and out, right...?”
“What is your point, Snap?”
“Well...” Snap paused, and gave them a look. He let them slowly fill in the blanks of what he was implying. He saw them look confused at first, then widen their eyes in shock.
“W-We can’t...” Rudy whispered. “That is too risky...!”
The footsteps were getting closer. The zoner would be there any moment. He had to make this quick, or else they would miss their chance. “I’m not saying we have to hurt him! Just interrogate him and get the information we need from him!” Although his quick voice was low, he still feared the zoner was going to hear him. “Come on you guys.. He might know where the jail is...! We can ask him and then we can...”
“And then what?” Rudy asked, narrowing his eyes. “Just let him go so he can go and tell someone of what happened?!” He made a few quick gestures with his hand as he spoke.
Snap bit his lip. “I’m sure we can think of something...”
Penny looked over at the stairs nervously. She pulled back and looked at them. “Can you two be quiet? He might hear us.”
Barney fumbled with his fingers, remaining quiet. He looked at everyone. His eyes told them that he wanted to say something, but he either couldn’t think of anything or he was too nervous to speak.
Snap glared at Rudy. He wished that the boy would understand where he was coming from. They knew little of this place, and it was too risky to be walking around here. They needed some inside help, even if they have to force it out of someone. They could pull that off, right? They were able to do the impossible before.
“All I’m saying is...”
“What?”
Snap shut his mouth when he heard a voice cut him off. He widened his eyes slowly as he looked around at his friends. Not one of them had spoken that line. All of them wore horrified expressions on their faces. Slowly, they turned their heads.
There, standing behind them, was a Chalklantian zoner. The same one who had been speaking before. The fearless one. He appeared to be a bird zoner of some king. His overall appearance reminded them of Kairos, except he was a little taller, darker in color, almost black, and his eyes were blue. He donned what appeared to be a grey suit, different from the robes they had seen in other places. It was covered in dirt and dust, indicative of the type of job that he had.
The zoner was regarding them curiously, one eye frowned more deeply than the other. He didn’t appear to regard them with any fear, yet his gaze did not appear to hold much malice, either. That did not make them any less wary of him.
“So you have arrived here. I take it you’re looking for some new targets?” His voice wasn’t accusatory. Just a statement.
“....we just want to leave.” Barney whispered.
The zoner scoffed a bit at this. “Then you will need all the luck in the world.” He spread out his wings. “Even if you get out of here, there is still that shield. How do you plan on getting past that?”
“We’ll...” Rudy spoke too quickly, and he realized he didn’t have anything to continue it with. He stopped himself and sighed. “We don’t know. B-But we’ll figure something out! Won’t we?”
The others nodded in agreement, causing the bird zoner to smile at this. “Well then, perhaps you four truly are as interesting as I thought.” He brought his wings together, tapping the metal tips against one another. “I wonder how well your reputation holds up...”
The group tensed up at this. They hunched their bodies and got ready for a fight. The black bird zoner didn’t attempt to go after them, remaining where he was. He just looked at them, his eyes moving up and down as if to study them carefully. Snap clenched his teeth. He wondered what he was up to.
Then he realized, as his eyes widened, the zoner hadn’t made any sort of threat against them, nor tried to sound the alarm. He was just...standing there, doing nothing except stare at them. What did this bird zoner want with them?
Tired of waiting in silence, Snap took a step forward, forming a fist with his hand. “Look, pal, we don’t have all day. We need to find our friend and get out of here! We don’t have to have to hurt you, but if you don’t...”
Snap paused at this, his eyes widening. He couldn’t believe what he just said. Did he threaten to hurt another zoner? He... No... What was happening to him? He gripped his head and bit his lip. He couldn’t believe he just....did that. The others looked at him, looking shocked as well, their mouths having dropped open. Snap couldn’t help but feel ashamed.
But the zoner didn’t seem to have much problem with what he said at all. In fact, it only seemed to peek his curiosity even further. He tilted his head to one side, interlocking his metal feathers together. “Ah, I see. I suppose my brother was right to fear you.”
The group stared at him in confusion. “Your...brother?”
The bird nodded his head. He placed a wing against his chest. “I am Cameo, the brother of Kairos.”
In that moment, shockwaves of horror swept through the group. They involuntarily gasped and took a step back, unable to tear their eyes away from the zoner. Of all the zoners they had to run into... It just had to be his brother. Kairos’s brother.
They shot each other shocked and fear-filled expressions. What should they do now? There was no doubt in their heads that Cameo would alert his brother to what was going on. They would have to do something soon, before he was able to cause any problems for them.
But..how were they going to be able to pull that off? With those wings, he could take off and fly and sound the alarm. They needed another approach to this. But what could they...?
That was when Barney started to walk forward. Snap looked at him in confusion, as did Rudy and Penny. Just what was he going to do? Even as they called out to him, the zoner ignored them, and he went straight up to Cameo. The two locked eyes with each other, not daring to look away from one another.
Soon Barney rose up onto some of his back legs. This alone caused Snap to cringe in fear. This was exactly what he had done before...
“Barney!” Penny cried. “Don’t do it! You’ll...!”
But Barney did not listen to her. He shot out towards the bird zoner and immediately snagged him. To everyone’s surprise, Cameo didn’t attempt to fight back, instead merely looking annoyed by this turn of events.
Thankfully, Barney didn’t try to hurt him, but they felt very nervous about him holding him like that. But..there were little options. At least would keep him from running around alerting anyone to their presence. This was also a great opportunity to try to interrogate him. Maybe they could squeeze out some kind of information from him.
To their surprise, the zoner seemed quite content. He wasn’t smiling or anything, but he made no attempt to struggle. He merely looked annoyed, but also a little curious. It was as if he had hoped something like this would happen. They weren’t entirely sure what to make of this.
“I see you are all jumpy. Not like I blame you, with all that is going on.” Cameo commented in a casual tone of voice. He merely smiled as they looked at them. “What? It’s true.”
Rudy narrowed his eyes. “We have a few questions to ask you.”
The black bird zoner gave a single chuckle. “Well then, ask away! I am curious to get to know you a little myself.” He leaned his head a little forward. His bronze beak glinted in the light. “I do wonder if my ‘dear’ brother was correct about you.”
Snap clenched his teeth at this. “We won’t give you a chance to alert him.”
Cameo blinked at this. “Alert him? Why would I want to do that?”
Snap was confused by this. “Because..he’s your brother...?”
Cameo turned his head and gritted his beak. He held an expression that was of pure disgust. “After the way he stole my dream job of being the general to the king, I have little reason to care about him. I’ve been wanting to get back at him for years.” He then smiled, his eyes narrowing in a sly manner. “This would be a great way to do that.”
Snap wasn’t sure what to think of this. He didn’t know if this zoner was being truthful or not. Even if he was, he wasn’t sure how they should take it. On the one hand, they could get information that they so desperately needed. But on the other, if he’s willing to betray his own brother...
“Then again, the king isn’t exactly my type either. I think...I think I would be able to run this joint better, personally.” Cameo admitted. His smile faded as he seemed to go deep in thought. It was difficult to pinpoint the exact emotion that was on his face. “But...I never could make my move. It was always too risky.”
“How...How can we trust you?” Barney said as he turned his head to look down at the zoner he held. “Kairos hasn’t exactly been a real bundle of joy...”
Rudy nodded in agreement. “He’s a monster.”
“I’m not my brother.” Cameo stated the obvious.
“We are aware of that. But... After the way we’ve been treated... Just...” Penny sighed softly. “How can we trust you?”
“Yeah. How do we know you aren’t trying to alert the king now?” Snap folded his arms against his chest. “How do we know the king isn’t on his way now?”
Cameo gave a small smile at this. “Do you see any kind of camera on me? Do you see anything I could transfer data from?”
A quick look around forced the group to realize there was only one answer. They paused for a few moments. Then they slowly nodded their heads. This caused Cameo to narrow his eyes slowly and begin talking, not allowing any of them to interrupt him.
“I thought so. You are judging me because I am the brother of Kairos. I am not Kairos. Don’t treat me like him. I have no intention on fighting you. I think we can help each other out. If you are willing to give me a chance, I can offer you a solution to your dilemma. But you have to be willing to trust me.”
This was something they weren’t certain they could do. They were aware that he wasn’t Kairos, that he had his own personality. They just couldn’t help it. The familial connection caused them all to freeze. The chance of loyalty towards Kairos still possibly existed. How could they be sure that they could trust Cameo not to rat them out?
Perhaps...all they could do was take a blind leap of faith and consider trusting him. Cooperation would be best, and he did seem willing to talk. Perhaps they should take the risk. After all, if he were telling the truth, they could start to make some real progress with getting out of here.
But..what if he was lying? What if they would fall into his trap? Both routes were risky, though. It ultimately boiled down to which risk they want to take more.
Trust Cameo’s words, or risk losing any vital information they might have gotten out of him.
Whatever they decided, they needed to take cautionary steps. So much rode on what their decision was going to be. If they made the wrong one...
Snap decided to break the silence, knowing that, sooner or later, someone would have to come up with an answer. He decided to take the pressure of doing that. Besides, he knew what the others were thinking from the looks on their faces. They all agreed which answer appeared to be the best one to take.
“Okay then..” Snap’s voice was stern. He didn’t outright state it, but he made sure that his tone gave the strong implications that they will not tolerate any lying or attempts at deceit. “What can you tell us...?”
Cameo gave him a smile, and then opened his mouth to speak.
“Listen to this...”
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Post by Bluedramon on Apr 30, 2015 18:38:19 GMT -5
Chapter 25: Blackout
"How can we be sure that we can trust you?" Snap asked.
"How do we know this isn't some kind of lie?" Inquired Penny.
All Cameo could do was shrug his shoulders. He tilted his head and gave him a strange smile. "Whether or not you trust me is up to you." He motioned his wing upwards. "But I did give you the information that you need. If you follow it, you should be fine.
Rudy raised an eyebrow. "Should be?"
"Look you four..." Cameo placed his metal feathers against himself. "I'm not so fond of this either. I might work here, but that doesn't mean that I know everything. I might have miscalculated and brought you deeper danger." He spread his wings outward. "But at least I'm trying!"
"Well...you haven't tried to torture us yet or throw us in a cage..." Snap admitted. He then quickly added, "But don't think we're letting you off the hook!"
Rudy nodded his head. He pointed his right hand towards the bird. "You're coming with us!"
Cameo chuckled at this. "As what? Your prisoner?"
It took only seconds for Rudy to respond. "Yes."
At this, everyone froze. Cameo stared at him with a wide-eyed, shocked expression, his beak partially open. Snap, Penny, and Barney all glanced at Rudy, unsure if they had heard things right. They exchanged nervous expressions as Rudy remained silent, each wondering just how to take this.
Rudy himself was shocked by his own words. He hadn't meant to say that. He felt taking prisoners was beneath him. He didn't want to act like the king who ran this place. He didn't want to act like the very enemies that had trapped them away from their friends and family. It just wasn't in his nature, or theirs. He didn't know if he could do something like this with a full conscience.
But they also had never been in a situation like this before. They never faced an enemy like this. He needed to learn that sometimes, hard choices had to be made. If he was going to save the rest of ChalkZone from the madness of King Zander, then he may have to make decisions he normally would never take.
He was going to feel like shit after this. Even after Cameo is released and everything was fine, he was going to have to forever live with the guilt that he had still had him captured and held prisoner. He didn't know if he could ever forgive himself.
Cameo stared at him long and hard, for a while, maintaining that shocked look. It wasn't until several moments later that his expression started to change. Slowly, his eyes narrowed and he exhaled slowly. The look in his eyes only made Rudy feel worse.
"I see... Is this how the Great Creator handles things on the surface?" Cameo looked at him with one eye. "Capture?"
Rudy shook his head. He tried his best to maintain his glare. But anyone who looked carefully could see the sorrow and regret in his eyes. "Extreme situations call for extreme solutions." He mumbled softly.
"Ah I see..." Cameo nodded his head once. He turned to the other three. "What do you think of this decision? Are you in full agreement?"
Rudy was not surprised when his friends hesitated to answer. They were fighting internally, struggling to find the right things to say. They clearly didn't want to betray him and yet they weren't sure if they could commit themselves to this decision.
Upon seeing this, Rudy made an internal wish that he would never have to make such a horrible decision again. This wasn't who he was, and he didn't want to change. Of course, wishing would not completely erase such possibilities and he knew that another decision like this might come faster than he thought. But..it still made him feel a little better.
"How about I make the decision for you?" Cameo said after the three weren't able to come up with an answer. They all looked at him. Cameo's shocked expression was gone, replaced with a small smile. "How about I just tag along with you? I will remain quiet and out of the way."
Snap cocked up an eyebrow. "How do we know you're not going to sound the alarm."
Cameo raised a wing up into the air. "My beak is sealed." With that, he pressed two metal feathers together and dragged a line from one end to the other, emphasizing his point.
Rudy still felt some hesitation, but he did feel a bit better about this scenario, of Cameo willingly coming with them. They could always keep him in the center of their group so he couldn't get away unless he flew, and they would easily see that. Plus, they had used up a lot of time already. They needed to get moving now.
"All right then..." Rudy said. He took a step towards the bird zoner and reached his hand out towards him. "Stay close to us and don't try to escape." He felt his heart clench as he said that. He bit his lip for a moment, and then said, "So...which way did you say we had to go?"
Cameo pointed a couple metal feathers in one direction, towards the stairs that he had initially come down on. "That would be your best bet. And remember..." He spread his wings out slightly, as if they were just hands. "If you pull the one I tell you to, you should be able to cause a blackout."
Rudy and the others nodded their heads as a way of showing that they understood. The bird had told them before about this idea. He explained how a blackout had never occurred here before because they were always so careful. In fact, they were lucky to be in a security blind spot as there were cameras hooked up everywhere. Cameo did say he could disable them remotely, but only in his sector.
The resulting blackout would cause a city-wide panic. During this time, they could take full advantage of it and find a way into the jail. The idea of making zoners scream and run off did twist their hearts and left them feeling at unease. But then they would remind themselves of what was at stake, and they all agreed, albeit reluctantly, it was for a good cause. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to hurt any of the zoners.
"Once you initiate the blackout, if you go down the correct corridor I tell you, you should be able to find a map where your tortoise friend is being held."
Barney widened his eyes slightly at this. He had told the bird zoner earlier about what happened to his old friend. Cameo did give him his sympathies, although whether or not it was genuine, Rudy and the others weren't able to tell.
A chance at saving his friend did seem to fill the insect zoner with some level of hope. He had felt continuously guilty for what happened to his friend, and now at last, he was getting a chance to make up for what he had kept seeing as 'his mistake'.
Rudy knew better. It wasn't his fault this happened. He and King Mumbo Jumbo wouldn't have hurt anyone. It was King Zander and Kairos that had done all of this. It was their fault they were trapped here and their fault that so many citizens were afraid of them. If they had just listened to reason from day one, all of this misunderstanding could have been cleared up.
He listened as Cameo continued.
"Once you find your friend, there's a specific path you follow. It's an old tunnel. Hardly ever been used. It should get you close to where your submarine is... If it's still there, that is. I cannot guarantee that you will find it in that exact location. I also cannot promise that nothing will get in your way when you go down. But..at least you will be closer to freedom than you ever been."
Despite any reservations they had, the group had to admit to themselves that the plan sounds fine. This was their best chance of getting out of this joint. They were struggling to figure out a plan themselves and here this guy was, giving them a full escape plan.
"I will have to leave you after you go in to get your friend, of course." Cameo placed a wing against himself. "I would love to accompany you, but that will be difficult. If I am seen assisting you, they may realize what I told you and try to stop you."
"So what are you going to do?" Barney asked, holding out his hand. "Return here and resume duty?"
Cameo shook his head. "I will report to King Zander." Upon seeing their horrified expressions, Cameo quickly added, "No, no. Not like that! I mean I will give him a false report and lead him in a different direction."
Rudy nodded his head slowly. "Okay... That sounds like a plan." He looked at the others. "What do you guys think?"
"It's better than nothing." Snap said, folding his arms. "I'm still not letting my guard down."
"Same here. I do agree this is the best plan we've had so far, but we should still err to the side of caution." Penny added.
Barney slammed a fist into his palm. "I say we get going, before we run out of time to even try this out!"
So it was decided then. Rudy made a swinging motion with his unbroken arm, signaling for them to start leaving now.
"Let's go."
sss
"He is what?!"
Kairos gulped at this. "Yes, sir. He's conspiring with them. I saw it with my own eyes. You saw it, too. I know you can see what I do."
"That little... He knows the consequences! Why would he take such a huge risk?"
Kairos would have told him it was likely out of jealousy and anger, as he had...kind of made sure that he got the job rather than him. It was so long ago, that he had nearly forgotten about it. Seeing him again reawakened those memories, and it was easy for him to put two and two together.
But...he could not say that to his king. If he found out that he had sabotaged something, he would deem him unfit to be his general. Then...if only being fired were the punishment. No, for deceiving him intentionally, he was going to be publicly executed. He rubbed his throat gingerly. He could not allow that to happen. He didn't care if someone else, even his own brother, was hanged. But it was an entirely different story if he were involved.
"I guess he d-d-doesn't respect y-you..." Not exactly a lie. It was true; Cameo never did like the king that much. The only reason he opted to be general was so that he could try to change things around here. "S-S-Sire...?"
King Zander was strangely quiet. At first, Kairos feared that he was seeing right through his lies. He tried not to let himself hyperventilate or show any signs of too much nervousness. It was one thing to act this way so that the king does not feel threatened. But if he overdid it, he risked looking, well, suspicious.
While he waited, he couldn't help but glare in the direction that his forsaken brother slinked off into. The idea of him conspiring with the creators made his blood boil. He had thought he put him in his place long ago. It would seem that Cameo needed another lesson. Just wait until he got his wings on him. He was going to...
"...where are they now...?"
The king's voice tore him from his thoughts. He turned his head down towards the walkie talkie that he held, the tip of his beak nearly pressing against it. It took him a second to register the question. He looked over at where he had seen his brother converse with the four fugitives. Then he turned his attention back towards the walkie talkie.
"They're h-h-heading into the p-p-power plant right n-now. I-I-I think th-th-they are trying to sh-shut off the power." Kairos said.
King Zander went silent. Then he spoke in a low voice. "...Shut down the power...?"
Kairos nodded his head. "You know wh-what m-means..."
The king remained silent. Kairos did not need him to speak up for him to know what he was thinking. They both knew what this meant. The panic that would ensue would make it a lot harder for them to catch them when it was time. Not to mention, a loss of power may cause some of their beasts to escape. The people would have less faith in their king of the king's 'pets' rampaged across town.
Kairos stared intently at his walkie-talkie. "What shall I do, sire?"
A moment of silence, then the king spoke. "Just keep an eye on them for now. Do not interfere."
Kairos widened his eyes at this. "Wh-What? Why not...?"
"Because...I think we can work this into our favor somehow." King Zander replied. "Do not ask me how. Just trust that I will be able to do this. You'll see."
Kairos nodded his head slowly. He tried his best not to doubt the king, even though he did think that this plan had gone in rather risky directions. It wasn't like his words were going to change his mind anyway. The best he could do was just keep going along with this and hope that, eventually, either he would stop this crazy plan, or everything would fall through like he said it would.
Kairos turned his attention again to where his brother had been. He was not there anymore, but he knew where he was. His body shook with adrenaline. He was so tempted to take action now. Only the word of the king prevented him from doing something, such as alert the other people here that they had intruders.
But...he needn't fret. Cameo would get exactly what he deserved sooner or later. He wasn't his biggest concern right now. There were more important things to worry about. Cameo will be dealt with when the time came.
Still, he didn't feel comfortable with just letting Cameo run off like this. His king only told him to follow and observe but...surely he didn't mean for him to just sit there when Cameo helped them cut off the power, right? Such a plan would be quite risky, and the king had plenty of that with his current plan. Surely, he wouldn't be so crazy as to let something like...
"Shall I stop them if they get close to shutting off the power?" Kairos asked. "They would be trapped. I can organize an ambush and..."
"No." King Zander said, causing Kairos's eyes to widen. "I have a much...better idea..."
sss
The interior of the power plant was huge. Much larger than any of them could have expected. The fact that it had a lot more levels instead of just the few above ground was only the tip of the ice berg.
Multiple catwalks were strewn about this place. Left and right and up and down they went. Multiple workers constantly walked through. There was hardly a moment when they weren't present somewhere on one of the catwalks. The building echoed with the chatter of the workers as they struggled to maintain power to this place.
Multiple machines and piles grew out of the ground, with additional pipes and thick black wires going along the floor and the ceiling. The whole place almost looked like it was in disrepair, but according to Cameo, this was actually a lot better than how it originally started. It was hard to believe his words with the clutter all around, the crowdedness, and the heavy smell of rust and metal all around them.
They heard constant thumps as heavy machinery kept turning and twisting and churning. They could also hear the beeps and whirs of machinery everywhere. Their heads were echoing with these sounds, making it feel as though someone was taking a jackhammer to their skulls.
Rudy was careful as he moved along the high catwalk. It was difficult keeping his body as low as the others with his broken arm. He almost felt like he was going to end up walking on all fours if this kept up. He could feel the muscles in his back ache, making him long to sit down. A deeper part of him just wanted to move faster, lest they get spotted.
Cameo did say that this catwalk was not in use that much. Out of all the catwalks, there were a handful that didn't get used often, and this was one of them. And thankfully, it was right at the top, so there was little worry about them getting spotted from up above.
