CHAPTER THREE: JOILANT'S ENCORE
It was weirdly serene outside of the Claire Moa Temple, Klonoa almost forgot that the Kingdom was under attack. Well, 'was' as in past-tense, to be more specific.
The calmness did make him wonder, however. It was already pretty bad in the village he was in with Pango… how much worse would it have gotten if he had been summoned a bit later? How many more casualties would there have been? And, the thought that troubled him the most: how much worse was it in the other Kingdoms? The only Kingdom that he could imagine would have the firepower to fight back was Volk; the other 2 Kingdoms, not so much.
Before he could ponder further, the door opened behind him.
"Sorry for making you wait." Lolo said, emerging from the doorway. "I'm ready now. Just needed to talk with the High Priestess about something real quick."
"Anything we need to know?" Popka asked, nosily.
"Not really." she lied. "Just some encouragement, that's all."
She looked at Klonoa, who smiled at her. Although she reciprocated with a friendly smile back, she couldn't help but remember what the High Priestess said about him.
"A darkness within his heart…"
There was something deep within Klonoa's soul that's eating him up from the inside, despite him hiding it as best he can. She wasn't going to forcefully insist upon an answer from him, but she was going to get to the bottom of it, somehow, eventually, hopefully.
"So then," Klonoa eventually spoke, "do either of you have any idea on who's gonna pick us up?"
Popka shrugged nonchalantly. "Beats me. I dunno how many people HP has in her pocket. Heck, I dunno if she even has pockets."
"The High Priestess has connections with a lot of people across Lunatea." Lolo explained. "I remember her telling me stories of how she used to travel to other Kingdoms to help out back when she was just a regular Priestess. She apparently made a lot of friends along the way, so it could be anyone."
Klonoa couldn't remember a lot of the townspeople from the last time he was in Lunatea. There was Lolo, Popka and the High Priestess. Then there was Leorina, Tat and the King of Sorrow… Oh, and that Old Tree that guarded the Element of Indecision. Other than that, there wasn't anyone he remembered encountering, as he never really had a chance to, thanks to the adventure keeping him on his toes and moving along the journey.
"Yoo hoooooo! Down here, my friends!"
A most unusual sounding voice called from below. The three of them looked down to see a man wearing a top hat and suit so pink that it was overwhelming at first glance. As he happily waved to the trio, Klonoa noticed that his sleeves were way too long, the ends of them flapping around when he moved. He also had a large nose and a white, seemingly well-groomed mustache.
He seemed familiar, but Klonoa couldn't pinpoint how and why; which was surprising, considering how much the guy stood out with that outfit.
"Oh Goddess, not that fruitcake." Popka groaned. Lolo elbowed him to keep him from saying anything else rude.
"Hi there, Mr. Momett!" The Priestess gave a friendly wave back to him. "Have you been sent here by the High Priestess?"
"That is correct, my dear. I've parked a little bit ahead. Follow me and I'll show you."
The three heroes made their way down to the showman's level. Klonoa hopped down from some rocks that served as platforms for him, whereas Lolo used her magic to levitate down safely with Popka piggy-backing on her.
"Oh! Do my eyes deceive me?" Momett looked at the cabbit with surprise, as if he recognised him. "Klonoa, right?"
Klonoa nodded. "I'd say it's nice to meet you, but I feel like we've met before, haven't we?"
"Indeed we have," he replied. "Only briefly, though. You and your friends stopped by my house to return a couple of my dolls to me."
That was when the memory hit Klonoa like a tidal wave. Momett had a bunch of 'Memory Dolls' that were scattered across Lunatea. He remembered the gentleman asking for help with gathering them up and returning them to him.
"Yeah! I remember now." Klonoa said, snapping out of his flashback. "Sorry I couldn't get all of them."
He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. He remembered that there were a lot of dolls to gather, but he only got ahold of the ones he just happened to cross paths with.
"No need to worry, my friend." Momett responded, chipperly. "Lolo and Popka managed to find the rest of my children after you departed. They're all safe and sound now."
The showman's happy expression slightly diminished, the reminiscing of happy days contrasting with the harsh reality of their current situation.
"But I won't dawdle too much; we've got a lot to do. Let's make for Joilant, post-haste!"
