"Nnnnnnngh... Grrrrrhh..." King growled to himself, starting to lose his cool as he continued to pace back and forth across the floor of Arthur's house, the rest of the group silently waiting for Quote's return with the news the flowers were destroyed. "Nnnnngh, where the hell is he?!"
"He may be a soldier robot but he can't work at light-speed man!" Sue interjected, crossing her arms. "There's nothing we can do right now except for waiting for him to get back.
"And risk those buffoons of the Doctor's getting his hands on the seeds?" King growled.
"What other choice do we have at this point?" Sue said. "Like it or not, the chances are we would die if we tried going to the Sand Zone!"
King growled to himself, muttering some sort of angry grumbling before he stormed out of the house. Sue started to go after him, but Jack had grabbed her arm, shaking his head.
"I think it might be best to just let King blow off steam Sue." Jack spoke. "Trying to talk to him with this kind of anger is not exactly advisable."
Sue would sigh. "I guess..." She spoke, walking back towards the bed in the upper level and flopping down onto it, staring up at the ceiling. Jack would feel a bit of empathy for the poor girl, before turning his attention to Kazuma and Professor Booster, both of which were busy looking onto the computer on the desk. "Any luck on finding that password for the egg?" He asked.
"I've almost got a breakthrough..." Kazuma said, still typing away at the keyboard. "Just give me a few more minutes..."
"Well, as long as you're preoccupied with that..."Booster spoke, moving to a different section of the house and pulling out another small cube, pressing a button as soon a workbench opened up, with what appeared to be some sort of jetpack and tools on it. "I shall resume work from something on my end." The old man would then start working on the jetpack, leaving Jack to his own devices as he thought of what to do next.
He had decided to go to Sue first, seeing as how she had tried to calm King down and had gotten turned away herself. Following the stairs up to the upper bed, he'd have found Sue lying on her back on the bed, holding her Gameboy in her hands as the sound of some sort of boss theme was coming from its low-quality speaker as Sue was pressing buttons on it, clearly trying to keep herself calm in the situation.
"Hey..." Jack said, causing Sue to jump as a death jingle was heard from the Gameboy. Frustrated, Sue turned off the Gameboy and put it back into her bag.
"Stupid fat hammer penguin..." Sue growled, before looking over at Jack. "What do you want?"
"I just thought I'd come to talk a bit." Jack spoke, sitting down next to her on the bed. "Nothin' wrong with that, now is there?"
"I guess not..." Sue sighed. "I just hope that robot boy is able to destroy those flowers before the Doctor gets his hands on them." She'd bury her paws in her face. "This entire week I've been here has been nothing but hell for everyone involved. I don't even know if my mother is alive..."
Jack would set a hand on Sue's back. "It's going to be okay Sue. If the worst comes to wear though, and we're not around when that robot come's back..."
Sue would nod. "Good point. I should leave a note for him attached to the computer about what might be going on." She would then look to him. "By any chance do you have a pencil and paper?"
Jack would nod, handing Sue a notepad and a pencil. The female Mimiga would take the the two objects and start to write down her note, keeping a firm thought flowing through her mind as her hand moved about the paper for the next few minutes. She had just finished her signature when the door burst in again, stomping footsteps heard from downstairs.
"I'm going there right now." King said, accompanied by a sound of what would be a shove and a crash to the floor. Concerned, Sue and Jack would run down the stairs just as the teleporter flashed with King inside it, warping him away.
Professor Booster merely shook his head. "I can't tell if he's attempting to be a fool or attempting to be brave..."
"What happened professor?" Sue had asked the old man.
"King, that's what." Booster answered as Kazuma picked himself up off the floor. "He must've taken off for the Sand Zone after the boy."
"Then we don't have any more time to waste." Jack said, looking to Kazuma. "Did you manage to get that password?"
"I've gotten the password from the databanks." Kazuma said, typing into the computer to relink the teleporter with the Egg Corridor. "I'm going to hatch the dragon right now. It's our only resort we have at this point."
Jack would nod. "Keep yourself safe." Jack said as Kazuma stepped onto the teleporter, warping to the Egg Corridor. "Alright, now Sue?"
"Yeah Jack?" Sue asked.
"We'll need to round up everyone remaining in the village." Jack responded. "We'll get them evacuated on board the dragon."
"Wait, really?" Sue asked.
"We may not be able to save everyone, but we can at least try to save as many as we can." Jack spoke, taking Sue's hand. "Are you with me?"
Sue would nod. "Toroko would want this."
"I shall come along as well." Professor Booster said, finishing something on the jetpack before repacking the cube and stuffing it into his pocket. "No need for you two to do all the handiwork."
