AN: Hello and welcome back to ROTLON! I sincerely hope you've been enjoying it - I know I enjoy writing it!
But enough of my blathering and let's get on with the fic!
I walk into the kitchen and see that Dad is watching a re-run of one of my all-time favorite TV shows, Monkey Costume Parade.
"This has got to be the most awesome show ever!" I exclaim as I sit down and we watch the costumed monkeys juggle with colored balls and bowling pins. On a rainy day like this, what could be better?
Suddenly the monkeys disappear to be replaced by a male newsreader as the breaking news jingle starts to play. "We interrupt Monkey Costume Parade for a late-breaking news..." he announces.
This can't be happening! "No!" I yell in despair, prompting Dad to look at me. "Not Monkey Costume Parade - they can't!" I shake my fist and add, "It's the...monkeys!"
Aw," Dad says disappointedly. "They cut away before the astronaut monkey! He always looks so authentic in his little space helmet!"
"What's going on?" Nick, who I hadn't even known was there, asks right before he sneezes loudly.
I turn around to look at him and see that his face is flushed and he is holding what appears to be an ice bag to his head before we both focus our attention on what the female reporter on the TV is saying.
"City engineers blame the collapse on poor soil testing but the question remains...how does a solid cement foundation suddenly go soft?" The image shows a multi-story building that seems to be in the process of being built before cutting back to the female reporter at the news studio.
"There's also the medieval knight monkey," Dad laments. "That little suit of armor is very convincing!"
Nick leans in close to me and asks, "You think something's up in Gorm?" Dad looks at us and we both get nervous, hoping he didn't hear what Nick just said. To my surprise, Nick straightens up and says firmly, "No! Can't focus on anything else! Must conserve every spare brain cell for testing!"
Testing? What testing?
"You're still taking that national achievement test?" Dad asks incredulously. "Sometimes you gotta take a sick day, buddy!"
Oh, yeah, the NAT. I forgot about that. Something tells me that Nick will not want to take a sick day. The apocalypse could happen and he'd still be more worried about the test!
"Can't you just take the make-up test on Saturday?" Mom suggests.
Nick frowns and responds, "Saturday, we're going to the movies for the premiere of Return of the Sequel: Part II!" before holding the ice bag to his head and groaning.
I stand up from the table. "Well, we better get going, hadn't we?" I say to him. Personally, I don't particularly care for the NAT but I know Nick will freak if he misses it or if he's late for it by a single second. Sometimes I think he stresses way too much!
We walk out into the hall and grab our backpacks before saying goodbye to Mom and Dad as we leave.
For the entire journey, Nick sneezes and sniffles. By the time we arrive at school, I have lost count of the number of times I have said: "Bless you!"
"Seriously, bro," I tell him as we head to our lockers, "the world won't end if you miss one NAT, you know!"
"I'm fine," he says distractedly as he tries and fails to open a locker. Upon further inspection, I realize that it's because he's trying to open the wrong locker.
"Uh, Nick, you know that's my locker you're trying to open there, right?"
I look up to see Lucas and Jessica who are both staring curiously at Nick. Jessica lets out an exclamation as he turns around. "Nick, you look terrible!"
"Gee, thanks!" he mumbles as he turns and tries to open the locker again, though this time he actually goes for his own and is finally successful in getting it to open.
"You should be resting!" Lucas points out, frowning as he folds his arms.
"That's what I've been trying to tell him..." I mutter as Nick grabs a few books from his locker and stuffs them into his backpack before closing his locker and turning to face us.
"Look, guys, I appreciate your concern and everything but I'm f-fi..." The end of his sentence is cut off as he sneezes loudly.
"Bless you!" Lucas, Jessica and I say in unison and Nick quietly thanks us as he blows his nose on a tissue.
We head to our classroom and when we are called in, silently file into the room and take our seats. There are paper booklets and a pen sitting on each desk.
As Miss McGurk goes over explaining the conditions for the test - complete and utter silence, obviously -, I cannot help hearing Nick's constant sniffs. If he sneezed like he had this morning, this exam would be anything but silent!
"You may begin, y'all," she finishes speaking before adding, "you have an hour and forty-five minutes. Nothing more and nothing less!"
I turn over the booklet and fill in the front page with my name and today's date. This is going to be a long day!
However, barely fifteen minutes into the test, Nick lets rip with a massive - and I seriously mean massive - sneeze that sends the rest of us flying.
I find myself lying between three desks. People and papers are scattered across the floor. Glancing at Nick who is staring rather sheepishly at us all as he sniffs slightly, I wonder how he can still want to take the test when he's so sick. I mean that sneeze almost wiped the rest of us out of existence!
It takes about five minutes or so to get the desks and everything to normal and the test gets back underway. Like I said, it's gonna be a very long day!
Once the hour and forty-five minutes have passed, in what unsurprisingly feels like forever, we are dismissed and we leave the classroom. The four of us head out onto the campus and sit down on a grassy hill.
