Professor Layton Hit the road Chapter 5
After a bit of walking, which is essentially what our protagonists have done since I began writing this damn fanfiction, they finally reached their destination. « Well, here we are in Highyard Hill. » Sam announced.
« As literal as any part of this god forsaken town. » Max commented.
« Wow! All of these houses are huge! » Emmy exclaimed in awe.
« And unbelievably impractical! I mean, who is stupid enough to buy a f*king bridge house!? » Claptrap exclaimed.
« Exotic tastes are as demented as the rich bastards who buy them. » Max responded with a grin.
« The police station is nearby, as is the excavation site where they are searching for the Golden Garden. » Luke explained.
« Why, aren't you the cutest tour guide in the world? » Emmy teased before ruffling the boy's hair.
« Well we certainly had enough wholesome moments in this fanfiction-I mean investigation. Let us head to Barde manor and kick that witch where it hurts the most! » Sam exclaimed.
« Right in her Golden Garden! » Max joined.
« What the-she's a bloody child! » Emmy almost shouted disgusted.
« We meant her hair, you degenerate! » Max shot back.
« That's not what I-urgh, never mind, let's just head there. » Emmy complained.
Xxxxxxx
Grand Plaza Interactions:
«I did some research on the spectre, and I found out some pretty interesting things. » a man said. He wore a red jacket over a white t-shirt with light blue pants. He also wore sunglasses over his eyes. His hair was blue.
« Could you tell us these interesting things you found? » Sam asked.
« In the legend, it says the spectre existed to protect the town. » the man explained.
« But this one is destroying it. Yeah, we bloody know already. » Sniper responded annoyed.
« But think about this: what if someone made the spectre mad? Maybe we upset its nerves. » the man hypothesized.
« I think this is a warning for us all. The destruction of the town is only the beginning. » Luke then said.
« Ehh…I dunno. So far from the way you guys described it, the worst thing he can do is being made out of the Joker's venom. » Claptrap commented.
« Nah…That would actually make him scary. » Max responded.
« So the kid takes it super serious while the adults and the…robot?...joke about it. This is a weird place indeed. » the man commented.
Xxxxxxx
After some more walking, the group reached a large plaza, with the most prominent feature being a large obelisk with a statue on top. « Woah, look at this view, guys! » Emmy said in awe.
« This is the Grand Plaza. » Luke explained with a smile.
« Ah yes. Your typical European gothic-Egyptian hybrid so common in this continent. » Sam commented.
« It's nice. What's up there? » Emmy then asked. She was referring to a large structure that looked like a wall.
« That's the dam. Barde Manor is just a little beyond that. » Luke explained.
« I would love to see a schematic of the town's waterways someday. » Layton commented.
« As long as Santa Claus didn't leave any unsavoury cracks in his way to deliver present to the mole people of the dam. » Sam commented.
Xxxxxxx
Twisted light interactions:
Police HQ interactions:
« Welcome to Misthallery Police Station. State your business. » a police officer demanded. « The chief helps the weak and puts the strong in their place. His third eye sees all, I tell you! »
« Hopefully with plenty of police brutality! » Max joked.
Xxxxxxx
Reservoir Wall Interactions:
« I thought we were trying to discourage tourists these days. The spectre is making quite a fuss, if you haven't noticed. » a police officer said annoyed, as the group headed to Barde's Manor.
« Well luckily for you, we aren't tourists! We're Sam and Max, Freelance police! » Sam proudly proclaimed.
« I hope you guys can help us solve this mystery. I miss sleeping. » the police officer commented defeated.
« Have you considered falling head first from the third floor of a residential building? » Max asked.
« I dunno little buddy. Not everybody has your incredible resilient bone structure. » Sam commented.
Xxxxxxx
Riverside Road Interactions:
« And in typical Misthallery fashion, everything is foggier than the Amazons. » Sam commented as he admired the scenery from an elevated position.
Xxxxxxx
North Pier Interactions:
« "Bucky Gets You Where You Wanna Be in a Flash!" » Sam read an insignia of one of Bucky's established.
« I highly doubt most people want to be at the bottom of this lake. » Max joked.
Xxxxxxx
Dam Interactions:
« That has to be the most beautiful looking danger hazard I've ever seen. » Sam commented at the sight of the Misthallery dam.