Jack would nod. "Then let's ge-" He was interrupted as a loud smashing sound came from outside. "What is san hill was that?!"
"We should go see." Sue said, before the three rushed out the door to see Misery, back to them, merely waving her staff before the last of the Mimiga in the village disappeared.
"And that..." She spoke, a smirk on her face. "Should be the last of the little ankle biters."
"You witch!" Sue yelled, grabbing the attention of the female as she whirled around, a flame in her eyes.
"You..." Misery growled. "You've caused me so much pain... you and your damn name, and how long you've managed to keep getting away. Just. Out. Of. My. Grasp." Her eye would visibly be twitching. "I'm gonna-"
"Do nothing of the sort." Booster spoke, stepping forward in front of Sue and Jack.
"Professor, what are you-" Sue started before he interrupted.
"Just run you two." Booster spoke. "I'll handle this."
Jack would nod, taking Sue's hand and dragging her off towards the Assembly Hall higher in the village. Professor Booster would then turn back to Misery. "Now, as you were saying?"
Misery looked like she was about to blow a gasket, she was seething. "I've had enough of you and your bullshit. First you escape from the Plantation, then you help that little robot brat and his fawning circuit-brained girlfriend to try and stop us, and now, you have the gall, nay, the nerve, to stand up to me when I could merely kill you with just a flash of my staff?"
"In a word, yes." Booster responded, holding his position as Misery seemed to grow even angrier.
"I... LOATHE your continued existence." Misery growled. "And I know exactly how to kill you, you little rat. The Labyrinth will decide your fate." She would point her staff at Professor Booster, an enraged look in her eyes. "Now. DIE." A flashing lightning bolt would fly from her staff, striking Professor Booster and making him disappear. A cruel grin of satisfaction appeared on Misery's face as she turned to where the other two Mimiga ran off to. "And now for you two..."
Sue and Jack would be hiding in the fireplace of the hall, the fire having been put out into smoldering embers as the two Mimigas cowered in the small space, tears starting to form in Sue's eyes as she clamped them shut, whimpering in fear. Jack would comfort the female Mimiga... until the fireplace was blasted open, revealing none other than the witch herself.
"Now..." Misery spoke, a cruel look in her eyes. "Where were we?"
Quote would tense up as the two scout robots would reach the bottom of the stairs, stepping onto a diagonal ramp lift, it's platform wide and made of stone. Curly would pull the switch at the side, the platform slowly descending down to the volcanic desert's floor. Quote would approach the edge of the platform, staring out over the the dunes and pools of lava, the lavafalls still descending from the ceiling as the embers rose.
"You feeling a bit nervous about this?" Curly said, catching Quote off guard as the blonde female walked up next to him.
"A bit." Quote spoke. "Not exactly comfortable about trudging around an area that could melt us down at any second..."
"Hey, relax." Curly said. "Just stick close, and we'll get through here with no problem." She winked at the end of that statement, and Quote couldn't tell if it was for flattery or she knew something. He got his Polar Star at the ready as Curly drew her Machine Gun, the platform locking in place at a loading dock at the bottom sandfloor. Both Quote and Curly would take a step onto the sand, and Quote would soon get a scope of the entirety of this lower section; massive stone and ruins would be protruding out of the lava itself, forming as it was a series of platforms leading above the desert floor. The red-orange glow would be intense down here, the rising embers at their fullest as they rose into the air. Fireballs themselves would be flung in a slow arcing motion, going over the desert sands as the crashed down into other parts of the lava. Massive chains connected to cogs and winding crankshafts in the ceiling would hang, dipping into the lava at several points through the area.
Quote readied his nerves as he and Curly soon took their steps into the desert sands. Thankfully for them, the heat of the lava and desert wouldn't affect them all that much as they trekked throughout the sweltering area.
"No wonder most of the monsters here are skeletal based." Quote spoke to himself. "I don't think anything could survive in the lava heat down here..."
"Unless you're one of the Armordillos down here." Curly spoke.
"Armor wha-GUAAAH!" Quote yelled as one had surfaced right from underneath him, the gigantic beige shell hiding the green body with a toughened skin. "Ooof..."
"These fellas." Curly said, lightly petting the side of the Armordillo, in which the creature replied with a happy growl. "They're docile for the most part, and only one of the living creatures to survive going into the lava."
"I see..." Quote said, head still dizzy as the Armordillo started trudging along the sand, Curly hopping up on top. "So... how long are we gonna be on this thing for?"
"At least until the Skullwalkers go by." Curly spoke, which gave her a response of a raised eyebrow from Quote.