"Come on, Nick!" I say to him. "Go home and get some rest!"
"No, I'm good!" he says before biting into a biscuit. "I just need some power food - rebuild the brain!" Wow, he is being seriously stubborn about this. If it were me, I'd jump at the chance to have a day off, especially if it meant missing the NAT.
"Why?" Jessica asks, frowning. "Because you sneezed half of it out of your head? What you need is a sick day!"
Instead of turning to reply to her, Nick instead exasperatedly addresses a nearby tree with, "Why does everybody keep telling me that?"
I look at Lucas who looks back at me, just as confused. I'm no doctor or anything but mistaking a tree for a person is definitely not a good sign. "Um, Nick," Jessica says, concerned. "You're arguing with a tree!"
He looks at us, his cheeks even more flushed than ever, before begrudgingly admitting, "Okay, maybe I could use a power nap!"
"You're telling me!" A familiar voice rings out and we gasp, looking around for the source. "You look like you fell out of the sick tree and hit every branch on the way down!"
Nick lets out a scream as Razzle - who else? - pokes his head out of a hole in a nearby tree. Of course, this makes Razzle scream as well.
Without warning, Nick sneezes, the force of it sending Razzle flying backward through the hole. "Razzle!" Lucas, Jessica and I exclaim as we peer through said hole.
Clearly winded, Razzle lies on the ground and gasps, "Your dimension has the weirdest greeting customs!"
"Something's up in Gorm? What's going on?" Lucas asks Razzle as I step up beside him.
"Surprise! Bad news!" Razzle says as he sits up. He springs to his feet and adds, "The Earth Gormiti are going wacky - ripping up the landscape to create new defenses around their capital!"
The three of us gasp and look around as Nick suddenly exclaims, "I knew that construction accident had to be Gorm-related!" It seems that once again, he is mistaking the tree for one of us as he continues. "We gotta get in there and find out what's wrong! Come on, let's go!" He raises his fist in the air enthusiastically.
I stare at him, words failing me, as Lucas says dryly, "Dude, talking to the tree again!"
Nick looks at us and sheepishly laughs as he rubs his head. "Oh, you guys...are over there..."
"We better head to the Primal Pad," I say before looking at Nick. "You sure you don't need us to carry you, little bro? You know - in case you get all woozy on us!"
"I'm fine," he replies as Razzle jumps up onto my shoulder. "I can manage."
We start walking home and I keep a close eye on Nick for the entire journey. The last thing we need is him passing out on us because he's been working himself too hard.
As soon as we get inside the house, we go straight into the kitchen and shut ourselves inside the pantry before sliding our hands across the panel to gain entry to the Primal Pad.
We gather in front of the control panel as Razzle begins to explain the situation to us. "It's not like the Earth Gormiti to be so paranoid," he says, "but they are going all-out on the defenses!" The image on the screen shows the Earth Fortress as he continues. "They're attacking anybody who even comes close to it which makes it really hard to ask them what the problem is!"
"Maybe we could find somebody to talk to if we snuck inside..." Lucas starts to suggest before Nick cuts off the rest of his sentence with a sneeze.
Jessica folds her arms and says, "I'm gonna say either sneaking is out or sick boy is!"
Judging from Nick's indignant cry of "What, no!" I can tell the idea of staying behind doesn't impress him that much. "Earth is my element!" he continues. "You need me on this mission!"
Razzles scratches his head thoughtfully. "Let's see if we can at least get you a cushy Keeper job!" he says optimistically.
The four of us go to stand around the Gorm Gate and cry out, "Elementals!"
"Air!" Jessica begins.
"Water!" I yell.
"Earth!" Nick calls.
"Forest!" Lucas finishes.
"Reveal to us the Keeper and give to them your chair!" we say together.
"And the Keeper is..." Razzle announces as the chair slowly stops spinning and displays a blue icon with the Water symbol on it, "...Water!"
Well, I guess it has been a while since I was the Keeper. And I promised myself I wouldn't complain - I'm just gonna get on with it.
To my surprise, however, Nick starts walking forward. I think he's a little...confused! I definitely heard Razzle say that I was the Keeper so he's probably just getting a little mixed up right now. I guess it's an easy mistake to make...
Razzle walks up to him and grabs his leg, looking sympathetic. "Aww, sorry, Nick, looks like your bro gets the chair!" he says.
As I walk to the chair, I decide to try and make Nick feel better the only way I know how. "Guess it's snot your day, huh? Get it?" I say, amused, and he lets out a groan as I jump into the chair. "Dude, laughter!" I exclaim as the chair rises and rotates, bringing me level with the control panel. "Best medicine!"
I start to manipulate the crystals to open the Gorm Gate. "Please keep your arms, legs and all body fluids inside at all times! Buh-bye!"
One by one, the others jump into the Gorm Gate until I am left alone in the Primal Pad.