He pointed towards a pathway and beckoned the trio to follow him. Klonoa took note of his more worried manner; it seemed like Joilant wasn't faring much better than La-Lakooha, as he previously suspected.
That being said, if he and the others could turn the tide here, there was hope for the other kingdoms, even if they have it worse. He wasn't going to fail them. He wasn't going to fail this world.
After a short walk, Momett stopped at a wide, rocky pathway.
"We're here. My ride is that little thing, riiiight over there."
The trio glanced to where he was directing their attention to. Initially, they were expecting a small, maybe pink, car that served as a simple means of getting from one place to another.
What they actually got was a large, monochromatic cargo truck, complete with a long, hefty-looking trailer, strong, off-road tires, and even the truck grill being decorated by a foreboding and very sharp looking cowcatcher. Klonoa was at a loss for words.
"Uuuh…" Popka also couldn't believe his eyes. "Is your car parked behind that very sinister looking truck?"
"Nope! I present to you, the Momett-Mobile!"
Klonoa, Popka nor Lolo had ever seen any vehicle like this in real life. It was like something they'd see in some kind of post-apocalyptic action movie.
"Welp. No time like the present; hop in!" Momett said, clapping his hands together in order to grab the three's attention. The four climbed up into the truck; it was cramped, but they all managed to fit in alright enough. Momett hit the pedal as the heroes headed out on the road to Joilant; at least, that's where they expected the road to take them.
The ride was quiet, a little awkward. Mostly because all four of them had to stay alert in case they came under attack by any more robots lurking about.
"Hey, how 'bout some tunes?" Popka suggested, noticing what seemed to be a radio dial. "I need somethin' to calm the nerves a bit, yo."
As he reached for the dial, Momett swiftly, but gently, swatted his hand away whilst keeping his eyes glued to the road.
"I don't want to risk any of those… things finding out about this truck."
"Yeah, I'm gonna assume you didn't buy it." Klonoa joked.
Momett chuckled. "Not exactly; it belongs to those metallic creatures. Well, before I stole it, that was. If I came to you in my regular car, it'd give us away. But if I used one of their modes of transportation, it might help us blend in easier."
"What would those robots need a truck for?" Lolo wondered. "Do you think it might be for cargo?"
"Most likely, my dear." the showman responded. "Whatever's in the trailer behind us must have something interesting. Weapons, resources, more troops, maybe? I haven't the foggiest. The only problem is that I can't get into it; it seems to be locked with some kind of scanner."
Popka's face lit up when he heard 'weapons'.
"Ya reckon we should try and find a way to get it open?" He was itching to use something other than his claws to take on the enemies.
"Perhaps when we get a spare moment." Momett answered. "First and foremost, I'm taking you to meet the Mayor."
"The Mayor?"
Klonoa doesn't remember there being a Mayor of Joilant. Then again, he couldn't even remember Momett until they started talking again, so he couldn't trust his own memory.
"I've never met the Mayor before, Mr. Momett." Lolo said. "I hope he's alright. I can imagine it must be hard for someone like them in a situation like this."
"Well, that's partially why I'm taking you to meet him." Momett explained. "I heard about what you did to that Tower in the Sea of Tears. You may be the advantage we need against those invaders. What do you know about these creatures, by the way?"
"Well, for a start, they're robots." Lolo began to elaborate. "We don't know where they came from, but they all seem to sport a G-shaped emblem."
"They also use the Elements to power Generators that are used to manufacture resources and more soldiers." Klonoa continued. "We find the Element and take it back, the robots in that area should stop coming through."
"I see. Do you know anything about their leaders?"
"Sorry gramps, but that info is classified!"
A new voice caught the four of them off-guard. They frantically looked around, but couldn't see anyone close by.
That was, until they heard a thud on the roof of the truck, as if something, or someone, had just landed on it. Everything went quiet, until-
"FOUND YOU!"
A bizarre looking robot, grabbing onto the roof with one hand, swung down to Klonoa's side of the truck, smashing the window with its feet in the process. Its freakish design and sudden appearance caused all four of them to yell in surprise; even Momett, who had to swerve back onto the road before he crashed. As the robot cackled in amusement, Klonoa, almost instinctively, decked the enemy in the nose with enough force that it caused them to lose their grip, sending it tumbling backwards.
