While the children had followed Valerie, they had learned a lot about her. Valerie was from London, twelve years old, and loved nature. She told stories of her adventures where she helped hunt big monsters and protect farms. She told them as if they were small meaningless tasks, but Bluey and her friends thought they were tails of heroism.

While Valerie told the story of how she had the chore to exterminate a pack of lizshrewd and greedlins to protect a poor village many miles south from the Cascade Forest. Bluey heard how a heroic girl stood against large numbers and overbearing odds and triumphed with the help of two friends. And when Bluey was told the tail of how said girl took on the daunting task of eliminating a terrible dread rat that terrorized a farmer and her family. Valerie was actually just telling her how she handled a pest problem on a far away farm. And the pest so happened to be a dread rat. It was just one giant rat with little magical ability to defend itself.

Valerie had been so caught up in entertaining them, she had forgotten to keep track of the time, so she'd know when the spell ended. Unfortunately, as they were closing on the undiscernible glowing clouds in the distance, Valerie blinked a few times and realized the clouds were fading.

"Uh oh…" Valerie stopped in her tracks, catching the attention of all the other children.

"What's the matter?" Snickers asked in concern. He didn't like the tone she had.

Valerie sighed and beat her head. "Stupid stupid, Valerie, what were you thinking? I'm sorry, friends, the spell faded… and I don't have another scroll…"

"You mean we lost them?" Chloe slouched in disappointment.

"I know the last general direction I saw them in, but… I'm not sure how much it'll help." Valerie sighed but kept her eyes on the last place she saw them. "And they were still so far away…" All of the children slouched and dropped their gaze.

"That's okay," Bingo comforted, "You did your best."

Valerie smiled at Bingo thankfully. "That's very kind." She turned her head and put her hands to her hips. "Well, we still have daylight. We'll see if we can catch up to them. If not, well… I'll come up with a plan. Don't worry, we'll find your friends."

Valerie began to walk again, and the children followed. Bluey looked around the forest. It was getting darker. And strangely enough, the dim lights made the trees scarier. She gulped and caught up with the group. "I do hope so."

Night fell and Rusty was leading the way with his flashlight. He kept track of their direction with his compass, but it all came to a hopeless end as he found a cliff in their way.

"Whoa!" he stopped short of the cliff and exhaled. "Stop!" He stuck his arm and Jack bumped into it. Indy stopped short behind them.

"What?" Indy asked.

Rusty didn't have to answer as he pointed his light at the cliff edge. "I looks like this is as far as we can go."

"Which way should be go now?" asked Jack.

"Can we stop first?" groaned Indy, "My legs hurt and it really scary at night. I think we should stop."

Rusty hummed in thought. She was right. In fact, he was disappointed in himself for not stopping earlier. After all, it took time to set up a shelter. And they didn't have daylight to help them now. Rusty had very little in terms of shelter in his pack. A reflective blanket at most.

"Indy's right. We can camp here for the night."

Maybe they could share the blanket. Or make a quick tent out of it. But there wouldn't be enough space for all of them either way.

Jack dropped his bundle of wood and sat down on a mossy log. He sighed in relief having finally gotten off his feet. But then he thought about the next dilemma they had. "Rusty, how are we going to build a fire without Mackenzie?"

Rusty spread his blanket out, his pack sitting next to Indy who was beside Jack. "Look in my pack and see if there's anything we can use. Maybe I accidently packed something."

Indy dug inside but didn't find much to start fires with. There was a multitool, a camping legal knife, the canteen of water, and some iodine tablets. Then the middle pocket had some army ration snacks that Rusty got from the MREs his dad brought home. She checked the front most pocket, but it had a small first aid kit in it. Nothing more.

"I don't see anything in here, Rusty," Indy frowned.

Rusty hummed. "Try the side pocket."

She checked around the bag looking for the side pocket, but besides the drink holders she couldn't tell what he was referring to. "They're both empty, Rusty."

Jack sat beside her and slid the bag over. "It has a side pocket here. Just behind the front pocket." Jack unzipped the discreet zipper.

"Oh," Indy looked inside and sure enough there was a fire-starting kit. But Indy wasn't sure if the plastic bag with cotton ball looking wads had anything to do with fire. "Is this it Rusty." She looked at the words. "Fu…ff… fiiii…errrr. Fire…"

"That's it," Rusty smiled. "It says fire starting kit on it. He accepted the bag and then took over digging into his backpack. "I hope I have something that can make a spark. Then we can probably get a fire started." He dug inside but hummed. "No. I guess I really don't have anything to start a fire with."

