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If you're coming from TVT, then you'd already now TV Troubels officially released on Friday (6/7, how appropriate). Play it now! (or don't, I won't be able to tell)

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'Hey look Odi! He's back!' said a large Silver Satyr with a hearty laugh. 'How was it Mr. quest-giver?'

'You're... forty-second attempt, correct?' an Indacove woman remarked. She could see the scowl etched into the cyclops-goblin's face without looking up from her knitting.

'What do you two know about world domination?' he groaned. 'I was this close! This close!'

'Well, you kill the man. Isn't that what you wanted?' Mister Evntropia asked as Deimos collapsed into a rocking chair. He was way too small to sit comfortably.

'It's the principle of the matter!' Deimos argued. 'I lost to my own underlings!'

'You should've killed them off when you could,' Odisesta chuckled. 'They were already dead.'

'Yeah, and I wonder who let them go!' he shouted, glaring at the Silver Satyr, who didn't take note of such a thing happening.

'Well, I thought you wanted to kill them?' he asked. 'I was helping you out, my guy.'

'Helping me? You could've helped when I was losing in front of our dark lord! Where were you two anyways?'

'Busy,' the witch said.

'What do you mean, busy? That could've been the end of your contract, you idiot!' Deimos rolled his eye. 'But you were busy.'

'Hey man, the jousters were juggling! We couldn't miss it,' Mister Evntropia argued. 'You should've seen them.'

'Ah, it was delightful,' Odisesta said. 'You work too much, D. You need a spa day or something.'

'Whatever...' he grumbled.

'Speaking of that, what are you gonna do now?' he said. 'You've spent so much time up there planning your revenge fantasy. You have anything else to do with your life?'

'You should pick up gardening. I hear it cleanses the soul.'

'Or cooking!' Eventropia offered. 'You'd make the best pretzels.'

'You just want me to cook for you. It's never going to happen.'

'So what're you going to do?'

'I still have people up there that have made me miserable,' Deimos said. 'I've got a plan for the future, just you wait.'

'So... you aren't hanging out with us for a little bit?' Evntropia asked. 'You're just going back up there?'

'I'll be better, smarter, stronger-'

'Like that's ever going to happen,'

'Shut up Odi!' Deimos shouted.

'You know I'm right.'

'Maybe you should take a break, D. You don't need to go back up there...'

'Oh I'll be back, and when I return, those idiots won't know what hit them!'

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The man kept to himself, rarely leaving his cottage in the barely beating heart of the Silver Woods. No one from the village bothered him, and he bothered no one from the village.

He was cunning, humourable, and ready to face the world. Now he sits alone, eats alone, is alone. The only thing he retained was his intellect, yet he refused to share it. Many have tried, but his shell seems harder than the armor of the Lava-lavacanth.

Grief is a peculiar thing. It's a plague that burns into the minds of man until they can take it no longer.

Seems like something similar has taken over Scott M. Ore's soul. Something he didn't even know he still had.

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'[...] Punching that freak off a cliff broke three of my fingers, but it was so worth it. That's what I've been telling myself. But lately, I've been wondering: what did that accomplish? My friends are dead. And I hope that, in telling his story today, from kicking tin cans like footballs to becoming one, you'll remember him. Remember Crimson. Remember those who lost homes, lost friends, family, and their own lives,' the wizard said, holding the lectern with his clammy hands. His Kobalt audience paid him no mind, holding their pickaxes and hammers as the sun shone down on them. 'The world needs help. The survivors of the Ultimate End need your help. Crimson needed my help, and I couldn't save him. But I can save others by asking you to do the same. So, I implore you, accept those refugees who knock on your doors. Use your words, and not your fists- I wouldn't want any of you to break your fingers. It is not pleasant, I assure you. The death of hundreds will not be in vain. Your inevitable end won't be in vain. If your nation ever becomes in need, those who receive your grace will give it to you.'

'Amen brother!' the crowd cheered as the Bleuazulian stepped away from the podium, now free from his deranged rambles.

The cottage Jacque Métiers lived in was a constant state of controlled chaos. Books of poetry were placed neatly in bookshelves or wherever they could fit. The warm yellow paint needed to be freshened up. Dust laid thinly on the wooden flooring. It had been a while since anyone stepped foot in this quaint home on the edge of Mulberry Bay's border.

Until its owner had finally returned without his hat, three broken fingers, and a barely recognizable temperament.

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It's only been a month. One month ago, Scott disappeared. Sure, it's better than him being dead, but he completely bailed on Jacque and I!

I just can't believe I survived it myself, it's a miracle. If Leeh weren't there, I wouldn't have. Would've gotten crushed or stabbed.

I'm just glad it's over, my family was worried sick. What would they do without their breadwinner daughter? Without their sister?

I don't even want to think about it, and I think that's why I'm writing this down.

Jacque wants us to remember and spread the story, and Scott wants me to never forget and never tell the tale.

I don't know what I'm going to do. Crimson didn't die to be forgotten. Anna's life wasn't ripped from her for us lucky few to ignore her untimely end. Leeh didn't give up her life for me to forget what she sacrificed. And Jacque, Scott, and I didn't survive just to bask in fame; to take the credit.

I'm not the same Astra Smith who embarked on this quest nine months ago. I've changed. My skin is ripped, blistered, and scarred. I know so much more than I'd ever want to know. I look like I'm double my age.

Maybe it's better that way. I'll be able to handle anything. Thieves'll think twice before entering our house.

That's the only thing I find solace in.

I may not be safe, but my family is.

That's all that matters.

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Scott ripped the door off its hinges, stopping Deimos dead in his tracks. The quest-giver dropped the corpse of a man with a scar across his face.

'Where's Anna?' Scott shouted.

Deimos laughed, his hood draped across his shoulders. His dry, grayish-green hair was a mess, but he looked put-together.

Somehow.

The cyclops rolled his eye. 'And just what are you going to do about it?'

'Gravitus,' the man fell to the floor at a snap of Scott's finger. He took the disregarded axe and held it to the dark prophet's neck. 'I'm just as willing to slice your head off as I am to spare you. If you don't tell me how to stop this mess you put us in, I'll have a trophy of your head to bring home to my sister,' he pushed the axe, brushing the skin of Deimos's neck. 'Talk.'

'You can't kill me, and you can't stop the new king of this world. What are you going to do? The Good Light isn't on your side. He's been dead for the past century!' Deimos laughed. 'Your efforts are in vain, magician.'

Scott pressed his axe harder against his neck. 'Talk!'

'I have nothing to say,' Deimos said. 'It might, though.'

Scott faced Astra and Crimson, who broken into the room and stared in pure horror as what remained of Anna walked (if you could call it that, she was dragging her knuckles on the floor) into the room.

It wasn't grotesque or miserable anymore, an air of supercilious confidence followed them. As its glazed-over eyes rolled to the back of its head, a terrible creature of pure vile wickedness ripped out of its back.

A shadow of a being who almost reached the palace's high ceiling loomed over them. It was barely human, its piercing white eyes poked out of its stone-cold skull.

'Who dares to enter my domain?' it roared. Anna's frail body quaked as she tried to crawl toward her friends, her hands trembling like an earthquake. The thing held her still with an inky black talon. After that, she slowly gave up as she fell to the ground. Whether or not she was dead raised the question if she was alive previously. Scott didn't think so.

'Oh great world-killer!' Deimos exclaimed. 'These ignoble peasants dared to disrupt your entropy! We should join as one and defeat-'

'Silence!' it growled. 'Grab your Xiphos if you know what's good for you.'

'My lord! I'm honored to follow your command, but I-'

Scott's body was thrown against the wall with a black, magical force. He heard a large crack, yet he felt fine. Maybe he just couldn't feel it yet.

'There. Now do what your lord commands you to.'

'Scott!' Crimson cried. Deimos gave the monster a look as the cyclops-goblin ran towards the man in green. 'Are you alright? Here, let me help you-'

The shadow, with a piercing white stare, glared at the smaller cyclops-goblin and...

SLAM!

Crimson's body was pressed to the cold stone floor. Astra ran to his crumpled body as the shadow's hand made contact with the ground again. Astra shut her eyes, raising her hand (as if that would do anything).

SLAM!

After a few, breathless seconds, her eyes opened.

Leeh W. Roloc intervened, throwing up a force field just in time, King Omahorn right by her side. Astra was safe. Her friend, however, was not so lucky.

'Crimson? Crimson! You alright?!' she cried, shaking him. He didn't respond. 'This isn't funny! Wake up! You gotta wake up!'

Her sobs were heard even outside the dome. Deimos laughed at her suffering. It only stared at the ants he failed to crush. Scott grabbed his axe.

'This ends now Deimos!' the true king of the caverns declared. 'You terrorized my people for twelve years, brought misery onto mankind, killed my son and my wife! I have had enough of you! Give up, Deimos! Or I'll make you!'

'And just what do you think you're going to do? I asked your man in green and he couldn't do it. Look at him! Crushed his spine with a snap of my fingers. You're an old man, you can't best an immortal figure such as myself,' he taunted.

Omahorn grabbed a forgotten, bent sword off the ground. 'Don't underestimate me, Deimos. I'm stronger than I look.'

'Wait!' Scott shouted covering the sounds of clanging metal. Deimos's god watched in a mix of amusement and boredom. 'Omahorn, he's right! Deimos's-'

A sharp, squelching sound pierced the air as Omahorn fell to his knees. Deimos's Xiphos ran through him like a freight train.

'After twelve years...' Deimos started to laugh softly, but then erupted to a cackle. 'Twelve years I've waited to rip your heart out of your corrupted chest! Embrace the Ultimate End, Omahorn!'

'Scott! Is that...' Leeh's voice was almost silent as she stared at the monster before her.

'Anna!' Deimos commanded. 'Arise and do your soul's bidding! Crush these worms and we will rule the world!'

Anna's corpse did not stand up as the world-killer inched closer.

And closer.

And closer.

Until it was a few inches from Leeh's face. Scott couldn't get up, even with Astra's help.

'Astra...' he coughed. 'Leave... Save yourself!'

'I'm not leaving you. Not again!' she cried. 'Hey, Deimos!'

'What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?' he shouted. 'Focus, my vile lord! You deal with that one, I'll see those two out.'

'Not if he sets you ablaze!' Astra shouted victoriously, holding Scott's tattooed hand in the air. Deimos gave a curious glance before he came to the realization. 'You remember that spell, right Scott?' she muttered under her breath.

'How could I forget?' he mumbled, groaning in pain as she helped him stand. The shadow raised his hand, it balled into a sharp fist. Leeh tried to conjure a weak forcefield, staring at Astra for any sort of cue. She didn't give one.

'Embrace the Ultimate End, Scott! You can't escape that fate I set for you!' Deimos shouted nervously.

'Wax sermons aren't set in stone, Deimos...' he took a shallow, blood-soaked breath.

The monster's fist came crashing down.

'Cœur brûlant de la Terre Mère! Cœur brûlant de la Terre Mère!'

A small spark lit everything in a swirl of flame and smoke. The monstrous king of nothing screamed as his dark body melted in the light. Leeh grabbed Scott as the three of them sprinted to the exit, the throne room bursting into an inferno behind them. They ran as fast as they could, tumbling onto the ground as the Obsidian Palace erupted.

Jacque stared at the high flames, inhaling the ash and dust. He successfully teleported them far from the chaos. The hill they were resting on used to be a popular spot, but hadn't seen a painter or a lovey-dovey couple in years. No one had been to this section of the Wild Lands since the fall of the Pyrovovians.

'Glad we got away from that, right Matthias?' he chuckled. His face was pained with worry and trickling sweat. 'Matthias? Where are you going?'

'I... I want to see her,' he muttered, stumbling down the hill. 'Before it's all wiped...'

A distant explosion stopped them dead in their tracks. The entire crater was up in flames, at least from here. The thick, pitch-black clouds began pouring rain. It was so light it almost sparkled. The musty sky returned to a blue hue and the dust washed away.

'Il l'a fait...' the wizard smiled. 'Il l'a fait!'

'It's... raining?' Matthias asked.

'Matthias! It's raining!' Jacque cried. 'Dieu merci, it's raining! It's raining!'

The wizard ran off to the crater in a frenzy. The twin stayed behind and watched from the hill.

Scott pealed his bloody face off the soaking wet ground. The thick flames enveloping the palace beginning to extinguish behind him. He welcomed the cool, wet rain dripping down his face.

'Leeh? Are you okay?' he asked, glancing around. 'Is she...?'

'Dead? Probably. Don't try to stand, Scott. There's no reason to,' Astra said. 'Thanks for the rain, by the way.'

'I didn't do that,' Scott said, staring at the rocky ground. Not like he could do anything else. 'But you're welcome anyways.'

'I'm sorry about your friend,' she said. 'I tried to help her, we all did. She... she was miserable without you guys.'

'Sorry about yours, too,' he replied. 'Are you going to tell Jacque or...?'

'It's raining! You guys did it!'

'Speak of the devil... hey, Jacque,' Astra waved.

'Where's Crimson? And Anna?' he asked. Astra stared at the smoldering palace. 'Did they make it out okay?'

'Jacque... Crimson, he...' Astra stammered, tears welling in her eyes. Jacque fell to her side as she quietly sobbed into his shoulder. 'That thing crushed him like a tin can!'

'I'm going in there to find him, don't you worry A-'

'It's no use. They're all dead,' Scott muttered. 'That castle's filled with-'

THACK!

A piercing Xiphos flew straight into Leeh's chest. Its bronze blade became a darker maroon as Leeh's blood pooled over Omahorn's.

'You!' a voice yelled. Blood trickled down his face. His eye was dull in its socket. He shook with rage. 'You took everyone from me!'

'Don't take another step!' Jacque shouted. 'I'm warning you! I threw plenty of punches in my younger years, and I won't hesitate to knock your teeth out.'

'Silence!' the quest-giver shouted. 'Your days are numbered! You haven't seen the last of-'

Jacque walked towards Deimos and punched him square in the jaw. The quest-giver fell into the depths below. They never saw him hit the ground, but it didn't matter. The quest was over.

The Ultimate End was over.

Something new was finally beginning.

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Act 3 World 16-2c: Anna Vizent, the Ender of Worlds

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Act 3 World 16-2c: Anna Vizent, the Ender of Worlds

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A world of black fell onto her like a boulder. She couldn't see or smell a thing. Her chest ached with the throbbing pain of her heartbeat. A monster triple her size glared at her with piercing white eyes. She couldn't see where it started or ended.

'So you are the vessel, I see,' it said, its voice echoing through the void. 'Your soul is a lot brighter than I expected.'

She couldn't do anything but weep as the monster continued to speak in its thundering voice. Her vocal cords were tied in a knot.

'That man in green is on his way. It looks like your buddy in blue was left behind. He did the same to you, did he not?'

No he didn't! He didn't leave me! You wouldn't understand!

'If only you could say that now,' it said. 'That was how you felt, is it not?'

No! I... I felt that way, not anymore.

'When the man in green defeats me,' the white dots came closer. She looked away. 'You'll be dragged to the pits of Anápoda alongside me. You don't want that, do you?'

No! I want to go home.

'Home? You can't go back there. They'll never accept you,' it said, the piercing white dots burning into her. 'You don't exist anymore. We are one, don't you see? Wherever you go, I'll always be right behind you.'

CLANG!

'Prepare yourself, vessel. I won't let you get away from me this time.'

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Act 3 World 16-2b: Leave, Zorah. Don't Look Back

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Act 3 World 16-2b: Leave, Zorah. Don't Look Back

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Scott stared at the door to the throne room.

'Zorah... please. Leave.'

She glared at him. 'I'm not leaving.'

'Your kingdom needs you. Don't waste your time. Go.'

Lady Zorah turned to the entrance. 'Will you visit if you survive?'

'Blush Valley?' Scott asked. She nodded. 'If you leave.'

'I wish you luck, Scott,' she said, taking her leave.

Scott grasped the cold brass handle with all his might.

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Zorah followed Scott closely. He refused to look at the desolate and desecrated palace. She had noticed the barely breathing bodies of the younger Gemini twin, the older was skewered on a pitch-black spike that grew from the ground. Lady Zorah noticed a portrait of the royal family was stabbed by a similar spike right through Omahorn's painted head. Curtains usually obscured the right side, but due to the mayhem, the rest of it was visible. Omahorn's son looked just like his mother. The corridors were crushed with rubble.

'Is someone there?!' a husk voice shouted, echoing through the grand hall. 'Astra? Is that you?'

Matthias.

'You're still alive?' Scott muttered. 'Stay out of our way if you know what's good for you.'

'Is... is my sister okay?' Matthias gurgled, coughing up a puddle of blood. He managed to cover his ripped-out eye with an eyepatch. The green gem embedded on his left side was cracking, slowly oozing a green slime. 'Did she... make it out?'

'She did, Matthias. At least we think,' Zorah said. 'We haven't seen her. Did you hear Astra, Jacque, or Crimson anywhere?'

'No... I thought you guys were her...' Matthias mumbled, wiping ooze off his face with his hand. 'I'll keep an ear out...'

'Matthias, if you want to live, you should leave,' Scott instructed. 'Lady Zorah will go with you.'

'No I will not!' she shouted. 'I told you, I'm not leaving your side.'

'I can... have a spell... it's the last one... I remember...' Matthias mumbled, reaching out for Scott's hand. 'Gravitas, inclina ad voluntatem meam.'

'Gravitas? Whatever. Thanks, Matthias,' Scott said. 'Now get outta here, will ya?'

'Alright...' he said, slowly stumbling away. 'I'm on my way, Anastasia... Good luck, Roloc...'

Just a few more steps, Matthias. Just a few more...

He could almost hear his sister cheering for him, but as he felt his way along the wall, she got quieter and quieter. Then louder, then louder, then-

'Matthias! Good gods, what happened to you?'

'Anastasia! You're alive! You're- you aren't my sister...' he sobbed. 'Where is she?'

'We don't know,' another voice said, calling out to him through the void.

'Did Deimos do this to you?' a softer, stronger voice asked. He shrugged- or at least he thought he did. 'He'll pay for this. Jacque! Take Matthias and run. Far, far from here. As fast as you can. Crimson and I will help Scott and Leeh.'

'She's gone...' Matthias said. 'I didn't hear her. Safe... maybe.'

'Alright, change of plans. Jacque, take him and find Leeh. Crimson and I will help Scott,' Astra said. 'Jacque can carry you, Matthias. You're safe now. C'mon, Crimson.'

A pair of strong, cold arms grabbed Matthias, helping him shuffle to the outside world.

The man was one foot out the door, feeling the dusty wind cut his face. The sky was dark, brightening as he muttered a spell. Matthias could feel the warmth on his face.

'Did you... see her...?' he asked.

'Your sister?' Jacque stared at the bent and crumpled, towering doors to the Ebony Caverns. 'Well... it's a long story.'

'Did you see her? Please, tell me!'

'I saw what's left of her.'

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King Omahorn ran much faster than Scott and Leeh, despite his age. What remained of the mountain crumbled around them as the world became darker and darker. As they ran through the once familiar land, sounds of screaming adults and crying children rang in their ears.

'We're almost there children! Just a few more miles!'

'How can you tell? We've been running in the woods for hours!' Leeh shouted. 'And you gotta wait for us...'

'Why can't you teleport us there? Wait, why can't I teleport us there?' Scott offered. Omahorn skidded to a stop, staring at him in disbelief.

'I thought you had magic mastered to the back of the hand,' he said. 'I would teleport us if we were close enough.'

'There's a distance limit on teleportation? Since when?'

'Since the dawn of time, you fool!' the king groaned. 'Now, I want to warn you. Your friend, Anna, isn't herself anymore. Someone's going to have to kill her. If not, there will be nothing left. I'm sure you don't want that.'

'There isn't another option?' Leeh asked.

'If there was, I would tell you. But killing her is the safest option,' the king said. 'I'll do it, if you want me to.'

'There has to be another way!'

'I wish there was, Leeh.'

'Scott! Don't you have a spell or something?' Leeh asked, turning to him. He was gone. 'Scott? Scott?!'

'Kid? This isn't a time for messing around. Where'd you go?'

The Ebony Crater was dark and devoid of life, and the dusty air lingered with the stench of corpses. Huge boulders crushed the towns underneath the Obsidian Palace.

The stained glass lay shattered, scattering deadly confetti across the bridges and walkways.

Scott stood in the empty, silent town until a panicked survivor ran up to the bloody magician. Lady Zorah.

'Scott! You're okay! Thank goodness,' she exclaimed. 'I thought you guys were goners!'

'So did I...' he mumbled. 'You need to leave. Now.'

'What? Scott, you can't do this alone! Where's Leeh?'

'Far from here, I'm sure,' Scott stared at the blackening sky. 'I hope... Please, just go.'

'No. I told you I wasn't running anymore.'

'You'll die.'

'Then I'll die a truthful lady,' Zorah argued. 'I'm staying by your side, and that's final!'

'I'm not digging your grave.'

'Maybe you won't have to.'

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Act 3 World 16-1a: Deimos, King Under the King of Nothing

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Act 3 World 16-1a: Deimos, King Under the King of Nothing

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The Ebony Crater incident had three total survivors. The villain who was responsible was nowhere to be found, we were told. He refused to give any details aside from the look of terror in his friend's eyes.

It was something he'd never forget.

Deimos had watched Anna's gruesome possession with a grin on his face. Anna O. Vizent didn't exist anymore, his god took her place.

'I'm sorry, my lord, but this vessel has seen many battles. Its body may not be prime for-'

'Silence,' they said, contorting her vocal cords to produce a deep, booming voice. 'You have performed negligibly better than your comrades.'

'Thank you, my lord. Is there anything else you want me to do for you?'

'I want you to be quiet. And remove the corpse in the corner,' he said, an armored finger pointing at Trey O'Rock's body.

'Of course sir. As you wish.'

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'No, no! This can't be happening! Scott! Stay with me! Don't leave me with this psycho!' a muffled voice shouted. Scott's world was fuzzy, and he struggled to open his eyes.

'Children!' the voice exclaimed, much clearer this time. 'Children, are you alright?'

Scott snapped to attention, bolting up from the dusty ground. 'Anna! What about Anna? Is she okay?!'

Omahorn stared at Mont Cuivre, its peak shrouded by dark storm clouds that infested the once-blue sky, what was left of it turned a dull amber. Thunder roared ahead, and dust whirled in the air. The trembling ground was cracking and dry, shaking as a loud blast burst from the mountain. The trio stared as the mountain seemed to warp until the peak crumbled into boulders, the chunks throwing themselves into the horizon. One hurled itself towards them, and they braced for impact. A pink forcefield- set up by Leeh at the last second- pulverized the boulder.

'What has he done?' Omahorn cried. A fountain of disdain pooled out of the mountain like a volcano of evil. 'The Ebony Caverns... they're gone...'

'More like the Ebony Crater. How'd he do that?!' she asked.

'I'd tell you if I knew... Children, I know you aren't fans of me, but we have to stop him. Please. I can't do this alone,' the king pleaded.

'Why should we trust you?' Leeh snapped.

'Because if you don't, today will be the last tomorrow.'

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Act 3 World 15-7: Omahorn, King of the Ebony Caverns

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Act 3 World 15-7: Omahorn, King of the Ebony Caverns

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'I'm not going to fight you.'

'After all this? All this torment, you won't even fight to defend the kingdom you claim to care for so deeply?!' Leeh yelled. Jacque helped Scott to his feet. 'You're an idiot, Omahorn!'

'You can stab my heart out. You can rip my skin off my bones. You could cut my limbs off, one by one. I will not stop you,' he said. His voice was calm and collected, as if he had rehearsed this a thousand times. 'This war does not involve you. It involves me and your craven puppeteer.'

'The green guy?'

'Yes, Jacque, the green man. Deimos has wanted nothing more than to put me in the ground. For the past dozen or so years, I've lived rent-free in his head. Do you children know why?'

The five of them shook their heads. His assistant suppressed a laugh.

'Twelve years ago, my late wife bore a son. The heir, if you will. You don't see him around, do you?' Omahorn's face was stagnant. 'Deimos- or the quest-giver, as you know him- took my son's life twelve years ago. He's still bitter about it and has put a bounty on my head that no one in their right mind would take up. So he began to lie about the true intent, and almost all gave up or perished when the truth was unearthed. Except for a select, brain-dead handful. You are the only ones to have made it this far, and frankly, I have grown tired of this. I know your leader is inside my palace walls, and you lured him right to me. I'm ending this conflict, once and for all.'

'Sir?' his assistant tugged at his sleeve.

'Wait, what'll happen to us?' Astra asked.

'You'll return to your normal lives or reunite in the worlds beyond this one,' he said. 'Now where is your leader?'

'We don't know!' Scott said. 'He stole Anna and ran, we don't know where-'

'Sir?'

'Yes, that appears to be the case. I'm sorry children, only five of you will leave these halls alive,' Omahorn said. O'Rock's body twitched as he chuckled. Leeh kicked him. The second-in-command pointed, his cold and dying eyes fixated on a man in a tattered cloak behind the throne. A tall cyclops-goblin. 'Now, Scott- is that your name? Continue.'

'He's...'

The quest-giver raised his bronze Xiphos, a wicked grin spreadin rapidly across his face. His dull, all-seeing eye widen with anticipation.

'Behind you!'

The ever-loyal assistant pushed her master out of the way just in time. The quest-giver- Deimos- had missed the target.

'Gods, you imbeciles will just keep getting in my way, won't you?' he shouted. 'After all these years, your pathetic palace looks the same, Amos!'

'You have no right to call me that,' Omahorn snapped. 'Not after what you've done.'

'You're fighting a losing battle, king!' Deimos shouted. 'After forty groups, you get a mass of treasure. And what's this? I heard you made the final one for me! How sweet of you.'

He grabbed a bright jewel from his cloak, and dragged Anna onto the scene. Her frail body collapsed onto the ground.

'You wouldn't dare!' Omahorn shouted. 'Jacque, throw me that axe!'

'Do it and die, wizard! It's too late anyways,' he said. 'I can't believe I'm crossing two things off my bucket list at once! Isn't this exciting, Anna?'

He grabbed her shirt collar, forcing her to nod. Deimos laughed.

'You idiot! You'll kill us all!' Omahorn shouted. Jacque tossed him the axe. 'I never realized I'd have to stop you on a running clock.'

'Clock's run out, Amos!' Deimos shouted, protecting himself with a black forcefield as he dug the magenta jewel into Anna's eye. She was too weak to scream, though it might've been muffled by the now dissipated protective dome.

'Anna!' Leeh cried. 'What're you doing to her? Let her go! Let her go!'

'Oh shut it, O'Rock!' Deimos laughed. 'I'm doing it a favor! Just look at how miserable it is!'

'Deimos, please! We can settle this like adults!' Omahorn shouted, gripping Scott's axe. 'You're going to end the world over a banishment?!'

'No, I'm going to end the world over you,' he shouted. 'Oh great god of darkness, oh king most evil! I've made an vessel in your unholy name! Reek the havoc you once did on this fatally flawed world, creating a new perfect world in your divine image! Come! Claim your world and your prize!'

The smoke transformed into a thick black smog as Anna's new eye glowed a menacing magenta. The ΩOrca burned into her chest and Deimos finalized the Sigil. Omahorn tried and failed to stop him. The rivals attempted as well, but were met with similar results. Leeh tried to convince Scott to run, but he refused. Anna's aggressive gags and pleas were left unresponded to as King Omahorn snapped his fingers, saving him, Scott, and Leeh from his wrath.

The end of the world is now. Embrace the Ultimate End.

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 3 World 15-6: The Quest-Giver/ Trey O'Rock

# data[].attributes.subject
Act 3 World 15-6: The Quest-Giver/ Trey O'Rock

# data[].attributes.body
'Scott! What a lovely surprise,' the man said. 'I see you brought your friends with you.'

'Sir, you have to help us!' Crimson yelled. 'Leeh's off doing who knows-'

'I know. I saw your Pyrovovian friend. She told me everything,' the quest-giver explained. 'Just hand me the ΩOrca and I'll take it from there.'

'Anna's staying with us,' Jacque said, his voice firm.

'She'll join you soon enough. Give. It. To. Me,' he repeated. Scott took a step back, holding an unconscious Anna close to his chest. 'Scott. Now.'

'I don't trust you. Especially not with her,' Scott said. 'If Anna is going somewhere, I'm going with her.'

'You have a job to do! I hope I don't have to remind you, but you work for me until I say you aren't!' he snapped. 'Now do what I say and hand the ΩOrca over before I take it from you!'

'Then take it!' Crimson shouted.

'Crimson, shut up!'

The quest-giver drew his sword, striking Scott in the chest before escaping with his prize. Jacque, Astra, and Crimson tried to stop him, but he disappeared in a flash, Anna in tow.

'Why on earth would you say that?!' Astra cried. 'What is wrong with you?'

'I don't know! I thought he was bluffing!' he replied.

'Scott, are you alright? Can you walk?' Jacque knelt next to him.

'I'm fine...' he groaned, trying to lift his body off the floor.

'Astra, Crimson. Go help Leeh,' he instructed. 'I'll get Scott out of here.'

'No! Take me with you,' Scott shouted as the two rushed past him. 'Wait for me!'

'Scott. Let us take care of this,' he said. 'Leeh'll be fine. Astra and Crimson can rip through O'Rock no problem.'

'O'Rock?'

Leeh dug her sword into her father's arm.

'Who taught you how to fight like this?' O'Rock laughed, his face twisting in pain.

'It wasn't you, that's for sure,' Leeh said, crushing his ribs with her boot. Her face was bloody, but whose it belonged to remained a mystery. 'Where's Omahorn?'

'Somewhere you'll-' he heard a crack. And then another. And another. Until he was spitting blood, he didn't utter a word. 'You'll never find him. I won't let you, you traitor filth.'

'Filth? You dare to call me filth? How intoxicated have you been all these years? What you've done to me? My friends? The twins? Your wife? My mother?' she shouted, ripping her sword out of him.

'Your mother never loved you. Don't take her side,' he snarled.

'You never loved me either, and that's fine by me. One less shackle I have to drag around,' she spat.

'There'll be more when that pathetic excuse of a man kills Omahorn,' O'Rock grinned.

'You think Scott will kill him? I'll do it myself with my bare hands when I'm done with you,' she hissed. 'And they'll never find you.'

'I'm sure they won't, you witch,' he cackled. Leeh stabbed her sword into O'Rock. 'Do it! Kill your father. You're too soft. You could never finish a job.'

Leeh stared, her hands shaking. She knew she could't do it, no on purpose, at least. Her father laughed, blood dripping from his mouth.

'Leeh?' Astra shook her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. 'Are you alright?'

'Where's Omahorn?' she asked, her voice choppy as she held back tears. 'Where is he?'

Crimson shrugged. 'He probably left hours ago. It doesn't matter! Scott's... he got stabbed by some guy in a cloak.'

'A clyclops?'

'Yeah... How'd you know that?' Crimson asked

A concealed door behind the throne opened. The king of the Ebony Caverns, his small, nervous assistant behind him. He didn't carry his gold gilded sword. Jacque stumbled in through the broken door, dragging Scott behind him.

Lady Zorah and the quest-giver were nowhere to be found.

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 3 World 15-5: 'Anna Vizent,' Possessor of the ΩOrca

# data[].attributes.subject
Act 3 World 15-5: 'Anna Vizent,' Possessor of the ΩOrca

# data[].attributes.body
Anna was a grotesque monster teetering between life and death. Her arms and chest were armored in black, and a darker gem was embedded in her flesh. Her eyes were blood-red, and the refreshing taste of it lingered in her mind. Omahorn sat behind her on his throne, staring at her.

'Anna, it's us,' Scott said. 'Leeh and I. We're right here. We don't want to hurt you.'

'You... last time...' she couldn't choke out the words. Drops of blood dripped out of her mouth. 'I don't... forgive...'

'You don't have to!' Leeh cried. 'Just let us take that... thing out of your chest.'

'Take it out?!' the king laughed. 'What good would that do? You want her to bleed out or something?'

'What did you do to her?!' she shouted. Omahorn shrugged. 'What did you do?!'

'Jeez, how should I know?' he grinned. Dried blood was caked around his nose. 'The dashing second-in-command did it.'

'And you let him?' Scott said.

'Of course. He's so brilliant I just let him do whatever he wants. Enough chit-chat,' he said. 'Anna? Shouldn't you be doing something?'

'Don't listen to him, Anna!' Scott yelled.

'I... I...' she mumbled, staring at her king, who nodded patiently. The duo begged her to rethink it, but he had made up her mind. 'I don't... want to...'

'Well, we all have to do things we don't like doing,' the king rolled his eyes. 'Now hurry up. I don't keep you trapped in the basement for nothing.'

'I don't want to!' she shouted, clawing at her face. 'I want to go home!'

'After this, Anna,' the king said, tapping his finger on the armrest. 'You don't have all day. Now.'

'You can't... you can't force me to be here!' she cried, stumbling towards her friends. 'I... want to... I...'

'It doesn't matter what you want. You are loyal to me, so you do what I say, or you pay the price,' Omahorn said impatiently. Anna took another step towards Scott, flinching at his cold words. 'You're being unreasonable, Anna.'

'You're...' her face became wet with tears. 'Sorry... so sorry...'

'I'd forgive you if you ripped these idiots to shreds, how's that sound?' he offered. She nodded her head slowly. 'Alright. Now, let's try this again. Anna? Shouldn't you be doing something?'

'Yes... sorry...' she wept. 'I'm... sorry...'

Leeh swung her sword as Anna lunged at her. Scott dug his axe into her arm, but Anna didn't flinch, ripping it out of her arm and swinging at him. The sounds of metal made the rivals wince. Omahorn grinned.

'We have to help them!' Astra ordered. 'C'mon!'

'As-tu perdu la tête?' Jacque cried. 'That's a death sentence!'

'They'd do the same thing for us, Jacque,' Crimson pointed out. 'Do it for Anna's sake, if it makes you feel any better.'

Jacque sighed. 'Bien, for Anna's sake.'

Anna's jagged teeth sank into Scott's leg. She threw him to the ground, taking his axe. Leeh snatched the axe and pulled it with all her might, ripping it out of her claws. Scott grabbed Anna by her cold, armored arms.

'We don't want to hurt you!' he cried.

'Don't listen to them, Anna. When have they ever helped you before?' Omahorn asked.

'I don't know!' she sobbed. Scott pulled Anna close, his arms wrapped around her as the rivals arrived on the scene. Anna continued to cry.

'Scott! You take Anna and go with them!' Leeh shouted, picking up his axe. 'I'll stop Omahorn!'

'I'm not leaving you here.' he said coldly.

'I'll be right behind you. Go!' Leeh shouted.

'We just got here, why would we-'

'Go.'

The rivals did as they were told and Omahorn rose from his throne, furiously calling Anna's name. She refused to listen.

'Gods, you children are so annoying,' he groaned. 'I guess I'll have to do this myself then.'

'Where's Omahorn?' Leeh asked, her voice colder than ice. 'I won't ask you again, Trey.'

'What? How did you-' he sighed. 'You still recognize your old man after all this time?'

'I could never forget your ugly mug,' she said. 'I sent my friends away for a reason.'

'Why? Because you don't want them to see what I do to lying, back-stabbing wastes of air?' he laughed.

'I don't want them to see what I'll do to double-crossing filth.'

# data[].attributes.body
The castle's grand foyer was in sight. Just behind it stood the throne room, where King Omahorn was waiting behind locked doors.

'Is that really you, Scott? Youse look different,' a cyclops-goblin in red said. His eye was glossed over, yet he looked madder than ever. There was no orca in sight.

'Do you want to live or fight?' Leeh asked. Crimson shrugged. 'Answer. Or we'll choose for you.'

'Relax. I can't do anything to stop you. I'm not stupid,' he said. 'Can we just talk?'

Scott lowered his axe but refused to loosen his grip. 'What do you mean?'

Crimson stared at the ceiling, which lit the hall with shimmering stained glass. This was the great hall of the Obsidian Palace. Leeh stared at the ornately detailed, pillared walls. The walls were white and black, separated by mahogany beams running across the hall. The floor was a dark oak, and the banisters were bright brass. It was more comforting than anything from the outside world, and it belonged to King Omahorn, of all people.

'If you're really going to do it, go ahead. I ain't gonna stop you. Just brace yourselves,' Crimson said. 'They got a thirst for blood today.'

'You aren't going to fight us?' Scott asked.

'Not really. You didn't when I was fighting an uphill battle with a cyclops. Thought it'd be nice to return the favor,' Crimson said. 'Just so you know, if you win this one with the green man, I want a rematch. Me and youse.'

'Of course, Crimson,' Leeh said. 'Thank you.'

'Don't sweat it. You guys helped me with the Deciclops. You saved my village. Now it's time you save yours, Roloc,' he whistled. 'Jacque! Astra! It's your turn.'

'Crimson, we aren't dogs,' Jacque said. 'And we already talked about this. There's no fighting.'

'Really?' Astra sighed. 'I thought we-'

'If they were going to fight, which they aren't. Right guys?' Jacque put a hand on Astra's shoulder, pointing to Scott and Leeh. 'We aren't brainwashed or anything. We're not looking for trouble.'

'If you're working for Omahorn, you're looking for trouble,' Scott said.

'We aren't brainwashed! Are you deaf?' Astra cried.

'Scott, Astra, calm down! If we were using orcas, you would've killed us by now,' Crimson said. 'You have bigger fish to fry.'

'Scott, they're right,' Leeh said. 'Unfortunately... Where's Anna? Is she here?'

'Her corpse is,' Jacque sighed, removing his hat. 'She was given this... thing... I wouldn't call her herself anymore.'

'She's gone crazy! You two gotta stop her!' the cyclops explained. 'She's just up ahead, you gotta-'

'And you didn't help her?' Scott asked, his voice cold. He gripped his axe.

'We tried to, Scott. We tried and tried, there was nothing we could've-'

He pushed Astra out of his way, breaking the throne room's door down. The rivals and Leeh could only watch.

