Chapter 5: The Key to Pirates
Part 6: Into the Pirate's Grotto
Edd, Eddy, Nazz, Goombella, Vivian, Admiral Bobbery, and Flavio felt the air around them becoming rather musty and dank cave known as the Pirate's Grotto. The floor was wet, as it was part of the pond from outside. Additionally, the room was pitch-black, forcing Goombella to switch on the flashlight on her helmet as a source of illumination. The flashlight revealed wooden barrels lining the entrance, aged rusted metal and rotting wooden slivers along the walls, and a gentle incline on the other side of the room leading further into the cave.
"My, my… this place is rather… creepy," Flavio quavered.
"For once, I agree with you," quipped Nazz.
"So, um," Eddy asked, "anyone got a clue what's in this stinkin' cave?"
"Methinks I got some ideas, lad," Bobbery replied. "Course I can't be guaranteein' that ye be likin' what ye find."
"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure we can take it on," declared Nazz. "I mean, we have so far."
"That is true, Nazz," said Edd as the group ventured forth. "All the same, everyone please remain vigilant and on your guard."
Vivian was quite surprised at the rather determined timbres in the voices of Edd and Nazz, and decided to pose her question.
"Hey, Double-D, how do you do that?" she asked him.
"Pardon? I'm not sure I know what you mean, Vivian," Edd told her.
"I mean, how do you stay so calm like you are right now?" Vivian clarified.
"Well, given everything we've experienced these past several days, Vivian, there's not very much left to terrify me," Edd replied.
"Hm," replied Vivian, smiling at him. Edd responded by reciprocating the smile and sharing a soft chuckle.
Nazz watched their exchange with a mixture of envy and sadness; her eyes were currently fixated on Edd, who was still smiling at the kind Shadow Siren. She looked down with a melancholy expression and drifted off into her thoughts. Man, Double-D really likes this girl… I guess this means I waited too long to tell him…
As they walked, Edd and Vivian were so busy smiling at one another that they weren't paying attention to what was directly in front of them. Thankfully, Bobbery was, and despite not having any hands, he yanked the Siren and the sock-headed boy backwards with force.
"YAH! What is the meaning of this?!" Edd demanded.
"Well, if ye'd be payin' attention to what be in front o' yeh… take a look-see in front o' yer feet," Bobbery told him, directing his and Vivian's gaze.
As they looked down, Edd and Vivian had finally realized their mistake – within their trance-like state of exchanging kindhearted smiles, they had failed to notice that they almost walked right off the side of the ledge and into a flow of water.
"Oh, dear! How embarrassing," Edd yelped.
"And dangerous, lad! There be piranhas livin' in that there water. And not o' the 'plant' variety," Bobbery cautioned. "I strongly recommend ye spend less time courtin' 'n more time focusin' on the task at hand."
Edd and Vivian chuckled and blushed in embarrassment as they recovered from their near-misstep, and eventually the group pressed on, with Goombella's flashlight illuminating the path.
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Back in the jungle, Kevin led the team of Ralph T., Four-Eyes, Koops, Mario, Ed, Rolf, Flurrie and Eduardo Junior through the jungle to try and catch up with Edd's group; however, so far, their search had turned up nothing.
"Jeez, how much of a lead did we give 'em?" Junior complained.
It had seemed that Edd's group had traveled so far ahead of Kevin's current group that no one had any idea where Edd's group could possibly have gone.
"Well, this is just great," Kevin groaned. "No sign of Double-Dork or any of those dork friends of his."
"So now what?" Ralph asked him.
"What else, Ralphie?" Kevin snapped. "We keep lookin', and we find Double-Dork and that treasure you were talkin' about."
"Hey, quit talkin' about my dad like that!" Junior snapped back. "It's not like anyone actually voted for you as leader."
"They didn't have to. I'm lhe leader 'cuz I'm the best we got for it!" Kevin retorted. "Think about it – you're too young to lead; Four-Eyes is a dork all his own; Shellshocker here ain't got the confidence, and Rolf barely understands anything we talk about, so that leaves me."
"Stuck-up, self-important jerk," muttered Junior under his breath.
