Here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Chaotic. Not at all!

Now, let's resume our tale!

The Cothica and Slithering Scales Part 1

Three days later…

Gavin sighed as he ported into Chaotic, looking around as he did so. 'Oh, please don't be waiting for me,' He thought as he searched for any sign of the female player that had been sitting with Tom a few days ago. 'Oh thank Kami!' He thought when he saw no sign of her, before he looked down at his scanner and pulled up his cards. He then swiped and swiped over his cards until he found Mt. Pillar, and selected it, before taking a deep breath and pressed on the top button, starting the port process.

Soon, he found himself standing before the imposing structure that was Mt. Pillar, and let out the deep breath he had been holding. 'Well, here I go,' he thought to himself as he headed towards one of the entrances.

As he approached the building, he started going through the mental list of songs he'd been listening to recently, making sure he remembered the lyrics of each one as he went.

Soon, he had gotten close enough to the structure that the Danian guards called out to him. "You there! Stop where you are!" A couple shouted out, prompting him to stop in place. "What brings you to our home human?" One asked him as the others pointed their cyclances at him.

"Um, I was asked by the royals to come back," he replied as he held up his wrist, showing them the bracelet.

"Hmph! As if," One of the guards said with a frown.

"Hey! I remember you!" Another guard said upon seeing the bracelet. "Yeah, you're the human who had an audience with the Queen and Princess."

"Um, yeah, that's me," He replied.

"I'll go get Odu-Bathax," The guard said, before heading off into the hive.

About ten minutes later, he returned with the Danian Battlemaster, who had a surprised look on his face.

"Well well well, you returned," Odu-Bathax said as he looked at Gavin. "I must say, you're braver than any of the other humans I've encountered." 'Or maybe stupider,' He thought to himself as He extended an arm forward. "I'll be taking your scanner," he continued, prompting Gavin to hand it over. "Good, now come with me."

"Alright," Gavin said as he followed the battlemaster, who took a couple guards with him, leaving the others back at their post.

As they walked, he noticed that the Danians were looking at him again, some with surprise on their faces.

"He came back?"

"I thought for sure he'd stay away!"

"He's crazy!"

Soon, they reached the throne room, and Odu-Bathax stepped forward, bowing as he spoke. "Your majesties. The human has returned," He said.

"Oh? He has?" Queen Illexia said as the curtains were pulled back and she stepped forward, before spotting the human. "Ah, he has!"

"Wonderful!" The Princess said as she too stepped forward, a delighted and somewhat surprised look on her face. "I must say, I am glad you have returned. Mother here has been telling me how much she loved your singing."

"You are one to talk daughter," Illexia replied with an arched non-existent eyebrow. "You've been humming the tunes he sang for the past three days."

"Anyways," The Princess continued, ignoring her mother's remark. "I am glad we didn't scare you away from here."

"Oh trust me your majesties, I had to do a lot of thinking about coming back here," He replied, making them gain surprised looks on their faces. "I'm still mad about the whole parasitization attempt."

"But yet you still returned," The Princess pointed out.

"Because I'm willing to give you guys a second chance," he answered. "It's going to take me some time to forgive the Queen here for that attempt. A good amount of time. But I am willing to come here as long as you don't try to parasitize me again."

"I think that could work," The Princess replied, before she looked at her mother expectantly. "Don't you think so mother?"

"Yes, I think it works," Queen Illexia replied with a nod.

"Good," Gavin said with a smile and a sigh of relief. "So, what kind of songs are you in the mood for today your majesties?"

"I am in the mood for something stress-relieving," Queen Illexia replied, rubbing her head as another headache came on. "I had to deal with some squabbling nobles today and they've given me quite the headache."

"Yikes! That sucks!" Gavin replied, before turning to the Princess. "And you, your majesty?"

"Well, maybe something energetic?" The Princess replied. "It's been rather slow for me today."

"Alright then, so one stress-relieving song, and one energetic song! This'll be easy," he replied. "I know a lot of those types of songs." He then cleared his throat, and took in a deep breath, before he started to sing.

"Yeah,

Some days, I just wanna leave the negativity in my head

I just want relief from my stress

I just want relief from my stress

Some days, I don't want to see or

Have a bunch of people to impress

I just want relief from my stress

Yeah, I just want relief from my stress

Late nights, starin' out the window doin' 85

Got my state of mind

Yeah, walkin' on that grey line

Hopin' that my stress dies

It's like I hate it but I love it at the same time

Pressure pushin' me from all sides

Insecurities of all kinds

Yeah, I'm a hostage to my own pride

Most important things in life to me are things I know I can't buy

Yeah, it's me in phases

I'm not in the mood, yeah, to meet another stranger

I'm not in the mood, yeah, to have a conversation

And talk about a bunch of things that I don't feel amazed with

Gettin' too close to me, whoa

Could be dangerous

I don't like the energy, I leave the situation

All this negativity, yeah, I can't get away from

All this negativity, I think I need a break from

I'm thankful but

Some days, I just wanna leave the negativity in my head

I just want relief from my stress

I just want relief from my stress

Some days, I don't want to see or

Have a bunch of people to impress

I just want relief from my stress

Yeah, I just want relief from my stress

Yo, this life got my head spinnin'

Wonder what I'd do if I knew these were my last minutes

Wonder if I had a week to live, would I stay trippin'?

