Fall of the Pig King

by Cracked Bat

Part one of an ongoing story based on the early information about EarthBound 64. A small family and their comrades find themselves facing an evil army of pigs. An older fic, but please R&R. (Also on starmen.net)

CHAPTER ONE IT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING…

It was 9:21 and Ness was sound asleep in his very own bed for the first time in months. Hey, you would understand too if you had just vanquished the Embodiment of Evil a few hours earlier. Suddenly, Ness jolted awake and got up on his knees. (He's a light sleeper) Somebody was knocking on the door at an obnoxious pitch. He groaned, shook his head several times, and hopped out of bed. Making his way across his room, he realized that about five months ago he was rudely awakened in the same way, at the start of his adventure.

No, he thought, I'm just gonna get on with life now. I've got so much ahead of me.

The knocking didn't cease when Ness had fumbled down the steps. His mom and sister were still up, but they were glued to the TV watching something-or-another. His lazy old dog, King, was lying down by the couch trying to sleep.

"My land! Who could be knocking at the door at this time of the night? Please answer it, Ness. I'm in no condition to open the door!" his mom said over the TV.

"Mom," Ness replied sleepily, "I just got out of bed, my hair's messed up, I'm in my pajamas, and my ears are ringing. YOU'RE watching television, you're wearing what you wore hours ago, and you look wide awake."

"… I guess you've got a point."

With that, his mom got up and ran over to answer the door. She was just about there, when it flew open. Standing in the porchlight was none other than Picky, Pokey's little brother!

"Good evening, Mrs. Lee," he said in his stuffy and slightly lisped voice, "My brother, Pokey dropped by and said I should give this letter to Ness."

Ness gasped. He ran over to the door and snatched the letter out of Picky's hand. It was slightly blotched, and written in Pokey's handwriting. Ness could make out:

Dear Ness:

Come and get me, loser! (Spankety spankety! spankety!)

Yours Truly,

Pokey Minch

---

It was another mild summer night when Ricky and Krause, two brothers, were playing BS to pass the time. Ricky looked at his deck, thought for a moment, then put down two cards.

"Two queens… OR IS IT?" he said with a grin.

"How long have we been playing this?" Krause sighed. It looked like he was about to tear his thick blond hair right out of his head.

Ricky checked his watch.

"Only two hours and seven minutes. C'mon bro, it's only 11:43!"

"Well play BS by yourself! I'm gonna go to bed. See you in the morning," Krause said impatiently as he turned and waked off towards his bunk at the end of the room. Being the clumsy type, he tripped over their sleeping beagle, Boney, who responded with a yelp. He plopped down and put his face into the pillow.

Darn! He never makes it past midnight! Ricky thought. He might as well go to bed too. However, as he walked over to his bunk, the whole room lit up with white light for an instant. Then a sudden rumble shook the whole house. The fire in the fireplace went up in a roar and both Ricky and Boney were jolted off the ground. Krause let out a very audible YOWCH! as his head banged against the top bunk.

"What the hey…?" Ricky said as he picked himself up and rushed to the window. Through the old and now cracked glass, he could see a strange, slowly flashing light emitting from the nearby wood. His neighbor's lights were now on, and he could see people's figures milling about inside. The light stopped and it was dark, except for his neighbor's lights.

"Lemme see! Lemme see!" Krause said as he tried jumping over his taller brother's shoulders, "I was born a minute before you were, you know!"

Ricky didn't really care.

"It looks like somebody was just playing with illegal fireworks. Go back to bed."

Krause sneered and crossed his arms. Their door swung open. They turned around to see their dad, Flint. He was wearing his cowboy hat and leather trenchcoat. In his hand was the old baseball bat that hung over their mantle. He had a very solemn look on his face, even more so than normal. In his low, grim voice, he warned them:

"Boys, listen here. I'm going out there now. I don't want you even leaving your rooms now. Stay put. I'll be back in the morning."

As Flint turned to leave, Boney scrambled to his feet and followed happily at his heels. Their door slammed shut behind them and there was the sound of a latch shutting. They were silent for about a minute, then Krause spoke out.

"That's crap! I wanna see what he's up to!"

"Me too, but if we step outside, there'll be Hell to pay…" Ricky muttered.

"Has that ever stopped us before?" Krause asked, getting closer to Ricky's face. Ricky paused, thought it over for about a second, then said:

"I'm not going."

"Fine then!" Krause snapped, "You can stay here and play solitaire while I go check out what might be the coolest thing to ever happen in the history of this boring hick town!"

Krause grabbed his slingshot from the table and stormed over to the door, where he picked the lock with two paperclips and stormed right through. Ricky made a weird face. It got too darn boring without Krause. He climbed up to his bunk, pulled out his paintball gun, and ran out the door.

Ricky ran through his front yard and out onto the dirt road, when he caught up to Krause.

"I knew you'd tag along," Krause said, smiling.

There weren't many people out yet. They walked on down the lane, getting a rather unsettling feeling about the incident, but they were yet determined to see what it was. The ancient road was dotted with oil-burning lamps about every 30 feet, so it was rather dim. The twins knew they were getting close to the woods that they played in. As they crossed through a cornfield, Ricky swore that he saw something creeping through the stalks. It seemed to be small and rather fat, and moved in a stooped gait. He was about to point it out, but when he turned away, it was gone. The air was now strong with the odor of smoke and something else that neither of the twins recognized. Suddenly, they heard the sound of sprinting paws. Before either of them could turn to look at what was coming, something zipped right in between the two, followed by the sound of yipping and a great breeze.

"Is that-?" Krause began.

"Boney…" Ricky said. They were beginning to get unnerved. When Boney ran like that, something was certainly not right.

"Are we…still going?" Ricky asked, trying to hide his obvious tension.

"Of course…of course. Boney probably saw a snake…"

"I hate snakes."

"So do I."

"I wonder if Dad is okay…"

"Of course he's okay. He can handle it himself."

Ricky and Krause walked on nervously. In no time at all, they were at the edge of the woods. Krause flipped on his powerful flashlight. Some of the smaller trees had fallen due to whatever incident occurred, and about every ten feet, there was what appeared to be a small ripple in the ground, each time growing bigger. If you've been out after an earthquake, you know what it's like. The smoke was starting to weave through the trees like grayish snakes. The kids used their t-shirts as a filter, which worked rather well. The visibility dropped dramatically until finally they could only see about five feet in front of them. Finally, they stumbled over a rather large ripple and it cleared out altogether. The boys climbed to their feet, brushed themselves off, and looked up in awe. About ten feet in front of them, there was a very odd mechanism. It looked like a spider on it's back, with eight crooked legs sticking up into the air in various positions. Smoke poured out from the bottom of it, and it strangely followed the ground until about ten feet. Slowly blinking pale lights on the machine lit this in an eerie, disturbing manner. There were a few small fires burning around it. Krause noticed that there were also shards of broken glass that they were lucky not to step on. Ricky, wide-eyed, tried stepping closer, but the heat kept him back.

"I knew you would leave the house…" a deep voice boomed from beside them. The twins jumped with a start. Standing very tall and still right beside them was the father, Flint. He looked down at them, raising his cowboy hat.

"No matter how much I imply something, you've just gotta go and disobey me directly."

"We're…" Ricky began, but Flint cut in sharply.

"I know. You're sorry. You best be. You've put us all in danger…"

"Danger?" Krause inquired, though there was a huge lump in his throat.

"You're probably not ready for what I'm about to tell you, but if I don't tell you, you'll find out sooner or later. Plainly put… I'm not your father."

Ricky: …

Krause: How…?

"There's a reason you're with me. I'm actually your uncle. You see, your parents were two people of great importance. That's all that I'll tell you. It seems that … someone knows too much. We need to get to somewhere else as quickly as possible. You two get home, pack as much as you can carry, grab Boney, and keep quiet. If I'm not there in ten minutes, just run towards Town and don't look back!"

The twins stood still, shocked and wide-eyed. It was too much information to process at once. They did not quite know why, but they knew that their whole life would be changed. Flint turned around, swinging his trenchcoat and revealing his metal bat.

"NOW."

The twins scrambled off into the smoke. Flint turned back around, slowly drawing his old aluminum baseball bat. He was ready all right…

CHAPTER 2 AN UNEXPECTED ROADBLOCK

Ricky tore through the door panting, followed by Krause. They ran off into their rooms for their backpacks. Boney was huddled in a corner, whining his poor head off. It looked as if he was forced to watch Battlefield Earth three times. But the twins paid no attention. Ricky jammed a jar of peanut butter, a pair of clothes, his mini cold fusion cell, and his super-rare Mother 2 cartridge signed by the great Shigesato Itoi himself into his backpack. Kruase put in many undocumented items of his, but his Bad Key Machine was hanging out of the side-pocket. Ricky grabbed Boney's leash and forcibly attached it to Boney's collar, with a bit of barking and nipping. Krause ran out into the main room while Ricky struggled with the dog. After about a minute, they were all sitting in the pickup truck in silence, save Boney's constant whimpering and shivering. Krause finally spoke out, but in a whisper.

"What do you think is happening?" he said in a very soft tone.

"…"

"You're no fun…"

Boney yelped and crawled further back behind the pedals, amazingly scrunching his body up into a tiny ball. Krause knew that whatever happening was something that would probably effect more than just them, but the town, and eventually the country. But he didn't know quite what. A sudden breeze rattled the old woodshed that the truck was in, and Boney tried to get even smaller.

"Do you think it's been ten minutes yet?" Krause asked, reaching in his side-pocket for his Bad Key Machine.

Ricky checked his watch. It was now 12:10.

"We should wait about five more minutes," Ricky said with a little yawn. He slumped back into the seat, wondering what the heck was bothering Boney. Suddenly, there was a loud rattling sound. Ricky, gritting his teeth and bracing, peered out the window. The woodshed was falling apart! The walls gave way and a beam from the roof slammed into the hood, making a big dent. The rest of it fell, causing a great deal of noise. After a couple of seconds, the chaos was over. Broken glass covered the dashboard from where the old lawn mower engine struck the windshield, and a very deep dent was on the roof where something heavy obviously hit. Ricky got up from bracing position and looked around. Krause was still bracing himself, whimpering a bit, and Boney was right where he was, looking rather like a giant white and brown hairball.

"I think it's okay," Ricky said to Krause. He didn't move.

"There's something wrong…" Krause said in a serious tone, still hiding his head.

"And you just now realized that?"

"No…they're here…"

Ricky would normally say he's just paranoid, but after what happened in the last half an hour, he believed him.

"Hotwire the lock then! We've gotta get out of here!"

Krause got up and began to fumble with his Bad Key Machine. Ricky loaded his trusty old paintball gun with shaky hands. He hoped it wasn't whatever came from that weird spaceship thing. Krause had just gotten done finding the right mold when there was a thud from behind them. Somebody – or something – was on the truck bed. Krause slammed the bad key machine into the ignition.

"Hurry it up!" Ricky whispered sharply.

"It can't be rushed! It needs time!" Krause said, sounding very panicked. He pressed the button on it to start molding. There were now strange-sounding footsteps coming from the truck bed. They sounded a bit like hooves, and they seemed to be moving slowly. The Bad Key Machine was getting close to being done, but the footsteps were now closer and Boney had gone silent. Gathering up his courage, Ricky looked out the back window. He couldn't see very well in the darkness, but he saw the figure of a fat thing with two stubby arms and legs BENDING DOWN TO LOOK IN!

"HURRY IT UP! NOW!" Ricky screamed.

"It's ready! It's ready!" Krause shouted, turning the Bad Key Machine. The ignition started up with a roar. Krause slid down, put the pedal to the metal, and made Boney jump out of hiding with a yelp. They left a pile of burnt rubber in the dirt and took off. Over the tires screeching, they heard something slam onto the truck bed followed by a squeal sounding like a pig's. Boney jumped up on the seat in between the twins, giving a valiant effort to stay balanced. Krause slid back up into his seat to see the road. Only they weren't on the road. They were going to plow into a tree! He swerved left, managing to only graze the tree, but making a terrible sound. Ricky, bracing himself, heard a squeal followed by a thud. Krause was too busy navigating his way back out of the ditch and onto the dirt road. They were hitting 85 mph, which was a little off the speedometer, and the engine was already overheating. After a very rough ride, they finally managed to pull up onto the road. They all gave a sigh of mild relief.

"What…was that?" Krause said, catching his breath.

"I'm not sure I want to know," Ricky answered softly, "But I think we better get to town soon. Maybe somebody will be able to help us…"

Boney was curled up, trembling like heck and Krause was panting, with a look of utter exhaustion of his face.

"You drive it now…" Krause said, slumping onto Boney. Ricky sighed. He carefully stepped to the other side, pushing Krause and Boney over. Ricky was taller than Krause, so he didn't have to slide down to reach the pedals. He hit the gas and they started back down the road, this time more slowly. Ricky looked beyond a hill and saw the lights of Einesville. It was about a half an hour's drive from there at forty mph, so he could make it there in no time at all at sixty. The truck went down the hill and by the old Hogg's Pig Farm. There was something wrong, however. Even though Mr. Hogg and his wife were on a vacation in Summers, the lights were on. It was strange, but Ricky didn't want to get into any more weirdness that night, or for the rest of the week for that matter. He went up the next rolling hill and through the forest of pine trees. Peering ahead, he noticed a few strange, glinting objects in the middle of the road not too far ahead, illuminated by the headlights. He turned to see Krause leaning against the door, snoozing with his jaw wide open. He sighed.

"Krause! KRAUSE!" Ricky said. Krause opened an eye and wiped the saliva off of his mouth.

"Are we there?" he mumbled, pulling himself up.

"No. There's something ahead of us!"

"Nnuh…?"

Ricky slowed down. He could see clearer now. Strangely enough, there were five pigs in a v-formation in middle the road just about forty feet ahead of them. The most peculiar thing was, however, that they were wearing shiny medieval helmets.

"…In the name of all that is sacred and holy?" Ricky said out loud, sounding very confused. He had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling about this. Without hesitation, he hit the gas. Krause was jerked backwards, fully waking him up. They were getting closer and closer to the pigs, and they could hear Boney's whining. The pigs did not move. Just as it looked as if Ricky was going to run them down, they all somehow climbed to their feet.

"Holy crap!" he screamed, blasting the horn. Suddenly, there was a thud as three pigs landed on the hood. The twins screamed, and Ricky swerved out of control. In a valiant attempt to gain control, Ricky grabbed the wheel. It was too late. Everything went upside down for a second, then right-side up, then upside down, then a terrible screech and thud, then darkness.

CHAPTER 3 BONEY'S UNUSUAL ADVENTURE

If you hadn't already figured it out, the truck had swerved off the road and tumbled into a ditch. The pigs were too much for the poor amateur driver. It was looking very dark for the twins. Boney had managed to protect himself by climbing underneath the dashboard and bracing himself at the last second, managing to get by with a little more than a bump. Now the truck was on it's side, and Boney was wedged underneath the dashboard due to the door, which had been removed and thrust inside upon impact. Boney was a bright dog, which is why he doesn't want anything to do with this ordeal. Shivering in fear and not daring to whimper, he heard grunting outside. Knowing most dialects of Animal, he caught a few words that sounded very piggish.

"I think he's fine. Just a broken leg."

"The Master will soon find a replacement."

"Remember the orders. Grab the kids and get back to the farm."

"Yeah. What about the dog?"

"What about the dog?"

"You're right. The thing's probably dead."

After a few seconds, it sounded to Boney like somebody was tampering with the other door. It rattled for a moment, and then there was a loud ripping noise. Boney heard snorting and grunting, and he didn't dare make a sound. There was some scuffling noises above him, and through a little hole in dim light of something, he saw a porkish hoof reach down and grab the bodies of Ricky and Krause. He watched in horror as the pig, being supported by another, hurled the twins through the broken door. After that, another hoof reached down and grabbed the backpacks. He heard some more grunting.

"Nice catch, Dave!"

