South Down: What do you mean? That it's becoming night-time?
GBond007: We will see.
On Stan of Many Moon's orders, guards were posted outside the barriers of the village. With darkness approaching, he wanted to ensure that nobody infiltrated the stronghold, especially to steal the map.
Currently, Pocahontas Randy was performing a "sensual" dance for the younger Indians in the centre of the village. Stan tried to ignore his dad as he swayed before the awed boys and girls before the fireplace, instead attempting to keep focus on the map. Kyle couldn't help but stifle a giggle at how his best friend's dad was making a complete fool of himself, even as he, too, analyzed the map.
Meanwhile, Storyteller Jimmy sat atop a log, entertaining the other Indian children, as well as Scout Ike, with a series of jokes. "Why did the Native American hate snow?" He asked.
"Why?" One of the Indian Hunters asked.
"Because it's white and on his land," Storyteller Jimmy replied. Immediately, the kids gathered around started laughing.
Suddenly, Stan called out, "Hey everyone! Come look!"
Quickly, the kids in the village, along with Randy and Sharon, stopped what they were doing and ran up and crowded around Stan and Kyle. Stan held up the map so everyone could see.
"There, look," He said, pointing at a picture of a key located in the bottom-right corner of the map. "That must be the location of the key."
The Indians "oohed" in awe.
Stan scanned the map further. "Alright, so we're here," He said, placing a finger on the forest near the town, on the top-left corner of the map. "It says South Park right there."
"What about the key?" One of the braves asked. "Where is it located?"
Stan looked at the key's location again. "It says Underworld. I guess that means the key is underground, then."
"Underworld?" Kyle said. "That sounds kind of threatening. You think there are monsters down there?"
"It can't be anything worse than what we've already encountered," Stan reassured him.
"Well, how do we get there?" Sharon asked.
"Um. . ." Stan said, looking at the map again. It was huge, with many different locations on it, especially between the forest and the key. There were frozen mountains, as well as deserts, kingdoms, and more. There were many paths to the Underworld, but he didn't know which to pick.
Kyle cut in. "The Elven Sanctuary is practically on the borders of the Underworld," He pointed out. "We should probably head straight there. The walk doesn't seem as treacherous as through the Dragon Pass or the Alien Junkyard."
"What do you think, Stan of Many Moons?" The Indian Brute questioned.
Stan placed a hand on his chin. "You may have a point there, Kyle," He said. "If we make it to the Elven Sanctuary first, we could possibly be able to fortify our position there to prevent other people from passing through or attacking. Then, we could get to the Underworld."
"Great idea, Stan!" Pocahontas Randy said.
"We'll spend the night here," Stan informed the rest of the village. "Gather up our strength. Then, first thing in the morning, we set out for the sanctuary!"
The Indians cheered in response. Kyle placed the map back in the treasure chest and the tribe dispersed, the long journey awaiting them weighing heavily on their minds.
As Stan and Kyle picked up the treasure chest and carried it inside their tent, Stan said, "You know, I can't help but wonder what Kenny's doing. I'm sure he would've loved to have joined us."
"Yeah," Kyle whispered, his face falling as he remembered their friend. "I would've loved that, too. It's a shame he couldn't make it."
The two boys frowned as they set the treasure chest down inside their tent. Solemnly, they lay down in their makeshift beds, the thought of Kenny not leaving their minds as they started to doze off.
Where were they?
Kenny had been asking himself that question ever since he'd set off from the town in search of Stan, Kyle and Cartman. He'd initially assumed finding them wouldn't have been a hard task, but as nighttime approached and he still found no sign of them, he'd started to worry they'd already set off on their journey and were long gone.
Currently, he made his way through the woods. He wasn't sure he would find anyone there, but it was a start. It was so dark outside he could barely see a thing, and he occasionally tripped and walked into a tree or bush. His parka was covered in twigs and dirt as he trudged through the woods aimlessly.
All of a sudden, he heard voices a distance away, and quickly hid behind a bush. Slowly, he peaked out from behind it, wandering who it was.
As he watched on, he saw Sheriff Cartman, Scott Malkinson and Powerfist Dougie trudging through the woods, a disappointed look on their faces. Of the three, Cartman looked the angriest.
"I can't believe those assholes!" He was currently venting, his hands balled into fists. "Go and pull a fast one on me like that! Well I'll get them back!"
"You've been saying that ever since we got back to shore," Dougie replied glumly. "Stan and Kyle are probably already long gone by now with the map. We'll never catch up to them."
Kenny raised an eyebrow in intrigue. So Cartman wasn't with Stan and Kyle? A part of him wasn't surprised; he doubted Cartman's wish would've been compatible with either of them, particularly Kyle.
He watched as the three continued forward, unaware of his presence, only to be stopped when an arrow was shot at their feet.
"Hey, what the Hell?!" Cartman shouted out in alarm.
At that moment, an Indian Hunter unveiled himself, standing atop one of the trees. "Stop, intruders!" He shouted, aiming an arrow at the three. "Trespassers aren't welcome in Many Moon's Stronghold!"
