Frank couldn't quite seem to escape the number three. He was thinking about what the two Chupis had told him the other day, that three was the magic number, and that trios were the key to success. He'd begun to wonder if it stacked and applied to groups of four. Or what would happen if the sharks had lost a member. Would their luck run out? Would they be doomed to fail no matter what? Failure. That word terrified Frank. Nothing could happen to his title of Fail-Proof Frank. His thinking was suddenly interrupted when Grand Kallé snapped her fingers and silently demanded his attention.
He, Windy, and Muskedunder were in a meeting with her, ready to receive their new task. It was Windy and Muskedunder's first time seeing her office, as they had been out cold on their first arrival. The unsettling aura which seemed to unnaturally radiate from Grand Kallé had suddenly presented itself, as though manually activated. The three all felt incredibly small in her presence. "Ahem," She began, "I am satisfied with your performance at the restaurant. The money you secured THE ASSOCIATION has been greatly beneficial."
"Oh!" exclaimed Frank as he smiled toothily, "Thanks! Leave it to us, eh?" Grand Kallé nodded, "I believe it is now time for you three to be fully initiated and integrated into our gang. Or rather, our empire." Windy was puzzled, "I thought we already joined and got integrated?" Grand Kallé shook her head, "Why would we accept three scamps without first investigating them and having them prove themselves?" "Investigated?" Frank tilted his head. Grand Kallé pushed her glasses in, "Yes, we investigated the origins of you three, of course."
Frank tugged at his collar and gulped. Grand Kallé continued, "I know you all came from Sixex. Just a few days before you guys arrived at Fiveton, an arcade near you had burst into flames and collapsed. It was run by what seemed to have been a rival gang. It's not hard to put two and two together. It's clear to me that you guys came here to escape the grip of the law." Frank was relieved that Grand Kallé didn't know the truth behind their motivation, though it still concerned him how she had even managed to get all this information. "Yeah!" he said, "Those bastards in the arcade punked us! We had to get our revenge. Cops caught wind of us and we had no choice but to come here."
Grand Kallé smiled eerily, "That's exactly the energy I need in THE ASSOCIATION. You'll now be escorted to the site of your initiation. Volta, do come!" From the shadows appeared a figure covered all in black, with not an inch of skin shown. Black sweater, black gloves, black mask, black boots, black pants- black everything! "Ay, didn't that guy knock us all out last time?!" Muskedunder yelled. "They did!" Windy shook his fist, "Why can't you just let us leave in a normal fashion?!" Volta bashed them all with her bat, and they all collectively fell unconscious.
...
As Frank slowly awakened, he found himself crammed and sweaty. He didn't know where he was, but he knew it was uncomfortably tight. He couldn't make out a single detail with his eyes, so he began to feel around. He grabbed Windy's face, which seemed to wake him right up. "Where... are we? Hey- who's pressing up against me!? I can hardly move!" Windy complained. Muskedunder began to awake as well, and he immediately began to violently shift around, "It's way too tight innere! Ah can hardly move!" The three's bodies were all contorted and tangled, and Frank eventually figured out where he was.
The three were all being carried in a bag! Frank began to punch at the fabric and yell, "Hey! Let us out of here! What're you doing!?" Suddenly, the bag was set down against the grassy floor, which let Frank and Co. know that they were being carried outside. Suddenly, the opening revealed itself, and sunlight poured into the bag and stung everyone's eyes. Immediately, Frank jumped out of the opening and embraced the open air. As he looked around and took in his surroundings, he realized that he had no idea where the hell he was. He spotted Volta, who now had her mask off and stood alongside the bag. Windy and Muskedunder followed, the latter making a run for it.
"Wouldn't do that if I were you." Volta told Muskedunder, "You'll get lost or killed." Muskedunder turned back, "Whaddya mean? Are yah doubting me?" Volta shook her head, "This place is known as Peaceful Rest Valley. These hills stretch on for a good while. You'll either get lost or die at the hands of a tree before you can find an exit. It's why Grand Kallé made me carry you all here in a bag. She knew there'd be no way you for you to find the way to your destination alone."
The features of Volta's face were now clear. A newsboy cap rested on her head, and her massive green eyes were so terrifying that they could make a baby cry. Her nose was half the length of Muskedunder's forearm, and below her neck she continued to wear the all black outfit he had on when she had knocked the group out. "Follow me." she said, deadpan, "The village isn't too far from here."
The three all began to follow Volta closely, half-scared of the new environment. The area was eerily quiet, the only noise being their footsteps and the flow of the rivers. At times, trees seemed to move towards them, though they stopped when they got far enough. "How didja get so far while carrying all three of us in that bag!?" Windy asked, "How strong ARE you?" Volta sighed, "Kallé makes me do a lot of- ACK!" Volta suddenly jumped up and clenched her eyes in pain, "Sorry- GRAND Kallé makes me a do a lot of manual work."
The three looked at her as if she were insane, and continued along their trek through the valley. Eventually, Frank spotted a conspicuous cave entrance within the side of a hill. Volta pointed at it unenthusiastically, "That's the entrance. Go forth." Windy looked at the cave, rearranged his glasses, and took another look at the cave. "Er," he said, "This is where our 'initiation' is gonna be? You sure you guys won't kill us and drink our blood?" Frank gulped noticeably loudly, thinking that they might've been caught- and that their punishment was awaiting them in the cave. Muskedunder meticulously planned his escape within a few seconds.
