Hehehe! I told y'all that this chapter would come much much faster! Yaya! Please tell me what you think. If anyone hasn't commented in a while, I would personally like to ask you to leave a review on the very last chapter and give me an over view of how the story was. What you liked, what I should work on, what I should completely obliterate.
(And don't tell me to revise and edit better. I know I need to work on it but sometimes I get to lazy :p)
Chapter 20: Dungeon
Blossom race to the edge of the woods where a dirt road led to the gates of Disoria's castle. The castle that Zorin had once lived in, but using his final moments of life, sacrificed himself and imprisoned his enemy to his once glorious home.
The gates were thick, black iron bars driven into the sides of a rocky border. A deep casm served as an endless pit beneath the drawbridge. Blossom scowled, almost able to envision all sorts of nasty death traps that awaited in the depths.
No sane person would ever venture into this domain. Goons and all sorts of weird, evil creatures lurked around in these woods, guarding the castle from heroes. Of course, Blossom and her sisters weren't sane people. Heck, they were probably the most insane teenagers on the planet, and teens are pretty insane sometimes.
A glint of green off to the right caught her attentions. Slipping the blade of her sword into its sheath to refrain the moon shining on it to bring attention to herself. She quickly moved light on her feet, and appeared in front of Buttercup.
Buttercup whipped out her dagger that was stalled to her ankle lightning quick, but Blossom absent mindedly deflected the blade. It dropped to the dirt. Buttercup growled annoyed, reclaiming her dagger from the sod. "What? Are you looking for a premature death?"
Blossom rolled her eyes, dismissing the absurd idea. "Where's Bubbles?"
Buttercup's green eyes widened. "I thought she was with you."
Blossom frowned. "How would she be with me? I took off remember?"
Buttercup's face flushed, and she averted her eyes. "I um..I heard Butch calling for me, and I went to help him. But, uh-"
"Let me guess," Blossom interjected, holding a finger up. "Brute had impersonated his voice and lead you into a trap?"
Buttercup nodded slowly. "I should've known it was a trap, but... it had sounded just like him. I even had a dream about this happening last night. If only I had remembered. . ."
"You had a dream too?" Blossom gasped, feeling like this entire charade was getting stranger and stranger
Buttercup narrowed her eyes. "Yes. She lured me to a small clearing by a stream filled with black smudge. We attacked head on. She got a few lucky shots," she gestured to a few gashes on her arm and a thin cut was across her cheek. "After a few minutes of intense fighting and cussing, she let her guard down. I got her right in the stomach, just below the ribcage. She was strongly matched, but she wasn't good enough to defeat my Hand to Hand Combat in her human form. She crumpled to the ground, and mumbled something about a curse. She was dying, so I runner her through with my sword again to put her out of her misery. I left her body there, and I ran to the edge of the woods." She stopped, and scanned her pink sister up and down. "How did you know about Brute?"
Blossom face palmed right then and there. "Berserk tricked me the same way. They were all cursed. The only weapon that could kill them were with the witch's swords that she hid away."
"How did you know that? The bewitched part, I mean?" Buttercup wondered. She blinked several times.
"Oy. I vaguely remember a book that Bubbles and I read back at the Forgotten Lore. It mentioned something about a witch who made a deal with some village man to make his daughters the most coveted in the town. But it came with a price. She cursed them to be dragons, the most wicked creature. But the hag kept her promise because dragons have the second most potent magical properties to everything found in their DNA. They were hunted, tried to be destroyed. Their father sold them to the Oracle as home security, but that was all eons ago."
"I get it now," Buttercup said, though she wasn't fully she of what the heck she was talking about. Some book or something. Suddenly, her stomach flipped and she needed some closure. "She's dead? The pink one."
Blossom nodded. "Dead."
"Then, where's Bubbles?!"
"Oh my-"
The two girls split up, whisper-shouting Bubbles' name. . , while Blossom searched around the bases of the trees. Buttercup slid down the trunk, and ran farther back the way they had come. How did she just leave her? Brat must have pulled the same thing on her.
Snap!
Buttercup froze, her heart jumping into her throat. Taking a firm grip on her dagger, she turned around to find a figure wobbling toward her. The figure was obviously a girl, and she had. . . blonde hair!
Buttercup crept closer, realizing that it was Bubbles hauling something heavy with her. Buttercup jumped out, startling Bubbles half to death. She rushed over to her younger sister, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry." She whispered tearily. "I shouldn't have left you."
