Chapter 14: Woes of a Heroine
Continuing to go through Lavasteam for the rest of the day was a strange phenomenon for the heroes. It was observed that nothing was clearly amidst in Lavasteam… which seemed odd. Roselyynn and Thunder seemed to be the fussiest about this situation than anyone else in the group, while Penelope was fairly chill about it. However, the rabbit was impressed that the Creator's prediction of the situation was correct.
Maelynn decided to go and speak with Mayor Miney and Moe (his brother) at the Town Hall, while Rikki and Aurora went to go and get intel from the other Raposa in town. Roselyynn, Thunder, Penelope, 'Vincent' and White Blaze were all that were left, without any instructions as of what they were supposed to be doing.
However, Roselyynn and Thunder decided they were going to make something happen. Roselyynn stretched her body and then put her hands on her hips. "Alright, Thunder. Let's check the situation of the area and see if anything the Creator made has been damaged, or if there's possible environmental damage!" Roselyynn exclaimed, causing the shorter hero to look up at her.
The golden-blonde haired hero was quick to object to Roselyynn's suggestion, noting the obvious that was currently happening. With confusion lingering in his voice, he asked, "…Aren't Maelynn, Rikki and Aurora sort of doing that already…?" Roselyynn didn't care, only grinning and patting Thunder on the back. The hero stiffened up, and then recalled that reasoning with Roselyynn tended to be pointless. She usually didn't care about Thunder's objections, and she hadn't cared since the moment they were created. In fact, she rarely did unless it was really important, and it depended on what Roselyynn considered to be important.
Without much force being necessary, Roselyynn dragged Thunder off, and left their mentor in a confused mess. Upon realizing what was happening, Penelope's ears stuck up, and she called after them. "Um… Roselyynn? Thunder? Where are you going? We're supposed to be staying together, y'know!" Despite calling after Roselyynn and Thunder, it did nothing. In fact, they seemed to have forgotten that she was there.
And she was their mentor.
Penelope blinked, pausing for a long moment in utter disbelief. 'Vincent' proceeded to commentate on the situation. "It seems they're all grown up now, Penelope. It looks like they don't need you to be there anymore." He spoke, sounding like he was mocking her. Penelope sighed, wondering what she was supposed to do.
White Blaze proceeded to butt into the conversation and commentate in retort to 'Vincent's' statement on Penelope's "uselessness" in comparison to Roselyynn and Thunder's need of her.
"The rabbit is like a mother bird whose hatchlings have come out of the nest and can now fly and survive on her own. Though they aren't as reliant of her, if it weren't for her, they wouldn't be where they are now." White Blaze stated, flipping her pale hair. "How-EVER, it doesn't necessarily mean that she is useless. Penelope may not have the same strength as Roselyynn and Thunder, but she has her own unique abilities which set her apart."
"My mannequin is corrupted." Penelope interrupted all of a sudden. White Blaze glanced over to the rabbit, and her ears twitched with surprise upon seeing how Penelope was unimpressed. "The only reason that I'm not as impressive as Roselyynn and Thunder is because my mannequin is impossibly difficult to work with. For that matter, I can't even control the goo that has ruined my mannequin for years. Sure, it has its perks, but it's draining to use to much shadow ability without anything getting out of control."
White Blaze blinked and proceeded to disregard what Penelope said. "…Anyway, it is still rude to act like Roselyynn and Thunder don't need Penelope."
Penelope chimed in again. "They really don't. At this point, I kinda just get in the way. Did you see how they took down Bakibeard and everything else attacking us without much effort? It took me much longer and I was barely able to do anything."
The Chieftess let out a groan at the fact that Penelope was willing to self-deprecate herself despite all she had done for the Raposa, or at least the Raposa in the Village.
Blaze, 'Vincent' and Penelope decided to head back onto the Cavalier Soleil while they waited for everyone else. When they got into the Map Room, 'Vincent' reverted back to his true form, and he let out a sigh. "I understand why Lavasteam happens to be so hot, but the heat in itself is a bother to deal with." Wilfre stated, slightly fanning his face off as he was trying to relieve himself from the heat.
