(Forest)

Duke and Eliot had left behind the girls and were wandering on their own again. The pack of wolves trailing obediently behind them. Suddenly, the tendrils hanging from Duke's arm began to glow.

"Uhh…that's not normal," Eliot said, "well to be fair, having a plant going out of you shoulder isn't normal but it has somehow become the normal for us in a messed up way!"

The vines shot down into the dirt and began to burrow. Duke was pulled down to the ground, but the vines kept growing and extending deeper through the soil. Eventually they recoiled and sprung back to their usual size, leaving a gaping tunnel into the underground.

"Whoa," Duke gasped. "Do you think we should go in?"

"Well no," Eliot replied, "but when have you ever—"

"Great, let's go!" Duke said as he grabbed Eliot by the risk and pulled him in.

Elsewhere, Montana and Raven stood together.

"I'm sorry about your friend," Raven said.

"It's okay," Montana replied, "Just a game…and now I've made a new friend: You!"

"Me?" Raven asked.

"Sure!" Montana said. "I need someone to travel the world with me! What do you say? Are you in!?"

"I guess so," Raven said, "I should warn you…a lot of my friends so far have…well died."

"Sounds like a challenge, right!" Montana said. "Now I've GOT to give it a try! Let's go!"

The girls walked forward, only to realize the forest was beginning to thin out.

"Wow, we really did run a long way, right," Montana remarked.

As the trees cleared away, they found themselves at the base of a towering mountain.

"I think we're supposed to go up," Montana said.


(Mountain)

Within the heart of the icy caves a small stream of water was drizzling out from the cracks of the rocks. It pooled together and then began to reform the shape of Ilona.

"Wha…what?" she moaned as her legs solidified.

She walked around and glanced at her new surroundings. She felt her body, but she didn't feel wet at all.

"How did…what even…" she stammered to herself.

She then focused on the shell in her hands. She tilted it around curiously.

"Well…that's interesting," she said.

Up in the fortress, Jodeina stood in the lookout tower with Mona and Hunter.

"We'll keep watch here for any other dangers that might be coming our way," she said. "Things are taking a dark turn. Yetis stealing children, pirates leaving the seas…"

She paused and seemed to pale.

"What is it?" Hunter asked.

Jodeina didn't answer though. Instead she left the room and urgently marched along the halls and stairs. Hunter and Mona quickly followed after her. Jodeina came to another room with a telescope set up. She peered into it.

"Oh no," she said. "This is bad."

"What is it?" Hunter asked.

"It looks like a fire," Mona said a she took a glance through the telescope as well.

"It's not a fire," Jodeina said. "It's a beacon. The Field City is in danger…not just any kind though, that beacon is only to be lit in times of dire peril…I've never in my lifetime seen it. We need to leave now."

"Leave…like right now?" Hunter asked. "What about protecting this location?"

"If the Fields City is in true danger, then so is the rest of the world," Jodeina said. "We can't waste any time, this takes all priority. There's a stable with horses down below, let's go, move, move!"

Over on his ship, Crazybeard was obsessively watching the fortress through his spyglass.

"Come on, show me yer secrets!" he growled.

"Uh, captain?" one of the men said.

"Aha!" Crazybeard exclaimed. "Now I've got ye!"

His view showed Jodeina, Hunter, Mona, and several other soldiers leaving the gates on horsebacks.

"Leaving the palace unprotected…those FOOLS!" Crazybeard boasted. "For my new crazy plan, we shall attack…when no one is there! They'll never see it coming!"

"Yeah, real crazy," one of the pirates remarked saracastically to another.

"I heard that!" Crazybeard snapped as he pulled a cord and suddenly a trapdoor opened beneath the pirate.

"Okay, I swear, this crew's size changes from day to day," Portia remarked.

"Eh, I've had a hard enough time telling apart which ones are real and which ones are in me head," Crazybeard replied.'


(Beach)

Rudy got into the plant craft and took off into the air again, leaving behind the sands of the beach. He took to the air and flew through the sky until the ocean was a distance behind him. He instead set his sights on the green fields with the towering city in the middle.