"Yeah, yeah…The Master will certainly be pleased…"

"But we've still gotta get rid of this truck, or someone might see it right away! You take care of it, Gordon."

"Why do I always have to do this stuff?"
"Because…you're special. Now get to it!"

There was a bit of senseless snorting after that, and Boney heard footsteps going up the steep ditch. Soon he heard them back on the road and getting further and further away. He let out a soft sigh. He was sure the boys could handle the situation. They always did. But his brief reassurance was shattered when he heard (and felt) the side of the truck scraping against the ground. Boney let out a yelp and hit the bottom of the dashboard with his poor head. He whined a bit, then he realized that he had made a mistake. He heard the pig snuffling, and without further warning, the door was torn away from the dashboard and Boney was face-to-face with what looked like the face of a twisted pig. Boney yelped once more. The pig snorted cruelly as he slowly reached in towards the terrified dog.

I ain't no coward! Boney told himself sharply. Without further consideration, he growled and dug his teeth into the pig's leg. It gave a horrible squeal as it jerked backwards, hitting his head against the roof. The pig gave out an equally awful cry as he raised his hoof above his head. Before the evil swine could take a swing, however, Boney bolted out of the cavity that was once the door and into the night.

Boney was already well on his way back to the house before the pig could even squeal another curse. He knew that this was terribly wrong. Pigs were normally mild mannered and intelligent animals (to a dog's standards, that is) who ate too much. Tonight they had attacked him. And not long before that, he had seen something else equally weird and terrifying in the woods where he played during the day. Then there was the truck… It was altogether too much of a burden for his little mind to bear. If he got home and slept on the old chair by the fire, everything would be all right. As he approached the place where the pigs were kept behind fences, however, that strange feeling overwhelmed him once more. Silhouetted in the lights of the windows, he saw the figures of two pigs each hauling something over their backs. Boney sniffed for a moment, then he knew that, without a doubt, it was the twins. He knew they couldn't handle this one! Boney curled his lips and growled, then sprinted towards the pigs as they were just opening the door. He was seriously ticked off now, and as he jumped in the air to lunge out and tackle the sinister hogs, the door slammed shut. Boney saw stars for a second, but due to the intense adrenaline rush he was experiencing, he got right back up. Determined to rescue his friends, he scrambled up onto a crate, put his paws on the wall, and looked through the window.

"That was easy! (Snort) (Grunt)" Ike grunted as he slammed Krause onto the table, shaking the whole room.

"Don't do that! Master wants them alive," Dave snorted, placing Ricky right next to his brother's unconscious body, "We need to call the Master. He will be most pleased."

The ugly pig named Dave walked towards the door. Boney was rather confused about what the now intellectually superior (to his standards) pigs were saying. However, that animal instinct in the back of his mind was telling him: Get in there and save them! Boney nodded to himself, then jumped off the crates and began his search for a convenient entrance to the house. He looked towards where he had run into the door, and much to his embarrassment, there was a clearly visible doggy door right underneath where he hit. If Boney were physically capable of slapping himself in the forehead, he would have done it. He quietly crept through the little door and into the room. It appeared to be a living room type of place. The two twins were still on the coffee table, but the pig called Ike was sitting in the armchair right next to it. To make matters worse, he heard grunting coming from behind the door on the left side of the room. He began to plan his strategy. After a couple of seconds, he shook his head. With all of his energy, he barked and charged towards the pig in the armchair a couple of feet away. The pig began to turn with a snort, only to meet Boney's lunge at full force. With a tremendous crash and squeal, Boney, Ike, the old armchair, and the reading lamp fell tumbling to the ground. The dust cleared quickly and Boney was on top of the pig, whose head was knocked against the lamp and the wall. He let out a long, content sigh. Suddenly, the door on the other side of the room was torn apart with a nasty crash, and Dave was standing in the shattered frame of the door. He was impressively holding a spear in his right hoof and appeared to be furious. Boney flashed an innocent smile and bolted out the doggy door.

Gordon was royally ticked off. He looked up towards the house, grunting curses under his breath about the general race of dogs. He carefully removed his helmet, set it down by the wreckage of the truck, and very stealthily crept towards the farmhouse. As he reached the path on the front yard, however, a streak of white flew from the door. Gordon smiled maniacally and swiftly prepared to pound that stupid dog's head into the ground. However, he took one second too long in preparation. He felt something strike him the gut very painfully, then his head hitting the ground, then nothing. And now the point of view will go back to Boney.

Boney was sure that he had hit something, but he wasn't sure what. All he knew was that one extremely angry piggy was pursuing him and he was still running. He tore off down the dirt road towards his house, but alas, he wasn't as good as a runner as he was a year ago. He began to slow down, panting wildly. He finally broke down into a trot as he was just a couple hundred feet from the porchlight of his house. Whimpering, Boney turned to look behind him. The pig was still running strong. Boney stopped in his tracks and foolishly turned to meet his opponent. This may be his last mistake ever. Dave was charging strong, a fiendish grin on his face. Boney got down low in attack position and showed his teeth. As the pig closed in, he raised his spear above his head, ready to skewer the pesky dog once and for all. With a great cry, the pig dramatically jumped in the air and thrust the spear down towards Boney with two hands. The spear split vertically as it hit very brutally, doing much damage with ruthless efficiency, but to the dirt a few inches in front of Boney's paw. There was silence as the pig was suspended, still clutching half of the shattered spear, and Boney smiling at him mockingly. The pig's eyes grew enormous and his big round nose began to twitch. His upper lip went up into a hideous sneer as the split spear suddenly gave way. Dave landed headfirst, and Boney won the battle with a tremendous amount of luck. The twins popped into Boney's mind and he trotted back to the farmhouse.

Within minutes, Boney was licking the faces of Ricky and Krause. Each one of them got up with a groan and a bit of disgust. Krause was up first, rubbing his bleeding forehead.

"The pigs…" he mumbled, "We're…okay."

Ricky pushed Boney away and climbed shakily to his feet. He straightened himself up, wiped the blood from his arm, and gave a smile.

"My life was flashing before my eyes! It was boring. I wonder who saved us…"

"I don't…wow…that was weird," Krause said incoherently, rubbing his now throbbing and bleeding forehead, "It's so hot…or maybe so…get help?"

Krause fell to the ground with a thud. Ricky jumped and rushed over to his brother's side, shaking him.

"Crap! Crap!" he swore. He figured that the truck crash had jarred his brother's poor brain, or the pigs psyched him out. He needed help…fast. He looked over to Boney. No. That dog would never amount to anything. He didn't even try to save them. He placed Krause up on the couch, called Boney over to his side and was about to run out to get help, when suddenly the doorbell rang. Carefully, Ricky walked over to open the door. He opened it to find no other than… Skate Punk Mike!

"Hello!" he said in his slightly British accent, "If you didn't already know, I'm Skate Punk Mike, leader of the local Friendly Skating Gang. We were just doing our weekly canned food collection for the people in Ethiopia when that explosion went off not too far from here. We're now going house-to-house wondering if anyone needs any help and collecting food. Do you need any-?"

"Yes! My brother was…injured by debris. He's a bit…incoherent. He needs an ambulance!"

"Incoherent?" he asked, raising his pierced eyebrow, "Methinks I can fix that."

Skate Punk Mike flipped his skateboard and walked in, examining the room. Boney walked cautiously up to him, sniffing his hand, then licking him. Mike looked around the room, then raised his eyebrow again.

"That's queer. Why is there a pig in your house? There was another in your front yard. You might want to keep your pigs in the pen behind the house."

"HELP MY BROTHER, WILL YOU!?"

"Of course. Sorry, man."

Mike walked over to Krause, who was now muttering senseless things and nodding his head. He examined him for a second and said:

"This is rather serious. His brain was jarred. I know just the thing for him."

Mike closed his eyes and put his hands over Krause's body.

"PK Heal alpha…" he uttered. A warm green light glowed from the palms of his hands, then faded. Krause opened his eyes wide and groaned. Ricky stood gaping in disbelief.

"It's rather simple, really. I'm glad to be of help. If there's anything else you need, you know where my house is!" he said, smiling.

"W-what did you just do?" Ricky stammered.

"It's called psychokenesis. But it's better known it as PK. Most people can use it when the need comes. If you find you have it, don't abuse it. You'll literally overheat until you pass out. But if it's really bad, you might even go up in bloody flames. Good night."

Mike began to walk out, but Krause shouted, "Wait! We need a…safer place to rest."

"Okay," Mike replied, "You can come with us back to town. But I'm sure there's nothing wrong…"

CHAPTER 4 DESERT HO!

Ricky, Krause, and Boney got to town in no time with the help of the Friendly Skating Gang. They were checked into Einesville Sunset Inn and they slept like bricks. Krause, however, had troubling dreams. He usually never had them, but tonight was different. He dreamt that he was standing at the crash site of the strange object and Uncle Flint was staring up at the night sky with his grim face, clutching his baseball bat tightly. It seemed that he was waiting for something-or-another. Suddenly, there was a strong gust of wind. He crossed his arms and braced himself, gritting his teeth. The smoke from the wreckage blew into his face and then covered the rest of his body until he couldn't be seen. There was a quick flash of pale white light, then he was gone.

"That sounds pretty weird," Ricky said. Krause had a strange feeling that he must tell his brother about his dream. It seemed so vivid and real, that he was still chilled from the cold light. It was around noon and they were well rested. The sun was shining and the birds were all singing. Boney was up wandering around, obviously looking for something to eat. Krause fed him half of his peanut cheese bar and ate the other half.

"I wonder if Dad, whoops, Uncle Flint is okay…" Krause said out loud, munching on his tasty peanut cheese bar. Ricky raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure he is. He probably just left to…kill the pigs," he said with a gulp.

"Exactly. He might be dead."

"Of course he isn't dead! Didn't you ever listen to his stories about how he was the warrior who saved everything west of Cactus Desert from the bandits?"

"Oh yeah…I bet he's off trying to do something big. I'm still worried."

There was a knock at their door. Ricky got up and answered it. He saw that it was the maid, holding an envelope in her hand.

"Hello sir," she said with a smile, "You have a letter from someone named…Flint. I know it's not time for the mail, but it seems urgent."

"Thank you, ma'm!" Ricky said quickly, grabbing it from her hand. She gave him a look of mild disgust and left. He ran over to the little table with Krause and Boney right behind him. They all crowded around the table.

"Oh my gosh! That's kind of ironic, don't you think?" Krause said anxiously.

"Argh! Now that's song's gonna be stuck in my head!" Ricky said, tearing open the envelope. With trembling hands, he held up the letter. It looked like it was written in a hurry, because it was written on notebook paper and had many inkblots and scratches. They all quietly read it.

Dear Ricky and Krause,

This is your uncle. I can't promise you that I'm okay, but this is very important. If you got this letter, then stock up on everything you'll need for about a week. It would also be wise if you bought things to defend yourself with. Remember to ration your goods! After you're satisfied, buy a train ticket to Coal Town and stay there until you get another message. Remember to go for it!

Uncle Flint

Ricky's paintball gun was still in the wreckage of the truck and Krause broke his slingshot when he landed on it. Their combined money was about $43. Einesville itself was a little hamlet in Kraut Valley, representing the only lodging for miles. It was a modest place, full of quirky antique brick buildings built by German settlers a couple hundred years ago. The local sheriff and clergy ran it and everybody there was relatively happy about it. Despite what Flint had said, they knew that they couldn't find anyone in the town with what they needed. Being observant, Krause noticed there was also writing on the back of the letter.

PS: If you need help finding anything you may need, then go to the drugstore and tell Buddy that you're associated with Flint and you want to get some specialized items. Don't talk too loud, though. Good luck!

Feeling very relieved that Skate Punk Mike had paid their bill, Boney and the twins hurried across the street to the drugstore that they hung out in when they got bored and happened to be in town. It was a little place, like the rest of the town. The shelves were packed with all kinds of goods that you'd expect in a small town store. Buddy, the friendly manager and only employee greeted them with a smile.

"Hi, kids! What are you needing today?"

Ricky stepped up and gulped. Though there was nobody else in the room, he spoke in a hushed voice.

"Hi…we're associated with Mr. Flint and we're looking for some…specialized goods."

Buddy's smile vanished and was replaced by a more serious expression, then he leaned down and said:

"I trust you guys. I've seen you before and you're only kids, but if you know about Flint…well…you must be trustworthy. I don't want to ask anything more."

Buddy typed in something on the cash register, then whispered something. A mechanical voice responded by saying "Accepted." There was the sound of a click, then something slowly sliding, then a thud. Boney perked his ears up. The twins saw that a shelf in the corner had slipped away, revealing what appeared to be a secret door.

"Cool…" said Ricky.

"Hurry, now!" Buddy told them. They went through the opening and into a small, well-lit room full of crates marked with such things as DANGER and PANDORA'S BOX. Sitting at an office desk in a leather chair was a well-dressed, half-bald black man. He stood up, tapped the side of his sunglasses, and cocked his head a bit.

"Well, I usually have many interesting folk come here, but never in the history of Pandora inc. have we had any patrons so…young. Anyway, the customer's always right."

He snapped his fingers and the shelf slowly closed, falling back into it's normal position.

"Though you should be aware that our company's slogan is Caveat Emptor, I assure you'll enjoy our…products. Enough talk. What do you want?"

"We're…looking for something to…defend ourselves with," Krause began.

"But we've got a tight budget!" Ricky added.

"Well, I can offer you the latest hand-held incendiary weapons, or maybe a good old silenced Moonraker laser? Oh, what the hey! Come and look for yourself!"

They hesitantly stepped forward, but Boney was already scratching on the shelf that led back into the drugstore. With a broad grin, the black guy tapped the bottom of the desk and the desktop totally flipped, revealing very cool-looking guns, including one that looked like something out of a high-budget science fiction movie.

"How tight is your budget?" he asked.

"Uh…$43."

The black guy raised an eyebrow.

"You also carry less money than anybody in the history of my business. I've got some stuff over here that you might be able to buy."

He walked over to a corner that looked quite neglected. He blew the dust off of a cardboard box and opened it.

"Come here!"

They looked at each other and walked over to him.

"I've got bottle rockets filled with traces of nitroglycerin (be careful), some ranged 50-volt tasers, a military-grade titanium baseball bat, and some other stuff you can't find anywhere else."

Ricky was fond of the titanium baseball bat, though it was very heavy. It was best if you aim for the middle of the torso, he was told, because then it cracks ribs and knocks your opponent down more effectively. Krause was pickier. He dug through the big box and finally found a frying pan balanced for combat and stealth attacks. He would have picked a taser, but he knew that they needed to conserve at least a little bit of their money. The grand total was $34.21, but it would've normally been much higher. The dealer claimed that he let them off easy because they were both his youngest customers and they carried the least amount of money. The twins were told to leave via the inconspicuous door in the left corner and to come back soon with more cash and/or cool things to sell. They called Boney over and left, remembering to do so very quickly, as to not arouse suspicion.

About twenty minutes later, the twins and their dog were waiting at the little train station. There seemed to be only one other person waiting, and she appeared to be a very average middle-aged lady. It was a good sign that nobody was trying to pursue them. But Krause had a nagging worry inside of him that didn't seem to go away. He was probably just imagining things…

"I wish this bat wasn't so darn heavy," Ricky said, pacing back and forth in an attempt to get used to the weight.

