Chapter 11: New Toys
(Will's POV)
Once Jack was gone, I followed Al into Dr. Finkelstein's private lab. He was bent over the table tinkering with something. Al, however, was hovering over his shoulder, shifting back and forth like a curious cat, and meowing like one too. Three, two, one…
"Do you mind!? I'm trying to work here!" Dr. Finklestein shouted at her.
Al backed away, head bowed, staring at him with big, pouty eyes. "Merow?"
I sighed and shook my head. "Come on, Ally. Let the nice doctor work on his new invention."
"Unhappy kitty…" Al pouted. "I'm gonna go pout." She walked over to the window and began toying with the metal claw she'd acquired.
"So Doc," I asked, peering over to see what he was working on. "What exactly is this thing you're working on?"
"Oh, this is quite something," Finkelstein replied. "This will really scare those monsters out of the pumpkins, and anything else they might be hiding in."
"So, why do we need to go through the Pumpkin Patch?" Al asked.
"I was wondering that too. I mean, Jack said we need to check on the Holiday Doors, and I know those are in the Hinterlands, so can't we go past Spiral Hill?"
"Well, yes, but there's a faster way across the bridge in the Pumpkin Patch," Dr. Finklestein explained. "But if Oogie has figured that out, the area may be heavily guarded."
"Good thing I got a replacement for Chopper," Al said, tossing her new weapon into the air.
"But that isn't coated with the ghost potion the witches put on our other weapons," I reminded her. That resulted in an immediate Al facepalm.
"Well, at least our other weapons are still good." I drew out my katanas and swirled them around. "If any ghosts come at you, I'll just use these on 'em."
"And I'll use Sledgie Baby. Oh! And Macho got himself an upgrade!" Al sang, drawing the still glowing machete. "He's a lightsaber now!"
I smiled. Only Al could find a way to get herself a machete-lightsaber. As I went to sheath my katanas, I noticed that the blades were beginning to dull, and even chip in some areas. It must have been due to all the skeletons we'd been fighting. If we were going to be of any more help, I needed to find something to sharpen up my blades. I looked around before turning back to Dr. Finklestein.
"Hey Doc, got anything I can sharpened these with?" I asked, holding out my katanas.
With a frustrated sigh, Finklestein turned his chair around and wheeled over to look at my swords. He took one from me to give it a thorough examination. He turned it over, running a gloved finger over the blade. He shook his head.
"No, no! These will never do," he exclaimed. "It's a miracle you managed to make it this far without getting killed. One more attack and this antique won't serve you any good. You better give these over to me." Before I could answer, he took my other katana and wheeled back to his worktable. He then pressed a button and spoke into a mic. "Igor! Get over here, and bring me the scrap pile in the back!"
When he went back to work, Finklestein set aside his previous project and began fiddling with my katanas. "Allison, you'd better let me have a look at your weapons," he said over his shoulder. "If they're in any shape like this, yours will need work as well."
"Like hell!" Al protested. "I lost Chopper, I'm not losing my other babies!"
I rolled my eyes. "Al, unless you want to end up like Chopper, just give the man your hammer and machete."
"No!"
I felt the vein in my head throb, so instead of arguing, I walked over and took the machete and the claw from her belt. She reached for them, but I threw the claw to the side. As she chased after it, I plucked the sledgehammer off her back. She turned to protest, but I quickly made my way to the doctor and set the weapons down on the table.
"Thank you. Now, get out!"
"No problem." I grabbed Al's arms and dragged her out of the room. I figured while Dr. Finklestein worked, Al and I could figure out what to do next. With how everything was occurring, we needed a better strategy for our next move. I had a sense of déjà vu from when I wanted to stop Jack from taking over Christmas. All that got me was a broken toy chainsaw and getting captured by Oogie Boogie. Still, I couldn't let Jack and the others know that they were just movie characters. That was one headache I didn't want to deal with. For now, I just needed to figure out a way to help without revealing I'd seen this all in a video game.
