Chapter IV
~Escape~
The intense standoff between the princess' encounter with two guards was already getting suspenseful. Hearts were pounding, saliva getting gulped down, and peripheral visions were shifting horizontally.
"Halt!" The blue guard uttered.
"Who dares approach us?" The yellow sentinel added.
Chloe clenched her fists. "What's it to you, you large fuzzy bozos?"
Bluey gave off a neigh, albeit in a rather hostile manner.
The father of Lucky couldn't help but speak with a calm response. "Worry not young one, for we are not worthy of your delicate attitude."
The blue heeler's uncle felt the absolute need to add lividness to his fellow sentinel's words. "What Trickett and I seek for is a little more respect from puny packages like the two of youse."
Bluey snorted while the dalmatian herself crossed her arms. "It looks like you're going to try harder if you ever want an ounce of respect out of me." She said, no amount of fear lingering around her body. "Now please, construct a clear path for me and my steed at once!"
The blue guard chuckled. "You expect us to obey the commands of such a troubled princess?"
"I'm afraid the two of youse ain't going anywhere from the looks of it." Trickett took a step towards the young duo. "Just surrender while you can before Trible and I-"
Chloe laughed. "Yeah… I don't think so." She landed her eyes on her companion. "Get 'em, my beloved little steed!"
With a mad hefty snort, the blue heeler exerted yet another neigh and lunged at the blue canine sentinel. A simple headbutt attack on the legs caused Trible to take a step back. "Yah," the big heeler yelped. "Oh, you shouldn't have done that, ya little- YOWL!"
Caught by surprise, the little heeler chomped on his leg soon after. The princess cheered her on as she set down the egg carefully by her side. "That's it Bluey!" She set her visionary sight on the golden retriever and began to run towards him. "Keep going to town!"
"Agh! Release me, ya puny weakling!"
The dalmatian's eyes dilated as she witnessed the sentinel's arms extend, swiftly capturing her in her tracks without even a second thought intervening.
The princess gasped.
Not even wasting any sort of time, Trickett picked up the princess, subtracting her way of movement. She tried to kick her legs around to no avail, only for the yellow mutt to chuckle and taunt her. "Didn't think that one through, huh?"
Anger and intelligence had fueled the mind of the princess. "Clearly, though I do know exactly what my intentions are." Chloe spat, kneeing Trickett in his rumbling gut. Her impact was enough to get the big pup to release her and run back to the egg she set down.
"C'mon Bluey," the dalmatian spoke. "We need to make a break for it while these big meanies are down!"
As Chloe picked up the egg, Bluey kicked Trible's bum as if she was a real equine, bringing the big heeler to his knees. "Yeow!"
As she witnessed the princess taking off, the little heeler soon followed without question. Trible growled before his attempt at chasing them down, but the bite marks and the pain Bluey had inflicted on his tush. Single-handedly, Bluey had already crashed the bad guy's takeoff.
"Trickett! After 'em!" Trible quickly commanded, watching the retriever barely stand before slowly walking off. His teeth clenched hard, withstanding the sensation of his gut in knots. He fell out on the floor not long after.
"I can't…" Trickett uttered. "My stomach's in great pain after that princess landed a kick on my delicate belly," He wrapped his hands around his stomach, his legs twitching just a tad before he rocked. "Now that sub I had for lunch ain't sittin' right..."
After a quick sample of the retriever's whine, the blue heeler sentinel wailed his fist on the floor. "That gosh darn companion of hers…" He stood on his feet, despite the pain. He had to power through if they wanted the slightest chance of stopping the dynamic little duo while they were ahead. "I'll give them my heartfelt congratulations…"
He eyed a button that rested in front of him and limped towards it, lifting the protective cover. With a devious smirk, he slammed it down hard with his hand. "..and reward them with what's comin' their way!" He even threw in a monstrous laugh.
"Could use some bit of work mate," Trickett critiqued.
"Don't ruin this for me!" Trible retorted.
