Turtle's Expedition: Rescribbled Chapter 30: Bow and Array
WRITER - TURTLEDOODLE1
COVER ARTIST - SOHEKUN
So Mr. Fields... What do you think?
I... I don’t know what to say...
* chuckles *
Good... Very good...
* puts her shoulder on the robots head *
As you can see... Unit SRP here is capable of MANY things.
He can fly, shoot crystal lasers out of his hands and most importantly, he’s super fast!
But... I don’t get it.
Why didn’t you just crystallize me instead?
Why go through all this effort?!
While Sarpo expected Maizie to respond with a cold threat, instead she started laughing to herself. She seemed to be enjoying this... more than she probably should have.
Oh man...
* wipes off the tear from her eyes *
You are hopeless!
Of course, I could have crystallized you and been done with it... But no.
You are weak. Pathetic even.
Sarpo didn’t know how to respond.
You have lost so many battles up to this point, what made you think you would have done me and this kingdom any good?
The people who built your robotic half wasted this technology on you...
Maizie takes a step back and starts swinging around her staff. It was almost like she wasn’t taking this seriously at all.
But I will admit, I have always been fascinated by your cybernetics since we first met.
I thought you were strong back then…
But little did I realize how reckless you truly were.
You don’t know anything about me!
Stop acting like you do!
Maybe... maybe not.
Doesn’t change the fact that you are a weakling.
* grins *
So back to our topic...
When I successfully lured MPC2 to my kingdom, I knew I had to pay extra attention to you... Or more specifically, to your cybernetics.
I wanted to perfect this technology before I disposed of you.
Oh yeah?
What made you think you could improve it?!
Oh, please!
I already invented the crystallizer...
* Rolls her eyes *
-all by myself! Yes!
Sarpo could tell she was lying. Those eyes weren’t kidding anyone but herself.
But really, what matters at the end is that.. you are still the same man I fought all those months ago.
Nothing really changed with you...
* points the staff at herself *
While I became the ruler of these lands thanks to YOUR ignorance.
So really, I have got to thank you for... all of this!
Y-you...
Oh? Did I hear something?
Surely not-
YOU ARE SICK IF YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY THIS!
* Chuckles *
I dont think... I KNOW!
Maizie turns her back and looks over to the robot again. She grabs a screwdriver and takes off Unit SRP's chest cavity to reveal an empty slot. Sarpo assumed this is where the power source would go.
What do you plan on using to power him?
Im so glad you asked!
Maizie reaches out to her pockets and shows Sarpo a very familiar, red object.
Is..is that-
One of the red rings? Yeah.
I sent a few crystal knight groups to investigate Hood's old bases to see if they could find one of THESE bad boys.
It should be more than enough to power this beast!
* starts walking in circles around Sarpo again *
You know? You would think MPC would just destroy those buildings and everything inside them once the war ended.
But alas...
It's yet another thing you supposed "heroes" forgot to take care of.
* chuckles *
It's alright though, it will just be a part of MPC's increasingly awful legacy.
Wouldn’t you say?
Don’t you DARE insult Carlos’ legacy!
So, what if I do? Huh?
* smirks *
That's right, you can’t do anything back!
Sarpo was getting more and more frustrated with each passing second. He really wanted to activate his upgrades and cave her head in but... He wasn’t strong enough yet. Nor was this the time to drop his cover.
Wanna know the best part, Sarpo?
The one who found this red ring is someone you are already familiar with.
* claps her hands *
Allow me to introduce him.
And there he was. With his fish loving self intact. Bushra was the one who found the red ring after all! He looked just as confused as Sarpo after first seeing the robot.
See? Look how much that bites!
One of your closest friends will lead to the downfall of everyone you ever loved!
Uh...
* points at Unit SRP *
What is this?
Oh.
* shakes her head *
We were just talking about this actually.
Its a-
Whoa...
* touches its hat *
Is this a robotic Sarpo?!
* sigh *
Yes, yes it is.
* points at the door *
Can you leave now, please?
I will call you to my throne room later.
Oh, of course!
* looks over to the shackled Sarpo *
Hope to see you soon, Sarpo!
Dont worry, Ms. Kitty cat is all okay after the fight!
She’s hanging out with Terry and Lydia right now-
DO YOU MIND?!
Oops, sorry.
* tips his hat *
See ya, Sarpo.
