Chapter III
~Standoff~

Things were growing intense between the canine party and the silhouette that stood before them. For the past few seconds, they stared down the silhouette as whoever or whatever it is returned the favor. The terriers thought the figure in pitch black would make a move before they did. Instead, it just stood there, menacingly. Maybe it was waiting for one of the four kids to make their move. Who knows? No matter what the outcome of their eerie standoff entailed, both sides built up their anxiety, waiting for someone to at least do something.

"Uh… who's that?" Winton nervously asked.

"How should I know?" Rufus responded. "I can't seem to make out who they are."

Aside from the silhouette's noticeable sound of breathing, one terrier started examining its shape, size, and overall presence.

"I think I know who this is," Max said, before his fists contacted his hips, presenting his dominance. "Reveal yourself at once!"

But after a moment, nothing happened. The figure just stood silent, not even willing to budge an inch in plain sight of the four pups. It seemed perfectly clear at this point that the silhouette wanted them to make the first move. Tired of just standing around, Rufus balled his fists up before he grabbed and raised his sword, staring deeply into the immobile figure that stood in front of him.

"Alright, if you won't make your move, then I'll gladly take the spot for you!" Without even putting in a single thought, the terrier charged at the silhouette. "Yah!"

"Rufus, wait!" Maximus yelled before the figure that stood before them unleashed his move. It was a gust of wind, an intense zephyr that knocked the sword out of the terrier's hand.

Zeus and Winton released a mighty gasp from witnessing the attack on one of their members. The sword flurried towards them, sparking a quick yowl from the two before they dived in contrasting directions, the sword diving into the soil from where they both once stood. Catching a breath, the two pups returned their gaze on the dark outline.

"Hey!" Zeus spat.

"What was that for?" Winton uttered.

With a quick glance back, Rufus responded "That wasn't me!"

The same squall knocked the terrier down to his knees. Still convinced that it's an intended attack on their party, Zeus charged at the immobile figure, arch ready to fire. "Watch out Rufus," he spat. "I got this! Bow and arrow, go!"

Within range, Zeus took his shot. The arrow flew directly towards the figure, landing a hit before something would catch them off of their guard.

"Owwww!"

A small jump ensued for the group of pups. Winton witnessed the terriers share a glance at each other before gazing back at the outline. That yelp of pain reminded him of something, it sounded awfully familiar. After a quick squint of his peripheral visions, he exerted a small gasp. "Wait a second!" he spoke. "Is that… from that one place..?"

The outline finally stepped forward, revealing himself as a chunky saint Bernard, donning a vest made from bark. "How dare you pups strike me with your silly, pointy arrows!" He angrily said, rubbing the inflicted wound on his left arm.

Winton gave off a smile, his tail barely wagging frantically. "It is you!"

"Who dares infiltrate our territory?" Maximus spoke.

Rufus rolled his eyes. "This quickly got awkward and yet there's no shame."

The light gray terrier faced one of his brothers. "What do you mean by awkward?" His arms extended out. "Did I say something bad?"

"You claimed you know who this guy was…"

"And here you are, asking who this guy is," Zeus added.

Maximus face palmed himself. "Okay, there's no time for us discussing who I know or not."

The big pup that stood in front of the party eyed down Winton. Sudden flashbacks sparked in his mind before he spoke once again. "Well, I know about this little guy right here!"

Noticing him pointing, the terriers faced Winton. "Of course I know about you too, Hercules," The English bulldog nodded and spoke. "You and I played Motorcycle that one time!"

Hercules took a few steps forward. "And then you ditched me to go play Circus, then made you and your friends helped me resume the game I was still playing!"

The three terriers stood dazed and confused. The darkest one walked over to Winton. "Wait... you know him?" Zeus spoke.

"It would appear so," Winton responded, nod included before hesitantly returning to Hercules. "What are you doing here?"

The saint Bernard looked down to observe a lone stick on the ground. He didn't waste any time retrieving it from its immobile position. "I was out finding sticks to set up my little cookout if that's fine with you all," the big pup calmly enounced. "Now what about you guys? Why are you all dressed like warriors or something?"

"We're not warriors," Maximus uttered.

"We're Romans!" Rufus corrected, walking up to the Bernard.

Zeus grabbed and hoisted his sword high. "For Scotland!"

"We're embarking on a very serious quest and we're wasting valuable time!"

