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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 1, 2014 16:08:00 GMT -5
Plot: A single mistake on Rudy's part has allowed another child, Mint Zandophen, to enter ChalkZone. When Skrawl takes the boy under his wing and tricks him into thinking ChalkZone is just a video game, how will Rudy, Penny, and Snap stop him before his ignorance leads to irreversible damage?
PROLOGUE:
A row of clear glass bottles sat in a row. All in a line, perfectly straight. They rested on a large wooden platform. Chains held the platform in place. Somewhat rusty chains they were, many areas covered in red rust. The platform itself was pushed up against a solid wall, shades of grey decorating it. It looked like, whoever had set it up this way, had been extra careful not to get any details incorrect. It looked like someone took quite a bit of time getting it to look like this.
Then, without warning, the glass bottles started to vibrate. Slightly at first. But the vibrations grew stronger. The sound of something stomping could be hard, low, then getting louder. Soon the glass bottles were wobbling, getting to the point where they would almost fall over. They clanged against each other, the squeaking of glass rubbing up against each other sounding out.
A mixture of colors came into the glasses. Two shades of green, and a smidgen of red and blue. As the colors drew ever closer, the shaking of the glasses increased. Then the shades of green covered the whole glass, creating a wobbly image of whatever was approaching. The shaking stopped entirely.
A low growl replaced the clanging. A soft yet menacing growl, and then a yell of frustration. An orange-colored hand with three hooked fingers struck down. It sliced through the glasses, shattering them. The force of the blow caused the shattered pieces to fall into the ground. Down they fell, many of them reflecting the color of the 'attacker'. Light green and dark green, and then those colors vanished, replaced by the dull grey of the floor.
Standing by the chained wooden shelf, with his arm still held in the position of having struck something, was Skrawl. His mismatched eyes glared down at the glass pieces with great contempt. His teeth were clenched, and it looked like it was taking all of his strength not to smash the pieces of glass further. Or it could have just been common sense, because it's glass.
Skrawl was not in a very good mood. Any Beanie Boy who saw him like this instantly flew away in a panic. Skrawl is particularly aggressive when he gets like this. Any attempt to reason with him right now would end with failure, and perhaps a claw mark or two. During these times, it was best to keep distance away from the jellybean and let him have his little temper tantrum.
At least, that's how it usually would go. This time, Skrawl wanted to try to keep his temper under control. The last time he had lost his temper, he almost broke something of value in his hideout. It hadn't always been this way. He used to have some better control over his anger, but lately, it was getting worse. And it was all because of that little pest, Rudy Tabootie.
Just thinking about his name made Skrawl fume in hatred and anger. The boy had been a thorn in his side for so long... Okay so it's been a year at best. Still, it felt so much longer to him. Way too long if one were to ask him. He wanted, no, he needed to get Rudy out of the way. But all his brilliant plans...they all always go down the drain. Something goes wrong, no matter how well the plan appears to go. He always, somehow, gets the upperhand.
And it was because he was a creator. That's the only reason Rudy manages to best him. Because he has the magic chalk and he can draw anything to existence. If Rudy were stripped of that, Skrawl would beat him. He grinned at the thought of a helpless Rudy begging for him to let him and his friends go. Chalkless, what else could the boy do?
He scowled as his past failures started to burn into his mind. He had tried before to make Rudy chalkless. It was when he had teamed up with Craniac 4. Oh how big of a mistake that had been... Craniac 4 had no idea what he was doing outside of creating a mold for his robot. Had Skrawl just taken Robot Rudy himself and done away with Craniac 4, he would have had a chance to succeed. It was bad enough that Craniac 4 had the robot waste time on Penny and Snap, but he was certain it was his bickering with the red tinted robot that gave someone the distraction they needed to tell Rudy of his formerly 'brilliant' plan. Must have been Snap...
That little blue pest was just as big of a thorn, as well as that genius girl, Penny. Yet it was Rudy who had most of his attention. It was Rudy who usually wielded the magic chalk. Penny could, but she rarely used it. And as annoying as Snap was, he couldn't do much. He was too small to fight him. Skrawl can easily take care of him. His biggest obstacle he had to face before he could take over ChalkZone...was Master Tabootie.
Oh how he would love to wring that little boy's throat.. How he would love to snap his neck in two... It would be so easy, too. Rudy wasn't that big and he wasn't that strong physically. All his strength came from the magic chalk. Separated from it, he was weak. Whereas he, Skrawl, he remained strong, easily able to lift up the boy with one arm like he was nothing more than a piece of paper. Heck, he was able to juggle him and his friend, Snap, very easily during their first encounter.
Someday, he will find a way to beat that annoying little brat. Someday, one of his plans will work. He will find a way to foil Rudy, and make him beg for mercy. He will find a way to defeat the protector of ChalkZone. No one's luck ever runs that long. Rudy will slip up someday. One of these days, he will do something that will bring forth his downfall.
Not even the Great Creator was truly invincible. Even he had weaknesses. Even he made mistakes. And when he soon makes one, Skrawl will be there to take advantage of it. No one is unbeatable. And eventually, someday, something will give.
Eventually, Master Tabootie will fall.
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 1, 2014 16:08:38 GMT -5
CHAPTER 1:
Mint Zandophen was bored. It took him quite a bit of effort not to simply fall asleep in class. Not that he really cared if he did or not. He was used to being sent to the principal's office for doing such a thing. But he couldn't help it. Maybe if the teachers learned how to make class more exciting, he wouldn't be getting so sleepy. His parents think he's not getting enough sleep, but no, that's not it. He just gets bored to death listening to the teacher talk about things that did not interest him.
He was like this with any classroom. Right now, he was in his favorite, art. Despite being his favorite, he was still bored, not because of the subject of art. He loved to draw. No, it was because the teacher was talking about drawing things that, frankly, did not interest him. He wasn't interested in learning how to draw trees, or swords, or boxes, or flowers, or whatever the teacher was talking about. He had tuned him out and his words long left his mind.
He gazed down at the blank piece of paper the teacher had given him. In his hand, he held a 6B pencil and not far was one of those grey, kneadable erasers. He took another look at the teacher. He was still standing in front, having pulled out a chart about color theory or something. A complex theory...he wasn't sure why he was showing it to eleven year olds. Oh well, not his problem.
Rather than let himself get a headache over trying to understand that chart, Mint instead looked back down at the paper. He really wanted to draw something. Anything...to keep his mind from going numb. He didn't want to fall asleep again. He needed someway to keep himself awake. Drawing was the best solution. But he wasn't going to draw what the teacher would have wanted him to. Instead, he would focus on his favorite topic.
Dinosaurs.
Mint loved dinosaurs, as well as other prehistoric animals, such as pterosaurs and pliosaurs. Although just eleven, he had a knack for drawing them quite well, at least for someone his age. Dinosaurs had always fascinated him. While his ability to draw things like chairs and landscapes had left much to be desired, he honed his animal-drawing skills and improved greatly in that area.
His art teacher once said that was proof that, if he put his mind to it, he could improve in his weaker areas. Mint scoffed at the idea. The only reason he drew dinosaurs and other beasts as well as he could was because he was actually interested in them. He had an incentive to draw dinosaurs. He did not have a reason to draw inanimate objects. And it wasn't like he couldn't. He could draw simple, crude things such as a pipe or a simplified pine tree. He just couldn't go into detail like some of the more professional artists.
So that's what he was going to draw. Giving the teacher one final glance to make sure he wasn't looking this way, Mint raised his 6B pencil and began to draw. He began by making simple shapes to create the outline 'skeleton' of what he wanted to draw. Then he added more details, the pencil scraping against the paper as he went along. Dark lines soon covered the paper.
Minutes passed and he was still working on the sketch. At first, when he started, it looked like a jumbled mess. Now it was coming into focus. The already dark lines became darker as Mint started to draw the final outline, giving the drawing shape and structure. In a few areas where he made a mistake, he picked up the kneaded eraser and rubbed it against the lines. When they had vanished as much as possible, he put the eraser down and used his pencil to create new lines, filling in the empty spaces he had created.
Soon Mint was finished. He looked down at his paper, smiling in pride. He had drawn a tyrannosaurus snatching a pterodon from the air. The pose was a little awkward and he felt the feet of the tyrannosaurus could be improved. But all in all, he liked how it turned out. He couldn't wait to get home so he could use his colored pencils to finish this up.
"Mr. Zandophen!"
Mint's body froze in shock when the teacher called out to him. In surprise, he accidentally ripped his drawing in the center. Mint stared at it and let out a soft groan. He glared in the teacher's direction.
The teacher was standing in front of the rows of desks. His eyes were on him. He had a hand on his hip and he was tapping his foot. He returned the child's glare. He briefly glanced at the ripped paper Mint held in his hands, and then turned his eyes to focus back on the child.
"You know the rules. No drawing until I give the say." The teacher said as he made his way down the row towards Mint. The other students watched, some apprehensive, others eager to see how this turned out. The teacher stood by Mint's desk and looked at his drawing. "And you are only allowed to draw what's part of today's assignment. If you want to draw dinosaurs, you may do so after you finished the assignment. Do you understand me?"
Mint snarled softly and looked away from the teacher. He stared down at the paper. He couldn't believe the dumb teacher made him rip his artwork. He had been so happy with it, too. He might still be able to salvage it if he used some tape on the back. But it still wouldn't be the same. And he wasn't about to redraw this.
"Mr. Zandophen! Are you paying attention to what I'm saying?" The teacher asked, slamming his hand against the eleven year old's desk. "For once, can't you just listen and acknowledge when you did something wrong? Don't blame me for what happened to your drawing. If you had been paying attention and followed the rules, then it wouldn't have ripped."
Mint turned his head slightly. He glared at the teacher, his eyes filled with anger. He probably should have held his tongue, but a part of him wouldn't let him. A part of him that wanted to get back at the teacher somehow, even if just verbal.
"Bite me." Mint hissed, gritting his teeth.
The single phrase caused a collection of gasps to spread throughout the room. Even the students that tried not to pay attention couldn't help but react at that word. No one said that to this teacher and got away with it. No one had ever dared to say something like that to him. This teacher was quite strict and didn't exactly show much softness when it came to punishing students.
The words were practically a curse word. In fact, they were. It was just another way of saying...something much worse. Mint knew this. He knew the implications of what he said. He knew what it meant. He knew that, by saying this phrase, he was in big trouble. He could see the anger growing in the shocked teacher's eyes. This hadn't been the first time he talked back to this teacher, but this was the first time that he said something so condenscending to him.
And Mint felt no regrets. It felt kind of...good to finally tell the teacher that. It felt good that he, in a way, got back at him. Sure, he was going to be punished for it, but he wasn't going to feel sorry for it. Why should he? This teacher had it coming. The others might not agree, but who cares what they thought? They were just a bunch of scaredy cats who would rather run with their tails between their legs than to stand up for themselves.
The teacher suddenly seized his drawing. Mint didn't have time to react. He reached out for it, but the teacher swiftly walked away. He went over to his desk and stuffed the piece of paper in one of his drawers and shut it. He turned the key and there was a click.
Mint stared at him in shock. He couldn't believe he actually did that. His eyes slowly narrowed and he pointed a finger at the teacher, not caring if he was being disrespectful or not. "Hey, that's not fair! Give that back!"
The teacher sat down in his desk and interlocked his fingers. He glared back at the child. "You need to learn some manners and respect, young man. If you can't behave like a descent little child, then you will not get the drawing back. If you care about it so much, then redo it after class." Mint snarled at this. "And just for that attitude you gave me, you are going to the principal's office. I'm sure they'd love to see you again."
Mint grumbled at this. But he knew he had no choice. If he didn't go on his own, the teacher would drag him out. He got up from his chair, ignoring the looks he was given from the other students. He exited the room and began to make his way down the halls.
The nerve of that stupid teacher... How dare he ruin one of his drawings... How dare he take it away from him... Mint wished there was a way he could make the teacher regret what he did. Maybe a prank or something. Yeah, that might work nicely. Something classic, like a whoopi cushion or a thumb tack. Mint wasn't interested in badly hurting the teacher; he just wanted to mess with him. He wanted to teach him a lesson.
There wasn't a lot of things that could make Mint angry. But messing with his drawings, taking them or ruining them, that was a surefire why to get on his bad side. Mint was sensitive about his work, perhaps a little too much so. No other subject made him as happy as art did. And it did upset him to no end that the art teacher he ended up with this year was so stuck up. He wished the teacher was more like the one he had last year, who allowed a lot more freedom in the drawings than his current one. That teacher had been fun. Why couldn't he have that teacher instead of this one?
Well there wasn't much he could do about that. As much as he wanted a teacher who would let him draw whatever he wanted to, he knew there was no chance of that happening. At least not this year. He would have to hope for the best next year. He couldn't wait until he was old enough to choose his own classes. Maybe he'll better be able to avoid lame teachers like his current art one. What was his name? Oh well, he didn't care to remember. It was a convuluted name anyway. He just remembered it began with an R.
Mint continued to walk down the hallways. As he passed by the windows, he glanced outside. He groaned. The fifth graders were playing outside. It was recess for them. He wished he could be out there. He wished he could go outside and draw on the school grounds. But he had to wait. It wasn't recess yet for the sixth graders. And sadly, after this year, far as he knew, he wouldn't get any more recess. Stupid school...
He went down the stairs. The principal's office was a level below his art classroom. He descended the stairs, going down slowly. He was in no rush to get to the principal's office. It wasn't like there was going to be 'traffic' here; this lower level had mostly fifth grader classes and they were all outside playing. As he reached the bottom step, he walked forward and made a right, heading in the direction of Principal Stringet's office.
Then, something caught his attention. Movement in the corner of his eye. He just barely caught it. He turned his head and saw someone rushing down the halls. The shadows they left behind were small. Students? Mint cocked an eyebrow in confusion. What would they be doing here? The classes hadn't switched up yet and almost everyone on this level should be outside playing. There was the chance that someone had to stay inside but...with the way those students were moving, it was like they didn't want to be seen.
Frowning, Mint turned around and started to follow them down the hallway. He could hear hushed whispers. A girl and a boy... Something about their voices was familiar. Just vaguely, like he heard them a few times before but never got to know them that well. Mint kept following the shadows, making sure to stay out of sight. He did manage to get close enough and he could see their overall shape. By now, they were looking a little more familiar. Where had he seen them before?
Then the shadows stopped moving, and by now he could hear their voices more clearly. When he reached the corner they turned on, he pressed his back against the wall. He peered over the corner, careful not to be seen.
The two students were Rudy and Penny. A couple of fifth graders like he suspected. He now remembered where he recognized them from. Rudy had that one comic being published. What was it... Madcap Snap..yeah that was it. It wasn't his thing, but he couldn't help but feel impressed that Rudy managed to get a comic published at his age. And Penny...she was that one genius girl who won that fifth grade science fair a month ago.
Mint frowned a little. What were they doing sneaking around? Shouldn't they be outside? And why were they heading back into Mr. Wilter's room? The teachers were all out to lunch. So they couldn't be going in there to ask him a question or to do some work during recess. He had seen Mr. Wilter duing his walk down the halls; he was going to the lunch room. So why were Rudy and Penny here?
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Rudy?" Penny asked in a hushed voice. "What if we get caught?"
Rudy seemed to hesitate. "We snuck in here before and we got away."
"Yeah but just barely! And you almost lost your hand!" Penny replied as Rudy started to turn the door knob.
Mint was horrified by this. Almost lost his hand? Just...just what was Rudy trying to do that almost cost him his hand? Was he playing around with some dangerous tools or something?
"I still think it'll be okay, Penny." Rudy said, trying to sound comforting. "Come on, let's go. We don't have a large frame of time during recess."
"Yeah I know." Penny said, still sounding worried.
Mint leaned a little closer. He could see the two younger students open the door. They had started to walk through it, their bodies covered by the door. Mint took a step forward, only to trip and fall down. The impact was loud enough that Rudy and Penny clearly heard him.
"Someone's coming!" Penny cried. "Let's hurry up!"
"I'm on it, Penny!" Rudy said.
Mint rubbed his head, shaking it. He got up to his feet. He ignored the dull pain in his knee from where he had banged it. He rushed over to the door just as it shut. Rather than open it up right away, Mint decided to peak inside and see what they were doing. He was careful not to let his footsteps be too loud.
As he got to the door, he was careful to keep his body low. He was slightly taller than these two students, so he had to lean a little lower to keep himself from showing through the window. Once he got into position, he raised himself up slowly, trying to be careful not to make any sudden movements. He raised his head enough to peak through the window, hoping that they were not looking in his direction. He did not want his cover to be blown.
His eyes widened at what he was seeing. Rudy was holding something..a piece of chalk. But it was..glowing? How? Was this some special brand? And then he saw him start to draw on the chalkboard. The lines...they glowed. And in seconds, when Rudy finished the circle, the light vanished. But rather than reveal black, the color of the chalkboard, instead he saw something else entirely. Something he could not believe.
It was a portal... He could see remnants of what appeared to be another world. Something flying, the hint of clouds...it was a portal, but to where, he did not know. He watched as the two students crawled through the portal. Mint stood there, frozen.
What...what had he just witnessed?
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 1, 2014 16:09:08 GMT -5
CHAPTER 2:
The first one to go through the portal was Penny. She eased her way into the portal, positioning herself so that her legs dangled over the edge. She held on with her hands, looking down to judge the distance of the drop. Then she let go and down she fell. She landed on her feet, her knees bracing herself. She looked up and waved her hand to Rudy.
Just like Penny, Rudy crawled through the portal, making sure his feet were facing towards the chalky ground. Before he let go, he realized that he almost forgot something. Pulling himself back up, he reached for the map hooked up to the chalkboard. He pulled it down, effectively covering the hole. After that, he let go and he dropped down next to Penny. He did feel his knees buckle a little, but he managed to stay on his feet. Jumping down wasn't exactly ideal, but when in a hurry, it wasn't like they could do much else.
Rudy could tell, from the look on his friend's face, that she was still nervous about doing this. He could understand why she was uncomfortable with coming at this time. Mr. Wilter had been spending less and less time in the lunch room lately, returning to his classroom faster. And the last time they had snuck into his classroom, they had heard him down the hallway, and they had just barely gotten out of ChalkZone by then. Rudy had to quickly erase the portal but almost forgot to pull his hand out.
Coming up with an excuse for why they were there was difficult. But they managed to convince Mr. Wilter that Principal Stringet wanted to work on homework during recess. It wasn't the most believable story, but it was good enough for Mr. Wilter. He warned them that if he caught them in his room again, that he would take action.
Because of this, coming into ChalkZone during recess had become more difficult. It was becoming too big of a risk and Penny had suggested they try to limit their visitations of ChalkZone while they were at school, and instead wait until they were home. Rudy still sometimes wanted to take the risk of coming into ChalkZone. He felt the incident with Mr. Wilter was just a fluke; so long as they were mindful of the time, they could get back without anyone realizing they were there. Penny still believed it was best to be cautious regardless.
Today, Rudy wanted to come into ChalkZone because he promised Snap they would be there. Snap had wanted to take them somewhere. He refused to say where, though. He wanted to keep it a surprise, and he said the deal was only good for today. He guessed Snap got them some kind of reservation or something. He would feel bad if he missed out on this chance and Snap got whatever he did for nothing.
And while he could probably have waited until after school to come here, he had already promised Snap he'd be there during recess, and he had forgotten his portable portal at home, so he couldn't change the schedule with Snap. And since he and Penny already went through the trouble of getting here, it just didn't feel right to Rudy for them to come all this way just to tell Snap they can't come. Might as well take this opportunity.
When they realized Snap wasn't there waiting for them, it did surprise them a little. Snap was usually there, waiting to greet them, when they scheduled a trip into ChalkZone like this. But neither of them were panicked; at least not yet. Snap may have just been running a little late. They had just gotten into ChalkZone, so jumping to conclusions right now wasn't a very good idea. They would, instead, just wait and see if Snap would come. For all they knew, he was on his way right now.
They didn't stand there long when they heard someone calling out to them. The two kids nearly jumped, their bodies freezing in surprise. The voice was loud, and absolutely unmistakeable.
"Rudy!"
They looked over and saw Snap rushing towards them. It took them only a second to know that he wasn't coming over to simply greet them. Nothing about his behavior or expression told them he was very happy right now. His eyes were wide. He was waving his arms frantically. He looked like he had been running for a while. From Snap's behavior alone, they were able to conclude that something bad had happened. And it wasn't anywhere near here.
Rudy and Penny ran forward to meet up with their friend. When they got close enough, they stopped. Snap didn't speak right away. Just as they thought, he had been exerting himself. He put his hands on his knees and he bent over. He started panting with his tongue hanging partially out. Realizing that his friend must be thirsty, Rudy quickly drew a glass of water for his friend and handed it to him. Snap graciously drank the water, looking very relieved. His throat must have been very dry for him to be that relieved at having something to drink.
After Snap was done drinking, he threw the glass away, a shattering sound being heard, and he returned to his previously panicked state. With his thirst now satisfied, he began to speak. But his voice was so fast paced, it was a little hard to understand what he was trying to say.
"Rudy...Penny...artifact...desert...power...come...quickly...!" Snap yelled at them frantically. He grabbed their hands and yanked them forward. "Come...now!"
"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Rudy said, planting his feet firmly on the ground. He looked at Snap, his eyes widened. "What's going on here? I thought we were..."
Snap managed to calm himself down enough to speak more, like he realized that he wasn't making much sense to his friends. He took in a few slow breaths, and when his breathing returned to normal, somewhat, he said, "It's Skrawl! He's attacking the Mondo Desert City!"
Rudy and Penny's eyes flew open at this. They looked at each other, shocked. Rudy couldn't believe that Skrawl would try something like that after he had already beaten them in the other day. Skrawl usually didn't try new schemes right after the current one failed. And attacking the Mondo Desert City...that wasn't much different than he did before. In fact, it was the same thing. Why would he attempt the same scheme twice?
Just what did that city have that Skrawl desperately wanted? Just how important was this target that Skrawl was willing to target it a second time the next day? Did he really think that he was going to succeed after he was already defeated the first time? Something about this didn't add up. There had to be a reason for this repeated attack.
Snap had said he was going to speak to the people of that city and let them know if he was able to find out anything. He was going to try to see if there was anything spectacular about that particular location that would draw Skrawl in to continue to attack it. Maybe Snap was able to figure out something.
"Do you know why he's attacking?" Rudy asked. "Were the citizens there able to tell you anything?"
"Yeah, a little." Snap said, nodding his head. "They said that they believed Skrawl was after some kind of ancient artifact that's buried somewhere below their city. They said something about how there's a series of these spread throughout ChalkZone and...that's pretty much it. They weren't able to tell me if these things have any special powers or not."
"Artifacts? I wonder why Skrawl would want to get those." Penny wondered out loud.
"Well if Skrawl wants them, then he must plan to use them somehow!" Rudy said, his eyes narrowed in determination. "And we have to stop him!"
Penny nodded in agreement. "I completely agree. If I had to guess, these artifacts must be the key to some kind of power." The others looked at her, eyes wide in shock. She nodded her head solemnly. "I don't know if it's true or not, but it would explain why Skrawl is so determined to get this artifact. He must be planning to harness some kind of power."
"No doubt to take over ChalkZone." Rudy said.
"Oy caloy! We have to stop him!" Snap shouted. Again he grabbed their hands and pulled them forward. "Come on! Let's go!"
Rudy and Penny stared at each other and gave a single nod. They ran along behind Snap. Rudy got out his magic chalk and began to draw them a mode of transportation. The desert was a good distance away. They would never get there and back to the classroom in time on foot. Lines swiftly filled the empty space, taking shape and form, and soon there was a hovercar rushing alongside them.
Rudy jumped into it first. He reached down and grabbed Penny next. Then Snap was pulled in. Penny and Snap took the two backseats, buckling themselves in as a glass shield covered the trio. Rudy took position in the front and grabbed the steering stick. Holding onto it tightly, he lifted the hovercar higher off the ground. He rotated it until they were facing the direction where the Mondo Desert would be. Then, with the press of a button, they were off.
As they traveled along through the air, moving at great speed, Rudy couldn't help but wonder about these artifacts. If they did hold some kind of power..just what could they do? How unstoppable would Skrawl be if he got his hands on them? Would he be able to take even him out in a fight?
The last question filled Rudy with dread. If even he couldn't stop Skrawl in this next grand plan of his, who was going to save ChalkZone from the deranged jellybean? Even before they got there, even though he didn't know the full story, Rudy knew one thing. He had to stop Skrawl from getting that artifact.
But as they continued to head to the Mondo Desert City, there was one thing that Rudy and his friends didn't realize. And if they had known about it sooner, if they had an inkling of what was about to happen, they would have done something to prevent it.
Rudy really should have erased the portal.
sss
Mint was in absolute shock at what he had witnessed. Two ten year old fifth grade students had...they had done something with the chalk and they..crawled through. He saw it as he stared at them through the window. He was careful to duck his head in case one of them looked in his direction. He watched as they went through the portal into this...this other world. Rudy had come back out only to cover up the hole, clearly not wanting anyone to see.
After Mint was certain they were gone, he opened up the door carefully and walked inside. He stared intently at the chalkboard. A part of him wondered if it was safe. Was there something dangerous about this chalk? Why did it glow? Was it radioactive or something? As he started walking towards the portal, he paused for a moment, hesitating. Fear and dread began to well up inside of him. The talk of Rudy nearly losing his hand made him feel on edge. Was this interdimensional gateway even safe? Maybe so if they were willing to crawl through, but not wanting anyone to see...almost losing a hand... Something weird was going on here, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Step by step, Mint inched his way closer to the blackboard. He stopped again, his body shaking. Was he really that cared over a chalk outline? From the way he was shaking, apparently so. He shook his head, trying to calm himself down. It was just a blackboard, nothing more. There was nothing particularly amazing about it. It wasn't going to bite his head off or anything.
He glanced over at the door. He wasn't going to get a lot of time. Mr. Wilter was going to, sooner or later, return to his classroom. While Rudy and Penny might be able to come up with an excuse, he himself could not. His classroom was up the steps, and he was supposed to be going to Principal Stringet's office. If Mr. Wilter caught him down here, there was no doubt he was going to be punished, perhaps get detention again. His parents would so love that...
Knowing he had little time to do this, and his curiosity starting to take over his fear, Mint gulped and he resumed walking over to the chalkboard. As he got closer, his thoughts raced. How long had Rudy and Penny known about this interdimensional gateway? How long had they been going there? Why hadn't they told anyone? Mint knew, if he had found something like this, he would have told people about it. There was no way he would keep something like that a secret.
What would be the motivations of these two students for keeping it a secret? Maybe it was as simple as they didn't think about it. Perhaps they wanted to keep this discovery a secret, all to themselves. Perhaps a nice quiet place for them to go to and relax. He narrowed his eyes a little at this. If that were the case, then the two of them were a couple of fools. They could have made something more out of this, even make some money off of it.
Mint paused his thoughts, backtracking a little. He again wondered if this other world was safe. Logic seemed to dictate both. It seemed to be safe if Rudy and Penny were going in. And if they gone here for a while, well if it was unsafe, why would they keep going? It would seem, at a glance, that they just wanted to keep this place a secret for themselves.
Yet he also had to realize that he didn't know how long they had been going there. This might be one of their first times. They might not know that much about wherever this portal took them. They might know just how safe this place really was. And if they had been trying to keep it a secret, covering up the hole and all, then it could also mean that they did know the place was potentially dangerous and didn't want anyone getting hurt. And if that is what was going on here, Mint didn't know of those two were really brave by venturing in this place, or really stupid for putting their lives on the line.
Mint was in front of the chalkboard now. He stared the map, seeing the faint glow underneath it. In the darkness of the room, the light from the other world was easily noticeable. He took in a deep breath. He wasn't about to chicken out on this now. He grabbed the bottom of the map and hoised it up, and now the portal was competely in view.
Mint stared at it, his previous fear melting away into awe and wonder. The landscape..it was nothing like he had seen before. Everything looked like it was drawn. Even the sky had a chalky kind of look to it. It was almost like a kid's drawing, but it was..almost alive somehow. He stuck his hand through the portal cautiously. The air, it didn't feel any different from where he was standing now. And if those kids went through here without fear, then it must be safe to enter. The air must be breathable.
Mint stuck his head through the portal to get a better look, turning his head from left to right. This world certainly didn't look dangerous. It looked rather...inviting. More so than school that's for certain. He continued to stare at the landscape, in awe and some confusion as to how they looked both like a child's drawing and three dimensional, clearly having shape, shadow, lighting, all that. There was just something so...conflicting and perplexing about this place, and part of his mind couldn't wrap around it.
Then something happened that he did not expect. Something flew in the distance. He thought it was a bird at first, but no...it wasn't. And what it was, Mint could not believe it. It was a pencil. A flying pencil with...with wings.. There was no mistaking it. He saw the eraser tip, the metal thing that held it in place. The body was long and clearly shaped like a pencil, and he could see the granite tip at the end.
Mint couldn't believe it. A literal pencil, no a group of them now... all looking just like any regular pencil, but with wings, flying overhead in a flock. How could such a thing exist? How were they able to see? How could they eat? How were they alive? Mint paused at that. Was this even real? Was this an alternate dimension or...was there a more logical explaination?
There was only one way to find out.
Mint crawled through the portal. He hung over the edge, his arms dangling below him. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself out. He heard the map slapping back against the chalkboard as he fell down. He slammed into the ground onto his shoulder. He hissed in pain and rubbed it, realizing that he should have came through the same way Rudy and Penny had; with his feet, not his hands.
He brushed himself off and looked around. He noticed some other things that he thought was strange. The sun appeared to have a smile on its face... And he caught something else moving around in the distance. It looked like a person but it was...a stick figure...?
Mint rubbed his eyes and stared again, wondering if this world he was seeing was a figment of his imagination. But no..it wasn't. No matter how hard he rubbed his eyes, no matter how much he did a double take, it was still there. Whatever he was standing in, whatever this was, it was real...on some level, it was real. And it was one confusing place. He knew, just from standing here, that this place was nothing like what he was used to. This place it was... it was something else, that's for sure.
After he stood around for a while, just staring, Mint decided to take a walk around. He knew he didn't have much time to go back, but a little walk around wasn't going to hurt. He wanted to do a little exploring before he went back to school. And when he did go back, he had plans on trying to meet up with Rudy and Penny at some point, perhaps catch them before they are picked up from school.
They were going to give him some answers.
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 1, 2014 16:09:50 GMT -5
CHAPTER 3:
"Hurry up, Beanie Boys!" Skrawl yelled, his hands on his hips. "We don't have long before chalk boy will show up!"
Skrawl stood on the edge of a large hole. The edges of the hole appeared to be burnt and twisted. Steam rose from the edges, and in a few places, there was a hint of a glow. Whatever was used to create the hole, it was very hot, like fire or lava. The shape itself was a perfect triangle. The sides of the hole were striped, the lines about the same distance apart from each other, going all the way down. It was as if the machine was used multiple times to get further and further into the ground.
And that wasn't the only area that the machine was used on. Skrawl had used it on the city itself. Various buildings were toppled, the remains easily noticeable by the grey pillars of smoke rising up from the rubble and debris. Much of the landscape had been dececrated, steaming lines, indented deep into the ground, scarring the land. Some of the buildings still standing still had some damage done to them, either a chunk or so missing or a deep burnt line into its side. The only buildings that were relatively undamaged were the smaller ones, but that was only because it was easier targeting something large.
Most of the citizens of the Mondo Desert City had taken cover in those smaller buildings. As soon as they had seen him come, they ran and hid. That pleased Skrawl. Not only did they acknowledge that he was a threat, but them hiding like that meant that he didn't have much of a chllenge. It meant that he could grab this artifact and get out of here, hopefully before Rudy showed up.
But he still encountered some level of resistance. Not all the citizens had fled. The mayor, his advisor, and a few of their warriors did stand up to them. They had weaponry handy and they were ready to face him and drive him out. The mayor said that he was not going to allow him to do more damage to his beloved city. Skrawl just scoffed at this. The people of the Mondo Desert City were not a particularly violent race and their weaponry was...outdated to say the least. And the citizens themselves were cheetah-like and not very strong. They were fools to try to resist him.
The battle was brief. Skrawl sent forth his Beanie Boys to apprehend the fools who dared to defy him. His Beanie Boys might not have been as large as the mondonians, but they did outnumber them. And, one by one, the mondonians fell, trapped within a coil of tight rope. Skrawl took care of the mayor personally. The two fought one on one. The mayor was fast, but Skrawl used his strength to his advantage, and he was able to knock the mayor out cold. To teach a lesson to the other mondonians, Skrawl broke the mayor's leg and tossed him down a deep hole, the one he dug the other day before he was stopped.
He didn't know if the mayor survived that fall. It was pretty deep, several feet. He guessed not, or he was injured further. Oh well, it didn't matter. Not like he cared if the mayor was dead or not. The only thing he cared about was making sure he got the artifact. And hopefully, this time, he will succeed. He'd hate to have to make another trip out here.
Soon, his Beanie Boys rose out of the ground. He could hear their propellers zipping around, getting louder and louder. And when they came into view, a wicked smile spread across the jellybean's face. Yes, this is exactly what he was hoping to see.
In the Beanie Boys' hands was the artifact. A golden crown studded with five small red jewels along the side.
"Bring it here, Beanie Boys!" Skrawl called out. He reached out his hand. When the Beanie Boys got close enough, he snagged it from them greedily. He gave a maniacal chuckle as he held the crown in his hands, grinning evilly. "Oh yes...this is fantastic!"
He held the crown up and looked at it. He could see his reflection in the golden surface of the crown, a little wobbly. The crown felt warm. Despite being in the dirt for who knows how long, it felt warm to the touch, like it had been left out in the heat. The jewels, in contrast, felt cold. Icy cold, almost as if they were left in a tundra. It strange, unnatural, and that was exactly what Skrawl had hoped for. That meant that this was the right artifact after all. His search for this crown was finally complete.
And yet... and yet it wasn't over. He knew it wasn't over. There was more. A lot more... The crown was just one part of a whole set. There were others. About eleven others. Twelve altogether, and each one was crucial to what he wanted to do. He had heard legends about these artifacts, and rumors of where they were hidden. He was still working on finding the other artifacts, and he did find the location of a couple more. He targeted the crown first because it was required for the other artifacts to work. No crown, the plan was not going to work.
Finding all of them and managing to take them without Master Tabootie showing up and ruining his fun wasn't going to be easy. He knew how much of a pest Rudy was going to be. He was like a cockroach. No matter what, he always seems to come back. And that was going to cause him problems, he just knew it. But at least he was able to get the crown; now all he has to is leave before...
"Hey Skrawl!"
Skrawl's eyes widened at this. He bared his teeth and growled. It was that annoying little chalk boy. Of all the bad timing... And just when he had gotten what he wanted, too. He turned around and saw that Rudy was coming after him, chalk held up in the air. Skrawl could see it sparkling from this distance.
Skrawl was confused at first. Rudy appeared to be coming alone. Where was his comical sidekick and that genius girl? Had he come alone this time? It wasn't often Rudy came alone. With Penny, he could understand if there was no way she could get into ChalkZone. But he hadn't done anything with Snap; shouldn't he be here? Did Rudy leave him behind?
But he quickly realized he was mistaken. Turning his head to the side, he could see that the two have come around a different way. The genius girl had her own piece of magic chalk and she was using it to free the mondonians. She had drawn Snap some rope and a hook, and he was making his way down the hole to get to the mayor. Skrawl snarled at this and took a step towards them. Then he paused and looked behind him. Rudy was upon him now, wearing those rocket shoes of his.
"Well well..if it isn't Rudy Tabootie..." Skrawl snarled, putting on a fake smile. He twirled the crown in his hand. "What brings you out on such a...fine day?"
"Cut the formalities, Skrawl!" Rudy shouted. His green eyes were narrowed and he pointed a finger at the jellybean. "Hand over the crown and leave this place in peace!"
Skrawl was amused that the chalk boy thought he could order him around just like that. Rudy thought that, just because he tells Skrawl what to do, that he would just do it on a whim. Oh no...it doesn't work that way. Rudy needed a lesson. He needed a lesson in just who was really in charge here. He would see to it that Rudy remembered what happens when he tries to give Skrawl orders.
He glanced over at his Beanie Boys. Then he looked over at Penny and Snap. They were with the other mondonians. Snap was starting to emerge from the hole with the mayor. And Penny was close to untying the other mondonians. Skrawl narrowed his eyes. He knew just how he was going to teach Rudy Tabootie a lesson he would never forget.
Skrawl turned back around. He was just in time as Rudy had swooped down and tried to grab his crown from him. Skrawl yanked it back, letting Rudy fly by. The boy stopped and turned around, clenching his fists tightly. Skrawl chuckled, wondering if the boy really thought it was going to be that easy.
"Leave this place in peace, you say?" Skrawl said in a humored tone. "Oh I'll do that all right.. I'll do even better!" A twisted smile spread across his face. "I'll leave this place in pieces!" With that, he started rushing towards his machine. "And I think I know where to start..."
Rudy's eyes widened in horror when he saw Skrawl turn the machine around, the end of it facing towards his friends. He was frozen in fear for a second, and then he started flying towards Skrawl. He readied his magic chalk. Skrawl watched as he flew towards him. He stared at his Beanie Boys and waved a dismissing hand.
"Leave my friends alone, Skrawl!" Rudy shouted, getting his magic chalk ready.
He was about to draw something, but the Beanie Boys pushed him back. A group of five surrounded him. They grabbed onto him and held him tightly. They dragged him towards the ground. Rudy struggled to get out of their grasp, but the Beanie Boys were strong. And soon, they had the boy pressed against the ground on his stomach. They used their weight to hold him down. Rudy tried to crawl out from underneath them. He looked over at Skrawl, his eyes widened.
Skrawl sneered evilly at him before shifting his focus on Penny and Snap. Penny had noticed him and she got her magic chalk ready. Skrawl wasn't worried, though. Penny was not as experienced at using the magic chalk as Rudy, and she was not an artist. He knew she could still pose a threat, though, but he felt more confident going up against her than Rudy. And Snap...well he was a weakling. A pathetic excuse for a piece of chalk. He was hardly worth his attention half the time.
Turning his gaze to Snap, though, he realized that the blue boy wasn't looking in his direction. He was too busy trying to get the injured mayor out of the hole. His back was turned to him. Skrawl smiled darkly at this. He was the perfect target...
Skrawl turned his tank-like machine towards Snap. The long barrel that was used to create the square holes now faced directly towards the annoying blue runt. Skrawl pressed a button, and the machine roared to life. The end of it began to glow, pulsating with pure white energy.
Seeing what was going on, Rudy's eyes flew open. He reached out with his hand and shouted, "Snap! Look out!"
"Huh?" Snap heard Rudy and he and the mayor turned their heads. They quickly saw the white energy growing behind them. Their eyes widened in horror. "Oy caloy...hurry!" Snap shouted at the mayor as he quickened his pace to get out of the hole.
Skrawl watched as Snap managed to get the mayor out of the hole. "You won't be getting away that easily..." Skrawl said, a twisted smile still plastered on his green body.
As he said that, the weapon was fired. A pulsating white energy shot forth at lightning speed. It slammed against the rock face just above Snap. The blue zoner screamed in surprise as the rock he was clinging on was destroyed and gave way. He fell down a little, managing to grab onto the rope before he got down too far. Unfortunately, he was still in the line of fire, and the rock that was struck was burning hot. He couldn't grab onto it, and while it wouldn't take long for the rock to cool down, by the time it did, it would be too late.