Meanwhile, Judie was still dragging Calvin behind her. The duo had entered a series of tunnels by now.

"Okay so…where are we going?" Calvin asked.

"Did I not make it clear that we've got a mountain to find!?" Judie snapped. "And these tunnels will lead us right to the heart of it all where we'll find treasure galore! We'll put those pirates to shame!"

"Sure, why not," Calvin just sighed.

Down below the water, Todd was tentatively exploring Leira's cave.

"Okay…creepy," he said as he made sure not to touch anything.

He crawled deeper into its crevices and suddenly found himself sleeping down a slope. The ground beneath him got steeper and steeper and soon he was just rolling down through the darkness and deep underground.


(Catacombs)

BonBon was exploring the chamber she had ended up in. It seemed covered in dust and untouched, there wasn't even any signs of death or bones. She still clutched her sword ready to fight though. As she continued, she heard something from behind her. She whirled around. She saw the pit of death acting up, bubbling and stirring.

"Oh no you don't, keep that evil to yourself!" BonBon shouted before lunging.

She saw something emerging from the swirling mass she readied her sword to plunge straight into it. The body flipped in front of her.

"Tada!" Teddy announced as he emerged.

BonBon stopped her attack just a speck off of ramming her sword through his face.

"Well, hey there!" she greeted, pulling the sword away. "Where the hell did you come from!?"

"No clue, no idea, not a bit!" Teddy replied. "And where even am I?"

"Aw, who knows," BonBon laughed. "Glad to meet ya, though, you're not some crazy chronic backstabber though, are ya?"

"No, I don't think so," Teddy said.

"Good! Because after a lot of soul searching I've come to a conclusion about myself," BonBon declared. "They're not my type!"

Up above, Austin and Mileva were standing in the middle of her altar.

"So what next?" Austin asked. "I'll get them this time, for sure!"

"We've already wasted far too much time accomplishing nothing here," Mileva said. "It's time to move on, it's time to make my conquest known to the world."

"Oooh…how we gonna do that?" Austin asked eagerly.

"One of my minions is already preparing the world for my return," Mileva said. "We will join him now and take strength from the pain and misery he has inflicted."

Mileva outstretched her hands and all the torches around them let up. A light seemed to glow down on them and the platform they were standing on began to rise. Just around the corner, Neil peered in on them.

"Oh…this is interesting," he remarked as he stepped towards the light.

In another part of the temple, Sylvander was desperately searching for a way back to the surface.

"We need to hurry, we don't have a second to waste," he said while searching every turn he could find.

"You still haven't told me what's going on?" Caleb said.

"Aha!" Sylvander exclaimed as he found a loose panel.

He pushed it free and cleared away an old passage. Sunlight trickled in. He quickly began climbing up.

"Come, come," he said.

"What about the girls?" Caleb asked.

"We can't afford to worry about them now," Sylvander replied.

Caleb reluctantly followed after Sylvander. The two returned to the desert. Sylvander quickly located their wagon and cut the horse loose.

"Get on we need to get back to that city," he said.

"If we're going to abandon the girls I'd like to at least know what we're up against," Caleb said.

"Very well," Sylvander said "Are you familiar with a Ghoul? It's a creature that can take the form of its last kill…and I believe it may have taken the lives of my aunt and her companions…and we let it into the city. It can cause immense damage, our city is virtually defenseless, so that is why we need to get back there now! Now come on!"


(The Sky)

Chris looked down at the different locations. Caleb and Sylvander rushed to the Field from one direction, while Jodeina led a small army with Mona and Hunter coming from another side. Rudy piloted his craft in from the beach. Just before the city gates, a white glow deposited Austin and Neil on the ground.

Up on the mountain Montana and Raven ascended from one side, while Calvin and Judie ascended from another. And down in the catacombs, Duke and Eliot dropped down into the maze from their tunnel, while Todd made his way into the same from his tumble.

"Welcome, Final 18, to the third stage of this game!" Chris said. "One I like to call…Heroes Vs Villains! In each region there will be three heroes and three villains, you will share opposing goals. The side to complete their task will win immunity while the losers won't be able to move on until one of them is dead…of course before the task is complete, anyone is fair game. Now are you ready for this break down…"

Chris paused for dramatic effect.