"Jenka mentioned something about that. What are those?" He asked. He'd get his answer soon enough as a group of four or five of the elongated crocodile skulls on pillar-like bone legs trudged past them, their walking movements rather herky-jerk as they plodded alone.
"Those things." Curly spoke. "Usually highly aggressive to anything else in the Sand Zone. They don't bother with the Armordillos since they know they're not penetrating it's shell or hide with their teeth.."
"How high of a cognitive thought process do those things have, since, y'know..." Quote asked.
"Well, not very high..." Curly said, keeping her Machine Gun at the ready. "But there's one monster down here who's extremely cunning..."
Quote would draw his Polar Star, his fingers twitching a bit as his eyes darted from shadow to shadow...
"Move, now!" Curly yelled, leaping off the Armordillo as Quotedid the same, a large bony creature blasting up through the sand and overthrowing the Armordillo into a nearby lava pool. Quote would roll on the ground before taking aim and firing at the beast, the shots bouncing off it like it was nothing.
"Dust Stalkers. Things are impervious for the most part, and their bones they throw can fracture a human skull." Curly said, aiming her Machine Gun. "Aim for the gem in the center of their ribcages! That'll stop 'em!"
Quote would nod, dodge-rolling out of the way before opening fire and unloading a cylinder of energy bullets into the hulking skeleton's chest. The creature roared before throwing a flurry of bones at Quote. The robot would dodge out of the way before Curly followed up with a barrage of Machine Gun fire right into the creature's chest, shattering the gem and causing it to collapse.
Quote would pant heavily before looking over to Curly, who flashed him a thumbs-up. "You're getting quite the hang of this!"
"Heh... thanks." Quote commented back before looking ahead... and seeing their route coming to a dead end, aside from what appeared to be several massive cogs attatched to some sort of mechanism that stretched to the ceiling. "But how are we gonna get any further? The path runs out here."
"Ah, but that's where the fun begins!" Curly said. "See that mechanism?"
"Yeah?" Quote asked, looking at the large cog wall. "What about it?"
"Help me get it set into place." The female scout replied, rushing over and trying to push one of the larger cogs into place. Quote would shrug before he walked over an helped Curly, slowly but surely the two pushing the cog would lock it into place as the rest of the ancient gears started to creak and groan. The chains dipped in the lava started to move as they started to raise up towards the ceiling. Quote was initially confused... before his jaw dropped upon seeing the chains lifting up massive slabs of earth from the molten rock, the terrain glowing red hot from its lava bath. Along with it were several stone bridges lowering from the ceiling, connecting the sandy area with the gigantic earth slab.
Curly merely grinned. "Impressed?" She said, starting to walk across the hot stone bridge to the island. "C'mon, that dog isn't gonna find itself!" Quote would hesitate before starting to walk along the stone bridge to the risen earth slab. The ground was still giving off a bit of an orange glow from the two robots traversed the area of risen rock... that is, until a reading came up on Quote's end.
/LIFE TANK DETECTED IN VICINITY
Quote was caught off guard. It had been quite a fair amount of time since he had gotten the last one he had gotten back in the Bushlands, so he wasn't really expecting there to be another one nearby by this point. His eyes darted as he looked around to try and find where the Life Capsule would be... as well as getting a confused look from Curly.
"Uhhh, Quote?" Curly asked, putting a hand on her hip as she looked at the male scout confusedly. "Your sensors over there okay buddy?"
"Hold on..." Quote spoke, still looking around... before noticing the abandoned metal house on the earthen slab the two were walking, just a bit aways from them. And of course, Quote would be picking up the Life Capsule detection from in there. Without another word, Quote would be heading off in the direction of the house, much to the annoyance of Curly.
"Where are you going?" She asked, giving pursuit after the robot as he soon disappeared into the abandoned house.
The house was dark. Really dark, with small drips of molten rock coming from the ceiling. Even when Quote had activated his optic's lighting function, it was still pitch-black inside the area. He sighed to himself. 'Guess this is just gonna be a blind stumble...' He thought to himself as he started looking through the inside of the house, that is, until he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Quote, are you seriously okay?" Curly asked. "You're kinda worrying me with this whole walking off episode you're having."
"Huh?" Quote asked. "I'm fine Curly. My scanner just picked up something."
"What?" Curly asked.
"Could it be this you are looking for, soldier boy?" A familiar reptilian voice said, causing the two of them to freeze up as a shiver ran down their mechanical spines. Quote would look over to see a familiar green hooded figure emerging from the shadows, toothy grin and all, with the Life Capsule in hand.
"How did..." Quote started, before Cthulhu cut him off.
"This is my abode." Cthulhu spoke, still showing that toothy grin. "Do you not like it?"