"But Mackenzie taught us how to start a fire with the stick," said jack, "can you remember what he said Rusty? I'm not very good at remembering things."

"Hmm." Rusty rubbed his chin. "I can try. But I'm not sure if it'll work. I don't remember everything."

Indy frowned. "But Rusty, I thought you knew everything about survival."

Rusty scratched his head. "I don't know everything. But I do know some things. I learned how to use a flint and steel when my dad taught me. But I forgot it. I can still try using a stick, but I need the right one."

"Maybe one of the sticks we picked up will work," Jack suggested.

They began digging around the sticks for the perfect one. It had to be thin, sturdy, and very straight. Indy dug around a few of them and showed Rusty some options, but he rejected all of them.

It was now very dark, and all they had was Rusty's flashlight. Indy, both tired and frustrated, stood to her feet and stomped. "Argh, this is too hard! Just forget about a fire!"

"She might be right, Rusty." Jack yawned. "We have the tent set up. Let's just stay under it so we an keep warm. The moss is soft enough to sleep on."

Rusty kept looking. "Maybe, but we should have a fire if we can make one. Especially if wild animals find us. Then we can use it to drive them off."

"Well, I'm going to lay down." Indy crawled under the makeshift tent and took off her vest to use as a blanket. "Good night!"

Jack tilted his head in confusion. "Why was she so angry?"

"She must have been really tired. And she might miss her mum. It's the first time any of us have been away from our families like this," Rusty picked up a stick and decided it was the best he was going to get.

Jack sighed and hugged his legs to keep warm. "I miss my mum too… and my dad… and my bed."

Rusty and Jack chuckled. "I miss my bed too. But I do still love camping. I just wish I remembered by flint and steel."

"It would be cool if you had it," Jack smiled as he helped set up a bonfire.

"Yeah it would." Rusty grabbed a piece of bark and started to rub the stick on it. "Okay. I think Mackenzie said to put the stick some flat wound then cut a 'V' shape so the ashes can drop down on the kindling. Then I can just blow on it and it'll light on fire. I'll use the fire starters so it'll be faster."

"I can take a turn if you need me to," Jack offered.

"Thanks, Jack. I'll tell you when I'm too tired to keep going." Rusty started rubbing the stick against the bark aggressively between his hands. He wasn't sure if it was working, but it was better than trying nothing.

Indy fiddled with her glowing crystal sadly. She heard Rusty and Jack talk about her. And they were right. She did miss her mother. She missed her a lot. She knew that her mother would be very worried. She was just as worried about her though. Mostly because mother and her sister would need her help to take care of her niece. She was born early and needed some extra attention. Attention neither of them could give all the time. The realization she wouldn't be there to help mixed with their situation just boiled up and she took it out on them. Indy decided she would apologize in the morning. She closed her eyes and clasped the stone then whispered a prayer.

"Give Rusty good luck to start a fire. And keep all my friends safe. And also, help my mom and my sister to have good luck with the baby." She fixed herself to be more comfortable and then laid still to drift off to sleep. She wasn't sure if she could sleep outside like this, but she knew she had to at least try.

Mackenzie had dug a deep whole while Honey and Coco gathered stick leaves and vines. They weren't sure what it was for or why Mackenzie had to dig such a big whole like he did. But they trusted what he said.

"Mackenzie, we're back with the sticks and leaves and stuff," said Coco.

"Okay, but them there," Mackenzie pointed at a spot nearby. Just line the sticks as evenly as you can." Mackenzie continued to dig the whole, throwing dirt nearly at Honey's head. She narrowly dodged it and looked at Coco in confusion.

Coco shrugged and shook her head then laid out the sticks evenly while honey dropped her pile of leaves and long role of vine. While Mackenzie kept digging, and Coco set the sticks side by side, Honey kneeled next to Mackenzie's hole and looked inside. "Mackenzie, what's all this for? Shouldn't we build a shelter or a fire or something?"

"We are," Mackenzie replied, sounding rather happy about himself.

"But your just digging a big hole!" She waited for him to explain himself, but he kept working. "Mackenzie!" Honey sat up and huffed as she crossed her arms. "Mackenzie, why do you always ignore us when we talk to you?"

"I'm not," Mackenzie's head shot up. "I'm just working."