Bubbles smiled, though Buttercup couldn't see. "It's alright."
"Bubbles?" Blossom called warily. Without waiting an answer, she pounced on the two, wrapping them in a big hug.
"Guys, we can't do this every time we get separated. It'll take us hours to finish this quest and we don't have hours." Bubbles choked out, someone's shoulder cutting off air from her windpipe.
Blossom pulled away. "She's right. We can't keep doing this."
Buttercup glanced at the heavy thing that Bubbles had been dragging. "Who's your friend there, Bubbles?" She had a sickly feeling it was the dead body of blond pigtailed, dragon girl.
Bubbles paled. "I really did hate her. I still do. But after I killed her. . .I couldn't have just left her there."
Blossom patted her shoulder. "I know you care. But we don't have time to offer a burial service for an enemy."
Bubbles straightened up. Her hair was gnarled and knotty even in braids, and dirt smudged her face. But her light blue eyes, eyes that looked like the reflection of a crystal clear lake, eyes that told others that she had unspeakable power, still glowed proud and strong. "Help me."
Bubbles took a grip on Brat's deep blue sleeve. Blossom and Buttercup each grabbed an ankle. Together they layed their enemy in a patch of soft green grass, and Bubbles layed down a pink, green and blue rose that had been genetically engineered and over populated the nearby vallies and woods.
Once again, they didn't cry. Blossom and Buttercup stood off to he side while Bubbles knelt beside Brat's body. She still looked pretty: her golden pigtails curled along the ground, and her stylish royal blue gown complimented her paling complexion. Her eyes were closed forever.
Bubbles frowned at her. "You were my enemy Brat. But I still forgive you."
She climbed to her feet. Without looking back, she joined her sisters by the large fallen tree. Tears were far from her violent blue eyes that still held a tinge of sadness and sweetness to them.
Blossom almost flinched at Bubbles scary expression. "Are you okay?"
Bubbles cracked her knuckles. "Disoria has Boomer. Things just got personal." She stormed forward, Buttercup and Blossom at her heels.
When they reached the edge of the woods again, the mist have gotten thicker. "What are we gonna do?" Buttercup wondered, a deep frown etched onto her lips.
"The gates are locked. One way in. One way out-" Bubbles was interrupted by the rusty grating sound of metal bars being pushed against rock. To their shock and convenience, the gate to Disoria's castle freaked open. Several zombie like monsters and greenish-gray goblins that looked a cross between a pig and a toad decked up in armor and armed with weapons marched out.
"How helpful. Now we have to watch her enormous army march out of here." Buttercup grumbled, furiously.
Bubbles growled. "This keeps getting better and better."
Blossom's eye twitched. "Buttercup," she murmured, "try controlling the mist."
"Control the mist?" Bubbles repeated.
"Think about it. Buttercup can control the Weather. If she concentrates hard, logically, she could control the water droplets in the mist and thicken it."
"Yeah. But how's that gonna help us much?" Buttercup demanded.
"You can hide us in a concentrated cloud of mist while we sneak past them. I can give us a cold aura. Bubbles can whisper to them in their language to keep moving forward." Blossom explained patiently.
Meanwhile, pig goblins and zitcoes struggled in the direction of Monshea. Blossom wanted to be done with this as soon as possible, to spar the lives of a many Monshean soldiers as possible.
"Okay." Buttercup closed her eyes, humming gently to herself. White cloud swirled around them. Blossom kissed her palm, then blew it toward the mist, enforcing it with a chilly feeling.
They moved together, and stepped into the open. If the mist idea didn't work, they would be visible and completely vulnerable. They held their breath, but the goblin/zombie army moved on.
They inched closer to the gates. The rest of the army made their way out, and the gates began to close. With a sudden jolt of panic, Buttercup blew out gently, causing a strong gust of wind to push them violently through the gate and over the draw bridge.
Bubbles banged her head against the stone wall. "Well that hurt," she muttered quietly, rubbing the back of her head and neck.
Buttercup sat up, suppressing a grin. "How flippin awesome was that!? I was like whoosh! and we were blown through the door! I didn't know I could control the wind like that!"
Blossom nodded thoughtfully. "I'm guessing that you have to be in a certain frame of mind to use your influences on Weather. Your emotions probably put you in that frame of mind. However, if you were able to reach that state without having to trigger off certain emotions—"
"Then she can create different weather patterns to our advantage without her being sad and stuff." Bubbles concluded. She felt a throbbing sensatoin on the back of her head, hoping that it would just go away.