But they still needed to be careful from down below. There were many zoners walking along, and all it would take is for one of them to catch just a glimpse of them and the alarm would be sounded. Cameo could get away by acting as if he captured them, which Rudy didn't doubt was part of his backup plan. But he and his friends? They would be recognized as the fugitives and captured.
The group continued to walk along the catwalk, following Cameo's silent directions. He stood in the middle of them, just as planned before. Even with his sharp-tipped talons, his footsteps were strangely muffled, as if he had to practice doing this for a long time. He would speak to them only in hushed voices, short phrases, and they largely consisted of directions and repeated 'keep down' comments.
They made painfully slow progress. It was growing rather tedious. In about five minutes, they only made about a minute's worth of progress. They had to move very slow and stop constantly to look around and make sure no one had noticed them. Annoying, but according to Cameo, if they wanted to reach the main switch that controlled the power, this was the only way to do it.
Penny had brought up the issue of them turning the power back on quickly. Cameo had a backup plan for that. He would simply tell them the problem was somewhere else. The zoners here would be so panicked and confused at the existence of a blackout, that they'd keep trying to find the problem in one area even if no such problem existed. Of course, they would eventually realize they had been tricked, so they still had to keep moving forward.
They kept on moving on. They tried their best to ignore the urge to run. As they told themselves over and over, it would be all fine in the end. They just had to keep concentrating on moving forward slowly, and eventually they would reach the main switch. Which, strangely, wasn't guarded.
This confused Rudy. Why would the main switch be unprotected? They had a lot of cameras in this place. Thankfully, none of them could see them moving on the catwalk, none of them were high enough, and the bars at the sides obscured them enough that anyone looking at the camera wouldn't really notice them. With all those cameras, Rudy would assume that the main switch was guarded.
Unless it wasn't a main switch, but a backup of some kind. This place seemed like it was the type that needed to run on backups. Perhaps that was why Cameo said he could get them to look somewhere else. The zoners might have forgotten about this switch and assume it was the main one.
He and the others felt guilty about shutting off the power. He couldn't imagine how many zoners they were going to hurt doing this. The ones in the hospital...the ones in need of machines...
The only thing that eased their inner turmoil somewhat was Cameo's promise that only the lights would be killed; the life support machines were apparently powered by another, more distributed source. That still did not kill all of their guilt in doing this.
They soon reached a turn, a crossroads of sorts. They had to turn either right or left now. Both of them lead to the same area. A tall structure, almost like an internal building. The lights and wires in a few places indicated this was not a building, but a power source. There were several openings to get inside, and, as Rudy would imagine, multiple staircases to get around in there. The path on the right led straight there while the one on the left looped around and stretched upwards to a higher level.
Cameo raised his head up a little. He looked left and right as he took in the sights around him. He then made a few quick gestures with his wing, indicating that they head down the left path, the one that twisted every which way.
Going up the path wasn't easy. There were plenty of slopes and dips and it was difficult maintaining their balance. Rudy could feel himself nearly lose his footing plenty of times. He had it worse than the others with his broken arm. He relied on the help of Penny to support himself so he didn't fall.
All the while, they still had to somehow prevent themselves from being spotted. The curves, up and down, made this difficult. Especially when they were at the top. Cameo commented this was designed to make it harder for anyone to go up there without getting spotted. Of course, this was a long time ago and most zoners had forgotten about this. Most just didn't want to bother traveling this way, so they left it alone, building another path in.
Rudy resisted the urge to sigh in relief when they made it to their destination. At this altitude, they were too high to spotted, even if they did stand up. He laid down and pressed himself against the wall, taking in a few heavy breaths. His friends did likewise. Penny and Snap rested against each other while Barney's legs splayed out at their sides. Only Cameo appeared unaffected by the walk.
"You're tired already?" Cameo's beak was ticked in an amused smile. "If you get tired that fast, I wonder why King Zander bothered bringing you down here. He could have just..." Upon seeing their glares, Cameo stopped himself. He turned his head away and rubbed the back of his head in a somewhat nervous fashion. "Well anyway..." He looked towards the door that wasn't far ahead. "This next part will be tricky. These doors can be really loud if you open up too quickly. You need to be very quiet."
"We've been doing a good enough job so far." Snap raised his hand up in gesture. "How hard would a few more minutes be?"
"More than you think, I'm afraid." Cameo tapped his metal feathers together. "You see, when the power is shut off, there will be a red alarm sounding off. The source of the sound will come up here." The others widened their eyes at this. Cameo nodded his head as he looked at them. "Yes, that means that not only will your ear drums be bursting and bleeding but..." He pointed downwards. "They will all be looking up. And we still need to go down that way to get out."
This made them look at one another in worry. How were they going to pull this off? Cameo didn't explain this little detail of the plan. They weren't sure if he had planned this or if this a case of him simply forgetting. Whatever the case, that still led to the same dilemma. How were they going to get out of here without getting spotted.
"There is a possible solution."
"Oh?" Penny asked, her voice laced in worry. "What do you propose."
Cameo's eyes half closed and he gave them a knowing smile. "We jump out the window up there."
"What?!" Rudy and Penny cried in unison, their bodies stiffened up.
Barney's antennas had unfurled for a second to express his surprise. "You're joking, right?"
Snap stared at him wide-eyed for a few moments before he managed to find his voice. "Are you insane?"
"Well I do suppose I am." The dark-colored bird tapped a metal feather against his bronze beak a few times. "That happens to ya when you live under a king like Zander." He held his wing up in a hand-like gesture. "Jumping is the only viable solution. We're in a dark spot on the other side, and the gate is right there. We will be able to make a run for it." He stopped himself. "Well you can make a run for it. I would need to go in a different direction to make it look convincing."
Snap narrowed his eyes slowly. "I do hope you're telling the truth. All of this rides on just how truthful you have been to us."
Cameo chuckled and turned his head to the side. "I know. Pretty scary isn't it?" He raised his wing up. "But...I'm the only choice you had, wasn't I...?"
The group didn't respond. As much as they would love to retort, they knew it wouldn't do them much good. They all knew that the dark bird was right; they really didn't have too much choice. They wouldn't have been able to capture him for long; Rudy realized there was a good chance that he could have shaken them off and sounded the alarm. Cooperation was the only thing that kept him from alerting the others to their presence.
That, and the bird's own internal desires. He had his own agenda. He was probably just as schemy as Kairos and King Zander. In a bizarre twist, it was this zoner's own desires of power that kept them alive.
There is a saying. You scratch my back and I scratch yours. Cameo was relying on them to help him secure his place in a higher level, and they had to rely on him for help in getting to their friend and being able to escape. With how far they had come, there was no going back now.
"Okay, we wasted enough time sitting around here." Cameo narrowed his eyes. "Are you ready?"
Rudy exchanged glances with his friends. They all told each other silent messages. Though the unspoken words varied, they all carried the same message. They were now mentally prepared to do what had to be done.
At their nods, Cameo gave a small smile. "Good. Now come along." Cameo stared at them, waiting for them to get up. When they did, he began to move forward. The others followed suit, again keeping him within their small ring. "As soon as we go inside, I will let you all study the map and then we shut down the power." He stopped and turned to them, mostly directing the statement towards Rudy. "Make sure only to pull the ones that I tell you. Get any others mixed up, and you could cause more damage."
"What is the worst case scenario...?" Barney asked, gulping.
Cameo looked at him in the eyes. "Explosions."
The group gasped in horror at this. They quickly nodded, all of them speaking at once, promising not to touch anything that was forbidden. Cameo, looking satisfied by their answers, merely nodded his head and moved his wing forward, prompting them to start walking.
sss
King Zander narrowed his eyes as he watched the screen. Being displayed before him were those fugitives and the little traitor. They were walking up the twisted cat walk, heading straight towards the door that he knew led to a back up control of this place's main power. He narrowed his eyes. He knew exactly what this was going to lead to.
The 'camera' was shaking a little. He knew that Kairos wanted to stop them. He might not have cared too much of others, but even he was cautious when there was a panic. People could get really crazy in such situations.
Especially one like this. In all the history of Chalklantis, of his rule, there had never been an incident where they lost power. In the beginning, they had been cautious and really monitored, but that had reduced a little and they began really relaxed. Many forgot what a power outage was, and it never crossed their minds. The resulting outage would paralyze many in fear, and if Kairos wasn't careful, he might get trampled.
Well at least he could take to the sky. So at least he won't lose his most loyal comrade. He doubted that he could ever replace Kairos. He had been quite the little helper.
His mind returned to the screen. So far, things had been going relatively well. He was still upset that his plan wasn't going exactly how he wanted it. But his modified plan seemed to be going off without a hitch... At least until they had run into Cameo. Now he had to make yet another adjustment in order to shift things in the direction that he desired.
But he was certain he could still pull it off. After all, he had been able to 'guide' the group with the pieces of magic chalk he so generously gave them via Kairos. And he got so much footage of it, too. Surely figuring out a solution to this wouldn't be problematic.
"Shall I move in, sire?"
King Zander looked down at the walkie talkie as he heard the voice of Kairos come through it. He looked at the screen as Kairos leveled his gaze where the door was. He had some ideas of how they would try to get out of there. But which way they went wasn't of his concern, for as he stared at the room, something else was crawling in the back of his head. He couldn't help but smile.
"...No. Let them turn off the power."
Kairos spluttered on the other end. "What? Are you sure?!"
King Zander nodded his head once, despite the fact that Kairos would not be able to see it. "I think we will benefit from a little alteration to the plan." King Zander couldn't help but chuckle. "It'll be risky, but not to worry. Everything will fall in line..."
Oh yes, if everything went according to plan..
Then it would just be a matter of time before his citizens agreed with his plans on going to the surface.
sss
Penny took a look around the room. It was not exactly what she expected. She would have thought an interior similar to what they were already in. But this place... It looked smoother and cleaner. The whole place looked as if it were carved out of stone, yet felt as smooth as silk.
This complimented its rounded appearance. The whole place looked like it was twisted, yet was not. The whole interior had lines of that glowstone stuff, which made it easy to see what was inside. There were multiple rounded, rectangular structures which had multiple buttons and levers and wires hooked up to them. It was quite something to see.
They walked into the room slowly, making sure that their footsteps weren't that heavy. Even though they were quite high up, there was still a chance that someone might hear them. Penny herself was constantly on the lookout for any potential danger.
Cameo had to tell them to stop before they went in too far. Apparently there was a small security measure up there. Lasers. How original. At least they were avoidable. It didn't take Cameo too long to disable them either. After that, and after they were certain no one else was here, it was smooth sailing. They kept on walking and took a moment to look around.
They were still surprised at how little there seemed to be in here compared to the outside. If anything, shouldn't this place be more wired? Well, Cameo did say that most of the wiring went straight down and spread throughout the lands that way, sort of like roots. That still didn't do much to quench their confusion and curiosity of the whole thing. Just how did the zoners here hope to repair anything if most of the wires weren't even exposed that easily? What did they plan on doing, having excavation into the ground just so they could fix a few wires? And how weren't the wires eroded by now? What were they made of?
Penny would love to find the answer to that. It could help zoners on the surface. She could only just imagine how much their lives would improve if some more durable wires were used.
But there was no time for that now. She was reminded of the task at hand when she stopped near a wall and saw something very familiar on it.
It was a map of Chalklantis. It looked similar to what they had found before, only this was clearly newer. Locations looked different, more similar to what they themselves had experienced. Not to mention there were no blanks on this map. This was the up to date map that they needed.
"Hey guys." Penny called out. "Come over here."
She could hear Rudy, Penny, and Barney coming over. In the corner of her eyes, she could see Cameo standing there, watching in observant silence. She raised her hand up and pointed at the map.
"This map is current." Penny turned to Barney. "Do you mind recording it in your database?"
Barney nodded his head. "Sure thing. It won't take long."
While Barney went to work on that, Penny returned her attention to the map.
"Hey, did you find the jail?" She heard Rudy ask.
She shook her head. "Not yet, I'm looking now."
"Well don't take too long." Snap said. "We don't have much time."
Penny was aware of that. She remained silent and focused on the map. Her eyes scanned around it. It was a little difficult reading this map, as it also included all kinds of pipelines and wires and generators and transformers, all that stuff. She had to try to look past that to see the land underneath it.
She was able to find where they were. There was a small blue dot placed right over the section that she recognized as the power plant that they were in. She hovered her finger over there and moved it along as she continued running her eyes all over the map, trying to find that one spot. Surely, a jail couldn't be this hard to find...
Apparently it was. She kept looking the map all over, and she started to get a headache as she was continuously unable to find anything that looked remotely like a jail. She bit her lip. How was it this hard to find an institution? Surely it would stand out and... Or maybe she was looking in the wrong place?
She tried again, this time clearing her mind of what she expected to see, and began to look in areas she did not expect to see a jail. She ignored what her mind said a jail was, and looked at all the shapes carefully, leaning closely and reading whatever she could. Unfortunately, most of this stuff she couldn't read, so she had to rely on the symbols given.
Soon, she found something. A symbol that appeared to be bars. The jail most likely. It was located very close to the palace. Her eyes widened at this. She turned to look at her friends. Their expressions told them they had seen it as well.
"I was hoping it wasn't going to be there..." Barney whispered softly. "How are we going to help my dear old friend if he's practically next door to that maniac...?"
"Ah, this could work in your favor." Cameo said as he raised up his wing. They all looked at him in confusion. "It's hard for me to explain right now. You will see what I mean when you get there." He moved with his wing. "Now hurry up and record that map so we can get going."
The group glared at him, but nonetheless did what they were told. Barney stared at the map for a few more moments to finish recording the data. He lit up one of his pods to make sure that it had successfully recorded.
The group then moved towards where Cameo was standing. They looked up and saw that it was a tall tower-like structure that twisted around near the top, almost like a unicorn. They could see two thick wire-like carvings in the side, which Penny guessed symbolized this was the main one. This was confirmed when Cameo stood next to it and placed his wing lightly over it, his metal tips lightly scraping it.
"Pull the red switch twice, and the blue switch once." Cameo said. "This will shut off the lights only."
The group looked at each other. Snap looked back and said, "Only the lights?"
Cameo nodded. "Anything else would cause too much panic. The lack of light is bad enough; most Chalklantians aren't used to it. The glowstone all around is always lit. Except for our own homes, we don't know much darkness."
"Wow... So the sudden introduction of a 'night' would..." Penny couldn't finish her sentence. She could only just imagine what kind of chaos that would bring. She looked at the others with a worried expression. Could they really still go through with this?
"Do not fret. Things will work out. That I promise you." Cameo smiled. It was hard to say if it was genuine, or if he was just trying to help them feel better so they would do as he said.
"Well we've come this far." Rudy held up his right hand. "I don't like the idea of doing this, but if it'll grant us a way to save King Mumbo Jumbo..."
"So long as we don't hurt any of the zoners doing this, I think I'll be able to manage." Penny looked over at the bird zoner expectantly.
Cameo nodded. "They will be unharmed. Panicked, but unharmed. Do not worry."
"All right then. Shall we do it?" Snap asked as he looked at the others. It was easy to see the mix of hesitation and determination in his eyes. "Are we going to save King Mumbo Jumbo and get out of this place?"
The answer to that was really easy. They all glanced at each other and, narrowing their eyes, they all gave a nod. No word was spoken. The gesture was good enough.
"Pull the levers exactly how I told you to, then make sure you go out that way." Cameo motioned towards what looked like a mix of a window and some kind of door. "That will lead you outside. Then head down the path I told you about. The one that..."
"Yes, I remember." Barney said, raising his finger up. "I made a note of it."
"Good, good." Cameo said. He pointed a metal feather towards them. "Now..pull those levers."
There was some hesitation. Penny and the others looked at one another. Who was the one who was going to do this? Who was going to pull the levers? None of them really wanted to, but...if they were ever going to escape, then one of them had to do it.
Eventually, Rudy appeared to decide he should do it. Penny could see the look in his eyes. It was clear that he felt as if he were betraying everything he stood for by doing this. Yet, he still worked up the courage to move himself towards the levers. He stood in front of them, biting his lip. He looked over at the others, exchanging looks with them. Then he looked over at Cameo.
Cameo said, "The red switch gets pulled twice. After that, pull the blue switch once."
"Got it." Rudy murmured.
Before he pulled it, he looked over at Penny. She looked at him sympathetically, then slowly nodded her head, wanting him to proceed and get this all over with. Rudy complied and he began to pull the levers. A few seconds later, darkness encroached rapidly, encasing them all in blackness.
It took only seconds for them to hear the screams of the panicking zoners.
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Post by Bluedramon on May 6, 2015 19:13:00 GMT -5
Chapter 26: Invading The Prison
Panic had spread swiftly through the power plant. Many zoners of different shapes and sizes were running all around. Confused commands were given as they desperately tried to figure out what was going on. Most zoners were in such a panic, that any of the higher ups weren’t able to keep them calm.
Some zoners pushed against each other. Some fall down the steps. Some screamed in pain as they were trampled. Deep red lights of warning flashed constantly, which only added to their anxiety. The screams, many with different origins, seemed to intermix with the blaring, creating an echo of intense and confusing sound.
Among the crowd stood a white and yellow griffin. A glowing necklace was wrapped around her neck, complimenting the small glowing light that was at the end of her tail instead of the usual furry tuft. She stood on her stocky, muscular legs, her wings pressed against her side as she tried to resist her instinct to fly off. Her short, wickedly sharp beak regarding the crowd around her.
She had never seen anything quite like this before. She had never been in the middle of panicking zoners. The screams echoed in her head, and her visual cues were constantly filled with movement as zoners raced to find the problem or to simply escape.
Many weren’t lucky. She flinched over and over again as the sickening crunch of trampled zoners filled her ears, along with other zoners who fell or got pushed and shoved. It was hard to say at this point if any of them had actually died. But she could tell, from the volume of the cries, that many were hurt.
She let out a hiss. Of all the times for that lazy ass Cameo to disappear, this has to happen. Cameo was the one who was supposed to be in charge of that one sector, and in his absense, something had failed. It was his fault that this happened. When she gets her claws on him, she was going to...
No, she couldn’t let herself give into anger like this. With his absense, she was next in line to take command. These zoners were counting on her now to make things better. She needed to stop them from panicking so no more would get hurt.
She spread her wings and jumped into the air. She flew high up towards what looked to be a ledge of some kind. A tall pole with a flat surface at the top. It served no real purpose other than being decorative. But today, she was going to use it to draw attention from the other zoners. She pressed her claws against the metal disc as she rested herself on it. She unfurled her wings further, and her chest inflated, air sucking inside. Then she let out a screech, louder than even the blaring.
At this, the zoners froze. Some were standing, others on the ground, some hanging onto something, and still others looked like they were about to fight. All eyes turned to her.
The griffin froze for a few moments as she felt all eyes on her. A part of her was surprised that this even worked. She didn’t remain like this long. She kept her wings spread out, her long tail raised up behind her as she made herself look confident and regal. She began to speak to them in her loud, slightly shrill voice.
“Enough of your belly-achin’! We have work to do! Someone or somethin’ has messed with our power! We need to get our act together so we can find out who it was!”
The griffin took a moment to look at everyone in the room. So many faces.... And yet still some were missing. She tried to hold back her worried expression as she wondered where they could be. She hoped they would be okay.
Turning her head to one of the zoners, a centaur, she said, “Did you see anything suspicious?”
“No, Nitsa.” The centaur shook his head. “Nothing unusual here!”
Nitsa raised her head up, her eyes narrowing. Of course he would not have seen anything. Perhaps she should try someone else. She turned to a snake woman. “And you? Did you see anything?”
The snake woman shrugged her shoulders. “Nothing as far as I can tell. Everything was fine until...”
Nitsa waved her hand dismissively, a silent way of saying she has heard enough. She grumbled softly as she leaned back on the platform. She could not waste too much time thinking, yet she needed a bit of time to figure out what was going on.
She had a strong hunch that no one else here saw anything. She could see it in their eyes. They were just as confused and panicked as the next person. She had hoped one of them saw something so it would make the investigation easier. But life isn’t always so easy, she presumed. She might as well use what she had.
Nitsa raised up her paw and waved it once. “Okay then! The first thing we need to do is determine the location of this power outage! Determine who far the damage extends and locate its origin!”
As Nitsa began to organize groups to investigate this power outage, her mind was wandering all about. She hoped that this situation will get under control soon. She was already in trouble from the king; she did not want another reason for him to get mad at her. He was surely pissed about this power outage, and she was not going to let him catch her lazing around.
She momentarily thought if this was the work of those two creators the king brought in before. It was quite possible. Creators were dangerous and unpredictable. They might have cut off the power to get back at them. The thought made her grit her beak as her blood heated up.
She would not jump to conclusions just yet, however. Until they found proof of their involvement, she would not send anyone to pursue them.
sss
“Okay, you turned off the power. Now get going!”
Cameo watched as the human children and the two zoners made their way towards the window he had indicated. Or latch, whichever. It was hard to say what it was exactly, but it didn’t matter at this point.
As soon as they were gone, Cameo knew he could make his move. He needed to get out of here before anyone saw him fly out of this room. They might unintentionally connect him to the incident, and that would only ruin his plans. He had spent the past many, many minutes thinking hard on this plan and he was not about to botch it up.
He knew that this plan was risky. He knew using them to meet his ends might bite him in the ass soon, but right now, he didn’t care. At least he got closer than he ever did before.
