Terminus Part I: The Journey There (Draft)

Chapter 39: Forebaggage

 Thirty-two years before the current events, on little Wilvus' eighth birthday, his father gave him the severed head of a heretic. He began to cry.

"My little king cries with joy, for he knows the defeat of his enemies is upon him!" exclaimed the King.

"What is the meaning of this, father? I recall asking for nothing except the good fortune of my people."

"My boy, fortunes are good. Those with bad fortune are not people. You do not need to worry yourself about them."

The young Wilvus was incredibly naive - even for a child. This was enough to reassure him, and he looked backed to his present and smiled. "What was its name, again?"

"The name of a heretic is unimportant. It only validates their otherwise invalid existence. But if you wish to name its head, you may do so."

The throne of Barronym was a corrupt and terrible position, and had been ever since the death of Wilvus Forebaggage the First. The result of this corruption was a toxic environment that abused Wilvus in ways few children had ever been. Every night before bed, Wilvus would be yelled at for not living up to his expectations as prince. Then, in the morning, he would be punished severely for having the audacity to sleep after learning of his failures. The punishment was normally to hang him by his feet until he begged to be turned right-side up.

If ever he forgot about the King's mission to eliminate the Rebellion, he would be sent to the "Spiky Fun Corner", a room filled with traps and other such horrors that easily could have killed him. It is for this reason that, no matter what you might say or do to this man, he would always remember his mission. This is why the Second Chance Circus were surprised to find themselves preparing to attack the Rebel base.

"Your Knighthood has no questions, Your Majesty," said Oscar, covering for the attitude that Ollacosta was prone to giving Wilvus. It was obvious to anyone that she needed time to adjust to her new situation. However, time was not on her side, as the King was eager to crush the Rebel Forces.

James had just come to terms with all the new developments: Halberd was the new leader of the Rebel Forces, he had lost against Martin, and in the wake of this, discovered a new power within him that he never asked for. Taking all of this into consideration, he felt that the next course of action was to find out more about the Kingdom of Barronym.

"What do you want to know?" asked Joneas.

"Now listen here... wait, did you just ask me what I wanted to know?" asked James, surprised.

"Yes, he did. We're more than willing to assist you in your investigation, Detective Pirate," said Halberd. "After all you have done for us, both on this island and beyond it, it is the least we can do. You deserve the truth."

"Tell me about the secret of the Kingdom. Why did Martin say he was channeling the magic of the universe's most powerful sorcerer?"

"That is Orange, the organic android," said Crock. "I know this because the last time I came here, I was on a mission to discover the secrets of the blue tree."

"The one in the middle of the Rebel Base?" asked James.

"Yes, that is the one. Though I swore on my life that I would not reveal the secret that I discovered that day. If you want to know the story, you'll have to ask the tree yourself."

Cameron was confused, but Crock insisted. James trusted Crock's word, using Joneas' claim that spirits may occupy the tree as supporting evidence. Crock tapped his nose, as if to say that the deduction was correct.