Many Moon's Stronghold? Kenny thought. Stan of Many Moons? Were Stan and Kyle close by?
"What are you talking about, asswipe?" Cartman asked the hunter, annoyed. "Get out of here and stop bothering us!"
The hunter let out a war cry, and immediately, a pair of Indian Braves rushed out of the trees, holding their hatchets out against the three intruders. "Can't you read?" One of them asked, pointing to the side. The intruders, as well as Kenny, followed where the brave was pointing, and saw a sign with the words No Cowboys Allowed written on it.
"Oh, dammit," Sheriff Cartman whispered.
"Go, or we'll have your scalps!" The hunter warned.
Begrudgingly, Cartman turned and headed off. After a moment's hesitation, Scott and Dougie followed suite.
Kenny watched them leave, then turned back towards the Indians. If what they said was true, Stan and Kyle could possibly be close by. At the same time, though, would the guards let him through? Wasn't he, too, an intruder?
At that moment, he remembered that one of his cards was Inuit Kenny. Granted, it wasn't exactly like them, but it was close enough to a Native American. Surely the guards would accept him then.
He was about to whip out his phone and transform right then and there, but paused when he noticed a shadow looming over him. Instinctively, he whirled around and tackled whoever had sneaked up on him, pinning them against the tree.
Quickly, the person raised up their arms in surrender. "Please don't hurt me!" They squeaked in fear.
Kenny froze as he realized that he recognized that voice. Stepping backwards, he saw that the figure was none other than Annie.
The blonde girl looked surprisingly banged up. Her hair was a mess, her face was covered in soot, and her Warrior outfit was torn up. He didn't know what Annie had gone through to make her look like that, but he was nevertheless instantly filled with pity.
Annie was currently doubling over, looking exhausted. "K-K-Kenny?" She whispered, breathing heavily. "You're. . . here?"
"(Um. . . yeah,)" Kenny replied. "(What happened to you?)"
"Separated. . . from my friends," Annie replied, sounding like it hurt to even speak. "Looking for. . . map. Got blasted out of cannon and landed back in town. Been looking for. . . the others."
"(Holy shit,)" Kenny said. He guessed this map must've been very important if people were going to so much trouble to get it.
"(Look, I gotta get you to a healer or something,)" He said, taking Annie's arm and slinging it over his shoulder so she could lean on him. Normally, he would've been a bit more tense being in such close contact with a girl, but at the moment, all he cared about was making sure she got better.
The two hadn't gotten more than a couple feet when a voice shouted, "Intruders!"
Shit, Kenny thought. Annie's sudden arrival had made him totally forget about the guards.
Within moments, the hunter and the braves had the two surrounded. "No trespassers!" The hunter ordered. "On orders of Stan of Many Moons!"
Releasing Annie, Kenny made a peaceful gesture, saying, "(I'm friends with Stan of Many Moons. Just let us in.)"
"How do we know we can trust you?" One of the braves asked, restraining Annie. "You could be trying to steal the map!"
"(I just want to see my friends,)" Kenny reassured the guards. "(Look, I'll transform for you.)" Pulling out his phone, he prepared to switch into his Inuit Kenny form.
"He's switching to a more powerful form!" The hunter shouted. "Get 'em!"
Quickly, one of the braves tackled Kenny, causing him to drop his phone. The two boys landed on the wet ground, the brave striking Kenny repeatedly.
"(Get the fuck off of me!)" Kenny shouted, batting at the brave with his arms.
"Hey, leave him alone!" Annie shouted. Despite her weakened state, she stomped on the foot of the brave restraining her, causing him to release her, grabbing his injured foot and hopping around in pain. She was about to intervene between the fighting boys when the hunter shoved her into a tree.
Groaning, Annie struggled onto her hands and knees. Raising her head, she found herself staring into the tip of the arrow the hunter was currently aiming at her with. He drew back his bow, one eye closed as he prepared to fire. Annie shut her eyes in terror.
Suddenly, she felt a warm liquid splash across her face, causing her to recoil. Opening her eyes, she looked down and saw that blood was streaming down her face and onto her hands. It took a few moments for her to realize that the blood was not her own.
Looking up, she stared at the hunter. His eyes were widened in pain and confusion, his mouth hanging open, little sounds of pain escaping his lips. Behind him, the brave that had been restraining her stood ashen-faced, his eyes glued to his comrade's back. Her eyes followed his gaze, and then widened when she saw a black blade, piercing the hunter's back and protruding out his belly.
Slowly, the impaled hunter was lifted into the air by the blade, which Annie realized was a tail. The owner of the bladed tail turned the hunter around so he could face him, then stepped out of the shadows.
It was Clyde. He was no longer dressed like a pirate. Rather, he was in his Alien form.
Alien Clyde lifted the hunter towards him, his eyes chillingly hardened. The hunter's own eyes widened in terror as he was pulled towards him, until the two were so close together their noses were almost touching.
Then, in a single motion, the alien jaws around Clyde's head clamped shut over the hunter's.
