TE:R Adventures: The Chaos Detour (2/3)
WRITER - TURTLEDOODLE1
COVER ARTIST - VIDD03K (SAM/NINIAN)
EXTRA ICONS - MIDASTHEGOLDGUY
EDITOR - FALINTHE CHAOS DETOUR PART 2
It had been a whole week since the trio rescued the townsfolk of Town Bloom. It was a much more tiresome journey compared to their first outing. On their way there, they saved a few smaller towns from Maizie’s wrath but that obviously took a big toll on them. Travelling around the desert certainly didn’t help the situation either. It was night time with a full blue moon in the sky, guiding them through the darkness.
* looks at the map *
Well, darn.
I can’t even tell if we are close to the town or not.
Oooh… water…
* tries to pick up non existent stuff in the air *
Water…
Are you doing okay, Array?
Of course…
* lightly hits his head with the gauntlet *
Wow, this thing sure packs a punch!
G realized Array was starting to hallucinate and therefore, they needed to rest for the night.
Sigh… alright.
We are taking a break for the night.
Oh sweet lord, thank goodness.
Array immediately falls to the sand and starts making a sand angel.
Look G!
I’m a big man!
* sighs *
Array, we need to find somewhere to rest first-
We are in the middle of a giant desert, G.
It’s not like a resort is going to spawn out of nowhere!
Array suddenly notices something moving underneath the sand in the distance and clears his eyes.
D-did you see that?!
See what now?
Something was moving behind you but it just disappeared!
Array, are you sure you are not hallucinating?
Of course I am!
* hits his head again *
Do I look crazy?!
…no comment.
G helps Array get up.
Look, we are gonna reach the town soon… hopefully.
But now, we need somewhere to rest.
We can’t just rest on the sand!
Do you know how painful that is?!
Yeah, yeah, you got a point.
Also, is Teo alright?
Yeah, I talked with him a while ago.
He said he preferred staying inside the backpack for now.
I see-
Wait.
Did you just say “talk”?
* sniffs *
Yeah?
(Oh man, he’s losing his marbles.)
Yeah, it’s official.
We need to rest A.S.A.P!
G held Array’s hand as they looked around for a resting place. Even a cave would suffice at this point, despite G’s irrational fear of them. But to his surprise, he found a better alternative.
Is that… a sand temple?
You losing your marbles too, G?
* chuckles *
At least I’m not alone anymore...
N-no, Array.
* points at the temple *
Look!
This is the real deal, alright.
G continued dragging Array around until they reached the sand temple. It was a temple filled with a lot of ancient markings and symbols. G thought this was one of the seven magical temples but from the looks of it, it seemed like it was just a regular old temple. Array fell asleep the second they reached there.
* smiles *
...goodnight to you too, Array.
* holds his hand *
Don’t worry, I promise I will find us something to drink tomorrow.
G looked around and noticed Array’s backpack. He opened it and took PotaTeo to show him around the place. PotaTeo looked tired just like the other two.
Sup, little man.
How are things going?
PotaTeo responded with “eh” in sign language.
Oh, I see.
Well... We are inside a sand temple now!
I was meaning to ask, want to explore this place with me?
I don’t really want to sleep just yet.
PotaTeo put his hand on his chin(?) and thought about his offer. After a bit, he gave G a thumbs up.
That’s great, Teo!
Let’s get exploring then!
PotaTeo jumped around in happiness, the two were fixing their relationship as time went on. G looked around for a light source and found a burnt torch laying on the ground. If there was a burnt one surely there was a torch that’s still lit up, G thought to himself. And just as he expected, there was one. He picked up the torch with one hand and carried PotaTeo with the other.
As they went deeper and deeper into the temple, G realized the temple was much bigger than he anticipated. It looked so small on the outside but it was just an eye trick all along. The two continued walking on the halls until they reached a dead end.
Well, looks like this is the end, Teo.
* turns his back *
Oh well, that was neat.
But PotaTeo wasn’t convinced just yet. This couldn’t be the end. He jumped out of G’s hand and went back to check on the wall.
Um… what are you doing, Teo?
PotaTeo was focused on the markings on the wall. G didn’t think they accounted for much but PotaTeo was fascinated by them. And suddenly, he noticed something.
Oh?
You found something, little guy?
PotaTeo hopped to the side and pointed at one specific marking. G was unsure what it was supposed to represent. It was a curved figure with a red tint around it... G was shocked when he realized what this was.
Is that… one of Hood’s red rings?