"But I thought..." Quote spoke, now completely confused.
"I have many abodes, soldier." He spoke, before seeing Curly. "And I see you've reunited with your blonde pal as well."
"Blonde pal?" Curly asked, before looking at Quote. "Quote what the hell is he talking about?"
"Curly, your guess is as good as mine." Quote said, shuddering before looking back to the figure. "Can I just have that please?"
"You want it?" Cthulhu asked, holding out the Life Capsule in front of Quote. The boy robot would reach out for it before Cthulhu pulled it away. "It's yours my friend, so long as you can answer my riddle."
"Oh joy, limerick puzzles, my favorite." Curly sarcastically commented. Cthulhu seemed to ignore her comment as he started to speak again.
"Eye of red, eye of white,
Filled with hatred is his plight,
Saw his own kingdom burn,
Misses home and can't return.
Sealed by his sister in the sky,
After the kingdom's end was nigh,
She couldn't bring to end his life,
Needs two others to end this strife.
Created the Crown from his begging niece,
Cursed her for until his heart shall cease,
Eye of Red, eye of white,
Sealed away to await his smite.
What am I?"
Cthulhu had finished the limerick only to observe a completely baffled Quote and Curly. Both robots would be trying to make sense of the riddle before Quote dragged Curly to the side.
"You have any idea what he means by that?" Quote asked.
Curly shook her head. "There's nothing coming up in my memories or mind about anything with a red eye and a white eye."
"Not even anything about any other part of the rhyme?" Quote asked.
"Well..." Curly spoke, thinking a bit. "Wait... didn't Jenka mention something about Misery having an uncle?"
"I do remember that..." Quote spoke, thinking. " 'Created the Crown from his begging niece...' maybe the niece is Misery?"
"Maybe..." Curly thought, before a lightbulb went off in her head. "Wait... remember what that witch said right before we got attacked by that gigantic mech? 'So long as I'm attached to this damn Crown's curse...' meaning it was Misery's uncle who made the Crown!"
"So by elimination... Jenka would be the sister?" Quote asked.
"It's the only shot we have at this point." Curly spoke, before looking back to the hooded lizardman.
"So..." Cthulhu spoke. "You have an answer?"
Curly would nod. "Is it Jenka's brother?" She asked.
Cthulhu was silent for a bit... then he grinned. "I was looking for more of a name... but you are correct nonetheless." He spoke, tossing the Life Capsule to Quote, who caught it after a bit of fumbling. "Remember that riddle. It would serve you well to do so..." He spoke, before reverting back into the shadows again.
Curly was... unnerved after the whole ordeal. "Let's get out of this thing."
"Agreed." Quote spoke as he just finished the process of the Life Capsule integration, the two leaving the house without a moment's hesitation.
"Alright then..." Quote spoke. "So, we keep looking?"
Curly nodded, before the two went deeper into the volcanic desert...
It wasn't long before the two seemed to come across another large chain mechanism again as they neared the end of the Sand Zone. Across from them in the large expanse of lava was what appeared to be the roof of some sort sitting in the lava, four chains around unspecified points where the ground would be. Sleeping in the middle of the roof-like structure would be a beige-furred puppy, a brown patch of fur over its left eye and brown furred ears.
"Well, looks like that's our missing dog." Quote said. "Let's get this thing raised and grab it before we have more trouble."
Curly nodded in response as the two walked over to the mechanism, beginning to push the large cog into place. However, they soon stopped when Quote saw a familiar rectangular figure out of the corner of his eye...
"Shoot, we've got company." Quote said. "We need to hide."
Curly would nod, the two abandoning the large mechanism and ducking behind a large stalagmite just as Balrog and Misery landed down near the mechanism.
"So, this is it?" Misery spoke, looking out over the sunken area of the roof. "Hmph, seems mother tried to release the place back into the lava to prevent the flowers from being obtained." A small cruel grin appeared on her face. "Not like that's stopping us, however. Now, raise it."
"Right." Balrog said, using his massive stature to push the cog into place as the mechanism spurred to life, the large warehouse-like object rising out of the fiery sea as the molten rock dripped off its sides. Larger stone scaffolds lined the outside of the building as it clanked to a stop, a stone bridge leading to the entrance of the warehouse.
Misery smiled. "Right where it would be." She spoke, before looking at Balrog. "Now then, all we need to do is get the key from my mother and notify the Doctor, and everything should be set into place."
"Ehm, about that." Balrog spoke. "Auntie Jenka apparently... lost the key."
Misery deadpanned. "What."