White Blaze didn't seem to care as much about the fact it was hot, and decided that she'd counter Penelope's self-deprecation. "Anyway, First Hero. You were the one who defeated Wilfre for the first time…"
"Yes, and my mannequin got possessed by shadow goo which triggered his revival." Penelope retorted with a huff.
"…And, you also felled the shadowy monster which flooded the holy village with ink and created destruction in its wake…"
"The whole reason that abomination was created was because Circi and everyone else thought he was dead, except she forgot what Wilfre looked like, and look what happened as a result." Penelope interrupted, getting flustered. "Plus, there's the fact that the battle required me to make a lot of use of my shadow ability. I got overwhelmed by it afterwards and had to flee the village because Mari probably would've had Roselyynn and Thunder kill me!"
There was a pause, and White Blaze went quiet. Her striped tail swished back and forth, and her eyes gazed curiously upon the rabbit, wondering what in the world she was talking about. "…Why would the Mayor have Roselyynn and Thunder execute you? After all you had done for them, it doesn't make any sense."
Penelope snorted at such, and flipped her ears. "Oh puh-lease! Do you think that the Raposa there take kindly to shadow, after what Wilfre had done to them? No! Plus, there's Circi. Circi tricked the village, and revealed that she was going to revive Wilfre. If I ended up revealing that my mannequin was possessed by shadow goo, how do you think they'd react to see that the hero they had such a deep faith in had a literal dark secret?"
White Blaze didn't seem to have any desire to respond. Penelope answered herself, performing the motion of her throat being slit without actually doing it. The fact that she had short and stubby arms and practically no neck made it quite difficult, but Blaze got the point.
However, upon Penelope doing such, White Blaze was finally able to make words once again.
"You mentored Roselyynn and Thunder, however. They would have no desire to kill you."
Penelope recalled how Roselyynn and Thunder reacted when she first revealed her shadow form to them at Jivin' Rooftops when they were hiding from Elanor and Aelius. She remembered the terror and betrayal in their eyes when they saw her small, dark form; how they pointed their weapons at her after she brought them out of the shadow for theirs and everyone else's protection; how Aurora had to soothe the tensions despite the accusation of Penelope possibly being aligned with Wilfre.
She frowned and shook her head. "…No. Seeing how they reacted when they first saw my shadow form, I don't think they would've hesitated on ending me. If Aurora hadn't stopped them, I'm pretty sure Roselyynn and Thunder would've killed me."
On normal circumstances, Wilfre didn't like thinking about the Creator and what she did, noting what happened to him and the Book of Life and the fact the goddess had shunned him. He hated her and wanted to destroy her… though he found he couldn't exactly agree with Penelope's statement.
"Wouldn't the Creator have interfered with Roselyynn and Thunder? I don't think she'd let you get destroyed, noting that you two seem to have a certain closeness despite what has become of you." Wilfre objected. Penelope and White Blaze stared at him, surprised he brought it up.
However, Wilfre was as quick to shut down what he said as he was to say it in the first place.
"However, I don't necessarily know what the Creator is thinking. I wasn't saying anything in admiration of her, as I despise her, but I only wanted to point that out."
Penelope rested her head in her paw, looking away at a window. A comment that the Creator had made had evoked in her mind, and as much as Penelope wanted to say it, she didn't want to add anything either. She sunk her face into her paw before the desire ate away at her. "…When I was speaking with the Creator in a dream the other day, she mentioned something interesting. It was something along the lines of how 'she always felt a certain disconnect with Roselyynn and Thunder', even though she put more effort and didn't create them too long after I was created, but she also said that she 'always felt closer to me'. I don't know if she has the same conversations with me as she does Roselyynn and Thunder. I'd probably have to ask them later."
After Penelope said such, there wasn't much to say, leaving White Blaze, Wilfre and Penelope to continue to sit in the Map Room in silence. Time seemed to pass by slowly, like the clock lingered on seconds for what felt like an eternity. Somehow, the three were able to muster the patience to continually wait.
Maelynn, Rikki, Aurora and the remaining two Creation Heroes returned to the ship three hours later, and Rikki ended up being the one who found White Blaze, Wilfre and Penelope in the Map Room. The raposa boy raised an eyebrow, running a hand through his dark, chocolate brown fur.