PotaTeo nodded. He could recognize their shape and power anywhere after his adventure with Bushra. PotaTeo put his hand on the wall again and he noticed the marking glowing for a split second. He waved around his arms in shock afterwards.
Woah, woah, calm down.
* picks him up *
What’s wrong?
PotaTeo points at the marking again.
Yeah?
The marking?
I know it looks oddly similar to the rings but you think there’s something else behind it?
* nods *
Hm... do you want me to do something?
* nods again *
Alright then, tell me what I should do.
After trying to understand PotaTeo’s instructions, G slowly walked towards the wall and pushed against it. After a while, both him and the red ring started glowing bright as the wall suddenly retracted to the sides, revealing a whole another floor to the temple.
W-woah!
That was so smart, Teo!
PotaTeo looked proud to have solved this on his own. G picked him up again as they started looking around this new mysterious floor. While the main floor they came from was tidied up, this new floor was a giant mess. Almost like someone came here recently. PotaTeo noticed a text on the wall to his left but it was hard to tell what was written on it.
“KOOD WUZ HAIR”
After looking around a bit more, G realized what this place used to be. It was a library!
Woah… so many books here!
G picked up a random book from the shelves to look inside it. He really wasn’t a book person so he just skimmed through it and looked at the pictures inside. The book he picked up was about pocket dimensions… whatever that meant.
He picked up another one which was titled “The Legend of the Dragons” which was filled to the brim with drawings of dragons. How imaginative, G thought. When he looked back to check on PotaTeo, he noticed him poking a dead rat’s body with a stick.
Uhm… you might want to stay away from that, little buddy.
He picked up PotaTeo and the two books he found interesting with him. He was also starting to get sleepy now.
Okay, it’s bedtime now, Teo.
We can visit this place again tomorrow with Array, okay?
PotaTeo gave him a thumbs up and did a yawning expression. It was time to sleep. The two got outside the mysterious floor and lied down next to Array.
The very next day, Array was the first one to wake up.
* yawns *
Good morning, guys!
Rise and shine!
Ugh... five more minutes…
Aw... Come on, G!
* shakes him *
We need to get to Town Downer before I become lucid again!
* chuckles *
So you DO remember that, huh?
Yeah... at least a tiny bit.
Well then...
* cracks his knuckles *
Good morning to you too dude!
Hehe, yeah!
* stands up *
Well, let’s start then, shall we?
H-hold on a second though.
Oh?
I need to show you something first.
Ooh!
What is it?
I don’t want to spoil the surprise!
G looks around and wakes up PotaTeo too.
Hey little buddy.
We are leaving here soon.
Want to show Array what we found last night?
PotaTeo clears his eyes and then gives G a thumbs up.
Wait, both of you are in on this?!
Yeah, we sorta had a small adventure last night.
Aw, wish I could have been there too!
No worries, Array!
We can just show you what we found right now!
G shows Array the way to the dead end and starts pushing against the wall.
There’s a very secret floor behind this door, I can’t wait for you to see it!
But to G’s shock, the marking on the wall didn’t light up nor did the secret passage open.
Um... is this some kind of in-joke?
N-no.
This shouldn’t have happened!
G leans back and then pushes against the wall again.
It should have opened like before!
* looks at PotaTeo *
Right, Teo?!
PotaTeo also seemed confused.
Look, maybe you guys were lucid last night too!
I know how that feels, it’s good to accept it and move on.
N-no!
I’m sure there was a passage here!
G looks around in panic. He notices the books he brought and points at them.
See?!
I brought those books with me last night!
They are from here!
...huh.
You might be right on that.
* picks up the book with the dragon *
This doesn’t look like your usual book.
G was left frustrated. Why couldn’t the passage just open like before? After a few more tries, he gave up and looked at Array with shame.
Sorry man, I really wanted you to see them.
All good, G!
I believe you!
Phew.
* sighs *
That’s a relief.
Glad at least someone believes me!
I thought I was going crazy!
Well, we wouldn’t want our hardest hitting fighter to lose his sanity now, would we?
* chuckles *
Right.
* stretches his elbows *
Can we go now?
I feel like it’s going to be a long day.
Oh, right!
We should do that.
The trio ready their stuff and prepare to face the burning sun in the sky once again. Before leaving, G looked at the temple one more time. There was more to this temple than it was letting on. He put “revisiting this sand temple” on his to-do list.
Let’s go, guys!
* picks up PotaTeo and puts him in his backpack *
Here you go, Teo.
* waves at G *
Yo G, you in a staring contest with that temple?