Skrawl laughed as he lowered the operational end of the weapon downwards. There was no way Snap was going to be able to lower himself in time before this next one hits him. He grinned as he pushed the button again, letting the machine charge up for the whole few seconds that it would. Although Snap was not his main target, even though he would rather have aimed this at Rudy, getting rid of Snap was still going to be a joyous affair. The blue runt was still a thorn in his side. A thorn he was intent on removing.
The machine fired. The white beam headed straight for Snap. The blue zoner widened his eyes and then looked away, waiting for the impact. Rudy let out a scream and he managed to squirm free of the Beanie Boys, rushing towards his friend.
"Snap! No!" Rudy cried.
The beam made impact. It hit against something solid. There was a loud crack as something broke, something shattered. A dull cry intergrated with it. Dust was kicked up. Bits of rock fell from the sky. A brilliant flash of light filled the area, forcing everyone to look away. And soon, slowly, the light started to die down.
Skrawl loved the look on Rudy's face. His eyes were wide, his face pale. He was looking in the direction the machine had shot. His eyes were locked on the debris. His body was shaking. He was shaking his head in denial. He could see the hint of tears on his face. Yes, that's the look he wanted to see. That was the look Skrawl loved to see on the boy. The look of helplessness, and of failure. He had failed to save his friend in time. And for a few moments, that's all Rudy did. Just hovered and stared at the scene in absolute horror.
"That's what happens when you keep crossing me, Master Tabootie." Skrawl sneered. "Perhaps if you haven't kept crossing me, your friend would have made it."
Rudy stared at Skrawl, a few tears slowly moving down his face. This just made Skrawl's smile widen. Rudy's body continued to tremble, and he watched as the boy raised his magic chalk towards him. In response, Skrawl began to turn the machine in the boy's direction. But he realized, too late, that he should have thought this through more. Rudy moved faster than he had anticipated, and already he was out of line of fire, all the way behind him now.
The Beanie Boys tried to keep up with him. But Rudy had managed to keep out of their grasp. The flames from his shoes accidentally hit a few of the Beanie Boys, and they recoiled in pain. They still kept going after him, though. They only stopped when Rudy managed to trap them in a large vase. Then he turned his attention back to Skrawl.
Skrawl watched as Rudy, his eyes narrowed in anger, began to swiftly draw something in the air. Skrawl growled and tried to aim the weapon up at him again. He moved it at fast as he could, pressing the button as soon as Rudy was in the line of fire. Rudy did not hold still and kept on moving. It was a struggle for Skrawl to keep moving the weapon. His hands and arms were getting tired. Yet despite his efforts, he was not able to keep aim on the boy for long.
Then he felt something hitting against the weapon's opening. Skrawl saw the warning on his machine, talking about an obstruction. His eyes widened in horror, realizing that Rudy must have clogged the opening. And he had already pressed the button to fire...and there was no way to stop it... Without hesitating, Skrawl jumped out of the machine.
He had just barely made it, for in that moment, the machine had fired. But because of the obstruction, which Skrawl could see now as a large cork, the energy couldn't be fired anywhere. With nowhere to go, the energy backed up and the machine itself began to break apart. The white energy caused severe internal damage, causing pieces of the machine to break off. In seconds, the machine was reduced to rubble. The force of it knocked Skrawl back a couple of feet.
The crown was knocked from his hand. Skrawl shouted in frustration and tried to grab it. The crown rolled away from him and before he could get it, Rudy had grabbed it from the ground. Skrawl froze where he stood, staring at the boy wide-eyed. Skrawl knew there was nothing he could do. His Beanie Boys were trapped and his machine was capoot. He was, at the moment, defenseless against the angry child. Even if he could use his physical strength against him, there was no way he could reach the boy while he was up in the air like that.
Yet, he refused to show fear to the boy. He narrowed his eyes and he bared his crooked teeth. A three fingered fist tightened, he took a step towards Rudy. "Give that back to me!"
Rudy responded by moving the crown further away, holding it out to his side. He growled, "After what you did to this place?! After what you did to my best friend?! If you really think that I'm just going to hand this over to you after what you did...!" Rudy pointed the magic chalk in Skrawl's direction. "You've got another think coming!"
Skrawl instinctively took a few steps back. He should have thought this through more. What he did was on an impulse. He had forgotten to take into consideration the negative consequences that would have arisen from it. He should have planned it out better. And now he was defenseless against this boy. And Rudy was very angry... Just what was he going to do to him?
Rudy raised his magic chalk. Skrawl took another step back. He readied himself, his three clawed hands flexing. Even though he didn't stand much of a chance against the chalk boy on his own, he was not going down without a fight. Rudy narrowed his eyes, teeth clenched, and he moved to draw with the magic chalk.
"Hey, Rudy!"
At this, Rudy and Skrawl froze. Skrawl's eyes widened, his mouth opened a little in shock. No, it could not be. There was no way that this was possible... It had to be a mistake of come kind. He looked in the boy's eyes. There was...relief in them. Skrawl gritted his teeth. No..impossible... He turned his head and his eyes widened in shock.
There stood Snap. He was...alive. Somehow..he was alive. Skrawl couldn't believe it. How was this possible? The machine made a direct hit... Then, when he looked around, he could see just what had happened. There was something in front of the hole that he did not notice before. Something clear...glass perhaps? Thick at that. Shattered pieces were all over the ground, a melted mark from where the beam had struck it. The glass itself looked shattered, but there was no complete hole. Just a shattered portion in the center, which looked like it was about to break.
Then he saw Penny. The genius girl had a hold of Snap's arm. She was guiding him around the shattered pieces, heading in Rudy's direction. And that was when it clicked in Skrawl's mind what happened. Penny must have drawn a shield up just before the blast had struck. She looked a little rough around the edges; it was clear she did not get out of the way in time. Snap, however, had been spared the blast, though he understandably looked shaken up from nearly being killed.
Skrawl couldn't believe Penny managed to stop his machine that fast. Maybe she was more experienced with the magic chalk than he thought. This caused anger to rise up inside of him. If only she hadn't betrayed him... Those abilities of hers would have worked well against Master Tabootie...
Knowing there was nothing more he could do, knowing that he lost again, Skrawl had no choice but to take his Beanie Boys and flee. But before he left, he cast a glance towards the infuriating trio. He bared his teeth and growled. He would get them for this. They would pay. Oh how they will pay.
sss
Rudy couldn't believe it. He had his arms wrapped around Snap, his friend whom he thought he had lost. He held onto him tightly, afraid to let go. Tears of relief moved down his face.
"Snap! You're okay!" Rudy cried, a smile on his face. "I can't believe it...you're okay! But how...? I saw the..."
"Penny managed to draw me cover before the blast hit." Snap said, hugging Rudy back. He then parted with Rudy and smiled in Penny's direction. "That took guts, you know that?"
Penny nodded her head. "I knew it was a risk, but it was either that, or watch you..." She bit her lip, clearly not wanting to say the next word. She cleared her throat and said, "There was no way I was going to sit around and do nothing."
Rudy smiled at Penny, grateful for what she did to save Snap. He admired that she took such a huge risk. She could have gotten really hurt. And she did get herself injured from that. At first, he thought she was fine. But when she got close, he could see the damage she had suffered. Her clothes had a few small tears and a few burns. Her arms had several scrapes, some of them bleeding. Her glasses had a small crack in them, and her hair had a few charred ends.
But it could have been a lot worse. She could have been caught in the beam's path and suffered, at best, severe third degree burns. And at worst, she could have been killed... Rudy shuddered to think that he could have lost both his friends today. And he felt an overwhelming sense of relief that they were both okay.
He walked over to Penny and gave her a hug, just like he had with Snap. As Penny returned the hug, Rudy said to her, "Thank you.. And I'm so glad you're okay, too."
After a few seconds of hugging, they parted. Then, suddenly, a worried expression came over Penny's face. Rudy looked at her, confused. What was wrong? Was Skrawl coming back? Rudy looked around, trying to find any sign of that notorious jellybean. But he was nowhere in sight.
Penny looked at Rudy worriedly and said, "Rudy, we should be heading back. Mr. Wilter might be back any second!"
Rudy's eyes widened at this. He had almost forgotten about that. Mr. Wilter was coming back earlier lately, and they had spent a bit of time here already. They needed to head back now if they want any chance of getting back without being caught.
Holding the crown in his hand, Rudy made his way over to the mayor's advisor. He was a tall black cheetah-like zoner with tawny markings. He held up the crown towards the zoner. The advisor, carefully, took it from the boy's hand. He clutched the crown against his side with one hand. He then gave a bow of respect to Rudy.
"Thank you, Great Creator. Our people will be forever grateful for what you did for us." The advisor said, his voice very deep but gentle and calm. "Now this crown will be placed back where it rightfully belongs."
Rudy grinned at the advisor. "You're welcome. I'm always glad to help!" He flinched as he said that, momentarily reminded of the incident with Robot Rudy. He pushed that thought out of his mind and said, "Well we'll have to get going now. Bye!"
Rudy and his friends started to make their way towards the hovercar they came in on. He wanted to ask more about the crown and the artifacts, but he didn't have time for that right now. He'll have to come back another time. And hopefully, when he came back, Skrawl wasn't going to be desperate again and trying something else almost right away.
The advisor and other mondonians waved goodbye to them as the trio got in the hovercar and took off. As they flew, Rudy had to wonder why Skrawl really wanted that crown so badly. The only thing special about it was that it always felt warm, and the jewels cold. But it wasn't like it was that special. A beloved, sacred relic of the past that the mondonians cared so much about, sure, but it didn't seem like the crown held anything spectacular about it that would have attracted Skrawl.
He thought about to what Penny said. The crown might be a link to some kind of power. But how? It felt...powerless when he held it. He didn't feel like he suddenly gained some new ability. There must be something more going on here. He just hoped that, by the time they found out, there would still be time to stop it.
sss
Skrawl leaned back against his chair as the Beanie Boys began to carry him back to his hideout. His eyes were narrowed into slits. His body shook in anger. He clenched his teeth so tightly, he thought they would shatter in his mouth.
He had lost again. One of his briliant plans, down the drain just like all the others. He had planned this out better, he thought. He thought that if he had upgraded his machine and brought more Beanie Boys and if he had worked faster, he could have succeeded. In hindsight, it wasn't much of an upgraded plan. And perhaps he should have waited and tried to come up with a new one before going after that crown. Now, he had lost the crown and it had been given back to the mondonians. No doubt they'll hide it again, and this time, he might not be able to find it.
His thoughts went back to Penny. He thought about what was on his mind before. He recalled how he had kidnapped her and tried to make her his 'queen', in the loosest sense of the word. He had wanted a creator by his side, someone who could create anything for him. He would have been unstoppable. Penny seemed like the best choice. She knew Rudy well and knew how to counter him. And when she went up against the chalk boy, Skrawl recalled the feelings of happiness welling up inside of him. It was nice to see Rudy being backed into a corner.
But then, Penny had betrayed him... She had played him for a fool and then he had two creators to worry about. One was difficult enough to handle. But two? He knew he couldn't compete with that. He still fought against them, but a part of him was infuriated with himself that he thought Penny could be trustworthy. This one, he couldn't blame anyone but himself. He really should have thought that plan through more definitely, and realized that Penny would never betray her friends. Now he had her to worry about.
That plan, though a failure, did make him realize something. A realization hit his mind like a train, a truth he could not deny. And in the midst of that, anger also welled up as his mind was also clouded with thoughts of his previous failure. The fact that another plan was ruined made his blood boil.
"I am sick of watching my plans fall apart!" Skrawl hissed lowly to himself. "I'm sick of that wretched Master Tabootie always foiling my plans!" Soon, the realization from before hit his mind, and, slowly, his anger started to melt away, giving into the thought that crossed his head. Something that, he realized, could change everything. "But if there is one thing I learned from a past failure, it's that to beat Rudy, I need to fight fire with fire..."
As the Beanie Boys continued to carry him through the air, something below caught his eye. A movement. He narrowed his eyes as he looked down. He could see something..no...someone moving through the foliage below. From the shape and size, it looked like it was Rudy or Penny. But that was impossible. It couldn't have been them. Skrawl was going to dismiss it at a humanoid zoner, but as they flew further over the trees, he caught a glimpse, and he could not believe it.
Skrawl had never really believed much in luck. But today, it was a very lucky day indeed. It was almost as if his prayers had been answered. It was like that, because of his complaining, fate had handed him the solution to all of his problems.
There, walking through the forest, was a human. A small child that looked just a tad older than Rudy. And he was all alone...
A twisted smile spread across Skrawl's face. The human was practically gift wrapped for him. No one was around to warn him. No one was around to protect him. And if he played his cards right, he could get this kid on his side. And if he had no connections with Rudy or Penny, that was even better. Less of a chance of the brat turning on him or playing him for a fool.
Skrawl motioned for his Beanie Boys to head down into the forest. Skrawl took out his large bag. The Beanie Boys were quiet as they moved along behind the kid. When they got close enough, Skrawl swung the bag over the kid, effortlessly lifting him off the ground. The kid tried to call out for help, but his voices were muffled underneath the thick bag. Skrawl tied up the end and held onto it, securing the bagged boy to his body.
Yes, this boy was the key to his victory. He was going to help him take over ChalkZone. He was going to give Master Tabootie a run for his money. He was going to ensure his victory. Oh yes, this boy was going to turn the tides in his favor...
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 1, 2014 16:10:24 GMT -5
CHAPTER 4:
Mint struggled in the bag. His heart raced against his chest. Adrenaline rushed through his body. He clawed again and again at the bag, hoping to tear it open. But the bag was too thick for him. He attempted to pound at the bag. He called out repeatedly for his captor to let him go. But he did not recieve any responses. He felt himself being carried somewhere, and he had no idea where he was being taken. Fear and dread filled his heart, his mind swirling with different thoughts.
How could he have been so stupid? He should have realized there was a reason why Rudy and Penny had tried to keep this place a secret. He should have known that it was dangerous. He should have listened to his better judgment and not enter this wretched place. He should've gone back as soon as he could. He should have just went do the damn principal's office.
But instead, he decided to go exploring. He decided to check this place out, to see just how bad it was. And now he learned just how much it was when he felt someone put a bag over him. He was hoisted in the air like he was just some dirty landry and he felt himself begin to move in a different direction. Unable to see where he was going, he was unable to stop himself form panicking, his heart pounding against his rapidly inflating and deflating chest. He wondered what his captor wanted with him, and just how grabbed him.
Was it another human? Maybe Rudy and Penny did not keep it as good of a secret as he thought and maybe at least a handful of adults knew about this place. Maybe they weren't happy that he trespassed and were taking him into custody. Or was it one of these...creatures? Were they friendly? Were they hostile? Were they going to stick him in a pot of boiling water and kill him and eat him? Were they going to worship him like he was some kind of god?
Mint didn't want to stick around and find out. He kept struggling to get out of the bag. He tried again to claw and rip at the bag, hoping to make some kind of opening. It was useless and he growled in a mixture of frustration and fear. He realized that he had no choice but to wait until his captors open the bag for him. He was helpless to stop them from taking him wherever they wanted.
His heart beat a little faster as he thought of what they might do to him. He hoped that they weren't going to throw him in a lake or river. He hoped that this wasn't an attempt to murder him. He did not hear any of his captors mention anything about killing him, but that didn't mean that wasn't what they were going to attempt. He pressed his face against the bag, desperate to see where he was. But all he could see was hints of shadow and light, no clear indication of landscape. It was impossible for him to tell if he was flying over land or over water.
He relaxed a little when he saw a hint of green, realizing that they must be over land at the moment. But that relief was short lived. They could still drop him from a great height. And whose to say that the water here reflected blue? It could reflect green, yellow, purple, anything, for all he knew. He knew so little about this place. He...he really should have thought things through more before he came into this place. And now it looked like he was going to pay the price for it.
Suddenly he stopped moving. The sudden force of the stop caused him to be tossed forward a little in the bag. He froze and looked around, trying to see something through the bag to hint where he was. Then he was moving again, this time much slower, as if his captor had gotten out of the vehicle he used to carry him. He could hear low humming, and he was certain his kidnapper was the one making that noise.
The sound made Mint nervous. Just what did he plan on doing to him? His kidnapper sounded almost proud and happy of what he did, like he had accomplished something major. What kind of sick person takes pride in kidnapping an eleven year old? That thought filled him with dread. If this person had no qualms about kidnapping an eleven year old...just what kind of person were they like? How dangerous were they?
Soon he came to a halt again. He felt the bag being shifted and he flinched when he found himself upside down. The bottom of the bag had been pulled open. Out he fell, crashing into the ground against his shoulder. He grunted from the impact of the fall, and he lifted his hand up to rub his head. He barely had time to do that, let alone have a look at his surroundings, when something grabbed his wrist and hoisted him off the ground. He let out another grunt, shutting his eyes from the pain of the squeeze.
"At last..."
He froze at that voice. It sounded so cold...so sinister. Mint was afraid to open his eyes. He turned his head away, and opened up one eye. He could see some details of where he was. Some kind of building. Perhaps a prison. There was a cage in the corner, the bars so thick and broad. He wondered, with a fright, if it was meant to hold large, powerful creatures.
The voice spoke again. "I have found my ticket to success."
Mint shuddered at how sinister the voice sounded. He refused to look at his captor, afraid that if he did so, he would be attacked. As he kept his gaze away, he saw shadows moving along the ground. Something was flying in that spot. He turned his eyes up just barely and he couldn't stifle the gasp when he saw what look like a couple of fat boys floating there, no wings whatsoever. All of them had stupid smiles on their faces, looking at them gleefully.
He felt something press against his chin. A light pressure at first, but then the grip tightened. He winced as he felt something sharp against his skin. His head was twisted back and upwards. The movement was so fast and forceful he could not close his eyes in time, and now he found himself staring face to face with his captor. His eyes widened in horror, mouth dropping open in shock.
His captor...he wasn't human... He couldn't tell what he was. He didn't look like anything he knew. Large crooked teeth jetted out of his mouth. His eyes were odd colored, one red and one blue. He had what looked like a patch of spikey purple hair, antennas growing out of his head. His body was a sickly green color. If he could describe him as anything, it would be a hideous growling jellybean. And with his face so close to his... Mint couldn't stop his shaky breathing.
The jellybean continued to holding Mint in the air, wearing the most disturbing smile he had ever seen. Mint was frozen in fear, not sure what to make of the situation. He looked all around, taking in more of his surroundings. A prison... Was this creature going to trap him here? Was he going to hold him prisoner?
Wanting a chance to escape, Mint let out a scream. The sudden loud sound caused the jellybean to flinch and release him, covering his ears..or did he have ears. This distraction didn't last long as the jellybean tried to grab him. Mint rolled out of the way and got up from the ground. He began to run, not caring which way he went so long as it was away from here. He saw the large open door and headed that way. He looked behind him and his eyes widened when the jellybean and those...fat flying boys...were coming in his direction.
Mint reached the door in a matter of seconds. He thought he was free at first when another group of these flying boys came at him. They made short work of him, grabbing his arms and holding him still. Mint let out another scream of fear and struggled against their grasp. The fat boys used their weight to hold him down, and they were plenty strong too, able to hold his arms in place. Mint's screams soon died down and he began to whimper a little in fear. He watched the jellybean approach him, his body shaking. The jellybean creature did not look pleased, and those fingers...they looked so sharp...
Soon the jellybean was upon him. He stood in front of Mint. He looked pretty angry, those mismatched eyes narrowed into slits. Mint, expecting the worst, shut his eyes and turned his head. He waited for the creature to attack him. He waited for those sharp claws to tear into his skin. He waited for these strange creatures to do whatever it is they're going to do...like sacrifice him to some god or something.
But as he sat there with his eyes closed and head turned away, he realized something. Although he could hear the low growling of the jellybean, he did not feel any time of attack being done against him. The claws did not rip him up. He did not feel any blows. Even the boys holding him down weren't doing anything to hurt him. His body slowly stopped shaking and he opened his eyes. He looked up at the jellybean in confusion as curiosity started to slowly replace his fear. Why wasn't the jellybean hurting him?
The jellybean glared down at him. Then Mint noticed that the frown was changing. After a few seconds, the jellybean was smiling at him. An almost sweet smile that made Mint feel confused and at unease. He couldn't tell if it was a genuine smile or a fake one.
The creature lowered himself and he reached out with his hand. Mint let out a small cry and turned away. He looked back when he felt the creature's hand against his shoulder. He looked back at him again, the smile still being there. Mint's heart was still racing. He didn't know what to make of this. Then the creature opened his mouth to speak and Mint realized he was going to speak again.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot." The jellybean said. His voice sounded friendlier from before. Yet there was still the hint of...something in that voice. Something about it that made Mint feel at unease. "My sincerest apologies. Allow me to introduce myself." With another of his three limbs, he placed a hand against his chest. "My name is Skrawl." He used that same hand to gesture towards Mint. "And what is your name, human?"
Mint hesitated, biting his lip. He was reluctant to give his name to..whatever this thing was. Yet something about those eyes... He couldn't help it. He found himself answering without thinking. "M-Mint Zandophen..."
"Ah..." Skrawl said, straightening himself up a little. "Mint Zandophen... Well..I bid you welcome to my humble home. I hope you have no hard feelings about the whole 'stuffing you in a bag' thing. I just didn't want to miss my...chance..." Skrawl walked around the boy, the pleasant smile still on his face. He circled Mint, eyeing him up and down. "Yes...You will do nicely."
Mint's body shook when he said that. He didn't like he way the jellybean said those words. There was intent behind it. And he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what he had in mind for him. Mint began to struggle against the fat boys, hoping he could free himself.
"Give it up, kid. You won't be able to break free from my Beanie Boys." Skrawl said as he took position behind the boy. He lowered himself again and reached down with a three fingered limb. He ran his fingers gently along his shoulder and arm. "And besides, we aren't going to hurt you. Calm down, relax. We just wish to talk to you."
Mint wasn't sure if he believed him. He turned his head as far as it could go, giving the large creature a wary-filled look. He had no reason to believe that this thing wasn't going to hurt him. And for a moment, the creature's smile faltered, as if he realized that he wasn't gaining his trust. Then the smile returned and the jellybean moved away from him. Walking out in front of him, Skrawl looked down at the boy. He stood on one limb while the rest were pressed against his sides.
At this point, Mint thought anything could have happened. Skrawl could show his true colors and attack him. He could rip his head off easily; his mouth was large enough. He seemed like he was unusually strong too, with the way he was able to hold him up just with one hand. Skrawl could easily order his Beanie Boys to rip him apart; he wouldn't doubt they were strong enough to do that. And Mint could do nothing to free himself. Trembling, he closed his eyes and lowered his head.
"Now now...no need to be afraid." Skrawl said in a reassuring voice. "I told you, we aren't going to hurt you." Skrawl then snapped his fingers. The Beanie Boys released Mint. They still surrounded him, making sure he didn't try to make a run for it. Mint looked at them nervously, then turned his head to face Skrawl. "There, that's better now, isn't it?" He took a step forward. "It's the least I could do for my potential ally..."
Mint instinctively took a step back. "Potential ally...?" He said, his voice small. "What are you talking about? Wh-What is this place? Where am I?"
Skrawl blinked his eyes a few times. "You mean you don't know?" It was hard to tell if Skrawl really was surprised, or if he was just faking it. His eyes widened slightly and then a smirk came on his face. "Why, you're in ChalkZone. Everyone and everything you see here is made of chalk, including myself."
Mint's eyes widened at this. He looked all around. Now that he had been told that, and he got a better look, he noticed that, indeed, everything here had a different sort of look and feel.. a different 'texture' than what he'd expect in on earth. That would explain why everything here felt a little different. It would explain why everything here looked like it was both dream on paper and real at the same time. But if they were chalk...just how were they alive...?
Or were they even alive? Just because they were moving around, talking, that may not mean they were alive. What if they're nothing more than machines or something programmed to do stuff? What if he was just in some large machine, communicating with what are probably just a bunch of programs? If that were the case, he shuddered to think of what the true inhabitants of this place are like. Maybe they're large giants that want to chew his bones and spit them out.
And why was this jellybean, this Skrawl, looking to him for assistance? Why was he attempting to recruit him in...whatever kind of mission he was involving himself with? What did he have that this...this thing wanted?
"Why..why do you want my help?" Mint asked nervously, eyeing the jellybean warily.
"Because, boy, I am interested in your...talents." Skrawl said, smiling down at him.
"What kind of talents? I can't do much besides..." Mint started to say.
"Can you draw?" Skrawl cut him off. Mint looked at hi, confused and surprised. He nodded his head, prompting a smile from the green jellybean. "That's perfect! That's the kind of talent I need around here. I need someone of your skill to help me."
Mint didn't know why him being an artist was so important to this jellybean. What could he accomplish? Did Skrawl just want him to decorate his halls with dinosaurs or something? Did he want him to draw get well cards for his friends, or propaganda to entice people to join his cause?
There wasn't really a lot he could do with his drawings. He couldn't fight with them. He couldn't materialize anything he drew. There was really almost nothing he could do with them. He couldn't understand how Skrawl felt his ability to draw was a useful skill. It was more of a hobby really, and yeah, it was true he could use it to design weapons and such. But if Skrawl wanted someone like that, he could have gotten a professional.
There must be something more going on around here. There must be something about this world that he didn't know about. Perhaps he should stick around. Maybe he didn't have to find Rudy or Penny. Maybe he could get answers from this jellybean. And who better to get information from than a citizen of this strange, backwards world?
"How would me drawing help you with anything?" Mint asked, a tinge of disbelief in his voice. "That doesn't sound like it's going to be very useful."
"Oh trust me, it will be useful to me." Skrawl said. He walked a little bit away from Mint and stopped, folding his hands behind his back. He let out a soft chuckle. "You see, so long as you are here...you are a creator."
"Creator...?" Mint breathed, unable to resist the feeling of awe when Skrawl said that. "What...what do you mean?"
Skrawl tilted his head to the side, giving Mint a sideways glance, staring at him with his red-colored eye. "Exactly what I said. As long as you are in this world..." Skrawl began to walk back towards him. "You are able to bring your creations to life. Tell me, human artist... do you have some kind of creation that you...played with in your head? Something that you would like to see moving around?"
There was something. Mint thought about a character he created for a dinosaur story he never wrote. He wasn't much of a writer. The dinosaur was an orange utahraptor named Ripclaw. She was to be the main protagonist of the story, but he never thought of a suitable plot. He had her personality worked out though. Tough, resourceful, loyal.
Was Skrawl really hinting that he could...bring her to life? Was he saying that, in this place, she could become real, not just a figment of his imagination? The thought was both tempting and terrifying. What should he make of this? Should he go along with what he's saying...or should he be exercising caution?
Slowly, Mint nodded his head. "Y-Yes..."
Skrawl's smile broadened. He moved towards Mint. It was then he noticed he was holding something in his hand. He couldn't see what it was at first. Then, when Skrawl was a foot in front of him, he held it out to him, up near his face. Mint's eyes crossed a little as he focused on the object. It appeared to be some kind of white stick. He realized it was chalk.
"You can accomplish that with this." Skrawl said. He waved the chalk in front of his face, almost taunting the boy with it. "With this, you can create, breathe life..."
Mint looked at the chalk, confused. "But it's just a piece of chalk."
"But it's no ordinary piece of chalk, human. It's magic chalk." Skrawl said, his eyes brightening. "Something that only someone like yourself can wield. I can't use it..but you can..."
Mint stared at the chalk. He soon noticed that it was sparkling. Golden, colorful light sparked at the end. It was entrancing, tempting.. It drew him in. He couldn't tear his eyes away from it. As Skrawl moved the chalk back and forth, he moved his head along with it, not wanting to let the magic chalk get out of his sight. An odd feeling was welling up inside of him the more he looked at it.
"Take it..." Skrawl said in a low hiss. "Draw..."
The jellybean dropped the magic chalk into the boy's hand. Mint stared at it. It felt like any regular chalk at first. Then he felt something...weird about it. A good weird, like a warm feeling spreading through his hand. It was subtle, slight, something that he bet most people wouldn't notice at first. But it was there, and it felt good.
He stared at Skrawl for a moment, and then he looked around. Just where did he expect to draw? He saw no papers..maybe on the walls?
"Draw right there..." Skrawl said, pointing at the empty space in front of Mint. Catching the boy's confused look, Skrawl added, "It will work. Trust me. Just raise that chalk and draw like you're in front of a chalkboard."
Mint was confused by this. But what did he have to lose? He turned his head, facing the empty space Skrawl gestured to. He raised the magic chalk and, as a test, made a motion downward. Much to his shock, it felt like he was drawing against a chalkboard. He could even feel the texture of the board as he moved the chalk downwards. And there, in the middle of the air, was a line. He moved back, gasping in shock. The line fell to the ground and he heard it clang. It was then that he realized that it had become real, just like Skrawl had said.
Mint stood there, frozen for a few seconds. Then he narrowed his eyes slightly. His thoughts racing and confusing, he began to draw in the air once more. This time, he knew exactly what he was going to draw. Swiftly, he moved the magic chalk across the air, lines coming into focus, shapes taking form. He found it hard to stop. It was almost like he was in a trance. And as he drew, he could hear Skrawl chuckling eagerly behind him.
Before he knew it, the drawing was completed. Mint couldn't believe what he was seeing. He took a step back. He rubbed his eyes, making sure what he was seeing was reality. And when he knew it was real, a wave of realization struck through his body. He...he had created something, something that moved, something that stood right in front of him, staring at him with intense yellow eyes.
There stood Ripclaw. A utahraptor that towered over him easily. Her orange body, covered in downy feathers, was solid, despite just being a bunch of lines earlier. Her tail, mostly stiff, jetted out from behind her. Her fingers flexed a little, her sickle claws tapping the ground eagerly. Her long mouth had teeth peaking out from the top jaw. Her pupils, small and round, looked down at him, her eyes almost glowing yellow.
Then she took a step forward. Mint took a step back, unsure of what to think. A low growl escaped her throat. She moved her head towards him. He looked away, expecting her to bite him. But then he remembered one trait he had given her, that loyalty. And he felt her push her nose against his shoulder, and he could hear what sounded like a low purr. He gently put his hands on her, feeling her feathers and warmth. It was an incredible feeling to see Ripclaw like this... It was exactly how he imagined she'd be like.
He wondered how this was possible. He looked at the magic chalk again. There had to be something special about this device. There had to be a logical explanation for why he was able to create Ripclaw. And as he stared at her, standing before him, and as he looked around the place, something came into his mind. Something he had not considered before.
There was an explanation for this place. There was a rational, logical reason for how it could exist. There was something he thought of that would explain why Rudy and Penny wanted to keep it a secret. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before. If he had realized this sooner, he wouldn't have been so freaked out about entering it. In fact, if anything, it would have made him more excited to come here.
This...this had to be a video game of some kind. An advanced game, a simulator, that Rudy and Penny were allowed to participate in. And now he got a chance to enjoy the experience. This must be some kind of beta game that was currently in the words. It would explain everythig.
He looked over at Skrawl. "Is this some kind of...game?"
Skrawl blinked at him. He looked almost surprised. But then the smile came back. He nodded his head affirmatively. "Why..yes it is. And I am your guide. The game randomnly chooses sides, and it has assigned you to be on my side." Skrawl said. He continued to smile down at the boy. "And beccause it chose you to be on my team, the goal here, the way you win the game, is to help me collect some artifacts, and you must fight off the opposite team, ensuring I am able to collect these items."
"Opposite team?" Mint asked. "You mean...Rudy and Penny?"
Skrawl nodded his head. "Yes..." His voice was slightly growly as he said that. "Them... They are your enemies here. They may try to decieve you, but do not believe a word they say. All they're going to do is try to distract you so they can stop me. You must not allow that to happen."
Mint took every word the jellybean said into consideration. The idea of trying out a beta game sounded exciting. He liked playing video games from time to time. And knowing he was playing something so few knew about...it made him feel happy and accomplished.
"So..will you help me?" Skrawl asked, gesturing towards the boy. "I promise you, it will be worth your while. This game is...really advanced. You've seen the results of this powerful technology yourself. With me..." Skrawl gestured to himself. Then he motioned towards Riplaw. "And with your creation."
Skrawl did have a point there. Mint couldn't pass this up. No..there was no way he was going to pass it up. This was an opportunity of a lifetime. He was going to experience a game that was so lifelife, it was incredible. An advanced AI making conversation with him..whoever programmed this guy was brilliant. And this world..it was just so incredible.
He stared at the piece of magic chalk in his hand. The realization that he could create more things...that he could create dinosaurs and bring them to life, in the loosest sense of the world, in this virtual reality world... it was an amazing feeling. He couldn't stop the sense of wonder filling up in his mind. He looked over at Skrawl, holding the magic chalk tightly in his hands.
"And I can create anything I want to?" Mint asked in a soft voice. "Anything I chose? I don't have to obey some strict rule?"
Skrawl shook his head. "Nope! You can draw what you want..as long as you help me defeat Rudy and Penny and win this game. If you do anything to break the rules...Well..." Skrawl shrugged dismissively. "The game ends, and your time playing this will be over."
Mint looked at Skrawl for a few seconds. Then he looked at the piece of magic chalk in his hands. With this, he could create anything. With this, in this world, he could bring to 'life' what he wanted. Here, he didn't have some strict teacher breathing down his neck. Here, he didn't have to worry about his drawings being ripped up. Instead, his drawings could fight back. They could move, they could act, they could attack. And they, judging from Ripclaw's reaction to him, would be obedient to him.
That same feeling from before welled up inside of them. The strange feeling that, at first, felt weird, but the more he felt it, the more he realized how good it felt. His body shook slightly from the energy and the adrenaline. Slowly, a smile came on his face. A small one at first, but it grew bigger until it became an almost demented grin. His eyes glinted, almost twinkling. And soon, he came to realize what that wonderful feeling was.
Power...
His smile broadened even more, and he let out a chuckle. Power...he wielded power here... He looked over at Skrawl. His almost terrifying smile spread further as he stared at the jellybean. And again he started to laugh.
"Okay..I will help you..." Mint said, his pupils shrinking slightly as he continued to give what could best be described as an evil smile.
Skrawl returned his creepy smile. He took a step towards Mint. He spoke in a low voice. "Perfect..."
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 1, 2014 16:11:02 GMT -5
CHAPTER 5:
The Golden Plains was a wide, flat field located near Chalk Earth's equator. It had some hills, some larger than others. But most of it was flat, and covered in short, dry grass. The grass itself was yellow, which was what gave its name in the first place. There were a few trees here. They weren't very big and had pretty thin bark. They kinda looked like trees on an African savannah, except the leaves were yellow instead of green, and the bark itself was a little reddish.
The most common native fauna in these parts, to keep with the African-like theme, were animals that looked like gazelle, except they had longer tails, clawed feet, and two horns jetting out the top of their heads instead of behind their heads. The zoners who lived not too far from the Golden Plains referred to these beasts as mguus. The word 'mguu', from what they said, was an african word that meant leg, a likely reference to how these beasts run a lot across the fields of yellow grass.
The Golden Plains were usually pretty peaceful. The mguus would be chewing on the grass, their tails swishing from side to side. Once in a while, they would go to the small river to take a drink. Sometimes, birds would fly overhead, squawking loudly and catching the mguus' attention briefly before they would lower their heads. Unlike on a real savannah, the mguus didn't have any natural predators to worry about. The Golden Plains was a relatively nonviolent place to be.
Then, as the mguus were eating, they felt a vibration in the ground. They feel the ground with their feet and they lift up their heads, ears perking straight forward. Their black eyes widen as they looked around for the source of the vibration. They knew it could only mean one thing. As a thumping noise could be hard, and the sound of rocks rolling became noticeable by the small group, the mguus started to get antsy. They flung their head from side to side, letting out what could best be described as loud squeaks.
Soon, the mguus were introduced to the source of the sound. Coming out of the foliage, bursting through in a second, were three more mguus, these slightly larger than the rest. And on their backs were Rudy, Penny, and Snap. Ropes were tied around their heads, forming reigns for the trio to use to steer the beasts.
The wild mguus let out loud bleats before they took off running in all directions. The trio rushed through, heading straight. Laughter erupted from the three friends as they ran along the Golden Plains, holding onto their reigns to keep themselves from falling down. Intermixed with their laughing was the sound of the beasts' feet pounding heavily against the ground. This stopped only momentarily as the tamed mguus had to jump across the river, landing on the other side easily. Then they continued on running.
"See? Didn't I tell you this would be a riot?" Snap called out to his friends, a big grin on his face. "It was a good thing that the owners of that place let me change the reservation to today, don't you think?"
"Yeah! This is lots of fun!" Rudy shouted at his friend. He turned to Penny. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Penny looked a little less happy than the others. She held onto her reigns a bit tighter. "Yes, but I'm not sure if we should have gone out this far..."
"Oh puh shaw! Don't worry about it, Penny. These babies know their way back like the back of their...um..." Snap paused for a moment, thinking of what word to use. "Their feet...hooves... well whatever! You know what I mean!"
"Yes, I suppose, but I think we should be heading back." Penny said. She glanced behind her nervously, as if she thought that the owner thought they were stealing them or something.
"Oh calm down!" Rudy said with a smile. "We'll find our way back!"
It had been about twenty-four hours since the scuffle with Skrawl. Rudy and Penny managed to make it back through the portal before anyone noticed them. However, Penny's appearance needed some explaining. There was no way that Mr. Wilter wasn't going to notice her burns, scrapes, and tattered clothing. So they had to come up with an explaination and fast, especially since recess had ended mere minutes after they returned, and it would only be a minute or so before someone saw her like that.
When Mr. Wilter saw and asked about what happened, Rudy was at a loss for words. The scrapes, he could have explained as just her falling down. But the ripped clothing? Yeah the tears weren't that big, but unless she went out in the woods and fell down, there was no way that anyone would by her getting like that falling around here. At least, he didn't think they would, and he didn't want to take the chance just in case it wouldn't work. Rudy was frustrated when he couldn't come up with an explaination this time. He was usually pretty good at this.
However, luckily for him, so was Penny. She was able to think on her toes and come up with a swift story that satisfied Mr. Wilter. She said she was working on a science experiment and it blew up on her face. This had the teacher worried and he wanted her to go the nurse. But Penny insisted that she was alright and that she was just a little battered was all. Mr. Wilter did believe her story and didn't press further, although it was clear he wanted her to get examined further. Rudy was happy that she was able to come up with a cover up story, and also happy that she was okay. Her injuries weren't severe and would heal up in a few days.
They came back into ChalkZone today at around the same time they did yesterday. They met up with Snap. They were half expecting him to say that Skrawl was attacking again. They were relieve when he mentioned nothing about Skrawl, and instead wanted to take them where he wanted to before Skrawl had interrupted. Rudy was glad that Snap was finally able to take them to wherever he was so excited about. Snap didn't go into detail until they got there.
Rudy and Penny had only recently heard about Golden Plains. It was, compared to some areas of ChalkZone they were familiar with, relatively new. Recently erased. Snap guesses it was erased no more than a month ago. He told them how a zoner by the name of Jager had managed to tame some of the mguus and had opened up a business for people to ride them once they were 'civilized' enough, or whatever the right term was. Penny didn't seem very happy about the idea of taking the wild beasts from their habitat to tame them, but she was happy the mguus were at least well fed and taken care of. Jager was a pretty nice guy too. The jaguar-like zoner allowed them to borrow three of his mguus for one hour and told them to stay within a certain distance.