"I'm not the one who bought it," Krause reminded him. He looked down at Boney, who looked very bored. Was he the only one who felt nervous? He sat back and sighed deeply. Suddenly, they heard a distant rattling. The train was coming. The conductors came out and started to get the goods ready. In about a minute, a silver streak flashed through the tunnel and began to slow down. In moments, the super-fast bullet train pulled up to the station and opened its doors. The conductors quickly began loading the boxes on board as the twins hurried on, Ricky dragging Boney on board. It wasn't the first time they had been on a train, but they still had to get used to the immense speed of them. There were several others on board as well, but nobody in their coach looked too suspicious. (Except maybe for a Mr. T-looking fellow in the back) They found a comfortable seat for themselves with a nice table and luggage rack. Pretty soon, the shout of "All aboard!" rang out and the doors slid shut. The engineer welcomed the new people on and thanked them for choosing Supersonic Express. Then without further warning, the train jerked forward, accelerating from about 0 to 100 mph in nearly a second. Hills flew by as the train grew increasingly faster, then finally averaged out. The twins decided that they should discuss their plans quietly. They both agreed that they should expect the unexpected, but they never came to a conclusion on where they would stay. Coal Town was slightly larger than Einesville, by about two hundred people. Maybe someone there might be generous enough to help out two kids and their dog… It was getting towards two o' clock when the hills started getting rougher and plants got more scarce, but it wasn't very recognizable at 240 mph. They decided that they needed something to eat, so they headed off towards the dining coach. Ricky ordered a hamburger and Krause ordered two hot dogs, one of which he shared with a very happy Boney. As they sat down to eat, however, a strange, plump figure walked in from the other coach. It was wearing a clean black business suit and a large, matching hat. He spoke to the lady at the counter in a low, rough voice that Krause's prying ears could only hear faintly. She handed him a big bowl of salad and he walked over to sit in the booth right behind the twins. Boney gave a long look at him, then growled a bit.

"Quiet, boy," Ricky told Boney softly. The man - or thing – began eating, and they could tell by the sound it was making. Krause lip-synched the word 'Pig' and Ricky nodded nervously. They ate swiftly and in silence. Ricky carefully walked up to pay the bill. As he handed the money to the woman, he glanced back towards the obvious pig and saw the white of one of his eyes from underneath the shadow of his hat. It was watching him. He gritted his teeth and turned to Krause. With that, they promptly exited the coach and back to their own. They sat down and began talking in hushed tones.

"The pigs are following us…" Krause whispered in a panicked tone.

"Brilliant, Einstein!" Ricky said. He reached for his baseball bat and in a low, grim tone said, "I'm sure ready!"

Krause reached for his frying pan apprehensively. He seriously doubted that the pigs would attempt to do anything to them while on the train, but their uncle warned them to expect the unexpected. After a very long minute of worried silence, the intercom came on and told passengers that they would be arriving in Coal town in approximately three minutes and to prepare likewise. The train began to slow down, and the twins could clearly see that they were in a vast desert, with red bluffs and mesas far in the background. Though it seemed a bit later, Ricky's watch read 2:14. They had covered about two hundred miles in a little less than an hour. In no time at all, the mighty bullet train screeched to a halt. They were in Coal Town.

CHAPTER 5 FLINT'S STORY

Coal Town was a humble mining town which mined a good percentage of the region's coal. It mostly consisted of shanties where the miners and their families lived, but there were a few small businesses as well, which usually closed after a couple years. One thing was for certain, if you grew up there you became a miner.

Flint was sitting outside the local café, watching to see if anyone passed by. It was the hottest part of the day, so very few people were actually out and about. He had just heard the train, so he knew that he didn't have to wait much longer. With his keen eyes, he scanned up and down Main Street, watching to see if his nephews had arrived yet. He rubbed his injured arm, which was mangled in the crash. It still stung, but it was much better. Suddenly something caught his eye. He adjusted his cowboy hat and looked harder. There was no mistaking it.

"Krause! Ricky!" Flint called out. They all jumped a couple feet, and a smile broke Flint's grim face. He carefully stood up despite his injured ankle. Ricky, Krause, and Boney were all running towards him happily. He was fortunate that his letter made it all the way to Einesville. There was a brief, joyful reunion, which consisted of excited and surprised shouts and hugs. After about a minute, they were all in the cool, dark café sipping root beers and ice cold cokes. Ricky spoke out first.

"The letter you sent us said we should wait here for a week. You said that you'd send another letter, but you're here!"

Flint cleared his throat and rubbed his arm. He glanced around the empty café quickly, then began to speak in a lower voice.

"Yes, it did. The plans have changed more than slightly. It's a long story, and contains things you'd never believe possible. But I swear that I made none of it up. You may not be ready for it…"

"Of course we are!" Krause said, slamming his glass of coke on the table.

"That's what I thought," Flint said with a slight smile. He spoke lower again, "Now listen well. It may take quite a while…"

(Flint begins to tell his story)

"NOW."

The twins scrambled off into the smoke. Flint turned back around, slowly drawing his old aluminum baseball bat. He was ready all right… His eyes were fixed on the night sky, expecting the worst. Suddenly, a cold wind picked up and stirred the trees, blowing Flint's trenchcoat about. He gritted his teeth and crossed his arms as the smoke blew into his face. He coughed a bit, and then he realized there was a light coming from all around him. His ears began to ring and it felt like his limbs were being stretched out, he wanted to yell, but he didn't want anyone else to come. Suddenly the smoke and light cleared. Everything was fuzzy and Flint blinked several times. He was no longer in the woods by his house. Rather, he was in a small, empty concrete room sprawled out on the floor. He struggled to his feet and looked about. His ears began to focus and he heard annoying music all around him. Right in front of him there was a metal door with bars near the top. He got up and tried the handle. Naturally, it was locked. He looked through the bars and saw just darkness. He straightened out his cowboy hat. They had got him. Suddenly, he heard a hydraulic roar from underneath his feet. His stomach jumped as he felt the whole room rapidly moving upwards. He looked through the bars and saw lights flashing by at breakneck speeds. He was in an elevator. The roar beneath him grew louder and louder, until it finally began to die down. His stomach jerked back as it stopped. With a friendly little "ding" the door slowly sunk into the floor and with a hiss, a cloud of smoke rolled in the room. The music stopped and the rattle of chains and the clicking of hooves were heard coming closer and closer. Flint felt that his baseball bat was absent, so he got sideways and put out his fists. He still didn't feel like fighting, but he knew he would not go down without one. The smoke suddenly parted as a shiny, fat figure stepped into the room. Flint raised both of his eyebrows. Standing before him was what appeared to be a large pig wearing shining steel armor and a well-crafted helmet. In his right hoof, he somehow held a long sword encrusted with the letters P.O.R.K. He grunted something very guttural, which sounded like "Get over here, Spanky!" Flint didn't want to argue with this creature, no matter how funny it looked. The pig grabbed him and put the sword to his neck. He was led through the smoke and into a large, vaulted room. The walls looked like they were made of a sleek black metal of some sorts, with lights blinking all over it. The ceiling arched upwards into a dome, which had some sort of carving on it. Flint gaped in amazement, but then he felt the sharp sword across his throat and he continued walking. There was darkness up ahead, but instead of walking on into it, the pig stopped Flint with a close shave. He squinted ahead and wiped a little bit of blood from the side of his neck. Despite his sharp eyes, he couldn't see a thing of what lied in front of him. The pig suddenly kneeled to the ground and snorted a bit.

"I'm not blind, you know!" a whiny voice called out from the darkness. There was a boom and blinding lights filled the area. Flint blinked several times, then saw that he was in some kind of throne room. Just twenty or so feet in front of him sat an enormous, hideous pig with a lopsided crown on his head on what appeared to be a very large and cool-looking metal chair filled with buttons and switches. On both sides of him stood a legion of pigs in shining armor standing perfectly still, each with spears and shields. Flint didn't know whether to laugh or be disgusted. The pig on the throne stood up slowly and began to lumber over to Flint. He stood petrified, his mind racing with everything that had happened in the last five minutes. The swine walked around him several times, grunting and snorting.

"Hi, Flint!" he said in a high-pitched voice, "You don't know who I am, but it won't matter much. In a few minutes, you won't even know what hit you, and you'll be burning in- well…you'll go to Heaven. Your existence is a problem we intend to fix."

The pig adjusted his crown and looked at Flint for a moment.

"Don't you have any smart remarks?"

Flint's head was down. He didn't know what the hey all of this was about, but he knew he had to find some way to escape. A sudden blow to the side of his face interrupted his train of thought.

"Are you even gonna give me a smile? No? Are you gonna cry? Some warrior you are! Well, I'll give you the honor of saying goodbye to your kids…whoops…I mean your wards…before your existence is snuffed!"

Flint suddenly perked his head up in horror. Had they gotten Ricky and Krause? He knew he shouldn't try anything heroic. These pigs were evil and they outnumbered him by far.

"Still no talk?" the Great Pig said maniacally, "Your brother was the same way. He didn't even scream when he was ejected into space! HAHAHA! What a world-class loser!"

"You've gotten me, swine," Flint said grimly.

"Good! I wondered when you'd talk. Now say goodbye to your whelps!"

The Great Pig's smile broadened then faded into a scowl. He turned to one of his bodyguards and began grunting something. The bodyguard grunted something back nervously. The Great Pig's eyes went wide with shock and slight horror. He snorted and squealed angrily at him, then jumped several times. He squealed a final time, sending his trembling bodyguard to his knees.

"Now where were we?" he said in English, turning around slowly. His face went a deep crimson and his eyes grew with fury.

"WHERE IS FLINT!?" he screamed, jumping up and down and swinging his hooves in midair. His poor bodyguard slowly oinked something out, then the Great Pig shouted, "All guards! Get to the hangar! Hunt that moron down, impale him, bring me his head, and you'll all get a raise so big that it'll blow your minds!"

The frightened pigs gave a saluting oink and ran towards the open hangar door.

Flint was running towards the end of the vast hangar filled with the weirdest aircraft he had ever seen. There were some on racks on the ceilings that looked like what had crashed into the woods. Most of them, however, looked exactly like the stereotypical silver flying saucer. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks. He heard the clicking of many hooves. He knew this would happen, but he was still startled. Thinking quickly, he jumped behind one of the flying saucers nearest to him. The running stopped; then he heard some grunting. Knowing they were splitting up to look for him, he slipped further underneath the flying saucer, which seemed to be levitating. Sooner than he had thought, he saw feet running by. As they passed him, he gave a little sigh of relief. His relief was shattered when he heard a pig squealing not too far away. He did a diving roll out from his hiding spot and began to run toward the door. Flint heard a rush of air, and his hat flew off his head. With his lightning reflexes, he grabbed it. Had he been any taller, his head would've been skewered. Right as he was about to dash through the door, it slammed shut. He looked back and saw about a dozen pigs charging him, spears raised. His eyes darted and his mind raced. He saw that there was a funny-looking aircraft shaped like a red bean. Oh well, here goes nothing! Without any thought, he jumped onto it and kicked the hatch. It opened surprisingly easy. He scrambled inside, a spear grazing his leg. Inside the cockpit it was a little cramped, but there weren't that many controls. There was a throttle and a few screens, but how did you turn it on? He frantically searched for some kind of ignition, but he was surprised to hear a friendly voice and a mechanical hum.

"Welcome to the Pork Bean! Choose autopilot or manual!" it said. Flint heard the pigs' spears hitting the plane. He seized the throttle and pulled up. The Pork Bean flew upwards suddenly, jerking Flint backwards and leaving his stomach on the ground. He would have to get used to the loose controls if he were going to escape alive. Now if only he could find the bay door… He glanced down for a moment and noticed that the pigs were scrambling into flying saucers. He quickly searched the control deck in attempt to find something helpful. He become aware of a small blue switch which read "Hangar Bay." He flipped it right away. He turned towards the wall and saw that it was slowly opening. Luckily, Flint had flight training in Fourside. Remembering how loose the controls were, he pressed the button on the throttle and slowly shifted it forward. I guess if pigs were supposed to be flying this thing, it would have to be pretty easy. He suddenly heard the roar of engines from behind him. However, Flint was already out into the night before he could blink.

Flint looked out of the cockpit, trying to find out where he was. Though it was night, he could see sand hundred of feet below him shimmering in the moonlight. He turned to see if anything was on his tail yet, and realized that the place where he had just escaped from was a giant mountain, and the bay was already a small speck. In a little less than a second, several glints appeared. He was being chased. He put the throttle forward, then took off at speeds, according to the display screen, were getting close to 600 mph. He now heard the roar of engines from behind him, and then something that sounded like laserfire. He gritted his teeth and grabbed the throttle. He spun around in midair several times and his hat flew clean of his head due to centrifugal force. He grabbed it, but the whole ship suddenly jarred as he heard a blast from the side of the aircraft (or whatever it was). Smoke poured out from the right end, and sweat was pouring down Flint's face. The calm, friendly voice popped up again.

"Damage report: Starboard side has sustained 23% damage… Automatic shields activated!"

The spaceship was bathed in a blue light. Flint frantically searched for some kind of weaponry, but didn't find anything. He shook his head quickly, then put it in full throttle. A display screen showed that he was being chased by seven green dots. Suddenly, there was a loud roar. A light streaked through the air. With a loud yell, Flint immediately rolled. The light streaked past him, and there was an explosion on the ground. He needed to land. Smoke was pouring into the cockpit from where he was hit. Suddenly, the blast of lasers was heard again. The light around him rippled, then seemed to fade a little.

"Shield damage: 49%!"

"Crap!" he shouted, banging his fist on the dashboard. He took a sharp turn, but the aircraft was rattled once more by lasers. The light disappeared.

"Sorry! Shield system terminated!"

"SHUT UP!" Flint shouted. He slowed down a bit and looked towards the ground. About a mile away, he saw a large sand dune at least a hundred feet high. Oh well. He was going to die anyway. He pulled back on the throttle and released his grip on the button. Another hit rattled the ship, and sparks were flying everywhere. Flint fell to the ground and the annoying reporting voice popped up again.

"The power line has been destroyed. Well, it's been nice knowing you. In respect for the soon-to-die, You'll Never Walk Alone!

Flint tried grabbing the throttle, but his hand kept slipping.

"When you walk through the storm…"

He finally got a firm grip on the throttle and began pulling himself up.

"Keep your head up high and don't be afraid…at the end of the storm is a golden sky and the sweet song of a silver lark-"

Flint pulled himself up. Through the cracked cockpit, he saw the sands of the desert rushing towards him. He quickly pulled back with his bleeding hands, slumping into his seat.

"Walk on, through the rain…"

He shook his head as the air from the hole in the cockpit rushed in. He adjusted the throttle with all of his might.

"Though your dreams be tossed and blown…"

Flint saw the sand dune, which was now less than 100 yards away. The ship was spinning out of control and the emergency sirens were blaring.

"And you'll never walk alone!"

Sand was blowing into his eyes and mouth. He couldn't see much, but he knew that he was hurtling towards the dune. The sound of an explosion rang out from behind him.

"(Have a good afterlife!) You'll never walk…alone…"

There was an earth-shattering crash and intense heat for a split second, and then all went dark.

"How did you survive!?" Ricky demanded, soda nearly squirting out of his nose.

"Hey! That sounded like something from a book I read…" Ricky added.

"Keep your pants on! I don't know much about that. I'll tell you what I do know."

Flint did not know just how he managed to survive, but when he opened his eyes he was sprawled out in the sand, bathed in a dim yellow light. Sand was in every orifice on his head. He groggily tried to climb to his feet, and much to his horror, big, nasty buzzards surrounded him. He stood up slowly, then waved his arms a bit. They all stepped back a bit, then flew away. To his surprise, when he looked back, the wreckage of the ship that he escaped in was stuck halfway in the sand. Flint limped over towards it, picked up his cowboy hat a few meters away from it then crawled inside the cockpit. He first looked under the dashboard, where he saw a charred red box. As he grabbed it, a smile cracked his grim face. He scrambled to the sand below and opened it. Inside, he found what you might expect in most first aid kits. He took out strips of bandages, a bottle of Healing Pills, a canteen full of water (which he sipped greedily), some paper, an envelope, a flare gun, a pen, and a few whatnots that he had never seen before. He knew what to do. He quickly wrote out a letter to his nephews explaining what to do, put it into an envelope, and whistled. A giant crow appeared from seemingly nowhere, snatched it from Flint's hand, and started off towards the north. He sighed. It may take him a while to get to Coal Town… In the meantime he wrapped up his wounds and took some Healing Pills for good measure. He was sure that he had enough water for at least a week, like the letter said. His stomach growled sharply and he mumbled something under his breath. With that, we walked off into the sunrise, expecting the worst.

