"Hurry up, Beanie Boys!" Skrawl yelled, his hands on his hips. "We don't have long before chalk boy will show up!"
Skrawl stood on the edge of a large hole. The edges of the hole appeared to be burnt and twisted. Steam rose from the edges, and in a few places, there was a hint of a glow. Whatever was used to create the hole, it was very hot, like fire or lava. The shape itself was a perfect triangle. The sides of the hole were striped, the lines about the same distance apart from each other, going all the way down. It was as if the machine was used multiple times to get further and further into the ground.
And that wasn't the only area that the machine was used on. Skrawl had used it on the city itself. Various buildings were toppled, the remains easily noticeable by the grey pillars of smoke rising up from the rubble and debris. Much of the landscape had been dececrated, steaming lines, indented deep into the ground, scarring the land. Some of the buildings still standing still had some damage done to them, either a chunk or so missing or a deep burnt line into its side. The only buildings that were relatively undamaged were the smaller ones, but that was only because it was easier targeting something large.
Most of the citizens of the Mondo Desert City had taken cover in those smaller buildings. As soon as they had seen him come, they ran and hid. That pleased Skrawl. Not only did they acknowledge that he was a threat, but them hiding like that meant that he didn't have much of a chllenge. It meant that he could grab this artifact and get out of here, hopefully before Rudy showed up.
But he still encountered some level of resistance. Not all the citizens had fled. The mayor, his advisor, and a few of their warriors did stand up to them. They had weaponry handy and they were ready to face him and drive him out. The mayor said that he was not going to allow him to do more damage to his beloved city. Skrawl just scoffed at this. The people of the Mondo Desert City were not a particularly violent race and their weaponry was...outdated to say the least. And the citizens themselves were cheetah-like and not very strong. They were fools to try to resist him.
The battle was brief. Skrawl sent forth his Beanie Boys to apprehend the fools who dared to defy him. His Beanie Boys might not have been as large as the mondonians, but they did outnumber them. And, one by one, the mondonians fell, trapped within a coil of tight rope. Skrawl took care of the mayor personally. The two fought one on one. The mayor was fast, but Skrawl used his strength to his advantage, and he was able to knock the mayor out cold. To teach a lesson to the other mondonians, Skrawl broke the mayor's leg and tossed him down a deep hole, the one he dug the other day before he was stopped.
He didn't know if the mayor survived that fall. It was pretty deep, several feet. He guessed not, or he was injured further. Oh well, it didn't matter. Not like he cared if the mayor was dead or not. The only thing he cared about was making sure he got the artifact. And hopefully, this time, he will succeed. He'd hate to have to make another trip out here.
Soon, his Beanie Boys rose out of the ground. He could hear their propellers zipping around, getting louder and louder. And when they came into view, a wicked smile spread across the jellybean's face. Yes, this is exactly what he was hoping to see.
In the Beanie Boys' hands was the artifact. A golden crown studded with five small red jewels along the side.
"Bring it here, Beanie Boys!" Skrawl called out. He reached out his hand. When the Beanie Boys got close enough, he snagged it from them greedily. He gave a maniacal chuckle as he held the crown in his hands, grinning evilly. "Oh yes...this is fantastic!"
He held the crown up and looked at it. He could see his reflection in the golden surface of the crown, a little wobbly. The crown felt warm. Despite being in the dirt for who knows how long, it felt warm to the touch, like it had been left out in the heat. The jewels, in contrast, felt cold. Icy cold, almost as if they were left in a tundra. It strange, unnatural, and that was exactly what Skrawl had hoped for. That meant that this was the right artifact after all. His search for this crown was finally complete.
And yet... and yet it wasn't over. He knew it wasn't over. There was more. A lot more... The crown was just one part of a whole set. There were others. About eleven others. Twelve altogether, and each one was crucial to what he wanted to do. He had heard legends about these artifacts, and rumors of where they were hidden. He was still working on finding the other artifacts, and he did find the location of a couple more. He targeted the crown first because it was required for the other artifacts to work. No crown, the plan was not going to work.
Finding all of them and managing to take them without Master Tabootie showing up and ruining his fun wasn't going to be easy. He knew how much of a pest Rudy was going to be. He was like a cockroach. No matter what, he always seems to come back. And that was going to cause him problems, he just knew it. But at least he was able to get the crown; now all he has to is leave before...
"Hey Skrawl!"
Skrawl's eyes widened at this. He bared his teeth and growled. It was that annoying little chalk boy. Of all the bad timing... And just when he had gotten what he wanted, too. He turned around and saw that Rudy was coming after him, chalk held up in the air. Skrawl could see it sparkling from this distance.