"In the Field, the Heroes are…Caleb, Hunter, and Mona," he announced, "versus the Villains, Austin, Neil, and Rudy. The Heroes' task is to defeat the Ghoul before the city falls, if the Ghoul successfully destroys the city, though, then the villains win."

"I can't help but feel like we're at the disadvantage here," Hunter sighed.

"Up in the Mountains," Chris continued, "our Heroes will be…Raven, Montana, and Ilona, up against the Villains, Judie, Calvin, and Portia! The Villains are after the Mountain Treasure, which opens only once during the blue moon tonight! Get it before the moon passes and you win, if not then it's point to the Heroes!"

"Alright, it's Hero Time!" Montana cheered.

"And lastly, down in the Catacombs," Chris continued, "Todd, BonBon, and Teddy will be the Heroes against Duke, Eliot, and Missy! The Heroes need to figure out how to perform a ritual that will trap Mileva back in her prison. The villains need to figure out how to stop this from happening."

"Wait what…WHAT!?" Missy snapped. "There…this…there must be some mistake…a glitch...SOMETHING!? This CAN'T be right this is all wrong, wrong, WRONG! Why am I on the Villains? I'm not a Villain? I'm saintly! Chris is this some sort of sick joke!? It's not funny! It's messed up and emotionally scarring!"

"Good luck!" Chris concluded.


(Field)

Austin turned around to face Neil, now sitting in the grass, who had hijacked his way up with them.

"Aha, it's you!" he exclaimed as he grabbed him by the shoulders. "Well, you just made a big mistake!"

"I think you're the one who's about to make a mistake," Neil said calmly. "You heard Chris, we're on the same side now. Let's help each other out."

"Who says I need help!?" Austin demanded.

"You do need help," Mileva whispered in his ear. "Let him live, we could have a use for him."

"On second thought, maybe I could find a use for you!" Austin said.

"That's the spirit," Neil replied.

On the other side of the plains, the small army led by Jodeina merged with Caleb and Sylvander on their horse. The two groups stopped to meet.

"General Jodeina," Sylvander greeted. "It is good to see you here, I believe the city will need all the help it can get."

"Let's hope we can actually be of any help," Jodeina said. "My I introduce you to two of my most trusted new soldiers."

Jodeina presented Hunter and Mona.

"Most trusted?" said one of the other soldiers. "What about the rest of us? They only just got here."

"Hush, you're not plot relevant like the rest of us," Hunter scoffed.

"I'm sure you will bring all the strength of the Mountain with you," Sylvander said. "I have met a new friend of my own. May I present Sir Caleb."

"Well this is all a very cosmic coming together," Mona remarked. "I can feel the forces of good converging at this very point."

"Let's not get too confident," Hunter said. "Something tells me this will be anything but easy."


(Mountain)

Montana and Raven hiked up the mountain, getting colder and colder the higher they climbed.

"Alright, adventure!" Montana cheered. "Woo, bring it on!"

"How are you not cold?" Raven asked as she shivered.

"I've faced the most extreme of climates, right!" Montana said. "It's gonna take a little more than some snow to make me flinch, right. Ya hear that, mountain!? Give me all you got!"

"Or you know…don't," Raven chimed in. "Give us just a little bit."

"Oh hey, I was thinking," Montana said before tossing Roquette's bow to Raven, "Why not try your hand at that? I already got my trusty boomerang, right. Figured you might be better off with it."

"Hm," Raven said as she twirled the bow between her hands. "I could give it a shot. Just holding it, I already feel like Kitnass Neverdyne!"

"Who?" Montana asked.

"Kitnass Neverdyne," Raven repeated. "You know, from The Games of Hunger?"

"Never heard of it!" Montana replied.

"I didn't know that was possible," Raven gasped. "I love books, though. I love getting immersed in the adventure of it all."

"Well I love getting immersed in REAL adventure! Not just sitting around reading about other people's stories, right!" Montana said. "And now you're on your own adventure!"

