Lukis: I wish we could stop and rest…
Bomb: We have to get to the Kingdom of Lawren quick, who knows what Agile may do next, or how soon…
They all walked up to the entrance, it was just a big building with a door and a man in a small booth, like a tickettaker of some kind, in it. Lukis opened it and they all walked in to a room with nobody there but the man in the booth. It was a very small entrance. Lukis walked in with them.
Lukis: See you later Saltis.
Lukis shut the door and walked on through to the other door.
Man: Hey, what was all that noise I heard out there?! Sounded like a whole town riot!
Lukis: Nothing, just forget about it.
Man: Felt like an earthquake….
The man at the booth watched them but he already knew what was going on and went back to reading his book. They left the entrance and found themselves surrounded by a beautiful forest.
Lukis: Middle Grove forest….
Karen: So is there anything special about this forest?
Lukis: I don’t know anything about it really, it’s not to far from the Kingdom of Lawren from here..
The forest was like any other forest, trees upon trees and grass on the ground. Green and brown were all over. Vines hung from all over but still no animals could be seen.
Lukis: Where are the animals?
Karen: Beats me, I guess the forest has none…
Lukis: No way! There has to be an animal somewhere!
Lukis started looking around for one but couldn’t see anything that moved.
Bomb: Let’s get going, you think we can make it to Lawren by sundown?
Lukis: Yes, probably, I don’t think it is that far through the forest at all.
Lukis started trudging through and Bomb and Karen followed.
Lukis: Hey, what were you talking about with the ‘Crab’?
Karen: Oh, that, that is this special secret weapon we’ve been working on. It’s like a huge mechanical crab that can crush people in its claws and smash buildings over, it’s huge. It’s not finished yet….
Lukis: I can’t believe we never knew about the Delban navy, do they do all their work underground?
Karen: Underground and underwater, we have facilities underground and we have one small facility underwater in a dome so we can test all of our new prototypes out and stuff.
Lukis: You think they will attack us again?
Karen: Probably, especially after the ‘Crab’ is done but that’s not for about a week.
Lukis: Feels bad to have to leave my town to get in trouble or destroyed but we have no choice….
Bomb: If the city ever gets in deep danger we could always go back….
Lukis: I know… But we still have a lot of work to do…..
Bomb: This forest seems pretty docile, anyone ever come here?
Lukis: Nope, it’s like unknown territory, Lawren and the twin towns never keep in touch, we are on different tracks..
The forest just seemed to be the same winding path. Trees upon trees and no animals around.
Lukis: So Karen, you’re on our side now?
Karen: I guess, I’m still a Delban and I’ll always be one but I won’t do anything I don’t want to do..
Lukis: What’s that supposed to mean?
Karen: Like, I won’t attack your town or hurt anyone I like, but, I’m still a Delban.
Bomb: It’s starting to get cold……
The 3 kept walking through the forest for about 30 more minutes not talking very much, just ambling through looking at the scenery.
Bomb: It will be dark in about 12 hours, we will make it…
Karen: It’s already getting dark…
BRRROOOOOM!
Bomb: Uh oh…..
Suddenly water droplets started coming from the sky.
Bomb: Oh well.
BOOOOM!
The few water droplets changed into a huge rainfall in a matter of seconds.
Karen: God!
Lukis: It’s just rain…
Bomb: It’s going to get a bit slippery….
Lukis: What was that?!
Lukis turned his head to a tree.
Bomb: What was what?
Lukis: I just saw something move over there.
Lukis pointed to the tree. Bomb and Karen walked over there. They looked around the tree and saw nothing.
Karen: Lukis, there’s nothing here.
Bomb: You’re seeing things.
Bomb and Karen walked back over to Lukis and he saw it again peeking by the tree.
Lukis: Wait, there it is again!
Bomb: Lukis, cut it out, we got to get walking, it’s isn’t going to get less slippery the more we wait!
Lukis: It was right here!
Lukis looks around the tree and sees the thing again a few feet away in the forest.
Lukis: See, look!
Lukis dashed into the forest after his imaginary animal friend.
Bomb: Lukis! Damnit!
Bomb ran after him and Karen follows. They screamed after him and ran for a few more seconds. By now they were already lost in the forest.
Karen: Lukis!
Bomb: Man! Whoah!
Bomb tripped over a fallen branch and slides across the mud. He slides until he hits a tree hard.
Bomb: Ohh…..
Karen tried to stop but ended up slipping on the mud too. She missed the tree and kept slipping until she reached a slant and then started sliding down a hill.
Karen: Ahhh!
Bomb tried to see what happened with Karen but his vision was getting blurry.
Bomb: I can’t pass out again…. Stay awake….
The forest got blurry and dark so slowly Bomb was sure he was just resting his eyes, not passed out. Atleast to him it seemed he didn’t pass out.