« What about the St. Francis Dam in Los Angeles Country, California? » Max asked.
« I stand corrected. » Sam responded.
Xxxxxxx
After a long trip, the group finally reached the outskirt of Barde Manor, an abandoned, poorly kept gate with large roots coming out of the ground. « Woah…Well, at least this place isn't dilapidated and ostentatious. » Emmy commented.
« This isn't a house! It's a bloody jungle! » Sniper complained.
« We need to go up the stairs. » Luke explained.
« Follow me. This place will need some chopping. » Sniper said before pulling out his large knife.
Xxxxxxx
With some difficulty, the group passed the stairs and found themselves in the large, untamed garden of the manor. « It's a shame to leave these magnificent grounds untended. » Layton commented.
« It reminds me of that time we were in the Philippines! » Sam commented.
« It used to be a garden. But everything has fallen apart since Mr. Barde's death. » Luke commented a bit sad.
« Can't believe I'm doing free gardening to a bloody witch. » Sniper said annoyed.
« Wait, hold on! I'm stuck in some bush! » Emmy exclaimed, as she tried to get out of the vegetation.
« Are you all right, Emmy? » Luke asked concerned.
« This bloody manor better be worth it. » Sniper complained.
« I could ask for a napalm strike if you wanted! » Max grinned.
« NO! » Layton, Emmy and Luke shouted in union.
Xxxxxxx
After trekking in what essentially was a jungle, the group made it to the mansion, which seemed abandoned and was really weird, having a tower with a bridge.
« What on earth am I looking at right now. » Sam commented at the sight of the monstruous house.
« Hey at least it doesn't come with a crappy singer with nothing better to do with his life than hurting innocent animals. » Max commented.
« Luke, do people REALLY live in here? » Emmy asked concerned the boy.
« Of course they do! I think. » Luke exclaimed.
« What's that? » Layton said as he noticed something on the window. Sniper prepared his rifle.
« Saw something mate? »he said serious.
« Let's try to not be haste with our judgment. Let's try the front door. » Layton stopped the Australian, before knocking. Nothing happened but silence.
« Ok, if this is another one of your damn puzzles, then what we have to do is nothing! You happy!? » Max complained.
« I don't think this is one of the extravagating activities of the local fog people. Maybe there just isn't anyone home. » Sam commented.
« Hold on Sam. I'm sure I saw someone in one of the windows upstairs. » Layton then said.
« It would seem that some fiend is trying to stalk us in the safety of their own homes. » Sam frowned.
« Well to be fair, we DID break in this establishment. » Claptrap noted.
« Well to be fair, we are here to mount a witch head on my van. » Sniper responded. But as the group was conversing, the door begun to open up a bit.
« Guys, behind you! » Luke exclaimed. The whole group turned around to see the door open, and an old man wearing a blue jacket and pants with grey lining, and a yellow cap came out.
« Holy Noah's Arc on a sea of lava filled with Cheetos! » Sam exclaimed surprised.
« What do you young'uns want? » the old man demanded.
« We're Sam and Max. Freelance police. And we want to see this Arianna individual. » Sam introduced himself and Max.
« We have a couple of questions. If you catch my drill. » Sniper then threatened the old man.
« The mistress has no interest in meeting with the likes of you. » the old man replied to the group.
« Who the hell are you anyway? » Max asked.
« Who do I look like!? I'm the gardener, Seamus! » the old man, Seamus, exclaimed. « Now go away! »
He then slammed the door shut. A few seconds of silence followed.
« Well… » Sam was the first to speak.
« That old geezer was the bloody gardener!? I did more than he did in his entire bloody life! » Sniper exclaimed.
« Indeed. This is suspicious, don't you think? » Layton noted.
« No matter how crappy you are at gardening, you wouldn't allow a jungle to grow in a desolated fog wasteland. » Sam admitted.
« I've heard that Mr. Barde's servants were all let go after his death. » Luke explained.
« Dear god…that fiend is keeping a little girl hostage and using her power to bring death and destruction to this foggish hell! » Max exclaimed.
« It seems that we'll need a well-qualified team to rescue this little girl from the hands of this elder criminal! » Sam exclaimed.