"Exactly," Blossom agreed, rubbing at a scratch on her arm.
"Whats that smell?" A raspy voice asked. The three girls held in their breath as something moved toward them. The voice sounded like it came from something short, just around the corner of the entrance to the castle courtyard.
"Smells like fresh meet," a second breathy voice answered. Both were obviously male, and the second sounded like his voice came from closer to the ground as well. If Buttercup had to make a guess, she would assume that two of the goblin-pigs got left behind.
The first goblin gurgled, drool seeping from it's fanged mouth. "Haven't had fresh meat in decades."
"Hey! What's those?" the second goblin pulled out a javelin, trying to get closer. They were only a few feet in front of them, so Bubbles reached the realization that the goblins couldn't see very well, and the mist only messed them up more. The first goblin pulled out a bow and arrow. Bubbles' bright blue eyes zeroed in on that bow and quiver of arrows. She knew that she could be lethal if she was able to get her hands on that weapon.
Goblin number one knocked an arrow, then took a strong whiff of air. "Smells like teenage girls."
Buttercup slipped her dagger out of it's sheath, but Blossom mouthed something to her: Not yet. Buttercup exhaled as quietly as she could, her fingers curling around the blades. Goblin number two was right in her range—if she reached out, she could stab him.
"Now!" Blossom hissed. She leaped from her hiding spot, shield drawn.
"There is—" Goblin number two didn't get to finish his sentence. Buttercup lunged her blade deep into the spongy flesh of the plump goblin's stomach. Goblin two fell to the ground.
Goblin number one tried to make a break for the courtyard, huffing strained complaints. His fat, small body was no match for Bubbles' lean, and tall legs that carried her at a stride that was equal to 25 steps of the fat little demon's. She thrusted her Sword of Light through the monster's back, and the crossbread thing collapsed. Bubbles withdrew the sword, the blade covered in green goo.
Her eyes almost bugged out of her head. "That is the grossest thing ever—and I've seen alot of gross!"
"Like Butch's cooking?" Buttercup suggested, wiping her blade clean from green goo herself.
Blossom stifled a laugh because the smell was so rotten. "Worse than, if that's even possible."
Bubbles tossed her sword over to Buttercup. "Can you clean it for me? It's legit gonna make me puke."
Buttercup nodded, using the rag to wipe clean her wimpy sister's blade. "Yeah. You're looking a little green."
"Ha ha. You're hilarious." Bubbles quipped back, still woozy from the putrid smell.
Blossom took a deep breath, then approached goblin number two. She pulled back different burlaps and opened pockets, looking for any type of weapon. She found a small knife strapped to it's ankle, but it was touching his skin plus it was small to top it off, so Blossom assumed on leaving it be. Instead, she found a coroded looking key tied around it's neck, and despite what her stomach was screaming at her, she broke the chain from it's neck. "Found a key," she announced to her companions, tossing it to the ground beside Bubbles' feet.
Bubbles picked it up, weighing it down in her fingers. She frowned down at it. "Looks a little rusty, don't you think?"
"What if it is a tracking device?" Buttercup wondered, using her newly cleaned dagger as a mirror as she picked at her teeth.
"What if it opens dungeon cells?" Blossom countered, making her way too goblin number one. Bubbles bobbed her head slightly, droppping the key into a pocket in her pants. She checked the first gobling thoroughly like she had goblin two, but it had been only armed with a bow and a quiver of insane deadly arrows. She chucked the bow like a boomerang and it landed at Bubbles feet. "You're a better shooter than i am."
Bubbles frowned as Blossom dropped a bag full of arrows beside the bow. "Are you sure that you wouldn't want the bow, Bloss?"
Blossom nodded, placing a hand on the hilt of her sword protectively. "I've gotten better with a sword anyhow."
"Thanks to. . .BRICK!" Buttercup cooed all girly like, purposely trying to get on Blossom's nerves.
Blossom blushed as her frown deepened. "Shut up, Buttercup."
Bubbles slung the quiver of arrows onto her back, trying not to think how it had once belonged to scaly green pig/toad goblin monster that had green blood that smelt worse that Butch's cooking(if that was possible.) Afterall, it wasn't that big a deal right?
Buttercup nodded toward the bodies. "What do we do with them?"
Blossom gagged at the smell, her face paling from the disgusting things. "We need to get into the dungeon."
Bubbles' eyes widened in horror. "No! No! I am will not, am not pulling that thing on over my skin and pretending to be a goblin!"
