South Down: Wendy was healed by the Healing Fountain.
vh1660924: Eh, maybe not quite on that level. He's gotten a power boost, for sure, but as will be shown, he may not even be the most powerful player in the game (even if he thinks he is).
Playerhood18: We'll just have to see.
GBond007: Let's find out.
I am a burglar: Tweek doesn't have a staff.
Malstygian: Yeah...but is he the final boss?
A trio of Indian Braves stumbled through the woods, a lost and confused expression on their faces. Their skin was marred with cuts and bruises, and blood was seeping from their wounds.
"Oh God," One of them whispered, collapsing next to a tree. "I don't know how much longer I can go, you guys."
"We have to keep going, Brimmy," Another whispered, clutching his dislocated arm as he breathed heavily. "You don't want to end up like the others, do you?"
"They were so vicious. . ." The third one whispered, his eyes filled with terror. "I don't get it! We didn't do anything to them! Why did they attack us?"
The sound of a twig being snapped immediately caused all three of them to go on alert. They huddled together, clutching their hatchets close and whipping their heads around, desperate to not be caught off-guard.
The forest was deathly quiet. The only sound was the rapid beating of their hearts as they readied themselves for battle.
Something caught the second one's eye. Glancing upwards, he felt his heart stop as a hail of arrows rained down towards them from the skies. "Arrowstorm!" He cried, and the three immediately dove to avoid being skewered. One arrow plunged into the second brave's thigh, and he collapsed onto the ground, screaming in agony.
"Douglas!" Brimmy shouted as his friend clutched his bleeding leg in pain. At that moment, a purple chain was flung out of the shadows and latched itself around Douglas' body, yanking him down and dragging him away.
"Help me!" Douglas shouted as he was pulled into the shadows.
The other two braves were about to rush to his aid, but were stopped by several squires and hunters. "En garde!" One of them shouted, slamming his flail on the ground as a warning.
Biting their lips, the two braves slowly raised their hatchets, even knowing it was a futile effort. They were outnumbered and surrounded. The two trembled as their assailants closed in.
Suddenly, a laser beam zipped through the air, striking one of the hunters square in the back and blasting him right off his feet. A wave of surprise washed over the attackers as they whirled around in confusion.
More lasers were fired out of the darkness, striking the squires and hunters and blasting them into the air. Some of them tried to attack, but they couldn't tell where the blasts were coming from or who was firing them. The two braves simply stood where they were, just as confused as their assailants.
Who was helping them?
"Let's get out of here!" One of the squires shouted to his comrade, and the two fled into the woods. As they ran by a tree, however, they suddenly stopped in their tracks as a sickly green mist surrounded them.
"What's. . . happening. . ." One of them whispered as they felt their health be sapped from them. The two dropped onto their knees, then face-planted onto the ground.
Nearby, the two Indian Braves let out a gasp as they watched Witch Doctor Token emerge from the shadows, sapping the life source from the two squires. He turned to stare at them for a few moments, then turned back to the two fallen squires.
In the shadows, the native hunter holding the chains restraining Douglas watched the scene unfold. Though spooked, he tried to reel Douglas in while the others were distracted, hoping to at least get out with one successful catch.
THUNK!
The hunter let out a gagging noise as he felt something plunge into his back. Looking down, his eyes widened as the bloody tip of a spear ripped out of his chest. Immediately, the spear was yanked out, and the hunter collapsed onto the ground.
The last thing he saw before his vision turned dark was Incan Craig, casually striding past him while holding the spear.
The two braves watched on as Witch Doctor Token and Incan Craig approached. Though the two had rescued them, they were still on alert, curious of their intentions.
Slowly, Incan Craig unchained Douglas and helped him to his feet. He turned to gaze at the other two braves.
"Come with us," He said, firmly but softly.
It had been a day since Stan's group, the girls, and Craig's group had joined forces to combat Grand Wizard Cartman's growing army. And ever since then, the unified group had set about, searching for as many players as they could find, getting to them before Cartman's forces did, and bringing them back to the Ninjew Hideout. Any thoughts of getting the key had all but vanished from their minds. The only thing that mattered was stopping Cartman.
Kyle let out a relieved sigh as he saw Craig and Token emerge from the woods, taking with them three Indian Braves. The group usually split off in pairs to cover more ground and get more players, but Kyle always felt uneasy whenever they left. He couldn't shake the fear that something might happen to them while they were gone.
"We found these three in the woods," Token told Kyle when they arrived, gesturing to the braves. "They say they were part of a larger group, but the others got ambushed and taken."