« We don't have the time to call the police! » Emmy exclaimed worried.
« Oh, WE're the police, babe. » Max grinned while pulling out his luger.
« Then again…we should let professionals handle it. » she immediately paled.
« Step aside! I'll handle it! » Sam said as he kicked the door.
However, instead of opening like it should had, nothing happened. Sniper too kicked it, but the door remained closed. « Bugger! Bastard blocked it from the other side! »
« There! The tower! » Luke exclaimed, pointing at the entrance of the tower.
Xxxxxxx
The inside of the long-abandoned tower was disturbed when Sam kicked the door, opening it instantly. « Freeze, dirtbag! » he exclaimed, while pointing his gun at all location, with Max and Sniper joining soon.
However, there was no one inside. « Come on! To the top! » Sniper commanded, as he begun racing to the top of the tower. The group managed to reach it rather easily thanks to a combination of adrenaline and fitness. Well…most anyway.
« We really need to cut all the running. » Sam complained.
« Hey!? Where's the walkaway!? » Claptrap exclaimed.
Sniper went to the window and noticed that the group was too high up. « Bugger! We went too high! »
« But there was no other room where it could come from! » Luke exclaimed.
However, Emmy noticed graffiti written on the wall.
« Wait…what's this? » she asked. « Flames and numbers…. what could they mean? »
« Do we have to sacrifice four virgins in a specified order? » Max asked.
« Tempting. But I think I figured it out. Come on folks! Back to the floor! » Sam commanded.
Xxxxxxx
On the floor level, there was something that the group didn't notice. « These seems to be gas torches. » Layton observed.
« Perfect for cooking Christmas turkey and buglers! » Max exclaimed.
« These torches are a fiendish puzzle left by some ancient civilization to open up the walkaway! » Sam exclaimed, before activating the torches in a certain order. A small earthquake was felt, and Sam pointed at an entrance on the floor above. « And with that, our way is secured! »
« Very sharp of you, Sam. » Layton complimented the canine.
« Well, I am a freelance policeman! » Sam proclaimed.
« Oh yeah. Kinda forgot with your aim and tendencies to violence. » Emmy joked.
« After we're done with this, can I have your address? » Sam suddenly asked.
« Wait what? » Emmy asked confused.
« I'm not trying to be flirty. I just want to know at which address I should lay the alligators for your slow but inevitable demise. » Sam responded.
« Touchy, aren't we? » she teased the canine.
« You haven't seen him when someone makes fun of his physique! » Max joked as well.
Xxxxxxx
Inside the Manor, one door was busted open when Sam kicked it. Sam, Max and Sniper emerged with their weapons ready, pointing at all directions. « Well it seems like the coast is clear! » Sniper exclaimed.
« This place is huge! Does Arianna really live here all alone? » Emmy asked.
« Better question: does ANYONE live in here? » Claptrap asked.
« Maybe ghosts? » Emmy asked. Claptrap looked at her.
« Not really. Totally inhabited by fairies and unicorns! » the robot mocked the woman.
« Hey, what's that on the wall? » Sam asked as he looked at an image showing two children.
One, the female, was a small, thin girl with ginger hair reaching down to her shoulders with a white bow tied at the top of her head. She had pale skin and bright blue eyes. The other, a male, was a young boy with auburn hair. « That's a picture of Arianna. It must've been taken a while ago. » Luke explained.
« Who's in the picture with her? » Emmy asked.
« That's her brother, Tony. » Luke responded.
« And where is he now? » Layton asked.
« Probably kept as an hostage by a very angry old man intent on using the two's power to destroy this town and free the world of fog! Hey that's actually not that bad! » Max exclaimed.
« No time to waste! We need to save those kids! But not before inspecting this house in search of object we can interact with! » Sam exclaimed.
Xxxxxxx
Atrium Stairs Interactions:
« You know I like arachnids like the next guy, but I think this place could use some washing. I can feel them attempting to suck my liquids to sustain their young. » Sam commented.
« Don't say that. » Emmy said disgusted and slightly frightened.
« Aw the little British lady can't handle a few spiders? » Max mocked the girl.
« Aw the little bunny can't handle my fist up his- » he begun to say, before looking at Luke. «Uh….face! »
« Nice save there, Jessica Fletcher. » Max joked.