As we left, we saw Igor coming in with his box of biscuits in one hand, and dragging a wagon with the other. The wagon was filled with all kinds of things: bones, scrap metal, and some electrical wiring. He smiled as he walked past us, but paused and took the metal claw from Al's hands. He tossed it on the pile before disappearing into Finklestein's lab. When the doors shut and we heard the click of the lock, Al went into a rage.
"The hell Will?! Those were my babies! And you took them from me!"
"Sorry but I think we have bigger issues than your lack of inanimate children," I scolded. "Al, this whole thing, it's exactly like the video game."
Her eyes got wide. "Oh wow…you're right… But I'm still grumpy at you for this…and where the hell is my cookie!?"
"Forget the cookie, there is no cookie. Here, check my bag for yourself." I handed her the bag, which she quickly started rummaging through, muttering under her breath. I quickly made a dive as she tossed out the potion vials and the miniaturized Holiday Doors. I managed to catch the potions, but the doors scattered across the floor.
"Ally!"
"I am so grumpy with you right now!" she hissed at me, walking away from the bag in disgust. I rolled my eyes and picked up the doors. Placing everything back into the bag, I then took out the shrinking potion. Fumbling for the doors reminded me I still had to collect the St. Patrick's Door. After shrinking the door, and placing it and the potion in the appropriate pockets, I turned to Al and sighed.
"Look, when we get home I'll… I'll make you a batch of double chocolate chip M&M cookies, okay?"
"You better…" Al muttered, still pouting slightly but a little more appeased by the promise of her favorite cookie.
"I will, but no more trying to rip my new bag apart," I warned with a smile. She flashed me a cheeky grin but left the bag alone. "Okay, so can we talk about our next plan?"
"Yea. Let's get everything figured out before we run headlong into something stupid," Al said, surprising me. She was usually the one charging forward wildly.
"Don't start without us." We turned to see Jack and Sally entering the lab. His arm was wrapped around Sally's shoulders, but I noticed Jack had changed and was now wearing a Santa Claus outfit. Now I definitely felt like we had stepped into the game.
"Nice duds Bone Daddy," Al said, winking and giving him two thumbs up.
"Oh, thank you," Jack said, slightly blanching. "Sally made it for me."
I couldn't resist teasing a little. "So, another suit, huh? Gee Sally, wherever did you find the time to take Jack's measurements?"
I chuckled at her blush and she quickly answered, "Oh! I, well I, I had my notes from the last suit I made him. Though this one is a little different." She laughed nervously and I smiled at our little inside joke.
"So, has the Doctor finished with that scaring device yet?" Jack asked, changing topics.
"Nope, he actually hijacked our weapons and went to tinker with them," I said.
"He hijacked? More like you did…" Al muttered.
"Let it go, Al. I'm already indebted one cookie batch. I'm not going any higher." She glared playfully at me but smiled all the same.
Just then the doors to Dr. Finklestein's lab opened up. He wheeled himself out while Igor brought out the wagon, now covered with new inventions. Dr. Finklestein took one look at Jack and smiled.
"Ho, ho! That outfit really suits you! I completed the scare device." He gestured to Igor who brought Jack a large burlap bag. Taking the bag, Jack reached inside and pulled out a box that looked like the jack-on-the-box Clown made during the "Making Christmas" song. Before Jack could speak, Dr. Finklestein said, "If I told you what's in it though, that would ruin the surprise! Hide this in your Sandy bag, and use it to stun Oogie's Monsters!"
I laughed until I noticed the hard look on Al's face, silently demanding the return of her weapons. I put my hand on her shoulder and waited for the Doctor to present us with our modified weapons.
"Now for you Will, I made some improvements." He handed me my swords. The blades looked much sharper now and were slightly larger than before. I tested one out and jumped back. The mad scientist had given my katanas segmented retractable blades that curved out across a great distance. They wrapped around a metal pillar and broke it in two. I pulled back and the blade returned to normal.
"Nice blades Willy Girly," Al commented.
"Indeed, but that's not all. I added iron and a little rock salt into the blades to make them harder. Not only will they less likely to dull and chip on bone, but the salt will also burn the ghosts like acid. And now for you, Allison." Dr. Finklestein turned and Igor handed him a long pole. "I noticed the blade that struck you still held an electrical charge, so I combined it with your hammer and added some upgrades."