The three didn't seem to utter a word, staring blankly at Rikki. He wasn't at all nervous when he spoke. "Have you three fallen asleep with your eyes open, or have you been sitting here for hours?" Despite that Rikki had asked a question, nobody talked. The boy let out an annoyed sigh.
"Ok…? Are you playing a silent game? Like who can remain the longest without talking? If so, you've all won, and you can stop now."
White Blaze's icy blue eyes blinked, and she took a deep breath. She let out a mew when she intended to talk, and covered her mouth.
Rikki looked out of the room, and then concernedly looked back into the Map Room. "…Did something happen while we were gone?"
"No, not really." Penelope peeped up, deciding to take the first initiative to talk. "We talked for a while, but then we stopped. And then, nobody knew what to say, so we decided to wait here for a while until you came back."
White Blaze coughed into her cape (or it at least looked like it), and then, her ears perked up as she gave a death glare to Rikki. "Something I think we'd all like to know is why you were gone for so long! What, did you find something to do, and decided to leave us here for a few hours to die? It felt like we were stuck on this boat forever!"
The resident shadow raposa flipped his ponytail, scoffing at White Blaze. "We had the ability to leave this Map Room and do anything else at any time. Except for whatever reason, we sat here for three hours and did absolutely nothing."
Rikki blinked, and looked at the clock. Then, he looked back at Wilfre and spoke. "…You were keeping track of time? Why?"
"Does it look like I had anything better to do? It's not like I know the layout of this boat. If anything, Turtle Rock had an easier layout."
Penelope would've made a comment, but she wasn't in the place to say anything. She had seen the mythical Turtle Rock that Roselyynn and Thunder had sailed upon during their adventure, but she hadn't been on it. As Wilfre had disguised himself as Sock for most of their adventure, it was understandable how he knew the layout.
Penelope sighed, flipping her left ear and not uttering a word. From behind Rikki, Maelynn spoke from outside. "Rikki, are they in the Map Room?"
"Yep, they are." Rikki replied. He stepped aside for the blonde haired raposa as she took her stride into the room. Aurora came in after her, and as Rikki closed the door, Maelynn took a seat at the table. She waited for her fellow raposa to seat themselves, though Penelope found something off. Roselyynn and Thunder still weren't there?
Maelynn stretched her paws. "I made sure to consult with the Mayor of Lavasteam, while Rikki and Aurora consulted with the townsfolk. Other than Jewel visiting town, it's evident there is nothing of interest happening in Lavasteam to cause it harm. They know somewhat about the current situation with Watersong, however, noting the closeness of Watersong to Lavasteam."
White Blaze nodded, understanding the situation. She rubbed her paw against her face and sighed. "It's fortunate that Lavasteam hasn't gone through the same damage as Watersong. I feel that it is partially my fault for the destruction, but I hope that they're able to recover."
It was likely that the city would be able to recover. Environmental damage wasn't as heavy of a blow as it was with the Mayor losing her voice, but it was yet another crisis that the civilians were forced to face. They would be strong enough to make it through.
However, Penelope already knew they were going to Galactic Jungle next. As Maelynn was talking about what they needed to do and check in the Galactic Jungle, Penelope knew that there wasn't much that was going to be done. Then, they were supposedly going to White Tuxedo's fortress, but Penelope didn't know what else was going to happen and if they'd be victorious.
As tempted as she was to comment on the situation, she didn't. She didn't want to give any spoilers or any wrong ideas about what was to happen. In the midst of thought, Penelope tuned out the meeting.
"Where's Roselyynn and Thunder?" Penelope asked herself in her head, looking around. The two of them still weren't there, and the rabbit was getting slightly concerned that something could've happened to them. Not regarding the meeting, Penelope ended up interrupting it. "Where are Roselyynn and Thunder? I'd expect them to come to the meeting."
Rikki and Maelynn seemed to have some trouble shifting from the focus of the meeting to the whereabouts of the other two heroes, but Aurora seemed to adapt to the question. The young raposa girl bounced her violet hair and then replied to Penelope's question with a grin.
"Oh! Roselyynn and Thunder were going to come to the meeting, but they were tuckered out. The heat and the fact neither of them got much sleep last night didn't help much with their condition, so they're in their room resting." Penelope felt her eyelids lower at that fact, and she sighed. She almost expected that they needed to fall asleep.
