Upon our arrival to the first test in Mount Ulbaruun, we encountered some tougher foes such as Rockbombs, Robo-Robins, and our very first Troll. But a well-placed arrow to his noggin was enough to fell the monster, making the others surprised at that.
"Like David and Goliath. Impressive, big brother," Firkle smirked at me.
"Who and who, now? Please stop making references we don't understand," Veronica frowned.
"An ancient tale of a young shepherd boy being called by his god to battle a giant of 9 feet tall. Whoever lost, their people would be considered the winning side's slaves. The boy, filled with faith, came to battle with only 3 river stones and a sling. He sent one rock at Goliath's forehead, and made the giant fall down. David then took the giant's sword in hand and slew him, resulting in his people being the victors and for the opposing side to run away in fear," Carly explained in full.
"Um... wow... that is actually a story that I've read at one point," Dillon said.
"Really?" Batzorig asked.
"It's one of the books located in Gleeba's ancient archives at the Marage Mahaal. A scripture from something called the Bible of King James. Most of the pages are illegible, but other pages are still in pristine condition," he said.
"That... that was the book of my religion. Which I guess isn't the real one, since Zenus is the real god," I said with a frown.
"Well... if it makes you feel any better, Drake, Zenus accepted the faith of the believers from your time... but then he had to start over from scratch because of them destroying themselves," Stella said.
"Who's speaking right now? I can hear a voice, but I can't see it anywhere," Batzorig said, me looking at him in confusion.
"You... can hear Stella? Yet you can't see her?" I asked him in surprise.
"I guess? But what's being spoken of, just out of curiosity?" he asked.
"Yeah... can I know too, guv?" Sara asked, me sighing and nodding.
"Just don't tell anyone else, that's all I ask," I said to them.
"Promise," Batzorig said as we finally arrived at Gerzuun, where we then had to make our way through the big door. And how did we do so? Keira chanted some words in a different language, which caused the door to open wide.
"Myself, Firkle, and Carly aren't from this timeline. Despite appearances, we come from thousands of years in the past, back before the Protectorate was even a thing," I said, him looking at me with a frown, but then seeing my seriousness on my face.
"You're serious? How could that be so?"
"That's the thing. None of us know who could've brought Drake to this timeline and combine him with a Celestrian of all things. But it would have to take tons of magic to do so. I couldn't do it and sissy Celestria could only do so with Carly and Firkle by placing their souls and minds in the bodies of people who had none and were in pristine condition, with Carly being placed in the body of a girl who died to the Ragin' Contagion while Firkle was placed in the body of Marionette when she turned mortal," Stella explained.
"Maybe it was the Almighty... or a force of equal power..." Sara frowned.
"Now time for me to ask a question to you, Batzorig. What makes this hunter's brew so special, out of curiosity?" I asked, him smirking at me.
"It's laced with special white feathers with a black tip to them. They've been appearing on the other side of Mount Ulbaruun for the past 50 years. And it greatly increases our skills and allows us to speak with nature," Batzorig said, that making Pavo gawk.
"White wings with black tips?... Makes you stronger and able to talk to nature?... Corvus..." she gawked, that making Crux look at her in confusion.
"Corvus? Isn't that the Celestrian that went missing during the last remaining days of the Gittish Empire?... And just over those... mountains... uh-oh..." Crux gulped.
"Uh-oh? Why uh-oh?" Marionette asked.
"Because of one thing. Corvus was arguably one of the Celestrian elite, being around for just as long as me, but having been a guardian of the mortals ever since he was created. And he went missing after he had been made the guardian of a place called... Wormwood Creek!" Pavo gawked.
"Wormwood Creek is also the place that the ghost girl said to meet with her... well this ain't flappin' good. This sounds like a right bad situation!" Stella gawked.
"Indeed. I've been 'round fer many years, an' 'ave seen the ruins o'er the mounts. An' anytime I'm there, I feel like somethin's always watchin' me from the shadows... an' then, the day 'fore I found that Fygg, I saw many dark lights burst from the ruined palace. Scariest thing I ever dun seen!" Sara said with fear.
"Oh no... Corvus... he must've been trapped in the ruins of Gittingham Palace this whole time! And if the dark lights that pierced the heavens were from there... Did... was he the one to...?" Pavo asked, me frowning at her.
