Preface: Hello, again! So sorry for that brief gap in uploading - I was waiting for some more chapters to be reviewed. Anyway, if all goes well Act 3 will be finished by the end of next week. With that said, let's get started!
MINECRAFT MANIACS:
LIGHT AND DARK
Previously...after their quest for the second Cube of Balance and another ambush from the Manipulator, Danny, Liam, Kevin, and their companions set out to the rabborgs' kingdom of Rabborgia to fill the final Key of Balance. When they arrived, however, they quickly learned of the rabborgs' old foe Magnivolent returning, scattering three artificial Gadgets of Order across the land. They were successful in obtaining the first one in the jungle, the second one in the Withered Desert, and the third one from an underwater society.
Now...the group returns to land for their next big battle...
Roll Call
Danny - Alfred von Any: Hero with emotional issues. The leader.
Liam - Willy Blanq: Expert crafter. The maker.
Kevin - Nevile Napoleon: Part-gangerman player. The brains.
Pork Chop - Dee Bradley Baker: Danny's companion. The pet.
Spawny and Spawnette - Damien Laquet: The rabborg siblings. The heart.
Balancia - Marieve Herington: Guardian allay. The fairy.
Chapter 23:
Bridge to Rabborgia, Part Five -
To Believe in Magic
[Main Party Selected: Danny, Liam, Kevin, Balancia]
[Supporting Party Selected: Pork Chop, Spawny, Spawnette]
[Character Selected: Danny]
[Current World: Minecraftia]
[Current Location: Rabborgia, Beach Biome]
[BGM: C418 - Danny]
After a long boat ride, we finally reached the shore and stepped onto the sandy ground. I helped Pork Chop out of our boat and stretched. "Y'know, there's something kinda bugging me," I said. "How did those elder guardians even get the gadget's power if they were so far away from it?"
"Good question," said Kevin, nodding. Curiously, he reached into his inventory and pulled out the three artificial Order Gadgets he found. All three of them had small beams coming out of them, all pointing to the west in the sky. And when he rolled them around… "A-ha! These little notches must be the cause!" He showed us the small indentations in the gadgets' molds.
"And their beams must be pointing towards wherever this Magnivolent person is," said Liam. "We can't let her run around with their power, even if they're not as strong as the real deals."
I nodded in agreement. "But first, I think we should check in with Balancia." I opened my inventory and allowed our allay ally to fly out.
"Wonderful job, everyone!" she said, cheerfully. "The key is filled up, and the artificial gadgets are safe! And, Danny, you tapped into your balance powers!"
I nodded, smiling at what I had accomplished. "If it's alright with you, we're gonna take care of Magnivolent before we tackle those last couple of Code Trials," I explained.
Balancia put her hand to her chin in thought. "I suppose we have the time, yes," she eventually decided. "Besides, if we let her run around all willy-nilly it could spell more disaster in the future."
"Then it's decided," said Kevin, tapping on his watch. With a few clicks and one flash later, his familiar purple mouse-like airplane appeared out of nowhere. "Let's get Magnivolent in style!"
Spawny started giving a few heavy breaths. "(Oh, man. We're really doing this…)" he said, nervously.
Spawnette walked him over to the Twister's copilot seats and helped him in. "(I know it may seem scary,)" she comforted her brother, "(but remember what you told Danya. Do not let your fear control you, nor be afraid to ask for help.)"
"(I know you're right,)" he said. "(But it still seems pretty scary…)" Just then, he smiled. "(But I think I know what would help me feel safer.)" He pressed his hands together in prayer, and a small, golden cocoon formed around him. When it burst a few seconds later, his crown and cape had turned white.
"(Ah! How could I forget?)" said Spawnette, recognizing his Deity form. She performed the same ritual that he did, then carefully maneuvered around her new white, poofy dress into the copilot's seat.
Kevin tapped his chin. "Say, that reminds me…" He jumped into the cockpit of the Twister and dug around, and when he resurfaced, he had two red badges with the same red 'M' icon as his power-up box. "These Power Badges may come in handy," he said, tossing them to Liam and I.
"Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, Super Star, Super Leaf…" said Liam, checking the badge.
"Hammer Suit, Cape Feather, Carrot, Metal Cap, Penguin Suit…" I added, checking as well. "And the Boomerang Flower, too!" I proudly placed the badge on my chest. "Not a bad combination at all!"