Wastin' every day that I had left tryna sell tickets

Or maybe call my dad, say I love him and laugh with him

Take a couple days and get away from this fast livin'

I don't love my work the way I did

Man, this whole business has got me feelin' jaded

Friends that I had, now they act different

It's all switchin', whoa

Yeah, it's pretty hard to watch things you used to love

Turn to things you wish you forgot

Real moments that make you question the things that you want

Got me growin' mentally, but stressin' me out 'til I drop over the top

Swear I live on a daily basis

I always find a way to find the bad in good situations

It's sad, huh?

Yeah, I live my life on the edge, don't want the meds

I'm just tryna get relief from my stress, you know

Some days, I just wanna leave the negativity in my head

I just want relief from my stress

I just want relief from my stress

Some days, I don't want to see or

Have a bunch of people to impress

I just want relief from my stress

Yeah, I just want relief from my stress

These stress levels are not healthy

I'm waitin' for that call sayin' records are not sellin'

I wonder when this all disappears and they forget me

Will I feel like I found who I was or be more empty

I wonder was I wrong thinkin' this is where God led me

Or did I get involved in somethin' that was too heavy?

I drive until I'm lost and just sit in my car yellin'

My inner critic talks, I'm just hopin' that God helps me

Just stop stressin'

Yeah

Some days (Some days), I just wanna leave the negativity in my head (I just wanna leave it)

I just want relief from my stress (Yeah, I just wanna leave it)

I just want relief from my stress

Some days (Some days), I don't want to see or

Have a bunch of people to impress

I just want relief from my stress

Yeah, I just want relief from my stress

Yeah

Yeah, some days

Yeah, some days

I just wanna leave, yeah

I just wanna leave, yeah!"

Once he finished singing, he bowed, and waited for their response. 'Oh, I hope they liked it!' He thought to himself nervously.

"Hmmm, what an interesting song," Queen Illexia said after several seconds of silence had passed, clapping a couple times. "Tell me, what kind of song is it? It flowed differently than the other songs you've sung for us."

"Well, it is called 'rap,' your majesty," Gavin replied, making them tilt their heads with confusion. "It is a type of singing that involves spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics being performed in time to a beat."

"What an interesting word," Queen Illexia said, with the Princess nodding in agreement. "And tell me, what was the name of that song?"

"'My Stress,'" Gavin replied.

"Hhuh, how simple," She replied. "Yet, it fits it quite well."

"Yes it does," The Princess said in agreement, before looking at him expectantly. "So tell me, what is the name of the song you will be siging for me?"

"Oh, it's called 'Can't Stop The Feeling!' your majesty," Gavin replied, making her arch a non-existent eyebrow with confusion.

"What kind of feeling?" She asked him, making him chuckle.

"You'll just have to listen to find out," he replied, before he started to sing and dance, this song being one of those that it was almost impossible to not dance to, in his opinion.

"I got this feeling inside my bones
It goes electric, wavy when I turn it on
All through my city, all through my home
We're flying up, no ceiling, when we're in our zone

I got that sunshine in my pocket
Got that good soul in my feet
I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops
I can't take my eyes up off it
Moving so phenomenally
Room on lock the way we rock it
So don't stop

And under the lights when everything goes
Nowhere to hide when I'm getting you close
When we move, well, you already know
So just imagine, just imagine, just imagine

Nothing I can see but you
When you dance, dance, dance
Feeling good, good, creeping up on you
So just dance, dance, dance
Come on
All those things I shouldn't do
But you dance, dance, dance
And ain't nobody leaving soon
So keep dancing

I can't stop the feeling
So just dance, dance, dance
I can't stop the feeling
So just dance, dance, dance
Come on

Ooh, it's something magical
It's in the air, it's in my blood, it's rushing on
Don't need no reason, don't need control
I fly so high, no ceiling, when I'm in my zone

'Cause I got that sunshine in my pocket
Got that good soul in my feet
I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops
I can't take my eyes up off it
Moving so phenomenally
Room on lock the way we rock it
So don't stop

And under the lights when everything goes
Nowhere to hide when I'm getting you close
When we move, well, you already know
So just imagine, just imagine, just imagine

Nothing I can see but you
When you dance, dance, dance
Feeling good, good, creeping up on you
So just dance, dance, dance
Come on
All those things I shouldn't do
But you dance, dance, dance
And ain't nobody leaving soon
So keep dancing

I can't stop the feeling
So just dance, dance, dance
I can't stop the feeling
So just dance, dance, dance
I can't stop the feeling
So just dance, dance, dance
I can't stop the feeling
So keep dancing, come on

I can't stop the—
I can't stop the—
I can't stop the—
I can't stop the—
I can't stop the feeling

Nothing I can see but you
When you dance, dance, dance
(I can't stop the feeling)
Feeling good, good, creeping up on you
So just dance, dance, dance
Come on
(I can't stop the feeling)
All those things I shouldn't do
But you dance, dance, dance
(I can't stop the feeling)
And ain't nobody leaving soon
So keep dancing

Everybody sing
(I can't stop the feeling)
Got this feeling in my body
(I can't stop the feeling)
Got this feeling in my body
(I can't stop the feeling)
Wanna see you move your body
(I can't stop the feeling)
Got this feeling in my body

Break it down
Got this feeling in my body
Can't stop the feeling
Got this feeling in my body
Come on!"

