CHAPTER 37: RETURN TO CASTLE CHALKENSTEIN

The life of Rudy Tabootie has been a complex one; filled with many unexpected changes and horrible tragedies that no one could possibly live through if they actively tried to experience them. Already having an unusual beginning in his life, Rudy's life was far from seeing its ending, and further from seeing more unusualities.

Showing an intense interest in art since the beginning of his life, Rudy found perhaps the most significant discovery in his life that would cement his love for art forever. Coming into contact with a magic realm known as ChalkZone, a land where all things drawn with chalk become reality, Rudy had found the greatest artistic outlet to let loose the wildest abstracts of his imagination. Going on many adventures with his greatest creation and best friend, Snap, his adventures in ChalkZone were many and great; leaving a lasting legacy within the 'Zone for all time to come.

Then, things changed with the arrival of a new student to his school: Penny Sanchez. While the two shared vastly different interests, Rudy a right-brainer and Penny a left-brainer, the two halves seemed to come together as one functional organism, journeying on many adventures and misadventures within ChalkZone together. With the land of ChalkZone becoming a linchpin in their newfound friendship, the friendship they shared began to grow and grow; the bond strengthening with each passing day.

Just as this bond began to reach into each others' souls, turning into a connection surpassing even the strongest of friendships, the events of their lives took a very sharp turn for the worst. With Penny banished from ChalkZone and Rudy trapped within, their lives were running separately for many years, but the bond between them never severed. With both suffering a personal loss of each other, the two children were forced to make their way to adulthood without one another to lean on.

Through nothing short of a miracle, Penelope, finding herself becoming a single mother of two only focused on the welfare of her children; and Rudy, finding himself becoming an unfeeling animalistic man only focused on survival, found themselves together once again. Upon reuniting after so many years apart, their bond had found itself suffering an atrophy of change and age, but, after much hard work, the move that they had intended to make past friendship had finally been made. Now, the two are as one as they were once before.

The causes of this bond to rebuild were thanks to a quest to find a piece of chalk known as the Golden Chalk; a chalk with the ability to make whatever is drawn with it real. Having obtained this chalk to help the resistance group known as Calcite fight and defeat the evil entity known as the Chalk King, Rudy now faced a new challenge in the way of defeating said enemy. Not a few hours ago, the Chalk King had taken Penelope as his prisoner, using her as a bargaining chip for the Golden Chalk.

Now, here, Rudy not only comes to the home of the Chalk King to defeat him and save ChalkZone, but also to save Penelope; making an attempt to save both of the most important parts of his life. By coming to this castle, however, he is conflicted with a degree of regret and trauma. Having been tortured by Skrawl here for so many years, the first thoughts that come to his head are the memories of such abuse, forcing him to relive his trauma once again.

Remembering all that had occurred to him and all that was forced to become of him; remembering the day his arms were broken, remembering how he would struggle just to collect his scraps of food for dinner and fight back his taste buds rejecting the bitter taste of chalk, remembering the forced physical labor he was made to complete for no reward; Rudy felt every ounce of pain associated with these memories all bombard him at once, tearing away at his very soul. While he may have managed to work past all the issues of losing his emotions and all his art skills, the pain associated with the memories of this horrible place could never go, and he knows it well upon looking at the castle.

As Rudy was temporarily trapped within his own thoughts, trying to move past the painful thoughts, he found some unexpected help with the simple gesture of Carol pulling on his arm. Having noticed Rudy stand still for a brief but unusual period of time, the young girl wished to ensure that he was all well; needing him in the best shape possible for the fight to come.

"Rudy? You okay?" Carol asked.

"I'm fine. It's just... Well, you know what it was like for me last time I was here. I'm just having a hard time working past that." Rudy said.

"Remember why we're here. Need to save Mommy and stop the Chalk King. Everyone's fighting here and now, need to help them." Carlos said.

"I haven't forgotten. You're right, we're here for a purpose. Let's go save Penny."