Wha-
* gets flustered *
N-no!
* crosses his arms *
Stop that.
* giggles *
Sorry, sorry.
Come on!
And so, the trio were on their way to Town Downer once again. After a few hours, the gang were tired once again. The sun was too much for all of them.
Ugh... it’s happening again!
Fear not, Array.
According to the map, we should be there very soon!
“Very soon” isn’t really assuring, you know?
Well, I don’t want to lie to you so...
Sigh.
Suddenly, the two felt the ground shaking. They both fell to the sand and started looking around in confusion.
What in Perdiah was that?!
No clue but we gotta move on before-
Before G could finish his sentence, a giant worm popped out of the sand in front of them. They were both terrified.
I-It’s the thing I saw yesterday!
The worm!
S-so you weren’t lucid?!
APPARENTLY!
The sandworm started drawing circles with them stuck in the middle. G knew this was just the creature waiting for the perfect time to feast on its prey.
We are not gonna be killed by some dumb worm!
* reaches out his hand *
Take my hand, Array!
What are you going to do?!
* smiles *
Watch and learn!
G hit the ground so hard that the force made the two jump very far up in the air. The creature was confused and trying to find where its dinner went. When they were falling, G started spinning around to make them float slowly to the ground.
Woah, that was awesome!
When did you learn that move?
By myself.
I saved me and Bushra with it one time.
Ooh, cool!
Array looks back at the worm. It seemed frustrated but also sad. While they were still floating downwards, Array noticed a flower on the ground called “the fairy duster”. He wanted to try something out.
Okay, so that could have been a better landing but at least we are all okay.
* looks over to Array *
Array?
G, can you bring me that flower real quick?
Uh... sure.
What’s in your mind?
I read from somewhere that you can tame the sand worms by infecting their minds with specific flower types.
* points at the flower *
That one seems like a perfect match.
I see.
* looks away *
Just... be careful, okay?
* holds his hand *
I will, don’t you worry.
Alright, good luck.
I will come to help soon!
After G left, Array picked up his backup and started talking with PotaTeo.
I need to ask you for a favor too, Teo.
Soon after, the sandworm noticed Array and PotaTeo standing still, waiting for it to attack them. The sandworm entered the sand and tried the sneaky approach to attack its prey. Array sat down and gently put his gauntlet on the sand. He could feel the sand worm’s movements with his gauntlet. Once it was close, he pushed PotaTeo and himself away from the beast and punched the sand worm in the face.
As a response, the creature was madder than ever. It wanted revenge more than it wanted to eat them. Array looked at PotaTeo before leaping to fight.
Teo!
Grow in size and hold it in place until bun bun arrives!
PotaTeo gave him the thumbs up and started fighting the beast... but wait, who did he refer to as “bun bun”?
I-I got it, Array!
* punches the worm again *
Great job, G!
While PotaTeo was trying to hold the violent sand worm in place, Array was distracting it.
Gimme the flower, G!
On it!
G jumps on top of the worm with his hammer jump and gives Array the flower.
Hold it just a bit longer, Teo!
We are gonna be done here!
Array picked up the flower and threw the flower inside its mouth. Suddenly, the worm stopped fighting back and looked at its new owners with glee.
Woah, it worked!
Sure did!
The two watch as PotaTeo returned to his regular size and hopped right next to them.
So… what now?
What now?!
I just saved us guys hundreds of meters of walking!
You mean we are gonna ride on this thing’s...
* holds his chest and tries not to puke *
Back?
You think they sell saddles specifically designed for sand worms?
* twiddles his thumb *
M-maybe?
* sighs *
Just get on, G.
Okay…
And so, the trio now had a giant pet snake worm. The road to the town was now easier than ever!
Meanwhile, in Town Downer. The whole town was already invaded by the Crystal Kingdom by an attack led by none other than...
How are the preparations?
After conquring Town Downer for themselves, Terry started staying in the mayor’s office because Maizie ordered him to do so. It was... much more boring than he imagined.
It could have been better, sir.
The heat’s not just affecting our enemies.
It’s affecting US too.
Yeah, yeah, I know.
You tend to get used to it eventually.
* looks at the paperwork in front of him *
Speaking of enemies, did you find any traces of the resistance?
No such luck, sir.
It’s like they all disappeared overnight.
That’s… not good.
They could be plotting something.
* points at the door *
Search the town again for possible secret hideouts.
They can’t take this place back.
I understand.
Terry looked at the crystal knight in sadness. There was one more thing he wanted to ask.
