Return to the Evil Forest
All was quiet and peaceful in the Evil Forest. Despite the name, it was quite a tranquil and serene place. In the petrified portion of the forest, life was returning. Rabbits frolicked through the stone plants and through the dew-covered grass. Owls perched high atop the treetops and looked down on the world below them. Plants were growing back, and all was peaceful, until a large crash and a fireball seemed to come out of nowhere.
"Aw shit! You're kidding me!" came an outraged voice from the cockpit of the crashed airship. A big, burly old man with goggles on ran from the cockpit into the main body of the ship to inspect the damages and care for the injured. Blank was pinned up on the wall by his belt on some coat hook thing, squirming helplessly. Marcus was busy trying to get his head unstuck from a cargo barrel. Cinna was trying to unbury himself from the avalanche of stuff that came crashing down on him. Baku sighed in relief, seeing as all of his comrades were safe. Then he remembered. As Marcus pulled the barrel off and Cinna poked his head through the rubble, Baku took off running to go find Benero, Zenero and the musicians.
"What the hell just happened?" Cinna asked as he walked over to the now broken window of the Hilde Guarde 2. "This place looks awfully familiar…."
Marcus grunted. "Lousy piece of shit. I can't believe Cid gave us his defective ship. Shoulda known this would've happened right after we took off from Lindbulm. Figures we would wind up here again…" His eyes wandered down to the wooden floorboards.
Cinna looked back at him from the window. "Where exactly IS here?"
Marcus looked up from the floor. "Why, we're in the Evil Forest again, can't you tell?"
"We ARE?! Aw…shit…" Cinna moaned.
"Guys? GUYS?! A little help here?" said Blank from his place up on the wall.
Baku had found the rest of the crew, safe but slightly shaken. Blank had been rescued from his 'prison' from up on the wall, and Benero and Zenero were busy putting the various fires out. Baku, Blank, Cinna and Marcus stepped out into the clearing they were in.
"Bwahahaha! This could get interesting…" Baku chuckled. Cinna gave him a strange look.
"You said that LAST time we were trapped here. What happened? Well, Blank was petrified and we nearly got killed ourselves. THAT was NOT anywhere near what I would call interesting." Cinna snorted.
"I'm not dead…" Blank pointed out.
"Ya' would've been if we haven't gotten the Supersoft from Toot." Baku noted, then started his gruff laugh again.
"It's Tot…" said Marcus.
The fires were out, yet the coals still glowed a vibrant orange-red. The crew of Tantalus huddled in the cargo hold, shivering in the cold of the clear night. The main door to the Hilde Guarde 2 was bashed open, so any monster seeking shelter for the night could just wander in. Baku paced the length of the cargo hold. The rest of Tantalus, minus Cinna and Marcus, watched him with blank (no pun intended) looks on their faces.
"What we gonna do now, Boss?" Asked Cinna as he was playing cards with Marcus.
"I win. I call Sand Golem" announced Marcus with a sense of triumph. Cinna sighed as he handed over his prized card, then sulked in the corner for a while. Baku ceased in his pacing and turned to the rest of the group.
"How damaged is the ship?"
Benero got up and waved his claws in the air. "Pretty badly, Boss. I doubt we could get airborne again, even if we wanted too…"
"Damn." Baku let out a sigh then plopped down on the floor.
Meanwhile, Blank was sitting on top of a rather large box in the back of the cargo hold. He was mindlessly playing with his paddleball.
"349…350….351….352…."
"BLANK!" yelled Baku.
"EEP! Aw, you made me lose it!" Blank whined then gestured to his paddleball.
"Put that damned thing down and git down here!"
Blank threw down his paddleball and scrambled from the box, but his belt got caught on the edge of the box, and he was dangling 5 feet off the floor…again. Blank squirmed fussily. Baku facepalmed. As Blank squirmed and squiggled, his weight slowly pulled the nails holding the box together apart, and soon, he found himself under one side of the box. The cargo it contained was a brand-new buggy, which they were supposed to be shipping to Alexandria. Baku grinned.
"Nice work, Blank."
"Mmmmf mmm…" came Blank's reply.
((Author's Notes: So, what do you think? This is only chapter one. I am going to add more chapters to the story. Should I continue?))