Bittergiggle and I finally make it back to the retreat, with me nearly falling asleep as we walk. Jeez, this whole journey has been taking its toll on me. Running around and pressing switches isn't easy, but as long as it's what it takes to save my children and everyone else here, I'll willingly put up with anything to accomplish that goal.
Once we walk further into the retreat, we find Uthman waiting for us by a TV, and when he sees us, he waves. I guess he was pretty quick to recover after being thrown into a glass window, huh? Full of surprises, this guy. "I don't suppose you guys have already activated the third switch?" He asks me and Bittergiggle.
Bittergiggle nods enthusiastically. "All we need is one more switch and we're good to grab the scepter!" He exclaims happily, then turns to me and grins mischievously. "I guess you could say our day won't be scep-terrible for much longer, hahaha!" He laughs at his own joke. I laugh along with him and nudge him playfully with my elbow.
Bittergiggle finally takes a moment to catch his breath before addressing Uthman once more. "Anything happen while we were away?" He inquires. Uthman shakes his head with a sigh. "Nothing. It's strange..." He comments. Bittergiggle nods at this and places a hand on his hip. "I agree. Sir Dadadoo is up to no good..." He grumbles angrily under his breath.
"Well, uh... Nabnab showed up, although I'm not sure if anyone would be happy to hear this." Uthman informs us. "He tried some of his usual shenanigans, so I put him in a cage." He points over to where Nabnab is, in fact, caged up by the warehouse at the other end of the room. Aww, poor fella... I'm gonna have to check up on him later.
"Also, your big cat friend just walked in here like it knew the place. I didn't dare get close to it." Uthman adds, earning an excited gasp from Bittergiggle. "Really? I need to go see her. She's one of the few that appreciate my jokes!" He's quick to run off in search of his friend, leaving me and Uthman standing there alone together.
Uthman looks at me with an uneasy expression and sighs. "Lorelei... I know I haven't said this before... but I'm glad that you're okay. I know it's been pretty hard for you lately." He states solemnly. "I mean, trying to save your children all while being caught up in situations like these, it's... very difficult to cope with, and I just want you to know that I admire you for it."
I blink in surprise as I take in his words, not knowing quite how to react to them. Does he really think that about me? It's nice to know that I make people proud, but... I don't know if what I've done is enough to warrant this kind of praise. I mean, I'm just doing what any mother would do if her babies went missing...
"Thanks, Uthman." I eventually manage to reply. "I'm sure everyone would do the same for their kids. You know that, right?" I smile weakly at him. "That's true, but most parents wouldn't try to pull off something like this, much less have the guts to actually carry through with it. You're braver than most." He tells me honestly as he smiles.
"Yeah... Thanks again, Uthman." I nod, feeling a warm sense of happiness wash over me.
"Anyway, uh... Stinger Flynn wanted a word. It feels weird being on the same side again after all that's happened, but I know you can handle it." Uthman tells me, nodding his head towards the other side of the room. Following his gaze, I spot Flynn sitting there, waiting for me to go over and talk to him. But before I do, why not do some exploring first?
I head over to where Bittergiggle is standing next to... Holy shit, isn't that the dino-cat that tried to eat me that one time? Bittergiggle is just letting the giant creature as if it was nothing but a normal pet. "D'aww, who's a good girl?" He coos at the huge creature. The dino-cat lets out a quiet meow and licks his face lovingly.
Why is she... kinda cute? I reach out to pet her, but she snaps at my hand and I recoil my arm instantly. Nevermind, that thing is not cute at all.
"Kittysaurus, is this mean lady here bothering you?" Bittergiggle asks in a teasing tone, looking at me like he knows what he's doing. Ugh, this joker is seriously going to give me a migraine someday. Kittysaurus just growls lowly at me as if she's about to lunge at me any second now, so I take that as my sign to back away. I guess she's not over the whole taming thing I pulled on her...
"Hey, Lorelei, I'm sure you recognize Kittysaurus here, right?" Bittergiggle gestures to the giant dino-cat right next to him. "She's the one I sent after you back when I was still trying to make the queen laugh! Yeah, I'm... I'm still pretty sorry about that..." He laughs awkwardly as he scratches the back of his head. Yeah, you better fucking be.
I look up at the large creature with interest, smiling gently at her and slowly extending my hand out to pet her soft fur. She finally seems to warm up to me and begins purring loudly as she leans against my hand, clearly delighted by the attention she was getting. Hm, I guess this whole situation isn't as bad as I'd thought. It's nice having some company here, even if they just so happen to be kindergarten mascots.
Moving on, I find where Nabnab is sitting inside of his cage, looking as depressed as one can ever be. I can't help but really feel for the guy, considering how much he's been through lately and how much he probably went through back then. I tap lightly on the bar of his cage, but he doesn't seem to respond. Oh, well... Maybe next time, then?
