I follow AVI4 through the dark, neither of us really making an effort to communicate with each other. I just keep thinking about how I'm going to get out of here with the missing children. I mean, who knows where those rascals are being kept? And how the hell am I gonna be able to reach them in my current position?
I spot a light ahead, illuminating what seems to be a switch to turn on the other lights in this area. Okay, good, at least I have a starting point now. I proceed towards the switch, and as I get closer to it, I spot a note on the floor by my foot. Oh, is this another one of Jack's notes? Curious, I bend down and pick up the piece of paper.
'Dear mommy,
I don't like the big face.
The face scares me.'
That's... eerie. What's even weirder is that there's a drawing just under the writing of that giant face I saw on one of the floors above. Seriously, what's the deal with that guy? Why would they let that freaky dude anywhere near kids, most of all? Whatever the reason, I sure hope it doesn't end up coming after me.
Putting the note down, I walk up to the light switch and activate it, turning on the lights for the building of the Introduction Sector behind me. Together with AVI4, I head over to the three doors and unlock one of them with my white keycard. Okay, just find the switch in here for one of those buttons over at the retreat and we'll be good to go.
Walking into the large building, I glance around me at the many different chairs and tables scattered around. There's also a giant whiteboard set up on one of the walls, presumably for presentations and stuff of that nature. I notice a blue door at the end of the room, which I'm guessing I need to find a blue keycard for. Typical...
I make my way over to the stairs leading up to the mezzanine level, my eyes immediately landing on a quote on the wall. 'Your daily dose of motivation: Life is a series of events played in the correct order!' Yeah, and my life is definitely lacking in that regard. At this rate, it feels like I'm living in a TV show, starring myself.
Eventually, after a while of exploring the mezzanine level and finding myself confused with the random colored dots on the walls, I find the blue keycard and snatch it up quickly. Phew, I had no idea there was such a huge collection of these things on the premises. Why they decided to come up with a keycard system, I will never know...
I make my way back down the stairs, towards the dark blue door that could probably lead into my doom or salvation. I notice that AVI4 seems to be quite hesitant on standing next to me, as if trying to tell me something. I don't understand why that would be, unless maybe it can sense something inside...?
I swipe the keycard over the reader and the door slowly slides open, only to reveal—
Oh, please tell me you're joking.
It's fucking Bittergiggle. He's just standing there with his goofy little face, with his goofy little stance, acting like he didn't do shit. Ohoho, and I vowed I would kill him if I ever found him again. Hell, he literally set a bunch of wild monsters free! He got my daughter into even more serious trouble than she initially was! I'm seriously kicking some jester ass tonight!
"A... Are they gone?" Bittergiggle asks me softly, nervously twiddling his thumbs. His voice is soft and shaky, a tinge of fear in the way he talks. I just stare at him coldly. How can he be so calm after everything he's done? How can he just stand here so innocently like he didn't just put us all into certain danger?
I growl angrily and stomp right over to Bittergiggle, knowing exactly what I'm about to do to him. I can see the pure fear in the jester's expression as I approach him. "U—Uh, Lorelei, wait! I—I can explain everything, I swear, I just—" He scrambles back, but it's too late. I raise my foot and kick him right in the crotch, causing him to double over in pain with a yelp.
"Agh... Okay, maybe I deserved that... Ugh..." He groans out painfully as he clutches his poor junk. If he even has one, that is. "L—Look, I... I'm not going to hurt you... I've done enough damage as it is..." He manages to stand up straight and look at me with genuine regret in his eyes. But regret doesn't change the fact that I still want to punch him in the face, though.
"I know it doesn't make up for what I've done and... trying to take you down, kidnapping your daughter, letting the Naughty Ones out, but— I'm sorry... I truly am." Bittergiggle says quietly, bowing his head shamefully. "I don't know what came over me, I just... couldn't hold myself back!" He laughs bitterly at himself.
I scoff and roll my eyes at his dumb apology. Like that's enough to make me forgive you for ruining my chances at saving at least one of my kids, you dumb clown. But whatever, I guess I'll hear him out.
