And here's chapter 2! I just updated my current two stories just to say on the summary, that they are "On-hold". If nobody knows what that means, it just means that I have the chapters, but they are incomplete. I want to concentrate on finishing this story, as this story will only be 9 chapters long, just like the game.
I've decided that Will won't interrupt in the middle of the story, unless it's something big plot wise, like in the previous chapter. I'll be taking a little break, as Pokemon Snap for switch comes out tomorrow and I will be playing that a lot in the next coming days. Except for that, I'll start writing the next chapter as soon as possible...unless there is a change in my circumstances.
Enjoy!
Just hours after Will made that voicemail, Roland had recieved a message as he was about to sleep that night. He listened to the voicemail and smiled at the voice. He liked how curious and questionable Will had gotten when reading a new adventure book, but hearing him talk about his recent advanture made him smile. He looked at the current time and frowned. He really wanted to answer Will's questions, but he would be asleep by now, so decided against it for now.
However, the first thing he did the following morning was call Will's number. He didn't wait very long for an answer. "Hey dad! Did you get my message?" Roland smiled. "Sure did, kiddo. You have some questions about the book so far. What did you want to ask?" Will took a breath as he asked his first question. "Dad...were you...were you really in that world?" Roland didn't know what he should say. If he told the truth, he could be crazy from Will's point of view. Maybe he could answer it with another question.
"Would you believe me...if I said 'Yes'?" Will knew that his dad was dodging the question, he did this a couple of times when Roland visited Will at the hospital when asking questions that are sensitive. "Dad...of course I would! You never lied to me and if you really did go to this world, then I believe you". Roland felt comfort from Will's words. "Will..." Will smiled on the other end and added, "Your secret is safe with me, I won't tell anyone. Not even the nurses!"
Roland chuckled a little from that. "Thanks. Got any other questions for me, kiddo?" Will asked his next question. "How old is Evan?" Roland answered it with ease. "He's about your age, maybe a year older". Will asked the next question. "Do you still know how you got to that world in the first place?" After everything that he'd been through, Roland still didn't get an answer on how he got there, but found some reason on why he was there.
"I'm still not sure on how I got there, kiddo. But I think I know the reason on why I was there...but...you have to read more of the story to find out". Will moaned on the other end. "Aww...really? Alright then, I'll just keep reading then". Roland chuckled a little once more and asked, "You have any more questions for me?" Will thought about on what he wanted to ask before reading the next chapter, but answered, "No. I think that's it for now".
Roland nodded. "Call me if you have any more questions, I'll always have time to talk to you. However, visiting you at the hospital is going to be difficult-" Will didn't want Roland to explain more, he understood. "It's okay, Dad. You're very busy. Let's just do calls and text messages more!" Roland, happy that his son understood his current situation, replied with a hasty, "Oh, something just came up. I'll have to go, kiddo. I'll call you later tonight, if I can!"
The call ended and Will smiled, seeing that his dad had an emergency this morning. Will put the phone down and written down on a notepad, the answers Roland had provided. "So Dad really go to another world... it must be amazing..." As he finished writting the answers down, he grabbed the blue book and turned the page he was last at. "Okay, time for chapter two..."
Chapter 2 - The Kingdom to Come
Both Evan and Roland watched the sunrise together for a little bit longer. Roland had declared that he would stay in this world, to help Evan with his new kingdom and Evan, wanted to keep his promise to Aranella, is going to build a new kingdom where all of his residents can be happy. "Let's go down and figure out what to do next". Evan nodded at Roland. They needed a plan on what to do next. They both walked down and sat near the campfire with Evan sitting on the ground with his knees up and Roland sitting on a boulder.
"If I'm to become king again, I'll need to convince a kingmaker to help us". Roland tilted his head slightly, confused by the term. "A kingmaker?" Roland had never heard of a 'kingmaker' before. A king, (or a president in his case back in his world) were determined by the amount of votes from the general public. "Yes. A monarch must have the power to serve his people. A kingmaker is a magical creature blessed with great power. By bending one to his will, a king proves that he is worthy to lead his nation".
Roland found some form a connection that kingmakers have in his world. "So it's...a mark of authority?" Evan nodded slightly. "Yes, but...not just that. It's also a guardian. In times of need, it can come to the nation's aid. A single kingmaker has the strength of an entire army". Roland added, "Is that so...I'm guessing they're pretty big?" Evan answered, "Oh, yes. Some are the size of a castle". Now expecting on a certain size and image, Roland had an idea on what a kingmaker would be like if he met one.
"You don't say...and you mean to...tame one of these things?" He paused, but then realised something. "Wait a minute-you were a king until just recently, right? Shouldn't you have one of these kingmakers already?" Evan looked down a little and sighed. "Well, my father only died a month ago, you see...we haven't quite got around to that part yet...so...I was never a true king...not really. If the ceremony had gone ahead as planned, I would have my kingmaker by now. But of course...it didn't".
Roland put a hand on his chin, as he thought about what could be happening to the kingmaker of Ding Dong Dell. "So in all likelihood, Mausinger has taken control of your kingmaker already". Evan nodded. "Yes. Which means we'll have to find a new one. A new kingmaker for our new kingdom". Roland knew now on what to do next, the question is how and where. "And where do we find one, exactly? There can't be too many of these things". Evan explained. "I think we might have a chance of meeting one if we visit the king's cradle beyond Cloudcoil Canyon".
Roland questioned, "The 'King's Cradle'...?" and Evan explained. "It's a holy place where a kingmaker is enshrined. Every kingdom has one". Roland understood, but said his thoughts out loud. "So if a kingmaker happened to be at loose ends, we could visit them at their king's cradle and try to convince them to sign up with us?" Evan nodded, happy that Roland understood. "Exactly. And if the stories are true, there is a kingmaker in the place I mentioned which has yet to be claimed".
Roland gave a small grin, glad that they have a plan ready. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Evan replied, "All right! Ah...one moment..." Evan stood up and asked Roland, "Can I have that bag Nella gave me?" Roland remembered the bag from before and called it from his arms band. He gave the bag to Evan and Evan opened it. Inside it is an arms band, just as Aranella told him, two swords, a jeweled wand and a small red cape. Evan put on the red cape by clipping two corners to a pin. He secured it to make sure it wasn't too loose and equipped his arms band, then stored his wand and swords to it.
"Now I can fight beside you, Roland!" Roland admired the small, but new look for Evan. "Heh...well, all right. But take it easy to begin with, okay?" Evan nodded and along with Roland, walked away from the campsite. They stopped as Evan noticed a small blue light, emitting a low hum noise. "Look! A trip door!" Roland put a hand of his hip. The blue glow reminded him of both the glow that brought him to this world, and that waystone he saw when he got his new outfit.
"A what?" Evan explained. "A trip door! They're found where the energy of the land is especially strong-mostly near landmarks. If you touch it, it would sort of...remember you. And that means you can return to it whenever you like. Not everyone can use them, though-you need to know a certain special spell called Travel. Luckilly, Nella taught it to me!" Roland asked some more questions about the trip doors.
"So you're telling me you know how to teleport? How come you didn't use this spell of yours to get out of the castle?" Evan wanted to, but he explained why he couldn't. "Well, as I said-you need to have visited a trip door in order to travel back to it. And well...I've never really spent much time outside of the castle until now. In fact...this is the first trip door I've ever seen..." Roland understood the full picture now. Evan could have teleported them out of there, even if he wanted to, but there was no trip doors to travel to. "Of course. Well, let's visit as many as we can from now on. These things are sure to come in handy".
Both of them touched the blue glow of the trip door. The glow narrowed down and became nothing. "There we go. Now let's go to Cloudcoil Canyon. Where is it?" Evan wasn't too sure on that question. "Hm...I'm not too sure. Maybe we should have a look around?" Roland nodded. It wasn't much to go on, but having a look around couldn't hurt. Except for the monsters of course.
As they left the campsite, they were met by a rock and grassy landscape, full of small hills, trees and cliffs with a flowing river. Some of the hills has either one type of flower or a variety of flowers and most of them were plain grass, either short or long. There were all sorts of creatures strolling around. There were rodent-like creatures with armour and clubs, they weren't the same as the soldiers back at Ding Dong Dell, these rodents looked more beastly than civilised. There were also wolves with backs and parts of the body, full of spines like a hedgehog and they were at a distance, but there were also big dragons, resting from their long flights.
Roland and Evan were outside from the hollow entrance, the campside they lived in for the night. They could see on their left somewhat in the distance, the castle of Ding Dong Dell and its borders. They both turned and walked to the right, avoiding and getting further away from Ding Dong Dell. There were a couple of monsters in their way, which they had to fight their way through. Evan used his skills, which were more magic based such as fireballs, a water bomb that shot like a missle and a sword slash made of fire.