About an hour later, the sun was already hot, and Flint knew it would be just a matter of time before the heat would become sweltering. Suddenly, a glint far off caught his eye. Half excited and half suspicious, he lifted up his hat and focused in on it. He couldn't quite pinpoint exactly what it was. He looked around him and found a few rocks. He picked them up, and slowly walked towards it. His stomach twisted in pain. If he were going to fight, the opponent would surely have the advantage… Suddenly, he heard a voice. It was rather loud and high pitched. It seemed to be shouting, "Look! I think somebody's out there!"

"So then I thumbed the jeep over," Flint said, closing his story, "It was this guy and his wife, who claimed to be investigating the explosion they had heard the previous night. I told them I didn't know a single thing. They didn't really believe me, but they gave me stuff to eat and drink. About an hour later, I'm here."

Ricky held his chin and stared at the wall. Krause eyed Flint skeptically.

"You wouldn't doubt your own uncle, now would you?"

"That means there's a lot more to these pigs than we thought?" Krause asked.

"Yes," Flint answered with a sigh, "There is evil in this world. Your…father requested that I take all measures in protecting you kids. I raised you all, thinking I would succeed. Now it's all screwed. Those pigs are probably all around, looking for us."

The twins were silent. Boney slumped onto the ground.

"From now on, we'll be moving around a lot. We'll just be…fugitives, if you will."

Ricky spoke out.

"What about that weird spaceship thing that you crashed in?"

Flint perked up for a moment.

"No. It's beyond repair. Only a super-genius like Jeff Andonuts could fix something like that. We'll just have to take the-"

"Jeff Andonuts?" Krause asked.

"Did I say Jeff Andonuts? He's nobody," Flint looked up at the clock on the wall, "We best be finding a place to stay for the night."

The twins knew he was just trying to change the subject, but it would be a good idea. They all got up and began to leave. A young woman sitting in the corner sipped a cappuccino and jotted some things down in a pocketbook. She adjusted her glasses, cracked her knuckles, and grinned. She quickly slipped on her lab coat, got up, and walked out the door.

CHAPTER 6 AN AWESOME DESTINY

The road was still dusty and empty. Flint, Krause, and Ricky looked up and down the long street, looking for some place where they could be accommodated. Suddenly, they heard footsteps from behind them. Boney was the first to turn. He began to growl, but then he stopped. The rest of them spun around and saw a young brunette in a long, white lab coat walking towards them. A quick breeze blew up her coat, revealing a shiny metal object for about a second. They turned back around slowly, a bit worried but not wanting to rouse more suspicion. As she passed them, however, she gave them a quick smile said, "Thanks!" They all raised an eyebrow and she walked on until the end, when she took a left turn. Boney barked. They all walked on in silence. When they finally reached the end of the street, they reached a shabby-looking brick building with a big sign above it that said TRAVELER'S HOSTEL. As they read it, there was a creak and the sign began to slant. The twins looked at each other.

"It'll have to do," Flint said gloomily. They walked through the saloon doors and into a dark room. There didn't seem to be anyone behind the desk. Krause noticed a little bell on the desk. He rang it twice, and then a groan was heard. Much to everyone's shock, a hand grabbed the desk and a little man pulled himself up, rubbing his head.

"Oh…hi. Don't worry about me. I just got…hit across the head by something…" he said, straightening his black beard out.

"Hit across the head?" Flint asked suspiciously

"Yeah…they came in and demanded to see somebody named Rick – or was it Ryuko?" They all looked at each other, wide eyed, "They totally ransacked the place, then they smacked me with something. I hate insurance salesmen…"

"Who are they?" Ricky said nervously.

"Didn't you hear me? They're insurance salesmen. They dress up like thugs, then they barge into people's houses, do awful things, then come back later and ask if you would like their policies. They tried fooling me, but nope, I'm too clever for them! Hey! Where did you guys go?"

Flint and co. were already out the door and sprinting off towards the train station.

"We need to (pant) make tracks to (puff) (puff) somewhere far away…" Flint said, attempting to drag Boney along and run at the same time. Finally, they reached the old train platform and collapsed underneath the shade, panting. Kruase, with one eye open, saw that the next train wasn't coming for another three hours. They got up, settled themselves into the crude benches, and began the long wait. Suddenly Boney sniffed the air, twitched his eyes, and then suddenly dropped his head to the platform with a thud.

"Boney?" Ricky asked in a startled tone. He got up, but he felt somebody sharply tug on the back of his shirt.

"Don't move a muscle," Flint said in a soft, grave voice. As he said that, a sudden aroma seemed to just roll in. None of them could describe it quite right, but the best description was an odd, sweet-smelling scent with a vague touch of cinnamon. Ricky's eyelids suddenly became very heavy and felt completely exhausted. His eyes began losing focus, then he felt himself slowly slump down onto the bench. Then it was, you guessed it, rather dark.

Before poor Ricky could give any thought to the incident, he realized that he was standing somewhere in the night. He looked around and saw steep hill slopes all around him. Somewhere near the bottom of this big hill, he saw the lights of some nearby houses, then as he peered southwards, he gazed at the bright lights of a town hundreds of feet down the slopes. The most notable feature, however, was a large glowing rock about ten yards away. It seemed to be producing unearthly warmth, as well as a disturbing red light. Though he didn't dream often, Ricky somehow got the feeling that he was in one, but not an ordinary one. Suddenly there was a sharp whine and the crashing of branches. He turned with a jump and a gasp, but it was just Boney, who was for some reason in a nearby tree. As if on cue, he heard his uncle's groan. Flint crawled up from behind a piece of cooled debris from the weird rock. He gave his trenchcoat a shake and turned to Ricky, his face as grim as ever.

"I told you not to move!" he said, adjusting his cowboy hat. As he said this, Krause groaned and pulled himself out from behind a roadblock. He rubbed his eyes, then looked around.

"What the hey?" he began, rubbing his left temple.

"I'm not quite sure myself," Flint cut in, "But I know this is some kind of bizarre dream, because I don't dream."

"And I'm in it too…" Ricky added. They all looked at each other for a while; then something caught Krause's sensitive ears.

"Hey? Do you hear something that sounds like a bee buzzing around?" he said. The others looked at him like lobsters were crawling out of his ears. Boney looked up and gave a little woof.

"C'mon! You've gotta hear it!"

Ricky's ears perked up, then Flint's. They all looked up. A beam of light fell on the meteor, and then a bug-like thing slowly flew down from the heavens.

"It's a bee…" Flint said, raising an eyebrow. The insect stopped.

"A bee…I am not," a calm, slightly intellectual sounding voice said, "I am the spirit of Buzz-Buzz, a bee from ten years in the past. I apologize. This is the only way I can contact you."

Flint's jaw dropped. Ricky and Krause stared at the bee, or whatever it was, unable to say anything. Boney cocked his head and made a cute, confused noise.

"And twenty years ago, the savior of the world, Ness, prevented Giygas from completing his heinous plans," Buzz-Buzz continued

"You're really that bee…" Flint said, sounding very surprised.

"A BEE I AM NOT!" Buzz-Buzz shouted with an earth-shattering roar that made everybody flinch, "…And thanks to your brother's deeds, the world still exists. Yet evil will never completely recede. It has been in recession for a long time, and it is time for the rise once more. The PORK Empire has long been a threat to Earth, but it is now that their power is finally demonstrated. They are at work as we speak and there's nothing we can do about it at the time."

"Then why did you contact us?" Flint demanded.

"Patience! My time here is running low, and I will soon return to Heaven," he said, then he flew over towards Ricky.

"Ah…yes…you, you hold the power to end the threat! As a descendant of Ness Lee, you alone can unlock the mysteries of the Sound Stone."

"Me…? W-what about Flint! Or Krause!" Ricky stammered. He didn't want to end any threat at all, nor did he know what a Sound Stone was supposed to be, nor did he know he was related to the mildly famous savior of the world.

"Flint is too old to be saving the world, and Krause makes a better sidekick."

Flint glared at Buzz-Buzz coldly and Krause muttered something that sounded like it involved crushing and bug spray.

"My time is truly fading… but listen to what I have to say! In order to defeat the Master, your powers must unite and become at one with the Earth. There are four locations around the Earth that you must visit and record their melodies. Call them "Your Sanctuaries." Once all four are reached, the power will channel with the Earth and multiply. Only then will you gain the power to shatter the Nightmare Rock, which rests in your very mind, and unleash awesome power. Did you listen to my story?"

Ricky blinked and nodded.

"Good! You have an awesome…destiny to fulfill… I have…put the Sound Stone…in your pack…" Buzz-Buzz said, his clam voice suddenly sounding restrained, "You must…succeed…and ARRRRRGGGH! Your first Sanctuary location is the Golden Tunnel! It's…not far from Coal Town! AAAAGGGGH!"

The spirit of Buzz-Buzz suddenly faded, then flickered back for a moment, then totally vanished. Ricky's pack felt heavier, but he also felt strangely stronger. He also knew that no matter how weird all of this was, he was convinced that he must stop the threat that the bee spoke of. He turned around, but the world began fading into darkness…

Ricky awoke with a jolt. He was on the same bench that he had mysteriously drifted off upon. He looked around and saw Flint, Krause, and Boney all groaning and getting up. Ricky noticed his backpack was on the platform beside him, and he hastily opened it. He gasped. On top of all of his belongings there was a smooth stone about the size of his palm. He looked at it closer, then noticed that there was an elaborate carving of the planet Earth, as well as four circles surrounding it. Yes, it was more than just a dream! His brother rushed over to him and kneeled down.
"Well, you're in a lot of trouble now!" Krause said, eyeing the stone enviously, "You're supposed to save the world from PORK, or whatever, and we're supposed to help you. Prophecies always suck…"

"You're just jealous," Ricky told Krause, patting his head teasingly.

"Well, congrats, nephew! Who would think that someone who still wets the bed would have such a burden to bear?" Flint said grimly. He knew there was nothing to rejoice about. He did not feel like fighting off the pigs that had captured him the previous night. Ricky shot him a fiery glance, then went back to observing his special rock. Then something snapped in his brain.

"We've gotta find Gold Tunnel."

"Nuh?" Krause said

"Didn't you listen to Buzz-Buzz?"

"Not after he said I'd make a good sidekick…"

"The First Sanctuary is a place called Gold Tunnel, and it's not very far from here," Ricky said, then he turned to Flint, "Do you know anything about a place called Gold Tunnel?"

Flint seemed to ponder it for a moment, and then he shook his head.

"When people on adventures want to find a place, they usually go to the local bar or café," Flint said contemplatively.

"Then that's what we'll do!" Ricky exclaimed. He did not want to save the world more than Flint or Krause, but he enjoyed a little slice of power. He had never been a leader of anything, and he figured it could be very interesting. Without further discussion, the group left the platform, Krause sulking with Boney behind Flint and Ricky. He'd make a better sidekick! Indeed! He'd show them…

In no time at all, they were in the dark café, which was much more crowded now. According to Ricky's indispensable watch, they had been asleep for about three hours and it was 5:44. A friendly waitress showed them to their seats and got each of them drinks. The café was full of mostly miners, who had just returned from their jobs and were still slightly stinky. There didn't seem to be anything important going on, so Krause inquired:

"So now what, Dad…no, Uncle Flint?"

Flint closed his eyes.

"Usually somebody comes up and asks for help…" he said, sounding very distant. The twins looked around.

"I haven't heard of anyone who gets up and talks to people at other tables," Ricky said skeptically.

Flint opened his eyes.

"Yeah, it never did make much sense to me," he said. Right as he got done saying this, he heard a woman's voice from behind him.

"You guys look like you're new here."

They turned and saw an overweight woman wearing an apron and wiping off a mug with a dirty rag.

"Cowboy hat guy, can you help me out? There's this annoying guy who keeps asking around about some kind of gold mine. Of course, thieves never listen… you look like you could knock some sense into that fool."

They all looked at each other excitedly.

"Come with me, boys!" he said. They all got up and followed the lady to the bar area, which was a dark, seedy-feeling place filled with smoke and the sounds of drinking. Standing out from the miners, there was a tall, lean young man with a rope at his belt. His hair was jet-black, as well as his eyes. His skin was covered in little scars, and yet his face still held the enthusiasm and recklessness of a boy. He turned with a start to meet Flint and co. He quickly looked them all over in the dim lighting, then smirked for a second.

"Well, I guess this place does have some bouncers!" he said, groping for the rope at his side. Flint raised an eyebrow and stepped up to him. The woman mumbled something to herself and promptly walked away.

"We're not quite bouncers, but I heard you were bothering some people…" Flint said, as he began to clench his fist. The youth looked down and saw this, then gulped.

"I figured that bars are a good place for local rumors. Look, my career may depend on finding this mother lode of gold…"

"Gold?" Krause cut in.

The man glanced down at him.

"Of course. What else did you think I said?" then he turned to Flint, "Are you looking for something too?"

Flint hesitated for a moment, then said, "Something like that. But I've already told you too much. We might be able to work something out. We really haven't made the proper introductions. I'm Flint Lee."

"I need to be sure I can trust you. 'Tis the romance of treasure hunting… Every time you make a friend, he just stabs you in the back…"

Flint grinned and drew closer to the young man, and an expression of fear broke the young man's face as he backed into a corner.

"See how I intimidate you?" he hissed, "I am indeed the worst enemy or best ally you will ever have! Once you're my friend, I never forget it. When you're my enemy, I never forget it. What will it be?"

The young man nodded fearfully, but then Flint smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Okay…I'm Espeon, the novice treasure hunter and adventurer. Meet me behind this place tonight at eight, and I'll show you something…"

CHAPTER 7 RICKY'S FIRST BATTLE

The Saviors of the Earth went back to their seats. Flint took a long swig of root beer, set his glass down, and looked at Ricky with his stern eyes and spoke in an equally grave voice.

"All right, Ricky. There's one thing you should know. We are no longer being chased. It is rather the other way around. As that…bee told you, you are going to end this threat once…and maybe for all!" he glanced over at Krause for an instant, "And we're here to help. I suppose you would rather like me to be the leader, but as fate goes, you are the rightful leader. Most of the time, the decisions shall be at your judgment. The adventure hasn't even started and there's already too much behind us… No, I don't like the idea myself, but from this point on, you're in charge."

Ricky didn't know what to do. He figured that he should be honored, but he still wished that fate, or Buzz-Buzz, would've just chosen somebody else.

"I'm off to that hostel to get us a room," Flint said, getting up from his chair and walking towards the door. Krause finished up his coke and turned to Ricky.

"Y' know," he said pensively, "I've never really fought before. Sure, they made me wrestle in P.E. (curse them) but never…seriously. I don't know how long I'll last out there if we suddenly have to fight something. I don't wanna die!"

He slumped onto the table. Boney was licking his hand, but he wasn't feeling any better.

"I'm not the best person to talk to about that," Ricky responded, sipping his root beer, "But I haven't either. Oh yeah, my heart's nearly pounding out of my chest. I shouldn't be worrying though," he took another sip, "If this was foretold by fate, or a bee, then we can't die, correct? We're not going to die."

"Do you think I'm afraid of dying?" Krause answered, raising his head.

"You just said you were a moment ago."

"I did?"

"Of course! Don't you remember?"

"Oh yeah…I guess I did…"

"But that's okay. I don't want to die either!" Ricky said, smiling grimly. Krause smiled back, equally grim.

"You there boys want more soda pop?" the waitress's voice asked them. They nodded, and in moments, they had more soda. They sipped their drinks quietly until finally their uncle came back through the door.

"We've got a room for the night," Flint said, sitting down in his chair and grinning, "And now we do what we want until eight."