"Unless there's some other force, that's the only thing to assume... but we need to focus on the task at hand for now, and that's getting the Fyggs. We'll need to get Celestria back on her feet before we get to doing anything else," I said firmly.
"Drake's right. We can focus on rescuing Corvus later. For now, we need to focus on getting the Bodura Grass for Batsureg's preparations," Corvus said. We had managed to all multitask and kill numerous monsters while we spoke, all the way to the resting place of the Bodura Grass... and when we did, we saw a specific person that appeared with a small, but warm smile on her face.
"M-M-Mommy?" Keira gawked when she saw her, the little lady running up to Bayarmaa and hugging her spirit, which I could tell surprised her. As for Batzorig?
"You say that... mother is with us?" he asked, me nodding.
"Hold my hand, then you can see her," I smirked, him doing so, and him gasping when he saw her face.
"Mother..." he gawked.
"It's great to see you again, my darlings... look at how much you've grown up," Bayarmaa smiled with so much kindness, the duo of kid hunters sniffling with tears in their eyes.
"U-Um... miss?... Please forgive me... for what I did... I went crazy from the fruit, I did... I didn't wanna 'urt 'em, I just wanted to be purty," Sara said with shyness, the spirit smiling at her happily.
"You're forgiven... and I must tell you of something, Celestrian Drake and Crux," she said, me being surprised at that.
"You... know our names? But we've never met before!" I said.
"I know of you from word of mouth from multiple spirits. They have sensed a disorder that has started to emerge from the northern ruins of the House of Gitt... come sunrise tomorrow, the House of Gitt will return, and with them, the great dragon of darkness, Barbaros... you must tread with caution, and protect the Fyggs at all cost... these orders come from Apus Major directly," she said, me being spooked at her saying that.
"Huh... never heard of Apus Major using spirits to pass along messages... but that means we need to book it to try and find that last Fygg. Even a single one of those fruits in the hands of the House of Gitt could end the world!" Pavo said with seriousness. We then gathered enough of the Bodura Grass before I then cast Evac out of the place and then Zoomed back to the hunting town, us arriving with Batzorig in the front and holding the pilfered grass. We then showed it to Batkhaan and he looked at us with a smile.
"I see you've procured the Bodura Grass, young Batzorig. And I trust you assisted in your own moxie in slaying the beasts along the way?" he asked, Batzorig nodding as he produced some of his prizes from the monsters in Gerzuun, them consisting of a Infernal Armor's helmet, the head of a troll that he killed in the place, the tongue of a Cheeky Tiki, and the arm of one of the Ghouls.
"These are the trophies I procured from the monsters at Gerzuun," he smirked at me.
"He's truthful. he slew all of them, delivering the finishing blow to them," Dillon smiled, which Batkhaan smiled at.
"Very well, you have proven your manhood, Batzorig. You are now the chief of the people of Batsureg! I hope you lead our people for great things in the future," he said, Batzorig smiling at that.
"Yay! Congrats, brother Batz! You've become a man!" Keira smirked.
"Your mother is sure to be very proud of you," Pavo smirked.
"And as thanks for helping out, I have prepared the special brew for you to eat," Batkhaan said, us then going into the new chief's tent and seeing the brew was in stone bowls and was in the form of a soup. We ate it... and it tasted absolutely disgusting. Even Marionette turned her nose up at it after just a single sniff.
"Ugh... this is the worst soup I've ever tasted... and I've tasted soup all the time throughout my hundreds of years..." Pavo gagged at the taste.
"Yes, it tastes terrible, but it will be worth it for the boost in strength. It will make you able to fell monsters with your bare hands with ease," Batkhaan smirked, me then buckling down and eating the rest of it. I felt the urge to puke in the process, but I kept it down.
"Ugh... much worse than anything I ate... but maybe the second worst. First worst was the horrid birthday cake disaster I got from Pavo during our first anniversary," Crux frowned.
"I warned you that I was a horrible cook, but you said you wanted cake for your birthday," Pavo smirked back while flapping her wings in retort, releasing a couple stray feathers in the process, which I grabbed off the ground. "Why?"
"In case we find anyone else that needs help," I smiled.
"Fair enough. It hasn't failed yet, so it could work again, I guess," Veronica smirked at me. We then finished our soup (with almost everyone feeling sick afterwards) and I then gave each of them a vial of magic water so that they could get the stuff down and keep it down. Why magic water? It tasted incredible and it helped out with stomach aches. Crux's words, not mine.