"Well..." Balrog spoke. "I went to Jenka's earlier to get the key and she had said she had lost it in the Sand Zone a while back! It could be anywhere in the desert, or even worse, it's in the lava!"
Misery would growl, pinching her forehead. "Balrog you... you fucking idiot..." She cursed under her breath. "Don't you realize she might have lied to you?!"
"She did?" Balrog asked, confused.
"Look at it this way." Misery spoke. "If we're serving under a new master, of course she wouldn't allow us to get the key to the Warehouse because she'd be actively against the idea of the new master succeeding! She's probably got the key hidden back at her house somewhere!"
Balrog would stand there for a second... then the dots would connect and he'd stamp the ground in anger. "Why that!"
"Now go back there, and find that key!" Misery growled. "I'll get the Doctor for the grand opening of the Warehouse." Balrog nodded before he lept up, his small nub arms turning into wings as he flew off back in the direction of Jenka's house. Misery would then warp out of the area as Quote and Curly came out from behind the stalagmite.
"This is bad!" Curly spoke. "One of us needs to go help Jenka!"
"I'll focus on getting Nene," Quote said, taking off up the bridge to the Warehouse. "You get back and help Jenka before that soap box does too much damage!"
Curly would nod, turning and making a break for it back to Jenka's house as Quote ascended the stone scaffolding with little hesitation, soon reaching the top and finding the sleeping puppy on top. Keeping quiet, he soon knelled down and lightly petted the canine's head. Slowly it woke up, before looking up at Quote with its sleepy eyes and making light dog sounds. Quote would smile, soon hoisting the dog up with him and having it hold onto his back. Now he just needed to find his way back to the other end of the Sand Zone...
Thankfully for him, he'd have a lucky bread as a large group of green-feathered birds would be flying low over the Warehouse off in the direction of Jenka's house. He lept up and grabbed one by the legs, soon heading straight for Jenka's house...
The elderly woman would be busy with another mixture of Life Pot siphoning through the tubes of the setup before Balrog burst through the door again, this time without his cheery catchphrase as he glared at Jenka.
"Where is it Auntie?" He said.
"Where's what now?" Jenka merely replied, not turning around.
"The key to the warehouse!" Balrog yelled, angrily stamping his foot. "I know you have it auntie, you lied to me! Now hand it over!"
Jenka would sigh. "Balrog..." She spoke, turning to face the large box-thing. "I've already told you I don't have the key. What more do I need to tell you than that?"
"You're lying, I know it!" Balrog said, slamming into a wall as several large pots and ornaments fell to the ground, liquid splattering everywhere, the box then looking through the rubble. "I'll find that key even if I bring the house down!"
"Balrog, I really don't see that necessary..." Jenka spoke, before Balrog smashed into another wall, knocking down another set of pots and ornaments.
"It'll be necessary until I find that key!" Balrog said, looking to take a running charge into the massive brewing setup the Jenka was standing in front of. He would then charge, as if he was about to flatten Jenka... before being struck in the back by a searing shot, stumbling forward and faceplanting onto the ground. He soon got up and looked behind him to see none other than a Curly Brace, panting heavily and holding a different gun, grey in color with blue accents, a green orb seated at the back of the barrel. Her Machine Gun rested on her hip holster as she glared daggers at the box-thing.
"Alright, now unless you wanna leave like swiss cheese, I suggest you back off." Curly growled, aiming the gun straight at the face of the hulking beast. "Grade-A stock Nemesis. Able to tear through most solids with ease and deals a hell of a lot of damage. And it stings. Painfully." Her vision narrowed as she stared down the creature. "Now back. Off."
Balrog would start to move away from Jenka... until Quote had ran through the door, slipping on some of the spilled liquid and crashing into Curly, both robots collapsing to the floor in a heap as the dog still asleep on top of the pile. Soon enough the dog would slowly awake as it looked around, a key around it's neck...
"Ah, there it is!" Balrog said, waddling over and grabbing the key off the dog's collar, the dog whimpering in response. "I'll be taking that, thank you!"
"No, wait!" Curly said as Balrog took off out of the residence, the two scrambling for the entrance. "Shoot, he's gone!"
"The Warehouse." Quote said, his fists clenching. "We've got to get after him before he gets those flowers!"
"Wait you two!" Jenka yelled, the two robots looking to her as she held two small jars in her hands. "These Life Pots. Take them. If they are true about this new master, he wields an artifact of grave power, and is not to be underestimated."
Quote and Curly would nod. "We won't let them get away with this!" Curly said before she and Quote took off for the Warehouse. Soon enough another flock of the green birds would be flying towards the Warehouse, and Curly got an idea.