'Viz!' a voice laughed from inside. 'You have some new playmates. Doesn't that sound fun? Oh! And it's your good-for-nothin' friends too. Don't be shy. Come on in, you two.'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 3 World 15-3: Anastasia, the Greater Gemini

# data[].attributes.subject
Act 3 World 15-3: Anastasia, the Greater Gemini

# data[].attributes.body
Matthias's screams gradually got quieter as the threats drew closer. Anastasia held her hammer, quivering in the dark, unlit room. She'd normally used a blade, but her trusty dagger just wouldn't do. As the door flew open, she could smell the blood. I hope he gets out okay.

'Who goes there?' Scott shouted, staring at the empty corridor, his voice echoing. The only doors they couldn't unlock were the ones forward, the ones leading to Omahorn.

'I've been waiting for you, filth,' she laughed. The heroes whipped their heads around, not finding the source of her mocking voice. 'Getting to our king is no easy feat. You should be proud you've crawled all this way.'

'Come out and face us if you're going to talk like that,' Leeh snapped. 'We aren't afraid to hurt you.'

'You're just like your father, Roloc,' Anastasia chuckled. 'No wonder you gave up everything just to get here. Did Matthias scream enough for your liking? Or was the show not brazen enough?'

'We did what we had to do. It isn't our fault; he hit himself!' she argued.

'Oh Roloc, our tragedies have never been your fault! If only you had accepted your fate, Trey would've never turned to us,' the twin sighed, revealing herself in the shadows. 'No matter now. It's far too late anyway. I know what you did to him. He's dead, isn't he?'

The air turned ice-cold as Anastasia tried to hear her brother's voice. There was no response. Her face dropped when Scott wiped the blood off his fingers.

Anastasia lifted her hammer and swung, barely missing Scott by an inch. She lifted it out of the dent and aimed directly for his head. Leeh grabbed her sword and blocked her advances, giving Scott a window to cast his fire spell and burn the handle. She took the block of metal and knocked Leeh to the ground, pinning her down and cursing her name. Scott gripped his axe and thrust it into her torso.

Anastasia's limp body dropped beside Leeh, a pool of blood forming from the axe's slash.

'How... you're...' she choked. 'You'll... you'll see... I'll be back... You haven't seen the last of-'

Scott drove his axe into her arm, which had finally shut her up. Leeh fell to her knees by Anastasia's cold corpse.

'Let's go, Leeh. The king won't wait for us,' Scott said. She didn't move. 'Leeh. Let's go. You're not sad she's dead, are you?'

'No,' she mumbled. 'You didn't have to be so brutal about it.'

'Does she have a key?' Scott asked. Leeh shook her head as she walked over to the door. 'How are we supposed to-'

She grabbed Scott's axe and swung it at the door, opening it from the other side.

Anastasia tried to say something, but Scott dug his heel into her neck until he heard a snap.

'How big is this place?' Scott asked her. Leeh kept silent, only looking ahead. She stopped in a meaningless hallway. A scratched-up door with a bruised nameplate caught her eye. The name VIZENT was carved into it. She grabbed Scott's axe and pried the door open.

There were rips in the wallpaper, and the support beams underneath were slashed and covered in dried blood. A sword was bent and crooked, stabbed into the mattress. There was so many glass shards that Leeha and Scott couldn't even enter. The floorboards were ripped up and gaps in the stone were underneath. A chest smashed into itself was covered in bites and scratches. Tally marks lined the walls.

'This is where they kept her...' Leeh couldn't speak above a whisper. 'In my room, of all things...'

'You did all this?'

'Anna did. I'm surprised Omahorn gave her a room at all,' she sighed. 'Do you want a bent sword?'

'No,' Scott said as he drew the sword closer to him. He lost focus and it clanged to the ground. 'I don't want them having it.'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 3 World 15-2: Matthias, the Lesser Gemini

# data[].attributes.subject
Act 3 World 15-2: Matthias, the Lesser Gemini

# data[].attributes.body
Matthias had been waiting for this moment since Leeh left all those years ago. It was an uphill battle on home turf. All that she had taken from him- his eye, his dignity- were specks of dust to her treason.

The door to his left opened.

There you are. He gripped the greatsword he had created. It had spikes along its blade and was sharp enough to pierce through one's soul.

Took you long enough.

'Matthias? What're you doing here?' she asked.

'I don't run when there's trouble,' Matthias spat, messing with a key tied around his neck. 'I'm not like you, Roloc.'

'You could've left with me. But you didn't; you stayed by your own will. That isn't my fault,' she argued. 'Where's King Omahorn?'

'Like I'd tell you!' he said. 'You'll have to pick it off my dead body.'

'Then I'll make sure your death takes awhile. Scott?' his head perked up as she called his name. 'Light him up.'

Matthias drew his greatsword with a grin. He ripped the eyepatch off his face, revealing a bright, green gem where his eye should've been. The skin around it looked sick and swollen. Scott grimaced, but Leeh didn't flinch. To her, it looked better than usual.

The sounds of clanking metal filled the Obsidian Palace with dread.

'Just give up, Matthias!' Scott shouted, cornering him and pinning him to the ground. 'You're defending the wrong man!'

'How would you know, magician?!' Matthias shouted, throwing the Ivornixite off him, successfully dodging a strike from Leeh.

'What'll King Omahorn do with you when he destroys the world? Will you stay by his side after the rest of the world is dead? You know what he wants, you're just too braindead to admit it!' Leeh shouted. His face dropped.

'What?'

'The end of the world?'

'Do you not know what you're fighting for?!' Leeh shouted.

'Omahorn would never...' Matthias muttered. 'You're lying!'

'We wouldn't be here if we were,' Scott said, leaning on his axe. It was too short for him. He stumbled before catching himself. 'We don't waste our time lying to ourselves.'

'Give us that key you have,' Leeh said. 'Or I'll rip it from your corpse.'

'Do it then! As long as blood flows through my veins, I ain't giving you anything!' he shouted, kicking her square in the face and making a break for it, teleporting in a flash behind Scott to kick him down as well. Matthias grabbed his greatsword and swung, hitting a summoned forcefield, and then his good eye with the spikes that adorned the sides of his blade. He tumbled to the ground, face drenched in blood. Matthias's eye was sliced in half, a chunk of his sword embedded into it, piercing his pupil.

His once good eye swelled with tears as he desperately begged for his king, but no one heard that.

They only heard him choking on his own blood. Scott and Leeh had left him, and they went to face his sister.

# data[].attributes.body
O'Rock stepped into King Omahorn's study, the place only two had previously stepped into. Now, there have been three in there- April, Omahorn himself, and now O'Rock, who had been summoned, oddly enough.

'Omahorn! Hey man, what's up?' he asked nervously, chuckling. He cleared his throat. 'You called for me?'

'Can you feel it?' Omahorn said. The back of his chair faced O'Rock.

'Feel... what, sir?' he responded.

'This. It's been in the air for a while now. A long while now,' Omahorn said. 'Do you feel it?'

'Feel what?!' O'Rock cried. 'You're not making any sense, man!'

'This feeling. Do you feel it?' he snapped. 'Well? Do you?'

'Yeah, yeah. Sure, whatever,' the general rolled his eyes. 'What is it, exactly?'

'When we stole Valimonos's book, I told you to do one thing, correct?' the king said.

'Yes. I remember,' his general replied.

'And what was that? It must've slipped my mind.'

'Burn it? I did that. As I was told, sir.' O'Rock said.

Omahorn stood up, grabbed the general's waistcoat collar, and slammed his head on the desk.

'How foolish do you take me for, Trey? I cannot believe you think so lowly of me,' Omahorn laughed. 'Take this, for example.'

O'Rock's world turned dark shades of blue, and his hands and arms turned reds, oranges, and yellows. Omahorn matched him, and so did the few remaining dwellers of the Ebony Caverns. Guards stood at their posts. Matthias and his sister were forging, and those outsider subordinates kept to themselves. Three faint, colorful blobs wandered through the empty kingdom.

'Do you see them? Their body heat?' the king asked coldly. Trey nodded. 'Do you know who they are?'

'The... it's them... isn't it? After eight months,' he chuckled.

'Yes. You did it didn't you?' Omahorn asked, slamming O'Rock's face into the desk. 'You made that world-wrecker, didn't you?'

'I'd never!'

O'Rock's face banged into the desk until tiny droplets of blood stained his king's mahogany desk.

'Who has it?' he asked. 'Before I figure it out myself.'

'Ugh...' O'Rock tried to wipe the blood off his face, but his nose met the table with a loud crunch. 'Vizent! Gods be... I gave it to Vizent! It could save people. It could even save us, A-'

'Why on earth would you do something so idiotic?!' Omahorn yelled, throwing the general into a bookshelf. How to Calm Yourself Down During a Fight by Paige Turner landed on his head. 'That is a world-ending device! Are you willing to risk hundreds of thousands of lives to save yourself?'

'That beast'll kill him. I'm sure of it,' O'Rock grinned. 'Just give it a chance.'

'It? It?!' Omahorn shouted. 'You dare to call another person, another sapient being with the graces of life an it?! I hope this plan of yours goes well. I hope Vizent rips Deimos's heart out because I will rip yours the second he stops breathing. Good luck, Trey. Prepare for battle. The heroes are at our front door.'

# data[].attributes.body
Situated in a cave far below Mont Cuivre, the Ebonyxites hold up a massive underground empire far from the other civilizations. You'd be a fool to try and breach their domain. The townsfolk would rather give up their lives than give up.

# data[].attributes.body
Two guards nervously held their breath as three shadows walked through the slums. They looked exactly like the shadows King Omahorn had described them: Ivornixite in green, Ebonyxite in blue, and a Pyrovovian soldier.

'Is that the green man Tommy?' one of the guards asked. The shadows turned. Tommy held his hand to his friend's mouth. Those things wouldn't hear a peep out of him. Tommy shook his head. 'Then who is?'

Tommy shrugged and gestured for his friend to follow. When they were a safer distance away, he spoke.

'That cloaked man. The baby-killer,' he explained. 'Those are just his cronies, if we leave them alone I'm they'll-'

"It's the green man! Run for your lives!" Another squad of guards ran through the street as fast as possible, dropping their swords and praying to the lights above.

'Wait! Where are you going?' the man in green barked. 'Come back!'

'We won't hurt you!' the soft soldier shouted. She turned to her allies and sighed. 'Now what?'

'We'll have to keep going. I think this guy's the quest-giver,' the girl in blue said as she rolled her eyes.

'The quest-giver? Is he an ally?'

'Well... kinda?'

'He went berserk on us at the campfire empire, but other than that, he's a chill guy,'

'They blew up Cozy's?!' the guard remarked. Tommy shushed him. 'I'm surprised we can't smell the smoke...'

'We can't make assumptions, Spine-Splinter. Now keep your mouth shut or they'll cut it right off your face!' he hissed. He turned to the stranger's direction

'Should we look for him? He could be really helpful,' the soldier said.

'We don't have time,' the Ebonyxite claimed. 'The end could start any minute now.'

'We'd get steamrolled without him. And who knows? He might have a new weapon for you, Leeh,' the man in green said.

'I'll look for him,' the soldier said. 'And I'll catch up with you when I find him.'

'That's a horrible idea, we are not splitting up!' she shouted. 'Nothing good happens when we split up.'

'It's either that or we all look,' the green one replied. 'Good luck, Zorah. We'll see you inside.'

The soldier thanked him and ran off, calling for this quest-giver. The others ran to the Obsidian Palace.

'We have to stop them!' Splint cried.

'Omahorn wants to see them,' Tommy asserted. 'We would've been long dead by now if he didn't.'

# data[].attributes.body
'This is it. This is the end,' Leeh said. Everything amounted to this moment. They were so close. It was almost over. All they had to go now is finish this quest and get out alive. 'We ready?'

Scott courageously nodded, and Zorah shook her head. Leeh took a deep breath, saying goodbye to the sun for the first time in over a decade. Scott's hands shone a bright cyan, and Leeh summoned another pink forcefield (a cube, this time). In a flash, the world turned pitch-black, and the heroes stood in a small town square, the warm stone greeted them.

'Where is everyone?' Scott asked, his voice echoing throughout the town. 'Did I do the spell right?'

Leeh shuddered. 'Unfortunately.'

'I expected more. Maybe some guards, or angry twins, but nothing?' Scott laughed. 'This guy rules a ghost town!'

'They must've evacuated,' Zorah pointed out. 'The king was always in town when I stayed here.'

'How would you know? Weren't you like... locked in a tower, or something?' he asked.

'No? Why would I?'

'I don't know! I've never saved a kidnapped princess before!' Scott argued.

'I'm glad I was your first... even if I saved you more than you saved me...'

'How'd you even escape in the first place? Gods, we shouldn't have brought you back. He'll execute you on the spot,' Leeh groaned.

'I walked out the front door. He let me,' Zorah said. 'It was his idea if I remember correctly.'

Leeh rolled her eyes. 'Do you guys wanna steal some swords or something?'

'We can't steal stuff!' Zorah cried. 'Gods, what's with you two and crimes?'

'It's either steal or be killed,' Leeh said. 'Especially here.'

The slums- as Leeh lovingly called them- were vast and rich in weaponry. The tall, stone and wood buildings were decorated with flowerbeds and colorful banners. Some of them had murals painted on the side. For a place lit up with lamps and the mightiest light spell known to man, it was a bright and cheerful place.

The large castle in the center was not. While it had two large red banners on its outer wall, that was the only pop of color other than the sparkling stained glass dome, lighting the city. How could someone so malicious and vile have such a comforting palace? It filled Leeh with rage just having the spectacle in sight. Scott was mesmerized. Where has this been his whole life? If the Ivornixite race started down here with this in sight at all times, why's their architecture so bland? For any Pyrovovian, this was an average sight. A perfect symbol of the Ebony Caverns's first alliance.

And the three of them were going to tear it down to save the world. Would Diaskechromasia be worth the trip if this was no longer around? Who's to say? This isn't the only tourist hotspot, but it was the most impressive. Count Cypress's castle? Interesting, but only for an hour or two. A salt water river with a equally salty stone face? Eh, the merchandise is neat, at least. A sprawling, seaside city? Plenty of activities, at least. A large, cataclysmically dormant volcano? It'd be pretty as it suffocates the world in molten lava and ash. But this? This was something that may never be recreated.

But the pros outweigh the cons, Scott told himself. I'd rather live in a blander world than an empty one.

# data[].attributes.body
Mont Cuivre's peak stood proud above everything else: above the swamps, savannah, tundras, plains, stony cliffs, jungles, or lush valleys. It was dead silent except for the wind and occasional footsteps. At the tip stood a statue. A statue of the King of Light. After all, this would be the closest any mortal- ageless or otherwise- would ever get to his domain.

'Now what, Leeh?' Zorah asked. How could we get to the Ebony Caverns from here?'

Leeh stared into the aggressive mountain below her. 'I don't know. I really don't know. There's mines in the ceiling. We could blow them up?'

'Blow them up? Blow them up? That could kill so many people!' she argued.

'I know Omahorn. He would've ordered an evacuation weeks ago,' Leeh said. 'And he's the world-killer we're after.'

'So we are blowing the roof of this mountain?' Scott said. 'Because I'd be more than happy to-'

'We are not blowing anything up!' Zorah shouted. 'That is a horrible idea!'

'We've done it before,' Scott argued.

'No no, that was a volcano,' Leeh corrected. 'It was a lot more dangerous than this.'

'Ah... Good times.'

'What have you two been up to for eight months?' Zorah exclaimed.

'Things that only adventurers get away with,' Scott laughed.

'We might have to go back down...' Leeh said, turning to her friends. 'Maybe Cas had some dynamite or-'

'The mines!' Scott exclaimed, snapping his fingers. 'The Mount XI mines!'

'We won't have enough time. The canyon is weeks away by wagon,' Zorah said. 'Teleportation, perhaps?'

'No. There isn't a lot of stable ground in reach. If you want to fall to your death, that'd be a way to do it,' Leeh explained, scratching her palms. A brilliant idea popped into her head. As she stared at Scott, his face lit up, and he nodded. 'Unless... Scott!'

'If you're thinking what I'm thinking,' he said. 'Then absolutely.'

'Zorah, can you... hold on to me? You too Scott.'

Zorah complied and held her arm. Scott grabbed her hand on the opposite side. A bubble surrounded the trio.

And started rolling down the mountain.

Quickly.

'Leeh! Leeh, you gotta stop it!' Zorah shouted as the field clamored through the thick trees. Leeh went flying face-first into the ground.

'By the gods, I'm gonna be sick!' he cried, slamming his nose against the trunk of an ash tree; the ball going in the opposite direction.

The ball threw them around like discarded ragdolls before rolling through the snowy woods. It wasn't long before they couldn't see outside as they barreled through the woods. Bang!

The ball had stopped and then started to roll. Scott and Zorah tried to shake Leeh to do something, but she didn't respond. Sticks snapped as the ball rolled faster and faster. The snow shook itself off.

'For gods's sake what?' Leeh snapped. They stared in front of them. It was all a soft yellow. The sun was setting. 'Oh, look at the sunset.'

'Leeh!'

'I can't believe the mountain has such a good view,'

'Leeh!'

'What?'

'Cliff!'

Leeh grabbed her dagger and stabbed the snowy dirt. By some stroke of luck, it held. The trio stared in a panic, trying to catch their breath.

'Don't let go...' Leeh ordered. 'I'm going to pull us up.'

'You sure?' Zorah asked.

'Do you trust me?'

Zorah and Scott nodded. The forcefield dissipated and Leeh- with all her might- pulled the three of them to safety. They all collapsed in relief. Leeh's dagger snapped as she tried pulling it up, but its sacrifice wasn't in vain.

'Oh... my... god...' Leeh gasped, looking out. The cliff dropped off into woods as far as the eye could see. 'That... was a little close for comfort...'

Scott started howling with laughter, wiping his bloody, crooked nose. A small bone poked out of his right nostril. It fell out as blood poured out.

'Scott... something... fell out your nose,' Zorah said, picking up the bloody bone.

'Oh, that? I'm sure it's nothing. You can keep it if you want,' he said.

'You alright man?' Leeh asked. 'Here. I got a rag I can give you.'

'It's fine,' he said, holding the rag to his nose. 'It doesn't hurt... I don't think.'

'Whatever you say, man,' Leeh said, searching for another in her bag. 'You want one, Zorah?'

'No thank you,' she replied. 'I think I lost half of that set of armor I stole. Hope Anastasia isn't mad...'

'She will be. Not like it matters now,' Leeh chuckled. 'You'll be fine. Scott and I survived all this without armor.'

'I had kneepads!'

'Those flimsy things don't count. They don't do anything if they're under your trousers!'

'Yes, they do! It looked weird with the boots, okay?' he argued.

'In all seriousness... now what?' Zorah asked. 'Are we going to climb back up there or?'

'I think our idea would've worked. It'll just take us a little longer. We'd have to go through the slums,' Leeh explained. 'You guys ready to try again?'

'Again?! We are not doing that again!' she yelled.

'Do you have a better idea?'

Zorah sighed. 'I guess not.'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 14-7: The Creation of the ΩOrca

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Act 2 World 14-7: The Creation of the ΩOrca

# data[].attributes.body
The door flew off its hinges. A man with sharp horns held a cigar in his mouth. O'Rock.

'Seems like you four got into a fistfight while I was pregaming your surgery,' he said. April was at his side, rolling her eyes so hard they almost popped out of her skull. 'Glad to see you're awake, Jacque. Thanks for doing all the sweaty labor for us.'

'What? What're you talking about?' Astra shouted. 'What is Operation Ω? What are you going to do with Vizent?'

'Oh! You thought it was just for Vizent? I'm not a monster! I want all four of you to share in the ultimate power. April, if you can do the honors?'

'Do it yourself,' she muttered. 'I'm not getting involved in this.'

'More for me,' he laughed so hard he almost coughed his blackening lungs up. With a straight kick, Jacque went flying down the stairs, landing at the bottom.

'Jacque!' Astra shouted. 'You're a monster, O'Rock! I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!'

'With what? You're thesaurus? Oh, you could never raise enough money to feed your family and learn to read, if I'm not mistaken,' O'Rock chuckled. 'Are your womanly feelings acting up? Or is it just that time of the-'

'O'Rock. Let's just stick to the plan,' April reminded through clenched teeth. 'You have a job to do. Are you too wasted to remember that?'

'Of course not. I'm just messing with her,' he said. 'You're no fun, April.'

Without another word, the second-in-command successfully stabilized his two remaining patients and dragged them off to his laboratory.

'Are we sure this is a good idea?' April asked, pulling the Ivornixite onto the operating table.

O'Rock slipped some blood-soaked leather gloves onto his fingers, taking a swig of his drink. 'Of course it is, I came up with it.'

'I'm just saying, if Omahorn finds out...'

'He'll never find out. He cares so little about these idiots he constantly forgets they exist in the first place,' he replied.

'This is a terrible idea, Trey. Let's just drop this, and throw that crystal in the fire!' April pleaded.

'Terrible? I'm doing what Omahorn refused to do. I'm protecting this nation, April. And if I have to use dark magic to do so, then so be it,' he muttered. 'Now hand me my scalpel.'

'Which one?'

'The bluntest one you can find,' he rolled his eyes. 'Does it really look like I care? I'm inserting a gem into a toddler's torso, for Pete's sake!'

'Maybe someone more qualified should do this operation. Maybe someone sober,' April suggested. O'Rock snatched the scalpel from her hands and started hacking away at the flesh and bone, gently grabbing a dark black gem from a velvet case. He had spent days crafting it (well, Matthias did. All O'Rock did was do a horrible job reading Valimonos's instructions and smoke cigars next to open flame). The ΩOrca was a beating heart of magic, said to be one of the strongest vessels in the universe. It's a crude, ruthless way to give someone a death sentence, and O'Rock was enjoying every inch of it. Even when Vizent started twitching and opened her eyes, begging to be let go, he only told April to cover her mouth with a rag.

'We got four tries,' he explained, ripping 'unnecessary' flesh from her chest. Vizent's muffled screams went unheard. 'I'll learn from this one. Unless you live. You want to live, right Vizent?'

She started crying, the only way her bloodstained face was ever going to be cleaned. O'Rock smiled.

'This hurts, doesn't it?' he said, scraping the knife across Vizent's cheek, close to a large scar. They nodded. 'Good.'

April was ordered to secure the patient to the table as their surgeon placed the black crystal into their torso. It glowed a dark, blood-red. The symbol lovingly carved into it turned a bright yellow as it spread throughout Vizent's body. As they noticed their blackening veins they screamed louder and louder. As those burst from the pressure, sharp, almost metallic spikes grew out of them on her forearms and legs. Their hands turned into razor-sharp claws, armored by a substance harder than obsidian. The ΩOrca protected itself with black ribs that wrapped around Anna's torso.

'On the first try, too,' he examined, admiring his creation. 'I'd call that an honest day's work.'

'I'd say it's an affront to nature, but same difference, sir,' April grumbled. 'What are we going to do with the rest of them?'

O'Rock grinned. 'We'll just kill them off. No reason to have them around anymore.'

'And if Omahorn finds out?'

'He'll celebrate us for getting rid of the pests. Now, fetch me a glass of whiskey, will ya, assistant?'

# data[].attributes.body
'Anna?' Jacque shouted. 'Are you down there?'

'Of course, she's down there. She's in jail, idiot,' Crimson snapped. 'And you aren't gonna help her if you're up here. Good luck getting out alive!'

'Thanks, Crimson,' Astra said. 'C'mon. Let's get this over with.'

The basement was even colder than she remembered, and Vizent's cell was even smaller. Astra gave her gift to Jacque as she unlocked and propped the door open.

'Hi, Viz,' she said calmly. 'I brought you something.'

Vizent blankly stared, unaware of their visitor. Astra placed another loaf of bread and a small mug of water. They didn't even glance at it.

'Do you remember me? I came by a while ago,' she asked. Vizent didn't respond. 'Have you met my friend Jacque?'

He waved through the prison bars, too afraid to step in himself. Vizent shook her head.

'I brought you some food,' she said, tapping the piece of bread. 'I think you'd like it a lot. Can you try it for me?'

Vizent shook her head.

'Please? Just a bite or two?'

Vizent hesitantly took the loaf, picking at it with her dirty, bloody fingernails. She only ate a crumb. Astra congratulated them for their minimal- nonexistent- effort, offering them the mug. They refused.

'I'll hold it for you. You don't have to touch it, okay?' she said. 'Can you take a sip? Just one?'

Vizent refused.

'You need water, Anna. Just like how you need food, you need to drink this,' she pleaded. 'Do you want Jacque in here too?'

Vizent nodded slightly, and she called Jacque over. He sat next to her, took the mug from Astra, and held it out to Vizent.

'Hi, Anna,' he said. 'I got some water for you. You like water, right?'

Vizent nodded, reluctantly taking a swig from the mug.

'Yeah, there you go. I've heard you've been running around without me,' Jacque laughed. Astra discretely held the dagger to the orca's rusty chain. This is it. This is my final chance. 'Anna? Is something-'

Vizent grabbed Astra's hand, squeezing it with all their might. She pulled away, but Vizent refused to let go.

'Jacque! The orca! Get it off them!' she shouted, struggling to keep Vizent's teeth as far away from her as she could. 'Hurry!'

Jacque grabbed the blade as Vizent knocked it out of the way. The squelching sound of breaking bone and torn flesh echoed through the cell. Astra's forearm had a deep, nasty bite mark that was gushing blood.

'Astra!' Jacque cried, dragging her away from that blood-soaked thing. The chains holding her back looked weak. If Anna pulled hard enough, they'd rip right off. 'I'll get you outta here. We can come back when she's... when she's feeling better.'

'We have to stay! We won't get another chance, Jacque!' she cried, holding her bloody forearm. Vizent's mouth was drenched in it, its eyes lacking remorse. It finally got some food it could actually consume. 'They're going to kill her!'

'No, they are not. They can get within a few feet of her. I don't want to leave her either, but I don't want to watch you bleed out. We're leaving. Before she gets-'

Vizent growled and wailed, the chains shaking as she pulled and pulled on the rusty chains before they ripped themselves off the wall. It was free, and the first thing it did was lunge at its friends. Jacque pulled Astra out of the way as Vizent slammed her head into the wall. The cellar shook and the cellar door slammed shut.

'Anna! I know you're still in there!' Astra cried. 'You can break through this! I know you can!'

'Crimson! Crimson!' Jacque yelled, banging on the cellar bars. 'Open the door! Open the door!'

Vizent shouted and pounced again, hitting the bars and knocking a tooth out. It winced at the pain as it stared at their victims. What are they doing? What is she doing? These are your friends. What are you doing?! Help her up, A-

'What on god's green earth happened down here?!' Crimson shouted, stumbling into the horrific sight. Astra was bleeding, Jacque was pleading, and that monster stood in horror. Crimson stared at the chains on the ground. 'I'm going to kill you, Vizent.'

'Crimson! Stop! You don't understand!' Astra shouted. 'It was an accident! I can explain!'

'Viz... I know you're angry, but we can talk this through!' Jacque offered.

'That thing can't talk anymore,' Crimson said coldly. 'Maybe they should put it out of its misery.'

'Don't you dare side with them!' Astra cried. 'You don't know what they've done!'

'And you do?' he asked. Astra, truly, had no clue, even if she refused to admit it.

'Crimson, don't argue! Just do what you're told and get us outta here!' Jacque cried. He complied, reaching for the door, but Vizent got to Astra first. It maniacally bit into her shoulder, skin breaking off the wound before Jacque could yank Astra away. There was an aggressive cry that shattered the eardrums of everyone on the entire continent. Crimson was tugging with all his might on the rusty chains attached to Vizent's neck, choking the life out of them. They stared blankly before collapsing face-first on the cold, dusty ground. He quietly opened the door.

'Now what?' he asked.

'We have to get out of here. All four of us,' Astra explained, holding her bright red shoulder. 'Jacque, carry Vizent.'

'We should take you to a medic first,' Crimson said. 'You'll bleed out before you step foot outside.'

'We don't have time. The higher-ups are planning something. Some surgery. Operation Ω, or something like that. And I think we were all supposed to be the patients,' Astra said. 'If we go to them like this, we'll either be killed on the spot or forced into surgery.'

Crimson and Jacque stared at each other. The latter pick up Anna in his arms, trying to help Astra up the stairs and out of the cellar.

# data[].attributes.body
'Astra! Just tell me what's wrong! Why are we running?' he cried, chasing her through the winding halls of the unfamiliar palace.

'Not here!' she shouted. The two must've run a mile before they stopped at the door with ROUT etched on the nameplate. 'In there... I'll tell you everything in there...'

Jacque wiped the drops of sweat of his forehead. 'Please do... Was all this running necessary? You could've fallen.'

'Oh please. I've never tripped,' she snapped, swinging the door open. Crimson sat on his own bed and waved to the duo. 'Hey, I'm back. How're you feeling?'

'No better since yesterday. Hey, Jacque,' he responded. 'Weren't you just in here? What do you want now?'

'Jacque, hold him down,' Astra instructed. He blindly followed, gently grabbing the goblin's arms and legs. 'I promise you, Crimson, this will not hurt.'

'What're you doing? Have you lost your minds?!' he shouted. 'Get off me!'

'Jacque, sh-shut him up!' she ordered.

She held her dagger, snatching Crimson's orca from his pocket. The wizard did as he was told, and did not let go. 'What is wrong with you?! Let go of me!'

'Jacque! Shut him up!' she shouted. 'It'll be over in a moment. You just have to trust us!'

Astra breathed in, and plunged her dagger into the shining orca. The thin exterior crumbled into its goopy innards.

'That's the last one... all we need now is Vizent's,' she sighed. 'Here's the plan. Jacque and I will visit Vizent, and Crimson will keep watch. Sound good guys? Guys?'

He screamed and fell to his knees, eye watering in pain. Jacque grabbed and shook him.

'What did you do, Astra?' he asked coldly.

'I... I don't know! You were fine! I was fine! I don't know what happened!' she cried in frustration. 'Is he okay?'

'I'm fine, I'm fine. I just... didn't expect it, that's all,' Crimson mumbled. 'Why do you wanna see Vizent so bad? It's in the basement, we're not allowed down there.'

Does it look like I care about following the rules right now?'

'Yeah.'

'You always look like that,' Jacque pointed out. 'And who's in the basement?'

'Anna. Anna's locked in the basement. You guys have to help me. Please,' she pleaded.

'Ugh... the short one?' Crimson rolled his eye. 'She's so annoying. Do we have to?'

'You don't understand! She's gone completely feral!' she cried. 'If we don't help her, they'll kill her on the spot! Please! You don't have to see her.'

'Take us to her,' Jacque said. 'Preferably quickly.'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 14-5b: Do It. He Needs Your Help.

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Act 2 World 14-5b: Do It. He Needs Your Help.

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Jacque's room only gets colder. His bed is crammed in the corner, and his orca sits on the straw mattress. Astra glared at it. It's all your fault, she thought to herself. That thing was why he was trapped in this endless nightmare. She pulled out her dagger and crept to his bed. His teeth were chattering and he was mumbling to himself.

'I'm sorry if this hurts, Jacque. I just want to warn you, even if you can't hear me.'

She raised her dagger, stabbing through the disgusting gem. It held onto her blade, and it was tossed carelessly on the floor. The goop remained, but the glassy exterior shattered. His breathing slowed, and he stopped mumbling. His body relaxed, and the room seemed just a little warmer.

'Jacque? Jacque, can you hear me?' she cried, shaking his shoulder. He didn't respond. 'Jacque? Jacque? Wake up! Jacque, please, wake up! Wake up!'

Jacque did not get up.

'Jacque!' she shouted, tears streaming down her face. 'Jacque! Don't die on me!'

Astra begged him to get up, her face soaked in tears. It's your fault, it's all your fault. The orca's insides seeped into wood flooring, the shards of it as sharp as glass.

'Jacque... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...' she sobbed, choking out the syllables through quickening breaths. 'I... I couldn't even save you... I'm sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't help you... I didn't... I wasn't...'

A warm hand was placed on her shoulder. The bed creaked, and she wasn't the only person breathing in the room anymore.

'J... Jacque?'

'Is something wrong, Astra?' he asked, the light in his eyes. His soul. Himself. After two or so months of misery, Jacque Métiers was back from the grave. 'Are you crying?! You're able to do that?'

She just hugged him and sobbed.

'Astra? Are you feeling alright? What happened? Did I do something wrong?'

'No... you did nothing wrong,' she cried. 'I'm so happy you're safe... I'm so glad...'

'Did I get mugged or something?' he chuckled.

'That... thing...' she stammered, pointing at the magenta puddle of goop on the ground. 'It almost killed you! You couldn't wake up. So I destroyed it! It's not there anymore, see?'

Jacque stared at the goopy mess. 'That's... odd. Thank you, A- Is Crimson here?'

'Yes! I'll go tell him you woke up!' she darted out of the room.

'Alright! I'll still be here...' he said, standing up and meandering around his 'room.' How long did I sleep for? This place is a mess! he thought, staring at the dusty books stacked to the ceiling. He summoned one from the top of a pile, effortlessly flipping through the floating book. It was a book filled to the cover with corny poetry. I wasn't reading this garbage, was I? Maybe I was more out of it than Astra thought. The wardrobe was even worse, philosophical poetry was piled high in the corners. Jacque shuddered and took the purple vest off its hook. It no longer smelled like soap (or, at least not the soap he uses). Astra bolted back into the room, no cyclops in tow.

'Astra? Where's Crimson?' he asked.

'You have to help me.'

'What? What happened? Is he okay?'

'If that orca stays in his pocket, he won't be.'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 14-5a: Someone's Daughter/Delegated

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Act 2 World 14-5a: Someone's Daughter/Delegated

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'Any symptoms for you, ma'am?' the medic asked.

'No.'

'Please, miss Roloc, your friends aren't in here. You have to be honest with me. Insurance fraud is a federal crime in Tón Bleu.'

'I feel fine,' Leeh said.

'Please. I lived in Lingcod for several years. I even owned a motel there. Diseases run amok there, miss. C'mon now. Honesty is the best policy.'

'You lived in Lingcod? You owned an inn there?' Leeh asked in shock.

'Oh yes! Ah, simpler times. According to Zorah's report, you stayed at its remnants. Did you enjoy it? Oh please tell me! Was it as luxurious as it was in my younger years?'

'Does luxury involve a satanic ritual?' Leeh asked. The doctor shook his head in surprise. 'Then not really. Your place was falling apart.'

'Falling apart?! He must've ripped that place up... all for a green chest...' the medic sighed, wiping his dry eyes. 'Well... I hope that women is long gone-'

'This green box?' Leeh asked, pulling the green box out of her bag.

'By the stars and Gods above, how did you get this?!' the physician exclaimed.

'Scott found it under the floorboards,' Leeh explained, handing the box over. The medic inputted an eight-digit code and used a key around his neck. The box popped open. As the medic looked at each one longingly, dozens of photos flew out of the box. A scrap of paper fell to the ground. He paid it no mind. 'What's that one?'

'Oh. Some paper scrap I was given. A guest in my hotel vanished. That was all that was left of that Ebonyxite woman. I just hope she found peace,' the doctor said. 'Now, never mind all this. Your injuries?'

Leeh picked up the paper, completely ignoring the medic's warnings. The handwriting was in quaint, neat cursive, and it uncannily resembled Leeh's. It was dated exactly twelve years ago. It was an apology, of sorts, to this lady's daughter- a plead for forgiveness after this woman had run away to the western continents to escape the Cavern's terrifying general. Leeh's hands were trembling, shaking in rage and despair.

'That letter,' the medic said. 'I got it twelve years ago. She told me to give it to someone just like her. That's you, isn't it?'

'Unfortunately.'

The man tried to comfort her, but she didn't need it. Leeh W. Roloc could handle this mess later. Any normal person would never associate themselves with an O'Rock- at least not knowingly. Leeh walked out of the medic's office. Her friends were waiting for her. She had a world to save, and her mother wouldn't get in her way.

'He didn't show up again?!' O'Rock cried, flipping through the reports. As usual, Astra was fine, Crimson improved significantly since the last test, and Vizent...

Vizent did good enough.

'Yes sir. He didn't show up for the assessment... as usual...' April sighed. 'Should we do something about this? It's been over a week since Vizent returned.'

'And we're sure he's not dead?' he confirmed.

'Nope. Other than this and the battle scars, he's in perfect condition,' April explained. 'I say we s-'

'You don't get a say in this. Omahorn and I do,' O'Rock snapped. 'Pour me a glass, will you? I'll get him off our plate in the morning.'

This was his ninth class of whiskey in the past four hours. April groaned, pouring the general another cup anyway. If he dies of alcohol poisoning, Matthias or Anastasia would take over. And that wouldn't be so bad.

Astra emerged from the past after a grueling hour of 'guard duty' and ran straight into Matthias.

'What were you doing down there?' he asked. Astra tried to answer but he shut her up. 'That was a rhetorical question. I don't really care. How's Vizent?'

'She's... It's... it's better. Better than usual...' Astra stammered. 'It's just hungry, that's all.'

'Anything specific?' Matthias questioned. 'Did it try, at least?'

'Yeah. Not hard, but they tried,' she said, closing the cellar door. 'Do you need something?'

'O'Rock needs a report. On your friends,' he said. 'Nothing much, just progress checks for Operation Ω.'

'From me?'

'No, he wants me to do it, but I don't care enough, so I'm delegating the task to you,' he said. 'Oh, and also, don't take Vizent's muzzle off. It isn't pretty.'

'I wouldn't dream of it...'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 14-4c: There is Nothing. You Couldn't Have Done Something?

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Act 2 World 14-4c: There is Nothing. You Couldn't Have Done Something?

# data[].attributes.body
The door creaked so slowly. The wails it made will haunt me forever. The stairs groaned, and the sight of Vizent sitting there, all by herself, locked away, never to see the light of day... It sickened me, but I had to keep going. She needs us... my family needs me. What would they do without me?

'Vizent? Are you in there?' she asked, swiftly unlocking the door to her cell. It was so cramped, but so spacious at the same time. Rubble was piled so high in the corner, that the floor cracked underneath the weight. The drab, gray, stone walls grew moss between the cracks. There was blood splattered on the walls. Vizent herself was chained loosely to the leftmost wall by her wrists and her neck. She could move but had no drive to. They wouldn't have gotten far, anyway. The solid stone hid her horrific condition, and the bars of the cell only went halfway down the wall. 'Vizent?'