Ricky checked his watch. There were about ninety minutes until then. Flint told them that he'd stay and drink "cautiously." Ricky and Krause knew what this meant, so they called Boney and left the café. It was beginning to be twilight the red sun was halfway behind a faraway mesa. The stars popped out one after another in the sky, and Boney eagerly began exploring the little desert town. Nothing very exciting or necessary happened in the next ninety minutes, so I don't have to waste keystrokes explaining it. Finally, the time came. They walked behind the café and saw Espeon sitting down, rummaging through his pack. He glanced up.

"Hm…You're here…"

"Where's Flint?" Krause asked.

"Sorry to say, kid, but he's in the bar right now, rip-roaring drunk," Espeon said with a half-smile, "I guess the patrons won't forget tonight!"

Right as he said this, there was the sound of shattering glass. Everybody yelled and ducked as a chair flew by from the now broken window. Reveling laughter was now heard. Ricky and Krause looked at each other, wide-eyed.

"Well, I guess that's why whenever he goes to a bar, he usually doesn't come back for several days…" Ricky said. Espeon got back to rummaging through his pack.

"Here it is!"

Espeon got up, put the chair upright, and sat down. The twins rushed over to see what he had. When they saw what he had, they were a bit disappointed. From what they could see in the light from the window, it was a fairly normal sheet of paper.

"Now watch this!" he said, putting it up into the night air. The watched, but nothing happened. Just when they were about to ask him what the hey it was supposed to be, Ricky and Krause noticed letters appearing, and then eventually words and whole sentences.

"What the?" Krause said, eyeing the paper skeptically.

"It's written in this one kind of ink…I forget… The only way it's readable is if exposed to the light of the stars."

"So it's like lemon juice?" said Ricky.

"Yeah…whatever," Espeon replied. He paused for a moment, "That should be enough."

The twins huddled around the paper. On it there seemed to be several paragraphs written in cursive. It read:

To my dear grandson,

My life, I am afraid, is drawing to an inevitable end. I have left all of my personal belongings to your parents and siblings. Do not feel as if I have forsaken you! You, my precious grandson, I have left you with the most awesome and valuable belonging of all!

Believe your own dying grandmother when I tell you this. Remember when you were young and I told you the stories of how I traveled with my prospecting father in the Cactus Desert? I had told you for all these years that I had found nothing but mere quartzite. I lied. We had found what was perhaps the greatest strike in the desert…or maybe the world! After several days of spelunking through dangerous caverns, we came upon an entire cavern of rich, pure gold! Your great grandfather, may he rest in peace, became so ecstatic about the amount of riches he could milk out of there, he died of cardiac arrest. There was nothing I could do. As he fell to the floor, his cries may have triggered something, for a hideous monster appeared at the end of the tunnel. I will not go into detail, for the mere thought of it is making me feel even older.

I will not go into too much about the great struggle, but I was a great fighter in the day. A fierce battle ensued and, in a half-trance, I came out to be the victor. After days of hunger and thirst, I reached the surface.

But the point that I am making is that the claim that my father staked is now yours! When you feel it is the right time, you must go and find it and truly make the wealth your own! This is my wish. I vaguely remember where the location of this place.

If the town is still around, you must first reach Coal Town. Travel, by foot, a day west until you reach Coyote Mesa. After that, head north-northwest a half of a day. You'll reach a small lake bed. Finally, you'll spot a big rock far off. Head towards it! After a two days march, you will reach it. Upon reaching the rock, climb up the old path until you reach a cave opening. That is it. My hands are getting very tired and I fear that if I put this off until tomorrow, I will forget. Remember to never, under any circumstances, allow this to fall into the hands of anyone else. This is of the utmost importance…

Your dear Grandma Florence

"Cool…" Ricky said. Krause nodded violently.

"Yes. I'm from a place very far from here…I've been gone for three months traveling about and finally I've made it. I realized that nobody should ever explore an old mine on their own, so I'm recruiting help. Your father seems like the right person for the job."

"Actually, he's our uncle," Krause said.

"Whatever," Espeon said, carefully folding the paper back up. He set it back into the envelope and stowed it in his pack. "You guys are probably gonna tag along too. If it's okay with you guys and Flint, we'll set out first thing tomorrow."

"I don't mind," Krause said.

There was a crashing thud from inside followed by Flint's roaring laughter.

"But I guess Flint will keep us all waiting…"

Espeon smiled, "I'm staying at the Hostel with my assistant, SD. He can't tell me how to pronounce his real name, but I just like to call him that. C'mon, I'll show you our plans."

In a few minutes, they were at the door to Espeon's room. The upstairs was made of old wood and appeared to be in terrible need of repair. In the light of dim bulbs, Espeon fumbled with his rusty key until he finally lost patience. A good snap kick reduced the ancient door to mere splinters. They walked into the little room. Sitting on a stool in the corner there was a short, stocky man in his thirties. It looked like he hadn't shaved in days and he held a grimace on his face even when Espeon sat down in the stool beside him. Espeon motioned for the twins to sit on the floor, and they did.

"You see, my partner is a mute. He couldn't talk if he tried."

The man let out a wheezing noise and made a face of desperation. Espeon unraveled a big sheet of paper and set it upon the floor.

"This is a map of a majority of the Cactus Desert. You see, we're right here," he explained, pointing to a small dot on the vast map.

"Yeah. I remember this in Geography!" Ricky said, groping at the map. Espeon took out a measuring compass, adjusted it carefully, then put one of the points on the map.

"You see, each kleck is twenty miles. We can cover that in about a day, so according to the description my grandma left, one kleck west," he demonstrated this, "And then half of a kleck north-northwest…and the instructions beyond that are not very clear. By logic, I imagine that the two-day journey is west, northwest, or north. If it's as clear as she said it was, we'll know when we get there."

The twins nodded, looking a bit bored. SD shot them a sharp scowl, which sent a chill down Krause's spine. He knew there was something wrong with this guy. But what was it? Before he could give it more thought, Espeon continued.

"From my grandma's description, we're going to spend a long time in those mines. I'm already equipped with two weeks of food and water. If you're going, you'll have to get your equipment yourself. I bought everything at the general store. Are you up to it?"

"Hey man…eh…can I have a word with you?"

Espeon raised an eyebrow, then nodded. He walked out of the doorway where the door once was, then down the hall a little. Ricky followed him.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"I'm not an adventuring type…I'm going with you for reasons you probably won't really believe, so I'm not bothering."

"…Okay…and you're telling me this because?"

Ricky couldn't restrain himself. He flung off his pack, tore it open, and grabbed the sound stone.

"The world is being threatened by something called the Master! I'm the only one who can actually stand up against him! I can't do it right now, but once I visit these four locations, I'll gain power. The place that you're referring to is one of them!"

Espeon's eyes widened. He bent down to meet Ricky's eye level, then he spoke soft and very seriously.

"You? It can't be… You see, where I'm from, the country is at war. As odd as it may sound, we're battling an army of pigs. It's been happening for many years now… Things aren't going too well either. A story has been told from the beginning of our culture that in the time of greatest need, a boy will arise against the enemy and vanquish them. This is bad…I never believed it, either. I feel I must help you…for the sake of not only Grandma's gold, but for the sake of my nation," he began staring at the sound stone, "Where I'm from, when two people join each other's cause, their lives are in each other's hands. We will help each other, through the smooth and rough times. Agreed?"

"Um…yeah!" Ricky said.

"Good," Espeon responded, "I need to stay here. Go see if Flint is sober enough to come back. We need to talk…"

Ricky nodded, then ran down the rickety old steps and into the dark foyer. He opened the door with a loud creak and stepped out onto the old porch. Ricky jumped off the steps and onto the dusty street. He heard the clamor from the café up the street breaking the serenity of the night. Without hesitation, he jogged toward the only light on the whole street. Suddenly, a loud bang rang out followed by an intense flash of blinding white light. Ricky gave a yelp and flew backwards, executing a bad back roll. He blinked several times, then looked up. He still couldn't see very well, but a shiny metal robot-looking thing was barely towering above him. It was very odd, because it was smooth and had many curves. On it's round head there was a small black screen with many green dots flashing by.

"You suck!" it said with a strange, high-pitched mechanical laugh, "You're supposed to be the savior of the Earth? Soon, you'll just be another corpse in my wake, little boy!"
A very disgruntled Ricky crawled to his feet and discovered he was twice as tall as this weird robot.

"Yes, I am the Starman Junior! You've probably heard my name being spoken in frightened whispers! Yes! I bet you're shaking in your boots! And now…you die!"

Ricky grabbed his heavy baseball bat and carefully pulled it out of his pack. The Starman Jr. drew back it's wavy, pointy arms and looked like he was ready to punch. With a yell, Ricky lunged forward with his bat and swung it with all his might. It connected with a loud clank. There was a high-pitched whine and when the dust cleared, there was a huge nick in the Starman's shoulder. It re-balanced it's self as Ricky was drawing his bat back up again.

"Ow…Ha ha! My dead grandma hits harder than that!"

Right after he got done taunting Ricky, he slid out of the way from the next attack, which missed and hit the dirt road with a thud. Suddenly there was a funky noise that sounded like a B-movie laser gun and Ricky let out a yell and fell flying to the ground, his bat clattering beside him. He gave a groan of despair and clutched his bleeding wound.

"Neehah!" his opponent laughed, sliding towards him in a disturbing manner with an outstretched arm. Ricky flinched from the pain and began reaching his arm toward the bat. He was just about to grab it…

"I know what you're doing! Go ahead! That thing's so darn heavy you won't be able to even lift it with that laser beam I put into you!" the Starman taunted. He said something else, but Ricky's hearing was beginning to fade and all he heard was nonsense. If he didn't get help, he would die as it is. Maybe Espeon heard and he's coming to save him… Now poor Ricky's vision was beginning to fade and he felt as if he would die, there was suddenly a strange surge of energy flowing through him. His eyes flew open and he involuntarily shouted "PK LIFEUP ALPHA!" Before he knew why the hey this happened, the pain ceased. His first thought was to jump up and keep fighting, but he came up with another plan. His enemy's voice was now very clear, and seemed a bit less pompous and more apprehensive than before.

"Fat lot yelling gonna do! In a few moments, you'll be burning in…you'll go to Heaven!"

Ricky let out a fake groan and began groping towards his bat.

"Let's end this nonsense!" the Starman said, pointing one of his arms down at him, a red light beginning to appear at the tip. Ricky let out a Mongolian battlecry he learned in History, swiftly grabbed his bat, jumped to his feet and swung it with a mighty yell right at the Starman Junior's legs. It gave a mechanical AAAUGH! And fell to the ground with a great clatter. In a frenzy, Ricky rose his bat high above his head, shouted, "Gnarr!" and brought the bat down upon his fallen enemy again and again, each time dismembering a mechanical body part and causing a screech of robotic pain. Finally, after maybe half a dozen strikes, Ricky took a deep breath and fell to his knees. He felt very hot for some reason, and his head was throbbing and sweating. But he had won his first battle. Slowly, he turned and saw Espeon and Krause on the porch, staring at him. Ricky got to his feet and brushed himself off. A last live wire fizzled out on the Starman. They stared at each other in silence; then Krause broke it.

"SWEET!" he shouted, running up to his brother. Espeon followed, laughing. People were already coming out of their homes, trying to find out just what happened. Our intrepid adventurers were back in the hostel before any questions could be asked.

CHAPTER 8 SINKING SANDS

The next morning the whole village had their own stories about whatever happened the previous night. Of course, none were close to the real thing. Flint had passed out at about ten and slept in a drunken slumber until well into the next day. Boney came back from his exploration and almost everybody was happy. Flint was having a terrible hangover, however, and SD seemed furious at something only he understood. It appeared that their expedition would have to be delayed another day. This gave time for Ricky, Krause, and Flint to buy their supplies. When Flint was coherent enough to walk across the street and into the general store, he and his nephews did so.

"Sorry for being such a drunkard…" Flint apologized as they stepped into the little old-fashioned general store. There were many oddities hanging from the wall and ceiling and no space was wasted, and unfortunately, the whole place smelled of mildew and hemp. They had an uninteresting conversation with the shopkeeper and bought their equipment. (Thanks to Flint's ATM card) They each got some rope, a canteen, dried food, and the twins each got helmets with lanterns. Flint told them he wouldn't part with his hat for a million dollars. Ricky and Krause just looked at each other and shrugged. The rest of the day was uneventful and rather boring, although Ricky swore he saw a fat thing duck into the shadows behind the hostel. Everybody was in bed by nine, dreaming of what may become of tomorrow.

The next morning they quietly paid up their bill and left without a word. Espeon was in the lead because he looked as if he knew what he was doing. SD was jogging to keep up with him, Boney was following him happily, and Flint marched on apathetically with the twins right behind him, trying in vain to keep up with the adults' pace. The touches of civilization ceased almost instantly and as the sun rose, they could see countless miles of sand before them. Far off they saw a lone mesa. Part of it went upwards in a point, giving it the crude shape of a coyote howling at the moon. Try as he might, Krause could not get a feeling of tension out of his mind. He just supposed it was natural, for he wasn't used to this kind of travel. Ricky's mind was a complete blank as he marched along, sweat already pouring down his face. Last night had changed him. He felt as if there was no longer a need to talk as much as he did several days ago. Maybe he was turning into Flint… That thought made him shudder. As if on cue, he heard his uncle's gruff voice call his name.

"Ricky! Come here!"

Ricky ran up to his uncle, who was now standing still. It seemed that Espeon and his deranged partner had gone down the other side of dune. Flint wiped his brow and took a swig of water from his canteen.

"Listen! No matter who it may be, never tell anyone about what we're supposed to be doing! The world that you knew last week is a whole different one now, and nobody outside of our group is to be completely trusted. Yes. I know that you told Espeon about our real cause… I won't lecture you anymore," he turned back towards Krause, "Come on! We need to catch up with them."

The sun was steadily growing hotter and noon was approaching. They found the shade of a great cactus and ate quietly. Espeon took out his knife and knocked a hole in the cactus. Pretty soon thick milk was flowing from it. They all drank as much as they wished and then continued their journey. The sun began to sink and the mesa was certainly getting closer. Sure enough, they reached it by sunset. The stars began popping out and Espeon, grinning broadly, pulled out his letter and held it up to the starlight. That night Espeon and SD pitched the tent and Flint started the fire up. Boney was drinking out of a spring greedily, and the twins were busy filling their canteens. As they went on setting up camp, they were unaware of the dangers they would soon have to face. They all ate their dinner, which consisted of beans and trail rations, and went to sleep. Krause had another odd dream that night. He dreamt that he and Ricky were on some kind of roller coaster in the dark. It was very noisy and sparks were flying all over. His stomach leaped as they suddenly flew off the tracks. He looked down and saw what looked like a river of green sludge, then sparks flew again as he felt the cart hit the tracks again. Then he woke up.

The next morning was spent trekking across the scorching desert. Espeon and SD usually went ahead of everybody else, so of course he was the first one to spot the lake bed. With spirits higher, they all sat down for a lunch break. As they ate, Espeon kept looking around. When they finished, he had a look of confusion on his face.

"There's no rock…" he said, still scanning the landscape. There were cliffs in the distance and countless dunes, but there wasn't a solitary rock anywhere. SD grunted and finished eating his huge strip of beef jerky. Suddenly, Krause's ears perked up.

"Do you hear something?" he said.

Everybody paused, then turned to him and shook their heads. Krause sighed and shook his head.

"I swear! It's coming from that dune over there!" he said, turning towards a large sand dune, "Come on, I heard the bee…"

SD lifted his head for a moment, then quickly put it back down. Ricky stood up.

"Okay!" he said, "I'll come along!"

"Be careful," Flint muttered, drinking up the last of his cup of coffee. But the twins were already halfway up the dune. They both scrambled to the top, and as they looked down, they gasped. Down the other side of the dune there was a slope that went down an awfully long way into a grove of trees with a little bit of clear water in the middle. What they were gasping at, though, was what was next to it. Right before their eyes, they saw a great airplane. It seemed about a hundred feet long, and it's wings were nearly twice as wide. As they were watching, they noticed little figures milling around it.