"Trust me, she would've killed ya by now if she wanted to." Volta assured. Frank took another look at the cave and said, "Well whatever, Fail-Proof Frank shall take his chance!" He took a deep breath and wandered into the cave, only to find that there had been another opening at the end all along. He could see houses and people in the distance outside the cave, and began to ponder if he had stumbled upon wonderland. "It's safe!" Frank yelled, "I think!" Frank's confirmation gave Windy and Muskedunder the courage to enter, and Volta followed closely after.
The three found themselves in a small town, tucked in between the hills. A sign greeted them at the entrance, "!WELCOME TO KALLÉBURG!" "Kalléburg?" said Windy in a "you serious?" tone. "She named an entire town afta her..." uttered Muskedunder, "Awesome!" Frank Fly made a mental note to try it out, if he ever became a dictator or somethin'. Suddenly, a group of four identical looking schoolchildren hopped into the scene, as though they had been dropped down from the heavens. "Welcome to the hometown of our dear Goddess!" they collectively said, "Allow us to properly welcome you!" The four cleared their throats and began to sing.
"Welcome, welcome all of you!
Glad you are with us!
Shake hands, no need to be blue!
Welcome to you!
She keeps us singing a happy song!
She keeps us singing it all day long!
For all the things that we drear,
She always is near,
And that's why our hearts are always filled with song!
Singing, singing, all day long!"
Frank and Windy began to clap, not because they enjoyed the song, but because they didn't want to be crucified and cannibalized on the spot. Muskedunder looked on dumbfounded, resisting the urge to say "what wazzat?" The children bowed, "Thank you! You must be new knights of her gracefulness! Please, come to the temple! They shall initiate you there!" The four children jumped into the air and vanished entirely.
Frank turned to Volta, "So, where's that temple?" Volta turned and pointed at the large, wooden building within the center of the town. The four began to walk on down, ready for whatever was to come. "I don't feel too good 'bout this..." Windy thought to himself, remembering what Teddy had told him just a few days before. The town looked fine at a glance, but the longer they walked the creepier it got. There was a bizarre and unnatural aura in the air- they all felt as if they had a dozen eyes fixed on them, monitoring their every move and watching for a mistake. The place seemed empty as well, as not a single soul was seen walking outside.
Finally, they reached the central temple. Frank hesitantly knocked, and the door was immediately swung open from inside. A massive crowd of people, probably the town's whole population, stood inside. "WELCOME!" they all yelled. A man picked Frank up and threw him onto the crowd, "Hey! Lemme go! What're ya doin'?!" Frank was then crowd-surfed to the front of the temple, where a man in glasses and a black and yellow robe stood with a book. The same happened to Windy and Muskedunder, as the crowd chanted, "The new knights are here! New warriors have arrived!" The entrance was slammed shut on Volta's face.
The robed man with glasses cleared his throat and turned to another page in his book, "Welcome, new recruits! You shall soon become knights of our Goddess and savior, Grand Kallé! You will dedicate your lives to expanding her empire! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" The crowd began to chant along with him, "Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" After the crowd settled down, the robed man began to speak again, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Carpainter, a high wizard and the highest devotee of her glory. I will be the one to lead your initiation. Please, follow me into this room."
Carpainter slammed his book shut, titled "BEST Grand Kallé Quotes!" He opened an ominous door which stood behind him and said, "This is where we shall bless you UP!" The three reluctantly entered, and Carpainter followed behind and shut the door, muffling the sounds of the crowd. The room was completely empty, aside from a desk, three chairs, and a random stairway. Frank and gang sat themselves down and Carpainter continued, "This process shall take only four hours! It won't be too painful. We may fail to initiate you completely, but don't worry- we can simply poke around your brain and force it to love Grand Kallé! Now, let me go get my tools and scripture."
Carpainter exited the room swiftly. Now that the three were alone, they could (probably) speak their minds freely. "What. The HELL is going on!?" Frank yelled, "I thought we were just joining some random gang! I ain't know that we were dealing with a whole RELIGION!" Windy wiped sweat off his brow, "Grand Kallé's gotta be completely insane! Dude, is this even worth it?!" Muskedunder's teeth began to chatter, "What diddat guy mean by 'won't be too painful'!? Ah don't wanna get stabbed or anythin'!"
The three continued to wait, unsure whether to escape or see what the cult had in store for them. About ten grueling minutes had passed when the crowd on the other side of the room suddenly grew louder. It sounded as if the townspeople were restless. Suddenly, Carpainter barged back into the room. When he swung the door open, the crowd's chitter chatter grew clearer, and Frank could make out what they were saying. He heard some people say, "What'll they do now? Will any heroes rise to the occasion!?
"It seems that your initiation must be delayed!" said Carpainter in an unrestful tone. He looked worried and disheveled, a far cry from the calm demeanor he had just ten minutes ago. "What's goin on?" Windy asked. "I don't have much time to explain, " Carpainter said, "But I need you three to accompany me to Onett!"
To Be Continued