It was a little hard getting used to riding the mguus at first. It wasn't like riding a horse. Their behavior was a little different. It was hard to describe. Some of the behavior was definitely equine in origin, but them some behaviors seemed to be plucked from gazelles themselves, and a bit of rabbit too. They did manage to get the hang of it, though, and now they had been riding around the plains for about ten minutes, enjoying the beautiful scenery and saying hello to some familiar zoners who were taking a walk through here.
Rudy thought it was nice to finally have some more fun with his friends. The past couple days of going up against Skrawl were tiring. The jellybean usually did not strike twice back to back, especially going after the same place again. That did tell him one thing, though. Whatever Skrawl wanted, he must never let him have it. If that crown possessed some kind of power, then it had to be quite something for Skrawl to believe it was worth it to try to attack the same place the very next day. Rudy had thought about him and his friends going on a trip to some historical libraries in ChalkZone to find out more. This was certainly something they had to research as soon as possible. Who knew when Skrawl would strike again?
But for now, he just wanted to relax and have fun. There had been no reported attacks today so far, and he was having a great time with Penny and Snap. He hoped that nothing would happen to ruin this. He hoped that Skrawl had taken the hint that he was not going to be able to steal that crown. He hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with him again for a while.
But if there was one thing Rudy learned, it's that things often don't go the way as planned. Fate had a way of being cruel, twisted, pushing him onto a path he would rather not be on. Often, the thing he wants to happen will not, and what he doesn't want to happen will. And as much as he hoped that it wasn't going to turn out this way, that's just how life can be.
For in that moment, just as he was relaxing and enjoying time with his friends, he could see something flying towards them. It looked familiar, and it was calling out his name. At this, the three friends halted their mguus, looking at the object in curiosity.
"What is that thing?" Snap asked, pointing his hand in the objects direction. "It's a little too far to tell."
Penny adjusted her glasses and leaned forward a little. "I'm not sure, I..." She paused, her eyes widening in recognition. "Homing beacon..." Penny looked over at Rudy. "It looks like your homing beacon, Rudy!"
The object was much closer by now. And Rudy could tell Penny was right. It did look like the homing beacon that he drew to fetch Biclops when Snap wasn't paying attention to the notes about releasing Reggie's leg. Just like the one he drew, this one looked like a piece of bacon with a metallic box in the center with a flashing red light. This one was a little larger than the one he drew and the bacon looked more mechanical in appearance, and looked more durable.
"Yeah, you're right Penny!" Rudy said.
"I wonder what it wants." Snap noted.
It didn't take them long to find out what it was. The homing beacon stopped right in front of Rudy. It flapped there for a few seconds. It was close enough that Rudy could hear the squeaking of metal colliding with metal each time it flapped its 'wings'.
Then its red light stopped flashing, and instead glowed brightly. A constant, continuous glow. It shot out a beam of light, hitting Rudy in the face. His friends were shocked by this and Rudy was taken aback, shielding his face in case it was a weapon. But it was just regular light for the most part. The homing beacon shifted the light through Rudy a few times. Then the light vanished.
"Identity confirmed. Rudy Tabootie." The homing beacon said in a mechanical, clearly robotic voice. "Emergency! Emergency!"
At this, the three friends looked at each other worriedly. Rudy couldn't believe it. It couldn't be. Skrawl wouldn't be dumb enough to try a third time, would he? A cold chill ran up his spine. If he tried a third time..then that meant that artifact must be of more value than he realized.
He had to wonder. Just what was Skrawl's big plan, if he was indeed doing after this artifact a third time? How did he think he was going to get it? This theory, however, was a little altered when he heard what the homing beacon said next.
The homing beacon said, "Attack on Rainbow Mountain Range! Hostile confirmed as Skrawl! Please hurry, Great Creator!"
"Rainbow Mountain Range?" Penny asked quizzically. The name clearly didn't ring a bell with her. "Is that some new place?"
"No, it's been around for a long time." Snap explained, holding the reigns a little tighter. "Pretty old actually. But why would Skrawl attack that place? There's nothing there except for a bunch of rainbows and some overly friendly folks. They have no weaponry."
No weapons.. Of course Skrawl would not only attack a third time, but he would let out his frustrations against people who couldn't really fight back that well. The mondonians were peaceful too, but they still had some form of weaponry. The people of Rainbow Mountain Range, however, did not. It was disgusting that Skrawl would attack such a place. Yet...it also was not very surprising. This was Skrawl he was talking about.
It was such a shame that the fun he and his friends were having was cut short. It was disappointing that what he hoped wouldn't happen, did happen. It was frustrating that, lately, Skrawl has been keeping him and his friends on their toes. But there was nothing they could do about it. Well, nothing except go and stop him. Maybe after he stops him this time, he'll quit and move onto something else.
If Penny's theory was right, then Skrawl was after a different artifact this time. And he guessed that, like Penny thought, this second artifact was linked, somehow, to the first one. So it seemed Skrawl did give up...well kind of. He gave up on the crown, and now he was going for a somewhat easier target. The people of the Rainbow Mountain Range were so nice and nonviolent that Skrawl didn't have to do much to force them to hand over their artifact or tell him where it was.
He looked at his friends. He made a motioning gesture with his hand. "Let's go! We have to get there before it's too late!"
"Yeah!" Snap said with a grin. "Skrawl's got chalk for brains if he thinks that this plan is going to work!"
The trio started to run off, following the homing beacon. It flew at a considerable pace. Really fast, actually. But it would stop often to make sure that it was still in their line of sight. Then, once they got close enough, it would resume its rapid zipping and zagging.
Penny called out, "But what about Jager? Rainbow Mountain Range is out of the jurisdiction! And our time is almost up!"
"Don't worry about it, Penny! I'll explain the situation to the guy when we get back!" Snap said, smiling reassuringly at her. "I'm sure he'll understand!"
"Yeah!" Rudy agreed. "Besides, if we don't stop Skrawl, something terrible will happen!"
He didn't know what this terrible thing was. He had no idea what these artifacts could do. He didn't know of their powers, if they were the key to something big, or what. He just knew that Skrawl was desperate to get them. And if he wanted them so badly, it must mean that they were dangerous. Or at least, could be used in harmful ways. He could not allow that monsterous jellybean to get even just one artifact. He couldn't afford to.
At least this wouldn't take very long. He would just have his short scuffle with Skrawl, he would beat him and send him packing, he'd return the artifact, and they could go back. Not long at all. And everything would return to the way it was before. He and his friends could go back to having fun. They could rest under the assurance that ChalkZone was safe.
That was how it should have been. But, life has a way of making unexpected turns. And as Rudy and his friends were going to find out soon, that was what was going to happen this time. And it was going to change everything.
sss
The Rainbow Mountain Range was a twin set of mountains all lined up in a row. Tall and spikey, looking almost like jagged teeth. The mountains themselves were an eerie purple, and there was a constant low fog in the area. The place, at a distance, looked uninhabitable and appeared to be a place to be avoided. Anyone who didn't know this place well enough would think that it was the perfect hideout for villains, with all the pointy rocks and jagged mountains and such.
But upon closer inspection, the place really was a thing of beauty, and not the kind regarding how spooky it was. Within the mountains themselves, underneath all that fog, there were a few rainbows covering the sky, which was where the mountains got their names. The rainbows were beautiful, and certainly not the kind to ram into the ground like the ones the kid who kept drawing storms created. In the middle of the two mountain ranges, there was some areas of lush grass and fresh water, and some zoners had made this place their home.
Snap himself had been here once before with Rapsheeba. He had wanted to take her on a trip somewhere, and he thought this place was perfect. It was pretty old, older than him at least, and he had always wanted to come here himself. With its scary outward appearance, it was no wonder not many zoners liked to venture here, and why so little was known about it, at least in comparison to other places. He wasn't surprised that Penny had never heard of this place and thought it was newly erased.
Looking around, Snap could recall the fond memories he had here with Rapsheeba. They had played some of the local games here. And after that, they visited one of the very few restaurants they had available here. Due to the limitation of customers, the restaurants were quite small and the food pretty limiting. He and Rapsheeba didn't complain, though, and the food was pretty good.
But coming here now, Snap could tell just how different things were. No longer did it seem very peaceful. No longer was it quiet and calm. Replacing all that was chaos. The zoners that made their home here were in obvious panic. Some were running around. Others were hiding. Still others were screaming. Snap felt bad for them. It was clear these zoners were not used to combat, and were ill prepared for when Skrawl had attacked.
Just like with the Mondo Desert City, Rainbow Mountain Range had clearly suffered damage. Large burn marks decorated the place, a clear sign that Skrawl was able to get a new weapon so fast. That scared Snap. And he knew it worried his friends, too. How did Skrawl manage to get another laser-based weapon so fast? The thought of Skrawl possessing another of those things caused him to have flashbacks of yesterday, when Skrawl nearly killed him. The thought made him shudder. He had never looked at death like that before. If Penny hadn't intervened, he would have practically shaken hands with his own death as it came to 'greet' him.
Pieces of the purple mountains had broken off. Large boulders had come crashing down. Some of the few buildings that were here were demolished, crushed under the weight of the rocks. The land looked horrifically scarred, and some of the rainbows had been shattered as well. Multicolored pieces lay strewn on the ground, jagged and broken. Snap was shocked at just how much destruction had occurred before he and his friends got here.
The only good news he could find as they rode into the mountains was that no one seemed injured. Any zoner they saw running past them didn't look like they had been hurt. No marks, scrapes, bruising, nothing. None of them ran like they were hurt. They must have fled before Skrawl decided to attack. And luckily, they had managed to get away from him before he could nab them and hurt them. That did provide a sense of relief for the trio. At least no one got hurt this time.
It didn't take them long to find Skrawl. He was standing near a large cave entrance near the end of the Rainbow Mountain Range. Just as he thought, he had another laser machine with him. This one didn't look as nicely drawn as the last one, but it was fully functional. Smoke pillowed out the tip, indicating that it was just recently used.
As they got closer, Snap could see that Skrawl was holding up what looked to be a golden rod. He had it up in the air, gripping it almost triumphantly. He must have just found it. Snap realized they had just gotten here in the nick of time. They were almost upon him now. In a matter of seconds, Rudy could be calling out Skrawl and challenging him to a battle. And it would end with Skrawl losing, like always. Snap smiled as he thought about Skrawl fleeing once again and yelling about how it was impossible for him to lose or that he'd be back. Typical Skrawl.
Then Snap noticed something off this time. Back at the Mondo Desert City, Skrawl had some Beanie Boys with him. But this time..well there was only two, just enough to carry him here on his chair thing. The other Beanie Boys, if they had been here, were nowhere in sight. Where were they?
Snap got a really bad feeling. What if they were hiding? What if they were running straight into an ambush. Snap looked all around cautiously, expecting one of those plump boys to jump on him or his friends at any second. He looked over at his friends. Rudy was busy glaring in Skrawl's direction, but Penny had caught his wary look. She was going to say something, but then Rudy started to talk, interrupting their thoughts.
"Put that rod back, Skrawl!" Rudy said, pointing a finger in the jellybean's direction. "You're not leaving here with that artifact!"
"Why hello, Rudy Tabootie!" Skrawl said to the boy, giving a mock friendly smile. "How nice of you to..drop in..."
By now, the trio were at the bottom of the mountain Skrawl was on. He looked down at them from the higher ledge. An evil smile was spread across his face. He held the rod up for them to see, waving it from side to side tauntingly. Rudy haulted his mguu and jumped off. He held up the magic chalk towards Skrawl, preparing to fight him.
He and Penny stopped behind Rudy. They got off and took places on either side of Rudy. They both took fighting stances, ready for whatever Skrawl has in store for them. But as they did this, Snap realized something else.
Skrawl didn't seem...frustrated with their appearance this time. Not that the jellybean always reacted in rage to them coming. But the two times where he tried to steal the golden crown, he had been visibly furious that they had arrived. Even if he was still smiling, he could tell from the tone of his voice that he was not happy to see them. But this time...this time was different. Skrawl looked...happy that they were there. Like he had wanted them to come. But why...?
Something wasn't right...
"If you want this rod back..." Skrawl held the rod in front, over the edge, gripping the edge with his two fingers. He moved it back and forth, taunting Rudy and his friends below. "...why don't you come and take it from me? I know that's what you want to do, right? Draw something and come after me, then I flee..That's how it always is, isn't it? That's how our little song and dance go."
Rudy narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Skrawl just laughed at this, tossing the rod in the air and caught it before it hit the ground.
"So..what do you say we get this over with, chalk boy?" Skrawl said. He held out another hand and gestured for Rudy to come.
Snap didn't like this.
Rudy drew his rocket shoes and flew up into the air. He took Skrawl's challege and rushed towards him. He held out his magic chalk, preparing to draw. Snap looked around, a sudden chill going up his spine.
Something was definitely wrong...
"What's wrong, Snap?" Penny asked, her head turned towards the blue zoner.
Snap looked at her, concerned. "Something's off, Penny!" He cried in a panic. "This...this might be a trap!"
Penny's eyes widened at this. She turned her head and looked over at Rudy. Then it was clear something else caught her eye, as her gaze shifted a little. When Snap saw her eyes widen in horror, his heart filled with dread.
It all happened so quickly. Rudy was in the middle of drawing something. It was hard to tell what it was supposed to be as he was just half finished. Before he could continue more of it, a bright red glow briefly illuminated him. Rudy turned his head just in time to see a red laser heading towards him. He didn't have time to react as the laser struck against his rocket shoes, destroying them. Rudy screamed as he and unfinished pieces of his creation fell to the ground.
The sudden attack had startled Rudy enough that he dropped his magic chalk. It hit into the somewhat tall grass, becoming covered by the foliage. Snap bit his lip. This was not good. Without his magic chalk, Rudy would have a hard time fighting back against Skrawl. But he didn't have time to worry about that; Rudy was going to get crushed by the falling debris if they didn't do something, and fast.
Snap and Penny rushed to his side. They grabbed an arm and pulled him out of the way as pieces of his creation crashed down all around them. A few of them narrowly missed striking them. After the chunks stopped falling, they helped Rudy up to his feet. Rudy brushed himself off and looked up at Skrawl, clearly shocked by that surprise attack. Then he turned to his friends.
"Where did that come from?!" Rudy shouted, his eyes wide in shock.
Snap looked around, trying to find the source of the laser. He felt Penny's hand on his shoulder. He followed her finger as she pointed to a spot to the left of Skrawl.
"The laser came from there!" Penny cried out.
A cold laughter from Skrawl drew their attention. They looked up at the evil jellybean, glaring hatefully at him. Rudy looked around, clearly trying to find his magic chalk. But it was nowhere in sight. Snap had seen where it fell, but now that he had shifted focus away from it, he no longer could tell where it was. All the grass here looks the same. There was no way he could find it that fast.
Skrawl sneered down at them. The trio glared at him, taking defensive stances. Even chalkless, Snap knew Rudy wasn't going down without a fight. And he and Penny would not either. Whatever this jellybean had in store for them, they were ready.
"I think now is a good time to introduce my new...partner." Skrawl said, smirking down at the trio. He laughed when he saw their confused expressions. "Yeah, that's right. I managed to find someone willing to work with me. He might not seem like much, but trust me, Master Tabootie..." Skrawl's face contorted into a twisted smile. "He is going to give you a run for your money..."
The trio looked at each other worriedly. A new partner? Just how did Skrawl manage to convince to work with him? Not many of the aggressive zoners would work with Skrawl for various reasons. And from his evil smile, this partner is no pushover. Who could it be?
Skrawl turned his head to the side. He put his hand to his mouth. Then he shouted, "Come out here and say hello to our 'friends', Mint Zandophen!"
Up on the ledge, another figure was coming into view. They were blocked out of the light for a few seconds, keeping them in complete shadow. This didn't last long. Light suit illuminated the second individual's body. And when it did, a collective gasp spread through the trio. They took a step back, looking on in absolute horror.
Snap's body trembled. His eyes were wide in fear. His mouth dropped open in shock. He shook his head in denial. No..no it was impossible...it couldn't be... There was no way Skrawl could have... But then..there he was, standing right there. This was real. No, it was worse. It was a nightmare.
Penny put her hands to her mouth in horror. "No...it can't be..." She whispered in a low, disbelieving voice. She took another step back, her body shaking just like Snap's.
Out of the three, Rudy was shivering the hardest, as he had, not so long ago, faced off against someone else like this. They had all thought he never would have to do it again. But they had been oh so very wrong. Rudy stared up at the figure in absolute shock. His eyes were really big and it looked like he was trying to speak, but no words would come out.
They all wished it was just a horrible dream. They wished that it was just a figment of their imaginations. They wished that they could just close their eyes and and the figure would go away. But no matter what they did, the figure didn't disappear. The figure was real, much to their horror and disbelief. And they all realized that their worst nightmare, besides ChalkZone being exposed, had become a reality.
There, standing on the edge next to Skrawl, was a human child... A creator... And in his hands, a piece of magic chalk. He was staring down at them, something of an evil smile on his face. In a holster around his waist, there was a crudely drawn laser pistol. The same one used against Rudy...
The sight of this made Snap remember the Chalk Queen incident. He remembered when Penny pretended to betray him and Rudy to fool Skrawl. He was experiencing deja vu, only this time, round two was going to be a whole lot worse. So much worse...because this time, the creator Skrawl had by his side was not someone he or his friends knew. This time, the confrontation was real. There was not going to be any 'Hey I was doing this to fool him!' or anything.
This time, the Enemy Creator was for real.
"So you are my opponents?" Mint said. He eyed the three one by one, the smile never leaving his face. "Rudy. Penny. Snap. I believe those are your names, right? Well as you know, my name is Mint, and I will be your opponent for this round." He lifted up the magic chalk, watching it glint. He smirked back down at them. "I would normally draw something, but I already created something to keep you three entertained for a little while. This round belongs to me."
With that, Mint raised his hand up and snapped his fingers. As soon as he did that, the sound of pounding feet came towards the trio. A loud snarl ripped through the landscape. The sound startled their mguus and they immediatel took off running. The three turned their heads and, to their horror, a large predatory dinosaur came rushing towards them, mouth agape.
The dinosaur crashed into the trio. Its tail slapped against Snap, knocking him back several feet. Snap crashed into the ground hard. He rubbed his head and looked over. His eyes widened as he saw the dinosaur pin Rudy and Penny down, its snarling mouth close to their faces.
"That's a good girl! Keep them pinned for a little while, Ripclaw." Mint called down. "Remember, Skrawl just needs a little extra time! We have this all wrapped up!"
Snap watched as Rudy and Penny struggled to get free. Ripclaw didn't appear to be hurting them, but that didn't mean she wouldn't. Those teeth looked wickedly sharp. And those claws, especially her sickle claws, looked lethal too. Snap had to do something, and fast.
He took a step forward. He was going to rush over at the dinosaur and use himself as bait. He was going to through himself at her and distract her so Rudy and Penny could get out from underneath the feathered dinosaur. But something stopped him. As soon as he took a few steps towards them, something caught his eye. Something white and sparkly... He looked down and realized it was Rudy's magic chalk. His eyes widened and a small smile spread across his face. This would easily even the odds a bit. He reached down and picked it up.
Snap held up the magic chalk and rushed towards his friends. If he could just give one of them the magic chalk, they would neutralize this new creator and send him back home. It shouldn't be too hard. The beast's attention was currently just on his friends. She would not notice if he got close enough to toss the magic chalk to either Rudy or Penny.
But he never got that chance.
As he ran towards his friends, he did not notice that Mint saw what he did. He didn't notice Mint rushing down the mountain side towards him. He did not notice the kid running in his direction. He wasn't aware of any of that...until it was too late.
Snap almost didn't stop in time when Mint got in his path. The boy glared down at him. He held out his hand expectantly. Snap pulled the magic chalk away, glaring at him.
"Give that to me." Mint demanded, his hand still out.
Snap snarled in response. "Never."
Mint narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Then, so be it..."
Snap's eyes widened and he let out a painful scream. Mint had kicked him in the stomach. Snap's knees buckled and he fell down. The magic chalk dropped from his hands. Snap tried to get back up, but Mint kicked him again, this time on the side. He rolled across the ground, groaning in pain. When Snap reopened his eyes and looked over, he saw that Mint had already grabbed Rudy's magic chalk and stuffed it in his pocket. And now he was walking towards him.
Before Snap could get away, the Enemy Creator gripped him by his throat. Snap gagged as he was lifted up into the air. He struggled to get free. He stared at Mint defiantly, giving him the most determined glare he could muster. This just prompted a chuckle from the kid.
"So you are Rudy's 'greatest creation', are you?" Mint said. He eyed Snap up and down. "Well if you're the best he's got, I guess I shouldn't be too worried..." He put his face close to Snap, his eyes boring into the zoner's. "With something as pathetic as you, there's no way he will beat me..."
Snap continued to glare at Mint. He gripped his hand and tried to free himself. But despite being a kid, his grip was really tight. Snap kicked his legs in the air, struggling to get free. "Put me...down...and I'll show...you..just how great...I am...!" Snap growled at the boy, still gagging a little from Mint's grip.
Mint just sneered at him. "Oh really now...?"
Snap gave a determined smile at the boy. "Yeah! You..don't know...what I'm...made of...!"
Mint chuckled at this. "Well then...perhaps I should find out."
Snap's eyes widened in horror when Mint pulled out his laser pistol. The boy smirked at the object and then looked at him, intent shining clearly in his eyes. He put the end of the pistol against Snap's head. The blue zoner started shivering in fear. Mint put his finger on the trigger and started to apply pressure.
"Stop!"
Mint froze and lowered the laser pistol much to Snap's relief. The two of them looked over and saw Penny, who had managed to get free of Ripclaw's grasp, rushing towards them.
"Let him go!" Penny demanded as she closed the distance as fast as she could.
Mint stared at her blankly for a few seconds. Then he glanced down at Snap. A twisted smile spread across his face. He gave Penny a sideways glance. He lifted Snap a little higher into the air. The muscles in his arms tensed up. Snap knew what was going to happen next.
"Oh you want this poor excuse for a drawing back...?" Mint said tauntingly. "Well then here! You can have him back!"
Mint threw Snap as hard as he could. The zoner flew through the air, his eyes wide and letting out a scream of surprise. He slammed against Penny before she could get out of the way. The two of them fell into the ground. They groaned for a few seconds before climbing back to their feet. They took a defensive stance, glaring at the boy.
Before anyone could make another move, Skrawl's voice rang out through the mountainous region.
"All right, Mint! That's enough fooling around! Let's get out of here!"
Mint looked over at Skraw. He seemed a little disappointed that he did not get to fight with them more. He looked back at Penny and Snap. A smile came back onto his face. He snapped his finger and in seconds, Ripclaw was by his side once more. As Rudy moved towards his friends, Mint climbed onto Ripclaw's back like she was some predatory horse.
Rudy glared at Mint, teeth gritted. "You hurt Snap..." He said in a dangerous tone.
Mint just shrugged like it was no big deal. "Eh..whatever, Rudy. If it upsets you that bad, you'll have another round against me soon enough. But for now..." Mint's eyes glinted. "I win..."
And with that, Mint disappeared, leaving behind a very confused, angry, and frightened trio.
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 6, 2014 14:43:10 GMT -5
CHAPTER 6:
How could this have happened?
Why did this happen?
What did he do wrong?
He had always been so careful... What could have gone wrong?
These questions plagued Rudy's mind as he and his friends sat in Snap's house. He barely remembered how Jager reacted when they told him they lost the mguus, how they had run off. He was probably angry, but right now, Rudy didn't care about that. The problem with the mguus was minor, a mere scrape into the ground, compared to what he and his friends witnessed in the Rainbow Mountain Range. It had shook them all to the core, and it was so hard for them to digest the information. It was hard to accept that it was reality.
Rudy couldn't fathom just what could have happened. He hadn't noticed anyone coming in through the portal. He and Penny did not see anyone enter the classroom. They had made sure to cover up the opening. The map should have blocked the portal from prying eyes. No teacher, not even Mr. Wilter, would think it was strange seeing the map down. No teacher or student would just walk into the room just to pull up the map.
Well there were the janitors who wipe the chalkboard clean. But those people only did so during non-school hours. It was still recess. So that couldn't have been it. And Mint wasn't a janitor. He was a student. Rudy wasn't sure what grade he was, but he guessed he was in a different part of the building. What would he have been doing so far away from his classroom? Why would he have been sneaking around in the hallways like that? Granted, that's what he and Penny were doing, but they had a reason to. Mint had no business being in that part of the school.
Penny suggested earlier that not erasing the portal was the biggest mistake he could have made. And she was right. There was no other explanation they could think of. It would explain the footsteps he and Penny heard. It wasn't a teacher. It had been Mint. He must have been following them. He must have...he must have seen the portal as they had gone through. His eyes widened in horror at that. Despite being so careful, someone had seen them use a portal. Someone had seen the entrance to ChalkZone before he or Penny could cover it up. And that would have prompted Mint to go into the classroom and...
A wave of horror slammed into Rudy. What had he done? What kind of terror had he inadvertantly unleashed onto ChalkZone? He had been trying so hard to be the protector of ChalkZone. But so many times, he does something that makes things worse. One of the worst things he did was unleash the tiny red bat plague onto ChalkZone, nearly killing so many zoners who, unfortunately, ended up being bitten. And that was just one example.
He recalled how he had accidentally allowed another human, Vinnie Raton, into ChalkZone because he forgot to close the portal into the place. Vinnie had been determined to turn ChalkZone into a theme park and give jobs to all the zoners. He had been determined to make a profit on it, and he didn't quit even after he had been thrown out of the place. Rudy was glad that he was able to get Vinnie out of ChalkZone and keep him out, knowing full well how bad things would have turned out if he had failed.
Now he had accidentally let in another human. This one was a kid like him. Another artist, he could tell. But one of a very different personality. He and his friends had barely met the kid, and already they could tell he was dangerous. A bit of a lunatic, too, with the way he was talking. His attitude towards Snap angered him, and reminded him of Reggie Bullnerd. That revelation scared him. That meant that he and his friends could be witness to another 'Reggie the Red' incident, only this time, the new creator was using white chalk, so Rudy's plan of 'making the chalk rebel' that he used on Reggie would not work. And chances are, this kid was not as stupid as Reggie, so he would not be as easily fooled.
Rudy still felt anger when he thought about how Mint had treated Snap. As he was pinned on the ground, he could see Mint kicking his friend. This horrified Rudy and he had tried to get free, but to no avail. Then when he saw Mint pick Snap up and point the laser to his head... Words could not describe how angry and horrified he felt when he saw that. And there was nothing he could have done about it. He was still trapped underneath that dinosaur creation of his.
He was relieved when Penny had managed to get free. She had grabbed a chunk of dirt and rock into her hands and threw it into Ripclaw's face. This caused the dinosaur to screech and shift her body enough that Penny could squeeze out. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to free him. Rudy watched, helplessly pinned down by Ripclaw, as Penny rushed over to stop Mint. He was thankful when Mint changed his mind about shooting Snap. But that thankfulness turned into anger when he saw Mint casually throw Snap into Penny like it was no big deal.
The way Mint acted like it was no big deal he hurt his friend... There was no doubt in Rudy's mind that this kid was insane. He could tell, just from their first encounter, that this kid was much more dangerous than Reggie ever was. He could see the look of intent in that boy's eyes. There was no doubt in his mind that, had Penny not stopped him, Snap would have been killed. That kid...that boy.. He obviously didn't care about taking another life. It was like this was all some kind of game to him. He was about to shoot his friend in cold blood, and for no reason at all other than just because he could.
Rudy knew that this behavior would only continue, and his dangerous tactics would spread throughout ChalkZone. He knew that, if he isn't stopped, Mint would cause destruction throughout ChalkZone. He might attack other zoners. He might try to kill as many as he could, just out of spite. What he almost did to Snap was nothing more than a mere preview of what was about to come. Horrible images of all kinds of damages and zoners groaning in pain, some already dead, filled Rudy's mind, sending shivers up and down his spine. He couldn't allow this to happen. He...he wouldn't allow it to happen.
He glanced over at Snap. The blue zoner was sitting there, with a somewhat blank expression, though he could see a tinge of fear in his eyes. His body was still shaking a little. Snap was shaken up by what had nearly happened to him back in the Rainbow Mountain Range. Rudy understood why he was feeling like this. He had been so close to being killed. Mint had pointed a gun to his head and was going to pull the trigger, only stopping when Penny intervened. That was just a...vile and disgusting act. Mint's whole treatment of Snap was careless, harsh, and mean. Rudy worried for his friend the next time they'd run into Mint. Would he try to finish the job...?
Another creator in ChalkZone...an Enemy Creator...it had been one their worst fears for ChalkZone for so long, only intensified when Reggie showed up. They knew, they all knew, this was not going to be as easy as other enemies like Skrawl or Craniac 4. None of them could create like Rudy or Penny could. As threatening as they could be, so long as Rudy or Penny, or even both, had the magic chalk, they could get out of most situations without as much trouble. They would be able to hold their ground and fight back, giving their enemies a run for their money.
But now this time, it was so much different. Another creator meant the playing fields were now equal. No longer could they just draw something to save themselves with or to stop the enemy. Now, there was the Enemy Creator... Mint Zandophen... He could draw a counterattack and drive them back. He could create traps, weapons, whatever else he wanted to. Any trick Rudy or Penny could come up with, Mint also had the ability to do the same thing. Just as they could bring to life anything they needed, so could Mint. And because they had just barely met the kid, they had no idea how capable he really was...
That realization struck them all deeply, straight into their hearts. They had no idea what to expect from this kid. They didn't know just how competent he was going to be. But if their first encounter with them told them anything, he was at least competent enough to neutralize Rudy and handle all of them pretty much on his own without using the magic chalk to create something else. If that was what he could do without the magic chalk, Rudy was scared to know what he could do with the magic chalk.
Rudy had never felt this helpless before. Sure, there were times when he had no idea what he was going to do to save everyone. There were situations he didn't know he could get out of. But this time, the fact that the root of the problem was another creator just made those feelings worse. How was he going to be able to stop someone who could create just like he could? How could he stop someone who could create a counterattack against him on a whim?
Just..how was he going to stop Mint?
"I know it's going to be hard..." Penny said, breaking the silence of the room. "But we'll figure something out. I know we will..."
From the way she spoke, Rudy could tell that Penny wasn't sure if she could trust her own words or her own judgment on this. He couldn't blame her. None of them felt they could be certain they could neutralize Mint. They all knew just how hard it was going to be to win this, and they all knew that, regardless if they gained the upperhand or not, something could still go wrong so long as Mint still had access to ChalkZone.
"I don't know how we're going to be able to stop him, Penny." Rudy said solemnly. He looked towards the ceiling, his eyes furrowed with concern. "You saw him. He has magic chalk... That means that we can't just throw him out." He looked at her. "He can just find his way back in."
Penny nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, that's going to be a problem. We...we have to take it from him somehow."
"And how are we going to do that? You saw him out there. He was able to stop us in a matter of seconds like we were nothing more than target practice!" Snap said, his eyes widened. "And he was able to neutralize us very quickly... He stopped me from giving you guys the magic chalk and he just...took it."
Rudy narrowed his eyes as he remembered that. Mint had stolen his magic chalk and took it with him when he left with Skrawl. He had left him defenseless, chalkless. If Skrawl had decided to capture them, he could have and they would have had no way to fight back.
Without the magic chalk and without the mguus, they had to walk all the way back. It had taken them awhile. Rudy was grateful it was Saturday so they had some extra time to get back. Still, it took a much longer time than if he had the magic chalk with him or at least the mguus. He recalled they had run into Jager and told him what happened. But due to the stress of recent events, he could not recall his reaction. The only thing he remembered after that was reaching the Chalk Mine. He met up with Biclops and requested another piece of magic chalk and, as much as he hated to do it, informed Biclops about what had happened in the Rainbow Mountain Range.
Rudy recalled that Biclops definitely wasn't happy to hear there was another creator in ChalkZone. Rudy promised him he would do what he could to stop him. But Rudy wasn't sure if he could live up to that promise. As angry as Biclops was that he didn't erase the portal, the giant did trust that Rudy would fix things. Rudy knew it wasn't just Biclops who had faith in him. All of ChalkZone did. He didn't want to let them down. As hopeless as it seemed, he...he had to at least try.
"I wonder what Skrawl is going to do." Snap wondered in a low voice, filled with dread. He looked over at Rudy and Penny. "If he has a creator by his side now...do you think that he's going to..."
"...become bolder, attack more frequently, take bigger risks?" Rudy finished for him, a cold shiver spreading through his body. Snap stared at him, wide-eyed, then slowly nodded his head. Rudy bit his lip and lowered his gaze. "Y-Yeah. I have no doubts he's going to do that."
Penny looked just as afraid. "This means we'll have to stay on our toes now. Skrawl could attack anytime...anywhere..." She looked around the room nervously, fumbling with her fingers. "So long as that Mint kid works for him, Skrawl is definitely going to be taking advantage of that."
There was a moment of silence after Penny said that. The trio let this all sink in. The realization hit them all like a speeding car. They all realized, in horror, Skrawl really was going to milk this for all it was worth. He had a creator by his side, and because of that, no doubt he would become more ambitious, more bold. He could have Mint draw anything he needed, or keep them at bay so he could do whatever he wanted. Skrawl was going to be taking bigger risks, and most certainly the rate of his attacks would increase and become more destructive.
And those artifacts.. He was going to increase his attempts to finding all of those and...who knows what else after that... They still didn't know just what those artifacts did, what they were capable of. And with Mint helping Skrawl, there was a bigger likelihood now that Skrawl might succeed and get all of the artifacts. And when Skrawl got all of them and was able to use them for whatever purpose they held, the trio knew one thing with great certainty.
ChalkZone was going to be in big trouble.
"I won't allow it..." Rudy said, narrowing his eyes. His two friends looked at him as he clenched a fist tightly. "I won't let them succeed..."
As scared as he was, as uncertain he was about how they were going to handle this, Rudy was not going to allow the feelings hopelessness weigh him down. He was not going to give into despair and give up, especially not this early. He was the protector of ChalkZone. It was his duty to keep it safe, and that was just what he was going to do. Somehow, someway, he was going to stop Skrawl and Mint.
"It was my fault this happened." Rudy said, a look of regret on his face. "I am the one who left the portal open. And because of my mistake, a dangerous creator has been unleashed upon this world." Rudy knew he couldn't shift the blame on anyone else. He took the responsibility because he knew, no matter how hard it was for him to accept, the fact Mint could get into ChalkZone at all was because of a single mistake he himself had made. The determined look came back onto his face. "And I vow..I will find a way to get him out of ChalkZone...for good."
Penny and Snap nodded to their friend. They sat closer to him and their hands on his, an attempt to show him that they are going to be with him every step of the way. They were friends and they were a team. Penny and Snap will not allow him to face this alone. They were going to help him in anyway that they could.
"Don't worry, Rudy. We will stop him. I know we will." Snap said, smiling at Rudy reassuringly. "You made a mistake, but the important thing is you're trying to correct it, Bucko. That's what counts."
"And you will not be alone. We're in this together." Penny said, a smile on her face. "It won't be easy, but somehow, we will stop Mint. You'll see."
Rudy smiled at his friends. He was grateful for their help, their willingless to stick by him. They were right. They would find a way to win. They always had in the past, no matter how hopeless the situation felt. He knew that, as long as they didn't give up and as long as they kept trying hard, they could not only defeat Skrawl and keep him from getting the artifacts, but they would boot Mint out of ChalkZone and prevent any future entry.
Although there was still the feeling of doubt that rose up inside of him, although he wasn't sure if he could believe that they would succeed, Rudy did his best to push those feelings aside. Now wasn't the time for guilt. Now wasn't the time to feel sorry for himself for a mistake he made. Now was the time for him to think of how to fight back. He needed to focus less on the mistake he made and more on the solution to the problem.
He put his arms around his friends and pulled them into a group hug. They returned the embrace.
"Thanks, guys..." Rudy said gratefully. "The next time those two strike, we will be prepared..."
His friends nodded in agreement.
sss
When Mint got back from ChalkZone, crawling out of his large chalkboard, he noticed that it was getting pretty dark out. The sun was setting, creating brilliant colors in the sky. His room was very dark and he had to look around to find the light. He switched it on and looked outside. The street lights had already been turned on. He was surprised he had been gone that long. Sometimes, time just flies.
He wasn't worried about his parents. They were used to him locking himself up in his room for hours. So there was no chance they could have stumbled upon his discovery. If they had, they probably would have taken it away from him to try to make him focus more on his studies. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the thought. Being able to create anything he wanted to in a vast, open world was far more interesting than some dusty old textbook on a subject he didn't even like that much.
It was so tempting for him to pretend to be sick tomorrow and just hang out in ChalkZone for a while. Something about that place felt...inviting. It was definitely a lot more entertaining than real life, that's for sure. And so varied, too. In a world where anything could be created, there was so much more variety in ChalkZone, so much more fascinating and disturbing weirdness, than in the real world that he can't help but be addicted.
He walked over to his bed and collapsed on it. Man that was a rush... That ChalkZone, that massive virtual reality game, it was much more amazing than he thought it was going to be. It was incredible, and he had only experienced a small taste of it. He couldn't wait to get right back into the game tomorrow and have some more fun. Drawing the laser pistol and cannon weren't things he'd usually draw, but bringing them into reality was oh so worth it. He thought about other things he could draw.
A smile spread across his face as he thought about the encounter he had with his three main opponents. They didn't seem like much. He wondered how Rudy and Penny could stand up with an advanced AI like Skrawl. He wondered just how useful Rudy's blue AI friend, Snap, really was. They hadn't put up much of a fight, much to his disappointment. But then again, that was his fault. He did not let them fight back. Perhaps, next time, he'll let Rudy try to fight him so he could gauge just how good Rudy was in this game world. It was possible Rudy was at a higher level than him.
Mint was amazed at how advanced the game was. He loved the detail put into it. The landscape crumbled realistically and the NPCs, or zoners as Skrawl called them, reacted dynamically. No sign of a repeated script. He wondered just how detailed their models were. He had to wonder what the data inside of them looked like. He wanted to know just how detailed the gibs would be if he had attacked one.
He wanted to see it up close and personal, which was why he didn't bother trying to attack any of the fleeing NPCs. Being so far away, he wouldn't have been able to tell how good they were programmed. But when he got a hold of Snap...
Mint was disappointed that he wasn't able to shoot him. He was seconds away from pulling that trigger. He wanted to see how detailed the gibs was in this virtual game. He wanted to see how long it would take for an NPC to respawn, or if they didn't do that, how long it would take for their bodies to fade away, like in most games. He had the blue zoner in his hand. He really wanted to shoot him. And he could have. If only he hadn't been distracted by Penny...
But no matter. He would encounter them again later. Skrawl told him that they would appear quite often to try to stop him. And he welcomed the challenge. And Snap, well...
He smiled evilly. He would have another chance at him.
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 6, 2014 14:43:52 GMT -5
CHAPTER 7:
When Rudy stepped back into ChalkZone with Penny, he was almost surprised when there was no sudden attack. He had expected Mint to be hiding somewhere, waiting to strike. He expected to walk in and find ChalkZone a mess. He expected all kinds of terrible things. With a creator as crazy and demented as this new kid, there was almost nothing that couldn't have happened. He had come in expecting the worst.
He was grateful when that wasn't the case. When he and Penny came through, they could see that ChalkZone was fine. There hadn't been any signs of another attack. The zoners didn't appear panicked or anything, at least not the ones they saw. They didn't hear anyone crying for help. They didn't see any buildings being knocked down. Nothing. Just a usual, peaceful day in ChalkZone. If Rudy didn't know any better, he would say that the events of yesterday had not happened, or were just a one thing thing. And oh how he would have wanted to believe that. So badly did he wish that it had all been just a dream or that it was just a one time event and the kid lost access to ChalkZone.