Astra carefully propped the door open with a stone, staring at the orca chain tightly to her chest. It was cracked, barely holding itself together. Its gooey innards acted as a glue of sorts, but it slowly leaked and dripped onto the hard, stone flooring. 'How are you feeling?'

Vizent's eyes were extremely bloodshot, her eyelids heavy, and her under-eyes even heavier. Dried blood stained her lips and fingers. There was a nasty infection on the right side of her face. No one in the palace knew where it was from. When she was allowed upstairs, Jacque refused to look at it. Vizent's mask was taken off, deemed too much of a hazard by Anastasia. She got to keep the cape, though. It was keeping her warm, Astra observed. Vizent was shaking aggressively, trying to claw the witch's muzzle off her face. The iron contraption attached to her whole head, its iron tongue depressor kept her from speaking and- even better- biting. It was unlike any gossip muzzle Astra saw in her hometown, but she chalked it up to a cultural preference.

'Anna? Can you hear me?'

Vizent glared at her but nodded. Astra breathed a sigh of relief. Saving her might be possible after all. And if she can do it, Crimson and Jacque can too.

'Hi, Anna. I brought something for you,' Astra said, tossing a loaf of bread at Vizent's feet. She stared at it, struggled to stand, then kicked it back to her visitor. 'It's for you. I- Do you want me to take the muzzle off first?'

Vizent slid back to the ground, nodding. Astra took her time, then gently slid the witch's muzzle off Vizent's face. She immediately scratched and picked at her eyes, licking the dried blood off her lips. Astra helped her, taking a damp washcloth and rubbing gently. She still looked exhausted, but she looked less like vermin and more human. Astra handed Anna the bread again. Vizent ripped it out of her hands, scarfing it down in a split second.

'There you go. Nice and easy. Try not to choke on it, okay Anna?' Astra almost laughed at Anna's grotesque state, but shook it off. You're here to help, not to hurt.

'Who?' Vizent mumbled.

'What? Did you say something?'

'Who... who's... are you?' she asked, stumbling over her words. 'You. An... na? Anna?'

'No, you're Anna. I'm Astra. Do you remember me?' she asked, sitting next to Vizent. She didn't get too close, just in case.

'How... how do I...?'

'I'm... I'm a close friend of yours,' Astra said. 'You met me on a quest you and your friends were on. Do you remember that?'

Vizent shook her head but began to nod. She remembers.

'It was you and two of your friends. Leeh and Scott? Do you remember them?' she asks. Vizent eagerly nodded. 'That's great to hear. I was friends with your friends. I saw them recently. They really miss you.'

Vizent stared at the ground. Does she know the difference between the people she tried to kill and Leeh and Scott? Gods, I hope not. It'd make this easier... 'I can try to help you see them, but you'll have to trust me. Can you do that for me, Anna?'

'What... What did... friends do, Astra?' Vizent asked.

'They... they saved lives, Anna. You and your friends helped a lot of people- including me and my friends. You remember them, right?' she explained. Vizent shook her head. 'You and Jacque were real close. Tall, Bleuazulian in purple?'

'Him?'

'Yes. That was Jacque,' she said. 'Do you remember Crimson?'

'No. Don't... don't want... to...' Vizent mumbled.

'That's okay, Anna. Your adventure was full of great things. It was amazing, you know that?'

'Yeah.'

'I remember... about... about... sea...' she said.

'The underwater kingdom? Oh boy, do I wish I had gone with you guys! It was a blast!' Astra exclaimed. Vizent grinned slightly. 'You're friends are amazing. And they miss you a lot.'

'Quest-giver.'

'What?'

'Who... who is... is he?' Vizent stammered.

Oh. No. Not that, anything but that! What do I say? What should I say? Is there anything I could say?! Astra sighed. 'He's... he's... well...'

'Is he why... why I am... here?' Anna asked.

'No! No... Gods no.' Astra clarified.

'Then... then...' she stammered, grabbing Astra's arm, and pulling her closer. 'Who?'

'It doesn't matter. I'm getting you out, Anna.' Astra said. Vizent crumpled into Astra. Astra wrapped her arms around her. Anna Vizent reciprocated.

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 14-4b: Lunatics in Sight-Seeker's Sanctuary

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Act 2 World 14-4b: Lunatics in Sight-Seeker's Sanctuary

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Zorah stood at a small shop stand in the town's normal plaza. Her friends had stayed behind, and if Zorah found nothing of note, they'd enter in the afternoon. It wasn't ideal, but Leeh refused to take any risks with Scott. Thankfully, Leeh provided an extremely detailed list of what to look out for.

'Excuse me?' she asked. The shopkeeper stared, offering her his full attention. 'Is there a medic in this village, by any chance?'

'A medic? What town wouldn't have a physician's office?' he asked. 'Why?'

'I was... I was just wondering. He isn't an actor, right?'

'No? Why would he be?' the shopkeeper asked.

'No... no reason...' she stammered. 'Thank you, sir.'

'Anytime, ma'am.'

Zorah refused to look back, even when she realized she had never asked where this man's office was. No one else in the village would talk; if they did, they would say nothing of value. Every single person gave her a funny look.

Her next bet was the local worship house, a common social hotspot. Bleuazulian preachers were talking to a giddy group of young children. In the far back, a fantastical marble statue sat. It was beautiful and, best of all, not abandoned.

'Excuse me? Excuse me? Do you know where the physician resides?' she asked the minister.

'Oh, désolé les enfants... Yes, I w- Ma'am? Are you okay? Par les dieux, what happened to you?'

Zorah raised an eyebrow. 'I'm sorry?'

'We mustn't talk here,' he mutters. 'Traces de sang dans la maison du roi... Pauvre fille... I'll talk outside, but only briefly.'

The preacher pushed her out the door and ushered her to follow him behind the worship house. Zorah grasped her blade but didn't reveal it—not yet.

'What's your story? Got attacked by an animal or something?' he asked.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' she warns. 'I have blessed water in my back pocket.'

'As do I, miss traveler,' he said. 'Look... I'll be frank. Do you know what condition you're in?'

'Excuse me?'

'Lady! You're covered head-to-toe in blood!' he sighed, taking plenty of deep breaths. 'I'm calling for the medic. Gods, give your toughest battles to someone else for a single weekend...'

Scott was propped against a tree. The sun shone brightly above, and Zorah still hadn't returned. Leeh sighed; Zorah had forgotten, hadn't she? After a decent struggle, Scott was pulled to his feet, and they began searching, only to be met with silence and strange stares. A preacher was outside the local tavern, struggling to light a cigar with a spell. He rolled his eyes when he saw the travelers.

'You from around here?' he called out.

'We're just looking for someone,' Leeh responded. 'You haven't happened to see any Pyrovovians around here, have you?'

'So what if I have?' the preacher snapped.

'We have to find her. She's lost,' Scott explained, but his words were jumbled from the little medication Leeh had on hand. None of them were painkillers.

'Haven't seen her,' the preacher stammered, refusing to look up from his cigar. 'The deputy was talking to me about an armored lady. You should seek him out.'

'Thanks, mister,' Leeh said. She turned to Scott. 'When we find her she's a dead man.'

She turned to ask the minister where the sheriff's office was, but he was long gone.

The sheriff's office was old and musty, the only cell dusty and unlocked. The sheriff had been out of town for who knows how long, and the deputy had fully taken over. He wasn't any better at it.

'An armored Pyrovovian?' the deputy cried. 'Haven't seen one of them since the war.'

'We need to find her,' Leeh explained. 'Are you absolutely sure you haven't seen her anywhere?'

'Ouais... maybe a few months back,' he sighed. He spoke with rhythm, forcing syllables out of his mouth like clockwork. 'But not recently... What's she look like?'

Leeh got about a sentence in before the deputy stood up and dragged Scott into the holding cell, and Leeh not long after. He called out his hollowed window, then the minister came in.

'Sorry, bounty hunters. Not today,' he laughed.

'Bounty hunters?! Are you nuts?' Leeh shouted, the bars bent from her fists. 'The second I get my hands on you...'

'You two ignorant idiots made her hysterical, and we've had to deal with her. If she recognizes you, you're the dead man. Deputy Neal?'

The man trudged back into his office, his posture even worse than before. He was lazily dangling a toothpick in his mouth. 'What? If you don't quit your yappin'...'

'Neal, I ain't got all day,' the preacher said. 'Just because you don't attend sermons doesn't I don't. I'm a busy man, so let's hurry this up.'

'You're the one makin' a big deal outta all this,' Neal rolled his eyes. Zorah walked in, clean and armorless. The buckets of blood from the Theocratic were scrubbed off. She smelled of pink peppercorns. 'Are these your stalkers, ma'am?'

'Stalkers?! What're you talking about? Those are my friends! He's why I needed the medic!' she exclaimed, pointing at Scott.

'Hi Zorah!' he waved. Zorah reciprocated. 'What're you doing in jail? What'd you do?'

'She's not the one in jail,' the deputy mumbled. 'You are. But you'll be hanged soon enough.'

'They aren't stalking me!' Zorah shouted. 'Don't execute them!'

'Ugh... You're no fun, miss. The gallows haven't been used in ages!' he muttered.

'Neal! Shut your piehole! And let the travelers out, will ya?' the priest ordered. Neal rolled his eyes, but he did it. 'Sorry about the confusion. Let's get you three to the medic.'

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'So... Leeh,' Zorah whispered. Leeh hadn't said a word since she had come out of the inn. She was the one cradling Scott in her arms. 'What did you do to make him run off like that?'

'Nothing,' she replied. 'Why?'

'You can be honest. Scott isn't going to hear you.'

'I didn't do anything,' Leeh snapped. 'Now leave me alone.'

'I won't think less of you,' Zorah assures. 'Please. I've been honest with you, so please be honest with me.'

'I have no reason to. What's done is done. I did what I had to, Zorah,' Leeh mutters. The trail to Beryl wasn't egregious, but it was long, and it wasn't a cakewalk. Not with someone in your arms, at least.

'You can be honest with me,' she responds, staring at the tall mountain ash trees. 'You don't have to fear me. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help you guys save V- Anna, but I can't do much if you aren't honest. Please, Leeh. What did you do?'

'I... It doesn't matter,' she said. 'Just drop it! It isn't any of your business.'

'It does matter, Leeh,' Zorah argued. 'It's the trust factor, Leeh. I trusted you, now you have to trust me. You would trust Anna, wouldn't you?'

'She's like a sister to me. You're not Anna, and you never will be. And you'll never replace her.'

'I'm not trying to, Leeh.'

'Good.'

I did it. The liquid magic is oozing all over the floor. My dagger shot straight through it. It cracked like an eggshell. I did it.

I did it! I'm free, I'm free! I can't believe I had the guts to do that. I have to-

'Astra?' a gruff voice was at the door. She scrambled to shove the bleeding orca under her bed. Astra's room was the tidiest of the four. Everything had its place and everything was in its place. The voice knocked. 'Astra?'

'I'm coming!' she called, opening the door. 'Hi, Crimson. How are you feeling?'

'Better,' he mumbled. O'Rock had taken the bandages around his head off a few days ago. Crimson had to learn how to walk all over again. It was heartbreaking for Astra. Jacque didn't even notice. 'What about you?'

'I... I'm doing great... I'm glad you are too,' she stammered. 'Do you want to go see Jacque?'

'Sure. Where's he been?' he asked. Crimson clung to the wall. Despite his speedy recovery, he was struggling to make any progress. April wasn't as good of a trainer as King Omahorn thought, but she was too determined to give up on the only other person she could make eye contact with- without snapping her neck, at least.

'I have no idea. He's been in the library a lot,' Astra remarks. 'Have you been in there yet?'

'Too many stairs,' Crimson laughed.

Jacque's room was tightly locked. It always has been, but recently, the door's been locked whether he's in there or not. There was a brass plate with MÉTIERS etched into it hanging on the door. Astra knocked.

'Jacque. It's me. Can you open the door, please?'

There was nothing but silence, which was normal. Jacque rarely spoke anymore, not without King Omahorn's permission, at least. O'Rock found it funny when Jacque went in for examinations, asking him all these questions and saying all these insults. Métiers was shaking with rage by the end of it, but he didn't utter a word. The door remained closed.

'Jacque? Open the door, please. It's just Crimson and me,' she knocked louder. 'Jacque? It's us. You can open the door.'

'We don't bite, Jacque!' Crimson laughed.

'Well... you've bitten people before, Crimson...'

'Astra! That's not the point,' he laughed. 'How'd you even remember that?'

She knocked again, this time much louder. Silence. 'Jacque, if you don't open this door, I'm getting Crimson to rip it off its hinges. Open. The. Door.'

The silence grew louder and louder until Crimson rammed into the door so hard it flew open, slamming against the wall with a loud whack! Jacque was lying on his bed, curled into a ball, facing the wall. He didn't seem to notice their ear-splitting arrival. His room was messy, but not concerningly so, unlike Vizent's (her room was a biohazard before she was moved to the basement). His room just had half the library inside of it. His purple hat sat unworn on the chest, collecting dust like his hung vest. Other than that, his room was lived-in at best. It paled in comparison to Astra or Crimson's rooms.

'He's sleeping? Didn't he do that yesterday?' Crimson asked. 'Dude! Wake up, man!'

'No, Crimson. That's not necessary,' Astra said, putting her hand on Jacque's back. He was shivering, his quilt thrown sloppily on the floor. She picked it up and dropped it on top of him. He was still shivering, but he slowly calmed down after a few minutes. 'We can see him tomorrow, how's that sound?'

'Alright. It's the middle of the day though. Why's he snoozin' so much?'

'I... I don't know. Best we leave him to it. How about I walk you back to your room?'

Crimson sighed. 'Alright. I'll race you.'

'No! Crimson... Ugh... You're impossible sometimes...' Astra sighed, walking to Jacque's door. 'I'm going to visit Vizent. I'll be back soon. Sleep well, Jacque.'

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Leeh bolted awake in a cold sweat to the aggressive screams of her friend. She ran to the door, shaking the door knob. It refused to open, no matter how hard she kicked and punched.

'Scott!' she cried. 'Scott! Don't worry, I'm coming to get you!'

Leeh searched her nightstand, finding a metal rod and picking the lock. By the time she busted the door down, the innkeeper and his prey were gone. Leeh cursed herself, rushing down the stairs and following the muffled screams of her friend.

'Scott? Scott, where are you?!' she shouted. 'What did you do with my friend, you freak?'

'That's no way to treat your host, Roloc,' a man murmured, his voice filling the room. There was nobody attached to it.

'This is no way to treat your guests,' she argued. 'Let him go!'

'Let him go? Let him go?!' Cas shouted. 'Why on earth would I let such a good sacrifice go to waste, dear? The Ender of worlds will sing my praises for the rest of their immortal days! Let him go! Hogwash! I expected nothing more from a cave dweller of your caliber. I'll strike you a deal. If you can find us in less than an hour, I'll let him go, and you'll replace him. Deal?'

'Deal,' Leeh said. She already had a plan.

'Your timer starts now. Good luck,' he chuckled. Leeh wasn't just ready. She was fully prepared, and by the time he finished laughing, she had already solved four of his insignificant puzzles, obtaining a key and a couple of matches. Wax covered the underside of the bar's counter, so she melted it with the wax in exchange for a key to the kitchen. The second key went to the cupboard, where a simple tile puzzle awaited her. Leeh solved the children's toy in under a minute and obtained the edge of a torn piece of paper: 92. Leeh heard Cas's dull breaths from behind the cabinet. Found you.

'How?!' he cried. 'How did you do that so quickly?!'

'You're saying that like that was supposed to be hard,' Scott said. The man had stabbed and chained him to the wall, using his blood to write a demonic sigil behind and beneath him. Scott seemed unfazed, but Leeh saw his body tremble when Casimir stood up. There was an open, bleeding wound below his arm and bite marks on his shoulders and neck.

'You might have impressed me, Ebonyxite,' the man spat. 'But you have forgotten the last part of our deal.'

'No, no I haven't,' she said. 'You're just forgetting someone.'

'What? What're you talking about?' the necromancer stammered. 'There's three of you?!'

'How did you forget about Zorah in like, four hours?' Scott asked.

'Oh. The Pyrovovian. I suppose she is a tad forgettable... compared to the other guests I've sl- hosted,' he corrected.

Zorah knocked gently on the wall, blade in hand. Leeh waved and the necromancer's face paled. 'Oh no you didn't...'

'Zorah, get Scott out of here. And for the gods's sake, take his shirt with you,' Leeh ordered. Zorah complied, helping Scott off the wall. Cas tried fighting her but Leeh held him back. She only let go when they were out of sight. 'You're going to tell me exactly what you did to him.'

'Why? You aren't going to get the Darkness's attention before me...' he gasped.

'By the time I'm done with you, I won't have to try very hard,' Leeh said, her voice cold and harsh. 'Your king will fear me. Now talk, if you know what's good for you.'

'Good luck with that, softie,' he laughed.

'Don't test me, necromancer. I'm stronger than I look,' she muttered. 'I'll only give one more chance. Talk!'

'Over my dead body, filth,' he laughed. 'Your friend was delicious.'

'You're disgusting.'

'Cleaner than you are, Eb-'

Leeh grabbed Casimir by the throat, squeezing the life out of him. She pushed him to the ground, summoning a bubblegum-pink forcefield around his neck. It was only large enough to fit his numbskull inside.

'What?! How did you... You monster!' he choked. 'You're a freak of nature! Spell-stealer!'

'Talk.'

'I'd never tell you! Choke me, torture me, I don't care! I'll never let you steal my rituals!' he yelled.

'Talk.'

'Didn't you hear me the first dozen times? Over my dead body!'

'Don't tempt me,' she said. 'Cave dwellers are good tunnelers.'

'Dig me a grave. It'll be your own in a second!' he reached for his knife, but Leeh got it first. She held it to his chest. 'Wait! Wait, wait. I'll talk, I'll talk!'

'Good,' she grinned. 'What were you going to do with him? With us?'

'Nothing you wouldn't want, Ebonyxite,' he laughed. 'That death spell your little friend had told me everything. Now I have it. You wouldn't want me to use it on you, right?'

'I told you to talk. Not to yammer. Tightening that field until your head pops isn't above me,' she promised, blood rushing down Casimir's face as he winced from the pain. 'Talk.'

'N-Never... You... You would never un-understand...' he gasped, clawing at the forcefield, tears streaming down his chiseled face.

'Prove it.'

'You'll never understand what that divorce did to me!' he cried. Leeh dropped the field and Cas screamed for air. 'You'll never understand what she took from me! This was the only option!'

'Running a murder motel in the middle of nowhere isn't going to fix your marital issues. And neither will sacrificing someone to the god of destruction. You need to work for it,' Leeh said. 'Didn't you have a son? Where'd he go?'

'He left to stay with his rotten mother! That witch took everything from me!' he cried.

'You need to see other people. Stop wallowing in self-pity. It isn't going to help you,' she said. 'You're pathetic. That's what you are. You're a weak excuse of a wizard and an even weaker necromancer. Grow up.'

Leeh walked out of the hidden room, grabbing Scott and Zorah's forgotten things. She saw the green lockbox and ripped it from the floorboard. Scott must have hidden it, or something. By the time she had returned downstairs, Casimir had vanished. Leeh glanced into the hidden room. The sigils disappeared with their maker, except for one:

Spare me, devil's reincarnation.

Scott and Zorah were waiting outside. His wound was patched as the bites were disinfected, but he looked extremely pale, almost sickly. The skull and crossbones etched into his upper arm had completely disappeared.

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Act 2 World 14-2b: Tick-Tock, You're on the Chopping Block!

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Act 2 World 14-2b: Tick-Tock, You're on the Chopping Block!

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It was still deep into the night, and Scott had failed to fall asleep. Unless he was going mad, it was close to midnight. He waited a few minutes, but the clock didn't chime for midnight. I should just check for myself, he thought. Not like I have anything else to do. He unlocked his door and gave it a weak tug.

Nothing happened. He tried again. Nothing happened. He tried again, much harder this time.

Still, nothing happened. Scott double-checked the lock and tried again. And yet, to his surprise, nothing happened. He tried looking through the peephole, but he was just shy of reaching it. He heard sharp breaths on the other side. What's that spell Jacque taught me? Scott thought. Trouve la vie que je recherche... something like that. The room became a mix of blues, and Scott saw his friends's red and orange outlines through the walls. A red one was behind the door, holding something in their hand. Scott was so thankful his door was jammed. The figure walked off, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He saw the figure do the same thing to his neighbor but heard the rattling of chains and a click. Did they lock them inside? No, he let himself in! Scott watched as the man crept to the person's bedside and lifted his arms. The body on the bed went from red, to orange, then to yellow. He heard a chuckle through the wall before the figure opened and then locked the door. Or, he tried, at least.

'Alex, you are so dead when you come back,' the man mumbled to himself. 'At least the rando didn't put up much of a fight. Now for the rest of them...'

Scott didn't dare to breathe as the man walked downstairs. That sounded like that Cas creep. I'd better get us outta here before we're mince meat!

Scott tried the drawers to the chest, which to his dismay, were all locked. He then checked the desk, which was dusty and empty. Something was stuck at the bottom, but it was covered in wax. He stared at the table again. Is that writing written in the dust? Who could've done that? I know I didn't, I can barely read Bleu, much less write in it! 187. 187? What does that have to do with anything?

Out of options, Scott looked around him. It must be a code for something, but for what was unclear. He checked the chest, but it had keyholes, not codes. He even checked between a few loose floorboards. He was greeted with a mysterious green and brass box with the initial A.O. etched into it, with another keyhole and an eight-digit code. Scott tried picking it up, but it was bolted to the inside of the floorboard. He even looked underneath his bed and saw a black object with a three-digit lock. Finally, something I can work with!

Scott struggled but eventually managed to flip the mattress over. A black lockbox was strapped to the mattress. he looked at the string of numbers again: 187. He copied it, trying to unlock the box. It didn't open. What? He glanced at the Bleu word again. It took him a while, but he realized something: it wasn't Bleu at all! It was the word 'palindrome,' just backward! Scott put two and two together. If palindrome and 187 are right next to each other, and palindrome is written backward...

Eureka!

Scott put 781 into the lockbox and it actually opened! There was a bit of kindling inside, which Scott lit with a spell, then lit the candle with the burning kindling. The candle successfully melted enough wax for the object to fall to the floor. A tiny metal rod no larger than Scott's middle finger. What? Scott examined it, noticing the protrusions and little divets. He looked at the door and jammed the rod inside, fidgeting until something clicked on the other side.

'All of this just to check the time...' Scott muttered. The large, impressive longcase clock was shattered and crumbled like a tin can, its bent pendulum sticking out of it. Oh. The clock was stuck at midnight, its gears and inside junks were scattered about. There was a small gear right at his foot. Scott pocketed it. Angry shouting rumbled the tavern as Scott fiddled with the gear. Where would something like this go? he wondered. Did that little green box have something like this? He didn't know, but it couldn't hurt to check, right? The sound of thundering footsteps closed in as he bolted into his room, locking the door.

'Scott... I know you're in there...' a mellow voice tapped on the door. 'I'm not going to hurt you... I promise...'

He didn't dare to breathe. The man laughed to himself.

'You're smarter than I thought,' he said. 'But I'm not one to play with my food, unlike those blubbering fools you met in the Mellows.'

Scott quietly examined the box, noticing the gear slot on the side of it. An oddly perfect fit. A small compartment opened beneath it. Torn piece of paper, 409.

'You can't lock yourself in there. You know how happy the world-ender will be impressed with this offering?' the man whispered. 'You and your Ebonyxite. I am not trying to scare you. You are too perfect to lose. If you tell anyone... It won't be pretty. Do you understand, w-'

Scott threw the door open, punching Casimir in the jaw. He collapsed to the ground, but not before grabbing his offering's leg.

'You... really thought...' Casimir gasped. 'Escaping will only hurt you. Your blood is rich. Rich for an Ivornixite, at least. I've had blanks come in before, all bleak and bland. You're the first I've seen with purpose. I can't wait to see you scream, no... beg for mercy. I'll make your friends watch. I'm sure they'll enjoy the show.'

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The inn's second floor was even worse than the first. A long corridor covered in dust reeked of blood and gods know what else. A clock stood at the edge of the hallway, making a unique chime for the end of every hour. There were six rooms, each with a single bed, a perpetually locked nightstand, a dying candle, and a pillaged timber box. A worn, mud-covered rug covered most of the loose, horizontal floorboards. A dusty table stood in the corner. It was terrible, but it was also free, so the three travelers couldn't complain too much. Scott took the room in the middle, trying to stay calm as a spite-filled conversation raged beneath him. Something about the lack of fresh meat. Something Scott didn't pay too much attention to.

The shouting raged on as the trio drifted of into an unpeaceful sleep. Cas did not look happy to see his son.

'I ask you to do one thing. One! A singular thing in this dump! And you can't even that right!' he berated. 'You should've stayed with your mother! Maybe some Indacove discipline could've done you some good!'

'Don't you dare bring my mother into this!' Alex shouted. 'You wanted to keep me anyway! What does my upbringing say about you, huh necromancer?'

'You only get in my way! You can't even do the craft yourself. Or even magic in general, if I may be so blunt,' he spat. 'You're a disappointment not only to this family but to the whole Bleuazulian race. How am I supposed to raise those fools if their buckets aren't kicked?!'

'I don't know! Figure it out!' Alex yelled. 'I hate every fiber of your existence. Go rot in a hole, you pathetic excuse of a father! I'm leaving!'

'Get back here! Alex!' his father yelled. 'Alex! Gods... now I've done it. I guess I'll do this all myself. You coward!'

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Plenty of towns were on the mountain itself, but there weren't many at its base. Thankfully for travelers, there is one: Lingcod Village settled on Lingcod Lake. Lingcod Village wasn't exciting, and it never really was, but the smell was what really intrigued travelers. The smell of beef, even though Bleuazulians never consumed it themselves.

'I've never seen this side of the mountain,' Zorah said. 'It's beautiful.'

'Yeah, sure is,' Leeh said. 'Look, let's just get this over with. He's not going to wait for us.'

The town's main square was bleak and colorless. The buildings were made of limestone, and there was a single remnant of a paint job. The only inhabited building was a small café with broken and boarded-up windows. A man was standing outside it, advertising his business.

'Are you three travelers?' he shouted over the empty streets. 'Yes! Yes, you three! We have a discount for folks like you!'

'We're just passing through, man,' Leeh said. 'We appreciate the offer though!'

'Oh please! The fog sets in about an hour! Our café doubles as an inn for weary folk like yourselves! Please, stay the night! We'll make it free!'

'We don't have time!' Scott explained. 'We have places to be.'

'Yeah! Like our café!' the boy laughed. 'C'mon, folks! Help us get some dough in these trying times!'

The place was small and cramped. There was only a single table and a ramshackle bar stuffed in the corner. The stairs were old and rustic, something more akin to the Atomic Canyon's taste than Tón Bleu's. The walls were a dull, dusty mustard yellow and the grey floorboards were musty and covered in dirt from the boots of dozens of adventurers long gone. The paneling was covered in dust and cobwebs. A man sat in the backroom and audibly gasped when the boy came inside with patrons.

'Alex? You actually did it?' the man asked. 'You actually brought in customers?'

'Yeah, of course I did!' he argued. 'Can I get paid this week or not?'

'We'll see. Welcome to Lingcod, travelers,' the gentleman scoffed. 'Can I comfort you with a spot of tea?'

'No, we're good,' Scott replied. 'We're just waiting out the fog.'

'The fog? Then you best get comfortable!' the man laughed. 'Alex! Get these fine folk a cuppa. On the house, folks, don't worry about this one.'

The trio were shoved into the only seats and awkwardly waited as the man and his son struggled to fill three cups fully.

'Sorry for the wait,' the man said. 'Enjoy it. While you still can.'

Leeh was the first to take a drink. It was a murky, washed-out rusty red and it smelled expired. Leeh didn't seem to notice, but Zorah did.

'Leeh, how are you drinking that? It's awful!' Zorah exclaimed.

'With my mouth? It tastes fine to me,' she responded. 'How's yours, Scott?'

He stared into the opaque, cloudy liquid and shuddered. There were small chunks of dust and pebbles swirling in his. 'I'm... not a tea guy.'

'Oh. Can I have it?' she asked. Scott shook his head. 'You're so lame.'

'And just how is everything? Are you enjoying the infamous Tón Bleu tea?'

'It's great! Thank you, sir,' Leeh said.

'Sir? Please, there is no need for sir,' the man chortled. Alex rolled his eyes. 'Folks call me Casimir, Cas for short. Are you staying for the night?'

'No. We're heading out when the fog clears,' Scott muttered.

'At dawn?' Alex said. 'So you're staying the night.'

'It appears so. Alex!' Cas ordered. 'Go prepare the rooms! Ladies, gentleman, we only have one rule in this inn: Don't go snooping around and keep drinking the tea.'

'That's two things,' Scott pointed out.

'Have a good stay, sir and ma'ams.'

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The Pyrope Theocratic was behind them now, thank the gods for that. Leeh was leading her group straight to Omahorn. They were going to finish this once and for all.

'Omahorn? Omahorn?' April shouted, rushing into the great hall. Matthias was holding a blue book, pointing at pictures. The king was rolling his eyes, barely paying attention. 'They're here! They're here! What do we do?!'

'Send the troops,' he responded sharply. 'Get O'Rock on standby. The citizens will be evacuated.'

'Yes sir!' she exclaimed, rushing off to warn the second-in-command. Omahorn sighed.

'What's going on?' Matthias asked. 'What happened?'

'Nothing I can't handle, Matthias. Get your sister out of here.'

'But sir!'

'That's an order, Matthias!' he snapped.

'Sir, what about you?' he cried.

'I'll be fine,' he said. 'I can handle Deimos. I have before. His ragtag team of minions don't scare me.'

'Sir?'

'What, Matthias?' he muttered.

'I... I'm not leaving you...' he said. 'Neither is Anastasia. We'll stay by your side.'

'I appreciate it, Matthias,' Omahorn replied. 'If you condemn yourself to die so brazenly, who am I to deny you such a thing?'

The trio stood in front of the seventeen-foot-tall, circular gate to the Ebony Caverns. It was made out of heavy bronze and supported by Pitch-Black Pyrolusite columns. A large, black diamond was fastened at the top, shimmering in the sun. Leeh's hands were trembling as she knocked on the door.

'Now... I gotta warn you,' she said. 'The higher-ups won't be too happy to see me.'

'Figured...' Scott replied.

A small Ebonyxite climbed to the sharp bars at the top of the gate. 'Who goes there?'

'It's me,' Leeh called.

'Me? That's an odd name, where're you from, Me?' he replied.

'Leeh W. O'Rock.'

'Oh no! No can do, miss!' the guard replied. 'Not allowed in.'

'I'm here to talk to my father,' she said. 'Let us in.'

'No can do! Not allowed in.'

'I'm not armed. My friends can stay outside if you want.'

'Nope!'

'What?' she snapped. 'Why not?'

'Lockdown, miss!' the soldier replied.

'We need to get inside!' Zorah pleaded.

'Not right now, you can't! The boss said lockdown. And he said something about green guys, but I don't know what that is, so I'm just pretending I didn't hear that part,' the guard said. 'So.... Scram! Before I get Randy Rib-Breaker!'

'Who's that?' Scott asked.

'Randy? He breaks ribs,' the guard said. 'He's really helpful at barbecues.'

'I'm sure he is...' Leeh rolled her eyes. 'We'll break yours if you don't let us in.'

'Whoa! Relax, relax! I don't do ribs. I'm Tommy Tibia-Tearer, not Tommy Rib-Tearer!' he cried. 'You're not allowed in, Wrist-Rupturer, and neither are your friends!'

Leeh groaned, trying to convince the guard otherwise, but he refused to budge. She only gave up when Tommy pulled out a crossbow.

'Ugh! There's no way we're getting in now!' Leeh sighed.

'Do people actually call you Wrist-Rupturer?' Scott asked.

'No. At least I hope not. I haven't heard anyone call me that since I left,' Leeh said. 'My initial's an initial for a reason.'

'Do you know of any other entrances to the Caverns, Leeh?' Zorah asked.

'There might be one from above, but I doubt it,' she replied. 'It wouldn't hurt to check. What do you think, Scott?'

'We have to hurry,' Scott said. 'We don't have much time.'

'We should take the forest route, it'll be harder for them to spot us!' Zorah explained. 'I guess we could teleport in.'

'Oh yeah! Why can't we do that Leeh?' Scott asked.

'It's complicated,' she said. 'You'll see it when we get inside.'

A small Ebonyxite rushed into the throne room of the Obsidian Palace, running straight into King Omahorn himself.

'Your loneliness!' the boy cried, falling to his knees. 'Forgive me!'

'What did you call me?' he asked.

'Your... Your Gruesomeness... Sir... I... I... The heroes have been successfully deterred!' he cried.

'Stop calling me that,' he said. 'Omahorn works just fine, Tommy. Where did you get such a vocabulary from?'

'Your Evilness, sir!' the boy cried. 'I-I used the library card you gave me your cruelness! 188 Wicked, Fear-Inducing Words to Call Your Evil Overlord, sir!'

'That's... That's fantastic, Tommy,' Omahorn said. 'The heroes gave up, I heard?'

'Yes your ignobleness!'

'Great job, Tommy,' Omahorn said. 'Return to your post. Continue evacuation until told otherwise. Can you relay that to your friends for me?'

'Yes, your nefariousness!'

# data[].attributes.body
Tón Bleu is one of the coldest places in the world, and the Bleuazulians inhabit it. They are some of the most advanced species, using Ebonyxite technology to travel around Mont Cuivre easily. Appreciate the warm sun, but the breeze will get you.

# data[].attributes.body
I can't deal with the ringing anymore. I've seen what the orcas do to people. Am I next? I can't be next, but I'm the only one left, the only one still sane.

I can't take it. I haven't worn the orca in three months, but I can still hear it day in and day out. That's it! I've had enough! I'm getting rid of it! I'm getting rid of all of them!

...

Omahorn initiated a kingdom-wide lockdown. Deimos is on his way.

# data[].attributes.body
Leeh had passed out a while earlier from exhaustion. Scott glared daggers at Zorah, who was carefully wrapping Leeh's arm and her other injuries. He insisted that he could wrap his wounds himself, but Zorah pleaded to help him. He didn't dare look her in the eye as she did so. Leeh was slumped over across from them, her tear-stained face illuminated by a small, swiftly dying lantern. Zorah gently cleaned off the excess blood with a damp rag, using another one to clean Scott's skin. He was leaning up against the walls of a small shelter in the fallen kingdom: a shed, by the looks of it. Rain softly fell on the tin roof as she poured small droplets of salty, honey-infused red wine. Scott winced at the stings, but it wasn't terrible. He finished wrapping his arms and legs and sat in silence. Zorah fiddled with her hair and he stared at the rainy window.

'Scott, I'm sorry, I didn't mean t-'

'It's fine.' he grumbled bluntly, staring at the wall, itching the stubble on his face. When had that gotten there?

'What?' she asked, bewildered at his cold response.

'I don't care. If you want to monologue, I'm not going to listen,' he said. 'If you're the heart of Omahorn's plans, I don't care. Either way, we're still going to confront him and you won't convince me otherwise, princess.'

'That's not what I meant,' she replied. 'I didn't want you guys to get hurt. That wasn't my intention. I'm truly sorry, Scott. For getting you hurt. For getting involved. This was truly never my business to begin with. But I'm going to fix everything, I assure you.'

'Fix it? Fix it?!' he turned to Zorah, his voice getting louder and angrier, but he lowered it when Leeh moved. 'You aren't going to fix anything. You're the reason Omahorn kidnapped and brainwashed my friends. You're the reason Anna's a monster now, aren't you? Leeh was covered in blood today because those twins followed us. They were looking for you, weren't they? All you've done is ruin our lives. How are you going to fix that, Zorah?'

'I know I've made things worse!' she argued, her eyes narrowing and her brows furrowing. 'And I know you're angry and tired and restless. But you don't know how I feel! I'm not some heartless monster!'

'Sure you aren't...'

'And I don't care you think that!' she stood up as her voice only got louder. 'But I'm going to try and fix it whether you like it or not!'

'You're going to wake Leeh,' he noted, his brows furrowing. 'Sounds like an ambitious plan of yours. Where could we find you if this blows up in your face and you have to hide somewhere?'

'You won't have to look. I won't hide anymore,' she said.

'Why? Did your boyfriend dump you or something?'

'Omahorn was not my boyfriend.' she retorted. Scott scoffed. Leeh's quiet breaths broke the silence as Zorah sat beside Scott. He stared at her, his face softer and calmer. Zorah fiddled with the hair loosely curling around her face.

'If you're going to help us save Anna like you wanted to,' he finally said. 'Then stay with us. I'm not going to stop you, but I'm not going to trust you either.'

# data[].attributes.body
Scott held the heavy doors open as Leeh ran out of the kingdom, Anna in tow. She kicked and screamed, biting and scratching and begging to be let go. Leeh tripped and scraped the palms of her hands. Anna tries to run away, but Scott tackles her, putting her in a headlock. She stopped fighting, stopped struggling for a moment. Leeh stands over her, kneeling to her height. Scott only tightens his grasp.

'Anna, you-' the monster elbows Scott in the knee, diving into Leeh and biting her. Leeh grabs her dagger, shoving the crazed, blood-soaked monster off her. Scott helped her to her feet and held his axe.

'You aren't a monster, Anna. And you never will be,' he growled, his face cold. Anna hisses, her mouth dripping with blood.

'I'm not a monster,' she snarls. 'I'm... I... I am...'

'You're what?' he asked. Leeh begs him to stop. 'Huh, Anna? You're what?'

Kriz's blade clangs against Anastasia's.

'Give up, Zorah!' she shouts. 'You're not going to win against two gem-enhanced soldiers.'

'Maybe I won't,' Kriz yells, her blade clanging off the Gemini's armor. 'But they will!'