They both worked well together against the monsters, with Roland protecting Evan from nearby monsters. After beating a small group of them, Roland walked up to Evan, smiling and complimenting him. "That wasn't bad, Evan. Did Aranella teach you to do that?" Evan smiled and nodded. "Yeah. She taught me on many spells, mostly on offensive spells and I practiced them at the training grounds". Roland looked a little sad, but looked more natural. "Listen Evan...I...I may have not known Aranella for as long as you did, but I have to say...I'm sorry for your loss. She was a kind and brave woman".
Evan looked down, but like Roland, he controlled his emotions and thanked Roland. "Thank you, Roland. I'll miss her, but if I can fufill her promise to her, maybe...maybe she can rest in peace..." Roland smiled and put his right hand on Evan's left shoulder. "I think she's already resting in peace, knowing you're safe..." Roland retrived his hand and added, "...now...let's go to the king's cradle". Evan smiled, cheered up by Roland's talk. "You're right, let's keep going".
They continued on the dirt path they started following. They walked for about ten minutes and to their right, a little further away is a cottage with a brick slate roof, circular in shape. They heard low screeches of a monster, combined by numerous voices. "What is going on here?" Roland asked as him and Evan stared at a troubling scene. A lady about fifty or sixty years of age, wearing a dress and brown shoes, is avoiding a winged creature that is attacking her. Around her were strange little creatures that seemed to be on her side as they weren't attacking her. The winged creature is a reptilian creature, mostly green in colour and is wearing a harness with gear on its waist. It is holding small stone axes and used them as weapons against the old lady.
"Ooo! What did I ever do to you, I ask!?" The reptilian monster went further away, but then swooped fast towards the old lady. It missed. "Oh, my giddy goodness!" The monster swooped again and it was enough to get the old lady to fall over. "You rotten devil of a thing, you!" Roland wasn't going to let this happen anymore. Both of them needed to stop this. "Evan! Come on!" They both ran to the monster and Roland shouted out to Evan, "I'll distract the monster. You make sure the old lady is all right!" Evan did it immediately without a second thought. The monster, distracted by Roland as he attacked it by shooting with his gun, Evan helped the old lady up.
The old lady ran to a safer distance, watching from afar. Using their swords would be pretty pointless for this battle, as the monster is mostly in the air. Using their long range weapons, they continuously dealt damage to the monster. It became slow and steady, however it became tiring as the monster repeatedly swooped at them. It swooped once more and Roland blocked it with his sword. "It's coming back!" The monster swooped again, but then slowed down and turned away, shaking off small gray-white creatures that stopped it.
"Gosh! What in the-?" The small creatures didn't look like they were in pain and acted like nothing happened to them. "Oi, you two!" Both Evan and Roland turned to the old lady. "You can see my little lovelies, can't you? Why not have 'em lend you a hand?" The little creatures bounced up and down, happy to help the two of them. The little creatures joined in the fight and gave a signal to them, bouncing up and down. As Evan got close to a group of them, he called out, "I need your help!" The little creatues cried out and in a small ball of light, they summoned a cannon. One of them lit the fuse and it then became numerous cannonball fires against the monster. It was thanks to their help that the battle became much quicker and the monster was finally defeated.
The cannon disappeared and the little creatures ran to its owner. Evan and Roland ran towards the old lady. "Excuse me, are you all right?" The old lady smiled, happy for the help. "Oh me, oh my! That was a close one, and no mistake! I don't know what I'd have done if you two lovely boys hadn't come wandering by. I'm Martha, by the way. Auntie Martha to those I take a shine to. And I'm pleased to say I've taken a shine to you! Come on, then-we're going to my house! I must give you a little something to say thank you!" Roland looked at Evan, with Evan saying, "I guess it couldn't hurt".
Auntie Martha walked towards the cottage, with the little creatures following her. She guided Roland and Evan to her front door. "Here we are! It's not much, but it's home! In you come!" She opened the door and called inside, "All right, my lovelies! Let's make breakfast for these two lovely boys!" Roland and Evan stayed at their spot. Roland said, "It wouldn't hurt to stop for a while and eat". Evan nodded. "We only had that bread from last night, I'm starving!" Evan walked in first and Roland, smiled at Evan with one thought on his mind. 'Heh, he's such a little kid, it's cute'.
As Roland walked in, he sees Evan stood still, a few steps away from the front door. Roland was about to ask what's wrong, but he got his answer as he stared at what Evan was staring at. The cottage is full of these small creatures. All the same size, but different in appearance. Some were white-grey like the ones before, including a certain one with a pale red scarf on. There are also some coloured light green, some light blue, some purple-black, some orange-red and some yellow-white. The only thing kept the same about them is their faces and they have two arms and legs. Their faces are two black dots for eyes and a mouth, which are slightly different in appearance.
Roland and Evan stared at the creatures, facinated and surprised that there are so many of them. Auntie Martha is by the pot, stiring the soup she made. A few of the creatures were setting up the table for three people, passing bowls, cutlery and a big loaf of bread. Once they finished setting up, Roland and Evan took their seats. Auntie Martha grabbed each of the bowls and poured the soup into them, serving her guests. "Dig in, everyone!"
Roland and Evan gave their thanks and Auntie Martha sliced all of the loaf. Roland and Evan sipped their soups while they waited for some bread to dip it in. They both enjoyed it. "This is delicious!" Evan complimented happily. Auntie Martha smiled. "Glad you like it! It's my favourite, country corn soup!" They continued eating in silence for a few minutes. Some of the small creatures watched their guests, while the rest of them did their own thing.
Auntie Martha spoke up. "You two really did save my bacon back there! What are your names?" Evan sipped his spoonful of soup and answered. "Evan, my name is Evan". Roland finished chewing the bit of bread he was eating and added, "And I'm Roland". Happy to know the name of her guests, she smiled and added, "Thanks for saving me, I never expected to see a wyvern so close to home! Honestly, a girl can't even go out picking herbs in peace these days..."
Roland looked up. 'So that monster is a wyvern...' He looked around and became a little worried about the small creatures. "So...these little creatures of yours-are they...monsters?" Auntie Martha seemed upset by the question. "Ooh! You cheeky so-and-so! No they are not! They're...well, they're more...phenomena than anything, I suppose". Evan didn't understand. "Phenomena?" Auntie Martha explained what that word meant. "That's right, dear. There's the wind, isn't there? And fire and rain and suchlike-they're all natural phenomena. And when those phenomena decide to grow heads and legs and start running around being adorable, they become these lovelies called higgledies!"
Roland watched the small creatures known as higgledies stroll and play with each other. 'Phenomena becoming living creatures? Now I've seen it all...' Everyone continued eating their breakfast and they were having their second bowl's worth, as there was plenty of soup to go around. "So where were you off to when you got waylaid helping out old Martha, anyway? We don't often get visitors round these parts". Evan explained his and Roland's plan. "We were on our way to the king's cradle beyond Cloudcoil Canyon".
Auntie Martha gasped. "No! Really? Just the two of you? Going into that den of despiciple sky pirates?" Both Evan and Roland's eyes widened and Roland questioned, "Sky pirates?" Evan didn't want to let sky pirates stop him, he needed to get to the king's cradle. "We have to!" Auntie Martha stared at Evan's eyes, seeing if Evan was serious. "'Have to,' dear? Absolutely, positively have to?" Evan looked determined and replied, "Absolutely, positively. Yes".
Auntie Martha liked Evan more as she giggled and added, "Well, in that case, you'd better take some of my little lovelies with you!" She looked at the higgledy with the red scarf on. It skipped towards the group and Evan became surprised with Auntie Martha's offer. "Really?" The higgledy moved its head and said, "Higgle!" The mouth didn't move as it said this, but it did look happy to join the adventure. "You really don't mind?" Auntie Martha replied, "It's the least I can do. You've shown me that you'll treat them kindly, and best of all, that you'll put them to good use". Evan grinned. "Thank you very much, Auntie Martha!" Roland looked at Evan, happy to get some allies. "I'll feel a lot better with these little guys backing us up". Auntie Martha said, "Wonderful! And if you ever have any questions about them, you just come and ask me, you hear?"
Roland became curious about the higgledies, as he asked a couple more questions to Martha. He first asked what makes the one that is joining the pair, different from the others around them. Martha explained that the one joining them is called Runcible the Righteous and he is a higgledy hero. She also explained that there are two different types of higgledies, heroes and helpers. The heroes have names compared to the helpers, while the helpers follow the hero around and support it. She also explained that there are two ways to find more higgledy heroes. One of them is to find a stone with a higgledy face on it called a higgledy stone. The other way is to brew certain ingredients in a cauldron, but doing it this way means you cannot make the same higgledy hero more than once.