Penelope boredly listened to the rest of the meeting, and at the end, Maelynn mentioned that she was going to set the course to the Galactic Jungle. The sail was going to take a few days, so it gave some time to think and prepare.
They were apparently going to White Tuxedo's fortress after the voyage to the Galactic Jungle after all.
XxXxX
(Cavalier Soleil- Heroes' Cabin)
After necessary preparations were done, and the day was over, Penelope was trying to sleep, but found herself being unable to like the night before. She was amazed how short of a time they were in Lavasteam and now they were already sailing away. She didn't know what to do, as she couldn't sleep.
Roselyynn and Thunder were still out. They had been asleep for quite a while, and even in rest, Penelope could tell her apprentices were exhausted. Roselyynn's hair was slightly singed for whatever reason, and Thunder was a bit in a similar condition for his clothes. Right now, they seemed so harmless.
The first hero let out a sigh, and then thought about the conversation she had with White Blaze and Wilfre. She couldn't figure out if she was afraid of her apprentices.
Shaking her head, Penelope climbed down out of her bed and headed to the door, opening it up with her ear. The heroes' cabin was on a lower level under the deck of the Cavalier Soleil. She hadn't properly explored the ship quite yet, so as she had the time, she decided to do so.
As Penelope wandered down the hall in the dark, she found some unused cabins, but she also found a room of interest as she was going to head back up on deck. The door was opened slightly, and a soft yellow light came illuminated from behind the door. Penelope looked around to make sure nobody was watching, and she quietly opened the door, peeking into the room. It appeared to be the library of the ship, as Penelope could've sworn she made out some shelves.
She crept into the room and quietly moved the door behind her. Examining the room, she found that her assumption was correct. Books were lined across the curved walls of the chamber, and there was a table near the bookshelves. There was still a glimmer of candlelight, which Penelope tried to find.
That was when she noticed Maelynn at a desk, with the Book of Truth in front of her. Beside it was a smaller, green book and a larger one that appeared to be an encyclopedia. There was a candle at the desk, which provided the Mayor with a reading light. Penelope's ears flicked when she heard the "shh" of a page being turned.
It took a moment, but Penelope was able to gather that Maelynn was examining the Book of Truth. She didn't know how long Maelynn was at it, but she wondered why. Penelope crept closer, and Maelynn spoke, her voice sounding a little softer from weariness.
"Oh. Good evening, Penelope. I didn't expect to hear you up." Maelynn said, looking back and then rubbing her eyes a moment. "Did you need something?"
"Not really. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to explore the ship a little more," the rabbit replied back, lurking closer to the desk. She stood on the tips of her feet to see what Maelynn was doing, and proceeded to ask what she was up to when Penelope couldn't make out what Maelynn was trying to do. "Why are you up? Are you looking at the Book of Truth?"
"I'm trying to see its connection to the Book of Life." Maelynn answered, tugging on her hair. She looked to be distraught about her findings. "I… I just can't figure out why it was created, or its connection. I don't understand why I must protect it, and I don't know how it changes my role as the Mayor of the Renard Village. The Book of Life was always a staple in their village… but I still don't know how it will work with mine."
Penelope was starting to wonder how the books tied together herself. She never asked the Creator about it, but she didn't know how it worked. All she knew was that it created blueprints for the Creator to draw upon without needing the Book of Life.
As Maelynn was examining the book, she was struggling to see the connection. The Creator was the one to break the silence. "…The Book of Truth and the Book of Life. I made the Book of Life to bring creations to life to more easily influence this world I made, yet I didn't consider what would happen if someone other than myself drew into it. Wilfre happened, and with the pain it brought, I received grief. I didn't realize one of my own creations could harm and destroy another the way it did." Maelynn was surprised the Creator was speaking. She didn't seem to talk much—especially not to the Raposa unless it was important.
However, she wasn't done. "…When the Book of Life continued to be abused, I didn't know what to do. If it's destroyed, the same thing will happen as before. I made the Book of Truth as a failsafe. I created it so I could still more easily bring my creations into the world, but I also made it so it could provide guides and ideas for others. I thought that nothing would happen, but I was wrong. Once again, something I created harmed my own creations, but it didn't destroy them with the corruption of their own dark creations. It took the truth of their heart, and their impurities killed them."