"Di…did that thing's nose just honk when you hit it?" Lolo asked, completely befuddled as to what just happened.
The cabbit attacked it so quickly that he couldn't even get a better look at the creature. All he could make out was a white face with what seemed to be clown makeup and a red nose, gangly limbs and a wide, menacing smile plastered onto its ugly mug. Honestly, he wasn't even sure if it was a robot or not, the more he thought about it.
"BOO!" The robot cackled loudly as it bounced from above the heroes onto the hood of the truck, causing the team to practically jolt out of their seatbelts. Klonoa could get a good look at the maniacal machine now.
Upon closer inspection, something clicked in the Dream Traveller's head; the red and yellow colour scheme, the pale face with the clown makeup and motif, the high-pitched voice. It was a set of characteristics he knew all too well.
"...it can't be…how is he…is it really him?"
No time to compare features though, for the robotic look-alike readied its weapon of choice: a cartoonishly large, brown mallet with spikes on each of the faces, and that same G-shape slapped onto the hammer head. With a swing strong enough to require both hands, the clown robot smashed the windscreen. The crew was mostly unharmed, the only damage being a couple cuts from the glass shards.
"What do we do!?" Momett panicked. "I've never had to fight these things before!"
Popka looked around at some of the buttons for the vehicle, and noticed one in particular that had something to do with the truck hood. Without a second's notice, he slammed the button with his fist.
Suddenly, the hood of the truck opened up, revealing the engine and causing the robot to lose its balance and tumble backwards. However, it thrust its mallet onto the popped hood before it hit the speeding road, the spikes ensuring that the weapon would be lodged onto the truck.
"Hold on to something, you three!" Momett warned, before hitting the brakes with all his might. Had it not been for the seatbelts, the heroes would've been flung out the front window. For the robot, however, the force sent it flying into the spikes on the truck grill, skewering it like a kebab. The impact was so sudden that, despite the impalement neutralising it in a matter of milliseconds, they could see its limbs still twitching and sparks flying out of the body.
"Are you three alright?" the driver turned to the other three passengers, putting a hand on Lolo's shoulder.
"Yeah, we're okay." the girl replied. "Thank Goodness."
But their breather was cut short by more thudding above them. This time, however, it sounded like it was behind them as well.
"There must be more on the trailer." Klonoa assumed. "Mr. Momett, can you keep driving?"
"Of course. What are you planning to do?"
"Hold them off until we get to Joilant." the cabbit answered. "Lolo, I need your help. Come on."
Lolo nodded, retreating back into the Wind Ring. As Momett started the vehicle up again, Klonoa made his way out of the truck door and climbed onto the roof. Waiting for him was one more clown bot, weapon at the ready.
"Sorry, Mr. Dreamer, but this truck is stolen property!" it said to Klonoa, its jaw moving up and down like a ventriloquist dummy.
"What's in this trailer that you want so badly?"
"Oooo, snooping around, are we? Well, you better show me a warrant before I smash your hairy head in! Hee-Hee-Hee!" the robot broke into a fit of laughter, despite not really saying anything super funny. Perhaps it was just excited to kill Klonoa.
The cabbit got into a battle stance, making sure he wasn't going to fall off the moving truck.
After calming down, the jester continued talking. "You wanna know the funny part? My orders weren't even to recover the stolen cargo!"
"Then what are you here for?" Klonoa asked.
"YOU!"
Almost instantly, the robot charged towards Klonoa with murderous intent, who managed to dodge the swinging mallet as it slammed into the trailer. He couldn't even catch his breath before the clown bot swung at him again, just barely missing him. But before Klonoa could counter, the drone kicked him in the stomach. The impact, as well as the force of wind caused the cabbit to tumble backwards; luckily, it wasn't enough to knock him off the truck.
Once again, the clown got ready for a third attack, but Klonoa was ready for it this time. He readied his Ring, and just as the mallet was about to connect, he fired a wind bullet at the bot's weapon. The impact caused the robot to stagger backwards and lose its balance.
