Steambot Chronicles
Wow, already up to six chapters. Granted, there's still a long way to go before the end. Still, it's cool to see I've already made this many chapters so far, and haven't even made the half-way point yet. I'm glad that everyone has been enjoying it so far, though I do hope this story gets more views and reviews as it goes on (what can I say, I love getting feedback). I apologize for the long delay in this chapter, as I recently moved up to Maine for the summer to look for work, but hopefully I'll be able to start getting more consistent with my updates as time goes on. Luckily though, I have planned out the first 11 or so chapters, so it shouldn't take too long between each one, and with each one finished I can gradually make outlines for future chapters. I know a lot of you are hoping to see more ConnieXVanilla stuff, and I can assure you that it'll be coming soon in the next few chapters, but don't hold your breath on anything really gushy just yet. Well, that's all for the current updates, on with the story!
NEW NOTE: Extended the ending.
Chapter 6 ~ Underground
It was dim, only the light of hanging lanterns lit the dark corridor Vanilla now stood in, a set of descending stairs ahead of him. The passage was wide enough for three people to walk side-by-side comfortably, with wooden struts lining the walls. A dank chill permeated the air, causing the youth to shiver slightly. However, it got much warmer as Vanilla reached the end of the passage, where the sounds of clanging machinery and the smell of oil overwhelmed the atmosphere.
It was like a factory. That was the only way to describe the set up of the large chamber the passage opened up into. A wide catwalk stretched from the passage exit all the way around to the opposite wall of the hollowed out cavern. While beneath it, the floor looked like a cross between a scrapyard and a garage. Conveyor belts strewn with parts, grease stains on the floor like an expressionist painting, and a massive monstrosity of metal hanging from the ceiling. It was none other than that same massive machine that Vanilla had fought a few days ago, signs of damage still showing on the now stripped and exposed monster as dangled only a few feet of the floor.
"They must be rebuilding it..." Vanilla stared in awe, curious as to how the behemoth of metal had been moved. The place was swarming with bandits, several of which were suspended from wires to reach areas of the colossal machine, ironing out dents, or welding new pieces of metal. Others could be seen carrying gadgets, widgets, and other assorted pieces of scrap here and there, either attaching them to the beast, or arguing over the precise location of installation.
"For bandits, they really know how to work on machines. I just don't understand, what could they need something so big for?..." Vanilla thought aloud, now looking more closely at the machine. He could see what looked like a platform on the back, was it meant to carry something else?
"Hey, you!" A voice called out, pulling Vanilla away from his wondering thoughts. Turning, he spotted a bandit, dressed in a red blazer and beret, staring at the youth a questioning look. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you before."
"Oh me... Um, uh, I'm a new recruit. See?" Vanilla fumbled through his pockets and procured the forms, flashing them in front of the bandit. The man quirked an eyebrow, looking at Vanilla with a curious glance.
"I swear that old geezer will let anybody join these days. Ah well, you look like you've got some brains compared to most of the monkeys we've got running around. In any case, we could use another hand working on the Don" He said.
"The 'Don'?" Vanilla echoed, looking confused. The bandit engineer made a sweeping gesture with one arm towards the colossal machine.
"The Don Elephant, the crown jewel of the Killer Elephants. Years of development have gone into making it, and though we've had a few 'setbacks', this machine will be our launching point into a whole new era!" The man said with an enthusiasm that seemed quite different from the usual rough-housing nature Vanilla expected of the bandits. What did he mean by 'Launching point?'
"Well since you're new, I'll cut you some slack. Take a look around the place and get yourself familiar with everything, then report back to me." And with that, the man walked off, leaving Vanilla confused, but otherwise relieved that his ruse hadn't been found out. Casting one look towards the giant machine, Vanilla made his way along the catwalk, stopping short as two brutish looking bandits sat on crates near a single door, playing cards. It was immediately obvious that they were guarding something, or someone.