"And...touchdown!" I say as I slide two of the crystals down into their slots. I look up at the screen and watch them land. Lucas and Jessica land okay. Nick, on the other hand, lands rather painfully on his head. Ouch! I open the Travel Tome and announce, "Okay, guys, Travel Tome has you just outside the Earth Nation capital!" As an afterthought, I ask, "How's the welcome party?"
"Big on spooky, not so much on the party!" Jessica replies.
Meanwhile, Lucas seems confused. "I thought the Earth Gormiti were attacking anybody who gets close!" he says to the others, frowning. "Are we not close enough?"
Just then, what appear to be balls of lightning fly at them from the opposite rock wall, causing them to cry out as they run to avoid being hit. "Too close, too close!" Razzle whimpers as he darts behind a rock.
Whoever or whatever is doing this continues to fire these lightning balls, forcing Lucas to dive for cover once again.
Another lightning ball gets aimed at Jessica who seems to be puzzled by something. "Hey," she says as she jumps over the attack and lands in a crouch, "these are Earth Gormiti! Shouldn't they be attacking with rocks and boulders and stuff?"
Lucas looks at her with an are you kidding me right now? look as he snarks, "Seriously? We're about to get crispy fried and you're ragging on their style?" Well, he has got a point. Though, from what I know about Earth Gormiti, I wouldn't expect any of them to be able to throw balls of lightning! But, hey, what do I know? And, while we're speaking of Earth Gormiti...
"Just hang on, guys!" I tell them as I watch Nick barely avoid being hit. "Orbs are charging! And somebody check on my sick kid brother, huh?" I ask as I glance back at the orbs - they're not quite at full power yet.
"Oh, I'm sure he's doing just-" Razzle starts to say before he is cut off by Nick.
"Hey!" he yells, waving his arms. What is he doing?
"Are you insane, kid?" Razzle exclaims. Believe me, I'm beginning to wonder the same thing!
"Please!" Nick says as lightning balls are fired around him and the others. "We're here to help! We're friends of the Earth Gormiti!"
"You cannot help! You cannot protect the Earth champion!"
The Earth champion? Who's the Earth champion? Obviously, it must be somebody pretty important but I still don't get what's going on.
The speaker fires a massive lightning ball at Nick who lets out a scream as he runs away, the attack leaving a crack in the spot where he had been standing previously.
"I guess this ends negotiations!" Razzle says nervously.
"Toby!" Jessica yells suddenly.
I glance back at the orbs. Finally, they're all at full power! "We are go on the glow!" I announce. Now it's time for us to fight back! And when I say us, I mean the others, of course.
"Elemental powers flow, Gormiti - Lords of Nature, go!" they cry out together before transforming one by one.
Another lightning ball is fired. "All together, right in the middle!" Lucas tells the others before firing off his bark-like fist. At the same time, Jessica fires several sharp feathers out of her hand and Nick does the same, except with rocks.
"Blast of Bark!" Lucas yells.
"Fighting Feathers launch!" Jessica cries.
"Rock Storm!" Nick shouts!"
The attacks split the lightning ball into three smaller balls which hit the wall behind them, causing small chunks of rock to fall down on them. Jessica shields herself with her wings, Nick simply lets them hit him - though I guess it wouldn't hurt much since he is made out of rock - while Lucas transforms his right hand into a shield made of brown vines and holds it over his head.
The attacker tries again, firing another lightning ball at Jessica who flies up to avoid it. "Our turn!" she exclaims, before creating a funnel of wind and sending it in the direction that the attacks are being fired from. It hits the wall with a boom but it doesn't seem to have hit anybody.
"Playing hide and seek, huh?" Lucas says, apparently deciding to attempt getting their assailant out in the open. "I think it's time to root you out!" He stamps his foot onto the ground and thick, brown vines snake up from the ground and climb up the wall.
However, before they can grab - at least I think that's what he was planning - the mystery attacker, a lightning ball hits the ground in front of Lucas, sending him flying.
I notice that Nick doesn't seem to be doing much fighting. Projecting my image beside him, I say, "You know there's a fight going on!
"Yeah," he groans in reply, his eyes closed and his head lowered. "Just a little light-headed!" Another lightning ball is fired at us and I quickly make my image disappear as Nick cries out and ducks. Well, he should be a little more alert now!
"Well, you're going to be no-headed if you don't snap out of it!" Razzle exclaims frantically.
Nick slowly stands up and transforms his right hand into a hammer, yelling, "Stone Hammer!" Letting out a fierce roar, he slams it into the ground, sending cracks across the ground and up the wall. There is a brief flash as whoever is attacking them disappears.
"Did we get him?" Nick asks as they regroup.
"Maybe we just scared him away," Lucas responds.
"Either way," Jessica adds as she lands near them, "it looks like we're safe for now!"
Um, yeah, I wouldn't count on that!
"Do not move!"
Two Earth Gormiti jump down in front of the others. One of them raises his hand and creates a boulder using a pile of rocks. "Who dares cross the boundary of Earth Nation capital?" he asks, raising the boulder over his head.
