TE:R Adventures: The Beginnings (3/3)

WRITER - TURTLEDOODLE1

COVER ARTIST - VIDD03K

EDITOR - ADDY

“Every story has its beginning. Some are happy, some are sad and some… some are quite interesting.”

It was a strange day on Planet Perdiah. After their defeat at the hands of Team Bushra and Array, the Rascals were all in a bad mood. Some took it far better than others though. They had to get back to the mainland to plan their next move. After a few hours of travelling, they came across The Mountain That Never Ends. Markus found the name unnecessarily long but rolled with it. There was no other path to use besides this mountain. Despite all the rumors surrounding the mountain, Markus told Murray to continue driving.

When will we arrive at the mainland, Murray?

According to my calculations… in about 2 hours.

Good.

* grunts *
The sooner we get out of this place, the better.

So… what’s our plan now, sir?

Are we going to find another temple or-

No.

We are not.

Aww why not, bossy wossy?

Ya’ still upset over the fight?

I don’t think it’s the right time to ask that, Joyce-

“Why not”, she asks...

Markus starts laughing to himself and the two start worrying. Suddenly, Markus hits the side of the truck with brute force which makes Murray stop the truck with fear in his eyes.

We literally lost to a group of children!

Do you know how insulting that is?!

S- sorry, boss…

First, we lose to the blonde kid.

Then, we lose to him AND his clubhouse gang!

* fixes her glasses *

Erm… actually, the hot red man was there too.

So, what!?

Is that supposed to make me feel better or something?!

That freak used us as his… ugh… “puppets” for his own benefit.

No way I’m dealing with that guy again.

I think Joyce is trying to say we could have beaten those three if not for his meddling.

Pixel brain’s right for once.

Hnrgh… talking to you two is a waste of time!

* sits back down *

Continue driving, Murray.

This place is driving me crazy already!

R- right away, boss.

The three continued their trip for another few hours. Markus was starting to run out of patience.

Murray, you said we were going to be there in 2 hours!

Sorry, sir.

I didn’t account for this mountain’s looping capabilities…

Uhm… in English?

…we might be going in circles.

* snorts*

Well, isn’t that just great?

Not to mention-

Before Murray could show Markus what was wrong, Murray takes a hard turn to the right and stops the truck in an instant. Markus was able to hold onto the bars, but Joyce wasn’t so lucky.

Hey, what was that all about?!

* holding her head *

Ah will rip out ya’ non-existent hair, ya’ little-

Before Joyce could finish her sentence, the other two noticed what Murray was referring to. A giant crystal was blocking their path back to the mainland. But it wasn’t like the one they encountered all those days ago. This one was glowing, like it was… activated by something.

This… might be a problem.

You sure you can’t drive through this, Murray?

Well… we could try to explode our way to the other side but I’m not sure if the mountain is stable enough.

It literally has a giant crystal sticking out of it, remember?

Ah’m sure a few explosions won’t do it any harm!

…perhaps.

* gets out of the truck and readies his bombs *

Alright, let’s see it.

The three suddenly heard the sound of a lightning strike. Not too long after, heavy rain began.

Well, so much for that plan.

* looks at his wet bomb in sadness *

What do we do now, sir?

Markus wanted nothing to do with this place any longer. The constant bickering of the other two was already bad enough. But he also knew how dangerous the road would be with the storm on the horizon. He took a deep breath and sighed afterwards. He already regretted his decision.

It’s decided.

We are going to rest somewhere safe for the night.

But the second the sun arrives, we are outta’ here!

* points at Murray *

Murray, did you see any type of opening on our way here?

Well, yes.

I did.

It was a few miles back… or a few miles ahead?

This place is confusing as it is.

Forget about the complex mumbo jumbo, just take us there!

* sits back on the driver’s seat *

Right away, sir!

Flash cut to half an hour later, Joyce and Markus were preparing their stuff to rest while Murray was still busy building a small wall to protect themselves from the storm outside.

