Ch.17: Mazes-Mazes, Puzzles-Puzzles
Batman pushed himself up with a groan. He looked around the room he had been put in with caution. All he saw was a bunch of grey, rock walls. There was the occasional split down the middle for each slab but there was no way out of the room, except for the large opening with a large arch near the top. Above, the ceiling was also made of rock.
He felt for his belt and let some relief creep in when he noticed he had it.
The Dark Knight, not seeing much of a choice in the matter, cautiously walked towards the arched exit. He kept his eyes sharp for a trap, a loose plate on the ground that was made to sink or a trip-wire that would release a dozen weapons to pierce him.
Batman found no tricks in the small hall and stopped just inside the next frame. He looked out into the hall in front of him and gazed left and right. Two halls went by his chamber and continued on for a long way. More halls split off on either side of the hall and continued on beyond with more and more long stretches, into various other chambers, probably.
Gotham's Guardian mulled over what he should do before he carefully stepped out into the hall. He tried to figure out if either way would lead him towards the exit. But there wasn't much to go by. Everything was grey stone and no details had been added to indicate anything, no hints or clues.
Batman mulled the answer before walking to the left. He continued to choose different hallways, not really sure what he was doing. The Caped Crusader just knew he was in a maze and had to get out of it. How he was supposed to do that though, he wasn't quite sure. He even found himself at his starting point once and felt the first tendrils of frustration creep up.
How was he supposed to get out of this maze? There hadn't even been a voice to alert him of some evil plan!
The Dark Knight continued to weave in and out of the many halls. He tried calling for help at one point but found a distant voice, an ancient voice, singing in the com. It was some foreign language he couldn't decipher, which was odd with the amount of languages he knew.
Batman, with a feeling of dread, tried to open the pockets in his belt. They refused to snap open though. He tried snatching the tools not contained within the pouches and found they wouldn't budge from their spots either. Then he, plain and simply, tried to take the entire thing off but the clip stayed shut still.
He growled in dissatisfaction.
So his belt was dead-weight. He had it but could access nothing. That was just fan-frikkin-tastic.
Batman continued to maneuver through the winding hallways. He wanted to hit something to release his frustration upon. The Dark Knight would destroy the wall but it was stone. He didn't want to injure himself.
Yet. He was tempted to though.
Batman, still surging with annoyance, wavered in his step when he saw something in his peripheral vision. He turned his head and saw a lit up chamber, different from the one he woke up in, down another long strip of hall. He could vaguely see some drawings on the wall.
A possible clue?
Interested, Batman carefully walked down the hall. He stopped just inside the entryway and carefully looked about the room. He searched for any tricks or traps but, as far as he knew, he found none.
Hesitantly, he took a step forward and waited.
...
Nothing happened. He stepped fully inside the circular chamber and looked around the room. He noticed the stone was not grey, for once, but a sandy color. The rocks were rough and jagged, looking old and ridden. Across the walls, black jackals ran across the room, heading towards the opposite wall Batman was near. Behind the hoard humanoid figures with wispy tails followed behind them. On the ceiling above was a crud picture of the sun.
Batman narrowed his eyes at the drawings. They were obviously done recently, if the brightness of the paint was anything to go by. But why have jackals running towards a blank wall?
He pondered the question as he drew closer to one of the walls and studied the paintings closer. Maybe there was something within the paint?
The Dark Knight was so busy studying the depiction he didn't notice the figure walking in through another archway, stretching out their sore muscles.
Danny raised an eyebrow at the scene in front of him. "Is there a reason you're staring at the wall intently?"
Batman looked over his shoulder as he straightened. Once he saw Danny's confused face, he went back to studying the picture. "I'm seeing if there is any clues in the paint. It was done recently." He said before he asked "Should I worry about you shooting me?"
Danny shrugged. "Eh. We're both trapped in a huge maze and your smarts would be much appreciated so no."
"So our truce has been renewed until we get out of here?"
"Pretty much. And to think, it's only been two weeks!" Danny stated sarcastically. He smiled before moving closer to one of the other pictures of the running jackals. He traced the image with his finger before he frowned. "I hate jackals."
Batman rolled his eyes at that. That boy...
"I wonder where they're running too... And why they're following." Danny mused as he took a step back to admire the image as a whole. He turned in a circle to see the other parts as well.