Skrawl was confused at first. Rudy appeared to be coming alone. Where was his comical sidekick and that genius girl? Had he come alone this time? It wasn't often Rudy came alone. With Penny, he could understand if there was no way she could get into ChalkZone. But he hadn't done anything with Snap; shouldn't he be here? Did Rudy leave him behind?
But he quickly realized he was mistaken. Turning his head to the side, he could see that the two have come around a different way. The genius girl had her own piece of magic chalk and she was using it to free the mondonians. She had drawn Snap some rope and a hook, and he was making his way down the hole to get to the mayor. Skrawl snarled at this and took a step towards them. Then he paused and looked behind him. Rudy was upon him now, wearing those rocket shoes of his.
"Well well..if it isn't Rudy Tabootie..." Skrawl snarled, putting on a fake smile. He twirled the crown in his hand. "What brings you out on such a...fine day?"
"Cut the formalities, Skrawl!" Rudy shouted. His green eyes were narrowed and he pointed a finger at the jellybean. "Hand over the crown and leave this place in peace!"
Skrawl was amused that the chalk boy thought he could order him around just like that. Rudy thought that, just because he tells Skrawl what to do, that he would just do it on a whim. Oh no...it doesn't work that way. Rudy needed a lesson. He needed a lesson in just who was really in charge here. He would see to it that Rudy remembered what happens when he tries to give Skrawl orders.
He glanced over at his Beanie Boys. Then he looked over at Penny and Snap. They were with the other mondonians. Snap was starting to emerge from the hole with the mayor. And Penny was close to untying the other mondonians. Skrawl narrowed his eyes. He knew just how he was going to teach Rudy Tabootie a lesson he would never forget.
Skrawl turned back around. He was just in time as Rudy had swooped down and tried to grab his crown from him. Skrawl yanked it back, letting Rudy fly by. The boy stopped and turned around, clenching his fists tightly. Skrawl chuckled, wondering if the boy really thought it was going to be that easy.
"Leave this place in peace, you say?" Skrawl said in a humored tone. "Oh I'll do that all right.. I'll do even better!" A twisted smile spread across his face. "I'll leave this place in pieces!" With that, he started rushing towards his machine. "And I think I know where to start..."
Rudy's eyes widened in horror when he saw Skrawl turn the machine around, the end of it facing towards his friends. He was frozen in fear for a second, and then he started flying towards Skrawl. He readied his magic chalk. Skrawl watched as he flew towards him. He stared at his Beanie Boys and waved a dismissing hand.
"Leave my friends alone, Skrawl!" Rudy shouted, getting his magic chalk ready.
He was about to draw something, but the Beanie Boys pushed him back. A group of five surrounded him. They grabbed onto him and held him tightly. They dragged him towards the ground. Rudy struggled to get out of their grasp, but the Beanie Boys were strong. And soon, they had the boy pressed against the ground on his stomach. They used their weight to hold him down. Rudy tried to crawl out from underneath them. He looked over at Skrawl, his eyes widened.
Skrawl sneered evilly at him before shifting his focus on Penny and Snap. Penny had noticed him and she got her magic chalk ready. Skrawl wasn't worried, though. Penny was not as experienced at using the magic chalk as Rudy, and she was not an artist. He knew she could still pose a threat, though, but he felt more confident going up against her than Rudy. And Snap...well he was a weakling. A pathetic excuse for a piece of chalk. He was hardly worth his attention half the time.
Turning his gaze to Snap, though, he realized that the blue boy wasn't looking in his direction. He was too busy trying to get the injured mayor out of the hole. His back was turned to him. Skrawl smiled darkly at this. He was the perfect target...
Skrawl turned his tank-like machine towards Snap. The long barrel that was used to create the square holes now faced directly towards the annoying blue runt. Skrawl pressed a button, and the machine roared to life. The end of it began to glow, pulsating with pure white energy.
Seeing what was going on, Rudy's eyes flew open. He reached out with his hand and shouted, "Snap! Look out!"
"Huh?" Snap heard Rudy and he and the mayor turned their heads. They quickly saw the white energy growing behind them. Their eyes widened in horror. "Oy caloy...hurry!" Snap shouted at the mayor as he quickened his pace to get out of the hole.
Skrawl watched as Snap managed to get the mayor out of the hole. "You won't be getting away that easily..." Skrawl said, a twisted smile still plastered on his green body.
As he said that, the weapon was fired. A pulsating white energy shot forth at lightning speed. It slammed against the rock face just above Snap. The blue zoner screamed in surprise as the rock he was clinging on was destroyed and gave way. He fell down a little, managing to grab onto the rope before he got down too far. Unfortunately, he was still in the line of fire, and the rock that was struck was burning hot. He couldn't grab onto it, and while it wouldn't take long for the rock to cool down, by the time it did, it would be too late.