Kevin donned his pilot's hat, Liam got onto the back seat, and Pork Chop and I stood on the wing. "Everyone ready for takeoff?" asked Kevin. We all gave a thumbs-up. "Okay, hold onto your butts!" The propeller started twirling, and before we knew it, we were off.
"Have a nice flight!" cried Balancia, flying back into my inventory. I just held onto the wing and let the wind tickle my virtual face.
[Character Selected: Kevin]
[Current World: Minecraftia]
[Current Location: Skies Above Rabborgia]
[BGM: Antimo & Welles - Skyland [Minecraft: Story Mode 105 OST]]
Like the expert fictional pilot you are, you manage to get the Twister all the way above the clouds. "And…we have reached maximum altitude!" you tell the others. "Should be a straight shot to Magnivolent from here!"
"Toss me one of the gadgets!" Liam calls. "I'll be the guide." Keeping one of your hands on the controls, you pull the red gadget from your inventory and toss it to Liam, who catches it without a single slip. The red beam points ahead, guiding the way to your destination.
The flight is actually relatively smooth. You and the others simply talk as you fly, keeping an eye on the beam. The lack of defense actually surprises you - you imagine Magnivolent would have a few more things in the way. But you decide that means she's probably lulling you into a false sense of security, similar to what happened back at the ocean monument.
After a few minutes of flight, you hear a strange squeaking in the distance. "What the…" You look to the left of the plane and glare. Small, black flying creatures, usually found in caves. "Bats?"
"Looks like it!" says Danny, peering ahead. "We must be getting close."
"At least they won't be attacking us," you say, gripping the controls. "Hang on! I'm gonna fly around them!" Danny and Pork Chop grip the wing tightly, and you proceed to maneuver the Twister around the bats, doing a few aileron rolls to make the turns smoother.
"Whew! That wasn't so bad!" says Danny, standing up, though Pork Chop is visibly shaken. "And look! We're here!" You realize that you are approaching some kind of floating fortress, built out of obsidian and stone bricks and decorated with purple and black banners.
"(Well, at least she decided to build her own place instead of taking over ours,)" says Spawny, half-jokingly. He then notices something you didn't. "(Whoops! Gate's closed! Better take care of that!)" He takes out his scepter and fires a shot at the wooden gate of the fortress, creating a hole big enough for the Twister to enter.
[BGM: End]
As soon as the Twister lands inside the castle walls, everyone jumps off. You press the button with a dirt block marked on it, and the Twister reshapes itself into its ground state, gaining bulky arms and legs. "Alright, if we're really gonna fight Magnivolent, we may as well prepare," you tell the others.
"(On it!)" says Spawny. He and Spawnette close their eyes, and after a few seconds, miniature duplicates of themselves appear around them in tiny 'poof's.
"Shall we?" says Danny, eyeing Liam. The two nod and allow their Power Badges to siphon the energy of every single power-up in them around their bodies. They flash white, and lightning appears around them. When the lightning vanishes, their appearances are revealed to be the costumes of their Fire forms with the Penguin Suit's feet, the Hammer Suit's shell, a metallic version of the Boomerang Suit's helmet with a star and bunny ears on it, a yellow cape around their necks, and raccoon tails on their backsides. "Hah! Unlimited power!" cries Danny just before the lightning vanishes.
"Must you really do that every single time?" says Liam, rolling his eyes.
"Yes, yes I do," Danny replies with a nod. Suddenly, a cackle is heard in the distance. "Looks like she knows we're here…"
[BGM: Peter Hont - The Arch-Illager]
A black smoke cloud emerges from the back of the corridor, and you all get into a defensive position. It stops a few blocks in front of you and vanishes, revealing what looks to be an ordinary Minecraft witch, but with an aura that flashes between red, yellow, and blue and three beams coming from her, pointing at you and Liam's inventories…
"Welcome, my pretties," says the witch that you have figured out was Magnivolent. "I see you decided to find those three little gadgets…not that it helped!" She gives another cackle.
"(You may be even more powerful than before, Magnivolent,)" says Spawnette, defiantly, "(but we have faced worse threats. We shall still beat you!)"
"Perhaps you will, perhaps you won't," Magnivolent replies, almost mockingly. "There is only one way to know for sure…" She holds out her arms, and a large puff of smoke appears from her body. When the smoke clears, she is surrounded by all sorts of defenses - floating splash potions of harming, poison, weakness, and slowness; vexes armed with iron axes instead of the usual iron swords, evoker fangs ready to be sent chomping at you, and several illusions of herself, akin to those of an illusioner.