"Wow…" Flint's voice said. They turned and saw their uncle, wiping his brow, "That may be good, but it most likely isn't…They probably came here last night…"

"We need to get out of here!" Krause said, turning around to run down the dune.

"No! Wait!" Flint called, jumping to his feet. With reflexes and strength that Ricky had never seen in any person before, he spun around 180 degrees, grabbed Krause by his shirt collar, and jerked him back in a matter of seconds. Krause made a choking noise and looked up at his uncle, who was inches away from his face and breathing heavily.

"Flint?" he said apprehensively. Flint said nothing, but pointed down towards where Espeon and SD had been only moments before. Ricky looked down and blinked several times. There was no trace of anything that had been there before, but the sand seemed to be shifting slightly.

"What the?" Ricky asked, shaking his head.

"I'm…somewhat sure I know what it is," Flint said, carefully watching the sand, "Follow close behind! If you feel yourself sinking, don't fight it!"

Before he was done saying this, he was already well on his way down the dune. The twins looked at each other for a moment, then gulped and followed their uncle. Flint was already at the bottom, running towards where the sand seemed to shift. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, then a very odd thing happened. Flint was sinking. In seconds, the sand was up to his knees and rising.

"Oh no!" Ricky shouted, running towards him. Krause was standing there, wide-eyed, at the sight of his uncle sinking into the sand. Ricky grabbed his arm and, with great strength, literally pulled his brother along with him. But when he turned his head, Flint's hat was slipping down into what looked like a whirlpool of sand. In horror, Ricky let out a yelp. He looked down at his feet, which were being covered in sand.

"Help me!" he shouted. Krause grabbed him, but his brother continued to sink lower, and lower into the foreboding sands. In no time at all, Ricky's face began going under. He stopped groaning and closed his eyes as his entire head went under, and in a matter of seconds, his twitching, outstretched arm vanished as well. Krause stood there in stupefied horror, staring down at the little whirlpool of sand. With a shake of his head, he regained composure, bellowed a Dwarven battle cry, pinched his nose, and dove in after Ricky.

The sounds of the far off desert wind suddenly ceased. It was even hotter than up above, and he felt very cramped. All that he was certain of was that he was moving somewhere slowly, but he almost immediately forgot which direction was up. Krause knew that he shouldn't open his eyes, even though he desperately wanted to know where the hey he really was. Suddenly, the feeling of sand around him stopped, and he felt himself falling. He wanted to scream, but he felt his face smash against some more sand. He wearily groaned and climbed to his feet. He opened his eyes dizzily, blinked several times, and looked around. There seemed to be sand slowly falling from what he thought was the ceiling. All around him there was rough rock and yet more sand, which was dimly illuminated by something that seemed unnatural. He jumped as he heard a nearby groan. His brother crawled out of the pile of sand that he had landed in. Ricky looked horrible. He was coated in sand, which was pouring out of his nose and ears. His legs were wobbly and looked as if he was going to drop to the ground at any given moment.

"I alive…" he muttered, trembling a bit.

"You tried fighting it, didn't you?" their uncle's voice said. They turned and saw Flint walking towards them, "If you're gonna save the world, you should at least listen to people!"

"Uncle Flint?" Krause said, looking about, "Where are we?"

"A sandhole."

"A sandal?"

"SAND-HOLE."

"Ah! It's so clear now! …What's a sandhole?"

Flint raised an eyebrow.
"What are my tax dollars going to?" he muttered, "It's an uncommon natural phenomenon which occurs when the moon is exactly perpendicular to a large basin of sand with a cave beneath it. The sand at the bottom gives way and slowly makes the sand flow downwards. Get it?"

"No, go on."

"And what a happy surprise! We're in the middle of one."

Ricky slumped to the floor with a groan.

"Are we gonna live?" Krause asked, looking around at the steadily falling sand.

"Of course we are! Just so long as we leave within a week."

"Okay…where are Espeon, Boney and…that weird mute?"

Flint paused for a moment, then adjusted his cowboy hat.

"I don't know, but I'm sure they're all right."

"Pay attention to me!" Ricky gasped.

"Oops! Sorry!" Krause said, bending down beside him, "Well, Skate Punk Mike did it, so why can't I?"

Krause closed his eyes and began humming, "PK healing alpha!" He waited for a moment, then opened his eyes. "Crap!"

"I seriously doubt you have psychokinesis. Even I don't have it!" Flint said, putting his hand on Krause's shoulder. Just as he said this, a bright flash of white light and intense heat filled the little sandhole. Before any of them could yell or brace themselves, it was over. Poor Ricky's hair was smoking, but he was up on his feet. Flint picked up his hat and quickly put it on. Krause was staring at the hole that had just been made in the cave wall. He began to step towards it, but a disgruntled Espeon fell into the charred sand followed by his silent cohort and a whimpering Boney.

"Cool!" Krause said. Espeon and SD climbed to their feet.

"Yeah. We probably would've been stuck there in the sand forever if SD wouldn't have bailed us out with that lightning bolt!" Espeon said, stepping into the light. He appeared to be a bit burnt, but otherwise uninjured. SD's beard was still smoldering, and he appeared to be trying to douse it.

"Well, we're all together now!" Ricky said, panting. Flint smiled for a split-second, then looked at the hole in the wall.

"SD, it seems you've found something quite helpful."

The little man grunted, then looked up.

"I'm not bragging, but my eyes are six times better than the average human. I can see through that dark hole there. We've hit one of the tunnels in the gold mine that we were looking for five minutes ago. Ricky and Krause, get on your hard hats. We'll have to be quieter now. You never know what may be lurking in these labyrinths…"

CHAPTER 9 SEPARATION

The twins had their helmets fastened on and their lamps turned on. Espeon had a grin that spanned his narrow face like a big fissure.

"My grandma might've traveled here over sixty years ago…" he said, skipping ahead of everybody else. They advanced into the dark tunnel, which was only about five feet wide and haunted by bats. Through Ricky's headlamp, they saw that the passage went on for quite a while. They were all walking single file, with Ricky up front with his light, Espeon following, eyeing the mundane tunnel as if it was made of diamonds. SD was right after him, stroking his beard and examining the walls. Flint was right behind him, silently marching along and looking ahead; and finally Krause and Boney holding up the rear. After a couple of minutes, the tunnel ended and they came out onto a ledge of a vast cavern. Lit by Ricky and Krause's lanterns they could see that far below, many streams flowed in between the pillars of rock and the larger stalagmites. There were several other rock platforms in the cavern, all of which were connected by rickety old plank bridges. The overall sight was breathtaking and foreboding at the same time.

"I knew there would be a place like this here…" Flint said, stepping up to the old bridge that lied ahead of them. He turned to Espeon and told him, "You seem more enthusiastic about this than the rest of us, so you can go first."

"Yeah…but walking across a rickety old plank bridge in a pitch black cavern over a long drop to the slime below makes me a bit nervous…but I am a treasure hunter!"

Flint spoke lower, "And remember rule number one of dungeon crawling: Be observant and watch your step!"

Espeon made it across the bridge with little or no trouble, as did everybody else. They continued across the cavern in this manner until they were on another ledge.

"That's weird…none of them fell," Krause said out loud.

"That's because it's not like in the movies," Espeon said, "Adventuring is indeed a dangerous occupation to take up, but you don't always fall from a rickety old bride that hangs sixty feet above a foreboding surface. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be careless, however."

They continued on through a series of passages, some of which were only wide enough to squeeze through. Boney did not like this adventure at all, and Krause had to constantly keep him on the move. As they came to the end of a long, winding passage, they were surprised to stumble upon a fairly modern-looking door with light streaming in through the threshold.

"Keep back!" Flint whispered sharply. He stepped towards the door slowly and silently, and even though they were in a cave, not a sound was heard. Flint bent down and looked through the threshold. After about a minute, he looked up with a look of horror on his face.

"Pigs," he uttered through cupped hands. Suddenly they heard a snorting noise from the other side of the door and the clicking of hooves. Flint dove to the ground, executing a roll and jumping to his feet silently. The handle turned and light burst into the passage. Standing in the doorway there was a brown pig holding a donut and wearing a blue suit that said JANITOR on it. He looked up and stood rigid. The party fell silent.

"ATTACK!" Ricky shouted, drawing his baseball bat. In a matter of seconds, SD had put a crossbow bolt into the pig's forehead. With a dramatic flip and squeal the pig hit the floor face first with a great thud.

"Poor guy…" Krause said, walking ahead. The twins turned off their helmets as they went into what appeared to be a clean, modern office crammed with a lot of mining equipment and boxes, complete with fluorescent lights. Everybody looked about, feeling very confused.

"Grandma's letter said nothing about something like this…" Espeon said, looking very confused and disappointed.

"That's because it wasn't here when she explored it," Ricky said, "It looks like it was built only very recently."

"Hey! That's what Flint is supposed to say!" Krause said sharply.

"Well, I guess I may be getting wiser…"

Suddenly, Boney let out a little bark. Flint walked over towards his dog, who was looking into a box. He reached down, got up, then turned towards his party.

"It looks like Boney found something interesting," Flint said, putting out a small black object.

"It's my bad key machine!" Krause shouted, running up to it, "I wonder how they got it…"

"There's a whole box of them," Flint said, "And it's probably not yours. I think these pigs are up to something unpleasant, but I can't pinpoint it quite yet…"

Krause took it anyway and jammed it into his pocket. He walked over and petted his dog.

"Um…I want to go on," Espeon said impatiently.

"I don't know if that's so wise," Flint said distantly, "Given by this equipment, I'd say these pigs have themselves an organized mining operation…"

"We're in just as much danger in here as we will be out there. We might as well just get moving on," Ricky said.

"Just testing. Let's go," Flint replied, heading towards the other door. It led out into a concrete hallway lit by oil-burning lanterns. They were going to turn the corner when suddenly they heard the sounds of many hooves clicking further on ahead, which were getting louder every second. Before they could do much else, they saw a horde of armored pigs charging down the corridor with drawn spears. The leader drew his sword and squealed a war cry. The hogs ran even faster, and now they were squealing and raising their spears.

"Now we run!" Flint said, starting to do so. Everybody followed, with the pigs closing in fast. In fact, Krause was grazed by a flying spear, which went wild and hit the wall. In a matter of seconds, they had piled into the janitor's office and leaned themselves against the door. This ended quick, because the pigs' sharp spears went right through it like cheese. Boney yelped and ran out the ajar door and out into the cave tunnel. The rest followed his example, but a flask with a flame on it lying on the janitor's desk caught Ricky's eye, so he grabbed it and bolted just as the door shattered into oblivion. He flipped on his helmet light as he ran through the passage, and he saw that the others were right ahead of him. Krause seemed to be slipping behind, and it wouldn't take long for him to catch up to him. Suddenly, he lost his footing and tripped on the fallen pig that SD had killed minutes earlier.

"HELP!" he shouted. Krause spun around. His brother was about to be trampled and impaled by pigs! He summoned all of his courage, and with adrenaline pumping, he withdrew his frying pan and shouted, "I'm coming!" The pigs were already out the door and getting close to skewering and/or trampling Ricky. Krause charged forward, raised his frying pan, and with all of his strength, brought it down on the leader's head. There was a mighty ringing and the pig slumped down, stunned and shocked. That was the last thing Krause saw before feeling a sharp, stabbing pain in his lower ribs and several poundings in the back. All was black after that.

Flint and co. were already in the cavern with the rickety bridges. They hustled across the first one, then sat down, panting.

"I know they'll keep (Puff) following us, but let's count ourselves," his eyes darted around.

"Where's Krause and Ricky?" Espeon said in horror. They fell silent. Boney whimpered and looked down the passage.

"I'm going back for them!" Flint said, standing up.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" Espeon chimed in.

SD nodded violently and climbed to his feet. With that, they all ran back the way whence they came, leaving poor Boney behind. He whimpered, walked in a circle, then plopped himself down on the cold stone and fell asleep.

Ricky felt like vomiting. He had just been hit several times by something hard and he tasted the blood in his mouth. He knew that he should try to act dead, because in the pandemonium that ensued in the last couple of minutes, he had come up with a semi-brilliant plan. It would only work if things went ideally, though, and he figured that right now he was as good as dead. He knew that he was being carried very uncomfortably by one of bigger and smellier pigs that was taking his time. Finally, he felt himself being plopped down on something hard. He heard a second slam next to him, then some grunting and snorting. This had happened before, but this time it was much worse. He began to smell something so ripe that it got through his bleeding nose. Oh the smell! He realized that he was probably being sniffed by one of the pigs. Ricky slowly reached towards the pocket where he stuffed the dangerous flask. He was just about to reach it when he heard a door opening and a woman's voice.

"So these are the intruders?" she said. Her voice seemed strangely gentle and harsh at the exact same time. Ricky kept reaching into his pocket. He would have to listen for the right opportunity to unleash the bottle of terror. He heard the woman drawing closer.

"Well, I know he's still alive. It's amazing that people this young managed to get this far into our complex."

Some grunting was heard, then the woman spoke again.

"Yes, these two may be the ones that we're after! Just…keep them alive. They'll pay for all of the innocent pigs they slaughtered when it's time."

Ricky was shocked when he heard this. What had been said about him? He got a good grip on the flask. In his mind he counted down from three, opened his eyes, drew it out of his pocket, and hurled it as far as he could. There was the sound of glass shattering and he felt the whole room engulfed with heat and light for an instant. Ricky jumped back and braced himself. He blinked several times, then opened his eyes. Several pigs were on the ground on the other end of the room, along with incinerated pieces of furniture. As he looked to one side, however, he saw the woman that had been talking. Her front side was a bit blackened, but other than that she appeared to be fine. Before he could do anything else, she let out a frustrated woman's yell and, with a swift hand, drew out a magnum from her belt and pointed it at Ricky's head.

"Your killing spree ends here, young man!" she said, fury in her voice. She began closing in, and Ricky knew he was done for. Thinking quickly, he spoke out equally quick and in one breath.

"I don't kill anyone! I didn't even hurt anybody! It's just a rumor that was spread around so the PORK could have more than a political reason for killing me! I'm truly off to save the world with this sound stone, and I'm trying to reach my first sanctuary, and I've only fought of those pigs in self-defense! Please! The…(Puff) (Pant) world depends on my quest and if you shoot me, there will be no future!"

The woman paused for a moment and her expression changed from fury to sympathy. After about a second, she scowled and raised the gun again.

"That may be true, but you've trespassed and killed some pigs!" she screamed as she began to pull back on the trigger. Ricky winced and braced himself, but all he heard was a click.

"Crap! What a happy surprise! I forgot to load my gun…" she looked down at Ricky and felt another wave of sympathy, "I don't know how to fight, as I'm just an overseer and planner. I'm nice compared to those swine, so I feel compelled to help you."

Ricky raised his head and sat up.

"I'm giving your friend some life noodles. He'll be up in no time," she said as she walked over towards a beaten and bruised Krause. From a little Tupperware container, she took out some noodles and poured them down his throat. Sure enough, Krause pulled himself up nearly instantly, panting heavily.

"I heard it all!" he said, looking about, "Ricky! I've never been more happy to see you in whole life!"

"Enough sentimental crap…" he said turning to the woman, "Hey lady, I almost trust you now, so can you tell us how to get out of here?"

"My name is Cecilia. See that door over there? Exit, make two lefts, then a right. You'll come into a big cavern. There's a mine cart track there. I think the crews are almost through renovating it…Jump into a cart, give it a push, and hang on. Supposedly it will take you to a place they call the Gold Tunnel…that's all I know."

"Is there an…easier way out?" Krause asked, jumping off the table.

"Yes, but those smelly pigs are probably coming that way right now. I'd like to help more, but if I'm found, they'll hang and quarter me."

As if on cue, they heard the clicking of hooves not too far off.