As soon as he finished singing and dancing, he bowed to the royals, a smile on his face. 'I hope they liked that,' He thought, his smile still on his face. 'Cause I sure did!'

"What a lovely song!" The Princess replied, clapping several times with a smile on her face. "It really made me want to dance!" She then paused, her eyes widening as she realized something. "Is that what the song is about?"

"Yep!" He replied with a nod. "It's about dancing, being happy, and not caring about what others think."

"Well, it certainly makes one want to do those things!" The Princess said with a smile. "Thank you, Gavin, for singing for us."

"Oh, it was no problem your majesty," he replied with a smile. "I like to sing."

"And you are quite good at it," the Princess said with a nod.

"Thanks," Gavin replied, blushing a bit. "So, um, anything else?" he asked.

"Hmm, I'm good. What about you mother?" The Princess asked the Queen, who hummed in thought.

"I'm good as well," She replied. "You are dismissed Gavin Woodring."

"Alright," He said as he went to turn around, before pausing. "Wait, when do you want me to come back?"

"Hmm, I'd say in two days," Queen Illexia replied, making him nod.

"Alright, that works for me," He said, before he was escorted out of the throne room.

Once they reached the outermost gate, he was given his scanner, and he ported back to Chaotic, while Odu-Bathax walked back to his post, impressed the human had come back and was planning on coming back again. 'He's either the dumbest human ever, or incredibly brave,' he thought to himself.

As soon as he had ported back to Chaotic, he heard a loud female voice cry out "Gotcha!" before he was grabbed by the arm and jerked away.

'Well, shit!' He thought as he was dragged over to a table near the back and sat down, while Tom, Peyton, and the other two players from before sat down before him. 'I figured this would happen. Just not so soon!'

"Alright Gavin, spill it!" The female Chaotic player said with a firm look. "How'd you get a Danian bracelet?!"

"Shhhhhhh!" He quickly shushed her, not wanting to draw attention, and looked around. Fortunately, it seemed nobody was paying attention to them. "Not so loud."

"How'd you get it?" The male Chaotic player asked him. "Did you steal it?"

"What? No! No way!" Gavin replied with a shake of his head.

"See, I told you!" Tom said to his fellow Chaotic Players.

"It was given to me," He replied.

"Given to you by who?" The female Chaotic player asked him.

At that, Gavin grew a bit nervous. "Well, um, I'm not sure I should tell you. If I do, it'd probably end up making more trouble for the hive, and Odu-Bathax doesn't want that. He's voiced it to me enough," he said, before growing silent as his eyes widened. 'Shit! Should not have said that!'

"Dude, you talked with Odu-Bathax?!" Peyton asked him, prompting him to nod. "Wicked cool, bro. Not even I've done that!"

"How'd you manage to do that?" Tom asked him.

"I, um, got captured?" He replied, making their eyes widen with shock.

"You WHA-MPH!" The female Chaotic player cried with shock, with Gavin putting a hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming and catching attention.

"If you keep on reacting like that I'm not going to tell you anymore," He replied, looking at her firmly. "Understand?"

The female player then nodded, causing Gavin to smile. "Good," He said as he slowly removed his hand from her mouth, before wiping it off on his shorts. "Now, as I was saying, I got captured, and taken to meet the Queen."

"What?!" Tom and the glasses-wearing Chaotic player said with shock, while Peyton nearly choked on a bite of burger and the female player's eyes went wide. "You met the Queen?!"

"Sure did," Gavin replied with a nod. "And let me tell you, she's big."

"How big?" The glasses-wearing player asked him. "As big as Chaor?"

"Bigger," he replied, making his eyes widen. "She's 12 feet tall."

"Wow!" Tom said with shock. "That is big."

"Yes, and the Princess is almost as big as her," he replied, making their eyes widen even more.

"The Princess?!"

"Yep! Met her as well!" he said. "And let me tell you, she is intimidating! She's 10 feet tall, and has eight arms."

"Holy Perim!" The female player said with wide eyes. "I'd heard the Queen and Princess were big, but they're that big?!"

"Yep!"

"Did you get any scans of them?!" The glasses-wearing player asked him.

"Nope! They took my scanner when they brought me to the Queen," he said, making them frown.

"Aw, dude! That totally sucks!" Peyton replied.

"How did you get free?" The female player asked him. "The Danians hate intruders, and they like to parasitize them to make them one of their own."

"Yeah, I know," he replied, the memory of the parasites running down his throat making him involuntarily shiver. "I saw it happen before my very eyes. Not a pretty sight," he lied, deciding not to tell them that they had tried to parasitize him, but failed. He didn't want them to get the idea that all humans were immune to parasitization. For all he knew, he could be the only one. "The Queen's a big fan of it. Anyways, I got out by agreeing to come back in a few days and sing to them."