'Who?' Matthias laughs. 'Those guys? Yeah! In their dreams.'

Matthias throws Kriz's dagger onto the icy, stone-cold pavement of the plaza. Anastasia punches her in the face and Kriz collapses to the ground. Kriz drags her down with her. Anastasia struggles for her blade, but Kriz gets it first.

'Kriz, just give up already! None of this would've happened if you had just kept your mouth shut! Omahorn has never, and will never lose to Deimos, Zorah.'

Kriz continues to struggle. Everything hurt, but she barely felt it. Not with the weight of guilt crushing every cell in her body. What if they are right? This was all my fault, isn't it? They're all going to die because of me. All because I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

'Keep struggling,' Anastasia snaps, holding her blade to Kriz's throat. 'And you'll be on the wrong side of history. You can do whatever you want, Lady Zorah. We'll spit on your grave either way.'

Zorah kicks Anastasia off her, grabbing her blade from her hands. 'You're just a coward. Wake up. Do you actually think Omahorn cares about you? He only keeps you two science experiments around because he's scared of what you can do. History can write me off as a villain all they want, but they'll never be able to say I was a fraud.'

'Answer me, Anna!' Scott shouts. 'What are you?'

'I'm not a failure!' she wails. 'You are! You all are! Failures, failures, failures!'

'Anna... you aren't a failure,' Leeh says. 'Omahorn is lying to you. You can break through this, I know you can. We can help you. You need to let us.'

Anna's face softens behind her mask, her mouth, shirt, and arms soaked in blood. Her face is bathed in tears. Her face distorts and she lunges at Leeh again, who jumps out of the way. She reaches for Scott instead, being deflected by his axe. The mask's fabric is left behind on his axe, a puddle of blood replaced it. Leeh incapacitated Anna, shoving her to the ground. Scott hands her the dagger, grabbing Vizent by her underarms. They nod to each other. She was kicking, gasping for air as she tried to escape. Her weapon is out of her reach, biting and gnashing doesn't help her much. Scott preserves through the stinging pain. Leeh holds her blade to the orca's chain. It's time to end this.

'We aren't trying to hurt you, Anna,' Leeh whispers gently, putting her hand on Vizent's shoulder. She stares back blankly. 'Trust us, please.'

'If we were going to kill you, you'd be dead by now,' Scott reassures. 'We don't mess around like those twins do.'

Leeh removed the heavy shackle the twins dragged Anna around with, tossing it in the frozen grass. 'See? No more shackles. They're all gone. There's only one left. This one.' she puts a bruised, bloody finger on the orca. Anna sniffled, choking on her tears. 'We're getting rid of it.'

Leeh puts her dagger under the rusty chain and starts pulling, the grinding sounds are insufferable. Anna starts trashing and pleading for mercy. Leeh's eyes well with tears and Scott tightens his grip. The dagger saws through the chain. Just before it snaps completely, Matthias and Anastasia materialize and hold the duo back. Anna growls and snarls at the twins, lungeing like a wild animal. The twin jumps back as Anna latches onto Leeh like a parasite. Scott rips Anastasia off her and grabs Anna. The monster tries to free herself, but Scott forces her back with all his might.

'Leeh!' Scott shouts. 'Run for it!'

'Not without you!' Leeh cried, elbowing Matthias in the chest. 'And not without Anna either!'

'Enough!' Anastasia orders, her teeth-conduits glowing with dark, vicious energy. The heroes drop to the ground, fully paralyzed by her magic. 'Vizent. We're leaving. Now.'

Vizent shrinks, stumbling behind the twins as they laugh. They're laughing, Leeh thought. Laughing as my friend is ripped away. We were so close. They'll kill her the second they return to the caverns. Leeh tried to hold her sobs, but she couldn't.

'No! Stop! Let her go!' she demanded.

'Yeah? And what're you two going to do about it when you're glued to the floor?' Matthias laughed, gripping Vizent's wrist tightly. She snarled but he shut her up. 'Like an O'Rock could care about anyone other than themselves. See ya later, suckers!'

'Have a miserable rest of your lives,' Anastasia taunts. 'In fact, burn in-'

A dagger buried itself deep into Anastasia's side. Matthias stopped dawdling and quickly teleported the three of them: his sister, himself, and the monster, out of sight. The magic field around Scott and Leeh dissipates. Kriz stood between the duo, her hair ruffled and cascading down the sides of her face. Even though she was covered in someone's blood, she looked gentle, almost too gentle. She was out of breath before almost collapsing herself.

'I...' she gasped for air. 'I can't believe I just did that...'

Leeh continued to sob as Scott helped her up. Their faces were drenched in blood. He glared at the archer and began to walk off with Leeh at his side. She was struggling to stand up straight and needed his help to walk. Her pant leg was torn, the burnt spots ripped off entirely.

'Scott!' Kriz called out, the fields silent as the chilling breeze sent shivers down her spine. Scott barely gave her a chance, walking off after looking over his shoulder. 'Scott, wait! You don't understand! Just let me help you! Please!'

Scott continued walking away. He bangs his forehead against a pink forcefield.

'Leeh. Not the time for magic practice,' he mumbled. 'We're getting away from this liar.'

'You wouldn't understand!' Kriz- Zorah cried. 'You don't know why I had to do what I did! Please, just let me explain!'

'You aren't going to tell us your sob story Zorah,' Scott snapped. 'It's not going to help your case.'

'Then...' she sighed. 'Then let me bandage your injuries. It's the least I can do.'

'We'll be fine on our own,' Scott says.

'Not with those, you won't!' Zorah pleads. 'You'll bleed out in an hour! You'll ask for someone's help eventually.'

'And they won't be a cheat,' he muttered.

'Please,' she begged. 'Let me heal you, and you'll never see us again.'

Leeh's forcefield faded away, and Scott exhaled. 'Fine. But you have some explaining to do, Zorah.'

# data[].attributes.body
Scott and Leeh turn to face the Gemini twins and Vizent- the former waiting impatiently. They smile as the show begins.

'Finally!' one laughs. 'Some action.'

Vizent was leagues ahead of their old friends. As they failed to land a single blow, blood dripped down their arms. Vizent didn't have a weapon. The orca continued to taunt Leeh and Scott as they rushed to incapacitate their foe. Anna knocked Scott to the ground, dragging his face across the pavement. His nose was covered in dirt and blood, but he kept fighting, grabbing Vizent's leg and dragging them down with him. Leeh tries to grab her arms, but they're already off the ground and squeezing Leeh's neck from behind.

'Leeh!' Scott shouted. 'Let her go, Anna!'

She turned to her old friend, her eyes blank and dead. 'This doesn't involve you. Go back to the Ivory Outdoors, failure.'

He tightened the grip on his axe. 'Not alone. Not again. I'm not going anywhere with you, Anna.'

'Oh, this is getting good!' Matthias cackled, his sister quietly observing next to him.

'We need to get involved,' Anastasia said. Her brother yawned. 'You know what Omahorn told us!'

'I thought we weren't supposed to get involved?' he sighed. 'It was just getting good.'

'Vizent can't have all the fun. It'll wear itself out,' Anastasia said, pulling out her knife.

He rolled his eye. 'Fine... But I'm staying in the background this time.'

Scott and Leeh were overwhelmed by Anna and Anastasia fighting together. Matthias cheered them on. Well, he enhanced his allies. Scott swung his axe at Anastasia, who deflected it with ease. The ground turned into ice- all thanks to Matthias and his stolen spellbook- as Anna sliced the skin off Leeh's neck. Leeh pushes Vizent to the ground, grabbing her arms and pinning her to the ground.

'Anna! You don't have to fight anymore!' she cried, icy tears streaming down her face. It was the first time anyone had seen an O'Rock cry. 'You don't have to fight anymore. Don't let yourself be controlled by him!'

Leeh held her dagger to Anna's orca. 'The only person I'm fighting is you.'

Scott and Leeh continue to clash swords with the twins and their possessed friend- sounds of iron and steel clinking and clanging. Kriz stood and stared as the fight turned into a bloodbath. She had to help them, what other choice did she have? But how could she? She isn't a soldier, she's never done something so stupid like this before. She drew out her dagger.

This isn't right. Kriz, no, Lady Zorah, will make it so.

'Anna!' she shouted, her voice trembling. The battle came to an icy halt. All eyes are on Lady Zorah, especially Vizent's cold, dead, bloodshot gaze. 'You mess with them, you mess with me! Leave them alone, or suffer a gruesome fate!'

'Stay out of this... None of your business...' Vizent stammered.

'You decided to speak up?' Matthias laughed. 'You're an idiot, Lady Zorah.'

'Zorah?' Leeh asked Scott, struggling to stop Anna from ripping her face off. 'Who's that?'

'No clue,' he replied, staring at the three arguing Pyrovovians. 'But they're her problem now.'

'You're just as dumb as you were before you opened your mouth,' Anastasia spat. 'Wrecking O'Rock's favorite experiments isn't going to make him want you, you know that right?'

'I'm not doing this for O'Rock,' she muttered. 'I'm doing this for the only people who care about me.'

'Sure, Zorah, sure,' Anastasia grinned, cracking her knuckles.

Matthias cracked his knuckles loudly. 'I'll happily rip O'Rock's favorite plaything to shreds.'

'You're brave. Stupid, but brave,' Anastasia remarked. 'Matthias? Remember what we did to the last traitor?'

Her brother nodded menacingly. 'And it was a lot of fun!'

Kriz held her dagger in her shaky hands. 'Scott! Leeh! Run! Save yourselves!'

Leeh grabbed Vizent by her arms and bolted out of the fallen kingdom.

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 13-2b: Battle of the Braindead

# data[].attributes.subject
Act 2 World 13-2b: Battle of the Braindead

# data[].attributes.body
'What was that?!' Kriz cried, gasping for air. 'Is that what you saw, Scott?'

He nodded. Leeh stared, examining the rooftops.

'So the stories are true,' the archer said. 'This place is haunted after all.'

'No, I don't think so,' Leeh said cautiously. 'We're being watched. Get your axe out, Scott.'

'Aw! Looks like we got caught!' a man cackled. 'Nice seeing you jokes again!'

Matthias and Anastasia warped into the plaza. The younger Gemini twin wore a leather coat that wrapped around his body. The elder looked the same, and spat on the ground, grinning with a sharper, more powerful set of gem-enhanced teeth.

'Not these two pushovers...' Scott muttered. 'Don't worry Kriz, we can handle them.'

'Us? We aren't gonna do squat,' Matthias laughed. 'We've set up a playdate with your old friend. Isn't that right, Anna?'

Her eyes were glossed over, empty, and bloodshot. A small Ivornixite in yellow, a black mask covered her eyes. A tattered, black cape was sloppily tied around her neck, and a large eight-sided gem on top of that. Her hands were cuffed and she was being dragged around by chains wrapped around her neck. She didn't look too happy to see her old friends. She only wanted one thing.

Revenge.

'Anna?' Leeh stammered, her voice cracking as she held back tears.

'You look terrible! Have you blinked at all since we saw you?' Scott asked, his voice also cracked, but he successfully hid that fact. 'And what's with the mask? We still recognize you.'

'Doesn't she look stunning?' Anastasia said, grinning when Leeh wiped her eyes. 'Not that you helped her or anything. This was all our own this time. You excited to get your hands muddy?'

'Anna! Don't listen to them! This isn't you!' Leeh cried. 'You can break through, I know you can!'

'We don't want to fight you, Anna. We're your friends, we care about you!' Scott said. Her face softened, but she shook it off.

'If you cared you wouldn't have left me. You would've saved me. And you didn't,' Anna's speech was flat and dead like someone had ripped herself out of her body.

'Exactly, whatever she said,' Matthias mumbled. 'Stop dawdling and rip their faces off! We ain't got all day!'

Anna took a step forward, her eyes darting across town and shaking.

'Anna, please,' Kriz said. 'Don't do this. These are your friends. We're going to get you out of here. Please, don't be scared.'

'Shut up! Just shut up!' Anna growled. 'You don't understand! Don't tell me what to do!'

'Anna, I do understand. I've been in your place before. No matter what they tell you, those twins will never understand. They can never give you the love you need. Don't believe in them, because they just want to see you suffer.'

'I-'

'Vizent!' Anastasia snapped, reaching for her pocket. Anna shuddered. 'We don't have all day.'

'Leave. Get out of my sight and you'll be spared,' she muttered.

Scott grips his axe. Kriz pulls out a small knife- one even smaller and weaker than Matthias's. Leeh just stares, turning to face her friends.

'What're we gonna do Scott?' Leeh asked.

'I- I don't know!' he cried. 'Kriz?'

'We have to let them go,' she answered. 'If we fight here, something will break on us. This place is a wreck and it's falling apart.'

'So what? If we leave, they'll leave too. They won't wait to fight outside,' he argued. 'We won't get a better opportunity than now. We only have one shot!'

Leeh sighed. 'Then we'll make it count.'

# data[].attributes.body
Scott's breaths echoed through the abandoned post office. There isn't anyone here... There isn't anyone here... Scott repeated to himself. There isn't anyone- What was that?!

A low grumble drew closer and closer as Scott begged his legs to return to the post office, but he couldn't move. He couldn't tell if it was because of the cold or the fear. He glanced to his left and saw a man triple his size making a chase. Scott sprinted through the castle town, screaming for Leeh and Kriz, hearing nothing but the wind in response.

'Leeh! Oh, dear gods, what is that thing?!' he cries, his face drenched as he ran for his life. The man rushed to catch up with his prey in the plaza. Scott fell to the ground, limbs shaking as he tried to scurry away. The man had no face, he only needed his intent to kill. 'I-I'm warning you! S-Stay back, you monster! I'll... uh k-kill you with my b-bare hands! Yeah! You don't like the s-sound of that, do you?!'

The man raised his weapon: a shiny knife longer than Scott's entire arm. Aiming for his head, he stopped just before it hit him. The large man disappeared into thin air, no sign of teleporting in sight. Leeh stood over a shivering Scott, calling his name.

'Scott? What's wrong? Why are you yelling?' she asked, but he refused to respond, shaking and stumbling over his words. 'What're you talking about?'

'Scott?' Kriz asked, kneeling at his side. 'Is he okay?'

Leeh ignored her, sitting next to Scott as he continued mumbling. 'He's going to be fine. He just needs a minute.'

'Alright,' Kriz said. 'I'll keep watch. The twins will show their faces any minute now.'

'You do that. I won't stop you.'

The twins sat on a rooftop, watching the three travelers panicking in the plaza.

'This is too much!' the younger laughed. 'He so stupid! I can't believe he fell for all that! I'm so happy I stole that spellbook from Omahorn's study last week!'

'You shouldn't be, Matt,' the older rolled her eyes, scraping her teeth. 'He'll kill you if he finds out.'

'No, he won't! He'll be happy we're willing to learn again,' he claimed.

'You know we aren't allowed in there!' his sister argued. 'And you definitely know we aren't allowed to touch his things!'

'Whatever, I was gonna learn Halluzinieren eventually,' he laughed. 'I learned Ablaza the same way.'

'And you almost burnt the castle down!' she shouted. 'Gods, you're insufferable, right Vizent?'

They kept their eyes on the Ebonyxite in blue and the Ivornixite in green, not daring to move or say a word.

'You wanna see something funny, Vizent? Watch this,' he said as a violet burst of energy shot directly into the plaza. A tall, blood-soaked man with a long knife appeared, terrorizing the trio. Matthias starting cackling. His sister laughed as well. Vizent stared in horror. 'What? You can't tell me that's not funny Vizent!'

'Stop...' they growled. 'Stop... Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!'

Vizent grabbed Matthias's wrist, squeezing with all their might. Their eyes were bloodshot under the mask. When he tried to free himself, she only tightened her grip. His knuckles were pale and his fingers were white. 'Stop it!'

'Hey! Let go! Jeez, what's wrong with you?' Matthias continued to struggle against Vizent. 'That hurts Vizent! You're supposed to be on our side!'

'Both of you, that's enough!' Anastasia commanded, pulling out an orca. Vizent whimpered and fell silent, staring at the dilapidated bricks that made up the buildings.

'Isn't that Omahorn's? Where'd you get that?' Matthias said, staring at his wrist. His color came back, but a nasty purple bruise wrapped around it.

'Anna was transferred to a different one,' Anastasia said. 'You were there when I got it.'

'Why's that? Is she still on Omahorn's?' Matthias asked.

'I think so. I heard she was causing the other guys to act up, so she moved. We should've been doing this from the start. Omahorn didn't have enough when Astra, Jacque, and Crimson arrived. It's why they shared,' she explained. 'But O'Rock's finally picked up the pace.'

Matthias stared at the trio. They had calmed down from the scare, but were still shaken. He chuckled to himself, but Anastasia slapped his arm. 'Can we go now? We've been waiting for ages and it's freezing out.'

'You're wearing that coat of yours, how are you still cold?'

'It's always cold. You wouldn't get it,' he muttered. 'You ready Vizent?'

It silently nodded.

# data[].attributes.body
The group snuck through the empty gates in the center of the castle town. An old fountain sat empty, filled with snow, debris, and dirt. A black substance grew in the cracks of the stone. The surrounding wells suffered the same fate, covered in black dots and thick layers of dust. One's roof even collapsed in on itself.

'Where are they?' Kriz muttered to herself. 'We might have to split up to cover more ground.'

'Yeah, no problem,' Leeh thought. 'We'd need some lights, though...' she looked around, pointing to an old tavern. It had three lanterns that were used to light the streets. 'There we go. Scott, can you light these for me?'

He rolled his eyes and nodded. 'Lumineux comme l'obscurité, sombre comme la lumière.'

The streets shone brightly as the group decided to not split up. The risks were too great, Kriz said. So Leeh led the group through the town, Kriz in the center as their guide, and Scott snuck behind in case of an ambush. The slush was slippery, but they managed to stay together in one piece as they snuck through the alleyways.

'Leeh?' Scott's voice echoed through the abandoned roads. 'Where are you?'

Mumblings came from one of the houses: a postal office. Scott opened the door, the light pooling in. There was broken glass and shredded paper everywhere. There was a little desk bell on the ground. He rang it, the bell's chime ringing through the post office.

'Who are you?' a voice echoed out. Scott jumped, holding his axe. But there was no one in sight. The floorboards creaked.

'I-I should be asking you t-the same question!' Scott trembled. 'Where are you? Who are you?'

A pale figure pushed him to the ground. She was a tall Pyrovovian lady covered in blood. Scott could see the wall through her. 'Get out of here! He will find you and he won't stop until he catches you!'

Scott scrambled to his feet, trying to bolt out the door. Another blood-soaked Pyrovovian pushed him. 'Don't run! Hide! Hide! The necromancer is coming!'

'What're you talking about?! Necromancy isn't real!' Scott cried.

'Hide! Hide!' the lady shoved Scott behind the dilapidated counter. He ran into the back room and dashed behind the crates of musty mail. Heavy metal boots kicked the door down. Scott held his breath for what seemed like ages but heard nothing. Am I making this stuff up? he thought. Ghosts and necromancy... none of that stuff is real! Right?

Leeh and Kriz wandered throughout the town, calling Scott's name over and over.

'Does your friend normally wander off?' Kriz stammered, her breath was a cloud surrounding her. It was freezing, especially for this time of the year.

'No... not him, at least,' Leeh muttered. 'Scott! This isn't funny! Come out before you get yourself killed!'

'Did Anna run off?' the archer asked. Leeh shook her head. 'That makes sense. She's a good friend, we'll save her, don't worry, Leeh.'

'What?'

'It's going to be okay Leeh. Don't panic,' Kriz said, placing a frigid hand on her shoulder.

'I'm not panicking... You should be telling yourself that,' Leeh said. 'Scott's not the brightest tool in the shed. He's fine, just lost in an abandoned city, that's all. Nothing to worry about.'

Kriz glanced at Leeh's shaking hands, sighing. 'Whatever you say, Leeh Roloc.'

The older twin ordered the younger to scout around while she stayed back with the monster. It collapsed behind a post office.

'Do you... miss your friends at all?' she asked. They shrugged. 'It's alright if you do, I wouldn't blame you. I believe they miss you too. It'll be nice to reunite with them again, right?'

Another shrug.

'I know you're still in there. You aren't normally like this... but Omahorn said we don't have a choice. You're strong like this, even if you tear up the floorboard and eat bricks or whatever. You'll be let go if this trip isn't successful, do you want that?'

Vizent shook her head.

'Really?' she exclaimed. Vizent nodded. 'Then what do you want?'

They stared at the run-down buildings.

'What do you want, Anna?' she repeated.

It struggled, but managed to choke it out after a few seconds of stammering.

'Revenge.'

# data[].attributes.body
There's no one here anymore. No one is going to hurt you.

Then why does it hurt so bad?

The castle town is empty and quiet, snow and debris litter the streets. This place was abandoned a long time ago, but nothing has truly changed. It's still a miserable, lifeless place.

# data[].attributes.body
Snow crunched under the twin's feet. Vizent shambled behind them, handcuffed. She was practically being dragged by the younger twin, the older one refused to look back to see if that thing still followed. It was chained at the neck like a wild animal, being pulled aggressively, scratching at the shackles with its cuffs.

'You think this is gonna work?' the man with the eyepatch asked his sister. 'I don't want this thing near me anymore. It's freaking me out.'

The elder picked at her gem-enhanced teeth. 'Oh please, you baby. She's not going to bite you.'

'Well,' he said, yanking the chain. The creature growled behind them. 'If O'Rock locked it up so much... I'm surprised there's no muzzle.'

'You can't muzzle a person, Matt,' she laughed. 'Right Vizent?'

Vizent grumbled.

'You excited to see your friends again, Vizent?' the younger asked, tugging on the chain around its neck. It yelped in pain. 'Yeah, you are! I'm so excited to watch it go down!'

'We can't just watch,' the girl said, scratching her gem teeth. 'Just in case...'

'Yeah, I know,' he mumbled. 'Just in case...'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 12-10: Friendly Foes on the Trader's Trail

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Act 2 World 12-10: Friendly Foes on the Trader's Trail

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The sun hid behind snow clouds and mini mountains of snow piled on the magenta kingdom's only trade trail. Leeh had stopped crying hours ago, her tears frozen to her face, still pained from the guilt. Scott glared daggers into Kriz's back until he decided to speak.

'How do you know so much about her? Anna's never had many friends back home,' Scott said, examining his tattooed arms and palms, picking at the mystical ink.

'I skulk around, finding out stuff I shouldn't,' Kriz said.

'You're the nosy kind?' he said, completely monotone.

Kriz tugged at her hair. 'Well... I just investigated a little, dug around when I came back from my Underbelly post. I just felt bad for the girl, that's all.'

'I don't believe you,' Scott said.

'Scott, please. Not now,' Leeh said. 'You two can fight after she's helped us.'

'Still, she sounds like a liar,' he argued. 'What's your deal? You want Anna to be your dinner or something?'

'It wasn't pretty,' Kriz shuddered. 'I wouldn't dare lay a finger on her. Especially after seeing her myself.'

'You better not. One wrong step and I'll-'

'Watch all you want, sir,' she snapped. 'You won't see anything.'

The kingdom was built out of sharp augite and Pitch-Black Pyrolusite. The castle town was the pride and joy of the Pyrovovians. After all, they were the first to the rich resources of Diaskechromasia. They dug into Mont Cuivre, established quarry and quarry to build this place. Now, it stood abandoned, seen as the scum and disappointment of the entire race. Still, the imposing, twisting towers and the nerve-racking, stone-cold cobblestone streets weren't anything to scoff at. The Pyrope Theocratic was the most impressive thing the Pyrvovians have ever built (and they have a lot in their portfolio). Kriz fidgeted with her hair and Scott and Leeh nervously stared at each other. Snow fell around them, dull and turning into charcoal slush the second it hit the ground. The kingdom stood alone in the western shadow of Tón Bleu in what was once called the Turquoise Plains. But that kingdom fell a long time ago, after the Ninth Great War. The smell of corpses still lingered, despite the decades of peace.

'This... this is it...' Kriz shivered. 'The... the Theocratic...'

Scott and Leeh saw the skull detailing, shuddering as well. We don't have much of a choice, do we?

'I... I just want to warn you...' Kriz said. 'If Anna doesn't recognize you, don't blame her... Strong orcas cause forgetfulness...'

'You found that out from being nosy?' Scott's eyes widen in shock. 'You must be good at digging up dirt then.'

Hopefully, my next dig won't be your graves... Kriz thought to herself. 'It's one of my strong suits. Are you ready?'

The duo gave each other a glance. As ready as we'll ever be...

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 12-9b: Welcome to the Party, Kriz Razzmatazz

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Act 2 World 12-9b: Welcome to the Party, Kriz Razzmatazz

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Scott and Leeh disappeared from their site like they were never there. They felt eyes watching them as the dread of visiting the fallen kingdom anchored into their stomachs.

'We'll just keep to ourselves until it's safe to keep going,' Leeh instructed. 'It'll be like we never existed, understand?'

'Yeah... Whatever we're running from must be horrid if this place is safe,' Scott chuckled.

'The quest-giver wouldn't dare go to the Pyrope Theocratic. No one in their right mind would,' Leeh laughed. 'Except for us... You think it's haunted?'

'You believe the rumors too?' he said. She nodded. 'Didn't know I was hanging out with a crazy person.'

'I'm not crazy! There's one hundred percent, without a doubt-'

'Um... Excuse me?'

Scott let out a high-pitched yelp and Leeh pulled out her dagger. A stranger in Ebonyxite armor jumped back.

'Relax, relax! I won't hurt you!' she cried, her voice soft and kind, her armor sharp and dark. The toughest armor on the continent was made of dark steel and underneath chainmail provided extra protection. There was even sharp, pitch-black leather padded it. Despite the layers, Ebonyxite armor was lightweight. No wonder the Ebony Caverns has yet to lose a fight in its entire history. 'I need your help.'

Leeh recognized the dark armor and stood her ground. Scott followed.

'I'm not armed. And I'm not working with anyone either,' the stranger said. 'You would be able to see my bow if I had one, wouldn't you?'

The soldier was talking to a brick wall. 'Get out of our face, soldier. We have no business with you,' Scott snapped.

'I can help you find Vizent. She needs help and you're the only one who can help her. Please, Leeh,' the soldier explained.

'Anna?' Leeh's face softened. 'Where is she? Is she okay?'

'Vizent needs your help. Her brainwashing is more severe than the higher-ups thought.'

'Can you take us to her?' Leeh asked. Scott grabbed her arm.

'We can't trust her!' he whispered. 'The last guy we trusted was the king himself! This girl's his girlfriend, I bet!'

'Scott, Anna needs us...' Leeh stammered. 'We shouldn't trust her, but we don't have a choice!'

'She could've made that up, Leeh. She's probably been following us like Patch had,' he muttered.

'I'm telling the truth. The whole truth,' the soldier played with a few strands of her hair. 'I know where she is. I've seen what state she's in. You two, as powerful as you are, can't handle her on your own. She's much stronger than anything you've faced so far. And the worst thing is, she's out for you. Let me help you. Please, if only for Anna's sake.'

Leeh's eyes were filling with tears. Her voice was trembling and her knees were about to give out, but she managed to spit out the words. 'Take us there.'

Scott sighed and shook his head. The soldier breathed a sigh of relief. 'Thank you for trusting me, you two. I'm Kriz Razzmatazz.'

'Scott. Nice to meet you, archer,' he said. 'That's Leeh, but sounds like you already knew that. Where we heading?'

'The Pyrope Theocratic,' Kriz said. 'And don't worry, I know a shortcut.'

# data[].attributes.body
Lady Zorah couldn't believe this was happening. She regretted her decision every step she took. So much and so little had changed as she wandered through Blush Valley. Sure, she could go through the Wild Lands, but her home turf gave the lady some comfort. She even caught a glance at the busy Flamingo Falls. It's that time of the year already? she thought to herself. Maybe Anna's friends were there and could aid her in her search. They'll need some convincing probably. Would they trust me even though I'm in disguise? All of these thoughts haunted Zorah as she skulked through the Flamingo Forest. The dense trees caked her in shadows as she tried to scramble up a backstory for herself. They wouldn't believe me if I said I'm Lady Zorah, right? No, no they wouldn't... I can say I'm a soldier like Anastasia... No... they'll think I'm associated with them... A refugee perhaps? No... why would I be wearing Ebonyxite armor if I lived there? Lady Zorah stuck with the armor idea. She was an archer for Atomic Underbelly's militia who was sent out to find an MIA soldier. It was good enough, but had some glaring issues. Zorah had never been to the Atomic Underbelly, or in the Atomic Canyon in general. Hopefully, these 'heroes' are young and naïve enough to just believe her. But what would this soldier's name be? Zorah would have to make something up. The name Kriz popped into her mind as she trudged through the chilling woods. Good enough, she thought. They'll just assume my parents had an odd naming style. The archer came to a halt as a small creek parted the woods. She got to see her reflection: her magenta face was soft, covered delicately with her long, pinkish-red hair. Kriz looked too much like Zorah, so she just pulled it back, adjusting the hairs that curled and curtained her face. She looked older, much more like an archer than a queen. Her reflection was barely recognizable. It was perfect, she thought. They'll have no idea. Kriz stood up from the creek and hopped over it, continuing her search for these two adventurers.

The sound of laughter snapped the archer to attention. There they are! she assumed. The soldier walked up the small hill. Crunch. Everything froze. The campers panicked, and a pink forcefield encircled the dull fire, chilling the world around it. Kriz dashed through the woods, hoping they wouldn't follow her. They didn't, and quickly resumed conversation. She breathed a sigh of relief. She'll approach them in the morning, she spent her night sitting against a tree, planning her introduction and plenty of white lies to tell Omahorn's greatest enemy.

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 12-8: Flamingo Falls and Forcing Fields

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Act 2 World 12-8: Flamingo Falls and Forcing Fields

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Dozens of Kopetumnals flock around the bright Flamingo Falls just before the snow melts to pray. It was so crowded that Leeh had to drag Scott behind her just so they'd stay in touch.

'Is it always this busy, or are we just lucky?' Scott laughed as they barely escaped the crowd of pushing and shoving religious leaders. The falls were roped off and dozens of painters were desperate to get a glance at their next magenta muse. The falls themselves weren't pink, and it wasn't even a waterfall. This massive, salty structure turns the water into an opaque bubblegum color and tourists make the Rosynymfi buckets of gold and silver. Flamingo Falls was blessed by the King of Light himself after a particularly painful flavorless famine centuries ago. The salty water gave each blade of grass a blush tint. The Rosynymfi came from the eastern continent when word got out about Diaskechromasia. Small businesses lined the urbanized Flamingo Falls, hoping to fool some unsuspecting customers. One such stand was approached by the duo.

'Hello! Are you interested in honey-infused red wine? Made with real Flamingo salts!' the chipper salesman dangled the beads in front of the weary travelers. 'Only sixty gold a pint!'

'How do you get to the fallen kingdom from here?' Leeh asked.

The salesman spat out his salty, honey-infused drink. 'What?! The P-Pyrovovian lands? Don't go there!'

'We're on a quest,' Scott explained. 'How do we get there?'

'W-Well...' he motioned for Scott to come closer. 'Keep going southwest... Just be careful that Ebonyxite won't execute you while you're there...'

'What did you just say?' she muttered.

'Nothing! Nothing, nothing!' he stammered, cowering behind his table. 'L-leave before the guards c-come over! Ebonyxites are not welcome here!'

Leeh scoffed and walked off, Scott trailing behind her. The further they got from the Falls, the quieter the world got until the stars came out and the heroes went to rest for the night.

'Don't listen to them, Leeh,' he said. 'They're just-'

'Drop it, Scott. It doesn't matter,' Leeh said, staring at the ground. 'I don't care anymore.'

'Clearly...' he mumbled. 'Look, we're almost out of this dump. You think the fallen kingdoms nice?'

'It's a massive wreck. It's filled with cannonballs and debris,' she said. 'I wouldn't call that nice.'

'Still, you never know,' he laughed to himself. 'Maybe it won't be so bad.'

'Better than the Silver Woods?' Leeh said, before bursting into laughter. Her friend followed. 'You guys were so scared!'

'I was not!' he argued.

'You totally were! Don't try to lie to me!' she laughed. Their site went silent. 'Did you hear that?'

'No? Is something wrong Leeh?' he asked.

Crunch. Leeh jumped as the cold air ran laps around the duo's spines. The crunching continued.

Crunch crunch crunch.

The world went pink. Everything was covered in a pink tint. The source of the crunching ran off. It must've been an animal. Droplets of sweat trickled down Leeh's forehead. She opened her eyes, and the field disappeared.

'What was that all about?' Scott muttered.

'I thought I heard something... never mind...'

'No, the forcefield. Lemme see your hands,' Scott said

Two garnet circles were etched into her palms. They were bright and glowing, hot to the touch.

'Congrats on learning your first spell, Leeh!' Scott said, patting her on the back. 'Only took you eighteen years!'

'How did I do that?'

'I guess that Cozy gave it to you,' Scott thought. 'We could use that to our advantage...'

For the rest of the night, Leeh practiced her newfound abilities, with Scott ecstatically rambling about who knows what. When the sun rose the next morning, they felt completely invincible. They had the power of forcefields, what could possibly go wrong?

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 12-7b: Do Not Return, Lady Zorah

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Act 2 World 12-7b: Do Not Return, Lady Zorah

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Viznent's room was ransacked. No more wallpaper, the support beams slashed and covered in dark blood. A sword was bent and crooked, stabbed into the mattress. There were so many shards of glass that Zorah could only stare from the doorframe. Vizent had ripped half the floorboards up, digging up whatever was underneath. The chest was smashed into itself covered in bites and scratches. The door was ripped up, but it looked fine on the outside. Omahorn stared at the mess, frightening Lady Zorah.

'What happened in here?' he asked after she regained composure.

'Anna did it,' Zorah gasped. 'I don't know why...'

Omahorn sighed. 'I'll deal with it.'

'Where is she?'

Omahorn stared off into the distance. 'Well... She's safe, don't worry about it.'

'Where. Is. She.' Zorah cried.

'Off,' he said. 'We're sending Matthias and Anastasia after her.'

'I'm going.'

'It's not... will you at least disguise yourself?'

'I'll do what I think is necessary, thank you,' she said. 'And you shouldn't worry about me.'

'As you wish Lady Zorah,' he said. 'Please do not return.'

'What?'

'I've kept you here for eight months, Lady Zorah. I implore you to stay far from the Ebony Caverns. For the rest of your life, for your sake,' Omahorn said. 'Anastasia owns a spare set of Ebonyxote armor; take it. Your country needs you.'

'That's it?! After everything we've done, you're making me leave?' Zorah shouted. 'I'll kill you with my bare hands! How could you? We had something!'

'Zorah, I kidnapped you!' he tried to explain. 'This was a transaction, you were supposed to leave months ago!'

'Was I really just bait to you?' Zorah cried, her voice cracking. 'I thought we would unite our kingdoms, you never turned down marriage as a possibility! Why won't you love me? Why can't our kingdoms finally know peace?'

'Zorah, I have kept you here for too long. You shouldn't want to become political allies with me. You shouldn't love me. Please, embrace the sunlight and never come back to this crater. Heal,' he said. 'You shouldn't want to forgive me. I've done nothing but harm to you, how can you not see that? This kidnapping plan didn't work eight months ago, and it definitely won't now.'

'Omahorn...'

He- for the first time in eight months- matched Zorah's gaze. 'Don't let the twins find out you're after Vizent. I pray for your safety, Lady Zorah.'

'I'll be fine,' she said. 'I'll fake a name or something. No will find out, I assure you.'

'Just keep an eye out. Goodbye, Lady Zorah.' he said dully.

'Goodbye? We'll surely see each other again!' she laughed.

'For your sake I hope we don't.'

# data[].attributes.body
O'Rock's domain could barely be considered a lab. There was only one table covered in slimes and potion residue. O'Rock sat in a large chair, reading a spellbook as he tinkered with an artifice on the table. He looked surprised as Zorah twisted the doorknob open.

'My lady! I didn't expect to see you here...' he chuckled, refusing to make eye contact as he shut the spellbook with a dusty thunk. Zorah didn't look amused. 'What's the matter? Aren't you excited to see me?'

'Omahorn said you knew about the orcas,' Zorah said, folding her arms. 'And he said you knew why they're malfunctioning.'

'They never malfunction. Nothing I've made has ever malfunctioned,' O'Rock laughed, taking a swig from his glass. 'What're you talking about?'

'There's blood in Anna's-'

'Vizent's, sweetie,' O'Rock smirked. Zorah rolled her eyes. 'What's in its room?'

'There's blood in Anna's room and Jacque completely lost it,' she said. 'And don't call me-'

'Relax, relax. Don't rip your tights over this,' he laughed. 'They're just having some minor-'

'Anna is ripping up the flooring in her bedroom.' Zorah said, her patience swiftly diminishing. 'I wouldn't say it's a minor ailment, O'Rock.'

'Well I make the orcas, don't I?' O'Rock snapped. He took a short deep breath. 'And, as the maker of their orcas, I say Jacque's memory will return in a few days. And Vizent's outbursts will dwindle when Omahorn says I can.'

'Can't you do such a thing now?' Zorah cried.

'Didn't you hear a single word I just said, princess?' O'Rock chuckled. 'No, of course you didn't. I'll calm down her migraines, then will you be happy?'

'Thank you, O'Rock,' Zorah sighed.

'O'Rock!' Anastasia shouted. 'Vizent is missing!'

'What?!' he spat out his drink. 'What do you want me to do about it?! Deimos can't target them if they're this messed up!'

Zorah ducked out of the room as Anastasia and O'Rock argued. She knew where to go.

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 12-6: Cozy Campfire's Cabin/ The Cyclops-Goblin

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Act 2 World 12-6: Cozy Campfire's Cabin/ The Cyclops-Goblin

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Leeh's heavy breaths echoed through the dome, Scott holding his shirt to his neck to catch the blood.

'Where did he go?!' Leeh shouted. 'Come back here, you coward!'