Unfortunately, Kevin had heard this, and rounded on the small Yoshi to deliver a clapback: "What'd you say, pipsqueak?!"
"HEY!" Four-Eyes shouted in an almost booming voice, silencing Kevin and Junior. "Both o' y'all, quit yer complainin'! The more we keep yellin' at each other, the longer it'll take to catch up to the other foo… er, people!"
"And what's your deal, Four-Eyes?" Junior retorted.
"Oh, nuttin,'" mused Four-Eyes nonchalantly. "I'm just yer average, run-o'-the-mill, standard pirate, I swear."
"Yeah? Well, I still got my eye on you," Junior cautioned him.
"Watch yer tone there, tiny!" Four-Eyes spat back. "Yer in no position to be makin' threats! I can flatten ya just by stomping on ya!"
"HEY! Four-eyed dork!" Kevin shouted. "Wasn't it you who wanted the yelling to stop?"
"…ugh, good point," Four-Eyes groaned. He and Junior huffed and looked away from each other snootily, their noses pointing toward the air.
"Great, now let's get a move on," Kevin stated firmly.
Kevin and Ralph continued to lead their group into the jungle in the hopes of finding both Edd's group and the treasure, with a tense silence hanging over them…
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Back inside the cave, Edd and his group continued their exploration, but for some, exhaustion and anxiety were starting to set in.
"Man, I'm starving… And so… tired," Eddy groaned. "Hey, Sockhead, how long we been walkin' here?"
"Approximately five minutes, Eddy," Edd responded.
"Five minutes?" Eddy complained. "It's already been that long?!"
"The one called 'Eddy' makes a great point," Flavio concurred. "We have been in here far too long. Would anyone like to make a boat back to civilization out of, um, trees or something?"
"Yeah, that's a no-go," Goombella responded. "We're already so far in. Turning back isn't exactly an option at this point."
"Says who?" Eddy griped. "'Cuz that ain't exactly 'reassuring.'"
"So, like, how far do you think this cave really goes?" Nazz chimed in.
"I haven't a clue, Nazz," Edd responded. "However, based on the overall shape of the cavern system, the movement of the water, and the formations of the stalactite and stalagmite rocks… it's very likely that this cave could stretch for miles beneath the sea."
"Miles? Beneath the sea? As in, these caves could go underwater?!" Flavio cried out.
"Greeeeeeeat," Nazz droned sarcastically.
"Oh, it ain't too bad there," Bobbery chimed in. "Believe me, lass. I been in submersibles that traveled many thousand leagues further down than this."
Edd, however, was quick to realize something, and decided to voice his opinion on the matter: "Hmm… this is intriguing. As far into the caves as we've traversed thus far, we still have yet to encounter any hostile, malicious lifeforms within."
"Double-D, this may surprise you," said Goombella, "but not every area that's not a settlement contains hostile, bloodthirsty creatures."
"Really?" Eddy asked sarcastically. "Does it say that on the brochure?"
"Pretty much, Eddy," laughed Goombella.
"Aye, but in any case, crew, I consider that a bout o' luck," said Bobbery. "'Tis best not to be pushin' it."
Clang.
The noise came from the front of the group, realizing they had jinxed their luck. At the end of the passageway ahead of them stood an enormously bulky Bob-omb, appearing rather pinkish in color and more than twice the size of each member of the group, blocking their path. Without even thinking, Vivian sprung into action and launched a fire spell at it, but it was quickly absorbed by a flame-shield from Edd.
"Vivian! What are you thinking? This is a large Bob-omb!" Edd chastised her. "If it were to be exposed to flame or have its fuse ignited, the resulting explosion would be devastating and lethal. We would be unable to survive a blast of such a magnitude."
"Oh… I'm sorry," said Vivian, somewhat embarrassed. "I won't do it again."
"That's quite all right, Vivian. Just please remember in the future to think before you act," Edd replied.
"What?!" yelled Eddy. "C'mon, Sockhead, she almost got us blown up, and you're lettin' her off the hook?"
"Uh, guys?" said Nazz, her voice quivering. "We got a problem!"