Gotta hand it to you, Murray.

That was some quick thinking back there!

* hammers the final nail *

Heh… thanks, sir.

Ah could have done it too, ya know.

(sarcasm) Yeah, yeah. We know.

* yawns *

Next time, let’s see you do it!

Oh, ah will do it, alright!

* chuckles but yawns once again *

Alright, it’s sleep time.

Don’t forget to wake up early for tomorrow you two.

Hopefully, we will be out of this dump soon.

Good idea, boss man!

Joyce took off her hat and glasses and proceeded to rest. The second she laid down, she instantly fell asleep and started snoring very loudly. Markus looked at the still awake Murray and chuckled.

Never get tired of that.

Good luck trying to sleep with that on.

Yeah, yeah, I know…

Goodnight, sir.

Goodnight to you as well, Murray.

And so, the Rascals went to sleep. Nothing too eventful has happened for the few passing hours aside from the still awake Murray thinking to himself. It had been so long since he could rest like this. "Why am I still doing this?", he thought. From the day he joined Hood, all he wanted was to live in peace. And serving Hood at his own pace felt like the best thing he could have done. Even though he knew that Hood had terrible plans for Perdiah, he still thought he was doing the smart thing... at the time. Now however, he really regretted that decision. After the Xtress war, he didn't know what to do. It was either handing himself over to the MPC or... running away from the inevitable. Because why would they show him any mercy after everything that has happened?! It just felt like an impossibility to him.

He was shocked to find out that the blonde kid he met the other day was hanging out with MPC2 members. If a loner like him could get accepted by MPC2... why not him? At the same time, he didn't want to leave Markus' side. Despite everything, he was very nice and kind to him after all. And Joyce was... well, Joyce. He was unsure about what to do so he decided to close his eyes and try to sleep. But it didn't take too long to notice that something was off about this cave. A light started covering Murray's face which made him wake up and start looking around.

Whuzzuh…

* covers his eyes *

Is that you, Joyce?

Are you pulling that prank on me again?!

No response. Murray was confused and got up to see what was causing the lights. But when he saw the source of the light, Murray was appalled.

Uh… boss?

You might want to check this out.

Urgh…

* clears his eyes *

What is it, Murray?

This better be something worthwhile-

Murray never saw his boss this shocked before. He looked like he was questioning everything about his life.

Murray.

W-wake up, Joyce.

Now.

Right away.

While Murray went to wake Joyce up, Markus was standing there, still not sure if this was reality.

* shakes her *

Wake up, Joyce!

Wha-

* reaches out to her pockets to ready herself for an attack *

Where am I?! Who are you?!

Of course, orange is my natural hair color!

...

Oh.

Right.

Joyce started looking for her glasses and then got up. She looked at what the other two were babbling about only to see a glowing grey door in front of them.

Woah, what is that?

So, the myths were true after all!

What myths, sir?

I read a book about Perdiah's strange myths during our time with Hood.

It was written by someone under the name "S. Carlos".

* points at the door *

This right here was one of those myths.

It was rumored that this rare door led to a place called “The Pocket Zone.”

I never thought I would live to see this with my own two eyes.

Fascinating!

Looks cool though it looks... magical. Blegh!

What’s wrong with magic?

Don't you use it to create your potions?

Not at all, twerp.

All my potions are carefully hand crafted by yours truly!

There's no magic substance in any of them.

Uh huh…

Are you two quite finished?

Yes, sir.

Don’t look at me, he started it!

Whatever.

According to the book, this “Pocket Dimension” leads to a bunch of pocket zones which, in turn, unlocks passages to more pocket zones!

Take a shot every time you say “pocket”.

Shut up.

So… do we take a peek inside?

We don’t know what exactly is on the other side of the door.

It may be too risky.

* cracks her knuckles *

Ah say we take the risk and go for it!

What could possibly go wrong?

We could never leave from there for one thing-

Pfft.

Ya’ such a joykill.