No longer wasting their time by standing at the gates of Castle Chalkenstein, the group rushed into the battle, joining into the fight that they had started, acting now to finish it. Taking advantage of their brief moment reunited, the group formed themselves a plan of attack; each taking on a different front of the battle.

"Okay, you kids split off and do some damage elsewhere. If we cover more ground, we can take on more Red Troopers at once and get closer to clearing this place out." Rudy said.

"But what about you? You didn't draw yourself any powers." Carol asked.

"I don't need powers. I've been doing things like this since I was a kid. I'll make my way through. All I need is my chalk."

Understanding all that he had been through since the beginning of the quest, the children gave a nod to Rudy, knowing that he would be alright. As the children departed to fight the battle elsewhere, Rudy prepared to make his own impact on the fight. Taking his chalk and battleaxe in his hands, Rudy began rushing his way to the nearest group of Red Troopers standing between him and the halls of Castle Chalkenstein, more than ready to put an end to this fight and free Penelope.

Rushing up to the first Red Trooper standing in his path, Rudy swung his axe straight into the trooper's neck, easily downing the foe with his head cleaved from his body. Trying to fumble and find his head again, the headless Red Trooper was quickly kicked aside by Rudy, putting the trooper out of the fight. As Rudy moved on to his next target, the next Red Trooper was found to not be taken by surprise. Rushing towards Rudy with the intent of driving the bayonet of his rifle into his chest, the Red Trooper prepared to attack before his enemy could.

Going for an unorthodox but effective move, Rudy picked this Red Trooper off the ground, breaking his back over his thigh. Having broken the Red Trooper's back, Rudy subsequently tossed the crippled trooper towards his comrades, knocking them all over as if they were bowling pins, and the sound made by their fall further adding to that illusion. With another group of Red Troopers spotting his attacks, the troopers ran to defeat Rudy before they could fall before his attacks.

Ducking down under the attacks of two Red Troopers, Rudy managed to trick two of the troopers into stabbing each other with their bayonets, taking both down at once. Although the two troopers fell easily, there still remained the rest of the Red Troopers, all surrounding Rudy and pointing their rifles straight at him. Gripping his battleaxe tightly, Rudy swung his weapon a full 360 degrees, swiftly decapitating all the troopers surrounding him.

While his attacks were effectively downing the Red Troopers relatively quickly, Rudy was finding that his efforts were not nearly enough to finish off the army standing between him and the castle. Looking around to the other fights occurring around him, Rudy realized that he was not the only one having trouble making his way through the Red Troopers; proving that these red derivatives of the Chalk Troopers were far more dangerous than the standard edition.

Cobalt 99, Toe Fu, Barney the Encyclocentipedia, Biclops, all among others, had their own difficulties pushing through their foes. While the forces of Calcite now made their way inside the castle's courtyard, the Chalk King's sudden addition of the Red Troopers made the journey unexpectedly more difficult. Even with all their new enhanced powers, the battle was reaching a stalemate with its fighters, if not a win on the Red Troopers' side.

Knowing that his efforts with a battleaxe were not enough, Rudy realized that he still held one more tool that could rebalance the scales of this fight: the magic chalk. Sparking an idea in his head for a weapon to help fight against the Red Troopers, Rudy quickly departed the battlefield to head outside Castle Chalkenstein, needing a larger area to draw his weapon.


The young Carol and Carlos, joining with the rest of Calcite in their battle against the Red Troopers, met up with Cobalt 99, leaning on the blue Zoner's shoulders for a close ally in their fight against the troopers. While mostly occupied with their fight against the Red Troopers, the three still took notice of Rudy fleeing the scene. Not knowing of his actual intentions of leaving, some of the group began believing if he were abandoning them in this most desperate hour.

"Oy caloy, Rudy, where are ya goin'?! Don't you think we've got enough problems here?" Cobalt 99 asked.

"He's probably up to something. You're the one who says he's got the plans, right?" Carol asked.

"That don't mean I always know the plans, buckette, or like 'em."

"Just keep fighting. Rudy's got something planned." Carlos said.