'Leeh, just drop it,' Scott said, staring at the top of the dome. It was bending under the sheer mass of rainwater that had been collecting over the past four hours. 'Is that... supposed to happen?'

'The dome's collapsing!' a guard shouted, pointing upwards. 'Should we tell Cozy?'

'Of course, we should tell her!' another snapped, grabbing the guard by the shirt collar. Tiny droplets of spit spat out of his mouth. 'You two troublemakers!' he pointed at the duo. 'Go get Cozy!'

'Who?' Scott asked.

'The owner of the dome, dummy,' Leeh said, rolling her eyes.

'New kid'll join you,' he barked, shoving the guy in their direction. His armor was adorned with a fur neckpiece and medals. The younger guard face-planted on the dry ground. 'If he wants to get paid this week.'

The man used his spear to help himself off the ground, extending his hand for a shake. 'Cozy Campfire's cabin is at the back of the dome.'

The cabin was covered in moss, and smaller than a broom closet. It had no windows and was completely quiet. It looked more like a shack than a cabin. The guard fumbled with a set of detailed keys until he pulled out a rusty, janky key, turning the locks on the door. It crumbled open to reveal a small, blindfolded gnome. She had a Vazian esca growing out of her head and shiny Vazian skin. Her arms were in the air, pulsing with magic.

'Half-breed, the dome is falling because of the inclement. We need your help,' The gnome stared at the man and shook her head. He sighed. 'You two wouldn't happen to have Vazian spell counter medication on hand, do you?'

Scott fished around in his pocket, handing one of the small, chewy pills to the gnome. She licked it and breathed a sigh of relief.

'What's wrong with the dome?' she asked. 'I've been holding it up really strong for forever now.'

'It's bending,' Leeh explained. 'Can you fix it?'

'Where?' she looked up at the sky, adjusting her blindfold. The guard covered her eyes. 'I can't fix it if I don't know what I'm dealing with!'

'You just have to trust us, Cozy. Now get working, kid,' the guard said.

Cozy sighed and put her arms at her side. 'Keep our fire burning bright, shield us gnomlings from your might!'

The dome creaked and groaned as water cascaded down it. It went back into place with a pop! Gnomes and guards clapped, nodding their heads and cheering her name. She kept her arms in the air for a few seconds, then put them down. Not a single raindrop fell on the yellow bricks. The tougher guard with the medals spat on the ground at Cozy's feet. She didn't seem to notice.

'Σιωπήστε τον εχθρό μας!' the cruel guard shouted. Cozy hung her head in disappointment. 'Take her back to the cabin. Next time, we'll figure out the spell ourselves. Understood?'

The guards laughed in agreement, and the gnomes giggled nervously. Scott and Leeh stared at each other, then agreed to follow Cozy back to her cabin.

'Cozy?' Leeh asked. She turned around silently. 'Is everything alright?'

She hugged Leeh's leg, who knelt to hug her back. Tears flooded through the blindfold. Leeh took it and ripped the blindfold off Cozy's face, ordering Scott to burn it.

'What would the guards-'

'Didn't I tell you to do something?' Leeh asked. Scott sheepishly nodded. The rag disintegrated into ash. 'Scott, give her the rest of those spell counters. Leave in the morning, Cozy.'

The little girl held Leeh's hands so tight that they hurt, giving her a gift for their kindness:

Cozy's family spell. The Forcefield.

Lady Zorah had missed the meeting, opting to stop by the room with CRIMSON etched into the nameplate. The door opened silently. This room had two beds: one with a short man in a blindfold and the other with a tall man in a dark orange waistcoat.

'You need to recover. In here,' Omahorn said. 'Necromancy takes a toll on- What're you doing in here?!'

Zorah opened the door. Omahorn breathed a sigh of relief. 'It's just you... Sorry, I thought you were Astra...'

'Astra?' the blindfolded man's face lit up. 'Can I see her? '

'Not yet,' he said, standing up. 'But soon. Just go back to sleep, Crimson. When you're ready, she'll come running in to see you.'

'But I'm ready now,' he argued.

'When I tell you you're ready, they'll come and see you,' Omahorn rephrased. 'Excuse me, Lady Zorah.'

She closed the door behind him, standing awkwardly in front of Crimson's door. 'How is he?'

'Hm?'

'How's Crimson? Is he getting better?' Zorah asked.

'He's improving. I'm afraid no missions, and probably quests for the rest of his life,' he said. 'But we got him to sit up today. O'Rock remade his orca; we've decided to keep it loose until he recovers.'

'Did he die?' Zorah asked.

'Only for an hour or so,' Omahorn said. 'He was poisoned, from what the Necromancer gathered.'

'That's terrible,' she sighed. 'I hope he can recover quickly. Is it still in his system?'

'It was hard to say. His eye was affected, but the snake bite was on his arm,' Omahorn said. 'We don't know what happened, but it's all gone now. I hope he can recover as well.'

He started to return to his office, but she stopped him again. 'Hm?'

'Jacque's memories,' Zorah asked. 'Are they wiped on purpose?'

Omahorn's widened in surprise. 'What do you mean, Lady Zorah?'

'He can't remember a single thing!' her face went hot as her voice lowered. 'He doesn't recognize Crimson. It's like they've never met! And there's blood in Anna's room!'

'What on earth...' Omahorn muttered. 'I'll talk to O'Rock about this- Did you say blood?'

'Did you say O'Rock?'

'Yes. He makes a lot of them, he'll know how to fix them. I'll talk to the two of them, and give O'Rock instructions on how to fix-'

'Let me talk to him,' Zorah pleaded.

'What? I mean... of course, Lady Zorah,' Omahorn stammered. 'Do what you must. I don't care.'

Lady Zorah thanked the king, rushing towards the grand stairwell. She passed Astra and Jacque on the way, the latter of which asked who the new Pyrovovian was.

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 12-5b: Don't Depart to The Fallen Kingdom/ Deimos, The Deadliest, Darkest Prophet

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Act 2 World 12-5b: Don't Depart to The Fallen Kingdom/ Deimos, The Deadliest, Darkest Prophet

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O'Rock sat on Omahorn's throne, April beside him with a large bottle of alcohol. He scratched the skin of his scar while waiting for Zorah to arrive. Matthias and Anastasia were standing impatiently.

'She's late, I'm starting without her,' he said. 'There's a change in plans. Something happened and those brat kids are nowhere near the Fallen Kingdom.'

'Where's Vizent?' Anastasia asked. 'She's also late?'

'No... she's... busy right now. It'd be best to leave her alone for a little while,' April explained. 'Crimson or Astra might go in her place.'

'Can't we go back to the original plan?' Matthias offered. 'I mean, instead of Vizent it could be like Crimson or something.'

O'Rock and April gave each other a look. 'Well,' April stammered. 'Crimson's... also recovering. He just got out of surgery a few hours ago. O'Rock will serve in Omahorn's place while he fixes everything.'

The quest-giver drew out his sword. Scott gripped Crimson's axe, and Leeh unsheathed Astra's dagger. Rosynymfi and Pyrovovians stared at the three outsiders. The Rosynymfi began placing bets on who would come out on top.

'You aren't worth my time anymore,' the quest-giver roared. 'Just because you're strong doesn't mean you're useful.'

'I could say the same thing about you, you coward,' Leeh snarled. 'Didn't I tell you to leave us alone?'

'And I told you that you'll never get rid of me, didn't I?' the quest-giver asked. 'I've had enough of you. If you can do one simple task I guess I'll just do it myself!'

The quest-giver took off his hood. The man underneath was old and decaying, with shaggy hair and wrinkled skin. His eye was an uncomfortable shade of yellow. He gripped his bronze Xiphos, swinging, going for the kill. Scott blocked his strikes with the axe and Leeh tried attacking him from behind. The quest-giver's sword slashed her face, missing her eye by an inch. She fell to the ground, holding her bleeding face in shock. The quest-giver grabbed Scott's axe and threw it into the forcefield. It bounced off and landed in the bushes. He held Scott's throat to his Xiphos.

'I hate to kill you off like this,' he laughed. 'You know, you were the first group to make it out of the Royal Mellows alive. You should be proud of yourselves. Maybe I should skulk around the Ivory Outdoors more often. I'll make sure to tell the forty-second group your accomplishments.'

'There won't be a second group!' Leeh yelled.

'How would you know?' he laughed. 'You'll be so far in the ground Evntropia won't have enough Silver Satyrs to keep you entertained! Move one muscle, O'Rock, and I kill the magician,' The quest-giver tightened his grip until tiny drops of blood dripped from Scott's neck.

'No! Stop, please!' Leeh cried. The quest-giver dropped the magician. 'Take me instead!'

'Leeh? What're you doing?' Scott shouted, holding onto his bleeding neck. 'I swear, you put a finger on her I'll rip you limb from limb.'

'And just how are you going to do that?' the quest-giver spat. 'No one here will help you, not after the storm you caused!'

'Leeh will.' Scott grinned, snapping his fingers. The man turned as his victim disappeared, staring at the Ebonyxite with an axe in one hand and a dagger in the other.

'You've cursed my family long enough,' Leeh said. 'You're the scum of the earth, Deimos. And it's time to take out the trash.'

Leeh swung the axe, aiming directly into the quest-givers chest, but he disappeared in a flash, reappearing a few feet away, putting his hood back up.

'This revelation of yours is far too late,' Deimos cackled. 'All I need now is the ΩOrca, and when it is created, the King of those rotten Caverns will beg for my mercy!'

Leeh tried to strike him again, but he was gone in the blink of an eye. Scott and Leeh stared at each other.

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 12-5a: Cozy Climate/ Missing Memory 

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Act 2 World 12-5a: Cozy Climate/ Missing Memory 

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The force field was used decades ago to protect the Rosynymfi from invading Grasmardetie troops. Nowadays, the Rosynymfi treat the Campfire Empire as a resort. It even has its own lake, dug by the Pyrovovians who work tirelessly to keep the nation safe from the cyclops-goblins.

'You think this place will get burnt down too?' Scott asked. 'Sure is a fire hazard.'

Leeh looked at the dome, feeling its suffocating weight as the storm tried to break it. 'Yeah... all this smoke sure is a problem, right? Maybe this was a bad idea.'

'Beats getting soaked,' Scott said, staring at the intricately decorated lobby. Little kids stared at the new guests.

'We're still soaked,' Leeh said. 'Soaked and humid. What could be better?'

'The slush outside,' Scott joked. 'I'm sure it doesn't taste too bad.'

'Besides, they don't want us here. You see the way those guards glared at us when we walked by?'

'I think they were staring because of the amount of mud,' Scott said. 'We took the whole earth with us.'

A cloaked man walked into the dome, was greeted by the same gnomes, talked to the same guard, and stopped when his eye caught a glimpse of an Ebonyxite and Ivornixite chatting in the plaza. Under his drenched cloak were humble clothing made of expensive fabrics.

Finally, he thought to himself. Now they have nowhere to run.

King Omahorn's library was empty once again, with Jacque being its only visitor. Zorah had crept in, fully prepared to get answers to all of her questions. What is up with you? Why are all of you acting strange? Who is this Leeh everyone is talking about? Why are you in the gothic section- scratch that, why are you in here at all? There's no Bleu literature in here! Some of them might have to wait, but Zorah is eager to do so.

Jacque was sitting on the ground in the far left corner, upside-down book in hand. His hat sat next to him, giving his sapphire hair a spot in the spotlight. He wasn't wearing his purple vest, but Zorah didn't mind.

'Hi, Jacque. How are you?' she asked, getting nothing in response. 'Look, I don't know what's wrong with you. I don't think I'll ever understand it, but I need your help.'

Silence.

'For Anna. I need you to help me so I-'

'What do you need from me?' he asked.

'Leeh. Who is she? Matthias said you knew her,' Zorah explained their conversation.

'Leeh? Roloc?' he asked. 'I think... I don't know...'

'Yes! You traveled with her,' Zorah said. 'You and Astra were at odds with Leeh Roloc and her friends. Crimson too.'

'Who?'

'Crimson?' Zorah said. 'He's your friend. The cyclops-goblin?'

'I don't know him. Sorry,' Jacque said. 'I don't remember. I don't remember...'

'He has ripped red shorts? Blue tunic?' Zorah described. She stared at his paling face, the book pages digging into his hands. The door opened but they ignored it. 'Jacque? Are you feeling okay?'

'I don't remember...' Jacque muttered. 'Why can't I remember?!'

'Jacque, it's gonna be okay,' Zorah said, holding his cold and clammy hands in her warm ones. Jacque bolted out of the library, leaving his hat and book behind. 'Jacque!'

'He doesn't like when women flirt with him,' Astra stared at Zorah. 'Stop trying, he isn't interested.'

'I was just asking him a question,' she replied frankly. 'Maybe you can answer it.'

'I can answer a lot of things. What's up?'

'Do you know Leeh... Roloc, I think her name was?' she asked.

Astra groaned, clutching the bridge of her nose. 'Just some annoying kid. Don't waste mind space on her.'

'Was she violent?' Zorah asked. Astra laughed and shook her head. 'Then... then how was there blood in Anna's room if she didn't-'

'Oh! That blood's totally from her,' Astra said. 'You didn't tell me this was about the talk of the town!'

'That's... concerning...' Zorah's face lights up. 'You haven't had any migraines, or lost memories recently, have you?'

'No, what are you? An apothecary?' Astra answered. 'I haven't ripped up any floorboards or chewed on bricks either... before you ask.'

'So it's just Anna and Jacque acting strange...' Zorah glanced around the library. 'I think their orcas have something to-'

'Don't say such things!' Astra hissed. 'He's a lot quieter than usual, but those travelers humbled him, and he's too embarrassed to admit it, that's all. Nothing is wrong with him, there's no world where you should get involved in this. Go get executed or something. Can't you hear O'Rock calling for you?'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 12-4c: Return to the Forge/ Cozy's Campfire Empire

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Act 2 World 12-4c: Return to the Forge/ Cozy's Campfire Empire

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'Matthias?' Zorah's high-pitched voice drew closer and closer as Matthias tried to focus on his work. 'Matthias! Oh, thank goodness you're here! I had no one else to go to.'

Am I going to become her new Omahorn? he thought to himself, scratching the cold, smooth enhancement under his eyepatch. 'What can I help you with?'

'I needed to ask you about someone,' she answered. 'About Anna. There's blood in her room and I'm worried for her. Those brainwashing devices, I think they are-'

'Don't say anything about the king's conduits,' he said. 'It isn't their fault if their users are violent. Are they malfunctioning?'

'I think so, hers is... concerning, to say the least,' Zorah said.

Matthias placed the red-hot iron back into the million-degree furnace. The handle to his newest creation levitated effortlessly in the air, waiting until it fulfilled its purpose. 'Well, I may not know much, but orcas don't make them violent. They overheat though. Faster than solid conduits do, at least. I'd use a cool rag for three hours. Or dunk your head into an ice bucket for one.'

'Overheating?' Zorah asks. Did you not hear a single word I just said? Matthias thought to himself. 'Tell me more.'

'Well, overuse causes overheating. People get migraines, and then people get aggressive,' he explained.

'Then what about the blood on the floor?' Zorah interrogated. 'Do orcas bleed or?'

'No, gems do not bleed,' Matthias said. Because of course they don't. 'What do you mean?'

'Well, there was blood on the floor. Where the rug used to be,' Zorah said, describing the state of Vizent's room. Jeez, he thought. Sounds like she needs some counseling. Or more brainwashing. Not like there's a difference. 'Was it from a previous occupant? That's what I've heard.'

'Leeh wasn't violent. It's probably new and you just didn't notice it,' Matthias said, returning to his work. 'See you at the fallen kingdom, Zorah.'

'Leeh? Who is that?'

'Ask Jacque. Or Astra. I never met her in person.'

'Can't you tell me?' Zorah asks, folding her arms. 'Seems like you know a lot about her.'

'Oh well. That's just what happens when you work for the same guy for a few decades,' Matthias said, smacking a sword with a hammer until it was adequate for the second-in-command. 'Ask Jacque or Astra.'

'Thank you, Matthias,' Zorah asks. 'For everything.'

'That's just what I do.'

Scott and Leeh slid through the mud-covered hillside. Signs called this the 'Peony Pastures (Home to the Campfire Empire).'

'Isn't there a way you can turn this rain off?' Leeh shouts over the winds. Her pants were covered head-to-toe in goopy mud.

'Not that I know of!' he shouted back. 'There's probably a shelter overhead.'

'Wishful thinking!' Leeh laughed. 'That Razpberry village thought we were swamp monsters!'

The duo trudged along, their boots squelching against the slippery mud.

'Are you seeing that?' Leeh shouted, pointing at a small light shining faintly in the distance. 'Is that a... campfire? How's it surviving in this weather?!'

'That's a campfire!' he exclaimed. 'There's no way! We're saved!'

They rushed towards the light, only to be stopped by some invisible force hitting their foreheads. A young gnome noticed the noise and laughed, notified another, who also laughed.

'Let us in!' Scott yelled, banging his fists on the field. Rain slid off the force field and pooled onto Leeh's scalp, who hung her head in embarrassment. The gnome collected himself and knocked on the field, causing it to dissipate enough to make the weary travelers faceplant into the mud. The gnomes started guffawing, failing to compose themselves as they dragged paying customers inside.

'What's got your suspenders in a twist?' one asked, closing the field. 'You just stepped into the greatest place on the planet!'

The ground was soft and the storm failed to wash out the camp. Dozens of gnomes chatted around a larger fire, soaked and shivering, chattering about their trails and tales. A few still, mean-looking Pyrovovians kept guard, with their sharp spears and chopped hair, their armor sleek and shiny, padded with black leather tunics and dark trousers.

'Welcome to Cozy's Campfire Empire,' a guard said. 'The safest-'

'-and funnest!' the gnome interrupted.

'Safest and most fun place on the continent,' he muttered. 'How can I help you folks today?'

'We're just going to wait out the storm,' Leeh said, wiping the mud off her nose and cheeks. 'We'll get out of your hair in the morning. Thank you for having us.'

'Oh no problem,' the guard chuckled. 'Stay as long as you need. Say! You're that Ivornixite wizard, aren't you?' Scott nodded. 'Wow! I never thought I'd see the day! I'm a big fan!' he rolled up his sleeves, flexing his magical tattoos. Whoever did them ripped him over. 'I've gotten the fish one too! Weren't there three of you?'

Scott and Leeh glanced at each other. 'Yeah... were.'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 12-4b: Ignorant Interrogation of the Isolated

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Act 2 World 12-4b: Ignorant Interrogation of the Isolated

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The door was in even worse condition than Lady Zorah had remembered. The nameplate still read ANNA, but it was scratched up and her last name VIZENT was written overtop it.

'Anna?' she knocked. 'Anna, are you in there?'

The door knob rustled and Anna stood in the doorframe. She still wore the mask over her eyes and she rubbed them profusely.

'What?' she murmured. 'I'm busy.'

Zorah stared at the blood-stained wood. 'Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to talk about our mission. I'm so excited to work with you, Anna.'

Anna sat on her bed, the covers and pillow were gone, but shreds of the green cloth remained. Straw puddled on the floor, the mattress was ripped in the middle, a few strands of straws poking out awkwardly. The quilted coverlet was thrown over the chest in a poor attempt to hide more bloodstains. She stared blankly at the disheveled wallpaper, exposed wood and brick were chipped and smashed at, covered in jagged tally marks. The floorboards were ripped up. Thankfully, the broken glass was cleaned up. Zorah sat in the chair in the corner. Vizent said nothing, just stared dully.

'Do you want to practice? The fake execution, I mean,' she offered. Anna glared at her. Zorah awkwardly laughed. 'I'm very excited to work with you, Anna.'

'I won't need to practice,' Anna said, grabbing the sword in the corner. Little chunks of wood clung to it. 'I'll cut your head off so cleanly there won't be any blood to wash up. Get. Out.'

Zorah's face paled as Anna fished in her bag for a whetstone. It wasn't thrown; Anna sat in silence as Zorah attempted to talk to her. Her efforts were in vain and she departed after a few fruitless minutes.

'I just don't understand what her deal is,' Zorah sighed. April nodded. 'And her room just keeps getting worse and worse the more I go in there.'

'Agreed!' April exclaimed. 'Astra told me there was broken glass in there at one point. Her outbursts are getting out of hand.'

'When was this?' Zorah asks. 'I was there just now and there wasn't blood the last time I visited.'

April dropped her stack of leather-bound documents. 'Blood? Omahorn said she would calm down within a few days! You must him what you saw! I'll schedule an appointment with him posthaste! Gods, she's... she's just like her... no wonder they share the same room.'

'Who?' Zorah asks. 'Someone else lived there?'

'Nothing. It's no one,' April stammered. 'I have to leave now. Good day, Lady Zorah.'

'No! You have to tell me more!' Zorah begs.

'Ask Matthias!' she shouted. 'And don't tell him who sent you!'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 12-4a: An Extremely Flooded Escapade

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Act 2 World 12-4a: An Extremely Flooded Escapade

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Lance was so intrigued by what she had to say that he begged them for details. Leeh was happy to oblige, while Scott stayed awkwardly silent.

'Don't listen to anything she says!' Lance laughs. 'She has no clue what she's talking about. Just ignore her if you know what's good for you. Sorry if she scared you poor kids.'

'We'll be fine,' Scott said. 'We're heading to the fallen kingdom.'

'Now why on earth would you do such a thing?' Lance could hardly hold himself together. 'Ivornixites truly are something else, huh?'

'I'm not an... never mind,' Leeh mumbles. 'Valimonos said it was safe there.'

'Whatever that crazy old gal says,' he replies. His eyes and attitude lighten as the cottage comes into sight. 'Just stay safe out there, alright? It would suck if the world lost you, jesters.'

Scott and Leeh were greeted warmly by the younger prophet who even offered to house them for the night.

'It'll be like a sleepover!' Valimonos exclaimed. 'C'mon Lance, please! Just this once?'

Lance glanced at the duo. 'Well... if they want, Valley. We can't force them to stay, ya'know.'

'We don't have time,' Scott said. 'We're very-'

'Of course!' she exclaimed, cutting him off. 'We'd be happy to.'

'Leeh!' he hissed. Valimonos clapped her hands with glee. Lance rolled his eyes and showed them to their room.

The entire cottage was made in the creative vision of a toddler. The walls were sky blue with fluffy clouds and a big yellow sun. The beds were soft but were too small to support an Ebonyxite. At least, not one Leeh's height.

'This place is actually pretty nice,' Leeh said, admiring the woodwork and walls.

'We should leave,' Scott replied. 'Now.'

'Why? These guys are great!' she laughed.

'We shouldn't be trusting strangers!' he snapped. 'Don't you remember what happened the past hundred times?!'

'They aren't strangers,' Leeh said. 'You didn't eat anything at supper either. Are you feeling well? I thought rock berry stew was your favorite?'

'They could've poisoned it,' Scott said. 'Let's just leave before they have a chance to pull anything. Please, Leeh.'

Leeh sighed, looking out the star-shaped window. 'We have to trust people. Valimonos is just a kid, man. She has nothing up her sleeves.'

'Don't underestimate her, Leeh,' he said. 'She's dumb, but still a prophet.'

Knock knock. The door swung open. Lance was drenched head-to-toe in sweat, his curly hair matted. 'Run,' he gasped. 'Valimonos, she-'

There was a loud crash, followed by the shattering of glass.

'I know you're in there,' a cold voice echoed.

'Please, just get out of here!' Lance begged.

'Are you going to be behind us?' Leeh asked. Scott was already halfway out the window.

'Valimonos will calm him down,' he said, removing his white gloves from his hands. There were two large gems embedded in his palms. His fingers are covered in tattoos. 'And I'll keep watch if lethal force is necessary.'

'Thank you for everything, Lance,' she said. 'We really appreciate it.'

'Don't sweat it,' he said. Valimonos's voice shook the entire house. The house trembled with a shockwave. She kept screaming at the man who had entered her house. 'I have to go. Deimos is really laying it down on her.'

'Do you want us to help?'

'Where are the Ivornixites?' the man yelled. 'Where are they? Where's the book?'

'I don't know what you're talking about!' she cried. 'You come in once a week asking for people I don't even know! Get out of my house! Now!'

Leeh had climbed out the window as the flames just started to sprout. The house was engulfed in seconds.

'Leeh! C'mon let's go!' he shouted over the roaring flames.

'Scott we have to help them!' Leeh shouted. 'Use that rain spell or something! Please!'

'Fine!' Scott shouted, flipping through his now-soaked spellbook. The ink bled down the pages as the diagrams and descriptions were ruined. 'La pluie vient et nous apporte un abri. La pluie vient et nous apporte un abri!'

Large dark clouds engulfed Blush Valley as rain scratched and burned their faces. The bright orange flames failed to keep up and were smothered in the rain. A cloaked man ran out of the cottage, blood profusely dripping down his forehead. He turned to curse Valimonos's legacy and ran off. The cottage was in disrepair, but the damage was minor. Lance and Valimonos rushed out of the extinguished building, but their guests were already gone.

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 12-3b: The Proposal and the Execution

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Act 2 World 12-3b: The Proposal and the Execution

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'Sir?' April only knocked twice. Omahorn was so fixated on his privacy that April was the only other soul to enter his study other than the king himself. 'There's been... an idea circulating. About the plan.'

Omahorn sat at his large mahogany desk, surrounded by documents of every historic detail in the past three hundred and forty-four years. 'Which plan? Did Matthias back out or something?'

'Quite the opposite,' she answered. 'Lady Zorah would like to join this mission.'

Omahorn almost choked on his drink of choice: coffee, by the smell of it. He normally never drank such a strong Melloaztdalian beverage, at least not this early. 'Lady Zorah?! Why her? Did she bring this up?'

'Indeed, sir,' she said. 'She wants to be 'of use' to you. Would be nice for her to get out of the palace. You wouldn't have to deal with her at all for weeks, potentially.'

'I see,' he said, considering the joys of an empty palace. 'We could stage an execution there in the town square. Matthias always brings that up, and his sister too. Vizent and the twins threaten her life, then the heroes sacrifice themselves to save her. They come here, I kill them, problem solved. That's not a bad idea at all. We could bring it up at a meeting.'

'When would we have such a thing?'

'Right now.'

'Now?' she exclaimed. 'It's a little early, don't you think? Who would be there?'

'The usuals,' he said. 'You, me, Trey, twins, you know the drill. It'll be just like the one we had before I kidnapped Zorah. We'll need more chairs, unfortunately. I'll take care of it. Just round up the others.'

'Yes sir.'

King Omahorn stood at his throne; O'Rock to his right, April at his left. On the left stood Matthias and Anastasia, and on the right housed Astra, Jacque, and Vizent. Zorah stood in the center, ready to make her case. April cheered her on from the sidelines.

'I call this meeting to order,' the king says, his voice thundering over the silence. 'O'Rock, roll call, please.'

O'Rock lazily called names out one by one, balancing his cigar between his fingers. He put it back in his mouth when he was done. 'Everyone's here, man.'

'We have one thing to discuss today. Matthias, Anastasia, and Vizent were departing shortly for this critical mission,' he explained. 'However, Lady Zorah has suggested revisions to this plan. Zorah, you have the floor.'

Zorah felt eight sets of eyes turn to her at once as she stammered for words. She had rehearsed, but only to talk to Omahorn in private. This meeting wasn't part of the plan! she thought in a panic. 'Well... as we all know, the Pyrope Theocratic is an extremely dangerous environment. I offer to join this mission instead of or alongside the current members as a guide.'

'That's ridiculous!' Matthias shouted. Anastasia nodded. 'We're grown! We don't need a babysitter!'

'You know nothing we don't, Zorah,' Anastasia argued. 'We can handle this, no need to expose your ankles. Right Vizent?'

She said nothing but scowled at Zorah.

'Exactly! Besides, I could test out these new teeth of mine. Solid conduits this time. And what are you going to do anyway? Be bait?'

'Yes, in fact,' April piped up. 'The heroes want to save the lady. So if they discover the lady was there, they'd stay longer!'

'I see no problem with this,' Omahorn said. 'It's decided. Zorah, you, Matthias, Anastasia, and Vizent will-'

'I'm sorry to interrupt!' Astra said. 'But why is Anna of all people going on this? She's so inexperienced and this is a paramount mission! More experienced folks, like Jacque and I, should go in her place!'

'Mhm...' Jacque mumbled, sipping his tea.

'Oh, what? So you can fail this mission too?' Anna spat. 'Like you've failed every single mission beforehand?!'

'We have not!' she argued. 'You're the one who couldn't even fight a mimic on her own! How do you expect to fight an orc and magician simultaneously?'

'Like you can talk!' she yelled.

'We can just go by ourselves!' Anastasia argued. 'We're your strongest most productive members! Better than those weaklings over there!'

'I'll knock those rocky teeth right out of your mouth!' Vizent yelled, clenching her fists, prepared to swing.

'Do it, Anna,' Jacque said bluntly. 'Teach them a lesson...'

'All of you, enough!' Omahorn ordered. The throne room fell silent. The king cleared his throat. 'Astra, she cannot improve if she never gets a chance. Neither of you are in a state to go out again. Vizent is going, and that is final. Understood?' Astra nodded.

'Yeah, Vizent,' O'Rock grinned. 'You can finally teach your back-stabbing, pathetic friends a lesson!'

'That's not true!' Jacque said. 'You just have to give them a chance! They're not even that bad, it's that-'

'Shut it, Jacque!' Astra snapped. 'What do you think you're doing?'

'They're fine when that cloaked man isn't around!' Jacque cried. 'Your friends are good people. They're just misguided! Right, Anna?'

She glared at him. Her anger was taken out on the wizard in a flash. Jacque's nose was showered in blood, his blue skin turning purple. Given the chance, she would have gone for the kill. Astra tried pulling Vizent off him, but she received a nasty bite on her hand as a result. The chaos was endearing for the twins, mortifying for Lady Zorah, and too much for Omahorn to handle. He pulled out his own eight-sided gem, demanding silence.

'That's enough, Anna!' he shouted, his voice thundering over the others. 'Vizent, Zorah, Matthias, and Anastasia are going on this mission, understood? Matthias, Anastasia. You two will go to the kingdom and ambush the heroes if Vizent is overpowered. Otherwise, you are not to get involved and are to skulk in the shadows. Vizent, Zorah will guide you in the tradition. The heroes will exchange their lives for hers and you will bring them to me alive. I will handle the rest. Astra and Jacque will stay behind to prepare for their next mission. Does everyone understand?'

'Omahorn... I hate to downplay your genius,' O'Rock said. 'I didn't understand a lick of that.'

'We're staging Zorah's execution,' he said. 'But you'd understand that if you weren't hungover.'

'Omahorn, please!' Anastasia fights. Matthias shrugs and walks off. 'This is ridiculous!'

'It's final,' he said. Zorah smiles victoriously. Astra sighs and walks off, dragging Jacque by the wrist. He stumbles silently. 'Good luck with your assignments.'

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Act 2 World 12-3a: The Elder Valimonos/ Take the Stage, Lady Zorah!

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Act 2 World 12-3a: The Elder Valimonos/ Take the Stage, Lady Zorah!

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The duo had walked by all the stables slowly. They weren't in much of a rush to see a brash old lady, not today at least. Gnomes ran to and fro, attending to the hundreds of horned horses. Some trotted freely within the castle's walls, while others lay quietly in stables. They had shining manes and horns clearer than crystal. The horses lived better than Scott and Leeh combined, stationed in brick and marble enclosures that must've cost fortunes to furnish. The stables awkwardly enclosed the castle like a circular wall, refusing to let any of the colorful trees dot the land except right in front of her castle. They ignored the half-asleep guards- who ignored them right back- and entered the castle.

Lance was right about the smell. It reeked of sickly sweet rosemary and cloves. The plants looked dead and their pots were cracked and crumbling. A silver throne sat on a circular platform in the center of the circular palace. Little streams flowed throughout, tall columns kept the roof from collapsing in on itself. It felt very open and very closed off at the same time like they were the first outsiders to stand in front of Valimonos in a while. She herself looked out of place. Everything- minus the plants- was soft and bright, while Valimonos wore a deep, dull velvet.

'Lady Valimonos!' Leeh said, her voice echoing. 'It's an honor to meet you.'

'Displeasure to meet you,' she said, her voice slow and gruff. 'What do you cave dwellers want?'

'We were sent by Valimonos,' Scott explained. 'There's a creature hunting us down, and we were told this is an area safe from it.'

'Valimonos?' she barked. 'What could that reject want? Ugh... get out. She has no idea what she is talking about.'

'Can we get a second opinion from you?' Leeh asked.

'Kryztal!' she shouted. A young Rosynymfi rushed in from the left wing, handling a delicate crystal ball. 'You can finally do your job right. Now get out of my sight! No one called for you.'

The girl silently left. Valimonos stared distantly into the crystal ball as sounds echoed from it and onto the walls. It shone, reflecting of the large stained glass artworks, giving the throne room some much needed color. Scott and Leeh watched as Valimonos declared their fates.

'Indeed, a monster is coming for you!' she shouted. 'A monster so vicious and feral even the beasts of the world cower at its feet! It is an unavoidable fate and you shall either slay it, or it will rip you limb from limb, destroying your bones and soul as it tears into your flesh, barely satiating its bottomless hunger!'

'What is it?'

'Someone beyond you. Someone who left and will never return. A puppet, a pawn!' Valimonos coughed. 'That is all.'

'Where should we go to stay alive?' Scott asked.

'The Kingdom of the Pyrovovians would be a good place to start. Leave before I send Krystal to chop your heads off.'

Lady Zorah and April were sitting in the large library, April barely paying attention to what Zorah was saying.

'He told me I was bait! Bait!' she cried. 'What does that even mean?!'

'No clue,' April replied, turning the page. 'Matthias is an odd man, Lady Zorah. I'd advise not listening to him.'

'If I'm just here to stop Deimos, I should be involved!' Zorah's eyes lit up with a fresh idea. 'I've got it!'

'No need, Lady Zorah. It's under control,' she said. 'Omahorn always plans in advance.'

'Plans? What plans?' she asked. 'Oh, April, you must tell me, please!'

'If Omahorn needs your assistance, I'll let you know, Lady Zorah.'

'What's the current plan? Is he leaving again? Will he meet his matches face-to-face?' she exclaimed.

'Vizent and the twins are going to the fallen Kingdom to wipe them off the map,' she said. 'Omahorn got in touch with Valimonos. They're on their way there now.'

'That's it?'

'Yep. Deimos got the Eye of the Storm, but we have Valimonos's spellbook and those kids might have the pickaxe head still. Hopefully he'll give up after this,' April said. 'Can you believe he's been working on this plan for twelve years? I would've given up by now!'

Lady Zorah thought for a moment. She knew the Pyrvovian Kingdom inside out, even when Valimonos called all the shots. Since Zorah took over, the place had been left untouched, except for burials. 'They could use a guide. I could journey alongside them. I was Valimonos's apprentice when she ruled, after all.'

'How exceptional,' April buried her head in her own thoughts. 'I'll ask the king about it. Don't get your hopes up.'

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Act 2 World 12-2c: Matthias and the Charcoal Forge/ The Orchid Orchards

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Act 2 World 12-2c: Matthias and the Charcoal Forge/ The Orchid Orchards

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The forge wasn't open to the public every day; most of the time it's preserved for weapon smithing. Today was one of those days, and Matthias stood silently in front of the molten lava, crafting bronze swords and blunt battle axes, stringing bows of all sorts, and tipping triple-bladed arrows. To say Matthias was good at blacksmithing wasn't fully honest, but he was efficient couldn't be farther from the truth.

'Lady Zorah,' he said without turning around. 'It's been a while. Glad to hear you're in good health.'

The fish-shaped forge roared in agreement as he removed the head of a steel hammer from it.

'Thank you, you as well,' she said. 'Say, you encountered Anna and her team out on missions before, right?'

'Encountered? I wouldn't say encountered. We had a few run-ins with them, my sister and I. Why? Is something wrong with her?' he asked, turning to her.

'No, nothing's wrong, she's just...' she searched for the words. 'Odd, to say the least. Was she always like that?'

'What? Aggressive?' he returned to his forge. 'No. I guess the orca she's on gave her a boost. Jacque too, but his just made him quiet. Omahorn must've put more restrictions on him.'

'How did you know?' she asked.

'The forge knows a lot of things,' he laughed dully. 'Gossip just spreads around, that's all.'

'What was Anna like beforehand?' she asked. 'When she was with her friends, I mean.'

'She was too meek to stand on her own,' he said. 'I guess Deimos sent her, so who really knows, but April told you that, I'm sure.'

'She did indeed,' Zorah replied. 'Was Crimson also sent by him?'

'By Deimos?' he thought for a second, placing another hunk of metals into the fires. 'Who knows? Who cares. He's in such a damaged state it's hard to know anything. But he's back, and that's all that matters. Well, that and if he lives or not.'

'Will he?'

Matthias stared into the flames. The lavas bubbled and the fire roared. He removed the metal, carefully placing the liquid into an iron axe mold. 'Hard to say. Playing with Omahorn is a dangerous game, Zorah. I have work to do, and I'd hate to burn your dress.'

'I have one final question for you,' she said. 'Then I'll leave you to your business.'

Matthias turned to face her, his hands were gloved by thick leather, and his leather apron's pockets were full of tools. It hung a little too low to be practical, but it somehow kept him safe nonetheless.

'Why am I here?' she asked. 'It's just... I've been wondering for a while and I-'

'Bait.' he said, returning to his forge.

'Excuse me?' she said in bewilderment. 'I don't understand! What do you mean bait?'

'You're pure enough for Deimos's ritual fantasy, so if you're here, you can't be sacrificed,' he said. 'But he's probably moved on from you to some other young individual.'

'Oh...' she said, her soul crushed by the dread. 'Thank you for being honest with me, Matthias.'

'That's just what I do.'

Lance and the adventurers arrived in the Orchid Orchards in no time flat, arriving before the sun rose on their second day of travel.

'Now... I gotta warn you,' Lance said cautiously. 'Miss Valimonos isn't too big a fan of Ivornixites like yourself. She's a little old in her ways, just don't take anything she says too seriously, okay?'

'I can handle it. I've heard worse,' Scott laughed. 'I think.'