"Good," Blossom affirmed, her stare a serious poker face. Buttercup and Bubbles stared at each other then at Blossom, both wearing a confused expression. Blossom stiffened as her foot kicked the body of goblin number two. "Because we need someone to feign as a prisoner."
Bubbles' eyes watered as she was pulled through the caverous halls of Disoria's castle. Getting in had proven easier than the previous thought. Two zitcoes, zombies to be more accurate, had stood guard. It was obvious that they didn't have any brains, and if they did then they had very small ones. The two guys just stood there, and when they smelt the stench of deteriorating goblin skin, they admitted them in without questions about why the goblins had miraculously grown 4 feet or how Bubbles had been captured and where to be imprisoned—whether they couldn't talk or this situation happened often, Bubbles couldn't tell.
It didn't help that the air got staler and staler the farther down they got. Metal bars were rusty and creaked, and water dripped from the cielings. Bubbles tried to pace her breaths, the stench of goblin skin over her sisters' enough to make her retch.
Blossom kept one hand on Bubbles' upper arm while she tried to hold the skin of goblin number one up high enough so she could see where she was going. One thing was for sure—when this adventure was over, she was going to take a 2 hour long bubble bath to get pig goo out of her hair. She had to haul along Bubbles' bow and arrows along with her under the heavy hide since Bubbles was supposed to be a prisoner. Add the weight of her weapons, Bubbles' weapons, and the fatto goblin skin, Blossom had easily gained 300 pounds.
Buttercup was carrrying less weapons, but she was weighed down about the same since goblin number two had been bulkier and heavier. Buttercup secretly wondered to herself what a person had to eat during his/her lifetime to gain the weight of a goblin that was considered healthy. Yeah, those two goblins were healthy goblins! What a disappointment to Dorton as a continent.
"This is the grossest thing ever." Bubbles complained as they reached it to the second to lowest level of the dungeon.
"Stop your complaining! I have a dead pig-toad thing on my head." Blossom chided, struggling to get down more steps.
"Yeah but—"
"Shh!" Buttercup hissed. They were approaching a door guarded by two more ugly goblins. They each held an ax shaped like a crescent moon. Buttercup almost laughed at how un-threatning the 2 1/2 feet tall monsters were.
"State your business!" The ugly brown pid-snouted goblin demanded angerily. He looked them up and down, obviously not fooled by the increased height.
Blossom cleared her throat, deepening her voice. "We bring a prisoner of war."
"What!?" The second goblind protested. Blossom winced at his outraged tone. Perhaps she had said the wrong thing. "Disoria said no prisoners! All dead!"
"What about the other prisoners. . .?" Bubbles piped up. Her face became distorted at the fierce gaze the second goblin gave her.
"Quiet your trap blondy before i run you through with my ax!" he threatened.
"Yes, but didn't Disoria say bring all dangerous enemies to the dundeon?" Buttercup tried, completely winging it.
The first goblin frowned. "I don't recall her saying that. Frank?" he turned to the second goblin.
Buttercup almost burst out in a fit of laughter. How could a creepy goblin have a name as normal as Frank? That was a little disturbing.
Frank pursed his lips. "I don't remember. It is possible."
"Hah!" Blossom exclaimed catching the two guards off guard. Blossom smirked from behind her disguise. What an oxy moron, but in this case morons. "You forgot her ladyship's proclamation? You two should be punished!"
"Oy," Bubbles mumbled wanting to face palm. Was she going to take it to far? She was relieved when Blossom stayed silent after that.
Frank narrowed his eyes. "Do you two even have an ID to get in here? All dungeon masters need a key."
Blossom paled, thankful that her face was obscure. Why hadn't she taken the key from Bubbles?
"What is this?!" Buttercup said in a really, non-convincing tone. "Prisoner, you have stolen our ID?"
Blossom face palmed for real as Buttercup reached into Bubbles' pocket, pulling out the key. Buttercup grinned as she held it up. "Rats! I thought i could get away with it. . ." Bubbles muttered, playing along with the program.
Buttercup tossed it in the air casually. "Care to let us through now, mates?"
Blossom couldn't belive how bad of actors her sisters were.
Apparently the goblins thought so too. They leveled their crescent spears evily. "No," goblin one sneered. "I think your done here."
"Great. Lets end this now." Buttercup shed her skin and pulled out her sword. Blossom dropped the skin as well, pulling out two daggers from her belt. Bubbles stood off to the side, clinging onto her bow with a knocked arrow, waiting for an oppertune moment to release. The first goblin jumped toward Buttercup. She slashed up with her sword, but the goblin parried with it's spear. Frank jumped onto it's back, then arced over Buttercup landing on her back.