As I walk off in Stinger Flynn's direction, I notice a note stuck in one of the bushes by the warehouse. Picking it up, I unfold it curiously, only to be met with an unnerving message.
'The criminals have won.
They gained my trust... They had me believe they were deliverers of justice alongside me.
Only to then throw me down here like filth as soon as they deemed me not up to their standards. Those rats will pay...
All criminals will pay.
All criminals will pay.
All criminals will pay.
From here on out, there is no more letting my guard down, and no more tricking me.
From here on out, there is no authority but me.'
I frown a little at the disturbing thought of Sheriff Toadster writing this when he was left alone down here. Man, if this is what he thought about the humans who he thought to have betrayed him, I can't imagine what he'll do to me once we meet again. I really hope I can find a way to properly explain myself if that time ever comes...
Finally, I make it over to where Flynn is sitting on a giant rock, and the glare he's giving me from that singular eye of his is killing me on the inside. "I wanted to let you know that this is all happening because of you. Never convince yourself otherwise." He tells me darkly. Way to rub salt into the wound...
"I'm aware, thanks." I mutter sarcastically to him. This is only pissing him off even more, and judging by the way his eye narrows at me, I can bet he'd probably smack me right now if he wasn't in a weakened state. But what can you expect? He told me to go home when I still have my children to save. Why would I give up now?
"If you hadn't interfered with my plan or the queen's, you'd be home on your warm bed. I would be free of my shackles, your son would still be safe with me, and everyone you hurt would not have been hurt." Flynn's words cut deep into me like a knife, and all I can do is bite my lip to avoid sobbing in front of him. I understand what he means, I do, and that's the problem.
"And ask yourself this. If I wasn't hooked up to pipes that drained me of my Givanium and shrunk my size, could my original size have aided us in our predicament?" Flynn continues as he glares at me venomously. "Because of your foolish decisions, we are even less likely now to ever get back to the children." He concludes coldly.
I open my mouth to say something, anything, but all that comes out is a small whimper. Flynn sighs impatiently and raises a tentacle slightly to silence me. "Regardless, there is another thing I want to show you. It sure looks like you need it." He raises his tentacle higher above my face, and I feel myself becoming drowsy.
Wait, no... Don't put me to sleep again... I don't wanna...
...
I wake up and find myself at some kind of bus stop. It's pouring rain outside, soaking everything in sight as water drops from the sky splatter down onto the ground below. Thankfully, I'm under the protection of the bus stop shelter, which seems to be keeping me dry for the most part. Ugh, why does Flynn always give me the weirdest dreams...?
"Hey, mama." I hear a familiar voice speak from beside me, and my eyes widen as they dart over to look at the face of my son, Jack. It's been some time since I've seen him, and he already looks tired as ever. What I wouldn't give to just reach out and stroke his hair away from his forehead... but I won't... I can't...
"I heard about what happened with the queen and the Naughties. That was your fault, mama, wasn't it?" Jack looks up at me with those dull, yellow eyes of his as he questions me, causing my heart to break a little bit more. The tears start to gather in my eyes, and it takes everything within me to keep them in check.
"It was my fault... It was my fault for everything..." I whisper softly as I lower my gaze, unable to look at him without feeling guilty all over again. "I'm so sorry, my baby. I wish I could've done more to save your sister, but... I just didn't know how to help her in that moment." I admit, sniffling slightly as I attempt to hold back the tears.
"But you didn't, and now, Jaiden is gone because of you." Jack somehow says this with the least concerned expression I've ever seen on him. For some reason, he just seems so unaffected by everything that has happened. I mean, all of this pressure on a tiny five year old kid has to be emotionally draining. He'll probably end up resenting me forever...
"Mama, are you really doing all of this to help my friends? Or are you just doing this so we can go home faster?" Jack inquires suddenly, sounding genuinely curious rather than accusing. I feel like a spotlight hits me at this moment as I finally raise my teary gaze from the ground to meet Jack's blank expression.
"Jack, you know I'd do anything to save you and Jaiden..."
"So you're not trying to protect my friends." Jack concludes flatly. I swallow the lump that had formed in my throat as a result of his statement, but I can't find the right words to respond with. "You only care about taking me away from my friends. You don't want me to stay with them because you think they're bad." He narrows his eyes at me suspiciously.
"That's not how it is, Jack. I care about them just as much as you do, alright?" I tell him truthfully, hoping that my words will get through to him and calm his doubts. "I'm just scared of losing you and Jaiden. I don't want you guys to have to deal with any of this alone anymore." I tell him quietly, holding back tears once more.
Unfortunately, the way Jack frowns and glares up at me tells me that he doesn't believe me. "I'm fine now, right? I don't look hurt, right?" He gestures around him at himself as he asks me this question. "I know you're worried, mama, but I'll be safe. Let me handle the rest, okay?" He manages a small smile before getting up from the bench.