"You put Sledgie Baby and Macho… TOGETHER?!" Al asked rather frantically.
"Oh, I think you'll find this device to be exciting," Dr. Finklestein assured her, handing her the new weapon. I was impressed by what I saw. The Mad Doctor had transformed Al's sledgehammer and machete into what looked like some type of voulge styled Lochaber axe. The blade from the machete had been removed and attached to one end of the sledgehammer, continuing to glow red and black as it pulsated with electricity. The hammerhead had been equipped with a butt spike to act as a counterweight to the blade.
Al gapped at the weapon before taking it in her hands. She fingered the staff and stopped when she came to a small red button. Pressing down on it, a large bolt of electricity burst from the blade end and struck the far wall. When the smoke cleared, leaving a very large black scorch mark on the wall. "Is it still part lightsaber?" she asked quietly.
Ignoring her question, Dr. Finklestein said, "I knew it would be an improvement, but I do have one more thing. Just something I've been tinkering with since last Christmas. Igor!"
"Yes, Master." Igor reached into the wagon for the last item. As he pulled it out, I was surprised at what I saw. Though the paint had changed from a dingy yellow to a series of reds, oranges, and yellows to look like flames. The mechanical saw's blade was now jet-black, and the teeth set on a chain around the edge of the blade seemed a lot sharper.
I couldn't believe my eyes. "That's my toy chainsaw! I thought Lock, Shock, and Barrel smashed it to pieces."
"Oh, you're right," I heard Sally say. "I remember. Will, didn't you use that thing to chase those three last Christmas so I could sneak into Oogie's lair to rescue Mr. Claws?"
"Yeah, it was supposed to be a birthday present for Al."
"Present?!" Al stopped playing with her new toy and ran over to inspect the newly modified chainsaw. Her eyes went wide, and a small tear was in her eye. "You got me a chainsaw?"
"Yep, I got you a real life Bertha," I said proudly, then sighed. "Well, I wanted to give it to you, but those brats trashed it. Doc, how did you…"
"Quite easily," Dr. Finklestein explained. "When I sent Igor out to find me new materials, he brought back this thing. A little reverse engineering and I was able reconstruct it. Luckily I had it hidden away before my brain was replaced. I couldn't imagine what awful things Oogie would have done had he gotten his hands on this device."
"That would have been really bad?" Al asked, reaching for the chainsaw.
"Ah, ah." Dr. Finklestein pulled back the chainsaw from Al's eager fingers. "First I should warn you that this is no longer a toy, but quite a powerful device. For one thing, you might have noticed the blade is much more durable and the teeth are sharper."
"Yea. She looks pretty rough and ready to go," Al said, wiggling her fingers in anticipation.
"Ah, but that's not the best part," Finklestein continued.
"Ooo! Tell me more!" she said
"Dr. Finklestein, what exactly did you do to it?" Sally asked.
"Well my dear, I believe a demonstration is better suited to answer that. But I suggest you stand back for this."
Nodding her head, Sally took a few steps back, Jack standing in front of her. With that in mind, I eagerly joined them. Anything with Al plus chainsaw could only equal trouble. I watched from the safe zone as Dr. Finklestein handed Al the chainsaw. He told her to turn it on when he gave the signal. Then he wheeled his chair back before telling her to start it. Al pulled the crank cord and the engine roared to life…but that wasn't all. As soon as Al activated it, the blade burst into flames, erupting into a fiery inferno. I worried that the fire would consume her, but the flames never touched her skin. Jack, Sally, and I were impressed to say the least, but Al was absolutely thrilled with her new toy.
"It's on fire!" she shrieked happily, bouncing a little bit.
"I think she likes it," I muttered, earning a nod from the couple next to me. "So… Can we go try out our new toys now? I worry Al might do some remodeling if we don't leave soon."
"This sucka could cut through anything!" Al shrieked in excitement. She slashed it through the air before stilling and flicking the chainsaw off. The fire died down but it still looked vicious, even asleep.