As the young boy finished his sentence, a Red Trooper landed a bayonet strike into Cobalt 99's arm, breaking the blade off within. Unsheathing one of the blades in his arms, Cobalt 99 returned the stab with a bladed attack of his own. Shrugging off the pain of the blade in his arm, Cobalt 99 returned his focus to the fight, having far more Red Troopers to handle.

"Easier said than done, bucko. Even with these superpowers and weapons, I don't think I can take much more o' this abuse. Where's Rudy when you need him?" Cobalt 99 asked.


With the loud roar of an engine thundering across the courtyard, Cobalt 99 finds an answer to his question. Emerging from the gates of Castle Chalkenstein was a large tank of Rudy's creation, being piloted by said creator across the courtyard. The tank was built with a large set of helicopter blades on its front, with spikes emerging from the sides and treads, and Rudy Tabootie himself standing atop the tank, driving his new weapon straight into the Red Troopers directly in his path.

The Red Troopers, while more violent than their regularly-drawn counterparts, were unfortunately still not any more intelligent than their brothers. Believing themselves capable of taking on the tank, the troopers rushed in to fight it head-on, quickly finding that it very capable of carrying out the task it was drawn for.

Commencing a straight frontal assault on the tank, the Red Troopers foolishly ran straight into the helicopter blades, all quickly being reduced to mere piles of chalk dust. When the Red Troopers understood that their simple blitzkrieg approach would not work, they instantly began changing their tactics, beginning by running away from the tank as fast as possible.

Alas, their efforts of escape were enacted too late to make any difference, not that running would make that much difference. Firing a round off from the tank's main cannon, the fleeing Red Troopers were blown to pieces; never having a chance of escape. With the sound of the cannon being fired, the thunderous blast of the artillery shell caught the attention of both Calcite and the Red Troopers, looking upon the source of the blast.

Continuing to stand tall atop his tank, Rudy Tabootie gave a blow of a steam whistle, proudly announcing his attack upon the Red Troopers and declaring a sure-victory for Calcite.

"Come get some!" Rudy shouted.

Continuing his attack upon the Red Troopers, Rudy pushed on his assault, firing off the cannon and high-caliber machine gun turrets upon the troopers. Unable to escape from the attacks of the tank, the Red Troopers continued to fall one by one. Moving on a massive rampage of destruction, Rudy pushed his attack further upon the fleeing Red Troopers, not ready to stop until all were destroyed.

The forces of Calcite, watching Rudy further his attacks, all gave a hearty cheer for his efforts, praising his creativity and efficient solution to the issue. While the Zoners might have been more than happy to let out their praise for Rudy, their minds were not anywhere near taken away from the fight, as the purpose behind their battle was too great to be forgotten. Taking all the loss they had suffered in the war in their hearts, the Zoners continued to fight on, intent on taking out every single Red Trooper in his path.

Following Rudy's commands through the controls, the tank continued its onslaught of the Red Troopers, mowing down the numerous enemies standing in its way. Running straight through an organized crowd of Red Troopers, the tank's blades cut through the masses as if never even existed, and left no trace of them behind, seeming to support this theory. Continuing to fire its guns and cannon upon the other Red Troopers, the tank truly proved itself to be unstoppable, and the fight now completely in favor of the humans and Calcite.

That is, until another unexpected factor revealed itself.

An unseen force fired a hookshot directly into one of the wheels of the tank; the high-tension cord attached to the shot holding strongly against the tank's force. The strength of the hookshot proved to already be stronger than expected, but it soon proved to be capable of more.

With its owner pulling down on the cord, the tank flipped on its side, tumbling down the courtyard and crashing into various other objects along its path. Knowing he could no longer stay in the tank, Rudy jumped out before any harm could come to him. As he watched the tank continue to tumble, Rudy saw his creation then explode within seconds of his escape, making him thankful that he had jumped out when he did.