Voice: Bomb….. Don’t forget what happened at the castle, don’t forget a single part…..
The forest became clear again. It was still raining hard, like he had only been by the tree for a minute or two.
Bomb: I had that dream again……
Meanwhile with Karen, she had slipped down into a swamp.
Karen: *Cough* Oh gross!
Karen she got up and was knee deep in marshy water.
Karen: Great, now what, and where am I?
Karen looked around and saw to her front neverending swamp and to her back the hill she had fell down.
Karen: Only one choice…
Karen dug her hands into the watery mud and tried pulling herself up the hill. She tried bringing her foot up but ended up slipping back into the marsh. She went all the way in but brought herself up fast.
Karen: *Cough* Oh man…..
She looked around for another idea.
Meanwhile with Lukis, he had chased the animal deep into the forest.
Lukis: *Wheeze* Stop you! Please!
Lukis fell to his knees and slid for a few feet.
Lukis: Lost it….. Well, any of you two have a compass? I don’t know whe-….uh…..
Lukis turned around and his eyes bulged out.
Lukis: Oh no! Crud, now what?!
He looked around, but like the others, had no idea where to go.
Back with Bomb, he had gotten himself up and together.
Bomb: Karen! KAREN! LUKIS!
He waited a second but heard no answer.
Bomb: Docile forest…. I take that back….
Bomb began walking forwards thinking of what could have happened to Karen.
Bomb: (Did she slide off the edge over there? Did she keep running for Lukis? Did she slide into a bush?)
Bomb began walking forwards turning his all around looking for anything moving.
Bomb: Remember everything that happened that night, why I remember everything! What do you want me to remember?!
Bomb: (I remember Agile killing Kyle. I remember us getting lots of Goldens….. I remember….. Rick and Lance getting caught… Is that it? Rick and Lance?)
Bomb still felt like he hadn’t had it so he continued on walking, thinking….
Bomb: (I remember, packing everything… I remember…. Kyle wanting to go on the heist so badly… I remember…. Me and Kyle talking about how we got caught that one time…. God…)
Bomb was now getting frustrated and angry so he ran through the forest. It helped him release some stress.
Bomb: What do you want from me!
This forest was getting to everyone.
Back with Karen, she had tried and tried crawling up the hill, but no luck.
Karen: Arg! This is impossible!
She gave up and trudged down the side of the hill to find a less steep way up. She was getting very frustrated as well.
Karen: (God, this hill is impossible! I might well as drown and end my misery! Karen, calm down…. You’ll get through this… Just think about something happy…..)
Karen: Stop it… Don’t think like this…. *Sigh*
Karen: (I wonder who this Agile character is anyways, Bomb won’t ever tell me about him…. Maybe one day I can figure it out…. And that Kyros, I haven’t even seen him in quite awhile….)
The hill didn’t become less steep as she trudged past it, it remained the same old hill.
Karen: *Sigh*
Back with Lukis, he had trudged aroudn very far and found himself in a very odd place.
Lukis: Why does this place look so weird?
He was in the middle of a circle of trees. It was like he was trapped in them. There were about 10 trees around him, and notihng in the middle. He had to squeeze between 2 trees to get into there. He heard a shuffling noise come from somewhere. He darted his head around.
Lukis: What?! You come for more, you animal!
He heard the shuffling coming from the treetops.
Lukis: What is that…..
The tree branches shook. It must have been a pretty big animal. Lukis started getting second thoughts of taunting it again.
Voice: What are you doing in here?!
Lukis: What? Are you a person?
Voice: Yes, and no….. Look, where are you heading?
Lukis: Ummm, the Kingdom of Lawren, now show yourself!
Voice: Lawren! Finally, someone has come to the forest!
Lukis: What?
Voice: Hey bud, will you do me a favor?
Lukis: First, you, show yourself!
The branches shook again and a dark figure leaped from the branches onto the ground. It was a small figure. It landed with a thud and Lukis squinted his eyes. It was a wet light blue thing. It had rain drenched fur all over it and he came up to Lukis’s knees in height. It looked like a monkey it seemed, a light blue little cute monkey. It’s tail was about twice as long as a normal monkey’s but other than that it looked like a regular monkey.
Monkey: Ok, now about that favor…. Can you smuggle me through Lawren, bud?
Lukis: Smuggle?
Monkey: Oh well, guess I need to tell him the whole thing. My name is Jinz, Knight Jinz… I worked under King Lawren for quiet some time, which was about five or so years ago. Now, some stuff happened and let’s just say the King turned me into this cute little disgraceful thing and threw me in this forest!
Lukis: You’re a person?! The King can do that?! Nobody possesses that kind of power?! And why would the King do such a thing, he is a kind-hearted man!