Sadness was present in the Goddess's voice. "Every time I seem to create something for the benefit of my children, all it seems to cause is hurt. I fear the worst will happen if both of my books are used to the benefit of one with dark intentions."
Maelynn blinked, her eyes reflecting the shimmer of the candlelight. She felt like she had received a revelation about her purpose, and was able to learn more about the books, even if the Creator sounded upset. "They can be used simultaneously?" The blonde raposa asked.
"Though detail can be put into my designs from the Book of Life, limits are that I cannot add layers and further complexities to make my creations have more depth. I'm able to put heart and detail in, but I can't bring it out to its full potential. The Book of Truth allows me to enhance designs in the Book of Life and make them more complex, but at the same time, it allows for more potential towards danger."
Despite that the Creator was able to answer some questions, she also brought up more and didn't provide all the answers. Maelynn understood that some of these questions needed to be answered by her own initiative and she couldn't rely on the Creator to provide or answer everything. With quick reflexed, Maelynn opened up the smaller green book, took a pen, and then jotted down some notes. Then, she closed the book and put it aside.
Penelope flipped at her ear, deciding to finally mention what the Creator told her in terms of the route. "…Actually, Maelynn, there's something that I need to mention. The Creator looked into our future route. Apparently, after the Galactic Jungle, we're going to White Tuxedo's fortress I think…"
"Castlebrooke."
"What?"
"His fortress. It's called Castlebrooke."
"That's… weirdly nice and sophisticated."
"Well, he IS sophisticated. Aggressive, but sophisticated."
Penelope couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that Maelynn had used aggressive and sophisticated in the same sentence. Maelynn flipped her sunny blonde hair and sighed at Penelope, smiling at her. "…It would be good for you to get some rest. I'm unsure what will happen in the Galactic Jungle, but I think everything will go alright."
The first hero nodded and smiled. "Probably. Not much is to happen in the Galactic Jungle from what I know, but I hope that something of significance happens."
Maelynn's tall ears twitched, and she looked back at Penelope in confusion. "What? Why do you hope that something of significance happens? Is… is nothing going to happen in the Galactic Jungle?"
Penelope shrugged. "Trust me, I have no idea."
From there, the night went still, and Penelope was finally able to slumber.
XxXxX
A Few Days of Sea-Travel Later
XxXxX
(Galactic Jungle)
It was amazing how a few days being cooped up on a golden sun boat could drive everyone crazy. The Galactic Jungle was a distance away from Lavasteam, a distance away from Watersong, and farther away from everything else. Rikki and Wilfre were driven the craziest from being stuck on the Cavalier Soleil.
Rikki felt the dread of travelling on his shoulders. He had been distracting himself with the thought of home and other concerns while he had been on the sea, but he felt stir-crazy when he was trapped on the Cavalier Soleil. Maelynn and Aurora were the only ones who kept his sanity intact, though even with their help, it was absurdly difficult to ease him.
Wilfre being trapped on the boat brought back memories of being on Turtle Rock with members of the Raposa Village and Roselyynn and Thunder. He wasn't freaking out as much as Rikki, but he found that being stuck on this Creator-forsaken boat for long periods of time was stressful. Plus, the presence of Roselyynn and Thunder made it hard for Wilfre to expect himself to not explode.
When they arrived at the port of the Galactic Jungle, Rikki and 'Vincent' were the first to get off and they both took deep breaths of the fresh air. The heroes were the second, with White Blaze, Maelynn and Aurora being the last. The Gato chieftess was in a bit of a culture shock as she stepped into the environment and gazed up at the scenery.
Roselyynn and Thunder looked around, seeing some advancements made. When they saw some of the villagers pass by, they weren't wearing helmets anymore and they looked significantly happier, indicating that they didn't have the absurd laws that a certain someone in their party was partially to blame for. Though, partially didn't describe it. Roselyynn gave 'Vincent' an icy glare before looking forward.