"Hmm, yes, please get this girl out of my lab before she destroys it," Finklestein sneered. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have important matters to attend to. Igor!"
"Coming Master." Scientist and lab assistant left, leaving the rest of us alone.
Jack decided then to take control. "Alright, we need to get to the Pumpkin Patch. Will, are you and Al ready to go?"
"Yea, just let me go calm down Ms. Chainsaw Massacre over there." I pointed over to wear Al continued to slash the air with her chainsaw. "You two might wanna get your stuff ready."
"About that." Jack turned to Sally and took her hands in his own. "Sally, I would feel better if you stayed here."
"But Jack–" Sally protested.
"Sally, I mean it. Its too dangerous for you, and…"
"Uh, excuse me?" I interrupted. Apparently Jack and Sally had forgotten I was standing right between them. Then again, not so much. They are taller then me, so I was an easy miss. I looked up and smiling, thinking this couldn't be any more awkward.
"Not that this isn't fun, but uh… I'm gonna let you two handle this," I said, slowly backing away. I quickly stepped over to Al. She was still playing with her new chainsaw when I put my hand on her shoulder. "Look out, lover's quarrel at three o'clock."
She instantly stopped cuddling with her chainsaw and started to watch with fascination. Luckily, Jack and Sally had their focus back on themselves.
"Now that the Doctor is himself again, I know you'll be safe if you stay here," Jack insisted.
"Jack, I…"
"Sally, please understand," he pleaded. "If anything were to happen to you, I couldn't live with myself. I need to know you will be safe. And knowing you're here, safe and waiting for me; I promise you, I will do all I can to stop Oogie before he does any more harm, and come back to you."
"Awe!" We didn't realize we had said that out loud until Jack and Sally looked at Al and I. I noticed the blush creep over both of them, and Jack made a gesture that said, 'Can we have a little privacy?' Now I felt a blush on my face.
"Well… We'll just…go wait outside," I said, pulling on Al's arm. "Come on."
"But, but, but!" Al protested but I kept a firm grip. I went to the elevator and pulled Al in, hitting the down button.
"I wanna watch!" Al whined.
"Who says we won't?" I smirked and hit the button again. The elevator came to a halt far enough down that we could still hear the conversation. "Now we can still listen without being caught."
"Good plan," Al said, listening intently. We quieted down and tried to catch the last of the conversation.
"I wish I could go with you," Sally said sadly.
"Sally, please try to understand," Jack beseeched.
"But I do understand. You have to stop Oogie… I would just be in the way."
"No, never!" There was a pause. My guess would be Jack had taken Sally in his arms, but I couldn't tell. If only I'd remembered to pack my phone, then we could have seen what was happening. Then I remembered Al never went anywhere without hers, though it was a long shot she would have grabbed it for this adventure.
"Hey," I whispered. "Got your phone?"
"Yea, he's right here," Al replied, pulling out her phone.
I took the phone and set it to the camera function. Carefully I lifted it up to where we could see Jack and Sally. I had been right and Jack had drawn Sally into his embrace. His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, and her back was flush against his chest. Her hands came up to rest over his as she leaned back to lay her head against his shoulder. Jack's skull was nestled against her right shoulder. His eyes were close and he just held her, looking like he never wanted to let her go.
"This is better than my shows," Al whispered.
"I know, now shh!" I shushed her, and Jack began to speak again.
"Sally, you are my dearest friend, and I love you so much. I can't afford to lose you, my love. Please, promise me you'll stay here." He leaned over and kissed the stitching along her right cheek. "Promise me?"
"Jack, I–"
Dibidi ba didi
Dou dou
Dibidi ba didi dou dou
Didi didldildidldidl
Houdihoudi dey dou
All of us jumped at the sound of Al's phone going off. Al and I ducked to the floor of the elevator, hoping we hadn't been spotted. In the process, I stumbled with the phone, and the stupid thing locked itself.
"Make it shut up!" Al said, hastily.
"I'm trying," I yelled back. I kept trying for the answer button, but Al's phone was being ridiculous again.
Dibidi ba didi
Dou dou
Dibidi ba didi dou dou
"Turn it off!" Al hissed.