Bushra leaves in a hurry, leaving only the two (plus the robot) in the room once more.
Now then...
* looks at the red ring *
Let’s see what happens, shall we?
Before Sarpo could respond, Maizie puts the red ring inside the robot and closes its chest cavity. Afterwards, the robot starts floating and spews out red light everywhere in the room.
After a few seconds, the robot went back to its tumbling position but quickly got up with its, ever so present, deadly red eyes.
[ UNIT SRP: ONLINE. ]
* bows *
[READY TO SERVE THE CRYSTAL QUEEN. ]
Nooo... NO!
HA HA!
Welcome to the world, my newest creation!
" We have MUCH to discuss!"
G couldnt believe what he was seeing. It all felt like a dream.
Array..?
Is that you?
Array dropped everything he was doing and rushed to hug G. It felt like an eternity since they last saw each other.
G!
I can’t believe you are actually here!
* wipes off his tears *
I- I thought you were-
Ssh... its okay now, Array.
We are together now.
And that’s what matters.
The two share a long hug while PotaTeo was trying to get their attention.
The potato dude is here too?
* picks him up *
Come here little guy, join in the fun!
PotaTeo jumped around in excitement. He was happy to see his friend again too.
* looks at Array's gauntlet *
Are- are you-
Yes, I'm fine. No worries.
The gauntlet has been doing nothing but wonders for me since we got it sorted out.
Thats good, that’s really good.
* looks around *
As much as I would love to continue chatting out here... We better get to a safe place first.
There could be more of those beasts or those crystal zombies!
O-okay!
* picks up PotaTeo *
But where can we go?
They can pop out of anywhere!
* puts his left hand on G's shoulder *
Trust me, G.
I know what I'm doing.
Just follow me!
Alright...
Array led them through the forest and stopped in front of one of the trees.
Think you can climb up trees?
Heck yeah, I can.
Don’t you forget, I used to live in these parts too!
* chuckles *
He he... Right!
The trio climbed up the tree and after a while, they were greeted to ladders leading to a small tree house.
Woah... You built another tree house?!
Sure did! Besides a few flying beasts, I'm positive this place is bad guy proof!
Awesome!
G and PotaTeo started walking around the place. There was a bunch of furniture made out of wood everywhere. The house even had a balcony too! Array really did make himself home here.
Come on in, guys!
The living room isn’t gonna fill by itself!
G laughed at his quirky remark and followed behind him. He really missed him a lot. When the two got to the living room, they saw that Array had already prepared stuff for them. There were a bunch of wooden plates and spoons on the table. G knew it was time to eat, he was already hungry enough as it is before the beast even attacked them.
Wowie, you are quick!
You gotta be when you have guests around!
* smiles *
Want to guess what we are eating for today?
Sure! Hm...
* starts thinking*
Is it... rice?
Nope!
Array picks up the nearby pan and pours out a weird soup that G had never seen before in his life. G noticed Array wearing an apron with “Best Cook!” written on it.
* looks at the soup in front of him *
Oh.
I call it "natural soup."
Let’s eat, guys!
G takes a spoon off the soup and almost pukes from it.
Oh dear, are you alright G?!
Y-yeah, I'm-
* stops himself from puking *
I’m fine...
G looked at PotaTeo and was to surprised to see him actually enjoying the soup. G wished he had chicken and rice at that moment.
Don’t... don’t force yourself to eat it if you dont want to, G.
It’s not everyones cup of tea.
N-no, it would be rude of me otherwise.
G takes another spoon off it but he was able to digest this one much easier.
I appreciate the thought.
It took me a long time to get used to its taste too.
So don’t worry about it.
Array sits down with his legs crossed, patiently waiting for the two to explain everything that had happened to them. Meanwhile, G pushes away the plate in pain, he really couldn’t take much more of the soup. But at the same time, he was upset over possibly breaking Array's lovable heart again.
Now that you finished your food...
Array looked at the two like an excited little kid waiting for his ice cream.
Are the others safe too?
I thought you guys were all crystallized!
(confused) Where did you get that?
Some of us are still alive and kicking!
“Some of us”?
Well... Me, Artender and the kids are all safe.
Cloe is acting as double Agent in the Crystal Kingdom while she and Sarpo are planning something over there.
That’s good.
But wait... what about Bushra?