The rest of the group looked at Nazz, who fearfully redirected their attention to the Bulky Bob-omb looming in front of them. The Bob-omb had concluded that it had been threatened by Vivian's attempted fiery assault, and activated its own self-destruct mechanism by lighting its own fuse ablaze, all the while displaying an expression of rage. The heroes adopted fearful expressions themselves, having suddenly realized the gravity of their current situation.
"EVERYONE OUT! SHE'S GONNA BLOW!" shouted Eddy.
The situation proved to be too much for Flavio, who suffered a near-complete breakdown. He flailed his arms wildly and ran off in the opposite direction, screaming like a little baby all the way – a situation that would otherwise have been hilarious had it not been for the group's situation. As Nazz was the more athletic member of the group, she immediately followed Flavio in the same direction; she in turn was followed by Edd holding Vivian by her unbroken arm, then by Admiral Bobbery, with Eddy behind him, and Goombella bringing up the rear. However, the group's escape had barely begun when the Bulky Bob-omb finally self-destructed in a large, loud explosion. The aftershock lifted Goombella off of the ground and, in a chain of collisions, sent her flying into Eddy, causing him to collide into Bobbery, putting them on course to careen into Edd and Vivian; Nazz looked back at the commotion, and barely had time to reach before the collective group collided with her. In the other room, Flavio was running as fast as he could when he too heard the explosion. As he was on the way back to the entrance, the explosion sounded distant to him; however, he could make out the collective sounds of screaming voices, getting louder and louder.
"What in blazes?" he mused. Turning in the direction of the ever-increasing cacophony, he immediately saw the rest of the group careening toward him at full force, thrown by the force of the aftershock. He barely had time to utter a high-pitched scream before he too was bowled over by the group, who remained airborne for at least another few seconds before finally skidding to a halt.
The group struggled to regain their bearings as they slowly climbed to their feet, groaning in pain. Eddy, after regaining his footing, stretched out his left arm and placed his outstretched palm on the cave wall, but was surprised by falling onto the floor again – he had unknowingly pressed a switch that was on the wall, setting off a rumbling within the passage.
"What was that?" asked Vivian. "That rumbling?"
"It seems as if something had been triggered," Edd responded, not noticing Eddy on the floor.
All of a sudden, a row of sharp spikes jutted out from the opposite wall, forcing the group to pin themselves against the wall on their side to avoid being impaled.
"Me, oh, my! Now may we please return to camp?" asked Flavio fearfully.
"Sounds like a plan," Eddy groaned, his voice muffled due to his face still pressed against the lower part of the wall.
After a short while, the spikes retracted back into the wall, and the group heaved a collective sigh of relief. This feeling was very short-lived, however, for not even six seconds after the spikes disappeared, the group found themselves on the receiving end of an onslaught of arrows flying in from the other walls. The large group decided to make a run for it, dodging any arrows coming at them and screaming all the way.
Oh, dear, oh, dear… were Edd's panicked thoughts as he ran. Assistance, please! Help us!
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Back at the jungle, Ed suddenly emitted a loud and terrified yelp, startling those around him.
"Yes? Hello! What?" asked Rolf, rushing to Ed's side as the lovable oaf clutched his chest and panted heavily. "Speak to Rolf, brawn-over-brains Ed-boy!"
"It's… It's…" Ed struggled to get the words out as he tried to catch his breath. "It's Double-D!"
"What about Double-Dork? Didya see him or something?" asked Kevin.
"No! But I heard him!" Ed replied fearfully.
"What are you talking about? I didn't hear Dad," said Eduardo Junior derisively.
"Well, I did! I swear, I'm telling you the truth!" yelled Ed, shocking everyone as he was now speaking in clear, concise, complete sentences for the first time. "This might sound, like, super-strange, but I could hear Double-D talking to me just now! He's in grave danger!"
Everyone around him – including Kevin, Rolf, Eduardo Junior, and Ralph T. – continued to stare dumbfoundedly at Ed. The super strong but incredibly dim boy, who wasn't exactly known for speaking clearly other than his usual non-sequiturs, was speaking in complete sentences, and with extreme fear and urgency in his voice, and no one else knew how to react to this surprising development. After about ten seconds, which felt like an eternity due to the shock of the current situation, Kevin decided to break the awkward silence.