"But I was talking to you, and you didn't say anything back," Honey huffed and reinforced her posture so she could show him how angry she was. "That's ignoring people. And it's rude! Hm!" She turned her back and Mackenzie frowned.

He wanted to assure her but seeing as the light was nearly gone, and he was having trouble seeing inside his hole, he needed to keep working. He returned to work and was nearly finished. "I'm not trying to be mean, Honey. I'm just trying to take care of you and Coco until we find everyone. Please trust me, Honey."

Coco smiled as Honey's face began to soften as Mackenzie returned to work. Honey looked at Coco as if she was asking something. But Coco shrugged, still wearing that smile on her face. Honey then turned around and leaned into the hole. "I do trust you, Mackenzie. I'm sorry for being mad."

"That's okay," Mackenzie smiled as he pat his hands clean. "I'm finished. Are those sticks laid out, Coco?"

"Yup," Coco replied and waited with tail wagging as he inspected them.

"These are great. Now let's take the vines and weave them like this. He created a loop and wrapped it around a stick then created another loop with the two sides of the vine. Another stick went inside, and he repeated the process until he ran out of vine, then tied it off. "We can stick the leaves in-between the vine and sticks and cover the hole with this. It should keep us warm and protected from the wildlife. It's not very sturdy, but it should hold."

"Wow, that's a great idea!" Coco complimented while gripping his arms.

"Yeah," Honey agreed. She eyed the green soft moss on the ground and picked a patch up. "Maybe we can use some of this moss as a mattress in the hole."

"That sounds good. I'll use the rest of the vines to make the trap door better then put leaves on it. You girls get the moss and make a spot for us to sleep."

"Okay," Both girls replied and started pulling up the patches of fluffy moss.

Mackenzie wasn't a great craftsman, but he was sure the trapdoor would hold at least well enough to keep them warm. He had the girls help place it over the whole. Had he moved it on his own, it would have fallen completely apart. But they had to be very carful when they moved it. Rasing it was also a tough chore. He held it for the girls to hop in, but he ended up sliding in on his back and letting dirt in just to keep the door from falling apart. The leaves had hopelessly fallen off, so they ended up patchworking it while in the hole. But eventually, they completed their bed and comfortably laid down in the hole. Mackenzie checked his fanny pack and picked out one of his final three glowsticks. He cracked it and shook it then fastened it next to one of the vines. All three sighed, content on the soft moss and relatively warm hole.

"This hole is great, Mackenzie." Coco gripped her stomach as it rumbled loudly. "You don't have anything to eat, do you?"

Mackenzie looked inside his fanny pack. There was some peanut butter chocolate crackers. Only one pack left. They'd each get two. But he wasn't sure now was the right time. "I've got a pack of crackers… but I think we should wait until the morning." Honey and Coco groaned.

"Are you sure we can't have just one?" Honey begged, "Please?"

Mackenzie recoiled as the two girls gave him big eyes. He sighed. And opened the crackers each giving them one. "Fine, just one though. We don't know if we'll get anything else to eat."

"Thanks, Mackenzie," Honey accepted her cracker and savored it. "Mmm, peanut butter chocolate."

"I love peanut butter chocolate," Coco smiled as she savored her cracker as well.

Mackenzie zipped up his fanny pack and laid down. "That's all for tonight. I'll give you another one tomorrow morning. Let's get some sleep."

Coco laid down next to him and huddled into his side while Honey huddled into Coco back. Her soft, fluffy fur made her very warm. Mackenzie, however, didn't like to be touched while he was trying to sleep. He shifted uncomfortably feeling her lay her head on his shoulder and hug his arm. She fell fast asleep, as did Honey. But Mackenzie was still wide awake. Even as last night's insufficient amount of sleep caught up with him, he couldn't get himself to relax like they did. All because of the touching.

Mackenzie managed to get himself free and turn to his side. It was a small comfort, but it was just enough to relax him. He let out a deep breath and tried to drift off. But then he heard whimpering behind him. He turned around and Coco was restlessly feeling around for something. He figured he knew what it was. He gave her his arm, which she hugged again then relaxed. He quietly groaned and laid there. He just had to accept he wouldn't get any sleep tonight either.

Valerie finished setting up a bonfire and then took a scroll and flattened it on the ground. She placed her palm on the ward and drew up a small ember of fire and shot it at the pile of wood. "Step back." The wood caught fire with a small "foosh" then crackled and settled calmly.

"Whoa," The children scooted closer and started to warm their hands.