The light gray terrier grabbed his blade and pointed it upward. "A really bad dragon had kidnapped our poor princess, and who knows what they might do to her this instant?"

Rufus glanced at his peers. "We've got to move!"

The party, sans the Bernard, uttered "Right!"

"Wait," Hercules uttered. "You know for sure you guys are headed in the right tracks?"

Winton glanced down at the soil momentarily. "Uhm…" His eyebrow raised up along with his index finger, almost as if he had knowledge of the directions before he folded his finger back. "Are we headed in the right direction?"

The terriers glanced at their surroundings. One of them went out of their trouble to spin a full circle before falling flat on their bum.

"I have no idea!" Rufus spat.

Maximus hopped back up on his feet, rubbing his butt to soothe the sensation. "To be fair, we did kinda rush in here without even thinking."

The grey terrier faced Maximus and crossed his arms. "I told you guys that Jenkins would be a destructive influence on us all!"

"But the important thing is, you shouldn't blame the guy," Hercules uttered. "I would give you my two cents about it but you guys have a damsel in distress to retrieve."

Winton scratched at his head. "You mean, you're not going to try and fight—" with no warning, Zeus covered the bulldog's mouth.

"He's giving us a chance to save time, let's not waste it!" The pup grabbed his hand and charged on forward, with intent to find their way out. "For Scot—ow!" He slammed into a tree, headfirst. Knowing how much that might've hurt had his brothers cringe. Swiftly recovering from the pain, he turned back and spat "Don't say it."

"Say what?" Maximus responded.

"Huh?" Hercules added.

Rufus shrugged. "I don't know what you're referring to and even if I knew, I swear I would never spit it out just so I could spite you."

"I think I know what he's talking about," Winton said before shaking his head slightly. "But he said not to say it."

Hercules had an idea spark for him. As arrangement came to mind, the Bernard himself walked to Winton and set him to his side. "Okay, how about this, you terriers handle your ammunition and weapons, and the bulldog and I will lead the way. I know a fair amount about these woods, as much as I don't want to admit this kind of information in front of other people."

After thinking about it, the three terriers figured it wouldn't hurt. A shrug in and Maximus uttered, "Why ever not?"

"The more Romans, the merrier," Rufus added. By this point, Hercules had joined the party. All they needed to do now was to get their show on the road. Unfortunately, even after the terriers had their weapons and everything to storm the castle along the way, they just couldn't do that until their tactics achieved their greatest effect.

"Okay," Maximus slammed his fist down on the palm of his hand. He faced Hercules and Winton. "While they lead us out of this array of trees," he faced two brothers. Pointing at Zeus, he said "You watch on your right while I watch my left," then Rufus. "..and you watch our backs. Ready?"

Unsatisfied, the grey terrier gained the audacity to issue a complaint. "Aw, how come I have to watch your—"

"For Scotland!" Maximus spat, cutting off his brother much to his annoyance before everyone finally made their move through the forest. "There goes a full sixty seconds," Rufus irritably uttered to himself. One by one, they traversed tree to tree with a brave yell to top it off. And so, their adventure resumes.

Back at the castle, a few storm clouds start to settle in the sky. A few thunderclaps struck down, surrounding the exterior before a light drizzle followed right after. Bluey was finally able to break herself free from her previous restraint as she scoped around the room to assist the dalmatian princess in her time of need.

"My head feels slightly dizzy from hanging like this for so long," The princess uttered, hand on her forehead. This was merely enough to spark some bit of encouragement for the blue heeler. It wasn't a good time to throw in a towel and call it a day, this was for the sake of the princess and her kingdom. It's almost as if her life depended on it.

Bluey glanced around to her left and right, only to take notice of a sharp instrument that was best known for chopping things. She quietly locked her gaze upon it, wondering if the item in question would be good enough to free the dangling princess. Would it be enough to chisel its way through metal, or steel? Her chances could be likely, but she'll never know for sure until gives it a shot. She gave a great neigh towards the dalmatian.

"Bluey? Did you find something?" Chloe asked.

She grabbed a hold of the weapon by her teeth, dragging it thusly towards her only companion. This led to a smile painted on the face of the princess. She had a feeling that it could work out well for the both of them.

"A battle axe! I'm almost certain that'll work out!" Chloe paused for a moment before Bluey made her attempt to hand her the instrument. She could barely lift it up to her. Realizing this, the princess reached her hands out, trying to retrieve the weapon from her blue steed. A good amount of exertion and sounds of grunts later, she could finally get some contact with the axe. Lifting it up gave the heeler a cue to release her grip.