"Hey, can I get through there?" Vanilla asked, doing his best to imitate the same gruff voice the bandits used.
"Piss off, newbie. The Boss is busy with his meal and he don't want to be disturbed." The guard on the left of the door said with a bit of an odd dialect as he looked over his cards, "Why don't you make yourself useful and go find out what the damn cook is doing. He should have been finished with the boss's next meal ages ago." He said, standing up intimidatingly to look Vanilla in the eye. But the youth didn't flinch, much. He had to keep tough or otherwise the bandits might realize something was up. Curling his lip to one side, Vanilla put his best sneer.
"Sure, why not? And where's the kitchen?" Vanilla said in a faux nonchalant tone. The guard gave a chuckle, obviously approving of the tough response, and pointed towards a nearby ladder.
"Just head down and go through the door below us. Can't miss it." The guard said before sitting back down to continue the game with his partner. Vanilla slid down the ladder to the ground floor, where he could now take in the true enormity of the Don Elephant. It was simply enormous, standing taller than any building in Nefroburg alone. Turning around, he could see an ordinary looking door, where the scent of food wafted through over the powerful smell of oil and machinery.
"Hello?" Vanilla called as he pushed open the door into a mess hall of sorts, where an extremely flustered looking bandit wearing a chefs' hat greeted him.
"FINALLY! They said someone would come to take over the cooking duties, and that was like an hour ago!" The man started, grabbing Vanilla by the arm and pulling him towards a kitchen, "Um, sorry but I think there's been a mistake..." He tried to say, but the man ignored him, "Here, take this hat and get cracking. Doesn't really matter what you make, boss'll pretty much eat anything you throw you at him." The man said as he shoved the hat atop Vanilla's head and raced for the door, "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go piss like a racehorse!" And the slamming of the door punctuated the brief and strange scene.
"That was weird..." The youth thought aloud, then turned to the kitchen, where he could see a large system of stoves and ovens, plates stacked high in a sink. "What am I supposed to do?" He said to no one in particular, looking at the spread of food items scattered across a large cutting table. "I guess I have no choice, I'm going to have to make something." Vanilla said... then slumped, slapping his forehead, "Who am I kidding I don't know the first thing about cooking! I..." The blonde suddenly trailed off as his vision swam, and that same tingle nicked at his head.
A woman stood near a counter, happily humming as she prepared something. Light seemed to obscure her face, but her radiantly blonde hair stood out, and her loving smile seemed to shine through the shadows cast upon her face. The vision shifted, and Vanilla now saw the woman, who must have been his mother, showing him how to prepare a meal. It was a kind of meat patty, baked and seasoned with spices and used a small stake of sorts.
"Whoa..." Vanilla shook his head as the vision faded like a dream, finding himself back in the Hideout's Kitchen. Like a puzzle piece fitting nicely in a blank spot, Vanilla remembered the recipe as if it had never been lost. A grin quickly spread on his face, as he realized this would be the perfect way into entering the Boss's lair. Clearing a spot on the table, Vanilla began tenderizing a slab of meat, then dropping it into a pan, where he doused it with spices and salt. In a matter of minutes, the blonde youth was placing the steak burger on a bun.
"There. Now I just have to take this to the Boss and hope I can figure out some way of convincing him of releasing Nefroburg." Placing the burger on a platter and sealing it with a lid, Vanilla quickly departed from the kitchen and carefully climbed up the ladder back to the catwalk.
"Here, I've got the boss's meal." Vanilla said, acting impatient.
"About time, he's been waiting forever!" The guard from before said as he opened the door for Vanilla. Inside was a pale imitation of a throne room, with a gluttonous 'king' seated on a throne. A banner bearing the Killer Elephant symbol hung behind the antique throne, where a large, pot-bellied man sat, loudly munching away on a drumstick. He wore a yellow bandana and a pair of goggles, while an unzipped blue bomber jacket exposed a flabby belly. Two brunettes, twins, stood to either side of him dressed in skimpy red outfits, both holding platters with pineapples.