"Wait, Jack, please... You're too young to be dealing with this stuff." I plead weakly as I also stand up, my clothes and hair blowing wildly around in the wind. "Mama will fix everything, I promise. Just please, don't mess with things you have no business messing with." I continue begging him in hopes that he might reconsider, but it doesn't work.
Jack turns to face me with a look of betrayal in his eyes. I know that look all too well; it's the same one I got from the sheriff earlier.
"You always say that, mama. You always say you're gonna fix everything, but you never do!" Jack shouts angrily at me. "Even after you promised me that you would help me make friends, you never did! This is why you should've left when you could, but you never listen!" He yells at me, tears starting to form in his eyes.
"Jack, please, just listen to me!" I plead with him desperately.
Jack shakes his head, wiping his tears from his eyes and backing up into the rainy road. I can see the headlights of a bus drawing nearer, and my heart immediately drops to my stomach as I realize what he's about to do. "Now I know what I have to do, mama. Maybe I should thank you for freeing the Naughties." He says calmly as he stares into my eyes.
"Jack, get back here!" I reach out for him, but he just smiles and waves at me like it's nothing. Suddenly, that's when—
CRASH!
"JACK!"
...
I let out a loud gasp as I sit up from where I'm laying on the floor, looking around at my surroundings before standing up shakily. I look to my right and notice that Stinger Flynn is giving me a look of satisfaction. Ugh, this bastard knows exactly what to do to mess me up, huh? I wonder how he can do it so consistently...
Brushing that aside, or at the very least trying to, I notice Bittergiggle waving me over to where he is. "We should have the last switch activated." He tells me as I join him. "I found two of these keycards laying around. Banban... I mean, Uthman took one and left one for you." He gestures to a light blue keycard on the floor.
"He saw you taking a nap and decided to head there alone. You should be able to catch up with him." Bittergiggle continues, and I nod quietly before grabbing the light blue keycard. "He gets really jest-erratic when I call him Banban. Do you know why that is?" He laughs a little at his own joke. I roll my eyes at him playfully, unable to stop my own laugh from escaping from my lips.
"Anyhoo, you should probably head over to the next sector to go help Uthman out with finding the last switch." Bittergiggle informs me, though his expression darkens a little as a sudden thought seems to occur to him. "And hurry up, will you? I don't like being apart from you for too long..." He admits quietly, avoiding my gaze as he fidgets with his snake hand.
I nod reassuringly before heading off to the next sector in line: the Conditioning Sector. As I walk away, I overhear Bittergiggle chattering excitedly to Kittysaurus. "Isn't this exciting, Kitty? We finally have a new funny buddy to add to the group!" He cheers happily, and I can't help but giggle lightly at his enthusiasm.
AVI4 zooms over to join me in my venture into the darkness, turning on its light and guiding the way for me. As we walk, though, I can't help but wonder what's next for me on this weird journey. I'm already dealing with terrifying leech monsters, so what else could possibly be waiting for me? Well, whatever it is, I guess I'll find out once we arrive.
We reach the entrance to the Conditioning Sector building, and I swipe the keycard over the reader to unlock it. Once inside, I find that I'm going to have to go through another long process of activating keycard readers and red buttons. God, what is my life anymore? If Uthman was already here, why didn't he do it himself?
I steadily walk on top of some hedges in order to activate the keycard readers, while AVI4 is quick to hit the red buttons once they're activated. The sickeningly orange lighting of the room only serves to make my headache worse as I have to squint against the harsh rays of the fluorescent lights. Ugh, curse whoever designed these rooms...
Luckily, I find a green keycard as I'm doing this, so I guess that's something good for once. Once everything has been activated, I head over to unlock the giant green door at the end of the room that leads into a wide hallway. But as we reach the end of this hallway, we find ourselves in some sort of... surgery room?
There's an operating table in front of us, which has a couple of little creatures on it. Both of them have teensy little legs, their eyes big and their mouths slightly agape. Hm, they kinda remind me of a miniature version of that big ol' face I keep seeing around here. Maybe they're somehow related to it?
"Hello, giant!" One of the mini faces exclaims, causing me to snap out of my thoughts. "Stop! Father told us not to talk to strangers!" The other mini face scolds the first one. "But we need help!" The first one protests, then turns to look at me with pleading eyes. "Did you see our father around? He didn't come by today..."
The moment I hear those words, it feels like I've been hit by a train. I wonder if that's how Jaiden and Jack felt when I didn't come pick them up. My poor babies, all alone with no one to help them... All because I wanted a good time at the bar? No, I'm just a terrible mother. I was right to think I was never fit to be one in the first place. I've failed my kids, and now, I have to pay the price for it.