Jinz: Yes, I am a person. And the King has magic, haven’t you heard of it? Very few possess the skill to master it though, I would bet only 10 people in this small world have mastered even one skill. The only magic I know of that the King has is Transformation. And he threw me out because of… Well, I think it was something with taxes.
Lukis: Magic is a myth..
Jinz: So are talking cute light blue monkeys.
Lukis: Look, I don’t even know how to get to Lawren! I am lost!
Jinz: You are? I will lead you there if you smuggle me through!
Lukis: Fine, fine. But my friends are lost too…
Jinz: Ah, who needs them man! We’re together on this now!
Lukis: (This monkey acts a bit strange…)
Jinz: Follow me now and we’ll get there in about 10 minutes flat, I’ll say!
Lukis: Ok….
Back with Bomb, his walking had gotten him nowhere.
Bomb: Maybe if I climb a tree I can see where to go…
Bomb went up the nearest tree and tried to climb. Of course, it was too slippery.
Bomb: Damn this! If only I could use my wing!
Bomb tried flapping but the slashed wing barely moved and the pain was too much.
Bomb: Arg!
Bomb: (Nothing is left…. What could I do? Hmmm…..)
Bomb looked around the tree he was trying to get up.
Bomb: (Think… Moss grows on the South.. or is the North... Ah, what does it matter, I just need to remember what it looked like. All moss grows on the same side of trees...What did it look like when we walked in…. The moss was on the…. Hmmm…. When we were looking around that tree I think the moss was on the side we were looking at. So…)
Bomb walked around until the tree looked almost identical to how they had seen it when they were walking through. The moss was pointing right at him.
Bomb: Guess I just have to walk straight from here! I might be a little off to the left though….
Bomb started jogging forwards past the trees and he was now sure he knew where he was going. He should soon hit a barrier of some sort…
Back with Karen, she is getting very tired and worried. With every hard trudge the water seemed to get thicker and thicker and her legs weaker and weaker.
Karen: Uggg…….
Her knees began to bend and she fell to her hands, her face inches from the water.
Karen: Don’t…. Karen…. Stop it! Get…Ohhhh…
Her hands wobbled and she took her last glimpse of the water and closed her eyes. She began to tilt in but suddenly two hands grabbed her by the waist.
Karen: What? Bomb? Lukis?
It lifted her out of the marsh and into the air.
Karen: Hey? What? Who are you?!
She tried to look back but her head was hung low and she was going up too quickly. This person was flying.
Karen: Oh no! Kyros! Agile?! Who are you! Let me go!
Voice: Shhhh…..
Karen: Ahhhh! Help! Help! Somebody!
Voice: Please…. Don’t call attention….
Karen: Help!!!!!
Karen looked down and could see herself way above the forest.
Karen: My God….
She couldn’t see Bomb or Lukis because she was too high.
Voice: Look, are you a friend of Bomb?
Karen: Y..Yes…
Voice: Then don’t be afraid.
Karen: Where are you taking me?
Voice: First class ticket to Lawren!
Karen: Why?
Voice: I cannot say…
Karen: Who are you?
Voice: ..... I don't recall....
Meanwhile, Bomb had made it to the entrance.
Bomb: Yes! YES! I made it! Yes! Kingdom of Lawren!
Voice: We are almost there.
Another Voice: What was that?
A little animal jumped out the bushes and a guy followed.
Lukis: Wait up!
Bomb: Lukis!
Lukis: Bomb?! So you made it!
Bomb: Yeah! Who is this?
Jinz: Jinz the name buddy!
Bomb: Ahh! A talking monkey!
Lukis tells Bomb the whole story and Bomb gets ready to go inside the entrance.
Bomb: Wait! Where is Karen?!
Lukis: Bomb, we have to get going…
Bomb: Karen!
Lukis: Look, we will get a Lawren search party started, ok?
Bomb: *Sigh* Ok, well, I guess we better get one fast!
Jinz: Wait! Lukis!
Lukis: Right…. Ummm…..
Jinz: Cmon, you got to have some sort of idea how to…
Lukis: Ok, just don’t move.
Lukis grabbed the monkey’s tail and slung him over his shoulder.
Lukis: Just be a stuffed monkey!
Jinz: What?! That’s the wors-
Lukis opened the door and walked in and Jinz shutup.
Clerk: You came from the forest?!
Lukis: We are here to see King Lawren.
Clerk: Ah, fine, pass through.
Jinz: That was easy.
Clerk: Hmmm?
Bomb: Er, my friends a ventriloquist.
Clerk: Ah, I see…
Bomb and Lukis walk through the door into the Kingdom of Lawren. The rain stopped just then. It was nighttime, dark, but they could already see this was one large town. Actually, not a town, a kingdom. They finally had made it to the Kingdom of Lawren. They also had yet to find Karen but they were closer to finding her than they thought.