"Danny?" A feminine voice called out and the two males turned to the archway beside Batman. A girl with ebony hair and violet eyes stepped out and looked around. She turned her heard when she caught sight of Bats and cursed loudly. "Great! You're here and I have no mask on me!"
Danny smiled at his friend, whom Batman recognized as Black Thorn, and said "Sorry Sam."
Black Thorn- or Sam -glared at her friend. "What the heck? Telling him my name is so wrong!"
"He was going to track you done anyways!"
"That is not- ... Ok, that is true." Sam said, rubbing her jawline with a scowl. Batman just smirked at her while the girl gave him a deadpanned expression. Sam looked around the room and checked out all the pictures. "What's up with the jackals?"
"Not sure." Batman answered, giving up looking closely at the paint and taking a step back. He looked at the other two with a serious expression.
Danny just shrugged at him. "If this room is useless, why are we still standing here? Shouldn't we move along?"
"If it was useless, it wouldn't be here." Batman stated.
"It could be here to throw us off from the real route." Sam suggested.
"The chamber itself could have been made to throw us off. It's the only one we've all come across, correct?" Batman asked the two teens, who nodded at him. "If it's the only chamber we've seen, why go to the trouble to paint a picture?"
Danny shrugged while Sam thought it over. No one supplied an answer though.
"Mind if I join the party?" A cocoa-skinned boy asked as he entered the chamber through another archway. He caught sight of the Dark Knight and yelled "Oh crap, he's here! Dang it!"
"Ha! That's what Sam said!" Danny said humorously before all the archways closed off, trapping the four figures in the chamber. Danny looked around before saying "Good job, Tuck. Look what you did."
Batman watched as Drone- or Tucker –gave his friend a bewildered look before shaking his head in annoyance.
Smaller shafts near the floor opened up in the walls and growls met the group's ears.
"Oh crap…" Sam muttered as the four backed into the center, away from the walls as sleek, black figures exited the shafts and began circling the group. They were small creatures with red eyes and jagged teeth. They had canine-liked bodies and were shrouded in mist.
"Oh crap is right…" Danny muttered. "We're surrounded by a bunch of jackals. Even better, they're shades! Awesome!"
"Shades?" Batman asked.
"Beings from the Shadow Domain. They come and go as they please but hardly ever do harm in the Human Realm." Danny answered.
Tucker chuckled nervously and said "Danny… Time to go ghost, please."
"Can't."
"Why not?"
Danny moved his sleeve from his wrist and showed it to Tucker. The bracelet that had been on Danny's arm when they rescued him from the fight ring was snapped around his wrists again.
Tuck let out an exaggerated groan.
"Batsy, got something that can help us on you?" Sam asked, watching each jackal that walked by her carefully.
"Yes but I can't get it." Batman answered.
"…what's wrong with your belt..?" Sam asked slowly, exaggeration showing on her face.
Batman shrugged, watching the sleek figures walk by while they growled. "It just won't open."
"Magic." Danny supplied, glaring at the small but vicious figures. "We're dealing with a magician who has a bunch of shades as pets."
"Awesome." Tucker said sarcastically.
Sam shook her head. "But shades can come and go as they please if there are shadows around and there are shadows everywhere. Why stay here?"
One of the jackals stopped in front of the much taller Batman and growled. The other jackals stopped and began growling at the group. Tails swishing ominously, they tensed their bodies, glaring with red, beady eyes at the group.
"We're going to have to wait for that answer…" Danny mumbled.
The shade that had started the entire thing lunged at the Dark Knight. Batman caught its shoulders and threw it over his shoulder. The jackal hit the wall, fell to the ground, and got back up, easily shaking off the attack.
The first one seemed to signal all the others to attack as well.
The group tried to cover each other as best as they could but all were too wrapped up with the five or six different jackals that were attacking them. They could throw one off to the side but another one was jumping for their necks while they did so. Moving around was key to keeping them off but there wasn't any place to run to.
Sam was finally able to snap one of the jackal's spine in two. She dropped it to the ground, the body limp and lifeless. The mist around the being dissipated and the body melted into dirt and ash.
The rest of the pack wearied at the sight of one of them fall but they continued to attack. But as the group continued fighting them off and, occasionally killing them, they began retreating back into their shafts one by one. Soon, they were all inside and the shafts shut again, keeping the jackals inside.