After finishing their meals, the pair thanked Auntie Martha for the service and said their goodbyes. Auntie Martha wished them luck on their journey. As they left the cottage, they noticed a trip door right next to them and touched it. They continued down the path they walked, before meeting Auntie Martha and as they crossed a small bridge that crossed over the river, Roland looked at Evan with one thought on his mind. He was curious as he asked, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but...your ears-are they real?" Evan giggled. "Oh, I don't mind. Yes, they're real. I'm half grimalkin, you see". Roland smiled. "Interesting...you don't get many cat-eared kings where I come from".
Evan became more and more curious about Roland's world. "Really?" Roland smiled and replied, "All of our kings and the world's population are pretty much humanfolk where I'm from". Evan had found this information interesting, he wanted to know more about Roland's world little by little. But maybe someday, he'll talk more about it. They had a task to do. The pair explored the hills and plains, but stayed away from the Ding Dong Dell outskirts. The closest they got to Ding Dong Dell was finding a trip door that is near a bridge. They touched it and continued exploring, until they got close to a dry land, made of massive bones and rock.
They walked through a canyon grove, until there was no sign of grass. They stopped to catch their breath and analysed the situation so far. "So we have to make it through this valley to reach the king's cradle, huh?" Evan nodded and replied, "Y-yes. And that's not the only challenge will face...the king's cradle is at the other end of Cloudcoil Canyon, on an island near the Heartlands". Roland figured out why Evan said this will be challenging. "So we'll need to find a boat, too?" Evan nodded, saddened by the news. "I'm afraid so. But we must worry about that later. First, we need to make it through the valley".
Roland understood that Evan was right. Getting to the other end of the canyon is more important right now. "So, about what Auntie Martha said-about this place being, what was it...a 'den of despicable sky pirates'?" Evan remembered that moment and answered, "Yes. Cloudcoil Canyon is home to a notorious band of sky pirates, led by a black-hearted devil named Batu. Some call him the Cloud Snake. And if he finds us here, we will be in trouble. We must take care..." Roland nodded, thanking Evan for the information. "We can negotiate if it goes bad for us, but let's try not to get caught for now".
Before they continued on (after touching another trip door), they noticed a grimalkin along with an animal that looked very similiar to an alpaca, tied to a cart full of items and useful necessities. The grimalkin asked, "Oh, hello there! Well now, you don't look like sky pirates-thank goodness-would you be interested in making a little purchase, perhaps? I have some lovely, fresh herbs in stock!" Roland put the question on hold and folded his arms. "What's a merchant doing all the way out here?" The grimalkin merchant answered the question. "Well, it's quite a story, actually. You see, I was based in Ding Dong Dell, but there was a little...political trouble over that way, and now the mice are in control. I didn't much like the look of how things were going, so I made good my escape while I still could".
Evan asked, "You're...you're from Ding Dong Dell, you say?" The merchant answered, followed by a gasp. "Indeed I a- Now, wait just one second! King Evan! You're alive! Everybody on Leafbook was saying you'd been killed, so I just assumed the rumours must be true!" Evan shook his head. "Oh, well, umm...no actually. I survived-just". Roland looked at Evan, seeing if Evan knew what the merchant was talking about. "What's Leafbook? Is this some other kind of magic you guys have or something?" Evan didn't have an answer, as he put his hand on his chin with thought. "I'm afraid I haven't the foggiest idea..."
The merchant, seeing his customers confused, explained what this 'Leafbook' is. "You've never heard of Leafbook!? Why, it's the greatest place to find the latest news and gossip from all over the world! And the device for accessing it is the hottest new product from the technological wizards over at Broadleaf Inc.!" The merchant paused, then shook his head a little. "Sorry, just listen to me launching into my sales patter...you'll have to forgive me-old habits die hard".
Roland was intregued by this Leafbook device. It sounded very similiar to his phone, if he had a signal to contact someone of course. "So there's some kind of device we can use to get the latest information from all over the world? Sounds pretty useful..." Roland could use this device to replace his current phone, he had very limited amount of battery life left and he didn't know if there was a way to charge it in this world. "Do you have any of these things for sale? How much are you asking?"
The merchant, happy to start his day with a huge purchase. "Oh, there a snip at ten thousand guilders!" They only had a couple of hundred guilders on them, nowhere near that much. The merchant felt a little bad for his king as he added, "Although...I suppose you have just been through a rather tough time, Your Majesty...a nice discount would probably be just the thing to cheer you up...let's see now...yes, I think I can let you have one for...absolutely nothing! It's going to come in awfully handy, and, well, it's the least I can do under the circumstances!"
Evan stepped back in surprise and Roland widened his eyes, opening his mouth a little, both surprised by the offer. "R-really!? You're sure?" The merchant, happy to help his troubled customers, replied, "I've never been more sure of anything in my life! Glad to be of service!" The merchant handed them a green rectangular device. Roland took the device and studied it. It has smooth edges to fit its ergonomic purpose and the top cover has a bumpy leaf design with a logo design in the middle, that slides up to reveal a blank screen. In some ways, it is similiar to the old sliding mobile phones that were in Roland's world.
He closed the cover and put the Leafbook viewer in his arms band while Evan said with a smile, "Thank you very much! We'll take extra special care for it, we promise!" The merchant replied, "I'm sure you will. And if you ever want to repay the favor with a purchase or two, I certainly shan't say no!" Evan nodded, but then asked what the merchant had in stock. He had a few soreaways, some fresh bread and pink coloured stones that were called angel tears. The angel tears were too expensive to buy, as they were at one thousand guilders each. However, Evan purchased a few loaves of bread and a couple more soreaways. The majority of their money was used for purchases and they were left with less than a hundred guilders.
They thanked the merchant, before they walked further into the canyon. The merchant wished them good luck on their travels and waved goodbye to them. After passing a tunnel, they turned right to another tunnel, but Evan stopped in his tracks as he spotted a rare sight. "Roland, look!" Evan walked close to the rare sight and bent down to take a closer look. "What is that?" Evan answered, "It's a prop-leafed clover! They only grow here in Cloudcoil Canyon! The leaves spin, you see. And they give off ever such a soft little breeze".
The prop-leafed clover, as Evan explained spins slowly and gently due to the soft breeze. Roland watched the clover spin, but then looked at Evan. "This is hardly the time for a botany lesson..." They couldn't waste any more time staring at flowers, no matter how pretty or clever they are. "But I've only ever seen them in books before!" Roland shook his head, wanting Evan to hurry it along. Evan stood up and looked at Roland sheepishly. "I...sorry. Of course. We must get moving..."
And that they did. With a couple of monsters, both big and small, blocking their way. Thanks to their small addition to the team, Runcible the Righteous, they made quick work of any monsters. The big monsters, however were a little bit more of a struggle. But there was nothing harmful that they could do, that a soreaway wouldn't fix. After using one soreaway on each of them, they continued on, till they reached what looks like a dead end and a trip door they touched, before seeing a broken ladder.
"Damn, no way up..." They looked at the two broken planks of wood at the top of the cliff. "But we need to get up there!" Runcible looked around and then jumped, gaining the attention of the pair. "Higgle!" Even if the higgledy couldn't understand Evan, he asked, "Hm, what is it?" Runcible skipped to a small pathway to the right of them, pointing its needle sword at it. "I think he wants us to follow him". Roland became curious about the new teammate too. "Yeah. And he looks pretty serious about it, too. Guess we'd better go see what he has to show us".
They followed Runcible on the path he was pointing at. He kept running till he stopped by a pile of rocks with a small glow inside them. In his own language, he called other higgledies to gather around the rocks. He jumped on top of the pile and reached for the glow, pulling whatever is stuck inside. Other higgledies helped Runcible out by pulling up with him. Whatever is stuck in there took a little while to come out, but they did it. The thing that was stuck inside is another higgledy. This higgledy is light green with a light brown scarf on. The rescued higgledy stood on top of the pile with a pride and brave pose. The helper higgledies and Runcible cheered that the rescue was a success. The rescued higgledy and Runcible danced with each other.
Both Roland and Evan were happy for Runcible. "So that's what it was. He wanted to help his pal". Roland added in his thoughts. 'Just like a big family...' Evan bent down and asked, "Were you stuck in that hole, little friend?" The green higgledy looked very happy at Evan as it put a twig on the ground and bowed at him. "For me? Really?" Evan picked the moldy old twig the green higgledy left for him. Roland asked, "What did he give you?" Evan showed the twig to Roland. "Umm...a stick". Roland, not impressed by the gift, smiled, but cringed at Evan. "Lucky you..."
The higgledies chatted in their own language again. "Looks like there's something else he wants to show us..." The green higgledy pointed his needle sword at Evan, then like Aranella casting a spell on Roland, the same happened with Evan. "Gosh! That was...goodness!" Roland took a step back from Evan. The light swirled around Evan until it got distinguished and Evan felt a little different afterwards. "Did...something just happen?" Evan nodded and answered, "Yes. I...I know this feeling...I think he just gave me a new spell!"