"Thanks, Drake... so how much time do we have until dusk?" Carly asked.
"From what the sun in the sky's direction is like... I'd say we have about 4 hours until it gets dark out. We should head out to try and find the next Fygg right now. And the only place we haven't checked as of yet is the other part that Sara mentioned, Snowberia," I explained, that making Veronica smile.
"That must mean that we're going to Swinedimples Academy! The place where students of higher caliber go to in order to learn the basics on how to be great at their fields of study, whether it be science, combat, cooking, or anything else. We went there together three years ago to learn our trade, under the watchful eyes of our teachers, those being Windy, Rosemary, and Boris for Keira, Veronica, and me, respectively," Dillon smiled.
"Then let's shove off, mates! We need to do so before the Gitts get revived," Stella said with seriousness, us all agreeing in unison as we proceeded due southeast.
We went through the Urdus Marshlands, and into Hermany, before we then finally proceeded north into the frigid airs of Snowberia, where I then gave Stella the finished Fur Poncho, her then trying it on over her fancy dress... and her sighing contentedly at how it fit her perfectly, especially the button placement on the back side.
"Ah... this is so much better... thanks millions, Drake!" Stella smirked widely. We had to fight some more monsters in the form of some Icikillers, the White Trigertaurs, some Shivery Shrubberies, and the Brrearthenwarriors. And each one only took one hit to KO from all of us, which shocked us at how we were slaying them without even trying!
"Wowzers! That brew really packs a punch! Corvus must've been quite the tough Celestrian! How the hell could he get captured whenever his feathers give us this strength?" Firkle asked, me frowning at her.
"Firkle. No swearing," I frowned, her pouting at me.
"I can only think of one reason. According to Aquila, who had Corvus as his teacher, when Corvus went missing, it was during a particularly bad storm that ravaged the Protectorate, caused by the Gittish Empire's dark dragon, Barbaros, engaging the dragon of light, Greygnarl, in a battle for the ages. The storm lasted a good week, as did the battle. And Crux went missing during the very first day of that battle. And then, nearly a month later, the Gittish Empire was finally destroyed by Zenus and Greygnarl working together. That was roughly 300 years ago... so I'm assuming that the House of Gitt continued to thrive long after Stella separated from her sister, right?" Crux asked, Stella smiling.
"You're correct. Sissy and I were separated roughly 500 years ago. And Zenus created the Celestrians roughly a 'undred after that. And the Gittish Empire was still a big threat to all in that timeline. And when Zenus had enough of their evil, he destroyed all of 'em. And for sure, the loss of 30 some Celestrians with Corvus being the first, was the reason that he killed 'em all," Stella said.
"Well, now we know that we need to be wary. Especially with Barbaros. If he gets revived, he's sure to be revived as his younger self. And rule one of dragons, the older they get, the weaker they get. We'll only stand a chance against him if we get Greygnarl to help, but even then, it's an uphill battle," Veronica said with a frown.
"Indeed. But for now, we need to find that last Fygg. And then we'll need to protect them at all cost," I said, them all nodding in unison.
"And when we do get the final Fygg, we need to get to where Greygnarl is and warn him of what's going to happen. He defeated the Gittish Empire in the past, he could certainly do so now, with a bit of magic," Carly smirked.
"Got it, then the plan is set!" Pavo smirked proudly. We then finally arrived at the school and we then went to the entryway and saw the worried headmaster pacing back and forth.
"Oh dear, this is not good, not good at all... where is that mystery solving team at?" he asked, me smirking at that.
"Did someone mention mystery solving team?" I asked, him then gasping when he saw us.
"Oh! My prayers have been answered! You are the unscrupulous sleuths we have asked to investigate the recent issues, correct? Mystery And Company, correct?" he asked, the others looking at me and him in confusion and me smirking.
"Why yes, we are Mystery and Company. Could you please explain what the issue is? We might need to get a refresher," I said, him nodding.
"But of course, follow me," he said, us then doing so as he spoke. "The issue arising is this. When certain students get roudy in class, they end up disappearing the next morning. And by the morning of the next day, they return, but are covered in bruises and are stricken with trauma... we do not know what is causing it, but we felt we could ask for your assistance, as the only ones that haven't been hurt are the staff and rude people who visit the school for a night. It only happens to rowdy students," he said as he led us to his office on the left side of the main building.