"Okay, two things, dork," he demanded. "One, are you absolutely sure about this? And two, are you actually talking in complete sentences?"
"Yes, Kevin, I am! To both of those questions!" replied Ed. "He's in a cold, dank, damp cave, along with Eddy, and Flavio, and Nazz, and Vivian, and Goombella, and Admiral Bobbery! They're surrounded by traps coming at them from all directions!"
"Yo, I don't believe this!" Kevin exclaimed. "You're actually talking?!"
"Why must you continue to fixate on that, Kevin?!" Ed exclaimed. "Please! Try to understand! We must find Double-D and the others before-AAH!"
Ed suddenly closed his eyes, screamed in pain, clutched his head, and fell face-first back onto the ground.
"Okay, what is happening?!" exclaimed Ralph T., pointing to Ed. "What's happened to him?"
"Let's find out," said Junior.
Ralph T. and Rolf turned Ed face-up onto his back so they could see his face. After about five seconds, Ed opened his eyes halfway.
"Hey! Dude! C'mon, say something," Junior piped up.
Ed gave a small goofy chuckle in response, following it up by saying, "My mom says not to pick my bellybutton."
This response indicated to the rest of the room's occupants that Ed had reverted back to his usual goofy, buttered-toast-for-brains self.
"See?" Kevin groaned. "Dork's fine. He's back to his usual dumb self."
"Poppycock!" Rolf yelped. "Look again, almighty-chin-face Kevin! The large Ed-boy is not, how you say, 'fine!' He is in great pain, and requires Rolf's yak membrane cure for the pains in the skull!"
"Yak membrane?" asked Ralph T. and Eduardo Junior quizzically.
"Pain? C'mon, Rolf, you can't be serious," Kevin mused. "I mean, it's Ed. The guy hardly feels any pain! But what I'd like to know is, how'd this dumb dork suddenly get all smart enough to talk in complete sentences? And how'd he know what could be goin' on with Double-Dork?"
Rolf gave no reply to Kevin's inquiry as the son of a shepherd continued to observe Ed, whose eyes were closed once more, with a mix of worry, amazement, and suspicion. Hm… must Rolf reveal how he believes the oafish Ed-boy was struck with this spike of intelligence? …No, Rolf must wait until the proper time.
"Come! We must bring the brawn-over-brains Ed-boy with us!" Rolf proclaimed. He managed to hoist Ed over his shoulders, groaning as he did so; even for Rolf, this was no easy feat due to Ed's large body mass, and as a result, Kevin had to step in and help Rolf balance the lovable oaf.
"Where are we going?" asked Junior.
"We must find and rescue the brains-over-brawn head-and-sock Ed-boy and our comrades!" Rolf proclaimed. "And only the flick-of-a-light-switch brawny Ed-boy knows where they may be located!"
XXX000XXX000XXX
Inside the cave, the arrows continued to fly from the walls as the group weaved desperately to and fro in order to avoid being pierced, screaming all the way (with Flavio's screams having become especially obnoxious). The group finally managed to reach a body of water nearby; while Edd and Vivian remembered Bobbery's warning about the dangers lurking beneath the water's surface, Eddy had other ideas.
"Every man for himself!" screamed the loudmouthed Ed boy as he dove into the water.
Bobbery just sighed. "Some mates, they never learn."
Bubbles started to surface on the water, prompting a nervous Nazz to ask: "What's going on?"
"You'll find out, lass," Bobbery replied, "in three, two, one…"
As Bobbery finished his countdown, right on cue, Eddy shot out of the water and well into the air with a loud yelp before landing facedown back onto the ground. From the surface of the water, a piranha fish could be seen gnashing its sharp teeth before retreating beneath the surface.
"Eddy boy, did yeh not hear me scold yer mates regardin' the dangers that lurk 'neath the sea?" Bobbery scolded him.
"Yeah, whatever," groaned Eddy.
The stout Ed-boy slowly climbed to his feet, grumbling about how soaked he was, before being interrupted by more rumbling.