The green higgledy walked to the prop-leafed clover that is closest to them. It pointed to the clover with its sword. "Higgle!" Roland, getting his message said, "I'd say he's telling you to use your magic on that plant there". Evan looked at Roland, smiling at the idea. "Then let's give it a try!" Evan pointed his wand at the clover and a couple of wind helper higgledies used some of their energy to cast the wind-whipper spell. The higgledy helpers teleported away and the clover span quickly, creating some form of wind platform. The wind higgledy jumped on the wind platform and floated up to a higher platform above them.
"Goodness! You higgledies really are talented!" Roland looked at the spell-casted clover, facinated by it all. Evan said, "So that little guy can control the wind, huh?" Roland added, "Looks like we might be able to use this thing now...maybe we can try it on the other clovers we've seen so far..." Roland remembered seeing one close to the broken bridge. The green higgledy floated down to Runcible and followed the group back the way they came. They used the wind-whipper spell on the clover that is closest to what was a dead end and used the high winds to jump high onto the cliff. 'I wonder what the name of the new higgledy is called...'
Roland had a look at the Leafbook Viewer to see if there was any information on higgledies. Conveniently, there is an encyclopedia on higgledies and he looked for their newest member. The new higgledy is named Wiff-Waff the Wafty. 'That merchant was right...this leafbook device is very useful...' After putting the viewer away, the group continued on. They haven't seen any sign of any sky pirates so far, just some monsters such as birds and orcs. After passing through a waterfall that Evan said 'It's so cold!', they came across a grey stone on the ground that had a higgledy face on it and a pattern glowing a soft light green.
"Is this that higgledy stone Auntie Martha mentioned before?" Evan nodded slightly. "It looks like it...she said you have to offer it something. Why don't we touch it to find out?" Roland touched the stone and a voice spoke out from the stone, making them both jump. "Well met, traveler, show me what you've got, give me what I like and I will like you quite a lot! Hey, I know! It's talkin' about them nuts, en't it! The crunchy, munchy ones!" Roland looked at Evan, seeing if he had any ideas on what to do. "Do we...offer the stone a nut of some sort?" Evan and Roland had been picking some ingredients and Evan had found some munchy nuts around in this canyon. Evan called out one munchy nut and placed it on top of the higgledy stone.
"Well done, traveler, this is what I mean! That's the greatest offering that I have ever seen!" Suddenly, making the pair jump and stepping back, another green higgledy jumped out of the stone and stood on top of it. This higgledy looks similiar to Wiff-Waff, however the only difference this higgledy had is that there is a red leaf on top of its head. Roland got the viewer out to see the higgledy encyclopedia. The name of this higgledy is called Filigree the Flighty. The higgledy jumped down and made fast friends with the other higgledies. "Looks like our little army is growing pretty quickly..." said Roland. Evan smiled at the higgledies. "They're like a little family".
Roland looked at the path, then back at Evan. "We must be getting close, let's keep moving". Evan nodded and before they moved on, they see a trip door and touch it. After walking the wooden pathway, they were met with a large area, quiet of monsters or any sign of life. "Huh? Do you hear that?" The noise of silence was slowly being drowned by the sound of a propeller plane. Roland grabbed Evan and kept close to him as the sound of propeller planes got closer. They were back-to-back, watching the two small planes that surrounded them. The planes looked pretty primative, as their wings look like ones out of a bird, instead of a military plane like a spitfire. They only hold enough for two people on each plane. "This doesn't look good..." Evan added, scared on what was going to happen to them. "Wh-what are they-"
The two planes kept circling around Evan and Roland, until on one of them, a person shot a net towards them, trapping them. Making sure the trapped pair didn't escape, the pilots jumped down and put a pair of old-fashioned handcuffs on them. They untangled them out of the net and settled them so they could negotiate the pair. Evan and Roland tried to fight off the net, but found it no use after the handcuffs were put on. The two pilots smiled, glad to have captured some trespassers on their land. One of the pilots looked very muscular and tall, the other not so muscular and a little shorter than the other.
"Ye're brave indeed to come a-wand'rin into these parts uninvited...that, or ye've never heard o' the Cloud Snake". The shorter one with a red hat said. Roland replied, "Sorry, we're not from around here". Evan added, "We have important business beyond the valley! You simply must let us pass!" The tall pilot said, "Oh, must we indeed? I'll tell ye what we simply must do, boy-string up all them as comes a-spyin' on our secret base!" The shorter one added, "Aye, me honoured colleague has the right of it. Ye've contravened Rule 7, Section D o' the Piratical Aviator's Code. An' the punishment for such a heinous crime...is death!"
"But we're not aviators. We walked here". Roland said. Evan nodded, helping Roland get the point across to the pilots. "Spare us yer clever words, mister! We'll not stand here an' listen to ye wheedle yer way out of it!" The short one said with the tall pilot saying, "Aye, piratin's busy work! Less talkin' more dyin'! Heh heh!" Both of them grabbed a crossbow that were hanging on their backs and the shorter one aimed at Roland's head, ready to fire. "'Twas nice to make yer acquaintance".
Before he had to chance to fire, a loud voice stopped them. "Oi!" Another plane swooped towards the pair, but missed them by a few feet. Lucky to be alive somewhat, Roland and Evan stared at what could be their savior. The plane made an ariel twist and the owner of the voice jumped down and had one hand down to soften the landing. "Mistress Tani!" The figure known as Tani looked just as young as Evan. Tani has a green dress on with a white cape that has a blue spot pattern on it and has small cream coloured boots on. She has pink hair that is tied by two big ponytails and one smaller one. She has white and red markings on her face. She also has a few gold narrow bangles on each wrist and is wearing a wooden tooth necklace.
"What are you doing!?" She stared at the pirates and the pirate pair became nervous. "Taking the law into our own hands, eh? The boss'll love that!" The pair looked at each other, unsure of what to say. The tall one said, "Err... we- we, err..." Tani would have grinned as she got them where she want them, but she made her point across. "You were all set to play judge, jury, and executioner, then drag their bodies back to claim the reward, weren't you? Go on-I dare you to deny it!" The pair looked unsure, knowing they were caught. The short one struggled to find the right words. "Well now, I never...that is, we...ahem..."
"I thought as much! But what happens to them isn't your decision-it's Batu's. Now take them back to base before I tell him you've forgotten who's in charge". They understood and knew that Tani was right, it was up to the leader of the Sky Pirates to make the decision for the trespassers, not them. "Yes, miss..." While they were talking, Evan whispered to Roland, "Wh-what should we do?" Roland didn't have many ideas up his sleeve, they were stuck in a rather tight spot. "We'll wait for an opening, and run..."
They kept silent and kept listening to what Tani has to say. "All right, you two take this lot back to base. I'm going to scout around a bit more. The wyverns are on the prowl again". The two pirates nodded simultaneously, obeying Tani's orders. Roland thought on what Tani had said a second ago. 'The wyverns and sky pirates are sworn enemies? That explains why Martha was shocked to see one so close to her home...the wyverns live here as well as the sky pirates...' Tani walked up to Evan and bent down to his level. "Don't worry-the Boss is a reasonable man...most of the time. How could he not be? He's my dad!"
Evan became shocked by that information. "Wh-what!?" Evan looked at Roland, who raised an eyebrow. He too was also shocked, but he didn't show it on his face. The two sky pirates walked up to them and helped them stand up, as it was difficult to do so with no free hands. "Khunbish, you stay beside 'em, keep 'em together. I'll stay behind 'em to keep watch in case they escape". Evan gulped, nervous on what they were going to do, or even what Batu would do to them. Roland studied his surroundings as they following the two pirates (or just Khunbish as he couldn't see the other pirate behind them), seeing if there was a chance of escaping.
There wasn't much luck throughout the whole way. There weren't many open areas to sneak out, additionally, the two pirates were very observant of them as they kept watching them as they walked. After what felt like half an hour, they were in front of a tall gate, made of smooth tree trunks, string and stones. The muscular pirate ordered Evan and Roland. "This way, ye dogs, ye!" Evan walked in first, but Roland kept close to him. "I'm trying, but I just can't seem to get my hands free..." Roland shook his head. "So stop trying! They're watching us like hawks!" Evan didn't like Roland raising his voice like that, but he made a very good point.
Evan followed Khunbish up a narrow pathway with Roland close by him. Roland had felt bad for raising his voice to Evan, but whatever Batu had in store for them can't be good. Evan said to Roland, "Batu, the Cloud Snake...I wonder what kind of man he might be..." Roland calmed Evan's nerves down a little. "Not all bad, if we're lucky. His daughter seemed to think he had a reasonable side". Evan sighed in relief, hoping the negotiations he was planning were going to go well for the both of them.