But that would have been a fairy tale ending. He knew that, in real life, things don't always work out that way. A reminder that what happened yesterday was real happened to be on his left foot. He could still walk just fine. It wasn't an issue. But the laser that shattered his rocket boots had done mild damage to his left foot. A little bit of a burn there and not much else. The worst that happens is he feels mild pain when he walks. Each step he took reminded him that he was shot out of the sky yesterday, and that it was done by another human. A creator. And this realization still chilled his blood.
He needed to find some way to get Mint to stay out of ChalkZone. The kid was a menace. He had to be stopped before he did irreversable damage. He needed to know where he would strike next so he could deal with him. And this time, he was not going to allow the kid to take his magic chalk away. This time, he was not going to be pinned on the ground and rendered helpless. He was going to fight back. And he was going beat the kid and send him packing. He would ensure he'd never get into ChalkZone again.
At least, that's what he hopes would happen. That was the best case scenario. Yet he knew, deep down, something else could go very wrong. He hadn't seen all that this kid was capable of. Who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeve... He needed to be prepared.
He did actually prepare before he came into ChalkZone today. He had given a piece of magic chalk to Penny so they each had one. That way, if Mint took one of their pieces, the other still had one and could still fight. Two on one doesn't sound like a fair fight, but when it came to ensuring the safety of ChalkZone, fairness isn't exactly important. Rudy knew it was absolutely crucial to overpower Mint and take the magic chalk away from him, and if they could succeed in doing that by ganging up on him two to one, then he'd do it.
When Rudy saw Snap rushing towards him and Penny, he knew something was off. And he already knew what it was. Just as he thought, Mint and Skrawl must be striking again. He waited for Snap to get close enough so he could tell them what was going on. Even before Snap delivered what he knew was going to be bad news, Rudy felt himself cling tighter to his magic chalk.
"Bucko!" Snap called out to them. "Buckette! Emergency! Attack!"
He reached them. He put his hands on his knees and panted heavily. It looked like he had been running for some time. Rudy and Penny looked at each other worriedly. Rudy wondered just how much damage had been done already. And how far away was it? Could they get there in time before the damage becomes too extensive?
As Snap attempted to catch his breath, Penny moved forward. She put a hand on his shoulder, lowering herself a little so she was eye level with the blue zoner. She looked at him with a concerned expression. Although Snap was still panting, he did turn his head up a little so he could look at Penny in the eyes.
"Snap? What's wrong?" Penny said.
When Snap caught enough of his breath, he said quickly, "Skrawl is going after the crown again!"
"What?" Rudy and Penny said in unison. They stared at each other, shocked.
Nodding his head and taking in a few more quick breaths, Snap said, "Y-Yeah! Skrawl is...he is attacking Mondo Desert City again! And...and...Mint is with him...!"
Rudy's eyes widened in horror at this. Hadn't Mondo Desert City suffered enough? They were already attacked twice the past couple of days. And now Skrawl was doing it again? Just how much more damage could that place take? And Mint was with him? Not that Rudy expected anything different, but the fact that Mint was involved made him even more terrified about what might happen to the mondonians. What would Mint do to them?
Slowly, his eyes narrowed. He had to do something to stop them. He managed to stop Skrawl twice before. He could do it a third time. With Mint as their new opponent, they were going to need to fight smarter. It was not going to be as easy as last time. And last time wasn't even a piece of cake. He knew it was going to be much harder with Mint involved, but he was confident that they still might succeed. After all, Mint was still very new to ChalkZone. He didn't have the same kind of experience with using the magic chalk. Rudy just needed to stay on his toes and be aware of what was going on.
"The Enemy Creator must be stopped before he...!" Snap started to say.
"We know, Snap." Penny said, her eyes wide in fear. "We know..."
"Don't worry. We'll stop him...and Skrawl." Rudy said, his voice filled with confidence.
Lifting up his magic chalk, Rudy began to draw a mode of transportation. Another hovercar. This one he modified a little to go even faster. They didn't have much time. With the Enemy Creator involved, they would have less time to stop Skrawl before he succeeds in stealing the crown.
He jumped into the hovercar. He turned to Penny and Snap and motioned for them. They didn't hesitate to jump into the hovercar with him. Without saying a word, Rudy activated the thrusters on his upgraded hovercar and they sped off towards the Mondo Desert City. As they moved along, Rudy hoped it wasn't going to be too late. He hoped that, by some miracle, there was still a chance to stop Skrawl and Mint before too much damage was done to that city, and before the golden crown was taken.
An uncomfortable feeling welled up in his chest as he thought about Mint, and how he had almost killed Snap the other day. His face contorted a little in anger. He was going to get that boy back for what he had done. He was not going to let him get away with hurting his best friend.
sss
Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked on in horror at the scene before them. They had expected bad. But they didn't know it would be like this. It was much worse than they thought it was going to be.
Mondo Desert City was...demolished, to put it simply. A few small buildings still stood, but the majority of the place was up in smoke. Dark grey smoke pillowed profusely out of the rubble in many places. The horrible smell of burnt stone and chalk filled the air. They could smell it even from within the hovercar. They could see some citizens still running to cover. There were many that were injured and had taken shelter wherever they could. There wasn't any signs of anyone having been killed but...there was still that possibility.
Rudy bit his lip as he looked at all the collapsed buildings. The damage was much more severe than the last time he faced the jellybean. Some of the buildings had been sliced at the bottom and it toppled to the side. He could see, to his horror, that there were still some zoners coming out of that building. How many had been injured? How many had been killed? He turned his head and on a cliff face, a bit higher up, he could see the source of what caused the damage.
Rudy narrowed his eyes when he saw Skrawl. Even from this distance, he could tell it was him. He was in that machine of his, the one that he was certain Mint had drawn for him. When Skrawl got out of the machine, Rudy was confused. Then he realized, as Skrawl headed towards a hole that was cut into the ground, that he must have already found the new hiding place for the crown.
And his suspicions were confirmed. Skrawl's Beanie Boys, just two again, came up and gave him the crown. Skrawl definitely looked happy at getting the crown. He held it in his three fingered hands, grinning at it menacingly. He appeared to be making some kind of speech. Rudy, of course, couldn't hear it. But he had a feeling of what he was saying. Probably something about how he had won and the Great Creator had lost. Well, he'll see about that.
"He has the crown..." Snap said softly, his eyes wide. He turned to Rudy. "We need to go faster!"
Rudy put his hand on the lever to move the ship faster. Then he hesitated. Something wasn't right. He stared ahead and noticed that Skrawl was...already leaving. But why? He thought that the jellybean would want to stay and watch as Mint did battle with them. This didn't make much sense. Already, he could see Skrawl getting in his chair and he knew, in seconds, he would be gone.
He wasn't sure what to make of this. In the back of his head, he began to search for a possible reason for why Skrawl would leave now instead of staying and 'watch the show', as he would put it. His first thought was that he was not that confident in Mint, or maybe he lost Mint as a partner. Rudy had hoped that was what happened. He hoped that Skrawl no longer had access to Mint as a partner. But he knew that was wishful thinking, and he began to think of some other possibility.
He realized, with a shudder, that Skrawl leaving right now might not be a sign of lack of confidence in this kid, but rather..a lot of confidence. He might really believe this kid would turn things around for him. Rudy hated to bust his bubble, but that wasn't going to happen. And speaking of the kid, where was he? He hadn't seen him with Skrawl, and even as he got in the chair, it didn't look like he had called out for the kid.
Rudy thought back to their encounter with Mint yesterday. Skrawl hadn't tried to flee until after Mint had arrived. And it might have been possible that Skrawl didn't leave yet because he just wanted to see their reactions to the appearance of the Enemy Creator. He began to wonder, if Skrawl was leaving when they hadn't closed in the distance, that maybe it was because Mint was going to...
His eyes widened in horror at the realization. And screams from his friends confirmed his suspicions.
"Look out!" Penny shouted, her head turned towards the right. Her eyes were wide. "Incoming!"
Rudy immediately steered the hovercar to the left to avoid whatever it was that was going to attack them or run into them. It wasn't enough... He couldn't move fast enough... Something slammed against the hovercar. Something that screeched really loud. Their field of vision was obscured as something large and red covered the singular window of the hovercar. The trio let out a scream as they were being pushed towards the ground, whatever it was that was attacking them refusing to let go. Another loud screech and they could hear what sounded like sharp claws screaming against the metal of the ship.
"Rudy! You gotta draw something!" Snap cried. "We're going to crash!"
Indeed, the ground was getting closer and closer as the seconds passed. The thing, whatever it is, had wrapped its wings around the hovercar and was spinning it out of control. Below them, the ground was coming at them, spinning around and around. It was nauseating to watch and they turned their heads away. Rudy picked up his magic chalk. He knew he didn't have much time. He didn't even have enough time to explain what his plan was.
Despite the spinning and despite the lines being all wobbly, Rudy managed to draw three parachutes. He tossed one to Penny and the other to Snap. They put them on the best they could despite the shaking of the hover car. Rudy went over to one of the doors and tried to push it open. He realized that it was going to be impossible so long as the thing had its wings wrapped around the hovercar like it was giving the biggest bear hug in the world. So intead, he opted to draw a hole in the bottom of the car, large enough for him and his friends to slip through.
Out they jumped, screaming as they fell much further from the hovercar due to gravity. They activated their parachutes and were yanked up by the force a bit. Then they relaxed, gripping on the straps of the parachute as they looked over at what had attacked them.
Just a few feet from them, maybe five feet, was their hovercar, and hugging it practically was a large flying reptile. Some kind of pterodactyl or something. It was about the same size as the one he and Snap were riding on the same day that Reggie had gotten into ChalkZone. This one looked more vicious and detailed than the one he and Snap rode on, though. And as it dive bombed with their ship, they could feel the rush of air hit against them, an indication of just how fast it was going.
Then, seconds later, the beast let go of their ship and it crumbled into pieces on the ground. The trio's eyes widened in horror as bits of metal flew everywhere, pillows of smoke coming out. A little bit of fire was ignited, giving the broken up ship a bit of an orange glow. The large pterodactyl squawked loudly at it before going onto the ground not far from where they were floating down. The trio looked at the pterodactyl in fear as it raised its head up to look at them. It let out a menacing squawk with its long, toothless beak. And as they set foot on the ground, the pterodactyl pawed the ground. Standing on all fours, it began to move towards them at a swift pace.
"Hold it!"
The pterodactyl stopped and shifted its head over. Running in from behind was Mint. He was riding on the back of Ripclaw. The dinosaur stopped about a foot away, shaking her head. Mint pointed at the pterodactyl with what best could be described as a scolding finger.
"I told you to put them on the ground, not smash them!" Mint said, his eyes narrowed. The pterodactyl lowered its head, looking ashamed of what it did. Mint gestured for the flying reptile to leave. "Go with Skrawl. He might need your help with something."
With that, the pterodactyl took off. It pushed itself off the ground and spread its wings. Letting out a few screeches, it rose high into the air. And soon it disappeared into the horizon. Mint watched it fly away. The same disappointed look was on his face. A hint of anger too. He let out a soft sigh and he looked back at the trio.
"Sorry about that. I didn't expect him to drive bomb you guys like that." Mint said. Then he smiled. But this smile was not a friendly one. It was a challenging one. He got off from Ripclaw and walked a couple steps in front of her, his arms folded. "Still, the ambush was a success, wouldn't you say?"
Rudy growled at this. So that's what happened. That was why Skrawl left when he did. It was because the planned confrontation wasn't over there, where he stole the crown from. It was back here, about forty feet away or more. It was here that they had planned an ambush, and they had walked right into that trap. Rudy wondered if Mint had any idea what he came close to doing. If he hadn't thought of a way for them to get out, they would all have been killed. Did Mint really care that he almost killed three people? Considering that he didn't have any qualms with shooting Snap for no reason...chances are no...
Rudy glared at the clearly deranged and psychotic kid. The way he was smiling at them like that. The way he shrugged off their near death like it was nothing. The way he acted like he could do anything here without consequence...it made his blood boil. And the way he almost killed Snap yesterday... He was not going to give him that chance again. He was going to teach him a lesson about what happens when he messes with his friends.
Mint's eyes practically sparkled, widened a bit, as he looked over at Rudy. His smile broaded, his teeth a tad bit exposed. "Ahh...I remember now! You and me, another round." He said. He stared at Rudy for a few seconds, noting his glare. "I take it you're still upset with me."
"You hurt Snap..." Rudy growled under his breath. Penny and Snap also glared at the kid.
"Oh? Do I hear an echo?" Mint said, cupping a hand to his ear. "I believe that's what you said to me before I left the other day. Well I heard you that time. No need to repeat." Mint put his hands behind his back, holding them like that. Then he began to walk around the trio in a broad circle, looking like he was judging them. "Besides, I don't know why you care about that thing so much..." Rudy, Penny, and Snap gritted their teeth at this. Mint just smiled at them. "He's not even real."
At this, Rudy's body started to shake from anger. He growled as he glared in the boy's direction. How dare he say such a thing... How dare he refer to Snap as a thing, like he was just a piece of paper or rock that he just found laying on the ground... This kid...the way he discards zoners like they were worthless... That was truly disgusting.
"He's just as real as we are!" Penny said, taking a step towards Mint. She jabbed a finger in his direction. "And he's just as alive! He's not a 'thing'!"
"I'm not real?" Snap asked, his eyes narrowing. He brought up his fists, like he was preparing to fight whatever the kid was going to draw. "Why don't you come over here and see how 'not real' I really am!"
At this, Mint turned his attention to Snap. He stopped walking and instead just stood there. His eyes bored into Snap's. They maintained eye contact for several seconds. Then Mint's smile turned into a grin. He pulled out his magic chalk, the end sparkling almost menacingly. Snap took a step back, glaring at him. Rudy and Penny positioned themselves closer to Snap, pulling out their magic chalk in preparation for a fight.
"You know, that isn't such a bad idea." Mint said. He ignored Rudy and Penny. His gaze was solely on Snap. "Everything here seems to be so...realistic. I wonder just how far it goes. And since my attempt yesterday to neutralize you was a failure..." Snap's eyes widened in horror-filled realization. Mint raised his chalk wielding hand up. "Maybe I will have better luck today..."
"Don't you fucking dare!" Rudy shouted at him. His friends looked shocked by what he said. And Rudy had to admit to himself, he didn't expect to curse like that. But he couldn't help it. This deranged kid was talking about murdering his best friend. He took a step forward, readying his magic chalk. "If you want to get to him, you have to face me first!"
"And me too!" Penny said. In one hand, she held a piece of magic chalk. The other hand was placed protectively in front of Snap. The blue zoner moved closer behind her back, placing his hands on her shoulder and glaring at Mint from behind her. His expression was intermixed with fear. "Face it, Mint. You're outnumbered! Two creators against one! How do you think you will beat us this time?"
Mint's eyes widened a little at this and he took a step back. At first, it seemed like what Penny said got through to him. Rudy thought that maybe they didn't have to fight the kid and maybe he would surrender. The boy must have realized Penny had a good point. With two creators against him, it would be hard for him to win this 'round' as he puts it. Surely, the kid would realize that, as an amateur in ChalkZone, it would suit him better to back down than to fight against two creators who were more experienced than him at using the magic chalk.
But this turned out not to be the case. If Mint's expression had hinted even just a tiny bit of fear or uncertainty, it was gone now. He had shifted his body so he could look over at the destruction behind him. He let out a soft chuckle before turning his head back to the trio. The same grin from before appeared on his face. He readied his magic chalk. Rudy felt his heart beat a little faster. Just what did this kid have in mind? He didn't like that look he was giving them...
"Perhaps I should even the odds a little." Mint said. He raised his magic chalk and, to the trio's horror, began to create something.
The lines came quickly. Curves and sharp edges mixing together. Soon it was taking shape. Something large and menacing...
"I admit, I am not as varied of an artist as you, Rudy." Mint said. He continued to draw, moving his head swiftly through the air. "But I'll have to make due, won't I?"
Then Mint was finished. Standing in front of him was a massive dinosaur. The trio's eyes widened in horror. They were cast in the beast's shadow. They took several steps back, their eyes wide in shock. The dinosaur was a tyrannosaurus. The beast looked down at them and let out a roar. Its dark brown body with a beige underside was cast mostly in shadow, its body blocking the light of the chalk sun. This made it look even scarier and more threatening.
Mint looked up at his drawing. He looked pleased at what he had created. He patted the side of the tyrannosaurus's leg, getting its attention. The dinosaur stared at him with its bright yellow eyes, like a dog waiting for a command. Mint smiled at the tyrannosaurus and flicked his head to the side, right towards the ruins of the Mondo Desert City. Taking that as a cue, the tyrannosaurus turned around and began to storm towards the city, letting out a loud roar. The ground shook with each step it made.
"Oh caloy!" Snap said, horror etched on his face. "That dinosaur is going to eat everyone!"
Penny put a hand to her mouth, disbelief in her eyes. "They won't be able to fight it off... It's not going to be like fighting Skrawl..."
Rudy couldn't believe what Mint just did. Hadn't those people suffered enough? Didn't enough of them get injured already? Did he really need to send a bloodthirsty dinosaur after them too? He watched the dinosaur rush over to the ruined city, his eyes wide in disbelief and horror. Then he whipped his head, giving Mint the harshest glare he could muster.
"How could you...?" Rudy asked, his teeth clenched. "That was low..."
Mint just shrugged his shoulders. "Fighting dirty. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Me...if it suits my needs, I'll do it." He folded his arms against his chest. His eyes brightened a tad. "Well then, I imagine that one of you has to go and stop the dinosaur." His focus was on Rudy and Penny. "This is sort of like one of those moral choices...which do you go after, the current threat demolishing the place, or the one that unleashed the threat? You decide."
Rudy glared at Mint. He then turned to Penny and Snap. "You two! Go after the tyrannosaurus and keep it away from the citizens! Find a way to stop it!"
"What about you, Bucko?" Snap asked.
Rudy turned his gaze back towards Mint. "I am going to take care of this kid..."
Penny and Snap looked at each other worriedly. It was clear that they weren't sure if they wanted to leave him behind. And he could understand why. Facing off against another creator was risky. Alone, if Rudy was neutralized, his magic chalk taken from him, he would not be able to defend himself should Mint decide to attack him more.
But he also knew that the tyrannosaurus had to be stopped. They couldn't all go; Mint might just throw something else at them. One of them had to stay behind and distract Mint while the huge predatory dinosaur was stopped. And he still had a bone to pick with this kid.
"Just be careful, Rudy." Penny said softly. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Snap and I will be back as soon as we can to provide back up, okay?"
"Yeah! We won't take long!" Snap said, his smile shining of confidence.
Rudy smiled at his friends. He watched as they took off towards the tyrannosaurus. Penny had already whipped out her magic chalk and started to draw something. He didn't keep his gaze to see what it was. He turned his focus back on Mint. He could hear Ripclaw's low growls, but she made no move. He figured that Mint trained her and didn't want her to interfere in their duel.
Both boys had their magic chalk out. They each held it in their drawing hands. Rudy's right and Mint's left. They began to circle each other, not taking their eyes off of the other. Both boys took a defensive stance, preparing for whatever the other was going to dish out.
Mint grinned, smiling evilly at Rudy as the two boys paced around each other. There was a glint in his eye. Rudy knew he was up to something. A thought must have crossed the boy's mind. Rudy tensed up, preparing himself for whatever was going to happen. He readied his magic chalk, determined to defend himself and stop Mint.
Then Mint began to draw. His left hand moved swiftly through the air. And in seconds, a large, frilled dinosaur stood there. A blue triceratops, and it didn't look happy to see him. Snorting loudly, it pawed the ground and it charged right for him. Rudy jumped out of the way in time. He drew a new pair of his rocket boots and he took off into the air just as the triceratops tried to ram him again. The triceratops just barely missed him. It raised its head and let out a frustrated bellow. It turned around and charged at him again.
Rudy managed to get out of the way again, but just barely. He felt the horns barely graze against him. He winced slightly at the mild pain. Luckily, the sharp horn only left a scrape thanks to getting out of the way in time. He brought out his magic chalk and began to fly around the triceratops. The beast snapped its jaws at him when he got too close. Once in a while, it would fling its head, trying to drive its horns into him. Rudy began to draw with his magic chalk, flying close to and around the dinosaur's head. He barely avoided getting hit.
When Rudy was finished drawing, he held out a long piece of rope. He flew even closer to the dinosau'rs head. Again and again, it tried to slash him with its horns or bite him with its razor sharp beak. Rudy was hit by the side of a horn, but he managed to stay in the air. He flew around the head, wrapping the rope around both of the dinosaur's long pointed horns. Then, when he was satisfied he drew enough, he flew towards the back. He sat on the shoulders of the dinosaur and pulled the rope tightly.
The dinosaur's eyes widened and it stopped. It reared onto its hind legs for a moment and bellowed in frustration. Then it stopped and pawed at the ground. Gaining control of the dinosaur, Rudy had it turn towards Mint. But rather than have it charge at Mint, Rudy instead pulled back on the rope, making the dinosaur move backwards a little. As much as he was starting to hate Mint, he did not want to hurt him.
"Impressive." Mint said. "Too bad it's not good enough..." His eyes narrowed deeply. He raised his hand and snapped his finger.
Rudy let out a scream as the triceratops suddenly reared onto its hind legs again and began to twist its head around. Rudy was flung into the air. He held onto the rope. The triceratops swung its head, causing Rudy to be swung around and around. Eventually, Rudy could not let go and he was flung against the wall. He let out a scream as his back slammed into the rock face, and he slowly slid down.
He opened his eyes just in time for the triceratops to smash its head into the ground. Its horn sliced against his shirt, at the shoulder, and kept him pinned against the wall. Rudy slammed his fist against the dinosaur's head, trying to make it budge. It didn't work. He glared in Mint's direction.
Mint smirked at him. "Gaining control of a wild animal takes more than just simply roping them. And since my creations are loyal to me...well..." Mint took a few steps towards him. "You never stood a chance with that plan of yours."
Rudy snarled at this.
"Oh! I forgot one more thing." Mint said. He took out his laser pistol and aimed it at Rudy. "I can't have you winning this round."
Rudy's eyes widened and he struggled frantically to get free. He punched the triceratops's head over and over. But it would not move. It pushed harder, pinning him further against the wall. Mint pulled the trigger. Rudy shut his eyes and looked away. He was surprised when the laser did not hit him, but rather his rocket boots. He winced as, just like before, some of the heat still hit his foot, and again it was his left that suffered this. He watched as his boots fell apart. As he stared at the remnants, he started to feel stupid. Why hadn't he thought of using the boots to get out of the dinosaur's grasp?
Oh well, it was just a minor set back. He could still draw something to defend himself with. He raised his magic chalk. He glared at Mint for a second before he turned his attention to the dinosaur. He had an idea of what he could draw to get this dinosaur away from him. But he realized, too late, he was not going to get that chance.
His only warning were loud footfalls and a loud, growly screech. Rudy's eyes widened as he felt a set of toothy jaws snap shut near his head. He felt hot breath against his skin. He looked over and he paled when he saw Ripclaw's head that close to his. Her eyes glared down at him and her lips were curled back into a snarl. In her jaws, she had snagged his magic chalk. His eyes widened and he tried to pull it back. It was too late and Ripclaw took the magic chalk from him and backed off a few feet.
Rudy looked on in horror. He realized, as his gut started to twist, that he was defenseless again. He looked over at Mint. His eyes slowly widened in fear, knowing that Mint still had his magic chalk and he could do away with him if he wanted to. He watched as Mint started to approach him, that evil smile still on his face. Rudy tried to struggle to get free. He tried to rip that part of his shirt so he could get away. But he was not able to.
Mint stood by him. He stared at him in the eyes. Rudy growled at him, warily eyeing his magic chalk. Why wasn't he using it? He has the perfect chance. But instead, Mint was just staring at him, smirking at him. Then the Enemy Creator lowered himself to the ground, holding himself up on his knee. He reached over and seized Rudy by his chin. He lifted it up and stared at him like he was examining some object.
"You know, you're not as tough as I thought you would be." Mint said, his voice hinting some level of disappointment. "Oh well. Perhaps it was wrong of me to overestimate you."
Rudy growled at this and he tried to grab Mint. The boy, however, had moved back away before he got that chance. He turned around and walked away. Rudy watched him, his eyes narrowed angrily. "What are you waiting for?" Rudy struggled. "Let's continue our duel!"
"Hmm..no..." Mint waved his hand. The triceratops released Rudy, letting him fall to the ground. Ripclaw returned to Mint's side. "Playtime is over. I won." He climbed onto Ripclaw's back. He grabbed Rudy's magic chalk from her jaws. He smiled at it and looked back at Rudy. "Second time I was able to take your weapon. I do hope you get better next time, Rudy."
With that, Mint was gone, riding on the back of Ripclaw as he raced through the desert. The triceratops, no longer commandeered by Mint, just turned and walked away, showing no more interest in fighting him. Rudy watched them leave, the events slowly sinking in.
Rudy couldn't believe it. He had..he had failed again... He went up against Mint a second time. He had been prepared, or so he thought. He had believed he was ready to face him. But Mint won again. He had managed to quickly subdue him, taking away his magic chalk again. Rudy kicked himself mentally for that. He should have been more vigilant. He should have been more resistant. He could have turned the fight around if he had just been more careful and aware of his surroundings.
He climbed up to his feet, brushing himself off. He winced when he stepped on his left foot. It was a little more painful now than it was before the fight. He looked over in the direction Penny and Snap had run off to. His feelings of guilt of losing to Mint had slowly given into feelings of concern. He hoped that Penny and Snap were okay. If the tyrannosaurus took Penny's magic chalk...
Rudy began to walk towards Mondo Desert City. As he made his way over, a cold realization swept over him, causing him to shiver.
Skrawl had gotten a second artifact.
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 13, 2014 21:00:31 GMT -5
CHAPTER 8:
"Rudy, you are being ridiculous!" Penny said, trying to reason with her friend. "You tried all you could! Don't blame yourself for it!"
Snap couldn't agree more. "Yeah, Bucko! At least you gave it your best shot! No one can fault you for that."
But their words weren't getting through to Rudy. Penny watched, her heart aching, as Rudy had his head low. His hands gripped his head, his fingers digging into his scalp. He had a look of pain, but she knew it wasn't physical, but emotional. He had been this way ever since they got back from Mondo Desert City. And despite their attempts to cheer him up, nothing seemed to work.
Rudy said in a frantic voice, "But I should have been able to do something! I should have been able to stop him! I lost again! I failed again!" He took in a few quick breaths. When he looked up, Penny and Snap moved their heads back swiftly in surprise. The way he was looking at them...those eyes, wild and wide, they could see the panic, fear, and sadness all rolled into one, making the gaze uncomfortable to look at. "And now, because of me..." Rudy's voice was softer now, more relaxed. Yet it still had that tinge of urgency in it. "...Skrawl has yet another artifact."
Penny bit her lip. She understood why Rudy was so upset. Despite how irrational she thought it was for him to beat himself up over this, she knew why he was doing it. He was the protector of ChalkZone and he wanted to do whatever he could to keep it safe. He had always managed to do so in the past, regardless of the difficulty. And he wanted to do the same here, yet he was unable to. He was unable to stop the crown from being stolen and he was not able to prevent Skrawl from attacking Mondo Desert City a third time. And now the place was in shambles. She could see how that would hit Rudy so hard.
She really did think he did all he could. He went up against Mint and at least tried to do something. He didn't turn and run away. Despite being beaten so quickly, she did admire that he did at least try to stand up to him. Mint was a threat and if Rudy hadn't tried to fight against him, he might have done more damage to Mondo Desert City. And just because he lost a second time doesn't mean he'll keep losing against Mint. She was confident that, eventually, he would get back to fight back and hold his own against the kid.
She and Snap did not blame him for not being able to stop Skrawl. How could they? None of them wanted this to happen, and they all did what they could. For now, Skrawl has the upperhand due to having a creator by his side. But they could still turn the tides in their favor. Mint was still just one creator. They just needed to be more vigilante, try to force him on a two on one battle so they could more easily subdue him. They would just have to make the first move quickly before he had a chance to draw another...distraction...like he had on them before.
That tyrannosaurus... Penny shuddered at the memory of it. It was difficult to stop and she was amazed she was able to do it. It was so big and so ferocious.. In some ways it reminded her of the gola monster she and Snap were trapped in once. But unlike the gola monster, which turned out to be ticklish, the tyrannosaurus did not have such a weakness, and it was faster than the gola monster. And those bone crushing jaws... It was a nightmare to behold.
She and Snap, using the scooter she had drawn, had caught up with the beast as it entered the remains of Mondo Desert City. She had been glad that the citizens had all taken cover by now. But she knew they wouldn't be safe for long. The dinosaur had raised its head in the air and started to sniff them out. Then it went over to a piece of fallen building and started to push against it. Its massive head slammed again and again on the debris, pushing it a little. And when it moved enough, Penny could hear screams for help. There were citizens hiding there.
The two of them knew they had to act first. If they didn't stop the dinosaur soon, it was going to break down that building piece and get that the frightened mondonians. Penny looked around, trying to find something they could use to stop the tyrannosaurus. Then she saw something that might be helpful. Two pillars that were close to each other. Simple...crude...but it just might work.
Taking out her magic chalk, she began to draw. A long piece of thick rope and a large piece of meat. She gestured for Snap to come with her. The two of them managed to lure the tyrannosaurus away from the mondonians. As soon as it had caught a whiff of the meat Penny had drawn, it lost interest. Licking its chops, it chased after them. With it so large, it would catch up to them soon enough. Penny kept holding the meat, waving it, ensuring that the tyrannosaurus could see it at all times. If the tyrannosaurus turned around...
Soon she and Snap had taken positions on either side of the pillars. They had only mere seconds to make this work. Penny tossed the meat into the ground, far enough way that the tyrannosaurus would need to walk much further to get it. Then, as the tyrannosaurus make that one crucial step, she and Snap pulled hard. The rope tightened and pressed against the tyrannosaurus's feet. The force was enough to make the tyrannosaurus trip a little, but it also flung Penny and Snap with it, due to being such a large zoner.
Penny and Snap screamed as they tumbled across the ground and landed several feet in front of the tyrannosaurus. They were horrified when the beast was still standing. It sniffed the ground and seized the meat in its mouth. It lifted it up and swallowed it in a single gulp. It licked its lips and then looked down at the two. It stared for a moment, and then it started to come after them. Having no choice, the two started to run away, the growling vicious beast closing in behind them.
Penny should have known tripping the beast wasn't going to work that well. She and Snap were too small and light to properly anchor the rope. And she doubted it was going to work a second time. She didn't know how intelligent these beasts are that Mint creates. But they must be intelligent enough to follow orders, so they must be, on some level, aware of what their doing, and not just dumb beasts. If she tried that trick again, the tyrannosaurus might opt to go around or even knock down one of the pillars, which, if she and Snap didn't get out of the way, would have crushed them.
While they were running, Snap had an idea. He said that since the dinosaur initially chased them for the meat, that perhaps they could lead it out that way. Penny couldn't believe she hadn't thought of that and thanked Snap for the suggestion. When the tyrannosaurus got even closer, she slowed it down a little by drawing another piece of meat, smaller this time. She and Snap put some distance between it and them and she started to draw a bike. Not a very detailed one, but it would do, and it did help them move faster than the dinosaur.
Snap took to the front and started to peddle. He narrowed his eyes as he turned the back around and headed back towards the tyrannosaurus. He rode between its legs and headed off in the direction they came. The tyrannosaurus let out a frustrated roar and began to chase them. Penny tried a large steak with a hook in it attached to long, thick rope. She let out some of it so that the meat was dragged on the ground. She pulled it back a little whenever the tyrannosaurus was getting too close. She had no idea if this was going to work and she knew it was crazy. But they had to do something.
This went on for a few minutes. Snap peddled as hard as he could. Penny had one harm looped around him for support. The other arm was at her side, her body twisted a little so she could look behind her. Her free hand held onto the rope, dragging the large chunk of meat a couple feet beind the bike.
And the tyrannosaurus... It was not far behind them. Just a couple feet behind the meat, and it was gaining distance. Its feet pounded the ground, sending vibrations through it each time. It looked very angry that it couldn't get the meat. It was snapping its jaws wildly in the air in frustration. Drool flew everywhere. It really wanted to sink its teeth into something. Penny was relieved that it was the meat the tyrannosaurus wanted; its eyes were locked solely on it.
Soon, they did manage to get the tyrannosaurus out of Mondo Desert City. They released the meat and stopped the car. Penny rushed over as the tyrannosaurus was busy eating the meat. She drew several more pieces to keep it busy for a little while. Though not as skilled as Rudy, she managed to draw her own rocket shoes. They didn't work as well, but they would serve their function just fine.
As the dinosaur ate the meat, she flew around, dragging her magic chalk with her. In a matter of seconds, she managed to draw a large, reinforced cage around the dinosaur. She made sure to include bars that were thick enough to resist being torn apart. The bars went vertical and horizontal, giving it even more strength. When the tyrannosaurus stopped eating, it let out a roar when it realized it was trapped and started to bang against the bars. She and Snap flinched, expecting it to break out. Fortunately, it wasn't able to.
She wasn't sure what they were going to do with the dinosaur. Snap suggested that maybe Jager would want it. A repayment for them losing three of his mguus. Penny wasn't sure if that was a good idea, but seeing as she couldn't think of an idea herself, she agreed that they could talk to Jager about the tyrannosaurus. Maybe he could tame it or something.
She lowered herself to the ground. It was a little difficult as she wasn't used to rocket shoes. She wondered how Rudy could use these so well. She ended up crashing on the ground, having no idea how to land properly. Snap managed to get the rocket shoes off of her. Penny realized too late that she had no idea how to turn them off. So as soon as Snap let go, the two of them had to move out of the way as the rocket shoes took off across the ground, leaving behind a trail of smoke.
Rudy had arrived not long after that. Penny and Snap knew something was wrong when Rudy looked forelorn. And when they learned that he not only lost the fight a second time and so quickly, but his magic chalk had been taken from him again.
It was really worrisome to them that Mint managed to do this so easily. And he hadn't even been in ChalkZone that long. If he could defeat Rudy that easily despite having just started to fight, what was he going to be like when he gets more experience? The thought sent shudders down their spine. He was going to be very hard to deal with. They had known things would be harder with another creator, but so far, things were shaping up worse than they thought.
It saddened Penny and Snap to see their friend beat himself up over this. Ever since they reunited with him in the Mondo Desert City, he had blamed himself for what happened. Even after they repaired as much damage as they could, even after apologizing to the mondonians for failing them, even after the mondonians clearly showed no hard feelings and were just happy to have at least some of their city rebuilt, Rudy still kicked himself, angry that he wasn't able to stop the third attack, that he couldn't stop Mint or Skrawl.
"I'm..sure you will get him next time." Penny said, trying to sound hopeful. Rudy looked at her. "We've only encountered him twice, Rudy. There's still a chance we can beat him. We just have to stay positive about this."
"Buckette's right, Rudy." Snap said. He put a hand on Rudy's shoulder. "You shouldn't blame yourself for losing. We can't win all the fights. But we can keep trying to win the battle."
"Yeah..I know..." Rudy said. His voice was low and soft. It was clear he was still upset with himself for losing to Mint and Skrawl a second time. "But with whatever Skrawl wants to do with those items...with whatever Mint plans on doing with ChalkZone...I can't afford to lose..." Rudy looked at them, his eyes filled with sorrow. "You...you know how Skrawl is... You saw what Mint is capable of... If I keep losing, how many more lives will be affected? How many will die all because I couldn't stop them?"
It was then Penny noticed the tears in Rudy's eyes. He..he had been crying. She hadn't noticed until now. He hid it so well. Biting her lip with concern, Penny reached over and put a hand on the opposite shoulder Snap was holding. She squeezed it gently, looking at Rudy in the eyes.
"Rudy, don't cry. It will be okay.." Penny said gently.
"Yeah. We'll stop them." Snap said. "I don't know how, but we'll stop them."
Rudy sniffled a little. Then he started to smile. He looked at his two friends and said gratefully, "Thanks you guys." He wiped away a tear. "I guess it is pretty silly of me to keep thinking of what I could do different than working on an actual solution, eh?"
Penny smiled back. She was glad that Rudy seemed to be finally coming to his senses. He seemed to be realizing that now was not the time for him to beat himself up over something that wasn't his fault. He had tried his best to beat Mint and while he failed, the fact that he tried is what mattered. And now that he was coming to his senses, maybe now they could discuss what course of action to take. They needed to find someway to stop Mint and Skrawl from continuing their rampage across ChalkZone. Doing that was what was important, not who was at the most fault.
The smile from Rudy's face soon disappeared. It was quickly replaced with a frown. He tightened his hands around his knees, gripping them hard. After a few moments, Rudy got up from Snap's couch. He walked forward a little. He moved towards the window and looked outside. He stared into the horizon, then he turned around and faced his friends. The same glare never left his face.
"We have to make sure they don't get another artifact." Rudy said. The determination he had lost before had returned, this time a little stronger. He formed a fist with one hand. "And I think the best way to do that is to stop Mint himself." Rudy slammed his fist against his open palm. "Once we do that, then it should be easy stopping Skrawl and getting the stolen artifacts back."
"But how will we do that, Bucko?" Snap said. There was a tinge of fear in his voice. Penny looked at him sympathetically. He was still shaken by the threat of death Mint practically gave to him. "Do you have any plans?"
Rudy's expression faltered slightly. "No I don't."
Not wanting Rudy to lose his determination again, Penny spoke up, raising her hand a little. "I think I have an idea."
Rudy looked at her. "What's your idea, Penny?"
"Well Mint goes to our school, right?" Rudy nodded his head slowly. "Well we can just find him in school and talk with him in private somehow. Maybe in the cafeteria when everyone is too busy to pay attention. We could talk to him, maybe convince him to stop."
Rudy and Snap stared at each other for a moment. They looked back at Penny. It was clear neither of them thought her idea would work. And honestly, Penny wasn't sure if it would work either. But it couldn't hurt to try, could it? It wasn't like Mint could do anything to them while in school. Nothing serious anyway.
"I don't know about that, Penny." Rudy said, clenching his teeth a little.
"Yeah." Snap said. "I don't think he'll stop just because you two ask him to."
"Reggie certainly didn't stop when I told him to." Rudy said solemnly. "He just threw me into the ground with that garbage of his. And this Mint kid... From what I've seen, he would do the same thing, figuratively speaking. He would just brush off any attempt at reasoning."
Penny understood what Rudy was saying. Mint could very well brush off their attempts to speak with him. He might push them away or try to get them in trouble or something. He would probably do whatever it took to get away from them and to ignore any statement they gave him. He could be much like Reggie at his worst, and just be a complete jerk to them.
And the way he treated Snap... That did give them more of a reason to believe he would not listen. He outright threatened to kill Snap, and he had the nerve to do it in their presence. The twisted smile he gave Snap as he readied his magic chalk told them enough. He wanted to kill their friend. And for what? Just for fun? Penny really had no idea why he would do such a thing.
Yet she still thought trying to reason with him would be a good first step to take. He couldn't hurt them in the real world as easily. He couldn't draw up any of his creations and sic the beasts on them. He was just a regular kid like them in the real world, and in school, that reduced his ability to do much to them. They could speak to him during lunchtime or something and try to explain to him why what he was doing was wrong. There was the chance it would not work, but it wouldn't hurt to at least try to talk to the kid. Maybe he wasn't as bad as he made himself out to be in ChalkZone. Maybe he just didn't know any better.