"Fine. If that's what you want," says Liam, confidently. "Let's dance." And you all charge. You decide to focus on the aerial threats while the others take care of the threats on the ground. Controlling the Twister's hands, you grab a large chunk of the splash potions and toss them back at the vexes. The potion effects manage to defer them somewhat, letting the others focus on attacking Magnivolent.
Using their added jump height, Danny and Liam dodge the fangs, swing their tails and capes around to hit the vexes, then toss a barrage of hammers and fireballs at Magnivolent's illusions to get rid of them. As they do so, Pork Chop leads Spawny and Spawnette's miniature duplicates to battling the real Magnivolent, crawling all over her body in an attempt to distract her, while the original Spawny and Spawnette use their regular attacks, amplified by their Deity forms, to assist with the vexes.
"You certainly are quite tough, I must admit," says Magnivolent, trying to shake the mini-rabborgs off of her body. "But I would not try to hit me directly."
"(Oh, I'm gonna!)" shouted Spawny. He charged forward and balled his fist, preparing to punch Magnivolent in the face. But when his fist impacted, it did not do anything. "(Uh-oh!)"
"(Of course!)" cried Spawnette. "(The gadgets make her immune!)"
Liam shakes his head. "And Knuckles still isn't with us."
Danny closes his eyes, attempting to reactivate his balance powers to no avail. "And my powers aren't coming back on," he says, opening his eyes. "I think we're screwed."
"Grrr…" you growl, irritated. You close your eyes, hoping to come up with an idea. "Come on, think, think, think!" Memories of your adventures with the real Gadgets of Order flash through your mind, and you recall how they all ended. Then you think of how these artificial gadgets have the ability to siphon their power from great distances… "Brain blast!" you shout, opening your eyes. "Balancia! We need your help!"
The allay flies out of Danny's inventory, cheerful as ever. "Yes! How may I help?" she asks, eagerly.
"Go to my lab and get the purifier, my tool box, and a potion of swiftness II," you instruct. "And hurry!"
"Yes, sir!" responds Balancia with a salute, and she turns around three times and vanishes into thin air.
"Whatever your plan is, do you think it'll work?" asks Liam, fearfully.
All you can do in response is give a determined gaze and say, "I don't know, but I hope so."
[Character Selected: Liam]
[Current World: Minecraftia]
[Current Location: Rabborgia, Magnivolent's Fortress]
[BGM: Continued]
While the players were waiting on Balancia, they continued to fight against Magnivolent's defenses, since they were the only things the heroes could fight against. The witch herself just kicked back and relaxed, enjoying not having to do anything other than summon more potions, vexes, fangs, and illusions when the time called.
After another kick in a vex's side, Spawnette stopped to wipe her forehead. "(Fighting all of these baddies is getting exhausting,)" she confided, sounding tired.
"Agreed," said Liam. tossing an ice ball at an evoker fang to use it as a projectile. "Kev, what's taking Balancia so long?"
"I dunno," said Kevin as he had the Twister stomp on some illusions. "The stuff I requested isn't supposed to be too hard to find." Just then, the allay reappeared, obviously chewing on something with crumbs all over where her mouth would've been if she had one. "You kept us waiting for a snack?" Kevin shouted, irritated.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Balancia genuinely apologized. "My mind seems to shut down whenever I see a bunch of tasty food. But I got the stuff!" She tossed all of Kevin's requested items his way, as well as an apple and a cookie. "In case you got hungry yourself," she explained.
"Uh…okay…" said Kevin, confused. "Anyway!" He downed the potion of swiftness, and his movements seemed to become a blur for the next several seconds as he tinkered and toyed with the purifier. The others only got quick glimpses as they continued to fend off the various defenses summoned, but when the swiftness wore off, Kevin held the purifier up, triumphantly. "There we go! Liam, gadget, please!"
"Certainly!" said Liam, but before he could even take out the artificial Order Gadget that he still had on hand, Magnivolent had gotten up from her relaxed position and ran over to Kevin.
"So this is the purifier," she said, carefully examining the rifle. "And with the new touches you put on it, I may be able to take all of the world's purity!" She began cackling again…which gave Spawny and Spawnette the perfect opportunity to perform their dual dance attack, doing a traditional ballroom dance right into her body. She still didn't get hurt, but she fell to the floor regardless.
"Now!" Danny shouted to Kevin. Not wasting another minute, Kevin tossed the purifier over to Liam, who caught it in one hand and held the gadget in the other.