After passing the gate, they were met with an interesting sight. The sight of their secret base. There were a lot of planes below them, some with their engines off and some of them on. The base is surrounded by mountains, with a few of them having the massive bones on them. The houses, lookout towers and any buildings, were made of the same materials as the entrance door. "So this is their base..." Evan said. Roland replied, "It's bigger than I thought it would be". Khunbish warned his prisoners. "Make one false move in here, me hearties, an' ye'll be run through quicker'n ye can spit! Haharrr!"
Khunbish continued walking up and they decided to go by Khunbish's word, by following him. "Wh-what do you think they're going to do to us, Roland?" Roland answered Evan's question in a calm manner. "We've done nothing wrong. Which means we have nothing to be afraid of". As they got closer to the top of the steep pathway they were walking on, there were a group of pirates waiting on top. "So which one is he? Batu, I mean". Roland asked. One big and muscular pirate caught Evan's eyes as he said quietly to Roland, "I'm not sure. The one with the beard, perhaps?" Khunbish stopped at the top of the path and Evan and Roland stopped, waiting for Batu.
"So these're our trespassers, eh?" Khunbish answered, "Aye. I've to report in-where's the boss when ye need him?" Roland, after hearing the conversation between the pirate and Khunbish, figured out that this isn't Batu. The pirates surrounded the prisoners in case they escaped, with Khunbish at the back. They pushed Evan and Roland down, so that they were kneeling like before. Khunbish heard someone walk behind him and saw it was the Boss himself. Khunbish made room by calling the pirate next to him, "Oi, matey!" The pirate brushed Khunbish off. "What!?" Khunbish added, "Oi, says I!" Khunbish and the pirate stepped to the side to let their boss through. A pirate, slightly taller than everyone else in the base, walked towards Roland and Evan. They were intimidated by his height, as they gave a slight gasp.
The boss folded his arms and stared at Evan and Roland in a menacing way. "So...what do we have here?" Batu is a tall muscular man with bushy eyebrows, long brown hair and a bushy moustache. He has on a one-piece sleeveless vest and short skirt with white leggings. He is wearing long dark brown boots that had small spike studs on top and is also wearing long brown fingerless gloves. There is a aztec-style pattern on the lower part of the vest and he is wearing what is similiar to Tani, a wooden teeth necklace with several wooden teeth instead of just a singular one. He is also wearing a green fabric hat, like wearing a bandana.
"Ye must be the trespassers. Loiterin' suspiciously in the Canyon there, or so I hears it". It is time for Roland to use his skills as a president to help get him and Evan out of this mess. "With good reason. Please, hear us out". Evan added, "W-we only want to visit the king's cradle! We won't cause any trouble, I promise!" Batu widened his eyes a little. "Ye caused trouble the second ye set foot on sky pirate turf, lad. 'Tis a violation o' the Code-one that carries the penalty o' death! No exceptions! Ye'll be dashed on the rocks at the bottom o' the Canyon, just like all the rest. The Code must be obeyed. And the carrion crows must be fed".
Evan hopes had been distinguished. "Wh- Can't you?" Roland had to act fast as he said, "You might want to reconsider. This is King Evan of Ding Dong Dell. What do you suppose will happen if you execute a royal, hm?" Batu looked at Roland, thinking that what he said was a joke. "Ye've a wry one to jest so in the face o' death, matey". He then looked at Evan and added, "We're not so backward that we ain't heard o' the young prince takin' the throne. But we're not so soft in the head as to believe he'd come traipsin' all the way up here, neither".
Roland explained more of their situation. "There was a coup. We fled here in fear of our lives". Batu wasn't believing any of this and Khunbish interrupted him. "Beggin' yer pardon, Boss, there's news on the wind o' some such devilry. Might just be a scrap o' truth in this here tall-soundin' tale". Batu raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" Then turned to his prisoners. "All the more reason to sling 'em off a cliff an' be done with it. Whoever's in charge down in Ding Dong Dell's sure to be pleased as punch at such tidings. An' it can't do no harm to stay on their good side now, can it?"
Roland cringed. There wasn't much he and Evan could do now. A voice from before shouted something from the entrance. "B-Boss! It's Tani! The wyverns've taken her hostage! They said they'll let her live...b-but only if we promises to up sticks right away an' never come back!" Everyone became shocked at the news and Roland had an idea in mind, if they could rescue Tani from the wyverns, they could recieve a safe passage to the king's cradle. Batu exclaimed, "The devils! Pick on a mere slip of a girl, would they? Garrr!" Batu turned to Evan and Roland. "But if we desert this here base, we'll be sittin' ducks for any an' all as choose to come at us! The lousy lizards'll slaughter every last man, woman, an' child!" He shakes his head and added, "It won't do. She may be me only daughter, but the needs of one can't outweigh the many".
Evan looked up at Batu's face as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But she's-" Batu interrupted Evan. "She's the blood o' me blood's what she is. If the boot were on the other foot, I know she'd do the same". Khunbish said, "B-But Boss!" Batu turned to Khunbish and glared at him. "Hold yer tongue! I've made me decision!" Evan have had enough of this, he stood up and said, "Wait! You can't just leave her to die!" Batu felt insulted. "What's that now?" Evan explained, hoping he didn't anger the chief. "If none of you are willing to go, I will! I'll rescue her!" Roland gave a slight smile to himself, but hid it from everyone else. 'Nice job, Evan. We can be on their side, if we can rescue Tani...'
Batu growls, but Evan continues, ignoring the growl. "Please, Chief Batu! You have to let us try! Tani saved our lives! We are honour-bound to repay the debt!" Batu looked at Evan, suspicious on what his prisoner wants. "Somethin' tells me that ain't all ye're after, laddie..." Khunbish suggested, "Aye! They're after a way out, Boss! You take it from me!" Evan shook his head and looked determined at Batu. "We won't run away. You have my word as... You have my word!" Batu narrowed his eyes at Evan. "Just what're ye plottin', laddie? I don't have time for none o' yer trickery".
"It's not trickery, I swear! But...I have to live. I have to become a king again. I have to build a country where everyone can be happy!" Batu shook his head. "You had yer chance at bein' king, lad-an' ye made a right pig's ear of it! Ran away up here with yer tail between yer legs, did ye not? These blighted lands are rife with misery an' war. No one's buildin' a happy realm round here anytime soon. Especially not some lily-livered little princeling who's mislaid his crown!"
Evan looked down during Batu's saying, but Evan wanted to prove him wrong. "Then...I'll put an end to war and misery! I'll unite all the kingdoms in peace!" Batu asked, "What's that now? Not just a king indeed, but the king o' the whole blessed world eh, lad?" Evan continued his little speech. "If that's what it takes, I have to try! And I can't stop trying until everyone can live happily ever after! So I... I can't let it all end here! I just can't!"
It became silent as Evan spoke those words, but it then turned into laughter. All were laughing except for Evan, Roland and Batu. Roland glanced at the side, annoyed at their behaviour, while Batu stared at Evan's eyes, interested on what he had to say. "Silence, ya mangy curs!" The laughter stopped by the Boss's word. He stared at Evan once more and asked, "Ye were sayin', lad?" Evan continued his speech. "If I can't repay my debt to Tani, I don't deserve to be king. I don't deserve to live! So kill us if you must! But at least give us a chance to save her first. And if we do...grant us safe passage to the king's cradle".
Batu had a hard negotiation here. He could let his prisoners free to help rescue his only daughter or let her die. "Hmmm... So that's yer game, eh?" Evan nodded, "Yes". Batu declared, "All right, sunshine. Ye've got yerself a deal". Batu ordered Khunbish to unlock the handcuffs off and a pair of pirates to block the only exit out of the Canyon and the only way forward for Evan and Roland. The two pirates that were ordered to guard the exit, ran to their destination.
Evan and Roland rubbed their wrists individually a little to get the numb feeling away. Roland asked Batu, "So, do you guys have any idea where they might have taken her?" Batu nodded slightly. "Aye. The Wyverns' Den. 'Tis a great cave west o' here. A veritable nest o' the vicious vipers! Before ye take off-we've a little shop here at the base where ye can stock up on supplies if need be". Evan nodded, then looked at Roland. "All right. We have to hurry, Roland. She may not have much time". Roland nodded. "Agreed".
They still had a lot of soreaways from before and their weapons were all in decent shape. They had plucked some useful items while exploring the canyon and they haven't gained much guilders from when they met the merchant till now. They didn't waste any time as they rushed out of the base and looked from the west direction for any sign of a cave. Before they took the bridge that connected the canyon to the sky pirate base, Roland had something to say.