"Don't worry about me," Cecilia said hastily, "I'll just act like I got hit really hard and that I'm suffering minor amnesia. I hope to someday see you two again! Go!"

With that, the twins hurried out the closed door and quietly shut it behind them. They had no idea how cool their next adventure would be.

CHAPTER 10 THE TUNNEL OF GOLD

They followed Cecilia's directions and soon enough, they reached the vast cavern that she had described, and they were fortunate that it was a little bit illuminated. They were standing on a little ledge above a great drop to what looked like green sludge and hard rock. Ricky looked up and saw many huge stalactites hanging from the ceiling far above. Most importantly, however, were several old mine carts sitting on a track that seemed to span the cavern. Krause gulped. He hoped they were done renovating the track…they heard the clicking of hooves getting even closer now.

"Hurry up!" Ricky shouted, grabbing Krause's arm and jumping into the front cart. He pulled up on a lever in the middle of it and they both jerked forwards. The cart moved slowly at first, but then, to the twins' terror, the track took a sudden dip and gravity kicked in. Sparks began to fly and Krause lost his poorly fastened helmet. As he tried grabbing it in vain, he noticed pigs moving into mine carts on the ledge that was now slipping into darkness.

"They're on us!" Krause shouted.

"Yeah, but how are they gonna catch us?" Ricky shouted back, "Holy crap! Hold on!"

The sparks stopped flying and the screeching ceased. Ricky summoned the courage to look up, and he saw that they were airborne. They screamed as they began plummeting towards the ominous sludge, but they suddenly hit something with a great clamor and the flying of sparks. When their stomachs caught up to them, the twins realized that the track was far from being fully renovated. With great speed, they went up a hill that seemed to still have a support, and then they dropped again at a breakneck speed.

"Brake!" Ricky shouted, his face being slightly pushed back.

There was a snap and Krause was holding up the lever, smiling innocently and shrugging.

"I knew that would happen…AAAAHHHH!"

Our intrepid heroes were once again launched into the air, and again they landed with a great deal of noise. This time Krause heard some more screeching from behind them. Without a doubt, the pigs were on their tail. His head was jerked back around due to a sharp right turn. They slowed down for a moment, staring down at the immense hill that they were about to descend; then they fell screaming into the darkness, their hands clutching the sides for dear life. When they opened their eyes, they were still in the cart, moving considerably slower but still fast and surrounded by darkness. Krause took a glance back and saw in dim light a cart right behind them carrying a large pig swinging what looked like a lasso over it's head.

"Pig!" he shouted, but they plunged down yet another hill. All this time, Ricky was monumentally trying to keep his lunch in his stomach, but the taste was getting unbearable and, bluntly put, he vomited. Krause barely dodged it as it flew past him. Just then, a shower of sparks flew everywhere and they jerked to a sudden halt, jerking their heads back.

"Oh no…" Krause said. All pitiable little Ricky could do was to spew out the last of his lunch over the edge of the cart. The pig in the cart behind them seemed to have gotten his lasso attached to the bumper of their cart and put on his brake. The swine snorted and began pulling out a long spear. Ricky looked back and shook his head.

"We're going to die…"

Krause did not concur with this, so he leaned over and loosened the lasso. With that, they were once again speeding down the hill, the pig cursing them. As they went up the next hill, Ricky saw a red light up ahead. In seconds, they were bathed in the setting sunlight as they once again became derailed. After that fleeting moment, they were plunging into the darkness once more. The track seemed to be straightening out now, so they caught their breaths. Eventually the cart slowed down and they pulled into another cavern, only this one was noticeably smaller than the one they started in. The cart came to a complete stop as it hit the buffers at the end of the track.

"SWEET!" Krause shouted, putting his arms up in the air. Ricky slumped down, clutched his stomach, and gave a sigh of relief. However, there was the sound of rattling again and the cart behind them began to exit the tunnel. Its rider was the pig, only now he looked very disgruntled. He snorted several times, then slouched down. Krause shakily climbed to his feet and stepped out, nearly stumbling to the cold stone floor.

"Come on!" he said to his brother, who was putting forth a great effort to get up. Ricky nodded, then looked up. An expression of wonder spread across his weary face.

"Look at that."

Krause turned around and saw before him a huge metal door that spanned at least ten feet across and twice as high. There didn't seem to be any kind of handles or knobs, but rather, there was a great golden head of what looked like a hideous dragon in the center of it.

"Woah! I wonder if this is it?" Krause said excitedly, running up towards it. Ricky began struggling out of the cart as Krause began examining the head. Suddenly, to Krause's surprise the eyes on the golden head blinked and a low, deep growl echoed through the cavern. He stumbled back as the head cocked and the mouth opened a bit.

"Who disturbs the Almighty One?" it seemed to say in an evil, hissing voice.

"I'm…Krause Benjamin Lee!" he managed to say, crawling backwards.

"Let's see here…ho hum…I don't think you're the one worthy of entering the lair of the Almighty One. So beat it, Spanky!" as the dragon head said this, a cloud of smoke spewed out of it's mouth. Ricky was on his knees and rubbing his eyes. The head turned towards him slowly, then it's narrow eyes grew and it's jaw dropped.

"Oh, sorry Krausebenjaminlee! I didn't know he was with you. Yes…you look like the one worthy of entrance. You'll have to pass through a couple of perils before reaching the Almighty One and his lair. You've been warned! So now I guess I'll just open the door for you two. Watch your step! There's a four inch drop that the Worthy Ones trip on all the time. And be careful! I'd like to talk some more, but the Almighty One won't be so happy with me. He thinks I talk too much. I don't talk too much! Do you think I talk too much? Well, maybe I talk a little more than the average door guard, but you would too if you slept 99% of your life only to be periodically awaken by antisocial spelunkers. Yeah, I had a group in here about…"

"Okay, we're waiting for you to open up!" Ricky said. He was finally on his feet and standing next to Krause.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. You must not be so social," the dragon said with a sigh, "Now I think I remember how to open this thing!"

There was a loud click, and with a creak, the door slowly began opening. After about a minute, the door was completely opened, letting a draft of old, chilly air into the cavern.

"Mind your step!" the dragon said as the twins apprehensively walked into the darkness. Ricky flipped on his helmet light and gasped. If he had taken one more step, he would've fell into a huge abyss. From the depths there rose huge stalagmites, which seemed to hold up the mighty vaulted ceiling above. On the other side of the huge chasm there was an old wooden door that seemed to be cracked open a bit. Ricky stepped back as a howl of bitter wind swept up from below.

"Welcome, Worthy One and his loyal friend," a low, whispering voice echoed, "You are now within my realm. The perils you are about to face shows just how worthy you truly are! If you pass, you will be able to reach me. I won't wish you well or ill, but you might want to get going. I may see you later…"

The twins paused for a moment. Krause looked towards the other side of the chasm.

"So I know we're supposed to somehow reach that door. I'm not as bright as you so that means you'll do lots of thinking here. Any ideas?"

Ricky raised an eyebrow at his brother, who put his head down. Ricky once again gazed at the other side. What would Flint do? He sighed and sat back. Krause picked up a rock and tossed it. Much to his astonishment, he heard a clink. He turned quickly and saw it scuttle in midair, then drop into the abyss.

"Eureka!" he shouted, running over to Ricky. He pulled him to his feet.

"What?" Ricky asked angrily, his train of thought being suddenly and completely derailed. Krause picked up another rock, aimed it carefully, then chucked it at the place where he had thrown his last one. Sure enough, it not only bounced off of the air, but it scuttled a few feet and stopped. Ricky smiled.

"I can't call you a genius, but thanks!" he said, "I think I have something that'll show us the path. It's too heavy for my pack anyway…"

He unzipped his backpack and pulled out the jar of peanut butter that he had neglected until now.

"This means no peanut butter sandwiches…" Ricky said with a sigh. He carefully walked to the ledge, across from where the rock was. He bent down and poured a bit of peanut butter. As he expected, it did not fall. With his finger, he began spreading it. After about six inches in each direction, it began running off.

"Well!" Krause said, "What a happy surprise! Ever since I was little I never wanted to walk across a bottomless pit on an invisible bridge a little more than a foot wide!"

"What's up with you lately? You've been saying stupid, pointless things that don't help us the least bit for the last couple of minutes! Are you trying to add comic relief, or what?" Ricky shouted. Krause shut up.

"Sorry. I guess I'll make it up to you by going first," Krause replied, sounding ashamed of himself. Cautiously, he stepped onto the peanut butter, spreading some of it forward with his foot. After about four slow steps, he gasped.

"Hey! It ends here! But there's the rock just ahead of me…"

"Oh crap…He had to put in a jump," Ricky muttered, then he raised his voice, "Get back here! I'm gonna try something!"

Ricky walked to the end of the peanut butter trail, then he lightly tossed a pebble. It landed just about two feet in front of him.

"The gap's less than two feet," he reported, "I guess it's my turn to go on first."

"Careful!" Krause reminded him, stepping towards the invisible bridge. Ricky put his foot out and felt for something. After about a foot and a half, he felt something solid. Using all of his caution, he took a deep inhalation and jumped. He was relieved to find that his feet hit solid stone within seconds.

"That wasn't so tough…" he said. As he said this, a distant shriek was heard. This sound was soon multiplied and then the noise of little flapping wings was heard.

"What's that?" Krause asked, timidly lowering himself to look into the Pit.

"Me and my big mouth…" Ricky said, slapping himself on the forehead. Krause screamed and fell backwards.

"BATS!" he yelled. Yes, bats were now flying from the darkness of the Pit, and they seemed intent only on destroying our heroes. Ricky stared down in horror as a cloud of those nasty winged vermin drew near, screeching and flapping their wings wildly. Without further delay, Ricky took off running across the invisible bridge. Alas, the bats came up around him, biting at him and screeching in his ears. He yelled and flailed his arms about in an attempt to fight them off. As one bit him in the nose, he began swaying towards the Pit.

"Crap!" he screamed. He struggled to regain his footing, but he felt himself lose it and he began slipping. With a scream, he felt himself beginning to fall down into the depths of eternity. Ricky threw his right arm up in hopes of catching the ledge. He felt not the ledge, but rather a soft hand. He opened his eyes and saw his own twin brother with a tight grip on his wrist.

"I'm not about to let you die!" he yelled, tearing a bat off his neck. Krause let out a great groan and in one jerk, he pulled his brother up.

"Thank me later!" he shouted over the bats. Hand in hand, they continued running across the bridge. The other side was drawing near, but the bats were still surrounding and biting them mercilessly. Suddenly, Krause let out a yell. Before he could completely lose his balance, however, his brother pulled him back. Finally, with the cloud of bats still pursuing them, they reached the other side. They spun around, ready to face the bats, but they suddenly hit midair like glass and began falling, one by one, screeching into the abyss. They both gave a deep sigh. As far as they knew, their first peril had been conquered

Carefully, they stepped through the next door. Much to their surprise, the room appeared to be a fairly modern lobby-type of place, complete with four comfortable couches, a coffee table, and several beverage machines. The strange voice that had welcomed them into the first peril came back.

"You passed that peril in record time! I congratulate you. When I built this dungeon, I figured that if you passed that peril, you should at least get a break. Help yourself to some coffee, expresso, cappuccino, or fresh spring water and kick back for a while."

Ricky sat himself down on one of the couches while Krause grabbed a Styrofoam cup and filled it with coffee.
"Yo, Ricky, I've been thinking," Krause said, taking his coffee and sitting down on a couch across from his brother, "I know our father was Ness Lee, which is pretty cool and creepy at the same time. Who was our mother?"

Ricky sat up and got that distant look on his face.

"I never thought of that," he said with a yawn.

"Yeah, I guess it doesn't mean a whole lot now," Krause replied, sipping his coffee. They sat like this for a while until Ricky nodded off. Krause didn't, due to caffeine intake, so he stayed up for quite a while before finally plopping down onto the couch. Tomorrow they would face the second peril.

According to the clock, it was nine o' clock when they woke up the next morning. The twins got themselves some coffee and donuts, then nervously stepped through the door marked "Second Peril." They stepped once again, into darkness. However, before they could take another step there was a mighty FOOM and they found themselves in a wide stone corridor lit by big torches on the wall. About sixty feet away, they saw that the passage ended with an iron door.

"I think this may be a gauntlet," Ricky said out loud, examining the walls, "But he's done a good job at hiding the traps."

"Well, since you're the one who can save the world, it would make sense if…I went first again," Krause said, slapping himself in the face as he said it. Keeping his word, he pulled together all of his courage and began slowly walking towards the door. After about five steps, there was the sound of shifting stone and a great rush of air. Krause screamed and fell backwards, barely dodging a barrage of pendulum blades that suddenly sprang out of the ceiling. Krause looked up towards Ricky and shakily nodded.

"Yeah, we'll do this together…" Ricky said as the blades slipped back into the ceiling whence they came. The twins took a deep breath, then ran. As the blades swung down again, Ricky executed a diving roll in attempt to get underneath of them, but there was a great rip and he felt himself being swung back and forth very quickly. He screamed and turned to look what had happened. His pack was snared, and he was being hurled back and forth along with the blade. Krause was crawling on all fours and had almost passed through the pendulums. Ricky felt the blade sinking into his skin and he screamed. Without a second to lose, he thrust his arms out and jumped forward, landing on his belly with a painful thud.

"Get up!" Krause shouted, who was just a little bit ahead of him now, running for his life. Ricky struggled to his feet just as he heard the sound of stone grinding stone. He was just in time to dodge a rolling millstone that was rolling back and forth across the passage. The pain in his back was growing intense, and he almost didn't realize that the floor was now shooting jets of superheated steam. He managed to dodge them fairly easily, but he definitely felt the heat. He heard once again the sounds of shifting stone, but his eyes began to glaze and his ears began to ring like bells. Mumbling and stumbling, he fell face-down on the floor that was rapidly moving towards the ceiling. If Krause hadn't turned around just then and grabbed him, it would have been the end. He grabbed his brother and threw him over his shoulder right as the rising floor hit the ceiling. He turned sideways and zipped through the moving walls that slammed shut right as he passed through them. Summoning the last of his strength and energy, he jut barely leaped over the pit of acid that had just opened up in front of him. He stopped for a second to catch his breath, but it was coming out in wheezes and gasps. Before he could try recovering any more, he heard a hiss. Looking up, he saw a huge, hideous cobra right in front of the door. He sighed desperately, set his brother down, and pulled out his frying pan.

"SSo…you passsssed the Gauntlet and the Invissssible Bridge? You're tough and wisssse indeed! But how ssstrong are you?" it said, slithering closer and licking his tongue wildly.

"Look," Krause said wearily, "Can we just see the owner of this dungeon?"

The cobra paused, then flicked his tongue.

"Glad you asssked! You must firssst pass me!" it said, drawing it's great hooded head above Krause. He sighed again, then smacked the cobra right in the nose as it came down to strike. There was a loud crashing noise that sounded like a gong, then the cobra shook and dramatically writhed about before hitting his sensitive nose against the ceiling and effectively knocking it out.

"Thank you, Miss Crabapple…" Krause said, happy to remember that a snake's nose is the most sensitive part of it's body. He was now too exhausted to carry his brother, so he simply dragged to the door. He put out his hand to open it, but it flew right open for him. He stepped into the light and gazed in awe. He was in another cavern, only this one seemed to be entirely made of solid, sparkling gold. He stared at the magnificent walls and ceilings, all of it sparkling in splendor. There were even stalactites of gold, like a normal cave would have.

"It's beautiful, no?" a deep voice said. Krause jumped. It was the same voice that had welcomed them, only this was even deeper and seemed less distant. There was an earth shaking thump and from a dark recess a marvelous beast emerged. Krause gasped, for it looked exactly like the dragons he had read about in books. It was colossal, just barely fitting his front side through the wide tunnel at the end of the magnificent cavern. Its scales were dark green and seemed to be covered in glistening gems and gold. Its head was long and narrow, compared to the rest of its body. It seemed to be missing an eye and a horn on its right side, which it had many of. A jet of flame spewed from its nostrils as it shook its mighty head.