Upon looking to what caused his tank to crash, Rudy found not only who had destroyed his tank, but learned that he had unfinished business with a previous fight. The Red Chalk clone of Lars Rodriguez was the one who had destroyed his tank, and the fight between the two had not yet concluded. While Red Lars may not have had any more flesh or organs on his body, all traces of these biological components all burned up, his skeleton, robot arms, and beanie still remained in place, along with a pair of veiny eyes within his skull.

More than intent on finishing his fight with Rudy Tabootie, Red Lars let out a provocative fighting taunt from his scorched, bony mouth; his voice raspy and dry just as the remainder of his body was.

"I've got a bone to pick with you, pretty boy. More specifically, your skull. I'm gonna rip that shit right out of your head and eat your goddamn face!" Red Lars shouted.

Accepting his invite for a battle, Rudy readied his battleaxe once again, running towards Red Lars to land it straight into his body. The skeletal Red Lars, now having less in his way to fight Rudy with, bent his body all the way backwards, flexing himself out of reach of his axe's reach. Briefly balancing himself on his hands, Red Lars landed a kick to Rudy's face, somersaulting back to a standing position.

Not stopped by a simple kick by a bony foot, Rudy once again rushed to Red Lars with his axe, looking to cut him in half. As his mechanical arms were not destroyed by the fire, Red Lars still retained his weapons, particularly his chainsaw hands. Now having no more organs and skin to worry about in this fight, Red Lars began spinning his arms around in a fan-like motion, swinging his chainsaws in a way that Rudy could not so easily block.

As the artist soon found himself cornered against a wall with Red Lars on the approach, Rudy tried to think of a way to escape the situation he was caught in. Choosing to use the magic chalk over his axe, Rudy began drawing a staircase up to the top of the castle walls and climbing up each step as it materialized. Having no space to use his spinning attack, Red Lars decided to make a different approach.

Waiting patiently for Rudy to reach the top, Red Lars fired a hookshot to the top of the wall, quickly catching up with his target before he had any chance of recovering. With the two trapped in a claustrophobic position at the top of the wall, Rudy and Red Lars continued their fight yet again, no longer having any more place to move to.

Both parties began the fight anew by swinging at each other with their bladed weapons, each intent on viciously hacking one another to pieces to ensure their own victories. Rudy, driven by love and honor; and Red Lars, driven by rage and hatred; stopped at nothing to make sure that the other was destroyed and gone.

After their one-on-one duel lasted for a good few minutes, consisting of mainly Red Lars swinging his chainsaws and Rudy deflecting said strikes, perhaps an occasional reversal of said roles, there began a significant change in the fight. Red Lars, landing a light cut in Rudy's stomach, managed to take away enough of his attention to disarm him. By simply pushing the axe and chalk out of his hands, Rudy was now left with nothing to fight back with.

Resulting to more crude, desperate measures, Rudy resulted to one of the oldest, most effective ways of defeating an opponent: Delivering a sharp kick to the crotch. Alas, where this method would work universally on both males and females, it had no effect on Red Lars, as the affected area was burned off and gone.

"Nice try, asshole. You burned it off, remember? Now, how's about I burn you and spoil those good looks?" Red Lars asked.

Not allowing Red Lars to make good on his threat, Rudy delivered a sharp uppercut to his jaw, causing a few teeth to fall out of place. Following his uppercut with a left hook, Rudy sent Red Lars' head spinning in place on his neck, causing him to go dizzy. Upon recuperating and having his head stay in place, Red Lars' eyes still continued to spin like slot machine wheels, until eventually stopping at the eyes reading 'F' and 'U', respectively, and lighting up bright red with a celebratory ringing.

Landing a punch with his own metallic fist, Red Lars delivered a heavy lunging hit to Rudy's face, sending him falling off the wall onto the ground. Just before Rudy fell off the edge of the wall, Red Lars took notice of the Golden Chalk residing in his pocket, quickly swiping it.

Rudy, unable to slow his descent, fell to the ground with a sharp blow to his back, leaving him too stunned to move for a brief moment. Looking at the top of the wall, Rudy watched as Red Lars jumped back down to the ground, still holding the Golden Chalk in his hand. Transforming his other hand into its grenade launcher form, Red Lars prepared to end the fight once and for all, seeming to have the victory in this battle.

