Okay, back on schedule. This chapter has been brought to you by my new website, , which is my comic. This chapter has also been brought to you by the letter R.


Chapter 48: Post-Boss Rush


There was a catch.

No sooner did the group step into the light in the middle of the boss's room which was to take them outside, than a voice chimed from nowhere, that they were in deep doo doo. Well, not in those exact words, but that was the gist of it:

Beware, for both talismans have been removed from their vault. . . the land shall be corrupted by sunset.

"SUNSET!" Ben yelled, realizing, then letting it be confirmed by the sun which materialized in the sky. It was half past five, Ben quickly assessed by its height and the time of year. "Quick, get to the jeep!"

"What! How much time do we have?" Charlie lifted up Crystal and hurried right behind Ben, then suddenly spied the edge of the desert. It was moving almost as fast as they were running, and picking up speed. "Oh no. . ."

"We've about two hours tops!"

"Oh man! We're never going to make it in time!" Charlie sat in the passenger, still holding Crystal. Ben quickly jumped into the driver's side, taking off the moment Liz set foot in the backseat. The desert line passed them immediately, the same moment that Ben started the car. The jeep tires screeched, and it sped along to the desert, really not making any progress on the sandbar ahead. It was odd watching how the desert approached inland, like the sand was rolling over itself much like flowing water. The vehicle moved at 80 miles an hour, ninety, a hundred. . . no avail. The sand was moving faster than they could.

"It's hopeless. . ." Ben said, "We'll never catch up in this thing. . ."

"I. . . I can help. . ." Crystal groaned out, she was still obviously in a hyper-weakened state.

"No!" Ben yelled, "Do a check-up on yourself; if you use any teleportation techniques, what do you think will happen to you?"

"I'll. . . my internal power will fail; but my systems will be able to. . . to restore themselves. . ."

"They can't, Crystal, you're not a computer anymore!"

Crystal looked directly upwards into the sky, "My. . . my power systems. . . you're right. . . I can't be restored if all my power is gone. . . how did you know?"

"Because you're mortal, Crystal! We're all going to die. . . and now, we'll never be able to save ourselves. . ."

"Then. . . then I need to sacrifice myself. . . for the good of everyone. . ."

"Crystal, NO!" Charlie whimpered as he listen to the exchange between the two. Liz didn't say much of anything, she just curled up in the back, shivering.

"Please let me. . ."

"For the love of the gods, Crystal, I don't even know why I'm refusing to let you risk yourself to save the universe. . ."

Charlie looked up at Ben, "Ben. . . you love her?"

Ben had very little clue how Charlie surmised that, and he really didn't feel like talking about that, since he was busy dodging the bare, sharp rocks that started appearing on the desert floor.

"Ben, please!"

"I said no, Crystal!"

Liz sat up in the back seat. She didn't know what to do; her friends were going to die almost no matter what happened. . . If Crystal didn't sacrifice herself, this universe was going to stay the same and everything would live a futile life of being played with for eternity. . . and if she did. . . if. . . if what Charlie said was true. . . Ben wouldn't be able to live without her.

Just like Liz couldn't live without Charlie.

And Ben wouldn't be able to finish the mission without her. . . and everyone is doomed anyway.

Liz took a deep breath, and knew what she had to do.

"Everybody HANG ON!" She yelled, Ben did so reflexively from the fact that Liz actually said something out loud, and Charlie clung onto the seat and Crystal for dear life, "Liz, what are you doing?" He yelled over the roar of the wind.

"I'm saving everyone!" She turned around, took several deep breaths, and then when she was ready, she opened up the chemical glands inside her mouth that allowed her to breathe fire. She let the fluids flow into her mouth until she could barely hold it all in. Then she exhaled.

The sudden contact of her breath to the chemical mix caused a huge explosion to fire out of her mouth, which in turn rocketed the jeep ahead. Ben clutched onto the steering wheel after almost relaxing from Liz's instructions, for fear of being thrown out of the jeep which had to have been moving in excess of. . .

BOOM.

Nothing. There was a resounding silence.

Charlie could take it. I am not a kid anymore. . . he thought, I have to keep awake. . . I need to be there. . . we're almost there. . . we can almost go home. . .

Crystal could take it. Charlie protected her from the massive winds., and although she was weak, her solid frame kept her from being affected by the G-forces.

Ben could take it. Dreamlanders were built for space travel, so it was easy for him to withstand the force, just barely enough for the wind.

Liz couldn't take it.


Charlie blinked and opened his eyes. Ben had been shaking him for a while it appeared. "Charlie, Liz did it! We're far ahead of the desert; thanks to Liz it took us less than fifteen seconds to get here! But we need to hurry!"

"Huh?" Charlie got up; Crystal had gotten out from under him and was already standing outside the jeep, still looking awful, but it looked like she could walk now. "Where's Liz?"

"Well umm. . . she passed out. . . we'll need to leave her here while we get in the castle." Charlie looked up at Ben. "I'm staying here with her, then."

"But we need you, Charlie! You're the best person to get past the guards, who are obviously going to show some resistance. . ."

Charlie looked in the back, and lifted Liz off the seat. She felt cold, but she was breathing fine. "She's coming with us, then."

"Charlie, you'll put her in danger, you can't-"
Charlie snarled at Ben, who promptly shut up. Crystal leaned down and whispered into Ben's ear, "He's not a kid anymore; he needs to be there for Liz. He just wants to keep her safe and take her home. . ."


"What business have you at Hyrule Castle?" Asked the guard at the four strangers who walked up.

"We need to see the king." Ben replied.

"What business have you with the king?"

"He sent us a summons."

"Let me see it."

"I lost it." He said flatly.

"Oh, that's a pity. I'll let you in." Ben winked at Charlie, "Way too trusting. . . magic of the talisman, corrupts the peoples thoughts into believing nothing is wrong."

"Thought you said there'd be resistance."

"There will, I have a solid feeling that the talisman will try to protect itself by violating it's own magic." The gates opened and the four walked inside. "I'll escort you." The guard said.

"That's alright, these two have contagious terminal diseases and can't be approached within ten feet 'cept by us, cause we have the magic wards up." Charlie said. Ben almost ribbed him, but that that was too funny, so he let it pass.

"Um. . . okay! I'll let you go. Throne room is straight ahead." The four deviated at the first important-looking hallway.

"Way too easy." Ben laughed, "Where's the talisman kept?"


Okay, Next time: On Video Game! Ben and Charlie make way for the talisman, when it starts its prevention methods! All this and more, same Video Game time, same Video Game channel! Until then, Ciao!


From the Acts of Gord, Book of Justice, Chapter 3: (words of Gord in italics)


"You hear him say that?!? Did you? See! My friend heard you say that!"


"Ma'am, I will write it down for you, sign it, and mail it to you if you would like. 'Dear Ma'am, I can tell you are on welfare. Lots of love, Gord.'"


"You can't say that! That's illegal! That's slander!'


"Ma'am, it's what we call the truth. Perhaps if you were to use some of my money you get every month to buy a book and read up on the law you'd learn a bit and expand your mind."


www.actsofgord.com