Although he did not truly care about those four, although he saw them as nothing more than tools to reach his own personal goals, a part of him still wished them luck. Although this was more out of the fact that their prolonged safety worked further in his favor than anything. If they were caught too early, it may jeopardize his plans.
He was going to make sure that his ‘dear’ brother Kairos paid for what he had done. He would be sorry for how he had sabotaged him and ruined him, reducing his societal level down to mere worker while he rose up to the top.
It wasn’t like he even cared about the citizens, unlike him. True, he did not care about the creators or their two friends. But they were merely outsiders. As for his people, he did love them. Perhaps even more so than even the king himself. Cameo had some issues with the way things were run, and he had issues with King Zander. He wanted to change all of that.
He silently wished the outsiders good luck before he took off into the air. He dove down the same shute they did. But he did not go down as far as they; there was another passageway that was hard to see due to the light. He spread his wings and grabbed onto the darkness, soon hitting his metal feathers against something. He crawled through and went up this way.
This led him to the outside. He hovered high in the air, flapping his wings furiously. He looked down, and noted the fleeing dots that he knew where the four. He stared at them for a few moments and then turned his head in the direction of the palace. It was time that he fulfilled his part of the bargain.
“Let’s see how you like Kairos now, King Zander...” Cameo murmured under his breath as he took off in the direction of the palace.
He did not notice the bird-like shadowy figure looming not far from where he was.
sss
“The scoundrel i-i-is h-heading towards y-y-you, s-sire.” Kairos reported, his gleaming orange eyes not leaving his brother’s sights. Oh the things he could do to him right now...
“Let him go.” King Zander said, destroying any chance Kairos had at getting back at his brother. “I will deal with him when he gets here. As for you...” Kairos could have sworn he heard the king swipe his hand in the air. “You still have a mission to complete.”
Kairos grumbled. He would rather go after his brother. Cameo was more of a threat right now anyway. At least to him. The humans and their zoner comrades did not worry him all that much; no one here will believe them, especially after they see how they slaughtered a few zoners.
But Cameo? There were still many who liked him, and preferred him over him. He was certain that Cameo was up to something. The longer that he was allowed to walk, the more danger he himself was in. He had to do something about Cameo before he went too far. Before he had a chance to expose to the king what he did and...
“Do you understand me?!”
Kairos flinched at this. He placed one of his feet against his head and rubbed it. “Uh..y-y-yes...” He whimpered softly, feeling the aches of the sound rush through his head.”
“Good. Now get going.”
Kairos nodded. “Yes, sire...”
He resisted the urge to crumble the walkie talkie in his claws and drop it. He resisted the urge to snap at his king and tell him to hell with the plan; this was personal. That would only land him in hot water and allow his brother to win. He couldn’t even chase after Cameo; King Zander will find out. He can see what he does.
No, he best just follow through with the plan. King Zander did promise to take care of Cameo anyway. Although Kairos felt a pang of disappointment that he wouldn’t be involved, at least he could rest easy knowing that something would be done about him.
He turned his attention towards the power plant below him. Even from here, he could hear the screams and shouts of panicking zoners. Or at least, he had. It had gone strangely quiet.
He did not think any strange of it. He knew what had happened. One of the zoners inside, perhaps that white griffin, Nitsa, had regained control. She was probably going to have them investigate the power outage. The outage did not bother him as he had excellent night vision that let him see in the dark. For many other Chalklantian zoners, however, they weren’t so lucky. He chuckled softly to himself. Perhaps he would get to see some of that fun later.
But not now. He shook his head as he regained his senses. Right now, he had something more important to take care of first. He needed to initiate the next part of King Zanders plan. And oh boy, is it going to be quite the spectacle.
Without further hesitation, he dove down towards his target.
sss
Penny found it hard to push the echoes of the screams from her head. Even after they died down, they still surged through her head, echoing in her skull. She put a hand over her head and tried to block it out. She had just as little luck as before.
A rush of guilt rose inside of her. She could feel her stomach burn and churn. She licked her lips nervously as she tried to push back the urge to vomit. She paused and looked over her shoulder. She stared back at the building they had just been in.
How could they have agreed to this? How could they have gone this far? Despite Cameo’s assurances that everything would be fine, Penny could not shake off the guilt of what she and the others got involved in. Because of them, zoners were screaming and panicking, and she knew this was not the only spot where this was going on. She curled her fingers inward, pressing her nails against her palm. She wished there had been another way.
“Penny! Come on! We need to get going!” Rudy called out to her.
Penny looked towards her friends. They were all waited for her, standing near the gate. They had the gate only partially open, indicating that they had nearly crossed it without her. She was glad they had stopped for her.
She immediately rushed over to rejoin them. She didn’t bother saying out loud that she was sorry; her expression alone was enough for them to understand. They exchanged brief, sad-filled yet understanding looks. Penny could tell that this hurt them just as much as her. When they had arrived here, this was not what they wanted. All they wanted to do was explore and have fun...
Well life isn’t always fair, and that was something that they needed to understand. As harsh as it was, it was just a reality they had to accept. The important thing was getting out of here alive. As much as they would want to help, if it boiled down to them escaping alive or getting captured, they would opt to leave.
She and her friends immediately headed out. They went through the gate and kept going up ahead. After a while, they could see a trail that led upwards, similar to what Cameo had mentioned to them before. The path was rather rocky and yet had a path that seemed too perfect. As if someone took a large drill and carved it.
Going up the pathway wasn’t that easy. The ground was quite smooth. The wetness of it from...Penny wasn’t sure she wanted to know, caused it to be rather slick. It was difficult maintaining her footing on it. She tried to keep her balance, and while she did, it was a miracle in of itself not to fall. Don’t they ever dry this path up? Well, Cameo did mention that this path wasn’t used all that much, which was why he recommended it to them.
Her friends weren’t having as much luck. If they weren’t having trouble going up, they were having trouble with the edge. They were getting high up now and there were no rails to keep them safe. Nothing more than slight curves on either side. Penny clenched her teeth when she saw Barney attempt to flap his non-existent wings. Which failed of course. She wondered if Rudy could repair this with another piece of magic chalk.
They would have to worry about that later. They continued on up, moving as quickly as they could. They needed to get up there before someone from the power plant saw them.
It took them a while, but soon they approached what appeared to be a curve in the wall. An opening of a tunnel that took them deep inside. They picked up the pace, feeling their hearts pound in their chests. All the running around they did had them worn out and the lack of water was getting to them. By the time they moved inside the curved structure, they nearly collapsed.
The group kept walking up about ten feet before settling down. They pressed themselves against the curved walls and rested their legs. Their feet were burning from all the exertion of energy and the temptation of sleep was upon them. Yet they could not rest for long; they would need to start heading out soon.
They appreciated the rest, even if it was to be short. Their exhausted lungs were getting a well deserved rest, and holding still for a while seemed to make their dehydration not as bad. They licked their lips, wanting to quench their thirst so badly. Making them feel worse was the fact that they had no idea the last time they had anything to eat. It was very likely several hours had passed, but none of them had any measurement to find out.
Barney and Snap couldn’t even help here. While zoners had a stronger sense of what time it was, given that they had no rising or setting sun in ChalkZone, they weren’t one hundred percent perfect, and with all the running around surviving they had to do, they couldn’t exactly keep track of the time internally.
Penny felt her heart twist at the thought of her mother. She probably realized she was missing right now. She wondered what she was thinking right now. Just how much pain and worry had she caused her mother? If she had known something like this was going to happen.... She pushed aside her guilt. She couldn’t have known something like this would happen. None of them could have predicted this. That didn’t make it hurt any less.
“I wonder what our parents must be thinking now...” Penny whispered softly. The others turned to look at her. “They must be so worried.”
Rudy nodded his head slowly. “Yeah... I’m sure they called the police by now.”
The thought of that made Penny’s heart tighten. She wished she could go home right now and tell her mom it’s all right and that she’s so sorry. She wished she had been more careful to prevent this.
“You will get back to them.” Barney spoke up. His voice was slightly hesitant, as if he wasn’t entirely sure what to say. Rudy and Penny looked over at him. “They might be mad at you, but I’m sure they will be glad that you’re okay.”
Snap nodded in agreement. “They’re your parents. They wouldn’t stay mad forever.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just that...” Rudy sucked in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “I lied to my parents.”
“And I lied to my mom.” Penny added.
“You guys do that all the time.” Snap started to say. He paused when he saw the looks in their eyes, and he remembered how different this situation was. “Yeah, I know... But... they will still be glad you’re safe. They might be angry at you, but in the end, the one thing that will matter the most to them is that you’re safe.” Snap motioned his hand towards them. “And I’m sure that you two would rather face your parents angry than never to see them again...”
This thought sent chills through Penny’s body. She and Rudy nodded their heads immediately. The idea of never seeing their family members again was horrifying.
“I thought so.” Snap said, nodding his head once.
Barney held out his hand in gesture. “We will get through this and everything will be straightened out. You will see.”
Rudy and Penny exchanged looks with each other. Slowly, they began to smile. Their friends were right. They would fix this. Even though they still felt the sting of guilt, they felt a newfound confidence. Everything would be worked out in the end.
And like Snap said, their parents would be angry but mostly happy that they were okay. She and Rudy would have a lot of explaining to do in the end, but she would prefer that over some horrible fate befalling on her and Rudy and their parents never finding out what had happened to them.
After a few more minutes of silence, it appeared that now was a good time as any to get moving. She would have rathered to get more rest, but now was not a good time. There was the chance that someone will come up this way. Regardless of what Cameo said, they could not stay in one spot for long. Not even here. Penny turned her head and looked at what was ahead of them.
For now, it was just an uphill climb. It wasn’t that far, though, and she could see it even itself out. The curves on the ceiling indicated there was a split up ahead. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to think of what Cameo had told them. They had to take one of these paths, but... which one was it? Her eyes widened slowly as she realized she could not really rememember. She turned back to her friends.
“Do any of you remember which way Cameo told us to go?” She asked.
At this, the others looked at her and each other in confusion. She could hear them mutter some words, which got intermixed together. After their brief conversation, they looked back at Penny and shrugged their shoulders.
“I...don’t know. Was it the left..?” Rudy looked up towards the slope.
“Or perhaps the right..?” Snap rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His eyes narrowed softly. “Well we need to choose a path soon.” He looked at Barney. “Do you recall?”
Barney tapped his finger against his chin. “I...I think he said to stick to the left... But I’m not sure.”
“Well that’s just great.” Snap raised his hands up into the air. “How are we going to know which way to go?”
Indeed, that was a good question. The dark bird zoner did tell them a path to take and of course, they forgot which way it was. So now they had a choice. Either they sit here for painstaking hours as they tried to remember the direction, or they just randomnly choose one and hope for the best. Either waste time but be more meticulous, or be faster but risk a greater chance of going the wrong way.
Penny narrowed her eyes softly, her teeth clenched behind her closed lips. Neither sounded like viable options. What they needed was to be swift yet stragetic. A way of getting to where they needed to go without increasing the odds of them getting recaptured.
Looking over at Barney, she believed she had thought of a good solution. She took a few steps towards him and motioned her hand out towards him to get his attention. When the centipede saw her, she asked, “Can you pull up that map again?”
“Sure, Penny. But why?” Barney asked.
“Just do it.” Penny said.
Barney narrowed his eyes but nonetheless complied. He shut his eyes as he pulled up the map of Chalklantis. Penny walked over towards him and stared intently at the map. She noted the mark that Barney put on there so they would remember where the jail was. And now the other mark changed to show their present location on the map. Penny put her finger against the screen and began to move it.
Barney chuckled. “That tickles...!”
Despite the centipede’s giggling, Penny continued to move her finger along the monitor as she studied it. She looked at the different paths that branched around here. After looking at it for a few moments, she pulled back. She ignored Barney’s sigh of relief as she addressed the others.
“Let’s head out now. We will take the path that leads directly overhead the city.”
Rudy took a step towards Penny. “Did you find it on the map?” Penny nodded his head. Rudy gave a small, relieved smile, and started to climb up his feet. Snap helped him up. “Thanks, Snap.”
“No problem, Bucko!” Snap said with a smile.
Despite their aching limbs and tiredness still having some hold over them, the group still began to move. They headed further up the pathway as they began their quest to get to the jail to rescue King Mumbo Jumbo.
sss
Snap could barely tear his eyes away from the scenery down below them. He pressed his face against the curved window, his eyes moving from one side to the other as he took in the beautiful, awe-inspiring sights all around him. For a moment, he had actually forgotten that they were in danger.
“Snap!” Barney hissed as he grabbed him by his arm. “Don’t get too close! You might draw attention!” He yanked the zoner back.
Snap grunted as he felt himself being pulled in a less than gentle way. He brushed himself off and shot a glare at the centipede. He immediately stopped when he saw that Rudy and Penny didn’t look too happy with him either. He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. They said not a word and started to walk on.
After taking the path that Penny believed to be the right one, they had traveled up a little higher and were presently inside a high tunnel. The same ones they had seen everywhere during their journey. The same ones that they had to hide from, and now they were traveling inside one.
This did make them all a little nervous. They had only two ways to go. Forward and back. If there were guards on both sides, then what chance did they stand of escape? Not much, in the end. They would be trapped.
The only consolence is that this particular tunnel didn’t seem used all that much. Penny made this deduction after they saw a few cobwebs and a lot of dirt and smudges on the wall. Penny believed that there was little reason for the Chalklantians not to clean the tunnels. Snap would have said that this didn’t prove anything, but there was little time for argument, as she made this deduction well after they began to travel in here.
Despite the lights being out, there were still some fears regarding being too close to the window. Especially considering the tunnel itself was light. It was likely due to another backup power somewhere. They stood out even more here. It was of little surprise that Barney was so antsy about him being so close.
Despite that, Snap couldn’t help but look out the next window as they began to pass by it. He looked down, seeing the landscape down below. Even in the darkness, he could still see enough detail to recognize the landscapes. Light from outside shined in, providing some tiny illuminations. Enough for them to recognize some details. He could see a portion of an area they had been in earlier. One of the forests in the distance, and the mountainous region where they had to fight that plant monster. And even further down, just quite barely, they could see the Shadow Forest, and a small, tiny ridge where the colloseum was.
The sight of it made him shiver. Memories rushed through his body. Almost nostalgic, yet a more twisted version of it. When he closed his eyes, it still felt like they were there, running for their lives as some large beast came after them. He shook his head, trying to push those horrible thoughts away.
Snap turned his head away from the window. He had enough sight seeing. He sped up and joined his friends as they continued to move along the tunnel.
He wasn’t sure how long they had been walking. He wasn’t sure the last time anyone spoke. They were all focused on just getting out of here. The faster they reached the edge of the tunnel, wherever it may lead, the faster they could start to really plan for King Mumbo Jumbo’s rescue. The map did help things a lot, but they needed a visual to see just how bad it really was over there. Otherwise, they may plan for the wrong thing.
Snap thought back to what Cameo said before. Something about how going toward the palace might work in their favor. He still wondered what he meant by that. The others had no idea, and were just as curious and clueless as he was. Was there something about this that Cameo knew that he did not bother to tell them?
He and the others wished that bird zoner had been more specific. There had to be a reason he said that, and the fact that he didn’t divulge the information irritated him. He knew the others were just as frustrated. He hoped that this guy knew what he was talking about. If he had led them astray...
Suddenly they all stopped. Snap nearly collided with Rudy. He looked at his friends in confusion. He rubbed the top of his head in perplexion. Just what did they stop for?
He pushed himself through, squeezing past his friends. There was so little room in the tunnel, so little way to manuever. It took him forever in order to get any kind of view of what they were seeing. And when he finally did, he froze, staring out as his eyes slowly widened.
They were located high above the city. The tunnel had emptied out now. There were no other paths to go on. Getting down was going to be really difficult. No ladder, no stairs, nothing.
But that’s not what got their attention. No, what really had their hair ruffled was what they saw in the distance.
They were back at the palace. There, in plain sight, was that palace. The one run by that horrible king...
They all froze at the sight of it. Their blood chilled and their skin crawled. Each of them recalled what King Zander had done, how he had tricked them into coming into his kingdom, separating them from their friends, how he had captured poor King Mumbo Jumbo and blackmailed Barney, how they had been fighting for their lives because of him. They had never wanted to be here again, and yet here they stood, in plain sight of it.
Snap turned his head and noticed the building not far from it. They hadn’t seen it before as it was right behind the building. Kairos had taken them in a certain direction as to not see it, as if he and King Zander wanted it to be kept secret.
It was the jail.
“Guys...look...” Snap motioned his hand towards it.
The others immediately turned their heads, and they immediately saw what Snap had indicated.
“The jail...” Rudy whispered softly.
“The one where my friend is at...” Barney stared at the jail longingly. Penny had to grab onto his arm to stop him from trying to bolt out towards the jail in a desperate attempt to save his tortoise friend.
Snap found it hard to tear his eyes away from the jail. Even from this distance, he could tell it was not going to be easy. More of those boar guards were present, holding tall shock sticks similiar to what was used on that weird-looking beast before. The hippalectryon or something. The guards were everywhere, often in pairs of two or three at various locations.
Snap licked his lips nervously and turned his head towards Penny. “So..how are we going to do this...?
sss
King Mumbo Jumbo tried his best not to smile as he watched the zoners dashing all around. It had mostly settled down since a few minutes ago, but he still enjoyed the occasional bit of chaos.
He was not normally like this. If he were in his normal state, he would be horrified. This was a similar panic as when the balloonemia epidemic first struck ChalkZone so long ago.
But today wasn’t a normal day.
He didn’t recall how long he had been trapped in this hellhole of a prison. He didn’t know how many days had passed. It wasn’t like any of the guards were going to tell him. They would most likely just strike him and tell him to shut up. He gritted his beak at the memories. And to think this all started just because he and Barney wanted a vacation...
Some vacation this turned out to be. They had been trapped here for long. Well..he had anyway. He was not sure of the status of his friend. The Chalklantian guards would not tell him. He overheard one of them talk about destroying his friend. Though this horrified him, he quickly reminded himself of how much these guys lie. They were probably just trying to get him on edge.
He peered closely between the electrified bars that kept him in. He looked left and right as he watched the zoners flee. The same ones who had previously mocked him and laughed at any point he looked like he was losing hope. Now it was their turn to feel the panic. He couldn’t help but smile. It was such poetic justice.
He wondered if he could use this opportunity to escape. There was so much chaos going on. He might be able to do something while they were all distracted and get out.
No, that would not be possible. He could never break through these bars, and the walls behind him were too thick. He might be strong, but he wasn’t that strong. His best bet was to wait and see if one of the guards slips up and does something to make the cage doors open.
He wasn’t the only one in here. During his many-day stay, he could hear other zoners moaning and groaning and complaining, whatever. All of them had done something to cross the king, and most chilling of all: most of them were surface dwellers who had been trapped here for hundreds...countless years.
The fact that most of these zoners were outsides confirmed the tortoise’s assumption that King Zander simply does not take kindly to zoners from the surface. Xenophobia and all that. This made him realize that he and Barney were doomed from the start. Even if they had done what the king wanted, they still would have been locked up.
King Mumbo Jumbo briefly mused at one point that his status as king was what partially caused his own imprisonment. Perhaps King Zander had a delusion that if he held him prisoner, everything would fall in place. He might be king of the jungle, but he was not king of all the top side. King Zander would not get what he wanted this way.
...what did he want, anyway? The details were quite fuzzy. He thought he heard something about going to the surface, but for what, he wasn’t sure. Destruction? Conquest? He wished he knew, or had some kind of idea.
And just what had happened to his friend? Where was he taken? The only thing he can remember was something about Barney needing to tell the king something and...that was it. He could hardly remember much else, because he didn’t see much else. He had been locked up in here suddenly, and his friend was being tormented elsewhere. The thought of not being able to help him made his heart clench. He formed a fist with his hand. He would find a way to get to Barney and leave this wretched place, one way or another.
He heard a thud and turned his head to see what it was. He noticed one of the boar guards being held by another. The first one had a panic-ridden expression while the other was glaring at him and telling him to settle down. King Mumbo Jumbo looked away. It wasn’t any of his business.
That is, until they started to speak.
“Get a hold of yourself! The king needs our help! Those fugitives are on their way here!”
The first guard spluttered. “H-Here...?” He fumbled his fingers nervously. “I-I’m not r-r-ready for that...”
The second guard smacked him on the head. “Get a hold of yourself, soldier! You were trained for such an emergency!”
“I-I’m not sure I...” The first guard stumbled.
“Now you listen here!” The second guard grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him. “Rudy and his ilk are coming this way and they were going to destroy everything we hold dear! Are you going to just stand by and let them do it?!”
King Mumbo Jumbo’s eyes widened at this. He found himself staring at the guards. They continued to bicker back and forth, with the first guard remaining nervous and fearful while the second was clearly determined to do his job and wanting him to do the same.
He could hardly hear their words, despite looking directly at them. Their words seemed more distant and echoey. His own mind was crowded with many pounding thoughts, spinning and twisting and turning. He took a few shaky breaths as his mind pieced together what this meant.
Rudy, Penny, and Snap were here? What happened? Did they get captured? What did King Zander want them for? He realized that it must have something to do with Rudy and Penny being creators. But how would King Zander know that..?
...unless Barney told him...
King Mumbo Jumbo felt the back of his mind flash in realization. Was this what that fiend wanted the centipede for? Was he planning on forcing Barney to relinquish enough information about those three so they could be captured? The thought of it heated his blood. The boy was responsible for saving ChalkZone, but he knew that would not matter to someone like King Zander.