Didi didldildidldidl
Houdihoudi dey dou
YEHAAAW!
Finally I was able to hit the answer button, harshly whispering, "WHAT!?"
Well, hello to you too… It was Kat. I forgot she said she call to tell us about her trip.
"No offense Kat, but you have really bad timing," I groaned, looking up for any sign we'd been caught.
Well, excuse me for calling… Kat replied. What are you doing anyway?
"Spying on some friends cuddling," Al replied.
Uummmm…
The sound of footsteps caused Al and I to freeze. The steps stared to get closer. Panicking, I hit the button to get the elevator moving. It started to move, but it was slower than I wanted. Al panicked and began hitting the button frequently, but it still went at a slow pace.
"So… H-How are you? Everything good in Mexico?" I asked, desperate to change the subject. I doubt I could keep the panic out of my voice, but apparently Kat didn't notice.
Oh, ya know…sitting here, in the sun, by the pool, in Mexico…having a drink, getting my tan on… Internet here is soo expensive.
If only she knew what we had to deal with.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh, good." The footsteps were getting louder, and the elevator was taking its sweet time. Finally it came to the bottom and Al and I rushed out. "Look can we call ya back. This is a really bad time right now."
Sure..as long as its before beer:30, she laughed.
"For sure. You're no fun to talk to when you're drunk," Al joked.
"Yeah, what she said. Great, so later and Feliz Navidad," I said, trying to hide my panic.
Great.. Now that song is stuck in me head…adios!
"Bye." I hung up and let out the breath I'd been holding. Suddenly, the elevator began to move, heading back up to the lab. I looked at Al. She was panting and looked at me, then at the ramp. I got the idea. Run!
We ran down the ramp and into the kitchen. We paused there and tried to catch our breath. "That…was close…" I said.
"I'd say. That was almost closer than looking for Christmas presents in my parents house," Al said, breathing hard as well.
"You should learn to have more ghostlike stealth is you want to avoid being caught."
"Aaaah!" Al and I screamed. We looked behind us to see Jack standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. He had a rather annoyed expression on his face, reminding me of the mistletoe incident.
"So…" I said awkwardly. "I take it Sally is staying here?"
"Yes," Jack replied. "She's going to help Dr. Finklestein repair Jewel. Apparently Oogie removed and corrupted her brain in order to control him. He thinks he can salvage it, but there's a good chance he may need to start over."
"Well, that kinda sucks…" Al said, actually feeling sorry for the Doctor and Jewel. "So, where are we off to now?"
"The Pumpkin Patch of course," Jack said, though by the look on his face, he was clearly annoyed at catching us spying on him and Sally.
"Well, then what are we standing around here for?" I started backing towards the door. "Christmas is only a few hours away, and we got a rampaging Bug Sack to stop. Lets go, people."
Before Jack could respond, Al and I bolted out the door. With the barrage of Oogie's maniacal to monsters, it was a quick trip from the lab to the Town Square. It seemed clear of any threats, but Jack took the lead and rounded the corner leading to the Pumpkin Patch. I felt my pulse quicken as I remembered my previous encounter with those ghouls. It had been nearly impossible for me to fight them without the special potion Helgamine put on our weapons. I just hoped our modified weapons would work.
The moment we stepped foot into the Pumpkin Patch, the ghouls attacked. They popped out from the pumpkins, clawing and screeching at us. Jack tried to fight them off with the Soul Robber, but the darn things swarmed like angry bees. Al and I couldn't even grab at our weapons.
"Run for it!" I yelled. We covered our heads and ran past them. Every time we ran past a pumpkin, another ghost would pop out. One popped through the ground and sent Al flying on her back.
"Al!" Jack ran back and helped her to her feet. "You alright?"
Al groaned. "Yeah, I'm fine. After being tossed by Cessario into a wall, nothing really hurts anymore."
"Hey Jack, now would be a good time to play Santa, don't ya think?" I asked, ducking as a ghost swooped over my head.
"Right, Dr. Finklestein's scare device." Jack tapped a pin on his jacket and suddenly turned into his Sandy Claws persona.