'If I may,' Leeh said. She walked behind Lance and Scott and remained reserved for most of the travel. 'Why are there two Valimonos? Are they related?'

'Huh? No, not related,' Lance said. He unclenched one of his armored fists. 'Valley is more of a... successor- if you could call her that. Valimonos won't live forever. And besides, getting a set of fresh eyes could be a good thing. Maybe we won't have a civil war in the future. Valley's Magic Ate Ball said so, at least...'

'Are you related to her?'

'Gods no!' Lance laughed. 'You think any child with Pyrovovian blood could be as happy as she is? I don't know who her daddy is, but her mother didn't want anything to do with her.'

'That's sad,' Scott said. 'Was she always a wizard? Or is it a new thing?'

'Well, Valley started levitating stuff by the time she was two,' Lance said. 'So I guess she was born with it.'

'And she's a prophet?' Leeh sighed in disbelief.

'In training. Until Valimonos finally drops she's in training,' he groaned. 'But that's never going to happen. She's so ancient she remembers when the continents were formed. If you smile and nod, she isn't too horrible. I've worked with her for fifteen years, trust me, I'd know. Honestly, I'm surprised I didn't get a prophet promotion based on how many health issues I predicted!'

'Valimonos sounds lovely...' Leeh said. 'It'll be an honor to be in her presence.'

'Oh, you don't have to pretend to be nice if she isn't around,' Lance laughed, picking at his white gloves. 'Trust me, I wouldn't have lasted a day if I did that!'

Her castle came into view, and it was hard to believe just how many unicorns she owned. The stables took up half the property. Scott and Leeh had seen a few during their trip, but it was only for a brief moment.

'Alright... Brace yourselves...' he mumbled. 'Just ignore the sickly smells. I hate the perfume she wears.'

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Act 2 World 12-2b: The Message of Valimonos/ Chitchat Collapse

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Act 2 World 12-2b: The Message of Valimonos/ Chitchat Collapse

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Valimonos return in a few agonizingly short minutes with a small, squishy, see-through crystal ball. Lance delicately placed in on the table just before the heroes's noses, wiping the residue off his gloves. The little gnome wizard stood in her place, poking the liquid-like ball until a vision appeared in scribbles.

'That doesn't look good,' Valimonos whimpered.

'What? Artistically or is it actually bad?' Leeh asked. Scott elbowed her. 'Shut it, Scott. I'm right!'

Lance had disappeared, returning with a black ball with a fork delicately and intrinsically painted on it. Valimonos took it and began to shake it, more aggressively than necessary.

'Oh Magic Ate Ball!' she said. 'This prophecy... it's for real this time, right?'

The ball shined and responded: Definitely, without a doubt. Valimonos awkwardly stared at her guests. 'Well, you heard him. It's coming true.'

'What's coming true? What's it say?' Scott asked.

'You gonna get to fight a monster!' Valimonos exclaimed. 'How cool is that?'

The duo stared at each other. 'That's great, Valimonos. Thank you for the insight...' Scott said.

'What type of monster is it?' Leeh asked. 'Is it a dragon? A supernatural being? A Mythical gone mad?'

Valimonos shook the Magic Ate Ball again. My sources say no, ask again later. 'Aw, you got it wrong! It's okay to fail, miss! I'm sure you get stuff wrong all the time!'

Leeh gritted her teeth but Scott shut her plans of strangling a toddler down. 'Do you happen to know what we are fighting against? We just want to stay safe. Is it someone from King Omahorn's army or land?'

She shook the ball. Signs point to yes, cannot predict now. 'Probably.'

'Thank you for your wisdom, Valimonos,' Scott said. 'Where should we head to stay safe from this monster?'

'Orchid Orchards would be a swell place to start,' she said, staring into the jelly crystal ball. 'You could visit Valimonos when you're there!'

Lance stood there silently until Valimonos offered him as a guide to the orchards. She shook the ball and it responded: You may rely on it, it is decidedly so. Lance nodded, causing the young Valimonos to clap her hands with glee.

Lady Zorah stood at the door. It was a door unfamiliar to her, the name ANNA etched into an iron plate haphazardly slapped onto the dead wood. She only had to knock once before the door crumbled open.

It was dark, so dark the candlelit hallway looked like the sun. The creaky floorboards were covered in scratches like something was trying to get out. The old chest was dented and cut up, and the red rug was hanging on by a thread. The worn bedding was unkempt, and an old chair sat empty in the corner. A girl sat on the collapsing bed, caring for a sharper-than-sharp, brass-bronze sword. The thin, green-striped wallpaper hung off the walls in chunks.

'Greetings, Anna,' she said softly. 'How are you doing?'

The room smelled like melted wax and musty wood. 'Fine. What do you want?' she muttered.

'I just wanted to ask you something,' she said. 'About your friend-'

'Get out,' she snapped. 'I have no business with you!'

'Anna, I just want to talk,' Zorah said, taking a seat. 'It's about Jacque, he's feeling ill and I came to you for help.'

'The wizard?' she kept her eyes down on her sword. Zorah nodded.

'Yes, your friend. He has a purple vest and a hat,' she explained. 'Is he-'

'Vizent!' a voice barked. Anna looked up. 'C'mon, Omahorn wants to see you!'

'I heard you the first time Anastasia,' she grumbled, slamming the old door behind her. Zorah sat silently in the darkness, examining Anna's sword. Her initials AOV were carved into the handle. Zorah recognized it. It's strangely similar to a blade April showed her. She gleefully talked about how Matthias had made it for her.

The room was left behind as Zorah traveled to his favorite place in the building: the Charcoal Forge buried deep in the Ebony Caverns.

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Act 2 World 12-2a: Lady Zorah Has an Idea/  Profitable Prophets

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Act 2 World 12-2a: Lady Zorah Has an Idea/  Profitable Prophets

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Astra was too busy minding her own business in Omahorn's library when Lady Zorah walked in. April was sitting at the desk, reading a ninety-hundred-page Cash Green book: Cash Green in the Grumpy Downpour.

'Greetings, Lady Zorah!' she exclaimed. 'How are you doing?'

'Excellent, thank you for asking,' Zorah smiled. 'You haven't happened to see Astra, did you?'

April nods, pointing to the middle of the library, then returning to her book silently.

Lady Zorah took a seat across from Astra, who barely looked up from her own book.

'What do you want from me?' Astra said. 'Is this about Jacque, Anna, or both?'

'How did you know?' Zorah asked.

'Word gets around, fair lady,' she said.

'Is your friend doing well? He won't say a word,' she asks.

'He's sick, I heard,' Astra said. 'If being sick shuts him up, whatever works. I can finally live in peace.'

'What about-'

'Anna? She just got here. And I am not her friend,' Astra stated. 'I don't know what's up with her, but she's just a weirdo. Is there anything else you want to know or can I continue reading?'

'I was going to ask about your cyclops-goblin friend,' Zorah said. 'Crimson, is that right?'

Astra's eyes widen. 'He's... He's going to get better. King Omahorn said so... I hope he's right.'

'I hope he is as well, Astra,' she says. 'Thank you for talking with me. I just wish Anna or Jacque would do the same.'

'If you want to talk to Anna, just start a conversation with her,' Astra chuckles. 'She's always a little stand-offish. I don't think she's used to all the attention!'

The Pyrovovian soldier led Leeh and Scott to a small cottage. Snow began to fly around as Lance knocked four times on the door. A bubbly, young gnome flew the large door open wide. Her navy cloak was long, and covered in golden stars. Whoever it was made for, it certainly wasn't her. Her pointed wizard cone, however, fit her perfectly. She gleefully invited Lance and his 'friends' inside.

'How are you, Lance?' she giggled. 'Are these your friends?'

'Not exactly,' he said coldly, pulling a chair out for the little wizard. 'They are travelers attempting to find their friend. An Ivornixite in yellow.'

'Ivornixites? Here? Why?' she said. Lance handed the gnome a cup of mint milk.

'We're being chased by King Omahorn. He's trying to end the world,' Leeh said coldly, taking a seat across from the wizard. Scott followed. The Pyrovovian stood still. 'He took our friend from us and we need your help.'

'Well...' she said, drawing with colored sticks of wax on sheets of parchment. 'I don't know much about King Omahorn. He asked for a spellbook once though, right Lance?'

'Correct, your wizardness,' Lance said. 'It was a guide to conduits, but a spellbook, yes.'

'When was this?' Scott asked. 'How long ago?'

'He just wanted to borrow it!' she giggled. 'He's said the ΩOrca was in there, and he didn't want his friend to have it. Or something like that, I don't remember.'

An ΩOrca? The duo gave each other nervous looks. That sounds great...

'Yes,' Lance said. 'The ΩOrca was a powerful artifact. The book is of no importance to him, I'm sure.'

'Trey O'Rock is the gem fanatic! Omahorn likes the paperwork, right?' she asks. Lance nods, and the wizard claps her hands gleefully. 'You're the bestest Lance!'

'You are welcome, Valimonos,' Lance smiles.

Valimonos?! The prophet?! The duo stares in shock. This is the selfless sorceress?

'I think...' Valimonos stares at the fresh map Lance handed her. 'She's gonna be at the Pyrovovian kingdom!'

'What?'

'If you don't believe me, we can consult the divine forecasts!' she exclaims, getting off her chair and rushing deep into her cottage. Lance sighs.

'Sorry about her,' he said. 'She's learning.'

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Act 2 World 12-1b: Gnome for the Holidays/ Investigate, Lady Zorah!

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Act 2 World 12-1b: Gnome for the Holidays/ Investigate, Lady Zorah!

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Scott and Leeh tumble into a soft town gifted with the name Bubblegum. It was shaded by the majestic mycelium trees, softly coated in a thin layer of glittery, powdery snow. Gnomes sat safely in their mushroom-shaped cottages, baking sugared caramel-blueberry bread and magically crafting strawberry-lemon oatmeals with tall pitchers of mint milk for the young ones. The smell of the quaint town was delightful, especially to two starved travelers. A few stalls were being washed up and packing their produce away. All while a Pyrovovian guard watched carefully, casually drinking a pint of peppermint mead.

'Have a good one, Lance!' the storeowner giggles to the guard.

'You as well, Toffie,' the guard said. 'Have a good Festive Festival with the misses!'

'You as well!' the jolly man exclaimed before running down the cobble path, crashing into the strangers. 'Whoops! Sorry mister! To whom to I have the pleasure?'

'We're just passing by,' Leeh said. 'Excuse us, sir.'

'Why don't you stop into Bubblegum for a drink? The Festive Festival is no time for travels! Unless it is to see families. You... you aren't here for that, clearly,' the shopkeeper says merrily. 'Have a nice night, boys!'

The guard snaps to attention, grabbing his bladed spear. 'Greetings, strangers. Happy holidays, how can I be of service?' he says.

'We're just passing through for supplies,' Scott explains over the cheerful chatterings.

'Supplies? Little late for that, isn't it?' the Pyrovovian guard chuckled to himself as the cold, refreshing morning sun rose to greet the day. 'Right. Not in the mood, I see. Let's get you two what you need.'

Jacque stared blankly in the distance as Lady Zorah stood next to him. He looked ill, skin clinging to him as if it was all that was left in him.

'How are you feeling today Jacque?' she asked, too nervous to say much else.

He took a sip from his bland goblet. The water was a cloudy orange. The heavy kettle sat on the sturdy wooden table. He did not respond to Lady Zorah.

'I didn't know you were a fan of tea,' she said. 'Back in my homeland, we would make tea and give it to the children in the springtime. Do you do that where you're from?'

The tea silently sat in the glass. Jacque only stared at her, barely recognizing that there was someone in front of him. He waved tiredly. She cheerfully waved back.

'Tea?' he said. She politely declined, but he didn't notice. He was too busy pouring more for himself to care. 'Fine...'

'I'm glad to hear you're doing well,' she smiles politely. 'How did you meet Crimson and Astra? They're lovely, but I'm sure you know that.'

'Hm?' he asks, before returning to his tea, leaving the tea room like Lady Zorah wasn't there in the first place.

'Wait! Jacque!' she sighs as another person enters the room. The mysterious newcomer. Her face was dull and blank, but not like Jacque's was. She stared at Lady Zorah as if she would freeze her if she dared to look away, but continued going about her business. 'Are you new? I haven't seen you around here. I'm so pleased to meet you. I'm Lady Zorah, what is your name?'

'Whatever,' the girl grumbles. 'Don't talk to me.'

'Do you know the others? Jacque, Crimson, and Astra are very nice people. Have you met them?'

'Doesn't matter if I did,' she muttered, grabbing a parcel from a cabinet. 'I have no business with you.'

'What is your name?' Lady Zorah asks kindly. 'I will not hurt you, ma'am.'

The girl wore a mask over her eyes. 'Whatever... Goodbye.'

Lady Zorah stood in the tea room alone. If she wasn't going to get answers from Jacque, or this new girl, then there was only one other person she could go to:

Astra Smith, the third most loyal supporter of King Omahorn.

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Act 2 World 12-1a: A Newer Monster/ Peppermint Hills

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Act 2 World 12-1a: A Newer Monster/ Peppermint Hills

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Someone new has been stalking the halls of the Obsidian Palace. A masked figure with a black cape and an orca securely chained to her neck. She had caught attention of Lady Zorah almost immediately, who had asked the king's humble assistant about the new arrival. April had almost nothing to say, other than it was a saved victim of Deimos's. Omahorn returned from his trips. He did not explain himself or Crimson's injuries to April nor Zorah- and was oblivious to the time they spent together before he departed.

'I don't understand!' Zorah exclaims, long after the new girl and all the others had went to attend to their business. 'It's like I wasn't even there!'

'Give the lord some time,' April said quietly. 'His hands are full with those new arrivals and her acquaintances.'

'They've met?' Zorah laughed. 'I did not get that impression. Are they ill?'

Lady Zorah had seen the tallest sludge around the palace in complete silence, muttering letters and numbers to himself. He stared off during meetings dicussing the next steps, never spoke, and barely listened. He was better at hiding it than O'Rock, at least. Jacque, the Bleuazulian wizard, hadn't even answered his only friend, Astra. April thought for a moment, the gave her simple response.

'Jacque's orca malfunctioned. Omahorn managed to fix it and he will be well in a few days.'

'I see...' she says. Her mind was set. Her curiosity had been piqued. Lady Zorah would have to talk to him in the morning.

The sickly sweet scent stalked Scott and Leeh as the Emerald Empire faded away and the Blush Valley began. The strip of land between was named Peppermint Hills, home to teensy taverns run by the Rosynymfi.

'You don't have any mints?' the little gnome whined. 'Not a single one? You were right there! Mantis Theater has the best mints this side of Mont Cuivre! You two are a buncha meanies!'

'Look, all we have is six silver and eighteen copper,' Leeh groaned impatiently. 'Surely that's enough for a simple toll.'

'Nope!' the gnome giggled. 'It's too much!'

'Then how much is it?' Leeh shouted.

'Two coppers, please!' the little girl chirped.

'Hey, for two copper, that's quite a deal,' Scott said. 'Isn't there a twist of some kind? Sounds too good to be true.'

The Rosynymfi pulled an egg-shaped, yellow-tan lute from her booth. 'You gotta play a song first!'

Scott and Leeh stared at each other. Neither of us can play such a thing, can we? Regardless of their doubts, Scott happily grabbed the lute and played a few notes. It sounded awful, but the gnome clapped her hands with glee. She was so impressed, she begged for another song, this time for a whopping one percent off.

'Well... Make it free and I'll play another round, miss,' Scott laughed. Leeh rolled her eyes.

'Two percent and you can keep it!' the gnome squealed. 'Again! Again!'

'Alright, alright!' Scott chuckled, playing another horribly horrid string of notes, bad enough to make Leeh's ears bleed.

'Are you done yet?' Leeh asked. 'We're a little busy, aren't we Scott?'

'Yeah... I guess you're right...' he said.

The gnome was long out of earshot before they spoke again. Blush Valley had massive mushroom-shaped trees and smelled of molasses-coated sugar. Delicate stringing lights lit the cobblestones leading to the quaint settlements. It was the safest, soundest place in all of Diaskechromasia. The peaceful gnomes are protected by the powerful, aggressive Pyrovovians, but you wouldn't be able to tell based on the architecture.

You'd be able to tell based on the wonderland's unsettling fear lingering in the air.

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Even the air is sickly sweet, just like its Rosynymfi residents. Even the most serious men have childish smiles by the time they exit the gift shop. Just don't anger the guards. Pyrovovians never lose.

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Anna Vizent stared into the deep abyss of light-reflecting glass. An image of a mysterious person stared back at her, watching and copying her every move. Her eyes stared at it. It reciprocated. The costume fit her better than any tunics or trousers she'd ever known.

'Is that any better?' she asked, adjusting a wobbly tooth. 'Your old stuff was a little worse for wear... Not that I'd know.'

'Good to know,' Anna said. 'Can I go now?'

'Well... Actually, black looks good on you! You should never go back to wearing yellow,' the girl laughed.

'Half of this costume is still yellow,' Anna said.

'Well... not all yellow from now on, okay?'

'You can't tell me what to wear, Anastasia,' Anna grumbled.

'You act a lot like my brother!' Anastasia laughed. 'You're manageable, though. You'll fit in here, I promise. There's no need to worry yourself.'

'I'm not worried.'

'Aw, that's nice! Your Bleuazulian friend picked at his hangnails for a week! He's a lot quieter now. Orcas are great for shutting them up, right?'

'Whatever you say,' Anna grumbled.

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Act 2 World 11-7b: Patch, the Reinforcement

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Act 2 World 11-7b: Patch, the Reinforcement

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'A Grasmardite in a cloak had led three teenagers on a dangerous to assassinate the tyrant king of the Ebony Caverns!' Patch cried. 'How am I the crazy one?'

'No one's saying you're crazy! You're the one on his side! We have no reason to trust you if you won't tell us who you are!' Scott shouted.

'You want to know who I am? What about the quest-giver? Do you want to know who he is?' Patch argued. Leeh pulled out her dagger. 'Alright, alright. No need for a fight. Especially from you, Leeh O'Rock.'

'Watch your mouth stranger,' Leeh said. The duo exchanged glances and knew it. Either he's her dad, or someone much worse.

'That's no way to treat a family friend, Leeh. Didn't you like the visit from your father? He was a realistic impersonator of me, don't you think?'

It can't be. 'You're... You're...'

'I told you to stay out of my way, didn't I?' he grinned. 'I warned you. The quest-giver went easy on you. I won't.'

The king's gold-gilded sword clashed with a bronze-casted Xiphos belonging to a tall cyclops-goblin in a cloak.

'I didn't expect to see your mug in my territory, Omahorn,' he said. 'Decided to fight your own battles, huh?'

'For gods's sake Deimos, this is the forty-first group you've sent to execute me!' he shouted. 'Haven't you had enough?'

'I won't have enough if you're still alive,' the quest-giver growled. 'You won't be when I'm done with you.'

'I'm not engaging in your revenge fantasy, Deimos. Move on, grow up,' Omahorn went over to Crimson's body and gently picked him up, sheathing his sword. 'Scott, Leeh, please return to the Ebony Caverns with me. I can help you.'

'Don't listen to him!' the quest-giver shouted. 'Leeh, he has one of the Ultimate Artifacts!'

'Excuse me? Why would I have such a thing?!' the king exclaimed. 'The Ultimate Artifacts are satanic-summoning... Wait a second... You're actually doing it, aren't you?'

'Leeh? Hello? The Ultimate Artifacts?'

'You don't control me anymore,' she said. '

'Excuse me? The... why doesn't it work anymore?!' the quest-giver shouted. 'What have you done, Omahorn?'

'I've warned you, Deimos,' Omahorn said. 'Twelve years. Twelve years you've wasted your time and energy. Your debts are no longer my business. I've warned you, 'heroes', any friend of this false prophet is no friend of mine. You don't have to follow him anymore. Please, come with me! I can help you!'

Scott grabbed Crimson's axe, as Leeh gripped her dagger harder. The quest-giver held his bronze blade. Omahorn gently placed Crimson down and prepared his gold-gilded sword.

'I have a nation of refugees to protect,' Omahon said. 'I won't hold back anymore.'

The king had left long ago, with Crimson in tow. The quest-giver tended to an unconscious Scott as Leeh tended to the flames.

'Roloc?'

'What?' Leeh snarled.

'You're a lot more promising when you don't hold back. All three of you had so much potential...' the quest-giver sighed. 'Anna must be taken out of his velvet-lined gloves... and the rest of your friends as well, of course. Poor Crimson, shame he didn't make it, right?'

'How did you know where to find us?' Leeh asked bluntly. 'We never told you where we were. For all you knew, we were still at the Altar of the Deciclops. I know you're following us. Please just leave us alone, man.'

'You won't be able to get rid of me until that tyrant king is gone,' the quest-giver muttered, grabbing Leeh's arm. 'Kill the king of the Ebony Caverns. I will not ask you two again. Stop wasting my time when you have this much untapped potential, please.'

'I'm not afraid of you,' she said. 'I won't ask you again. Leave. Us. Alone. Please.'

'As you wish, O'Rock,' the quest-giver smirked. 'You will not survive in the world. Scott may if he continues to follow the right paths- especially with that new axe of his. You are disappointing at best, but there is still hope. Not for Anna Vizent, she's a goner along with the rest of your friends. You will perish, and you will suffer.'

The quest-giver vanished in a foggy mess of magics, leaving Leeh to fend for herself and Scott that night. She shook the feeling off in the middle of the night, but the sense that he was watching her lingered until dawn.

But even though Scott and Leeh were leaving the Emerald Empire behind them, she still couldn't shake off her nerves. She kept it to herself, but the quest-giver having to do with Crimson's death never left her mind for a split second.

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Footprints led back to a campsite from travelers long past. The fire circle wasn't used in years, while the stumps one would sit on were scratched to Anápoda and back with people's names. The site has seen the greatest adventurers at their worst and beginners at their best. Amid the cozy chaos, a bleeding cyclops-goblin was slumped against a ripped-up log. He struggled to wrap a fresh bite wound with a small cloth scrap. Some snake must've gotten to him, marking him as its nest's next meal. A duo in blue and green came across the site, rushing to the bleeding man.

'Crimson? Can you hear me?' Leeh asked, shaking him. 'Crimson?'

'I'm sorry...' he choked. 'I shouldn't have run off...'

'Don't apologize,' Scott said, lifting his head off the snowy log. 'How are you feeling?'

'Horrible. My leg gave out and everything's fuzzy...' Crimson muttered. 'Where's Astra? Is she with you?'

'No. She's out on a job,' Leeh said, wrapping the bite tightly. 'Sorry.'

'Oh... Unfortunate,' he coughed, wiping blood off his face. 'I'm glad she's able to keep her family's stomach full.'

The silence was deafening as his voice got weaker and hoarser. Scott read through his spellbook and lit a fire with one of Jacque's spells. Crimson smiled. Leeh kept wrapping his wounds while he leaned on Scott's shoulders.

'You hungry?' Scott asked. 'I got some rations in my satchel if you want them.'

'I'm fine... Save them for yourself,' he laughed. He stared blankly into the fire. 'I won't survive to the morning anyway.'

'Don't say that,' Leeh said. 'We'll find someone to help you, I promise.'

'Not here... We don't have that luxury...' Crimson mutters, coughing and scratching his wounds.

Leeh glances at Scott, who stared back. 'There's a place,' Leeh sighs. 'A safe haven we can send you to.'

'What are you talking about?' his eye lights up with hope.

'The Ebony Caverns,' she said, the wilderness cursing her name as she explained her idea. 'Omahorn has the best medic on the continent.'

'I could try to teleport you there,' Scott says. 'Or try to, at least.'

'Just leave me here, wizard,' he hacked. 'I don't want to risk it anymore. I don't need to adventure any longer. My friends and I have travelled the continents together. I've seen everything everywhere. I'm content with what I've done. Thank you for offering, though.'

'Crimson, you can't give up!' Leeh said. 'Scott and I are going to help you.'

'There's no need,' he barely gasped the words out. 'I don't want your help then, and I don't need it now. Just leave me here, Ebonyxite.'

'It's going to be okay, man,' Scott stammered. He wiped the blood off Crimson's paling face. 'You're going to get through this. You've been through so much, you have so much to live for.'

Crimson rolled his eye, pushing off Scott and sitting up himself. He winced at the pain.

By midnight, he couldn't keep his eye open.

By sunrise, Scott was digging. Crimson wasn't going to last another second. Leeh was cradling his frail, almost lifeless body in her arms. Watchful eyes of an old, cloaked fisherman stared at the short-lived funeral.

'What are you doing here?' her voice trembled.

'I have to tell you something,' the man in the shadows said. 'And it's the truth. It's what you need to hear. The world is ending.'

Scott reaches for Crimson's axe, leaving his body lying next to his grave. Patch held his hand up.

'There's no need for fighting, kid. I'm not the mysterious cloaked man you should throw axes at.'

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Act 2 World 11-6c: Demise With a Front-Row Seat

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Act 2 World 11-6c: Demise With a Front-Row Seat

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'I'm just an actor,' she said. 'I appreciate your tenacity, common folk.'

Scott and Leeh exchanged nervous glances. Crimson tried to scramble out dozens of rushed apologies. The acting Apothecary simply waved them off, saying she had nothing she could do for Crimson's injuries, but knows someone who can.

'Who is it, ma'am?' Leeh begged.

'Why should I tell you? Your intentions are vague and unworthy of my trust. I truly wish you healthy days ahead, however,' she said calmly, not taking her eyes off the play. The short cyclops-goblin stared at his Bleuazulian friend, then to the stranger. His eye widen excitedly. 'You two are the kids from Buck Bastion! Scott with the green shirt, isn't it?'

'Cash Green? Isn't this your play, sir?' he cried.

'Well, I wrote it and all,' the famous man laughed at the much poorer than him. 'But I'd never officially act it out! Valimonos is an amazing-'

'Cash!' the Apothecary hissed. 'We cannot tell the... lower class where the richest of the rich live! Their intentions are nefarious at best! They teleported up here begging for scraps, for gods's sake!'

'Oh please! We used to be like them, right? Poor and begging for scraps, hoping our adventure buddy was going to be okay! What would the personas think? The Apothecary would lead them in the right direction, right?'

She sighed. 'Honest as usual, Mr. Green, yet your logic is still flawed. Now shoo, helpless adventurers. This is my favorite scene of the play.'

The only female character in the cast was violently stabbed on stage as the bright male lead gasped in horror. She laughed gleefully. Cash shook his head, soundly dismissing the trio.

The night shone dully as the loudness of gatherings at the Apothecary's and Cash Green's mansions and Seafoam City sat emptily in the middle of the mess. Crimson's exhaustion caught up to him, and Scott was forced to drag him around while Leeh figured out another Plan B.

'He won't make it to Blush Valley, Scott!' Leeh argued. 'There has to be something here!'

'There is nothing here other than the Apothecary!' Scott argued. 'The Emerald Empire's best doctor is a scam and nothing is here in the largest, fanciest city in the country! There is no other option!'

'Then what are we going to do? His condition is only worsening, we have to act now,' Leeh cried. 'We can't let him down! We said we'd help him and we will. You agreed, and so did I! We'll search the whole city if we have to!'

'You said it yourself. There's not enough time!' he shouted.

'Then what do you suggest we do? Leave him here to fend for himself when he can't walk or even keep his eye open?'

'Well...' he stammered. 'If there's no other option...'

'Scott!' Leeh stumbled back. 'How could you? He's our friend!'

'Don't forget what he and his buddies did to us, how badly they've hurt us!' Scott shouted. 'Astra almost broke her jaw at Canary County! You didn't trust him them and you shouldn't now!'

'But you're the one who stills thinks the quest-giver's a good guy. Don't tell me my judgement's off. You have no reason to trust him!'

'You don't have a reason to trust Crimson!' Scott replied. 'Just look at him! He's-'

'Crimson?' Leeh's voiced softened in an instant. 'Where is he, Scott?'

'I don't know! Why're you asking me, if you want to be his guardian satyr so bad?' Scott cried.

The duo had searched the streets, but their old red-wearing rival had seemingly vanished in the night. Leeh and Scott began a small search, yet only found sandy, snowy footprints leading into the wilderness.

'I'm going after him,' Leeh said. 'You can stay on your stupid quest if you want.'

'Leeh... Don't do this,' Scott said. 'We can do this together. We can stop your father. The world's ending, we can't split up after Anna was taken away.'

Leeh sighed, staring into Seafoam City's outskirts. 'If we don't go, Omahorn will take him or he'll die alone. I don't want him alone. I know he won't make it, but we can at least make it better, right?'

Scott sighed. He held Leeh's hand as small tears bubbled in her eyes. 'He's going to make it with our help. I'll be right by your side, I promise.'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 11-6b: The Apothecary's Western Clinic

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Act 2 World 11-6b: The Apothecary's Western Clinic

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Even though the village was littered with expensive rock huts and wooden cottages, the Apothecary's flashy mansion didn't stick out like a sore thumb. It was less gaudy than the large cottage to the east vastly decorated in marble statue fountains of ladies and rich carpets.

'This is it, right?' Leeh asked. Crimson sleepily nodded.

'You sure?' Scott said. 'It looks a little... much for an apothecary.'

'Of course, I'm sure. I've never been wrong!' he mumbled.

'If you say so...' Leeh said. 'Hopefully she isn't busy...'

'Apothecary out,' the receptionist said simply.

'What? We have a medical emergency!' Leeh cried.

'Bone leg sticking out? Odd. Dirt outside. Have nice day,' the receptionist said, rolling her eye. 'Wat komesch leit, muss ech soen.'

'Fluch Dir Apotheker,' Crimson muttered.

The Apothecary's cottage was so massive it was difficult just leaving it. The dozens of nurses in ridiculous costumes crowded around them, like they had never seen people from outside the city before. Scott tries to ask where the Apothecary is if she's out, and the nurses point them in the right direction: Mantis Theater. The never-ending rambling of the nurses, who explain everything about the Apothecary down to what pair of stockings she's wearing, gets on Leeh's nerves, and the heroes drag Crimson to Mantis Theater.

Mantis Theater is so packed with people, that guards don't even notice the trio sneak inside. Not only were the mansions of Cash Green and the Apothecary suffocating the humbly excited townsfolk, but so did the Mantis Theater's interior. It's made of the richest, highly textured limestone from the Moldavite Quarry, and emerald candle holders lining the walls. Red carpets stitched with golden and silver details. Dark wooden beams held the massive walls together. The theater was U-shaped and open, with massive, polished pillars. The stage was gigantic, and the musical pit below was even larger. Even Crimson was in awe. Cyclops-goblins from the countryside were almost always either too broke to purchase a ticket or too broke to dress accordingly. The Apothecary sat in the highest, richest seat in the theater, just out of reach.

'We should just turn around,' Crimson whispered. 'We shouldn't be here! If we get caught...'

'You have to see her,' Leeh said. 'Scott, that trick you showed me a while back?'

Scott stared at the high seats, and in the slightest moment of inspiration, got an idea. 'Really? I don't remember how I did it the first time!'

'I believe in you, Scott,' she said. 'Crimson, just hold tight alright?'

He rolled his eye. 'I know what you're on to, Leeh. You two are gonna get us killed.'

'Do you want to get better or not?' Scott grumbled. Crimson's arms, legs, and face were covered in blood, scrapes, and dirt from his own journey. He nodded somberly. 'Then hang on.'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 11-6a: Seaside Shenanigans at Seafoam City

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Act 2 World 11-6a: Seaside Shenanigans at Seafoam City

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'Absolutely not!' Crimson shouted. 'You are not carrying me, Ebonyxite!'

'You can't walk, and you're too heavy for Scott to levitate!'

'Leeh, I've carried a boulder, and the-' he glanced at his friend, who was seething with rage. 'Yeah, I'm too weak to lift you. Sorry man. I can carry your axe, though.'

'The only one who's carrying my precious family heirloom is me, magician!' Crimson spat. Leeh picked him up anyway, despite his pleas.

The Emerald Empire's seaside isn't much to scoff at. With bright, stouter trees lending shade to the winding paths cyclops-goblins speed through, to the calm salty air that graces the lush forest with a cool breeze. A larger town lined the shores, aptly named Seafoam City. Not only is this bustling town filled with store owners selling overpriced, meaningless trash to tourists, but it is home to the world-renowned conjurer, the Apothecary. She serves her role as ruler of the city and vizier to the emperor Nefrítis. She's more beloved, Crimson explained, than famous actor Cash Green. Mainly because she's around more than Cash.

'So he isn't a real general?' Scott asked. 'Then why was he in Buck Bastion?'

'For Volume 8383's comedic special!' Crimson grumbled. 'He's a famous actor! He has to experience it to act it, idiot.'

The city was jam-packed with dozens of Atocanyon tourists, every one heading to Mantis Theater to watch Cash Green's largest performance yet. The Apothecary's domain was at the edge of the city, while Cash's was at the other edge. The duo took in the sites. Crimson only spoke to tell them to hurry up.

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Act 2 World 11-5b: Leeh W. Roloc Spills the Beans

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Act 2 World 11-5b: Leeh W. Roloc Spills the Beans

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'Well, my father and I weren't the biggest fans of each other,' she started. 'He was always out late, came back wasted out of his mind. I got sick of dealing with his mess my whole life so... it wasn't smart, now that I think about it.'

'What'd you do?' he asked.

'I... that scar on his face. I did that. Ever since, he's sent stalker after stalker. I don't blame him, I shouldn't have done it, but it was the only that would wake him up, I guess,' she said. 'Even then, it still wasn't enough. He reeked of alcohol back there. I just... he wrecked his own life, and I proved it to him.'

'But why did you head to the Ivory Outdoors? Why'd you meet me?'

'We met by coincidence, Scott,' Leeh said. 'I didn't seek out anyone. You guys were growing as a nation, I thought he'd never even think of looking for me there. He thought I'd only be happy as a rich noble. He sold my hand in marriage for a reason.'

'To who? And you let him?' he exclaimed.

'I didn't have a choice. I was only ten, Scott. It isn't uncommon for nobles to do that, at least where I'm from, it isn't,' she mumbled. 'I'm sure he was a nice guy, but I never met him. Probably a guy from the Mellows. They've been begging for an alliance, and Omahorn doesn't have a kid, so I was the next best pick.'

'I thought he had a son,' Scott said. 'I remember my parents talking about it when I was little.'

'That was a dozen years ago. He was just a baby when I left,' she sighed. 'I think we were spared, honestly. I'm surprised he didn't order Jacque to kill me.'

'So your dad is King Omahorn?'

'Didn't you listen to a word I said?' she laughed. 'No, he'd never have more than one kid. He's not a fan of the... process. It's how he lost his wife, after all. General O'Rock is my father. He pretended to be Omahorn, for some reason.'

Scott stared at Leeh. 'Thank you for telling me the truth, Leeh.'

'Don't thank me, I should've told you guys when you opened up,' Leeh said. 'Has Crimson woken up yet?'

'Yeah,' the duo shot up from the ground in shock. Leeh suppressed a scream. Crimson chuckled. 'I'm not gonna tell anyone your sob story. I don't really care.'

'Are you feeling any better?' Scott asked. 'Like, can you walk?'

'I've known how to walk since I was half a year old, idiot,' Crimson rolled his eye. 'I'm taking myself to see an apothecary.'

Crimson rose to his feet, took two steps and fell.

'I guess you can't walk after all,' Leeh laughed. 'We'll leave in the morning. We all need some rest after today. I promise you, Crimson, we are going to help you. Right Scott?'

'I second that,' Scott said. Crimson rolled his eye and started sharpening a stick to 'catch dinners with.'

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'O'Rock!' a man shouted. He wore a white collared shirt with dark blue trousers and dark boots. He held a patched, worn vest in his hand, and a bloody, gold-gilded sword in the other. A young girl in yellow was being dragged off by a tall woman and a man in purple 'What in gods's names was that?!'

'I only did what April told me to do, that's all!' the king groaned, taking off a dark orange vest, pouring a glass of bright whiskey. 'You want a drink?'

'You just... What do you mean, Trey?'

'She told me to do stuff so I did!' he argued. 'It was your idea in the first place, why are you so mad?'

'My idea was to take care of those meddling kids, not to kidnap one and kill the others!'

'I only probably killed one!'

'That was your daughter, you fool!' the true King Omahorn groaned. 'What's next, you let Zorah go as well?'

'Well... no...' O'Rock tried to find the right words. 'Not exactly... I... I kept her company, while you were out.'

He stared at his second-in-command, who didn't reciprocate. 'I can't deal with this right now,' he put the vest on over his collard shirt. 'I have to stop them before it's too late. Before they get any more artifacts.'

'Deimos won't do anything!' O'Rock shouted, taking a sip of his drink and slamming the glass onto the table. 'He's a humongous coward!'

'This is only group of scouts he's sent that have gotten this far!' he sighed. 'After forty parties, he's actually made progress. He has the Sigil's design from five groups ago, but they only made it to the Atomic Canyon. Now he has the Eye of the Storm and the platinum pickaxe head. That's three of the four! I don't know what he's fed these teenagers, but they're so much stronger than the dozens of professional adventurers he's sent out previously!'

'Maybe the lack of alcohol helped,' O'Rock rolled his eyes. 'I think you're overthinking.'

'The last group... Those poor children. How young were they?' he muttered. 'I think I will take a glass after all.'

'Those guys? You're still stuck on them? They didn't even make it out of the Royal Mellows! They went nowhere, those three. I'm glad he gave up there, moving to the Ivory Outdoors was promising, clearly. Maybe you should get some minions from there next time.'

'This rivalry between us needs to end. Now,' he ordered. 'Send out Matthias and Anastasia. I've had enough of these errand boys.'

# data[].attributes.body
O'Rock cautiously opened the doors to Lady Zorah's suite. He only had to switch up his clothes, and he looked just like the real deal. Minus the scar, yet King Omahorn was too menacing for people to notice such a small, insignificant details. Zorah rose from her vanity and gave the disguised second-in-command a hug so soft and sweet he almost felt bad.

Almost.

'Omahorn!' she exclaimed. 'I'm so happy to see you! Please, take a seat!'