"Buttercup!" Blossom shouted. Buttercup was keeping Frank from stabbing her, but goblin one was circling around, looking for an opening to attack. Blossom tossed her daggers at goblin number one and it fell.
"Step OFF!" Buubles screamed. She released the first arrow, and it lodged into Frank's neck. He snarled, fighting deperatly to kill Buttercup. She notched up 4 arrows, released, and they embedded themselves into the fleshy goblin neck. Frank dropped to the ground, dead.
Buttercup rubbed her neck where little finger nail marks were. "Thanks guys."
"No problem. But we need to keep going." Blossom stooped over Frank, searching him for anything helpful. "Buttercup, search that thing." she pointed to the other nameless goblin. Blossom came up empty except for the spear it had fought with.
Buttercup searched all the little pockets on the other goblin. Buried deep in a soiled pocket of it's jacket, she found a small key ring with 6 keys on it. "Bingo." She held up the ring for the other two to see.
"Great! Now open the door." Bubbles slipped the quiver strap over her head. Her hair was dirty now, and her white top was dirty and stained.
Buttercup slipped the first rusty key into the lock, and the door swung open. "Let's go."
The three girls raced off down the mildewy coridor, coal torches welded to the walls lighting the way. After a few minutes of walking, the hallway opened up into a open space that had cells outlining the entire space. "Boomer?!" Bubbles hissed urgently.
"Brick?!" Blossom caled.
"Butch, if you're in here, you'd better say something!" Buttercup called out.
"Buttercup?" A voice asked.
"Bubbles?" a second voice asked.
"Blossom?" a third voice asked.
"Oh my—" Bubbles whispered, rushing over to the cell. "Boomer?"
"Bubbles? Bubbles! Oh my gosh!" He slipped his arms through the bars, caressing Bubbles face lovingly. " I thought i wouldn't see you again!"
"Boomer!" Bubbles felt tears streaming down her face. He looked alot thinner, his blonde hair lost it's gleam, and his eyes looked more sunken. But his smile could have fooled her. "Are you okay?"
Boomer coughed, his smile dimming. "I am now."
"Keys!" she shrieked louder than she had meant. She turned around, not at all surprised by what she saw. Butch had Buttercup in a tight hug and Blossom had her arms around Brick's neck and they were kissing. Well they found each other, but Boomer was still stuck in a cage, so there was a major problem needing to be dealt with. "Keys!"
Blossom pulled away, her eyes still fluttery. Since the keys were still in her hand, she just tossed them over to Bubbles who caught them easily.
Bubbles randomly chose one of the keys and jammed it into the lock. "Come on. Come on." Her fingers trembled when the key didn't work. "Ugh!"
Boomer chuckled to himself. "Calm down, Bubbles."
"How can i be calm when you're stuck in there?" she demanded annoyed.
"Hey Bubbles." Brick grinned, holding Blossom's hand.
"I am not going to acknowladge you until Boomer is free and hugging me." Bubbles answered determined, stuffing another key into the lock.
"You just did acknowledge us though." Butch commented. Buttercup was on his back.
"Shut up, Butch." Bubbles swatted at his head, but he dodged it, despite how sick he looked. She frowned when the second key didn't work.
"Let me see," Brick pried the keys from Bubbles grip and slid the biggest key into the lock, and the door surged open. "Vola."
"Boomer!" Bubbles pounced on her boyfriend, pressing her lips against his. She tangled her hands in his hair, and tears drenched her clothes.
"Guys!" Buttercup interrupted. "We got stuff to do."
"World resting on our shoulders remember!" Butch added, boosting Buttercup up on his back.
"Leave them be." Brick chastised them, pulling Blossom closer. She rested her head against his chest, smiling at his constant heartbeats.
Boomer pulled away, panting softly. "You alright?" he asked, stroking her hair.
Bubbles cracked a grin. "I am now."
Boomer staggered to his feet, wrapping one arm around Bubbles.
"Come on," Blossom said, keeping a firm grip on Brick's hand. "We should free anyone else who is down here."
Yeah! Super fast update! At least compared to my recent updates. Sorry if there was errors in spelling, puncuation, and or format. I'll edit later.
How was your thanksgiving? leave me a comment!
remember to leave a review on the last chapter! only two left!
~~~P.F.G~~~ ;D