"Yer late! I almost ran out of food here!" The man said as he tossed the chicken bone away with slurping sound. His scuzzy beard was covered in flecks of food, only adding to the impression that he was a crazed slob. Vanilla fought back the revulsion he felt from the man's poor table manners and offered the burger, which the man greedily accepted and began devouring with the voraciousness of a wolf.
"Mhmm, that hit the spot. What do you call that?" Boss Elephant asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Vanilla was about to answer when the door opened. It was the cook from before, looking infuriated.
"Hey, stop that guy! He ain't the replacement cook we hired, he's some kind of spy." The man said, pointing an accusing finger towards Vanilla, who froze with tension as the Boss turned to look at him with a smirk.
"So, trying to pull a fast one on us, eh? Let me guess, a rebellious citizen who thinks he can take on a gang of bandits all by himself." The boss said, chin resting on one hand as he eyed the youth.
"Let the town go. You have no right terrorize people like this!" Vanilla said, grabbing the chefs' hat and tossing it to the ground as he made his defiant stand. Boss Elephant only grinned wider, seemingly impressed by the bold act.
"You've definitely got real guts to stand up to me like this, I'll give you that." He said, standing up from the throne, "You." He pointed to the real chef, who stiffened and saluted, "Tell those grease-monkeys to get my trotmobile ready, I'll be fighting this brat!" The boss said, turning back to face Vanilla, who glared back with determination.
In a matter of moments, Vanilla found himself in the hanger area, the Earl having been brought in through the large gate where the Don Elephant had emerged from. Across from him, Boss Elephant stood inside the cockpit of a huge trotmobile. It had to be at least twice the size of the Earl, both in height and bulk, the torso alone nearly the size of the Earl entirely. It had two arms with spiked balls on chains while a horse-like set of legs supported the entire machine, a grill in the shape of tusks adding to the 'elephant' like design. A spiked, metal canopy protected the cockpit, where the boss leaned out to showoff to his cheering cronies.
"Now it's payback for getting in our way." Boss Elephant cracked his knuckles as he lowered down into the driver's seat, his grin still as broad as ever. Vanilla felt a nagging feeling, one that told him that unlike the other encounters he had had, this one couldn't be solved by tossing a rock or getting lucky with swinging his arms around. Several of the bandits stood on the catwalk above, cheering loudly for their boss and hurling unmentionable insults at Vanilla.
At the sun of a gunshot, courtesy of the red blazer bandit, the fight was on. Like the bang from the gun, Boss Elephant fired one of his spiked balls at Vanilla. The youth just barely dashed to the side as the projectile came at him, smashing the floor where he previously stood. But just when he thought he could catch his breath, the second spiked ball came flying, only to crash into a line of bandit trots that were being set for repairs and crush them into piles of scrap. Vanilla pivoted around and dashed behind another unmanned trotmobile just as the first spiked ball fired and smashed it to pieces.
"This guy doesn't let up! Those things have got some serious range." He thought to himself as he dashed all the way to the far wall of the room, some 30 or so yards from where Boss Elephant stood, who retracted both spike balls back into place as he eyed Vanilla. Cracking another toothy grin, Boss Elephant charged forward, the horse legs propelling his trot towards forward with incredible speed. Vanilla just barely raised his stage arm to block the incoming left hook, the metal fist scraping against the wing as it connected. Vanilla made a bold move and dashed forward, using both arms to push at Boss with everything the Earl could muster.
"Hahahahaha! You really think you can take the Mad Elephant?" Boss said with a laugh, then grabbed Vanilla by the Earl's shoulder, hoisting him off the ground effortlessly.
"Whoa!" Vanilla cried out, gripping the handlebar beside the driver's wheel as he was thrown across the room, near the Don Elephant's dangling legs.