"He has more arms than you! More than us as well, obviously..." The second one adds, snapping me out of my thoughts before they could take control. "Well, if you see him, please tell him we need him to come back!" The first one requests, looking back at me hopefully. Hm, they really do remind me of the twins. I can't help but smile a little at their antics, and then nod at them. "I'll try, buddy." I respond kindly.
Then, my eyes land on something on the wall right next to me. I walk over to read it more closely, and soon I realize that this is one of those dumb minigames again. Who came up with these anyway? I mean, at least they're kinda fun, but they're a complete waste of time when I have other things to get to.
'Syringeon Mission! Syringeon is looking for lollipops for his patients! Find him 8 lollipops to get your prize!'
Eight lollipops, eh? This shouldn't be too hard, especially since I practically have a knack for finding things now. So, AVI4 and I begin to look around the strange room for these lollipops. Some of them are melted into the surfaces we find them on, but I do stick one into my mouth, just for the experience. Mm, strawberry flavor.
Though, as I'm looking for lollipops, something on the whiteboard catches my eye.
'○ Protect the queen
○ Protect the scepter piece
○ Hide'
The first one seems to be crossed off for whatever reason, while the second one is circled in red marker. Whoever this Syringeon guy is, if he's even still around here, he must have some kind of weird plan up his sleeve. What could he possibly hope to accomplish by hiding with a piece of the scepter? Does that mean that—
AVI4 nudges me slightly, snapping me out of my thoughts as my head snaps over to where it wants me to go. Oh, right, the lollipops. I head over to carefully place the lollipops back in the cup where they belong, and eventually, the door slides open for us. With one last look at the board, I follow behind AVI4 as we enter the next room.
Suddenly, before I even have time to think, I feel myself falling down a deep hole of some sort. I try grabbing onto AVI4 so it can fly me back up to safety, but I find myself screaming as I plummet down the hole, feeling myself falling further and further until I land on something soft. Wait, I'm alive? I'm alive!
"Quick! Stay in the middle where it can't reach you!" I hear Uthman's voice yell out to me as I regain my senses. Hold on, what does he mean by that? It's only when I look up and see the mutated version of Muffin perched on the wall that I realize what he's talking about. With a startled yelp, I quickly scramble away into the circle of trees in the middle of the room.
Uthman is standing at the other side of the room on the mezzanine balcony, giving me a reassuring nod. "I was about to set up a trap for that thing, but now we gotta get you out!" He then looks around the room, and he seems to have an idea. "Actually, we can do both..." He says after a moment of thought.
"You're surrounded by an electricity trap." Uthman points at the electricity beams at either side of me. "But they need a lot of power. Big batteries are scattered in the tents in the corners." He gestures towards the tents at each corner in the room. "Have something do as much noise as possible, and then make a run for it while it's distracted!"
"Wait, are you telling me I have to do all that while distracting that thing?!" I point furiously at Muffin, who is still perched on the wall and awaiting my next move. Uthman nods with a determined expression. "You've dealt with a giant cat before, right? You can certainly deal with a giant bird." He replies matter of factly. Ugh, I hate when he's right...
I give him a thumbs up before planning out just how I want to go about this. I spot some speakers laid out on the floor just outside of the safe space, which I assume are meant for Mr. Kabob Man over here. Okay, if I can just hurry and grab them without getting killed, this will all be done in a jiffy. You got this, Lorelei.
I hurriedly run out of the safe space and snatch up each of the speakers, Muffin screeching loudly as she tries to swoop down and catch me. Luckily, though, I manage to avoid her by ducking beneath her sharp talons every time she does so. God, it almost makes me sad how this was once such an adorable baby bird... Following in her momma's footsteps, I suppose.
I hurry back to Mr. Kabob Man and attach the speakers to the dummy's body before pushing him out into the open. I prepared for the speakers to emit some basic sound fit enough for a distraction, but I certainly did not expect it to say "Bird Up!". Thankfully, Muffin seems to have gotten distracted by the dummy, as she lands directly in front of it.
"Now, head to the lit tents!" Uthman shouts to me. I nod firmly before taking off towards one of the lit tents in one corner of the room as Muffin is still busy poking curiously at Mr. Kabob Man. Once I'm at the tent, I find a battery in the corner and snatch it up quickly. Alright, now we're just one step closer to taking down this killer bird...
"All that area between the two tents should be out of its reach." Uthman gestures to the excess area by the hedges lining the walls of the room, which according to him are off limits to Muffin. Well, that makes things a whole lot easier rather than running out into the danger zone to the other tent.
I sprint over to the other tent as fast as possible. Now that Muffin's not distracted by the dummy I set up earlier, she's staring at me with a death glare as I run. But when I reach the tent, I find something that could be of use for another distraction; a big ol' barrel of Givanium. Let's just hope this works...