"I knew the consequences well, and I still went ahead and said that stupid joke! And now, the queen's probably dead because of me..." Bittergiggle continues to ramble on. "I wouldn't blame you if you don't forgive me, but I will be very thankful if you do, hehehe!" He laughs awkwardly yet joyously. "Just know that I'll do my best to make up for what I did."
I look at him uncertainly, unsure of whether I should just forgive him just this once or not. "And how do I know that you won't try anything funny again?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at him. Bittergiggle smiles slightly and shakes his head. "You have my word, Lorelei. Besides, why would I want to hurt my new best friend after you were so kind as to laugh at my joke?" He puts his hands on his hips proudly.
Is he actually calling himself my best friend now? Just because I laughed at the joke that got us all doomed? Ugh, this is just getting weirder and weirder by the minute. Still, I manage to crack a small smile of my own. "Well, whatever helps keep you happy and sane, Bittergiggle. This doesn't mean I forgive you, though, so don't even think about it!" I snap at him harshly. He just looks at me sadly and nods in understanding.
After a moment of silence, however, Bittergiggle speaks up. "So, you're here for the switch for the room where the scepter is, right?" He asks me quietly. I nod in response. "Well, it's in here, but it's inside of that locker. I can't figure out what to do..." Bittergiggle points over to a metal door behind him. "Maybe you could, uh... check it out?"
I sigh irritably before walking over to some kind of switch inside of the room, quickly activating it with my keycard. It looks to have done absolutely nothing, but once I exit the room I find that the buttons on the tables scattered around here have been activated. I also spot some instructions for a puzzle on the wall, and I make my way over to it.
The wall here displays an array of colored dots representing the colors of the chairs at each table, each row having their own set of colors. Hm, so I've gotta press these buttons in the order of what colored chairs are displayed on the wall here, starting from the top. Okay, let's get on with this damn puzzle then...
I push on the buttons on the tables one after the other in order until I hear the sweet jingle of success. It seems that that puzzle activated one of the spotlights set up around here, shining a bright green light. I do the puzzle again two more times, activating the two other spotlights in the room. Phew, finally done...
"What are all of these colorful lights for?" Bittergiggle suddenly asks, looking confused. I shrug and look around at each of the spotlights, squinting once I realize that they seem to be projecting the same image onto the walls; the logo for Banban's Kindergarten. Oh, I get it now! I have to project all of these lights onto the big ol' whiteboard over there.
I head back to the control room and activate another button, which seems to dim the large room outside considerably. Bittergiggle peeks his head into the control room to glare at me, a slightly annoyed expression on his face. "Whatever you plan to do with the lights this dim, do it quickly! The Naughty Ones know no mercy..." He says worriedly.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it already! Those things hate light, love darkness, they're emo, yada yada..." I respond with a roll of my eyes, moving away from the switches and heading back out to adjust the lights. Bittergiggle crosses his arms and pouts at me a little. "Just be careful, okay? You... You never know what could happen..." He murmurs quietly.
I can't help but giggle at the thought of Bittergiggle being scared of something. Aww, where's that high and mighty jester I once knew? "Okay, Bittergiggle, I'll be extra safe." I wink playfully at him, causing him to roll his eyes and snort. "Just be quick, alright? They might come back at any moment." He warns me sternly.
"No sweat, Bittergiggle." With that, I get back to the task, heading over to the green spotlight. I position myself behind it and slooowly but surely position it so its light is hitting the whiteboard. Perfect! Now all I need to do is to take care of the other lights too, and hopefully something interesting will happen for once.
I position the other lights in the same spot as the first one, each of them overlaying each other in an RGB sequence. I guess it must've triggered something, because as soon as the projection is complete, an alarm goes off and there's a timer on the board counting down to some kind of slideshow that's about to start.
That's when the lights of the room turn off completely, and I see Bittergiggle panic, motioning for me to follow him. "We've gotta hide! Get in here!" He shouts in a hushed voice, gesturing frantically towards the control room door. I quickly run over and slip inside the room with him before shutting the doors closed.