"Grab onto the talons of those Terrorkeets!" Curly yelled, jumping up and grabbing the legs of the massive bird. Quote nodded before doing the same, holding on for dear life as the massive birds flew off in the direction of the Warehouse.
"I forgot to mention!" Jenka yelled to the two robots from the entrance to her house. "Those Life Pots won't work on an enraged Mimiga!"
Quote would note the detail as the gigantic birds flew past several lava geysers spewing up from the pools, the robots barely managing to dodge on their avian rides, Stalactites were the worst of the obstacles, several of the Terrorkeets crashing into them as they closed in on the Warehouse.
"Our drop zone's comin' up Quote!" Curly yelled to the male robot. "You ready?!"
Quote would nod, readying to release his grip as the roof of the Warehouse came into view...
"NOW!" Curly yelled as she released her grip, as did Quote before they dropped, landing feet-first on the top of the Warehouse as their legs servos shook inside their bodies.
"Oooof..." Quote spoke. "That one might have been a bit too hard for my legs..."
"We can worry about that later!" Curly said, rushing for the edge of the roof near the entrance. "We'll deal with the Doctor first then... who the hell is that?"
"Huh?" Quote asked, rushing to the edge to see a cloaked Mimiga with a sword rushing towards the entrance to the Warehouse. He wouldn't click immediately in Quote's head, but upon seeing that scar on his muzzle...
"King?!" Quote said in shock as the Mimiga ran into the open Warehouse entrance. Not long after that Quote and Curly dropped down to in front of the entrance.
"Oh no..." Quote said.
"What's wrong?" Curly asked.
"King's gonna be a goner, that's what! We need to get moving!" Quote said, drawing his Polar Star.
Curly nodded in response, drawing her Machine Gun as the two ran into the Warehouse...
"Well, most amusing..." The familiar shape of the Doctor said, standing at the far end of the Warehouse as he looked over the rest of the space, sparsely scattered with the blood-red hibiscus themselves. "I would have though there would have been more."
"It won't matter, mi'lord." Misery said, bowing. "We have more than enough seeds to start the harvest in the Plantation. Rest assured that with what we have, we'll even have extras should we find more Mimiga."
"Well, save those extras." The Doctor spoke, fixing his glasses. "I wish to examine them for... research purposes."
"Understood, mi'lord." Misery spoke.
"As a test however..." The Doctor spoke. "We should see how these hibiscus have their... arcane properties."
"Shall I offer myself up as a test subject?" Misery asked.
"Of course not. You're far more useful than to be used as merely a guinea pig for an experiment like this." The man spoke, starting to smile wide. "Let us use a Mimiga instead."
Misery grinned widely. "Excellent idea, mi'lord!" Misery spoke, soon waving her staff as a familiar small green-vested Mimiga materialized, faceplanting onto the ground.
"Oww..." Toroko whimpered, getting up before looking around. "Where..."
"Hey." Misery said, causing Toroko to turn around to see the witch was literally within an inch of her face, her red eyes staring into Troko's black ones. "Boo."
"E-eep!" Toroko squealed, lumping and running away for the exit... had not Balrog dropped down and knocked her away.
"Ay, why are you running?" Balrog spoke, blocking the Mimiga's path.
"Careful you idiot!" Misery hissed. "We're using her to test one of the Hell's Hibiscus, not as a entrant for a pancake contest! Now make her eat one of them!"
Balrog would merely waddle over to Toroko, grabbing one of the hibiscus, before trying to stuff it into her mouth. The Mimiga would panic, trying to hold back the box-thing's fin arm with merely her own tiny arms.
"P-please! Don't!" She screamed, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"Just eat it!" Balrog countered.
"N-NO!" Toroko screamed, now fully crying. "I-I don't wanna die!"
"Just eat the flower!" Misery hissed. This would persist for a few more minutes until Toroko's strength weakened, her starting to pant before Balrog's fin would stuff the flowers into her mouth.
"STOP!" A voice yelled as King burst into the Warehouse, sword primed before he slashed it straight into Balrog's back. The strike alone was more than enough to cause the massive box-thing to smoke and spaz out before retreating through the ceiling. The Mimiga would then rushed for the other fallen Mimiga. "Toroko, are you okay? Speak to me! Say anything!"
But King was already too late. As soon as the female Mimiga opened her eyes his hopes had been dashed; they were red.
"K-King...?" Toroko moaned in pain. "H-Hurts... It hurts..."
King would then look onwards at the Doctor and Misery, his rage growing once again. "You!" He yelled, pointing his sword directly at the Doctor. "You bastard!"