Rolling the barrel over, I push it out into the open for Muffin to see. She's quick to spot it, and with a loud screech, she dives right for it. I see this as my opportunity and run right back to the safe space in the trees, nearly tripping on my own dress as I rush over there. Phew, thank god I took P.E. class seriously back in high school...
"I don't think it'll fall for the same trick twice, but you still need the other battery!" Uthman yells to me. Thanks for reminding me, Captain Obvious. "Try and distract it differently, even if slightly!" He adds hastily. That's when I spot two boxing gloves on the floor, which I think I could use for Mr. Kabob Man again.
I swiftly grab those and attach them to Mr. Kabob Man like I did the speakers. Then, I push him out into the open and it repeats; Muffin flies on over and lands right in front of the dummy with a screech. With Muffin distracted, I run over to the other tent where the other battery is. I'm doing pretty good for myself here!
I nab up the battery and the cycle continues; I head to the other tent, roll out the barrel as a distraction, and head back with no further complications. Once I'm back in the safe space, I put the batteries into the electricity beams, both of them rising up to form an electrical current for Muffin to fly into unsuspectingly.
"It's activated and a large radius should be covered! Get the bird to dive one more time!" Uthman shouts over to me. I nod eagerly, running out into the open to see if this will work. Sure enough, Muffin lets out another shrill screech as she dives right for me again, only to be caught in the electrical current.
A deafening roar echoes throughout the room as Muffin is practically fried to a near crisp, landing on the ground with a rumbling thump. "Yes!" I cheer loudly to myself. I even start doing a little victory dance, though not before I'm stopped by the sound of Uthman laughing. Hey, I'm allowed to celebrate sometimes...!
"If we get through this, we should hire you as a safety trainer." Uthman states, smiling fondly down at me. I scoff playfully and roll my eyes in response. "As if I would want to work here after everything that's happened so far." I cross my arms and stick my tongue out childishly. As expected, Uthman laughs once more before turning serious.
"I don't know how long we'll be safe for, so let's get outta here." Uthman suggests. "Stay where you are and I'll see what I can do about that big door over there." He then disappears from view as I'm forced to look at Muffin's crisped, unconscious body. Poor baby, you sure were a stubborn bird today...
The large doors on the opposite side of the room slide open, and I quickly head over to check out what's next. I spot a button that says 'Recharge' and press it, then go on to press another button that says 'Secure and Exit'. What I don't expect though is for Muffin to land right in front of the door, letting out an angry squawk and running right towards me.
SMASH!
The walls close together, crushing Muffin between them as Givanium gushes out from the small gap. Soon, the walls slide back into their original places, and I'm left wondering where Muffin went. That's when my eyes land on the tiny pink bird laying on the ground in a puddle of Givanium, and I rush over to pick her up.
Muffin chirps in surprise as I scoop her up into my arms and hold her tightly against my chest. She seems pretty tense at first, which is understandable given her previous predicament, although she soon relaxes against me and nuzzles her face into my neck. Finally, my baby is back to normal... Well, not exactly my baby, but still.
Muffin then hops out of my arms and runs off happily, while I wave goodbye to her as I walk back to where Uthman is waiting. "That's not something I want to experience again." He remarks quietly, causing me to chuckle lightly before replying. "Muffin seems fine now, so no more giant killer bird to worry about." I assure him as I dust my hands off on my dress.
Uthman smiles slightly before looking off to the side awkwardly. "Okay, well, uh... I'll look for the switch where I am and you look where you are. Let me see if I can open the exit for you..." He disappears into whatever room is behind him, and soon enough, the exit does open. I teleport AVI4 over to me with my remote, and we enter the next room together.
Upon entry, a Bittergiggle clone on my right immediately catches my attention. This one is pink and blue with no arms, and he appears to be standing next to the final switch needed for the scepter room. "Go ahead... Press the thing..." He smiles a little creepily as he nods towards the switch. "Nothing bad will happen... I promise..."
I hesitantly lift my hand to press the switch, keeping my eyes on the clone, and press it slowly. I shut my eyes tight, preparing for something drastic to happen, but literally nothing happens at all. "See? I told you nothing bad would happen!" The Bittergiggle clone says smugly. Wha—?! Then what was the point of that?!
Ignoring that, I turn around and head up the long staircase with AVI4 flying close behind me. Just as we make it to the top, I see two doors ahead of me, one brown and the other purple. Seeing as I only have one of two keycards necessary for these doors, I pull the purple one out from my chest (don't ask why I stored it there) and open the purple door first.
It slides open easily, aaand... there's a painfully empty room. As I get closer to the edge of what I thought to be the entire room, however, the lights flicker on. Immediately, I'm met with what might be something I could only conjure up in my worst nightmare: another stupid parkour course. What else is new here...?