"You're a…"

"Brilliant. I'm one of the last ones. They were almost all killed off in the middle ages, but I think there may be six of them left, including me. Enough about me. Congratulations! You are among the few people who…survived. But I only grant wishes to the truly worthy. Arise, Ricky."

A subtle pale light bathed Ricky, and much to Krause's astonishment, he was on his feet in seconds, rubbing his head.

"Ricky, I know you are seeking sanctuary here, and that wish will be granted," the dragon said. Ricky looked up at the dragon and rubbed his eyes.

"Yes, I'm one of the remaining ancient dragons. You've always thought we were fairy tales, but in truth we're greater than those screwed up stories tell you…"

"Wow…" Ricky said, staring in awe, "You must be great if you could wake me up like that…my sound stone…oh no!"

"I see…your sound stone is back there…but never fear!" the dragon said. Suddenly the stone appeared in his hand. The world around Ricky was fading into whiteness again, but this time he felt warmth and a feeling of renewed hope. Eventually, he heard a faint tune in the back of his mind. He had never felt better in his whole life…he felt himself being lifted up by warm hands, then he blinked and found himself back in the cavern.

"Your sound stone has recorded the melody of the Golden tunnel. I will return you to the surface…go in peace…"

CHAPTER 11 THE FALL OF THE PIG KING

While the adventures of Ricky and Krause were quite significant, you also must know of the events happening in the upper mine. Right when they had found that their two captives had escaped, every pig was to discontinue all mining and report to level two with any weapon they could salvage. Most, entirely unaware of what was going on, armed themselves with picks, shovels, crowbars, and maybe even stones. Their order was to hunt the others (Flint, SD and Espeon) down while the professionals chased the twins. We know how their attempts at catching the twins went, but the other part of it I will tell of soon. It is also important to know that there were few professional soldiers available in the mines, and when he heard of intruders, he figured that if they could penetrate his top layer of security, they must be very dangerous indeed. He wisely called the Pig King himself to quietly send in a legion of his highest-class warriors into level three via sandship. When the malicious monarch heard this, he immediately knew who it was. His blood boiled, and in a rare move, he assembled his men, squeezed out of his metal throne, and put on his ancient suit of armor and put at his belt a great sword, then personally led his troops to the sandship. We join them as they prepare to tunnel through the deep sands of Cactus Desert.

"Stabilizers?" the huge king grunted, fitting himself into the big seat.

"Check, my lord," one of the little technicians oinked, pressing a button.

"Propellers?" he snorted.

"Yeah, engine power to 100% and launching sequence over, m' lord! On your command, we'll get this baby started up!" the eager little piglet said, his hooves flying over a dashboard.

"Just launch it already!" the King squealed, waving his hoof.

"Right, m' lord!"

The dull roar grew louder until it was nearly deafening. The evil pig began laughing evilly, rubbing his hooves together. It had been awhile since he had eaten flesh, and he was dearly looking forward to it. With a scream, the propellers began spinning and they were traveling hundreds of feet below the sands. The people above only heard a faint hum and maybe a ripple of sand as the huge machine flew by beneath their feet. Closer and closer they came, according to the radar.

"You're mine. All mine," the huge pig giggled.

"Sir!" one of his troops grunted, "What are our orders for when we reach the mines?"

"Shut up! Can't you see I'm laughing?" the Pig King responded, shaking his hoof.

Flint and co. began feeling the ground shaking below their feet as they walked through an empty corridor in search for the twins. They stopped dead in their tracks. Espeon lashed out his whip, SD began cranking his crossbow, and Flint put out his fists. The rumbling steadily increased.

"Here they come!" Espeon shouted, raising his whip. The sound came from behind the next bend about forty feet away. In seconds, they beheld a huge mob of pigs charging chaotically, snorting and grunting. They had no armor, and seemed to be wielding whatever tool they happened to pick up. Flint gracefully dodged a stone that flew by his head. He got through the ordeal, and heroically shouted, "CHARRRRGE!"

Flint and Espeon rushed into the onslaught while SD had already taken out at least four with his crossbow. Within ten seconds, Flint's flying fists had felled at least half a dozen pigs and Espeon's whip held others at bay. Espeon felt a stabbing pain in his shoulder as something tore into it. He lashed out with his whip and drove back the oncoming horde, but he acknowledged the fact that a pickax was stuck in his left shoulder. Espeon shook his head, then began slowly retreating, lashing his whip wildly. Seeing this, Flint turned to the new wave, and with vocal abilities seen by few, shouted. The pigs stopped in their tracks, as if suddenly stunned, then high-tailed and fled, squealing frightfully. Flint, up to his knees in fallen enemies, began panting heavily. SD eradicated the last straggler as he shuffled around the bend and Espeon was groaning in agony. Two people were suffering their losses, but they had won a battle against an entire horde of mining pigs. Flint regained his breath and hurried over to tend Espeon's wound.

"It's not so bad," he said, having carefully pulled it out and applied antiseptic and a bandage, "But I think you shouldn't use that arm for at least a day."

"I've suffered worse," Espeon said optimistically. SD grunted and reloaded his crossbow.

"They'll be more coming, and most likely in greater numbers. We have to save my nephews, but I'm afraid if we wait any longer, it would be too late."

Espeon got up with a groan and they continued on their way, this time hustling. Espeon looked down at the downed pigs, somehow feeling guilt that he had killed living things that had lives to attend to. He put these feelings aside and caught up to the pace of Flint and his partner. They walked for quite a while until the worked stone ended and they heard the sounds of machinery and the clanking of armor. They stopped, for an armored pig stepped into the light, holding up an olive branch. SD grunted and raised his crossbow, but Flint restrained him.

"What do you want?" Flint asked, trying to be cordial.

"First, what you want of us?" the pig said gutturally, giving all of his effort to communicate.

"You know what we want. The kids!" Flint said aggressively. The pig stood there, dumbfounded. However, there was the sound of snorting from the darkness.

"We took kids, because they absorb! No…attack us!" he said, "And boss say 'If you see kids, lock them up!' "

Flint paused for a moment, then continued.

"Who is this boss that you speak of?"

"Boss? You know who boss be, right?"

"No."

"Boss is here, so I tell he wants be seen."

The pig stepped back into the shadows, then there was some snorting and grunting. After about a minute, a large, muscular pig strutted forth from the shadows.

"So-o, you're the intruders?" he said.

"Yes we are!" Flint said, "We were simply here to claim the gold that Espeon's (that's him over there) grandmother left him, but we seem to have stumbled into your mining operation."

"Why did you attack us then?" the Boss said, lowering his head.

"…We were struck first," Flint said, thinking of something quick.

"Nobody messes with the PORK Army!" the Boss said, "And you were, and are, trespassing on property of the His Majesty! That's reason enough to kill you!"

They lowered their heads, but SD was slowly raising his crossbow…

"I am under direct orders from His Majesty to take any children within the vicinity under custody. You have killed many of us, and tonight we will dine on your flesh. Come quietly and we'll execute you quicker. Guards…at ACK!"

SD had put a bolt into the Boss's head before he could say anything else. The pig twitched for a moment, then pointed to our three heroes.

"Kill…" he said, drawing his huge hammer. Rows of armored pigs with weapons drawn poured out from either side of him.

"Run, you fools!" he shouted to SD and Espeon as he grabbed them and took off. An arrow whizzed by Flint's head and hit the ceiling. SD turned and fired his crossbow at an approaching pig one last time. Soon they reached a corner and Flint turned them right back around.

"Go on!" he said, running back at the oncoming legion of guards.

"FLINT!" Espeon shouted. He began chasing after him, but he felt his partner pulling on his shirt. He turned the corner, just dodging a stray arrow. Flint was running strong at the onslaught, despite the fact that he was nimbly dodging a barrage of arrows. In seconds, he reached the front line. Before the two warriors could even swing their swords, he had brought his fists around and slammed their heads together with a mighty crash and felled them.

"Come and get me!" he shouted as he delivered a roundhouse kick to the next line. He felt something sharp pierce his arm. With his lightning reflexes, he pulled the arrow out of his bicep and stabbed the advancing pig in the face with one swift move. As two others swung their swords from either side of him, he jumped in the air and thrust out his legs, knocking both of them out. He saw, and felt, a pig's sword cleave him in the abdomen as he landed, but he swallowed the pain and thrust his open palm into his enemy's solar plexus. The pig stumbled and fell to he ground as Flint elbowed the faces of two more pigs flanking him. The next couple of lines stopped dead in their tracks as Flint put out his fists, and stepped back as he stepped forward.

"Retreat!" the Boss's voice shouted from the darkness. The disciplined pigs, turned, saluted, then marched back whence they came. Out of the shadows ahead stepped the Boss himself, despite a nasty head wound.

"You amaze me, Intruder! You felled more than half of my best men! Your friends have escaped, so now it's just you and me. Try and pass me, come on!" he said, thrusting out his mighty hammer. Flint pulled his fists back, squatted a bit, and examined his enemy. He figured that he should use his remaining strength on this pig, because if he had the ability to rule over the others and could suffer a head wound that would've slain just about anything else, he would have to be pretty tough.

"So, what's the holdup? Are we going to finish this sometime this week?" he pig taunted, swinging his hammer about. Flint took a deep breath, then began focusing his energy on a single power attack. He opened his eyes, then began charging at his opponent. He swiftly jumped to avoid a hammer blow, then used the jump to his advantage by unleashing his energy with a flying back-heel kick. He thrust out his leg, then gave a tremendous yell as his foot struck the pig across the lower face. The pig was reeled in shock and pain, and his jaw was far from it's regular position.

"Murfe…" he said as he squealed and fell to the ground. As he did so, he inconspicuously reached into his trouser pocket and pressed a button on a radio transmitter. Even Flint's keen eyes did not see this as he hopped over his fallen foe. He continued to run down the passage, knowing that he was not through with this. Up ahead he saw the passage open up into another cavern, where the sounds of machinery were growing steadily louder. He paused for a moment, for he swore that he heard something over the mechanical roar. Flint got against the wall and slowly crept towards the cavern. He squinted and saw a huge machine at the other end of a vast cavern. It seemed to consist of a huge tank and various tubes going into the ground. From the passage, a narrow path lead down towards the ground below, where he saw worked stone blend in with the natural hewn wall. It seemed a door in the worked wall was sliding open, because a beam of yellow light streaked across the cavern. In this light, he saw a huge, hideous figure step out into the cavern, followed by smaller ones.

"He's here…" Flint said aloud. In the last few pages, you have probably come to the realization that he is one of the strongest humans ever to walk the Earth. Your assumption was correct, but he had heard of things far greater than a mere mortal. Several days earlier, he had tasted the power of this Pig King when he was clouted in the face. For that fleeting instant, he could feel so much potential behind that blow that it nearly staggered him. His cheek burned as he remembered it. Thanking God he didn't have any honor to defend, he turned and fled.

Flint leaped over his enemy's dying body and tore down the passage at speeds that would leave an Olympic sprinter in tears. From far back, he heard a mighty "CHARGE!" In no time at all, he had turned right back the way he came and literally ran into Espeon and his intrepid cohort.

"Ouch!" Espeon shouted as he got up, "What happened?"

"The Devil himself is coming!" Flint shouted as he resumed his running. Espeon felt the fear and grimness his tone, so he bolted right after him with a tight grip on his slower partner's forearm. Flint disappeared into the darkness ahead of him at speeds Espeon thought impossible. He felt the ground shaking beneath his feet as he ran. Breaking rule #1, he turned and looked behind him. Not too far away, much to his horror, there was an enormous pig in a suit of full plate armor and a great black sword drawn charging towards them with at least two dozen similarly armored pigs following. He gave out a yelp and ran harder. He dashed through the open door of the janitor's office and ran right through. He felt an arrow fly by his head and saw three hit the door in front of him. As the door behind him sounded like it was being bashed to pieces, he sprinted through the one that led him towards the rickety bridges. Soon enough, he had cleared the passage and was in that cavern. Up ahead, he saw Flint crouched down next to his dog. Espeon had by now forgotten about that animal and was momentarily relieved when he saw that he had survived. He had crossed over to where Flint was crouching right as the evil pig had cleared the hallway. SD grunted and shook loose from his partner's grasp. Flint didn't seem to acknowledge the fact that they were there, and Boney shrunk back, whimpering. They turned around and saw the Pig and his small army stop at the bridge. An arrow hit the ground about ten feet in front of them, but no more were fired when their leader snorted and raised his open hand. He then looked towards Flint.

"You survived!"

As before, Flint was silent, but he stood up.

"That's right. You're probably the strongest and toughest man alive! And yet you run from every little danger you encounter! All I can say is that you're wiser than your big brother! He didn't even fight back when the guards threw him in the space pod and launched him into space. I was expecting a big stand, but I guess it wasn't such a big loss. I couldn't stop laughing when I opened the hatch and watched him slowly decompress and suffocate!" the Pig continued.

"You're truly a demon, yes you are," Flint said, walking towards the ledge, "And I know that despite my cowardice, you will not come out of these mines with your sinister, tainted life!"

"I knew you'd give in!" the King laughed, then he turned to his guards and grunted something. They saluted, put away their weapons, and orderly marched back into the darkness, "Yes, I've been anticipating the day I terminate the last of the Lee family…and I shall wait no longer!"

Flint's face grew very solemn. He turned to his friends and softly told them, "I will most likely die right here…but I'm taking that monster down with me when I do…Yes, we've just met and it's not supposed to end this way. Take care of Boney."

"No…" Espeon said, "You're the reason why we're here…"

"Shut up!" Flint barked at him, "Go now! You'll just die along with me if you don't get out of here! GO!"

SD grunted to himself and straightened his beard. Espeon grabbed a wide-eyed Boney by the collar and dragged him into the darkness with SD running after him. Flint turned to face the mighty Pig, who was on the other side of the bridge, holding out his sword threateningly.

"Bring it on!" he shouted as he swung it. Flint felt the wind from the sword from where he was. He lowered himself, then took off running recklessly towards his opponent, who had a sinister smile and his sword raised above his head.

"FOR MY FAMILY!" he screamed as he dove towards the Pig. The Pig, with unexpected agility, swung his sword down to meet Flint. Flint saw this coming, and he did a flip through the air and landed an elbow slam to the Pig's neck. All he heard was an audible clank as he fell backward and onto the unforgiving ground. The pig cackled and stepped closer. Flint recovered his hat and quickly executed a sweeping kick to the Pig's leg, but again the only noticeable change was a small dent.

"You disappoint me!" the pig said, thrusting his huge sword down towards Flint. He rolled out of the way just in time. Now was the time. He rolled backwards and onto the bridge, dodging another angry swipe.

"Hold still, you hen! You'll die a bit quicker!" the Pig taunted furiously. Yes. This would work… Blinded by anger and pride, the Pig chased Flint right onto the rickety bridge. Flint heard a loud creak and crash as the whole bridge gave way. He jumped backwards, barely missing the ledge. He closed his eyes and grabbed for something. He felt his hand grasp a protruding stone right as the bridge fell against the cliff beside him. Behind all of the clatter, he heard the Pig's squealing voice shouting, "I'm not through with you yet!" or something like that. He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. There was a rush of air behind him. Flint turned his head around just in time to meet the Pig's enormous blade scything through the darkness and towards him. He gasped and, with his amazing dexterity, reached up at the ledge and was about to jerk himself up, when he felt something very cruel and cold strike him in the back. Flint shouted and spun around in midair in painful realization that the sword had struck him. He began falling helplessly towards the slime, where he saw his fallen enemy slowly sinking and cackling very maniacally. He could barely feel himself plunge into the ice-cold slime. Somehow, before he lost all senses, he swore that he could hear a clear, distinct voice over his ringing ears.

I have been beaten, but you ain't seen nothing yet…