"Give it up, kid. You can't possibly hope to beat me." Boss taunted, slowly closing in on Vanilla. The youth groaned as he shook the inertia from his head and got the Earl back on its feet, an unnerving creaking coming from the sword arm and the legs. Oil could be seen dripping from various fractures and dents, this fight wouldn't be lasting much longer.
"Have to think! He's obviously too heavy to throw, and likely just as tough to put a dent in. I'm gonna need something bigger than the Earl..." Vanilla thought aloud, then remembered he was underneath the Don Elephant's hind legs, and suddenly thought of a plan.
"Hey, fatso! Over here!" Vanilla called as he jumped up and grabbed onto one of the Don's feet. Boss Elephant frowned and fired the left spiked ball. Just as it smashed into the side of the leg, Vanilla released his grip and fell back to the floor, letting the leg swing into the ball and causing it to become embedded in it. A cry of dismay could be heard from the catwalk, the red bandit nervously cringing.
"Missed me!" The blonde taunted with a mock sing-song, dashing for the don's forelegs.
"Why you, little brat!" Boss bellowed, losing himself to his growing frustration. He took aim as Vanilla made another leap, firing just as the youth soared by the left foreleg, the right spiked ball becoming ensnared in the twisted mess of metal of the don's other leg. A lurching groan could be heard as the don visibly lurched from the two hits, and the shift was enough to pull the Boss and his trot across the floor and under the don.
"What the hell?" Boss looked around with sudden realization as the two legs tore apart from the damage caused by the spike weapons, showering the bandit leader in pieces of scrap and gears. In a matter of seconds the Killer Elephants were left staring in wide-eyed surprised as their boss was buried under a pile of junk, a small plume of smoke rising from the now damaged trot. A silence hung over the room, then was broken by shouts of anger.
"You little bastard! How dare you hurt our boss?" Some cried, while others leaping down from the catwalk and quickly surrounding Vanilla, guns aimed at the blonde haired youth. Vanilla held up his hands, keeping still as the bandits readied to fire. Suddenly a bellowing yell echoed from near the wreckage of the Don.
"Lay off, you numbskulls!" Boss Elephant said, emerging from the scrap pile with nary a scratch on him. He pulled himself free and dropped to the floor, where several of his men quickly rushed to his side.
"Yo, boss. Are you alright?"
"It's ok Boss. We'll deal with this little scumbag and then get you a doctor."
"Yea, after this, we'll go and clock some of those fools back in town to teach 'em a lesson." But the small group was shoved away, by their own leader, who proceeded to step forward to Vanilla who had been escorted from the Earl.
"I told you idiots, don't mess with him. Now back off and put away yer guns." The fat man said with a glare that silenced any further protest from his subordinates. Once they were silent and had lowered their weapons, he turned to look at Vanilla.
"I have to say kid, you really are a tough one. Never thought you'd actually beat me." Boss Elephant said, his grin returning as he surprised Vanilla with a congratulatory slap on the back. It was strange, not more than a few minutes ago the man was ready to crush Vanilla like a bug, now he was acting like a kindly older brother.
"I like ya, kid. So from now on, you're the boss!" A beat...
"WHAT?" A collective cry of disbelief was heard, every bandit in the area looking stunned with jaws agape. Vanilla was just as stunned, partially wondering if he had somehow misunderstood. Brushing back the bandits that still lingered around the youth, the large man gave Vanilla a knowing look.
"So you want the town freed, is that it?" Vanilla almost didn't hear the question, then nodded when the words finally registered with him. The Ex-Boss grinned, then turned to one of the bandits.
"Go and send a pigeon. Tell 'em we're pulling out of town." The bandit saluted to the large man and quickly disappeared up the ladder. "What are you idiots standing around for? Get this place cleaned up! We're gonna throw a party in honor of our new boss!" Ex-Boss shouted to the other bandits who stood around still looking in shock.
"Y-yes sir!" They said and quickly dispersed, several of them beginning the process of digging out the Mad Elephant from under the scrap pile. As they worked, Vanilla watched as the red bandit stood before the Don Elephant, mouth agape.
