Here's a longish chapter for you guys due to the wait. Anyway, this is the last consistent author's note. The start of the next chapter will lead straight into the story. Thanks to all who are following this fic, I really hope you'll enjoy what I've got in store!
Lorealie, thank you for the comment! To address your questions: first, I do not plan to have Alexa go on the same adventure as Oliver-hence why I left out the whole 'broken-heart' bit-so no, she's not aiming to complete the Wizard's Companion, either. As mentioned, the three pages she currently has are penned copies (how Father Oak got them will be explained later in the story). Beyond that, she will be learning her new spells from different sources. As for how she got her wand, that will also be explained later, so hold tight! (But just to note, her wand is not Oliver's wand. Oliver is still in possession of Mornstar, even though he has been captured). Finally, yes, "bogue" is a 70s slang word. It's actually an abbreviation of bogus, and like its root word, it means "ridiculous" in the 70s context. Phony, grody, grueler, etc. were also common. Astute observation about the Zodiarchy having some connection to the Manchuzoo Order ;) I can say that the Zoorians are not Zodiarchy members and do actually come from a different world than the one they've invaded, but the animal theme was not unintentional.
On that note, thanks again to all of my readers/their support on my take of a sequel to this masterpiece of a game. I hope I do not disappoint! Happy reading!
Chapter 5: Ring Rong Rell (Heart of Corruption)
Alexa glanced around at the plains. The sky was dark, covered with limp gray clouds, and the grass at her feet was course and dry. Looming in front of her was what she assumed was Ding Dong Dell; except the city towers were splattered with what appeared to be sludge, and the stream circling it was a murky black color.
"They ruined Ding Dong Dell!" Tiny cried, his previous enthusiasm fading into anger. "Look at the poor ol' place! That oversized rodent made it his personal garbage dump!"
"So Hickory Dock rules it now, huh?" Alexa muttered. Fighting the rat king had been the second large battle her father fought upon entering this world. She shuddered, realizing that she might have to face against him, too.
"Well, let's get us that Guide Stone and get the flip out of here," Tiny determined, clambering up atop her head. With a nod, Alexa hesitantly walked down the slope to the path leading to Ring Rong Rell. The moment she stepped on the path, however, a shrill, eerie bark came from behind her. She didn't even have a chance to turn before something rammed into her back. She toppled forward, landing roughly on the sandy path.
"M-monster!" She heard Tiny's voice yell desperately. "Kn-knickers! Get up, quick!" Alexa flipped around in time to see some type of dog perched in front of her, pawing at the dusty path. It's coat was orange and purple, and drops of green saliva hung from its jaws.
"W-what is that thing?!" she cried, holding her wand in front of her with a trembling hand.
"Well, that doesn't make any flipping sense," Tiny mused beside her. "That's a Scruffian, if I ever saw one. But what's it doin' here? It's a final form monster!" Alexa didn't have time to reply as the dog charged at her again. She grabbed Tiny and rolled out of the way just in time, leaving it to only nick the corner of her robes. It spat out the cloth, growling menacingly.
"C-crikey! E-em, trying use a spell!" Tiny suggested, pulling out the Fireball spell from the folds of her tunic and holding it up for her to see. Alexa frantically traced the shape with her wand. After a moment, a small orb of embers shot from it and hit the Scruffian in the face. It yelped and shook its head, but the damage appeared minimal.
"Actually, scratch that. Don't fight it, lickety-Lex," Tiny advised. "You're not strong enough. And then it'll poison you, and then you'll be as good as dead. Just…just run."
"Run?" Alexa questioned. The beast stared at her, and she noticed a purple substance gathering in its mouth.
"Run!" Tiny cried, latching himself to her shoulder and wrapping his straight antenna around her arm. "Head to the kingdom! Ol' beastie can't get us beyond the bridge!" Alexa didn't wait, clambering up onto her feet and dashing down the path. She heard the Scruffian's aggressive barks from behind her, hot on her trail.