"Hey... Evan?" Evan turned to look at Roland, curious on what he had to say. "I...I just wanted to say...you handled that situation very well and...I'm glad at what you did back there. You're already acting like a king". Evan blushed, being slightly embarrassed by Roland's words. "Roland..." Evan nodded, shaking out of his prideful moment. "Let's go find Tani!" Roland nodded, giving a smile to Evan. "Right". As they crossed halfway on the bridge, they see faintly on the horizon a round-shaped rock that looks like some form of a beehive. "I'm guessing the Wyverns' Den must be over that way..."
Seeing their destination in sight, the pair moved on, pass a steep path down, fighting one or two wyverns along the way, until they were met by a large rock full of holes for animals to slip through. "There it is! Let's hurry, Roland!" As they entered inside, the pathways got narrower and darker. The only light pouring in were coming from small holes that were big enough for one finger to go through. "I hope you're not claustrophobic". Evan didn't say if he was, but said, "They must be keeping Tani somewhere further inside..."
As they walked further in, they were met with a waystone and a higgledy stone. Evan touched the higgledy stone, seeing what it requested this time around. It wanted some single cream, which they found in a chest on the way here. Evan offered the cream to the stone and out came a black-purple higgledy with small horns on its head. Roland checked the higgledy encyclopedia and the dark higgledy is called Tove the Tenebrous. After touching the waystone, the group followed up the path and soon, were in a small arena with a gate made of bones and string.
"There's nobody here..." Roland replied, while looking left and right. "Yeah. Something's not right..." He then looked up, noticing a few wyverns above. "Evan! Up there!" The wyverns, hearing voices below them, walked to the edge, then continuously scheeched at them. One wyvern, different from the rest, flew up a bit, then came down to the ground to meet its intruders. This wyvern is much bigger than the rest of them, more bold in colour and it has gold plates of armour on its body. "And brings you here, hm?"
Evan declared, "We've come to rescue to Tani!" The wyvern arched back with laughter. "Kree hee hee! The pirate girl, hmmm? You do not seem like sssky pirates to me, pinkssskin! Too...sssmall and sssucculen... Cloudcoil Canyon belongs to we wyverns, yesss!? You have no businessss here!" The wyverns around them numerously screeched out, "Leave thissss place!" many times, but Evan and Roland refused. "We're not leaving without Tani!" Roland, glad on Evan's choices said, "Attaboy, Evan! If this wasn't our business before, it sure is now..." Evan nodded. "Yes!" The wyvern, seeing that its intruders made their choice, is getting ready to fight. "Kree hee hee... You will regret your ssstubornnessss... Now sssuffer!"
Like the fight with the wyvern back near Auntie Martha's cottage, this wyvern also used weapons while swooping across to attack its prey. The only difference between that fight and this one, is that this wyvern is using curved swords, instead of stone axes and it has more armour. After getting hit a couple of times by Roland and Evan's swords, the wyvern flew up and called a few wyverns down for back-up. There wasn't much use in doing so, as the power of the higgledies and the teamwork Evan and Roland were performing, took them down pretty quickly. There wasn't many wyverns to call upon, so the golden-plated wyvern came down to finish the job. However, it was no match for Evan and Roland, as they hit a critical point minutes later, making the wyvern heavily wounded to battle. It could do more as it fell on the ground, not moving.
"Phew...we did it-just". They both catched their breaths for a little while. Roland looked up. "Yeah. And the others seem to have scuttled off, too". Roland was glad that they have scuttled off somewhere, because there wouldn't be any more surprises for them. Evan looked at the bone gate. "I suppose they must be keeping Tani through there". Roland looked down a little. "I hope she's okay..." Evan ran up to the gate and said, "Let's go!" He pulled a lever and the gate pulled up like a vertical curtain. They ran inside when the gate had fully risen and at the end of it, Tani is tied and being dangled by a rope. She is struggling to get out of it.
"Tani!" Concerned, Roland asked, "Is she okay?" Evan had an idea to help her out. "Wiff-Waff! Cut her down, would you?" Wiff-Waff floated up to be on top of Tani. She looked confused at the higgledy, seeing if it was going to hurt her, but Wiff-Waff went close to the rope and cut it down using its sword. Tani fell down due to no rope holding her up. "Tani!" Evan ran up to her, to help break her fall, with Roland saying, "Careful-" Roland closed his eyes, then opened them to see Tani on top of Evan. Evan became Tani's cushion to break the fall. After realising she was on top of someone, she stood up quick, so that Evan can stand and brush any dust off him.
Wiff-Waff cut the rest of the rope and Tani was longer tied to any rope. "Thanks, little guy". She said to Wiff-Waff, then looked at her two rescuers. "It's you! The little boy from before! What're you doing here?" Evan felt offended. "'Little boy'!? You can't be much older than me!" Tani calmed Evan down. "Heh heh! All right, all right, keep your hair on, umm...?" She didn't know their names, but they introduced themselves. "Evan. My name is Evan". Roland gave a nod and a smile, happy that Tani is alright. "And I'm Roland".
Tani looked at Evan and Roland. "Evan and Roland, eh? Well, thanks for coming to the rescue! I didn't have either of you down as the reckless type, but you must be to have come here. Speaking of which, why didn't that grizzled old coward Batu come and get me himself?" Tani wondered about what she said, why didn't Batu come and rescue her, himself? She got her answer. "We made an agreement: in return for securing your freedom, he promised to grant us safe passage to the king's cradle".
Tani is surprised by what her father did. "Really? He said that? Ha! I knew it! I knew he'd take a shine to you! You've got that same twinkle in your eye!" Evan didn't know what she was talking about. "I most certainly do not!" Tani shook her head with a smile on her face. "You most certainly do, too! It's like you can both...see something...something no one else can..." Roland and Evan looked at each other, wondering what she meant. They looked at Tani with Evan saying, "Really? I guess so..." Roland closed his eyes and gave himself a small smile. Then he said, "Come on, let's get you back to base. Everyone's waiting".
Once they gotten close to the base, she led the way back and Evan and Roland, not wanting to be far behind got close to Tani to avoid being lost. As they approached the entrance, Tani called out in a loud voice, "Hey, everyone! I'm hooome!" The sky pirates looked at who called and were both surprised and relieved to see her safe. Numerous sky pirates said, "Tani?" "She's back!" "Young Tani's back!" "Back, ye say?" "So she is!" Batu who was waiting for her on the top of the pathway, didn't show much joy on his face. However, he walked up to her and she went next to Batu saying, "Back safe and sound, Boss!" followed by a little giggle.
"Aye" Batu replied. He gave the look a parent would do, if they caught their child doing something naughty. "Ye went an' got yerself captured eh, girlie?" Tani answered, "Yes Boss! Sorry Boss!" Seeing that Tani is unharmed and back at base, he turned to Evan. "Evan, lad! Ye were as good as yer word, so I shall be as good as mine-ye may pass freely through the canyon!" Evan gave a bow. "Thank you very much, Chief Batu!" Roland looked at Evan with a smile. "One step closer to the king's cradle, huh?"
Tani looked at the two of them. "So you really are serious about going, then? To the cradle?" Evan said a simple, "Yes". And Tani replied, "Well, the quickest way there is to fly, of course...but what are you going all the way up there for?" Batu answered that question for her. "This one here's all set to hook himself a kingmaker an' become lord o' the whole wide world, don't ye know!" Tani had her mouth open, as she stared at Evan. "King of the whole wide world, you say? Blimey. You have some pretty big ideas for such a pipsqueak. Well, you'll only end up getting lost if you go on your own... All right-I'm coming with you!"
Everyone widened their eyes and stared at Tani as they said, "You are!?" Batu shook his head. "And what need have ye to be traipsin' along to yer doom with these sorry swabs, girlie?" Tani pouted at her dad. "Ha! You're the one who's always telling me to do what I want whenever I want! Well, this is what I want to do right now, and I'm going to do it, so there! Hope you don't mind me tagging along, Evan-not that you've got much choice!" Batu facepalms, as Tani continues. "I'll be waiting at the take-off spot down below. Give me a shout when you're ready!"
Both Roland and Evan didn't leave immediately. They wanted to get any supplies they needed, just in case anything bad would happen on their way to the king's cradle. They didn't get much with their current amount of currency, however, they had brought a few more soreaways, before making their way to Tani. When they did, her along with Khunbish, got their planes ready for take-off. Batu had something to say to Evan, before leaving. "I couldn't very well deny young Tani back there in front of everyone...but there's not a soul been to that cradle and made it back unscathed. If she comes home with so much as a scratch, I'll have yer hide, understand?" Evan nodded and understood. "Y-yes, Chief Batu. We'll be very careful. Tani will be safe with us, I promise".