Xxxxxxx
Entrance Interactions:
« Check it out, a rare piece of Vincent Van Ghoul! » Sam commented at a painting of a rose mixed with a skull.
« Might explain why no one comes here anymore. » Max joked.
« True facts there, little buddy. » Sam responded.
Xxxxxxx
Finally, the group finally found Arianna's room. « This must be Arianna's room. » Layton deduced.
« All right folks! One, two, three! » Sam begun a countdown, before kicking the door down.
Greeting them was a young girl, most likely Arianna herself, as she was identical at the picture, except for wearing a navy dress with a white lace collar tied up with a red ribbon. She also wore white tights and red and blue striped shoes with red ribbons.
However, while in the picture she was smiling and looking innocent, she instead was grinning evilly. « Hello misters…... » she greeted the group with a somewhat intimidating voice. Her grin widened and her pupils shrunk in size. « How can I help you? »
The five (six, if you include Charlie) stood there, surprised by how creepy the little girl, Arianna, was. « Well? Come on! Spit it out! »
« No need to worry, little girl! We're Sam and Max! Freelance police! And we're here to free you from the cold and possibly old hands of that fiend that trapped you here! » Sam exclaimed.
The girl simply let out a deranged laugh. « Why, Seamus? He works here, you dummies! » she exclaimed. A short silence followed.
« Well…. » Sam was the first to speak.
« We just broke into the house of a little girl for no reason. Can't say this is the second time it happened to me. » Max commented.
« Our most sincere apologies. We made a hasty assumption. » Layton then said.
« Fine. Now just leave, please. » Arianna turned serious.
« We'll seek the spectre's flue elsewhere. Thank you. » Layton intentionally said.
Arianna suddenly widened her eyes in shock. « Wait, what!? The spectre's flute!? »
« Also known as the Flute of Summit. One of the Toys of Power of Junior that can control the beasts. And the one that your father bought last year at the Black Market. » Charlie explained, with a slightly threatening tone.
Her eyes widened even more. « Well little girl, it looks like your criminal actions have been discovered. Put your hands in the air and you'll be only moderately stabbed with a pipe! » Max exclaimed.
« But Max, you don't even have a pipe! » Sam noted.
Max simply grinned. « Not now at least. »
Arianna grinned as well, but there was fear in her eyes. « Summoning a spectre with a flute?! Hah! Absolutely preposterous! »
« Don't play games with us, ankle biter! We heard you playing your bloody flute while chasing the Spectre last night! » Sniper slammed both his fists near a table, startling the little girl.
« I know nothing about a flute. Now, please leave. » she composed herself.
« Arianna. People are in danger! » Emmy pleaded the girl.
« And you are on the list as well if you don't spill your beans! I have an entire army of Claptrap partisans that will no doubly blow this architecture abomination to the ground unless you stand down! » Claptrap threatened the girl.
Arianna simply grinned sadly. « I'm a witch…. I bring disaster to those around me. If you lot remain here, disaster will find you as well. »
« What are you talking about? » the worried voice of Luke was heard.
« GO! » the girl shouted at the group.
« Why are you doing this? Arianna, we both know you're not a witch! » Luke protested.
« So she IS your ex, kiddo! » Max joked.
« Luke and I were friends…before all of this. » Arianna explained.
« Arianna, we're still friends! I don't think you're a witch! » Luke exclaimed.
« You're merely blessed by the Gift! You should use your power for good- » Charlie begun, before Arianna let out an insane laugh.
« GIFT!? MINE!? A BLOODY GIFT!? This is a curse! I bring nothing but destruction, and you call this a gift!? » she shouted.
« Well if you look it in certain ways…. » Max grinned.
« HOW'S BRINGING DESTRUCTION BY THE HANDS OF THE SPECTRE GOING TO HELP ANYONE!? » Arianna shouted on top of her lung.
A short silence followed. « Housing renovation? » Sam proposed.
Suddenly, the door behind the group opened. « What is all of this!? How did you whippersnippers get in here!? » it was Seamus, entering in a hurry. He then turned to Arianna. « Miss Arianna, are you all right!? »
He then turned to the group. « Out! All of you! Before I call yer mommies and daddies! »
« Oh, I don't think this is happening, old fart. » Max threatened the old man, before pointing his Luger.