Murray does have a point, Joyce.

We can’t afford to take another hit… not this soon.

Joyce frowns and watches as the other two go back to bed. She couldn’t believe the two were willing to give up so fast. Who knew what was on the other side of this door. There could have been new materials in there to create more potions for herself… She couldn’t resist the temptation.

Ya’ know what?

If ya’ bozos want to be lame, so be it!

Ah’m going to the other side!

Joyce, don’t-

Before Markus could talk her out of it, she was already gone.

Curse that Joyce!

* gets up from his bed again *

S- sir, what happened?!

Joyce went inside without my command!

Wha- what are we gonna do, sir?

What do you think?!

* grabs Murray by the sweater *

We are going after her!

R-right!

Murray looks at the door and gulps. There was no going back.

You ready for this?

Not at all.

Exactly what I wanted to hear.

“Let’s see what’s on the other side!”

After stepping into the door, everything went blank. Markus thought this truly was the end. Until…

Boss, boss, wake up!

Urgh… what?

Where are we, Murray?

I don’t know…

Murray helps Markus get up and both of them start looking around. They were inside some sort of white colored cube shaped room. Definitely not what Markus was expecting to see here.

What in the world…

Murray, did you explore this place before waking me up?

Nope, sir.

I didn’t want to leave you alone.

Thanks for your loyalty, little one.

* looks behind him *

What happened to the door we came from?

I think it automatically closed behind us.

It must be a one way passage…

Seems like it.

Guess we will have to find another way to get out of here.

(Thanks for that, Joyce.)

Well, I guess we should explore instead while we got the chance.

Of course.

The two walked straight for what felt like eternity until they found a locked door. It was a grey door, just like the one they came from, except this one was broken apart.

Sir, I think-

Joyce has already been here.

Yeah, I figured.

If we hurry, we might catch up with her!

I hope so…

Meanwhile, Joyce was having the time of her life, running through so many different pocket zones, and collecting materials she never saw on Perdiah before for her future potions. She encountered a zone full of water, another one which was just a big jungle. She found those two boring but the rest of the zones she travelled were amazing. She was surprised to find most of the doors were already open by the time she entered the Pocket Dimension. Like someone had already been here. She was still pissed that the rest of her team were such cowards though. This place was amazing! She was so excited to brag about her findings to them when she got back. For now, though, she just wanted to continue having fun. Before she entered the next zone, she noticed another door on the other side of the passage. It had a different appearance compared to all the other doors she saw. It was a fully black door with vines covering some parts of it. She decided to take a peek inside for the possibility of finding more rare materials.

When she first entered the zone, she was confused. This just looked like an ordinary zone like the rest of the zones she previously entered. It was a pretty standard swamp with nothing too out of the ordinary. But something was still off. It was quiet … a little TOO quiet. She walked around a bit and then started collecting. There were so many interesting materials in here, new types of flowers, acorns and so much more. She wasn’t even sure her potion bag would be enough to carry all this back. She got up and shook a nearby tree for new types of fruit. Instead, a crow jumped out of it and started attacking Joyce. But she was able to defend herself easily. She shooed the crow away and then continued her collecting. Little did she know that an unknown figure was watching her from the shadows this whole time.

How peculiar…

(Another visitor after such a long time…)

The crow that just attacked Joyce lands next to the mysterious figure.

Hello Loi.

* smiles *

I hope you gave our guests a warm welcome.

The mysterious figure shapeshifted into a crow herself and then flew alongside Loi to continue watching Joyce as she cluelessly continued collecting new materials. After she was done, Joyce started looking for the exit of the zone. But when she got to the other side of the zone, she noticed something very unusual. The exit door… was not there. Joyce was rightfully confused, the other zones always had a door on the other side of them. To not panic, she took a deep breath and went back to her tracks. Something fishy was going on here.

