Happy Memorial Day! Now get readin' on to find the treasure!
"Hee hee! Heeheehee hee… I have been waiting, Heroes. You want to ask me about a crystal ball?" Merluvlee asked.
"Whoa! How'd you know that?" Rachel asked the teller of the future.
"Oh, there is nothing to fear… I'm Merluvlee! It is my job to know the future! Merlee sent you, did she not?"
"Yes…" Tippi answered.
"I have readied said ball. Please take it." Phred reached a hand out, but Merluvlee did nothing. She thought for a moment.
"Well, I would love to say that, but there's something I must first ask of you. I know I do not look like it, but I am training."
"Training what? Your body?" Ray asked.
"We'll go with that for now. Anyway, I told someone about it, and they said that they had some useful equipment. But I have been so busy that I have not had the chance to pick it up yet."
"Busy doing what? I bet no one's visited you in ages."
"Hush! And you want us to get it for you." Phred told her, piecing the puzzle together.
"Precisely! Now, the kind fellow who offered me the equipment is the Flip Wizard, Bestovius."
"Him? Oh, good Lord…" groaned Tippi.
"Please? It would really help me out if you would agree to—" she coughed. "Excuse me. Would you agree to go to his house and pick it up?"
"Sure."
"Thank you Hero named Phred! When you return with it, it is then that I will gift you with the crystal ball. I believe you recall where Bestovius lives, correct?" Instead, Tippi confirmed the true statement.
"Thank you for your assistance!" she called out as they headed up to the red door.
~*-SPP-*~
"Ahhhhhh… Hero. What need have you of the blindingly brilliant Bestovius?"
"You're not that great…"
"Merlee asked us to ask Merluvlee for a crystal ball and Merluvlee asked us to get some training equipment from you." Phred answered.
"Ah… so you come to ask for the Training Machine in place of Merluvlee? Hmmm… Yes, I know of such a machine. I bet you know that I would never let you bask in the splendor of my knowledge but, well come on, I mean you are the Hero!" He laughed.
Then he got an idea.
"I don't like the look of that face." Rachel whispered.
"Hero… or as there are many of you I am just noticing, Heroes. I have a favor to ask you!" Everyone groaned. "I have lent a certain…something to the mayor of Yold Town, Watchitt." Phred and Tippi exchanged faces of unhappiness. "You must retrieve it for me. I have asked for it back many times and yet the old koot won't return it. It's as if he treasures it! Retrieve this for me, Bestovius, and I shall bestow upon you the Training Machine."
"And what do we call this…something?"
"Simply ask for the 'You-Know-What.' He shall understand. Now, begone!"
~*-SPP-*~
"Hey, where'd Ray go?" Rachel asked as they walked inside. Phred shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the most annoying character in the game.
"Well, it's you…WATCH IT! I was just looking for you! Need you to do something." Rachel and Phred (even Tippi) gave looks of 'not again'.
"…What? You WATCH IT! Don't you give me that 'not again' look! DUMPLINGS! You listen to me now, y'hear! Open those ears before I box 'em!"
"This is why he's annoying…" Tippi whispered over to Rachel.
"So here's the thing. This strange lady showed up in my dreams and talked on and on about something. I don't know what, but she needed help with something. She looked real regal like in her blue outfit. And really ancient."
"Merlumina?" Phred gasped.
"Watch it! I don't know what her deal is, but she needs to get outta my dreams. So get off my rug and help her out! Maybe then she'll quit flappin' her lip. If you put a sock in her trap, I'll give you whatever you want."
"Good, because we need a 'You-Know-What' for Bestovius."
He didn't catch that.
"Oh! I almost forgot," he pulled out a piece of blank paper, "I gotta give you this. She's been in my dreams so long, I guess I've become a fan of sorts. So go get her to sign this! Then you know what you can do?"
"Get off of your rug and watch it." Phred and Tippi answered in unison.
~*-SPP-*~
"This is a really chilly cavern compared to the other hot ones." Rachel commented.
Then she remembered something. "Oh, yeah, just remembered we leveled up our attack… wow, my mind is really slow today."