"And may we ask if this school had acquired something that looked like this before these incidents began occuring?" I asked as I produced a Fygg from the hammer space bag, him gawking at it.
"By jove! It was a fruit exactly like that! One of our students in the cooking class, that being Rizotta found the fruit the other day outside of the cafeteria! And shortly after, these incidents have begun to occur!" he said, me smirking at that.
"Then we'll know just what to do. Myself, Keira, and Dillon used to be students here at this very school. If we were to misbehave while hiding amongst the student populace, we could find out what is going on with ease and stop the issues from arising any further," Veronica smirked.
"Ingenious! In order to fill in among the ranks, you'll need these to get the job done. Our school has a strict dress code that can result in detention, after all," he said as he gave all of us our Swindimples blazers, us putting them on over our normal clothes, minus Stella. And as for Pavo? She had to sit it out, as she couldn't put it on with her giant wings. "If you can succeed in this, we shall give you our most treasured weapon in this glass case here," he said as he produced... the ULTIMATE in swords. It was the Hypernova Sword, the Alchemiracle of all swords!
"That sword... I sense nothing but overwhelming might and power flowing from it! We're on the case for sure!" Stella smirked widely.
"Your first order of business is to go and seek out the other students in Noelle and Rudolfa and ask them about what happened, as they were some of the victims," he said, me nodding at that.
"Where are they at, exactly?" Dillon asked.
"They're currently in their dorms. But uh, be courteous to them, would you? They... don't look like the other students," he said, me being confused at that. We then went to the dorms with Veronica leading the way. And when we found their dorm that they apparently shared, we knocked on the door and we heard them gasp.
"D-Don't come in... w-we don't want to talk..." said a voice that sounded very shy.
"We... uh... we wanted to ask some questions... about what happened. We're undercover detectives," I said to them, the girls then slowly walking towards the door... and when they opened it? I was... dumbstruck. Why?
"Please... don't ask any questions... I d-don't want to risk it... t-the pain... I can't go through it again..." said the voice of Noelle. But the voice it was coming from? A literal reindeer girl with a big red nose, small, buck teeth, and having a very adorable look. And since her room had an open window, it confirmed it. This was Noelle Holiday from Deltarune! But HOW?!
"Um... would you happen to be Noelle Holiday, per chance?" I asked, her gulping and blushing.
"H-How did you know my last name?... I haven't mentioned it to anyone here before..." she gulped as her tail went up to show her wariness.
"Uh... because we're top of the line detectives," Firkle said, but just as awkwardly. Both she and I had played Deltarune and found kinship with the shy deer girl... and it seemed she was the same character through and through, just in real life!
"A monster that's enrolled in the school? How very confusing..." Stella frowned.
"My species of monsters come from another part of the world, far on the other side. We live in peace with humans and we want to show them the kindness we can have, as opposed to the horrible monsters on this side," she said, me nodding.
"Well... we want to find out what's been going on with the issues at the school. We don't want anyone else to be hurt. Can you please tell us?" I asked, her looking concerned. "How about sign language?" And when I said that, she then smiled and then started to sign to me.
"I can do sign language," she signed first, me then doing the same back to her.
"Who was the one to leave you with so many bruises?"
"The ghost of the school's founder, Sternivus Swinedimples. When I yelled at my teacher for speaking of monsters as mindless killing machines, I woke up in a dark, underground school and was mercilessly beaten by him with hard books," she explained.
"Did you know where this underground school was at?"
"It's located under the memorial of him to the east side of the school."
"Why did he hurt you?"
"I wish I knew. He just said I needed punished for acting out and started to lecture me until I cried. And when I did, he smacked me with his book on my butt and on my cheeks... he even slapped my left ear and hurt my hearing in it..."
"Don't worry. We'll stop him from attacking anyone else. And we'll make sure that you are safe," I said.
"Thanks.." she said without signing as she and Rudolfa then left the room, me seeing that Rudolfa was... a human that looked at Noelle with a smile. And she looked an awful lot like the same character from a terrible Lifetime movie with the same name in the movie.
"Coincidence, brother?" Firkle asked.
"Hopefully it is," I frowned.
"What's the story here?" Stella asked after they got out of earshot.
"I've found out where the Fygg is at and what's going on. I'll explain when I show you where the area is so we can get in and do some sleuthing," I said, them nodding at me. "Now let's go and get the final Fygg and our amazing paycheck," I smiled widely.