"Steel, where are we going?" I inquired. "Good question Flint. I have a contact that hangs around Club Titiboo. He usually has useful information and a whole list of current bounties. As far as bounties are concerned he almost always has a lot of their information, their last known location, and most importantly, their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies. Anyways, I'm hoping he has information on the Pigmasks. But before we go see him, we need to find a certain someone in the Chimera Lab. I'm sure it'll be a joyful experience going in there," Steel said. "Who is this certain someone you speak of?" "You'll find out."
We arrived at the Chimera Lab and headed off towards the elevator, of course stumbling upon several chimeras and needing to run or beat them into submission. We refused to kill any of these poor creatures. But once we made it into the hallway of the elevator, I saw a large red creature I could only assume was another chimera. For whatever reason I decided to pull out my revolvers and then shot at it, which seemed to annoy it. Steel yanked me down the hallway. "What did you shoot at it for?!" Steel demanded. "Well it turned and looked at us as if it was going to kill us so why not? This is self-defense!" "Agh, come on Flint you know better than that! That's the Ultimate Chimera, the single most powerful among them all! It cannot be defeated by any means… at least not with conventional weapons. That makes it unstoppable." Steel let go of me and opened up a door, and then we both hurriedly ran into the room, closing the door behind us. "It may bash on the door a bit but I don't think it'll do that for too long. The good news is that the thing doesn't know how to open a door. I guess I might need to mention how imperative it is that we stay quiet. Anything living that attracts its attention is in peril of being eaten alive, to put it nicely. It shows no remorse." "Sounds like one hell of a creature." "Yeah, it is. That chimera has an off switch but for some reason there's this bird that rides on it. I've heard that it'll just flip the switch back on in the event it is turned off." "Great. So we kill the bird." "You think we'll be able to shoot the bird down? Yeah, that's possible. But as far as flipping that switch… no, that's impossible, not unless it gets distracted long enough for one of us to get behind it and flip the switch. We're best off avoiding it."
After a few minutes, we silently exited the room and headed back down the hallway to the elevator and went to the second floor. Once we reached the second floor, Steel led me to another room, and inside was a scientist. "I never thought I'd be seeing you again Dr. Andonuts, not until I decided I needed your help again. I also didn't think that the Pigmask ambition was still alive," Steel said. "Nice to see you too, Steel. So what do you need this time?" Dr. Andonuts asked in response. "Well… I think plain old revolvers are seriously outdated. These were passed down for generations in my family. Fortune smiled upon me and I received four of them, two of which I gave to Flint. Anyways, you think you can make something better of them? Perhaps something that doesn't shoot bullets?" "If you're suggesting I make it into some sort of laser firing weapon, I'm going to have to decline." "Doc, do you really expect me to be able to easily waltz up to King P and demand his surrender, using just these obsolete weapons?" "Well when you put it that way…" "Is it that you don't want to make weapons or are you afraid of something?" "I'm afraid of that Ultimate Chimera. That bird is bulletproof. Well… it's actually a machine. It was made for the sole purpose of making sure that the chimera's switch never stayed off." "Then I definitely need some lasers. Can you make it stronger than the standard Pigmask rifle?" "Of course, these are revolvers we're talking about. I can work out some things to make it how you want but… my lab is in the basement." "You're joking." "I'm afraid not." "Then we have some running to do. Stay as close as a shadow." The three of us exited the room and went back down to the first floor.
"That thing is getting closer! Steel, what are we going to do?" I exclaimed at the top of my lungs. "We're almost there! Don't slow down yet!" he shouted in reply. We finally reached a large room full of bones and other things of other creatures, included what I assumed were models of some creatures. We went through the door on the right and found an elevator to the basement. "I think we'll be safe from here," Dr. Andonuts stated. Once we were in the basement, he led us to a separate hidden room, which he called his lab. "It's the same as it always has been… Well, you can hand me your revolvers then. I'll get to work. It may take a while to upgrade these, but I'll let you know as soon as it's done," he said, taking our guns. "And how shall you be able to do so?" Steel inquired. "I'll have a carrier pigeon deliver the notice. Where should I send it?" When Dr. Andonuts mentioned using a carrier pigeon, I couldn't help but think of the last time I received a note from a carrier pigeon, and consequently, I thought of Hinawa. "Send it to Old Man Wess's house in Tazmily," Steel commanded. "And mine too," I chimed in. The good doctor nodded, and then we exited the basement, headed off to Club Titiboo.