With Roland taking the seat behind Khunbish, Evan took a seat behind Tani. The plane journey felt refreshing to Roland and Evan, being a little scared of heights, he lowered down to make sure he stayed on the plane. Tani, meanwhile is having a fun time, as she stood from her seat and cheered, making her cheer echo at the valleys below. In the distance, they could see a small, but tall island that had a shrine on top of a set of stairs. "There it is! Time for a landing!"
After making a soft landing and with Evan getting his bearings, they looked up at the set of stairs. "That sure is a lot of stairs..." Tani grinned. "We are here at last! Come on!" After climbing the large amount of steps, they walked inside the entrance of the cradle. Inside, is a corridor with stone tablets on the sides. The tablets had an image of a ball of light carved onto them and above them, the corridor is made up of layered bricks. At the end of the corridor, there is a statue of a long chinese dragon in a circular room, filled with cauldron fires that had purple flames instead of its usual colour.
As they walked, Roland asked, "So this is where we get our kingmaker, huh?" Evan answered, "Yes. If we can prove ourselves worthy..." They walked up to the front of the statue and Evan found a stone tablet that is front of it. "What's this?" Evan touched the tablet, making it glow. The statue's eyes glowed afterwards and surprising Roland, it spoke in a booming voice. "WANDERER! SEEKEST THOU TO PROVE THYSELF A KING?" Roland shook his head a little, as this world's wonders continue to surprise him. "Talking statues? What next?" Evan glanced a Roland for a second, but looked back at the statue, with a hand on his chest.
"I do! My name is Evan Pettiwhisker, of the House of Tildrum. I have come to make a pact with one of the great guardians!" The statue replied back, "VERY WELL. THEN THE TRIALS OF KNOWLEDGE AND COURAGE AWAIT". Behind the group in the middle of the room, a glowing dark blue circle appeared. "LEAVE THY COMPANIONS BEHIND THEE, AND GO FORTH. THE TIME TO PROVE THY WORTH HAS COME, EVAN PETTIWHISKER, OF THE HOUSE OF TILDRUM". Tani thought that the statue sounded pretty serious. She said to Evan, "Blimey... Err, good luck, Evan". Roland had full confidence in Evan as he added, "You'll be fine. You can do this".
Evan nodded slighty and said, "Thank you, everyone". He stepped onto the dark blue circle and he glowed for a few seconds, before being transported someplace else. Only Tani and Roland were left in that room. Tani folded her arms and looked at Roland, grinning at him. "You sure are confident for Evan". Roland looked at Tani and answered, "I just know he can do this. He already has the potential to be king...when he rescued you. Trust me, he'll pass the trials with flying colours". Tani wondered if Roland was related to Evan, he sounded like a father to him. "Are you related to Evan?" Roland gave a slight smile. "No. But I have a feeling that I should protect him, no matter what the cost". Tani is amazed by Roland's courage. "Blimey..."
Roland and Tani didn't talk much after that. However, Tani had become impatient as she paced back and forth in front of Roland. "He's been there a long time...do you think-" But before Tani could say any more or for Roland to answer, the pair, like Evan were transported. From a dark purple room, to a massive arena, made of stone and gold. In front of them, Evan stood along with the higgledy heroes below him. 'I'm glad the higgledies didn't count...looks like Evan got some help after all...' Tani called out Evan's name and Evan turned to see Roland and Tani, happy to see he's okay. Roland congratulated him. "You did it!" Evan added with a smile, "I did!"
The statue from before, appears in front of Evan. Evan turns to it, waiting for it to speak. It does so with its eyes glowing again like before. "EVAN PETTIWHISKER TILDRUM. THOU HAST PROVEN THYSELF WORTHY. A KINGMAKER SHALL BE THINE." The whole statue glowed and like the dark blue circle from before, a new one glowed on the floor coving the majority of the arena. It looked a lot brighter and it created a strong gust of wind, getting the group to shield themselves. The gust of wind and the circle faded, leaving now a big hallow gold ball made of light. It rotated and many beams of light came out it, one-by-one. There were so many beams of light that it cracked the ball, creating a burst of many lights, like a firework going off. All that was left is a small ball of yellow-cream light.
The light popped like a bubble and inside it is a creature. The creature fell down with a yell and hit the ground on its face. "Ow!" The creature got back to its feet and gave a loud, "Ta da!" The creature is pretty small, about the size of a house cat, but more rounder like a ball. The creature is mostly yellow with a red body. It had a smooth spiky head, small arms and legs and its face is simple, but goofy. The creature walked a little closer to them and the group, except for the creature, looked around to find where the kingmaker was.
"So...where is it?" The creature jumped up and waved its arms to get everyone's attention. "Oi! Down by yur, mun!" They all looked at the creature and looked at it, puzzled on what it is. Roland noticed something about the creature's voice. 'Is that welsh?' The creature smiled as everyone looked at it. Roland asked, "What's with this little guy? Is he a monster?" The creature replied, "Oh, that's charming, that is! Monster indeed! I'm youer flippin' kingmaker, en't I? Cor, you lot don't half know how to hurt a bloke's feelings!"
The creature jumped up and down, like a child having a tantrum. Evan bent down to the creature as he asked, "So...you're my kingmaker?" The creature stopped jumping and answered, "That I am, sunshine! Name's Lofty. Lovely to meet you and all that!" Roland looked at the creature, known as Lofty, puzzled. "So Evan passed the trial with, umm...flying colours, it looks like..." said Tani. Roland looked at Tani. "Which means he can become a king again, right?"
Lofty closed his eyes and gave the biggest grin he could make. "It does indeed! You have my full permission to rule over a realm of youer very own!" Evan is happy to get his kingmaker, but he had to say something. "Umm...thank you. I'm sorry if I seem ungrateful. It's just...I was expecting someone... someone...grander". Lofty gasped. "Cor, stab me in the heart, why don't you? The nerve! I'll have you know I can look very grand indeed when I've a mind to! Err, not at the moment, like, but...anyway! It's time to make ouer bond official! You got anything on you we can use to swear a pact over? It'll become a sacred treasure of youer kingdom, so don't go givin' me weapons all caked with monster blood or anythin' like that, you 'ear?"
Evan gasped. "Oh, of course. I completely forgot. Umm... It sounds as if my sword and wand won't do... Let me see..." Evan searches on his person for anything he can use to make the pact. Lofty got impatient as Evan was taking a while to find something. "Come on, mun! I haven't got all day!" Evan found something he can use. "...Ah!" Evan shows Lofty the stick that Wiff-Waff gave him. "What about this stick?" Roland cringes as he sees the stick again. 'Is he going to make a bond with a stick?' Lofty says, "Tidy! Right, let's- Hang on, hang on!" Lofty sees the stick and can't believe this is happening. "Really!? A stick!? He wants to make the sacred bond over a flippin' stick! Youer a one, you are!" Lofty sighed and added, "...Well, can't be helped, I s'pose. Looks like a nice...sturdy one at least".
Evan nodded. "Yes..." Lofty stepped side to side as he said, "Okay, yur goes. Hold up the royal...twig". Evan held the stick in front of Lofty and closed his eyes. Evan glowed slightly, making the stick coat with light that swirled onto it. "There's beautiful! Righto! My turn!" Lofty made a orb of light that is coloured light red and held it out with a smile. His body had a slight red tinge to it than how he normally looked. The orb's light came out and like with Evan's stick, it swirled too. The two lights touched at the tips, creating blinks of flashing lights and the two lights connected like thread. The lights faded and Lofty cheered. "And that's us joined forever!"
Evan stood up and felt the same as Lofty did. "I now pronounce as king and kingmaker! May the kingsbond that now binds us remain thick and lustrous till death do us part!" Roland said, "A kingsbond, huh?" Tani added, "It doesn't look very thick to me..." Lofty explained. "Well, I've only just made it, en't I? When Evan by yur's kingdom gets goin', it'll soon fatten up!" Evan, wanting to make their kingsbond stronger, declared, "Then we had better start building our kingdom right away!"
Lofty jumped up, excited by Evan's determined spirit. "That's the spirit, mun!" Lofty almost forgot something as he gave Evan a stone tablet with lots of knobs and sliders on it. He explained that the stone tablet is called the Tactic Tweeker and it is a device to make battles go more smoothly. Evan put the tablet away in his arms band. Roland nodded. "All right, we've done what we came here to do. Let's get back to the sky pirates' base".
And as Roland said, they took the flight back to the pirates' base. Once they landed on the take-off spot, they all jumped off their planes with Lofty looking around him, taking in the sights. He had enjoyed the sights as they were traveling on the plane, but it was too quick. "Cor, talk about a refreshin' breeze! There's a bracin'!" Tani added as she looked at Evan, "All right, let's go and let the Boss know we're back".