W-wait a second!
Oh?
What is it, sir?
Did the group I sent find out what happened to Town Bloom... and Lydia?
Oh right.
They did give us the reports once they were back from the mission.
The crystal knight coughs before giving Terry the report.
When they arrived at the town, it was abandoned. No crystal knights, no non-crystallized people, no nothing.
All they found were some dead bodies.
...I see.
* gives him back the report *
Get back to your shift, please.
And tell the others that I want to be left alone for now.
I still have paperwork to finish.
Of course.
The crystal knight leaves the room as Terry was left clueless on what happened. His friend and such a large group of crystal knights couldn’t have just disappeared! They must have been taken somewhere…
Suddenly, the door in front of Terry opened and a panicked crystal knight entered the room.
SIR!
* sighs *
What is it?
I told the last guy I was busy.
But sir, you might want to see this!
This is important!
* giggles *
Please, how bad can it be-
Suddenly, the whole ground started shaking like an earthquake just happened next to them. Terry didn’t say a word in response and left his office in a hurry.
When he saw what was outside, he was left speechless. A giant sand worm was attacking the town with three people riding on top of it. Terry noticed one of them was G Doodle himself. He had to capture them all if he had to. Terry readied his bow and raised his arm in the air to command his group.
FIRE AT WILL!
TAKE DOWN THE GIANT WORM!
BUT DON’T KILL G!
Suddenly, a few crystal knights started shooting at each other, much to Terry’s surprise. This was an ambush!
You know, we were going to reveal our big surprise later but what better time is there than the MPC2 members showing up to help!
You traitors!
Terry started shooting down the resistance members with his bow but it was getting hard to tell which ones were his army and which ones were fakers. Not to mention the giant worm wrecking up their stuff.
G jumped out of the worm to help the resistance while Array was protecting his new pet. Terry wanted to have a lucky shot at Array but Array noticed it at the last second and split the arrow in half with just one swipe. Things were looking dire for the crystal knights.
Change of plans!
Don’t try to hurt the beast!
Crystallize it with your blasters!
The second he gave his orders, every knight switched over to their blasters. Terry didn’t know what kind of effect crystallization would have over non-humans/travelers but he didn’t have much choice.
Suddenly, G appeared behind him and pushed him away with a whirlwind. While getting pushed back, Terry stuck his bow on the ground to not lose his balance.
* trying to get up *
So... you are G?
Yup, that’s me.
The queen’s been looking for you.
Oh please, I know already!
Another crystal general told me that before!
Another crystal leader...
You don’t mean... Lydia?
Who?
The blonde girl with a black skirt?
Oooh!
Yeah, that’s the girl!
So...
* readies his bow *
You are the one who captured her.
It wasn’t much of a capture but rather, carrying her to a safer place!
Terry was confused and frustrated at the same time. He couldn’t allow them to go off scot free when they knew about Lydia’s whereabouts. He was going to call for his group and capture them! And then continue crystallizing the beast! Yes! That’s what he was going to do… but he couldn’t help but think of the worst outcome. What if they hurt Lydia...
KNIGHTS, FORGET THE BEAST!
* points at G *
CAPTURE THE GREEN ONE!
There was a lot of confused responses coming from the army. Shouldn’t they crystallize the beast first?
What are you doing?!
Just capture him and then we can go rescue Lydia-
Trying to use this to his advantage, G trips him down with a quick kick.
ACK!
Sorry!
While Terry was falling, he slowed down his fall by putting his hands on the ground and getting up in an instant. G wasn’t expecting such athletic skills from someone like him. Terry couldn’t stand the humility of it all and decided on a different tactic. He threw his bow to his other hand and pulled out the mini crystallizer as a secondary ranged weapon for.
Woah, what are you-
Before G could finish his sentence, Terry started shooting arrows with his bow while also shooting with his crystallizer. He was changing the patterns of which weapon he would use next to throw G off his game. And it worked! G was struggling to keep up as he was moving to his left while barely dodging Terry’s attacks. He was a formidable foe, for sure. G was blocking all the arrow shots and reflecting them back at him but Terry’s agility was far too great.
In the middle of their fight however, suddenly the crystal on Terry’s head started glowing red... much to G’s confusion.
Ugh!
* holding his head *
What have you done?!
Something like this has already happened before, G thought. Just what was up with this crystal situation? Taking advantage of the situation, G sneaked behind Terry and lightly hit him on the head with his hammer. He was knocked unconscious, just like his teammate. He put more of a fight than this Lydia girl, G thought to himself.