Layton, Emmy and Luke widened their eyes. « Max! What are you- » Layton exclaimed, before he noticed the rest of the group also pointed their weapons at Seamus.
« Sorry Professor. But playing good cop is getting pretty annoying. » Sam interrupted him.
« Tell us where the bloody flute is, so we can burn it alongside the bloody wanker that you call Miss Arianna! » Sniper threatened the elderly man.
« Didn't you hear what Seamus say? » a feminine voice came from behind them.
It was Arianna, holding an ancient-looking trumpet and grinning insanely. « When the grown ups tell you out… » she begun in a sing-a-like tone, before her face turning stern. « You. » she glared at the group. In the meantime, Seamus had took cover. « Get. » her face was getting angry. « The heck. »
« Oh, piss. » Sniper said as he realized what was going to happen.
« OUT! » she roared at the group, before blowing the trumpet, a huge gash of wind hitting our protagonists, pushing them against the wall, making them break the wall, and finally blowing them out of the house.
The screaming group was lucky that they felt on the nearby pond. « Holy Smokey bear beating a human sized dog in a Sunday morning cartoon! She DOES have the gift! » Sam exclaimed. As the group got up from the water, Luke splashed Sniper.
« Oi! What was that for, brat!? » Sniper protested.
« How could you!? How could you threaten her like that!? » Luke shouted angrily.
« Doing your bloody cesspit of a town a solid there. » Sniper shot back.
« By threatening to kill a little girl!? Why didn't you…oh I dunno…TALK SOME SENSE IN HER!? » Emmy ranted as well.
« Thought you were a smart lass. She's the one behind all this! » Sniper shot back.
« Is that supposed to be a justification to try to kill her!? She's just, what, 10 years old!? » Emmy protested.
« And she's already nuttier than I am! » Max exclaimed.
« That might be a side effect of the Toys of Power. Using them does have a toll on the user sanity. » Charlie explained.
« I dunno. Max was fine when he first used them. » Sam said.
« You have to be sane for the changes in personality to occur. » Charlie explained.
« Well that explains a lot of things. » Sam commented.
« She has enough as it is without you jerks threatening her! Cursed by those stupid toys AND very sick! » Luke angrily ranted while tears formed in his eyes.
« Sick? » Emmy asked.
« She got the melon sized tumour as a side effect of the toys, huh? » Sam asked.
« Nah. Her head seemed fine. » Charlie commented.
« I've learned it when I saw her at a party. I heard she didn't have long to live. » Luke explained, having calmed down.
« That's terrible! She's so young! » Emmy exclaimed.
« Her dad told me. He said not even the best doctors couldn't do anything. » Luke continued.
« Strange. Other than mental illnesses, the Toys of Power shouldn't cause incurable illnesses. » Charlie noted.
« I think that's the reason why she has shut herself inside the house. » Luke then said sad.
« That and her madness is making her plot against this fog generator! » Max exclaimed.
« She's not a witch! I know she's not! » Luke protested.
« Nope. Just a girl which has been granted the ability to use otherwise harmless toys into weapons of mass destruction. » Sam then said.
« Where did we even land? » Max asked.
« This must be the town's main water source. » Layton assumed.
« Rainwater and runoff from the mountains collect in the reservoir. » Luke explained.
« And what's the deal with these rusty pipes? What, is the mayor planning to poisoning everyone here with lead? » Max pointed at an old, rusy pipe.
« Those pipes are out of use. They kept them around even after the new system was put in place. So water goes from the reservoir out into Misthallery's buildings. In the past, however, there was one pipe from the lake that split into smaller pipes all over town. » Luke explained.
« The pipes you've seen around town are holdovers from that system. » Layton added.
« Huh. And here I was thinking this was a secret Professor Layton/Super Mario crossover fanfiction… » Sam commented.
However, as the group was discussing, they noticed none other than Seamus exiting the house with a shopping bag.
« Oh hey! It's the old fart! Wonder what he's up to… » Claptrap noted.
« I do believe he's headed to the market. » Layton deduced.
« So what do we do with this piece of information? » Sam asked.
« I believe the best course of action would be to follow him. I still do have suspicions about him. » Layton responded.