With the weapon in hand, Chloe paused and thought to herself. The fall shouldn't feel that serious, but then again, she's currently dangling upside down. She couldn't even use an unconscious moment right at this very moment. With her quick wits, she glanced over to Bluey.

"Alright, my precious little steed," she said. "I'm going to need your help as I try to cut myself out of this mess." Fully aware of how dangerous it could be, she gulped. Her hands clenched tightly on the end of the axe as she lifted her head up to get a perfect glimpse of the chains that restrained her fall.

"All I need you to do…" Her eyes squinted tightly. "...is to catch me… if I'm able to cut through these chains."

Bluey neighed to her as an idea sparked in the steed's noggin. Already knowing what to do, she got into position. Standing right under the dalmatian princess, she smiled and winked at her.

Chloe felt confident enough to try to cut herself free. With the axe prepared, her ears gave a twitch as she caught the sound of some nearby dialogue from the baddies approaching their room. She gasped, causing a small jump from Bluey. What if they came back to check on the two? Did they have anything planned for the princess? Whatever the case may really be, they can't get in the spotlight of trying to escape their restraints.

"I hear someone coming!" She looked to her blue steed as she returned the same action to her while she trotted in panic. "Quick, get back to where they chained you up!"

Without a single shred of hesitance, the heeler gunned it while Chloe quickly lunged the axe to her side. The sound of the weapon making a harsh contact on the ground was unbearable to them. It even had the baddies convinced that something was up to no good. As the dialogue along with the footsteps growing louder, time snuck up on her as fast as lightning.

By the time Bluey made her leap of faith, landing next to the chains, the princess jumped a little as she witnessed the door to their room come flying open with no warning. Bandoot's eyes squinted, putting his gaze on the heeler and the dalmatian pup.

"Alright now, what's goin' on in here?" The big heeler spoke.

The duo just quietly stared at him, almost as if he'd gone loco. After Bandoot witnessed the girls with his own visions exchanging looks at each other, he grew suspicious. He caressed at his chin. "Hmmm…" he exerted under his breath. "Something's not right here." He glanced around the interior for a moment. "I know I heard a noise coming from this room alone."

Chloe rolled her eyes, her eyelids closing halfway. "How on Earth do you know for sure that the sound you heard is coming from this room?"

"Uh… If I'm not mistaken, this hallway only has three doors, two on my left and one on my right. I already passed two of them, and the sound came from my right!"

Chloe's eyes opened slightly. "I'm sure it did," she uttered, in a sarcastic tone.

Bandit walked closer to the princess, pointing a finger towards her. "You calling me a liar here?"

"I never even said you were," The dalmatian crossed her arms. "Were you paying any attention to my dialogue?"

Bandoot growled. "How dare you!" He stood there, getting laughed at by a princess as her steed joyfully watched. He didn't like the fact that he'd get outsmarted by a little puppy out of all the things in the world he could get verbally slammed by. Eventually, he'll execute his retribution one way or another.

The big heeler clenched his hands. "Oh… I'll show you!" He backed away from her slowly. "Just you wait, ya itty bitty princess," he grabbed the door, exerting a tiny creak. "Ya don't know what's comin' your way." And with that said, he casually closed the door, returning to his duties.

When the footsteps settled down and faded away, Chloe silently exhaled. That was a close one. "Alright, Bluey," she said, facing her. "We're back to square one. I believe you know what to do!"

Bluey gave off a neigh once again, this time with a dash of attitude.

Chloe rolled her eyes, whispering with a stern voice. "Please don't use that tone of voice with me, ruthless steed." She pointed to where she threw her ticket out. Just get me that axe again before it curtains for the both of us!"

The little blue heeler exhaled silently, her eyes closed with a subtle nod before she sprung back to action. Glimpsing the item, she grabbed it the same way as she did the first time. After dragging it over to the princess once again, she lifted it up to her hands. With a brief stretch, Chloe got her hands back on the axe again and spoke "Thank you kindly."

Lifting her head up to set her gaze on the chains, the princes felt a lot more confident that this plan would skyrocket them to their advantage. A deep breath in, she realized she had to be swift. Repeating her actions and sparking the sounds of the weapon striking the chain could be enough to send the baddies back to check on them again. Timing her swing, she also silently uttered numbers before sending the axe directly at the chains. "One… two…" She exerted her energy with all her might. "Three!" The sharp end of the weapon sliced through the chain, freeing one of her legs. She gasped, not having any doubts all while she elicited a smile. "It's working!"