"That was cool!" Bluey laughed. "Can you do anything with those paper rolls?"

Valerie laughed. "Almost anything. You just have to have the right scroll." She hung her cloack up on a tree so the heat would reflect back on her bedroll. She had two extra blankets she gave them, so they'd have something to sleep on. Then she dug into her bag and gave out four small snack-sized bread loaves. "Here, this is about all I've got. I didn't expect to have to feed other kids. I'm sorry I don't have more."

"That's okay," Snickers said handing his back. "You can keep mine if you want."

"No, it's alright," Valerie chuckled. "We'll… think of something tomorrow… we're still a little far from town, but I'll think of something. There may be some berry bushes or fruit trees on the way. And I am sorry I couldn't help you find your friends. I don't know how close we are, but if we wake up early tomorrow, we might be able to catch up to them."

"Do you think we'll find them?" asked Bingo, looking up at Valerie. Valerie loosened her leather breast plate armor and set it down as a pillow.

She smiled at Bingo when she turned her head and sat down on her bedroll. "I'm sure we will." She started to tweak her bow and inspect it for damage.

Bingo got up form the fire then sat next to the bedroll near Valerie. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just making sure my bow is in tip top shape. Wouldn't want to be surprised by some monsters only to have a bad bow. It's always good to keep your equipment in the best condition you can make it. That way it lasts longer."

"Can I see it?" Bingo asked as she scooted closer, examining the bow from the distance.

"Sure. If you'd like." Valerie handed the bow to Bingo.

It was a little big for her, and a bit heavy. She wouldn't be able to so much as aim it, much less pull the string back. Still, she was excited to hold a real bow. The bow was a very light brown with a reddish hue. Some basket weaving made the grip at the center and the string was a sturdy brown threading. It was very plain to Valerie's eyes, but that's why she liked it. To Bingo, it was like a beautiful work of art.

"It's really beautiful," Bingo said as she stood up and tried to hold it up.

Valerie giggled. "I think so too. I like this bow. It was given to me by a friend. He's… been gone for a while. I haven't seen him in ages, I think. I hope we'll be able to adventure together some day again… But I have eto find him first…"

Bingo watched Valerie's eyes drop. Her smile faded too. But Bingo gave her a determined face. "You'll find him."

Valerie's smile returned and she giggled. "I wish I could be as sure as you."

"I think you will." Bingo sat down and put the bow on her lap. "Because he's looking for you too. Otherwise, he wouldn't be a good friend. And if your looking for each other, then you'll find each other."

Valerie leaned close her smile widening. "I think you're right, Bingo. Thank you very much."

Bingo smiled and examined the bow one last time before she gave it back. It was then she noticed a tiny crack near the top portion, where the threading was tied. Just beneath the notches. "It's cracked here."

Valerie took the bow back and examined where she pointed, exposing it to the fire light. "How very clever of you Bingo. You'd make a better archer than me."

Bingo giggled and turned to face Bluey who smiled at her and nodded. Bingo returned to her side next to the fire and huddled under Bluey's blanket. Bluey hugged her and rubbed her back.

"Good job, Bingo." Bingo giggled and huddled closer into Bluey and waited there until they all had fallen fast asleep.

In the morning, Chloe was comfortably sleeping under the blanket she shared with Snickers. He was snoring a little loudly, but no one really cared since they were all fast asleep. Chloe turned over and rested her head on her arm. Her hand grazed across a mossy stone. The stone crackled and wiggled. The movement shook the moss she was sleeping on. She raised her head and examined the ground she was sleeping on and noticed the stone move. She sat up and watched it as it wiggled free from the ground and rolled away with a loud rocky clack.

Several stones began to move inwardly towards an unknown center where it started to form a body close to Chloe. Everyone else woke up, hearing the commotion.

Valerie sat up and turned her head. She knew that sound but she hoped she was wrong. She gasped as soon as she saw the moving stones. "Wake up! Wake up! Everyone!"

She didn't have to say it, everyone was already awake, watching the stones stack on top of one another and soon a boulder rolled on top of stone formation and stones collected on the sides of the boulder as well a singular stone on top. It created a fully formed giant. Chloe watched it form then tower over her. Unable to think, she instead let out a loud and shrill scream that echoed through the forest.