Kyle groaned. It seemed for every player they'd rescued, Cartman successfully stole thrice that number.
A few minutes later, Wendy and Bebe emerged, holding hands with Bandita Sally. "We rescued this girl from hunters," Bebe said. She glanced down at Sally's grinning, bload-soaked face, then added, "Well, rescued her is subjective. . ."
Kyle scanned the area around them. In the day they'd been at this, they'd managed to gather lost members from both Stan and Craig's group, along with other players. After they'd been brought to the hideout, they'd either been healed of their injuries, either by the fountain or Friar Jimmy, or been set to work training.
That is, for the inevitable battle between them and Cartman's forces.
The idea of having these other players take part in a war made Kyle queasy. But he didn't feel like he had much of a choice; he'd seen Cartman's powers back at the church, and the way he'd so callously dispatched Father Maxi let him know he was more than willing to use them. He couldn't take any chances. He was going to need all the help he could get to take him on, especially since he had no way of knowing how much Cartman's army had grown since their last encounter.
In the fields, Stan and Red had propped up several scarecrows wearing armor similar to that of Cartman's soldiers. "Alright, so these guys are gonna be more shielded than you guys," Stan was telling a group of braves. "Which is why you need to know where to aim."
Walking up to a scarecrow dressed like a squire, Red, in her Dragonslayer form, said, "For this squire, wait for him to bring his flail down. When he does, dodge out of the way. The force he puts into the blow will leave him open to attack, and then you'll-"
THWACK!
With a mighty swing of her axe, Red decapitated the scarecrow in a single blow. The braves all said, "Ooh!" in unison as the head of the scarecrow rolled towards their feet.
"Of course, for this 5th grade crusader here," Stan went on, strolling over to a larger scarecrow wearing a large helmet that concealed his face. "That attack may not work so well, since his helmet and shield would block that attack. Thus, the wisest choice would be to go for the eyes." Jumping into the air, he plunged his sword through the visor of the helmet, where the eyes were located.
The braves watching on shuddered.
Kyle sighed as he watched the pair educate the warriors. Incan Craig, also watching, strode up to him.
"So, what's our plan?" He asked.
Kyle pulled out his phone and scanned the picture of the map. "We can't stay here forever," He told him. "In a few hours, we're gonna head over to the Elven Sanctuary, fortify our position, and wait until Cartman arrives."
"Are you sure we can beat him?" Craig asked.
Kyle opened his mouth to respond, to tell him that of course he was sure. But he knew he couldn't lie.
"I don't know," Was all he said, hanging his head low.
Grand Wizard Cartman stood atop the balcony of his castle as he surveyed his forces below them.
In the time since he'd last encountered Kyle and his group, he'd magically conjured a large, tall fortress out of the ground, to give himself and his forces a base from which to plan out their attack. Below him, his forces trained themselves for battle.
Four scarecrows, each of them designed after Stan, Wendy, Bebe and Red respectively, were lined up against the field. In front of them, four Native Hunters stood, reminiscent of a firing squad, their arrows aimed at them.
"Ready!" A Crusader said, his sword raised high. "Aim! Fire!" He brought his sword down, giving the signal.
Quick as lightning, four arrows zipped through the air, each of them plunging into the scarecrows. The Stan scarecrow had been pierced through the head, the Red one in the chest, the Bebe one in the eye, and the Wendy one had been decapitated, the arrow tearing through its neck.
Grand Wizard Cartman immediately burst out laughing, slamming his fist on the balcony. He could just picture that scene happening for real. He was torn from his laughter by another arrow being fired, and he looked to see another hunter, having fired an arrow into another scarecrow's crotch.
"Ey!" He shouted, causing all heads to whip up at him. "What did I tell ya?! No shooting people in the dick!"
"Sorry," The Native Hunter called out sheepishly.
Turning around, Grand Wizard Cartman strode back into his castle, where he was met with Dwarf Engineer Dougie. "Status report, Dougie," He demanded.
"Um, progress is proceeding nicely," Dougie explained as the two walked through the hallways. On both sides of them were cells, each one containing players that had been successfully captured. Several of these players had not too long ago been prisoners of Craig's gang, while others had been their detainees.
Now, both were prisoners to Cartman's forces, and soon enough, would be part of his army.
"Each hour, we gain more, er, recruits," Dougie told the Grand Wizard. "Some need a bit more "persuasion", but regardless, they each end up a loyal member of your army."