Once we're safely inside, Bittergiggle and I sit down on the floor beside each other, letting out deep breaths of relief. Thankfully, the control room is still lit, allowing us to see each other just fine. "We gotta wait till whatever video is playing outside ends." Bittergiggle tells me nervously. "Don't. Say. A word." His voice takes on a harsh tone as he warns me.
I nod frantically, feeling slightly nervous as the seconds tick by with excruciating slowness. God, it feels like we're hiding from zombies in a zombie apocalypse or something, except it's monsters who are only active in the darkness. Some part of me says that I'm probably being dramatic, but the fact remains that I'm freaking out right now.
Suddenly, we hear a deep voice on the other side of the door, calling out to us from outside. "Hello? Anybody in there? It's your friend, Banban. I need your help..." It calls out menacingly. Oh, hell no. I remember exactly how Banban— Er, Uthman's voice sounds, and it does not sound anything like that thing behind the door!
I notice Bittergiggle glance anxiously at me, like he's about to seriously crap his pants at any moment. "He's out already...?! Don't even think about opening this door...!" He hisses through clenched teeth. I nod my head vigorously as we both continue to stare at the door, wondering just what is going to happen next.
"Open up." The mysterious voice commands.
A little while passes, and again, "Open up."
Soon, there's a bang on the door as it impatiently shouts, "Open up!"
I let out a small yelp and instinctively curl up closer to Bittergiggle, hoping that he can protect me if anything happens. He just slaps a hand over my mouth and shushes me gently, urging me to stay quiet. The mysterious voice continues to bang on the door and shout 'open up' repeatedly, getting more aggressive each time.
Eventually, the lights outside seem to turn back on, and the mysterious voice is finally gone. Bittergiggle and I slowly rise from our spots, shaken up from the scare. "The lights are turning back on. I think the video is ending." He states with uncertainty, then frowns regretfully. "It's worse than I thought, and it's all because of me..." He mutters quietly.
My expression softens a little upon seeing Bittergiggle look so guilty over his actions. I mean, sure, he basically caused this entire shitshow and now we're probably screwed for life, but... hey, everyone deserves a second chance if they really didn't mean too much harm in the end. That's something I learned long ago from a certain devil friend of mine...
I sigh at what I'm about to do next, stepping towards him a little before wrapping my arms around him in a comforting hug. He stares down at me in bewilderment for a moment before his eyes close in relief, hugging me back tightly. "Heh... You know, I half-expected you to insult me or scold me, but... thanks for not doing either of those things." He whispers softly.
Bittergiggle then lets go of me, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "We should go back to wherever you came from. On the way back, I'll think of some jokes that might distract the sheriff from obliterating me on sight." He laughs weakly, trying to make light of the situation. I snicker and shake my head at his attempts to cheer himself up.
I suddenly hear a creak behind me, looking back to see that the metal door behind me has opened. Peering inside, I notice that the switch for one of the buttons is behind it, and I press it eagerly. Hell yeah! Now we're just two steps closer to getting the queen's scepter and stopping this mess for good!
With that done, Bittergiggle and I head out of the control room, and frankly, I feel much safer walking around with some company other than a drone. Speaking of, where is AVI4 anyway? Well, it's not until I feel the pesky drone bonk my head once we're outside of the Introduction Sector building that I realize AVI4 has been waiting outside this whole time.
"Oh, hey AVI4!" I greet it happily, letting it nuzzle me gently. Bittergiggle just stares me in disbelief. "You're friends... with a toy drone..." He murmurs blankly, staring at poor AVI4 as if it were an alien. I scoff and hug AVI4 to my chest protectively. "What about it? Quit stalling and let's go." I reply bluntly, turning around and leading the way to the retreat.
Bittergiggle groans and follows after me begrudgingly. "Yeah, I'm going, I'm going..." He mumbles under his breath with annoyance, and I simply smile smugly as I watch him stomp along. Street lights line our path, each of them turning on as we pass them by. Huh, I wonder why these didn't turn on for me earlier when I came by here. Would've been useful.