"We should at least try, Rudy." Penny said calmly. "He can't use the magic chalk in the real world. And with all those teachers and students around having lunch, I don't think he'd try anything." She paused for a moment. Then she stared straight at Rudy, her eyes holding determination. "We should try to talk to him, Rudy. He's just a kid like you and me."
Rudy narrowed his eyes a little. "I know he's a kid, but he's nothing like you and me, Penny. He's more like Reggie...a bully... And he might be worse than Reggie was. All he did was cause some chaos in ChalkZone. Mint...he has done worse in the short time he's been here. Trust me, Penny..." Rudy made a swift motion with his hand. "He is nothing like us."
"And what if he doesn't listen?" Snap asked. "What's your plan after that fails?"
"I..I don't know." Penny admitted. She lowered her head slightly. "I really don't know."
Rudy shook his head. "I thought so. You're just as clueless as me about how to handle this."
Penny narrowed her eyes. "We should at least try to talk to him. That is something, isn't it?"
Rudy said nothing.
sss
Skrawl was very pleased with how things were turning out lately. Finally, the tides were turning in his favor. For once, it was Master Tabootie who was fleeing. It was chalk boy who was losing the fight. Recruiting Mint was the best decision he ever made. The boy was performing very well, better than he had expected. And with his help, he managed to secure two artifacts.
He stood in a somewhat large room. The walls were kinda rocky in some places. Others, it was flat and metallic in appearance. The ground was pale blue, with lines decorating it kinda similar to airplane runways. It was pretty dark. There wasn't a whole lot of lighting in here. But Skrawl knew this room well and could navigate it easily, even with the poor lighting.
Along the walls, there were many clear glass tanks. Enough for all but one of the artifacts he found. In one of the tanks was the rod he took from Rainbow Mountain Range. It floated in what looked like bubbling liquid. Wires looped all around the glass tanks, connecting to each other and then running along towards the center. The wires had lights on them. They gave a pale glow, flashing slowly along the wires, giving the appearance that light rings were constantly being pumped towards the center.
A hard platform, looking like a mixture of stone and wood, stood in the center. On the platform floated the crown. Sparkles of light floated from it. A tall glass hooked firmly into the hard surface kept it in place. Skrawl looked at the crown gleefully, his face contorted into a hideous smile. The crown glowed a little, giving off even more light. The rod also glowed, but it wasn't as bright as the crown.
Skrawl was happy that he was able to steal the crown. None of this would have worked without it. He still needed the rest of the artifacts, but the crown...it was the most important piece. The other items would not work without it. The other items, in a way, were powered by the crown. So long as he had it, when he got the other artifacts, no one could stop him.
And to think, he was able to get this far simply by manipulating Mint. The boy thought this whole world was one giant video game. And as long as he believed that, he was going to be easy to control. Unlike Rudy and Penny, Mint had no loyalties to ChalkZone. He had no reason to protect it. Why would he try to protect something he believed was not real?
It amused Skrawl that the boy thought this was all just a game. He laughed to himself whenever the boy started using game-based terms in front of him or towards Rudy and his friends. Yes, the video game lie was working perfectly. The boy believes he is in one giant virtual reality simulation. Skrawl knew quite well how gamers often act more violent in games than in real life, and now he had managed to weaponize that behavioral trait. He managed to take it and use it as a means of gaining the upperhand.
And there was little chance of betrayal. Mint would continue eating information from his hands. He would continue believing him blindly; he had no reason not to. Mint just saw him as an advanced AI, a complex NPC. He believed Skrawl was his guide in this 'game'. And he would keep letting him believe that. So long as Mint continued to believe he was in a game, he was not going to hold back in his creation skills. He would not think twice about destroying a building or creating a weapon of mass destruction.
Mint was his tool. And Skrawl was going to make sure it stayed that way.
Still, he thought it was time for a little..change of plans. He was impressed with how Mint was able to beat Rudy so quickly. But the jellybean knew the boy well and he knew how determined he can be. He would be able to, eventually, push back Mint and be able to stop him from stealing the artifact. Having Mint stop Rudy before he got too close in Mondo Desert City worked well. But how many times would it work?
Instead of using the same tactic until it starts to fail, Skrawl decided it was time to shift things around a little. It was a risk having Mint fight Rudy so close to the artifacts' locations. It increased the odds of Rudy being able to get to him before Mint could stop him. He needed to try something else. The distraction was working, but he needed to..upgrade it a little. Make it so that it ensures Rudy never has time to get to him.
And Skrawl knew exactly how to do that. An evil smile spread across his face. All he had to do was sent Mint to random locations in ChalkZone and attack those areas. Rudy would come to their rescue. Mint would fight him. It would keep Rudy distracted long enough to allow him to steal the next artifact. It was brilliant. It was like how he distracted Rudy when he and Craniac 4 were going to destroy the Chalk Mine. But this time, without that annoying robot around to muddle things up, this brilliant plan was going to work.
He was certain of it.
sss
Snap walked down the street in night zone. The street lights shined, illuminating the area so he could see here he was going. He looked around, seeing all the tall buildings huddled up together, multiple windows indicating many rooms. All of them held zoners. So many zoners...so many people that Mint could end up hurting...
Snap was very worried. He wasn't sure how they were going to deal with this mess. He wasn't sure how they could stop Mint. There must be a way. He wanted to believe there was a way. But getting there...he knew it was going to be very hard. This kid was tougher than Reggie, and that was saying something. Reggie was just a pushover compared to Mint.
Walking down these streets, seeing the buildings he knew had zoners in them, seeing zoners walk down the streets of the night casted city, filled Snap with dread. He knew that any one of these guys could get hurt or killed if Mint was allowed to roam free in ChalkZone. And if Skrawl got all those artifacts..he knew nothing good could come out of it. He knew that they had to keep Skrawl from getting all of the artifacts. They had to get them back...somehow...
And they had to find some way to send Mint packing. He didn't really know what to think of Penny's idea to talk to Mint. Rudy was willing to give it a try, but he could tell from the tone of his voice he wasn't so sure it would work. Snap had his doubts as well. The kid was crazy. He had almost shot him yesterday and he didn't have doubts he would do it again. He didn't seem like the type of person to listen to reason. He was completely out of his mind, and those types of people, well, they were impossible to reason with. But he did admire that his friends were still willing to try anyway.
Snap did not really feel very safe without his friends around. As he walked down the street, he couldn't stop the cold shivers from going up and down his spine. He couldn't stop the constant fear of dread, or him looking around, trying to see if anyone or anything was following him.
It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling. Snap had never had to fear a creator before. Well there was Reggie, but that was short lived. Now there was the Enemy Creator. He had access to ChalkZone at any time, like Rudy and Penny. He could appear whenever he wanted, including times when his friends weren't around. And if he found him... What chance did he stand? He would be at the kid's complete mercy. Oh he could try to fight back, but how long would he last against someone who could create any weapon they wanted to?
For the first time, Snap was downright terrified of a creator. He feared the abilities a creator wields. He fears what they are able to accomplish. The power of a creator scared him now. And all because of some new kid on the block. A kid who had no qualms about shooting him...
Snap tried to shake off the feeling. Mint was nowhere in sight. He likely left to go home. He most likely wouldn't want his parents to find that he was missing. He wasn't a stupid kid. He would know that he had limited time in ChalkZone and reacted accordingly. It didn't shake off all of Snap's fears, but it did help him relax a little bit. And as he reached the steps of his sleeping quarters, his cold feeling had slowly disappeared as he managed to control it.
He slowly opened up the door. He started to walk inside. He stretched his arms a little, letting out a yawn. He was feeling pretty tired. It was really late. He stayed up later than he meant to trying to think of how to deal with Mint and Skrawl. Perhaps some sleep would help him concentrate better. Maybe in the morning, he could figure out a plan for Rudy and Penny should their attempts to speak to Mint fail.
The door closed behind him. Snap was surprised by this. He must have pulled the door a little too hard when he stepped in. He didn't have a chance to turn on the lights yet. He moved his hand along the wall, trying to find the switch. He didn't have time to find it when, suddenly, the room was barel light by some faint orange glow. Snap, for a brief second, was happy because now he could see where the switch was. But soon, it dawned on him...something wasn't right...
"Hello, Snap."
Snap's eyes widened in horror. No..it couldn't be... It was impossible... It couldn't be him...Anyone but him... Cold shivers went down his spine, causing his body to tremble a little. He took in several quick shaky breaths. That voice... He had known it only briefly, but he knew who it was... There was only one person it could be. Shaking, he turned his head around.
There, standing next to the door, a torch sitting down next to him, was Mint. Most of his body was cast in shadow. The fire's glow only illuminated him partially, keeping a lot of dark shadows on him, especially the face. This made him look even more menacing. And that smile...oh man that smile...It froze Snap's blood just looking at it.
Snap tried to scream for help, but Mint moved too quickly. He gripped Snap by his shoulder and pushed him hard against the wall. He raised his laser pistol and pressed it against Snap's face, just below his left eye.
"If you scream for help, I will shoot you." Mint said in a low threatening voice. His eyes narrowed. "Be quiet...Do you understand?"
Trembling, Snap gulped and rapidly nodded his head up and down. His eye were locked on the pistol. His heart pounded against his chest. He stared at it for a few seconds, and then looked back at Mint. The boy smiled at him, moving his face close to his.
Mint pulled the laser pistol away from Snap. He still held it close, his finger still on the trigger. Snap knew that the boy would still pull the trigger if he so desired. His body continued to shake as he stared at Mint. He wanted so much to fight back. He wanted to punch this kid and make a run for it. But he couldn't. And it wasn't just fear holding him back. That pistol could do a lot of damage. And if Mint aimed it as his head or chest...
Snap had to wonder how this kid managed to find him. How did he know to come here? How long had he been following him? How did he do that without being seen? And why was he doing this? Why was he hunting him down like this? What did he ever do to this kid to deserve such treatment? Mint was deliberately targeting him, and for what, Snap did not know.
"You know...it's incredible." Mint said, keeping the frightened Snap pinned against the wall. "This game is so..realistic... I did not expect game sprites like yourself to be programmed with your own 'lives', in the loosest sense of the term. It's incredible."
Game..? Snap's eyes widened in realization. This kid...he thought this was all just a game? Suddenly his behavior was starting to make sense. This revelation did little to comfort him, though. He still had a laser pistol pointed at him. He was still dangerous.
"It's...this is not a game..." Snap tried to say. He let out a whimper when Mint pressed the pistol against his forehead to silence him. He gulped and bit his lip, staring at Mint with wide, frightened eyes. "P-Please don't...can't we talk about this..?"
"Shut up." Mint said, narrowing his eyes. "I didn't come to talk to you. I came...to prove a point." Snap looked at him, confused. Mint smiled evilly at this. "Rudy and Penny seem so fond of you. I don't know why... You're just a game sprite. Not real. Regardless, they do care about you...and I guess they would be very upset if something happened to you..."
Snap whimpered when he saw the glint in Mint's eyes. He was going to do something to him...
"So perhaps I should deliver to them a message. Perhaps I should show them that I am still able to enter this game without them... That I could do things while they are gone..." Mint said. He looked at Snap up and down. His eyes were glowing with intent, and Snap could tell it was nothing good. He shuddered as Mint pulled the pistol away enough so Snap could get a nice long look at it. "It would be so easily shooting you..."
Snap looked at Mint fearfully. Tears streamed down his face. He shook his head in protest, staring at the boy pleadingly. He silently begged him not to hurt him. He tried to move back, but Mint only pressed himself closer to Snap, blocking anyway for him to escape.
Mint pulled his pistol back, much to Snap's relief. The boy examined the gun, his eyes focused on the barrel. He turned his head to Snap. "But where would the sport in that be? It'll be too easy finishing you off... It would be no fun..." He paused for a moment. "I would rather try my luck at you when you are with your friends. It would be more entertaining that way."
Although Snap knew that Mint just thought he was playing a game, his behavior was still downright frightening and sinister. The knowledge didn't make him feel safer. In fact, it made him more afraid. Because this kid thought this was a game, he was not going to hold back... Because he thought that there would be no consequences in anything he does to ChalkZone or zoners, there was no telling what he would do.
He continued to stare at Mint in fright. He had no idea what he was going to do to him. He was relieved that Mint was not going to shoot him. But...what did he mean by 'proving a point'? What was he going to do instead? Was he going to injure him? Was he going to have him captured? His body trembled at the fear of what might happen to him. He let out low whimpers, continuing to cry as he stared at Mint, pleading with him without words to let him go. His heart continued to beat quickly.
"I want to do something to get it in your friends' heads that I can come after you when they're not around." Mint said, smiling nastily at Snap. "Maybe that would encourage them to be...a little smarter. Maybe they will play harder at this game and they will be more of a challenge..."
Mint released Snap and took a few steps back. Snap looked at him warily, his body arched in self defense, prepared to run or fight if need be. Snap started to move away from him, down the halls. Mint narrowed his eyes and pointed his pistol at him. The sight of him caused Snap to freeze where he stood.
"Get on your knees."
Snap stared at Mint, his eyes widening in fear. He hesitated, his body shaking harder.
"Get down now!" Mint snarled, his pupils dilating a little.
Crying harder, Snap did as he was told. He dropped onto his knees. He looked over as he saw Mint begin to draw. His eyes widened in fear, wondering what he was going to do with him. Then Mint started to walk over towards him. Snap felt Mint's presence behind him and his body shook harder.
Mint grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his back. He felt something cold press against his hand. And then a click. Mint had cuffed his hands behind his back securely. Snap struggled a little, but he knew it wasn't going to work. The cuffs were pretty tight, pressing into his skin. He had a feeling that, if it wasn't cutting off circulation, it would pretty soon.
"I am impressed with how dynamic and realistic the reactions are here." Mint said. He took out a cloth. "You're one advanced piece of programming, Snap. I had no idea technology came this far."
Snap felt the cloth press against his face. Before he knew it, Mint had gagged him with the cloth. He tied the cloth behind his back tightly. Snap winced as the gag caused his teeth to press into his lip painfully. Then he felt Mint grab his cape and pull him off the ground. He pointed the laser pistol towards his face again.
"Take me to your bedroom."
Having no choice, Snap showed Mint the way to his bedroom. Mint kept a grip on him to keep him from trying to make a break for it. Faster than Snap would have wanted, they reached his bedroom. Mint pulled on Snap harder, almost causing him to trip over his feet. Mint dragged him all the weay to his bed. Once he got there, he pushed Snap into the ground and knelt down beside him.
Mint drew some rope. He then wrapped the rope around his cuffed hands. He tied the other end to the bed post as tight as he could, giving little leeway for Snap to move around. He then moved back away from Snap. His laser pistol was back in its holster. He put his hands on his hips and smiled down at Snap.
"Yes, this will do nicely. Once your friends find you like this, I trust that they will have the response I want..." Mint's eyes brightened. "I want Rudy to try his hardest against me. I want a challenge in this game." Mint turned around and began walking away. "I trust they will find you. I imagine this would be one of the first places they will look." He waved his hand dismissivley. "Goodnight, Snap. I will see you tomorrow."
With that, Mint left the room, shutting the door behind him.
All alone, Snap started to sob, tears flowing down his face. He couldn't get free. And no one knew what happened. No one was witness to this. He had to wait until Rudy and Penny find him. He..he wished they were here now..He was scared...so very scared... Mint..he was crazier than he thought.
Fear and dread tightened in his heart, making it ache. He felt so scared he wanted to throw up. His body wouldn't stop trembling, despite it being pretty warm in his bedroom. As he thought about what could have happened to him, about what almost happened to him, the tears just flowed faster, muffled whimpers escaping his throat.
As Snap tried to go to sleep in this position, he began to wonder something. How were they going to stop someone who was completely convinced they were interacting with a video game world? How were they going to stop Mint...?
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 13, 2014 21:00:55 GMT -5
CHAPTER 9:
Rudy paced around his room. He was waiting for Penny to come over. They had heard on the news that their school got a 2 hour delay. He didn't remember all the details. Something about how they had to a little wiring fixing and they thought it was best to delay the school instead of closing it completely or having students run underneath the workers as they did their duty. The news came as a surprise to Rudy. Usually their school was delayed for weather reasons. This was the first time it was delayed due to some construction work they wanted to do.
At least it gave them some extra time to be in ChalkZone. He had spoke to Penny over the phone and they managed to convince Mrs. Sanchez to let Penny come over to do some extra work for school. Mrs. Sanchez was going to be there soon with Penny, a few minutes perhaps. When she got there, he and her were going to go into ChalkZone and speak to Snap about the plan. He also wondered if his friend had come up with any plans himself, something they could fall back on in case Penny's idea did not work.
And there was a good chance it would fail. Rudy wasn't convinced that he would be the type of guy to just sit down and listen to reason. He had been a real nutjob so far, and he had shown he isn't afraid to kill. He almost took Snap's life... He had threatened to kill Snap right in front of them...
Rudy gritted his teeth at the memory. The way the kid was so casual about it... Rudy wasn't sure if talking to him would work. He felt that being more forceful was the way to go. He wasn't advocating hurting the kid, but they needed some way to force him out. Simply talking to him, he felt, just wouldn't work. The kid had threatened to kill their friend and acted so casual about it, and he had disregarded the lives of zoners as meaningless. He didn't believe that simply asking him to stop would work. If he really felt that zoners were worthless...if he felt there was no problem with him hurting them...how could a simple request make him stop at all?
But there was a small part of him that hoped that Penny's plan would work. He had hopes that maybe it would be that simple, that maybe all they really did have to do was ask. It was wishful thinking. Rudy knew that it would take a miracle for it to work. But it wouldn't hurt to try and it certainly wouldn't hurt to be hopeful that it would work. The worst the kid could do to them in school was say no, right? It wasn't like he could really do much of anything to them there.
He was grateful for the extra two hours. He really did hope that Snap came up with some other plan. Rudy himself couldn't think of any at the moment. He was drawing a blank. He was hopeful that Snap had better luck. He was pretty good at coming up with plans when the time called for it. He was confident that Snap thought of something overnight.
He hoped that his friend was able to get some sleep last night. He knew how shaken up Snap had been when Mint tried to shoot him and later threatened him. He could tell, just by looking at him, how much that had affected him. He wondered if his friend was going to have nightmares. He was certain of it. He could only hope that it didn't affect his sleep too much. He would feel so bad for Snap if he wasn't able to sleep because of his fears regarding Mint. If that had happened, Rudy would try to do something to help him feel safer, perhaps offer to let him stay at his or Penny's place.
That was another good thing about this two hour delay. If Snap had been tormented by nightmares, then he didn't have to wait long to be comforted by him and Penny. They would visit him early in the morning instead of having to wait until the afternoon to be able to get in. If Snap had nightmares, he would definitely feel better seeing his friends and talking to them about it. Then they could comfort him and tell him that the nightmares did not happen and that everything was okay.
Well...almost okay. There was still the fact that Mint was loose in ChalkZone, potentially causing damage all for Skrawl, who was looking for these artifacts that...well he didn't know what they did. But if Skrawl really wanted to get his hands on them, it had to be something terrible, something Skrawl could use to, perhaps, take over ChalkZone. They still needed to find a way to get Mint out of ChalkZone, which would greatly weaken Skrawl. Despite Skrawl being the one in charge, it was Mint who had turned the tides for him; get rid of Mint and Skrawl loses his hold over them.
Rudy hoped that he would do better against Mint next time. He was still upset that he lost a second time against Mint. He had been more prepared the second time around, and yet the boy still managed to take his magic chalk from him. He had, like the first time, rendered him helpless, unable to fight back well. And knowing that he could keep losing to his kid...It was something he didn't want to think about.
Sure, winning wasn't everything. And had this been something pretty unimportant, such as a sport, then Rudy wouldn't be as upset. But this so-called 'sport' he was playing...not only was it serious, but it involved real lives. He couldn't afford to keep losing to Mint. Every time he lost, ChalkZone paid the price in some shape or form. Every time he was not able to beat Mint, Skrawl would get another artifact and be closer to ruling ChalkZone or whatever he planned on doing with it. Whenever he wasn't close enough to fight off Mint or Skrawl, zoners were getting hurt.
This was anything but a game. This was reality, with lives on the line. He could not afford to keep losing. He couldn't afford to let Skrawl and Mint get away with what they're doing. He had to do whatever it took to get the upperhand. Even if it meant playing dirty... He needed a way to stop Mint for good. He was the biggest threat right now; Skrawl would be easy to take care of once Mint was out of the picture. He just hoped that, by the time they are able to stop Mint, that the damage to ChalkZone isn't irreversable.
Rudy heard the door open up. He turned his head and he could see Penny walking into his room. She shut the door behind her. She walked over to him. She seemed to catch that he was feeling apprehensive about the plan. She gave him a look of sympathy and put a hand on his shoulder.
"It'll be okay, Rudy." Penny said. "We've got to at least try."
Rudy nodded his head. "Yeah I know." He looked at his portal. "Come on, let's go talk to Snap before we have to leave for school."
Penny said, "Yeah... I hope he doesn't feel too awful about the other day." Rudy looked over at her, a little confused by what she meant. Penny realized she wasn't clear enough and went on to say, "I mean, regarding Mint. He was so scared..." She furrowed her eyebrows in concern. "I'm sure he'll be glad to see us this early."
Rudy nodded his head in agreement. Those were his thoughts earlier. Maybe, during their stay, they could think of something to help Snap not feel as afraid. He still thought that maybe letting him stay the night at their places once in a while would help. Mint couldn't really sneak into their bedrooms at night unless he wanted to risk getting caught. Mint might be willing to take risks, but that wasn't the type of risk Rudy imagined he would be willing to take. And getting arrested for trespassing and getting in trouble with his parents... Yeah Rudy could pretty much confirm that Snap being in the real world at night would be safe.
Rudy got out his magic chalk and drew a circle. Once the portal was activated and opened up, he and Penny went through it. Rudy was careful to erase the portal just in case his parents came into his room. He would explain his absense later; that would be easier to deal with than his parents finding out about ChalkZone.
He and Penny jumped onto the ground. They landed on the grassy field where they usually meet Snap. They brushed themselves off and looked around. They didn't see Snap anywhere. They weren't too surprised or worried. Snap knows they had school today and likely wouldn't hang around this portal waiting for them. If he were hanging out at any portal, it would be the one near the school, but he wouldn't be there this early in the morning.
They weren't sure specifically where to go first to look for Snap. Other than meeting them at the portals, his schedule wasn't really set in stone. He would be hanging around ChalkZone with his zoner friends most likely, having fun playing whatever game they thought of. But he could be anywhere doing that. They were certain Snap liked to do a little exploring while they were gone, though they don't imagine him straying far, knowing that they were going to come looking for him almost every day.
They soon decided that ChalkZone City was the best place to start looking. Snap might be taking a stroll there to pass the time, maybe get something for Rapsheeba or hanging at some newly drawn place. They quickly headed there.
But when they got there, they couldn't see Snap anywhere. Well they had just arrived. And this city was pretty large. They would just have to keep looking. They headed up and down the streets, knowing, that at some point, they would see their friend. Or at least they hoped so. There was still no way for them to know if Snap was going to be in the city or not. But it wouldn't hurt to look here first before they tried some other places where they knew Snap liked to be with his zoner friends.
When they didn't see him, no matter how much they walked around the city, they decided to try something else. Knowing they had two hours didn't really mean they had all the time in the world to find their friend. They really wanted to talk to him before they had to go to school. So instead of just continuing to wander around, hoping they'll locate Snap before time was up, Penny suggested that they go talk to some zoners. One of them would have seen Snap and be able to give them his location. Rudy agreed that it was a good idea and they started stopping random zoners in the streets, asking them about Snap.
Much to their surprise, not one of them had seen Snap that day. They said that they hadn't seen Snap since the other day. Well it was early... There was a chance that they just hadn't seen Snap yet today. That was their train of thought...at first. When they asked more and more zoners, all of whom said they didn't see Snap, suspicion began to rise up inside. What were the odds that fifty, hundred zoners in this city hadn't seen Snap that day? That didn't feel right. It was still too early to tell, but the two couldn't shake the feeling that maybe something was wrong with Snap.
Then they got their confirmation. They heard footsteps heading in their direction. Rudy and Penny turned to see Blocky rushing towards them, a worried expression on his face. That's when they knew that something might be wrong with their friend. Their stomachs tied in knots. They hoped it wasn't anything serious.
"Rudy! Penny!" Blocky cried. He soon reached them. He stopped and panted, catching his breath.
"Blocky!" Rudy said. He reached a hand out partway towards his first creation. "What's wrong?"
When the green zoner caught his breath, he said in a panicked voice, "Snap never left his house this morning!"
"What?" Rudy and Penny said in unison. They looked at each other worriedly.
"Yeah! No one's seen him leave." Blocky said, his eyes widened a little. "We think he might be sick. But we can't even get the door open and he won't answer!"
The kids' eyes widened in horror at this. For Snap to not answer the door...something really was very wrong. Rudy tried to think of what could have happened. Had he caught something the other day? He must have. If he didn't even get out of bed yet, Snap must be really sick. And to lock the door...maybe it was contagious and he didn't want anyone else catching it.
Rudy hoped it wasn't anything life threatening. He had to take Snap to the hospital and fast. He must be passed out at his bed or in too much pain to really respond. He looked over at Penny, noting her worried expression. She knew what was going through his mind. They had to rush to Snap's place and fast. They couldn't tell at the moment if what Snap caught was life threatening. It could just be a fever and he was probably resting. But still, he wasn't going to chance it. He had to get to him as soon as possible.
"You've got to help him! He might be in trouble!" Blocky said, jumping into the air once frantically.
"Don't worry, Blocky." Penny said, putting a hand on him. "Calm down. We'll help him."
"Yeah. If he's sick, we'll take him to the hospital." Rudy said, smiling at Blocky.
This clearly cheered Blocky up as he smiled at them gratefully. Rudy and Penny thanked Blocky for the information. Not wasting any time, Rudy drew a pair of rocket shoes and grabbed onto Penny. The force of the rocket shoes made it easy for him to carry her through ChalkZone. Up ahead, they could see night zone, characterized by the sudden pitch blackness of the area. Rudy lowered himself to the ground and gently set Penny on the ground next to him. He deactivated the shoes and the two of them rushed into night zone.
They ran along the streets. They tried their best to avoid zoners that were walking down. They ran into a few zoners by mistake. They apologized and went on their way. The buildings seemed to zip by them quickly as they ran as fast as they could. Rudy knew he could have just used the rocket shoes to continue flying through the city, but that thought hadn't crossed his mind. With thoughts racing, all he could focus on was getting to Snap's place.
They soon got to his place. It felt like it took hours, but really it took much less. Time seemed to move slow for the two as they opened up the door and rushed in. They called out for their friend as they headed towards his bedroom. Just like Blocky mentioned, there was no reply at all. Not even a muffled 'I'm here guys'...and that was really worrying. They guessed he had a terrible fever and probably couldn't move very well. This horrified them. It meant that he was sicker than they thought.
They reached his bedroom door. Penny reached down and tried to turn it. The doorknob wasn't budging. She tried to push it open, but it was no use. Being a little physically stronger than Penny, Rudy decided to try next. He gripped the knob tightly and turned it as hard as he could. It wouldn't move; it was locked in place. The two of them looked at each other worriedly. Snap wouldn't lock himself up in his bedroom unless something was really wrong.
Rudy started to slam against the door. He hit it again and again. He tried to force it open. He was desperate to get to his friend and make sure he was okay and well taken care of. His mind was focused just on that. He kept hitting against the door over and over, hoping that it would dislodge off its hinges and they could get it open. But, as time passed and the door would not open, he knew it wasn't going to work. He was just a kid; he didn't have the muscle mass required to do something like break a door down.
Penny pointed to his magic chalk. "Why don't you just draw a key?" She asked, looking perplexed by his attempts to break the door down. "It would be faster that way."
"Oh..." Rudy felt stupid he hadn't thought of that before. He quickly drew a key the right size for this door. "Thanks, Penny."
He put the key in the door's keyhole and turned it. When he heard a click, he pulled the key back. Putting the object away, he tested the doorknob. This time, it turned. He pushed the door open, allowing them to see into the very dark room. They stepped inside, standing right in front of the doorway.
They started to hear sounds. Almost muffled. It sounded like...whimpers almost, perhaps mixed in with muffled speech. Their hearts ached. Poor Snap..he must be having a fever induced nightmare. They moved further into the room by a couple of steps. Rudy moved over to where the light switch was. Before he got there, he looked over at the bed and noticed something...off about it. It almost didn't look like Snap was there, and there was something on the side that...didn't look like it belonged there.
He and Penny looked at each other worriedly. Snap must have fallen out of his bed. And he must have been so sick that he could not get up and climb back in. He must be freezing with that fever. No wonder the dark mass on the ground they believed was Snap was shaking. He must be so cold, poor guy.
Rudy reached the light switch. He put his finger underneath it and he pushed it up. Light illuminated the room in an instant. When he and Penny were able to see Snap, they froze where they stood. They stared in shock, their eyes widening in horror.
After the initial shock, Penny let out a terror-filled squeal and Rudy cried out Snap's name. They rushed over to their friends side, in absolute shock of what they were seeing.
Snap was leaning against his bed, his head slumped forward. There was a gag tied around his head, muffling his cries and calling out for them. His fightened eyes looked at them with a sense of relief. His arms were secured behind his back and rope attached him to the bed post. His body was shaking like a life and it looked like he didn't get a whole lot of sleep. His eyes had dark circles under them and his face was stained with tears.
"Oh my g...Snap!" Penny cried in a panicked voice. She dropped to her knees beside him. She reached over and undid the gag that silenced her friend. "What happened?!" Snap didn't reply at first. He took in quick breaths, his eyes wide with fear. He looked at her and started to whimper, mumbling something under his breath. "Snap..."
Rudy moved in on Snap's other side. He drew a knife to cut Snap's hands free from the bed post. He gently pushed on Snap's back a little to get him to lean forward a little. Drawing another key, this one smaller, he undid the cuffs that kept his arms secured behind his back. As soon as he did, Snap looked over in his direction, his lower lip quivering. Then, without warning, the zoner lunged at him, wrapping his arms around him and holding onto him tightly. He began to cry harder.
He looked at Penny, his eyes filled with shock and terror. Penny had the same expression on her face. She moved in closer. She made sure to be close enough that she made physical contact with Snap. She leaned against him gently, careful not to accidentally hurt him. She put her arms around him and Rudy, securing Snap between them.
Snap continued to cry and whimper as they held him in their arms. The sight of their friend like this made their hearts twist. Just what had happened to him? How long had he been like this? Was he hurt? He didn't seem hurt, but that didn't mean whoever did this didn't do something more to him. They continued to hold onto their friend, letting him cry, feeling his body shiver in fright.
When Snap started to calm down a little as he realized he was safe, Rudy and Penny moved back a little. They still stayed physically close to him, a way of letting him know they were still there with him and that this wasn't a dream. But even when calmed down, Snap still looked so scared. He looked at them, his eyes widened. They had never seen him look this scared before. It broke their hearts. Something happened to him last night. Something bad. And it wasn't an illness... Someone had done this to him. And they were going to find out who it was.
"Snap..." Rudy said. He put a hand on his friend's cheek. "I know you're still scared.. But you have to tell us what happened. Who did this to you?"
Snap let out a few soft whimpers. He sucked in a few quick shaky breaths. He stared at Rudy, his mouth open to reply. But he just started to cry harder. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, tears rapidly pooling down his face.
Penny reached over and stroked the top of his head. Snap looked over at her. "We're here for you, Snap. Please, tell us what happened, and we'll do what we can to make it better."
Snap whimpered, staring at Penny, then at Rudy, with those big frightened eyes. His body shook a little harder. Then he pressed his head against Rudy's shoulders. He managed to speak through his crying. "M-Mint..."
The mention of that name sent chills down Rudy and Penny's spines. Horror swept over them like a tidal wave. Mint had done this to Snap? He had attacked Snap at night and tied him to the bed and just...left him there? The realization caused anger to start to churn inside the two kids' chests and stomachs. And now, because of Mint, because of the Enemy Creator, Snap was so scared...so frightened..
"He...he did this to you?" Penny breathed, her eyes widened in absolute horror.
"Y-Yes!" Snap squeaked. He gripped onto Rudy tighter, afraid to let go. Through his crying, he shouted, "H-He ambushed me! He threatened me! He says that this is all just a game! A virtual game! He wanted to teach you g-guys a lesson, so he tied me up! He almost shot me with that laser pistol!" After that, his speech turned back into whimpering and sobbing.
"Oh Snap..." Penny said, tears escaping her eyes. "Don't worry...you're safe now..." She leaned forward and pressed her head against his. "It'll be okay..."
Rudy held onto his friend a little tighter, more securely. He turned his gaze towards the door, looking at nothing in particular. He was in absolute shock. He couldn't believe Mint did something like this. He couldn't believe that he would threaten Snap like that...leave him tied up like he had... What if no one found him in time? What if he had been trapped in his own house for who knows how long? What if something worse had happened? These thoughts plagued Rudy's mind, and the more he thought of them, the angrier he got at Mint.
How dare he treat his friend this way... How dare he threaten him like this... How dare he scare his friend to death like this... Rudy's hatred for the boy increased. No one threatened his friends and got away with it. No one was going to get away with scaring Snap like this. He was not going to let Mint off the hook. When he sees him in the cafeteria...he would make sure to give the boy a piece of his mind.
What had Snap done to the kid to deserve this? Nothing. They had just barely met and already he had hurt Snap and tried to kill him. Now he had broke into his own house and tied him up and left him all alone, scared and frightened. Rudy was glad that Mint didn't do worse to him, but that was still a terrible thing of him to do.
And a game...? This kid thought this was a game...? He wanted to ask Snap more about that, but he could tell he was not in the mood to talk. He was too shaken up by what happened and he couldn't blame him. Right now wasn't the time to be seeking out Mint. Now wasn't the time to scold that kid for what he had done. Right now, Snap needed him and Penny. He needed comfort and reassurance. He needed to be with them for a while. Rudy decided not to talk about plans regarding Mint and instead thought it was best he and Penny just stay with Snap until they had to go back to school.
"D-Don't leave me alone at night..." Snap whimpered. "Please don't leave me alone..."
Rudy bit his lip. He thought about the offer he was considering earlier. It seemed now was the best time to give it. "Would you like to stay the night at our places for a while?"
Snap nodded his head. "Y-Yes..."
"Okay then." Rudy smiled at his friend. "You can stay at my place tonight, and tomorrow, you can stay at Penny's. You may sleep with us until you feel safe again. Don't worry about our parents; we'll find some kind of explanation if they find you there. Isn't that right, Penny?"
Penny moved back. She gave Snap the best smile she could. "Yeah. We'll keep you safe. Don't worry."
Although Snap looked grateful at their offer, and he did relax a little, he was still very upset and scared. And for good reason. He had been threatened by Mint while they were gone. It had to have been a frightening experience. Without them around to protect him, he could have gotten really hurt. He wouldn't have been able to defend himself against a threat like Mint.
As Snap continued to cry, Rudy and Penny looked at each other, a look of determination on their faces. They were going to make sure another stunt like this didn't happen again. They were going to make sure Mint never got a chance to get Snap alone. They were going to stick by him as often as they could. They were going to protect him no matter what. Mint was not going to hurt Snap again. They would see to that.
sss
It was difficult leaving Snap behind. They wanted to stay with him longer, comfort him until he felt better. His mood did improve some while they were with him. But when they said they had to leave, he was scared and tried to convince them to stay. This wasn't like Snap. He knew they had school. For him to try to get them to skip school to stay with him showed just how deeply the incident with Mint had impacted him. They promised him they would be back as soon as they could.
As lunchtime was fast approaching, Rudy wasn't sure if the plan would work. If anything, the incident with Snap further convinced him it wouldn't work. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see Mint right now. He was so filled with anger that he thought he was going to explode right in front of him. And to even attempt to talk to him, Rudy had to control his anger. If he exploded at him in the cafeteria, he might get in trouble.
Penny herself started to have further doubts of her own plan. She started to have thoughts similiar to Rudy on this. That he was an out of control kid who had no remorse for what he did, and would be difficult, if not impossible, to reason with. But even though she was doubting her idea even more now, she still wanted to go through with it as they had not come up with any other plans yet.
The two of them soon entered the cafeteria. Lunchtime was earlier due to the two hour delay they had that day. They moved in the single file line that stretched down the hallway. The smell of food filled their nostrils. Normally this would make them hungry and eager to eat. But they ignored the smell, their minds focused on Snap and Mint. They couldn't see him yet, but they knew that he would be in the cafeteria somewhere. The fifth and sixth graders at their lunches at the same time. That ensured their chances of finding Mint in this place.
After Rudy and Penny got their plate of food, they headed out towards the sitting area. There were many tables here, many filled with students. They kept walking, ignoring any empty seat they could have taken. They looked around, trying to figure out where Mint was. They hoped that he would be alone. Last thing they needed was for him to be sitting with a group of friends. That would make talking to him that much harder.
They continued to look at the tables, trying to look for any that looked empty or looked mostly devoid of people. And soon they found Mint. Much to their relief, he was alone, sitting off on his own. It looked like he was halfway done eating. They hurried over towards his table. As they moved closer, anger began to rise inside of them. Rudy and Penny did their best not to let it show. But it was an uncomfortable feeling to be approaching someone they knew was a crazed lunatic. The only reason they felt even just a tad safe going near him here was that he was in the real world. He couldn't do anything to them here.
Rudy and Penny sat their trays in front of Mint. Then they sat down, taking their seats in front of him. Mint was eating a piece of chicken, but at the sound of their trays being set down in the table, he froze. Keeping his head down, he moved his eyes up. He stared at them for a second before moving his head up to see them more clearly. He swallowed his food, the same expression on his face. He looked surprised to see them, like he didn't expect them to approach him.
"Rudy? Penny?" Mint asked, perplexed. Then he smiled. Unlike before, it wasn't a crazed evil smile. But it still made them feel uncomfortable. "What a pleasant surprise." He straightened himself up, holding his fork in his left hand. "What brings you two over here?"
Rudy narrowed his eyes. This kid was acting a little friendlier than he did in ChalkZone. If he was trying to butter them up and make them lower their guard, it wasn't going to work. The fact that he appeared to be treating them as if he was doing nothing wrong sickened him. Penny didn't look too happy about this either.
"We need to talk to you." Rudy said, doing his best to hide his anger.
But Mint had caught his tone of voice. His expression shifted a little. There was some confusion in his face. "You want to talk to me? About what?"
"ChalkZone...and our friend." Penny replied, narrowing her eyes a little.
Mint looked at each of them. He looked confused for a moment. Then he smiled again. He took another bite of his chicken. He waved his right hand towards them. "Proceed then."
Rudy gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe this kid was playing dumb. He knows full well what he had done. He knows that he had caused destruction in ChalkZone. He knows he had injured his friend...tried to kill him. How dare he pretend like he didn't know any of this... How dare he act like he did nothing wrong... How dare he act like he had no idea why they were so angry with him...
"We will make it simple. Stay out of ChalkZone." Rudy said, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Mint looked at him in shock, like he was surprised he would make such a demand. "I will not have you running around ChalkZone causing all kinds of destruction. You have nearly killed a lot of zoners, including my friend, Snap. As protector of ChalkZone I order you..." He leaned forward and said in a low voice. "...stay out!"
Penny nodded her head. Mint turned his attention to her, waiting for her to speak. "And stay away from our friend, too. We found out what you did to him last night. That was really cruel of you, you know that? Leaving Snap tied and gagged like that. What gives you the right do that to another living being?"