Sorry, tough guy.
* ties him up with a spare rope *
I promise you are going to see her very soon.
Meanwhile, the sand worm was almost fully crystallized. Realizing this, Array jumped out the worm with PotaTeo by his side. After the worm was fully crystallized, instead of changing sides; it just turned into an ice statue.
NOOOOO!
MY PET WORM!!!
After comforting Array, G looked around to see the losing crystal knight army. They really were outnumbered in comparison to the resistance. Once they were all knocked unconscious, everyone took a deep breath and looked at each other in relief. That was a tough fight.
Hey, you there!
* reaches out his hand *
It’s G, right?
* huff puff *
Sure is.
It’s a pleasure to meet you.
* shakes his hand *
Thanks for helping us defeat the crystal knights, you made our jobs a whole lot easier.
* smiles *
Please don’t mention it.
* looks at PotaTeo and Array *
My friends also helped a lot.
* gives the mayor a thumbs up *
We sure did!
* looks at the statue which was once his pet *
I wish my pet worm was still with us though…
If you will excuse us, we need to ask you all a question.
Oh, sure thing!
Yeah, what is it?
This town’s a big mess now.
Another crystal knight army would definitely come before we are done fixing everything.
So please… What should we do?
I’m so glad you asked!
* looks around *
Got any spare maps?
Sure thing.
Thanks!
G circles Town Mercia once again and gives them the map.
Go to this spot and carry all the crystal knights there!
We have an underground base located there called the Vengeful Rubies.
Carry the enemy to your base?
Doesn’t that sound... dangerous?
No worries.
There are friends there who will help you once you reach there.
If you say so.
* cracks his knuckles *
Boys, we are on our way to Town Mercia!
Pick one crystal knight to carry!
Everyone split up to pick up the crystal knights. There was one guy struggling with carrying a crystal knight though. The mayor notices it.
Something wrong?
A-A bit, sir.
G looked at who he was pointing at and realized that it was the archer with the glasses who tried to get him killed.
He’s too tough for me to carry on my own.
Hm... fine.
We can carry him together.
Thank you, sir!
Don’t mention it.
Before they left however, G wanted to ask them something. Something he wanted to ask for a very long time.
H-Hey, may I ask you something?
Sure, what is it?
Do you have a spare radio lying around?
We really need it.
Hm… there was one in my office at one point.
* points at the crystal knight he was carrying *
Not sure if their leader threw it out but I used to have one.
Suddenly, PotaTeo’s eyes sparkled. He was waiting for this moment for such a long time.
Thank you so much, sir.
Safe travels.
Safe travels to you, too.
And so, the trio waved them goodbye and then quickly rushed to the mayor’s office. There it was. The radio they have been looking for.
This is it.
* looks at PotaTeo *
Are you excited for this, Teo?
Teo nodded. He couldn’t stand still from excitement.
You want in on this too, Array?
...maybe after you guys introduce yourselves.
I’m... a bit worried.
Oh... I see.
G quickly changed the frequencies and waited for a response. And just as he expected, he heard Artender complaining.
Who… who is this?
I swear if it’s another-
Heya, Artender!
Did you miss us?
G?! WHAT?!
WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!
Oh, you know?
Just saving folks and kicking crystal knight butt!
Wait, that was you guys?
Yeah, silly!
We went to another one of those temples and then I got my powers back!
Isn’t that so swell?
That’s great, G!
Besides, who do you think showed those people the way to the Vengeful Rubies?
Yeah, it makes so much more sense now...
* his voice gets glitchy *
But nevermind that, is my... is my son okay?
He sure is!
* looks at PotaTeo *
I know you can’t hear him right now but rest assured, he’s doing fine.
Oh thank goodness, I was so worried.
I can’t wait to see my boy again.
PotaTeo jumped around in joy. He missed his dad and sister so much.
And that’s not all, because...
Wait, huh?!
I recognize that voice from anywhere...
Is that-
Yup, it’s me, Array!
Hi, Uncle Tender!
Array!
It’s so nice to hear from you, buddy.
I’m glad you are doing okay.
The pleasure’s all mine.
Y-yeah!
The group heard an audible sigh coming from the other side. Was something wrong going on back there?
Even though I appreciate you guys saving folks from crystal knights, we need you guys here!
(worried) Oh dear, what is it?
Yeah, we will come if it’s a big problem.
It's a far bigger problem than you can imagine.
* his voice starts glitching again *
The queen knows of our hideout, we are moving to a different place to hide now.
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