"Sing to them?" They all repeated with surprise and shock.

"Yeah, I know, crazy right?" he replied with a chuckle, enjoying the looks on their faces. "Now, don't get any ideas to go there and start belting out songs to them. That'll just piss them off," he said to them with a serious look on his face. "Got it?"

The four nodded in response, making him smile. "Good. Now, they captured me after hearing me sing, and took me to the Queen and Princess to sing to them," He continued. "And they were quite pleased with it. So pleased, in fact, that the Princess gave me this bracelet."

"So, you have free reign to walk around the Hive?" The female player asked him with shock on her face.

"No, not at all," he replied. "I'm just allowed to go to the throne room, with an escort of course, and that's it."

"Oh," the female player said, sounding a bit relieved.

"Now that I've told you my story, know this," he continued, a firm look appearing on his face as he looked at them. "You tell someone else about this, or try to sneak in after me to get scans of the Hive, I'll stop talking to you, or intercede for you if you get caught. Understand?"

"Y-Yeah, we understand," The four said in response, nodding up and down, a bit taken aback by how serious he had become.

"Good," he continued, before he turned to the glasses-wearing player and the female player. "By the way, what are your names? You know mine, but I don't know yours."

"I'm Kaz," The glasses-wearing player replied.

"And my names' Sarah," The female player replied, making him smile.

"Well, Kaz, Sarah, Peyton, and Tom, it was good to talk with you," he said as he stood up. "But now, I'm heading out to Perim again to do some exploring. Later!" He continued with a wave as he walked over to the teleporter pads, leaving them there to sit and think about all they had just heard.

Once he reached the teleporter pads, he closed his eyes, and pressed the button at the top of his scanner, porting away.

As he arrived at whatever location he had randomly been sent to, he felt much warmer, and he opened his eyes, before they widened greatly.

"Oh my Kami!" he said with shock as he looked at the location he was in. He was standing in a large rocky plain that had many large hills scattered on it, while far off in the distance he could see icy mountains. Sitting before him was a massive city, one that he recognized. "I'm at Kiru City!"

Kiru City was round in shape, with a large, thick orangish bronze stone wall surrounding it. The buildings making up the city itself varied in appearance and height, but many were about the same size and color. Most were white, but some of the buildings located near the wall were the same color as the wall. A large white and pale blue elegant castle sat in the middle of the city on top of a large rock mound, with a looooong staircase leading from its front doors down to the city.

This city was the capital of the OverWorld and home of the leader of the OverWorld, Maxxor.

"Well how about that?" he said with surprise. "I was planning on visiting this place eventually. I guess that time is today," he continued as he looked at the wall, and saw that a large path was nearby, leading to a large open gate in the wall.

Said gate was in the shape of a large arch, with images of important OverWorlders carved all around it.

"It looks even better in person," he said as he walked to the path and started heading towards the gate.

As he walked towards the gate, he saw that some OverWorlders were standing guard by it, and he started to get nervous. 'How do they feel about Chaotic players/humans?' He thought as he got closer and closer. 'Do they like them? Hate them? Ignore them?'

Soon, he reached the gate, and saw the guards briefly glance at him, before looking away.

'Okay, so they don't hate them,' he thought as he stepped through the gate and into the city. White stone made up the streets, and he could multiple OverWorlders walking around, doing everyday things such as shopping, talking with each other, and eating. 'That's good to know. Now, where to go first?' He continued as he started walking through the streets, looking at everything with interest.

As he walked, he noticed that some of the OverWorlders were looking at him, with some of them having frowns on their faces, while others looked intrigued. 'Well, some of them don't hate them,' He thought with a sigh, before he turned a corner and continued walking.

Several minutes went by, before he reached an open area in the city, with a large, hammer-shaped building sitting in the open area.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" he said as he looked at the building, recognizing it as the OverWorld Library. It was built of grayish-tan stones, and stood at least three-stories tall, with an elegant blue roof covering it. At the hammer-head end of it, three large, round awnings sat high above the ground, while a smaller, pointier one shaped somewhat like a shoe sat above the entrance, which had a large set of stairs leading to it. At the four corners of the head were beautiful brown carved statues of cloaked OverWorlders that stood on elegant pillars, while above and behind their heads sat four stone squares that had the OverWorld Sign on it. On all sides of the building were arched windows that had light blue glass, with dark blue edges, and a symbol above them that consisted of three smaller circles connected with one big circle. The bottom two circles both had a star shaped icon in them that looked somewhat like an old computer loading symbol, and the top circle had a much, much smaller circle inside it towards the top.

"I wonder what it looks like on the inside," he said as he walked towards it.

Soon, he reached the entrance and went inside, and his eyes widened at what he saw. The interior of the library was just as beautiful as the outside, with white polished stones making up the floor, and blue curtains hanging by the windows. The ceiling was covered in etchings and paintings of OverWorlders, while several large columns held up the ceiling, with some glowing stones on the sides serving as lights.

Rows and rows of bookshelves filled with books filled the building's multiple levels, with several tables and chairs sitting scattered by them. A large desk sat by the door, presumably for the head librarian, with a large comfy chair sitting behind it.