Mint stared at them for a while, wide-eyed. Then he nearly choked on his food as he started to laugh. Rudy and Penny glared at him. What did this kid think was so funny? They watched as he laughed, grabbing his throat like he was worried he was going to choke on his food. He managed to swallow and he looked back at them. From his expression, he looked genuinely surprised and amused by what they said. This did not suit well with them.
"So you two want to stop me from going into ChalkZone?" Mint asked. Rudy and Penny nodded affirmatively. Mint chuckled. "I had a feeling you two were going to try to hog that game all to yourselves.."
Rudy's eyes widened at this. Snap had mentioned something about Mint thinking it was a game. He growled softly at Mint. "It's not a game. It's a real place, filled with real people."
Mint shook his head. "No. It's just a well done virtual reality system. You and Penny have just been in there so long, you deluded yourselves into thinking it was real." He made no reaction to when Rudy and Penny's glares deepened. "And considering your friend, Snap, is nothing more than data pieced together into a life-like simulation, just an AI, I don't see why you're so upset with him being gone. You can always just recreate him and he'll be fine." He pushed his fork into the final piece of chicken. He lifted it up to his face. "No big deal."
Rudy's body started to shake in anger. As Mint started to eat his piece, Rudy let his anger get the best of him and he slammed his hand a little too hard on the table. He was lucky that it was so noisy in the cafeteria no one really noticed.
"ChalkZone is not a game!" He said, his voice raised a little. "Snap is not some game sprite! He's real! It's all real! Why can't you understand that?!"
Penny put a hand on Rudy's shoulder, attempting to calm him down. She turned to glare at Mint. "You really have no idea what you're dealing with, do you? Your actions in ChalkZone have far more consequences than you realize. Skrawl isn't some NPC guide. He's a monster. And he is using your talents to take over ChalkZone. Do yourself a favor, and us a favor, and stop going into ChalkZone."
"Skrawl warned me you two would try to do this." Mint said, shaking his head, laughing in amusement. "It's quite entertaining listening to you two defend a place that's not real, just a video game." He looked at them in the eyes. "I guess that just shows how passionate you are about the virtual world."
Rudy and Penny growled at him.
"And since you two took the trouble of finding me and talking with me, I will give my answer." Mint said. He jabbed the fork in their direction. "No. You two are not going to stop me from going into that game world. You are not the boss of me. I don't care what name you came up for yourself there, Rudy Tabootie. But you have no right to try to deny me the fun and thrill of that place. It is not your game. I will continue to come and go as I please."
With that, Mint got up from the table. He carried his tray with him. He walked around and stopped right next to them. He looked down at the two. The familiar evil smile came onto his face. Small, but it was there.
"I trust you two will fight harder in the game." Mint said. "Since you two found Snap tied up and gagged, I take it you two know what I can do while you are gone. I hope that inspires you to fight harder...because who knows?" He grinned darkly. "I might do worse next time..."
As he started to walk away, Rudy felt rage take him over. He got up from his seat. He started to rush over to Mint, prepared to tackle him. He felt a hand grab him and pull him back. He looked down and saw Penny shaking her head. Rudy took in a few breaths, trying to calm himself a little. He and Penny watched, anger boiling in their blood, as Mint walked away.
This kid thought ChalkZone was a game. He thought Snap was just a game sprite, an AI programmed into the game. And he was not listening to reason. Skrawl must be feeding off this lie, convincing Mint he really was in a game. And because he thinks it was just a game, his conscience was not going to kick in. He was going to continue doing terrible things, believing that nothing he did had any consequence. He didn't know any of this was real, and that made him even more dangerous than before...
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 13, 2014 21:01:11 GMT -5
CHAPTER 10:
"You did what...?" Skrawl asked in a low voice.
"Hey it wasn't a big deal." Mint said, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't see what the problem is."
Skrawl's body shook in anger. His fist shook in anger. It took all his strength not to last out at the boy. He had to remember to keep himself as calm and collected as possible, at least when interacting with him. In order to keep this boy's allegience, he had to act friendly and helpful towards him. He had to act like the guide the boy thinks he is.
But if he kept doing stuff like this...if he kept going around doing whatever he wanted to... Skrawl wasn't sure just how long he could keep up this charade. Sooner or later, something would break. He hoped that this kid would do better than Craniac 4 did. That red robot's arrogance cost him the one surefire chance he had at defeating Rudy Tabootie. If Craniac 4 had just listened to him, the plan would have succeeded and Rudy would have been their slave. But nope, the darn robot wanted to do things his way, which cost them precious time and allowed that annoying rat, Snap, to warn Rudy about the robot, which he was certain was what had happened.
As he stared at Mint, he began to realize that tricking the boy into believing this was a game world still had its complications and wasn't as foolproof as he had originally believed. The kid was going to take huge risks, believing there was no consequences. That was good, but only if used against Rudy and his friends. Only if it was used during actual missions. Mint's recklessness might cost him the battle if he wasn't careful. It would be easy for Mint to accidentally destroy something important, or do something that makes him easier to get caught, thus ruining his plans. The kid's destructiveness was only useful if contained and properly controlled.
He had to think of a way to keep him from pulling such a stunt again, especially not a bigger one. He was not going to back out of the video game deal. It was the best plan he had to control Mint. If he let it in that this place was real, Mint might turn tail. Mint did not seem like the kind of kid who would deliberately cause harm to something he believed was real. So as long as he thought this place was virtual, he would not hold back. Keeping up that lie might prove difficult, but Skrawl had some ideas on what he could do in case it came to that.
As clever as it was, Skrawl did not want Mint going around ChalkZone at night, even if he could have gotten a chance to off Snap. Skrawl didn't like it when others messed with his plans. The last time he allowed that to happen, with Craniac 4, it demolished the entire plan. No, this time, they were going to do things his way, and his way only. He was not going to have Mint prancing around ChalkZone, doing who knows what, because he might end up doing something that will set him back in his scheme.
Then there was the chance that, when not under his supervision, Mint might find out that ChalkZone is real. He might figure out that the material around here was not data, that he had not been digitized, that he is still flesh and blood here, that the citizens were indeed made of chalk dust, not data made to look like chalk dust. That was a huge risk. If the boy made that discovery, that ChalkZone was not a video game, he could potentially lose an ally. No, he would not allow that to happen. He would make sure that this boy did not do anything in ChalkZone without his permission.
And out of the ideas he had, there was one that he believed would work the best. He was not an expert on video games, but he knew enough to fool this kid. There was one particular piece of game knowledge he knew that would convince this kid not to do anything outside of his assigned missions.
"Look, that is not how the game is supposed to go. I'm your guide, remember? You're supposed to do what I say." Skrawl said. He jabbed a finger against his own chest. His mismatched eyes stared down at the boy. "This game is still in beta."
Mint raised an eyebrow. "Beta? For how long?"
"What does it matter?" Skrawl said, waving a dismissing hand. "The programmers are still sprucing things up. Listen, child, if you want to keep playing, you have to play by my rules only. Since the game picked me as your NPC guide, you cannot do anything in the game that isn't part of an assignment I gave to you."
"Oh really?" Mint folded his arms against his chest. "What about when I almost shot Snap? That wasn't part of the plan, and nothing bad happened."
Skrawl slapped himself in the face. This kid was good. He had forgotten about that bit. He'd have to be more specific to keep the video game facade up. He tried to think of a good enough response to that. It didn't take him long to think of a reply.
"That was because you were on a mission I designated for you. It doesn't matter what you do, so long as you stay within the parameters of the mission and remained focused on the task at hand." Skrawl said. He gave a knowing smile to the boy. "So if you want to try your hand at taking out their...AI construct... Then so be it. But you can only do so on a mission. Do you understand me?"
Mint narrowed his eyes slightly. "What happens if I try to play the game differently?"
"Deadly glitch." Skrawl said. "Er, well not literally deadly.. But if you try to do something outside of a mission, the game will freeze and crash."
"No problem then. The game can just reset..." Mint started to say.
"No!" Skrawl shouted at him. Mint took a step back, his eyes widening a little. Realizing his mistake, Skrawl cleared his throat and gave a light hearted chuckle. "Sorry about that." He spoke in a calmer, more controlled voice, trying to push back the anger and annoyance he had felt previously. "What I mean to say is that...no you can't do that. If you let that glitch activate, the whole game comes crashing down and you'll have set the programmers back many years. If you want to play the full version of this game, you must play by the rules. My rules."
Skrawl hoped that would be good enough for the boy. He hoped that his explanation would convince him to do what he said. And sure enough it appeared to have worked. The boy's confused expression had disappeared. The look of understanding flashed in his eyes. He appeared to have gotten it. Skrawl gave a mental evil smile at this. The kid was so easily fooled. He was glad that the creator he found was a child. An adult would have been harder to convince.
"I have a quick question." Mint asked, taking a step towards the jellybean. Skrawl's eyes widened slightly. "If you are the NPC guide the game assigned for me, what about Rudy and Penny? Who is their guide?"
Skrawl hadn't really thought of that. He never told Mint just who Rudy and Penny's NPC guide was. He should have realized that Mint would have wanted to know. He had convinced the boy this game had a team-based set up. And it can't be like that unless there was more than one team. He hadn't come up with a zoner that could be his nemesises's guide. And since he had the boy convinced he knew all about this video game world, he could not simply say that he didn't know.
There were a good number of zoners he could have named. He tried to narrow it down, focusing just on the ones that Rudy and Penny hang out with the most. Then from there, he mentally shifted through the candidates. There was Blocky, another of Rudy's creations. He immediately scrapped that idea. That stupid zoner couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag. Hmm...Rapsheeba? No, she wouldn't do. She had a busy schedule lately and if the boy found any of her advertisements, he would know she wouldn't have time to constantly guide Rudy and Penny around.
Biclops might be a good candidate. Yeah, he was large and foreboding enough to convince the kid he was an NPC guide. He did like trio and trusted them, especially Rudy. He often aided Rudy if his help was needed. Rudy did have to visit Biclops often enough to get magic chalk. Biclops was the guardian of the stuff, after all. Stealing magic chalk from him wasn't easy. Biclops might be a good choice...
...except maybe there was a better choice. There was a zoner that was very familiar with Rudy and Penny who often hung out with them. A zoner that was almost always present when those two humans were in ChalkZone. A zoner that, at the first sign of trouble, would rush over to Rudy and Penny and take them over to where the danger was so they could help fix it...
That was the kind of behavior that seemed most appropriate for an NPC guide. And there was one particular zoner that fit that bill.
"Snap." Skrawl said. "He is their NPC guide." Realizing that he had forgotten about the created bit, he quickly added one small detail. "This game offers you a chance to create a look for your NPC guide. That is what Rudy did. Unlike you, he created his own NPC guide."
Mint looked confused. "Snap? That little blue kid? He's their NPC guide?"
Skrawl nodded his head. "Well of course he is! Why do you think they're so protective of him?" The jellybean stood on one leg and folded his arms behind his back. "Oh I'm sure they try to convince you that it's because they care about him. Well they do, but it's not simple friendship. The biggest reason they don't want you to kill Snap is because they will get booted out of the game. Without a guide, they can't play."
Mint stared at Skrawl, his eyes widened a little. "So that's why they were so defensive when I tied up Snap."
Skrawl nodded his head. "Yes, exactly."
"Huh." Mint scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, now I know. That does explain why they'd be so jumpy about Snap getting hurt. I can sympathize with them. If something happened to you and I couldn't play, I would be upset myself."
Skrawl was pleased that this information was sinking into the boy. He was taking it and gobbling it up just like he had hoped he would. Children were so naive, so easily fooled. All he had to do was pick the right words, and he could convince Mint of anything. And the fact that he managed to convince the boy that the friendship Rudy and Penny shared with Snap was more about 'getting access to the game' than 'actually wanting to hang out with Snap because he's their best friend' proved it.
"Well okay then." Mint said. "I promise I won't do anything off mission again." He motioned towards himself. "You have my word, Skrawl."
Skrawl smirked at Mint. "Good boy. Now..." Skrawl walked back towards the child. He stared down at him intently. Now was the time to talk about the change in plans. "There is something I would like to discuss with you." Mint looked up at him expectantly, waiting for his next orders. "For your next, mission, I want to do things a little differently. You will not be following me to the next artifact location. I realized that having you following me increases the odds of Rudy gaining the upperhand. This time, you will be sent to a location in the opposite direction."
Mint slowly nodded his head once. "Okay... And where do you want me to go?" He held out his hand in a gesture. "And what exactly do you want me to do there?"
Skrawl smirked at the boy. "I will assign a couple of my Beanie Boys to take you over to Happy Face Valley, near Mount Runnynose." Mint stifled a laugh at those names. Skrawl ignored it and continued, "Just begin demolishing the place. I don't care what you do, so long as you stay within the town's parameters. That will draw Rudy's attention to you. Just keep him busy for a little while. Twenty minutes at least is all I'll need. Do you think you can handle it?"
Mint smiled evilly, folding his arms tightly against his chest. "Don't worry about it. If Rudy had already shown me the best he can do..." He let out a soft chuckle. "Then this will be a piece of cake..."
Giving a dark smile, Skrawl turned around and walked away. He waved a hand. "Beanie Boys! Take him to Happy Face Valley! And then report back to me!"
As a couple of Beanie Boys guided Mint and Ripclaw to the location of Happy Face Valley, Skrawl laughed to himself. It was amusing how easily manipulated this boy is. He had no idea what he's doing. He had no idea just what he was about to help him unleash on this world. He had no idea that he was, in fact, spelling out the end for ChalkZone, paving the way for it to be remade in Skrawl's image.
And the best part...even if he realizes that he's working for the 'bad guy' of this world, Mint still would help him. As long as he believed he was playing a video game, he would keep helping him because, to him, it wasn't real. Even if Skrawl outright told him something extreme like he was going to kill a giant group of zoners and eat them one by one, Mint would still help him because he doesn't think any of this is real.
It was perfect. Absolutely perfect...
sss
Mint stood on the hill not far from Happy Face Valley. His arms folded, he stared down at the place, his mouth ticked into an amused smile. He had to give the creators credit. They really went out of their way with imagination and creativity for this game world. When he had heard the names Happy Face Valley and Mount Runnynose, he wasn't sure what to think. But a town with the houses arranged so that they looked like a smiley face from a distance? A large rock that was leaking out water like it really had a cold? Clever. Something different.
Happy Face Valley looked like such a nice place. Simple, quaint, but nice. The houses were pretty small and simplistic. They were arranged not far from each other. He didn't really see any larger buildings around. He wondered if the NPCs there were programmed to go somewhere else for 'food' or if they didn't really need to eat anything.
And the NPCs themselves were pretty cute. He did chuckle when he first saw them. Literal smiley faces, some yellow and some pink, walking around with simple arms and legs. They had even waved hello to him when they saw him approach from a distance. Mint didn't do anything at first. He walked around, careful not to bump into any of the townsfolk. Some of them tried to talk to him, but he ignored them. He had to remain focused on his task at hand.
Mint knew it wouldn't take much to destroy this place. These zoners, these happyfaces as Skrawl put it, did not have much of a defense. And looking around, they didn't have any weapons either. They literally had nothing to stop him from the rampage he was about to go on. As cute as they were, orders were orders. And, calling forth Ripclaw, he began his destruction. The look of shock and horror that swept through the happyface's, seeing their look of shock at his sudden attack, was amusing to see.
And now Mint stood on the hill, smiling down in satisfaction at what Ripclaw was able to accomplish. He ordered her to destroy the place, to demolish the buildings one by one. That would buy Rudy enough time to arrive before he was finished. If Rudy didn't show up, it meant that the distraction had failed, and he would have lost this round.
Ripclaw was rushing through the small town. She chased off some of the happyfaces that got too close, but did not attack. That was a specific order from Mint. She was not to harm the happyfaces; only attack the buildings. If all the buildings were destroyed before Rudy got there, then she could attack one or two happyfaces. That would definitely prompt Rudy to stay and fight, especially if his role in this game was to be its protector.
Mint knew he was playing as the bad guy. He knew that, in this game, he had been assigned the role of the villain. And he absolutely loved it. He enjoyed being the one causing trouble. He enjoyed being able to do almost anything he wanted to. He was glad the game assigned him on the antagonistic side. He was getting quite a thrill from it. His smile turned into a devious grin as he continued to oversee the damage that Ripclaw was causing.
Ripclaw had already destroyed about a quarter of the town. Using her large size, she easily knocked over the buildings, reducing them to rubble. Her jaws made quick work of the chimneys and she tossed them into some more of the houses, destroying them as well. Smoke pillowed out from the damaged areas, rising into the air almost like a smoke signal. The utahraptor gnashed her jaws at some of the happyfaces simply to scare them or make them run faster. Then she would turn her attention to another building. She rammed it with her head, kicking at it with her claws, doing whatever to destroy it.
The happyfaces themselves were running around in circles. They were completely panicked, unsure of what to do. Mint laughed at this. It reminded him of those simulation games he heard of before, where it was possible to do some bad things and make the virtual customers run around screaming like crazy. He had seen some videos of it for a good laugh. But seeing it in three dimensions was just great. He hoped Skrawl would continue with this plan. He didn't think he'd get tired of causing NPCs to panic like this.
Whenever a happyface tried to run out of the valley, Ripclaw would chase them back into town. She would harrass them to make sure they stayed. Another order from Mint. He didn't want any of the happyfaces leaving during the destruction. It just wouldn't have the full effect if any of them had left. If they all disappeared, Rudy might think the area was done for and leave. No, he had to make sure that Rudy believed it was still worth fighting for, at least until his time to play with him was over.
The sound of cracking, rocks crumbling filled the air as Ripclaw continued her assigned destruction. She had destroyed more than half the houses now. The happyfaces were even more terrified now. Most of them had stopped running and were huddled around in one spot, shaking like a pile of leaves. Ripclaw kicked her foot into another house, her eyes staring at it intently as it crumbled down as easily as a pile of cards. Then she lifted up the chimney from the rubble and threw it into another house, reducing it to a pile of rubble.
Now there was only five houses left...
Mint was starting to feel disappointed. Where was Rudy? What happened to the 'guardian of ChalkZone' that he had spoken to earlier in the cafeteria? Mint wondered if the game was glitched and the message wasn't getting send through. He narrowed his eyes at the thought. Well that would be inconvenient if that were the case. It's no fun carrying out this new scheme of Skrawl's if Rudy isn't going to show his face and fight him. A game was no fun without a challenge.
Ripclaw turned her attention to another house. She opened her jaws and let out a screech. She began to rush towards it, but then stopped. Mint's eyes widened in surprise when one of the happyfaces jumped onto Ripclaw, wrapping his arms around her to try to hold her back. He hadn't expected the happyfaces to be programmed to do anything really all that defensive. Running around and screaming was what he thought they were only capable of. So seeing one of them do something different came as a genuine surprise. Perhaps the dynamic AI behavior was more widespread than he imagined for this game. Impressive.
"No! Please stop!" The smileyface cried. "Don't do this anymore! Please!"
Ripclaw narrowed her eyes and snarled at the happyface. She shook her body to and fro, letting out a roar of frustration. The smileyface was knocked back and forth. He let out a scream, hanging on as tightly as she could. Finally, the utahraptor managed to throw the happyface from her and into the ground. She turned towards the fallen smileyface and let out a roar. The smileyface screamed and put his hands in front of himself in self defense.
But before Ripclaw had a chance to do anything else, out of nowhere, there was a flash of color, the burning smell of rockets, a quick glow of fire, and Ripclaw let out a screech. Mint watched, his eyes slowly widening in shock, was Ripclaw was tossed back away from the town. She tumbled across the ground and landed on her side.
It didn't take him long to see what had happened. Hovering over the town, staring at him with an intense glare, was Rudy himself. Mint was impressed that the boy rammed himself against Ripclaw like that. Despite it all being virtual, he had to admit that took guts. He could see just how determined this kid was to protect this video game, despite it not being real. He really took his role in this game seriously, to the point where he even pretended it was real outside the game. Mint wasn't sure if he should be impressed at his dedication, though, or if he should be amused or frightened at how deluded the ten year old had become.
He wondered where Penny and Snap were. Their last two encounters in this game, they were together. So where did they go now? A quick glance behind the angered Rudy showed that they were helping the happyfaces. But he realized they weren't so important in this mission. It was Rudy he had to focus on. He turned his attention to the boy.
"Well...it's about time you showed up." Mint said, smiling evilly. "You know how to make an entrance, don't you?"
Rudy's body was shaking in rage. It was clear he was angry at the damage he had caused to Happy Face Valley. Mint couldn't believe that this boy was taking this game so seriously. He should lighten up. It was just a game.
Pointing his finger in Mint's direction, Rudy shouted, "This isn't a virtual world, Mint! This is real! Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Mint just looked at him with an amused expression, an eyebrow raised. "You attacked innocent civilians! You destroyed their homes! And for what? Nothing!" Rudy's voice filled with more anger as he continued to talk. Mint rolled his eyes. "And since you can't understand the consequences of what you have just done, I will give you something you can understand! Mint Zandophen, I challenge you to a rematch!"
Mint laughed at this, prompting a snarl from Rudy. He kept his gaze on Rudy and sneered, "Okay then. I accept." He held up his magic chalk, smiling evilly at Rudy. "Let's play..."
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 21, 2014 21:16:18 GMT -5
CHAPTER 11:
Rudy hadn't been certain what to expect when he got word that Happy Face Valley was under attack. He hadn't thought of why, if there was an artifact there or what. He hadn't a clue of what to expect when he finally arrived. There were all sorts of possibilities, ideas of what could be happening. Thoughts that he had considered of what he should be prepared for.
But it sure wasn't something like this...
When he, Penny, and Snap arrived, they were in absolute horror of what had transpired there. Most of Happy Face Valley was...destroyed. Completely and utterly destroyed... They had been here a short while ago, too, before the whole Enemy Creator incident had started. The happyfaces were jolly and going about their merry lives. Everything was fine. Everything was in order.
But now..now it was nearly all gone. All except five houses had been demolished. Even from a distance, Rudy could see just how much destruction was going on. It absolutely horrified the trio. What was the purpose of this destruction? Why was Mint doing this? Why would Skrawl order him to do this? Even if it were just to get an artifact... Even Skrawl usually only targeted the area in which the artifact was hidde; he only attacked the buildings in Mondo Desert City because they were uncooperative. But the happyfaces were always so nice. They wouldn't really resist all that much if Mint had just asked if he could dig around for something.
That was what made this attack that much more sinister. It was just pointless. The happyfaces, unlike the mondonians, didn't really have much of a defense. All they would do when under attack was run around in circles. They were one of the most peaceful zoners Rudy has known. It was to the point where a mere slap would make them afraid. He could only imagine how they must feel now, watching their homes being destroyed by some kid for what seemed like no reason.
And when Rudy saw Mint standing there, overseeing the damage, that smile on his face...it made his blood boil. The kid was enjoying the rampage his dinosaur was giving the happyfaces. He was relishing in the damage, looking all proud and what not. There was no amount of empathy in his eyes for the happyfaces. He didn't care about what happened to them at all. It was clear that Mint was loving what he was doing. He truly was a twisted, psychotic child, regardless if he thinks he's playing a game or not.
Rudy was not going to let him get away with this. He was putting his foot down. He was going to face Mint. Despite his worries that he'll lose again, he was going to face him. He was going to challenge him to a fight and this time, he was going to win. He was going to see to that.
As they had arrived, Rudy told Penny and Snap to go help the happyfaces. He told them to make sure they were safe. He wanted Penny to draw them a shelter to hide in during the battle. And after that, he wanted them to go find where Skrawl was. Rudy felt it was suspicious that Skrawl wasn't here. Something was definitely wrong and he wanted to figure out what it was. But he couldn't leave Happy Face Valley while it was being attacked... He trusted that Penny and Snap could locate Skrawl while he dealt with this kid.
Rudy felt that Mint was his responsibility. He felt that the damage this kid caused was, in a way, because of him. He was the one who left the portal open. He was the one who didn't think it was important to erase the portal just because it was covered. He was the one who should have double checked to make sure that no one had been following them. He was the one who inadvertantly let Mint into ChalkZone. And now he was going to be the one to get him out. He was going to defeat Mint, take away his magic chalk, and get him out of ChalkZone. As protector of ChalkZone, he was not going to allow Mint to continue to get away with what he's doing. Since he won't listen to reason, he'll have to deal with him the hard way.
When he had seen Ripclaw looking like she was going to attack an innocent happyface, Rudy stepped up to the plate. He sped up his rocket shoes and headed off towards the dinosaur. He knew it was crazy. He knew he could have gotten hurt. But he wasn't going to allow that dinosaur to hurt someone. He rammed himself against Ripclaw and tossed her back into the ground. For a brief moment, he could have sworn he saw surprise in Mint's eyes.
And when that kid rolled his eyes...Rudy was furious. He still thought this was a game. He did not take his position as 'protector of ChalkZone' seriously. The kid thought he was joking or something. He really did not understand the consequences of what he was doing. Well he was going to make him take him seriously. He was not going to let that kid, that menace, to continue running amock in ChalkZone.
So he challenged Mint to a duel. He was a little surprised the kid had accepted almost right away. He wasn't entirely sure what he was expecting. Perhaps some taunting comment about how he beat him twice already, and how would he beat him again if he kept losing. The kid was clearly a jerk. He was certain he would have gave him some kind of insult and just walked away. But instead he accepted the duel. A part of Rudy began to wonder...had this been part of the plan all along?
The idea of Mint causing destruction just to get his attention...it was sickening. It was pointless violence. These happyfaces had never done anything to him. How dare he march in here like he owned the place and start demolishing it...especially when there was no need to. If Mint really wanted to fight him again, he could have easily have traveled through ChalkZone to find him. He didn't need to start demolishing a place down just for the sole purpose of 'getting his attention'. This kid really had no idea what he was getting himself into...just how damaging his actions were...
And now here he was in Happy Face Valley, or what was left of it, hovering above it glaring daggers at the kid who was the source of the destruction. Although the kid had accepted the duel, and he had his magic chalk out, he did not do anything. He just smirked up at Rudy, looking like he was waiting for him to make a move.
At first, neither of the moved. Rudy did not lower himself to the ground yet. He was expecting Mint to draw something to attack him with. But so far, the boy was not moving his arm. Rudy's eyes locked onto Mint's left hand warily. Why wasn't he drawing anything? He had accepted the challenge. He had agreed to a rematch. So why hadn't he made a move yet? Rudy didn't like this at all.
Then Mint did make a move. But it wasn't one that he had been expecting. The boy raised his right arm into the air. He snapped his fingers. Rudy's eyes widened. The snapping of fingers...that was the way he controlled his dinosaur creations, to an extent. And if he was doing that, then it meant that...
Rudy turned his head and saw a flash of orange feathers rush at him. Letting out a surprised cry, he moved out of the way just as a pair of claws slashed at him, narrowly missing his side. Ripclaw had lunged at him and tried to knock him out of the wair. He watched as the beast landed on the ground heavily. She looked up at him and snarled, pacing around underneath him. Her yellow eyes glared up at him intently.
Rudy couldn't believe just how close those claws got to him. Had he just been a little more over to the left, he would have been... He shuddered and tried to push the thought away. He shot a glare at Mint. He had really taken a big risk there. If he had been seriously hurt, he wondered how he would have reacted. Would Mint finally realize it wasn't a game? Or would he continue to believe in his delusion, that this was all just virtual simulation? There was no telling, and Rudy didn't feel like letting himself get hurt just to prove a point to the kid.
Judging from his expression, Mint did not look at all concerned for his safety, further cementing the fact that he believes this is a game world. Mint did not think that Rudy could get hurt that badly while here because, to him, it was all digital. If Rudy could somehow make him see just how wrong he was...
He didn't have time to think. The orange raptor below him was getting restless. He tried again to jump at him and again he had to move out of the way. He was going to have to take care of her first. He was a little happy that, at the moment, her attention was on him and not on Happy Face Valley. But how long was that going to last? Sooner or later, she would get bored and go after the final five houses. Rudy had to do something to make sure that she never got that chance.
And there was a way. Rudy flew down lower to the ground. He got the beast's attention, letting her chase him. He led her outside of Happy Face Valley, several yards away. He heard Mint's desperate shouts and he realized, for once, he had Mint worried, even if it were only brief.
Once he got Ripclaw away from Happy Face Valley, he flew in circles around her. Getting out his magic chalk, he began to draw quickly, avoiding getting bit by her. A tall metal pole stood in the ground now. Ripclaw was running around it, trying in vain to get to the boy. Her jaws snapped wildly in the air. And all the while, Mint did not show concern. Of course not... Rudy began to draw a long thick chain and a metal collar. He flew around Ripclaw, keeping out of reach of her jaws. He was able to get the metal chain around her neck.
Rudy moved back away and stared at her to see if it worked. Because of all the running aorund she did, the chain link was wrapped tightly around the pole. She could move back, but her eyes were locked on him. She roared at him and tried to move forward. But she had limited her own movements by running around like that. She clawed at the ground furiously, stomping on it and screeching at Rudy. She really wanted to get at him, but the chain prevented her from doing so.
Rudy didn't leave right away. He waited, watched, to make sure that Ripclaw really was secured. He watched as she kept trying to lunge at him. He watched as she frantically pawed at the ground, trying to pull herself forward. He could tell she was putting all her effort into it. But it was doing little more than maybe budge the metal pole a little. She would get free, but it wouldn't be any time soon. It would buy him enough time to take care of Mint. That is, unless he draws something else...
He wasted no more time. Confident that Ripclaw would be unable to attack for a time, Rudy turned his attention over to Mint. He stared at his magic chalk he still had clutched in his left hand. He had to get that way from him somehow. He knew he should plan his next move better, but he did not have a lot of time to spare. Igniting his rocket shoes to go even faster, Rudy dove down towards Mint.
Mint made no move. He just stared up at Rudy, his expression completely calm. He made no attempt to get out of the way. Rudy would normally be confused, but his attention was purely focused on that magic chalk. If he could get it out of his hands, he would not be able to fight back, and he could get him out of ChalkZone. And in a matter of seconds, he would have it. Just a little more time, just a little closer...
Then Mint just...stepped out of the way. He moved to the left when Rudy got too close. The suprised ten year old ended up barreling past Mint and crashed into the ground. Because his rocket shoes did not turn off, he was pushed along the ground for a while, pushing his body against the chalky grass, before he managed to get himself back up again. Wiping off the chalk dirt, he glared at Mint. He turned himself around and tried again.
Rudy got close again, but this time, he did not get as close as before. Mint did not move out of the way this time. No, something else happened that stopped Rudy. Something he had not expected to occur this fast.
Something hard and metal struck him. A blur that was too fast for him to register at first. It hit him against his chest, knocking him back. Then he felt a blast on his feet, his shoes being destroyed. Mint had shot him with the laser pistol again... Gravity did its work and he fell to the ground. He cried out as he hit the ground with a heavy thud. He trembled a little and then raised his head up to see what had happened.
Just like he thought, Mint had his laser pistol out, his magic chalk put away. He could see a little steam rising from it, a sign that it was recently in use. And standing next to him was Ripclaw. The pole was ripped from the ground, and she was dragging it along behind her like it was nothing. Rudy realized, in shock, that she was smart enough to use stored energy to swing the pole effectively enough at him to knock him out of the air, rather than use her claws to do the work. Just how smart was she...? Maybe he should talk to Penny about this...
He turned his attention to his feet. His right foot still seemed fine. It was always his right foot Mint shot first. But there was something about his left foot.. He wasn't sure if Mint deliberately was using more force on his left foot to give him a weak spot or if he was just really bad at keeping the same level of power behind two subsequent shots. He touched the back of his foot and winced slightly. There was indeed more damage. He would have to look at it later, though.
Hearing a laughter, Rudy shot a glare over at Mint. Of course he would find this funny. Does he not realize he would have been badly hurt? Is it not getting across his head that if he keeps blasting him with the laser pistol, something will soon give and he could get a worse injury?
Mint put the laser pistol back in his holster. He folded his hands behind his back. He started to walk down the hill, towards Rudy. He stopped when he was about seven feet in front of the boy. He was smiling at Rudy, but there was something else about that look. It looked almost like...boredom? Rudy narrowed his eyes at this. Of course Mint would have the audacity to be 'bored' when it came to a situation like this. Bored, like this was just some game, which to him, it was.
"I have to admit, Rudy. You really disappoint me." Mint said. He let out a sigh and shook his head. He looked at Rudy, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I would have thought that you'd do better by now. Yet here you are on the ground. I had thought that you would have been more prepared."
Rudy climbed up to his feet. He stifled a yelp when he put pressure on his left foot. He staggered a little, but maintained his balance. He continued to glare at Mint as he pulled out his magic chalk.
Mint shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps I was wrong about you. Maybe you really aren't all that great." He turned around but did not move from his spot. He instead looked down towards Happy Face Valley. He chuckled a little, and then gave Rudy a sideways glance. "You say you are the protector of ChalkZone. But tell me, Rudy. Where were you when I first came here? Where were you while I was attacking this place? You should have heard them screaming for help. They really wanted you to be here to save their sorry asses."
Rudy growled at this. "How dare you..."
Mint continued, "Even when I threatened your NPC guide..."
Rudy was confused momentarily by this. He quickly realized that Mint must have been talking about Snap.
"...you still don't fight harder. What a shame. Even the threat of losing who you claim to be your friend isn't good enough to motivate you, is it?" Mint sneered, a dark grin spreading across his face. "Isn't that such a pity? I guess then...if you aren't going to be putting up a real fight, Rudy, then I might as well finish what I started here."
Rudy's eyes widened at this. No, he wasn't going to allow it... Happy Face Valley had suffered enough damage already. And now this psychotic child was going to destroy the rest of it... Just out of spite...
Mint turned his attention to Ripclaw. He motioned towards Happy Face Valley with his right hand. "Destroy the rest of it. And if any of those happyfaces try to stop you..." An uncomfortable feeling rose in Rudy's heart as Mint's pupils dilated slightly. "Delete them."
Ice ran through Rudy's heart as the kid said that. And he watched, in horror, as Ripclaw let out a shriek before she turned her attention back on the damaged town below. Mint had...given the order to kill. He just told his dinosaur to kill, as if somehow that was not a big deal. The thought chilled Rudy to the core. He couldn't believe it. Did this kid have any idea on what he had done? Did he not have an inkling of what would happen if his dinosaur succeeded in killing a happyface? Or any zoner?
Rage started to sweep through Rudy's body. The ice in his veins soon melted as burning anger started to take control. To kill an innocent zoner like that, game or not...it was heartless. This kid...he was..he was a monster... An oblivious monster, but one nonetheless. He had to be stopped at all costs...
Rudy quickly redrew his rockets shoes. Ignoring the pain in his left foot, he rushed over across the hill. He jumped into the air and his rocket shoes activated instantly. He looked down and saw as Ripclaw was rushing towards one of the few houses left standing. He narrowed his eyes and moved faster. He didn't have much time left before she would make contact with the house. He could see her body tensing and flexing, preparing to make that crucial jump.
He managed to catch up to her in time. He flew in front of her, startling the raptor. She kicked her legs against the ground, coming to a halt. Her eyes widened in surprise. She looked around, her head twisting and turning swiftly. Then Rudy came around from the side and knocked into her thigh, nearly causing her to topple over. Pulling her lips back into a snarl, she turned her attention on Rudy. She slammed her jaws in the air, narrowly missing Rudy's right leg.
He flew around the dinosaur, keeping close but then backing off when she tried to bite him. A few more times, he rammed into her, knocking her a little. This frustrated her and she kept trying so hard to get at him. He then started to fly away from the town, hoping that she would follow him. And luckily, she did. Rudy didn't want to risk accidentally damaging the final five buildings as he dealt with the dinosaur. The raptor, snarling at him, jumped into the air. She swung her claws down at him. Rudy moved out of the way and them pushed down onto of her, making her crash into the ground.
He saw a flash of red, and his eyes widened. Rudy flew off to the side just as a stream of red flew passed him. He stared at the spot the red disappeared in and then turned his attention down to Mint. He glared at him. The boy had just tried to shoot him again.
"Ah, I see you learn well. Congratulations." Mint said mockingly.
Rudy would have said something to him, but his attention was on Ripclaw. He turned to face her and his eyes widened in horror as he saw her lunge at him in the air. He couldn't believe it. Mint was providing a distraction so that his raptor creation could sneak around behind him... He felt the claws lightly graze him, unable to get out of the way in time. His shirt was a little ripped, but luckily there wasn't any other damage. Narrowing his eyes at the raptor, he knew he had to remain vigilant.
Rudy dove down towards the ground until he was a few feet above it. He flew right past the raptor, narrowly missing her. He then turned around and came right back. The dinosaur screeched and kicked at the ground. She started to rush towards him. Rudy started to draw, knowing he didn't have much time. Lines took shape as he drew as quickly as he could. There was just seconds left...they were getting closer to each other now.. He could see her starting to open her jaws, preparing to bite him...
Then he was finished. In his hands he held a thick leather muzzle. As Ripclaw tried to get him, he started to fly around her head, just out of reach. Taking a risk, he moved down lower and managed to slip the muzzle around her snout. Confused, the dinosaur started to shake her head, attempting to dislodge the muzzle. Rudy, behind her now, pulled tightly, moving her head back. He secured the muzzle behind her head, locking it in place.
For a moment, Ripclaw struggled to get the muzzle off of her. She clawed at it, trying to scratch it off. Rudy knew that she would soon have it off of her. Taking this distraction as a chance, he dove down again. He grabbed onto the metal pole she was still dragging along with her like it was just a piece of paper, and started to drag her. The force generated by his rocket shoes made it possible for him to drag her along the ground, pulling her like she was just a dog on a leash. He immediately headed off up towards the hill.
Mint's eyes grew large as he saw Ripclaw was continuously dragged along the ground. Rudy then raised Ripclaw off the ground. He flew up a couple feet. Then, mustering as much strength as he could, he tossed the raptor towards the ground. He and Mint watched as she crashed into the grassy ground head first. She let out a pained screech before she slumped down. It was hard to tell if she was unconscious or merely incapacitated enough not to get back up. Either way, she was out of the picture for now.
Rudy knew that Mint would not be defenseless for long. Already the boy had his magic chalk raised. He was going to draw something else. Maybe something dangerous like that tyrannosaurus...or worse... No, he was not going to allow it... He was not going to let Mint win again. Determined to stop him, Rudy started to draw again and dove down towards the kid as fast as he could go.
Now carrying long rope, Rudy tied a loop at the end. He glared down at Mint as he got closer to him. Taking careful aim, he tossed it. The rope sailed towards Mint. Before the eleven year old could react, the rope slipped around his body, over his arms and across his chest. He looked stunned, and froze there as Rudy lowered himself to the ground. He pulled the rope hard, tightening the rope and pressing Mint's arms against his side. Rudy pulled Mint forward a little, causing the boy to stagger a little.
Mint struggled against the rope. "Let go of me!"
Rudy narrowed his eyes. "No. You are a menace to ChalkZone and I won't have you wreaking havoc here. You are going back to the real world!"
Mint laughed darkly. "Oh you wish..."
With Mint still lassoed, Rudy pulled on the rope hard. This caused him to lose his footing and he fell onto the ground. Now with the Enemy Creator on his back, Rudy rushed over and pressed his foot down on his chest, holding him in place. For a few moments, he and Mint just glared at each other. Then Rudy lowered himsef a little and held out his right hand expectantly.
"Give me the magic chalk, or I will take it from you." Rudy demanded.