"Hey, I'm sorry about your machine... again." Vanilla said, feeling a little sorry for the man.
"It's no problem, boss. We'll just rebuild the Don again!" Ex-Boss said, nudging the red bandit with a chuckle, "Right?" To which the red bandit gave a sigh, then brightened up with a wry smile, "Yea, and it'll be even better than the last one." And with that the red jacket bandit charged off, shouting orders to the scrap picking bandits. Soon after tables and chairs were brought out, and before Vanilla could knew it, a full blown party was under way. The sound of drunken singing and laughter blurring together in the hideout. Vanilla found himself enjoying his new celebrity as the boss, though the constant offers of drinks were getting a bit tiring.
"Looks like my hunch about hiring was right." A dry voice said, and Vanilla looked up to see the owner of the museum looking back.
"What are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to see the boss. Of course, that was the former boss." The old man said, casting a quick glance to the Ex-Boss who was once more stuffing his face with food. "There's something I want to show you." The man said, motioning for Vanilla to follow. The two then proceeded down a corridor, where the living quarters likely were.
"I'm sure you're probably wondering exactly what the ultimate goal of the Killer Elephant's is, right?" The Chief asked as he led Vanilla through the hall.
"Money?" The youth ventured, suddenly unsure. The old man gave a soft chuckle, then wagged his cane in the air as he clicked his tongue.
"That's just the means to an end." He said as he stopped by a large door, "The real motivation for our organization, is this." He then pushed open the door, revealing a large bedroom. It wasn't the queen-sized bed that caught Vanilla's attention, but what lay strewn all across the room. Papers, books, and models, all depicting the moon. Piles upon piles of the materials covered nearly every square inch of the room like the drawing room of a frenzied artist.
"The Ex-boss, always hated maps and globes of the world since he was a kid. No matter where you go on this world, someone has likely already been there. But there's one place no one has ever been to; the Moon!" As the Chief spoke, Vanilla walked around the room, taking note of the various charts and graphs, some depicting childish means of traveling to the moon, and others with more focus and well thought out.
"I never would have thought... so that's why you guys are always stealing money." Vanilla said, looking at a portrait of what appeared to be a young Boss Elephant in some kind of ship flying towards the moon. The chief stepped up beside him, a faint smile as he looked at the picture.
"Yes. I know it's not a very honorable way of reaching the goal, but how else were we to get the funds we needed?" The Chief asked, honestly sounding regretful.
"There's plenty of things you guys can do! You could use your trotmobiles to fix Nefroburg, show that you're really sorry for wrecking it." Vanilla blurted, trying to remain positive despite the fact that he was speaking with the very same people who nearly hurt Connie and her friends. He couldn't help but still have lingering anger towards them, but now that he knew what they were really after, he felt some remorse. The Chief looked thoughtful, obviously taking the outburst to consideration.
"Maybe you're right... To be honest, the Boss himself said he didn't really like hurting people just to achieve his dream. But I don't know, would they be willing to let us help?" The Chief thought aloud, doubtful if the townspeople would truly forgive them for their previous crimes.
"I'm sure they would, you just have to stop stealing and attacking people." Vanilla said, just as unsure, but not as easily deterred from his assumption.
"I'll have to talk it out with the Ex-boss, but if you really think it can work..." Just then the door opened and the Ex-boss himself entered, looking quite wasted.
"Boss? What are you doing heeere? A party isn't a party if the guest of honor ain't 'round." Ex-Boss said, taking a swig from a bottle, he then grabbed Vanilla by the shoulder, pulling down the hall.
"Whoohoo! Party!" Ex-boss shouted, stirring up the other bandits into making similar shouts and cheers. As the Chief watched the youth get pulled to a table and offered a platter of food, he couldn't resist another wry grin.
"That kid, really is something special. Who knows, we just might make history..."