"Oh, now what?" groaned Goombella.
Her question was answered within seconds, as another army of Embers began to swarm into the room and surround the group.
"Oh, dear, more Embers?" yelped Edd.
"Aw, man! Like, now what do we do?" Nazz cried out.
Edd knew that there was no way that he and his friends could combat these Embers, equipped as they were; in fact, Jimmy – the only one who had the means with which to dispatch the Embers – was currently back at the shantytown near the shore, recuperating from a bout of illness. With little to no other option, Edd hastily shifted his gaze around the room, searching for any means of escape; eventually, he discovered three separate escape routes through three separate doors in the adjacent walls.
"There!" he called, pointing toward the three doorways. "I see three possible means of escape!"
"Yeah? Which way, Sockhead?" Eddy asked.
"All o' the ways, boy!" Bobbery yelled. "We be splittin' up!"
"Sounds like a plan to me," Goombella chimed in.
"Oh, and to the lovebirds o' the group-" began Bobbery.
"Hey! I ain't in love, and I hate birds!" Eddy grumbled.
"Ha, I ain't said yeh were, boy, but since yeh raised the issue, I'll say it later," Bobbery stated. "Anyways, seems like 'twould be a distraction to be pairin' up the, erm, pairs. So, to Nazz and Double-D, ye be takin' the door on the left. Eddy and the Vivian lass be takin' the center door, while Flavio, Goombella, 'n meself be takin' the door on the right. Go!"
Immediately the group split up, with Edd and Nazz entering the leftmost door; Eddy and Vivian taking the center door; while Bobbery, Flavio, and Goombella escaped through the rightmost door.
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Edd and Nazz were alone in what appeared to be a storage room. There were boxes and barrels of varying sizes strewn around the room, and they were likely very dusty, which under normal circumstances would set off Edd's compulsive need for proper cleanliness; however, due to their current situation, there was no need for this. On the plus side, the room appeared to be unoccupied, save for Edd and Nazz themselves, and as a result of this, Nazz decided to pose a question over which she had been agonizing, apparently for some time now; but steadily she found herself losing her nerve.
"So…" she began.
"Hm, given the copious amount of wooden barrels and crates, we appear to be in some kind of storage unit," Edd noted. "Perhaps there is a key hiding in any one of these containers that will allow us to progress further."
"Hm, yeah," sighed Nazz.
Edd began to search the barrels and crates one by one for anything that could help them progress, but had no such luck due to the containers being empty. After being sure to place the lid back on one crate just the way he found it, Edd turned back to the door through which they entered, and noticed Nazz was still standing there. Not only that, but he had also noticed that Nazz seemed to be distracted by some rather troubling thoughts, and decided to pose a question of his own.
"Nazz, if I may?" he asked. "Is something troubling you?"
"Um… wh-what do you mean?" stammered Nazz.
"Well, since we first became marooned on this island, I've noticed that you've started to become increasingly distant," Edd noted. "For one thing, you don't speak with me as much as you used to. And on top of that, I was both greatly astonished and immensely intimidated when you raised your voice at Kevin. Granted, he more than likely deserved what he got, but still…"
"Yeah, I don't like Kevin anymore. He's just a jerk. But, um…" said Nazz, her face turning red and warm as she blushed. "Do… Do you like me?"
"Oh, my," said Edd, taken aback by this question. "Well, Nazz, of course I like you. You're a kind individual who stands up for what she believes in, no matter the risk."
"Uh, no, like, you misunderstand," said Nazz. "I mean, do you… like me like me?"
"Nazz, I've already said that I- ohhh…" As it became clear to Edd exactly what Nazz was asking him, he felt his own face turning red and warm as he too began blushing. He tried to muster up a response to her question that would please her, but found himself unable to do so, instead emitting a series of awkward stutters. Seeing this reaction, Nazz bowed her head, saddened at this apparent rejection.
"Oh, um… nevermind," she said. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."
"Oh, do forgive me, Nazz, for I was merely caught by surprise," said Edd, finally finding his words. "Um, well… why do you ask?"