Sitting in said chair was a 5 foot tall elderly OverWorlder that looked quite similar to an owl. It, as he couldn't tell if it was a male or female due to the large blue cloak it was wearing, had bright blue eyes that were full of wisdom, a black beak, and white feathers on its face and neck, with black feathers making two little "horns" on the top of its head and surrounding its head. Finally, a pair of glasses sat on its beak.

"Well well well, hoot," The owl said in an old female voice as she looked at him. "A human has come to the library. How, hoot, interesting."

"Um, hi," Gavin said to the owl with a tentative smile. "Could you tell me what the different sections of the library are?" he asked her.

"Certainly, hoot!" She replied, sounding happy at the question. "On the first floor we have the General section, which contains books about cooking, cleaning, and other everyday things," She said as she gestured to the left side of the building with a white-feathered hand. "We also have most of the History section here as well." She then gestured to the right side and back of the building. "Up on the second floor the History section continues, and we have the Biology, Art, and Literature sections. Finally, the third floor has the Mugic and BattleGear sections. It is also the location of some of our oldest books," She replied.

"Alright, thank you for your help miss," Gavin said to her with a smile.

"Hoot! One more thing," The owl said as she pulled out a small woven basket and slid it forward. "I need you to place your scanner in here while you look at our books. You can pick it up when you are done."

"Oh, sure!" Gavin replied with understanding, before he put the scanner in the basket, which then shut and locked itself. "See you later!" He then hurried off over to the History section, while the owl looked at him with surprise.

'How interesting,' She thought as she watched him go, before taking the basket and setting it down underneath the counter. 'No other human, or Chaotic player as they call themselves, has ever been so willing to give up their scanner. Heck, most humans don't even come in here to read. They come in to scan the building and then leave. How very interesting,' She continued with a hum.

"Okay, now what should I look at first?" he said as he looked at the shelves with interest. 'Eenie, meenie, miny, mo!' he thought, before grabbing a very thin tome and carried the book over to a nearby table and set it down, before sitting in one of the comfy black chairs. 'I wonder what it's about?' he thought as he looked at the book, which was bound in black leather and had a red gem in the center of the cover, with some writing above it. "Okay, it says-wait, how am I able to read this?" He said with confusion, realizing that he could read the words on the cover, which read "The Cothica and its History."

"I can explain that," A wise, female voice said from near him, causing him to jump and turn to look at who had spoken. "My apologies, I did not mean to startle you," The speaker said as she walked over to him and sat next to him. Said speaker was a 6 foot 6 inch tall female anthro white tiger that was wearing a long dark blue robe that covered her entire body, with two slits in the hood for her tiger ears to stick out. The robe had a mustard yellow collar around the neck, light blue cuffs, a mustard yellow belt that was tied around her waist, and a large split down the legs to allow for easy movement. Her eyes were blue like sapphires, and her black-clawed hands had four fingers. Her face looked grave, yet friendly. "My name is Vidav."

"My name's Gavin, Miss Vidav," Gavin replied. "It's nice to meet you."

"Oh please, just call me Vidav," Vidav replied, the ends of her lips curling up a bit in a smile. "Now, to answer your question, it is because our languages are similar enough that you can read it."

"Oh, that makes sense," Gavin said with a nod.

"Now tell me, why read this book?" Vidav asked him with curiosity. "Do you wish to find the Cothica, like so many in Perim are trying to do?"

"Um, what is the Cothica?" he asked Vidav. "I've never heard of it. This is only my second time in Perim."

"Ah, I see," Vidav said. "Well then, let me tell you about it." She then cleared her throat, and opened the book as she started to speak, revealing an illustration of a shining light, with several OverWorlders, UnderWorlders, Danians, and Mipedians all together. "The Cothica is the source of everything in Perim. It was and is the ultimate power. Long ago, the tribes found this power in Perim. Some say it was found in the OverWorld, and others say it was in the UnderWorld. But either way, it was found, and the tribes lived in total peace, as the Cothica gave them everything they wanted." Then, Vidav sighed sadly as she turned the page, showing total chaos as the tribes fought each other. "Until, one day, a creature or Tribe grew greedy, and took it for themselves."

"Oh my," Gavin said as he stared at the page.

"Chaos erupted, as each tribe blamed the other for stealing the Cothica. And there has been tension between the tribes ever since, with each one still blaming the other for taking the Cothica," Vidav continued as she turned the page, showing each tribe separated by large cracks. "Now, each tribe is searching for the Cothica for themselves, knowing that this great power will help them become stronger, helping Perim for better or worse. And that is its history," Vidav said as she closed the book, before turning to Gavin, who had a shocked look on his face.

"That's tragic," Gavin said, with Vidav nodding in agreement. "I wish there was some way to help them. I mean, I don't think I could ever find the Cothica, but there must be a way to get the tribes to at least have some sort of peace with each other, instead of being constantly looking for fights."

"Indeed," Vidav replied. "And that is my personal quest. To bring peace and harmony back to Perim."

"Really?" Gavin said, prompting her to nod. "Well, how's it going so far?"