Exactly what King Zander planned on Rudy and his friends, the tortoise couldn’t tell. But there was one thing that he knew for certain.
He needed to stop him. Somehow.
sss
Penny stared at the jail intently, her eyes scanning around it constantly as she tried to think of how they were going to do this. The guards looked surprisingly calm at first. He guessed they were the hardiest ones, giving the illusion of full control so no one on the outside would think something was happening. Clever.
That meant that the guards on the inside won’t be as strong, neither physical nor mental, if her theory proved to be right. That didn’t mean they would have it easy; they would still be dangerous and they needed to take extra caution when going in.
The question was...where would they go? With all those guards around, it would be near impossible to sneak in. One of the guards would notice them there and sound the alarm. Even if they miraculously got around them, there was still the fact that they had no way of getting inside. They didn’t have any magic chalk and there was little reason to assume they would get another piece anytime soon. They would need to figure out a way on their own.
She looked back at the others. They were staring at her. It was clear they were relying on her for this. They had that expression in their eyes that told her how much they trusted and believed in her, but also how worried they were about everything. She could only return the expression, echoing what they were all thinking.
They still didn’t even know if King Mumbo Jumbo was still alive in there or not. They might end up risking so much only to find out they were way too late to do anything. The thought made her heart clench, but there was one positive side to that: at least they would finally know.
She turned her attention back to the guards, again scanning the area. There had to be something they were missing. Perhaps there was another way inside and...
Her eyes widened. Yes, there was a way. But...it wasn’t the most flattering way. The thought disgusted her. Yet if they wanted to help King Mumbo Jumbo, it might be their only bet. There was no other way she could think of. After all, what kind of king would place guards in...that location?
Sucking in a deep breath, she turned her head to her friends. She prepared herself to explain to them the idea she had. She tried her best not to wretch as she spoke about it.
“There is a way we can try. It’s..not the cleanest method, but...”
Barney instantly paled at this. “Oh dear...y-you’re not suggesting that we...” Penny simply stared at him, doing nothing to indicate it was a misunderstanding. Barney put his hand to his mouth. “Oh dear...”
Rudy and Snap quickly got the message as well. They stared at Penny with a disbelieving look. They turned to each other, each giving their own expressions of disgust, rubbing their throats.
“I’m sorry, but there isn’t much of another way.” Penny said. She shuddered at the thought of going through a place like that. The smell was bad enough, but the touching... “It’s either that, go through there where we won’t run into much resistance, or we risk going in head long and getting recaptured. What do you three suggest we do?”
There was a moment of silence. She watched as her friends looked at one another, murmuring to each other regarding the sadistic choice they had to make. What they did next all boiled down to what they were willing to do more: risk getting caught or going through that disgusting place.
After a while, Rudy turned his head and looked over at Penny. He paused for a moment, biting his lip. Then he said, “And you are sure there’s no other way? Nothing that...”
“If I knew another way, I would have suggested it.” Penny gritted her teeth, looking away. “I don’t like it either. But... It’s either that or...”
“Or my friend will never get rescued... He might even get hurt...” Barney said softly, his eyes downcast. His body shuddered at the thought of what might be happening to his dear friend. “We have to help him...”
“The idea of going through that place is so..disgusting. I can’t believe that you even suggested it, Penny.” Snap shot a glare at Penny. This didn’t last long as he realized there was indeed no choice. “But..if we have to do it in order to save him, then...I’m in.”
“Yeah. Saving King Mumbo Jumbo is more important than our own personal disgust.” Rudy said, giving Penny a knowing expression. “I think we all know what we have to do now.”
Penny nodded numbly. She looked at them all. Their expressions told her that they were all in agreement now, even if it was reluctant. She turned her head towards the jail. She narrowed her eyes.
“Okay, here’s what we need to do...”
sss
“Ew! Yuck! Gross! This is so disgusting!” Snap shuddered to himself as they moved out of the smelly pipe. He rushed to the side a couple of feet before stopping and desperately trying to get himself cleaned up. “Get it off of me! Get it off!”
“Snap!” Barney hissed at him. “You’re going to give us all away! Be quiet!”
“Yeah! You want to draw every guard here?!” Penny growled in a low voice. “Keep it down!”
Snap tried to stop himself. He tried to make himself stop crying out in disgust and running around. It was just so hard, though. How could he remain calm with this...this stuff on him? He couldn’t even say the word. All he could do was flail his hands and try in vain to get it off of him. How were the other ones so calm?
After a couple seconds, Penny had to intervene. She walked over towards him and grabbed onto his cape. She yanked him back, causing him to gag. She glared at him in the eyes and pressed a finger against her lips. She shushed him sternly, which caused Snap to finally zip his lip.
That did not stop his temptation to throw up, and he still moved his hands about as he tried to find a way to clean himself off. Penny groaned and tore off a piece of her skirt. She wiped off the stuff and dropped it near the pipe’s opening that they came out of.
“We do need to get this stuff off.” Rudy commented. He looked at his arm. “We will certainly draw attention with them.”
Penny looked at him. “We don’t have much of a choice. We have to keep moving.” She furrowed her eyes with concern, obviously knowing that they will indeed draw attention if they smelled like this. “We will have to make due.”
Barney fumbled his fingers nervously. “I don’t think that’s very wise. We need...someway to get this smell off of us. Unless you want to attract every guard here...” Penny looked over at him. Barney raised his hands up. “I’m just saying! The smell would attract more people faster than Snap would have with his constant yelling and...”
“All right! I get it!” Penny said quickly. She took in a few breaths. “Just give me a few moments.”
The spot they had come in was the bathroom. Several stalls of toilets were lined up at one side, and sinks on the other. So far, no one had bothered coming in here. They could see no one. For now, they were safe and sound.
But they would not be for long. The guards might have wills of steel, but they would all eventually have to answer the call of the wild. And when they come in here, they are going to notice them very quickly. They needed to figure out something before...
Snap turned his attention to the sinks. His eyes locked onto them as an idea spread throughout his skull. He felt like an idiot. Why didn’t he think of this before?
He made his way towards one of the sinks. He grabbed some soap, a few paper towels, and turned the faucet on. He placed the paper towel underneath it to wet it.
“Snap? What are you doing?” Penny stared over at the zoner. Her teeth were gritted as she constantly looked over to see if anyone was coming. “Now’s not the time for...”
“I’m cleaning myself up.” Snap held the went paper towels, which now had some soap on them. “This will work better at getting smell off.”
Penny stared at him in surprise, her eyes registering realization. “Oh...” She rubbed her head, looking embarrassed. “Well that is clever.”
Silently, everyone moved towards the sinks. They repeated what Snap did, and once they had their wet paper towels covered in soap, they started to wash themselves. Some places were more difficult to clean, especially on their clothing. They continued to scrub the best they could and tossed all of the paper towels in the garbage.
By the time they were finished, most of the smell was off of them. Snap took in a deep breath and he exhaled with relief when he smiled lilac soap instead of..that stuff. Now that they no longer smelled like freaks, they could get a move on.
But as they moved out of the bathroom and peered out, they saw it was not going to be that easy. There were a few guards in the hallway. They weren’t looking in this direction, but if they headed out, they would certainly attract attention. They needed to figure a way around them. But...how were they going to do this?
They all took a few moments to look from one side to the other to completely understand what kind of situation they were in. What could be figured out very quickly was that they weren’t going to be able to just waltz out. Someone would see them. If they had another way, they might be able to sneak past them.
“Hey...” Rudy spoke up. The others stared at him. “Maybe we could go up there?” He pointed his hand up towards a ventilation shaft. “Maybe we can fit in there.”
“That might work, but..Rudy...” Penny eyed his broken left arm nervously. “What about your arm...?”
Rudy glanced down at it. He placed his hand on it gently. He gritted his teeth. “I will just have to deal with it. I’ll be fine.”
Penny didn’t look like she believed him. “I don’t want you getting more hurt.”
“I won’t. And we don’t have much of a choice. I’m not going through there again.” He motioned his hand towards the pipe. “And we can’t go out that way.” He jabbed his thumb behind him. “So our best bet now is up.” He pointed at the vent again.
Barney looked up at the ventilation shaft. “It does look crowded..” He lowered his head and turned to them, letting out a sigh. “But I have to agree with Rudy on this. It might be our only chance.”
“Besides, it will be much better than..that place...” Snap shivered once.
Penny, realizing she was outvoted, sighed, making no attempt to fight it. She probably couldn’t think of any alternative herself. “All right then.” She looked up at the ventilation shaft. She turned to Barney. “Do you think you can reach that?”
Barney nodded. “I can try.”
Barney attempted to rise himself up like he had when his predatory instincts kicked in. He pushed himself up as high as she could go. But he could not reach it. Snap was about to volunteer to help when he saw Barney walk towards one of the walls. Snap wanted to slap himself in the fact for forgetting that Barney could walk up walls.
It didn’t take Barney long to reach it. He grabbed onto the lid and yanked it down. He held onto the barred lid and let his arm dangle, his fingers still curled around it. Penny and Snap walked underneath and gestured with their hands. The insect zoner released it, allowing it to drop. Penny and Snap worked together to catch it and set it down.
Barney then lowered himself so that part of his body dangled over the edge. He held onto the pipe tightly. They flinched when his fingernails scraped along the metal. “Climb up! I don’t know how long I can stay like this!”
One by one, they all began to climb up the centipede.
sss
King Mumbo Jumbo glared at the bars in front of them. If only they weren’t electrified, he’d be able to sneak out of here. If he dare attempt to touch them now, he would electrocute himself. Then what use was he going to be when he went to try to help Rudy and his friends?
But he couldn’t give up now. There had to be something, anything, he could do. He paced back and forth, his arms folded behind him. He constantly looked at the electrified bars with a grim, angered glare.
His pacing got the attention of the guards standing around. He could hear one of them pound on the wall next to his cell. He was startled, but only took a step back before regaining his senses and glaring in the direction of the guard. The boar’s features were contorted in contempt.
“Stop making such racket, you filthy surface dweller!”
King Mumbo Jumbo growled at him, but made no attempt to retort. There was no use with arguing with someone like him. He pressed his back against the wall and folded his arms against his chest.
The guard snorted. “That is much better. Keep it like that...” He turned and walked back to his post.
The tortise snarled at this, but remained quiet. He shook his foot in the air as he continued to think about what he could do now. He looked around in his cell. There was not much here that he could use. None of the prisoners were really given much except the barebones that they needed to live. A bit of water, food, and a thrown together place to sleep.
His eyes locked onto the water. They widened. Wait.. Maybe he could... He looked from the water dish towards the bars. His mind’s gears began to churn rapidly as a plan started to formulate.
It was risky. It might not work and he would only land himself into deeper hot water. He might get himself punished. But if there was a slight chance that it was going to work... He had to take it. It was the only thing he could think of. Once the bars were weakened, he could use his brute strength to break down the bars and make a run for it. He’d fight his way out of this jail if he had to.
He picked up the water dish and carried it over. He stepped lightly, making sure that his footsteps did not attract the guards again. He looked at the bowl, then at the electrified bars. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Here goes nothing. He pulled his arms back and, with a single thrust, lurched his arms foward.
The resulting force caused the water to shoot from the bowl. He watched in great anticipation as it flew through the air. He could feel his heart pounding as he waited to see what was going to happen. In a matter of seconds, the water hit against the bars.
There was an instant reaction. Sparks flew, smoke pillowed out, dark-colored, and he had to turn his head away and raise his arm up to cover his face as there was a small explosion that shot out black stuff and sparks everywhere. It was similar to what he could expect when an electronic would fry.
“What the hell was that?!”
“What the fuck did that stupid land lover do?!”
King Mumbo Jumbo did not give them much time to say anything else. After a brief preparation period, he immediately charged towards the bars. He turned himself to the side and slammed his shoulder against the blackened bars. There was a brief sting of pain and then a crack. The bars gave way under his weight and strength, and he found himself nearly tripping over as the bars fell down.
The guards around him stood there in shock, staring at him with open mouths. They didn’t remain like this for long and they immediately began to rush towards him. King Mumbo Jumbo gritted his beak and hunched himself, preparing for a fight.
sss
Cameo stood in front of the palace doors. He glared softly, taking in a deep breath. He mentally prepared himself for this moment. Confronting the king so suddenly could have its own dire consequences. But he had little reason to think that the king won’t see him if he had something important to tell him. And this would most certainly be important to him.
He didn’t see any guards in the front. He found this to be strange, but not overtly so. King Zander might have had them reassigned to finding the fugitives. He chuckled once to himself. He would wish them best of luck, but he wasn’t sure which one needed it more.
Not that it mattered. So long as his needs were met, so long as he could start changing this place for the better, then that was all that really mattered. The humans and their friends surviving was just mere convenience, but not necessary to secure his place here.
He moved into the palace slowly, taking his time. He kept looking around for any sign of guards. Still nothing. He shrugged his shoulders. He guessed the dear king was so focused on recapturing those four that he did not pay much attention to his own needs. The fool. Oh well. That will just make it easier for him to challenge him. He could use this to his advantage and instead of just coming to tell him of what happened, maybe he could overthrow him. He could just come up with an elaborate lie and...
His thoughts stopped when he saw the throne room up ahead. He narrowed his eyes, many thoughts running through his mind. This was it. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Without hesitating further, he began to walk forward slowly, his eyes staring intently at those open doors.
He soon reached them and he stopped in front of them. He peaked inside. He was relieved to see that the king was still in there. He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. He attempted to make himself look as worried and concerned as he could. He had to make this look convincing. Then he began to walk into the throne room.
“E-E-Excuse me, s-s-sire.. So sorry to d-disturb you.” Cameo adopted a submissive stance, rubbing his wing tips together nervously. “I-I-I-I just have s-s-s-something important to...”
He watched as the king turned his head towards him. He paused when he saw those piercing dark brown eyes bore through his own. He tried to continue speaking, but no words would come out of his mouth.
“Something...important...?” King Zander said slowly. A small smile spread across his lips. “Would that, by any chance, happen to be what happened at the power plant...?”
Cameo’s eyes bulged and he felt his heart skip a beat. Even in the darkened room, the king’s eyes almost seemed to glow. He took a step back, his mind racing. “H-How did you...?”
“How I did is not of your concern.” King Zander got up from his throne. He began to walk slowly towards him. His head lowered and his eyes narrowed. In the dark, he somehow looked more terrifying. “Do you mind explaining to me... just what you were doing there with the fugitives..?”
Cameo’s mind sped up. How did the king know about this? How could he have found out? He took a few more steps back. His confident front quickly shattered. If the king knew...there was no use in trying to stay and reason with him. Now was a good time to make a retreat and...
His heart skipped a beat when he felt some large, strong hands grab a hold of him. He looked left and right and saw that two of the boar guards had came up to him and grabbed him. Where were they? He didn’t see them earlier. He looked back at the king, watching as he continued to approach him. He started to struggle frantically.
“How quickly you crumble down....” King Zander muttered. There was a level of disgust in his voice. Cameo could only watch in horror as the king stood in front of him. The smile stretched further, but there was hardly anything genuine about it. “So...tell me... Why did you betray me?”
Cameo couldn’t reply. He kept his beak sealed shut. How was he going to tell the king about his plans? How was he going to react? No, it was best to keep quiet.
King Zander did not take kindly to his silence. The smile quickly faded away as a snarl formed across his face. Cameo gulped and lowered his head. Again he did not speak, which only served to upset King Zander even further. “I don’t know why you’re resisting. It’s not like you have anywhere to go. We have plenty of time to speak.” He raised his hoof hand up in gesture. “I know you must have some feelings harbored against me if you think it was a good idea to...betray me.”
Cameo gulped when he saw him form a fist with his hand. He turned his head away as he thought he was going to be struck. When he wasn’t, he looked back at the king cautiously. “Wh-What are you going to do...?”
King Zander’s eyes twinkled. “For now, nothing. You will be locked up for treason. Do not worry. I will come and visit you and you can explain your actions to me.” His eyes narrowed. “I hope you have a good reason for what you have done...”
Cameo pulled his head back, his eyes widening in horror. “I-I...”
King Zander snapped his hoof fingers once. “Take him away.”
Cameo was unable to fight when he felt himself being dragged away by the boar guards.
sss
King Mumbo Jumbo kept running down the hallways. He didn’t care that there was limited light here. He didn’t care that he may have to fight more guards. He’d fight a thousand of them if he had to.
The guards here were pitifully easy to beat once he knocked their weapons from their hands. His hard shell offered immense protection from their attacks. All he had to do was ram them and the resulting force either incapacitated them or knocked them out.
He did eventually lose them and he continued down this hallway. He didn’t now where he was going. But so long as he found a way out of this awful place, he didn’t really care. He ignored any feelings of dread he had, any shouts he heard, and tried to keep his mind as clear as possible. He needed to focus on getting out of here and finding his friend and those creators.
He wondered where they could be. He hoped they hadn’t been captured. No, they weren’t. They were hiding somewhere. He just needed to find them. He had to find some way to keep himself hidden and find the others. It would take a while he was sure, but so long as he kept on looking, he may find something that would lead him to them.
Suddenly, a scraping sound caught his attention. He froze, a chill running through his body. He looked left and right. He raised a fist in the air as he prepared himself for a fight. He took a few steps forward, swinging his gaze around. He didn’t see anything. Another scrape caused him to tilt his head upwards.
The ventilation pipes above him... They were moving slightly. He narrowed his eyes and took a step back, focusing on those pipes entirely. Something was up there... Well if they were itching for a fight, he would not disappoint them. He took a fighting stance and prepared himself.
Suddenly the opening gave way. The barred lid fell down and clanged against the ground. Then something fell out of the ventilation system. It landed in front of him. In a blind rage, King Mumbo Jumbo grabbed the fiend by his neck and pressed him against the wall.
“Listen here! You are going to....” King Mumbo Jumbo froze, his eyes widening and his mouth dropping open. “B-Barney...?”
Barney smiled at him. “Hello, dear friend...”
King Mumbo Jumbo immediately released his friend, putting his hands over his mouth. Oh no...he had almost just... His friend...
So many thoughts ran through his mind. He wanted so much to say something. He wanted to ask his friend how he was, and how he got here. He wanted to ask so many questions, yet his mind was too crowded and stunned. Eventually he just reached over and pulled his friend in a hug.
“Oh Barney...” King Mumbo Jumbo whispered. “I-I thought that...”
Barney put his arms around him. “It’s great to see you too, old buddy.”
“I hate to break up this reunion...” Snap’s voice came, accompanied by a thud. “But we have to get going.”
A few more thuds, and when King Mumbo Jumbo lifted his head up, he saw that Rudy and Penny now had arrived.
Rudy nodded in agreement. “We have to get out of here quickly before they find us.”
“You can finish your reunion later.” Penny motioned with her hand as her eyes turned up towards the ventilation shaft above her.
King Mumbo Jumbo felt some annoyance at having to leave so fast. He wanted to spend more time with his friend. He hadn’t seen him in so long, unsure if he was even alive, let alone hurt. But his rational side knew that they were right. If they stayed here much longer, they would get caught.
He took a few steps forward and looked up at the ventilation shaft. “Is that how you came in?”
“Well that and...” Barney paused, rubbing his hands together. “You don’t want to know.”
The tortoise stared at him in confusion. “What...?”
“Trust me...” Snap moved his hands in front of him while Rudy and Penny both looked physically nauseated. “Some things are better left unsaid.”
King Mumbo Jumbo stared at them in confusion. He wanted to ask them what had them freaked out, but now wasn’t the time for that. Besides, he thought he might have some idea of just what they were alluding to. He detected a pretty faint but smelly odor coming from his friend. Indeed some things were better left unsaid.
Before anyone could react, there was a loud beeping sound. He put his hands to his ear holes and tried to block out some of the sound. The others did likewise, teeth bared as they tried to cope with the level of sound. Then a few moments later, a booming voice came through the speakers that they presently could not see.
“Attention everyone in Chalklantis. The fugitives Rudy Tabootie, Penny Sanchez, Snap White, and Barney The Encyclocentipedia have been spotted in the power plant. They had been trying to cut off power to us and they had even gone far enough to actually initiate and explosion there. Many workers had been injured. I am not sure if there are some casualties. I will keep you posted on that. But never fear. I will have those monsters captured and they will stand trial for what they have done.”
King Mumbo Jumbo’s eyes widened in horror at this. What was going on? What did they do? He looked over at them in disbelief. They looked just as horrified and shocked as he did. He tried to think of something to say, but all he managed to utter was “Wh-What was that all a..”
A sudden shout cut him off.
“I found them!”
He turned his head to see one of the guards. He was holding one of those electric sticks in one hand and motioning with his other hand. More guards were coming behind him, all carrying those same electric sticks as well.
“Everybody run!” Penny shouted.
No one needed to be told twice. Without further hesitation, the group immediately took off. They ran as fast as they could as the boar guards began to chase them. They could hear the shouts of the board zoners behind them as they struggled to keep ahead of them. While they weren’t sure of where they were in the jail, that didn’t stop them and they just kept on running. At the moment, it was all they could do.
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Post by Bluedramon on May 6, 2015 19:13:11 GMT -5
Chapter 27: Taken Hostage Again
Rudy couldn’t believe what had happened. Everything happened so fast. He had a hard time fully comprehending it.
One minute, he and his friends were moving through the ventilation system. With his broken arm, the task hadn’t been easy. Penny had to push him along behind as there was no way they could fit together side by side. He tried his best not to bang his arm, though this proved to be impossible.