Rusty was napping on a log while Indy and Jack were packing up the camp. They never did get a fire going, and Rusty didn't give up for a while. But even he figured out when it was hopeless and decided rest was more important. He and Jack switched off watches so they could all get some sleep at night. Indy finished folding the reflective blanket while jack was repacking the wood. It was then they heard a high-pitched scream in the distance.

Rusty quickly sat up and looked around. "What was that?"

Jack stood up to see if he could find it. "I thought I heard a scream. Indy?"

Indy covered her mouth with both hands. "That sounded like Chloe!"

Rusty quickly grabbed his bag and donned it. "Chloe! Hang on!" He grabbed his knife and took off in the direction he heard the scream.

"We're coming, Chloe!" Jack followed and ran after Rusty.

Indy shortly ran after them too. "Chloe, hang on! We're coming! Chloe!"

Chloe and Snickers jumped over a large tree root and a loud thud from a stone being thrown into it made them both scream. Valerie took an arrow and nocked it then flourished her hand. Her eyes and hand glowed, she touched the bowstring with her glowing hand and an ethereal object attached to the nocked arrow and the sound of a lit fuse came form the tip. She let the arrow loose and an explosion rocked the earth and the stone giant staggered. One of the rocks it use for its body shattered but it remained in one piece otherwise. It summoned more stones to compensate for what it lacked.

"Wrong again!" She scolded herself. "Which one is it!" These stone giants usually had a singular rock that held their soul. The soul was where its magic came from. From there, it could control the stones around it to form a body or a weapon. But the problem was always finding the right stone out of several. And she only had so many attempts before it was no use. "Two more tries, Valerie, get this right." She ran from tree to tree so she wouldn't get hit.

"Watch out!" Snickers screamed.

The stone giant swung at Blue and Bingo, but both avoided the attack and screamed as it splintered a tree and missed them. The tree toppled over and gave the girls a chance to run. An arrow bounced right off its head. It turned its blank stony head and saw Valerie readying another shot. "Here! You big brute!" She shot another arrow that pointlessly bounced off again. It threw one of its hands at her, but she quickly dodged away then charged another magic attack.

Bingo and Bluey crawled through some tree roots and then finally regrouped with Snickers and Chloe who were still behind their sturdy, thick tree root.

Snickered finished hyperventilating and turned to Bluey. "What do we do?"

Bluey gave him a look. "You're asking me?!"

"We have to do something!" exclaimed Chloe. They heard another explosion but the giant just reformed again.

"We should just run!" screamed Bluey, "We can't do anything to that stone thingy!"

"We can't leave Valerie!" Bingo argued.

Bluey shook her head. "Bingo, what are we going to do? Valerie has magic and she can't beat it. How will we beat it?"

Valerei grunted as she jumped and landed with a roll on the ground, avoiding another stone. She went to dig into her sack only to realize she left it near the campfire. "Oh, balderdash!" She ran to thick tree and took cover. The stone giant splintered a large portion of the tree off, but Valerie dove for the other end of it then kept running.

Snickers slid back down to the other side of the tree root, after having seen the whole thing. "Maybe we cand distract it for her so she can get a good shot with her arrows."

"Are you crazy!?" Bluey screamed placing both her hands on her head. "We can't go back out there! We'll die!"

"She'll die if we don't help her!" Chloe argued.

"Please, Bluey!" Bingo used her "please face" and looked Bluey in the eyes.

Bluey relented and groaned. "Now I know how dad feels. Okay, let's do it."

"Okay!" The others agreed.

Valerie caught was catching her breath as she hid behind another tree. She managed to lose the stone giant this time, but it was closing in on her. She readied her bow and slowed her breathing. She had one more bomb arrow spell left. She needed to use it wisely. Valerie closed her eyes and prayed for the right one this time. She peaked around the corner and the giant happened to see her at the same time.

"Oh Balderdash!" She ran away from the tree and the giant swung its arm at her. She jumped out of the way of the splintering and accidentally lost her bow. She crawled towards it quickly, but she wasn't sure she'd reach it in time when the giant closed in on her.

"Hey! You big dumb mean stone face!" Snickers shouted. he bounced up and down so it could see him. "I'm right here!"

The giant turned it attention and started moving towards him. Valere grabbed her bow and went to pull it back but found the arrow broken. "Oh, not now!" She threw the arrow aside and reached back for another, but they weren't any. She moved her quiver in view and relalized it was empty. "No. No no no! Please anything but this!" She looked around for one of her arrows. Several of them bounced off the giant, surly she could find one of them. Just one!