"Then you all wonder why I hate jackals." Danny said as he panted. The other two teens rolled their eyes while Batman sarcastically patted the teen's back. The Dark Knight looked around the enclosed room, searching for an exit way.
An archway revealed itself off to the side. It was the only exit in the room.
Tucker glared at it. "That's sick."
The three teens took a step forward before Batman told them to stop. They looked at him confused and Sam asked "Something wrong?"
Batman pointed to the pictures on the walls. All the black jackals were running towards the opening, leading the humanoid figures towards the opening in the wall.
"Yeah, they're pictures. We get that." Danny said, raising a questioning eyebrow.
Exaggerated, Batman asked "Do you know anything about Egyptian mythology?"
"We know a little but not much. Why?" Sam replied.
"The god Anubis, like Danny uses, is a god of the dead. He was said to lead spirits to the underworld. He had the head of the jackal." Batman informed. Danny made a 'go-on' gesture, signaling they already knew all that. "But Egyptians also viewed jackals as spirit animals that led them as well."
"Still not seeing the point." Tucker said, confused.
Batman pointed to the figures on the wall. "The jackals are leading the spirits to the underworld in this picture. If we go through that doorway, we're dead."
"…but if that's a false front, where's the real door?" Sam asked.
Danny looked at the jackals and commented "They're sort-of pointed downwards. Like going down a hill or something."
"If they're going down…" Batman trailed.
"We've got to go up." Tucker finished.
Sam looked to the ceiling, where the sun was 'shining' down on them, and said "Towards life."
"Yeah puzzles…" Danny cheered sarcastically as they all looked up towards the rock ceiling before looking back at each other. Then, in sync, they turned to the opening in the wall. In front of the opening was one of the black jackals. It was sitting calmly, looking at the group with little interest in its red eyes.
"Hi..?" Tucker mumbled, waving at the shade.
The jackal stood, everyone tensing as it did. The canine slipped into its shadow form and they watched as it journeyed up to the ceiling where the sun was. The shadow figure journeyed around the sun, twisting the drawing around and revealing that it wasn't a drawing at all. The rock ceiling began to retreat as the sun split into different sections and retreated also, leaving a gaping hole above the group. Before anyone could ask how they were supposed to get out, stairs popped out of the walls and circled the room towards the opening in the ceiling.
Under the staircase, red eyes watched the group with interest in the shadows. The calm jackal trotted down the stairs, nodded to them, and disappeared.
…
"What just happened?" Tucker asked the others. They shrugged before Batman led them up the stairs. Once each figure was at the top and off the staircase, the steps disappeared back into the wall and the sun twisted back into place again, leaving the group in a chamber of another labyrinth.
"Oh great, another maze… Awesome." Sam commented sarcastically. Danny bumped her with his elbow and she shoved him back playfully.
"Let's go." Batman said simply before walking into a random hall. The teens followed behind like ducklings chasing their mother and Danny asked "Why are we taking this way?"
"Because we'll eventually find another chamber with another puzzle. It doesn't matter which route we take." Batman answered, noting the walls were the same dull grey they had been in the labyrinth before. The walls were just as bare as well.
The group wandered in and out of the halls, occasionally saying something sarcastic to ease their boredom and make the others laugh. Batman did not partake in that activity though, too busy rolling his eyes and wondering why he had to get stuck with the three idiotic teens.
As Batman was about to walk into another hall, Danny leaped onto his back and yelled "Bats, look!" into his ear. The Dark Knight looked in the direction Danny had pointed, barely restraining himself from beating the teen to a pulp.
A hallway in the distance had a small bit of light shining from it.
The group walked over to it after Batman shoved Danny off his back roughly. They looked down the long hall and saw that it had a brightly lit chamber at the end. Carefully, the four approached it and entered.
Just as before, all forms of exits closed once all of them had entered.
They prepared themselves for a fight and they paled when a foot of the wall near the ceiling opened up, creating a dark ring around the room. Loud hisses echoed throughout the room and three long, sleek bodies slithered out from the openings. The four jumped into the center of the room and watched the snakes slither out. All were black but one gleamed with all different colors, while another shone with dull browns, and the last gave off a small dull grey shine. All of their eyes were amber and slitted.
The snakes slithered around the room, hissing before they all stopped under a picture on the wall. They each looked at the group expectantly as three holes in the walls appeared. Inside was dark and they could see nothing within.