Down the middle of another bare hallway now, the sirens began to blare, dramatically boosting the anxiety of the princess and her trustworthy companion as they froze in their tracks. The two exerted a gasp, taking quick glances to their left and right. Bluey's limbs were shivering just thinking about what crazy things may occur to the duo from this point onward.
"Um Chloe," the heeler spoke. "I'm a little nervous... What are they up to now?"
Chloe laid her hand on the blue pup. "Don't be," she reassured. "We were able to handle two guards on our own just now," She twisted her head, acknowledging her current surroundings. "I'm just a little uncertain about what else those baddies have in store for us." She inhaled softly, then exhaled after. "Just keep your calm, my friend."
Suddenly, an idea hatched out of panic. "You look behind you, and I'll look ahead. Yelp if you see anything unusual."
Bluey nodded to her without a sound. And with that, she did exactly what the princess commanded. Slowly crawling backward, her head shifted left and right, unable to spot anything in her sights. The same went for the princess, resulting in some bit of relief. Still, the duo wasn't at all comfortable, especially with the sounds of the sirens irritating their delicate ears.
"Nothing down this way," Chloe softly spoke, before giving a quick glance to the little heeler. "What about you, Bluey?"
Everything seemed clear on the steed's end for just a split second. However, unbeknownst to them, the empty hallway that the duo infiltrated wasn't going to stay the same. The pitter-patter combined with clunking noises grabbed the heeler's attention. Eyes dilated, she wasted not a second letting out her yelp, topping it off with a tiny jump.
The dalmatian gasped. "What is it? Do you see something?"
She turned around and saw nothing behind her in the distance, just Bluey frozen in place. The noises increased in volume as something or someone began to close in, unbeknownst to the both of them. "Oh no, I think I know what you're referring to…"
There was no chance that Chloe's guard would temporarily decrease after hearing the noises approach them at such an alarming rate. The duo couldn't even tell where exactly the noises were coming from. The princess' best bet was to take cover inside a nearby door, which just happened to be right to her right. She ran to it without hesitation, only to find out that it wouldn't budge for an inch.
"Darn, it's locked!" Chloe nervously spoke. The last word the spotted pup uttered had Bluey shivering. She had a feeling they would run into trouble again, she felt it coming a mile away. The sounds were closing in, growing sonorous in appearance, until something out of the deep blue, threw the both of them off.
The sounds, even the blaring sirens, had completely died down.
An eerie tone was set in place in the minds of the two girls. Their eyes widened up and dilated as if a camera had flashed their face. As relief started to settle in, Chloe decided to descend her guard just for once.
"That was… oddly tense," the dalmatian sighed. "I'm willing to make a guess and say that those meanies are on their precious little-" She turned around and screamed, grabbing Bluey's attention. There were more defenders that snuck up on the duo without a trace.
Bluey stood her ground while the princess backed off posthaste. She eyed down the scouts that stood before her and pawed at the floor. She wasn't afraid to show off some bit of strength when it really mattered for them, but Chloe had a change of plans. As she had no idea that the sheer number of guards would reach up to ten, Chloe hopped on her blue steed.
"Save your strength for this," Chloe exclaimed. "There's too many of them! Run away!"
Giving it her best, Bluey neighed and made a break for it, trying to escape from the clutches of the guards. She galloped as the defenders got closer after each step. The steed was already panting, considering the weight she had to carry on her back. A sputter in, the spotted dog conducted herself a last-minute diversion. Hoping it would work out for the duo somehow, Chloe remained confident. When Bluey made a left turn, she dismounted and headed to her right.
"Neigh?!" Bluey uttered, shocked by her sudden change in her agenda.
"Trust me Bluey, I think this could work out!" Chloe yelled out nervously.
It may have been a tough decision the princess decided to make without the consultation of her steed, but it clearly held some bit of potential in the eyes of the spotted pup.
"Half of you, split!" A big collie spat, half the defenders chasing Chloe, the other half chasing Bluey.
What would lie ahead at the end of their horizon was entirely unknown. They both had to go with whatever befell their way in order to discover their outcome.