The next minute, they had come down through an opening and immediately ran into King Mumbo Jumbo. Many questions ran through Rudy’s mind. He was taken aback, not expecting to see the tortoise so fast. How did he escape? He would have asked, but Barney had immediately embraced him and he did not want to ruin the moment.
Unfortunately, he and his friends had to cut things short. The noise of dropping the lid had caused them to draw attention to themselves. Rudy felt like such an idiot for not thinking about that. The others felt the same way as well.
Before they knew it, a bunch of guards started to head their way. He wasn’t sure how may there were. But at the moment, the number didn’t really matter to him; he just wanted to keep running. They had to get out of here and fast.
They ran down the hallways as fast as they could. They could hear the shouts of the zoners behind them. For heavy-looking boars, they sure were fast. Just how long would they be able to keep this up? How long would it be before they ran into another group of guards? If they became trapped, then...
Suddenly, they had to stop. There was a dead end in front of them. Well almost. There were two paths to take. But which one should they choose? They looked left and right. They both looked the same. Which one would lead them closer to the exit? Which one would be less likely to lead them into another path of guards?
“Which way do we go?” Rudy asked, turning to Penny.
Penny raised her arms up. “I don’t know! I don’t have a map of this place!”
King Mumbo Jumbo raised his hands up. “Don’t look at me. I might have been a prisoner here, but I don’t know the layout of this place either.”
“Yeah, you might as well ask one of the guards and...” Snap’s voice trailed off. He stared at the others. “That might be what we’ll have to do.”
Rudy widened his eyes at this. He remembered a similar idea was proposed before. The idea was quite unsettling. Rudy didn’t want to threaten the information out of anyone. It just wasn’t his style. But..then again... Did they have a choice? They could either wander around aimlessly, or they could get the information they needed. Both came with their own risks, but they needed to choose soon.
The sound of the guards got closer. It would only be seconds before they got close enough to grab them. Rudy looked behind, watching them wield those electric sticks. They hadn’t shot at them yet; maybe because they were worried about hurting one of their comrades with it.
At the thought of this, Rudy narrowed his eyes. He believed he came up with a plan. If he could get them to shoot...
Without saying a word to the others, Rudy immediately dashed towards them.
“Rudy! What are you doing?!” Penny cried after him.
Snap’s horrified voice shouted, “Are you insane?! This is not what I meant by.... Bucko!”
Rudy felt guilty about ignoring his friends and keeping a move on, but he couldn’t just discuss this with them first; there was no time and the guards would have overheard. Rudy knew that he was insane for doing this, especially with a broken arm. But he didn’t need to be too fast to do this; just agile enough to dodge the attacks. Even with a broken arm, he was still pretty good with his feet.
The guards were taken aback by his sudden charge, but they did not relent for long. One of the guards let out a shout and raised up his electric stick. He attempted to strike down on Rudy. The ten year old moved out of the way quickly, allowing the guard to strike the ground.
Rudy stumbled with his feet as he headed towards another guard. This one had both his hands on the electric stick and raised high above his head. He swung it down. Rudy barely got out of the way in time. The blow had been so close, he could feel the rush of air was the thing was swung, and he could feel some vibrations in the ground. The expression on the guard’s face told him that he, too, felt the vibrations.
He could hear the others shouting for him to return, but Rudy would not listen to them. He had to do this. He had to increase their odds. If it means doing something crazy like this, then so be it.
Again and again, the guards struck at him. There were about five of them. Rudy wasn’t counting. All he cared about was keeping ahead of them. Slowly, he started to wear them out, and their aim became more and more off. Rudy narrowed his eyes as he realized the plan was working. It became easier to dodge the attacks, but the boar guards were still not giving up. And their attacks increased in vigor despite their exhaustion.
Rudy started to take advantage of their decreased accuracy. He jumped in front of one of the guards. He growled at the boy and tried to strike. The swung was wild and wide, as if he were trying to gain a larger range with the attack. It missed Rudy, but it did hit something.
One of the other guards let out a shout of pain as the electric stick struck against him. His eyes bulged and he fell to the ground. The guard who hit him looked at him in shock while the other guards glared angrily at him. This discontentment with their teammate didn’t last long and they came after Rudy again.
The boy rushed headlong towards them and moved between them. The guards attempted to attack again. This time, more than one guard was hit. The sound of metal hitting against skull echoed in the hallway. Rudy had to move quickly to avoid getting crushed under the weight of the zoners. He kept on doing this, tricking the guards into hitting each other, until only one remained.
The lone guard stood beside the pile of his fallen comrades, staring in shock. His mouth hung open and his electric stick rested at his side. He stared from his comrades to Rudy. He took in a few breaths, in utter disbelief at what happened.
“H-How did you...”
Rudy smiled at this. “You surprised?”
The lone guard shook his head once, snapping himself back to reality. “You’re just a stupid brat... I’m not going to let you psyche me out!”
Rudy felt his heart skip a beat as the guard charged towards him, letting out a yell. He stood his ground, however, and refused to show fear. He waited until the guard got close enough before he jumped out of the way. The guard narrowly missed him.
“Come back here and face me like a man!” The lone guard yanked his electric stick out of the ground, creating a slight crack in it. “Or are you too cowardly to do that!?”
Rudy hunched himself, preparing for another dodge. However, this time, something unexpected happened.
Before the lone guard could make another move, King Mumbo Jumbo suddenly rushed forward. The movement was so fast, Rudy could barely detect it outside a blur of color. He stared in surprise as the tortoise rammed against the boar guard. He flinched as he heard the body smash against the wall, and the guard let out a wheezing sound as air was forced out of his lungs.
The guard struggled against the tortoise, demanding to be let go. But the tortoise simply tightened his grip, narrowing his eyes at him. His expression alone was enough to tell the guard he had no intention of letting him go.
Penny and Snap approached Rudy slowly. They looked at him up and down, checking to make sure he hadn’t been injured. When they realized that he wasn’t, they glared at him, showing displeasurement at what he had done.
“That was crazy, Rudy! You could have been hurt!” Penny snapped at him, gritting her teeth.
“Yeah! Why did you pull a crazy stunt like that?!” Snap scolded him. He motioned to his arm. “They could have hurt your other arm! Or your leg!”
Penny sighed. “Why didn’t you just...tell us what you were going to...”
“There would have been no time.” Rudy held his hand up in gesture. “By the time I told you anything, those guards would have been upon us. And besides, I succeeded, didn’t I?”
“Only because my old friend intervened.”
Rudy turned to see Barney walking towards him. He looked a little annoyed, but not to the same degree as his friends.
“I know that taking risks can sometimes yield beneficial results, but...” Barney paused for a moment. He rubbed his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts. “Just...please... Don’t try a stunt like that again. Not here....”
Rudy nodded his head slowly. He didn’t bother saying anything back to him or his friends. He turned back to King Mumbo Jumbo. They needed to focus on getting information out of this guy quickly, before more guards show up. They can do with the scolding later.
Rudy took a few steps towards where the zoner was being held. He looked at him up and down. He was secured quite well to the wall. There was no way he’d be able to escape, not with how tightly the king was holding him. The guard was still struggling, kicking his legs, cursing at the tortoise. But King Mumbo Jumbo did not move. He just glared at him, his grip occasionally tightening as the boar’s struggles increased.
“You are going to answer our questions.” Rudy stated. He was a little surprised with himself. He was not asking the zoners’ permission; he was outright trying to command him. He pushed his confused feelings aside and continued, “Don’t worry, they will be simple questions. Easy enough to answer. We will let you go when you tell us what we want to do.”
The boar guard snorted. “What makes you think I’ll tell you anything, surface dweller?”
Rudy smiled at this. “Well...it would be a shame if you were found by your buddies and the evidence points to you being the one who attacked them...”
The boar guard chuckled at this. “Like they will think that! My buddies will just wake up and vouch for me and...”
“But being knocked out can cause memory problems. Maybe they won’t even remember, or others will think they were just confused.” Rudy pointed at the electric stick. “Possession is a major factor. If someone else saw you with that next to them...” He pointed at the unconscious zoners. “What do you think they’ll believe?”
There was a slight falter in the boar’s face. But nonetheless, he still refused to back down. He snorted at Rudy again, his eyes narrowing into slits. “They will never think I was responsible!”
Rudy smiled at this. He raised an eyebrow. “Are you...sure about that?”
The zoner’s eyes widened a little as his face changed to that of concern. Rudy could feel his friends’ shocked gazes upon him. He looked over, and saw the way they were looking at him. This was not how he usually behaved and he could see why they’d be surprised.
But this was not the first time he had used a similar ploy. This was not the first time he attempted blackmail. There was one time I can recall recently, where he found out Reggie’s full name, and used it to make Reggie admit to drawing that rude picture of Mr. Wilter. He had hoped he’d never have to do something like that again. But..there comes a time for everything, right?
Rudy stood before the guard zoner, folding his one arm against his chest. He continued to give him a sly smile, waiting for an answer. He kept a confident front. He might not know for certain if the king will believe he attacked his fellow guards or not. But...there was no way for this guard to know that.
In the distance, they could hear murmurings of other guards. They were still pretty distant for them to be heard clearly, but Rudy knew that if they didn’t get a move on, there wouldn’t be much of a chance of escape, letting alone getting information. So he turned to the guard again.
“Tell us where to find our way out of this jail, or you will find yourself in hot water.” Rudy dropped the smile and narrowed his eyes, showing the zoner that he was being quite serious at this point.
The boar zoner widened his eyes at this. “Y-You can’t be serious..”
“Oh I am serious...” Rudy growled.
“I would listen to him if I were you.” Barney spoke up as he moved a couple feet forward. “He can be quite... scary if things don’t go his way.”
“I wouldn’t risk it if I were you.” Snap said with a small smile.
Penny nodded in agreement, folding her arms. “We would stop him, but once he makes up his mind, there’s nothing that can make him stop.”
Rudy stared at his friends, surprised that they were joining in. He would have expected them to get him to stop, that this wasn’t him. But it seemed that they understood this was the only quick way they had of escaping. The fact that they lied or exaggerated about him in order to spook the zoner more was evidence of that.
Rudy turned back to the guard zoner, giving a slightly evil smile. “So...what will it be?”
The boar guard gulped.
sss
Snap panted heavily as he ran. His friends were all around him. He could hear their panting as well. He wasn’t sure how long he was running. It was probably only for a few minutes, but to him, it felt so much longer. He was surprised he didn’t keel over already.
Oh water... What he would do for water right now... He could just picture it now, splashing in his throat, cooling it down, destroying the scratchiness that invaded him. There were a few water fountains in this place, but he had to ignore them as they were being chased by more guards.
Rudy’s plan worked...somewhat. They did get directions from him, but not long after they started running, they could hear the guard shouting at the other guards what happened. Despite what Rudy said, the guards clearly believed the lone guard and started to come after them. So they were back to where they started. At least now, however, they were running towards the exit.
They all pushed themselves to move faster. The exit was not going to be for a little while. They had to keep pace ahead of the guards. So long as they could get outside and rush through the confused and startled crowds, they might have a chance.
Such a move was risky, but Penny believed it would be the safest bet. The crowd would be too startled at the loss of most light, and if they feared them as much as they believed, they would be too terrified to make a move against them. The crowd would provide a good buffer as well, slowing down the boar guards.
They could have just went the way they had come in, but... No, they wouldn’t have wanted to go through that again. Besides, the smell would have just made it easier for the boar zoners to find them.
They continued on their way, getting closer to the hallway that the boar zoner told them about. Snap looked up and he could see the red symbol that was described. He turned to the others and nodded to them. As soon as they came upon this symbol, they turned right and headed down that way.
“How...far...is it..?” King Mumbo Jumbo panted. “I was not..drawn for...this...” He opened his mouth further to try to suck in more air.
“I think we’re almost there.” Penny looked left and right. “That guard told us once we were down here, to look for a narrow hallway with a sharp tip at the top. It is a shortcut of some kind towards the exit.”
“It seems strange...” Snap panted. “That they would have something like that for a...shortcut..”
“It is clever, I admit. Who would...think to look there...” Penny pointed out, licking her dry lips.
Rudy said, “Not me...that’s for...sure...”
“Maybe they were...trying to throw people off...? I can see if...they made it too...obvious...inmates might...” Snap started to say.
“Will you all be...quiet?” Barney spoke up. “We don’t want to...grab their attention...!”
“Sorry.” Snap lowered his head. He felt a little guilty. He quickly shrugged it off and focused on running with his friends.
There was another shout from the guards. They sounded a lot closer now. Snap gritted his teeth. What if they weren’t able to find this hallway in time? Then all their running would be for naught.
Thankfully, he could see something up ahead that looked pointed. Against the wall, he saw that unusual shape, the same one the guard described. He smiled a little, feeling a wave of immense relief that they had finally located the shortcut. He moved himself faster, going out in front of his friends. He motioned to them to come with him, and they followed suit.
The triangular shaped hallway was still several feet in front of them. They would cover that ground quite quickly, but in their exhaustion and fright, it felt like forever. Snap’s legs were burning and the temptation to just collapse and go to sleep was there. He still pushed himself to move, not wanting to slow down his friend. He pushed himself to his limits despite his body crying out for him to stop, and it didn’t take him long to reach the pathway.
Turning in was difficult. With how fast he was going, he wasn’t able to stop in time. He nearly missed it. He still managed to turn, grabbing into the wall to give himself some leverage to turn. He ran in a few feet before he tripped on his foot and collapsed, his face hitting the ground.
“Snap!” Rudy cried as he rushed towards his friend. He watched him cough before lowering his right hand down. “ Are you okay?”
Snap was a little surprised that Rudy was attempting to help him up with only one hand. Nonetheless, he still took it. Rudy pulled him up to his feet. Snap brushed himself off. “Y-Yeah... I’m fine...” Snap coughed a few times. “I’ll be fine.”
“Good, because we need to get going.” Penny called out as she, King Mumbo Jumbo, and Barney came running in. Their eyes were wide in horror. “The guards are almost upon us!”
Snap did not hide his fear, and his face showed exactly how he felt. He turned and looked at the hallway they were in now. The area was quite small, only about twice the with of the ventilation system they were in. The hallways were at least three times that size. There was more room here, but not a ton of room. The slanted walls didn’t help either. It made the place look even smaller than the ventilation shaft, despite actually having more room.
Then there was the fact that there were only two ways out. The back where they came in from, and the front. If the guards found them in here...
“Come on, let’s get moving then!” Snap began to rush forward. “If they figure out where we are and have guards come in the front, we’ll be surrounded!”
The others looked at each other in shock. They did not waste time arguing or questioning and they followed Snap. They moved as quickly as they could, trying to reach the other side in time. Behind them, the guards were getting even closer. It wouldn’t be long before they realized where they were and send for help. And the hallway they were in was quite long...
Snap could feel his heart pounding against his chest. So much rode on them getting out of here. They were getting so close, yet the exit always seemed so far away. It seemed as if every time they took a step, another one would just replace it. It felt as though they were never getting any closer, and he could feel their hopes for escape slipping through his hands.
Yet he never gave up. They could do this. They just had to keep moving. They couldn’t allow themselves to give up yet. Just keep moving. Keep running. They could do this. Almost there...
Soon they made it out. They nearly collapsed on the ground as they jumped through. The stark contrast between being stuck in that triangular shape opening and being out here was quite shocking. It was enough to make them freeze momentarily.
They didn’t stay there for long. Though the hallway might be empty now, they knew it wouldn’t be long before the guards would show up. They might have already sent someone out this way. They had to get a move on before they show up.
“This way!” King Mumbo Jumbo shouted, motioning them to follow. “I recognize this part of the hallway! The exit should be down here!”
They followed the tortoise down the hallway. He rushed down the right side, moving his arms from front to back as he picked up the pace. The others didn’t take long to catch up to him. At this point, they could hear any guards, but that was likely due to the sound being a little muffled in the triangular hallway; most of the sound probably could not get out.
They soon turned onto a wide hallway and they could see the doors up ahead. They were approaching the exit quickly. The large double doors were partially open, a careless act by careless guards who did not ever think that their prisoners would escape. Feeling a sense of freedom rush over them, the group moved faster so they could get out.
Snap couldn’t help but smile. At long last, they were finally getting out of here. He could taste freedom now. Once they were out, it would be difficult for the guards to catch them. None of the guards here could fly; that stupid deer king was foolish to only assign the boar guards there. Now this mistake was going to cost him because he and his friends were about to escape with one of his prisoners. All they needed to do was get out of the door and...
Suddenly the door shut tightly. Despite the little space, the slam seemed to echo. The group let out a surprised cry as they scrambled to a stop. They stared at the door in shock. They looked left and right, wondering what might have happened.
A loud schling sound echoed as two walls of thick plastic rose up from the ground. Both the door and their way out was blocked. They looked all around frantically. Their hearts pounded in their chests. What was going on? What was happening?
Snap rushed over to the plastic wall covering the door. He pounded on it, slamming his fist against it. He did this over and over again. He ignored the pain this was causing him.
“Come on...break!” Snap wailed. “Open up!”
No matter how hard he slammed it, it was not moving. Despite knowing it was futile, he kept punching and striking it. He had a small hope that maybe if he kept hitting it, something would give way and the wall would break. Illogical, he knew. But his panicked mind kept driving him to keep trying.
The others joined in. They all took position beside the wall he was on, hoping that their combined effort would do something. They each began to strike the wall in various locations, trying to find that one weak spot. Every wall had a weak spot. They just needed to find it.
“Break down! Come on!”
“Just keep striking!”
“Don’t give up!”
“They can’t keep us locked in here!”
Soon the shouts stopped, and all that was left were the determined grunts and hisses of the group. They refused to stop. No matter how much they were in pain, no matter how much the wall would not yield, they would not give up. Somehow, someway, they would tear down this wall and rush through. Even if it ripped the skin off their hands.
But nothing they did was working. No matter how hard they struck, the plastic wall would not break. If anything, it only seemed to get stronger. This revelation made them look at each other in shock. What were they going to do now?
They didn’t have long to think. There was a loud hissing sound. It came from the ground, and they noticed some vents had been opened up.
“Gas... They’re pumping in gas...!” Penny cried in horror. She looked at the others. “We have to get out of here... Now!”
There was a series of gasps at this. While Rudy and Penny would not be affected by the gas, Snap, Barney, and King Mumbo Jumbo would be. They started to increase their efforts of escape. They pushed at the wall, clawed at it, kicked it, whatever they could to try to tear a hole in it.
Snap’s mind was racing. No..this couldn’t be happening. They had been so close to escape. They couldn’t be trapped now. No.. He had to keep trying. He had to keep striking the wall. They had a chance to escape. He just needed to...
His mind slowly started to get muggy. His thoughts became confusing and disoriented. His strength slowly began to leave him. Snap fought back. He tried not to allow himself to get weak. But nothing he did was working. He slowly began to slip to the ground. His heart clenched in horror as he realized what was happening to him. No..he couldn’t fall asleep. Not now... He had to get up. He had to...
Snap collapsed on the ground as his vision darkened and became blurry. He let out a few pitiful coughs. He turned his head and he could see Barney and King Mumbo Jumbo were starting to fall victim to the gas as well. The tortoise was already down on his knees.
Snap then looked over at Rudy and Penny. They were shouting at them to get up. He could hear the desperation in their voices, despite how distorted they sounded right now. All he could do was smile at them and whisper one small word.
“Sorry.”
Snap closed his eyes.
sss
Rudy stared at the scene in horror. Penny could not tear her eyes away, either. All three of the zoners, including their best friend, were all unconscious now. The gas that had been pumped in had claimed them, and now they looked as lifeless as the statues they had run past.
Penny moved closer to them. Her mouth was open in disbelief and shock. She dropped down onto her knees beside them and reached out with her hand. She pressed her fingers against Snap’s neck.
Rudy took a step towards her, looking at her with a desperate look. “A-Are they...?”
Penny shook her head. “They’re still alive.”
Rudy gave a sigh of relief. But that didn’t last long. They still had a problem. “How are we going to get out of here?”
Penny looked around, biting her lip. “I-I don’t know. I...” Suddenly her eyes widened in confusion. “Rudy...”
The boy turned his head and he saw that the plastic wall behind them had disappeared. How did this happen? They weren’t that far away from it and they hadn’t heard the walls moving down. They looked at each other.What was going on?
Despite their beter judgment telling them to stay away, they began to approach the newly opened wall. They moved forward cautiously, their bodies hunched as they prepared for a possible fight. When they reached the edge, they turned their heads left and right. Surprisingly, there didn’t appear to be anyone there.
Penny looked at Rudy. “Well I guess they must have programmed this to... Aaaaahhhhh!”
“Penny!” Rudy cried in shock.
Without warning, Penny had been struck by an electric stick. The voltage was shooting through her body. Her fingers twitched as her eyes bulged. A scream emitted out of her wide open mouth.
Rudy took a step back and looked up. A flying zoner was positioned above her. He gulped. This place had flying guards... He shouldn’t have been so quick to assume that it didn’t. He and Penny had been so sure there weren’t any flying guards that they never bothered to look up. If only they had...
Rudy could not finish his sentene as a shockwave of pain erupted through his body. His mouth filled with loud, pain-filled screams as another flying guard got him from behind. He could feel his body start to convulse as the electric shock raced through him. Soon, after a few painful seconds, he collapsed to the ground, his body smashing against his left shoulder and broken arm. The additional pain was not lost on him and he let out a loud cry.