Mint stared at him for a moment. Then he started to laugh. Rudy gritted his teeth. He still wasn't taking him seriously. He still thought this was all just a joke.
"Oh I don't think so." Mint sneered. "I am not done playing with you yet."
Rudy didn't realize that roping his arms at his sides didn't mean he couldn't still bend his arm. He had forgotten that Mint still could bend his elbow, could still rotate his arm. It hadn't crossed his mind that Mint was still capable of drawing. And he hadn't noticed Mint making small gestures with his hand. By the time he did, it was too late.
Without warning, a group of six tiny dinosaurs, something small and with mouths full of sharp teeth, came rushing at him. They pushed Rudy back away from Mint, allowing the boy to climb up to his feet, his arms still pinned at his sides. Rudy moved back as the dinosaurs kept coming after him, squeaking loudly as they snapped at his feet and legs, tearing a few small bits of clothing off of him.
As Rudy attempted to draw something to defend himself, Mint managed to get the lasso off of him. He folded his arms and chuckled evilly as he watched Rudy go up against the swift, fast moving dinosaurs.
"Oh so close, Rudy..." Mint said in a taunting tone. "Next time, make sure I can't move my hands before you try to take my magic chalk. You never know what kind of nasty surprises I will have in store for you..."
Rudy shot Mint a quick glare before he turned his attention to the tiny dinosaurs. He raised up his magic chalk. He had to take care of these swift, agile dinosaurs. And he has an idea of how he was going to do that. But he had to act fast.
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 21, 2014 21:16:33 GMT -5
CHAPTER 12:
The small dinosaurs ran around Rudy, chirping angrily at him. They kept him surrounded. They randomnly jumped at him and nipped him. Rudy winced. He managed to grab one of the dinosaurs and threw them into the ground. He took a few steps back. One of the dinosaurs nipped at his left ankle. This caused Rudy to stagger a little. Then he accidentally pressed too hard against his injury and he let out a yelp of pain.
Rudy fell onto his knees, still clutching the magic chalk in his hand. He clenched his teeth, his eyes shut tightly. Then he felt the dinosaurs jump onto his back. All of them. Although small, their combined weight caused him to fall into the ground. He could feel their claws dig into his back, their teeth nipping at him.
Rudy had already tried his plan with these dinosaurs, and that had failed miserably. He had hoped to catch them in a lasso, like he had with Mint. But they were too fast for him. And too smart; somehow they knew not to stay together in one place for very long. They knew, on some level, what a lasso could do to them. So they deliberately ran in opposite directions whenever Rudy tried to lasso them. Then they would group together and attack him from all sides. Not vicious attacks; just enough to hold him back. It was like they were stalling for time. But why?
While he couldn't figure that out yet, there was one realization that did cross his mind. Mint had, in a way, been going easy on him. And not in the sense of 'he wasn't trying hard enough'. This kid was not allowing his dinosaurs to do a lot of damage to him. Maybe shake him up a bit, but no really serious injuries. He wondered if that was because he knew, on some level, he could get hurt, or if it was simply because he was human.
It had to be because he was human. That was the only reason. Mint did not care about zoners. He did not care if he hurt Snap or any other zoner. Heck, he had ordered Ripclaw to kill any zoner that tried to stop her. Mint saw him and Penny as 'fellow gamers', a challenge, but still human. This was the one part of his conscience that had surfaced. He was holding back on his dinosaurs because he did not really want to see Rudy and Penny get badly injured, even if he did not really believe that was possible in a virtual world.
And since these little dinosaurs were holding back because their master wanted them to, that might give him an advantage. If he could just try again with a new plan, he could secure them. He raised his hand to try to draw with the magic chalk, but he cried out when one of the dinosaurs bit his hand. Not enough to draw blood, but he could see the toothy indentions in his hand. He winced at the sight of it.
That quick moment of seeing the dinosaur did give him an idea. The dinosaurs had huge eyes. Large black pupils. That would mean that they were sensitive to light. The light of day zone wasn't bothering them because they had adjusted to it. But if he were to draw something brighter, and have it flight suddenly, then maybe he could drive them back temporarily. He wasn't sure if it would work. But he still had to try it. He had to try something anyway.
Rudy pushed himself up a little. He winced as he felt the talons on his back scrape against his skin. He pulled up the magic chalk, making quick flicks in the air before the dinosaurs could do anything about it. A flashlight dropped into his hand. Mustering as much strength as he could, Rudy flipped himself over, knocking over the small dinosaurs. He turned on the light and shined it in their eyes.
Their reaction was exactly what he had hoped. Their pupils dilated and they let out a screech. They shut their eyes and they turned their heads away. Screeching, a few of them bounded several feet back, trying to get away from the sudden bright light.
This would not keep them distracted for long. Rudy dropped the flashlight and turned towards Mint. The boy had been watching him this whole time, amused. Rudy narrowed his eyes. He had another shot at taking this kid down. Without thinking, powered by determination, Rudy started to run towards Mint.
Running may not have been the best idea. His left foot erupted in pain. He started to stagger as he ran. He found himself clutching his leg, and favoring his right. Mint raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Oh so now he took notice of his limp... Rudy wondered if this would finally convince Mint that this was real, or if he was just going to do what he expected and just brush it off like it was nothing. Rudy did manage to handle the pain well enough to continue running towards Mint.
All the while, Mint did not move. Just like before, he just stood there. Rudy narrowed his eyes. He wasn't stupid. He was not going to fall for the same thing twice. He knew Mint was going to just stop aside like he did before. At least this time, he did not have Ripclaw to help him. She was still unconscious on the ground several feet away. Mint showed no concern for her. Either he knew she was fine, or, as Rudy felt was more likely, he just didn't care about her and only saw her as an attack animal. He believed it was the former, and if he got a confirmation, then Mint was a disgusting person, using a living zoner in such a manner...
Rudy closed the distance between him and Mint. He didn't bother trying to draw more rope. The kid wasn't going to fall for the lasso trick again. He tensed the muscles in his body. He had to get the kid on the ground again. He had go get that chalk out of his hand. With the small dinosaurs temporarily distracted and Ripclaw still unconscious, Mint had less of a defense to protect him.
He could see Mint starting to shift. He was going to step aside now. Rudy prepared to make the turn. He watched Mint carefully, adjusting his movements as he did. He was moving to the side again. Rudy started to make the turn, preparing to lunge at the eleven year old. This was it. Just a second later, and he will have this boy pinned down again. And this time, he would make sure he couldn't move enough to draw anything.
But Mint was more clever than he had thought...
As Mint was turning, Rudy failed to realize he wasn't simply stepping aside. He was pivoting himself, turning around. As Rudy made the turn and started to take that crucial step towards him, Mint had lifted up a leg off the ground. He spun quickly, gathering energy in his leg. And he rammed it against Rudy, hitting him in the stomach. The force caused Rudy to grunt in pain, his eyes widening. He fell to his knees, holding his stomach. Rudy glared up at Mint.
"Pain simulation?" Mint asked, a little confused. Then a smile spread across his face. "Excellent. This game is more realistic than I imagined. I guess it will hurt you when I do...this!"
Without hesitating, Mint slammed his foot on Rudy's left hand, the one he was using to hold himself up. Rudy's eyes widened and he left out a scream. Mint smiled in satisfaction, clearly impressed with what he thought was just an advanced simulation, not realizing that it was very much real. Rudy clutched his left hand to his chest, inspecting the damage. A bruise was forming, but it didn't seem much worse than that. He turned to glare at Mint, opening his mouth to say something.
But Mint was not finished with him yet. Pulling his leg back, he rammed his knee against Rudy's chin. Rudy yelped as he bit his tongue. The force thrusted Rudy backwards. He landed on his back hard, groaning softly. He opened his eyes and started up as Mint hovered over him, his face cast in shadow due to his position. Rudy couldn't believe Mint hurt him, and on purpose, too. Maybe he had been wrong about him. Maybe he didn't care if he hurt him and Penny.
"Normally, I wouldn't do that. But if it suits my needs, I will." Mint said, smirking down at Rudy. "Plus, I love testing out newly found features. Pain simulation is going to be things a little difficult. That's good! I love the challenge!" He sneered down at Rudy. "At least pain itself offers a bigger challenge than you, little boy."
Rudy snarled at this. "I am going to beat you!"
"Not likely." Mint laughed coldly. He pressed his foot against Rudy's chest and held him down, just like Rudy had done to him before. The boy lowered himself, staring at Rudy, keeping his eyes locked with his. Mint reached down and grabbed Rudy's chin, holding his head in place. "It is such a shame that you keep losing to me, Rudy. I was hoping for a greater challenge. But if you keep fighting me the way you are...you will never win. I do still hope you get better, because as of now...you're a failure."
Rudy tried to jerk his head away. Mint tightened his grip. Rudy winced as Mint dug his nails into his skin a bit. Baring his teeth, Rudy growled, "Say what you want about me... It doesn't change anything! I will find a way to get you out of here. I swear it!"
"Swearing is one thing, Little Rudy." Mint said mockingly. "Doing is a whole other thing." He reached down with his other hand and lightly traced the back of his pointer finger along Rudy's cheek, prompting a snarl from the younger boy. "Until you learn to step up your game, you'll always be a failure to the ones you claim to be protecting. How pitiful... these game sprites must look up to you, and yet here you are, rendered helpless...oh how many times has it been?" Mint moved his hand away and tapped his finger against his chin thoughtfully. "Three?"
Rudy growled at him.
Mint chuckled. "Why yes, it has been three." He smiled down at Rudy. "And you know, normally they say 'three strikes and you're out', don't they?"
"I'm not beat yet!" Rudy shouted at him.
A cold laughter erupted from Mint. It was chilling...even if the boy was just 'acting the part of a villain' since he thought he was in a virtual game, that sounded too good, too authentic... Rudy felt his glare fade, his eyes starting to wide in realization. There was something Mint knew that he didn't. Something that he was about to find out soon enough.
Mint's smile scared Rudy. There was something about the way he was looking at him. It was downright creepy. Almost...insanity... Mint moved himself back a little, still holding Rudy on the ground. Rudy had been unable to draw anything for Mint had used his foot to hold his right hand against the ground. Rudy saw the boy look out behind them, where Happy Face Valley was. There was a look of...triumph that came over the boy's face. Rudy's heart started to beat quickly. No, it couldn't be...
Then Mint turned down to look at him. That grin, that creepy smile, was still etched on the older boy's face. "Oh, but I think you already are..." He made a swift motion with his head, looking back out towards Happy Face Valley.
Rudy's heart clenched. A horrible feeling spread throughout his chest. No, it was impossible. Mint was here... The small dinosaurs were too weak to do anything that major, and Ripclaw was still unconscious...wasn't she? Mint couldn't have been able to... No... Rudy pushed his head upwards as far as he could go. Although he was seeing things upside down, he could make out easily what was going on. And he was horrified.
Ripclaw had woken up. At some point while he had distracted himself with Mint, she had woken up. And she was finishing up her rampage. All the houses save for one were destroyed. And Ripclaw was working on the final house. He watched, his body shaking, as Ripclaw demolished the last one.
A cold feeling washed over Rudy. Realization sunk in from all sides. A pang filled up inside of him. He couldn't believe it... He just couldn't believe it... He had failed. He failed Happy Face Valley. He failed the happyfaces. Their home...it..it had been completely destroyed. All their houses...gone. There was no building left standing. Mint had succeeded in destroying Happy Face Valley... How could he...
He glared up at Mint. "You monster..."
Mint's eyes widened a little at that statement. For a moment, he looked genuinely surprised. Then the smile came back. "You're taking this game too seriously. Calm down. The creators of this game can always create them new houses for them to go on their preprogrammed lives."
Rudy narrowed his eyes. Of course this kid would have no remorse for what he's done. Of course he would act like it was no big deal. He had come to expect this from this child.
"Now what was I thinking? Oh yes! Strike three, Rudy. I could say 'you're out', but I know that's not how it works in this game. Who knows?" Mint lowered himself closer to Rudy. "Maybe fourth time's the charm?" He said tauntingly. He laughed when Rudy bared his teeth at him. "Such determination...yet you still fail, Rudy. You don't even know what was really going on."
Rudy looked at Mint in confusion. "What..what are you talking about?"
Mint chuckled. "Oh that would be telling. I'm sure someone of your intelligence could figure it out." Mint sounded absolutely pleased with himself. It was disgusting. "Think about it. It will come to you soon enough."
Rudy glared at Mint. He still wasn't sure what he was talking about. But right now, he was more focused on what he just did. He destroyed Happy Face Valley. Completely and utterly destroyed it...and for what? Because he thinks this is a game? If he could just open his eyes, if he would just think for a moment, he'd realize this wasn't a game world. Why couldn't this kid see that he had just rendered a group of zoners, real people, homeless? Why couldn't he open his eyes and see the destruction for what it was?
While Rudy had understood before, meeting Mint really drove Biclops's point of view home. He remembered how distrustful the giant was of him at first. He remembered how the giant was determined he didn't draw anything. And meeting Mint...he could see why on a deeper level than before. He had seen the destructive power a creator could have if they so chose. And with Mint, it's worse because he does not realize this place was real. He had to stop him, somehow...
He felt Mint press against him harder. He watched as the older boy shifted his weight, keeping him on the ground while turning his attempt to his right hand. Rudy's eyes widened as he realized what was about ot happen. He started to struggle on the ground. No, he was not going to allow Mint to take his magic chalk again. Not a third time. He tightened his fingers around the chalk and held on tightly. He started to struggle against Mint.
"No..you're not...taking that from me..." Rudy growled as he tried to push Mint away from him.
Mint did not respond. He instead rolled his body across Rudy, using his weight to hold him down. His left arm was pinned at his side. He started to kick his legs frantically, trying to get free. Mint wrapped his legs around Rudy's left leg, holding it in place. He pressed his elbow against Rudy's upper arm, near the shoulder, and used the rest of his arm to hold down Rudy's arm. Rudy tried to kick at Mint with his free leg, but he couldn't land a hit.
He felt Mint start to pry his fingers open. Rudy responded by tightening his grip. Mint growled in frustration and started to pull harder, tightening his hold on Rudy's wrist. This went on for a little while. Rudy kept kicking at the ground desperately. He tried to free his trapped arm. He tried to jerk his right arm free from Mint's hold. Despite Mint not being that much larger than him, it was clear Mint was the strongest of the two.
Then Mint did something he did not expect. Mint lifted up Rudy's right hand a little. He was still trying to pry open his tight fingers. Clearly frustrated, like he was desperate to 'win this round', Mint bit down on Rudy's wrist hard. Rudy's eyes widened and he let out a cry of pain. His fingers loosened up and Mint took his magic chalk from him.
In desperation, Rudy started to grab at Mint, trying to get a hold of his arm or hand and pull him back. Mint had gotten up from him and moved back quickly enough before Rudy got close to getting his chalk back. Now off the ground and standing up, Rudy glared hatefully in Mint's direction. Mint just smiled back at him, waving his magic chalk in front of him tauntingly. Rudy was not going to let him get away. Even though he was chalkless again, he was not backing down. Tensing up his leg muscles, Rudy bolted towards the older boy.
He did not get that far. He felt something nip at his left leg. Then something else at his other leg. He realized the small dinosaurs from before had come after him. He felt third one jump on his head and bite against his shoulder. Rudy winced and gripped the dinosaur and pulled it off of him. The dinosaur nipped on his finger, causing him to drop it on the ground.
Rudy kept trying to get closer to Mint, but the dinosaurs were making it nearly impossible for him to stop closer. They constantly targeted his feet, biting at them and his legs. Some of them kept jumping on his shoulders, trying to knock him back into the ground using their weight. Rudy winced as they kept biting at him, crawling all over him, clawing at him. He found himself taking steps back away from Mint. He didn't want to move back. He wanted to go after the boy. But all these dinosaurs on him, clawing at him, biting him... He found it hard to do anything but step backwards.
Mint did not react to the little bit of blood coming out of the small wounds the dinosaurs were making. He must think it's just part of the simulation. Rudy desperately pulled the dinosaurs off of him and backed up some more. The dinosaurs kept coming at him. All six of them ran around him in circles. At random, they would bite at his ankle or leg or jump and bite his arm. They pushed Rudy back further. Chalkless and in some considerable pain, Rudy did the only thing he could do.
He turned and ran away. It was the one thing he did not want to do. He did not want to flee from this kid. Without his chalk, though, and with these dinosaurs protecting Mint, he had no choice but to run.
He could hear Mint laughing as he fled. Anger welled up in his heart. He was going to find a way to beat Mint. Somehow, someway, he would. He lost to him a third time. That sent shockwaves through his mind. A third time... He really needed to figure out a way to beat this guy. If he could destroy Happy Face Valley so heartlessly...what's going to stop him from doing something worse?
Once he was about thirty feet away from Mint, he heard the boy call back his dinosaurs. Almost instantly, the tiny little things broke off their chase and ran back to Mint. Rudy stopped and turned around. He glared hatefully at Mint as he got on top of Ripclaw. The tiny dinosaurs dispersed, going off in separate directions. Mint waved his magic chalk, the one he had just stolen from him, tauntingly, a smug grin on his face.
"Looks like I win again, Little Rudy!" Mint called out to him. "I'll be seeing you around! Oh! And before I forget..." His eyes twinkled a little. Even from this distance, Rudy could see it. "Why don't you bring your NPC guide with you? I'd love to see how well you can protect him from me. If this is the best you can do..."
Mint made a motion towards Happy Face Valley, or rather, the rubble that stood in its place. Rudy growled in anger. How dare he...
"I don't think Snap stands much of a chance." Mint said, smiling darkly at Rudy.
"Why you..." Rudy started to say.
Mint just waved at him dismissingly, ignoring the enraged boy. He patted the side of Ripclaw and off they went. Rudy watched, anger filling his heart, as the two disappeared over the hills. Rudy's body trembled. His teeth were clenched. His hands formed fists as they shook. That kid...he had just threatened Snap again... His best friend... And he mocked the idea of him being able to save his friend. That jerk...
He wouldn't let him get away with this. He destroyed Happy Face Valley. He was not going to destroy another place. Not on his watch. He would show him. He would let this kid know why he was chosen as protector of ChalkZone. He would make him see just how wrong he was. And he was going to make sure he did not hurt anyone anymore. Snap or any other zoner.. Mint was not hurting them again.
When his thoughts went to Snap, there was a pang in his chest. He recalled how frightened Snap was when they found him tied up like that. He was not going to let Mint to have another chance. He was not going to let him go anywhere near his friend. If Mint thinks he is going to have another shot at Snap tonight, he is sadly mistake. He and Penny would see to it that he never got a chance to hurt Snap. The blue zoner was staying with him tonight, and unless Mint knows where he lives, which he doubts, he can't get to Snap tonight. Snap would be safe.
Rudy looked at Happy Face Valley. He bit his lip. He couldn't believe he failed again. It was hard to let it sink all in. The feeling was horrible. This place was completely destroyed...and he had been unable to stop it.. He didn't get here on time. He didn't stop Mint in time. Mint had gotten away with destroying this once happy and beautiful place. He failed...
The horrible feeling crashed in all around him. He fell to his knees, feeling weakness in his legs. His body shook with emotion. He stared at Happy Face Valley, at the frightened and confused happyfaces as they looked around at their destroyed home. Tears streaming down his face, Rudy lowered his head and started to cry. This wasn't fair... It just wasn't fair... The happyfaces didn't deserve this. This violence had been pointless... What...what was Mint trying to accomplish...? What purpose could that rotten child have had to do something so...horrible...?
He should have tried harder. He should have moved faster. He should have been more vigilant. He thought he would do better this time. But he still lost to Mint... And what made him feel worse is that he could have beaten him. He had him tied up shortly ago. He could have won against the kid and stopped him from coming into ChalkZone if he had just taken the magic chalk from him. But he had blown his chance.
At least none of the happyfaces were seriously hurt. And they did still have that shelter Penny drew. Still, it did little to ease the guilt he felt inside.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone calling out his name.
"Rudy!"
Rudy looked over and saw Penny and Snap rushing towards him. He wiped away his tears as he turned around to face them. They stopped in front of him. They had clearly taken notice to his tears and were looking at him worriedly. They were about to say something when Rudy gestured with his head over to Happy Face Valley.
The sight of the place now completely destroyed horrified the two. Penny put her hands to her mouth. Snap took a step back, his eyes widened in shock. They had already seen the destruction from before. But it was a shock to their system to see it now completely destroyed, with no buildings left standing.
Penny turned her attention back to Rudy. She bit her lip and took a step forward. "Rudy...I know what you're feeling. But this isn't your fault." She reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder gently. "Don't blame yourself. You did what you could."
Rudy wrenched his shoulder free and walked away, putting his back to her. "Yeah? Well my best wasn't good enough." He looked down at Happy Face Valley's remains, tears still running down. He motioned with his hand. "They were counting on me... and I failed them."
Penny shook her head. "No Rudy. You didn't fail. You would only fail if you did nothing at all. But you tried your best and that's what counts. None of the happyfaces appear to be that badly hurt. You can redraw their houses and it'll be fine. The important thing is they're still alive."
"Penny's right, Bucko." Snap said. He walked over to Rudy, looking at him sympathetically. "It could have been a lot worse. Mint could have...killed someone." There was a lump in his throat as he said that. It wasn't something he wanted to think about. "If he had planned on doing that...at least you managed to stop him."
"But..." Rudy started to say.
Snap shook his head. "No buts, Rudy. Remember, buildings can always be replaced. But lives cannot."
Rudy let what his friends said sink in. He realized they were right. He did try his best. He gave it his best shot. Yeah, he lost, but at least he managed to stop Mint from doing worse. He wasn't sure if the kid would have done more, but at least now he didn't have that chance. He could always redraw their homes. That was very true. He couldn't recreate a life, but he could recreate a building or something inanimate. He shouldn't feel guilty; he at least stopped something worse from happening.
Rudy wiped away his tears. He managed to smile at his friends. He was grateful for their support and understanding. He was glad they were there to snap him out of his guilt trip. He took a step forward and pulled them into a group hug.
"Thanks, you guys.." Rudy said in a soft voice.
"Don't mention it, Bucko." Snap said.
"We'll be here for you." Penny whispered softly.
Rudy pulled back from them and smiled. They smiled back at him. But the smiles soon vanished as Rudy realized there was still one more matter to take care of.
His expression becoming that of worry, Rudy said, "What did you guys find out about Skrawl? Did you find him?"
Penny and Snap looked at each other. Then back at Rudy. They shook their heads slowly.
"We're sorry, Rudy." Penny said. "We haven't been able to locate him. Snap and I searched everywhere we thought he could be. There was no sign of him. And when we asked some zoners, they say they didn't see him either."
Snap nodded his head. "It's so strange, don't you think? Why would he not be present here? Isn't this where the artifact is?" Snap looked around. "Did that kid manage to steal it?"
Rudy shook his head. "No. He didn't try to steal anything. He was just...causing destruction."
Penny raised an eyebrow. "He wasn't trying to dig for anything? No attempt to unearth something of value below?" Rudy shook his head. Penny's eyes widened a little. "Maybe there is more to this than we think."
"That's what Mint said." Rudy said, his eyes narrowing. "He said that I should be able to figure it out." Rudy let out a soft sigh. His expression softened up. "I hope I can... I hope I can make this right..."
Penny put her hand on his shoulder again. "And you will. Don't worry."
sss
Rudy waited until it was late at night before he attempted to open up a new portal on his chalkboard. He would have opened up a portal much sooner for Snap's sake, but he couldn't rush into it. He didn't want to risk his parents hearing something and walking in to find a blue boy in the same room as him. He didn't want them freaking out about a stranger coming over.
He knew Snap was still scared. He had hidden his fear well today. It helped that he didn't have to deal with Mint again today. The Enemy Creator had vanished before Penny and Snap had arrived on the scene. While Rudy would have loved some backup, it was glad that Snap didn't have to see Mint's mug that day. The poor guy was still so shaken up... Seeing Mint again so soon would have terrified him. And, as much as he hated to admit it, Snap would have to run into him again sooner or later. It was inevitable that a confrontation between the two would occur again.
They weren't sure if Mint would try something again when Snap was alone. Yeah, he said he wasn't going to, according to Snap. But who is to say he was telling the truth? He might still go after him again. He might have said that just to throw them off, to make them lower their guard so he could strike unexpectantly.
They had talked a bit about what Skrawl might have been doing, and what Mint meant when he said 'what was really going on'. They agreed that something more was going on. It was strange that Mint hadn't tried to dig for the artifact. Rudy's thoughts before about it being merely a distraction rose in his head once more. His heart clenched. He really hoped that wasn't the case. All that destruction...for no reason... Just how far was Mint willing to go...?
They had decided to continue talk tomorrow. It was starting to get late. They didn't have much time to stick around and chat. They had to go before their parents start to get suspicious. Snap wasn't happy about being left alone again. He had been following them more closely during their stay. But they had no choice and Rudy promised to let him in as soon as he could, when the time was right. Despite his fear, Snap did understand and he agreed to wait in the spot where Rudy's house portal was. Rudy told him to bring food and water if he gets hungry or thirsty during the night.
Feeling that now was a good time, Rudy drew the portal. He had to take a step back as Snap immediately climbed through the portal as soon as it was open. The little zoner had moved in so fast that he had knocked Rudy into the ground by mistake. The two of them just laid there for few seconds, groaning a little from the surprise collision.
"I know you really wanted to come in, Snap, but..." Rudy said as he rubbed his head. "..please be a little more patient and don't jump through portals like that again, okay?"
"Sorry." Snap said. He got off the ground and brushed himself off. He set a small plastic bag on the ground, which Rudy noticed contained some chalk food and a bottled chalk drink. He looked over at the portal, his eyes widening. "Bucko...? Could you...?"
Rudy noticed Snap's fear. He knew right away what he wanted. He picked up his eraser and went over to the chalkboard. He rubbed the eraser across the dark surface unti the portal was completely gone. Rudy noticed Snap relaxing as he saw the portal was gone.
"There. Now he can't get to you." Rudy said, giving his friend a smile.
Snap didn't answer. He just nodded his head. Rudy could tell he was still frightened. He felt so bad for him. It must have been one horrible experience. Tied up and gagged all night long... And not being able to sleep much because of it. He was amazed that Snap managed to stay alert despite being sleep deprived.
He could see his friend was trembling a little. Rudy's heart tightened. He wanted to find someway to help him feel better. It may not be enough that Snap just sleep in the same room as him. He might need something a little more. He turned his eyes up towards his bed. It was meant for one person, but Snap wasn't that big. He was a tad bit smaller than him. There might be enough room on that bed for two.
He looked back down at his friend. It seemed like an awkward request. He never asked anyone to sleep in the same bed as him. But Snap was scared...so frightened... This was the best way he felt he could comfort him.
"Do you want to sleep in my bed with me?" Rudy asked. "Would that help you feel better?"
Snap stared at Rudy in surprise for a second. He nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, if that's not too much trouble."
"It's no trouble at all! You're my best friend!" Rudy smiled, prompting Snap to smile back at him. Rudy went over to his bed's ladder. He motioned for Snap to come with. "Come on up here. I'll make room."
The two boys headed up the ladder. Rudy went up first. Then Snap. When Snap got to the top of the ladder, Rudy scooted over as far as he could, pressing his back against the wall. He made enough room for Snap to lay down next to him. He pulled the covers over himself and Snap and settled down on the bed, making himself comfortable, laying down on his side facing his friend.
Snap, on his side, snuggled closer to Rudy. He pressed his head against his chest and put his arm over him. Smiling, Rudy put his arm around Snap and pulled him closer. He rested his chin against the top of Snap's head as he felt him nestle closer against him. As Snap lay against him, Rudy could feel Snap's speeding heart slow down dramatically, comforted by being so close to him.
"Thank you..." Snap said as he closed his eyes to try to get some overdue sleep.
Rudy pulled him a little tighter. "Don't mention it, Snap." He yawned. "Goodnight..."
"Goodnight, Rudy.." Snap said softly.
The two boys then drifted off to sleep.
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 21, 2014 21:16:44 GMT -5
CHAPTER 13:
Rudy woke up to the sound of low whimpering. Something was moving against him. He opened up his eyes, his surroundings dark and blurry at first. He rubbed his eyes and looked down next to him. He soon saw what was making all that noise and movement.
It was Snap. He had rolled onto his stomach during the night, his head facing towards the ladder. His body was shaking like a leaf. He could hear more low cries coming from his friend. Moving over a little, he could see that Snap, though still asleep, was crying. It looked like he had been crying for a while. His face was stained red and he could see the shines from where his tears kept falling.
His heart tugged as he heard Snap start to talk in his sleep. Whispers and whines intermixed with his words, making it all the sadder to watch.
"N-No...please..." Snap whimpered. "Don't come near me..."
Rudy looked at his friend sympathetically. He was having a nightmare, poor guy. Rudy put his hand on the back of Snap's head and started to stroke it gently in an attempt to comfort him. His touch, however, had the opposite effect. Snap started to kick his legs a little, like he was trying to run away.
"Don't touch me! Please! I don't want this!" Snap started to cry loudly, more sobs escaping his throat.
Rudy bit his lip. Seeing his friend suffer under a nightmare was a terrible feeling. He had to calm him down somehow. Ignoring Snap's increased struggling, Rudy moved closer to his friend and put his arm around him. He could feel Snap's trembling body against him. His fingers touched a wet spot from where Snap's tears had fallen down. He held onto Snap firmly but gently, trying his best to calm down his frightened friend.
"No!" Snap cried in his sleep.
"Sh sh sh...It's okay Snap.." Rudy whispered gently. "It's okay. You're safe. It's me, Rudy."
Snap continued to cry, trying to toss and turn in the bed like he was going to be dragged away. This prompted Rudy to pull him even tighter, still being careful not to hurt him.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm your friend, Snap. It's me, Rudy... It's okay..." Rudy said to his friend softly. He laid his head on Snap's back, his cheek against Snap's head. "Calm down...calm down..."
Snap started to calm down a little. His crying slowed down. His whimpers started to die down. His body wasn't shaking as hard. He was still very frightened and his words continued to be mumbled. There was just as much fear mustered in those words as they were before, tugging at Rudy's heartstrings.
"Please let me go..." Snap whimpered as his shaking grew a tad bit stronger, regaining some of its strength. "Please...I haven't done anything to you...Why are you doing this to me? Why..?"
"Shhhh..." Rudy whispered in Snap's ear. "Please calm down, Snap. You're safe..." He moved his head back and then pressed his cheek against Snap's. He pulled him even closer. "Don't worry. You're safe."
Slowly, Snap calmed down some more. Rudy felt his body slowly stop shaking, becoming relaxed. His crying went on for a little while longer, but soon that stopped as well. Rudy stared at his friend worriedly. That must have been one bad nightmare. Poor guy. He wasn't surprised he had a nightmare. Mint had scared him so much... At least he calmed down now.
Keeping his head against Snap's, Rudy closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
sss
Mint wished it was the weekend already. But he still had to wait. There were still a few days left in the week before the weekend would be here. He really wanted it to be Friday evening because that meant he had Saturday and Sunday to play that game. It was so exciting and he was happy to go any chance he got. It was frustrating for him to have to wait until a couple times during the day to go.
He wanted to go there now. But he could not. He had to get dressed for school and his mom and dad wanted to talk to him about going on a trip later on. A couple months or something. He didn't know why they couldn't just wait, but then again, they always liked being prepared. So he guessed he shouldn't be surprised they wanted to talk to him now. This meant that he would not be able to enter the game until later on today during recess at school. Recess didn't give him a lot of time; but it was enough to meet up with his NPC guide and get instructions on what to do next.
He had enjoyed his last mission. He had wanted to see some destruction more up close and personal. And seeing it, as Ripclaw tore through Happy Face Valley, brought a sense of wonder and joy to him. It was like buying a new video game with the latest features and just being blown away by what it could do. The destruction he had witnessed yesterday evening, it was so realistic...so incredible. He had no idea how the programmers managed to make the game seem so real, how they managed to make the buildings crumble and fall apart much like they would if they were real.
And the happyfaces...despite being just preprogrammed data, he thought they were pretty cool. The way that the one happyface that tried to stop Ripclaw showed that their programming was more dynamic. Their reactions weren't static. They weren't simple generic responses he had come to expect from video games. They were lively, variant. It was truly amusing to see them react like they did to their homes being destroyed. Not because he genuinely found it funny, but because he couldn't believe the level of detail and thought put into this game. It was amazing.
On some level, he felt guilty about it. He didn't know why. It was just a game. None of it was real. Yet he could not shake off a small pang in his chest. There was a tiny bit of him that did feel bad about destroying their homes, despite the fact that they can always just be rebuilt. He tried to shake the doubt form his head. It was just a game. He had to keep telling himself that. It was nothing more than data and numbers put together to create a virtual simulation. None of it was real.
His mind drifted to Rudy. He was impressed that he was getting a little better. He lasted longer this time around. That was good. It meant that Rudy could be a real challenge. It would be boring if his only opponents in the game weren't able to keep up with him. He was new anyway. Shouldn't Rudy have the advantage? Why had he been able to beat Rudy three times in a row without having nearly as much experience?
He wondered if Rudy was holding back on him. No...that wasn't possible. The deluded child really thinks he's protecting real people. If he was determined to do that, he would not go easy on him. He would fight with all his might to get him out of the game. His other thought is that Rudy just wasn't used to fighting against someone like him. Yeah that might be it...
Skrawl did say this game was still in beta. Maybe Rudy and Penny were the first ones to get here and since they were on the same team, or they just decided to join forces, they did not have any, or at least very little, experience against fighting against another player. They were used to fighting against the AIs only. That would explain why Rudy was having a hard time against him despite having more experience. He was not used to fighting against another human player. He was not used to have to think dynamically with someone else.
He was certain that Rudy could, at some point, do even better. He seemed like a bright enough kid to be able to do that. He hoped he would get better. He would feel bad if he kept wiping the floor with Rudy without the boy being able to fight back. Yeah, he was harsh on him during their battles, even taking his magic chalk. But he was only like that because he was playing the role of the bad guy. And Skrawl did tell him that to win each round, he had to take the magic chalk from Rudy. And only from Rudy; he did not mention anything regarding Penny.
Mint wondered if Penny would even be a challenge for him. He didn't doubt that she could draw. Anyone could; they just take a pencil or pen and scribble lines on paper. It was how well they could form lines into shapes and creatures and objects that counted. He hadn't seen Penny do much. She probably isn't even worth fighting. Yeah, she probably isn't. He'd keep his attention on Rudy.
He did feel bad, on some level on how he had treated Rudy in the game. Yeah, it was just acting. Yeah he was playing up the role of the villain, so he had to act pretty vicious. And it wasn't real. Despite Rudy and Penny's delusions, it wasn't real, so it wasn't like they were in any real danger there. He could stab Rudy through the chest if he wanted to, and he would still be fine. It might look bad, but that was the worst that could happen. Not like he would actually do that, but still.
But he still couldn't help but feel somewhat bad about what he said and did to him. He was so condenscending to the boy. He had been pretty mean to him, calling him a failure and what not. And what made it bad is that...Mint kinda meant what he said. On some level. He was getting frustrated and disappointed with Rudy that, in that moment, he was angry at enough to say something like that. He didn't feel Rudy was putting his best in it, in that second. He thought Rudy was going to be an excellent opponent, but so far, he did nothing but disappoint. Yet...perhaps he shouldn't have been quite so mean to him.
And stomping on his hand like that, deliberately hurting him... Even though it was all fake, seeing Rudy react like he was in genuine pain did make him feel a pang in his stomach. It was a neat game feature. He had never seen a game incorporate pain simulation so well. It would indeed be useful to help him win more rounds against Rudy. But perhaps he should hold off a bit. Perhaps he shouldn't abuse that game feature too much. It was unsettling, deep down, for him to see another human in pain, even if it were just brief.
It wasn't like how it was with Snap. With that blue boy, he couldn't really feel guilt about what he did to him. He was just data cobbled together to look like a person. He knew he wasn't real. He knew that Snap could not really feel any emotions or any pain. And any appearance of such was nothing more than a mere simulation. Snap was not really scared; the data that controlled him just made it seem like he was.
With Rudy, he knew he was real. He met him in the real world before. He and Penny sought him out. He spoke to them. He had been mean to them there, too. But that was just to get them to fight harder, especially Rudy. He wanted them put it their all in the game so there would be a challenge. He had heard Rudy start to come after him and he realized he may have gone a little too far. Then again, it wasn't his fault that the two deluded themselves so much that they believe that ChalkZone was real, even after they left the game. There was no harm in having a little fun with them, was here?
Despite the small feelings of guilt he experienced with his treatment of Rudy, Mint didn't see much of a reason to alter his behavior. Rudy was already used to him acting like a jerk, and a part of it did feel a little good. For once, no one was forcing him to do something he did not want. For once, he was more in control of his choices, going down the path that he wanted to, not one that someone set up for him. Yeah he still took orders from Skrawl, but he was an AI programmed to know how to have fun. Any assignment he gave him so far, it had been quite entertaining.
And who knows? Maybe Rudy will surprise him next time. He did surprise him with that lasso trick of his. Simple, yet effective. It was the first time he felt that the boy could be a challenge. So perhaps continuing to be mean to him would be the best way to make him bring out his best. And if he continued to believe that ChalkZone was real, he deserved a few taunts once in a while, didn't he? Rudy and Penny should both know better than to take a game that seriously, after all.
He thought about Snap. It had been fun when he boxed him in the corner like that. And he had enjoyed maintaining control over him. It was incredible how the AI responded appropriately, and he got Snap to do what he wanted. He had thought about hurting him when he forced him on his knees, but thought better of it. He was only there to send a message, not damage their NPC guide. Still, it was amusing to see how realistic the fear Snap displayed was. Even crying... Had he been real, he would have felt bad about what he was doing. He was glad that he was just an AI.
He hoped he would see Snap again in the next confrontation. He still wanted to have another shot at him. He still wanted to see what his data looked like when he shot him. Or cut him, or whatever he decided to do with the NPC guide. He did feel bad about the idea of deleting Snap since it meant that Rudy and Penny might not have access to the game anymore. But if they don't start putting up a challenge, it wasn't like there would be much of a difference with them gone.
Mint looked at the time. It was getting close to get ready for the bus. And his parents still wanted to talk to him. He looked at the portal one last time, disappointed that he couldn't go in and meet with Skrawl real quick. Oh well. A little time away from the game wouldn't hurt. He will be able to go into it later.
"Mint!" He heard his dad call out. "Come down here! We need talk to you!"
"Coming!" Mint shouted back. He quickly picked up his things and headed out of his room.
sss
Rudy did feel bad about having to wake up Snap. He would have liked to let his friend sleep with him longer. But his parents were awake and his mom had come in to wake him up. He was relieved that she did not notice Snap. It was a very close call and if she had see him, he would have had to find some way to explain his presence.
He had no choice but to wake up his friend. Snap looked like he was having a good night's sleep, especially after that horrible nightmare that plagued him for a while. He looked so peaceful and calm as he slept. It was hard for Rudy to have to wake him up. But with his parents about, he couldn't risk him being seen. He got his friend up and took him down towards the portal. He told Snap that Penny was coming over soon and they would make a quick visit to him before they headed off to school.
There wasn't a whole lot of time in the morning. A little, just enough to give Snap a heads up on what they're going to do. Penny wanted to talk to him a little about what happened in Happy Face Valley. She said she had an idea of what was going on, but she wanted to talk to him in person about it.