With a tiny spark of fear, the dalmatian had to get quick with her intelligent wits. Halfway down the hall, she spotted some metal armor. Figured she'd have enough distance from the bad guys, she chucked the egg that was resting in her grasp, before stopped and pulled on the armor. Tilting towards her, she hopped out of its way as it fell straight onto the floor, crashing with loud clunks galore.
She stepped back and waited for the defenders to obtain range before running off. The big collie and the first couple of others hopped over without any worry, the last couple undoubtedly tripped over the armor, paying no attention to what was in front of them.
The princess looked back. "Shoot," she thought. Although she did make some progress with the threat that was after her, she had to conduct another plan to thwart the wave that still remained.
The little blue heeler, on the other hand, anxiety swarmed around her entire body. She had no idea what to do with half the baddies after her tail. A gulp in, she had to continue looking ahead, trying her best to reach the door in front of her before her tail was barely getting clutched by the defenders.
Thinking quick, just like she took down one guard, she lifted her hind legs with a devious smirk and kicked the guard. Despite the force pushing them back a step, they were still standing, much to Bluey's dismay. All she could think of after that move was to keep on running off.
The chase continued once more, but things would start to grow more intense this round. The heeler had to put her mind to work. Kicking like a horse had little effect, there was no doubt that she wouldn't use that attack on the guards again. She looked behind to check and see how much distance she had, only to find out that she didn't have much space between. A shriek in, she desperately tried to speed things up.
At last, she reached the end of the hallway, safe and unharmed. Turning back around, the bad guys were closing in on her, and fast. It seemed like she was trapped and cornered in for good, no chance for her to get herself out of this unbearable situation. When Bluey glanced down, she witnessed the end of a fancy, detailed carpet. This had sparked an idea for the blue heeler.
"Idea!" she thought to herself.
An angry little smile had registered on her face as she bit on the tip of the carpet. The closer they got to her was her cue to whip her plan into action, literally. When she did just that, the fabric formed a wave, getting taller as it progressed.
The guards froze and their jaws came unhinged. "Oh no..." Barely obtaining any time for movement, the carpet wiped the guards out like a crashing wave washing a surfer out. The blue heeler herself was pleasantly surprised. For a second, she thought that wouldn't even be close to working out.
The events that registered inside her head had sparked a smile. Knowing that the guards were down, she kicked the door in behind her and snorted, turning around pronto and strutted her way out.
One felled defender extended his arm out, his index finger flicking upwards. "I… I don't believe this..."
Another one added, dazed and dizzy, "We got our bums outsmarted… by a c-cheeky blue horse." Exhaling another breath, his limbs dropped motionless to the ground.
The dalmatian reached the door on her end of the hallway, just to discover that there was a huge crack in the egg. Given that she had to think fast with such little time, who could blame her? Three guards were still hot on her tail, closing in on her with every second that passed. With the door now open for Chloe, she just had to do one simple thing that had struck her mentality.
"Come on, you big brutes," Chloe taunted.
With very little distance between her and the baddies now, her cue was thrown straight into action. Slamming the door shut, the three guards crashed face-first into the door. One of them had enough force of impact that their entire head burst through. Chloe jumped back acknowledging this, all while having an elated feeling inside.
"Darn you, princess," the big collie guard spat. "You're going to pay for this!"
"Kindly put it on my tab, if you please," Chloe retorted before she retrieved the egg and walked off.
"Hang on, you know you're too young for that kind of stuff!"
"It's frightening, I know!" Chloe descended down another flight of stairs before the guard playfully growled to himself. With the duo outwitting and clearing a big wave, they now descend to the second floor below them.
The guard tried to pull his head out from the door to no avail. Unsurprisingly for him, he failed. "Aaand... I'm actually stuck."
Chloe and Bluey were able to proceed down to the second floor. Just a floor left for them and they could finally cross paths with the freedom they rightfully desired. The only problem that they had to worry about was how and where they were going to reunite. What didn't help their case was that they basically had to scout around a floor they've never wandered around in before. They couldn't just simply call out to each other loudly out of fear of drawing too much attention to themselves. As difficult as it may seem along with the risky result of getting caught once again, they had no other choices to pick.