"It's over, pretty boy! I've got the Golden Chalk, and the Chalk King's gonna completely slaughter you all, starting with your stupid nerd slut of a girlfriend! You, on the other hand, he ain't gettin'! You're all mine, whether he likes it or not!" Red Lars said.

As Red Lars gave his final threats, Rudy's eyes began to dart around the area, seeking a way to defend himself. Taking notice of a few factors in his surroundings, Rudy thought of not only a way to save himself, but also a way to get back the Golden Chalk and end the battle. Taking notice of Red Lars' position of standing, Rudy looked to see him standing atop the bucket of a catapult; the catapult itself holding an unfired water balloon from their fight with the Chalk Troopers and their water tank. To his side was also his battleaxe, giving him a way of firing the catapult.

Slowly working his hand towards his axe, Rudy's fingers began to wrap around the weapon, giving him the tight grip needed to carry out his next task. Letting out what seemed to Red Lars to be his last words, Rudy bid what was actually his farewell to the maniacal red Zoner.

"Buckle up, bonehead, because you're going for a ride." Rudy said.

Before Red Lars could question what his supposed victim meant, Rudy swung his axe straight to his opponent's arm, lopping it off at the elbow. The robotic arm, flying through the air with the Golden Chalk still within, landed gingerly in the palm of Rudy Tabootie, now granting the brave human back the chalk.

"AHH! MY ARM! AGAIN?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!" Red Lars shouted.

Rather than answer his question, Rudy swung his axe again towards the rope holding the catapult's bucket in place, triggering the firing mechanism of the catapult. As Red Lars looked down and realized what Rudy had just done, he let out another shout of pain; this pain resulting from his own insufficient failure to finish off his opponent in time.

With Rudy's swing, the catapult fired, sending both Red Lars and the water balloon into the air. Continuing to let out his screams while flying through the air, Red Lars' shouts were quickly died down as the payload let out its ammunition. The water balloon, no longer able to take the stress of flying in the air for so long, exploded its contents upon Red Lars; its liquid contents erasing him yet again and eliminating him from the battle.


Atop the watchtower of Castle Chalkenstein, the Chalk King observed the destruction of the leader of his red army, knowing that the battle was all but over for his forces. While it may have been over for those fighting for him, he refused to let it be over for himself. Departing from his watchtower, the Chalk King proceeded to move to another area of the castle, having a backup plan for his inevitable scenario of Calcite making their way inside.

Skrawl, having been observing the events from the watchtower this entire time, watched in curiousity as he watched the Chalk King flee at this time. Not knowing what to do with the events that were unfolding before his eyes and the confusion that still laid in his mind, Skrawl aimed to inquire into the Chalk King's intentions.

"What now? You're running away? Calcite's tearing us apart!" Skrawl said.

"No, Skrawl. They're tearing my Chalk Troopers apart; a purpose they've been serving quite well. Now, I've got other plans to deal with these Zoners, and it requires me to leave this place while I can."

"But what about Penny? And, speaking of purpose, what about my purpose?"

"The deal we had was that if you bring me the Golden Chalk, you'll get your purpose. If you manage to swipe it from those buffoons, maybe I'll if you'll shut up about it."

As the Chalk King departed to the next location of his plans, Skrawl was again left on his own to contemplate his own options, still left in a state of uncertainty. After all the long talks and discussions that Skrawl had with Queenie Beanie, Rudy, and Penelope about purpose, a part of him still remained uncertain of the next action he should take. A bad habit is hard to break, but a lifetime of bad habits is nearly impossible.

Still not sure what to do, Skrawl decided to simply sit and wait, watching to see who would be the victor in this final battle.


Rudy, having completed his task of saving the Golden Chalk and defeating Red Lars, decided to lay back down, taking this opportunity to relax and recover his strength from his fall and battle efforts taxing his body. Laying down, breathing heavily, his eyes closed, Rudy cared not for anything in this moment in time or in this world, only concerning himself with trying to find his strength again.