* realizes G looking down in guilt *
Is he-
He... He sacrificed himself to save us.
He got crystallized in front of my eyes...
Oh my gosh, thats terrible!
* looks at G *
A-Are you alright-
Yeah... I’m just... Still hurting from it.
I... See.
Array knew he had to change the topic before this turned for the worse. At the same time however, he couldn’t believe that Bushra was crystallized. I mean... this was BUSHRA they were talking about. G and the others must have been through a lot, Array thought.
But... How did you guys make it out of there alive?
What do you mean?
I mean...
When these Crystal Knights started popping up, I went to check Diamond City for you guys, only to see it completely surronded by Crystal walls!
How did you guys manage to escape from there?
Well... We weren’t in the city when this whole mess first started, actually.
We were trying to escape from the Crystal Kingdom itself!
You don’t mean... THE Crystal Kingdom, right?
I assure you, I do.
It was a miracle that we made it out of there!
Though, we wouldnt have been able to make it without... him.
Ah...
* Takes a sip from his soup *
I see.
I’m frankly just surprised you guys managed to escape from there with that much security!
I mean, there wasn’t THAT much security outside while we were trying to escape.
* Raises his eyebrow *
Did something happen?
Well, I have been investigating the kingdom for the past few days and they have increased their security tenfold.
Huh, why is that?
* shrugs *
Your guess is as good as mine.
I thought it was either a resistance group pushing for the offensive or hopefully, you guys!
But since you don’t seem to know what happened...
I’m not sure either.
Hm... that’s strange.
Sure is.
* Touches his hair *
Ugh, is something stuck on my hair?
Array notices a leaf was stuck to his hair but before he could take it off himself, G leaned towards him and took it off instead. The two both blushed without either of them realizing. Only PotaTeo figured out what these two's deal was.
W-well, anyways!
* shakes his head from embarrassment *
What were you doing during that time?
O-oh, right!
* also shakes his head *
Can you elobrate?
You know, the time we... Split apart.
...oh.
* leans back to the wall *
Right.
Well after I left, I went adventuring by myself and wanted to explore the mystical elements of Perdiah.
So far... I haven’t found much.
(Not like I had much choice anyway.)
I had to put a halt to my travels when this whole mess started.
Afterwards, I decided to build this place for myself and possible survivors...
I didn’t manage to find any... except one.
...and?
* looks around *
What... happened to them?
I... couldn’t save them before they were crystallized.
I had to focus on losing my trail.
* sighs *
The Crystal Kingdom's reign is just too powerful!
Sigh... figures.
* holds Array’s hand *
But I will always hold out hope that we will be able to end this nightmare once and for all!
I hope so too.
While Array was looking at PotaTeo still eating his soup, G noticed him wearing something. Something like a... necklace?
Oh, what's that?
Huh?
The necklace!
I have never expected you of all people to wear one.
* grins *
New do for the occasion?
Array blushes out of embarrassment and lighlty pushes G away.
Aw, stop it!
* pulls out the necklace *
You mean this old thing?
Yeah!
Not to say it doesn’t suit you though, I think it looks great on you!
Thank you...
* shakes his head *
A-anyways!
After Xtress possessed me, (urgh.), I wanted to find a way to stop him from ever trying that again!
In one of my travels, I found this in the mines and decided to take it with me as a lucky charm.
But when a beast attacked me for the first time, it got significantly weaker as it got closer to the gem’s radius.
I’m not sure if it also weakens Xtress himself but I have been keeping this with me ever since then.
Just in case.
Ooh, thats neat!
Yeah!
It doesn’t look too bad either, honestly!
Kinda fits the vibe I’m going for!
I agree with that!
* takes a sip of water *
Speaking of, where is you guys’ hideout?
Oh yeah!
We built an underground base under Town Mercia.
Perhaps you have heard of it?
Nope, never been there.
Huh.
Yeah.
It’s just a place that hasn’t really interested me personally.
* shrugs *
But oh well, you can always show me there later!
* finishes his soup *
Man, that was a good one!
* looks at PotaTeo *
Glad you liked it as well, little dude!
PotaTeo jumps around in happiness.
As for you, G... I will find you something else to eat, don’t you worry.
* twirls his hair *
Thanks for being so thoughtful...
No problem!
* points his finger to the air *
Oh yeah, there was something that I wanted to ask you guys about.
Oh? Sure, I'll bite.