"Do you really need to be in that outfit to use the presents?" Al asked.
Ignoring her, Jack reached for his bag and drew out a present. He tossed it at the ghost. It landed in front of them and once it touched the ground, it acted like a jack-in-the-box toy; a frightening clown popped out, scaring the ghosts surrounding it. Jack quickly changed back and used the Soul Robber to dispatch them. As more ghosts appeared, Al and I decided to try out our new toys.
Al went first. She gripped the handle of her halberd before charging at the stunned ghosts. The blade sliced through the ghosts like butter, making them disappear. "Whoa baby!" she sang, going crazy on the ghosts.
"Way to go!" I cheered. "My turn."
I whipped out my blades and waited for the ghosts to spot me. Three of them came charging and I readied myself. Once they were close enough, I slashed at the one on my right. The blade slithered out and wrapped around the ghost. It shrieked in pain as the embedded rock salt began to burn it. I smiled and then pulled back to slam the ghost into his buddies, dispatching all three of them.
"Girls, get down!" Jack shouted. We hit the dirt as Jack began to do his spin attack, using one of the ghosts like a mace to fend of an ambush of ghosts. He got all but two, which had sunk into the ground to avoid an attack.
"Try another present!" I yelled.
Jack nodded and switched to his Sandy suit again. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out a blue present with white polka dots and orange ribbon.
The ghosts popped up from the ground, one on each side of us. Jack threw the present toward the ghost on the left. When the present touched the ground, two snow-covered pumpkins sprang out and there was a flash of white. When I opened my eyes, the ghost had been encased in a block of solid ice.
Seeing the other ghost was trapped, the second one charged at Jack. But Al was quicker. Dropping her halberd, she grabbed her chainsaw and sliced through the ghost. It screamed before bursting into flames. Finally we were all able to catch our breath.
"This chainsaw kicks ass!" Al yelled happily, revving the engine before flicking it off. She picked up her halberd and replaced it in its holder on her back.
"The bridge is just over this hill," Jack said. He started to walk over, but stopped. "What has happened?!"
"What's wrong, Jack?" I asked.
"Look at that!" He pointed to the field. I walked to his side and saw the mess. All the pumpkins were scatted, and some were either smashed, rotten or about to rot, and there were vines strung all over the place.
"I've got to get to the bottom of this!" Jack jumped off the hill and took off.
"Jack! What about– Oh, forget it." I sighed and turned to Al. "Come on, we better go after him."
"Serious A.D.O.S. problems," Al commented, jumping off the hill.
"You're telling me." I jumped down after her and we raced to find Jack. When we spotted him, he wasn't alone. There was a large zombie-like figure wearing blue overalls and yellow gloves, and there was an axe sticking out of his head. It was Behemoth, the guy who scared the cottontail of the Easter Bunny.
Al and I ran over just as Jack walked up to him. "Behemoth! The Pumpkin Patch is a mess!"
"It's the bad'uns," Behemoth said. "They ruin it… Break the bridge."
We looked around him, and saw the bridge. The center of the cobblestone had been completely smashed in. There was no way to cross it, not even on the Soul Robber. Looking down, the current of the river was too fast, so crossing through that was not an option.
"I wonder if we could jump it…" Al said, taking a few steps back, getting ready to jump.
"No you don't!" I said, pulling back on her arm.
"The Big Pumpkin Head," Behemoth continued. "Bad'uns eat it too. My precious pumpkins…"
We looked over at the other side of the bridge and saw an enormous pumpkin, perhaps the size of a three-storey house. The giant thing looked frightening with its carved sinister smile, but it also looked like it was wilting.
"We need to stop Oogie's monsters from completely destroying it," Jack said.
"Well, unless we can cross this river, we are tough out of luck… Hey, I got an idea!" Al said, thinking fast. "Is there anything equine-like in this town?"
"No, nothing like that," Jack answered. "There's no choice. We'll have to go the long way to reach the Big Pumpkin Head."
"Joy, more walking," Al said, frowning.
"Come on, it won't be so bad," I answered. Al gave me a skeptical look, so I explained, "Oogie might have hidden a door in there. Besides, pumpkins are an essential part of Halloween. We can't let them be destroyed."