"Oh, knickers! It's gaining on us, lickety-Lex!" She sped across the bridge, over the sickening black swill in the moat below, and just managed to reach the gates to the kingdom. She panted heavily, glancing back to see the Scruffian on the other side of the bridge. It gave up its chase, sauntering back to the path it'd come from.
"Nice work," Tiny sighed. "I just saw both my antennae flash before my eyes. Your fighting style is as good as a Crashing Boar's, mind, but at least you know how to run."
"What's this?" A voice squeaked from behind her, and she turned around to face the Ring Rong Rell gate. Two mice stood at each end diligently, holding huge spears about ten times bigger than their bodies. Alexa almost chuckled at the ridiculous sight.
"A visitor?" the mouse on the left questioned. "What is she doing here?"
"Do you have an audience with King Hickory, traveler?" the mouse on the right asked.
"O-oh, uh, no," Alexa admitted. "I just-"
"Then what brings you to our kingdom, squeakling?" The left mouse narrowed its eyes.
"Oh, for flip's sake, mouseface," Tiny protested. "We're tourists, see? Keep your tail on. Nothing wrong with wanting to go on a nice stroll around your lovely kingdom, en' it?" The mice looked to each other. After a few seconds, they burst into high-pitched cackling.
"Tourists, they say!" the mouse of the right chuckled. "Oh, that's rich! When's the last time we heard that one?"
"Too long," the mouse of the left laughed. "Never thought we were the kind of place to attract visitors. But very well, you are welcome to enter and tour to your pretty hearts' content. Please, enjoy our lovely city. I'm sure you will find it…charming." They turned around and began rolling up the gate to the city.
"T-thank you!" Alexa dipped her head to them.
"Well, that was proper quick. I was expecting more of a challenge," Tiny admitted. "Who knows? Maybe this questy of ours will be easier than we thought!" The mice exchanged an amused glance as Alexa eagerly walked through the gateway. The moment she stepped into the city, however, her boots didn't meet a clean, paved road. Instead, she heard a loud crunch, and glanced at the ground to see it littered with empty styrofoam cups, rotting fruit, and stale bread crumbs. The buildings around her were battered and cracked, with signs hanging limply from broken doors. The intense, putrid stench of mildew nearly made her sick.
"Flipping heck, this place really has gone to the rats!" Tiny managed around coughs, glancing down. "I'd hate be hopping in that. Thank the ol' ancients I've got you to latch onto, lickety-Lex."
"Poor Ding Dong Dell…" Alexa muttered, covering her mouth and nose with her tunic to keep out the awful smell. The streets were filled with trash, and mice scurried from place to place, dressed in tiny, ragged robes.
"Which way to the palace?" she asked Tiny. Though her pride wouldn't let her admit it, she had actually been excited to visit the first kingdom she'd only heard about in story. But seeing what had become of the city, she wanted to leave this place badly.
"Just follow the path," Tiny instructed. "That is, if you can see it under all this rubbish." Alexa hesitantly began forward, wincing at the grim her boots collected with every step. The single, littered path wrapped around through the dirty kingdom. On some of the walls, Alexa could faintly see painted fish and paw prints left behind from King Tom's rule. But they were either covered in such a thick layer of sludge you could no longer see them, or had different images drawn over them. In particular, Alexa noticed many sketches of cheese.
"Doesn't the Cowlipha like cheese?" Alexa whispered to Tiny, recalling her dad's adventures in Al Mamoon.
"You better believe she does," Tiny replied. "In fact, she was scarfing down a massive ton of it a couple years back before your dad showed up and sorted the place out."
"Yeah…" Alexa muttered, feeling a pang of sadness. "He did some pretty insane stuff, huh…"
"Oi, pipsqueak! Watch it!" A loud squeak came from below Alexa. She blinked in surprise at the mouse glaring up at her, realizing she'd nearly stepped on him. He was wearing the kingdom robes, but unlike other mice, this one had a pair of round, thick glasses.
"O-oh, I'm sorry!" she quickly apologized.
"You'd better be! You nearly squashed me, dumb-dumb! Watch your step next time!" He scampered off in a huff. Alexa watched him go in confusion.
"Whatcha thinking?" Tiny asked her, giving her a small knock on the head. "Quit staring with that mysterious expression on your face, lickety-Lex."