Klonoa took the opportunity to fire another bullet at it, but was interrupted when he looked forward and saw a rapidly approaching tree branch, forcing him to duck down to avoid it. This literal force of nature gave the robot time to get back up and charge towards Klonoa. The boy tried his best to avoid it, but the hammer connected, launching him backwards. He had just barely managed to grab the edge of the trailer, but there wasn't much to grab ahold of, so he could already feel his grip slipping.
"Hee-Hee-Hee! What a show! The commander should've seen it; I'm sure he'd be tickled!" The bot approached Klonoa, preparing his hammer for the finishing blow. "Bye-bye, Dream Traveller!"
But Klonoa had a trick up his sleeve. Before the robot had a chance to crush the cabbit's hand into a thin paste, Klonoa used his ring-holding hand to fire a wind bullet straight at the robot's face. He expected it to blast the robot backwards, but instead, the red nose of the metallic enemy inflated and attached itself to the Ring's gem, as if it was a regular enemy. Klonoa was surprised, but welcomed it, as the robot was completely incapacitated.
"Hey! Put me down! This isn't funny!" it said, flailing its arms and legs around in a vain attempt to wriggle free from its predicament. Klonoa aimed the captive below him and kicked the tip of the nose with both his feet. Usually this would allow him to get a "second jump", but here, it was used as the boost he needed to get back onto the trailer. As for the robot, it was launched backwards; its inflated nose popped and the enemy collided with the road and out of sight.
Klonoa sat down on the trailer and caught his breath, clutching his stomach in pain. It didn't hurt as much as he expected, as the spikes didn't penetrate his skin deep enough to cause profuse bleeding, but the impact still caused some aching. But it wasn't enough to keep him down. As he looked onwards, he could see roller coasters and ferris wheels in the distance.
"Everything alright up there?" Popka shouted from inside the truck, peeking his head out the window.
"Yeah, we're good. No more clowns." Klonoa responded, putting out a thumbs-up so that Popka could see him.
"Sweet! Cuz Momett said we're pretty much here."
Klonoa looked back at the ever-approaching amusement park rides of Joilant. But something felt different about them: they were completely inactive. It made sense; the citizens wouldn't be playing around on the rides if robotic invaders were taking over the Kingdom, unless the robots also liked the rides. At first it was a no-brainer, but considering the batshit buffoonery of those circus freaks they dealt with, he suddenly wasn't 100% sure.
Once the truck slowed down, Klonoa shivered as an unexpectedly chilly breeze brushed past them. The environment around them suddenly got colder, like it was in the middle of winter, despite the sun being out. The closer they got to Joilant, the cooler the air felt, even through the cabbit's fur and hoodie.
"That's weird. Why the sudden change of weather?" he thought out loud.
"I'm not sure." Lolo answered from within the ring. "Joilant's not usually this cold this time of year."
Less than a minute later, Momett parked the truck just outside the city; they were at their destination. Klonoa and Lolo, now outside the ring, hopped down from the trailer to the ground, as Popka and Momett exited the vehicle. All of them were shivering from the drastic change in temperature, which was now even colder.
"I'd be careful where you tread." Momett said. "The ground might get a little slippery from the ice."
"Ice?" Popka said in confusion. "In Joilant?"
"Correct, my friend." Momett answered, yanking the clown bot's hammer off of the truck hood. "Ever since those robots arrived, Joilant's become a borderline ice rink. I don't know why or how, but there must be some kind of bot causing this. I haven't had the chance to check myself."
The showman found himself admiring the weapon, and decided that he'd keep it as a form of self-defence. It reminded him of those carnival games where you hit a button with a mallet to ring a bell and win a prize, so he had some knowledge on how to use it efficiently. Some experience was better than no experience.
"Now then," he said, "follow me. There's a secret passageway just over there"
Momett pointed towards an odd-looking patch of grass in the ground. It blended in well-enough, but was just artificial-looking enough to tip off the trio to its presence. Momett pulled up the patch, revealing it to be hiding a rusty steel door. Opening it led to a flight of stairs underground.
"After you, my friends." the showman politely beckoned the heroes to head down, before following behind them. But not before moving the grass 'rug' in a way that it would hide the door when they closed it.