Those two words were enough to get her steed smiling along with her as well. The dalmatian's heart raced when she realized she couldn't just pause here. She just needed to do the same thing one more time. There was no chance the two were going to turn back now. There wasn't any sign of anyone approaching the room, which would be such a great confidence booster for Princess Chloe.

Putting all of her focus on one last chain she needed to cut through, her eyes squinted. Determination filled her as her hands clenched tighter on the axe. "Ready Bluey?"

When the heeler responded with a wink and a smile, Chloe went to work. Actions soon repeated themselves as she started swinging and counting. "One… two…" She arched back. "Three!" The axe came swinging down on the last chain, tearing through with no issue. Once she realized this, she came falling down on top of her precious steed. She crashed into her, Bluey's arms giving way as she fell down.

After a moment, they both shook their heads. Chloe got back on her feet and dusted herself off. "You okay, Bluey?" The heeler nodded before the princess made her way towards the door. "Great. Now we need to find our way out of this… place," She paused as she placed her hand on the door. There was only a single standalone problem that stood in their way. "...without running into that big stinky Bandoot… or anyone else that might be of his assistance."

Bluey softly giggled. "You got one thing right about him!"

The princess slowly cracked the door open. Cautiously, she peeked her head out, her peripheral vision scoping left and right. There wasn't anyone in sight, much to her surprise. "We're in the clear." She casually exited the room with Bluey by her side. Walking down the hallway, the one thing they immediately noticed was there were two doors to their right. Realizing that Bandoot was being truthful, Chloe only uttered just a single word. "Wow."

Coming across an intersection, the duo took a right. As they walked down another hallway, Chloe felt the need to quietly express herself. "So this is Bandoot's castle, huh? It looks a lot more roomier than I thought." She scratched at her chin. "I'm curious to know if he was compensating for something."

Bluey perked her head up. "Is that an easter egg?"

Chloe gave a confused glance. "Huh?"

"No really, look ahead!"

The princess turned to the direction Bluey was looking to witness an actual easter egg, covered with pink and blue stripes. She was a little baffled. "What's an easter egg doing inside a castle?"

The heeler shrugged. She was just as confused as the princess. On impulse, she walked to it and pick it up. Right off the bat, she noticed there was a crack. It wasn't her top priority at the time being, but it could turn out to be useful. Who knows? As the item rested in the palms of the princess, the two continued to scout the interior of the castle.

Heading towards another intersection, they took a left this time, leading to a flight of stairs. "Oh good," The princess spoke. "At least something good came our way, a step closer to becoming a free duo!"

After Bluey smiled and gave off her neigh once again, flicking her tail in the process like an actual equine, the pair descended a stair, one by one until they reached the second floor. It turned out to be high up still, but at least they had at least one more floor to get down.

The stairs took them to a closed door, surrounded by bones on the ground. Bluey and Chloe haven't fazed in the slightest since the remains of the bones contained an odor of a recent meal. The heeler's stomach would omit a growl almost immediately after. Hunger struck for the two.

Chloe looked towards her steed. "I know Bluey, me too," She approached the door, placing her hand on it. "If we're lucky enough, we might find us something we can scarf down."

Opening the door, she was caught by a pleasant surprise. She gasped as Bluey's mouth slightly opened as they witnessed two big guards, donning metal armor, standing right in their way. One had some dark blue fur, the other had golden. What were the odds? What gave them a disadvantage was that there was no way there could tell if something or someone was on the other side of the door. No matter what, this was absolute trouble.

Back up into the room, Bandoot walked right back to the room, a camera in hand with the intent to watch the princess and the heeler's every move. Once he witnessed the disappearance of the two, the big heeler dropped his camera and yelped out loud. His hands were on his head. "The princess, the steed, they've escaped!" He began to stutter, his eyes twitching, trying to piece together everything that just happened under his watch. "H-how could… I… What…"

Bandoot began to clench his fist as well as his teeth, his shock quickly shifted to anger as he let out his growl. "Those little munchkins have duped me for the last darn time!" His eyes squinted, his eyesight shifting around deviously. "Just wait until I get my hands on them! I'll have them wishing they'd never left this room!"

...- . .-. -.-