Rudy watched as Penny fell down. Even through blurry vision, he could see that she had fallen unconscious from her blow. Rudy tried to crawl towards her and he reached out his hand in her direction.
“P-Penny...” Rudy whimpered. He let out a loud yelp of pain when the guard who attacked him slammed down on his hand with his foot. Rudy looked up at him, his eyes shining with the question of ‘why?’. Then he closed his eyes and allowed the darkness to descend upon him.
sss
Penny grunted as she was shoved forward. It was difficult to walk with the chains on her hands and feet. She was not able to step out very far without tripping, but if she moved too slowly, the guard behind her would just push her.
Her friends weren’t in any better condition. They were chained behind her, with Rudy in the front of her, and they were all pushed and shoved and hit if they didn’t move as fast as they felt they should. Penny struggled to keep up the pace, but it was getting increasingly difficult. Especially with the multiple aches that her body was still having.
There were many guards around them. They were completely surrounded. They had nowhere to go. Any chance of escape now was gone. All they could do was keep walking.
Penny couldn’t believe this was happening. They had been so close to getting out... How could something like this have happened? They were so close to getting out...only to get trapped again.
And now they were on their way to the colosseum again. This time, they had no fancy ride like King Zander had given them. They were walking the whole way, even going through the same locations as before. Penny was certain this was done to hurt them both physically and mentally. Physically, because it was wearing them out, and mentally, because they were forcing them to reverse their progress and make them go back the same way they came.
The trip back was not as long as getting out. That was because at least this time, they were not worried about fighting any zoners or figuring out a way to get out. These zoners knew exactly where they were going. By the time they had reached their destination, they didn’t feel like they took as much time at all.
When they came back into the room where they were held prisoner, they found that the cages had been removed. A bit further down was a new, larger cage that they knew was intended for them. The door was already opened, waiting for them to walk through.
The guards led them over and motioned for them to go inside. The group did as they were told, as they had no other choice. Even when they complied, the guards still felt the need to shove them in. At least they had the decency to take off their cuffs and chains before them.
Penny picked herself up and brushed herself off. She glared back at the guards as they slammed the door shut, locking them inside. The guards began to walk away, but one still stopped and sneered at them.
“You have an audience with the king.”
Penny hissed at this. But she said nothing. What was the point? It would not stop the king from coming over to speak to them. She turned her head and looked at her friends.
She was glad that none of them had been too hurt during their journey back. But they were all more tired and exhausted than before. They were not allowed any breaks. Their feet were killing them, and that wasn’t even getting into the dehydration and multiple other sores they got from all the endless walking.
Penny had hoped that they would have some time alone to regain their bearings. She hoped that they would be given some chance to recover. But of course, things didn’t always turn out the way one had hoped. It had hardly been five minutes and already King Zander was approaching them slowly and deliberately.
Snap growled as he crawled up to his feet. “What do you want...?”
King Mumbo Jumbo raised a clutched fist up slightly. “You won’t get away with this!”
King Zander turned his gaze on the old tortoise. He gave him a sly smirk. “I really don’t think you should be saying such things, given your position.” He moved a little closer, keeping his gaze on King Mumbo Jumbo only. “I would think a fellow king like yourself would know better than that.”
“At least I care about my people...” King Mumbo Jumbo hissed.
“And you think I don’t?” King Zander motioned his hand towards him. His smile stretched further. “You abandoned your people by sealing yourself inside that cave.”
“It was to protect my remaining people from the disease!” King Mumbo Jumbo shouted at him. “I had no choice!”
King Zander chuckled darkly at this. “But still in the end, you left your people alone. With no leader.” He tilted his head to one side. “I wonder how they felt about that...”
King Mumbo Jumbo snapped his head back, widening his eyes. He then gritted his beak and growled. He remained silent. This just amused King Zander. Satisfied, he turned his head away and focused his attention on the others.
“I’m almost disappointed you were so easy to recapture.” His ears twitched once at this. “I would have thought, with all the trouble you went through, that you’d be smart enough to avoid an obvious trap like that.”
“What are you talking about?” Rudy asked. “You have no idea what happened to us!”
King Zander just smiled at this. “Perhaps...” He folded his hands behind his back as he walked along the side of the cage. “But regardless.. You should have smelled a trap long before you went into it. After all...” He turned his head and looked down at them. “Did you really think that the guard would have told you the truth? He simply led you down that hallway to slow you down enough so we could catch you.”
Penny’s eyes widened at this. So that had been a trick. Penny couldn’t believe she didn’t notice it before. She turned and looked at Rudy. She could see a brief look of guilt in his eyes. But it was clear he was not about to admit his own fault right now.
“None of this would have happened if you had just left us alone!” Rudy took a step forward. He glared at the king right in the eyes. The king looked a little surprised, but stared at Rudy with an almost disinterested look. “It’s your fault that...”
“Oh really now?” King Zander spoke up, his voice overpowering Rudy’s. He turned around and began to walk the other way, his hands still folded behind him. “It would seem to me that if you hadn’t tried to release that head deflator disease on my people, I wouldn’t have had to trick you to come down here.” He tilted his head. “So tell me who is really at fault here...”
Snap raised his hands in the air. “We did not do anything! We never even heard of a head deflator disease! How could we release something that we didn’t know anything about?!”
King Zander gave a humorless chuckle. “Rudy Tabootie here released the balloonemia disease without knowing about it... Did he not...?”
Barney bit his lip nervously. “W-Well that is true, but he still fixed it...”
Rudy nodded his head quickly. “Y-Yeah! I corrected my mistake! There had been no casualties!”
“And what about my people?” King Zander glared at him, his teeth baring. “How come my people weren’t worth the attention? Are we that useless and unimportant to you?”
Rudy shook his head, holding his hand up in front of him. “I-It’s not that.. We never released this disease... Please, you have to listen!”
Penny knew there was no point in arguing with this demented king. Rudy knew that, too, but he was still driven to desperation, and how could she blame him? This maniac just wouldn’t see reason. It didn’t matter what they said. Nothing would make this king understand he was making a big mistake. He was just too stubborn.
“And another thing...”
The group glared at the king in silence, morbidly curious about what he was going to say next.
“Why did you blow up the power plant?”
This question sent shockwaves through their bodies. Instantly, memories flashed in their heads about that announcement. There had been a report that something terrible happened to the power plant. They remembered that Cameo had warned them something like that could happen. But...But they had done exactly what he said. There shouldn’t have been any problems. Everything should have been fine. How could something like this have happened?
Penny noticed Snap was about to say something. Thinking fast, she reached over and grabbed him. She covered his mouth quickly, silencing him before he had a chance to speak. They could not utter a word about this to the king. If they admitted they were in the power plant, he might use that against them. The last thing they needed was for them to give the king even more things to distort.
As horrified as Penny and the others were about the explosion, and the zoners that were hurt as a result, at the moment, there was nothing they could do for them. All they were able to do was glare at the king, trying to be as brave as they could be, as he paced around them, watching them with a clear look of disgust.
“No answer I see... I suppose you monsters do have some sense of guilt then...” King Zander muttered. He ignored the glares he got from that. He turned his back to them. “I will leave you be for now.” He began to walk away. “I will come back and inform you of what your...punishment for trying to escape will be. And trust me...”
The deer turned his head, giving them a glinting expression, his mouth curled slightly in a smile. He looked a little insane. “You are going to wish you were only up against my precious manticore again...”
Penny widened her eyes in horror at this. She exchanged looks with her friends. Each had a horrified look of their own. Questions ran through their minds, shown clearly on their faces. The king smiled in satisfaction at this before walking away.
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Post by Bluedramon on May 6, 2015 19:13:26 GMT -5
Chapter 28: Discussions And Suspicions
Rudy felt a growing bitterness in his stomach. It got stronger as the seconds passed. He held onto his stomach, trying to fight back the sensation. It took all of his will power and strength not to throw up all over the ground.
The others weren’t doing much better either. They all had forelorn expressions, looking utterly depressed about their current predicament. Heads were hung low, gazes looking in another direction, no one speaking. It was just silent, creating an eerie ‘calmness’ that permeated their souls.
Rudy leaned his head back and looked towards the top of the cage. For a moment, he could almost imagine the blue skies of the top side of ChalkZone. He could almost imagine the grassy hills that he and his friends walked upon. And he swore he could see one of the denizens, like Blocky, approaching him to speak to him.
All he had to do was blink once and he would realize that this was hardly the case. He was brought back to the harsh reality of being trapped. He felt even worse than the first time that he and his friends were locked up in here. And for one very good reason.
They had nearly escaped. They had managed to get out of this horrible place and were on their way to freedom. Then they decided to go free King Mumbo Jumbo, and they trusted the word of that one boar guard. They wound up being captured again and forced to retrace most of their steps, and now they were back here. Locked up, back to square one. And this time, there was no second chances. If they went the same route again, they would get captured quickly.
In addition, King Zander has some guards in this room. They were positioned not too far. They weren’t staring at them, instead looking out ahead is f they didn’t really matter. For some reason, this grated on Rudy’s nerves more than them being patronizing.
Now trapped in here again, Rudy had no idea how they were going to escape. He wasn’t even sure they could make another trip across the underground cave, let alone run from the king’s guards. He and the others were weakened by the lack of food and water. If the king planned on putting them through another arena battle, none of them would last very long.
Even planning another escape, if they dare risk it, could not be accomplished. The guards were placed near them for this very reason. If they speak anything about an escape, their sensitive ears will pick it up and they will report to the king. The thought was irritating and chilling. How would they be able to discuss anything with them listening in on every word?
His thoughts soon moved to Cameo. He hadn’t heard from him since they departed in the power plant. He couldn’t help but wonder how he was doing, and what had happened to him.
The thought of the power plant made his gut wrench. There apparently had been an explosion there. He wasn’t sure how many zoners got hurt. He wasn’t even sure how it happened. Cameo told him what to do and he followed those orders strictly. Then Cameo was supposed to go to the king and report and lead him on a false trail.
Well obviously that had failed. He wasn’t sure what happened, but Cameo either did not convince King Zander or there had been another factor in what happened that they weren’t aware of. The result was the king dismissing Cameo’s claims and recapturing them.
This king...he was quite clever. He continued to outsmart them. First, he tricked them with a note, telling them to come down. He took advantage of their personalities and made them travel down to the city. Then he made them build a large colosseum where he trapped them and used them for entertainment of his people, while at the same time saying it was their punishment for releasing a disease. And just recently, he had a guard play them like a sap and they followed the wrong path, which gave enough time for a trap to be set up. And now...they were here.
How were they going to beat this guy? The fact that he was able to snatch away their victory and reverse all their progress was quite chilling and unsettling. He couldn’t help but feel a pang in his chest at this. No matter how he looked at it, they were in big trouble.
He wanted to remain hopeful. They all did. They didn’t want to believe that it was over for them, that all their effort meant nothing. They could still try. They were still alive. They still had a chance to defend themselves and fight back. They just...had to keep trying.
But in the end, they were still trapped and it was getting closer and closer to seeming like they’ll never get out of here. They might never see their friends or family again. They might never return home or experience anything else ever again. The thought of that scared Rudy and he found himself shedding a small tear. He immediately wiped it away.
He looked down when he felt a warm hand against his arm. He saw that it was Snap. The blue and white zoner must have seen him start to cry a little. Rudy smiled at him, but did not attempt to say anything. Just Snap’s presence so close to him was enough to help him start to feel a little better. Turning his head, he saw that King Mumbo Jumbo and Barney were attempting to comfort one another and Penny was looking at him and giving him a sympathetic look.
Unlike before, none of them tried to say they will get out. Because all that would do was build up false hope. They had told each other that many times already. That was enough of that. Simply saying they were going to get out was not going to change a damn thing. No, what they needed to do was to actually get out. Somehow.
But for now, they remained trapped, prisoners of the insane Chalklantian king, standing accused of something they didn’t do, punished for something they had no involvement in, and presently having no way out. He wasn’t sure how things could get any worse.
“I just don’t get it.”
Rudy and the others looked over at Penny. They wondered what she was talking about. They waited for her to elaborate.
“During our...trip through Chalklantis, we never saw any cameras. There wasn’t a single monitoring system anywhere. Not in the ground. Not in the air. Not in the water. Nowhere. Then we arrive at the power plant, and Cameo helped us avoid the security. He even told us that the cameras wouldn’t see us where he was.”
Snap rubbed his chin. “Well that guy might have been lying.” He raised his hand up. “He is Kairos’s brother after all.”
“Yes, true, but there were no cameras up that way, Snap.” Penny held out her hand towards him. “You saw for yourself. We even looked. There were no cameras.”
“What are you getting at?” Rudy looked at Penny with a confused expression. He wasn’t sure exactly what Penny was trying to imply. And judging from the looks of the others, neither did Snap, Barney, or King Mumbo Jumbo. “Is there something you’re trying to tell us?”
Penny nodded her head. Her eye wer furrowed in concern and confusion and uncertainty. “If there were no cameras, how did the king know that we were there to begin with? No one saw us enter or leave, outside of Cameo.”
This caused the group to look at one another. There were a few murmurings and uncertain expressions. Rudy himself was taken aback by this. He had never thought of it before. But maybe there was a reason that they just weren’t thinking of. And apparently Snap quickly figured something out.
“King Zander was just lying to rile up his citizens. You know how he is.” Snap said.
“Yes, but..how would he have known to trap us if he didn’t actually know that we were there?” Penny pointed out. “There’s no way he would be prepared for that unless he actually knew we were going to be there.”
Snap faltered a little. He looked left and right as he tried to think of something else. He raised his hand and said, “Well maybe Cameo told him? I don’t really trust that guy. He could have turned his back on us and...”
Penny narrowed her eyes. “Snap...there would have been no time. Even with flight, there’s no way he could have spoken to the king in time. Not with those regulations and how massive that building was. He probably got there inside around the same time we had gotten into the prison.” Her eyes widened at this. “Which meant even less time for him to prepare...unless he knew were there before, or going to be there and...”
Penny went silent as she stared at the others. Her eyes held a strong message that everyone seemed to understand. It was unsettling and unnerving. They looked at one another, each hoping that this was some kind of sick joke, that it couldn’t possibly be true.
But no matter which way they tried to look at it, the possibility was still there. Not only was it still present, but none of the other pathways seemed to make much sense. This made them all look at each other nervously. Even Snap tried to come up with an explanation, and forced himself to face reality.
To confirm what they were thinking, Penny whispered softly, “The only way King Zander would have known that we were at the power plant...” She leveled her eyes with the others. “...was if he had a spy camera following us.”
This sent shockwaves through the group. None of them could hold back their gasps of horror. They again looked at one another, each looking utterly horrified by this prospect.
None of them wanted to believe that the king had been spying on them, but..it was the only thing that put everything together. That was how he was able to make that announcement about them being at the power plant. That was how he was able to set up a trap for them and recapture them. He had been watching them since they had come back.
A cold chill rushed through Rudy as he allowed this information to sink in. All this time, he had thought that he and his friends were home free. But they were really just being played for saps. As soon as they stepped back into the city, the king knew they were there, and he had played with them. Beating and outrunning the guards might have all been part of his plan.
His eyes bulged as another thought entered his mind. He tried not to think about it. He tried to dismiss it as impossible. But the thought would not leave him alone.
“Rudy...?” Snap looked up at him worriedly. “What’s wrong...?”
Rudy noticed the others were looking at him now. All with wide eyes and mouths partially open. They were preparing for another shocker. As much as he hated to do it, he would have to deliver it to them. “What...what if King Zander...spied on us the whole time? During our trip?”
Penny snapped her head back, clenching her teeth fearfully. “Rudy..I... What makes you think that...?”
“Yeah, Bucko...?” Snap stared at Rudy curiously. “What makes you believe King Zander spied on us during our trip?”
“I didn’t see anything.” Barney pointed out, raising his hand up in gesture.
Rudy frowned at this. “We didn’t see anything at the power plant.”
“But the king might have had someone hidden, or a camera placed in a strategic location.” Penny pointed out. “It would have been much harder to hide a zoner in say, the open plains. I don’t think anyone followed us out there.”
Rudy at first wondered if Penny could be right. There was little reason to think that they were spied on in there. After all, if the king knew they were there, he would have just had his guards come out and recapture them. There was little reason that King Zander would want ‘filthy top siders’ wandering around his city and his home.
His thoughts shifted when he remembered the magic chalk that had been dropped off. They seemed to appear at just the perfect time. They were small pieces, having been cracked from full sticks of magic chalk. He hadn’t thought about it too much before because of the danger, but he and the others already had some suspicions regarding that magic chalk. The only magic chalk they knew were the pieces they had brought with them into Chalklantis to start with. And those had been confescated by King Zander.
There was no indication that magic chalk existed anywhere in this underwater cave. In fact, there was only one place in ChalkZone that he knew of where magic chalk would grow, and that was the Chalk Mine, which Biclops guarded with his life. That meant that the only other possibility was that the chalk pieces they used were their own. But that wasn’t possible if King Zander had them. Unless...
That led Rudy to make a horrifying conclusion: what if it was King Zander dropping off those pieces? Or someone working for him?
Penny seemed to read his expression. She leaned in a little closer to him, staring at him in the eyes. “Rudy...? Do...do you think that King Zander could have spied on his on our escape route...?”
“H-He is quite clever.” Barney whispered softly. His eyes echoed with the memories of recent, uncomfortable events. King Mumbo Jumbo wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a comforting hug.
“I wouldn’t put it past him to find some way.” King Mumbo Jumbo’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “He has a way to get what he wants.”
“Yeah but..how could he have...” Snap’s voice trailed off. He turned to Rudy. “What do you think, Bucko?”
“It would explain where the chalk pieces came from.” Rudy said. This caused everyone but King Mumbo Jumbo to widen their eyes. Rudy looked at them, giving them each a serious look. “There’s no way magic chalk grows here, and we brought the only ones. The king, or someone working for him, must have been planting them to ‘help’ us along. As if they wanted us to get so far and then trap us just to hurt us more mentally.” Rudy said the last few words in utter contempt, tasting a sourness on his tongue. It would just be like King Zander to do something like that.
“But...But how...?” Barney bit his lip. “We didn’t see anyone out there. We always checked!”
“Yeah..except up.” Snap pointed out. “We didn’t look at the skies all that much. We paid attention largely to the ground.”
Penny rubbed her chin. “So the king might have used a flying zoner and...” Her voice trailed off, her mouth dropping open. She stared at the others long and hard, her mind’s gears looking as if they had been frozen shut. She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it.
But she did not need to speak. Her expression alone told everyone what she was thinking. This caused Barney to whimper in fear, causing King Mumbo Jumbo to try again to comfort him. This time, his words had little affect. There was a look of protectiveness in the tortoise’s eyes. He had learned what happened to Barney and he was not going to allow it to happen again. Rudy and Snap looked at each other, each gritting their teeth in fear.
Penny was able to whisper what she had intended to say. “....what if it was Kairos...?”
This simple phrase caused their minds to flash back their escape. Everytime they had found a piece, it might have been given to them by Kairos. They might be wrong, but the very idea of that sociopathic monster being the one to aid them sickened them. The idea of them being constantly watched by him sent chills down their spines.
But most of all, it made them realize that King Zander had been watching their every move. At least at the moment of the first chalk piece being dropped, King Zander had known exactly where they were. He could have just captured them, but instead he had toyed with them and made them believe they were making progress. This meant that, no matter what they did, they never would have escaped. King Zander would have known where they were and arranged a trap for them.
The realization of this possibility caused another one to surface. If King Zander truly had masterminded this whole thing, then what else had he done? The thought sent chills down their spines.
“Cameo...” Penny whispered. She looked back at the others as her eyes widened a little further. “If Kairos really was spying on his, he would have overhead, or at least seen, Cameo was with us. He could have told the king and...”
Rudy finished her sentence. “Cameo went straight into a trap...”
They all looked at each other, allowing this new bit of information to sink in. Cameo... Despite some reservations, they hoped he was all right. He didn’t deserve anything that King Zander could possibly dish out to him.
King Zander... He was proving himself to be far more dangerous than they could have realized. More prepared and more cunning. How could they compete against someone like this? How could they outwit him when he may have been messing with them without them even realizing it?
Before they could think about this more, they could hear the sound of the doors opening up. They shifted their heads to look at the approaching guard. He held a metal plate in his hands and he was carrying it towards them. He had a look of disgust, but intermixed was amusement. His mouth was ticked in a very slight smile.
“Looks like you’re actually here this time.” The guard said, chuckling. “I would have thought you’d escape again, like last time..” He growled softly at that comment. His humored voice still remained to some degree. “I see you finally crawled back into your cage where you belong.”
Rudy narrowed his eyes at the zoner. Snap did likewise, along with King Mumbo Jumbo. Penny and Barney gave more apprehensive looks.
One of the other guards turned his head towards him. “Hey, Cyd. Cut the chit chat. Just give the prisoners their food and leave. They have a lot to look forward to.”
Cyd smiled at this. “Oh I know that. I won’t be long.”
The boar guard approached the cage, holding the plate that had a few bags of food, some most likely Real World, along with water, for both the zoners and for Rudy and Penny. He opened up the cage door just a crack. They made no attempt to escape; where could they go with the guards there? Cyd tossed in the food carelessly.
“Here, eat up! The king wants you to have some of your strength back.” Cyd folded his arms against his chest, smirking at them. “Trust me, you will need all the energy you can get.”