"Over here!" Bingo and Bluey waved their arms and were located in two different directions. Snickers took the chance to disappear while the giant looked away from him.

"Don't bother, friends, just run!" shouted Valerie as she crawled around for an arrow. She hid behind a tree so the giant couldn't see her.

"We're distracting it!" Bluey shouted, "Shoot it while you have the chance!"

"I can't. I'm out of arrows!" Valerie shouted back. "Find me an arrow and throw it to me!"

"Bluey lookout!" Bingo jumped out of the way and Bluey followed her. Both girls screamed as the large rock smashed into the giant tree roots they were standing on.

"Hey!" Chloe took her turn distracting the monster. "How about you try that over here! You dumb rock giant!" The giant, though featureless was clearly getting angry and charged at her. "Uh oh…" Chloe screamed as she ran away as fast as she could. The giant smashed through the tree roots and gave chase.

"Chloe!" Snickers tried to follow them but found one of Valerie's arrows on the ground. "Valerie! I found an arrow!"

"Throw it here! Quick!" Valerie raised her arm so he could see her.

Ge threw it as well as he could with his short arms. It was short thrown as to be expected, but Valerie didn't have to go nearly as far as she would have if she simply ran over to him to find the arrow. She gripped the arrow and summoned the bomb arrow then aimed it. "Watch out, Chloe!" She let the arrow loose.

Chloe stopped at a dead end of stone and tried to look for a way to climb up it, but it was hopeless. She backed into the stone wall as far as she could, hoping it would be enough. The giant raised its hand to strike, and she covered her head and screamed. Suddenly an explosion toppled the giant and the rocks fell to the ground.

Everyone waited but the creature didn't reform. There was a collective sigh of relief. Valerie found another arrow and readied it in case she had to get its attention for Chloe's sake. But so far, it was quiet. Finally, she relaxed. "Chloe! Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," Chloe said gripping her chest. Her heart had never beat so fast in her life. "I'm okay."

Bluey, Bingo, and Snickers all came to Valerie's side and sighed in relief, seeing Chloe unharmed. But the relief was short lived as the rumbling returned and the giant reformed.

Valerie's heart sank. "Still? I still hit the wrong one?" She nocked another arrow then gave aim, ready to distract the giant. "Run! Get out of here, I'll buy you some time!"

Chloe was still stuck in her corner. The giant eyed her. Valerie was about to let the arrow loose, but then the tension released and the tip of the nock on the top of her bow fewl back and struck her forehead. "Ack!"

"Valerie!" Bluey gripped her hand as Valerie fell to her knee and covered her forehead. She looked at her bow and her eyes went wide.

"No… oh no…"

"You bow…" Bingo sadly pointed.

Snickers picked up a rock and threw it at the giant, but it landed short. "Chloe!"

Valerie shook her head then reached to her quiver and took out a short sword and dagger sheathed within them. "Hang on, Chloe!"

The giant raised its hand again and ignored the stones that the girls and Snickers threw while Valerie ran at it. She covered her head again and screamed as it threw its hand down.

"Chloe!" Everyone screamed together in dread as they could do nothing but watch.

Suddenly, Chloe felt something tackle her and she rolled a down the rocky hill. Rolling off of her, she saw Jack shake his head and rub his head.

"Jack!" She gasped.

"We were looking al over for you!" Jack smiled.

"Chloe!" Indy came to Chloe's side and gripped her hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright," Chloe assured.

"Take this you big meany!" Rusty threw a big rock at the stone giant right above the dead-end Chloe was stuck in. The giant angrily drew back its hand to throw it at him. Valerie took the chance to climb on top of it and run up to its head and struck it with her swords. It staggered and wiggled, making her jump off and roll to recover.

"Jack! Indy!" Bluey Hugged Indy. "You're alright!"

"We heard you guys screaming and came to help!" smiled Jack.

"Where's Coco? Or Honey? Was Mackenzie and Rusty with you?"

"Rusty's up there!" Indy pointed at Rusty who threw another rock that clacked against the giant and angered it more.

"We didn't see Mackenzie, Honey, or Coco anywhere!" Jack continued, "We thought they were with you!"

"They're not!" Chloe said as she stood up. They children all ran to get out of the giant's view. "Its just me, Bluey, Bingo and Snickers."

"And we made a new friend. Valeire," Bingo pointed.

Valerie flew back into view and slid to a stop in front of them then lit up her swords in a magic hue and charged forth for another attack.