Looking deep inside himself, Rudy saw the image of Penelope, chained up in the very same cell he once was. With his vision continuing, Rudy began seeing Penelope being subjected to the very same torture he himself was put through; suffering broken arms, struggling to capture food, forced physical labor, and other such horrors.

Knowing the toll that it had on his own soul, Rudy knew that he could not allow it to happen to the person he loved most. As such, Rudy began finding the strength to rise again, beginning to rise from the ground. Just as he once did for so many years before, Rudy began picking himself up once again, ready to face the next challenge to be overcome.

This time, however, Rudy was no longer forced to face the challenges in his life alone. Upon opening his eyes, the first sight he was greeted with was Snap, continuing his persona of Cobalt 99, standing over him. Eager to help his creator and best friend up again, Cobalt 99 extended his hand towards Rudy.

Accepting Cobalt 99's offer, Rudy grabbed tightly onto his blue hand, his trust being placed in his best friend. Lending his strength to his creator to help him rise to his feet, Cobalt 99 placed Rudy firmly back on his feet, giving him the stability needed to stand tall once again.

"Well, bucko, looks like we all took care of the Red Troopers, and looks like the Chalk King ain't givin' us any more to fight. If you're good for it, I think we could do for a good-old king-dethronin' and rescuin' a damsel in distress. Whaddya say?" Cobalt 99 asked.

"I think you're right, Snap. Let's go and kill ourselves a king." Rudy said.

With Cobalt 99, Carol, and Carlos at his sides in their approach, Rudy began leading the forces of Calcite into the place where the Chalk King had made his home and capital of his own evil empire since the beginning of his campaign: Castle Chalkenstein. While Rudy still held all the trauma of all that occurred to him in this awful place, he knew that this time would not be the same, as he now had his ability to draw once again, and, most importantly, all his friends and allies standing by him.

Giving not a simple knock on the door, but a sharp kick to the front doors of Castle Chalkenstein, Calcite began making their way inside the dark fortress, preparing to save Penelope and face off against the Chalk King, saving ChalkZone once and for all. However, while the group were expecting more resistance within the castle, they quickly found their expectations subverted, and almost disappointed.

Despite the threat to the Chalk King that this invasion would face, there were absolutely no preventative measures taken against the group, as if they were either not expected to be a serious threat or they wanted to be led inside. Whichever verdict was the correct one, neither answer was truly better than the other.

Regardless of the amount of skepticism and paranoia that laid within the group, all the Zoners were still led on by the one who had brought them all this far: Rudy Tabootie. Remembering all the times that he had served as their protector, being hailed as the Great Creator, they all knew that he would be the one to protect them from any danger and lead them all to victory.

While Rudy might have been leading the Zoners through the castle, there was something that led him on his own path. Hearing the slight sound of a feminine moan echo through the halls, Rudy instantly recognized this noise as belonging to Penelope. Throwing all instincts and reason aside, he immediately began rushing towards the noise, disregarding the warnings and calls of the Zoners in under his lead.

Upon reaching where he remembered the dungeon to be, Rudy found Penelope, chained up in the very same cell that he was once held in so long ago. Taking a look forward, Penelope's eyes informed her brain that Rudy, the man she loved the most, was standing before him. Rudy, seeing Penelope once again at last, shared a similar experience.

Slicing his way through the jail cells, Rudy hurried himself towards Penelope, cutting down her restraints and catching her as she fell from her hold. Gripping his beloved Penelope so tightly in his arms, his woman followed the same action, leaving them both held tightly in each other's hold. More than relieved to see Rudy once again, Penelope shoved her lips against his, forcing themselves together so hard that the experience began to hurt, though neither regarded the pain in the slightest.

Carol and Carlos, both relieved to see their mother once again, rushed into her arms, tightly wrapping their arms around her legs. Happy to see her children safe and sound, Penelope let the two in her loving arms once again, sharing a moment of peace and happiness following this hour of chaos.