Joyce looked all over the place, just to find some sort of clue on getting out of here. But then suddenly, she stopped in her tracks and looked next to her. She never explored the swamp waters. She didn’t care about getting dirty, but she obviously didn’t want to deal with the consequences. She sat on top of a nearby rock and started brewing a new potion. The mysterious figure was fascinated by Joyce’s skills. She continued keeping an eye on Joyce.

After the potion was done, Joyce got up and threw the potion beneath her boots. The boots started glowing pink. The mysterious figure was confused but intrigued about this revelation. Joyce walked towards the water and then smirked when she was able to walk on water. She put her arms on her back to relax and continued exploring the zone.

(Fascinating… is she… another magic user like me?)

Joyce suddenly looks behind her and notices the shadow figure disappear for a split second. Joyce was starting to worry but for real this time. “What WAS that thing?!”, she thought to herself. She tried to trick herself into thinking she was just imagining things and continued her trip.

After a while, Joyce noticed a small tree house in the middle of the swamp. She was now confused. Why was there a hut in this zone? There shouldn’t have been any men-made structures in any of the zones… unless…

Joyce suddenly heard a creaking sound behind her and threw her stun potion at it. Only to realize that it was just a frog, now stunned.

Oh… phew.

Dunno what came over me.

* looks at the frog again *

Stay on your line, bucko.

Ya scared the crap outta me!

No response from the frog, as she expected. She chuckled and continued walking towards the house. It was just a dumb zone, nothing in here could possibly hurt her! And even if they tried, she could always show them who’s boss.

And there it was, the house she had been looking for. She looked at the stairs and thought they were lame so she quicky picked up a high jump potion and used it on herself. Why bother, she thought. Instead of knocking on the wooden door, she slammed the door wide open. When she entered, she noticed a bunch of bookshelves alongside demonic symbols written on the walls. Joyce was starting to worry once again but she kept quiet. In the midst of all those symbols, however, there was a small school bag and a bed alongside it.

Joyce was getting really spooked from the place, so she decided to leave the place. Suddenly, she heard creaking sounds from outside the house and rushed quickly to the door to close it shut.

Ah- ah’m warning ya, creep!

If ya take a step inside, ya’ll regret it!

Joyce suddenly feels someone holding her from the shoulders.

No such need.

Joyce quickly threw a potion at the figure, but the figure blocked it and threw Joyce out of the house. After the hit, Joyce quickly shook her head and got up to fight the beast. The figure fully revealed herself to the ever so confused Joyce. The figure was a lady wearing a green dress with a bunch of cards spinning around her.

Oh, great.

Another magic user.

(sarcasm) Can’t get enough of those…

Hello there.

* petting her crow *

Pardon my manners, I just don’t appreciate people barging into my house without permission.

Manners, eh?

* picks up a bunch of potions from her bag *

Want to see how much ah cares about “manners”?

I would rather not.

* lets her crow go and smiles *

But if you insist.

Joyce throws a stun potion at the mysterious figure, but she dodges it in a flash and throws a card at Joyce in return. Joyce was barely able to dodge the card and took a few steps back.

Ah must say… very impressed by ya’ magic moves, lady.

Too bad it pales in comparison to my potions.

Big talk for the one retreating.

Think about it this way, in MY perspective, ya’ the one who’s retreat-

The figure suddenly threw a card at Joyce and Joyce also dodges it at the last second.

D- didn’t really like that joke, eh?

No response.

Yeah, me neither.

Ah’ll talk more details after ah beat ya into oblivion!

Now it was Joyce’s turn to be on the offensive. She started throwing potions at the figure, but she was too fast. All her dodging was from sheer luck. She had to do coming drastic… fast! Joyce threw a potion next to her and a fire shield covered her. She could now plan things out. She noticed the figure being frustrated by her and laughed at her in return. But suddenly, the figure dashed away from her and started throwing cards around the shield. Joyce didn’t understand what the figure was trying to do but even she was aware that it was bad news. Before Joyce could process what was going on, a dark blast started appearing from the area the figure planted as Joyce tried to keep her shield up. But… it wasn’t strong enough. The dark blast started hurting her from every angle. The figure took advantage of the situation and threw a card at Joyce which paralyzed her. “I hate karma.”, Joyce thought to herself.