"Whoa!" Jack watched her dodge the giant's arms and used her sword attack to stagger it, but it wasn't harmed, not even a scratch. "That was cool!"

"Valerie! Look out!" Chloe screamed.

But it was too late. Valeire was hit by one of the giant's hands and flew back into a tree. She grunted in pain and collapsed on her stomach, dropping both swords. She groaned and tried to reach for her swords, but it was of no use. She was exhausted, winded, and her powers were nearly used up.

With no other options left, Rusty took out his knife and dared to jump onto the giant creature to stop it from attacking his friends. It looked around for the him and reached back, but it couldn't see or feel him. Rusty took his knife and accidentally struck it shoulder as it moved to shake him off. A muffled loud, deep groan rang through the air as the giant. Fell to its knees then threw its entire arm aside and fell apart. Rusty screamed as the boulder he was on tumbled and nearly squashed him. The boulder flew all the way to the creek dropping him mid way and rolled to a stopped way ahead of him.

"Rusty!" Indy ran to the creek, but she was held back by her friends.

"Indy! Don't!" Snickers yelled, "You'll get hurt!"

"We can't leave Rusty out there!" She cried, "He'll die."

Valerie reached for her swords and finally grabbed one of them, but she was still recovering. Without her bag she didn't have her potions or spells. She was a long way off from helping the poor kelpie stuck in the wide, river-sized creek. But seeing the knife in one of the stones, she at least knew which one was the soul stone.

Rusty lifted his head painfully and slowly as he recovered from the drop and the tumble. Nothing had ever hurt more than that. He was crying and shaking from the pain. He managed to get up only a small amount before collapsing into the water again. The boulder rolled passed him. He could hear the giant reassembling. He looked up and turned his head. He saw the giant piece itself together then roar. Even though it had no features to speak of, he could tell it was looking at him, furious and vengeful. Rusty turned over and crawled back. He felt a branch on his back and turned to try and get over it. It was big, but sizable enough for him to lift and threw out of his way. But seeing the giant now, he knew he wouldn't get away.

Rusty put on a brave face. He was scared, but he was going to be the bravest he'd ever been and give his friends time to escape. "Indy..! Jack…! Get everyone out of here!"

"Rusty!" Jack wanted to run out for him, but now Bluey held him back and hugged him. "Rusty, don't do this!"

Valerie used the sword to prop herself up and get on her feet. She huffed, and mustered strength enough to stand.

Rusty picked up the branch. If he was going to die here… he would die doing what he loved. Rusty's eyes swelled with tears, but he didn't back down. Instead, he took a position with the branch that was identical to a cricket batter. Rusty closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The letter his father sent him came to mind as he prepared for his last match.

As you grow up… you'll face harder things then a cricket ball. Rusty let out the breath and opened his eyes. And you'll have two choices. Back away and get out… Rusty relented as the giant reared back to throw its hand at him. Or step in front and play a pull shot. Rusty doubled down his stance. He knew what he chose, and he was following through it.

"Rusty! Get out of there!" Bluey screamed. Everyone watched in worry, but something peculiar happened. "What's he doing?"

A light began to glow in Rusty's hands. He readied his branch, and the rock flew at him. "Just keep your eye on the ball…" Rusty finished the words and waited for the right moment.

"No!" the giant threw its hand and Valerie jumped to try and intercept it but she hardly took even a step before collapsing.

The bolder flew through the air, straight at Rusty and rusty met wit with a swing. Branch met stone and suddenly to stone stopped. Rusty grunted as he was nearly caught off balance, but he held strong realizing the stone wasn't killing him yet. It felt like he was fighting against someone as she pushed the branch against the stone. A magical force kept it from continuing. Finally, with one final push, Rusty screamed and somehow forced his branch through. The rock shot back and shattered against the stone wall behind the giant.

Everyone froze in shock, unsure what they had just witnessed. Valerie herself could hardly believe what she saw. "Unbelievable…"

Rusty puffed for air, a huge wave of relief taking over him as he realized he was still alive. The light in his arms glowed brighter and caught his attention. He looked at his hands and arms and gasped. "What's happening?"

"What's going on?" Indy asked excitably, "What's happening to him?"

Valerie smiled as she finally stood to her feet. "He's discovering his class." She turned her head and faced them. "He's an adventurer!"

Rusty saw the giant ready its arms to try again. He took a stance, braver and more determined that he was before. The stone giant threw one rock after the other. Rusty hit the first, this one being easier than the last and then second being even easier than that one. The giant reassembled its arms with more stones then reached for a boulder and raised it over its head.