The first snake that was black and dull blue waited patiently under its picture. In the picture, a woman kneeled with her arms outstretched. Along her arms were wings. She wore glamorous clothing and by her feet was a snake with the same coloring as the snake on the ground. The hole in the wall was under her feet and the snake.
The second snake, the one that gleamed of the rainbow but was still pitch black, rested under a picture of a snake twisted into a circle that was every color imaginable. The snake circled the opening in the wall. Small trees and mountains popped over the snake's body.
The third snake, the one with dull coloring, rested beneath a picture of a snake with the same coloring. The serpent in the picture was talking to a tiny spider. The two seemed to be conversing and the opening was in-between the two animals.
"Um… Bats… What's going on?" Danny asked.
Batman contemplated the answer but eventually said "I don't quite know."
Another shaft opened in the wall and smaller serpents slithered forward. They were simply black with amber eyes that slithered across the ground. Dozens slipped around the floor, staying clear of the three bigger snakes. Some tried to bite the group in the middle when one of the figures moved. The group was eager to crush the serpents with their heel though, turning the shades to dust and ash.
"Bats, which exit do we take?" Danny asked.
"Why you asking me?"
"Because you're the mythology expert here! Save us, oh hero!"
Batman rolled his eyes but studied the pictures a little further. He made sure no serpent decided to bite him though, not quite keen on letting them kill him.
Looking at the serpent with the dull blue coloring, he surmised "That picture has Isis, the Egyptian mother goddess. There's a story where she wanted Ra's, the sun god's, secret name. So she made a snake out of clay and Ra's spittle and, when the snake injured him, she told him that she could heal him if he gave her his secret name."
He looked to the side, towards the picture of the rainbow serpent. "An Aboriginal myth states that, at the beginning of the world, all the creatures of the world were asleep under the surface of the earth. The Rainbow Serpent awoke and broke to the surface, where it journeyed around the world. Its massive body created mountains and valleys. Then it woke all the other creatures up and they recognized the serpent as the mother of life."
The Dark Knight looked over his shoulder, towards the picture with the snake and spider. "There's a Caribbean folktale where all animals acted like humans and, at the end of the day, they gathered together and told bedtime stories. This time of day was called Tiger time, as the tiger was the strongest animal around and wanted the stories to be named after him. A spider named Anansi wanted some stories named after him but Tiger refused. Anansi suggested if he were to get Snake, Tiger's former friend, to apologize to Tiger while he was all tied up, Tiger would let stories be named after him. Anansi tricked the snake into being tied to a bamboo stick by telling him Crocodile thought he was longer than Snake."
"That's all nice and dandy but what does that have to do with anything?" Tucker asked.
"Which one points to life?" Batman snapped at the teen.
"The Rainbow Serpent?" Sam asked hesitantly.
Batman nodded. "One snake was a tool that was used to bring pain, one was foolish and pompous, and the other brought life. We need to go towards life, like the last puzzle."
"We'll do that once we figure out how to make the snakes go away." Danny said, faking good cheer.
At his voice, the tiny little snakes turned and slithered away, right back into the small shaft they had exited from. The shaft closed behind them and the brown and blue snakes slithered back up the walls, into their little home as well. The rainbow serpent slowly slithered around the room, allowing the group to enter the opening in the wall.
The four retreated quickly and the hole closed behind them. The last thing they saw was the snake's amber eyes gleaming at them. A picture of the amber-eyed, rainbow serpent with all the other creatures of the world was left in its place.
Once inside the new section of labyrinth, the group sighed in relief.
"So we've been attacked by jackals and threatened by snakes… I am not looking forward to the next chamber." Tucker commented, making the others nod in agreement. Either way, they chose one of the many archways and continued their journey.
Walking around the third maze was boring and frustrating. Part of the group wanted to never find the next chamber. Another part of them wanted to find the chamber quickly so they could leave faster.
After much trial and error, they found they brightly lit room through an archway in the side of the wall. Batman asked if each teen was ready and, once they let him know they were good to go, led them inside hesitantly. Much like the last two times, any archways they could exit closed behind them before they could escape.
Growls immediately met their ears and the four looked up, startled.
Above them, the ceiling was higher than before. There were perches hanging from the ceiling, black ravens with red and violet eyes staring down at them silently. The walls went up and stopped, providing platforms for black, snarling wolves with cobalt eyes. They paced around their platforms, ready to lunge down any minute.