"See!" Jessica says to Nick. "They use rocks and boulders!"
Okay, so if the Earth Gormiti weren't the ones attacking before, the question is:
Who was?
Nick walks forward and sinks down onto one knee - the Earth Gormiti honor bow. "We're here to help the Earth Gormiti!" he says. "Someone just attacked us and he said he was after your champion!"
The Earth Gormiti exchange glances before the second one exclaims, "Great Bullrock!" After a moment, he adds, "Come with us!"
They lead the others inside the Earth Nation fortress, a tall and imposing structure. "You said your mysterious attacker was after our champion?" the first Earth Gormiti asks as they come to a stop. He turns to the others while gesturing to a Gormiti sitting on a throne. "This is our champion - Bullrock!"
Hey, I remember that guy! He was at that battle tournament! And I'm pretty sure the others recognize him too.
Bullrock apparently remembers too as he stands up and says, "Ah, the Lords of Nature, we meet again!"
"Hey, good for you!" Razzle responds. I'm not sure if he means it's good that Bullrock gets to meet us again or if it's good that he remembers us.
"Thank you," Bullrock says.
One of the Earth Gormiti then begins to speak. "The great Bullrock recently led our Earth Gormiti to a great victory over Lavion's forces!" he explains.
"Unfortunately," his companion adds gravely, "Lavion does not take defeat very well! Our spies have learned that he has hired an unknown mercenary to settle his grudge with Bullrock!"
Why does that sound exactly like something Lavion would do? He seems like the type to overreact to a defeat, with his I'm so handsome and the absolute best! gimmick and all.
"Well, whoever this unknown mercenary is, we already beat him back once!" Lucas says. "If you let us help you-"
"The Earth Gormiti need no help!" Bullrock interrupts.
As Nick steps forward, I project my image beside the others. "These are Earth Gormiti," I remind them. "If you're gonna make an offer like that, you have to give the honor bow first!"
"I knew that!" Nick says exasperatedly. "Allow me." He lowers himself down onto one knee. The Earth Gormiti look at him. I'm not sure what they're thinking.
Just then, Nick starts to make a noise that is the build-up to something very familiar. "Oh, boy!" Razzle mutters, his eyes going wide. Jessica and Lucas gasp, knowing what's coming next.
The Earth Gormiti narrow their eyes as seconds later, Nick lets out a massive sneeze and sends a shower of rocks shooting out of his mouth right towards Bullrock who has to dive for cover.
"Assassin!" One of the Earth Gormiti shouts angrily.
"Again?" Lucas complains. "Doesn't anybody just trust us when we say we're the good guys?"
As the other Earth Gormiti starts charging forward, Nick holds his hands up. "Hey, stop!" he says, attempting to calm the situation. "This is all just a big misundersta-" He cuts himself off with yet another rock sneeze, the rocks hitting the Earth Gormiti who crashes into Bullrock behind him, making them both cry out. "Whoops!" Nick says sheepishly.
"Monster!" Bullrock shouts angrily, getting to his feet. "You will pay for this!"
The other Earth Gormiti fires a stream of rocks out of his hand aiming at Jessica who cries out as she jumps about and covers herself with her wings to avoid being hit.
"Can't cut loose!" Lucas exclaims as the Earth Gormiti turns his attention to him. "I don't wanna hurt them!" He dodges the Earth Gormiti's blows, causing him to crash to the ground.
"Not really your biggest problem right now!" Razzle yells nervously as Bullrock starts running towards them. They gasp fearfully and Razzle cries out, "Run!"
The others don't need telling twice as they start to flee the fortress, Bullrock and the two Earth Gormiti in hot pursuit.
Once they reach the edge, Jessica flies down while Lucas wraps brown vines around a rocky ledge and lowers himself to the ground outside the fortress. Meanwhile Nick, whose left hand is in the form of a drill, simply runs and jumps, using the drill to slide down the rock until he reaches the bottom.
He pants breathlessly when he reaches the others. "Just...need a...sec... winded..." he gasps.
The three Earth Gormiti jump down behind them. Apparently, they're not in the mood for letting Nick take a breather.
"Nick, come on!" Jessica yells as she creates a funnel of wind. Nick obediently starts running, following Lucas. Jessica fires the wind at the Earth Gormiti before flying after the others.
Eventually, they come to a stop at a massive rock pile. Standing on top of it are four Earth Gormiti soldiers who immediately begin to throw rocks - I mean, what else? They cry out as they each do their own thing to avoid being hit.
"Glow is dropping, guys!" I inform them, glancing at the orbs. They seem a lot duller than before, indicating that they don't have a lot of power left. I project my image beside them, noticing that Jessica is using her wings to shield the three of them. "You gotta get somewhere safe and get back here!"
"And how do we get somewhere safe?" Lucas asks me sarcastically. "Nick's about to pass out and he's too heavy for us to carry!"
Before I can suggest anything - not that I have any ideas - Nick says, "Hey, maybe you don't have to!" He looks at Jessica and adds, "Jessica, grab Lucas and Razzle and take to the sky!"