"Okay, lets go."
"Come on!" Jack called. We took off down the path. Jack seemed to have an idea of where we were going, but it took us up and over a few hills. As we kept running, we heard a familiar feline screech.
"Oh no, not again!" I groaned.
Hello? Testing… Testing… 1, 2, 3. Am I on? Big surprise, it was Oogie Boogie's voice on the microphone again. A-Ahem! Denizens of Oogie Town! Jack has returned! According to the reports…heh heh…he's enjoying our dangerous Oogie Town so much he's screaming in horror! Rejoice! This is all thanks to your efforts! Ba ha ha ha!
"More like screaming for you to shut up!" Al raged, revving her chainsaw.
Barrel, my star pupil, my prodigal son, my shining star. Be a good boy and finish the work your half-witted, half-pint, half-alive playmates could not. Because if you don't there's more than half a chance I'll be very, very, very ANGRY!
When the announcement was over we came to the top of a hill. Below us the river's current was faster, but this time there was a stone outcrop in the center.
Jack grabbed Al and I and once we were holding tight to him, he used the Soul Robber to swing us over to the other side. Once our feet touched the ground, we quickly parted as a gargoyle shot maces at us. While Jack tried to destroy it, a Troll Skeleton appeared. It roared and lumbered toward us. Al revved her chainsaw and charged at the creature. I was about to assist her, when a ghost jumped out in front of me. I jumped back and slashed at the poltergeist with my swords, not needing the snake-blades with such a close range attack. While I took out the ghost, Jack had snuck over and helped Al beat the Troll Skeleton. Once it was gone, more ghosts began to appear.
We decided not to bother with them, so we kept on running. We ran until Jack stopped us at another river crossing. More ghosts surrounded it, but they were easily dispatched. Jack was about ready to help us cross, when another Troll Skeleton appeared. This time I used my segmented blades and wrapped them around the Troll's legs. It fell backwards, dropping its club as it hit the ground with a large thud. Jack grabbed the club with the Soul Robber and used it to bash the Troll Skeleton right back into the ground. However, another one spawned and began to beat back.
"I got this sucker," Al said, taking her halberd in on hand and her active chainsaw in the other. Throwing her head back and laughing insanely, she charged towards the Troll. Rather surprised by her reckless charge, the Troll paused before meeting her attack. Fainting left, Al used her halberd as a pole and vaulted onto the Troll's back before beheading him with her chainsaw.
As his corpse dropped to the ground, another Troll Skeleton appeared, along with three more ghosts.
"What the chiz?! When I put them down, they need to stay down!" Al said, getting extremely annoyed.
"No kidding," I said as a ghost tried to swipe at me. I managed to beat it, just as Jack knocked the second Troll to the ground. As it tried to get up to retrieve its club, Jack whipped the Soul Robber at it until the Troll Skeleton shattered to pieces. Then he picked up the club again, and swung it at the ghosts. He got a few, and Al managed to get the rest with her chainsaw. Once they were gone, Jack had us grab onto him again and, swung the three of out to the outcrop. We let go and ran a few feet, before Al and I grabbed Jack again, swung over the river to the other bank. Once on solid ground, we paused to rest.
"Well, we made it," Jack said. "The Big Pumpkin Head is just through those thickets." He pointed to the path we had to take.
"Again, horses would be nice," Al said, sitting down and rubbing her sore legs.
"Come on, you know you're having fun," I laughed. "So, ready to go?"
"Fine." Al stood and picked up her chainsaw.
"Well then, come along girls." Without waiting Jack took off down the path, ducking under low hanging branches.
"Seriously? How can Boney Butt not be tired after all this?" Al asked.
"I blame extremely long legs, but we better move if we want to catch up." Al nodded, and we took off after Jack. Good thing about being shorter: not having to duck ever five minutes.
As we neared closer, Al got a strange look on her face. "What's up?" I asked
"Do you smell lollipops?"
XXX
GodlyJewel: In case anyone was wondering, A.D.O.S. stands for, "Attention Deficit Oh! Shiny!"