"Nice," Grand Wizard Cartman said, grinning. "When we strike, Kyle and his friends won't stand a chance."
"Yes," Dougie said. "However, one recruit is proving a bit more difficult than the others."
He led the Grand Wizard to a particular dungeon. Instantly, the sound of angry shrieking pierced their ears, causing Cartman to briefly recoil before entering the room.
"Let go of me!" Tweek was screaming. He was strapped to a table, his arms and legs bound by heavy chains. On all sides, guards surrounded him, poking and prodding at him with swords and arrows.
"Submit to Grand Wizard Cartman," A Crusader demanded forcefully.
"Never!" Tweek shouted defiantly, struggling in his chains. One Native Hunter hovered an arrow over his mouth, only for Tweek to jerk his head upwards and sink his teeth into the hunter's hand. The boy let out a high-pitched shriek and jumped backwards, clutching his bleeding hand.
"He's been like this ever since we brought him in," Dougie explained. "The other recruits only lasted a few hours at the most, but he's been defiant for an entire day. We've tried every tactic we could, but he just won't cave."
Cartman huffed, unimpressed. "Alright, you guys, step aside," He told his guards. "I'll handle this."
Obediently, his guards stepped back, allowing the Grand Wizard to stroll up next to Tweek, who stared at him hatefully. "Tweek, my man," He said, trying to sound friendly. "You know I don't wanna have to put you through this. You can make this stop whenever you want. Really, you're making us suffer having to do this to you."
"I'll never join you," Tweek spat, his voice hoarse. "I'm loyal. . . to Craig."
"You have one last chance, Tweek," Cartman said, his voice soft. "Don't make me have to do this."
Tweek bit his lip, but found the nerve to whisper, "Screw. . . you."
Cartman sighed. "Alright, if that's what you want," He said, shrugging as he turned around. "Just remember, you made this happen."
Pulling down his pants, Cartman whipped out his phone and summoned his Super Fart spell. Nearby, the guards, and even Dougie, quietly exited the room to avoid being caught in the crossfire of what was going to happen next.
With a grunt, Cartman expelled a noxious gas from his rear end. The gas hit Tweek like a hurricane, nearly ripping him off the table, with only his restraints keeping him steady. All the other supplies in the room went flying into the wall.
Tweek coughed and gagged violently, the toxic fumes filling his nostrils. His skin turned green as he felt bile crawling up his throat.
"Submit to me," Cartman ordered, not turning around.
Swallowing his bile, Tweek defiantly croaked out, "N-Never. . ."
No sooner had the words left his mouth that Cartman unleashed another massive fart into his face. Tears sprang from the blond's eyes, his entire body shuddering as the sickly green gas hovered around him like a phantom.
"Submit to me," The Grand Wizard repeated, his voice void of emotion.
Choking on his tears, Tweek whispered, "N-No," then closed his eyes as he felt another expulsion of gas strike him with as much force as the previous ones.
This went on for several minutes. Eventually, Dougie, covering his nose, felt the need to enter the fetid dungeon and call out, "Grand Wizard, enough! He can't take much more! We can barely take it!" He gestured to the other guards, some of whom had passed out from taking in the fumes.
Huffing in annoyance, Cartman pulled up his pants. On the table, Tweek, unable to hold it in anymore, retched violently onto the ground, sobbing profusely.
As Cartman stared at the tortured blond, considering his next move, Scott Malkinson rushed into the hallway, saying, "Grand Wizard, you have a visitor!" He froze when he smelled the noxious gas, and quickly ran down the hallways to avoid puking.
"Visitor?" Cartman said, intrigued. Who could possibly be visiting him?
He soon got his answer. Striding down the hallways towards the dungeon was none other than the girl.
"Well, if it isn't my savior," Cartman said, grinning as the masked girl approached him.
"Just checking to see your progress," She replied casually as she passed the guards. Unlike everyone else, she held her head up high, seemingly not intimidated by the Grand Wizard. "So, how are things going?"
"Like you even need to ask," Cartman said, waving her off. "I'm, like, the most powerful player in this game. Even Kyle and his group is afraid of me. Everyone respects my authority now."
"Except this unruly fellow, it seems," Dougie said, gesturing to Tweek, strapped to the table. He was coughing heavily from the fumes, but regardless, he glared scornfully at the Wizard, refusing to submit to him.
"Despite everything, he just won't join us," Dougie explained to her.
The girl hummed thoughtfully. "Let me see if I can help with that," She said, striding past Cartman and into the dungeon. The Grand Wizard raised an eyebrow; if even he couldn't make Tweek submit, what made this girl think she could?