At that, Vidav sighed. "Not so well," She replied. "I have tried for months and years to get the leaders of the tribes to sign a peace treaty, but they will not listen. They are too engrained with distrust of each other, and will not listen to me, with some saying I am trying to trick them."

"Oh," Gavin said, before frowning a bit. "Well, that sucks."

"Yes, it does," Vidav replied with a nod. "But I won't give up." She then looked at him with intrigue in her eyes. "Perhaps you could help me."

"Me?" Gavin said with surprise, gesturing to himself with a hand. "Help you? I'm sorry, but I don't think there's anything I can do to help you."

"The bracelet you are wearing is Danian," Vidav said, making Gavin stiffen. "And by the level of craftsmanship, one that belongs to a high noble," She continued. "Now, you don't strike me as a thief, and, from what I've heard Raznus say about Danians, that sort of jewelry is almost impossible to steal, so you must have been given it. Am I right?"

Gavin slowly nodded, still quite stiff and feeling nervous.

"Now now, there is no need for alarm," Vidav said to him to calm him down. "In fact, I am impressed."

"…What?!" Gavin replied quietly, eyes a bit wide. "'Impressed?'"

"Mhm, very much so," Vidav answered with a nod. "No OverWorlder has gotten a bracelet or any other sort of jewelry from the Danians, not even Raznus, who is the OverWorld ambassador to them, as they distrust everyone. Especially the Mipedians. So, for you to have gotten a bracelet from them is extremely surprising. How did you manage that?" She asked him.

He gulped, and let out a shaky sigh, before he responded. "I got captured when they heard me singing outside Mt. Pillar," he began. "The Queen wanted to see me."

"You met the Queen?" Vidav asked, eyes a bit wide in surprise.

"Yeah," Gavin replied with a nod. "Queen Illexia wanted me to sing to her and her daughter, so I did. I sang two songs, and then she decided to keep me by parasitizing me."

"Mmmmm," Vidav hummed with an arched eyebrow. "Yet, you still look very much human."

At that, Gavin nodded. "Yeah, that's because the parasites couldn't turn me," he replied. "And no, I don't know how or why. I just know they couldn't." He shuddered as the memory of that event went through his mind, the little legs running down his throat. "It was so scary."

"I'm sure it was," Vidav said as she put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. 'How interesting,' She thought. 'Someone who is immune to the parasites. No one in recorded history has been like that. I wonder why him?'

"Then, the Princess apologized to me for what her mother did," he continued. "She said that her mother was constantly looking to add to their numbers, and loves to use parasites."

"The Princess apologized?" Vidav said with a bit of surprise. 'How odd. The Danians almost never apologize for things.'

"Yeah, and then she decided to give me the bracelet to show her sincerity," he replied. "But she gave me a choice."

"What sort of choice?" Vidav asked him.

"It was to either take the bracelet or get a scan of her," He replied, surprising Vidav once again.

"A scan?!" Vidav said with wide eyes. 'She actually gave him a chance to scan her?!'

"And obviously I chose the bracelet," he replied.

"And why did you choose it?" Vidav asked him. "Aren't you a Chaotic player?"

"Heh, one of the battlemasters asked me the exact same question," Gavin said with a slight chuckle. "I told him I wouldn't have felt right to scan her. I'd be treating her like an object, not a living being. I said that I thought a lot of Chaotic players probably thought of them like that, and that I didn't. I saw them as living beings who had lives of their own. If I was to scan them, it would be because I've gained their trust, not because I'd snuck around and scanned them behind their backs."

"Mmm, how insightful," Vidav replied, a small smile forming on her face. "You are a very kind and caring person."

"Heh, thanks," He said with a smile. "So, I then went home after that, and took some time to seriously think about what they had said, with them offering for me to go back. It took me three days to think it over, before I decided to give them a second chance. I visited them earlier today and told them so. I also warned them not to try to parasitize me again, for if they did, I'd never return or sing to them. And that's how I got the bracelet and ended up basically becoming their bard."

"Mmhmm, I see," Vidav said. "I must say, I am quite impressed. You have been able to make more ground with them than I or Raznus have been able to."

"Really?" He asked with surprise.

"You have," Vidav replied with a nod. "And that is why I think you can help me."

"Well, I mean, maybe," Gavin replied. "But how can I help?"

"By being you," Vidav answered him, before she stood up. "Now then, I must go," She continued. "I look forward to meeting you again, Gavin."

"Um, I do as well Vidav," Gavin replied as he watched her walk away, before rounding a corner and going out of sight.

Once she was gone, he let out another sigh, and shook his head. 'What the fuck just happened?!' He thought to himself as he went over what had just happened.

Eventually, he shook his head. 'Well, at least I know what the Cothica is and how I can help make things better for the tribes,' He thought as he turned his attention back to the book, before picking it up and putting it back on the shelf where he had found it. 'I think I've had enough reading for one day,' He continued, feeling like if he read another book right now his head would explode from all the knowledge he had just gotten. He then made his way back to the front of the library, and got his scanner back, before saying goodbye to the female owl and leaving the library.

Once he was outside, he ported back to Chaotic, and then opened up his location cards, before selecting one titled "Grassy Plains" and ported away once more.

