DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN RANDY CUNNINGHAM 9TH GRADE NINJA NOR LIFE AND TIMES OF JUNIPER LEE
"Minions, give me all your powers!" Ghoulian commanded. All of the monster/humans that June was fighting, and some who were still working on the castle, raised their swords or whatever weapons or tools they had, into the air. Sending whatever magic they had in them to Ghoulian, causing him to transform into a white giant spider-like monster with dragon wings and a skeleton face. "It's working! It's working!" Ghoulian laughed as he continued to grow even larger than before. The first time he tried to harness the powers of Orchid Bay, he found that he was unable to control the foreign magic. However since stanking the monsters in the area, he's been altering their magic making it more compatible with his own. Thus eliminating the limitations he had earlier.
"Oh boy," the Ninja gulped. "I don't suppose you want to borrow my mask for this one?" he asked hopefully. June was far too speechless to respond as she gazed up at the giant they were about to face. And she wasn't the only one. Since Ghoulian isn't a monster from Orchid Bay, he wasn't shielded from people's vision by the veil like the other monsters were. As expected there was mass panic in the streets at the sight of a giant monster.
"AAAHHH! Monster!" the people screamed and running around after seeing Ghoulian's new towering form.
"Somebody call the cops!" a fat police officer cried.
"Sir we're the cops," his partner scolded even slapping the panicky Sargent on the side of the head.
"Right, call in for back up. We're going to need the S.W.A.T. team, the Army, the Marines!" the Sargent ordered trying but failing to look professional.
"I don't think that's necessary sir," the young rookie keeping calm and poised. "That monster is over at camping grounds."
"You mean where that nerdfest is taking place?" the Sargent groaned regaining his composure.
"Yup, and I heard that some big movie star making an appearance so this is probably some elaborate promotion." the rookie figured.
"That makes sense. Damn Hollywood big shots, always causing a commotion to keep themselves in the headlines." the Sargent grumbled. "Come we better inform the public." With that, the police department gave a public announcement how the monster is just some movie prop for the LARPing event. Hearing this the people started to calm down and continued going about their daily lives.
Over at the game center, Howard and Ray-Ray were griping and complaining how they lost all their tickets in Laser Tag, blaming it on Randy for bailing on them, when they heard the announcement from a passing police car. "Ah man their doing the movie promotion already?" Howard whined.
"Um hello I don't think that's a movie prop," Ray-Ray informed him pointing at the giant Ghoulian monster.
"Aw man, I hope that they don't cancel the movie screening because of this," Howard complained.
"Dude, seriously? June and Randy could be locked in an epic battle and we're missing it!" Ray-Ray argued.
"Hey you have your priorities and I have mine," Howard countered. Seeing how this argument was going nowhere, the two just hurried back to the LARPing camp hoping that they won't miss all the action.
Over at an old abandoned warehouse building near the camp grounds, the LARPers were trying desperately to enjoy the Grave Puncher movie. As Monroe called it, it was a badly made sequel to a bad movie based on a idiotic video game. The only reason the first movie was a hit is because of the 7D mishap. Without a big holographic protagonist punching the audience; there really isn't much for them to enjoy about a movie where a guy just punches a bunch of lockers at the bottom of the ocean. Most were forcing themselves to cheer and applaud the hero just to be polite. Over to the side Brock Octane, is pleased with the reaction from the audience. Believing that the movie is a hit with his fans. As the promo came to an end, Brock took to the stage for a meet and greet his fans when two boys dressed as squires came bursting in. One blew on a big horn while the other unrolled a fake scroll.
"Hear ye hear ye, the Demon King and his legion has appeared before the castle. We must advanced to destroy this evil or else the world is doomed!" the boy announced pretending to read the scroll which in reality is blank.
"Oh no the Demon King, TO ARMS!" the LARPers all cried grabbing their foam weapons readied for battle. Most just relieved to have an excuse to leave.
"Hey wait a minute the Demon King isn't scheduled to come out until the final battle at midnight," Brock complained. As he and the other LARPers left the building they found the giant Ghoulian monster roaring and flapping his newly acquired wings around. "Whoa looks like the props department really when all out on this guy." Brock commented clearly impressed with the what he assumes is a big robot dragon/spider contraption thingy with a top hat.
"Friends!" One of the LARPers dressed as a king stepped forward. "The Demon King has shown himself with his horde to conquer our world. To face this ultimate evil we must join forces, for only when united will have a chance against our foe!"
"Indeed," another dressed as another king. "Now it the time for us to rise up to combat this coming darkness, and we must do this together." The two kings shook hands as sign of their alliance. All the LARPers started cheering and doing war cries, expressing their approval and eagerness to go into battle.
"Oh great and mighty Grave Puncher, destroyer of evil tombstones, will thou lead us to glory of this our greatest challenge?" the Kings asked of Brock. Behind them all the LARPers were bowing down on one knee pleading as well.
Normally Brock would want nothing to do with these geeks, but he's still on the clock for this promotion. Plus it wouldn't be good for his image if he refused to participate. "I'd be honored," Brock said with a bow and doing his best Grave Puncher voice. "Time to make the Demon King pay. WITH PUNCHES!" Brock pounding his fists together, he suddenly with no explanation, was in his Grave Puncher costume from the movie. The whole crowd cheered his announcement and being in character.