Maelynn clutched the Book of Truth as she stepped forward and spoke to Roselyynn and Thunder. "As you two know this village the best out of all of us, it is very likely you know where the Town Hall is." She spoke, nervously examining the environment of the village and being unable to make much sense of it. Roselyynn and Thunder blankly looked back at her, making the Mayor worry a little more. "Um… unless you don't know. If not, we could always ask the villagers where the Town Hall is, but…"
Thunder interrupted Maelynn in the middle of her stammering. "Don't worry. We do know where the Town Hall is. I think it is up in the Space Fortress area, but if it is, we'll have to figure out the rocket situation." He explained, before pondering and looking to Roselyynn worriedly and tugging on his sleeve. "Actually, Rose, do you think we can fit everyone IN the rocket? Or do you think it's basically impossible?"
"Remember what happened when Jowee and 'Sock' were in the Rocket with us? It was hell."
'Vincent' shuddered at the thought of being crammed in the rocket when Roselyynn brought it up. It was like she was only trying to remind him in order to spite him. Her eyes had a curious twinkle when she looked back at the Raposa for a moment and then focused on Thunder as the two of them were trying to figure out what they could do.
Maelynn paused and looked back at the Cavalier Soleil and then up at the sky. She frowned at Rikki, furrowing her eyebrows in thought. "Rikki, do you think we could fly the Cavalier Soleil into space like a makeshift starship? The Creator would have to add alterations, but it could work." She said, analyzing the ship and hoping such. Rikki bit his lip and crossed his arms.
"I don't want to go back on the Cavalier Soleil for a few more hours or else it will feel like prison." Rikki replied bluntly, trying to rub the thought of being trapped on the Cavalier Soleil out of his mind. Around then, Roselyynn and Thunder came to a consensus as to what they were going to do and looked back to the group.
"We could potentially take the rocket in rounds."
"That would take too long though." Aurora butted in. Penelope shifted her eyes around, noticing how people were staring at the group of eight for awkwardly standing there. She decided to bring up a point before any arguing started. "…I do have a little rocket I could use. The Creator likely would have to upgrade it to have more seating and a little more durability, but then we'd have two rockets to use. I also recommend that Maelynn, Vincent and White Blaze come with us to the Space Fortress." She suggested, crossing her arms. Everyone else went quiet, and the Creator briefly chimed in.
"I'll adjust the Rocket so it has three seats in Penelope's, and three in Roselyynn and Thunder's." spoke the Goddess, who then started going to work right away. Rikki and Aurora were the only two left as usual, but it allowed for an opportune time to gather intel, which they started doing right away while the Creator began work.
That left the other six present in the dock area of the village. There was a bit of an awkward silence, though someone had to be an ice breaker here. Thunder wrung his hands together for a moment, and with a nervous smile, he then spoke to the rest of the group. "So… who's going with who? Roselyynn and I have to pilot our rocket, and Penelope has to pilot hers, so there would be one extra seat in ours, and two extra seats in Penelope's."
Roselyynn shifted her eyes over to 'Vincent', and then back at Thunder. "I'm pretty sure Vincent is going to go with Penelope. It would be rough if he, you and I were all in the same rocket, Thunder. Blood would likely get spilled in there." Fluttering her long eyelashes, and then smirking, Roselyynn leaned over to 'Vincent', whispering in his ears, "Or, would shadow goo be spilled if you were in our rocket?"
The tallest hero got whapped on the leg by Maelynn, who was getting a little annoyed with the girl's attitude against their ally. "Roselyynn, stop antagonizing Vincent!" The blonde snapped, and made Roselyynn twinge. With a sigh, Maelynn calmed herself, and then tried to stare Roselyynn in the eye. "Listen. I get why you're acting this way, but we cannot damage the group dynamic in a situation like this! There's obvious tension, yes, but that tension will be used to the enemy's advantage in Castlebrooke!"
Nobody except for Penelope had any idea what Maelynn was talking about. All the Renard Mayor seemed to receive were the stares of her confused allies. She looked to Penelope, but was aware that Penelope only knew White Tuxedo's base by name and not much else. Maelynn took a deep breath, and was about to talk. However, the Creator interfered in the conversation before it even began. "The rockets are ready. I'd recommend heading to the Launchpad and then heading to the Galactic Jungle's Space Fortress right away."