Jessica gives him a you're crazy! look as she exclaims, "What? And leave you here?"
"Just trust me!" he says. "I'm sick but I'm not stupid, okay!" I honestly hope he knows what he's doing!
As the Earth Gormiti start to charge forward, Jessica obediently grabs hold of Lucas - with Razzle clinging to his shoulder - and flies up into the air.
"So you think you can fly your mercenary friends to safety?" One of the Earth Gormiti asks Nick, forming a rock ball in his hands. "All you've done is give me one target instead of three!"
To my surprise, as the Earth Gormiti throws the ball of rock, Nick runs towards it, like he wants it to hit him. It takes me a couple of seconds to realize it's exactly what he wants!
The rock propels him to the top of the cliff where Lucas, Jessica, and Razzle are waiting. He lays still for a few moments, blinking as though in disbelief that his plan actually worked. Then he stands up and waves to the Earth Gormiti on the ground below. "Thanks for the lift!" he calls to them cheekily. Bullrock lets out an angry cry in response as the others walk away.
I wave my hands over the crystals and a portal begins to form. As the others rise up into it, they say, "By the orbs of Gorm!"
I turn the chair around and watch them rise out of the Gorm Gate, now back in human form. I lower the chair to the ground. "Ah, Nicholas!" I say as I walk over to Nick who stares at me blankly. I sink down onto one knee as though doing an honor bow. "I am greatly honored to meet-" I cut myself off by faking a sneeze. The others frown and I grin as I ask, "Did I do that right?"
"On the bright side," Nick says as I stand up, "they're only gonna be more paranoid now! The Earth Nation capital should be the safest place in Gorm for a while!"
I wander over to the shelves and start looking at the books, Razzle perching on the nearby ladder. "I guess the first thing is to figure out who our real mystery mercenary is!" I tell the others.
Lucas frowns. "Not much to go on!" he points out. "It'll take some time to study it out!"
Nick's head suddenly snaps up. "Time...study...test!" he cries out the last word. "We have to go!" he says frantically before running towards the stairs. "They're gonna start the Math and Science NAT without us!"
"That boy really likes his standardized tests!" Lucas says, amused, as we watch Nick leave.
I shrug and say, "You guys should go back too! Make sure he doesn't pass out and get a pencil stuck up his nose!" Hey, it could happen!
"What about you?" Jessica asks, surprised. "You're just gonna miss the rest of the NAT?"
"I'm on Keeper duty!" I remind her. Wow, I never thought being the Keeper would actually come in handy! "Maybe me and Razzle can find something about Lavion's mercenary!" As an afterthought, I add, "Besides I already finished my NAT! Prefilled out all my bubble sheets to make a picture of a monkey - awesome!" I hold it up so they can see it.
Their eyes go wide as Jessica says, "You don't really take this test very seriously, do you?"
"Not so much!" I say cheerfully.
"Well, we'll see you later!" Lucas says as he and Jessica start walking towards the stairs.
After they've gone, I turn to Razzle. "So where should we start?" Lucas did have a point - we didn't have a lot to go on.
Razzle looks thoughtful as he replies, "Well, we know this guy has to be a Lava Gormiti! That goes without saying but we need to find a way to narrow down our search!"
I drum my fingers against the shelf before exclaiming, "Hey, that guy could fire off lightning balls! What if we look up all the Lava Gormiti who can do that? At least then we'll be getting somewhere!"
"Good idea, kid!" Razzle praises me, nodding his head approvingly. We both get to work looking through books for information on Lava Gormiti.
Unfortunately, after a while, it doesn't seem like any Lava Gormiti has the ability to fire balls of lightning. I sigh as I flick through the pages of a book before gasping. "Hey, Razzle!" I call out. "Come here a second!"
Razzle scampers over to me, climbing up onto my shoulder. "What is it?" he asks frantically.
I show him the page I had been looking at. "I think I found our mystery guy!" I tell him. He reads the page and nods his head.
"It certainly seems that this guy is the one we are looking for!" he says.
I pull my phone out of my pocket. "Better let the others know!" I say, about to hit my contacts list. However, I stop suddenly when I remember that their phones are more than likely switched off because of the NAT.
I start to run towards the stairs. "I'll go get the others while you see if you can find any more info on this guy!" He nods and I leave the Primal Pad.
Once I leave the house, I start to jog towards the school, hoping that the tests will at least be over by now. We don't have much time to waste now that we've hopefully identified who Lavion has hired.
I reach the campus and see that everybody is standing outside and for the good reason. The school is wobbling and shaking like a bowl of jelly. Principal Morris is walking around, making sure everybody is there, I guess.
"There you are!" I exclaim as I finally see the others and walk up behind them. They turn around, their eyes wide with surprise. "Come on!"
"Toby, what-" Lucas starts to say.
I lower my voice to a whisper as I tell them insistently, "We have to go back to Gorm like right now!"