"So where's Merlumina?" Phred asked Tippi.
"I suggest we wait…" After a few seconds, she appeared.
"Ahh, Hero…so you have come to me?"
"Where are you?" Tippi asked. She appeared near the ceiling.
"It is I, Merlumina." She floated down and continued the conversation with the Heroes. "It is a pleasure to meet you again, Hero."
"What're you doing here? I thought you were supposed to go back to sleep."
"Well, I had been sleeping for a thousand five hundred years waiting for you to claim the Pure Heart…"
~*-SPP-*~
The author, like in chapter 7, is cutting out the Merlumina conversation for length. Please do not let this interfere with your reading experience again.
~*-SPP-*~
"…So as I was saying, I just couldn't sleep at all!"
She couldn't, but Phred and his friends could. She took notice and said, "Hey. Are you sleeping?"
They woke up.
"Of course not, Merlumina… Why would you think that?" Tippi responded.
"The Hero's lady friend was snoring. Anyway, people are suffering from insomnia and that doesn't affect you at all? No one in this millennium has no sense of compassion! …sorry. Now, as I was saying…"
~*-SPP-*~
Once more, the conversation has been cut. Sorry again.
~*-SPP-*~
"…And that's when dozens of people thronged to this place to say their last farewells. And their voices were the lullaby that put me to sleep for a thousand five hundred years."
The gang was sleeping again.
"But now nobody is here, I'm all alone, and I can't get to sleep. It's so lonely!"
Phred and his cohorts started to stir a bit, barely able to understand the last part of her rant. She screamed that they were sleeping again.
"I can't believe you. Honestly… I'm practically wringing my heart out to you and you… you… you just… HMMMPH! …Hmm?" she yawned. "All this talking is making me a little drowsy."
"I'm glad to hear it." Rachel commented as she herself yawned.
"And since you've been here, I haven't felt so lonely. Maybe I can get back to sleep now!" She started fading as Phred remembered the now crumpled piece of paper Watchitt gave him.
"Wait!" Phred blurted out before she left.
"What is it? Why are you bothering me now of all times? I'm about to go back to sleep and you just stand there wanting me to talk more!"
"No, it's not that. You've got an admirer. The guy you sent your thoughts to wants your autograph." He quickly said.
"Really? Well, anything for a fan. Just hand me that paper." Phred did so and she pulled out a pen.
"Let's see… I know! 'You're always in my heart! Signed, the fantabulous Merlumina.' And…done!" She handed the paper back to Phred, who tucked it away more safely this time.
"Wait, I forgot something!"
"What?" Phred asked, pulling the paper out.
"I would like to put a kiss on the end there… Mwwwwah! *insert heart here* MUCH BETTER!" She handed it back to Phred officially this time.
"All settled? Good for… I… mu—" she faded into her slumber before she finished. They walked over to the star block and bonked it.
~*-SPP-*~
"There's Ray!" Phred noticed as they passed a certain townswoman talking to Ray… who oddly enough had googly eyes. They approached him.
"Ray, what's up?" Rachel asked.
"You gotta listen to this chick!" He said. They did and they knew why he had stayed behind: she talked of Dimentio.
"…Dimentio, this pretty-boy clown. He's got a thing for magic tricks. That's all I know about him. You think they're serious about destroying the world?..."
"C'mon Ray! We've gotta stop them." Ray regretfully obeyed and thanked the woman for talking to him. They continued onto Watchitt's house and entered.
"Hey, you there! That lady up and left my dreams! I can't…WATCH IT! She's not there. And ya can't watch what ya can't watch. It was bad enough to hear her wailing on, but it's worse to see her disappear! I've got nothin' else to live for in my life! Even whupping folks with my cane has gotten old!"
"Which is why we brought you the souvenir you asked us to get you." Phred said, grabbing the paper out of his pocket.
"Is this…her autograph? Just look at those curlicues and swoopdedoos in her handwriting! I'm more flustered than the time I dropped a hot griddle in my grunders!"
Everyone: o.o?