"Well, I prefer the name, 'Master' or just simply, 'The Doctor', but it won't matter in the long run for you... I must say, it's a pleasure to finally meet this 'leader' of these creatures, if you will." The Doctor said, merely leaning forward as if he was examining him. "Tell me, pray tell... what do you intend to do with that pitiful blade of yours?"
"I'll bathe this Blade in your blood!" King roared as he charged forward, the sharp metal ready for striking.
"Allow me, mi'lord." Misery spoke, before firing a lightning spell at the Mimiga. However she was soon caught off guard when he had dodged the strike with relative ease, soon slashing across her midriff with the blade itself. Misery growled in pain before warping a few feet away, throwing a series of lightning blasts at King. The Mimiga would then charge at her again, the sword striking away the projectiles before the sharp metal embedded itself into Misery's shoulder blade. The witch yelled in pain as she warped away again before collapsing onto the floor from her own pain.
"H-how?!" Misery growled, holding her wounded shoulder. "How the hell are you so strong without having eaten the hibiscus?!"
"Hmph, the joke's on you!" King growled, lunging for the Doctor, blade primed for striking. "I have already consumed one!"
The Doctor merely fixed his glasses before an electrical blast shot from the Crown, striking King square in the chest and knocking him to the far end of the Warehouse. "...hmph, interesting. He claims to have eaten the flowers, yet he has not become frenzied... This may require some tests..." His train of thought was then interrupted as the two scout robots burst into the Warehouse, weapons drawn and aimed at the Doctor. Curly in particular looking rather seething, with Quote keeping his anger reserved as he kept his sights on the man.
"Ah... and you two must be the little resistance my servants have been telling me about. Two soldiers from the surface... hmph, no wonder they have been struggling against opponents such as yourself." The Doctor would then give a smug grin as he held his hands out to the side. "However, I see no need to dirty my own hands at this situation. My new assistant will take care of this, won't you?" With that, he'd disappear right as Quote had fired a shot right at his head, the energy bullet striking the wall behind where he was standing.
"Damn it!" Curly yelled, before rushing over to the collapsed Toroko on the ground. "Hey, hey, are you alright?"
"R... r..." Toroko tried to sputter out.
"What?" Curly spoke.
"R-run!" Toroko cried, looking up at Curly with the blood-red eyes as tears were streaming down her face. Curly backed off as the hibiscus started to take effect, the Mimiga starting to grow to nearly four times its size as its eyes became blood-red, letting out a guttural roar at the two bots.
"Curly, you tend to King!" Quote said, getting in front of the female robot, his Polar Star aimed directly at the frenzied creature.
"But-"
"I'll handle Toroko, just do it!" Quote said, keeping his pistol locked on to the enraged Mimiga as she lept up into the air, throwing a block of stone at Quote. The robot would dodge-roll out of the way of the block crashing to the ground. The robot gritted his teeth as he unloaded a cylinder of energy bullets into the frenzied Toroko's back. The beast roared in response as it lunged at Quote again, holding two blocks in her hands to crush him. Quote just barely managed to dodge-roll out of the way in time before the weight of the frenzied creature and the blocks crashed down where he was moments ago, cracking the floor under its weight. The Mimiga growled, lumbering towards Quote as the scout robot unloaded another cylinder of energy bullets into the chest of the beast, but that seemed to do no more than slightly hurting it and causing it to grow angry. The Mimiga lunged for Quote... before being blasted to the side, just narrowly missing being stomped on. Quote would look over to see Curly, Nemesis in her hand, having fired a shot to save him. Quote nodded before turning his attention back to the Mimiga, now just getting back up from the Nemesis shot as it stamped the floor in rage.
A large block would drop from the ceiling, landing in the Mimiga's giant paws as it was ready to throw the massive brick at Quote. The robot boy had a lightbulb go off as he holstered his Polar Star and pulled out the Missile Launcher, taking aim at the massive block on the Mimiga's paw, and the pulled the trigger.
He had forgotten he had the Missile Launcher do a burst fire.
The Missiles would careen towards the block, bursting it apart in the frenzied cretaure's hands as the other Missiles collided with the beast itself, blowing it backwards onto the ground. It laid there for a minute before it got back up, rage strewn across its face as it lunged for Quote, trapping him under its massive hulk as it gnashed its teeth at him, trying to make a meal of his metal face. Quote would struggle under the weight of the frenzied Mimiga, desperately trying to reach for one of his guns as the gnashing teeth grew closer...
...then was in for a shock when the beast was thrown to the side off of him, the robot boy looking over to see Curly, panting heavily with her Nemesis still smoking from the recently fired shot. Quote would shakily get to his feet as the Mimiga started to shrink back to the smaller form she had. Quote scrambled over to the poor girl, picking her up in his arms. "T...Toroko?" He hesitantly asked.