Now, are you willing to talk, dear?

…

Very well.

My name is Marigold.

Yours?

…Joyce.

Joyce Folio.

What an interesting little name.

* points her finger at Joyce and starts moving her paralyzed body at her will *

Now, let’s continue our talk in somewhere more… magical.

Joyce didn’t respond. She was thinking of what to do in this situation. How could she ever escape from this lady… she needed to stall for time.

While on their way to the unknown, Marigold started humming a little tune all by herself. “Gosh, ah wish ah could punch her in the face.”, Joyce thought. After a while, they stopped their journey inside a nearby cave. Joyce hadn’t seen this cave before. Did the witch purposefully hide this place from outsiders, who knew at that point.

Welcome to my little playground.

Eh?

* smiles *

I practice my magic here!

It’s so fun!

Marigold notices Joyce not paying attention to her, so she pulls out another card and throws it to her dried-up fireplace. Joyce still wasn’t interested. Marigold sits next to the fireplace. Joyce knew she had to appease the witch’s interests in order to have a shot at escaping.

* smiles *

Now… what’s your deal, “Joy-see”?

It’s spelled Joyce.

Say it right.

Alright then, “Joyce”.

Can you answer my question?

Hm… maybe.

But two can play that game!

What are you implying here?

We can ask each other questions instead!

Like… (ugh), a pajama party!

* her eyes widen *

Really?

Yeah, why not, amiright?

In response, Marigold starts chanting a spell as Joyce closed her eyes and braced herself for an attack. But… nothing happened. She opened her eyes only to see that both she and Marigold were now wearing pajamas. As much as he hated admitting it, it was kinda comfortable.

NOW, we can start!

Can I go first?!

Uhh… sure?

Okay!

So…

* points at Joyce’s potion bag *

What type of magic is that?

Oh, my potions?

No no, they really aren’t magic.

Ah brew them on my own.

No… I’m pretty sure they are magic.

Look lady, ah’m the one who makes the potions, not ya!

Marigold makes a fist and suffocates Joyce a tiny bit.

Don’t forget your place, Joyce.

Joyce nods her head and Marigold stops making a fist. She watches as Joyce tries to catch her breath.

So… what would you like to ask me?

* coughs *

Well… why are ya here in the first place?!

Joyce notices Marigold becoming noticeably sad after her question. Joyce prepared herself for another attack but instead, got an answer.

I… I don’t remember the exact details.

When I was a little girl, I went to explore Cave Inertia with my friends.

They were never too fond of me, but we were still friends despite that.

We went there because of a bet, and it was so much fun!

We decided to rest there before our parents found out what we were up to.

But then, we saw a glowing door in the middle of our rest place.

One of our friends woke us up and we talked about going inside.

But as it turned out… they really didn’t like me.

They kicked me inside while I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t follow behind me.

Oof, bummer.

…

Then I came across this place and made the biggest mistake of my life.

There was another person waiting inside and they told me they were dying.

They were oddly silent afterwards, but I didn’t mind it.

I helped them walk towards the door and then opened the door for them to get out.

But little did I know, they tricked me.

When I tried to exit the place, the door didn’t allow me to get out.

None of the other zones I went through had something like this.

I cried and screamed for help hoping someone could hear my voice.

I explored every inch of the place I now called “home” and found relics saying that this place needed one person to stay in it.

And now, I was the said “one person”.

I can only begin to imagine how mom, dad and my little brother are doing…

Hm…

So, ya got one of em’ “tragic” backstories, eh?

Grr… you could say that.

There’s more to my story but-

BORINGGGG!

* yawns *

Can you ask me another question instead?

…sure.

Marigold notices her pet crow arriving at the cave and waves at him.

That wretch is your property?