The girl walked around the table, circling Tweek like a predator stalking her prey. She trailed a finger down the table, sliding it across Tweek's body, eliciting a shudder from him. Regardless, he glared defiantly at her, determined to resist whatever she had in store.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the girl grabbed Tweek by the hair, violently jerking his head upwards so he was facing her. Delving into her pocket, she pulled out one of her spells and activated it.
"W-What are you doing?!" Tweek squeaked in terror as he locked eyes with the girl's, though hers were concealed by her motorcycle visor. At that moment, he felt something pierce his brain.
"Join Cartman."
It was her voice, but she hadn't spoken it. He'd heard it in his mind, like she was talking to him telepathically.
"Join Cartman."
"N-No," Tweek whispered, shaking his head. Despite his refusal, he could feel something latching into his mind, like a pair of strong hands grabbing hold of his brain. They pressed down harder on him as the order was repeated.
"Join Cartman."
"J-Join Cart. . . no!" Tweek screamed, thrashing violently around on the table. Squeezing his eyes shut, he shouted, "Get out of my head!"
At the entrance of the dungeon, Cartman, Dougie and the guards watched on, an eerie feeling creeping up their spines as they watched Tweek devolve into a violent fit, despite the girl seemingly doing nothing to him.
"What the fuck?" Cartman whispered, his face blank.
"Join Cartman."
"No!" Tweek screamed, straining so much that his chains threatened to snap. He could feel the hands pressing harder on his brain, except now the fingers had transformed into needles, violently prying into his mind. As they did, the voice repeated in his mind, over and over.
"Join Cartman. Join Cartman. Join Cartman."
"No!"
"NO!"
"NOOOOOOO!"
And then, Tweek fell silent. His entire body collapsed onto the table, his eyes closed, his head slumping to the side. He lay on the table, his entire body still.
Hesitantly, Cartman and his forces entered the dungeon. One of the hunters examined Tweek's body, whispering, "Is he. . . dead?"
The girl raised an arm. "Wait," She whispered calmly.
After what seemed like an eternity, Tweek's eyes slowly creaked open. His face was entirely blank, void of all emotion. Cartman and the others immediately backed away, a little unnerved.
Slowly, the girl unchained Tweek and picked him up off the table, gently setting him down on his feet. She led him towards Cartman, a hand on his shoulder. The Grand Wizard eyed Tweek carefully, ready to strike if the blond suddenly attacked.
Tweek stared at Cartman, showing no emotion. Finally, he opened his mouth.
"Your wish is my command, Grand Wizard," He said, his voice robotic.
Cartman blinked. The guards all exchanged confused glances.
The girl gestured towards Cartman, and he said, "Uh, pick up those weapons and set them on the table."
"As you wish," Tweek replied. Turning around, he strode over to the fallen weapons, carefully picking them up before neatly organizing them on the table. Everyone in the room watched on, stunned.
"Whoa," Cartman whispered, a grin forming on his face.
"He's all yours," The girl said, smirking behind her visor as she turned to leave. However, Cartman grabbed her hand.
"How did you do that?" He asked, stunned.
"Oh Grand Wizard," The girl said, grinning. "I have spells even you don't have."
"You gotta join me!" Cartman sputtered. "I mean, Kyle doesn't stand a chance against me regardless, but with you by my side, he definitely won't stand a chance!"
"Thanks, but I have more important matters to attend to," The girl said casually, turning to leave. However, Cartman blocked her path.
"Come on!" He exclaimed. "I am the Grand Wizard, and if I say I want you to join me, you-"
She set a hand on his shoulder. Immediately, Cartman went silent. The girl made no aggressive move, but for some strange reason, he felt weaker as she made physical contact with him.
Almost unconsciously, he stepped to the side, allowing her to pass. "Thank you," Was all she said before she made her way down the hallway, vanishing from view.
The Grand Wizard stood still for a few moments, silent. The guards stared at him intently.
Eventually, Cartman shook his head, saying, "What are you assholes standing around here for?! Get back to work!"
With that, they dispersed to attend to other matters.
"How close are we to the Underworld?" Annie asked Kenny as the two made their way through a valley.
Kenny examined the map. "(It shouldn't be too far away,)" He reassured her. "(We're in the Orc Pit, and after that, we'll get to the Elven Sanctuary, and that'll lead us to the Underworld.)"
"Oh, great!" Annie said cheerfully.