While the teens kept an eye on the wolves and the silent birds, Batman looked around on the walls.
There were two pictures. The first showed a wolf standing over two infants. Though the beast was scary, it seemed rather calm as it looked down at the children. Above the wolf and infants, almost disconnected from the picture entirely but belonging to the group anyways, a raven was swooping by with a string in its beak. A ball of light was at the end.
The other picture hosted the same creatures: a large wolf with sharp claws and teeth with rope tied around it. It had an angry but also calm expression. A little ways from the wolf, a raven sat in a tree, looking down at two identical humans. One of the humans was looking at the second with wide eyes, while the second seemed oblivious.
"Bats… You got any ideas cause the fluffy puppies want to eat our guts and the birdies want to peck our eyes out." Danny mumbled, smiling up at the growling creatures. Tucker chuckled nervously beside him while Sam rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"The first picture depicts a wolf watching over two infants, which happens in the Roman legend of Romulus and Remus. The raven above them is dragging a piece of sunlight behind it, from a Native American myth, and is taking to it to an Inuit village in the north that never had daylight." Batman explained before he looked over to the next picture. "And that one depicts Fenris, a giant wolf that was tricked into being tied up with a rope made of dark magic, since the Norse gods were afraid of Fenris. In Celtic mythology, ravens are associated with death. It also shows someone seeing their doppelganger, which in German mythology, meant you were going to die soon."
"…I'm guessing we're going with the first picture…" Danny commented, still staring at the various wolves. Batman hummed in confirmation. Danny nodded slowly. "Yeah… Thought so…"
Four of the roaming wolves above jumped down from their platforms and landed on the ground in front of the four figures. Cobalt eyes glared at them heatedly, growls and snarls falling from their mouths. One of the red-eyed ravens released a long chirp, and the shadow wolves lunged forward.
Fighting them was much like fighting the jackals. Once they threw the wolf away from them, it was back with a vengeance. Danny tried snapping his wolf's spine but it was harder to rein in than the jackal was. It squirmed and would usually claw his body when he tried.
"I honestly don't see the point of the animals attacking us! What did we do?" Tucker yelled, throwing his wolf away from him and jumping back from a lunge as it got back up.
"I don't know either but it seems we have to escape death to pass!" Sam answered, holding the shadow wolf in a chokehold as it tried to claw or bite her, to no avail.
"That… Actually makes sense!" Danny commented while he held his wolf under him, arms wrapped around its neck tightly. The teen jumped off the wolf abruptly when Batman threw his wolf into Danny's. The two shades went sprawling before getting back up and shaking. They growled before the red-eyed raven chirped again.
The four wolves calmed considerably and sat back on their haunches, staring at the four with cobalt eyes. One even tilted its head curiously, looking almost adorable.
"Unbelievable…" Tucker commented. The raven squawked loudly at him and Tucker launched himself behind Sam, hugging her from behind. "It's Sam's fault!"
The mercenary glared at the raven. "If you're angry, peck the boy's eyes out."
Danny pressed his hand to his face while Batman rolled his eyes.
One of the wolves got up and walked over to the picture representing life while the other three took to their shadow forms and went back up to the platforms, where they watched over the edge.
The red-eyed raven glided from its perch and landed on the other side of the picture. The wolf pressed its head to the wall and almost as if the wall weighed nothing, pushed it back with its head. Once out of the way, it took to its platform again. The raven chirped before gesturing to the open wall and the exit.
"This is the weirdest maze ever." Batman commented, voice free of any emotion. The three teens nodded before they all, slumped forward a little, trudged over to the opening in the wall and the three walked through. It closed behind them, with the raven watching them disappear.
Much to their joy, instead of being met with another dim labyrinth, they were met with a huge field and the night sky. The moon hung in the sky like a white disk, shining pale moonbeams across the earth. The night was cloudless and a warm breeze whizzed by, making the trees flow to the side with a small rustle.
"Freedom!" Danny yelled and fell onto the ground, arms and legs splayed out and face in the grass. He yelled something but the words were muffled by the dirt and grass. Batman shook his head while he watched the teen perform his 'I-love-freedom' ritual while Sam and Tucker laughed at their friend's doing.
The teen got back up and rubbed his face. "Alright, what now?"
"You were supposed to die."