The others follow me back home and into the Primal Pad, Jessica and Lucas occasionally supporting Nick when he seems in danger of falling over. I jump into the Keeper's chair and look around at them.
"Why is stuff all jelly-shaky again?" Jessica asks in a confused tone, frowning. "I thought the Earth Gormiti had, like, mega defenses put up now!"
Razzle jumps onto the edge of the Gorm Gate between where Nick and Lucas were standing. "We did some research on the electromagnetic spheres the mercenary was shooting!" he says. "Only one Lava Gormiti has a weapon like that! He's called the Anonymous Multiform and he's a shapeshifter - able to turn into any inanimate object - which means..."
"He can slip past any defenses!" Lucas finishes for him.
"That's a big Bullrock bullseye, kid!" Razzle confirms. "The perfect mercenary for Lavion!"
"We have to get back in there!" Jessica exclaims before adding, "I mean me and Lucas we, not so much Sneezy McUpchuck!"
Sneezy McUpchuck? That's something I wouldn't have thought of. I doubt Nick will like being told to stay behind again, though.
Sure enough, he protests, "No! I know I should have taken a sick day! If I'd stayed behind, you guys would still be there protecting Bullrock right now! But, sick or not, you've gotta let me help clean up my mess!"
"You mean on the cafeteria floor?" I ask jokingly, knowing exactly what he means but wanting to ease things up a little.
"No!" he exclaims, frowning. "I mean-"
"Kidding!" I tell him, grinning. "Go on and get in the gate! I got your back!" I move my hands over the crystals to open the Gorm Gate once more and the three of them jump in along with Razzle.
They land not far from the Earth fortress and quickly transform. Now that we know who the real bad guy is, we don't want to waste time.
I watch them walk forward until they are standing just outside the Earth Fortress. The entrance is blocked off with a huge slab of stone. Wow, these guys really are paranoid, though I guess they do have reason to be.
"So now we have to break into the Earth Nation capital?" Jessica asks the others.
"No time to go subtle either," Lucas points out before looking at Nick and asking, "You wanna do the knocking, Nick?"
Nick steps forward and punches the rock slab until it breaks apart. "Um...knock knock?" he calls.
The Earth Gormiti inside gasp, obviously not expecting anyone to actually be able to get through. As Nick leads the way inside the fortress, a few of them start hurling rocks which he and Lucas simply brush off or move to the side slightly.
"Watch out!" Jessica calls out in warning as more rocks are thrown. She creates a funnel of wind around herself that shatters the rocks into pieces.
The three of them carry on going before letting out alarmed cries as the two Earth Gormiti they encountered before jump down in front of the doorway they had been running towards. As one, they slam their fists into the ground, causing cracks to form and the ground to rise up, knocking Nick, Lucas and Jessica off their feet.
"Couldn't resist another try, assassins?" One of the Earth Gormiti asks.
"This time you won't-" the other one starts to say.
"Surrender!" Nick cries out suddenly, holding up his hand. "We surrender!"
The Earth Gormiti look at one another. "Another trick?" The first one asks suspiciously.
"No! Really!" Nick exclaims. "You have to let us talk to Bullrock right now! He's in great danger!"
Once again, the Earth Gormiti look at each other. They seemed to be pondering Nick's words before turning and walking into the room behind them.
The others hesitate for a moment before following the two Earth Gormiti into the room.
"What is this?" Bullrock asks the Earth Gormiti as they walk in, followed by the others.
"Great Bullrock," one of the Earth Gormiti says, "these outsiders claim there is yet another mercenary after you!"
"No!" Lucas tries to explain. "Not another one - just one! We told you we're not-" Suddenly he cuts himself off with a gasp as he looks over at Jessica who looks like she's been struck by lightning or something.
"What?" she asks, confused. "Do I have something in my hair?" Trust her to worry about something like that!
"No, but it's gone all static-y!" Lucas tells her.
Nick lets out a gasp. "This was on the NAT!" he says excitedly. "It's a charged field! That means electromagnetism which means..." He looks up at where Bullrock is standing and yells, "Bullrock!" Nick starts to run forward, crying out, "Everyone get down!" as he runs up the steps before climbing up the wall and knocking Bullrock to the ground just as a lightning ball was fired in his direction.
Everybody down below gasps and the Lava Gormiti responsible for this whole mess finally makes himself known. "Bullrock," the Anonymous Multiform announces, "the great Lavion sends his greetings and his farewell!" He points his arm, which has a hole at the end in place of a hand, at Bullrock and prepares to fire another lightning ball. "Taste Lavion's revenge!" he yells.
Before the attack can hit, Lucas sticks his hand into the ground as he cries out, "Jungle Attack!", forming strong brown vines that rise up in front of Nick and Bullrock, protecting them from harm.
Jessica and the two Earth Gormiti gasp. Lucas removes his vines and turns to face the Lava Gormiti. "Oh, are we doing paybacks now?" he asks. "Because we owe you a little of that!" He fires off one of his bark-like fists just as Jessica shoots several sharp feathers but the Lava Gormiti seems to disappear and the attacks hit the wall behind him.