'Oh, Zorah, you're too kind,' he grinned. Why's Omahorn given her a room as good as this is he isn't going to interact with her? 'It's an honor to be graced with your illustrious presence.'

Lady Zorah giggled. 'It's an honor to be in yours as well.'

'The palace has been treating you nicely?' Omahorn snickered.

'Oh! This place is incredible!' she smiled. 'I mean, you are here. I've never felt safer.'

Jeez, she's just as crazy as Omahorn said she was. The man smirked. 'I'm glad the guards make you feel secure in my palace.'

She sat next to him. The bedding was soft, almost too soft for O'Rock to believe it was Omahorn's idea to put it here. 'It's you... your guards are very stiff, aren't they? You're nicer than they are. You're handsome too.'

'I'm honored,' he chuckled. 'The guards are the best warriors on this side of the continent. All to keep you safe and sound, my lady.'

Her face went red. 'You're too good to be true, Omahorn!'

'I will always be true to you, Lady Zorah,' he smiled, holding her hands in his. His were callused and tough. Hers were clean and soft to the touch. 'Would you like me to prove it to you?'

She stared at him in awe. She moved her hands up to his face, and then her lips to his.

'I'll take that as a yes, my love,' he grinned.

'I've waited for someone like you for too long Omahorn!' she cried. 'We should be wed by tomorrow!'

He turned away. 'Focus on the present, darling. I have a meeting out of the country tomorrow.'

She sighed. She kissed his cheek. 'Then we should enjoy our time together now, Omahorn! I heard the gardens in the courtyard are fantastic.'

'Then the courtyard we shall go, my fair lady.'

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Act 2 World 11-4b: Confusing Campfire Conversation

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Act 2 World 11-4b: Confusing Campfire Conversation

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Scott dragged Leeh's body to a tree stump, starting a small fire, silently staring into the orange flames. He let reality sink in, for once. Anna was truly gone, physically and mentally, burnt out, torn down. Scott stared at the fresh wax tablets. He couldn't bear to stare any longer, and dug through Leeh's bag, looking for something to pass the time. Crimson was still out cold, but it looked like he was coming to. He wouldn't be told what his friends had done, and he wouldn't be told about Patch either. Patch. Where did the fisherman go, anyway? It was hard to say if he left alongside the Ebony Cavern's dictator, or if the journey overwhelmed him, but deep down, Scott knew it was no coincidence. Patch was too knowing, too mysterious. Leeh only survived their first encounter by pure luck, no doubt. Scott had dug through her whole bag, reaching the bottom, and he felt something cold and sharp. Another one of Astra's begotten blades, he assumed. Pulling it out, it was too heavy to be a small knife.

It was an Octagon Rare Conduit Amplifier, shoved so deep into her bag no one would ever find it unless they were looking for it. Scott couldn't believe his eyes. Leeh wasn't to be trusted either. The daughter of King Omahorn, he thought in disbelief. Of course she isn't to be trusted. Anna was right about one thing...

He couldn't believe his ears either. An orca had never been this close to his face. It seemed to speak to the man.

You will fetch those Ultimate Artifacts. It repeated the same phrase over and over. Leeh stared at Scott, having just come back to consciousness.

'Scott? What're you doing with that?' she cried. 'Put that down! He'll kill me!'

'Who's he?' he asked, keeping Leeh far from the device. 'And why do you have this?'

'I... I don't know! I just know it's- No Scott don't!'

Scott slammed it into the iron-hard tree. It smashed into thousands of little magenta, glass-like pieces. Sparkling liquid pooled out, splattering over the tree, ground, and Scott's boots. Leeh seemed to snap to attention, confused and concerned.

'Scott? What're you... Where are we?!' she cried, staring into the deep forest. 'What's Crimson doing here?! Where's Jacque? Did Anna make it back home safely?'

'What?' he asked, confused. 'Don't you remember? She was gonna stay with us until- That... thing... Who gave it to you?'

'A Grasmardetie in a cloak. On the train. Why?'

'The quest-giver... He has these?!' Scott exclaimed. 'Why does he have Ebonyxite technology?'

'I don't know!' she cried, clutching her head. 'Where's Anna?'

'Omahorn took her,' Scott said. 'And Jacque. Patch is gone, I have no clue where he went.'

'The man on the horse? That wasn't Omahorn!' she shouted. 'That was one of his cronies!'

'He said it himself, Leeh. I know it's hard to believe, but-'

'No! That was... gods what is his name?' she groaned. 'I don't remember! Oh this bad, this is...' she went eerily silent.

'Leeh? Are you-'

'O'Rock!' she screamed.

'Oh...' his voice dropped. 'You're his...'

'...Daughter... I know,' she muttered. She sat next to Scott on the ground. 'You deserve to know.'

'You don't have to tell me if you don't want to,' he said.

She sighed. 'It doesn't matter if I want to. I deceived you, and you deserve the truth.'

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The Apothecary was many, many miles away from Mosston, Crimson pointed them in the right direction. Jacque was still nowhere to be found; He wasn't back at Mosston at all. The forest was deep and covered in a foot of snow, and it just wasn't stopping. Crunches were heard all around them, as they tried to ignore the feeling that the five of them were being watched. Anna stayed in the back of the party until the sounds of her footsteps were silent.

'Anna?' Scott called out. 'Are you alright?'

'We don't have time to look for her,' Patch argued. 'Crimson needs to see an apothecary!'

'I... I'm fine...' his voice was hoarse. 'We can look...'

'We aren't leaving her behind, old man. Not again,' Leeh insisted. 'Scott? Can you?'

'Yeah,' he said, cutting her off. He focused, and the world was engulfed by blues and reds. Two red and orange blobs were behind a tree, one struggling and one nervously getting them to stop. 'Who goes there?'

Muffled shouts got louder as the sound of horse hooves clattered in the distance as Jacque grabbed Anna's arm, trying to make a break for it.

'Jacque? Thank gods, you can still do your job after all these months!' a woman's voice laughed. 'Omahorn's going to like this!'

Astra grabbed Anna's shirt collar, staring at the heroes. Patch had drawn his sword, Leeh doing the same with her dagger. Scott held Crimson and the weight of his axe. The horse drew closer, revealing the man on his steed.

A tall man with black hair and midnight-grey skin. He wore a dark vermillion suit with gold buttons and dark boots. A wine-colored gem peaked out of his deep pocket. His rusty crown was decorated with a single, four-sided black gem. A long scar ran down his face. The King of the Ebony Caverns. King Omahorn.

'No! It can't be!' Patch cried. 'What're you doing here?! What're you doing, Jacque?'

He only stared blankly, his face pale and sweaty. Jacque's eyes quivered as he glanced at his puppeteer. Astra laughed. Anna ripped away, grabbing Patch's sword from his hand.

'Well, I didn't expect any of you to make it this far,' Omahorn said, his voice deep and gravelly. 'Especially you, Leeh.'

Scott caught a glimpse of her face. Pure terror. She pointed at Omahorn and mouthed only a single word:

Father?

The man grinned. 'I see you've missed me, young lady.'

'It... no... It... It can't...' she could hardly form the right words. She tugged on her long curly hair, hiding a scar on her neck he never noticed before. 'How... why?'

'I'm not here for you. I'm here for her. I am over you. You disgust me. Astra, Jacque. Do your jobs. Quickly please. I'm a busy man with ladies to please.'

Jacque ripped the gold-gilded sword from Anna's hands, swinging it aimlessly at the four heroes. Astra grabbed her, effectively disarmed her, and plunged a wine-colored, cold, eight-sided gem into Anna's temple.

'Anna!' Leeh cried as she collapsed to the ground. She turned to King Omahorn. 'What have you done?'

'Simple. She's part of my army now. Duh,' the man laughed, grabbing Scott by the back of his shirt. 'So you're the magician of the group, huh? You look strong for your age. Astra! Can you hurry this up? I have a five o'clock to catch.'

'Of course, sire. If only she'd stop moving!' Astra shouted through clenched teeth. Jacque knocked Leeh to the ground, swinging the sword until he caught her arm, shoving her to the ground. King Omahorn grinned as blood splattered on the ground. The cut of Leeh's face only gre larger.

'Fight all you want, kid,' Omahorn laughed. 'No one resists a functional orca. Not someone as weak as you, anyway.'

'I'm... not... weak!' Anna threw her fist at Astra.

'Sure you aren't,' he said, pointing at Scott. 'Even your green-shirted friend said so. I can make you stronger. Better. Perfect. All you have to do is come with me. You're used to following fools around, aren't you?'

'I...'

'Don't listen to him, Anna!' Leeh cried weakly. 'You- You don't know what he's capable of!'

'The king's a trickster!' Patch shouted. 'He'll kill us all if you-'

'Shut it, fisherman! Or the green guy gets it!' the king growled. 'You know this has to be done.'

'Omahorn, there has to be another way!' he cried. 'Look at you! Killing your own daughter for the greater good.'

'Daughter?' Scott's eyes trailed to Leeh, who couldn't get up, no matter what she tried.

'Your family would be so disappointed in you, Anna,' the king said somberly. 'You'd rather watch the world burn and suffer to kneel to these two heretics? Wouldn't you like to be the most praised swordswoman in all the lands? Even the outer continents would recognize you! And- I can assure you- these fools will only hold you back.'

'I..'

'They will only abandon you for someone else.'

Anna's friends assured her, but she wasn't herself anymore: too deluded by the tyrant king. Anna grabbed the muddy orca. Astra giggled. Jacque blindly stared. Patch stood still and snatched his sword from Jacque's hand. Anna wasn't going to fail. She wasn't going to hold back anymore. Omahorn grinned. The orca shined, sparked with emotion Anna didn't know she had. A native resident of the Ivory Outdoors could finally obtain power, power they've been banned from receiving.

'Anna... You can't do this!' Scott shouted as Omahorn pushed him to the snow. 'You don't know what you're doing!'

'You being unreasonable, Scott,' her voice was low and cold. 'I'm going to be special and you're gonna be left behind.'

'That's what I thought, Anna,' Omahorn sighed. 'Fall out.'

The orca shone brighter than any had before, and the tyrant king, the taller rivals, and Anna O. Vizent were gone, leaving Patch, Crimson, Scott, and Leeh alone in the cold, silent Emerald Empire.

Wait a second...

Where did Patch go?

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 11-3b: The Battle of the Deciclops

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Act 2 World 11-3b: The Battle of the Deciclops

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The ground started to rumble. The large beast slowly awoke, unraveling silently. It looked more like a snake than a majestic dragon. It had a sharply round face with a massive eye awkwardly poking out of its forehead. Its long sharp fangs hardly keeping its tongue inside its own mouth. It finally flops out as the black spheres opened to reveal several eyes, two of which take their place on both sides of its grotesque face, the other's orbit around its long, never-ending body. One sticks to its tail from a golden chain stabbed into it. Its tongue gained two eyes as well, then it talks like it had its own mouth.

'Honestly, Deci, took you long enough!' it spoke. 'You've been hibernating too long!'

The towering Deciclops only yawns as its own tongue talked to no one except itself, apparently. The Deciclops puts its tongue back in its mouth and stares at the party who awoke it. It stares at the unharmed scale, then back at the flesh creatures in front of it. Slowly, it approached the heroes. And slowly, Patch told Jacque to run and warn the people of Mosston. His footprints were loud in the silence as he was never seen again. The Deciclops's tongue was still yammering on about their training when he strike.

The Deciclops sentenced them to death by execution, and its judgements were never unjustly justfied.

It slammed its scaly head onto the limestone. Patch ripped out his sword, pushing Leeh out of the way of a sharp, clumsy attack. Scott casts one of the spells he knows, summoning a weak yet mighty flame. Using a disregarded scrap of the red banner and a sharp stick, creates a spear hotter than Mount XI itself.

'Anna!' Scott shouts, ducking a dusty attack. 'Catch!'

She grabs the stick, stabbing it deep into the flesh of the monster, protecting the Ultimate Artifact with her torso. A small stream of blood dripped down her face as she ripped it out and stabbed it again. The stick burned the flesh of the Deciclops, but it barely flinched, except its sapient tongue, who shrieked in pain. The stick fell into the snow and the flame flickered out instantly. Leeh grabbed the scale from Anna's grasp as Patch landed a hit on the Deciclops's back, and then it reacts.

It thrashes around, crying in its misery. A black orb shatters and falls to the ground. It cried harder.

'Rats, Deci!' the tongue-serpant shouts. 'Looks like you have an ouch! Did you just break one of our judgement eye-orbs? C'mon, sir! Have some decency!'

Patch stared at the beast, whose large eye swelled with tears. Crimson tried shoving Patch out of the way, taking the aggressive slam from the Deciclops, knocking him to the ground. Crimson struggled to get back up, his bones cracking, one stuck out his right arm.

'Anna! Scott! The eyes! Stab the eyes!' Patch instructed. 'Leeh, protect Crimson! Get him out of here!'

Crimson stood up with Leeh's help, slumped over like a body bag, but he still stood up. She grabbed Patch's gold-gilded sword and swung at the orb chained to its tail.

Its shimmering surface smashed into millions of itty-bitty pieces.

'What have you done?' its tongue shrieked. 'We have to get out of here!'

Scott snatched Patch's sword and dug it into the Deciclops's tail. It yelped as Patch patiently smashed every eye-orb surrounding its magical body. The Deciclops thrashed, plead, and begged for mercy, but Scott only dug deeper into its flesh. Blood pooled everywhere, transforming the once green wyrm into a deep, crimson red.

It collapsed from the pain as the magician took another, sharper stick, lit it on fire, and drove it straight into its large, teary, real eye. It was helpless, just as weak as it was when it awoke. Leeh covered Anna's eyes. Patch covered his own, helping Crimson stand up right. Scott- the bloodiest- drive Patch's sword into the Deciclops's annoying tongue until it shut up as well. Its stab wounds were too much for it to bear, and it horridly slithers up into the trees and falls asleep. The magical orbs seems to reform, and everything was at peace once more.

Snow started to fall, covering the thick, blood-stained snow. Children's laughter began to fill the air once again. Anna stared at the scene, her face covered in dirt and blood.

'Is... is everyone alright?' Patch gasped. Crimson was slumped in Leeh's arms, Anna was crying, and Scott was staring at the bloody altar. 'I'll take that as a no.'

'He need to see a medic,' Leeh said calmly. Patch picked up the orb, wiped it on his pant leg, shoving it in his pocket. 'And I think the rest of us could too.'

Patch examined his friends. 'Yeah, and maybe a good washing too.'

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Act 2 World 11-3a: The Altar of the Deciclops

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Act 2 World 11-3a: The Altar of the Deciclops

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It looked abandoned. Frayed, multi-colored banners hung from limestone pillars, detailed with G-shaped runes. The banners were covered in mud and snow. The red one to the far left was completely torn apart, only the smallest amount of it remained. Just like their alliance with Autumnal, Jacque thought. The green banner was the cleanest, and the largest, with a large eye and a long snake. Atomic Canyon's banner had a pickaxe and a volcano, whereas the Royal Mellows's had a coin and a large, dry tree. The teal banner had bubbles and a large trident, but the indigo one had a lizard hugging a storm cloud, etched with lightning. Mulberry Bay's had a three-pointed crystal and a hammer. The pink banner- the second cleanest- had an apple stabbed with a spear. Tón Bleu's had Mont Cuivre behind a spellbook and awarlock's wand. There were no black or white banners, and no more pillars either. In the center sat a stout pillar with tons of baskets surrounding it. A massive snake lay wrapped around the limestone platform of the altar. It was massive, not as large as Molmuvsteinn, maybe about half its size. It only had one visible eye, little black balls floated around the pillars and trees. Something was watching, but Crimson barely noticed. He delicately placed the bowl of sauerkraut near the beast, turning to Jacque.

'Well, now or never,' he whispered. His voiced echoed through the trees. Cries from the village could still be heard.

'Yeah. Yeah,' Jacque said. 'Just give me a minute or two alone with the thing, may you?'

Crimson nodded and walked off, just out of earshot. Jacque nervously snuck around, looking for golden statues of the Mythical itself, or any of the other important ones, brass bells, or anything platinum-esque. He searched and searched, but found nothing. Jacque was about to give up, when his party members appeared, Anna looked super confused.

'Did you find it yet?' Scott asked, lowering his voice midway through his sentence.

'No!' he muttered frustratedly. 'I don't know what it looks like, but whatever it is, it ain't here!'

'The Ultimate Artifact? Should be in the center there,' Patch pointed. A shiny, golden scale sat in the middle. Its beam were highly-detailed snakes, and its base in the shape of a star. 'Did you seriously not see that?'

'No! I swear, that wasn't- Whatever!' he grumbled. Jacque lifted his hand, and floated the object towards him. Crimson called his name, and he lost focus for a spilt second, plummeting the golden scale to the limestone ground. It shrieked as it clanged on the ground. The sound echoed for miles. Crimson rushed towards the noise, staring in horror as Jacque, Scott, Anna, Leeh, and a mysterious man he's never seen before failed to steal a simple scale.

'Jacque? What's going on here?' Crimson asked, his voice upset and barely above a whisper. His eye was filling with tears as he choked out words. 'You... Are you seriously doing this? You're gonna get us all killed, Jacque! Why? Why would you do this?'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 11-2: Dinner Party for Merci Dag

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Act 2 World 11-2: Dinner Party for Merci Dag

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Jacque was a few inches too tall to stand comfortably inside. Crimson's house was cozy, and his father called out for his wife and family. Crimson nervously stared at the floor.

'What're you doing here?! Omahorn's gonna kill you!' Jacque cried.

'It's Merci Dag, tradition. Besides, Astra can handle it. I haven't been much help,' he said.

'Where's the gem?' he asked urgently.

'Well... see, here's the thing: I don't... I don't really know. It's around here somewhere.'

Jacque's jaw dropped. 'You mean, you lost it! Omahorn, aie pitié de nous, nous sommes morts! It's so over, you realize that, right?'

'Relax, relax. I don't need a gem. I never used it anyway.'

'You can't go back! You have to stay here!' Jacque shouted. 'If you go back, it's all over for you.'

'You're being a bit dramatic. It's probably in my pocket, dumb-dumb.'

'What have you been doing the past month?' Jacque interrogated. 'Answer me!'

'I don't know! Adventuring?' he guessed. Jacque groaned. 'What?'

Jacque was about to speak but was cut off by a woman- presumably Crimson's mother. She was carrying plates of salty fish and tender duck, crispy potato cakes, and sharp lemons that turn teeth into fine mush. Fancy pork from the 24th finest pig in town was split into chewy, slightly soft pieces, topped with gravies beyond imagination. To Crimson, it looked like heaven, but to Jacque, it looked like a meaty nightmare.

'Crimson! Dir Eemer vu Würmer, stoppt mat Gespréicher a fänkt un ze hëllefen!' the younger woman shouted.

'Carmine, mäi Gott! Sidd léif mat Ärem Brudder! Hie kënnt zréck an representéiert eis helleg Natioun an dat ass wéi Dir him begréisst?' his mother shouts. 'This your friend, son?'

Crimson glanced at Jacque, his face slightly red. 'Jo... Mamm, dëser Jacque. Den Zauberer.'

'Oh! Wizard boy! Very nice meeting you!' she exclaimed. 'You ever eaten pork at mountains?'

'No ma'am. It looks divine though,' he said.

'Good young man!' she cackled, her one eye filling with tears. 'Oh geseent dech, du witzege Mann! You make good husband, yes? You met daughter?'

'Your daughter? I haven't,' he said. 'I hope she's as charming as you.'

Crimson's father came into the room. 'Sauerkraut, Wuerm Eemer!'

'Direkt Papp,' Crimson nodded. 'You should come with me before my sister eats you alive.'

Crimson was digging up the Rout family's sauerkraut surplus as Jacque stared at the small town.

'I can't believe you live here,' he said. 'I'm not staying for dinner, am I?'

'If they say you are, then you are. I wouldn't protest,' he dug up a muddy glass jar, filled to the brim with cabbage. 'I know you don't eat much meat at home. Just eat this. If you don't think about it, it tastes alright.'

Jacque looked at the edge of town. He could faintly make out Anna's voice. Crimson was waiting for him, but so were they.

'Say... Do you know how to get to the altar of the Deciclops from here?'

'Deciclops? Do you want to get pulverized again?' Crimson rolled his eye. 'You're asking for trouble.'

'Omahorn asked me too. Astra said it was part of his plan. His plan to stop the quest-giver, remember?' Jacque said, not daring to glance at his eye.

'Well, I don't think it's out of hibernation yet. It's just past that rocky hill,' Crimson put the jar down, pointing at a cliff face in the distance. 'It's slippery in this weather. Father already sent an offering, but I'll see if you can make another one. Reason to get whatever it is done. I'll go talk to him.'

Jacque gazed at the icy, fluffy snow below his feet, before seeing a snowball charging at him too late, knocking him over. The small children stared cackling their brains out. Jacque chuckled to himself. The children teased him until they were softly crushed by a mountain of snow falling atop their heads. They only laughed louder, chasing after each other, throwing muddy snow until they couldn't walk any longer. Crimson came out with a small bowl of spare sauerkraut.

'I don't know what you're doing,' Crimson said. 'Just be quick about it.'

'Crimson,' Jacque said. 'Come with me. Please.'

'If I miss dinner, you're so done for!' Jacque laughed. Crimson could barely keep a straight face, and before either of them knew it, they were rushing towards said altar with child-like glee. Jacque nodded as they rushed past a still-talking Anna, a confused-but-had-the-spirit Patch, and bored-out-of-their-minds Scott and Leeh. Patch got the message, telling the party to follow Jacque and Crimson as stealthily and as silently as possible.

# data[].attributes.body
Patch led Leeh, Scott, Jacque, and Anna into the Emerald Empire. He knew exactly where this altar of the Deciclops was, and was happy to take them there. Snow crunched under their feet. Multiple tree trunks were decorated with candles, the snow was littered with footprints.

'So, what's your deal with the Deciclops?' Patch asked. 'Do you wanna make an offering or something?'

'It ain't your business, fisherman,' Leeh mumbled.

'Leeh! He's helping us out!' Anna scolded. 'We're collecting the Ultimate Artifacts because-'

Patch stopped dead in his tracks. 'Ultimate Artifacts? We can't possibly... Those are... Nevermind. We have to stop at Mosston for that. Anna, where's your sword?'

Anna checked her sheath, which had safely held her bent sword. It was empty. It had been with her, but not anymore. Molmuvsteinn must've melted it. 'I don't know, why?'

'Mosston? Crimson's from there!' Jacque exclaimed, cutting Patch off. 'Oh, don't worry guys. His mother? Loves me! Her husband too.'

'Crimson? He's a friend of yours?' Patch asked.

'Yeah, well, kinda. He's not feeling great so he's mad at me,' Jacque said. 'He's lavage de cerveau and I ain't, so he's a little mad or whatever. He's coming around though.'

'Interesting. He was fine when I-' Patch looked up from the quest-giver's map. 'Nevermind. Mosston's just up ahead. Grasmardeties don't take kindly to... to people like us. Ebonyxites and Ivornixites, I mean. They're pretty protective. We'll be fine, but still... Jacque can do most of the talking for us, I'm sure.'

Jacque looked confused but nodded.

Mosston was filled with life. Kids ran around, playing knights and bandits, creating snow monsters, then tearing them down. Their parents collected firewood and cooked fish from the local- now frozen- rivers and lakes. One lady was hanging up a blood-covered blue tunic, and wiping a bloody axe off with a towel. An older cyclops-goblin helped her, taking the axe and cleaning it himself. It had many blessed runes on its white-wood handle. He ushered the woman back inside, speaking to her slowly. She responded quickly but then slowed down as she went back inside.

'Is that your friend Crimson?' Patch asked. Anna groaned and Scott just shook his head. Jacque nodded excitedly. 'Fantastic! He'll surely know his way around here. Jacque? If you could do the honors?'

As Jacque approached his friend, Leeh, Anna, Scott, and Patch waited in the woods. Anna was explaining their adventure, but Scott and Leeh just stayed quiet.

'Crimson!' Jacque said politely. 'I haven't seen you in a while, how have you been?'

'Who you think you talk to?' a gruff man shouted. 'Come up me like you do? Who you? How you know son?'

'Oh! I'm sorry! I'm Jacque Métiers. A friend of your son.'

'Son have no friend. Only enemy!' the man shouted. 'Not you wizard. Scram!'

'Father! What's all the ruckus about?' Crimson poked his head through the window. His face lit up. 'Jacque? What're you doing here?'

'I was gonna ask you the same thing!' he exclaimed, hugging his friend. 'How've you been?'

'Who this, son?' Crimson's father asked.

'Father... This is my friend, Jacque, you know him. He's been our wizard.'

'Am Goblin, wann ech glift,' he grumbled. 'Deng modern Sprooch kléngt meng Oueren wéi Kräid.'

Crimson stammered, looking at Jacque. 'Dëse Jacque. Hien mäi... frënd. Den Zauberer.'

'Oh! Wizard boy?' his father grinned. 'Ah, yes, yes! Welcome son. Welcome Mosston! Inside, inside!'

His father shoved Jacque into their small, stony home. The four party members just stared. They'll have to wait for him. Leeh stayed awkwardly silent.

# data[].attributes.body
A lush forest with hundreds upon thousands of Grasmardeties reside. Even though they have the highest population and abundance of supplies, the mortality rate is high. Even in the winter, especially in the winter. That's when the Deciclops come out of hibernation.

That's when the villagers turn on each other.

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The doors to the palace swung open. A man with sharp tusks and an even sharper mind walked pridefully inside. A large white scar trickled down his face. The horns he was so proud of sat boastfully on his head. His spiffy coat was adorned with military medals. A glass in one hand and a clipboard in another. His boots were made of pure hard labor, shaped to the grounds he and the lands he stormed for his nation. The second-in-command. King Omahorn's main man.

'April! My main man! Where's he at?' he laughed. His horns were his prized possession, sharper, sleeker, and healthier than any in the entire Ebony Caverns.

'He's gone Trey. He put you in charge until he returns.'

The man dropped his glass, it shattering into thousands of pieces. His strong beverage spilled onto the cold floors. 'What? What happened, is he alright?'

'He's out.'

'Out where?'

'I cannot tell you. It has to do with those heroes. You remember them from the last few meetings, right?' April reminded him.

'Uh... The orca'd ones?'

'Nope. They're our allies,' she said. 'Just admit you weren't paying attention. No one would blame you.'

He scratched the back of his neck. 'Well... I mean... I remember taking attendance... It was a long time ago, April. Cut me some slack, I'm a busy man!'

April rolled her eyes and escorted him to the throne room, explaining his new, temporary, responsibilities as the new, temporary, ruler.

'How long's he gonna be gone for? This sounds like a lotta work,' he laughed.

'He'll be gone as long as he needs, O'Rock,' she muttered. 'No one must know about this switch. No one, do you understand?'

'Even his little mistress?' he smirked.

'Especially Lady Zorah. Just ignore her, like he does,' April instructed. 'You're too ill to interact with her until further notice, understand?'

'Alright, alright I get it. You worry too much!' he laughed. 'I've led hundreds of soldiers into battle in my sleep! I got this, don't worry.'

April sighed. 'If you say so, 'King Omahorn.' Now, on to our first mission, Patch needs a favor from you.'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 10-5b: They'll Come Around. They Always Do.

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Act 2 World 10-5b: They'll Come Around. They Always Do.

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'Scott, my main man!' Mister Evntropia shouted as Jacque's great-great-great-uncle hid his face in embarrassment. 'You found them okay?'

'Yeah, okay enough,' Scott said. It took a lot of convincing to leave their new, seemingly perfect lives in Katántia, but Scott's promises were believable enough to convince them. For Jacque, Astra did the trick. But for Anna, it was a lot harder. But it happened, and force probably wasn't involved.

'Y'all ready to go home now?' Anna and Jacque hesitantly nodded. They were warned it would hurt, but Scott's mind was so jumbled by the sparkles of bliss to remember how bad it'd hurt if it did at all. 'Alright, great. Don't come back until you're thirty now. Die at a normal age folks! C'mon Abél, we got some jugglers to watch! Did you remember the humus?'

Abél pulled a huge tub of humus out from a bag ten times too small. 'Of course I did. How could I forget?'

'That nephew of your's sure is convincible, ain't he?' Evntropia laughed.

'He's got a good heart in his chest. Not from me though!' Abél chuckled.

A soft, crackling fire echoed through the warmth. A man was sitting on a log across from Scott, Leeh right at his side. Leeh survived the time with Patch. He just stared as the two previously dead bodies filled with life again.

'They all just do that? Pass out whenever?!' the man couldn't believe his eyes.

'Yeah, your party didn't?' Leeh tried to hold her gratitude until after Patch had disappeared, but she thanked Scott for bringing them to their senses. 'How'd you do it so quickly?'

'I'm very convincing,' Scott whispered. 'But I'm never gonna do it again.'

'I'll make sure not to die anytime soon,' Leeh laughed. 'Anna, Jacque. How are you guys feeling?'

'I feel absolutely terrific,' he said, rolling his eyes. 'Was just living my dream.'

'Scott, you're such a liar! That didn't even hurt!' Anna exclaimed.

Patch just looked back and forth as each party member slowly lost their minds laughing and joking. He tried to ignore the swelling in his throat. This is what he was going to tear apart. This is what she warned him about.

This was what it was like. Happiness, joy, warmth. Mundane fishing chores and bland business deals couldn't bring light to his world. This wouldn't last, it can't last. Leeh must return to her father at some point, and Jacque will have to face the rivals at some point. Anna will go home, and Scott will live with his spiritual oddity his whole life. But for a moment, they could all be happy, despite this. It isn't the bigger picture. It isn't Deimos.

They get to be happy, despite how hard Deimos tears them down.

Patch sighed. He won't let this manipulation continue. He will be stopping Deimos.

He will be stopping the quest-giver.

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 10-5a: Brought Back Down to Earth

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Act 2 World 10-5a: Brought Back Down to Earth

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'Good heavens, boy!' a wise man said, gently shaking the boy. 'All I asked was what your friends' names were! There's no need to get upset!'

Scott felt like a million pounds of sea were lifted off his shoulders. He choked up the last liters out and looked up at the man. He tried to say something to the man, but his own throat choked him back. He stared at the man's drawing again. The figures, while small, looked happy.

'You don't have to answer, kid,' the wise man said. 'But I think that, even thought they are your friends, what would happen if you brought them back? My friend Verbatrum talked to you, yes? He's rarely wrong and I think you should take his warnings to heart. I know you don't want your friends to suffer, but just think about it all. Please.'

Scott stared into the land of bliss. 'This place isn't real, is it?'

'It is, I fear. But it's what you make of it, Scott,' the old man said. 'It's only a nightmare if you choose it to be.'

'I'm going to find them. I'll do anything, please!'

The man sighed. 'If you say so.'

He snapped his fingers and disappeared disappointingly.

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 10-4c: Katántia, Eternal Peace and Internal Screaming

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Act 2 World 10-4c: Katántia, Eternal Peace and Internal Screaming

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It was calm as a river and as cheerful as a birthday party. Silver satyrs ran around with balloons and ate iced treats in pure bliss. The was a man sitting amongst all this organized chaos, a man with a pad of paper and a pen with its well close by. A Bleuazulian man, someone not much older than Jacque from the looks of it. His rolled-up revealed his thousands of tattoos, some even peaked out from his shirt collar. He was talking to a silver satyr, who sat excitedly next to him. He waved at Scott, motioning for him to come over.

'Hello, young man,' he said. 'How'd you go out?'

'I'm here for my friends. I'm not dead,' Scott explained. 'Has anyone been around recently? A Bleuazulian and an Ivornixite?'

'Hm...' the man scratched his long beard. 'Let's take a look together, shall we?'

The man flipped through the dozens of pages of his pad, stopping at one with two blobs far in the background: white and yellow, blue and purple. 'These two? I saw them head that way. Do you want me to come with you?'

'No, but thank you,' Scott said. 'I have to hurry before Leeh gets hurt.'

The eternal bliss never ended. The sweet, sugary hills were littered with silver satyrs playing chase and giggling, the soft ground was intertwined with happy souls in bliss, living whatever their life could've been. Gold rained from the sky, and everything shimmered in magic. Large, gravity-defying towers loomed over the hills of bliss. In the middle of this was an Ivornixite covered in blood and scars from his journey. One with so much and so little left that he walks in a state of unease. The sweet-blooded Ivornixite who the Movolmpires chase after, hoping to get a taste of it. Someone with a lot and nothing to lose.

'Anna? Jacque?' he cried out over the echoing, now eerily quiet land of joy. The brightness went dark, surrounding him like a spider was ready to feast. 'Where are you guys?'

The silence crowded him as he pushed forward. He was slowly sinking in the melting ooze below his feet. He cried out, desperately reaching for two vaguely person-shaped people in the distance. A small, young Ivornixite in yellow, and a tall, tattoo-covered Bleuazulian in purple. They said nothing, only stared in disgust as the magical Ivornixite in green was left to his own devices. He screamed out, but they didn't hear him. Anna and Jacque didn't hear him. Everything faded to a murky black as faint cries surrounded him.

You're just weaker than us, Scott. You aren't suited for the job.

I bestow you with a special breed of magic for what? For you to throw it all away!

Your future is as bright as it is bland.

Your headstone will rot from neglect, errand-boy.

'Anna! Jacque!' he cried out louder. 'Please, help me!'

You are the fire that tore her down.

'Anna!' he begged. 'Anna!'

Silence. No matter how hard he begged, cried, or called, no one seemed to hear him. All that was there was a corrupt, one-eyed man in a cloak- one who handed eight-sided gems out like candy.

# data[].attributes.body
'Scott? Wake up...' a mysterious voice whispered in the wind as he slowly came to his senses. 'Get up man!'

'Mister Evntropia?' Scott rubbed his eyes. The world was empty and blank.

'Are you kidding? You weren't supposed to use it on yourself!'

'You said if I ever need to reach out to you again to use it!'

'No! Didn't you read the back?' he groaned.

'There was a back? Forget it! I'm here now. I need to find my friends. Jacque and Anna! Have you seen them around?'

Mister Evntropia scratched his chin. 'Abél's relative? He's probably not down in Anápoda. And your little girlfriend isn't either. Check Katántia.'

'First off, Anna's not my girlfriend. And second, I don't know how to get there!' Scott cried.

'Someone's desperate...' he grumbled. 'Look kid, I'll tell you what. I'll send you to joy and happiness land, and then you come back to Anápoda and get Odisesta off my back. She'd make a good wife, don't you think?'

Scott's face went cold. 'I- I don't think I-'

Mister Evntropia burst into laughter, taking several minutes to calm himself down. His levitation was much stronger than Scott's; he could lift his whole body in the air. 'I'm kidding! I'm pulling your leg! You should've seen the look on your face! Oh gods, I can't with you little man! You, with Odisesta?! Please, I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy! Nah, no good ahead Scott! have fun up there! Oh gods! Apixos! Get me a throat lozenge, please! I've laughed myself into losing my voice! Actually, just get me the whole bag! Have fun up there, Scott. Let me know if you need to scrub your eyes after!'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 10-4a: Welcome Back to the Diaskechromasia, You Two!

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Act 2 World 10-4a: Welcome Back to the Diaskechromasia, You Two!

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'Awesome!' Mister Evntropia laughed, looking at the paper. 'You know, I'm surprised you left unscathed! How was it? Were her walls blue or green this afternoon?'

'I think they were yellow...' Scott said. 'Wait, what do you mean unscathed?!'

'Welp, I guess that's all I got for you. Bye-bye, you two! I have a bunch of juggling jesters to watch.'

'Wait, you're actually doing it?!' Scott exclaimed. 'That blood was totally worth it!'

'I'm sure it was. You'll probably get it back when you're revived. That scar won't. Oh! I do this with all my favorites,' he wrote down something on a sheet of parchment. 'Here, if you wanna reach out to me again.'

Leeh grabbed the paper as Mister Evntropia summoned a portal, and before they knew it, Leeh and Scott had woken up from this terrible nightmare.

A soft, crackling fire echoed through the warmth. A man was sitting on a log across from them. He was eating canned chicken noodles. He was wearing a patched, worn vest and a white collared shirt with dark blue trousers and dark boots. He's an Ebonyxite, just like Leeh was. He seemed surprised they were awake. The ground was nice and soft, and the snow was neatly removed. Anna and Jacque were passed out, injuries fixed up next to them. Scott felt like he got slugged with a club, but Odisesta's bite marks were gone. The soot was gone, kindly and carefully washed off with a now-drying towel. Leeh's pant leg was sewn up, fixed from the months of being completely frayed and burnt. Her bag was safe right by her side. Wherever they were, Molmuvsteinn wasn't anywhere nearby. The man looked up in mild surprise.

'Oh! You two are awake,' he said calmly. 'How are you feeling?'

Leeh and Scott stared at each other. 'Who are you and where are we?'

'Me? My name's Patch. It's short for Patrick,' the man chuckled to himself. 'I found you guys near the Kobalt Camps and just wanted to make sure you were alright. You're names are Scott Ore and Leeh Roloc, right?'

They looked at each other. Should we tell him? 'How do you know that?'

'Well, your bags have your names in them. I just wanted to lift some weight off your shoulders,' he said. 'That was quite the battle you had.'

'Tell me about it, country boy...' Leeh grumbled. 'Have you been following us?'

'No. I have just been in the right places at the right time. I was fishing when you fought the Lava-Lavacanth, selling my spoils at Tungsten when 7D was robbed and happened to be heading to the Emerald Empire to do the same,' he said. 'I'm just a normal fisherman.'

Leeh looked at him. Sure you are, she thought. You can't fish in bright purple water, all the fish would've died from the potassium permanganate. What's he on about? 'I'm sure you were.'

'You guys are very impressive. Going on this whole quest yourselves. What are you planning on doing? Is this for fun or what?' Patch asked. 'Just curious, that's all.'

'That is none of your business,' Leeh mumbled. She turned to Jacque and Anna. 'Have they woken up yet?'

'Nope. I honestly thought they were dead,' Patch said, stirring his soup. 'I thought the same for you two, so who knows, really.'