Rudy glared at the zoner. A part of him wanted to dismiss the food entirely just to spite him. He did not want to give any of these zoners the sense that they controlled them. He was half tempted to throw the Real World water at the bars so they could escape again, but he thought better of it. There were probably guards stationed not too far.
He looked down at the food. He licked his lips slowly. He realized just how hungry he really was. And thirsty, too. The others, minus King Mumbo Jumbo who was likely fed recently, stared at the food and water with temptation.
It didn’t take long for Rudy’s hunger to win him over and he grabbed one of the sandwiches he and Penny had packed before when they first came here. He held it up to his face and began to eat it almost greedily. He never thought he’d be so happy to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The others began eating as well.
sss
Kairos walked down the hallway slowly, wearing a long, sadistic smile on his face. He couldn’t believe how well things had been doing lately. He should have always trusted in King Zander. Things had worked out just like he promised. The fugitives were back in custody and were about to face a ‘trial’ of sorts. If one could even call it that.
But most importantly, his brother had been apprehended. No longer was Cameo a threat to him. He would be able to walk free now, without any worry of Cameo telling the king of his little...demeanor. Well technically he could still say something, but who was going to believe him after his little stunt? He could say many truthful things and the king would think that he is lying about every single one of them. Things couldn’t get any better.
Well technically they could. He could just leave his brother alone. He isn’t going to be any sort of threat right now. He was harmless to him, and that was all that truly mattered.
But no... He couldn’t just leave it at that. He needed a little more. He needed to get back at his brother for all that he had nearly caused him. Cameo would have been just fine if he had just left things alone and accepted his duty as a lowly guard. Instead, he tried to play the big times by orchestrating a plan against him. By doing that, he was just asking for the horns.
He continued to move down the hallway until he reached a large, metal door. He grabbed onto the large handle and pounded it a few times. There was a click as something activated, granting him access inside. He was glad that the king had a dungeon for ‘special’ prisoners. It took him less time to reach his no-good brother.
He ignored the dingy smell that hung in the air. He ignored the overall eeriness of this place’s design. He ignored it all until he reached an old cell in the far corner.
There, hanging on the wall, was Cameo.
Kairos couldn’t help but smile at this. Cameo wasn’t injured, but he looked really exhausted, almost as if the experience had aged him. His head was hung low, a forelorn expression on it. His wings were flattened against the wall with large band-like cuffs, and his feet were also attached to the wall as well. There was no telling how long he had been hanging up there, but for Kairos, it wouldn’t be long enoug.
“Well, well, well... What do we have here...?”
Cameo opened his eyes. He immediately noticed his brother. Instead of a defiant look, he simply widened his eyes in horror. This just made Kairos smile even further.
“Looks like my dear brother bit off more than he could chew...” Kairos moved in closer. Cameo didn’t attempt to speak. There was a slight shiver to his body. He turned his head to one side as Kairos got too close. Kairos stared into his blue eyes, practically seeing the glow of his own orange ones reflecting back. “You should have known better, dear brother. If you hadn’t plotted against me, none of this would have happened.”
Cameo swallowed nervously. He moved his eyes up and down as he stared at him. “Y-You...” He licked his beak apprehensively. “How did you..kn-know about...”
Kairos threw his head back and let out a laugh. This was a riot. Did his own brother forget about the special ability he was given? Did he forget what he was capable of doing? Had he really been stuck doing guard duty for that long that he forgot? No wonder he had always failed at getting back at him. He wasn’t too bright.
Kairos placed a wing against himself. “Oh? Did you forget about my special ability?” He paused for a moment. Well the fox and the hound also had this, but he was not going to include them. “I was created to be a spy bird.” He motioned his wing to one side. “I record information.”
“L-L-Like Biclops...?”
Kairos gritted his beak at the mention of that stupid giant. He nodded his head once. “Yes, like him.” He smiled twistedly, leaning in. “I saw your whole plan unfolded. I was watching, dear brother. And the king knew right away.” Cameo stared at him wide-eyed. “That was why you failed. Because you were too stupid to realize you were being watched. All that time being a guard really weakened your senses.”
Cameo flinched as Kairos laughed at him. Oh man, this was more fun than he thought it was going to be. And he hadn’t even touched his brother yet. He wondered just how far he could tear him down before he had to resort to more...physical measures.
“Say, Cameo...?” Kairos raised a metal feather up and stared at it. The light glinted it off slightly. “Remember how I cannot feel physical pain...”
Cameo pulled his head back as far as it could go. Kairos chuckled at this and moved his metal feather over towards him. He pointed the feather directly at him. He pressed it against Cameo’s cheek, pushing in enough to make the metal tip sink into his skin.
Cameo let out a yelp as Kairos slowly cut along his face. The injury was shallow with only a little blood. But Cameo was shivering as if he had been struck a lot harder. Yes, it seemed Cameo understood his predicament quite well. But perhaps he’ll ignore that and pretend as if he were being defiant against him. It was more fun that way.
Kairos looked at the tiny amount of bloo that clung to his metal feather. “But you can...”
His darker-colored brother shook his head. “N-No...please... Don’t hurt me...”
Kairos’s eyes twinkled. “That’s right, Cameo. Beg. I love to hear you beg. I love to hear all my victims beg.” He stretched his wings out, making himself appear larger and more threatening. “I’ve always wondered what it felt to feel pain, and maybe you can help me with that!”
Cameo’s eyes widened at this. He tried to plead, but in a matter of seconds, a scream eminated from his mouth, bouncing off the walls in the dungeon.
“That’s right! Scream for me!”
“Aaaahhhhh!”
sss
Mrs. Tabootie fumbled with her fingers nervously. She couldn’t help but look at her watch constantly. It had already started getting dark. Rudy and Penny had yet to be found, and she and the others had yet to learn anything about what might have happened.
Many thoughts were rushing through her skull. She didn’t want to believe that her own son lied to her. Rudy had never done anything so irresponsible before. Why in the world would he start now? What possessed him? And Penny, too... She never gave any indication that she would be a bad influence to Rudy. What was going on?
Her motherly instincts were telling her to go find her son. She wanted to just rush outside, run around, and track him down like a bloodhound. But she knew that would accomplish nothing. She had no leads. Everything turned up a deadend. The police were already working on it. All she could do now was trust in the police that they will find her son.
That, and speak to the one person who had seen them last. She and her husband were at the library, along with Mrs. Sanchez. Mrs. Tabootie wanted her sister to be here with her, but she was unable to make it. Tie ups and all.
Denny had agreed to speak to them about what happened, but he could not promise them much. He had already told them everything he knew, but still, talking to him might help them feel a little better. And there was a chance that they could help him shed new light on what might have went on. Surely there had to be a reason why Rudy and Penny would ditch school and disappear into the library like this.
“You saw them running in here?” Her husband asked in a quiet voice. It sounded as if this was asked a million times, yet it hadn’t actually been uttered once during this meeting.
Denny nodded his head. “I was getting ready to put some books away when I saw them rushing down here.” He furrowed his eyes with concern. He looked away for a moment. “I tried to stop them, but..they just kept going. When I got here...they were gone.” He looked over at the parents, giving them a sympathetic look. “I can’t imagine how you must feel...”
Mrs. Sanchez formed a fist with her hand, shaking it. “How could the manager let something like this happen...? Shouldn’t he have known that something wasn’t right? He runs this place. He..He should have known that there was no bus picking them up!”
Denny sighed softly. “I do not like my boss anymore than you do. I have had complaints about him before, for being too complaint, and not all that willing to punish the children when they could have gotten themselves into serious danger.”
“Yeah, I’ll say.” Mr. Tabootie raised his hand up. “What kind of boss dismisses a case like this?”
Well, it’s not that the librarian boss dismissed the case. But he certainly wasn’t doing a very good job of it. From what Denny said, he had forbidden the man from reporting the incident to the police, supposedly for two reasons.
One, there had been no proof the children had disappeared because of anything associated with this library. Apparently the boss believed that unless there was direct involvement with someone in the library itself, it was not of their concern.
And two, the boss did not want to taint the reputation of this library. This had been one of the reasons why he never reported before, in addition to loving children too much to punish them. He wanted this library to constantly have the childsafe seal of approval, to always be a happy, wonderful plae for kids. He did not want to ruin his reputation.
The thought of that made Mrs. Tabootie’s blood turn into fire. Two children were missing and this horrid man was not doing a thing about it. Denny, who they all knew wasn’t as fond of kids, was being more sympathetic and helpful to their cause than the child-loving boss was. That spoke volumes about that man.
“I promise, I’ll do what I can to help you find out what happened to your kids.” Denny said, interlocking his fingers and leaning foward. “Unlike my boss, you can count on me.”
Mr. Tabootie smiled at this. “You definitely look trustworthy.”
Mrs. Sanchez placed a hand against herself. “We will forever be grateful for your help.”
Denny smiled the best he could at them. Soon his smile faded and he turned his gaze to one side. “There is...something I’d like to talk to you about.”
“Oh? About what?” Mrs. Tabootie asked.
Denny looked back at them. “Do any of your children like chalkboards?”
The parents stared at one another.
sss
He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He took in the distinct scent all around him. The smell of fear and anger. The smell of dust. The smell of metal.
Of his plan coming into fruition.
King Zander stood at the podium. The colosseum was packed again. Even more so than before. There were so many zoners here, he couldn’t believe it. All of them would bear witnes to what will happen to Rudy Tabootie and his comrades. After this, his citizens would be begging to go to the surface.
And that was just the beginning of everything. He couldn’t help but smile to himself. Everything was falling into place just like he had planned. This time, he had taken extra measures to ensure that this group will not escape. Oh how clever they were, but not enough. In the end, he still held the cards, and he was going to play them.
Down below, the group had already been brought out. They stood in the middle of the area, huddled close together. He could see that Rudy was glaring off in his direction. King Zander did his best to hide his smirk. He had to keep himself calm, otherwise, he might drag himself in too far and lose sight of what he was supposed to be doing.
He watched his fellow citizens, noting how angry they were. They were constantly spewing questions and accusations at the trio for destroying the power plant. Well that was a bit of an exaggeration. It wasn’t destroyed, but there was damage done to it. The king couldn’t help but smile as he listened to the group try to defend themselves. But of course, nothing they said fazed his people.
“Why did you do it?!”
“Do you have any idea what you almost did?!”
“B-But... we’re telling you... we didn’t cause that explosion!” Rudy shouted back, raising his hand up in gesture.
“Please! You’ve got to believe us!” Barney called out. “We would never...”
A citizen laughed coldly. “A likely story! You’re just a land dweller! Why would you care if you hurt us?”
Snap growled. “We’re telling you, we had nothing to do with it!”
King Zander watched this go on for a few minutes. He didn’t like dragging things on for longer than they needed to be. But he was enjoying this. There was something almost comical about this argument between the humans and their allies and his own people. It made what he was about to do all the more gratifying.
He decided not to keep his citizens waiting for much longer. Now was the time to start. Now it was time for this group to face the punishment of what they had done.
He grabbed the mic and picked it up. He cleared his throat, his mind filling with rapid thoughts as he organized the speech in his head. He then moved his hand outward and began to talk. “My fellow citizens! Standing before you are the fugitives who had tried to get away with murder! They blew up the power plant and many had been injured because of them! They tried to kill us, then they tried to destroy our power!”
The audience immediately booed and shouted at the group. This caused clear discomfort among Rudy and his friends. They looked around at them fearfully. At this point, they had wisely decided not to try to defend themselves again.
“And that’s not all!”
Originally, he was going to use this footage as a means of exciting his fellow citizens. After all, they had enjoyed their fighting before. But now, he was going to use it a different ends.
He lifted up his hand, holding a remote control in it. He noted the curious looks on his people. He noticed how Rudy, Penny, and their zoner comrades were staring at him in confusion. He tried his best not to smile at them, wearing a look of solemn and angered seriousness as he pressed the button. All around on the screens, footage of their recent endeavour through Chalklantis began to play.
“They had killed some of our denizens. The worst one of all being committed by Barney The Encyclocentipedia.”
There was a flash of horror on Barney’s eyes as footage of him deliberately attacking and trying to eat the grasshopper zoner was on full view. Many audience members were putting their hands to their mouths in utter horror and disgust at what was happening.
After he felt his people had seen enough, he turned off the footage. As soon as he did, the zoners immediately started an uproar against the group, most of the attacks and questions directed at Barney himself. The centipede was unable to defend himself and he huddled close to his tortoise friend.
Instead of allowing this banter to continue for much longer, King Zander decided to speed things along a little.
“But not to worry! He will not kill another citizen! None of them will harm another life form in our world ever again!” King Zander raised his hand into the air. “They will be dealt with and you will all bear witness to their demise! They will be punished and they will be used as a message to all surface dwellers! We are not to be trifled with and we will not tolerate monsters like these guys invade our home and try to take away everything we hold dear!”
The audience roared in approval.
“Yes! Teach them a lesson!”
“Destroy the invaders!”
“Let’s see some body parts!”
Rudy and the others pressed against each other for support, looking around fearfully at the zoners calling out for their destruction.
King Zander could feel his heart swell in excitement. He couldn’t take it any longer. He had to unleash the surprise now. He could not keep his people, or himself, waiting much more. He motioned his hand towards the large gate on one side of the arena.
“Open up the gates! It is time for Rudy Tabootie and his ilk to meet Cychreides!”
As he said this, there was a loud pounding on the other side. Something was desperately trying to break out. Again and again it struck, shaking the ground and trying to get out of its captivity. The group stared in fear and moved back slowly. His guards present there did not allow them to move away much further.
Two of his winged guards flew down and began to open up the gate. They pulled up the wooden bars that kept the creature inside. In a matter of secodns, the door was broke down, dust kicking up into the air, clouding its vision to anyone trying to see it.
Then, seconds later, the smoke began to clear, exposing a massive dragon. The crowd cheered as the dragon let out a mighty roar and charged towards Rudy and his friends.
King Zander watched, a very faint smile moving on his face. This...was going to be so much fun to watch.
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Post by Bluedramon on May 6, 2015 19:13:38 GMT -5
Chapter 29: A Beast Of Metal
Penny found it difficult to take her eyes off of the creature as it came out of the doors. The thing was huge, larger than anything else they faced. Even bigger than the adult drakon they had run into before. It was so large, she had a feeling that they were going to have a much harder time dodging it. Just how could they hope to avoid this creature when its body was half the length of this arena center?
It stood on four legs, a long, segmented tail jetting out behind it. It had a long neck that thinned at the top. Its head was a little too large for the neck and it had a few extra wires around it for support. It had sharp teeth and a jagged-looking mouth. It had large wings that had an energy shield activated for the membranes. The wings made it look even larger, stretching straight up and outward.
The body was metal. The light shined off of it mercilessly, making it hard to look at some areas of the metal dragon without having to look away. Its eyes glowed purple, and there were no pupils, making it a little harder to tell where the creature was looking.
The metal dragon walked forward a little, eyeing them up and down. It then deactivated its wing membrane and folded its wings against its side. It let out a mighty roar and it charged towards them. With each step, the ground shook tremendously. Its massive weight and size threatened to crack open the ground, despite it being still many miles thick.
Penny let out a yelp and she turned to get out of the way. Snap had already jumped away, and King Mumbo Jumbo was pushing Barney along quickly so he wouldn’t get hit. Rudy was running back a little, his head looking over at the dragon. Penny thought he was going to get hit, but at the last second, he tripped and he fell into the ground. The metal creature ran past them. It stopped when it reached the other side of the arena. It turned around and stared at them intently. Its tail swished from side to side with excitement, similiar to a cat about to pounce.
Penny gritted her teeth. She looked at the others. Despite the food and water they were given, they were still a bit weak. They had done so much walking and running lately... Well all except King Mumbo Jumbo. He was in the best shape by comparison, but even he couldn’t take on the metal dragon.
Penny looked back at... What did King Zander call him? Cychreides? Yes, that was it. Cychreides was still staring at them. It looked as if it were trying to determine its next move.
During this quiet moment, Penny tried to think of how they could defeat this dragon. They had no magic chalk and King Zander most likely wouldn’t give them any. She wasn’t going to count on it. Why would he risk giving them a chance of escape?
Though she was still unnerved by the idea of King Zander being the one giving the chalk, she did not dwell on it for long. Right now, she had a much bigger problem that had her attention at the moment.
Cychreides looked as if it was getting ready for another attack. She tensed up, readying her leg muscles. Sure enough, seconds later, Cychreides charged at them. This time, it didn’t do just running; it also attempted to bite them. Its jaws slammed shut and Rudy was barely able to get out of the way in time. Snap managed to jump into the air when the dragon tried to bite him.
Then it struck out with its paws. Its large claws slashed along the air and ground, scraping loudly. Snap and Penny had to do a lot of jumping in order to stay one step in front of the dragon. Barney and King Mumbo Jumbo jumped back, scrambling to get out of the way as one of the membrane-less wings struck out towards them.
Suddenly there was a loud scream. Penny whipped her head over and her eyes widened as Cychreides struck Rudy with its tail. The boy was rolling across the ground and soon crumpled.
“Rudy!” Penny and Snap called out in unison.
All around them, the zoners were cheering on the dragon. They were demanding that the dragon destroy Rudy while it still could. The metal dragon did not react their words, being more concerned with what it wanted. It soon looked at Barney and charged towards him. Its body moved along quickly, almost like a serpent. Barney let out a scream and attempted to run away.
King Mumbo Jumbo jumped in the path of the dragon. He grabbed onto Cychreides’s mouth and began to push back. He was able to hold on longer than anyone would have thought. Soon, his knees buckled and he went onto the ground. Cychreides lifted his head and threw King Mumbo Jumbo to the side. Then it turned its attacking to Barney.
The centipede immediately let out a scream and scrambled to get away. His small, nimble legs weren’t useful for moving with much agility, but he still was outpacing Cychreides. It was hard to tell if the beast was just so heavy it could not catch up to him, or if it was just toying with Barney. Most would assume it was the latter.
Penny and Snap soon reached Rudy’s side. They lowered themselves and grabbed onto the boy’s arms. Slowly, they lifted him up. Rudy let out a series of low groans as he tried to deal with the pain.
“Bucko...speak to me!” Snap asked as he stared at Rudy’s hung head. He sucked on his lip for a second. “Please..say something!”
Rudy let out a cough and turned his head to Snap. “What did you...want me to say..?” He gave a small smile at this.
Penny stared at Rudy with concern. Her eyes moved up and down as she surveyed the damage. “You took a bit of a glow to the head. You need to be careful.”
Rudy hissed at this. His teeth were bared. “Where are...the others..?”
Snap lifted his head and looked over. “That dragon is busy trying to get at Barney. He can really move...”
Rudy rubbed his head with his hand. In a few seconds, his eyes bulged. He turned his head, his mouth dropping open in shock. “Barney!”
Penny looked over to see what was going on. She could see that Barney was still able to keep pace in front of the dragon. An amazing feat. But it wasn’t going to last. Penny could see he was starting to slow down. If they allowed this to continue for much longer, then Cychreides was going to catch him soon.
Penny quickly tried to devise a plan in her head. As her gears turned, she watched the dragon and Barney. If they could distract the dragon somehow...
Penny looked at the let that bounced off the dragon. It was still so intense. She wondered if the dragon was affected by this as well. She noticed that there appeared to be a ridge around its eyes. Kinda like weird-looking sunglasses. Was this simply part of its design or was it vulnerable to its own lights? Would they hurt them?
That was it. That just might work. Penny immediately reached up to one of her earrings. She grabbed one and pulled it out of her ear. She turned to Snap and tossed it to him. The zoner fumbled with it for a few seconds, and soon it rested in the palms of his hands. He looked at it before turning to Penny.
“Um..what did you want me to do with this, Buckette..?” Snap asked.
Penny pointed toward the dragon. “Distract it with it!” Snap blinked at this. Penny pressed on. “Shine the light in its eyes!”
Snap’s eyes widened as he realized what she meant. “Oh... But why don’t you do it?”
“You’re faster! You could stay out of its reach while you shine the light in its eye.” Penny motioned her hands forward. “Now hurry up! Barney doesn’t have much time!”
Snap pressed a hand over his forehead. “No problem, Penny!”
Penny watched as Snap rushed towards the dragon. He attempted to wave his arms about and shouted at the dragon. But the metallic creature was too busy chasing Barney to really notice him. Penny trusted that Snap would be able to get his attention. He was good at gaining attention like that.
She helped Rudy to the ground. He was still dizzy from the blow to his head. There was not going to be a ton of time for them to remain like this. She wanted to use what little time they had to give Rudy a moment of rest. She let him lean against her as she looped an arm across his back and pressed him against her. She held onto him gently, listening to him breathe a little shakingly.
“Everything is going to be okay, Rudy.” Penny whispered to him softly. “Just relax.”
Rudy shuddered, his eyes clinching shut. “I..I feel so dizzy...”
“Shh... Just relax. It’ll be over quickly. Just ride it out. You will be fine.” Penny wasn’t sure just how true her words were, but she wanted Rudy to be as comfortable as possible so he could relax. He was not going to feel any better if he remained tense.
While she held onto him, she looked over at Snap. She bit her lip and wished Snap the best of luck. She hoped he would be able to distract the dragon long enough for them to come up with a plan.
There just had to be some way to stop this dragon. A weakness somewhere. She scanned its body up and down. Cychreides didn’t look like it had much of a weakness. But everything had a weak spot. She just needed to figure out what its was before it was too late.
sss
Snap couldn’t believe what he was doing. Of all the crazy things Penny asked him to do, this was one of the worst. It wasn’t as bad as Doofus Penny and her random experiments, but it was pretty damn close to it. But still, he trusted her judgment and he was willing to go along with what she said.