~MEANWHILE~
On the road, busted up, was the robot Klonoa knocked off the trailer. Its legs were busted to a point where it couldn't move from its current spot. Its 'mask' was damaged, revealing a mechanical face underneath, and its nose was completely gone, yet the machine continued to function. But it couldn't stay online forever; the damage was too severe, and it knew it. There was only one thing left to do: it used whatever power it had left to make a call. An important call.
-KZZT KZZT KZZT CLICK!-
"H-Hello there, commander…I bring good n-n-news-s…The Dream Traveller has arrived in Jo-Jo-Joilant…and the sho-o-o-wman…like you said they wou-ould…They should be r-r-r-r-r-ready for you n-now…Yes…the sh-sh-sh-shows….about….to begin…"
Its objective fulfilled, the robot's body went limp as the light faded from its eyes.
"Soooo…where we goin?" Popka asked Momett.
"An old bunker." the Joilantean replied. "It's been here since before I was even born. We've never really used it much… well, I haven't, at least. But right now, we're using it as a refuge for the civilians who've been kicked out of their homes by these mechanical monsters."
They reached the end of the stairs, nothing in front of them but a steel door. As Momett pushed the door open, the trio had to cover their ears from the loud, creaking sound it made. With how far down underground they were, hopefully no robots heard.
The doorway lead to a long, but spacious hallway. The walls were old and decrepit, but the rooms were lit well enough to see. The shelter was populated by many Joilant citizens; some were huddling close together for comfort and warmth, others were resting or being tended to by medics. There was a lot of people down here, but not as many as Klonoa expected, considering these were the survivors of a vast and lively Kingdom
"Don't worry, my friends." Momett reassured the others. "This is not all that's left; the others are just in different rooms. This bunker is way bigger than we anticipated, so as long as nobody knows we're here, we'll be okay."
"How do you plan on tackling the enemies?" Lolo asked.
"We're not quite sure, to be honest." the Joilant man replied. "But that's why we're off to see the Mayor. Now that you're here, we may stand a chance against these invaders. We just need a plan."
As the four advanced forward, Klonoa could hear people whispering to each other. While some were curious as to who the newcomers were, others seemed to recognise him.
"Is that really him?"
"Ain't that the Dream Traveller guy?"
"Mommy, is he here to help?"
Klonoa could feel the pressure weighing on him like a boulder on his back. He had to remind himself that there was always a chance of victory - Momett's tone wouldn't be so optimistic otherwise - but the doubt still stuck in the back of his head.
"And here we are!" Momett stopped before what seemed to be an elevator. "This takes us directly outside the Mayor's office."
The four entered the lift; despite the outside looking as run-down as the rest of the bunker, the inside looked much nicer; like it was renovated at the request of the Mayor. There were only two buttons to their side, one pointing up and the other pointing down. Momett pressed the up-arrow and the elevator door closed as they started going upwards.
It was a little quiet and awkward, mostly because of the slightly cramped space, as well as the fact that everyone but Momett had yet to meet the Mayor, so they were a bit nervous.
"Why would the Mayor need an elevator like this?" Popka eventually broke the silence. "Doesn't his house have a normal door?"
"It does." Momett answered. "But my guess is that he uses this one to sneak past the press whenever he needs to leave the Kingdom for something. He never really told me why, but then again, I never really asked, haha."
"How do you know him, anyways?"
Before Momett could answer, the elevator stopped, and the ding of a bell signified that they were here.
They entered the Mayor's office through a door located in front of the elevator. The floors were red carpet, the walls decorated with fancy-looking art and a wide window. The Mayor himself was sitting with his back to them, watching the Kingdom below.
"Yoo-hoooo. We're back!" Momett called out to him.
Upon hearing the four approach, the Mayor spun his chair around to face them. His physical appearance bore an uncanny resemblance to Momett. The main differences being the brown, furry moustache and the fact that his fashion sense was primarily bright yellow, rather than bright pink: he wore a bowler hat and suit of matching colour, complete with a shiny blue brooch. In his hand was a cheap looking cigarette.
"Heh. Been expecting you lot." he said with a smirk. His voice was a lot more gravelly than his lookalike.
"Lady and Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you all to the Mayor of Joilant: Mamett. AKA, my brother."