The course is made up of different platforms with red buttons on them that I'm supposed to jump on. I come to realize that the random walls that are placed randomly around the room are meant to move every time you press one of those red buttons, meaning every single time you jump. Oh, I'm so screwed here.
I glance over at AVI4 helplessly before jumping onto one of the platforms, all of the walls moving as I jump from one platform to another. It isn't long before one of the walls hits me square in the face, causing me to fall backwards to the ground below. I'm lucky that the floor is cushioned with some thick padding, or else it may have just killed me on impact.
I groan in slight pain as I prop myself up on my elbows. AVI4 zooms down after me, beeping loudly as if to laugh at my misfortune. "You could help by flying me to the other side, y'know. You're just being to stubborn to do so..." I grumble to the drone, who just keeps laughing at my suffering. I brush it off before heading back up to try again.
Many tries, and I'm still at the same place I was in before. I keep getting smacked in the back or the face with these stupid walls, each time ending with losing control of my jumps and falling to my doom. And of course, AVI4 is having a blast watching the whole thing play out, laughing the entire time. Ugh, this is hopeless...
Eventually, as I'm pretty much on my last attempt before I give up, I manage to see the wall coming at me before swiftly dodging out of the way. How the hell did I just manage to do that...? I jump across a couple more platforms, dodging more walls as if it's nothing, until I finally reach the other side. Holy crap, I did it! I did it!
AVI4 lets out a happy beep as I run over to grab the orange keycard on the floor in front of me. Now, I can get out of here and we can finally get that scepter. With that thought in mind, I hop down to the soft padding below, heading back to where I entered the room. My body is a little sore from all that falling, but... I managed it!
I head up the stairs to the last door, swiping the keycard over the reader once I'm there and heading out to freedom. Goodbye, Conditioning Sector and your blinding orange lights, I won't miss ya one bit.
I hurry back to the retreat with AVI4 following me closely. As we walk, however, I near AVI4 give out a weak beep from behind me. I turn around to look at it, a worried look appearing on my face as I see that it stopped flying, instead just hovering with its battery light slowly blinking red. Oh, I think I know what this means...
"You're losing battery life, aren't you?" I frown, looking the drone up and down as it starts whirring faster in an effort to stay awake. AVI4 replies with a simple beep, albeit a bit weaker than the others, and I can't help but smile gently at it. "Hey, don't worry too much, okay? I'll find you some new batteries soon." I reassure it, hoping that it actually believes me.
We carry on towards the retreat, soon arriving to see Bittergiggle and Uthman at the scepter room door. They both greet me with friendly waves as I approach them.
"When I couldn't find the switch on my floor, I headed back. Figured I'd get lost trying to find you." Uthman explains, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "But you did it! We can now put an end to this chaos." Bittergiggle exclaims enthusiastically. His excitement makes me roll my eyes with a fond smile.
"Hold on. First, I need to do something. I don't think he'll have Naughty Ones to worry about soon." Uthman says as he walks over to where Nabnab is caged by the warehouse. He presses the button on the side of the cage to unlock it, the door soon swinging open to let Nabnab free. "There you go." Uthman says softly.
Suddenly, Nabnab jumps right out of the cage, scurrying away to god knows where like the spider that he is. I'm unable to stop the small smile forming on my face as he does so. It's nice to see Nabnab run free after being locked in that cage for this entire time. Now, all that's left to do is... get the scepter... and end this once and for all.
Uthman walks back over to the door, sighing lightly before looking at me and Bittergiggle. "Let's get this over with." He states. Bittergiggle smiles excitedly and I nod determinedly. "Of course." I say as I walk over to unlock the door with my keycard. The door slides open with ease, and there it is: the chest containing the scepter.
We walk up to where the chest lies, sparkles of purple light dancing around it as we approach it further. "Didn't think I'd be seeing this room again so soon..." Bittergiggle remarks softly as we stop in front of it. "The surgeon is supposed to be in here protecting the scepter. Where'd he go?" He questions curiously. Wait a minute... The surgeon?
"I doubt he was caught by the Naughty Ones. Everything would be in shambles if he was..." Bittergiggle mumbles distractedly. "Well, we can only look for him if we have the scepter." Uthman informs us as we all stare down at the glowing chest in front of us. I suppose that's true, but still, I wonder if they're talking about—
"Go on, Lorelei, click the recharge button!" Bittergiggle urges me impatiently, snapping me back to my senses. "O—Oh, yeah, sorry..." I apologize quickly as I go over to press the recharge button on one side of the chest. Then, I go to press the eject button, but Uthman cuts me off before I can.
"It seems eerily simple to just click the eject button. Are we sure we want to press it?" He asks suspiciously. That leaves him, me, and Bittergiggle to stand in silence for a moment as ponder what could happen. Is this really going to work? What if something goes wrong? If not, then everything we've done has been for nothing...