When he ported to Grassy Plains, he saw that he was now standing in a large flat plain covered in grass that reached up to his bellybutton, with the grass being brown, red, and purple in color, while the sky was a pale purple in color.

"Wow, it's even bigger than I thought it would be," he said, surprise on his face as he looked around. "Okay then, which way do I go?" he said, before closing his eyes and spinning around, before then stopping and pointing in a random direction. "Okay, that way it is!" He then started walking in the direction he had been pointing in, whistling as he did so.

As he walked away from where he had ported in, he failed to realize that a pair of gold eyes was watching him from behind, a good distance away from him.

'Hmmm, how interesting,' The owner of the pair of eyes thought, before they started to slowly follow him from a distance. 'I must follow him.'

"Huh, I would have thought that I'd come across a bush or rock by now," He muttered as he walked, having been walking for about fifteen minutes. "Or heck, maybe even a hole! But I haven't found anything. Just grass, grass, and more grass. Is that really all there is in Grassy Plains?"

*RUSTLE!*

"Huh?" He said, having heard the grass rustling from behind him and to his right. "Is someone there?"

*RUSTLERUSTLE!*

"Hello?" He called out as he turned to his left, hearing the grass rustle again. "You can come out. I'm not any trouble."

*RUSTLERUSTLERUSTLERUSTLE!*

"Okay, you can stop playing around now," he said, feeling pretty nervous as the grass started rustling all around him. "This is getting a bit much."

"Boo!"

"Gah!" Gavin yelped as a voice whispered in his right ear, making him jump a couple feet in the air.

"Heheheheheh!" A young female voice giggled as he turned around, and saw that no one was around.

"Okay, please stop that and come on out!" he called out. "It's getting annoying."

"Oh, alright," A young female voice said, before the grass in front of him resulted a bit, and a large creature started to rise out of the grass. "If you insisssst."

As the creature rose out of the grass, Gavin's eyes widened with shock, and he took a couple steps back.

There, standing/sitting before him, was a tall female naga who looked rather young. She stood 7 feet tall, and was completely covered in black scales, with a large cobra hood that had two gold spots with black dots in the middle that made them look like big eyes. Her eyes were bright gold in color, as where her sharp claws on her four fingered hands. Her mouth was slightly open, revealing her sharp fangs were golden as well. A long thick black tail stuck out of the grass several feet behind her. Around her waist was a black leather belt that had smooth metal armor on the sides, while some black leather extended down a bit, with another black belt holding the other end down, black armor also on it. A large black fabric tank top covered her large chest and ended right underneath it, with each breast easily the size of a watermelon, and had a gold metal fang in the middle of her cleavage, while gold swirls sat on top of her breasts.

"W-W-Who are you?" he asked as he stared at her with shock.

"I am Vesssshkaa," The female naga hissed with a smile. "And you are?"

"G-Gavin," He replied, feeling rather nervous, as he didn't know if Veshak was nice or not.

"'Gavin,'" Veshak repeated, her long black tongue flicking out every once in a while. "What an interessssting name. What bringssssss you here to the Grasssssssssy Plainsssss?"

"I was wanting to explore it," he answered, relaxing a bit as he spoke. 'I haven't been here before, and I wanted to see what I could find here."

"Hmm, well, I could help you if you want," Veshka suggested as she looked at him, a smile on her face.

"Really?" he asked with an arched eyebrow. "What's the catch?"

"There'ssss no catch," Veshka replied with a shake of her head. "What do you say?" She asked him.

Gavin hummed with thought for several seconds as he stared at her, before he spoke. "Alright, you can help," he said, making her smile and hiss happily.

"Excccccellent," Veshka replied, before she took his hand, revealing that her scales were quite soft, and started to gently pull him along. "Let'sssss go."

"Alright," Gavin said with some surprise as he moved his legs quickly so that he wouldn't fall over. "Just slow down a little please."

Veshka nodded, before she slowed down a little. "Thank you," He replied, making her smile a bit more.

The two then made their way through the Grassy Plains, with Veshka showing him various things, such as a hidden sinkhole, a small empty burrow, some big hidden rocks, and a large mud pit. As she showed them these things, he couldn't help but compliment her on how she looked, saying her black scales were quite beautiful, which made her hiss happily.

Right as she finished showing him the mud pit, explaining that she used it to help her shed her skin, he asked her a question. One that had been burning in his mind for the past half hour.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked her.

Veshka hissed at the question, before she looked away.

"Why Veshka?" he asked her. "Why help me?"

"Becausssse," She began. "You are a Chaotic player."

"Huh?" he said. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I wisssssshhhh," She continued, turning back to him. "I wisssssssh for you to sssssscan me."

"Wait, what?!" he exclaimed with shock. "But we just met!"

"I know," She replied with a nod. "But you are the firssssst Chaotic player I have approached, and you have been quite kind to me."

"I was just being truthful," he answered.

"I know that," She said with a nod. "And that issssss why I want you to ssssssscan me. The other creaturesssss I have encountered have either run away from me in fright, or attacked me. They did not take the chancccccee to get to know me. You did. SSoo pleasssse, ssscan me as a gift."