They followed the path up to where they last saw Batu. Batu was chatting to his fellow comrades and noticed Evan and his friends came back. "Ye made it back in one piece then, eh lad? And by the look on yer face, ye didn't come home empty-handed!" Evan looked down at Lofty. "No. This is my kingmaker-Lofty". Batu looked down at Lofty. "Arrr! Is it indeed? He's a little...little, ain't he?" Feeling insulted, Lofty replied, "Says you, shorty!" Batu looked at Khunbish and another sky pirate and declared, "All right, ye scurvy dogs! Make ready for a feast! These kingmakin' swabs here deserve a celebration!"
Khunbish became excited by the news. "A feast, boss? Truly?" All the sky pirates cheered with a mighty "Yaharr!" That night, the sky pirates celebrated Evan and his friends' success into the wee small hours. They all agreed that Evan was a fine young man indeed, and that he would make an even finer king. Roland had been enjoying the celebration too, talking and drinking the night away. He decided to call it a night hours later, as he settled in one of the buildings of the base.
He lied on the bed, using the Leafbook Viewer to browse the latest news and see what else he could do with it. As he did before, he looks at the higgledy encyclopedia, known as the Higgledy Almanac for a little while. He then found out that he could make an account on Leafbook. So he did, but he made his account private and password protected, so that only he can access it. After creating the account, he made a post to test how it works and to make sure what he posted becomes private. Seeing that it all went okay, he made a couple more posts that became his diary entries.
As he finished posting his recent diary entry and putting the viewer away, Evan came walking in, tired and ready to sleep for the night. "Oh, Roland! You tired already?" Roland shook his head. "Not really. Just wanted some peace and quiet. What about you?" Evan answered after making a yawn. "I'm getting tired". Evan sat on the bed and took off his shoes. Roland had never thought about what Evan had went through back in the trials. He asked Evan. "I've been meaning to ask Evan...since I wasn't with you while you did the trials...what were the trials like?"
Evan, surprised by that question, answered it. "In the Trial of Courage, I had to fight a beast on my own along with the higgledies. The Trial of Knowledge was very different". Roland raised an eyebrow. "Different? Different how?" Evan explained. "In the Trial of Knowledge, I had to follow a story from beginning to end. It was pretty hard, but I managed to get through it". Roland asked, "What was the story?" Evan smiled as he recalled the story. "This is how it goes..." Evan took a deep breath and told the story.
"Once upon a time, the world was ruled over by an evil dragon possessed of terrible power. A little boy from a little village, determined to rid the world of the dragon's misery and bring happiness back to all, set out to defeat the beast. At his touch, the magic wand handed down by the people of his village stirred to life. And thus he was granted the power of sorcery. Drawn by the call of the wand, a fairy came to the boy and befriended him. Together, the two of them set out on a great journey to save the world. Guided by his friend the fairy, the boy roamed the land, and gathered together a band of faithful companions. The first was a kind-hearted harpist, whose magical melodies could soothe even the fieriest soul. The second was a brave pistolier, ever ready to help his friends through any hardship they might face on their quest. The third was a wise wizard, who took the boy as his apprentice, and taught him all he knew of the ways of magic. His party of heroes thus assembled, the boy found the courage at last to face the monsters that troubled the world. And so, he and his companions set out to battle them wherever they might be found. The evil dragon who ruled over the world could not be defeated until the four towers emitting the evil aura that protected him had been destroyed. The first tower looming in front of him, the wizard laid it low with a mighty spell. The second was close by the pistolier, who carefully took aim, and felled it with a single shot. The third was sent toppling when the harpist turned to a soldier and spurred him on with her songs. The fourth tower, which stood in front of the fairy, was flattened when he ran into it head-first as fast as he could! His towers gone, the dragon was vulnerable at last, and the final battle began in earnest. As the fight between them raged, the boy spied his chance when the dragon turned to face him, and let loose the legendary spell Mornstar. It struck the dragon, who fell down dead. Thus, the world was saved, and all lived happily ever after".
Roland listened to the story from beginning to end. "Wow...that's quite the story". Evan smiled and replied, "Yeah, I liked that story. I wonder if it's all true...?" Roland thought about Evan's question. It could have happened many years ago. Evan yawned once more and said, "I'm going to bed..." Evan got tucked in added, "Goodnight, Roland..." Evan closed his eyes and was out like a light. Roland smiled and said, "Goodnight, Evan". Roland stayed awake a bit longer as he reflected on today's events. It took a couple of hours for him to finally go to sleep.
As the sky gradually got brighter, Tani, Evan and Roland watched the sunrise together. As the sunlight touched the mountain tops, Evan turned at the sound of his name. All of the sky pirates were behind Batu and Batu asked, "Ye mean to become king of this here world, is that not so?" Evan replied, a little unsure of himself. "Y-yes...?" Batu had a hand on his chin. "Well now, there's a thing...I see something in ye. And I'm not the only one". Batu knelt down, with all of the sky pirates doing the same as him, looking at the floor as they bowed at Evan. "Wh-what are you doing?" Batu explained, "The men o' Cloudcoil Canyon do hereby swear faulty". Batu looked at Evan's face and added, "We serve you now...Your Majesty!"
Evan stepped back, bewildered by the sky pirates' actions. "Gosh!" So it was that the very sky pirates who had once sworn to take Evan's life now swore to devote their own lives to serving him. And with this fledgling following, he took his first steps on the long road to ruling the world.
Later that morning, everyone started their usual routines, except for Batu, Evan, Roland and Tani. Evan and Roland discussed their next steps since getting their kingmaker was step one. They found themselves a map of the world, so they could find a location for their new kingdom. Batu and Tani were talking to one another. "Well, that's us signed up for a life o' servitude!" Batu facepalms as he added, "But we can't very well up sticks an' have every man, woman, an' child among us set out after a king who don't even have a kingdom yet".
Tani nodded. "Yeah, and we can't just run off and leave the base empty, either. Hmm..." She then sees Evan and Roland talking. "What are you talking about?" They both looked at Tani and Batu and Evan answered, "Oh we were just discussing the fact that we'll need to look for a suitable piece of empty land if we're to start building our new kingdom". Tani and Batu, wanting to know more, walked closer to them. "Arrr, now that'll be an awful pain in the neck, won't it? Why, ye could just raid a village somewhere, start out with that as yer base, an'-"
Roland interrupted him before he could say more. "We're not pirates, understand?" Batu didn't think that Roland is too serious for such a joke. "Hahaharr! All right, all right-keep yer hair on. Old Batu was just havin' a bit o' fun with ye!" Roland gave a little smile, but didn't show it to anyone. "Hm. Anyway, if we're going to build a kingdom, we're going to need a good spot. Location is everything". Tani gestured for Evan to get close to her as she whispered to Evan, "Look at Roland's face...he looks so serious". Evan nodded, "Yeah, maybe it's a trait of his..." It seemed no one heard them as Roland continued.
"A new nation is like a tiny, defenseless animal-by which I mean it's liable to be swallowed by the first predator that comes along. The only way for it to grow is to put itself somewhere out of harm's way. Anywhere else, and you'll be overrun before you know it". They all understood what Roland meant. Tani asked, "So what kind of place do we need to look for, then?" Roland answered, "Somewhere difficult to invade, for sure. And with plenty of natural resources. If you've got both, you've got a chance. Someplace like..."
Everyone looked at the map and Roland searched for a suitable area. There is an empty place, a yellow field surrounded by mountains. Roland pointed there. "Right here". Evan and his motley crew of would-be kingdom-builders turned their gaze eastward to the Heartlands. These verdant plains were as yet unclaimed by any nation. But would they prove a fitting place for Evan's promised kingdom?
Will closed the book, as another chapter had been read and finished. "Two down, seven more to go..." So much had happened in that chapter, that Will needed some time to process it all. Seeing Auntie Martha and the higgledies, talking to the merchant, getting captured by sky pirates, Tani getting captured by wyverns, going to the king's cradle and completing the trials, meeting Lofty, the celebration, the sky pirates serving Evan and the future location of the new kingdom.
"Evan said kingmakers are magic creatures that come to a nation's aid, but...what kind of creature is Lofty? Maybe this is question to ask Dad later..." Will got his notepad and wrote down a few more questions for when Roland is next available.
I hope you liked more Evan and Roland moments, because I just made a few more... :) Yes, I enjoyed writing these moments A LOT. I don't think it was mentioned in the previous chapter, but Roland paid condulences for Aranella. I wanted to make sure he did. Another thing I did is make the Higgledy Almanac a feature or an app on the Leafbook Viewer. Roland is using it more so he can write his journal entries on it. When he finds a charger or some way to restore the battery on his phone, he'll use it again.
I wanted to write the Trial of Knowledge story, since nobody but Evan knew about it. Except for all of that, I'm been pretty accurate with this chapter. Like before, if there is anything that needs changing such as spelling or grammar mistakes, or a part of the story that needs changing completely, please review.
BlueYusei :D
Advocate from the Ministry of Joy :)