What is it?
What were you guys... doing back there?
(confused) What do you mean?
I heard you screaming for Teo out there multiple times.
* raises his eyebrow *
What was that all about?
G notices PotaTeo looking at him angrily.
I- Well...You see-
Array looked really confused. G finally gives in and sighs. He wanted to be honest with someone about this situation.
I... Lost my powers since we fought against the Queen.
I have been feeling so weak ever since then.
I was nothing but a burden to my team so I just... wanted to get those powers back.
No matter what it costed.
I ran away from the base hours ago, thinking I would be going on a solo mission.
But instead... I accidentally dragged Teo into this mess too.
* looks at PotaTeo *
I’m truly sorry for forcibly seperating you from your folks, Teo.
I will make sure you stay safe until we are back.
PotaTeo looked away from G in sadness.
I understand, G.
While I agree that what you did was wrong... I’m glad you are being honest with us.
R-really?
Yeah!
* holds his hand *
I hope Teo will be able to forgive you too.
Array whispers at G while PotaTeo was still avoiding eye contact with him.
Don’t feel bad about him acting this way.
You just need to give him some time.
G sighed. Array was right, rushing this thing through would make their relationship even worse as a result.
Well... How were you planning on getting back your powers in the first place?
By saying a wish in one of the 7 temples? Duh?
Oh, right. Funny story actually...
* stands up *
I was thinking of going on another temple quest starting with tomorrow, actually!
Wait... really?!
Yup!
Talk about a coincidence, am I right?!
Sweet!
* stands up *
With the three of us, we will get back to the Vengeful Rubies in no time!
The what now?
Long story, I will explain it later.
* cracks his knuckles *
Well then, let’s get ready for our newest adventure!
Heck yeah!
I have a map with me that shows the locations of the temples...
* looks around *
I swear it was around here somewhere...
Don’t sweat it, Array.
* pulls out a map from his pockets *
I was carrying a map with me too!
Oh, nice!
* opens the map *
So, what’s the closest temple...
Hm… I think...
* points at the map *
It’s this one.
Well, what’s that one called?
Oh, it's called the Temple That Never Stomps!
...you gotta be kidding me.
Back at the Crystal Kingdom, Maizie was waiting for Bushra to arrive at her throne room. There was a table setup for her dinner time. Meanwhile, Unit SRP was standing next to her with a menacing cold stare. Maizie hears a knock on the door and orders Unit SRP to open the door.
Sorry queenie, had a little... accident while coming here.
It’s alright, Bushra.
Take a seat.
Bushra sits down on the chair right in front Maizie. He realized she was getting ready for dinner.
Before we start... I would like to thank you for your contributions.
Most specifically, for bringing me those shiny red rings!
No problem, your highness.
* shows off *
Anytime.
* tapping his foot *
So... what did you need me for exactly?
I wanted you to meet with Unit SRP.
The what now?
* looks to his right *
Ooh right, this thing!
Gotta say, not a big fan of the design.
Seems a bit over the top.
But...
* lightly pushes him back *
I met with it already.
No no, I want you to personally interact with him.
"Him"?
Uh... Sure?
Bushra was very confused but he knew the queen knew best. So, he stared into Unit SRP’s cold, dead eyes.
Uh... I’m not sure he likes me.
[ UNIT NOT RECOGNIZED.]
[WHAT IS YOUR DESIGNATED NAME? ]
Uh... I'm Bushra Stoked.
The handsome Crystal knight?
* raises his hand for a handshake *
Nice to meet you too?
[ "BUSHRA STOKED".]
[LOGGED UNDER: ALLY & EGOTIST. ]
HEY!
* chuckles *
I think you two will get along very well.
Well...
* tries to ignore the robot *
You got anything else you want me to do, queenie?
I’m a busy lad.
I’m glad you asked!
* picks up her staff and points at them *
You two are tasked with taking down the resistance and bringing them to justice!
* smiles *
I have already assigned a group for you to command.
W-what, me?!
I will be... a commander?!
No. Not you, Bushra.
You will be second in command to...
* points at the robot *
Him.
WHAT?!
[THAT'S RIGHT.]
[I ONLY SERVE THE CRYSTAL QUEEN HERSELF.] [LOGGING THIS UNDER: HILARIOUS.]
Yeesh...
Now that it’s settled... pack your stuff Bushra!
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