Skrawl laughed as he lowered the operational end of the weapon downwards. There was no way Snap was going to be able to lower himself in time before this next one hits him. He grinned as he pushed the button again, letting the machine charge up for the whole few seconds that it would. Although Snap was not his main target, even though he would rather have aimed this at Rudy, getting rid of Snap was still going to be a joyous affair. The blue runt was still a thorn in his side. A thorn he was intent on removing.
The machine fired. The white beam headed straight for Snap. The blue zoner widened his eyes and then looked away, waiting for the impact. Rudy let out a scream and he managed to squirm free of the Beanie Boys, rushing towards his friend.
"Snap! No!" Rudy cried.
The beam made impact. It hit against something solid. There was a loud crack as something broke, something shattered. A dull cry intergrated with it. Dust was kicked up. Bits of rock fell from the sky. A brilliant flash of light filled the area, forcing everyone to look away. And soon, slowly, the light started to die down.
Skrawl loved the look on Rudy's face. His eyes were wide, his face pale. He was looking in the direction the machine had shot. His eyes were locked on the debris. His body was shaking. He was shaking his head in denial. He could see the hint of tears on his face. Yes, that's the look he wanted to see. That was the look Skrawl loved to see on the boy. The look of helplessness, and of failure. He had failed to save his friend in time. And for a few moments, that's all Rudy did. Just hovered and stared at the scene in absolute horror.
"That's what happens when you keep crossing me, Master Tabootie." Skrawl sneered. "Perhaps if you haven't kept crossing me, your friend would have made it."
Rudy stared at Skrawl, a few tears slowly moving down his face. This just made Skrawl's smile widen. Rudy's body continued to tremble, and he watched as the boy raised his magic chalk towards him. In response, Skrawl began to turn the machine in the boy's direction. But he realized, too late, that he should have thought this through more. Rudy moved faster than he had anticipated, and already he was out of line of fire, all the way behind him now.
The Beanie Boys tried to keep up with him. But Rudy had managed to keep out of their grasp. The flames from his shoes accidentally hit a few of the Beanie Boys, and they recoiled in pain. They still kept going after him, though. They only stopped when Rudy managed to trap them in a large vase. Then he turned his attention back to Skrawl.
Skrawl watched as Rudy, his eyes narrowed in anger, began to swiftly draw something in the air. Skrawl growled and tried to aim the weapon up at him again. He moved it at fast as he could, pressing the button as soon as Rudy was in the line of fire. Rudy did not hold still and kept on moving. It was a struggle for Skrawl to keep moving the weapon. His hands and arms were getting tired. Yet despite his efforts, he was not able to keep aim on the boy for long.
Then he felt something hitting against the weapon's opening. Skrawl saw the warning on his machine, talking about an obstruction. His eyes widened in horror, realizing that Rudy must have clogged the opening. And he had already pressed the button to fire...and there was no way to stop it... Without hesitating, Skrawl jumped out of the machine.
He had just barely made it, for in that moment, the machine had fired. But because of the obstruction, which Skrawl could see now as a large cork, the energy couldn't be fired anywhere. With nowhere to go, the energy backed up and the machine itself began to break apart. The white energy caused severe internal damage, causing pieces of the machine to break off. In seconds, the machine was reduced to rubble. The force of it knocked Skrawl back a couple of feet.
The crown was knocked from his hand. Skrawl shouted in frustration and tried to grab it. The crown rolled away from him and before he could get it, Rudy had grabbed it from the ground. Skrawl froze where he stood, staring at the boy wide-eyed. Skrawl knew there was nothing he could do. His Beanie Boys were trapped and his machine was capoot. He was, at the moment, defenseless against the angry child. Even if he could use his physical strength against him, there was no way he could reach the boy while he was up in the air like that.
Yet, he refused to show fear to the boy. He narrowed his eyes and he bared his crooked teeth. A three fingered fist tightened, he took a step towards Rudy. "Give that back to me!"
Rudy responded by moving the crown further away, holding it out to his side. He growled, "After what you did to this place?! After what you did to my best friend?! If you really think that I'm just going to hand this over to you after what you did...!" Rudy pointed the magic chalk in Skrawl's direction. "You've got another think coming!"
Skrawl instinctively took a few steps back. He should have thought this through more. What he did was on an impulse. He had forgotten to take into consideration the negative consequences that would have arisen from it. He should have planned it out better. And now he was defenseless against this boy. And Rudy was very angry... Just what was he going to do to him?