Gavin gulped upon hearing this, before slowly nodding, and pulled out his scanner. He then tapped on the "Scan" option, and aimed the scanner at Veshka, who smiled as blue rays shot out from the scanner and onto her body. The rays continued to run all over her for about twenty seconds, before they disappeared.

Then, a card appeared on screen, with an image of Veshka leaping out of the grass, fangs bared and claws at the ready. No tribe symbol was on the left of her name, showing she was Tribeless, and the symbol on the right was yellow, meaning she was a rare card.

Veshka

Creature-Tribeless Stalker

Courage-45

Power-65

Wisdom-60

Speed-70

Energy-50

Elemental Affiliation-None

Mugic Ability Cost-Two.

Mugic Ability-Intimidate: Courage 10 and Wisdom 10 (Opposing creature loses 10 wisdom and 10 courage until the end of Combat)

Quote-"Telling the truth is better than living a lie. Much better, although it may hurt to do so."-Veshka

"Wow, you're really strong!" he said with surprise, making her blush a bit.

"Aw, thanksssss," She replied with a smile. "I hope to ssssseeee you again," She said with a hopeful look on herface.

"Don't worry, you will," he replied. "What kind of friend would I be to not visit you?" he replied, making her smile widen.

"'Friendsssss?'" She repeated. "You want to be friendssss?"

"Well, yeah, if that's alright with you," he replied, before he suddenly found himself off the ground in a big hug.

"Yessss! Let'sssss be friendsssss!" She said as she hugged him tightly, a large smile on her face.

"Glad to…hear," He said, doing his best to keep a straight face as his face was currently in her cleavage. "Can you…let me go?" He grunted. "I don't want…broken ribs."

"Oh! Of course!" Veshka replied as she quickly let go of him and set him on the ground. "Sssssorry."

"It's alright," he replied as he rubbed his sides. "NO harm done." He then realized something. "Hey, when I come here, how will I find you?"

"Don't worry about that," Veshka replied. "I will find you."

"Oh, alright," he replied, before his stomach growled with hunger. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now," he continued as he reached up to the top of his scanner and pressed the button. "Bye!"

"Goodbye, Gavin," Veshka replied with a wave as he ported out, a smile on her face. She was so happy to have made a friend.

"Well, that was interesting," he said as he got back to Chaotic and headed over to the food court, where he then ordered a Shimmark Shake. "Very interesting."

As his drink arrived, he looked back at the scan he had just gotten, and hummed to himself, taking his drink and walking over to a nearby table.

'Alright, so now that I got her scan, now what?' He thought, before he heard Tom call out his name.

"Hey Gavin!"

"What is it Tom?" He asked the Chaotic player as he closed his scanner.

"You looked like you were confused about something," Tom replied, causing him to nod. "What is it?"

"Well, I got a scan, and I don't know what to do with it," He replied.

"Oh, that's easy! Come with me," Tom said, prompting Gavin to get up and start following him.

Soon, they arrived at another section of the PortCourt that had several flat tables with screens built into them.

"Place your scanner into this table, and it will upload all the scan you have into your deck," Tom explained, prompting Gavin to do just as he said.

Once his scanner had slid into the slot for it, half of the screen then changed to reveal the new card he had just scanned.

And when Tom saw his scan, he let out a gasp.

"Who's that?!" He exclaimed as he pointed at the naga on screen.

"That is Veshka," Gavin replied as he tapped on the card and moved it to his deck on the right, with the other option being to discard it. "Just met her earlier."

"And you survived?!"

"She isn't really that bad," Gavin said as he sipped his drink.

"Where'd you find her?" Tom asked him with curiosity.

"I can't say until I talk with her again," he replied, before looking at Tom with a curious look. "Now, how do I ask for a one-on-one battle with a person?"

"You see that icon at the top that says 'Versus?'" Tom asked him, prompting him to nod upon seeing the red word. "Press it."

When Gavin pressed on it, the screen changed to show several battle options.

"And now, you fill it out," Tom said, making Gavin nod with a smile.

"Thanks Tom," Gavin replied as he pressed on the "One versus One" option, before selecting the "Confirm" option, while Tom left. He was then given a choice to select one of the seven Battle Dromes, which were the following: Crellan, Hotekk, Amzen, Oron, Tirasis, Imthor, and Chirrul. He chose the Crellan Drome because it was the one he was familiar with, and then clicked the option "Send Out." "And now I wait for someone to acc-"

"Challenge accepted!" A blue robot said in a male voice as it flew over to him. "Your one-on-one battle will begin in five minutes. Please make your way to the Crellan Drome now."

"Wow, that was fast," Gavin said with wide eyes, before he picked up his scanner and started heading to the moving walkway leading to the Crellan Drome. "I wonder who accepted the challenge?"

To Be Continued…

Well, this was an interesting chapter!

Can't wait to write more!

A stalker is an Overworld version of an assassin.

The song "My Stress" is owned by NF, not me! The song "Can't Stop the Feeling!" is owned by Justin Timberlake, not me!

Veshka is my own creation. There will be others.

This is PuzzleMaster1998 here, signing off!