"Put the gadget in front of the hole," Kevin explained, and Liam obliged. The gadget expanded, surrounding the shooting part of the purifier. "I added a 'suck' option, so it should take away her power now!" Kevin explained.
"Dunno how that was possible, but…" said Liam, then before Magnivolent could get up from being hit, Liam activated the purifier. A bright laser fired out from it, like in previous occurrences, but instead of removing every single bit of darkness from Magnivolent's body, red particles flew out of her body into the purifier's barrel.
"Hey! It worked!" cried Danny, applauding. "Now we just need to get the other two!"
[BGM: Antimo & Welles - Wither Storm Theme [Minecraft: Story Mode 101 OST]]
"Not so fast!" shouted Magnivolent, standing up. With a wave of her arms, the remaining defenses vanished, and the witch flew out of the fortress, not needing a broom. "You will have to catch me first!" she cried.
"Okay," said Kevin, confidently. He pressed the cloud button on the Twister's control panel to return it to flight mode, and a few seconds later, Balancia was back in Danny's inventory, everyone else was already back on the plane, and they were already chasing Magnivolent through the sky.
The witch looked back to see that the heroes were following her. "Graahhhh! You just do not know when to quit, do you?" she shouted.
"Nope!" Danny said, defiantly. He looked back to the rabborgs. "Wanna get her together?"
Spawny and Spawnette looked at each other. "(Why not?)" said Spawny, and the two literally flew out of their seats to join Danny and Pork Chop on the wing.
"Well, then, I may not be as powerful as I was before," said Magnivolent, "but I can still pack a mighty punch!" She waved her arms and summoned another barrage of vexes and potions.
"You deal with her, we deal with them," Danny instructed the rabborgs. Pork Chop climbed onto his head, and Danny used his power-ups to jump into the air, stomping on the vexes like a pogo-stick and crashing through the potions. For added oomph, and to protect himself against the potions' effects, he activated his Metal Cap, turning his body into metal.
"(That leaves you and us, Magnivolent,)" Spawnette said to the witch. The two rabborgs charged at their foe while Magnivolent fired smoke out of her hands, attempting to blind the rabborgs. Luckily, they were able to move out of the way and began to battle her directly. Punches flew, twirls were twirled, potions were lobbed, and more as the three powerful beings fought, and eventually Magnivolent was overwhelmed enough that Spawny and Spawnette were able to fly circles around her, disorienting her further.
As soon as he saw a window of opportunity, Danny removed his metallic form and jumped back onto the Twister's wing. "Purifier me," he said, holding his arm out. Kevin quickly swapped the red gadget for the yellow gadget and handed it to Danny. "All clear?" he asked the rabborgs. Spawny gave a thumbs-up, so before his moment passed, Danny activated the purifier. Yellow particles flew into the rifle's barrel, depowering Magnivolent further. "And…that's two!" said Danny, tossing the purifier back to Kevin without even looking behind himself.
"(So, had enough, Magnivolent?)" said Spawny, arms crossed.
"Not yet, my pretty," Magnivolent replied. She looked down and her mouth turned into a sinister smile. "I know the perfect place for our finale…" She cackled once more and started flying downward. When the rabborgs looked down to see where she was going, their faces became looks of horror.
"(Creepers! She's going back to Rabborgia!)" cried Spawny, putting his hands on his head.
"Wow. Hitting right where it hurts, is she?" said Liam. He shifted his weight in his seat. "No point waiting around, let's go stop her!"
"(Correct!)" said Spawnette, nodding her head. She and Spawny flew back into their copilot seats.
"Hang on!" cried Kevin, and he piloted the Twister towards the ground, heading back towards the kingdom. Danny and Pork Chop held on for dear life as the pressure picked up, before Kevin safely landed the plane in the middle of town square. And standing right in front of it was Magnivolent.
The others dismounted, and Kevin converted the Twister back into ground mode. "We could do this the easy way, or the hard way, Magnivolent," said Danny, standing defensively.
"I shall let you choose," said Magnivolent, holding her arms out. Magic energy formed in her hands. The two parties stared each other down. Before anyone could make a move…
[BGM: End]
PLAT! An arrow was lodged right in Magnivolent's head. The witch wasn't killed by the projectile, but she still looked over to see who it was. And it was the old rabborg the heroes previously met, leading a whole army of rabborgs. "(You leave those good people alone!)" cried the old rabborg, crossbow in hand. "(Or you will be trifling with all of us!)" The rabborgs behind him all raised their weapons and cheered.