"M... M-Mister robot?" Toroko managed to choke out, a thin trail of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. "I-is that you?"
"C'mon Toroko, stay with me..." Quote said, trying to hold back the wetness starting to well up in his eyes.
"I... I c-can't f-f-feel my... my b-body..." Toroko choked out, her limbs starting to go limp as tears started to fall from her eyes. "Hurts... i-i-it hurts..."
"T...Toroko?" Quote spoke.
A small sad smile would appear on Toroko's face. "A-at least... I-I get t... to see... b-big... b-b-brother... a... a... ag... gain..." But with that, the poor Mimiga drew her last breath, the light in her eyes fading as her entire body went limp in Quote's arms. Quote would shed a tear as he took his fingers and closed the Mimiga's eyelids for her, gently setting her down onto the bed of red flowers; the ones that took her life.
"Nnnnggh..." Another voice would say as Quote looked over, seeing King struggling to get up.
"King..." Quote said, rushing over to him and kneeling next to the fallen Mimiga. "A-are you..."
King merely shook his head. "That blast... hit me too good..." He panted, moving his paw to show the charred fur and flesh that the lightning blast struck on him. Curly visibly winced at the sight as King looked back up to Quote, handing him his sword. "I-I'm not gonna make it kid... take my blade... and give that bastard hell, would ya?"
Quote would somberly nod, taking the sword from the Mimiga as a small sad smile appeared on King's face.
"The whole island's countin' on you kid..." He choked out. "D-don't let 'em down..."
Quote nodded one last time before the light left King's eyes, meaning his life had left him. Sheathing the sword to his side, Quote picked up the Mimiga and carried him over to next to Toroko, lying him down next to the smaller Mimiga. It wasn't a proper burial, but to Quote, it was at least the best way to at least honor their deaths for the time being.
Curly was still silent, just merely watch Quote with sad eyes as he laid King next to Toroko. "So..." She finally spoke. "What do we do now?"
Quote said nothing as he thought over what else they could do left. Destroying the hibiscus ended in a catastrophic failure, the Doctor had managed to escape without so much as even a scratch on him, and now Toroko, the Mimiga he had set out to rescue from the man... no, the monster... was now dead, along with King. To Quote, he's literally hit a dead-end in terms of any sort of progression on what he'd do with Curly...
Sue... the thought of her reaction to find out her friend Toroko, her only friend she's had in the village ever since she arrived on the island... it hurt Quote. Sue would be devastated...
And then Quote had thought of a horrible realization. What was going on at the village while everyone was gone? Were they going to be okay? What if...
"...Quote?" Curly asked again, concerned about his lack of response to her.
Quote's fists would tighten as he looked out the entrance to the Warehouse. "We find the Doctor." He spoke, cocking the Polar Star. "And we don't rest until he's dead."
Curly's optics would flash with a new found determination as she brandished her Machine Gun, the two starting to walk out of the Warehouse with a newfound determination inside them, one that wasn't there before.
But whatever their plan was, it came crashing down in about two seconds after leaving the Warehouse.
"HUZZAH! EMERGIS EXMORTIS!"
Without any time to react Quote and Curly were caught next to a harsh explosion, throwing the two into a sprawl on the ground as they lost consciousness. Balrog would be leaping with glee from the center of the blast zone, clearly the cause of it.
"It worked! I can't believe it worked!" The box-thing said as Misery warped in.
"Well, about time you did something useful for once." Misery commented, looking at the two unconscious scout robots. "And to think these little tin cans are being a massive thorn in our side... then again, maybe we should have expected this, considering who they are."
"So what's the plan? We throw them into the lava right now while they're unconscious?" Balrog said, looking to Misery.
"..." Misery seemed to be in deep thought, thinking something over before a lightbulb went off in her head. "Actually... I have a better idea."
"Eh?"
"I'll send them to the Labyrinth." Misery spoke, smirking. "It'll be perfect."
"How so?" Balrog asked, confused.
"Look at it this way." Misery said, her grin growing. "If they can't find the way forward, they'll be stuck down there until their circuits short out and they die. However..." She winked. "If they manage to get out, this could be our lucky break."
"Well... I guess it could work?" Balrog asked, confused.
"And just to make sure of it, I want you to go along with them." Misery spoke, the gem on her staff starting to glow red.
"Wait wha-" Was all Balrog said before Misery warped all three of them to the Labyrinth. She smiled at her handiwork, soon warping back to the Doctor's lair to give him the news...
洞窟物語
Cave Story: The Demon Crown Saga
Chapter 4 End