“Property”?

Did people become ruder since I left or what?

…

But yeah, he’s, my friend.

A loyal one at that!

* looks at her crow *

Anyways, were you supposed to tell me something, Loi?

The crow nods. Marigold listened to a series of loud caws while Joyce thought she was coo coo crazy.

Oh my.

This is interesting!

What is it, gruesome?

Apparently new visitors have arrived!

And…

She listens to Loi again and looks back at Joyce.

They are apparently looking for someone called “Joyce”.

Joyce was horrified. “What were they even doing here?!”,she thought. She thought they were just preparing for tomorrow. But Marigold was smiling from cheek to cheek.

Look at how the tables have turned!

…

Marigold snapped her fingers, and both got back their usual clothes.

Things just got a lot more interesting…

Let’s pay your crew a visit, shall we?

Murray, you sure she was here?

Pretty sure.

The door was half open when we first found it.

Let’s just hope she isn’t too far away…

The other two Rascals have been looking for Joyce ever since they entered the Pocket Dimension. Some of the zones they went through were easy to get through while some were difficult to manage. They were able to keep track of Joyce’s whereabouts by the missing materials in the zones. And her tracks lead to here.

Meanwhile, Marigold and the still paralyzed Joyce were watching the two from the shadows. Joyce tried to scream but every time she tried, Marigold suffocated her more and more.

You get the feeling something’s… off about this place?

A-a little bit.

Glad I’m not the only one.

* clears his throat *

Let’s check the other side!

Right away, sir!

The two also realized the lack of a door in this zone and started panicking.

S-sir?

Yes, Murray?

You are seeing what I am seeing, right?

Unfortunately, so.

Does this mean…

* quickly looks around *

…Joyce might still be in here.

Maybe?

I feel like we would have heard from her by now though.

You are right… maybe she found a way to get out of this place.

(And we are the dumb ones.)

Perhaps… I just hope she’s okay…

Even though she hates my guts, it wouldn’t be right without her.

* smiles *

Don’t worry Murray, we’ll find her eventually.

You are right about that though.

As much as I hate her company sometimes… she’s a valuable member of the crew.

But now, let’s focus on finding a way out of here, alright?

O- okay…

Maybe we might find her in here after all!

Yeah!

Marigold overhears the entire conversation and waits there all silently until they were out of sight much to Joyce’s surprise.

They seem… oddly worried for you.

Yeah, what about it?

And the bald one said you were a bully to him…

Uh…

For years on end, I thought I was the problem.

But… maybe it was them!

Even worse, if I ever managed to get out of here, I could never start over!

* holds her head *

They care about you so much and you don’t even notice…

You have so much to look forward but…

Hello, is this thing working!?

Did ya even listen to what ah just said?

Joyce was going to continue rambling until she noticed Marigold smiling once again. But this time, it was different. She had so much resentment towards Joyce in her eyes.

You know what, Joyce?

I don’t think you deserve to go back with them.

Excuse you?

They care about you so much, they consider you a part of their team.

And you just… don’t care.

You waste your life.

So…

Before Joyce could understand what Marigold was talking about, Marigold started casting a spell which covers her with purple smoke. When the smoke was cleared, Joyce was confused but also shocked. There she was… Joyce herself staring back at another Joyce in front of her.

I hope you won’t mind me taking over your place for until forever.

You slimy little-

Marigold slowly walks towards Joyce and takes her hat.

Don’t mention it.

I have full control over the zone’s exit!

You can stay here in my place while I can enjoy the life you never appreciated!

Isn’t that just great?

You are the biggest clown on Perdiah if ya think they will be fooled that easily!

Oh, trust me… they will.

Since you never really liked them, they will appreciate my “kinder” personality compared to yours.

* starts jumping all around in happiness *

I can’t believe I’m finally getting out of this dump!

And with actual friends by my side!

This is gonna be so much fun!

When ah get my hands on, ya, ya will be sorry ya messed with me!