Rudy raised his magic chalk. Skrawl took another step back. He readied himself, his three clawed hands flexing. Even though he didn't stand much of a chance against the chalk boy on his own, he was not going down without a fight. Rudy narrowed his eyes, teeth clenched, and he moved to draw with the magic chalk.
"Hey, Rudy!"
At this, Rudy and Skrawl froze. Skrawl's eyes widened, his mouth opened a little in shock. No, it could not be. There was no way that this was possible... It had to be a mistake of come kind. He looked in the boy's eyes. There was...relief in them. Skrawl gritted his teeth. No..impossible... He turned his head and his eyes widened in shock.
There stood Snap. He was...alive. Somehow..he was alive. Skrawl couldn't believe it. How was this possible? The machine made a direct hit... Then, when he looked around, he could see just what had happened. There was something in front of the hole that he did not notice before. Something clear...glass perhaps? Thick at that. Shattered pieces were all over the ground, a melted mark from where the beam had struck it. The glass itself looked shattered, but there was no complete hole. Just a shattered portion in the center, which looked like it was about to break.
Then he saw Penny. The genius girl had a hold of Snap's arm. She was guiding him around the shattered pieces, heading in Rudy's direction. And that was when it clicked in Skrawl's mind what happened. Penny must have drawn a shield up just before the blast had struck. She looked a little rough around the edges; it was clear she did not get out of the way in time. Snap, however, had been spared the blast, though he understandably looked shaken up from nearly being killed.
Skrawl couldn't believe Penny managed to stop his machine that fast. Maybe she was more experienced with the magic chalk than he thought. This caused anger to rise up inside of him. If only she hadn't betrayed him... Those abilities of hers would have worked well against Master Tabootie...
Knowing there was nothing more he could do, knowing that he lost again, Skrawl had no choice but to take his Beanie Boys and flee. But before he left, he cast a glance towards the infuriating trio. He bared his teeth and growled. He would get them for this. They would pay. Oh how they will pay.
sss
Rudy couldn't believe it. He had his arms wrapped around Snap, his friend whom he thought he had lost. He held onto him tightly, afraid to let go. Tears of relief moved down his face.
"Snap! You're okay!" Rudy cried, a smile on his face. "I can't believe it...you're okay! But how...? I saw the..."
"Penny managed to draw me cover before the blast hit." Snap said, hugging Rudy back. He then parted with Rudy and smiled in Penny's direction. "That took guts, you know that?"
Penny nodded her head. "I knew it was a risk, but it was either that, or watch you..." She bit her lip, clearly not wanting to say the next word. She cleared her throat and said, "There was no way I was going to sit around and do nothing."
Rudy smiled at Penny, grateful for what she did to save Snap. He admired that she took such a huge risk. She could have gotten really hurt. And she did get herself injured from that. At first, he thought she was fine. But when she got close, he could see the damage she had suffered. Her clothes had a few small tears and a few burns. Her arms had several scrapes, some of them bleeding. Her glasses had a small crack in them, and her hair had a few charred ends.
But it could have been a lot worse. She could have been caught in the beam's path and suffered, at best, severe third degree burns. And at worst, she could have been killed... Rudy shuddered to think that he could have lost both his friends today. And he felt an overwhelming sense of relief that they were both okay.
He walked over to Penny and gave her a hug, just like he had with Snap. As Penny returned the hug, Rudy said to her, "Thank you.. And I'm so glad you're okay, too."
After a few seconds of hugging, they parted. Then, suddenly, a worried expression came over Penny's face. Rudy looked at her, confused. What was wrong? Was Skrawl coming back? Rudy looked around, trying to find any sign of that notorious jellybean. But he was nowhere in sight.
Penny looked at Rudy worriedly and said, "Rudy, we should be heading back. Mr. Wilter might be back any second!"
Rudy's eyes widened at this. He had almost forgotten about that. Mr. Wilter was coming back earlier lately, and they had spent a bit of time here already. They needed to head back now if they want any chance of getting back without being caught.
Holding the crown in his hand, Rudy made his way over to the mayor's advisor. He was a tall black cheetah-like zoner with tawny markings. He held up the crown towards the zoner. The advisor, carefully, took it from the boy's hand. He clutched the crown against his side with one hand. He then gave a bow of respect to Rudy.
"Thank you, Great Creator. Our people will be forever grateful for what you did for us." The advisor said, his voice very deep but gentle and calm. "Now this crown will be placed back where it rightfully belongs."
Rudy grinned at the advisor. "You're welcome. I'm always glad to help!" He flinched as he said that, momentarily reminded of the incident with Robot Rudy. He pushed that thought out of his mind and said, "Well we'll have to get going now. Bye!"