« Now that you mention, you have a point. But I won't say it out loud before sounding like an idiot. » Sam replied.
Xxxxxxx
The group begun following the old man, seeing him getting on one of Bucky's boats. But as Seamus turned around a corner, the gang lost him from sight. « Holy sausages stuck in a river in the Amazons! We lost the old man! » Sam exclaimed.
« Damn it! What's with everything in this town disappearing » Claptrap complained.
« Well this town, although small, does have several hiding spots. I mean, it could even hide a Black Marke- » Luke explained before being interrupted.
« OI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BLOODY VAN!? » Sniper shouted, as he pulled out his rifle and fired neat a camp van, apparently his. A small figure scrambled off from the scene terrified, before anyone had a good look at the scene.
« Bugger! The bastard got away! » Sniper complained.
« Wait, what's this? » Emmy commented, as she looked at the van.
« What's wha- HOLY DOOLEY! » Sniper exclaimed at the sight. A red X with some dots and some scribbling was on the side of the van. « That bloody vandal! I'm gonna mount his head on a wall alongside his family when I find him! »
« That's no mere act of vandalism, Sniper! That's the witch's mark! Those appears if the residents speak ill of Arianna! » Luke explained.
« Does that mean I've been targeted by the brat!? » Sniper exclaimed.
« Yes. And honestly, you deserve it. » Luke responded angrily.
« Wait! Look at the ground! » Layton exclaimed, as he pointed at what was beneath the mark. Indeed, scattered above the ground were candy wrappers of fine making. « Candy wrappers. »
« The very same used by Aunt Taffy in her illegally claimed market. » Sam commented.
« Which means a kid seems to be the one responsible. » Claptrap finished.
As they were inspecting the scene of the crime, Crow came out of one of the many streets whistling happily while tossing some coins in the air before catching them. But as he noticed the glares of Sam, Max and Sniper, he felt a cold shiver down his spine, and his whistles were far less happy.
Before he could walk back from where he came from, Max used his Train toy to charge at him at max speed, tackling him to the ground. « All right, you illegal organ harvester from Britain! You have five seconds to spill the beans before I turn your intestines into a noose and hang you from London Bridge! » Max threatened the boy.
« What the-what are you talking about!? What do you want!? » Crow asked confused and terrified.
« Why did you send one of your boys to mark Sniper's van with the Witch Mark!? » Sam asked with a frow and intimidating tone.
« I send no one to mark no thing! I want nothing to do with the witch! » Crow shot back.
« Then why is my bloody van marked alongside bloody Aunt Taffy candy wrappers!? » Sniper exclaimed.
« You think we're the only kids in this town!? » Crow responded angrily. Suddenly, the glares from Sniper, Sam and Max softened and turned in a sight of slight embarrassment.
« You do have a point. » Max commented as he let the boy go.
« I saw one of the Highyard hill kids on a shopping spree on the market. Maybe you could suspect him or something. » Crow then said.
« Have you by any chance saw an old man with a large beard? » Layton asked.
« Nope. Only the kid. Isn't that…suspicious? » Crow smirked.
« Just as I suspected. » Layton responded.
« Well for once it seems like I also know just what the hell is going on. To Barde's manor! » Sam exclaimed.
Xxxxxxx
After some running towards the manor, with a major complaint from Sam, the group was finally in the garden. « Over there! There's someone near the lake! » Sniper exclaimed. It was none other than Arianna, standing near the docks, and Seamus, sitting down near her.
The little girl was also holding something in her hand: a small ocarina looking object.
« By the Elder Gods! It's the flute of Summit! » Charlie exclaimed in a low tone.
« Which means that that fiend of Arianna is going to use it to summon the Spectre! » Sam exclaimed.
« Not if something to say, I HAVE! » Max exclaimed, as he grabbed the toy train and charged at the girl. He yanked the flute right out of her hand and jumped on top of a rock.
« What the-!? » was all Arianna could say, before she heard the clicking of guns being pointed at her and Seamus.
« Freeze, dirtbag! Your days of terror have ended! » Sam threatened the girl.
« What are you doing!? » Luke exclaimed.
« Not to worry. I mean her no harm, but I simply intend to make sure that she doesn't have any other dirty tricks on her sleeve! » Sam explained.