Leeh and Scott glanced at each other. 'We need a minute.'

'There is no way I'm trusting this weirdo!' Leeh cried. 'Look at him! He's been following us everywhere!'

'Agree to disagree,' Scott stated. 'He's odd, but I don't think he had malicious intent.'

'You seriously think there's fish in that purple lake? Get a grip, Scott!' Leeh cried.

'Well, what're we going to do about it? Creep or not, he helped us,' Scott sighed. 'What're we gonna do about Anna and Jacque?'

Leeh held up the paper of Mister Evntropia. An odd mix of characters were hasitly scribbled on. Θάνατος να είμαι, θάνατος σε μένα. He kindly included a simpler, Bleu translation too.

'You think you can say either of those?'

'Why's it have to be me?!' Scott cried. 'You can do it just fine!'

'Okay fine! What's your plan if these creep attacks us?' Leeh asked. Scott stammered, but his mind pulled up blank. 'Exactly.'

'Seriously? Ugh, whatever. I hope he attacks you first,' Scott chuckled.

'You think the spell's gonna hurt?' Leeh said.

'I don't know. Probably,' Scott said, reading the translated version again and again in his mind. 'I'm just worried on if it'll work or not.'

Scott and Leeh sat back down across from Patch, who barely looked up from his lunch. Scott took a deep breath, and put his hand to his heart. Leeh gave him a sneaky thumbs up. The signal. Scott could barely hear the cursed words that snuck out of his mouth.

'Mort à être, mort pour moi.'

In a wicked jolt, Scott quickly collapsed onto Leeh's shoulder. She didn't even flinch. He was definitely dead. Cold as ice.

'Is he alright?!' Patch's scream echoed through the empty site.

'Oh. Yeah. He does this a lot,' Leeh pushed Scott's corpse of her, locking eyes with the mysterious man. 'Boy will be boys.'

Patch gave her a suspicious glance, offering to check his vitals. 'Nope! Already have! He's fine, don't worry about it buddy!' she stammered. Scott's body was limp and lifeless.

'...If you say so...'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 10-3: Odisesta; That Betraying Witch!

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Act 2 World 10-3: Odisesta; That Betraying Witch!

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Scott and Leeh were then promptly kicked out of Mister Evntropia's mansion, and tasked with the simple instruction of getting a slip of departure signed.

'Didn't we just fight her?' Scott cried. 'She's still alive! We're never getting outta here!'

'Don't think like that!' Leeh said. 'That person... I don't think it was actually Odisesta. I don't know, it's hard to remember.'

'Let's hope you're right,' Scott said. 'Otherwise, she won't be so happy to see us.'

'Not when you look like that! You have soot all over your face!' she laughed. 'Dunk your head in the river. You wanna meet a prophet looking like you crawled down a chimney?'

'I think the water is made of blood. I mean, the ground looks like dead bodies so I wouldn't be surprised.' Scott muttered, trying and failing to wipe the ash off.

'Whatever. Just don't touch it. I can see your fingerprints!' Leeh laughed.

Odisesta's space in Anápoda was a dark, damp swamp covered head-to-toe in a deadly liquid. A smaller, quieter house than Mister Evntropia's sat in the center of a floating island. Scott and Leeh just stared. Getting up there was going to be almost impossible, surely!

'Leeh? Any ideas?' Scott asked.

'Levitation! Don't you have a spell for that?' she laughed. 'Come on, man. Put that brain of yours to use!'

'Oh! Right... Thanks, Leeh,' Scott chuckled. He concentrated, focusing on one thing, and one thing only: getting up there. After a few minutes with his eyes closed, he felt his body touch the ground again. He opened his eyes. 'How was that Leeh?'

'Uh...' Leeh said, her eyes wide in surprise. 'Well, that was something.'

'What? Was it rocky? Sorry, you're not as light as Crimson's club.'

'No. It's not that. I thought levitation was slower. I blinked and we were just here,' Leeh said. 'I think you did the wrong thing.'

'Well, as long as it gets the job done!' he laughed.

'Yeah... I guess...'

Her mansion was drop-dead gorgeous, miles better than Evntropia's. Scott went in to talk to her, but Leeh stayed outside. Something about this woman named Marina.

'Ev, I'm busy right now!' a tall woman shouted. She had three silver satyrs by her side and she did not look happy. 'Ugh! I have to go. Some blank boy, yes.'

'Excuse me? What did you just- Nevermind,' Scott caught himself. 'Hello, miss. My name is Scott and I just-'

'I don't care. Are you the revival boy? I have no business day. Off with you,' she shrugged. 'Actually, I think you can help me with something.'

Scott pulled away from her. 'Can you sign this, please?'

Odisesta took one glance at the sheet, then one at Scott. 'And just why would I do that?'

'A shady man's running around and we need to stop him. But Leeh and I can't do that until we find Anna and Jacque. We need to be revived to do so. Please! I'll do- I'll do almost anything!'

'Is this man a Grasmardeties in a cloak?' she rolled her eyes. He nodded. 'Deimos, ey?'

'Deimos?' he asked.

'The Quest-Giver?'

'Yes! Him. Why do you ask?'

'Well,' Odisesta took a sip of wine from a golden chalice. 'I'm not a fan of his. His ways urk me... Say, I'm almost out of wine, can you do me a favor? I will do one for you, too.'

'Of course. What do you need?'

'If I can take some of your blood, I'll sign Trope's form, okay?'

'Alright...' Scott said hesitantly. 'Just get it over with...'

Odisesta clapped her hands. 'Satyrs! We are going to eat well tonight!'

Leeh banged on the door of the mansion. A small, silver satyr poked its head out.

'Hi! Are you Leeh W. O'Rock? Odisesta will be done with Scott in just a minute!'

'Done with? Excuse me?' Leeh asked. 'What do you mean, done with? Is he okay?'

'Well, vampires need to eat somehow. He'll be out in a minute, just drop it!'

This again? Leeh pushed him out of the way as Odisesta just finished her meal. Scott didn't look so good. He was a little pale, yes, but just looked uncomfortable.

'What did you do to him?' Leeh shouted.

'Favors for favors, sweetie,' Odisesta smiled. 'You're free to go now. If I see you around here again, it won't be pretty.'

Scott didn't say anything as they left Odisesta's swamp and her floating island. Leeh just patted him on the shoulder.

'Do you want to talk about it?'

'No. It's fine, it didn't hurt.' Scott said. 'I'm over it.'

'If you want to talk about it, or anything, just let me know, okay? I'm here for you,' Leeh said.

'It's fine, Leeh. We've dealt with vampires plenty of times,' Scott laughed.

'Still... If you wanna talk,' Leeh said. Scott gave her a look. 'Nevermind. I'm sorry.'

'No. Don't apologize,' Scott said. 'You shouldn't be apologizing for anything. Thanks for looking out for me, Leeh.'

Leeh laughed. 'You're welcome. Now let's get out of this place!'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 10-2: Mister Evntropia; It Is (Not) the End

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Act 2 World 10-2: Mister Evntropia; It Is (Not) the End

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Apixos and Assist giggled the whole ride to the chambers of Mister Evntropia. Two rickety chariots pulled by bone horses dragged a rugged cage, with the heroes uncomfortably crammed inside.

'Leeh! What're we gonna do?' Scott said over the clattering of their prison.

'Scott... I'm sorry, I don't know! I'm out of ideas...' Leeh sighed. 'Just... Just tell the truth, okay?'

'Yeah. Did you notice all the bodies? They're everywhere!'

'Scott... I don't think we're...'

'We're what?' Scott asked.

The chariots came to a screeching halt as Apixos and Assist ran into a small mansion. The door was huge, with a few smaller doors carved into it. Dozens of little creatures jumped out of the thick windows and the doors. Only Apixos and Assist went inside. Scott and Leeh just stared off, attempting to pick a nonexistent lock.

'We aren't getting out of this one, Scott!' Leeh cried.

'We can't give up! What's in your bag?' Scott said. 'There might be something in that spellbook?'

'The only things in there are things you wrote!' Leeh shouted. He frantically searched through her bag, turning up empty-handed.

'Where's all your stuff?' Scott asked. 'And what's this?'

Scott tried to pull a cold object hidden deep within Leeh's empty bag, but the silver creatures of Anápoda pulled them out of their tiny cage and dragged them into the house. Well, Scott at least. A group of silver creatures had to help Assist open the tall door for Leeh.

The mansion was larger on the inside. It was decked out in tall pillars- cursed with the souls of fallen men and enchanted with glowing runes: ones that look like a mix of a 'K', a lightning bolt, and an 'X'. A tattered, freshly cleaned rug lined the path ahead. A dark throne appeared with a flash, and there he sat. The Ender of Worlds, Mister Evntropia. He towered over his meek and feeble servants, who didn't dare to look him in the eye. His skin was darker than his servants, with larger, more elegant horns and a serious demeanor. He had long, sharp fangs peeking out the corners of his angry scowl. He gripped his dark throne in disgust.

'What?' the fierce king's voice thundered like a raging storm in the house's halls. 'I'm a very busy man.'

'We are very sorry, your wickedly cruelness!' Assist cried. 'We found two living, and they aren't dead yet. Can we eat them now?'

'In a minute. Wait! Aren't these those...' the ruler of the realm flipped through long sheets of parchment, taking one out and reading it. Leeh and Scott exchanged confused glances. 'Oh! You two!' he glanced at one of his assistants, mumbling something. The silver creature nodded. 'Oh... you two.'

'Sir?' Apixos stuttered. 'Is something wrong?'

'It's those two. The ones who won't leave us alone. Dark magic boys.'

'Oh! Ew!' Apixos and Assist exclaimed. 'It's those two! Sounds the alarms! Desperate prayer rejection may go into overdrive! We need all hands on deck! I repeat! Lunatic losers about to pray! All hands on deck and cover your ears!'

The small creatures rushed off, giggling and warning their friends. The king groaned.

'Look, go tell your stupid boss I ain't bringing back any sons or getting any hot singles in his area off his back! Every single day with him! Gods, he's annoying! And now he sends his minions to beg for scraps. What's he want now?'

'Sir... who's he?' Leeh asked. 'We were not sent by anyone.'

'Oh, don't play dumb with me! You three have been doing this same song and dance for twelve years now!' Mister Evntropia thundered.

'I don't understand,' Leeh said. 'Who do you think we are?'

'Those two twin minions of the Ebony Caverns's king. First time I've seen you in person. Did you two hit your heads on the way down?' he grumbled. 'Maybe you were dropped as children after all...'

The heroes glance at each other. The Gemini Twins? Leeh nodded. The Gemini Twins! Scott gave her a bewildered look, but all Leeh could do was shrug.

'Can you two stop staring at each other and wrap this up? I have a very important play- a demonic event to catch!' he roared.

'Our names are Matthias and Anastasia, right?' Scott said sheepishly.

'Yes!' the king slammed his fists on his throne. 'You two! Matthias and... Alex! Leave me alone for a few minutes! You prayed yesterday!'

'We aren't them.'

'What?!' the destroyer roared. Scott could see the smoke coming out of his nostrils. 'There is no way in Anápoda he's gotten more gem-enhanced kids pounding on my door! Out! Out I say! Never return or I'll crash your itty-bitty kingdoms to bits!'

'We aren't working with the Ebony Caverns, Your Highness. We battled Molmuvsteinn... and lost. We need to find our friends Anna Vizent and Jacque Métiers,' Leeh explained calmly.

'What?!'

'Anna Vizent and Jacque Métiers?' the king read from his parchments again. 'Are you quadruplets now?'

'We aren't related,' Scott said. 'We're just looking for our friends.'

'Anásimimones, listen up! False alarm! Return to your regular posts!' he shouted. 'Sorry about all that. Asmona, do you have any of those butterscotch throat lozenges on hand?'

His little assistant nodded and handed him a small candy. He cleared his throat.

'I'm truly sorry for the mix-up. What're your names again?'

'Scott Ore and Leeh Roloc.'

'Roloc? Haven't heard that one in a while. What're you kids doing down here?'

'We were defeated by Molmuvsteinn!' Leeh snapped.

'Gods, what do you want me to do about it? Reincarnate you? That's some strong stuff kids,' he laughed. 'What'd you do, kill an Indigo Iguana or something? No... no that was your friends.'

'You can reincarnate us?' Scott exclaimed. 'You can do that?'

'As long as the man downstairs lets me!' he chuckled. 'I'll put in a good word for you.'

'Really?'

'Yeah, sure. I have nothing else better to do,' Mister Evntropia rolled his eyes. 'You must be the super-powerful heroes Deimos keeps praying about.'

'I think you have the wrong- Never mind. Thank you, sir.'

'You know, cheating death must be your favorite thing; this is like the ninth time!' he laughed. 'Don't worry about the whole being burnt to death thing, I won't rat you out to Ender. You'll have to get this slip approved by Odisesta, but that's no big deal, am I right? If you're as mighty as Deimos says, you'll get this done in no time!'

Odisesta? Scott's face paled. Leeh just shrugged and took the slip of parchment from Mister Evntropia.

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 10-1b: Welcome to the Anápoda, You Two!

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Act 2 World 10-1b: Welcome to the Anápoda, You Two!

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'Leeh? Jacque? Anna?' his cries echoed throughout the empty wasteland. Scott's head was pounding, every breath hurt and every blink felt like being tortured on a rack. 'Crimson? Astra? Anyone? Hello? Please, where are you?'

The Upside-Down is unforgiving, its only goal is to cause those who fall into it to suffer as long as it can. Aggressive spikes shot out of rocky earth. Navigation was tough, especially with Scott's mind running laps in his head. Everything was swirling and stagnant at once. The deep, murky water granted one quick glance at Scott's reflection before a nasty bony fish jumped at him. Scott was a mess. His face was covered in ash and dried-up blood. He was a lot smaller than he remembered, but much larger too. His trousers were ripped and his boots were muddy and ripped. His satchel was the only thing that remained intact. Scott pulled out Anastasia's broken tooth. The sparkling liquid inside had dried but left a sticky residue on his fingers when he touched it.

'Lumineux comme l'obscurité, sombre comme la lumière, donne la force intérieure de garder le monde brillant et lumineux,' Scott whispered, holding the conduit in his hands. A strong glow emerged from it, like a supernatural candle. This strange world light up around him, and he realized want he was truly standing on.

Bodies. Hundreds of deceased, blank-slate bodies. For miles and miles, people made up the riverbeds and the dusty dirt. The rocks were bone and the dead trees- if you could call them that- were mangled mixes of the two. Rushing water and sharp chest pains silenced the lone traveler. He lifted his green tunic to check for injuries- but there were now. All of his injuries had vanished: The countless bumps and scratches, and even the gash marks from the hungry Movolmpires. Scott bravely pushed forward upstream, carefully listening for voices.

Leeh's leg was killing her, but she needed to push forward. The Upside-Down was nothing to scoff at, but it wasn't going to scare her. She too made the treacherous discovery about the soil of the Upside-Down, but nothing seemed to faze her. All she had was her lightweight bag, which she assumed was now empty. Molmuvsteinn loved picking the corpses of his victims clean- just in case they carried treasures. She woke up on a large, rock-hard hill, deciding that walking downstream was the best bet to finding her buddies, but not before undead creatures had found her.

'Whoa! Is that a real Ebonyxite?' a curious voice exclaimed from the bone-dry trees.

'I think it is!' another squealed. 'This is the best day ever!'

'Who goes there?' Leeh couldn't help but giggle at these giddy kids.

'Welcome to the best place in Anápoda! I'm Asiopixtos, but my fellow fellas call me Apixos!' one shouted. Two small, silver-skinned creatures jumped from the trees. 'I can't believe it! An Ebonyxite at our post! What did you do to make Mol so angry?'

'Probably stole an egg! She always does the fire ring!' the other exclaimed, shyly stepping away from Leeh. 'I'm Assithenimis. You can call me Assist, ma'am.'

'What do you mean by post? Have you seen anyone else? A short Ivornixite with a green shirt, perhaps?' Leeh asked.

'Nope!' Apixos laughed. Both of them had small, sharp horns jutting out the sides of their heads and small, fuzzy legs that- strangely- reminded Leeh of a goat. They had cute button noses, tiny sharp teeth, and big tin eyes but looked like they could easily defeat her in a fight. 'No one's at this post. They're downstream! Guarantee it!'

'Great! Can you take me there?' Leeh asked.

'No can do. New meat, new trail!' Assist burst out laughing. 'Mister Evntropia's gonna love you!'

'What?'

'C'mere!' Apixos and Assist scrambled after Leeh as she made a break for it, running downstream as fast as her legs could take her.

Scott and Leeh ended up crashing into each other. Fortunately for him, there was no one in his area, but there were two at Leeh's.

'Leeh, what's going on?! What are those things?' he shouted. The two demon children giggled at each other.

'You can't outrun us! We aren't mortal weaklings like you are!' Apixos laughed. 'It'll be okay! Mister Evntropia is that scary!'

'How would we know?' Assist whispered. 'We've never met 'em.'

'Just go with what Deimos told us, Assist!' Apixos grumbled. 'You two! Come with me, please! You've been invited to a playdate with the dark lord himself!'

# data[].attributes.body
Lady Zorah heard an intriguing conversation from the safety of a hall branching of the grand throne room. She couldn't recall Omahorn being so stern and secretive with her since they first met. Was he still bothered by Deimos?

Deimos was caught and rightfully executed just two years ago. It was all over the press and Lady Zorah and her kingdom celebrated the death of the infant-killer.

Right? Maybe it wasn't about that, Lady Zorah believed. It was probably about those kids and their rivals bickering again.

Lady Zorah shrugged. She can always ask when she visits his chamber that night if she gets the chance. Those twins refuse to let it happen every night.

But if she gets the chance...

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 10-1a: Cold, Wet, and Rocky Lair of Molmuvsteinn

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Act 2 World 10-1a: Cold, Wet, and Rocky Lair of Molmuvsteinn

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The four: Anna, Jacque, Leeh, and Scott had begun the journey to the nest of the Deciclops. The sun had be gone a long time, and the crispness of fall had quickly faded, the summer had been gone even longer. The sea freaked out this time of year, struggling to not freeze over. Snow started to fall, and the four heroes struggled to make fires that would survive the winds long enough.

'Cœur brûlant de la Terre Mère, accorde-moi les flammes du succès!' Jacque groaned. 'Dieux, it's no use! I'm not catching a flame in this weather!'

'It's magic!' Leeh shouted. 'Doesn't it just... work?'

'Very funny Leeh. Scott? Do you have any scraps left?'

Scott looked in his satchel. Leeh sighed. 'I have frozen shrimp soup, if you want it.'

'Awesome. This is just great,' Jacque sighed. 'We have almost nothing and we're getting closer to The Camps.'

'What? What camps?' Anna asked.

'The Kobalt Camps?' he said. 'You never heard about them?'

'Well... weren't they one of those nation camps?' Anna guessed.

'You're so intelligent it isn't even funny.' Jacque muttered.

'Hey, dude, chill out!' Scott said. 'We're gonna be alright. I'm pretty sure it's all been abandoned anyway.'

'Yeah, sure it has,' Jacque groaned.

'Cœur brûlant de la Terre Mère- I had it! I swear I had it!'

'It's fine Jacque! Don't stress yourself out,' Leeh said. Scott knelt down to start a 'real' fire with the soggy sticks, but it was hopeless. Nothing was going to start in this weather. 'At least the Emerald Empire's a rainforest.'

'Yeah... Rainforest. Snow's rain Leeh!' Jacque shouted. The wind quickly silenced him. The waves roared against the high stony cliffs. They were safe from the sea, at least.

'Let's think on the bright side. Astra and Crimson aren't looking around for us.'

'There you are!'

'... On second thought, I take that back. Should we run now?'

'Yeah Anna,' Scott said, wiping the snow off his pants. 'We should run now.'

Crimson was all alone this time, but he was twice as dangerous. Instead of his wooden club, he had a lightweight axe made of red-hot steel. Its stunning holly handle was embellished with an odd lightning bolt 'B', a jagged 'I' with a line cutting through it, and a mix of the letter 'M', 'K', and 'P'. It glowed with a swirl of blues, purples, and pinks.

'Where have you been man?' Crimson shouted. 'Omahorn's missed you!'

Jacque refused to wait, running off in the direction of the Kobalt Camps. The heroes and Crimson followed- it was their plan anyway. Their footprints sank into the rapidly increasing layers of snow. A roar pushed through the unrecognizable world, cutting through the deep fog like a blade. The ground melted away as the rocky Kobalt Camps came into view. It was hot. Oddly hot. Blazing, uncomfortable, unbearable flames. A large creature snorted, shooting small forest flames out its mouth. It sat on a vast throne of golden and platinum treasures. Crimson had disappeared, reclaimed by the fog and snow. Jacque was shaking, but if it was from the fear or cold was unclear. The dark indigo dragon was covered in rune-shaped scars, its tattered wings stood high. The thing was not happy.

'Is that the Deciclops?!' Leeh shouted.

'No!' Jacque shouted, his face had blood trickling down it. 'It's Molmuvsteinn! Run for your lives!'

The fierce Mythical surrounded the heroes in a thick fire as it swung at the heroes until Scott was the one that remained. Molmuvsteinn stared at the up-and-coming wizard. It snorted fiercely, swatting Scott to the ground. The rocky ground collided with Scott's head. The world faded as an older, more experienced voice shouted his name. Molmuvsteinn grunted and returned to the slumber it loved so much.

The world became a complete nothing. A dark place. Not necessarily cold, but chills crept slowly down the spine of the lost souls of the world. Eyes were watching you. Nothing and everything surrounded the adventurer. No one, but everyone. They tried to call out for help but there was nothing but a dark blue sun. The blue, foggy sky turned a deep, dark orange, strong and empty. There were a few blades of dull magenta grass. Rocks were dark blacks and extremely light grays. Rushing water was the only sound, echoing throughout this abyss. Where are we? Where is everyone? It is unsure, but one thing is clear:

Wherever we are, we aren't in Diaskechromasia anymore.

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 10-0: The Remains of the Kobalt Camps

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Act 2 World 10-0: The Remains of the Kobalt Camps

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The once-thriving civilization of the Kobalt is now reduced to ashes by a mysterious beast. There are plenty of friendly... beings who reside here.

# data[].attributes.body
'Sir! Sir it's too late for them!' Matthias cried, dropping to his knees. 'The heroes are too strong, we have to abandon this operation! They just destroyed Astra and Crimson!'

'Matthias! Calm down, it's going to be okay,' the king knelt next to his loyal subject. 'Have you seen your sister?'

'No!' he cried. 'I haven't seen her since her tooth was knocked out!'

'Oh, is that what this is all about?' the king asked. Matthias nodded, sobbing into his shoulder. 'Don't worry about the tooth fiasco. O'Rock just replaced it a week ago. She's been recovering from the procedure. These kids are nothing to worry about.'

'But sir! Those kids are unbeatable! Our stronghold is doomed! Deimos is going to get in!'

'Matthias... how about this? I'll take care of those kids, and you take some time off. How's that sound?'

Matthias burst into tears, thanking his lord over and over again.

'Don't call me lord, boy,' Omahorn said, helping him to his feet. 'Now go enjoy your time off. It sounds like you need it.'

'Sir, you aren't actually heading out there, are you?' April tugged on Omahorn's trousers, which were too casual for a king to wear.

'I won't be gone for long,' Omahorn said. 'Those scouts have lived long enough. Tell O'Rock to guard Lady Zorah, I'll be back in a month max.'

'She'll be heartbroken!' April shouted.

Omahorn silently opened his chamber door.

'Sir...?'

'She shouldn't be, April. Goodbye.'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 9-7b: The Ultimate Artifacts

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Act 2 World 9-7b: The Ultimate Artifacts

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Leeh collapsed into the seat next to Anna as the quest-giver gently knocked on the thick glass windows. Scott bolted awake.

'What're you doing here?' Scott grumbled. 'Don't you have things to do?'

'Indeed, I have been quite busy since our last interaction,' the quest-giver cleared his throat. Jacque rubbed his eyes. He was knocked out for almost five hours. He spent the ride zoning out. 'It has come to my attention that King Omahorn has begun collecting the Ultimate Artifacts. His minions have been digging around, stalking you across the Indigo Isles while doing so. We must get them before he does.'

'What's an Ultimate Artifact? Like that golden statue?' Anna's face lit up. 'Or do they grant wishes or something?!'

'Well... they'll surely grant his wish. The destruction of the world is rapidly approaching. Do not forget that again, understand? You and I could be the saviors of the world.'

'You? What about you? You haven't really done much,' Scott argued. 'And if this whole thing was your idea, why haven't you done anything? Except for almost getting us killed a ton.'

The quest-giver laughed. 'You've trusted me this whole time, have you not? Where is this coming from young man?'

Scott said nothing but rolled his eyes. Leeh kept surprisingly silent. 'Nevermind...'

'Here's a map to the altar of the Deciclops. That beast holds the first Ultimate Artifact. I hope for your safety. The Grasmardeties dislike foreigners on their lands.'

The train came to a rushed stop. The coal boy and the conductor said farewell to their loyal patrons, and a few other passengers along the way.

The town was swiftly cleaning up from the Coven's Festival. Anna stayed near the train station, having said goodbye, she was ready to go home.

'Anna, you can't depart from this adventure,' the quest-giver mutters irately. 'I forbid it. You are too perfect. They will not survive without you.'

'They'll be fine. They did the whole Indigo Isles without me,' Anna said. 'You can't force me to stay. I don't want to continue. It's my choice. And you keep changing the rules and it's time for me to go home. I've been gone long enough.'

'What will your family say?' he asked. 'When you return home with that bloody arm and face? What will you do when they expel you because you returned just like you left? Empty-handed? What will they say, Anna?'

'They'll... they'll be proud I tried...' Anna said. 'That I tried something new.'

'You will not be accepted. You will never be praised for only trying,' the quest-giver threatened. 'You'd be a failure to your whole kind if you go home. I've seen it!'

'Then I'll be a failure.' Anna muttered. She turned to board the train as the man grabbed her arm.

'I can help you. You could be the greatest and strongest sorceress to ever walk the world!'

'Didn't you say that to Scott?' she asked.

'Greatest sorceress, not sorcerer,' the quest-giver said. 'You'd be as beloved and praised as he is, more so in fact! Don't you want that?'

Anna looked hesitantly at the man. 'I... I guess I do?'

'Ah, you're so amazing, so trusting. You really are perfect,' the man chuckled, reaching for the pocket of his trousers. 'Than this won't hurt a-'

'Anna?' Leeh called out. She pushed through the packed station. 'Anna, there you are! Have you seen Jacque anywhere?'

Anna glanced through the crowd. Jacque had woken up during the ride but felt too awful to say anything. 'No, but I'll help you look.'

'Thank you, Anna,' Leeh sighed, turning to the man in the cloak. 'Can we help you sir?'

'No,' the man stammered. 'Be on your merry way, travelers. May the great king bless you.'

'What was that about?'

'Who knows?' Anna laughed. 'And... Leeh?'

'Yes Anna?'

'I think... I think I'm going to stay with you guys. If only for a bit more. There's a cheaper station near Blush Valley anyways.'

'Anna?'

'Yeah?'

Leeh smiled. 'I'm glad to have you back.'

'And I'm glad to be here,' Anna said. 'With both of you.'

# data[].attributes.headline
Act 2 World 9-7a: 'Peace & Quiet' on the Evercoastal Railroad

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Act 2 World 9-7a: 'Peace & Quiet' on the Evercoastal Railroad

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The quest-giver knelt on the floor. Scott, Jacque, and Anna were soundly sleeping a car over. Leeh held Astra's blade to the throat of the quest-giver. He could do nothing but explain himself.

'Why are you handing orcas out like they're candy?' Leeh asked again. 'Answer me!'

'I have done nothing of the sort!' the quest-giver gagged. Under his cloak was a humble tunic with brown trousers. They appeared as peasant clothes but were of high-quality material. His face was still obscured by his hood. 'How dare you claim such a thing.'

'Really? Tell Marina Innmann that! What's your motive?' Leeh shouted. She dropped her voice to a whisper. 'Tell me or I'll send your corpse to the vampires.'

'Do so, Leeh,' he snickered. 'I must say, you're a lot less of a pushover than your cousin Nightveil is. If only you were as naïve as they are. They put that orca to good use before I-'

'Is this some sick game of yours? Swings is just a kid!' Leeh shouted.

'And yet you still fought them!' he said.

'It- It was self-defense!'

'What you did to Matthias was self-defense?' the quest-giver laughed. 'Leeh, you and your crew bow to me, understand? You are on a quest set up by me. Or have you forgotten? You will stop Omahorn for me, correct? You will steal the Ultimate Artifacts before Omahorn's crew can, correct?'

'Ultimate Artifacts?' Leeh asked. 'What're you talking about? Have you lost your-'

The quest-giver pushed her off him and revealed a shiny, wine-red, eight-sided gem hiding in his massive cloak.

'You. Will. Fetch. Those. Ultimate. Artifacts,' the quest-giver grinned as Leeh fell to her knees. He towered over her, hiding the gem inside of her bag, deep under the piles of stuff the heroes had collected along the way. 'In fact, you've already fetched the others for me. I've been waiting to take this pickaxe off your hands.'

Leeh was powerless as her bag was ransacked by the quest-giver. The only things that remained were Scott's spellbook and the orca. Everything else was stolen by the quest-giver.

'Where... What?' Leeh looked around, everything looked unfamiliar except for the quest-giver.

'You passed out,' he said with a smile. 'Your friends are alright. They're in the train car right in front of you. Let's go back together, shall we?'

# data[].attributes.body
Leeh opened the door to the inn. Leo and Ian's mother were sitting across from each other on the old sofas of the inn. They were sipping coffee and chatting.

'Oh! You haven't met my favorite customer, Leeh, have you?' Leo jumped off the couch, putting his hand around Leeh's shoulder. 'Have you?'

'I have, Lou,' she said.

'Really?' he exclaimed. 'She only just got here.'

'We met at a religious event, Lou,' she said. Leeh glared at her. 'In fact, I'd like to have a word with her. A review of you're great services, if you will.'

'Alright. Just don't wake the kids,' Leo said. 'Hey, have we met before?'

Ian's mother pulled Leeh aside. 'I truly cannot thank you enough.'

'For what?'

'There was this man. A creepy man in a cloak,' she said. 'He gave me this object, an eight-sided jewel. I loved it, and I wore it for years. But it changed us. Lou and me, I mean. His memories jumbled together into slush, and I grew this insatiable hunger. For what, I can't remember. But seeing you, your friend, and Ian broke this trance of mine. I'm afraid Lou is too far gone, but at least I'm able to care for him now.'

'A man in a cloak? Was he from the Emerald Empire?'

'Yes. I think I still have it in my satchel. Excuse me for a moment,' she walked to the sofa and grabbed a small leather bag while Leo was busy cooking oily crab cakes and hearty pasta. She pulled out a cracked, wine-red, eight-sided gem. A sparkling red ooze trickled out of it. It was beating like a heart. 'This is what that man gave me. It broke a few hours ago, and I've felt a lot better since.'

'That's an orca!' Leeh exclaimed. 'Where'd he get such a thing?'

'I'm sorry, my husband was the magic user, not me, what is an orca?' she asked.

'An octagon rare conduit amplifier, ma'am' Leeh said, examining the broken gem. 'How'd he get one of these? Only the Ebony Cavern's jewelers make them and he's not allowed inside because of his 'flavorful past'... I don't understand...'

'I want you to have it,' she said. 'I don't want this incident repeating and I would hate for his memory to get worse. Please, you know what you're doing, clearly. Just take it from me. Destroy it, sell it, I don't care! I don't want it plaguing my family any longer.'

'Alright. Do you have a rag I can put it in?' Leeh asked.

'Of course! Let me get that for you.'

Leeh walked towards the train station alone, as Scott, Anna, and an unconscious Jacque were already waiting for her. The two removed the burlap sack to give him some air, but he wasn't gonna wake up for a good while. The station was practically empty, except for the train, its Indacove conductor, and his Kobalt coal-boy.

'Hey. How have you guys been?' the Kobalt coal-boy exclaimed.

'We've been alright. How about you?' Leeh said.

'This weather's been an absolute disaster!' the conductor shouted. He had a Southern accent that was as clear as day. 'Y'all need to vamoose on this caboose before this rain gets any worse! My poor caboose! She's ruined!'

The coal-boy just shook his head. 'Can I take your luggage?'

'No thank you. We'd like to keep it,' Leeh said. 'Can you help me get my buddy up the stairs? He went nuts at the bar.'

'Sure. Can I take his luggage?'

'We'll take his too. I don't think he has anything you'd want,' she said.

'Smart lady,' the Kobalt giggled. 'Rex likes the smart lady. Youse can sit in first class.'

'Thank you, Rex,' Leeh said, dragging Jacque into a seat. 'We'll stay here tonight.'

'Okay smart lady!'

'Rex! This caboose needs to vamoose!' the conductor cried dramatically. The Kobalt rolled his eyes.

'Coming, conductor!'

# data[].attributes.body
Anna turned to walk away from the scene, but Scott stopped her.

'Why?' she asked. 'I'd just get in the way.'

'I'm sorry for what I said, Anna,' Scott said.

She looked at him in surprise. 'Sorry for what?'

'For leaving you behind. And for saying you're weak,' he said. 'I haven't been thinking about how you feel and that was wrong of me.'

'Oh. Yeah, don't worry about it,' Anna said.

'Are you gonna come with us?' Leeh asked.

'No,' she responded. 'I just want to go home now. I've had enough adventure for a while.'

Scott and Leeh looked at each other. Should we convince her or not? Neither admitted it, but that was what they were thinking. Scott shook his head. 'Can we walk you back?'

'No, it's okay. I'll take a train,' Anna said. 'It's not anything you did, I just want to go home now.'

'Can you stay with us to leave the Indigo Isles?'

'Well... I mean... Sure, why not? I won four tickets in a raffle. For free, no less,' Anna laughed. 'We are taking the train, right?'

'Now that it's free! I've had enough water-related adventures for a lifetime!' Scott laughed. 'But in all seriousness, thank you, Anna.'

'For what?'

'For being on this adventure with us,' he said. 'We wouldn't have gotten this far without you.'

'Okay,' she said. 'Are we gonna go now?'

Leeh looked back at Leo's inn. 'In a bit. Can you hold onto Jacque for me? I have something I gotta do first.'

'Okay. We'll wait for you.'

# data[].attributes.body
Amalia led the duo back to town. It was dead silent except for the heavy breaths coming from a slumped figure.

'Signore, ora è sicuro. Ora puoi alzarti,' she said. The figure rose to his knees.

'Grazie, Amalia,' Leo said, wiping the dirt off his shirt. 'Where's my son?!'

'È rimasto indietro per combatterli,' Amalia said.

'Why?! Why would you let him stay?' Leo cried. 'He's just a boy! He's going to get killed! Where is my son?'

'He's coming back soon,' Leeh assured.

'Those guys are all drunk out of their minds,' Scott said, helping Leo stumble back to his inn. 'He'll be fine.'

Leeh poured another cup of coffee for Leo. They waited for hours, but Ian still hadn't returned.

'Where is he?' Leo kept asking. Leeh calmly repeated herself until the doors slammed open. Ian had returned. 'Ian!'

'Ciao papà,' he said. 'You two should see this. I'm... going to bed, sir.'

Leo nodded. Scott and Leeh peeked out the windows. Two figures struggled to get burlap sacks off their heads, both covered in blood. One managed to rip the bag off his head. A cyclops-goblin.

'Crimson!' Leeh snapped. 'What's he still doing here? And why isn't Jacque with him?'

The other ripped the bag off their face. A Melloaztdalian. Astra.

'Should we fight them?' Scott asked.

Leeh gave him a blank stare. 'Obviously, idiot.'

Leo led them through the back entrance of the inn, and the duo tried to stir up a strategy, but nothing special came to mind. It doesn't matter that Anna's not there, because there're only two of them this time.

'Are you guys almost done yapping or can I get Jacque for an even more unfair fight?' Crimson's voice caught the heroes off guard as he and Astra stood a few inches from their faces. 'We're going to win, just so you know.'

'You've only won when you catch us off guard.'

'Isn't that what I just did?' he laughed. 'Do I look more or less intimidating without the club?'

'You'd look stupid either way,' Astra said, not with malice, they were stating the truth. She raised her club. 'I'll do the work shorty. Make yourself useful, go get the wizard.'

Crimson rolled his eye but did what she said, Scott and Leeh right on his tail, with Astra on theirs.

The chase didn't end until a shipwreck came into view. he stopped, pulling out one of Astra's daggers.

'It's too late!' he laughed. 'We've already won!'

Jacque was knocked out with a bag over his head. A strong Indigo Iguana with a wagon attached to it snarled at the heroes. Astra fed it a meat scrap and it rubbed its face on her tunic. It went over and licked Crimson's face. He scratched its head and- after a few minutes- stopped petting the massive squishy reptile and focused back on Scott and Leeh, who had gotten Jacque back in their possession and left a while ago. So had Astra who had, presumably, left to chase after them. Crimson shrugged and grabbed another unconscious person with a bag over their head, tossed them into the Indigo Iguana's wagon, and sped off. The iguana's tongue was flying out its mouth as it sped along with its owner, its best friend.

'Look, kid,' Astra sighed. 'I'm not interested in you! Let me take O'Rock and Jacque back to Omahorn and we can forget any of this ever happened, deal?'

Scott looked puzzled. 'Who?'

'O'Rock? Your friend?' she said, just as confused as he was. Astra stared at Leeh. 'You never told?'

'Of course not! Why would I want to be associated with any of them?' Leeh shouted. 'Why can't he drop it? He doesn't like me anyway! Why would he tell you anything anyway?'

'Your father's a changed man!' she said.

'Why? Because his boss has been paying you to spy on me?' Leeh asked.

'Just come home! I'm not getting paid until you do so!'

'I'd rather be executed,' Leeh said.

'Alright,' she grabbed her dagger.

'Do it!' Leeh rallied. 'You wouldn't!'

Astra took one step, prepared to strike, and collapsed. Someone hit her in the back of the head hard.

'Anna?'