Keep dreaming, Joyce.

Or should I say… past Joyce?

Joyce was fuming from anger. She tried to move her body to attack her fake self but the spell was too strong. Marigold points at Joyce and makes her slam to the wall. Joyce was unconscious after the fact.

I wish there was a better way to do this, Joyce… but I can’t trust anyone on this.

Not again after last time.

Loi suddenly arrives at the scene and lands at Marigold’s left arm.

Sorry Loi but I can’t let you come with me.

They will notice that something’s up.

I won’t forget our time together…

* pets him *

I’m gonna miss you too…

Marigold lets him go and waves him one last goodbye. Afterwards, she picks up Joyce’s potion bag and then hits herself very hard with a stick to make it seem like she escaped from “an evil witch”.

AAHHH!

T-that sounded like Joyce!

Really?!

Where did it come from?

This way!

The two followed the screams and saw a limping Joyce trying to walk towards them.

JOYCE! ARE YOU OKAY?!

WHAT HAPPENED?!

A-an evil witch tried to hunt me down, but I managed to lose my tracks!

My limbs are just a bit hurt.

That’s all.

What did I tell you about rushing into things all by yourself?!

I’m… sorry.

E-excuse me?

You are… what?

Yeah… after trying to survive in here all by myself for so long, I… realized that I was at fault.

Sorry… Murray.

Uhm… I’m Murray?

Oh… right.

I meant, sorry Markus.

Well, I don’t know what you experienced out here but I’m happy to see a positive change in your character!

Welcome back to the fray, Joyce!

* smiles *

Thanks boss, it’s great to be back!

Markus continues looking around.

With that said though, I think we should get out of here already if that witch was still hunting you down!

R- right, boss!

We should head on out of here!

I missed the outside world so much!

While Marigold thought the plan was going perfectly, she didn’t account for one thing. Murray. From the moment he saw her, he thought something was off. Pleading for help? Not the passive aggressive tone? No bragging from her end? Something was wrong but he wasn’t exactly sure what. He took a breath and thought to himself that maybe it really was just Joyce showing vulnerability for once. He decided to make his full judgement on “Joyce” later.

So we couldn’t find the door and we thought you were still inside.

And you two were right on the money with that theory!

So, while you were here, did you find any type of clue on how we can get out?

I think I got it…

Marigold pretends to create some sort of potion and then throws it to the ground which makes the red door appear.

Woah, how did you do that?

When I was messing around with new materials, I figured out how to create an exit door!

And why didn’t you go explore a new zone?

The witch got to me before I could do so and then I found you guys, remember?

Uh huh…

No more messing around you two.

She could appear at any second!

Let's not waste this chance!

Ay ay, sir!

Markus enters the door but before Marigold also did so, she noticed Murray still looking back at the zone.

Come on... Murray!

We gotta go!

Murray didn’t say anything but decided to follow the two from behind. Just as they thought the trouble was over, everything went completely blank once again.

S- sir, wake up!

What…

Where are we, Murray?

We are finally outside, sir!

We made it!

But we are not inside the cave anymore, I think it teleported us to the mainland.

* Takes a breath out of relief *

That’s good…

Is Joyce doing alright?

Yeah, she is…

But I’m not sure if she’s still “herself”.

Marigold couldn’t believe she was finally out of the pocket dimension after so many years. But not only that, she now had two loyal friends. She had to hold herself from crying out with happiness. Since Joyce’s main weapon was using potions to attack, she could transform her cards into potions so she could keep up the disguise. Everything was going perfectly! She looked back at the other two helping each other get up.

So, what do you guys wanna do now?!

* smiles *

I don’t know Joyce, but we will do it together as a team!

* chuckles *

You are dang right!

Right, Murray?

…

Murray?

R- right, boss.

“And so, the Rascals were right back on schedule! Going on adventures, having fun and most importantly… my journey finally began.”

To be continued in… JOYCE’S QUEST (ADVENTURES 4-6)