Four heads snapped to where another person stood, anger radiating off them in anger. The man had black hair, a long black beard, and wore a purple robe with intricate, golden designs.
"You were all supposed to die."
Sarcastically, Danny said "Yeah, that's what all of Batsy's villains say. Oh well!"
The man scowled at the teen. "Brat."
Danny shrugged at him and stated "Creep-a-zoid."
"Excuse me?! Why on earth would you call me that?!"
"Cause I can, fool! Got a problem with that?"
"You know him?" Batman snapped.
Danny nodded. "Yeah, that's the idiot who was running the fight ring. You'd recognize him if he was wearing a suit."
"Enough of that!"
"I thought you put him in jail." Sam said.
"I did. I didn't know he was a magician though!" Danny yelled, flipping the other man off. "His name's Zebulon. I call him Zeppelin though."
The man, Zebulon, glared at the teen even more, eye twitching. Danny waved flirtatiously, batting his eyes. The magic wielder released a violet blast upon them, making them all jump out of the way. Danny yelled "Retreat!" to his friends and the teens took off, leaving Batman to fend for himself. The Dark Knight growled under his breath as he got up.
"And to think, you let that little brat live." Zebulon said before beginning to try to pulverize the Caped Crusader.
The Crime Trio flew through the trees, jumping over ditches and fallen trees, as well as many other obstacles. Pants fell from their mouths as they rushed through the trees, away from the fight they could hear going down behind them. They continued to press on.
Danny, though he was the one who called the retreat, felt guilty for leaving behind the Dark Knight. He was the one who saved him from that psycho. His ghost powers, once the band was off, could defeat him.
But his mind told him to press forward.
But his heart ached to help.
Danny stopped and he looked back at the battle scene.
It was his turn to go back and do something.
I found all of the mythology above in my mythology book from B&N except for the jackal-spirit-guide-thing and which mythology the Raven is associated with death in. Those could both be wrong. Everything else, I had to find in my huge book. -.-'
Also... How many of you think this is just a little too easy? o.O
Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: FrankZTank13, Crali. Reynoso, The Deranged Pan, I Am Rolf, WordSmyth, Kireah, ShadowPhantom164, Team Cromaka, Jedexa, Iymea.
Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following me: FrankZTank13.
Reviews:
Astroshadow: Yeah~! *throws confetti*
KuriMaster13: That's what I was aiming for! XD
PHOENIX1020: I DO TOO! XD
Allietheepic7: Because she was trying to comprehend the fact her baby brother suddenly showed up with Batman. XD
Anime Hotty Lover. 18: Yeah family~! Thank you~!
Grava: XD Hate to hear you have glasses but glad you can read again! Psychoanalyzation, fun!
Bibbledoo: *imagines memory lane with you*
Scheffelman: Oh, defiantly! It's what makes them them! :D
YumiStar: They have the most dynamic of relationships, don't they? XD
Roselin: :D I'm so happy to hear you don't think I'm stupid! Glad you enjoyed!
IWasNeverReal: XD That's one heck of a reaction!
Wexi Boo: AWWW, thanks~! I love their arguments as well! XD
Poohbearmorris: They're friends... FOR NOW! HAHAHA! XD I'm so mean to you.
16ckelman: It's sorta the end of crime...! The truce was temporary! XD
FrankZTank13: XD It's alright! I totally get it! And thanks so much, dude!
SweetyKinz: XD It's alright! And YES! They're so "I don't know how to feel~!" and it's so hilarious! XXDD Windows. Hehehe~!
KainVixenheim: *snickers* You'll just have to find out, now won't you? :D
Ninuhuju: I'm not that evil (yes I am. who am I kidding?)! XD
THEBOXGHOST113: Oh, I get it. No worries. WOW. GLAD YOU LIKED THE CHAPTER SO MUCH. XD The other two can meet Jazz in an unlikely situation, yes. XD
Saiyan Moon Goddess: Yeah~! You can't avoid them forever, Danny! ...I just got this weird idea I don't know if I should do or not...
H. H. Xia: XD
Inviso-Al: ...I don't know if you want that answer or not...
The Keeper of Worlds: I had a feeling you'd like Jazz. XD
Guest(1 or I think you called yourself Shadow?): I had to reread your message three or four times because I could not honestly believe it. Thanks so much for that wonderful speech that got my speedy fingers working faster than before! :D