"That didn't go as I hoped. It seems he has limited information on what to do to get rid of the Pigmasks. If I wanted a bloodbath, this whole ordeal would've been a closed case one way or another, but I don't want to go out on a rampage just to kill god knows how many people who were probably coerced or brainwashed," Steel said. "Yeah… it seems he hardly knew as much as we do," I replied. "The good news is that he did give us the location of a high ranking Pigmask, one that should have plenty of information to get. We'll retreat to my hideaway for now. I have some other weapons we can use to persuade that colonel… just be wary, for this might be an interesting fight. You've never faced off with a higher ranking Pigmask troop." "We can just ask for help from Lucas, Kumatora, Wess, Duster, or any combination of them." "Not a chance. I don't want more people to look out for. We can handle it on our own. The fewer people I bring with me the lower amount of them end up dead. I don't think both of us will end up dead in this conquest to stop Porky but anything can happen. So, I don't want Tazmily left without any powerful defenders. Your son has the ability of PK Love, and he can use it to its full power. That's not something we want to deprive of Tazmily. On top of that, we have a princess that has a whole horde of PSI abilities of various types, like your son; furthermore, she's as much a formidable foe as he is. Duster and Wess are definitely no lesser opponents. They'll be enough to make sure that nothing happens to Tazmily in our absence. You never know what comes next with Pigmasks. Now, let's get back before it turns dark. Pigmasks tend to enjoy late night hunting, and you can guess what they hunt."
When we returned to Steel's place, he pulled out some knives, clubs, hammers, staffs, nightsticks, and a couple swords. "Take your pick," Steel said. I chose the staff and a couple of knives. "That's a wise choice, Flint. I expected you to pick a staff anyways. That's why I got them out." "So we have our weapons that we'll use, what do we do now?" "We rest. When the sun rises we will be off on our not so merry way my good friend. I want an early start only so that we have time to get to him before dark. Besides, we'll have to drag his lowlife body a long way. We aren't going out there to kill him since we're going out there for what he knows, and we'll also be turning him in alive. Actually, I'll be doing that last part, but of course, you will get your share; it'll be an even split." "Sounds like a plan. I'll head off home."
We arrived at Tanetane Island and had begun our search for this Pigmask colonel. "How do you expect us to drag him to wherever you're taking him?" I questioned. "There was a Magypsy that lived here named Mixolydia, or otherwise referred to as Missy. Missy had a faithful assistant, for lack of a better term, named Ocho. Ocho may seem to be a mere octopus but he is actually good at transporting people… so I've seen. Your son and his companions once wound up on this island, and they returned to Tazmily with the help of Ocho. I assume that he decided to return to Tanetane Island afterwards, even though Missy's needle was already pulled, causing Missy to vanish," Steel replied. I nodded, and we continued the search.
After a long search, we found the Pigmask all alone. "Never thought I would ever have the opportunity to capture the well revered infamous Steel… and I get to take in your partner too as an added bonus," the Pigmask declared gleefully. "Huh, tough talk that is, but you know what they say: talk is cheap. Care to get this show on the road?" Steel retorted. The Pigmask used some sort of shielding device, pulled out his rifle, and then started shooting at us. Steel and I ran in separate directions, and the Pigmask continued to shoot at me. As I ran in a large circle, Steel eventually closed in on him, lunging at him with his staff. The Pigmask took a powerful blow to the side but quickly recovered and kicked Steel with a fair amount of force. Steel stumbled backwards but kept his eyes focused on the enemy, who did likewise. I took one of my knives and threw it at the Pigmask, but the shield seemed to deflect it. He turned around and shot at me, so I had to dive out of the way while Steel attacked once more with his staff. The shield began to fade away, and when I threw my other knife at our target, the shield broke. Steel and began to punish the Pigmask with several blows from our staffs until the colonel was knocked out. Once that happened, we carried him to Missy's house.
"A razor and lipstick…" Steel muttered almost inaudibly. Ocho looked at us in question when he saw us carrying the Pigmask, but he did not ask anything. "Can you take us back to Tazmily?" Steel asked. Ocho nodded, and led us to the Tanetane Island shore. Once we got there, he took us back to Tazmily. Upon arrival, Ocho bid us goodbye and headed back to Tanetane Island. "I feel sympathy for Ocho… he really cared for Missy, and Missy cared for him too. They were probably the greatest of friends… but Ocho knew that one day Missy would be gone. Let's get this guy back to Aeolia's house. Follow me, I know a shortcut that takes us away from any late night strollers," Steel said.