In his hand, he held Penny’s earing tightly. He ran after the dragon, but it was so hard to catch up. The dragon might be stocky and heavy, but it sure could more really fast. There was no way he was going to be able to catch up in time. How was he going to be able to help Barney if he couldn’t get into position? If only there was another way he could...
Wait, there was. Snap immediately rushed into the center of the arena. Cychreides was chasing Barney around in a circle. King Mumbo Jumbo was currently stuck and was unable to provide assistance. Snap hoped that his help would be enough until King Mumbo Jumbo could free himself.
Positioning himself in the center, he raised Penny’s earing and moved it around. He waited until he saw a small, bright dot appear. He moved it around a little, getting a feel for how to move it. Once he figured it out, he turned his attention to where the metal dragon was. He watched it, getting an idea of the pattern as it kept running around in a massive circle. Barney’s screams echoed, and a few times, he would shout at him.
“Don’t just stand there! Help me!”
Snap narrowed his eyes slightly. Barney needn’t worry. Help was on the way. He raised Penny’s earing up and waited for the right moment. Then he moved the earing to one side, causing light to bounce off from it and it hit the metald ragon in the eye.
There was an immediate reaction. The dragon skidded across the ground, coming to a stop. Its massive claws cut into the ground and created several deep dirt gashes in the ground. The dragon let out a mechanical roar as it turned its head to the side. Snap moved over quickly so he could shine the light in the dragon’s eyes again. The dragon backed away, swinging its head from side to side as it tried desperately to escape the light.
Snap kept adjusting himself, countering any attention the dragon tried to escape the light. He could see it try to raise its wings, but it never took off. The dragon’s inability to see caused it to be too afraid to even fly.
Snap got a little braver and moved in slowly. He kept shining the light in Cychreides’s eyes, preventing it from seeing anything to properly attack. It let out a series of panic-filled roars and it swung its claws and tail into the ground blindly. Snap had to jump back to avoid getting hit, but overall, he managed to stay out of the dragon’s path.
Snap looked over at Barney to make sure he was okay. The centipede looked rather shaken up, but was otherwise fine. Barney looked at him and then at the dragon with a fear-filled expression. Snap thrust his head to the side, motioning for Barney to go help his friend. Barney got the message right away and he began to run towards King Mumbo Jumbo.
The blue zoner turned his attention back to the metal dragon. He continued to shine the light in its eyes, making it back away until it hit against the wall. At first, it looked as if he was going to be able to hold the dragon back for a while. But then it did something he did not expect.
It began to charge towards the light.
Snap widened his eyes in shock. Cychreides, in a desperate attempt to free itself from the horrible light, decided to dash in the direction the light was coming from. Snap could not do anything to stop the charge. He backed away for a while as Cychreides opened its jaws. There was a glow that swelled up inside. Realizing what it was, he scrambled to turn around and run faster.
Snap jumped into the ground and flattened his body as an intense heat and light shot above him. The dragon’s blast missed him entirely and struck against one of the walls in front of him. There was a loud boom and rocks and dust were kicked up. The audience right above let out a series of screams and Snap wondered if they were going to fall off.
The wall did not crumble. These walls must be very strong. They were likely reinforced while they were away. Even with the dragon’s full blast, it did not make too much of a dent in the wall. That might be good for the Chalklantians, but it was not good for him. Snap had to start running as the beast bounded towards him.
sss
“King Mumbo Jumbo! Are you okay?!” Barney cried as he rushed to his friend’s side.
The old tortoise looked up at him. His expression was that of pain. Nothing intense, but enough that the centipede knew something was bothering him. “I’m...okay.”
Barney narrowed his eyes at his friend’s blatant lying. He did not try to scold him, and he moved in closer. He examined King Mumbo Jumbo’s current predicament.
The tortoise’s leg was caught in the ground. He must have been slammed a little harder than he thought. Barney moved in a little more and lowered himself. He placed his hands on the leg and examined it carefully. He heard a hiss from his friend, and as his eyes scanned it up and down, he noticed slight bruising. He bit his lip as he realized that King Mumbo Jumbo had twisted his leg.
He didn’t have much time to help him. He could hear the screams from Snap, and the roaring told him that he was presently being chased. It wouldn’t be long before the dragon decided to come after him again.
He began to claw at the ground with his finger tips. The dirt was soft yet thick. It took a little while before the dirt would start to give way. He soon managed to tear away chunks of rock and dirt from the ground, sending them flying behind him. He kept this up, despite nearly bending his fingers the wrong way a few times.
Once he managed to clear enough, he grabbed onto his friend’s thick leg. He mustered up as much strength as he could. Then he yanked upwards. It took some effort, but he soon was able to pull his friend’s leg out.
The resulting release of pressure caused King Mumbo Jumbo to hiss and grab onto his leg. He looked at it carefully, moving his hand along it.
“Can you walk on it?” Barney asked.
“I think so.” King Mumbo Jumbo climbed up to his feet. He held out his hands to balance himself. “If I can just...” He put pressure against his injured leg. As soon as he did, he yelped and stumbled forward. He required Barney’s help to restabilize. “Okay, maybe not.”
Barney looked at the leg. He could see swelling around it. He bit his lip. How was his friend going to be able to keep away from the dragon? Even with his help, he was not going to be able to keep up the pace for long. Cychreides was going to catch him. If only there was a way to slow it down...
Barney looked at the metal dragon as it chased Snap around. He admired Snap’s agility and speed. Yet he was fully aware that, with how weakened he was, he would not be able to keep this up for long. They had to do something and fast.
The centipede noticed that Penny was deep in thought. He guessed that she, too, was looking for a weakness of some kind. It was hard to tell what kind of progress she was making. Barney looked at the dragon and tried to study it for himself. He cursed to himself about his memory of this place being tampered with, but perhaps, now that he had this dragon back in his database by seeing it, maybe he would be able to figure something out.
Alas, not much was coming up. He hadn’t seen enough. He wouldn’t be able to pinpoint a weakness like this. He returned to watching. He was confident that it wouldn’t take too long for him to figure something out that could help them.
In the meantime, he wished Snap the best of luck. He was going to need it.
sss
A part of Rudy wished that the colosseum didn’t have a spare power system. It was darker in here than before, but there was still plenty of light. And that gave Cychreides enough visibility to see them. If they could find a way to blind him...
No, that might not last for very long. He noted how the beast was still able to chase his friend even with the light shining in its eyes. It must have some other system it could use to see. Like a radar system or something. This meant that methods of blinding will not work. They needed to find some other way to stop the dragon.
He looked at Penny. She was clearly trying to think of something herself. But she was having a hard time. He couldn’t blame her. How could they stop something that was made of metal? They didn’t have access to those electric sticks the king’s guards used. If he ran over and tried to grab one, he would get hurt. The last thing he needed in this state is another blow.
He soon took note of the dragon’s feet. Every time it placed its foot down, he could see a slight indention in the ground. As the dragon kept running, he could see some indentions more clearly than others. The whole ground was becoming filled with them.
At first, he just noted how this showed just how heavy this thing was. If this dragon were to stomp on any of them...it would be over. There’d be no way that they could survive it. Their bodies would be crushed.
But as he kept watching Cychreides chase his friend, he began to realize something. If the dragon was so heavy, and it needed all that support just to move... He had to wonder...
Rudy decided to ask now, even though his thought process was not yet complete. “Penny...” Once he got his friend’s attention he said, “With something that large, do you think it could keep running around like that?”
Penny turned her head to the dragon, and then back at Rudy. “Probably not for long.”
“I thought so. There’s just...too much weight. It would need to take flight and that would take energy.” Rudy studied the dragon intently, his eyes shifting around. He could feel Penny’s curious eyes on him, wondering what he was thinking. He did not keep her waiting. “And if it were to suddenly shift all its weight into one location...”
“The resulting shift would likely cause it to get stuck.” Penny finished. “Or it would break a leg.” Her eyes widened slightly at this. “Rudy...are you suggesting that we...?”
Rudy stared intently at the dragon. “If we can get a hole dug somewhere, and lure the dragon towards it, and make it step on it...” He paused for a moment, allowing the gruesome details fill inside of his head, imagining the snapping of the leg. “We might be able to stop it.”
Penny stared at him in uncertainty. “I’m not so sure if that’s a good idea.” She held up her hand in gesture. “How would we dig a hole in time? That thing is pretty fast for its size. It might see us and...”
Rudy cut her off. “Then we will have to make sure that it doesn’t see us.”
Rudy looked after at where Snap was. The small zoner was getting tired. He could see Snap starting to slow down. There was no way he could keep this up for much longer. They needed to help him quickly, before it was too late. He turned back to Penny.
“You and I could work on the hole.” He said.
“Where?” Penny looked down as Rudy pointed. “...here?”
Rudy nodded. “It’s the best spot. Snap is still keeping the dragon busy. But he won’t be able to keep up much longer. We need to do this now, before he stops and the dragon gets him.”
Penny casted a worried glance to where Snap was. Currently, Snap was keeping out of the way, but that could change in a moment’s notice. If they didn’t do something soon... She looked at him and she nodded her head once. “Okay, let’s get started.”
With that, the two children got onto their knees. With his hand, Rudy began to claw at the dirt. It was hard and difficult to remove. Even with Penny’s help, digging a hole in the ground was taking a lot more effort than he thought it would.
This put a new perspective on the indentions the dragon was making. It had to be quite heavy and strong to be able to make that much of a mark on a ground this hard. This caused his heart to skip a beat. He had a sudden vision of what it would be like to be struck by that thing. How many bones would it break? Would it even be possible to survive such a blow?
Rudy shook the thoughts out of his head and turned his attention back to the ground. He continued to claw and scrape, trying to make the tiny hole bigger. He hoped that Snap would be able to hold out long enough for him to finish.
sss
Snap couldn’t believe that this was happening to him. He just had to agree with Penny’s plan and distract the dragon. He just had to rush up to the dragon and make it chase him. Now here he was, running for his life, with Cychreides chasing after him, not far behind. Everytime the legs moved, every time the ground shook, he could feel the mechanical whirring, and the heaviness of each step.
His lungs were on fire. He felt like his entire insides were blazing. He could feel his muscles weakening with each step that he took. He wanted to drop onto the ground and rest. His body was demanding that he take a break.
But the metal dragon’s mechanical-sounding roar forced him to keep going. There was no time for him to stop. He could not rest. He had to keep running. He pushed himself to move faster, barely able to avoid the claws coming down towards him. There was a loud thud just behind him, and a crack of a medium sized rock that was there, and he gulped when he realized that was almost him.
He did not have a long time to rest when he noticed the dragon was attempting to bite him again. He let out a scream and pushed himself into the ground. He shuddered at the resounding metallic sound as the dragon tried to bite into him. He felt his heart racing as he realized just how close he came to getting chomped.
At least the dragon hadn’t fired up its breath weapon again. Otherwise he...
Oh he just had to say something, didn’t he...? He could see Cychreides opening its mouth wide, and prepared another short towards him. Snap did not have much time to get out of the way. He scrambled up to his feet and jumped.
He was thrown into the ground when the dragon’s blast was fired. It collided with the ground, shaking it horribly. He flinched and moved his arms rapidly in the air, struggling to keep himself from falling down. As soon as he regained his footing, he tried to move, only for the dragon’s long tail to strike against him. He screamed as his body rolled across the ground.
He pushed himself up, his body shaking. He put a hand on his side. That was going to give him one heck of a bruise. He turned and looked at the metal dragon as it approached him slowly, growling deeply. It opened its mouth and prepared to fire again. Snap, realizing he would not be able to dodge in time, shut his eyes and waited for the blow.
He could hear the creaking sound of the dragon changing direction. Confused, he opened up his eyes. He saw that Penny had dashed out towards him, waving her arms and shouting. And the dragon listened, turning its body to face her completely.
Snap’s eyes widened in horror and he struggled to his feet. “Penny! No!” He reached out towards her, wishing that his arm could stretch out. “Don’t do it!”
But either Penny was ignoring him or she could not hear him. The dragon was rushing at her, and she was still waving her hands as she ran backwards. She made no attempt to get out of the way. The sight of this horrified Snap and he couldn’t fathom why she was doing this.
He could see that Barney and King Mumbo Jumbo also could not believe what was happening. The two zoners had rushed towards the dragon. Snap noticed that King Mumbo Jumbo was limping, and was having a hard time pushing himself forward. It was rather impressive the way he kept on moving, though. Snap would have smiled if he didn’t know how serious this situation was.
The dragon did eventually notice the pair. It turned and faced them. Penny looked horrified by this turn of events and was shouting louder, more desperately. At this point, Snap was back on his feet and he was running towards Penny.
“No! Stop! Come back here!” Penny shouted as the metal dragon started to snap at Barney. The centipede skillfully managed to dodge each time. But for how long?
Snap grabbed onto her arm and tugged on her. “Penny! What were you doing?!” He tried not to sound accusatory, but a part of him just couldn’t help it. Why would Penny recklessly endanger herself like that?
Penny glared down at him. “I was trying to stop the dragon!”
“By what? Letting it eat you?” Snap retorted, holding his hand up. “I sure hope that wasn’t your plan, Penny.”
Penny shook her head. “Of course not! Rudy and I were going to...” Her voice trailed off when she heard a scream. They both looked over at what was happening.
Snap placed his hands against his face and shouted, “Barney!”
Cychreides had tossed Barney across the arena. He landed a few feet from where Rudy was standing. Rudy immediately knelt down to help him up. Snap and Penny watched in horror as the dragon barreled down towards them, its purple eyes showing the intent of killing.
King Mumbo Jumbo, fighting against the pain in his leg, grabbed onto the tail of the dragon. He yelped in pain a few times as his leg was hit against the dragon’s metal body. Soon he started to climb up slowly, his short, stubby claws providing some traction. To everyone’s surprise, the tortoise managed to reach the top of the dragon before it reached the boy and insect.
“Leave my friends alone!” King Mumbo Jumbo grabbed onto the horns of the dragon and started to attack it in one of the eyes, striking at it again and again with his fist.
The dragon let out a screech and swung its head from one side to the other. It did not stop. It just kept on running while it swung its head about. It let out a series of desperate screeches, its feet still pummeling the ground as it continued to run.
No matter how much the dragon swung its head and body around, no matter how many times it tried to bite the tortoise, Cychreides was unable to make King Mumbo Jumbo let go. The tortoise was rather relentless, constantly striking at the eye until there was a shatter and a spark. The eye went black and dead.
There was little time for them to react to this. As soon as it happened, the dragon let out a screech, as if it could feel the pain of its eye being destroyed, and it reared up on its hind legs. It flailed its limbs about, trying with increased vigor to strike the tortoise. And this time, its claws made its mark. The tortoise screamed as he was plummeted into the ground, the claws making a dent on his shell.
“King Mumbo Jumbo... No!” Barney attempted to rush towards his friend, but Snap grabbed onto him and pulled him back.
“Wait! We need a plan!” Snap told him.
Barney turned to glare at him. “There’s no time! That beast might...”
He did not get a chance to finish. There was a loud crash and the sound of something breaking. Everyone, even the audience around them, had gone silent as the dragon laid on the ground, one of its legs bent at an odd angle.
“I-It worked...” Penny whispered.
Snap and Barney both looked at Penny in confusion. “What are you talking about?” Snap asked. “What did you and Rudy...”
Rudy answered this. “I figured that the dragon’s own weight was its weakness. So Penny and I dug a hole and were hoping it would run into it.”
“That was why I was having the dragon chase me.” Penny stared at Snap intently, letting this sink in. “I was leading it directly towards the hole.”
Snap’s mouth dropped open. “I...I didn’t know..”
Barney’s antennas curled. “So...I had endangered my friend by chasing after the dragon?”
Penny sighed softly. “Don’t beat yourself up, Barney. The plan worked anyway.”
Indeed it did. Snap looked over and saw that the dragon was still laying on the ground. It wasn’t even moving, as if the pain...if it could feel pain, was too much for it. He could see in his head how this happened, how its leg got caught in the ground, how it continued to rush forward and its body weight causing its leg to snap. Snap could see the wires and circuitry even from this distance. Though it was not flesh, he could not help but flinch.
He and the others gathered together after a few moments. They panted heavily from their ordeal. They let it all sink in. They had managed to save themselves. They survived this attack, for now. They savored the moment while they could, giving each other smiles as they realized they were still alive.
However, not everyone was happy that they were still alive.
“No! It can’t be over yet!”
“This shouldn’t be! Get up, you stupid dragon!”
“Attack!”
Snap gritted his teeth as he looked all around. Of course the audience wanted more. Of course they would say such things. Snap would have shouted back, but he managed to hold his tongue. He was not interested in arguing with zoners like these. The sooner they got out of this dump, the better.
If the audience was this angry at them winning, the blue zoner could only imagine how angry and pissed off King Zander was going to be. He was the one who seemed to want them dead the most. He didn’t know why the king wanted to do that. If Barney had shown him anything about them, the king would know that they were heroes, not enemies. His blood boiled as he imagined how the king must have distorted the stories purposely to spook his own people. What a creepazoid...
But when he turned his head to look at King Zander, he noticed something was...quite off. The king wasn’t glaring or angry like he thought. King Zander looked quite calm. In fact, compared to his people, he looked downright...happy. But...why..? Snap couldn’t fathom why. It...It was almost like he knew something. Like...
Snap’s eyes snapped open in horror as he realized what it was. He whipped his head to the side and he could see the dragon was starting to climb back up to its feet. But what got his attention the most was its head facing towards them, preparing to fire again.
“Look out!” Snap shouted as he jumped against Rudy and Penny, who were right in the path.
A horrific pain errupted in his side. He pulled his head back and screamed as the beam struck him. He could feel some warm wetness, and in seconds, he crashed into the ground. He could hear his friends call out for him. He could hear the audience cheering. It was all distorted.
Then, in seconds, darkness claimed him.
sss
“Snap! No!” Rudy shouted as he reached his hand towards his friend. He attempted to grab him, but Penny pulled him back.
“Rudy! Wait! We need to assess his injuries first!”
Rudy found it difficult to hold still. He stared at Snap’s prone body, his own shaking in shock. He couldn’t believe what had happened. Everything had went on so fast. He could barely register what had happened.
His plan to stop Cychreides had only worked for a short time. The metal dragon had still managed to attack despite its condition. He and the others had been so caught up in their victory, of relief that they were still alive, none of them had noticed the dragon beginning to attack.
That is, except for Snap.
The small blue zoner had jumped against him and Penny. He pushed them out of the way. And in the process, he himself had gotten hit. He would never be able to get that horrible image out of his mind. And that sickening sound...and the scream... He shut his eyes tightly, letting the tears flow down. How could he have been so blind? Snap...
“He’s still breathing.” Penny said, who was kneeling beside Snap. Rudy looked down and saw her stroking his head gently. “The beam only grazed him. It just looks worse than it really does.”
Rudy smiled in relief at this. “That’s great to hear.”
King Mumbo Jumbo and Barney took a few steps forward. The tortoise limped a little and requried Barney’s help to keep standing. They peered down at the superhero zoner. They said not a word. Their expressions alone said enough.
All around them, there was an eerie, disgusting cheer. Pleased shouts echoing across the arena. Zoners whistling, demanding an encore, demanding for more bloodshed. The volume increased as the seconds passed, and soon Rudy was not able to think in his own mind. It echoed too much with the cruel words those zoners were saying.
Rudy’s body quaked in rage. He formed a fist his hand. He shot a death glare towards the zoners. This did little to stop them. It just made them shout even more excitedly. Never before had Rudy ever wanted to punch someone.
He saw movement in the corner of his eyes. He, along with his equally disgusted and pissed off friends, turned to look as King Zander moved his podium a little closer, the beams keeping the platform aloft high above them.
“Looks like your friend took quite a hit.” King Zander said, his tone that of amusement. The fact that he took this so casually made the group really angry. “Isn’t that quite a shame..?”
Rudy gritted his teeth. “You fucking monster... It’s your fault he’s like this!”
King Zander cocked an eyebrow at this. “Again with the cursing. Dear boy, you’re too young to...”
“Shut up!” Rudy howled. “I’ve had enough of you! You spread lies about us! You tricked us into coming here! You abused us and you used us! You tried to destroy us! All for some blatant lies that I know you know are false! How could you treat us like this?! We never did anything to you! We did not release that disease! No amount of your accusations will make that a fact!”
King Zander shook his head, almost disappointed. “I see even seeing your friend get injured, you still cling to your lies. When will your facade fail? How long will it take before your front breaks down?”
“It will never crumble...” Penny hissed. “Because we aren’t lying!”
The zoners around them either laughed or expressed anger and hatred.
“We know you are lying! Why don’t you just confess the truth?” One zoner shouted.
Another agreed. “Yeah! It’ll make the process so much easier!”
Rudy and the others did their best to ignore the shouts. This was difficult as their words were loud and permeating. They did their best to focus only on King Zander. They knew he was the mastermind of this whole operation. It was he, not they, who was the biggest enemy.
King Zander interlocked his thick fingers together. “Well I think our..champions...deserve a little break.” His dark eyes glinted as he regarded the group with cruel intentions. “We will continue this session...later.”
With a snap of the finger, the guards began to approach the group. They did nothing to resist as they were forcibly escorted back. Rudy and Penny protested to the treatment of Snap, who was just dragged along like he was some kind of rag doll. His words fell on deaf ears and soon they disappeared through the doors.
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