"DUMPLINGS! Where was I? Oh, I owe you for helping her. You can take anything I own except my rug."
"We only want the 'You-Know-What' that Bestovius wants back…" Tippi told him.
"EH? YOU WANT THAT? Tarnations, I thought he forgot about that. He better watch it in the future! Fine then. Take it. But you better WATCH IT too!" He handed Phred a CD-ROM.
"That's my cousin… He must have lots of fancy-dancy, hibbly-jibbly wizard hobbies." The gang silently pulled out the Return Pipe and used it before Watchitt knew they left.
~*-SPP-*~
"Mmmm… So the Heroes return. Did you get the 'You-Know-What' from Watchitt?" Phred handed it to him.
"This pleases Bestovius greatly! 'Tis such a collector's item. I was worried that Watchitt lost it. I'm so relieved.
"Ahem. The Training Machine?" Rachel asked.
"Oh, yes, of course! You seek the Training Machine. Ye of little faith. Take it, Heroes. It would only disturb my sublime energies." He handed them the machine that resembled a Nintendo DS (the true one; not the DS Lite or DSi).
"I, Bestovius, used it once, but upgraded to the newer, sleeker model. I no longer require that piece of ancient history. No pun intended."
~*-SPP-*~
"Did you pick it up for me?" Phred pulled it out and handed it to her. "This is it! This is it! Now I can train to my heart's content!"
"So… can you tell me what body part now?" Ray asked.
"Oh, certainly. My brain!" there was a pause. "Well, thank you and now I shall give you the last gift of this quest. Here it is, the crystal ball!" Phred received it. "There will be no charge, but tell her this: 'Now we're even.' On that note, take care!"
-*~PPS~*-
"Did you get the ball for me? Do I thank you, golly, gee?" Phred took the ball out and handed it to her.
"That's it! That's the one! Ahhhhh… *less than 3* Oh, well done! Thank you! Thanks a ton!
Well then, let's see, now… I must thank you somehow…
I guess that there's only one thing I can do for you, hon…" she said, keeping with the prophecy of the astrology book.
"One charm for you! Woo hoo!
If you want a charm on someone, cross the counter and talk to me, hon.
Also, I would be remiss if I did not give you this!" She handed Phred a key to some random house to which he knew just the one.
"Well now, 'bye, and how! *less than 3*"
-*~PPS~*-
"That was smart of you to get a special curse." Rachel complimented in front of the only locked house. "You still have the key?"
"Of course." Phred answered, pulling it out. He inserted it into the door and the lock clicked. The door was now open. Inside, a giant treasure chest waited, closed. Ray opened it and out popped a Pixl in the shape of a music note.
"DOODLY-DOO! The bird, it warbles, TWEET! The bug, it cries, CHEEP! The frog, RRRRRRIBBIT! The dog, GRRRRRROWF! Goats and cars, BLEEEET! All things sing, you see. To live is to make music!"
"This is an awesome Pixl!" Rachel said. "If I didn't already have a soul Pixl, you'd be it."
"Why thank you! My words… Could it be… I've said something poetic? Could it truly be?"
"And you are…?" Tippi asked.
"I am Piccolo! Your footsteps sang to me! CLOP! CLOP! And over again! Yet those sounds are not your everything, your all, your essence! Nope! I'll show you why!"
-*~PPS~*-
THE MELODIOUS PIXL NAMED PICCOLO JOINED YOUR GROUP!
If you use Piccolo, different music will play depending on the character you use.
…With some secret powers sprinkled in…
-*~PPS~*-
"Use me to hear sound that matches your character… POCCOLO-COLO! The beat of your spirit… I will find it and play it for you!"
"Thanks. We better head back to Flipside Tower. We've still got those fights ahead of us."
~*-SPP-*~
There they stood in front of the indigo door. They cautiously entered.
~*-SPP-*~
Under the looming shadow
of The Void, the world slowly
drifted toward demise.
But not all hope was lost:
two Pure Hearts had yet
to be found.
Could our daring Heroes find
them? Or was the world
doomed to be devoured?
Phred, Rachel, and Ray
ventured through the next
door to find out…