Once we arrived at Steel's hideaway, Steel tied up the Pigmask after removing his gear. "Ah yes… more Pigmask gear to sell to some random suspicious person, one that's probably up to no good," Steel said. I glared at him, and he looked at me as if in surrender saying, "That was a joke, Flint! I usually don't keep their gear. I have no intention to use their accursed weapons and such; I have my own. Now, let's wake him up." He pulled out a bucket full of hot water and dumped it on the Pigmask, who awoke screaming. "You're free to scream as loud as you want, but just know I'll be much more lenient with cooperation. I don't particularly like your kind, so I suggest you stay on my good side," Steel threatened.
After a while of Steel's interrogation, the Pigmask had surrendered some useful information. "I shall return, Flint. I'm porting this guy off to what may be his final destination. With any luck, it'll be a jail cell, that way he gets to spend the rest of his life there. Even before Porky came along, this guy was a menace. He had a bounty on his head for years, but he disappeared when the Pigmasks came about. I later found out what happened to him, and when my contact said something about him, I just had to go ahead and make the move. I wrote down all the important details in that journal you see on the bed. Along with what our friend here told us you'll find some other useful information I've gathered. Feel free to read it. Just make sure I get it back when you're done with it," Steel said, walking out with the Pigmask lying on his shoulder. He then headed out to his destination.
In Steel's journal I found a lot of interesting pieces of information. I was informed that Porky was in that so called Absolutely Safe Capsule, that under no circumstance can it be opened, damaged, broken, breached, or anything else, and also that anyone inside will indeed be completely safe. Living inside such a machine sounded rather boring to me. If we're lucky, this Porky will run out of food or water sometime soon. I'm sure his death will be enough to significantly contribute to disbanding the Pigmasks. The commander died in the pulling of the final needle… and he was my other son… I still cannot believe what Porky did to Claus. Anyways, there's more information he gathered. Porky hasn't been seen anywhere since the final needle was pulled, however Dr. Andonuts is still confident that Porky is still alive and has not found out a way to travel to another time. Furthermore, there's plenty chimeras of many different types, and with as many as Steel seems to say, the Pigmasks ought to have already ruled all of the Nowhere Islands… it's a wonder what keeps them from that success. I guess another noteworthy piece of information is that the commander's outfit, the former masked man's gear, is all still locked away somewhere safe, just in case they come across another powerful psychic they decide they want to make a human chimera of. That thought made my blood boil. I swore that I would avenge Claus and that I would protect Tazmily with my life, as well as keep the Pigmasks from gaining rule over all of Nowhere. The rest of the journal was mostly filled with the locations of many high ranking Pigmasks, as well as noteworthy pieces of information on them. I didn't bother to read what he gathered on those individuals.
The next day, a carrier pigeon dropped off a note right in front of my door. When I walked out the house to go find Steel, I picked up the note and saw that it was from Dr. Andonuts, just as I had expected. He stated that our "tools" are ready for use, and that they have been tested and perfected for combat. He also said that there are many more useful things about it that he'll tell us when we get there. I heard a voice call out to me, "Dad…" I turned around and saw it was Lucas. He was full of tears. I took him into my arms and embraced him tightly, and then he wanted to lead me somewhere. We arrived at the grave that was his mother's, and near it was Claus's grave. Both were decorated with several sunflowers. I wanted to say something but I was speechless. Lucas and I stayed there a while, and we heard footsteps approaching. "I heard the story of what happened to Claus… and I can't believe it. If only we could have stopped him from fighting that despicable creature…" Alec said. "We might not have been able to stop him. This may be the best it could have turned out. We might have wound up fighting it alongside him due to his ambitious and hasty nature… and may have died," I responded. "Lucas…" another voice said. It turned out to be Fuel. He brought a few sunflowers and a few omelets. "B-before… before s-she…" was all Fuel could manage to say. We accepted the omelets, and Fuel gave the saddest smile I have ever seen. "If we could have found her before they were attacked… none of this would have happened…" I said after finishing my omelet. "And perhaps Tazmily would've been worse off," Alec said. Fuel and Lucas went somewhere, and then Alec got ready to leave. "Take care, Flint… and take care of Lucas," he said. I left soon after Alec did.