"What - what did you do to him?" One of the Earth Gormiti asks, clearly confused. To be fair, I would be, too.
"I warn all of you," Bullrock says in a no-nonsense tone. "If this is another trick-"
"Careful!" Nick interrupts him. "He's a shapeshifter! Don't trust anything!" He lets out another rock sneeze but this time Bullrock ducks to avoid being hit by the rocks which hit his throne, destroying the top part of it completely. "Except us!" he says breathlessly, recovering from the sneeze. "Trust us! Good guys - just kinda sneezy!"
Meanwhile, on the lower level of the fortress, Jessica seems to have spotted the bad guy as she points in his direction and cries out, "There!"
He becomes visible once more and fuses his arms together, forming a large hole which means he can fire a mega-huge lightning ball. Once again, he aims the attack at Nick and Bullrock who jump down from the ledge to join the others. The attack smashes into the throne, destroying it even more.
As Nick and Bullrock land, the latter gets to his feet and runs toward the Lava Gormiti, his fist raised as he lets out an angry cry. However, just as he is about to reach him, the Lava Gormiti disappears and Bullrock crashes headfirst into the wall.
The wall starts to crack, causing the others to gasp. Suddenly they and the two Earth Gormiti find that their legs are being grabbed by red hands, causing them to exclaim, "Hey!"
None of them are able to move which means that they cannot do anything to stop the Anonymous Multiform from carrying out Lavion's orders. The Lava Gormiti returns to his normal shape just as a slightly dazed Bullrock is standing up and fires a lightning ball directly at him, knocking him back into the wall. "Bullrock!" One of the Earth Gormiti yells.
Jessica and Lucas both gasp. "Oh no!" they cry, horrified before Bullrock collapses onto the ground. He appears to have been knocked out which seems to have been what the Lava Gormiti was waiting for as he releases everyone from his grip and disappears from sight once more.
One of the Earth Gormiti runs over to the unconscious Bullrock to check on him. The others run over as well, with the Earth Gormiti exclaiming, "He's still alive!"
"Well, of course he is!" the Lava Gormiti says impatiently as he resumes his normal form. "Lavion wants to see you now!" On the last word, he stretches his arms out all the way towards Bullrock.
As he is getting closer, Jessica suddenly steps between him and Bullrock. "I don't think so!" she tells him. "Wind Attack!" She releases a funnel of wind from her hands which hits the Lava Gormiti's stretched arms, causing him to cry out and pull them back.
Everybody moves into position, ready to battle. Jessica and Lucas are the first to react, with Jessica flying up while Lucas raises his fist, preparing to attack.
"Stone Hammer!" Nick yells, transforming his left hand into a hammer as he runs toward the Lava Gormiti. He raises it and slams it onto the ground but the Anonymous Multiform simply jumps back.
Jessica and Lucas try next, shooting feathers and a bark-like fist respectively. "Blast of Bark!" Lucas shouts. The Lava Gormiti avoids the attacks by disappearing once more before reappearing near Lucas and the two Earth Gormiti.
The Lava Gormiti stretches out his arm and aims at Jessica who moves slightly to the side so that the arm goes through the wall, leaving a small crack. He then stretches his other arm out at Lucas who, unlike Jessica, is unable to move out of the way in time, meaning that he gets thrown backward.
Jessica starts to fly towards the Lava Gormiti who does his disappearing trick again in anticipation. At the same time, one of the Earth Gormiti also starts charging forward. The Lava Gormiti makes himself visible and looks between the two. I think I know what he's planning.
He waits for them to get closer before wrapping his stretched arm around Jessica and swinging her into the Earth Gormiti, sending them both crashing to the ground.
The other Earth Gormiti forms a boulder in his hands and throws it. However the Lava Gormiti disappears from view and sucks in his stomach so that the boulder kind of just bounces off and gets sent back. He also fires a lightning ball out of his hand which combines with the boulder and makes it travel faster and harder as it hits the surprised Earth Gormiti who falls backward, hitting the wall behind him, causing several large cracks to form as the wall crumbles down on top of him.
Jessica and the first Earth Gormiti stand up as the other one gets up from underneath the pile of rocks. Nick gasps breathlessly as he points out, "It's still...five on one!"
They surround the Lava Gormiti as he declares, "Ha! But I'm the only one who matters!"
Nick wordlessly transforms his right hand into a hammer and runs forward before leaping into the air and bringing it crashing down onto the ground. "Seismic Smash!" he yells, missing the Lava Gormiti who had obviously been his intended target.
The Lava Gormiti appears right beside Bullrock and picks him up. "Wha-" Nick gasps as the Lava Gormiti leaves the fortress, taking Bullrock with him. Nick gives chase, diving after them as the Lava Gormiti fires at the ceiling, sending boulders crashing down in front of the entrance to the fortress, sealing everyone but Nick inside.