All of a sudden, Nabnab runs in out of nowhere and starts clicking the eject button rapidly. "Nabnab, wait!" I shout to him to no avail. "Nooo! Nabnab!" Bittergiggle yells as well, but the spider just doesn't listen. That's when we hear the chest creak open as the scepter floats out, all of our eyes widening in horror when we see it.
One piece of the scepter is missing.
"The scepter... It's missing a piece..." Bittergiggle mutters quietly to himself. "That's not good..." He adds under his breath, his voice filled with anxiety. Well, thanks, Bittergiggle! Your jokes have gotten us into this mess, and now we're absolutely fucked! It's not like I can still blame him, though. There's nothing any of us can do about it now.
"So... This is where the key to my prison was stored away..." We hear a familiar deep voice come from behind us, causing us to spin around to look towards the source of the sound. Standing there is none other than Sir Dadadoo, that monstrous leech from before. He's definitely a lot more terrifying up close.
"Impressive work. All switches activated, the big door opened, and the treasure ready to be plundered." Sir Dadadoo continues speaking as we all take a step back from him. "I fear this is the part where I come in and take all of your hard work for myself..." He chuckles darkly. None of us dare to respond to what he's said, instead choosing to stay silent and remain still.
After all, what else can we do? I've seen what this guy is capable of, and even if we try anything to stop him, he'll probably wipe us out in mere moments.
"I can sense I'm not the only one in this room that's good at this." Sir Dadadoo suddenly remarks. "Consider it part of the payback for what was done to me. Plus, I need to make sure history doesn't repeat itself." He says, his words full of sinister intentions. I can feel my skin crawling as he speaks. He's got some sick game planned here. He's gonna kill us.
"We had no choice. They were going to destroy us all!" Bittergiggle argues back, clenching his fists tightly. "You did have a choice, and you chose wrong." Sir Dadadoo tells us bluntly. I can see Bittergiggle's entire body trembling as he tears up slightly; this is the first time I've seen him look so guilty and upset before.
"Where are the sheriff and the surgeon? Surely me coming in here and taking the scepter wasn't part of your grand plan." Sir Dadadoo questions coldly as he slithers a little closer. "I... I don't know where they are." Bittergiggle admits sheepishly, bowing his head in shame, clearly afraid of what this leech will do to us.
Sir Dadadoo growls lowly in response. "I'll tell you; they're hiding like the cowards you all are. But I'll find them, and all will pay." He promises darkly. Then, the scepter catches his attention.
"Seems the scepter is incomplete, too." He observes, eyeing the scepter in curiosity, then looking back at Bittergiggle. "Are you going to tell me where the missing piece is, or am I going to have to eat your pet kitty?" He threatens, referring to Kittysaurus. Bittergiggle looks terrified, but doesn't say anything in reply.
"You won't be doing any of that." Uthman suddenly intervenes as he beckons Nabnab over to him, turning to address the spider. "Forget what happened between us before. You know you've always been my friend, but what are friends for if not for times like these?" He puts a hand on Nabnab's shoulder gently.
Suddenly, Uthman pulls out a syringe and injects it roughly into Nabnab, picking him up and throwing him off the ledge as Nabnab hisses loudly. "Uthman, what did you do...?" I whisper in shock. Uthman looks over at me and puts a finger to his mouth as if to shush me. "Hush, or he'll attack us first." He whispers back to me.
Then, out of nowhere, a demonic version of Nabnab crawls out from behind the ledge, roaring loudly and showing off his rows of sharp teeth. Jesus Christ, he looks terrifying! He lunges straight for Sir Dadadoo, soon engaging in a brawl with the leech, which quickly devolves into a full-on monster fight.
"Run!" Uthman shouts and runs straight into another room, me and Bittergiggle quickly following suit. We dash through the narrow hallway, not even bothering to look back out of fear for our lives. I notice AVI4 slowing down slightly from beside me, and I begin carrying it so that it won't have to exert itself any longer.
Eventually, we reach the end of the room, and Bittergiggle stops abruptly in his tracks. "Bittergiggle, c'mon! We need to go!" I try pulling on his arm, but I fail miserably. He turns to look at me with a guilty expression, though he soon smiles and shakes his head. "I... I don't think I can go..." He admits sadly.
"What do you mean?" Uthman asks him, looking slightly surprised. "Yeah, what do you mean you can't go?" I look up at Bittergiggle in pure disbelief.
"You wouldn't understand. They appreciate my jokes!" Bittergiggle tries to explain as he shakes his head again, laughing bitterly. My eyes widen at what he's trying to tell us. "B—But Bittergiggle, I... I've laughed at all your jokes, remember? You don't have to stay here for whoever's sake... Come on, please..." I beg him desperately.