The dalmatian sarcastically thought to herself. "Well, this is just… amazing." Walking down the empty hallway at such a sluggish pace, she glanced horizontally at her current surroundings. Already, a slight noise invoked a beat to punch the inside of the royal pooch's cage. She was a little terrified, but at the same time, it really had her thinking. With a castle as big as the one she's roaming around in, she was utterly surprised that there weren't more than however many guards she came across.
"Where are you my precious blue companion?" she kept wondering in her head. She was worried that her diversion may have come back to bite her. What if the guards have Bluey captured again? She couldn't indulge in disbelief just yet. She had to find out for sure one way or another, no matter what she had to encounter to find her answer.
The dalmatian continued strolling down the hall, only to get startled by a rattling door behind her. She gasped as she eyeballed an intersecting hallway. She dived out of the peripheral view of a big kelpie guard, walking across the hall to another room with an empty tankard in hand. After a lusty bulk, he crushed it and tossed it behind him. As Chloe took a peek in the hall, the door came slamming shut behind the guard. Her eyes shifted to a discarded mug and rolled around in chagrin.
"I'll never understand why these old farts here have to be so wasteful all willy nilly," Chloe softly spoke, her head slightly shaking. "Just absolute lazy bums that couldn't even be bothered to dispose of their items properly. Hmph."
The eggshells began to fall apart in the dalmatian's palms. When she took notice, it cracked open completely, revealing a golden key, with a shiny fragment of a diamond infused inside. What could it be for? Could it be that the baddies could be hiding something? What depths could be unveiled soon enough? She'll soon find out.
As she heard some discussion happening in the room, her own curiosity would overcome her. She knew it would be wrong to eavesdrop but it's for a good cause, thanks to the situation she's placed in against her will. After she stashed the key away, she planted her ear on the wall, listening in on the discussion.
"So, what's the sitch?" The mastermind spoke.
One of the guards answered with confidence, but without hesitance, "We've got two escapees roaming around the halls. Our first wave of guards has been wiped out thanks to that meddling duo of the princess and that measly little blue filly of hers."
The spotted pup smirked. "You know that's right," she spoke.
"What a shame," The mastermind retorted. "I want those two captured, no matter what you have to do to stop them. I don't give a flying fur if it takes you hours to do so, just make sure those two munchkins don't ever escape our grasp!"
The kelpie guard saluted. "Y-yes sir, King Stan!"
Chloe's heart jumped a bit before she backed away from the wall. "Stan?" The dalmatian uttered. "Who in the world could…" When the sudden realization struck her mind, it all became clear as a crystal. It was a shock to her just to hear that name read the guard's lips. "No way…" She slowly hyperventilated. "The mastermind behind all of this is… oh dear!"
More fear had been invoked for her. Out of the deep blue, she heard Bluey neighing in the distance. She gasped softly, turning in the direction of the heeler's outcry. "Bluey?" She followed her sounds, growing louder as she approaches. Her diversion didn't turn out as well as she thought. She never thought they'd already capture the heeler once more. Already, she was starting to experience some regrets. As she kept walking as quickly as she could, she stepped on an invincible string. She may not have known it, but it triggered a surprise she never saw coming.
Her anxiety began to skyrocket the second a steel cage trapped her inside, emitting a very loud noise that drew the attention of everyone on the floor. She gasped and omitted a yelp. "No!" she spat. "You've got to be kidding me!"
The doors opened all around, the guards walking over to the trap that was deployed. As it all happened, she heard the laughter of Bandoot, growing more raucous as ever. He muscled his way to the front, to get a good view of a distraught princess, locked away with no chance of escape.
"Well well well, look who failed miserably to try and catch some of that cheddar," he said. "Bet you didn't see this coming, did ya?"
As Bandit resumed to chuckling, Chloe growled for a brief moment before she toned it down. The guards, including the big heeler, retaliated with their growls, causing Chloe to back away leisurely. What was about to go down now? How was his horde of guards going to handle her? No matter what from this point, the dalmatian was afraid. Very afraid. She glanced around, witnessing angry guards for a bit before she nervously gulped.
- ..- -.-. ...