« But we'll kill her if she tries anything funny. » Sniper chuckled.
« Well that goes without saying. » Sam responded.
« Not so thought without your flute, aren't ya? » Max mocked the girl.
« G-give it back! » Arianna protested.
« Not before I give it a test! » Max responded.
« That's right! Summon the spectre so we can blow it up in good old Hollywood fashion! » Sam exclaimed.
« No! » Arianna protested.
« Here it goes! » Max exclaimed, as he begun playing the instrument.
But instead of the Spectre appearing, the waters in the lake begun moving, until a large head emerged from the water, belonging to a strange creature. It resembled a large Manatee mixed with a plesiosaur. It was a minty blue colour, and it had blue spots on its belly.
The whole group, with the exception of Seamus and Arianna, looked at the beast confused. The beast reached the shore, and looked at Sniper and Sam pointing their guns at Arianna and Seamus.
Realizing what was going on, the creature growled at the two. « Well this is the second awkward moment of the day. » Sam commented.
« That's not the spectre! » Emmy exclaimed.
« This is Loosha, she's- » Arianna tried to explain, before being interrupted.
« She's the bloody seal! » Sniper exclaimed, as he pointed his rifle at the creature. But before he could shoot, Emmy grabbed it and punched the Australian in the face. The baboon uterus implanted in his body allowed him to take the hit, but Emmy was essentially threatening the man with the rifle.
« No more gun pointing. Understood!? » she exclaimed clearly pissed.
« But it was just getting fun! » Sam complained, before holstering his gun.
« So it's pretty obvious this large blubber of fat isn't the one destroying the town. So…back to square one? » Claptrap asked.
« Not exactly. I do have some suspicions that the Spectre might not be 100% real after all. » Layton said.
« What do you mean? » Sam asked. Layton turned to Charlie. « Say Charlie, what kind of creature would the Spectre have to be to avoid being controlled by the flute? »
« Not an organic being for sure. Even ghosts, and as such spectres, are drawn to its melodies. » Charlie explained.
« Wait. I figure it out. » Claptrap then said.
« Glad that you did. So, what might the spectre be, Claptrap? » Layton asked the robot, even though he already knew the answer.
« The spectre that is damaging this town is actually a robot like me! That or a machine controlled by some douchebag with nothing better to do than tormenting this city. » Claptrap answered.
« That is correct. If what Charlie says is correct, only a machine could resist the flute influence. » Layton responded.
« Honestly this is making a lot of assumptions if I have to be honest. How can we certain? » Sam asked.
« The Spectre and Loosha have been fighting since the former has cursed this town. I've been trying to stop the two from fighting, but only Loosha responds to the flute! » Arianna explained.
« Which means that the Spectre is of mechanical origins. » Charlie deduced.
« Well it still doesn't change the fact we have no bloody clue to who is behind the Spectre! » Sniper complained.
« Weeellll…. I DO believe I know something that might help our investigation. » Claptrap said.
« By any means, go on. » Layton encouraged the robot.
« But first, I think we have to unmask some young fiend in this location. » Sam said with a frown, as he walked towards Seamus. He then grabbed his hat and beard, and violently ripped it off his face.
It was surprisingly easy: the beard and face were not real. Behind the mask was a young boy, with auburn hair and black eyes. Arianna looked in shock at the scene. « T-Tony!? » she exclaimed shocked at the reveal.
« I just wanted to protect you….so I took the Seamus persona to scare off anyone who wanted to hurt you. » Tony tried to justify his actions.
« By making anyone think your sister was a witch, therefore possibly igniting a future witch hunt which would result in her being burned at a stake? » Sam asked doubtful.
Tony widened his eyes as he heard the canine. « W-what!? NO! That would make things even worse! » he exclaimed.
« Yet you're the brat who marked my bloody van with the witch mark! » Sniper accused the kid.
« I marked no van! How would make people believe my sister is a witch protect her!? I….I…. » he protested, his voice by the second becoming more and more emotionless.
He then widened his eyes, which had become green and with a hypnotic white spiral in the middle, and pulled out a small knife. « I. Must. Stop. Hatted Gentleman. » he said with a robotic tone.
« Tony? » Emmy asked confused.