"Then you can come with me! Together, we can have all the laughter and fun we could ever want!" Bittergiggle exclaims eagerly. "Don't you want that, Lorelei? You could be my new queen, I could make you laugh, we could live normally again, and everything will be fine!" He pleads, looking directly into my eyes.
I feel Bittergiggle try to grab my hand, but I quickly yank it away from him. His excited expression immediately falls into one of hurt and confusion, as if this was exactly what he had been fearing. That alone is enough to make me want to cry, but I manage to keep my composure. I can't afford to abandon my children now.
Bittergiggle huffs angrily and takes a few steps away from me. "Fine, then. You can go ahead and throw me aside like everyone else did, but I'm not abandoning the only chance I have at achieving my dream. I've already come too far to let it slip away from me now." He says with a crazed smile on his face, though he clearly isn't happy right now.
"Bittergiggle, please... You have to understand... I can't go anywhere until I find my kids..." I plead softly. "Just come with us... You don't have to stay back here..."
"I know, Lorelei! Believe me, I really do!" Bittergiggle tells me, gesturing to himself with two hands. "But I need a real audience! I need to hear all the applause! I need to hear all the laughter! You may not get it, but they're the only ones who can provide it for me!" He laughs almost hysterically. "Who's... they?" Uthman asks him curiously, but Bittergiggle just ignores him.
"You may not wanna come with me, but I don't care anymore. This is my one chance to finally have what I want, and I'm going to take it!" Bittergiggle insists loudly. He then looks down in consideration for a moment before looking back up at me, his eyes filled with gratitude as a small smile forms on his face.
"Thanks for being my first witness, Lori." He tells me, and I feel myself tearing up.
"Wait, Bittergiggle—"
"And now, for my final act! Goooodbye!" Bittergiggle bows deeply before spreading his arms out by his sides, jumping backwards off the ledge and into the abyss below, laughing gleefully all the way. I scream in horror as I'm forced to watch my friend fall into the darkness and disappear forever. "Bittergiggle!" I reach out for him, but I'm quickly dragged away by Uthman into the next room.
I'm left in a stage of complete shock as Uthman drags me towards the elevator, only for us to stop when the lights go out. We turn around slowly, and when the lights turn back on, we're met with a group of almost every mascot in the kindergarten. Except, these aren't the normal mascots I know; they seem to have taken on a darker look...
Sir Dadadoo stands in the middle of his minions, staring directly at us in a rather threatening manner as we look back at him fearfully. "And this is where they realized that everything they have worked so hard for was all for nothing. Both of you will be a fine addition to my army..." He says ominously. "Together, and under my command, we will finish what the queen couldn't."
Uthman turns to me with a conflicted expression before telling me, "I'll hold them off."
My eyebrows furrow at that statement. "Uthman, what do you mean...?"
He removes my cardigan from around his waist and approaches me slowly, gently wrapping the cardigan around my shoulders and pushing me lightly so that I'm standing on the elevator. "Look for the surgeon." He orders in a soft tone.
"Wait, Uthman, I—"
Before I realize what's happening, Uthman turns away from me to face the monsters, who immediately charge towards him. The elevator begins its descent at that exact same moment, moving too quickly for me to properly see what's about to happen. All I hear as I descend into the darkness are loud screeches, roars, and screams that make my heart sink to my stomach.
Once I'm far down enough, I can no longer hear the sounds of Uthman fighting off Sir Dadadoo and the Naughty Ones. It's just pure silence as I stare upwards with wide eyes, pulling my cardigan tighter around myself for some semblance of comfort. I can't move, I can't breathe, I can't do anything to help Uthman, and it's all my fault...
"Uthman...?" I whimper softly as my eyes begin to water and my throat begins to ache. "Uthman, are you there...? Uthman..." I repeat softly, hoping to catch some sort of response, but I receive none. Tears start streaming down my cheeks as I sob quietly, slumping against the railing and sliding down to sit on the floor.
That's when I hear AVI4 beeping weakly once again from beside me, its power light blinking on and off repeatedly. "No... No, no, no..." I mutter softly as I gently grab the drone and cradle it in my arms. AVI4 lets out a few soft whirs in return, clearly sensing my sadness. "Don't worry, bud... I'll get you back to full power in no time..." I sniffle, wiping my teary eyes with the back of my hand.
AVI4 lets out a happy whir, as if to say 'thank you', before the beeping slows to a stop and the blinking light goes out entirely. I begin sobbing all over again as I hug the dead drone tightly to my chest, curling up into a miserable ball and wishing that everything could go back to normal again. But I know that will never come, no matter how hard I try.
Stinger Flynn was right.
Everything is my fault.
I should've listened to him.
I should've just gone home.
And now, I have nobody left.
— — — —
To be continued in Chapter Seventeen: "Seeking The Surgeon"