Rudy, brought within the hug between Penelope and the children, began to find a sense of peace in this shared moment. Not having been part of a family for so long, being brought into one once again brought about a warmth that he never thought he would experience, nor would ever know of. Seeing the children lean on him as they had been and Penelope at his side, all seemed to make sense, all seemed to be right, as if it were always meant to be this way.

The Zoners, observing this warm moment between the humans, found themselves shedding tears over the spectacle that they were witnessing, never having stopped once in the duration of this war to observe even so much as a moment of peace and love between others, or even each other. Snap, no longer able to keep up his hardened persona of Cobalt 99, rushed in to join the group hug as well.

"Oy caloy, I can't take this anymore, I gotta say it: I love youse guys, I really love you all!" Snap said.

While Snap's unexpected entry into the hug took the humans by surprise, they were more than willing to welcome him in the moment. As Snap was the best creation and best friend of Rudy Tabootie, it seemed only appropriate that he should be included as family. However, while Snap was welcomed into the hug, the group hug did not stop with his addition.

The other members of Calcite, all somehow being magically being caught up in the moment, joined into the hug as well. Not expecting all the Zoners to hug, the core members of the hug all began to find the event strange and unusual, even in a place like ChalkZone. Nonetheless, the feeling of love was shared among the group, all culminating in a warm moment for the whole.

"Uh, guys, as much as I'm liking this whole moment, I think we really ought to get back to fighting the Chalk King." Rudy said.

"Oh, heh-heh. Right. Sorry, bucko. Got a little carried away there." Snap said.

As the Zoners all awkwardly came down from their moment of joy, a sinister laugh began to echo through the hallways, making its way into their hearts through their ears. Within an instant, every being in the room recognized this voice belonging to the Chalk King. Confirming their suspicions, the Chalk King himself stood before the group; his hands behind his back in a welcoming and unassuming manner.

"Oh, how delightfully sweet. If I could still feel anything, I'd probably be vomiting. Now, if you're interested in moving back to business, I assume you're looking for me?" The Chalk King asked.

Having far too much riding on the defeat of the Chalk King, not a single second was spared in the subjugation of the sinister and sickening soul that stood before the sinless swashbucklers that sought to slay the spiteful sociopath that slaughtered staggering scores of their siblings of scribbled stone; swarming to snuff the (insert 's' word for evil person here).

Following the Chalk King through a set of doors, the group blindly rushed into the room that the doors led to, interested only in destroying their enemy. Not thinking twice about where the group was led, the lot began to ponder just where they were. Unlike the realm of ChalkZone with its sights appearing chalklike, as everything in said world was made of chalk, everything here seemed real.

It was then that it occurred to the group that this set of doors had led them to the real world, but this realization had come too late when the next set of events came into play. Giving a call from the ceiling, the Chalk King announced his presence to the Zoners, having enacted the next part of his plan.

"Hey, Calcite!" The Chalk King shouted.

Looking up to the call of the Chalk King, the humans and Zoners all looked to the source of the sound, being led to the ceiling. Upon laying eye on the Chalk King, the group took notice of the object that hung next to him: A giant industrial bucket filled with water. Tipping the bucket over, the Chalk King set the trap he had so carefully left for this eventuality in his life.

"How about a quick dip? The water's great!" The Chalk King shouted.

Unable to move from the trap in time, the Zoners of Calcite were all immediately drenched in water; the liquid soaking and erasing them all within an instant. So many creations by so many creators, all drawn with so much thought and care, all living individuals with thoughts and feelings; all dead and destroyed by the hands of the Chalk King.

The humans were not hurt by the water for obvious reasons, but were all still forced to watch the Zoners around them erase and die before their eyes. While some of them may have known these Zoners for a good portion of their lives, and some only for a few days, the emotional impact that was placed upon their hearts was an unquestionable one; perhaps being one of the most traumatizing sights they had ever seen in their lives.