He didn't have to wait too long for his friend. About half an hour before it was time for them to go to school, Penny had arrived at his house. She went upstairs to greet him. He opened the door, letting her in, and then shut it. He wished he had a lock on his door to prevent his parents from walking in on their conversation. But with them currently so busy, he had doubts that they would come into his room any time soon.
He and Penny sat down on the ledge by his window. They took a moment to look outside, seeing the people walking on the streets, the wind blowing through the trees, the bright sun shining through. For a moment, they reflected on all that has happened recently. It was now day four and they still hadn't found a way to get Mint out of ChalkZone. Who knows how long it would be before they finally get him out...how knows what kind of destruction would be laid upon ChalkZone before Mint is finally stopped.
Rudy was glad that he was able to redraw at least some homes for Happy Face Valley. It had taken a while, and he had to put in a lot of effort. But he managed to draw about fifteen houses before he had to leave. There was still more he had to draw, but at least, for now, it would do and Happy Face Valley no longer looked completely like a wreck.
"How is your hand?" Penny asked, interrupting his thoughts.
Rudy glanced down at his left hand. There was a light bruise there. It hurt him still, but not as bad as it was before. He rubbed his right hand over it gently, remembering how much it had hurt when Mint stomped his foot on it.
"It's fine. I put some ice on it when I came back." Rudy said, his eyes still on his head. "I told my parents that I hurt my hand when trying to arrange some things in my room. It's such a mild bruise that they did believe me." He looked over at Penny. "I am glad that the kick to my stomach and chin didn't leave a bruise as well. I don't know how I would have been able to explain those on such short notice."
Penny nodded her head. "I'm sure you would have thought of something."
"Yeah...perhaps." Rudy said.
Penny looked down at his left foot. "And your foot? How...bad is it?"
Rudy looked down at his foot. He reached down and pulled off his shoe and set it down. Then came his sock. He lifted up his foot for Penny to see. He heard her gasp in shock. That was his reaction to when he saw how bad the wound looked when he first took a glance.
There was a deep red mark on his heel, covering part of the bottom of his sole. It spread from about half an inch along the back of his foot where his achilles tendon was to about half an inch under his sole. In about the center of the foot, there was a slightly brighter area where the skin looked really raw. Touching it even just lightly stung him. And the rest of the mark was painful as well. There was also a bit of bright red spotting, indicating where there had been a little bit of bleeding.
"It's hard to walk without limping." Rudy said softly.
"Oh Rudy..." Penny whispered.
"It's okay. It doesn't hurt as much as it looks." Rudy said, putting on his best smile. "And I did find find an explanation my parents found satisfying for what happened."
"What did you tell them?" Penny asked.
"I stepped on a tack." Rudy replied.
Penny winced at that. "I hate tacks..."
"Yeah, me too..." Rudy nodded slowly. He paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath. He turned to Penny. "So..what were your ideas regarding Happy Face Valley?"
Penny leaned back. She looked at Rudy and said, "I think I figured out what Mint had been doing all along." Rudy leaned in a little closer, eager to hear what her thoughts were. "I think he was just disracting you."
Rudy's eyes widened at this. "Distracting me...?"
Penny nodded solemnly. "Him not trying to take anything, or dig anything up didn't add up. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the only logical conclusion I could come to..." She hesitated for a moment. She looked a little apprehensive." ...was if his whole role there was just to keep you busy... Maybe the only reason he was causing all that destruction was to draw your attention to him and keep you from finding Skrawl."
Rudy's eyes filled with horror. It was something he had considered himself. He had thought that maybe the whole thing was a distraction. But hearing from Penny, he realized...that had to have been it. It made sense. Mint attacking such an innocent place, one that had nothing to do with the plan...all just to keep him far away from Skrawl. The realization sent shudders down his spine.
"I had the same reaction." Penny looked at him sympathetically. She turned her gaze downward. "It was...hard for me to come to that conclusion. The idea of Skrawl now using distractions is..unsettling. It means we are forced into a...a.. sadistic choice.. We can either go after Skrawl and stop him, or we go after Mint and stop him from hurting innocents, like he had with Happy Face Valley."
"And either way, we lose." Rudy said, his voice shaky. "We either let Skrawl get more of those artifacts, which he could use to do who knows what to ChalkZone and its citizens... Or we let Mint get away with hurting, possibly killing, so many people, all for what he thinks is just a game..."
Penny nodded her head solemnly. "Yeah..I'm afraid so.."
Rudy wasn't sure what he was going to do. If Mint really was just distracting him, and that was most likely the case, how was he going to deal with it? He needed to figure out something he could do... He had to come up with a plan and fast. If he allows Skrawl to continue stealing artifacts, things would get so much worse. But he couldn't just abandon zoners in need. A lot of them could get in trouble if Mint was allowed to roam free.
His head started to hurt. He clutched it, trying to fight off the headache that was forming. Penny looked at him sympathetically. Her hand was on his shoulder. Rudy's mind swirled with many thoughts. It was going to be so hard to choose what move to make next time. There had to be something he could do. Someway to stop Skrawl and protect the zoners... Something, anything...
And how many artifacts had Skrawl managed to take? He hadn't seen the jellybean for a day. He was being distracted by Mint... Skrawl might have gathered nearly all of them for all he knew. Possibly even all... He could step into ChalkZone today and it could be taken over by the crazed jellybean. And even if Skrawl only managed to get one more artifact..he still had three. And how many did Snap say there were? Twelve he thought? If that were the case, there were nine more artifacts and, at this rate, Skrawl would get them in, at most, nine days. Little over a week...
He had to stop Mint. That was the only way he could prevent Skrawl from doing a lot of damage. If he defeated Mint and kicked him out, Skrawl would no longer have a creator by his side to help him. He would be back down to where he was before, and Rudy could deal with him.
But how was he going to beat Mint? So far, in their three encounters, Mint had always won. He had taken the magic chalk from him three times. That shook Rudy up. He lost three times against Mint. He had to figure out a way to beat him. This was not a game. He couldn't allow himself to lose a fourth time to Mint. He needed to figure out a way to push him back, to change the tides in his favor. There had to be a way. There just had to...
"There is something else I wanted to talk to you about." Penny said. Cut from his thoughts, Rudy turned his attention towards her. "It's regarding Mint. I was thinking about him as I was walking over. There was something I noticed about him..." There was a tinge of hope in her voice. "Something that you could use to your advantage."
Rudy's eyes brightened a little. "What is it?" He asked her enthusiastically.
"Well, from what you told me, Mint usually only draws animals, doesn't he?" Penny asked. Rudy nodded rapidly in response. "Well, it seems to me, because he doesn't draw a whole lot apart from those dinosaurs and what not, it is likely that Mint does not have as much experience. He even said so himself before. He's not as varied as you."
Rudy let this sink in. Penny was right. Mint did say he wasn't as varied of an artist as him. He hadn't really taken it into account before, as he was too busy trying to fight him. Why hadn't he realized it before? Why hadn't he taken into consideration the fact that Mint really wasn't as experienced of an artist as him?
Penny continued, "For all his talents with drawing those beasts, he is still lacking. An artist that is pretty good at drawing everything is better than an artist who is only good at drawing a few things in this case. You have a larger arsenal of artistic talent at your disposal, Rudy. While Mint..."
"...he usually only draws one thing. And that leaves him open.. It gives him a weak spot." Rudy said, his eyes widening a little.
Penny nodded her head, giving a small smile. "It means you have an advantage over him, Rudy. You can do things he cannot. So to gain the upper hand, all you have to do is use your artistic experience to its full advantage. If you draw more variety of things, and fast, Mint would not be able to keep up with you. You will be able to beat him. I know you can do it, Rudy."
"Thanks, Penny." Rudy said. Penny nodded in response, her smile broadening a little.
Rudy smiled at her, grateful for her help. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before. He did have more experience than Mint. He could draw more things than him. Sure the kid could attempt, and he wasn't half bad at drawing weaponry. But he almost always defaulted to drawing dinosaurs. And while dinosaurs might work in some cases, it wasn't a foolproof plan. All Rudy had to do was find effective ways to distract the dinosaurs, trap them, and Mint would be pushed back, especially if the eleven year old was unable to draw much else very well.
This did bring a sense of hope to Rudy. It made him believe that perhaps he could win against Mint after all. He had a weakness. And Penny was able to pinpoint it. Rudy can target that weakness, and Mint would be the one running away, not him. Yes, he was not going to lose against Mint again. He was going to see to that.
"Let's go talk to Snap before we have to leave." Penny said as she got up from the ledge. "We don't have much time left before the bus comes. Fifteen minutes at best."
Rudy nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure he'll be glad to hear what we have to say."
"Yeah. I agree." Penny said.
With that, the two children headed to the chalkboard. Rudy got out his magic chalk and drew a circle. The portal opened up in a second. Rudy and Penny crawled through the portal and walked up to Snap, who had been waiting eagerly for them to visit. They walked up to him and began to detail them what they had discussed.
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Post by Bluedramon on Sept 21, 2014 21:17:07 GMT -5
CHAPTER 14:
"Mint is doing what?!" Penny cried in shock.
"He's where?!" Rudy joined in, his eyes wide.
Snap looked at them with wide, worried eyes. "He got here a little bit before you guys did! Come on, we have to hurry!"
With that, Rudy quickly drew a mode of transportation. A bike that hovered above the ground. Penny and Snap jumped aboard. He revved it up a little and they started to head in the direction that Snap said Mint was spotted in.
Rudy could have easily ran over...under normal circumstances. But his foot was still bothering him. It still hurt to walk on it too much and he found himself limping a lot. There was no way he could run very well with his foot hurt like that. He was going to have to rely on his rocket shoes more often, which meant he was going to have to learn how to dodge Mint more effectively. He was able to do it before, but how many times could he do it?
If Mint hit him again, he wasn't sure just how bad the damage would become. It was already pretty bad. It wasn't life threatening or anything, but if Mint kept shooting his shoes off the way he was, Rudy could easily lose the ability to walk for a while. At least, at the moment, he could still walk, even if it still came with a limp. That was better than not being able to walk at all.
When he and Penny arrived in ChalkZone, they were both surprised and not surprised that Snap came running to them like he had. They weren't surprised because they had expected it. With Mint running loose, they had come to expect destruction. After what he did to Happy Face Valley, there was little reason to doubt that he wouldn't attack another place like that again. And when Snap came running over to them like that, they weren't surprised. But what did surprise them is what he was carrying with him. Three wiggies, all of which looked absolutely panicked and terrified, though not injured.
That was when they learned that Mint's next target was Wiggie Island. Rudy knew, right away, what Mint was doing. Just like he had destroyed the happyfaces' home, he was going to destroy the wiggies' home as well. Rudy couldn't believe what this kid was doing. Did he have any inkling of what he was doing to the wiggies, to zoners, by destroying their homes like this? And the wiggies were wild animals; destroying their home involved destroying their habitat. Without it, the wiggies would have to go elsewhere, and they might not be able to survive as well.
It wasn't hard for Rudy to make the decision to go after Mint. Yeah it was still a lose lose situation. Skrawl was out there somewhere, gathering who knows how many artifacts, but Mint had to be stopped. He was Skrawl's key to victory, and if Mint was taken out of the picture, Skrawl would start to lose again. Despite him really wanting to go after Skrawl, Rudy could not ignore his gut and abandon zoners in need. And if Mint were stopped, Skrawl would be easier to handle.
Besides, if he did not go after Mint, the boy might do more than just destroy their homes. He might outright kill zoners. He had given Ripclaw the order to kill already, showing that Mint didn't care if he 'deleted' zoners or not. He would go that far. And as Snap had told him the other day, buildings can be replaced, but lives cannot.
Although Skrawl might also kill, Rudy was not as worried about him doing that. Skrawl was more of the zoner to just take what he wants and leaves. All Skrawl cared about right now was getting those artifacts. He had doubts the jellybean would stick around too long after he obtained them. If he wanted to keep them so bad, he'd leave and lock the items away somewhere where only he can get to them. Mint, on the other hand, thinks this whole world is just a game, and has little reason to hold back. That alone made him a lot more dangerous than Skrawl. But it was made worse with the fact that Mint was a creator. He could do much worse than Skrawl.
Soon, as they continued to zip across the ground, heading towards Wiggie Island, they could see, even from this distance, something was very wrong. They had been down this way before. They knew this area well. And the one thing they had never seen here before, as they ran along the hills, was the tall tower made of blackened smoke.
Penny took in a sharp gasp as the black smoke first came into view. "That's...that's in the direction of Wiggie Island.."
Snap narrowed his eyes. "I knew he was going to do something horrible, but..this..."
Rudy couldn't find his voice. He was too stunned by what he was seeing. Even before they got there, Rudy already knew what was happening. He knew what Mint did. He could only hope that it was not too late to stop him. He hoped that Wiggie Island was not yet destroyed.
Then, as they got closer, they could see the flicker of what was causing the black smoke. Something bright, orange and yellow. It was small at first, but as they got closer, they began to see more and more. The area started to feel a tad bit warmer, the temperature increasing as they continued to ride closer to the island. The skies started to darken, the black smoke hovering above them. Several small dots, bright orange, floated in the air, wisping around in the wind. It would have been pretty if it not for the horrific sight that accompanied it.
As they came on top of the hill and stared down at the land below them, they froze in place, horror sweeping through them as they witnessed what Mint had done. The boy wasn't anywhere in sight, but his 'handiwork', his doing, that was in plain sight. And it was worse than Rudy thought it was going to be.
Wiggie Island was...on fire. The hair-like grass that grew from the head-shaped island was set ablaze. Tall, twisting flames shot out from all sides. Thick, black smoke covered the area, blotting out the sky completely. Embers floated in the air so thickly it looked like they would burn them if they got too close. Wiggies were jumping all over the place, trying desperately to get away from the fire. To Rudy's horror, there were still a couple of wiggies on the island, as he could still see a few jumping from the island into the river.
A blast of flame shot a wave of heat at the trio, forcing Rudy to look away for a second. He looked back and saw that the fire got a little worse. Taller and brighter, the crackling sound of chalk hair-like grass being devoured by the flames. If Wiggie Island had a mouth and a voice, it would be screaming right now.
The smell of smoke filled the trio's noses and they let out a few coughs. The smoke was thick enough that it was a little hard to breathe. And it was getting in their eyes, forcing them to shut them. Rudy had to do something and fast. He got off the bike and made his way down the hill, ignoring the pain in his foot the best that he could. He got into position at the river's edge. As Penny and Snap followed him down, Rudy began to draw a large fan, as big as he could get it without using rocket shoes.
He flipped it on. The blades spun quickly. Rudy watched as the wind generated by the large fan began to push the smoke away. Soon, some of the sunlight became visible, getting better the longer he kept the fan on. The smell of smoke died down a tad. Still there, but not as strong. It became easier to breathe and his eyes no longer felt irritated. The fan also hit against Wiggie Island itself, making the grass hair sway a little, although it did not put out the flames. Seeing some of the flames jump from the island, little tiny ones, but still flames nonetheless, Rudy realized that the fan could accidentally cause other areas to set on fire as well. He got out his magic chalk once more.
Now bringing out his rocket shoes, Rudy rose up into the air. He looked down and he could see Penny and Snap helping the wiggies out of the water and ushered them to get away. They could always round them up later; right now the wiggies had to get away from the fire. Rudy began to draw a large bucket. He dove down towards the river and scooped up a large thing of water. He rose back up and flew over the island, dumping it on the fire. He did this a few times and soon the fire was out, replaced with nothing but thin whisps of smoke.
With the fire gone, Rudy and his friends could now see the extent of the damage. All of the grass hair on the island was gone. If any stems were left behind, they were short and pitch black. They did not look the least bit edible for anyone or anything. The whole top of the island was charred a deep grey mixed in with some black and the ground, with the steam rising, looked very hot. It did not look inhabitable in anyway. It looked absolutely terrible. With all that smoke pillowing into the air, it reminded Rudy, with a chill in his blood, of Happy Face Valley.
The realization hit him like a freight train. Mint had succeeded in destroying another home. This time, he had targeted Wiggie Island. He destroyed the natural habitat of these frog-like zoners. Now the wiggies were currently homeless. The poor guys were jumping all around, frantic, panicked by the fire that was started on their island, their home. Most of the wiggies had run off somewhere. The few that remained hopped around them, their usually goofy expressions replaced with fear-filled ones as they glanced back at what was once their home.
Rudy noticed that the wiggies that stayed behind did not try to eat Penny's hair. One even jumped into her arms, trembling. The wiggies were too frightened to think of eating anything right now, and, though wild animals for the most part, the wiggies were smart enough to know that they were trying to help them. Penny did her best to calm the frightened wiggies and tried to get them to leave the area and go some place safe for a while.
Redrawing the hair on Wiggie Island was not going to be too difficult. But right now, he couldn't do that until the charred areas of the island were fixed somehow. He could find a way to erase those parts and just redraw them, or he could wait it out and just draw a temporary home for the wiggies in the meantime.
After the rest of the wiggies finally left, bounding off into the distance, Penny and Snap rushed over to Rudy as he lowered himself to the ground. He stared at them with a solemn expression and looked back towards Wiggie Island. Another home..completely destroyed by some jerk who thought he was playing a game... How many more homes would be destroyed..?
"I can't believe I was too late..." Rudy whispered softly as he stared at the destruction that was once Wiggie Island. "I failed again.."
"No you didn't." Penny said. She put her hand on his shoulder. "You did your best. And at least the fire's put out. Still..." Penny bit her lip as she stared out the charred island. "..I can't believe he'd do something like this. He...he...might've killed a few wiggies doing this."
This made Rudy's heart freeze. He hadn't realize that until now. Penny was right. In setting the island on fire, Mint could have killed one or more wiggies. Some of them might not have escaped the blaze. And with how hot it was, there was no way he'd be able to tell right now if that happened. Their remains might be so charred it turned into ash. The realization that there might have been some casualties this time made Rudy's body tremble with intense emotion.
Anger swept through his body. Mint...he was going to pay for doing this... If he killed zoners this time, even if it were indirectly...he was going to pay. Mint had been careless for too long. He had caused enough destruction and chaos. He had to be stopped. Setting fire to the wiggies' home and driving them out like that was just cruel. And it wasn't like they had even done anything to Mint to make them deserve such a fate. When he saw that kid again he...he didn't know what he was going to do.
Snap stood on the edge of the river, staring at the head-shaped island in absolute shock. He looked at the island worriedly, his eyes having some horror mixed into them. Then he clenched his teeth tightly and kicked the ground angrily.
Taking a step forward and holding out a clenched fist, he snarled, "...that...jerk! What did the wiggies ever do to you, Mint?! If I had been here, I would have...!"
Snap's voice stopped immediately as something struck him. He let out a cry of pain. Rudy and Penny snapped their heads over, watching in shock as their friend was knocked into the ground. Before they had time to react, a foot was pressed against Snap's chest, holding him down. It took only a split second for them to know who it was.
"Mint!" Rudy shouted, his voice laced in hatred.
Mint stood over Snap, smirking down at the zoner. Snap looked at up at him, his previous anger gone and replaced with horror. Mint didn't have his laser pistol out this time, but that didn't stop Snap from trembling. Mint crossed his arms and chuckled at Snap before turning his attention to Rudy.
"Ah, Rudy Tabootie. I am disappointed in you." Mint said, staring at him with a psychotic smile. "I guess fourth isn't really your lucky number after all. Tell me, what took you so long to get here?"
Rudy growled at him. "How could you...?"
Mint looked at him with a slightly confused expression. Then he smiled. He looked out at the charred island, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Oh, you mean that? Well, originally I was supposed to just attack a few wiggies just to get your attention. But you know..I got bored of waiting. So I decided to set the place on fire. It was really quite entertaining to watch."
"You had no right to do that..." Penny said in a low voice. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
Mint turned towards her, his pupils dilated very slightly. "I really don't think it's your place to be asking questions. You don't even belong in this game. Why don't you leave and..I dunno...study the quantum theory of mechanics or whatever shit you study."
At this, Penny's eyes widened for a second. Then she narrowed them and snarled at Mint. He just waved her off.
Rudy narrowed his eyes in anger at what Mint had said. "Don't you dare talk to Penny that way...!"
"I'll talk to her however I want, Little Rudy." Mint said tauntingly, grinning at the boy. "Not my fault she seems to run away from most of the fights instead of staying and actually doing something. I don't know why you even let her come with if she's not going to do anything." He shrugged his shoulders. "She's worthless."
Rudy and Penny glared at the boy. How dare he say that... How dare he mock Penny when he had no idea what she was capable of... Rudy formed a fist with his hand. No one mocked his friends that way. No one.. He wasn't going to let Mint get away with it.
Mint looked like he was about to speak, but then he let out a pained grunt. Rudy and Penny were both surprised when they saw Snap, who had previously been frightened, gather up enough courage to kick Mint. The force he had applied was enough to force Mint off of the zoner. Then, when Snap got back up to his feet, he, although still visibly afraid, stormed over to Mint and grabbed onto his shirt, pulling him roughly. Mint stared at the zoner in shock.
"Take. That. Back." Snap demanded, gritted his teeth.
Mint stared at Snap, wide-eyed for a moment. Then he gave a dark smile. He seized Snap by his cape and pulled him roughly to the side. He pushed him back into the ground as hard as he could, this time forcing Snap on his stomach. Snap, growling, attempted to fight back, but froze when Mint pointed the laser pistole at him.
Mint smiled menacingly at the trembling zoner. He put his finger on the trigger. The barrel's tip was against the side of Snap's head. Mint was beginning to pull the trigger. And in seconds, there would be a shot of red energy and Snap would be...he'd be dead... Rudy's heart froze. No...no he couldn't allow that to happen. Without thinking, he began to rush over, Penny running behind him. He ignored the pain in his foot, dealing with the limping, as he rushed over to stop Mint.
"No! Let him go!" Rudy shouted, holding out his hand, his eyes wide with both horror and anger. "If you shoot him, I swear I'll...!"
Much to their surprise, Mint did what he asked, sort of. Rudy and Penny stopped in their tracks when Mint released Snap. At first, they thought he was going to walk away let the blue zoner rush towards them. But instead, something else happened.
Mint grabbed Snap by his cape and lifted him up into the air. He watched as Snap squirmed in the air, tugging at his cape as if it were choking him, which Rudy didn't doubt due to how roughly Mint had lifted him up. Then he pulled back his arm and he threw Snap at them. Snap screamed as he collided with Rudy and Penny, knocking them into the ground in a pile. They rubbed their heads and sat up. They let out a few small groans of pain.
Their eyes narrowed in anger as Mint laughed coldly at them. He stood there, his back straightened, arms crossed against his chest. He looked so proud and smug about what he did. Regardless if he was acting or not, he was shaping up to be a real bully. The way he was treating ChalkZone was horrible. And the way he was treating Rudy and his friends...it wasn't much better. This kid..he needed to be taught a lesson.
Rudy climbed up to his feet, glaring daggers at the kid. He took a quick glance down at this friends, and then back at Mint. He clenched his hands into fists, letting them shake by his sides. Mint raised an eyebrow, looking a little confused by his anger. Of course...he thought this was just a game... Well regardless if he thought this was a game or not, Rudy was not going to let him go unpunished. He was going to make Mint regret what he did here. He was going to make him regret the way he treated his friends.
He was not going to win this 'round'...
Rudy looked back at his friends. "Penny. Snap. Try to locate the wiggies and gather them up." He looked at Penny. "Draw them a temporary shelter, like you did for the happyfaces." He then looked back at Mint. "I'll take care of him..."
Penny and Snap looked at each other. They looked a little nervous, even more so when they looked back at him with widened eyes. He could understand why. He had done this before, sending them off to help the zoners while he stayed to face Mint. And he had lost those times. They didn't want him to put himself in danger like that.
But Rudy was determined. He took responsibility for Mint being here. All the damage he caused, Rudy took responsibility for it, as he should have closed the portal instead of leaving it open. Their situation would have been much more manageable that way. Mint could have been no worse of a threat than Vinnie or Terry since, like them, he wouldn't have magic chalk to get into ChalkZone. He was going to correct his mistake here and now.
Knowing that they wouldn't be able to stop Rudy, Penny and Snap nodded their heads. They wished him good luck and told him to be careful. With that, the two disappeared, running in the direction most of the wiggies had gone, leaving Rudy alone with Mint.
Mint chuckled as he paced from side to side in front of Rudy, staring at him like he was studying a mere object. That smile...it both boiled Rudy's blood and chilled it. "Getting rid of dead weight... Congratulations."
Rudy snarled and took a step forwad. "What did you say?!"
"You heard me." Mint sneered. "Those two would have just slowed you down. I see now why you send them off. They could just make it harder for you to fight."
"That's not true!" Rudy fumed, trying his best to control his anger. He could feel his blood getting hotter. He pointed a finger at Mint. "And you know, at least I have friends to back me up! What do you have? You're alone here! I would say you have Ripclaw, but you don't care about her, do you? All you see is some cobbled up data! You don't understand just how real all of this is! Well let me show you how real it is!"
Mint shook his head. Rudy's words obviously wheren't getting through to him. No surprise. "So you wish to challenge me to a duel after I already destroyed this place?" He stopped pacing around and stared at Rudy. His expression was unreadable. Rudy couldn't tell if he was amused, upset, or what. Then a shrug of the shoulders and his mouth ticked into a small smile. "Well okay. I'd love to see you lose one more time before I kick you out of the game..."
Rudy's eyes widened at that. If he lost this round, Mint was going to try to...keep him out of ChalkZone? How dare he... He had no right to do that. This wasn't his world. He did not control it. He was not the masdter of it. Granted, the same could be said about Rudy. He wasn't the boss of this place. But he was its protector. Unlike Mint, he was fighting to protect it. And if protecting it meant kicking this boy out, he would gladly do it. Mint did not belong here...
Rudy activated his rocket shoes and took off into the air. He hovered above Mint, preparing to fight. Mint's first act was to rush towards the water. If he didn't know him, he would have thought that Mint was fleeing. But no, that wasn't what Mint was doing at all. Rudy could see the boy rapidly drawing something large and with razor sharp teeth. Then shining metal glinted, and Rudy knew this was not going to be like Mint's other creations.
In seconds, he could see a large...something in the water. As it rose its head out of the water, he could tell it was a plesiosaurus. A deep grey one with shiny, wet skin and mottled with black spots. Long, sharp teeth jetted along its mouth, looking wickedly pointed. Rings of metal clamped along its neck, and Rudy soon realized that was its neck, reinforcing it and giving the neck more strength. On its back was two lasers, looking much like the ones Skrawl had used in Mondo Desert City. And on the sides of its head, two smaller versions of the same thing. The creature let out a screech as it turned its head towards him.
Reacting quickly, Rudy dodged the lasers as the beast tried to shoot at him. Again and again, the lasers came and he kept moving out of the way. A few of the lasers nearly hit him. He flew around, doing his best to avoid the shots. The good news was that the beast could not move its weapons quickly, so it was just a matter of going around in circles around it to avoid getting hit.
But that woudn't last too long if he wasn't careful. And in seconds, he felt something graze by him. He turned his head and saw Mint holding out his laser pistol. He was going to try shooting him out of the sky again. Rudy could feel a pang of pain in his left foot as he imagined it striking him again. No, he was not going to allow that to happen. Thinking back to what Penny said, about Mint's weakness, Rudy narrowed his eyes in determination. He knew what he was going to do.
Getting out his magic chalk, Rudy began to draw something as Mint shot out another energy beam at him. Holding a large mirror, he held it in front of himself. The beam struck the mirror and bounced back at him. Mint's eyes widened and he couldn't get out of the way in time. The beam struck his pistol right out of his hand. The object, charred now, flipped in circles in the air as it landed a couple feet away from Mint. The boy clutched his hand, gritting his teeth. Rudy didn't know if it was from pain or from the force of the impact.
After holding his hand to his chest for a few seconds, Mint glared up at Rudy, baring his teeth. This lasted for a few seconds as he took in a few quick breaths like he was trying to calm himself down or something. Then he gave a small smile and said, "I see you learned a new trick. But I wonder if that will save you from my cyborg companion."
At this, Rudy barely dodged out of the way as the plesiosaurus took aim and fired at him. The beam grazed his skin, leaving a slight mark on it. Mint had noticed this, but was barely fazed by it. Of course, he did think this was all fake, just a game. Rudy wondered if he would realize it was real if he showed Mint the mark, or if his previous thoughts from before would turn out to be correct and Mint would think he was just faking it.
Rudy turned his attention to the plesiosaurus. He had to take care of it and fast. Remembering how he tried to deal with the triceratops, the raptor, and the tiny dinosaurs, he knew he had to come up with a different strategy for this thing. Again, he thought of Penny's words regarding his weakness, about how Rudy had a larger arsenal at his disposal. As he kept dodging the plesiosaurus, he tried to think of how best to handle this thing. Then he got an idea.
The plesiosaurus was in water. It couldn't get up onto the land. If he could make it stay in one spot, he could then restrain it. And what better way to keep it in place than the freeze ray he had created to stop the garbage from destroying the Chalk Mine? It still gave him pangs thinking about what he had almost done. But he did at least save the mine and send the garbage back to the real world. And now he could use that incident to his advantage here. Moving quickly, he drew the freeze ray, and held it in his hands as it materialized.
Dodging more of the cyborg's lasers, Rudy dove down with his freeze ray. He flew around the plesiosaurus, shooting at the water around it. The liquid rapidly froze. He kept going around until there was a circle of ice around the beast. He flew back and watched as the plesiosaurus attempted to free itself. But its body was not strong enough to break the ice and the lasers would take too long to melt it.
But Rudy realized almost too late that just because the plesiosaurus can't move doesn't mean it can't attack. It fixated its large cannons at him and shot at him. Rudy dodged out of the way, but the combination of the large lasers and the small lasers made it difficult to get out of the way. And soon, his rocket shoes were destroyed yet again. He let out a cry of pain as his left foot, already hurt from before, was further damaged. He crashed into the ground. He looked at his foot and his eyes widened as there was a bit of red peaking from his shoes.
Rudy got up to his feet. The pain in his left foot, worse than before, caused him to stagger. He put his hand on his leg, wincing, trying to cope with the pain. He looked over at the plesiosaurus. It glared at him, those teal eyes narrowed. The weapons on the side of its head glowed and he knew it was going to shoot at him again. With his foot injured, there was no way he could get out of the way in time.
Rudy quickly drew a mirror similar to the one he used against Robot Rudy. Looking up in fear as the plesiosaurus started to shoot at him with its head gear, he held it in front of himself, doing his best to place it in the right spot. The laser hit against it. He could feel the force of the impact and he was pushed back a centimeter. The beam bounced off and hit against the plesiosaur's weapon, knocking the left off off. Rudy's eyes widened at this and as it shot again, he repositioned the mirror, hoping to copy the same result.
Well it didn't exactly copy it, but the result was still satisfying. The beam bounced off the mirror and hit against the right half. It didn't knock it off but it did destroy the front part of it, making that laser useless now. The beast was not yet defenseless; it still had those other lasers. Rudy had to take care of them and quickly. Redrawing his rocket shoes, he got up into the air and made his way towards the beast.
Thinking back to Skrawl, how he stopped his machine, Rudy went to work drawing. He had to avoid the larger lasers, some of which sliced against his skin a little, leaving faint but still noticeable marks. He winced at the pain, but he still pressed on. He flew around the back of the beast. The plesiosaurus, out of frustration, turned its head and tried to bite him. The cyborg tried desperately to seize Rudy in its jaws, but the boy managed to stay out of the way.
Drawing two corks, the right size for these lasers, Rudy dove down towards the cyborg plesiosaur's back. He pushed one cork into the left cannon, and then the second in the right. He moved out of the way and watched as the plesiosaurus attempted to shoot him, only to have the cannons explode on its back. It pulled its head back and let out pained screeches, smoke pillowing out. Rudy felt bad for hurting it, but he had to get rid of the cannons somehow. With the cannons destroyed, Rudy could now begin to restrain it.
He made his way towards the plesiosaurus again. As he got close, the beast, angry at what he did, lashed out at him. It grabbed the end of his pant leg and pulled him down. It started to shake him in the air. Rudy turned his rockets up higher. The flames pushed him further away from the plesiosaurus. The flames also irritated the plesiosaurus, and it ended up releasing him. That didn't stop it from trying to attack again, snapping its jaws just inches in front of Rudy's face.
Drawing long, thick rope, Rudy flew around the plesiosaurus's head, dodging the snapping jaws. He looped the rope around its mouth again and again. The creature kept trying to get at him, snapping its teeth shut near him. It twisted its head around as Rudy kept flying in circles around it. This caused the rope to tighten even more, and then Rudy pulled hard. The creature could barely manage a screech as its jaws were sealed shut. Rudy pulled a little tighter, securing the rope around the beast's head. Thinking that he was safe, Rudy turned to face Mint, only to have the plesiosaurus strike him with its head.
Rudy let out a cry as he was spun in the air. He shook his head when he stopped and looked over at the plesiosaurus. The rope was still wrapped tightly around its mouth. It was swinging its head from side to side, trying to get the ropes free. It was twisting its body in the ice and Rudy could see the ice was now starting to give way. Knowing that it could break free any second, Rudy drove down quickly. Bringing out his magic chalk again, he drew a large tank around the sea reptile. Thick, reinforced plastic and glass surrounded the beast, and, as it broke free of the ice, it was completely trapped.
Rudy watched as the plesiosaurus attempted to break free. It slammed its head against the wall, made of a mixture of plastic and glass. It did little more than smudge it. It tried to ram its body against it, but again it did not break or budge. Satisfied that the plesiosaurus was harmless now, Rudy turned his head towards Mint, glaring at the boy below.
Mint had his magic chalk in his hand. Rudy saw as he started to raise it in the air. He was about to draw something else. Rudy narrowed his eyes. Not this time. He quickly drew his own laser, this one a little smaller and of better quality than what Mint had drawn. Not wanting to hurt the kid but still wanting to stop him, Rudy took careful aim and fired.
The laser struck Mint in the hand, or rather, on the magic chalk. The laser was not as powerful as the one Mint used because Rudy had a better handle on it than he did. The laser he shot was not very damaging, so Mint wasn't badly hurt by it, if at all. What it did do instead was knock the magic chalk clean out of his hand. The white object rolled across the grass, headed straight towards the water surrounding Wiggie Island and the cyborg plesiosaurus, which kept banging at the glass. Narrowing his eyes, Mint raced towards the chalk.
Rudy raced towards Mint. He got in front of him and headed straight for him. Mint stopped in his tracks, his eyes widened as Rudy slammed against him, wrapping his arms around the boy as he pounced him. The two boys tumbled across the ground, wrestling with each other. Soon Rudy had Mint pinned on the ground, holding him down by his shoulders.
Mint growled and tried to punch Rudy. The ten year old moved his head to the side, dodging it. As Mint squirmed to get free, Rudy held on tighter. Turning his rocket shoes higher, he started to lift Mint up off the ground, holding him with his arms wrapped around the boy's chest and stomach, pinning his arms at his sides. Mint twisted and turned in his arms, trying to break free despite how high up they were going. Not wanting to let the boy fall and break his leg or arm, Rudy tightened his grip.
"Release me now!" Mint demanded as he squirmed against Rudy. He gave him a sideways glance. "Put me down!"
Rudy glared at him. "No. I am taking you back through the portal where you won't be able to do anymore harm."
"No! You can't do this to me!" Mint cried out, trying hard to get free.
As Rudy started to carry Mint over Wiggie Island, the boy's struggles increased and it became harder to hold him. And just as they were passing over the river, Mint managed to get one of his arms free. He struck at Rudy, hitting him against his head and causing Rudy to lose his grip. Rudy looked down and saw Mint plunge into the water below. The boy emerged, his wet hair plastered against his face and his clothes soaked all the way through. He coughed up the water as he swam towards the shore. Rudy's eyes widened as he saw that he was headed towards his magic chalk.
Determined not to lose this time, Rudy dove down towards the ground. With his feet on the grass, doing his best to ignore the pain, he rushed over to the river bank. As Mint started to crawl out of the water, Rudy stepped on the magic chalk before Mint could grab it. The boy froze there, and, slowly, he looked up at Rudy. His expression was of complete and utter shock. And, for a moment, the two just looked at each other. Rudy bent down and grabbed Mint's magic chalk and held it in his left hand. He stared down at Mint, his eyes narrowed. Mint looked up at him, still in shock, his head and front part of his body pressed low towards the ground almost in submission.
In that moment, Rudy felt a new feeling in his chest. Not one of despair or hopelessness, but of triumpth and victory. This time, it wasn't he who lost his magic chalk. It was Mint. He..he had taken Mint's chalk this time. He had rendered Mint defenseless, not the other way around. The feeling was...momentous. For once, Rudy wasn't boxed into a corner, forced to flee. No, this time, it was Mint who got to experience the taste of loss. It was he who had been defeated.
Rudy put the magic chalk into his pocket. He glared at Mint and folded his arms. "Mint Zandophen, you are coming with me. I am taking you back to the real world and you will not be able to come back here. I am putting a stop to you right now."
"Oh you wish..." Mint growled softly, a small smile on his face.
Before Rudy could say anything, he heard a shout to his left. He turned his head and he could see his friends rushing towards him. They were about to call out his name again when they stopped in their tracks. Penny and Snap stared at the scene before them, their eyes wide in shock. Then he could see them smiling in immense relief, clearly grateful that, this time, it wasn't Rudy who had been rendered chalkless.
Rudy turned his attention down to Mint. He lowered himself and grabbed Mint's arm. He dragged him up to his feet. Mint jerked back. Rudy tightened his grip on him. Without magic chalk to help him, it was going to be easier taking Mint back to the real world. He could see Penny and Snap rushing over to help him. With their help, Mint would not be able to get free.
Suddenly there was a loud screech and, with a rough jerk of the arm, Mint managed to break free of Rudy. The ten year old boy started to rush towards Mint, but was stopped when a fanged mouth slammed shut just inches in front of his hand. He pulled back and watched as Mint mounted his raptor creation, Ripclaw. The raptor stood straight up, glaring down at Rudy with those yellow eyes of hers.
Mint stared down at Rudy. A smile came onto his face. "Hmph... Maybe I was wrong about you, Rudy. Maybe you are tougher than I thought. I look forward to our next battle." With that, Mint rode away on Ripclaw, disappearing into the distance.
Rudy stared at him, his eyes narrowed. He couldn't believe he got away again. He had been so close...so close at getting rid of him as a threat. And, even chalkless, he still got away. He should have restrained Mint when he had the chance. He should have carried him to the portal faster. And now he missed his one chance he might have had at getting him out of ChalkZone.
Penny and Snap walked up to him. They looked at him with sympathetic smiles. They took position on either side of him.
"Looks like you finally beat that creepazoid, Bucko." Snap said, grinning at his friend. "Looks like the tides are starting to turn."
Rudy stared off into the distance where Mint had run off to. "Yeah, but he still got away."
"True, but you managed to defeat him this time, Rudy. You're getting better, and you'll keep getting better. You'll get him out soon enough. I know you will." Penny said reassuringly.
"Yeah, don't beat yourself up! He didn't get your magic chalk this time. You took his!" Snap said, agreeing with Penny.
Rudy took out the two pieces of chalk he now held. One of them was his. The other was the piece he took from Mint. He stared at them for a few seconds. He knew his friends were right. Even though Mint still got away, he did manage to beat him this time. Staring at the two pieces of chalk, rather than an empty hand like before, did fill him with a sense of accomplishment and hope. Now, more than ever, the situation no longer looked so hopeless. He had secured a victory this time. He had pushed Mint back. He had made him flee.
This time around, he had been the victor.
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