Magnivolent grimaced. "Seems I did not punish you enough," she said, turning her attention to them. As her hands waved, blocks of TNT and storm clouds formed around her. But this time, the townsfolk were ready to fight back.
And so were the players. "I think it's time to break out the Super Stars," Danny said to Liam.
"Agreed," Liam replied with a nod. Just as Magnivolent fired her weapons of destruction, Danny and Liam pressed the stars on their helmets like buttons. Their bodies started flashing all the colors of the rainbow, and the familiar tune of invincibility rang in their ears.
Then, they charged. The townsfolk fought against the thunder and TNT, dodging the former and knocking the latter back towards Magnivolent. Spawny, Spawnette, and Pork Chop helped as well. And during the commotion, Kevin found the opportunity to attach the last artificial gadget to the purifier.
"Time to end this," he said, jumping out of the Twister. He ran towards the crowd, aimed carefully, and then, just as Magnivolent turned to look…
"HEY!"
…Kevin fired. The laser engulfed the witch, blue particles flying from her body into the purifier's barrel. As the energy finished entering the rifle, Kevin looked at the power gauge on the purifier and noticed that it was filled up all the way. Enough for a full purifying shot.
But he decided not to. Instead, he watched as the witch hovered to the ground, drained of her power. "No…it is all gone…my beautiful power!" she cried, despondently. But her mood quickly changed to fear as the crowd surrounded her.
"No. No. NOOOOOO!"
[Character Selected: Danny]
[Current World: Minecraftia]
[Current Location: Rabborgia, Town Square]
[BGM: Peter Hont - The Four Horsemen]
By now, the power of my and Liam's Power Badges had worn off, and Spawny and Spawnette had returned to normal as well. But that didn't matter. We watched proudly as an iron golem slapped handcuffs over Magnivolent. "(I would not worry about her,)" said the old rabborg who helped us. "(She will be going away for a very long time!)"
"(That's good,)" said Spawny, relieved. "(I don't think I can handle her again!)" We all laughed, then Spawny shook the old rabborg's hand. "(Thanks for saving us, Grandpappy.)"
"(No problem, my prince,)" said the old rabborg. "(But if Rabborgia needs help again, I trust you and your companions will help us?)"
"(Of course,)" Spawny said. "(But for now, we've got bigger things to do.)"
"(Ah, I see,)" said the old rabborg, nodding. "(Well, I shall not keep you. Good luck!)" He waved goodbye to us, and we all turned back to the palace to return home.
"Well, that was a fun adventure," I said, stretching again. "And if we get that key from Andy and Mark, we'll have a whole new set of Order Gadgets!"
"Yeah! In fact, what we used them for here has given me a few ideas…" said Kevin, deep in thought. But then we noticed Liam had a look of concern on his face. "Everything alright, Liam?" Kevin asked.
"Not sure," Liam responded. "I don't know why, but I feel like this whole thing may have been a diversion all along…"
To be continued...and next time: one last trip to the code!
Next chapter: At long last, the Maniacs have reached "The Last Two Trials". Thankfully, the first of these trials isn't going to be as taxing as the previous ones...but no so much for the second! Will the heroes be able to persevere and obtain the last Cube of Balance? The beginning of the Prelude to Manipulation.
Postface: Chapter complete! And that is where Rabborgia will make its exit as we begin to transition to the conclusion of our story.
Trivia time! Tons of elements from Minecraft Maniacs RPG return here - the rabborgs' Deity forms, which have not been used in the story so far, make their comeback, as has the Power Badge, which allows for several power-ups to be used at once. And Kevin's plane, the Twister, makes a reappearance as well. As for the upgrades made to the purifier, that was my way of allowing it to be used in a similar fashion to the first story, as this arc is meant as a bit of a throwback to it, without completely defeating Magnivolent. And don't worry - the artificial gadgets' ability to siphon and absorb power will come in handy soon enough... Also that Jimmy Neutron reference is one I've been wanting to do all story lol
That should be it! Please read, review, and share around, and I'll see you all next time for the final two Challenges of the Code! Stay diamond, everyone!
-Alfred
~Minecraft and everything related to it are properties of Mojang Studios and Xbox Game Studios. Objects, ideas, etc. from the Mario franchise are properties of Nintendo Co., LTD. No copyright infringement with any of these companies nor financial gain was intended in the making of this story. Any resemblance to real-world people or events are either coincidental or done fictitiously.~