Nazz sighed as she now struggled to respond appropriately to Edd's question, her face blushing once again. After about seven seconds, she finally thought of a response, but as she opened her mouth to answer Edd's question, several crates shattered around them, revealing several more Embers within.
"Oh, dear! I'm terribly sorry, Nazz, but you'll need to table that thought for the time being," said Edd as he picked up a rock and tossed it at a nearby Ember.
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While Edd and Nazz were fighting off a sudden surprise attack of Embers, Eddy and Vivian were alone in another room, featuring a flowing river of seawater carrying items ranging from wooden barrels and crates to pieces of driftwood from wrecked ships, as well as stalactites dripping water from the ceiling, and the ever-present lanterns on the walls- this was the same room Eddy had entered in his dream through the Great Boggly Tree entrance, and as he realized this, he began to worry. Now that he was alone with the Siren, Eddy decided to pose some questions to her, questions that had made him curious since he had eavesdropped on her and Edd aboard the S.S. Flavion.
"Man, this is just… weird, don'tcha think?" he asked.
"What's weird?" Vivian asked back.
"Just this whole thing," Eddy replied. "I mean, like, back on the ship, when I saw you and Sockhead talkin' about some Eye of Whatchamahoozit…"
Vivian gasped in shock, her eyes wide as saucers. "What?"
"Oh… right, forgot I was spyin' on ya's," said Eddy. "Oops."
"You were eavesdropping on us?" asked Vivian in her state of panic. "How could you violate our privacy like that?"
Eddy shrugged. "Eh, I got bored."
This answer, obviously, did nothing to ease Vivian's nerves; instead, she grew more nervous. "Tell me, right here, right now," she demanded of him. "What did you hear, and how much?"
"Eh, nothin' much," mused Eddy. "Just that Sockhead's got some kind of 'third eye' or whatever under his hat, and that there's some fairy tale about it."
"Oh? And is that all you heard?" asked Vivian, her heart racing as she wiped nervous sweat from her brow.
"Pretty much," Eddy confirmed. "Jeez, I think this place is drivin' everyone nuts."
"Listen to me," demanded Vivian, a tone of grave seriousness in her voice. "Whatever you heard about the Eye, do not- and I mean do not- speak a word of this to anyone. If others knew about this, it could spell doom for us both."
"Whaddya mean?" asked Eddy as he adopted a smirk on his face. "What, is the government trying to get their hands on it? Would that mean you're a wanted criminal?"
"No and no," replied Vivian somewhat flatly, but still retaining the seriousness of her voice.
"Well, well, aren't we bein' awfully secretive?" chuckled Eddy.
However, this served only to aggravate Vivian even further, and she immediately rounded on him, adopting an expression of anger and tension.
"Just swear to me right here and now that you will not utter a word of this to anyone!" she demanded harshly.
"Okay, okay, I swear! Jeez, put the pin back in the grenade," said Eddy.
"Thank you," said Vivian.
"Oh, and one more thing- you might, uh, wanna fess up to Stretch about that thing, too," Eddy added.
"Stretch?" asked Vivian, confused.
"Yeah, it's what I call Rolf," said Eddy. "He was out there with me."
"WHAT?! You mean Rolf knows about this, too?!" Vivian cried out, panicking once again.
"Yeah, the way he was carryin' on about it, I think he might know more about this Eye of Whatsit than he's lettin' on," Eddy told her. "But I mean, it can't be all bad, right? It's just some metal eye thingy."
"I think it's best that you don't know," Vivian warned him.
"Jeez," grumbled Eddy. "First Sockhead, then Stretch, now you. You people have gotta be hidin' somethin' pretty dark. If it involves cash, I want in."
"Persistent, aren't we?" Vivian groaned.
Eddy shrugged. "It suits me."
As he said this, he stood in the exact same spot in his dream where he had been shoved down a deep hole. Of course, unbeknownst to Vivian, Eddy had chosen his responses very carefully, as he did not want to confess to her or anyone else that he already had a basic idea about this Eye of Wisdom and its capabilities. The image of Edd, wildly corrupted by its power, gripping him tightly as he burned alive, continued to haunt him even now…
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Elsewhere, Flavio was busy regaling Goombella and Admiral Bobbery with yet another boastful tale of his so-called journeys; his audience, however, had already grown bored with it, and only pretended to listen to appease Flavio's ego.