We soon reach the retreat, and when we do, I spot Sheriff Toadster and Banbaleena standing on some kind of wooden structure in front of it. "Well, well, well..." Sheriff Toadster starts, sounding absolutely furious. "You have a lotta guts showing up here, Bittergiggle. I should take you out where you stand." He growls lowly. "Did you really think I'd allow you in here?"
The sheriff then looks at me, his expression one of pure disappointment and betrayal. "And look who it is... My partner in fighting crime turns out to be working with our most wanted criminal behind my back." He glares hatefully at me, causing my heart to sink deeper. "Sheriff, please, I—" I try to plead with him, but he interrupts me before I can get the words out.
"I had a bad feeling about you the moment I saw you. I wanted to use you as bait for the other criminals, but the queen insisted we give you a chance." Sheriff Toadster explains angrily. I can practically feel my heart breaking, my eyes stinging with tears as I stare up at him in shock. "I should've gone with my instincts. As usual, I was right." He grumbles bitterly.
"Wait, please..." I choke out desperately. "You have to understand. Bittergiggle, he's trying to make up for—"
"Zip it, criminal." Sheriff Toadster says the word with such hatred and disgust that I flinch away slightly at the sheer tone of it. "You two should go. Your fate in here won't be much better than your fate out there with the Naughty Ones." He adds sternly. "I don't need no partners. I'll find Muffin, and together, we'll rid the world of monsters like you."
Those last words are enough to break my heart into million pieces. I can't believe he would say that, especially after all we've been through. How dare he? I know I just happened to team up with the enemy, but did he really have to say this to me? His partner in fighting crime? His friend? He promised he'd help me find my children...
"Hey, maybe you don't gotta take it out on Lorelei... I mean, it's entirely my fault that—" Bittergiggle tries to reason with him, but he's interrupted quickly as one of the sheriff's toadstars comes flying right at him, causing him to flinch away from it. "C'monnn, sheriff! We used to be best buds! What happened to us?" The jester laughs nervously.
"You happened." Sheriff Toadster doesn't hesitate a second to reply. "And now that Lorelei's partnered up with you, I guess that leaves me to clean up the giant mess you made of this place." He growls darkly. "I'm the only hope the kingdom has left. I'm the only one who can save the queen and put an end to this reign of terror."
I look over at Bittergiggle, who seems to be very torn about the whole thing as he stares between the sheriff and me helplessly. I can't even begin to imagine how much guilt he must be feeling about everything. He just wanted to make his queen laugh for once, and he did, but at what cost? All of this is just a confusing mess in my mind...
Bittergiggle sighs before attempting to speak once again. "I don't blame you, sheriff. I know what I've done is wrong, but at least let me make up for my actions. Maybe if you'd see my side of things—" But before he can finish talking, the sheriff abruptly cuts him off once again, causing the poor jester to wince.
"I want nothing to do with you anymore. You've ruined everything we had, you hurt the queen, and now, we both have to pay the price for your mistakes." Sheriff Toadster sounds utterly disappointed with him, and the sad look on his face causes my heart to twist uncomfortably. If I knew any better, I would say he looked almost heartbroken.
However, the fact remains that he lied to me. He lied to me about this stupid little partnership he had with me. He lied to me about being my friend. He lied to me about helping me find my babies, my kids, my family...
I grit my teeth angrily, tears starting to fall down my face. "You promised me we would find my kids! You promised me we'd always have each other's backs, and now you're turning yours on me?!" I cry out in rage, my fists trembling by my side. "My kids are suffering right now, and here you are throwing a fit over a... a stupid kangaroo!"
I immediately cover my mouth with my hands upon realizing what I'd just said. My words seem to have struck a chord within Sheriff Toadster, because a look of pure hatred appears on his face. "You're just like the rest of them; nothing but a bunch of traitors and criminals."
"You barely even know me!" I retort defiantly.