"Isn't it technically called the Democracy of the Republic of the People of the United Space Fortress's Space Fortress?" Thunder asked, scratching his chin in thought. Roselyynn and 'Vincent' had forgotten how long the name of this place was, though it was likely 'Vincent' had a part with the naming, or an impact, as he did influence the government policy at one point.
As for White Blaze, well…
She didn't take the lengthy name so well.
"…Whaaaat? What kind of name is that?" The gato female asked, scratching her head.
The question was unimportant, and as there was work that needed to be done at the Space Fortress. The remaining group decided to head there, with Vincent and White Blaze going with Penelope, while Maelynn decided to tag along with Roselyynn and Thunder. From there, they blasted off and went to the fortress that the Galactic Jungle was known for.
XxXxX
(United Space Fortress)
The Space Fortress was the same as Roselyynn, Thunder and 'Vincent' had expected it when they landed, but it felt significantly less intimidating and scary to be around. While they knew the layout, Maelynn and the others did not know. That meant the three of them would have to be tour guides later on, but not now.
Maelynn looked around the fortress, examining the tall structures that resembled chess pieces (with the one in the north being the knight, the one in the southeast resembling a bishop, and the one in the southwest resembling a knight). The structure to the east didn't resemble a chest piece, but it appeared to be the most important building in the area. The sunny blonde raposa nudged at Roselyynn and Thunder, and pointed to the fourth building. "Is that building perhaps the Town Hall of this Village?" She questioned them, and got a nod in reply.
Noting such, Maelynn decided to head forward to the entrance of the USF, and was startled when two S.P.U.D officers appeared. Roselyynn and Thunder panicked upon seeing them, drawing their weapons as they neared by the entrance. The other three stayed back in case it was dangerous.
"Halt! Who are you, and what business do you have with Mayor Click?" The holograms echoed, making Maelynn nervous. There was a pause when they noticed that Roselyynn and Thunder were present with them, and the holograms bowed.
"Ah! The Creation Heroes are with you. You must be accompanying them. Carry on, then." Once the S.P.U.D officers were done speaking, they vanished. White Blaze, 'Vincent' and Penelope cautiously came over to Roselyynn, Thunder and Maelynn.
Despite the S.P.U.D officers were gone, Penelope was a little alarmed that they showed up and unceremoniously left as soon as they saw Roselyynn and Thunder. She pointed at where the one on the left previously stood, appearing a little alarmed.
"Uhh… Rose, Thunder, who, or rather what WERE they, and where did they come from?" Penelope asked, slightly shaking from the potential of what could've happened if Roselyynn and Thunder weren't there.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for the rabbit to get much of a response. "Oh, them? They're the S.P.U.D. They're the holographic police of the Galactic Jungle but… I didn't think Click would keep them here. Hopefully everything is ok." Thunder replied, yet he looked a little worried.
Penelope didn't feel the need to ask any more questions. They moved forward to the front entry, and there was a panel with a voicebox and a button. As Roselyynn was the closest, she pressed it and spoke. "Hello? Is Mayor Click present here? We need to speak with him." She asked.
"Yes, I'm here. You may come in." Click answered from the voicebox.
Maelynn and the others sighed in relief. They were about to start heading in through the door, only for Click to speak again. "Oh! Before I forget, there's a sensor on the door. It detects shadow goo." His voice expressed through the voice box. "I know having a sensor like that is an extreme, but it's just a safety precaution in case Wilfre returns."
'Vincent' and Penelope immediately stepped back, looking very much afraid of the door. Penelope's rabbit ears pulsed with shadow, and she tried to restrain it but couldn't do so very well. Penelope gasped as her ears became covered in shadow goo, and acted like fists as they surged towards the door and proceeded to break the sensors on it. It completely shut down and deactivated.
'Vincent' and the others were taken off guard, except for Roselyynn and Thunder. Roselyynn looked pissed, and Thunder simply looked upset. They heard Click speak concernedly from the voicebox. "Did something happen? The shadow sensors have suddenly gone offline. They never do that."
Roselyynn spoke pleasantly through clenched teeth. "Sorry Mayor. Someone freaked out and broke the sensor on accident. We'll be right up." She spoke. Click seemed to understand, and the voicebox went quiet. Roselyynn proceeded to give the older hero a death glare before addressing Maelynn.