"…and it was then that I decided to grapple head-on with the beast! An awfully enormous behemoth, he was!"
"…Aye, how truly riveting," droned Bobbery sarcastically.
"Ah, but even then, I smiled!" Flavio concluded. "For I knew that, in the end, I would prevail! I had that beast licked, for I am the amazing Flavio!"
"So that was your oh-so-amazing 'tale of bravery,' huh?" Goombella groaned, sharing Bobbery's sarcasm. "Sheesh, you've got enough material to write a book."
"Aye, that be a grand idea there, lass!" Bobbery stated, in a slightly jovial manner. "Why, 'twould be a grand best-seller there."
Goombella and Bobbery turned to face each other, sharing a sly smirk for about half a second before bursting out in laughter at the thought of Flavio writing a book about his so-called brave exploits.
"Hoho, yes, I am quite brave, am I not?" Flavio replied, clearly not understanding the sarcasm but also to bolster his already-overinflated ego.
"Aye, very much," chuckled Bobbery facetiously. "Than next time we enter a brawl, ye be the first to make the move."
"I accept!" proclaimed Flavio. "The next beast we shall find, I shall stare it right in the face with my piercing gaze, strike a proud and true stance, and say-"
Flavio wheeled around, and suddenly froze mid-sentence- as he finished twirling, he had come face-to-face with yet another Ember, its menacing eyes transfixed on the now-terrified braggart and its blue glow shining upon his face.
"…say…say…say…say…" was all Flavio could stutter. Nervously, he turned to face Bobbery and Goombella.
"Well, here be yer chance, lad!" Bobbery chuckled.
"Yeah, let's see the oh-so-brave Flavio make his first move!" Goombella laughed.
Flavio turned around to face the Ember again, and as the flaming wisp advanced slowly and menacingly, the boisterous businessman let out a panicked scream and began running the opposite direction. He was almost halfway to the doorway when he suddenly tripped over a chain on the ground that had gone unnoticed by everyone. As Flavio fell face-first to the ground, a snapping sound was heard, and suddenly, a crate dropped from the ceiling, crushing and defeating the Ember upon impact.
"Well, pepper up this ol' salty sea dog, the pompadour actually done it!" Bobbery mused.
Flavio slowly stood up and brushed the dirt off of his clothing before straightening the feather on his hat. Looking back, he discovered the remains of the crate in the spot where the Ember once hovered, a smile forming on his face.
"Ha ha! Yes, indeed, I have done it!" he bragged. "Indeed, I have vanquished the mighty foe, for I am Flavio!"
"Uh-huh, yeah, whatever," mumbled Goombella.
"I would very much like to see what other perils await!" Flavio bragged. "Come! Let us forth!"
Flavio marched down the hallway in a very overly confident manner, with the disinterested Goombella and Bobbery behind him. As they walked, Goombella discovered something on the left wall that piqued her interest.
"Look, there's a switch on the wall," she called, directing their gaze to the wall switch.
"Aha!" exclaimed Flavio.
Before Goombella or Bobbery could speak up, Flavio sauntered over to the switch and flipped it without hesitation. Within half a second, the floor beneath the three gave way, and they fell, screaming.
Elsewhere, Edd had just taken out an Ember by tossing an empty crate at it. He barely had enough time to process the battle before the ground gave way beneath him, and he fell, screaming.
"Double-D? Dude?" called Nazz. "Where are-"
The ground gave way beneath her feet, and she fell, too.
Elsewhere, Eddy was searching for some kind of pirate treasure, but to no avail.
"Man, that's it? Nothing? Not even a pile o' cash! What a rip!" he complained. "I mean, we should've found something by now-"
A hole opened up beneath Eddy's feet, and he too fell, screaming.
Shocked and confused, Vivian looked around, and noticed the hole in the ground where Eddy had fallen. With one loud gulp, she swallowed her fear, took her chances, and leaped into the hole after him…
End of Part Six