"Rusty! Watch out!" shouted Snickers.

Rusty readied a strike. He held it low this time, like a two-handed sword then waited for the boulder to fly. The giant threw the boulder with all its might and anger, but Rusty ran to meet it, jumped up, and raised the branch into a downward strike. As he struck, the branch suddenly shattered into pieces, almost willing itself into a new shape. It formed into a wooden, two-handed sword and as Rusty struck down, he cut the boulder in half. The two halves rolled passed him and he readied the blade, not even knowing it was sword until he struck a combat pose. He allowed himself to be distracted for only a second to admire the sword. "Whoa!"

The giant charged to attempt to finish him. Rusty gripped his sword and struck its hand, shattering the stones in the process. The giant stagard back and Rusty sliced at its feet. He cut the lower appendages, left and right taking turns then reared his sword back and stabbed it into the boulder it used as a torso. The source cracked with light and shattered into pieces. Rusty skillfully flourished the two handed sword and spun then took another combat stance the stones started to roll away to look for another boulder.

Valerie examined them all for once things. It didn't take her long to find it. "Rusty! The stone with the dagger in it! Strike it!"

Rusty saw the stone and jumped up higher than he ever could and came down on the rock with mighty force. The rock screamed as it shattered and the stones around him all rolled to a stop. Rusty took a deep breath in and let it out. The glowing light faded, and he felt something warm crawl around his shoulder. He looked and a strange golden mark was left where he felt the drawing. He examined his wooden sword one time with a wagging tail and a big smile. He couldn't believe what he just did. In fact, no one could.

"Wow! That was amazing!" Bingo screamed at the top of her lungs. Everyone laughed and ran to meet Rusty in the creek. All but Bingo, who decided to check on Valerie instead. "Are you okay, Valerie?"

"Yes… I'm fine, Bingo," Valerie winced. "I just need a healing potion. Can you run and get my sack?"

"Okay." Bingo nodded and ran to the campfire site.

"Rusty! I'm so glad your okay!" Indy hugged him tightly. Then Jack and Bluey joined in. Chloe joined the group hug shortly after, but poor snickers tripped before he could get close enough. They laughed and helped him up.

"That was amazing!" Snickers exclaimed. "How did you do that?"

Rusty wasn't sure how to answer. "I… I don't know. I thought that I was doomed, but… I just did what came naturally to me."

"You are the best cricket player," Jack smiled.

Rusty scratched his head. "Thanks. But I really don't know what happened. Rusty examined his wooden sword."

"Great job, Rusty!" Valerie limped with Bingo next to her, her sack over her shoulder as well as her broken bow. "Thanks for your help back there. I'd be dead if not for you."

"Thanks," Rusty scratched his head again, his face red. He wasn't sure how to respond with all this praise.

"Do you think we could do that?" Bluey asked Valerie with a hyperactive tail.

Valerie hummed. "That depends, I suppose. I thought you were born here, in this world. But it seems my suspicions were correct. You children are real, aren't you. Not from here, but from the world before, like me."

"What do you mean, real?" Bluey asked with a tilted head.

"This is the World of Imagination," Valerie began, "The world where the culmination of everyone thoughts combine and create another. Emotion, idea, wishes; hopes and dream. This is the manifestation of all of it. At least… that's what Alister believes."

"Alister?" Chloe asked.

"Who's he?" Indy added.

Valerie smiled. "A dear friend. Scientist by claim. But he's no more your age. Very young. But very smart. Perhaps he can help you all discover your classes just like your friend here."

"Who are you, by the way?" asked Indy.

"Valerie," she replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. This is all of you, yes?"

Everyone looked around and Rusty shook his head. "No, we're still missing three."

"Mackenzie, Coco, and Honey." Chloe slouched her shoulder. "I was hoping they'd be here too."

"If they didn't hear us then that means they're very far away," Bluey rubbed her arms. "Or they're in trouble!"

"Well, I'm able to travel. Rusty, is it? I'll need your help. Since you're the only other adventurer here I'm in no shape to keep fighting. And I'm out of healing potions. The one I had helped me get my strength back, but we have a long way to go before we reach any civilization. And we still need to find your friends."

"I'll do everything I can to help," Rusty saluted.

"Thank you," Valerie smiled bowed her head. "Come then. We should start looking. We have a lot of ground to cover."