Rudy and his friends started to make their way towards the hovercar they came in on. He wanted to ask more about the crown and the artifacts, but he didn't have time for that right now. He'll have to come back another time. And hopefully, when he came back, Skrawl wasn't going to be desperate again and trying something else almost right away.
The advisor and other mondonians waved goodbye to them as the trio got in the hovercar and took off. As they flew, Rudy had to wonder why Skrawl really wanted that crown so badly. The only thing special about it was that it always felt warm, and the jewels cold. But it wasn't like it was that special. A beloved, sacred relic of the past that the mondonians cared so much about, sure, but it didn't seem like the crown held anything spectacular about it that would have attracted Skrawl.
He thought about to what Penny said. The crown might be a link to some kind of power. But how? It felt...powerless when he held it. He didn't feel like he suddenly gained some new ability. There must be something more going on here. He just hoped that, by the time they found out, there would still be time to stop it.
sss
Skrawl leaned back against his chair as the Beanie Boys began to carry him back to his hideout. His eyes were narrowed into slits. His body shook in anger. He clenched his teeth so tightly, he thought they would shatter in his mouth.
He had lost again. One of his briliant plans, down the drain just like all the others. He had planned this out better, he thought. He thought that if he had upgraded his machine and brought more Beanie Boys and if he had worked faster, he could have succeeded. In hindsight, it wasn't much of an upgraded plan. And perhaps he should have waited and tried to come up with a new one before going after that crown. Now, he had lost the crown and it had been given back to the mondonians. No doubt they'll hide it again, and this time, he might not be able to find it.
His thoughts went back to Penny. He thought about what was on his mind before. He recalled how he had kidnapped her and tried to make her his 'queen', in the loosest sense of the word. He had wanted a creator by his side, someone who could create anything for him. He would have been unstoppable. Penny seemed like the best choice. She knew Rudy well and knew how to counter him. And when she went up against the chalk boy, Skrawl recalled the feelings of happiness welling up inside of him. It was nice to see Rudy being backed into a corner.
But then, Penny had betrayed him... She had played him for a fool and then he had two creators to worry about. One was difficult enough to handle. But two? He knew he couldn't compete with that. He still fought against them, but a part of him was infuriated with himself that he thought Penny could be trustworthy. This one, he couldn't blame anyone but himself. He really should have thought that plan through more definitely, and realized that Penny would never betray her friends. Now he had her to worry about.
That plan, though a failure, did make him realize something. A realization hit his mind like a train, a truth he could not deny. And in the midst of that, anger also welled up as his mind was also clouded with thoughts of his previous failure. The fact that another plan was ruined made his blood boil.
"I am sick of watching my plans fall apart!" Skrawl hissed lowly to himself. "I'm sick of that wretched Master Tabootie always foiling my plans!" Soon, the realization from before hit his mind, and, slowly, his anger started to melt away, giving into the thought that crossed his head. Something that, he realized, could change everything. "But if there is one thing I learned from a past failure, it's that to beat Rudy, I need to fight fire with fire..."
As the Beanie Boys continued to carry him through the air, something below caught his eye. A movement. He narrowed his eyes as he looked down. He could see something..no...someone moving through the foliage below. From the shape and size, it looked like it was Rudy or Penny. But that was impossible. It couldn't have been them. Skrawl was going to dismiss it at a humanoid zoner, but as they flew further over the trees, he caught a glimpse, and he could not believe it.
Skrawl had never really believed much in luck. But today, it was a very lucky day indeed. It was almost as if his prayers had been answered. It was like that, because of his complaining, fate had handed him the solution to all of his problems.
There, walking through the forest, was a human. A small child that looked just a tad older than Rudy. And he was all alone...
A twisted smile spread across Skrawl's face. The human was practically gift wrapped for him. No one was around to warn him. No one was around to protect him. And if he played his cards right, he could get this kid on his side. And if he had no connections with Rudy or Penny, that was even better. Less of a chance of the brat turning on him or playing him for a fool.
Skrawl motioned for his Beanie Boys to head down into the forest. Skrawl took out his large bag. The Beanie Boys were quiet as they moved along behind the kid. When they got close enough, Skrawl swung the bag over the kid, effortlessly lifting him off the ground. The kid tried to call out for help, but his voices were muffled underneath the thick bag. Skrawl tied up the end and held onto it, securing the bagged boy to his body.
Yes, this boy was the key to his victory. He was going to help him take over ChalkZone. He was going to give Master Tabootie a run for his money. He was going to ensure his victory. Oh yes, this boy was going to turn the tides in his favor...