"O-oh, it's nothing," she decided, shaking her head. "Let's just keep moving."
She continued onward until she emerged into the courtyard in front of the palace. By far, it was the worst looking part of the city: the entire yard was filled with about a foot high pile of garbage. The fountain in the center of the yard poured out a black substance that looked more like tar than water. The large cat statue perched on the fountain was covered in marker graffiti. Some mice in the square were chucking trash at it and laughing rowdily. Just beyond the courtyard, Alexa could see the outline of the palace.
"I seriously have to walk through this?" Alexa asked incredulously.
"If we wanna get to the king, then yup." Tiny sighed. "Go on, then. Standing here gawking isn't going to make a difference. Just grin and bear it."
"F-fine…" Alexa swallowed roughly, before wading into the trash pile. It rose up to her ankles, and she winced when she felt it brush her bare skin just above her boots. She inhaled sharply, knowing there was no use backtracking now, and continued sloughing through the garbage.
"Doin' alright, lickety-Lex?" Tiny asked her when they made it past the fountain.
"Other than trying not to puke, yeah, I'm fine," Alexa replied through gritted teeth.
"Don't worry, we're less than halfway now," Tiny assured. "You're quite a trooper, y'know. That's a good quality for you humans. Oh, tidy, there's the entrance!" Alexa stopped in front of the pathway to palace, where another pair of guard mice stood vigilant atop the mound of debris. Alexa attempted to walk past them, but the one on the left turned to her instantly.
"Halt!" The left guard squeaked as he approached her. "Just where do you squeaklings think you're going?"
"To see King Hickory, ya div," Tiny replied on beat. "Why else would we be at the flippin' palace entrance?"
"His Mousejesty does not allow strangers to just scamper into his kingdom," the guard recited. "Now, be gone."
"Wait!" Tiny exclaimed, "Surely we can bring that ol' rat something as a gift?"
"His Mousejesty has no need for gifts. He has all the cheese he could wish for, imported straight from the desert city. Unless you were invited to have an audience with him, you are required to-" A loud flapping sound interrupted his words. The mouse froze, eyes widening.
"Oh, drat," he muttered quickly. "Not another one."
"Huh? What's this, then?" Tiny inquired. The flapping sound was becoming louder by the second. The mice in the square squeaked with alarm and fear.
"Incoming!" One of the mice called. They all quickly burrowed into the trash pile.
"G-get down!" the guard demanded, burying himself into the debris.
"Kn-knickers! Look up there, lickety-Lex!" Tiny just managed to point to where a huge grey bird was swooping towards the kingdom. Alexa squinted at it.
"Is that…a pigeon?" she wondered aloud.
"And a proper massive one at that!" Tiny gasped. "Follow the ol' guard's advice, lickety-Lex. Duck!"
"W-what?" Alexa looked to Tiny in horror. "Are you wacked? That's disgusting! There's no way I'm burying myself in this…stuff!" The pigeon crooned loudly, making a dive straight for the courtyard.
"Oh, for flip's sake!" Tiny cried. He hopped off her shoulder. "Crikey, the things I do for my companions…"
"Wait, what do you-" Alexa gasped when she felt something give her a rough shove from behind, sending her face first into the trash pile.
"Stay down!" Tiny ordered, climbing atop her back and flattening himself as best he could. The huge pigeon gave another croon as it glided over the courtyard, searching for potential meals. Seeing none, the pigeon hovered for a moment before pulling back into the sky above Ring Rong Rell, leaving a mass of oversized grey feathers in its wake. After a few moments, a mouse hesitantly poked his head out of the trash, glancing around for any signs the bird was still nearby.
"Clear!" he finally called. The other mice emerged of out their hiding spots, brushing themselves free of loose trash.
"We're all good, lickety-Lex," Tiny told her, hopping off. She moaned in reply, slowly pushing herself out of the trash. Her entire tunic was covered in wrappers and stains, and various pieces of garbage were stuck in her hair. She gave a deathly glare to her fairy companion.