As the two were about to exit the valley, they noticed a shadow emerging from around a corner. Quickly, Kenny grabbed Annie and the two hid behind a large rock. Peaking out, they watched as the figure emerged.
"Why hello there!" The Mormon Missionary greeted cheerfully. Instantly, the two relaxed.
"(Oh, it's just a missionary,)" Kenny said dismissively. He was about to emerge from his hiding spot when Annie whispered, "Who's he talking to?"
Kenny froze as he realized that the missionary wasn't facing them; he had no idea they were there. Which meant someone else was in the valley.
Jumping back down behind the rock, Kenny and Annie watched as the people the missionary had spoken to made themselves known. A small group of squires and hunters rushed down the valley, approaching the older boy and surrounding him.
"Who are they?" Annie asked, confused. Kenny shook his head, not knowing the answer himself.
"You guys look lost," The missionary said, oblivious to the intentions of the group. "Do you need directions? May I interest you guys in this book?" He pulled out the Book of Mormon and showed it to the group. "It's name is-"
THWACK!
Behind him, one of the squires struck the missionary in the temple with his spiky flail. The 5th grade boy went down like a sack of bricks, the book dropping onto the ground next to him.
Kenny and Annie jumped. "(Holy shit,)" Kenny whispered in fear.
"Alright, let's get this guy back to the Grand Wizard's Castle," One of the squires ordered as the others struggled to lift up the older boy. "He'll make a fine crusader."
Kenny and Annie shrunk down behind the rock as the group carried the boy out of the valley, Kenny covering Annie's mouth to keep her from screaming. His heart thumped in his chest as the group vanished from sight.
Once he was sure they were gone, he uncovered Annie's mouth. "What the fuck was that?!" She half-shouted, half-whispered. "Who? What? Why?"
"(Shush,)" Kenny said. "(They said something about a Grand Wizard. That can only mean one person.)"
"Cartman?" Annie squeaked. "W-What does he want?"
"(Whatever it is, it's not good,)" Kenny said. "(Never mind that. We can still make it to the Underworld; we just have to avoid being-)"
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
"(-Spotted,)" Kenny whispered as he and Annie heard the voice behind them. Slowly, the two of them turned around, expecting to see another hunting party. However, their fear subsided when they saw who it actually was.
"You Nazi conformist cheerleaders are coming with me," Firkle threatened, holding a switchblade.
Kenny and Annie exchanged glances before turning back to the Goth kindergartner, somewhat amused. Annie slowly approached him, dismissively saying, "Look kid, you're really cute with that tiny knife of yours, but we have places to go. So could you kindly-"
Annie was cut off as Firkle suddenly surged forward and punched her in the crotch. She doubled over in pain, stumbling backwards. Kenny rushed over to catch her before she fell. The blonde coughed violently, clutching her aching groin.
". . . Why did that hurt me?" She asked.
"Oh boy, Timmy, it's so nice Craig and the gang are getting along with Stan and Kyle again," Friar Jimmy said to Pope Timmy as the two made their way through the woods, looking for any stray players.
"TIMMY!" Timmy shouted.
"Sure, it kinda sucks that Cartman's planning to kill us all, but I guess you gotta look on the bright side of things," Jimmy said.
The two paused when they heard a twig snapping a distance away. They turned around just in time to see a shadowy figure move out of sight, vanishing into the darkness.
"H-Hello?" Jimmy said, hobbling over to the bushes where the figure had vanished. "Is anyone there?"
"TIMMY!" Timmy shouted, rolling up next to Jimmy.
"What he said," Jimmy called out, scanning the area. "We're not going to hurt you! We want to help you! There are some dangerous fellows out in this game, and we want to get to you before they do."
A deathly silence followed. "A-Are you still there?" Jimmy asked after a few moments.
No response.
"Gee Timmy, I guess we scared them off," Jimmy said regretfully. "Oh well, better report back to base-"
BOOM!
A bomb, tossed at the two from behind, erupted a few inches away from them. The explosion sent both of them flying through the air. Timmy was flung out of his wheelchair and landed violently on the ground, while Jimmy was slammed into a tree and collapsed a few feet away.
"Uh. . . uuuuh. . ." Jimmy groaned, his entire body aching. Through his fuzzy vision, he could just barely make out two figures emerging from the bushes, one larger than the other.
"You weren't wrong, Jimmy," Nathan whispered, smiling coldly as he knelt down next to him. "There are dangerous fellows in this game. . ."
That was the last thing Jimmy heard before everything went dark.
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