Back at the Battle
"Ninja Scarf Swing!" the Ninja yelled throwing his scarf at a nearby tree and swinging out of the way as Monster Ghoulian tried to slam his hand down on the Ninja. June rushed in an did a flying jump kick that made contact with Ghoulian's left leg, almost breaking it. While such an attack would knock most opponents off balance and crippling their leg, Ghoulian isn't like most others. For one, as a big spider type monster he had more than two legs to stand on; the other thing is like all stanked monsters, Ghoulian has a fast healing ability. So no matter what sort of damage both June and Randy could dish out, Ghoulian would almost instantly recover from it. In fact his leg has already healed. To make matters worst, Ghoulian's legion of humanized monsters were still relentlessly attacking both June and the Ninja. Meaning that they couldn't find a place to hide long enough for Randy to give June his mask again. Even if he did manage to give June his mask, that would leave him defenseless against the horde, and that's not really a favorable scenario for him.
"Let's see how you like my Juniper Rock Attack!" June yelled using her levitation stone to lift several boulders and flinging them at Ghoulian. "Great now he's got me doing it," June moaned at the fact that she just called out her attack like how Randy does.
Ghoulian roared with rage as he punched some of the incoming boulders and shielding himself from the others with his wings. "Is that all you got?" Ghoulian gloated after destroying all the boulders.
"No time for round two with a Ninja Earth Attack!" the Ninja said grabbing a handful of the dirt leftover from one of the boulders and tossing it into the air. The other rock fragments all started floating up as well, collecting and molding into the shape of a giant stone Ninja. Without saying another word, the Ninja simply pointed at Ghoulian and the Stone Ninja started attacking the giant monster. As the two titans fought, June and the Ninja found themselves facing off against Ghoulian's army.
"Go easy on them. It's not their fault." June advised since she knew that some of the monsters in the horde are friends. Trying ever so gently to knock them out.
"Yeah well they are not making this any easier," the Ninja complained who is also trying very hard no to injure them too badly. Still he couldn't help but give a few of them a black eye.
Over with Ghoulian and the Stone Ninja, Ghoulian kept punching and swatting with his wings; but no matter how much of the Stone Ninja he knocked off, the stone particles would simply reassemble itself. "I've had enough of this!" Ghoulian roared. Firing a beam of green energy from his mouth, Ghoulian reduced the Stone Ninja to dust. Far too small for it to used by the Earth Attack spell. "Now to finish you two," Ghoulian declared.
"This is wonk," the Ninja groaned. "How are we, just the two of us, fight Ghoulian and help save these monster that he turned into humans? Why do we need to save them again?" Randy pondered since he's still a bit prejudice towards monsters and believes that they are better off as humans.
"Because they are innocent victims," June reminded him. "Besides if we don't turn them back, it will disrupt the balance of magic which could end up destroying the world." Randy had to give her that one. "I guess we have no choice then," June sighed as she pulled out another magic stone.
"Is that?" the Ninja gasped.
"Yes, the Banishing Stone," June confirmed.
"Oh I thought that was a magic stone to make us into giants. You know so we can pick on him at his own size." Randy joked.
"Sorry I don't have a growth spell," June winched remembering what happen the last time she tried to make a growth potion. "I'm going to send Ghoulian to the prison dimension."
"But...but I still need him to rescue the real Julian from the Land of Shadows," the Ninja pleaded.
"I'm sorry, but we are out of options." June said as she pointed the stone at Ghoulian.
"NO!" the Ninja said kicking the stone from June's hand. "Please there's got to be another way. Just give me a chance."
"Fine I'll give you one last chance, but as you said, there's no way we can fight both Ghoulian and his army." June pointed out.
"You're right, we're going to need help on this one. We're going to need our own army!" the Ninja replied acting all over dramatic like.
"And just where are we going to find an army?" June rolling her eyes.
Right on cue Brock Octane a.k.a. Grave Puncher, arrived with reenforcements. "Demon King, your reign of terror ends here. Now for the glory of all role players...ATTACK!" On his command the LARPers all charged. Running down the field straight at the humanized monsters.
"Oh great now in addition to fight Ghoulian and the monsters, we have to protect these nerds as well." Randy groaned.
"No wait, look." Monroe pointing at the battle. Both June and Randy were astonished to see that the LARPers were holding their own against the horde. Not only were the monsters seemingly kind of weak, their demonic weapons were just as effective as foam swords that they Players were using.
"What the juice is going on? How are they able to fight those monsters?" Randy puzzled.
"Don't you get it man, when Ghoulian took their powers to make himself into a monster, it severely weakened his troops. Now their no more stronger than those geeks." Monroe laughed.
"Huh, I thought they seemed a little weaker the second time around. I just assumed that was from the butt kicking I gave them earlier." June figured.
"I'm sure that may have also contribute lass," Monroe joked. "But now you can focus all your efforts on Ghoulian."
"Right, these nerds have given us an opening, let's not waste it." June said.
"Agreed," the Ninja nodded seeing as how the LARPers were handling themselves pretty well. Plus they have Brock Octane and everyone knows that action stars do their own stunts, so Randy is certain that Brock is just as much the fighter in real life as he is in the movies. After all movies don't lie. Right?
"But if things start getting out of hand, I'm banishing him." June warned him picking up her banishing stone.
"Well then I'm just going to have to stop him before things get out of hand," the Ninja said confidently grinning under his mask. Even though he has no reason to be.
"Let's do this," June grinning as well.
"Bring it," Ghoulian grinning as well. Randy's overconfidence is a bit contagious, infecting everyone.