"Oh, k-knickers!" Tiny muttered, backing up. "I-I'm as good as gone, en' I? There goes my other antenna!"
"Don't…ever do that again," she seethed darkly. Tiny yelped.
"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!" He repeated, bowing his head franticly. "I-It was instinct, see?! Instinct! I-I didn't want that proper massive bird snatching you up, see? Aw, kn-knickers, please forgive meeee!"
Alexa watched his excessive apologies skeptically, than sighed.
"Well, I suppose you did save my life," she admitted. "And you're not nearly as annoying as that pirate kid. So I'll let you off. At least for now."
"Oh, thank flip!" Tiny exclaimed, getting back up instantly. "I knew you'd come around, lickety-Lex! Quite a wonderful human, you are! The best I have ever met! You have a fairy's eternal thanks!"
"Whatever," she huffed, shakily standing back up. She brushed as much trash off her tunic as she good, trying to ignore the stains. "Anyways, what was that mutant pigeon all about?"
"Dunno," Tiny admitted, climbing back onto her shoulder. "There were no giant pigeons last I came to Ding Dong Dell." He glanced back at the guard mice, who had now resumed their position in front of the entrance. "Ta, I suppose there's no use sticking around by 'ere. Tell you what, it's getting a bit late, so let's go hold up at the local inn and think this over for the night. Plus, maybe the innkeeper will know something about these beasties."
"Sure," Alexa agreed. She'd barely realized how fast time had gone by since arriving in this world, and a glance at the darkening sky revealed that it was around evening. She waded back through the filth, not caring as much as she originally had since Tiny had doused her in it. She left the courtyard and followed back down the path towards the entrance of the kingdom.
"There's the inn," Tiny told her, pointing to a shabby building just in front of the gates. "Let's go grab a place for the night."
"And hopefully a shower," Alexa added bitterly, wincing in disgust as she pulled a piece of a babana peel out of her hair. The door to the building gave a slight creak as she opened it. Inside, the lobby was dimly lit. There was a counter towards the back, but no cashier in sight.
"Well, this is proper weird," Tiny whispered back. "Usually these places have quite the…jubilant, of hosts."
"Um, hello?" Alexa called into the inn hesitantly. "Is anyone here?"
"M-mmyoh!" A pitiful mew came in response from behind the counter. Then a cat—a very human-looking cat—peaked out from behind, her paws trembling. Her hair, usually groomed and stylish, was disheveled and messy.
"W-welcome to the C-Cat's Cradle, a chain of p-p-purrfectly p-purremium inns," she rehearsed in a stammer, her gaze glued to the ground. "P-please enjoy your p-purrsonal stay here in Rrrr-Ring Rong Rell, f-free of charge!" She dipped her head to the travelers and dived back behind the counter.
"That's the inkeeper?" Alexa wondered.
"Oi, grimalkin!" Tiny demanded, hopping off Alexa and atop the counter. "What's wrong with you, lass? You're shaking like a Hog-Goblin in a pork roast!"
"It's this a-awful city!" she wailed, not coming back from her hiding place. "T-those rats won't let me leave! They come every night and demand I cook for them, then ravenously devour all my purrfectly purrpared food. Sometimes they even gnaw on the beds! Such vile guests! At least the little one with the glasses has the currtesy to leave me tips."
"Wait, where are the others?" Alexa spoke up. "The other people, I mean. And the grimalkins."
"I'm not sure," the innkeeper replied hesitantly, rising back up from the counter. "Aside from that other boy, you are the furrst purrson I've seen in a long time. Most were banished when King Tom was arrested by the Order, but no one knows where they went. I hope they're safe; the outskurrts of this kingdom have had an outbreak of poisonous monsters lately. I assume it is due to all the pollution here."
"I see," Alexa mused. "Ok. Also, if you don't mind, we'd like to spend the night at your inn."
"I'm sorry it is in such a disurrray," she mewed apologetically. "Normally, the Cat's Cradle is among the finest line of inns in the land."
"It's alright," Alexa insisted. "Oh, but I do have a question."
"Yes?"
"Do you know anything about the giant pigeons that live around here?"