Annie let out a scream as she was sprayed with blood. Nearby, Kenny and the Indian Brave stopped fighting as they, too, were hit with a splattering of blood. The brave whipped his head over to see the hunter's decapitated body, suspended in the air by Alien Clyde's tail. Kenny followed his gaze, and his eyes widened in shock.
Forgetting completely about Kenny, the brave jumped off the parka-wearing boy and turned to face his new opponent. Alien Clyde casually slung the hunter's headless corpse out of sight as he prepared to take him on.
Letting out a war cry, the brave charged, his hatchet raised. His cry was cut short, however, as Alien Clyde slammed into him with the force of a freight train, knocking both of them onto the ground. The two scuffled violently, rolling over each other, Alien Clyde's tail swinging and his jaws clamping shut repeatedly, inches away from the brave's face.
As the two fought, Kenny rushed over to Annie. "(We gotta get out of here!)" He shouted in a panic. Annie was about to argue, about to tell him it was just Clyde, but the terrified look in his eyes made her realize he had a reason for them to get out of there. He grabbed her wrist, yanked her to her feet, and ran, as fast as he could, taking Annie with him.
Finally, the hunter threw Alien Clyde off of him. He landed on his hands and knees a distance away, hissing like an animal. The brave began to charge at him, hatchet in his fist, but at that moment, Clyde pulled out a lobster, coated in purple, and hurled it at the brave, striking him in the chest.
The brave let out a surprised shout as he stumbled backwards, coated in purple. He looked down at his arms, which was emitting purple smoke, and looked up at Clyde. He was about to resume his attack when he suddenly began to feel weaker. He crumbled onto his knees, feeling like the life was being sucked out of him as the smoke began to consume his body, clouding his vision.
Alien Clyde watched on as the brave succumbed to the poison. As he collapsed onto the ground, choking on his own blood, Clyde's eyes wandered to the other brave, who watched in horror as his comrade died before his eyes. His eyes were wide and his mouth was opening and closing repeatedly.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Clyde stepped past the fallen brave and towards the remaining brave. The guard simply stood there, paralyzed with fear, trembling and quaking violently as Clyde inched closer, his arms outstretched.
Slowly, the tip of the bladed tail slid between the guard's legs and crept up his back. The brave wanted to run, but he couldn't.
As Kenny and Annie ran, they heard the guard's scream fill the night sky.
And then, the very next moment, all they heard was a deathly silence.
The two took the opportunity to catch their breaths, leaning against the trees as they tried to get their heart rate back to normal. "(Gotta. . . keep going. . .)" Kenny whispered in-between breaths.
"Why?" Annie asked, still not grasping the true danger in their midst. "It's just Clyde. Heck, he saved us. . ."
"(Not him. . . I'm scared about,)" Kenny said, turning to stare at Annie, his expression solemn.
Annie raised an eyebrow. "What?" She asked.
"(Clyde. . .)" Kenny whispered, shaking his head slowly. "(He wouldn't do that. . . not on his own. The worst. . .)" He stood up, walking towards Annie and offering her his hand, indicating they had to keep going.
As Annie took his hand, Kenny looked over his shoulder, in the direction of where they had heard the guard's scream.
"(The worst. . . is only just beginning.)"
Alien Clyde walked through the woods, leaving the area where he had dispatched the guards. Finally coming to a stop in front of the shadows, he got onto his hands and knees and lowered his head.
"Sorry to have kept you guys waiting," He said, staring at the ground. "I've taken care of all the guards. The village borders are defenseless."
Slowly, the others stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight.
"Well done, Clyde," Marine Craig said, his machine gun slung over his shoulders. "You've really made yourself quite useful."
"Thanks," Clyde mumbled. "But why do I have to do all the dirty work? You sent me to the island to take a picture of the map using my phone, and now you had me take care of all the guards by myself."
"I wouldn't want to waste our most valuable members on a mission where they could get hurt," Craig replied casually, his hand tightened around Warboy Tweek's. Clyde couldn't help but glare.
"Don't complain, Clyde," Space Warrior Token said. "It was a smart idea of Craig's to have you simply take a picture of the map. That way, you could escape while everyone else was distracted fighting over the real thing. Now we have exactly what we need to get that key." He took the phone from Clyde's pocket, which had a picture of the map in it.
"Now all we have to do is take care of the other people who know the map's location," Craig said, cocking the machine gun menacingly as he turned his head in the direction of the village.
"I dunno, Craig," Warboy Tweek said, twitching. "They're our friends. Isn't killing them kind of. . . mean?"
"Tweek, killing them will just make them wake up back in the real world," Craig rationalized. "It's not like we're killing them for real."
"If you say so," Token said, raising an eyebrow. "Well, let's do it, then."
"Great," Craig said bluntly. "Alright, boys. Let's rock." With that, Craig's Gang headed off towards the village.
And as they did, dozens of Space Grunts and Gunners stepped out of the shadows and followed them as they marched onward to Many Moon's Stronghold.
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