"Bullrock!" One of the Earth Gormiti yells.
"Nick!" Jessica cries at the same time.
Meanwhile, outside the fortress, Nick clumsily rolls to a halt behind the Lava Gormiti who laughs as he turns around. "You!" he says.
"Yeah, that's right!" Nick yells, obviously trying to sound more threatening than he felt. "Me!"
"No, I meant just you!" the Lava Gormiti tells him as he drops Bullrock to the ground before changing the shape of his hands so that they resemble balls with spikes.
He stretches his arms up and brings them down on an unsuspecting Nick who slides backwards until he hits the rocky beam above the ground, causing part of it to break off.
"You're slow, even for an Earth Gormiti!" The Lava Gormiti boasts as Nick gasps breathlessly and looks up slowly. "Aw," he says in a mock sympathetic tone. "Is the poor Lord not feeling well?"
Nick manages to get to his feet as the guy is speaking and takes a couple of steps forward. Looking thoughtful, he says, "What can I say? Sometimes you've just gotta take a sick day!"
D-did my brother just make a - a joke? I'm so proud!
Nick lets out a sound that has, by now, become familiar before letting out his biggest sneeze of the day. The rocks created from said sneeze crash straight into the Lava Gormiti who gets blasted right over the cliff nearby, crying out, "Nooo!"
"Say hello to Lavion for us!" Nick calls after him. I check the crystals and they are no longer detecting the presence of a Lava Gormiti in the area meaning that Lavion's mercenary has left. I sure wouldn't want to be him when Lavion finds out he failed!
Bullrock, meanwhile, seems to have finally woken up as he grunts and rubs his head. Nick lets out a small sneeze before wiping his face with his hand and complaining, "Ew, snot rocks!"
He and Bullrock make their way back inside the fortress where the rock pile had been more or less removed by the others who were anxiously waiting. They smash their way through what is left and reunite with the others.
"Come," Bullrock says to Nick who follows him up to the ledge where the throne is. "I must apologize on the behalf of myself and my people for assuming that you meant us harm," he begins. "From this day forth, the Earth Gormiti shall strive to never again jump to such conclusions!" He finishes his speech with, "And, in gratitude for saving me, I am honored to present you with this!", pointing at his throne or, rather, what's left of it.
"Your throne?" Nick asks, looking surprised.
"You deserve it," Bullrock tells him as he sinks into an honor bow, "for you are the real Rock Nation champion! You and your warrior friends are the true Lords of Nature!"
"I'm honored," Nick says, sounding a little overwhelmed, "but, as the Lord of Earth, I kindly ask you to remain on your throne, Bullrock!" He kneels down, placing his hand on Bullrock's shoulder before they both stand up and he adds, "You are a great commander and your people need you!"
Bullrock looks at him for a moment before silently walking to his throne and sitting down. "Then, out of my gratitude for all that you have done, it will be as you wish," he says.
Nick goes to join the others and they leave the fortress. I notice some Earth Gormiti removing the boulders that were blocking the path to the fortress. Now that the Anonymous Multiform has been taken care of, they don't need to be so over the top with the defenses.
I wave my hands over the crystals and bring them all back to the Primal Pad. "By the orbs of Gorm!" they say as they rise up out of the Gorm Gate.
They run over as I lower the chair and stand up and walk towards them. Nick lets out a disappointed sigh. "I know it was more important to save Bullrock but I still wish I could have finished that NAT!" he complains. Jessica and Lucas start laughing as I put my hands on the back of my head. I give up - I'll never understand his fascination with tests!
We head back up the stairs, Nick slouched over. "I seriously doubt anybody finished, Nick," Jessica tells him, attempting to cheer him up. "Last time we saw the school, it was rocking up and down like a wave pool!" I close the pantry doors behind me as she adds, "If that doesn't get the school day canceled, nothing will!"
"Oh, did you kids hear?" Mom asks and I walk over to join the others.
"Hear?" Nick exclaims before babbling, "Nothing! Home sick all afternoon! No hear! Ears plugged!"
"Of course they are, honey!" Mom says. "Well, here, it still may be on the news!" She switches on the TV which shows a news broadcast.
"So," the female reporter says, "after a thorough safety check from city engineers, school is back in session and the national achievement testing has been postponed until Monday! Back to you, Chad."
Nick lets out a sigh. "Best sick day ever!" he declares sarcastically before slumping on the table, causing the rest of us to start laughing.
Hold on, if the NAT is being held off until Monday, that means I won't get out of it after all! Oh no!
AN: Well, that's the end of the chapter! Sorry, it took so long to write but I don't have a lot of free time on my hands. I hope you enjoyed the chapter regardless.
I'll see you guys over at GL v.2 for my next oneshot (BlizzardStormshipping - Accident) so keep an eye out for that!
Thank you so much for sticking with me (if you've been here since the beginning and for giving this story a chance (if you're new here). I know I say this a lot but you guys really are awesome!