"Hm? Oh, surre," the grimalkin nodded quickly, composing herself. "I'd say it's propurr punishment for those nasty rats. The burrds showed up not too long after King Hickory took power. I'm not surre where they came from. They've been looking to feast on the mice, I believe. It's been causing quite an issue for the king."
"Heh, rats with pigeon problems, eh?" Tiny scoffed. "There's ironic. Hey, lickety-Lex, I'll bet if we tame one of those pigeons, we can demolish this entire place in a clock tick!"
"Oh, but please don't do that!" the grimalkin spoke up, shaking her head. "While it's true that I hate what this kingdom has become, I have not lost all hope...that is, I do believe the citizens of Ding Dong Dell are out there and safe, and that King Tom will return someday. Purrhaps it is a foolish thought, but since the fall of the Dark Djinn I've had much greater faith in the world." Something about the grimalkin's words ignited a strong feeling with Alexa. The only other time she'd felt this way was when Father Oak had told her that she could potentially save her father. It was a fiery feeling, like a form of active, buzzing hope.
"No, we won't destroy it," Alexa promised. She met the gaze of the purrprietor with determination. "And ma'am, I promise to do all I can to restore Ding Dong Dell. I'm not my father, but…but I'll try my best."
"Thank you, dear." The grimalkin just managed a smile. "Seeing children like you and that other boy, full of courage and tenacity, reminds me why I hold onto this hope. Please enjoy your stay…as best you can." She handed them a key to a room.
"We will. Thanks." Alexa and Tiny made their way up the stairs to the rooms.
"There's no shower here?" Alexa realized when they reached the row of rooms. "Great, I have to sleep all grody, too." Tiny chose to ignore her, hopping inside the first room on the right.
"Well, it's not luxury," he observed. The beds had only thin sheets covering them, and true to the innkeeper's words, the two mattresses had a few places where the mice had nibbled on them. "But it'll just have to do for now, eh?"
Once they got settled, Alexa changed into one of the sleeping gowns provided and climbed atop one of the worn-out mattresses. The bed was hard, and she could feel the springs digging into her back, but she'd just have to deal with it. After a few minutes of tossing and turning uncomfortably, she rolled onto her back, staring up at the wooded ceiling. Her mind swam with the turbulent events of the day. She wasn't sure how she'd ended up with a wand back at home, or why the sky pirate in Morriban had bothered helping her. Hopefully those were questions that would be answered with time.
But for now, she had a fairy traveling companion, a familiar she had yet to use, a wand, and a quest. And the quest was daunting, beating any long-winded essay she'd had to write for school. It made her head pound just to consider how much more she'd have to go through before her journey reached an end. In retrospect, getting shoved into a pile of garbage was only the beginning.
"Psst! Hey, lickety-Lex," Tiny whispered, interrupting her thoughts. "You still awake?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
"Just a little something I noticed," he started. "When you started this journey earlier today, you said it was to save your father."
"Yeah…" Alexa trailed, confused by what he was getting at.
"But a bit ago, when we were with the purrprietor, you promised to restore Ding Dong Dell. You could probably save your father without helping out Ding Dong Dell, so the fact you offered was really admirable."
"Oh…" Alexa murmured, staring down at her hands. She had acted on that determined feeling without much thought, after seeing the desperation in the grimalkin's expression.
"Well, I'm tucking in for the evening. We've got a big day ahead of us, after all. Tidy-night," Tiny announced with a yawn.
"Night," Alexa replied half-heartedly, rolling onto her side. Truthfully, there was a part of her that wanted to help out this world…like her father had. It was hard to hear so many stories about it and not feel some sort of compassion for it.
But I'm not the Savior, Alexa reminded herself. That's dad. I'm just...me. Realistically, her dad should be the one embarking on this journey, not her. Back in Motorville, many thought of her a lonely, friendless, loser of a teenager. And though Alexa would never admit it, the description was fully accurate. She wasn't at all special, like her dad. And as she drifted into an unsettled sleep, guilt swelled within her heart when she realized why she had been thrust into this mess to begin with.
Dad can't help this world when they need him most, because he's been captured.
And it's all my fault.