"And you're sure she's not associated with Wilfre? She just broke the sensor."
'Vincent' smiled before looking at Penelope. "You know, we could've just waited outside. I suppose this is fine though." He told her. Penelope knew that he was actually annoyed, despite concealing it with his current persona. 'Vincent' then looked at Roselyynn. "She's not associated, by the way. Having it doesn't automatically mean association."
Penelope lowered her head and stayed in the back as she tagged behind the rest of the group into an elevator. She remained in the back, even then, and refused to talk, only remaining shameful.
Blaze looked at Penelope and then at the other two. Roselyynn was still angry with Penelope, which made the rabbit look tense. She crossed her arms and spoke in Penelope's defense. "Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. It was likely something that triggered that she couldn't control."
Roselyynn remained silent and bitter. She didn't utter a word out of stubbornness, and Penelope simply looked away. The elevator eventually came to the top floor, and the group came into the council room. The meeting room was empty except for their presence, and there weren't even creepy raposa dummies in the meeting chairs anymore.
Maelynn turned to the others. "Do you know where Mayor Click is?" she asked. Roselyynn and Thunder were about to point, except they didn't need to answer. There was a rustle of a curtain opening, and the slight creak of a chair turning around. Click emerged from the back of the room near where a large, unused tube was as well as the other end of the meeting table.
"Hello everyone! I apologize if I wasn't out of here right away." He said, seating himself at the end of the table closest to the tube. Maelynn smiled and shook her head, responding in upmost politeness to Mayor Click. "Oh, no sir. It's fine. I apologize for the issues that occurred with the door." She said in politeness.
Click beamed at Maelynn and adjusted his glasses. "No worries. Issues like that can always be fixed." He answered her. He analyzed the group, recognizing Roselyynn and Thunder. "I believe I don't recognize most of your group, however. An introduction may be required."
Maelynn went to presenting most of the group (except for Roselyynn and Thunder). They were then invited to sit down and discuss the situation. Roselyynn, however, was adamant about Penelope sitting this one out as she was going over. All of the chairs were filled when she came by, leaving the rabbit hero to be left out and remain in the shadows.
'Vincent' looked back at Penelope and then to Roselyynn and Thunder. He seemed uncertain of the idea to leave the First Hero out of the group. "Are you certain it's a good idea to simply leave Penelope out of this? She is as involved in this situation as we are."
"She'll cause more damage." Roselyynn replied. "It wouldn't be good if the likes of her caused more trouble." Her lilac eyes were filled with venom as she looked back at her mentor.
Penelope cowered back into the darkness, feeling furtherly ashamed.
All she seemed to do was cause trouble.
XxXxX
The good thing of the conclusion of the Galactic Jungle visit was that surprisingly, it wasn't uneventful. The DOTROTPOTUSF had satellites that could be used to pinpoint areas on the world map, which the heroes found out during their discussion with Click, and this made it a bit easier to find Castlebrooke so they could mark it on their own map. This would allow them to face off against White Tuxedo and save anyone who was trapped there.
Rikki had figured out how to set the coordinates towards Castlebrooke in the Cavalier Soleil, and the sun boat headed in that direction. Most of the group was upbeat and cheery.
Penelope, however, was still gloomy. She had remained in her part of the Hero Chamber as soon as they had gotten back onto the ship. The rabbit felt bitter about being unable to control herself, and look what happened! She caused property damage.
She let out a big sigh. The Creator spoke to her. Penelope could almost feel her mother stroking her head. "Now, now. It's not the end of the world that you accidentally broke that door, Penelope. You were simply afraid." Her heavenly voice soothed. "Though… I was able to see further into the future. I see a reunion but a failure… and my vision is still foggy, but I see that you, Roselyynn and Thunder will mainly handle the Gemstone Isle. I can't see much else."
When the Creator said "reunion", Penelope assumed she meant that they'd soon to reunite with Mari, Jowee, Heather and Circi. A chilling dread washed over Penelope's head upon thinking about it. She had to make more frequent use of her shadow powers as of recent, and as they were unstable, Penelope was truly terrified of what could happen if Mari saw.
All that could be hoped was that something truly terrible didn't happen when they arrived in Castlebrooke.
The heroes couldn't simply lose to the villain so soon.