#
The sun was starting to rise high in the sky as Vanilla wandered back to Nefroburg, his eyes feeling heavy with fatigue, and his ears ringing with the lingering sound of boisterous partying. The celebration had lasted well into the morning before the bandits finally wound down and passed out. After a brief rest, Vanilla agreed that Bobby, the Ex-boss, would remain as acting leader of the KE in his absence. Of course the youth had to admit he was starting to enjoy his new position, but largely had just made the decision so he could leave the hideout and get some rest. As the gates to town opened, Vanilla suddenly found himself before a large crowd of cheering people.
"The hero of Nefroburg!" Belmondo's voice could be heard as people clapped and cheered. Vanilla now felt bashfulness as he slowly made his way to the bakery parking spot, the people following after, still shouting their compliments and cheers. Just as he stepped out of Earl, he was nearly smothered by the joyous townspeople as they crowded around him.
"Way to go, kid!"
"Great job kicking those bandits to the curb."
"You're a real hero." Vanilla felt overwhelmed, but smiled nonetheless as people offered their gratitude. But it was a single, familiar voice that caught him off guard.
"Vanilla!" Turning, Vanilla nearly fell over as Connie embraced him in a tight hug, her eyes sparkling with tears. She held him close, as though afraid he would disappear. The sounds of the crowd faded, being drowned out by Connie's joyful cries of relief. Soon the crowd dispersed, the people finally free to return to their everyday lives, and Vanilla led the still clinging Connie back to her home.
"And that's how I defeated their boss and freed the town." Vanilla cheerfully ended his recount of the battle with Bobby. A silence hung in the apartment as Connie, her mother, and Ms. Echinacea all stared in surprise at the youth.
"Oh my goodness. It's a good thing you weren't hurt." Rosemary said, looking faint after the boy finished. Connie sat with Vanilla at the small table near the window, clutching Vanilla's hand tenderly, something that the boy didn't mind in the least.
"I overheard reports in Happy Garland about the town. I was so worried about Mom and you that I just hopped on the train without thinking. Oh man... I hope the others aren't gonna be mad." The girl fretted, drawing back one hand and chewing on a finger nervously.
"Don't sweat it, sweety. I'm sure Fennel and the others will understand." Ms. Echinacea said reassuringly. Connie smiled wearily, not completely swayed. Vanilla chuckled inwardly, glad to see Connie was still so considerate and passionate as always. He then yawned, feeling incredibly lightheaded.
"Are you alright?" Connie asked, turning back to the boy as she saw him slump forward and then sit up with a start.
"Yea.. I'm fine... Just... tired." He said, unable to resist another yawn as the fatigue gripped him. Connie ushered for him to stand and towards her spare bed.
"Here, lie down." She said, guiding the boy onto the soft mattress. Vanilla found himself too tired to resist, and simply allowed the angelic girl to settle him on the bed.
"Good night." She heard her say, her vibrant smile still shining brightly as he closed his eyes and drifted.
TO BE CONTINUED
Again, I apologize for the overly long delay in updating this story. Between looking for jobs, and my usual distractions, I barely did more than a few lines every now and then (smacks self on head). So while I can't promise a more consistent update schedule, I will promise to try and not take as long between chapters in the future. Anyway, I'm sure many of you will be happy to see Connie coming back into the story, and I can guarantee she won't be going anywhere anytime soon. As always, I hope for a review, and of course suggestions for song/album titles to use for chapter names. This one however I decided to name "Underground" realizing it was also the name of a genre of music, which fitted pretty nicely if I may say so. I will admit thought, I'm not quite as happy with this chapter as I'd like to be, but I hope everyone will enjoy nonetheless. In the meantime, I have a little fun proposition for anyone interested. I came up with a concept for AU story with the Bumpy Trot gang. The story would follow Vanilla as a transfer student to a new high school, and joining the music club. If anyone wants to use the idea, they are welcome to.
Anyway, thanks for your patience (and the views/hits) and stay tuned for chapter 7 (really need a catchy song title name for it, a desert themed episode :D).