Having history shared with all these Zoners, the humans were all forced as the history they shared began to die just as the Zoners themselves did. Barney the Encyclocentipedia, Toe Fu, Generic Man, Yadda Yadda Yeti, Thor Throat, Crainiac, Jacko, Biclops, Blocky, and even Snap, all murdered at the hands of the Chalk King.

Running to the decaying his remains of his best friend, Rudy grabbed ahold of Snap's partially-erased arm, holding onto his hand tightly. Knowing that there was nothing that he could do to help his best friend, Rudy tried his best to comfort Snap as he erased, trying to hold onto his best friend as long as he could.

"Snap! Oh, my god, no, Snap!" Rudy shouted.

"Hey... bucko... guess we shoulda been more careful, huh?" Snap joked.

"Snap, no, please, you can't go. I need you, Snap, you're my best friend, I can't do this without you-"

"Hey... bucko... take it easy. We all knew that I had this comin' when I sold youse guys out."

"Snap, please, I said I forgive you, it's not important now, I can't-"

"Rudy... it's okay. I'm gonna be okay. I'm your creation, I can't be gone as long as you remember me. It's gonna be okay... I'm gonna be okay..."

Letting out his final words, Snap finally succumbed to the watery grave he was doomed into, melting into the puddle growing below him. His arm, still holding onto Rudy, severed from his body, its grip still holding tightly to his creator and best friend. As it was covered with water as well as the rest of Snap, it began to erase as well, destroying the remaining traces of the heroic blue Zoner that was Rudy's best friend and greatest creation.

Shocked, horrified, disgusted, and brought to utter despair from the events he had just witnessed, Rudy broke down on his knees, burying his sobbing face into his hands. Penelope, Carol, and Carlos, barely able to contain their own sorrow, all joined with Rudy in their moment of mourning, unable to even process how great a loss they had all just suffered.

Unbeknownst to them, Skrawl had been watching the events unfold before him. While he still had not found a solution to his inner turmoil, seeing the humans that he declared his enemies completely broken down over the deaths of their friends, friends that were all Zoners murdered in the worst way possible, Skrawl barely even knew what to think of himself from having seen such an event.

While the group of humans continued to cry and mourn over the loss of the Zoners, the Chalk King let out a hearty laugh, sadistically enjoying the suffering that the humans were put through by his hand. Knowing very well that he had just damaged the humans in the worst way he could have possibly done, the Chalk King decided to further bask in his horrific act by taunting the four.

"There is an ancient saying; 'be proud of your enemy and bask in his success'. I used to wonder what that meant, but now I know. You brought me all of Calcite in one room, all for me to bring here and erase. Now, there's nothing left of your pathetic little resistance, and ChalkZone is mine to do with whatever I please." The Chalk King said.

No longer shedding any tears for his fallen friends, Rudy turned to face the Chalk King as he stood atop his support beam on the ceiling, staring straight at his foe with a deathly scowl capable of cutting into the soul of anyone caught in its glare.

"Oh, no, did I make the little Rudy Tabootie cry? I'm so sorry. Although, you know, it is kind of interesting; the tears falling from your face for your dead friends is the same substance that would surely kill them. Wonder if they'd appreciate that sentiment very much? Well, that doesn't matter now, they're not here to ask. So, since you're in the real world now and have no more help, I humbly ask for one thing from you so that I can get on with my own affairs: The Golden Chalk, if you please." The Chalk King said.

Having suffered defeat at the hands of the Chalk King, having suffered torture at the hands of the Chalk King, having suffered isolation at the hands of the Chalk King, having suffered losing his talent at the hands of the Chalk King, and finally having suffered the loss of his friends at the hands of the Chalk King, Rudy knew that there could be one answer to that request.

Taking a defensive stance where he stood, arming himself with only his bare fists, Rudy put aside his imaginative tactics where they had no use in the real world, choosing instead the most classic and efficient way of defeating his enemy:

Pure hand-to-hand combat.

"You want the Golden Chalk, you monster? Come and take it from my dead body." Rudy said.

"Oh, my... Since you asked so nicely." The Chalk King said.