"No, I think I know just about enough." The sheriff replies coldly.
Bittergiggle chuckles nervously and tries to interfere, "Guys, maybe we should all just take a chill pill and—"
"Shut up, Bittergiggle!" The sheriff and I both shout at him simultaneously, causing the jester to flinch back a little, his eyes wide with surprise.
"I can't believe I trusted you, even for a second." Sheriff Toadster turns back to glare at me again, the hatred still evident in his features. "The only reason I haven't killed either of you yet is because of my loyalty to my queen, but now you've ruined it. From now on, I run the show here, and you two will be executed as traitors to the throne." He declares firmly.
I'm about to reply to him furiously once more when all of a sudden, a giant leech monster with ears leaps out of nowhere onto the weak wooden structure and causes it to fall apart, sending Sheriff Toadster and Banbaleena flying backwards to land on their backs with a loud thud. The monster then jumps down towards the unconscious Banbaleena and latches its sharp teeth onto her foot, dragging her away with ease.
The sheriff sits up quickly, a terrified and pissed expression crossing his face. "No! I'll save you!" He cries out, scrambling up on his feet as best as he can and running after the monster into the darkness. I'm left staring dumbfoundedly after him in utter shock, unable to comprehend anything that's happening right now.
Bittergiggle rushes over to me, grabbing me by the hand and running straight into the retreat for safety. "Let's get out of here!" He yells in panic. I don't even have a chance to respond as he drags me away from the situation towards the end of the room. But it doesn't matter, anyway; all I can think about is how betrayed and hurt I feel.
And all it took was one misunderstanding.
Bittergiggle lets go of my hand and drops me unceremoniously to the floor once we reach safety, huffing out breaths of exhausted air from running so hard. "Okay... We're safe for now, so there's that..." He puffs out, catching his breath. I nod my head slowly in agreement, rubbing my sore wrist. "I guess..." I mutter softly, glancing back toward the direction the monster disappeared in.
"Oh, it's you two... The duo of destruction..." Flynn's deep voice rumbles from beside us, making me jump in surprise at the sound. Really? Duo of destruction? "Didn't you cause all of this to happen?" He glares pointedly at Bittergiggle, to which the jester frowns when he notices. "I did... And I plan to make up for it." He assures him firmly.
Flynn sighs deeply, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Everyone that you care to see you redeem yourself is probably already gone, so what's the point?" He questions, earning an annoyed glare from Bittergiggle. "How do you even talk? Jellyfish have no brain." Bittergiggle huffs out and crosses his arms in frustration.
He then lowers his hands to his side again, looking over to me. "We should go turn on the other switches of the door. Let's head to the Potentiality Sector next." He tells me, gesturing for me to follow him as he walks back towards the darkness. I sigh heavily and trudge after him reluctantly. "Fine... Lead the way, partner..." I mumble quietly.
Bittergiggle turns to me with a confused yet happy expression upon hearing me call him that. "Did you just call me... partner?" He asks, a small smile creeping onto his lips. I blush once I realize what I said and shake my head quickly. "I—It just slipped out! Besides, it's just a fun nickname, hah! Right, AVI4?" I look at my drone for help, but it just beeps as if laughing at me.
Bittergiggle chuckles and shakes his head fondly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Oh man, you're hopeless, Lorelei! I guess we're both similar in that aspect, eh?" He lets go of me and continues onward while humming a soft tune to himself. I just stand there, staring after him with an annoyed look on my face. This guy's actually gonna be the death of me.
"What, are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna come with? Because I could just ditch ya and save our little butts myself if I so wished..." Bittergiggle laughs, turning and looking back at me expectantly. "Ugh, don't flatter yourself. I should've left you to that thing in the darkness earlier." I grumble under my breath, pushing past him as he laughs louder.
"Oh, whatever you say, Lori..."
"Shut up, clown."
"What happened to calling me partner?"
"Don't make me kick you again."
"F—Forget I... said anything..."
— — — —
To be continued in Chapter Fifteen: "Slimy, Scary, and Strange"