"I guess I am," Raven said with determination.

She raised her bow and fired an arrow. It wavered in the air and awkwardly dropped way off of its mark.

"Um…I'll work on that," she said.

Meanwhile, Judie and Calvin were scaling a rough mountain face, covered in ice.

"Why are we doing this again?" Calvin asked. "There's a perfectly good path right over there."

"Never take the easy route," Judie scoffed. "You know who take the easy route? Normal people! We're gonna spend every chance we get doing things the hard way so that it becomes the new easy and then when easy people come at us they'll be…too easy!"

"Yeah okay I understood none of that," Calvin replied. "What else is new."

"Let's talk about this treasure!" Judie said. "If you were a treasure where would you be hiding?"

"I don't know!" Calvin said. "Uh, under an X?"

"It's exactly that in the box old fashioned thinking that's keeping us from making progress!" Judie snapped. "Try harder!"

"Uhhh.." Calvin said.

"Bzzt, too slow!" Judie snapped. "How do you expect to make those breakneck decisions if you can't even answer a simple question!?"

"You're making this question anything but simple," Calvin pouted, "I gave you an answer and—"

"I was just asking your opinion!" Judie said. "Just because it's wrong doesn't give you any right to start stalling!"

"But you told me try again," Calvin said.

"No I said 'try harder' that doesn't necessarily mean try again," Judie said. "Sometimes you gotta hold your ground!"

"Okay fine, if we're looking for treasure, it's under an X," Calvin said. "Final answer."

"I said 'sometimes' you unbelievable idiot!" Judie snapped. "This is NOT one of those times!"


(Catacombs)

"This…this…this isn't right!" Missy screamed as she paced the catacombs. "This is the most messed up, mishandling of a situation since…since…I don't know, there's nothing in human history to possibly even compare this too! AARGGHH!"

Missy began grabbing at bricks and rocks and tossing them against the wall angrily.

"I just rid this game of one of the most dangerous and heartless villains it's ever seen!" she ranted. "I am helping make this a better place! I am doing what no one else could! Why does that make me a villain!? WHY!? WHYYYYY!?"

Duke and Eliot came up behind her uneasily.

"Uh…hi?" Duke asked.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" Missy screamed with bloodshot eyes.

"Well, uh…we're all on the same team now, right?" Duke said. "Maybe we should work together so we can all get through this."

"Why would I EVER want to work with you!?" Missy hissed before shoving Duke down. "You're a VILLAIN! Chris even said so!"

"But, so are you," Eliot pointed out while Duke desperately tried to signal to him to shut up.

"NO. I'M. NOOOOOOTTTTTT!" Missy screamed. "That was a mistake! That was an error! I'm not vile like you scum! I will KILL you!"

Missy lunged at Eliot but one of his wolves reached her first and pinned her to the ground. Eliot instructed it to let her up though.

"This isn't over!" Missy spat as she backed up. "I won't give into your dark temptation! Not once!"

Meanwhile, BonBon and Teddy were walking through a dark hallway. Unlike the above, it seemed sturdier, more untouched. The two followed the path to an arch. They entered what seemed like a crypt. In the center was a sarcophagus with a large lock in the middle of it.

"I know what I must do!" Teddy exclaimed as he rushed towards the lock with his key pulled out.

"Shouldn't we talk about this before—" BonBon tried to say but Teddy was already quick to turn the key and allow the lock to click open.

The top of the coffin lifted off. Dust emerged as it was released from the interior. Then a wrapped body creakily emerged from the bed. BonBon clutched her blade as the figure stood up.

"I…am…" he announced with a raspy voice. "…The mummy!"

"The mummy?" BonBon asked. "That's it? You don't even have a real name?"

"Well, obviously I had a real name!" The mummy snapped. "I was probably Pharaoh or something important like that. Excuse me but my brains are currently strewn among my intestines so maybe I'm not going to remember little details like that after a few millennia!"

"Okay, chill!" BonBon exclaimed.

"I DO remember something very important, though," The mummy said. "I'm here to help you seal away Mileva."

(To Be Continued…)