Disclaimer: PoM and ToS do not belong to me.
"A sword known to devour the souls of it's victims."
Skipper wasn't the type of penguin to worry. No, he was the type to laugh off sensible suggestions, only to fall back on them later. The type to act extremely paranoid at the best of times. The type that slaps his teammates when they become to worried; help them keep a clear head. Very rarely does he become that penguin that needs slapped.
Still, a tight tugging at his stomach told him something was really wrong as he stared at his friend and teammate. Private had been acting strange since this whole thing started. The boy had been paranoid, constantly asking if Skipper thought this was a good idea. Mostly he had been quiet, glancing at the weapons as though they'd jump up and attack him. This kind of behavior was anything but normal for Private, so he believed his worry was fully justified.
Currently, the two penguins were wandering around the park. The Baboon had explained to them the location of the next Devil's Arm. Much to everyone's -including her's- confusion, the Devil's Arm was moving around the park, and we had been sent to find it. Her only conclusion was that someone else had taken it, so they had to be careful. Anyone possessing the Devil's Arms could be extremely dangerous to the group.
So finding it was a top priority. Skipper glanced to Private, who eyed the surroundings as though he was expecting some sort of attack. "Um, Private... I don't think anythings gonna jump out of that bush."
Private jumped. "Oh... right. Sorry, Skippah."
"It's not a problem." The leader replied smoothly, happy to see Private smile softly at this comment. It looked like he was going back to normal.
"AAHHH!"
The two spun around as something jumped out of the bush, knocking the Private over. Skipper ran over and pulled it off, though even afterwords Private continued to scream from the sheer shock. He slapped the boy once, knocking some sense into his head. The boy blinked, looking up. "Oh, sorry sir. I don't know what came over me." If he hadn't been talking to Skipper, that would've been bought. But he was. And Skipper knew him well enough to know when he was lying.
Skipper arched an eyebrow, about to ask what really happened, when he was cut off by the thing that knocked Private over. "PENGUINS! YA GOTTA HELP ME!"
"Moon Cat!" Skipper greeted, completely forgetting about the distraught Private. "Well, of course we can. What's wrong this time? Officer X still on your tail? Or maybe the neighborhood predator after you? Just tell us what's wrong!"
"B-big..."
Skipper's eyebrow arched. "I'm sorry, what...?" The ground beneath them started shaking. Max gasped in terror.
"BIG WORM!" Max shouted. With that he ran off again, hiding behind a nearby tree. Skipper took basic combat position, but was more afraid for Private. The boy had been off already, so there was no telling what how he would react to a situation like this. His eyes drifted to his left, where Private stood in basic position. Though his face reverted to the same expression it always had when he fought something -or someone- Skipper could see something was different with this time.
The two glared at the giant creature. It was a worm, as Max said. Well, actually, that's all it could be described as. It was a giant, gray creature with no visible eyes. The creatures underbelly was lighter than the rest of it's body, and random blue spots covered the sides. The front was made up a giant hole that made up the thing's mouth. Along the mouth were multiple fangs. Spikes came out from the creature's back, and along the underbelly were multiple feelers.
A quick glance to the side to reveal Private shaking in fear, and Skipper took off. He jumped, landing in front of the worm. It growled at him, something he didn't know worms could do. Jumping up, Skipper tried kick the creature in the head just beyond the mouth, but the skin was too tough. He jumped back before it could consume him, and charged at them. The two penguins dodged to either side, and Skipper heard Private scream.
His heart pounded. With sudden speed and agility, he leaped over the giant worm, using it's back as a springboard. When he landed on the other side, Skipper spotted Private on his stomach, getting up slowly. The worm turned, and Skipper didn't waste a moment. He pulled the Private into the bushes, away from the worm.
"What is wrong with you, soldier?" The leader asked. Private swallowed, before shaking his head.
"It's fine, sir. Just... a head cold." He didn't entirely believe that story either, but really had no choice when a sweep of the worm's tail forced them out of their hiding spot. Private landed close to the end of the thing's tail. Skipper... wasn't so lucky. He landed exactly in front of the demonic bug, looking up to see the giant worm towering above him. A stream of wind came from it's mouth, and Skipper found the traction too much.
He held onto the ground, but it was a vain attempt. The wind sucked him into the mouth of the strange creature. He heard Private, calling out to him, but couldn't make out the words over the screaming turbulence. The light disappeared. Everything became dark. And he landed in a wet puddle.
In the belly of the beast... Skipper growled to himself. He could here Private fighting the thing on the other side of the skin, but barely. The boy had little chance; the skin was so thick, they couldn't get through it without swords. Looking to the side, he found something sticking out of the stomach. Something that had pierced through it. Well, it was the only weapon he had, right?
Grabbing it, Skipper pulled. He could here the monstrous cries of pain, but ignored them and focused on the task at hand. The weapon jiggled as he slowly pulled it out. He couldn't pull it out fast; it was stuck in the slimy wet flesh. When it was all the way out, he heard a scream of immense pain; but from the wrong source. Eyes widened, he swung the weapon at the fragile flesh walls, each blow causing another shout of pain from the creature he was inside of.
After being knocked off balance, Skipper concluded the thing was dead, and proceeded to slash his way out of the worm's belly, through it's thick skin, and out to the forests outside the worm. His first thought was that he must reek of worm guts. His second was 'What had happened to Private?'.
Skipper found Private moments later, on the other side of the worm. Other than a nasty gash in his side, he didn't look too hurt. But he was too worried about the gash to think about anything else. Approaching his comrade slowly, as not to scare him, he called out, "Private, you okay?"
The startled penguin jumped, looking to his leader, then smiling sheepishly. "I see you've found a Devil's Arm."
Skipper stared, confused, until he looked down and realized he was holding not just a weapon, but a sword. The blade was a light gray metal, with some sort of stone line going down the middle. In the lower center was a blue-green orb that radiated an eerie light. The hilt seemed to be made of the body of some creature, with wings and no feet. It gave off the same spooky vibe the others did. No doubts about it; this was a Devil's Arm.
"Oh, so that's what this is. At least now we know why it was moving around." Skipper approached Private, meaning to inspect his wound, and was surprised when Private backed away. Putting the weapon down, he put up his wings in a surrender gesture. "It's alright; I'm not gonna hurt you." This time the Private allowed Skipper near. The wound wasn't nearly as bad as it looked.
"C'mon, we better get that taken care of." Skipper held Private's wing, leading him towards the zoo. He stopped only to pick up the Devil's Arm, frowning when he felt the other penguin flinch. Now Skipper KNEW there was something Private wasn't telling him. But prying wasn't an option right now; the boy was wounded and jumpy. In this state, asking questions could only cause more harm.
Skipper wasn't the type of penguin to worry. He laughed at phobias, and never hesitated to stare an enemy down. He faced danger on a daily basis, knowing when things were out of hand and still giving his team that encouraging smile. He He only worried if there was something worth worrying about.
And, as he stared at Private, smiling innocently and fooling everybody, he knew he was right to worry. Because Private didn't hide something unless it was something worth hiding.
Okay, now AUTHOR'S NOTES!
Private's probably out of character. If you've played the game, you'd know why. If not, I'm not giving away any spoilers. It's against my Code of Honor. Which is three rules; Don't give away spoilers; don't take the last of anything; and don't force your opinion on other people. I LIVE by these rules, and found they're something most people should live by.
STILL could use suggestions. Especially on Mort's chapter. I just barely am able to write for Marlene; no way I can write for Mort on my own. Any help? Anybody?
Please, if you read it, review it. I'm waiting on you guys!
THANK YOU! GOODNIGHT! Or good morning. Whatever works.