Tony stepped forward with the knife, walking slowly. « I. Must. Stop. Hatted Gentleman. »
« Holy mother of Joseph with a weenie sized tumour! He has been hypnotized! » Sam exclaimed.
« H-hypnotized!? » Arianna exclaimed worried.
« It seems some fiend has used Brady Culture googles to force the kid to do their unspeakable bidding. » Sam deduced.
« Or maybe this Brady Culture is the one behind the Spectre! » Emmy exclaimed.
« Nah. He was more about gaining popularity through television shows. Beside, he's in hell and has no intention to leave any time soon. » Max explained.
« I. Must. Stop. Hatted Gentleman. » Tony walked like a zombie and continued to chant.
« Tony…please! Snap out of it brother! » Arianna pleaded.
« Yeah! Just like Mikey Rooney! » Sam exclaimed.
« I. Must. Stop. Mikey Rooney?. Hatted Gentleman. » Tony continued to say, slightly confused this time.
« It is pointless, my child. There is only a singular way to free this brat from hypnosis. » Max said solemn.
« Please! Anything! I beg you, free my Tony! » Arianna begged.
« I must warn you, that it will hurt us quite equally. » Max continued, before walking toward Tony. « Oh, who am I kidding, it's going to hurt you a LOT more, kid. » Max pulled out a boxing glove and punched the kid right in the face, throwing him down the lake. Thankfully, the water was too shallow for him to drown, but he did lose consciousness.
Emmy, Luke and Layton had their eyes wide from the scene. Sniper chuckled a bit alongside Claptrap. Arianna pupils shrunk and maddening fury was visible in her face.
« Who knew I could save innocent children from impending doom and have so much fun at the same time. » Max said in glee.
« You carrot eating DEAD RODENT YOU'RE DEAD! I'LL CUT YOU INTO LITTLE PIECES AND FEED YOU TO LOOSHA! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU- » Arianna shouted in madness, as she went to strangle the rabbit, only to be stopped by a well-prepared Emmy, who grabbed her and held her still as she went on her rant.
Xxxxxxx
After Arianna had finally calmed down, Sam went to retrieve the knocked-out kid from the lake. « Ok. You punched my only family left so hard it's a miracle he doesn't have a skull fracture. Now what? » Arianna said angrily.
« Now comes the most delicate part of the process. AKA the one where we don't punch stuff. » Sam explained. He then turned to the knocked out kid. « Take control of your mind! »
« I don't think he can hear you, Sam. » Emmy noted.
« Sure he can. He's unconscious, not dead. » Sam responded.
« Minor details. » Max joked.
« Destroy the intruder in your dreams! Regain control! » Sam continued the chanting.
Slowly, Tony begun to recover his senses. « I…wh…what's going on? » he asked confused before yelping in pain. «A-and why does my left eye hurt? »
Suddenly, Arianna enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug. « TONY! Oh, thank goodness, you're all right! »
«A-Arianna, what happened? And who are these people? » he asked worried.
« Not to worry. We're Sam and Max. Freelance police. And the other guys in the back are Professor Layton, Emmy, Luke, Claptrap and Sniper. » Sam introduced the group.
« Are you all right, kid? » Emmy asked concerned.
« Yeah…but my left eye hurts…and I have an headache. I also had the weirdest dream. » Tony responded.
« Was there someone unusual in your dream? » Sam then asked.
« Y-yeah! There was this weird masked guy who kept telling me to do stuff! I haven't done anything bad, right? » Tony asked concerned.
« You did essentially ruin your sister's name as a respectable member of society, BUUUTTT you WERE under the effect of hypnosis! » Max responded.
« Perhaps the same individual that hypnotized Tony is also responsible for the Spectre. Sam, could you tell me more of this "Brady Culture"? » Layton asked.
« Ah, yes. Brady Culture. One of our first cases. That fiend had hypnotized the Soda Poppers to sell his Eye-Bo videos to hypnotize the whole world. He gained his hypnosis googles from the Prismatology movement, a movement leaded by Hugh Bliss, who intended to turn every man, woman and children into a source of food by feeding of their bliss. » Sam explained.
The whole group was silent. « I'm not even gonna ask. » Emmy said.
In the meantime, Luke eyes widened in revelation. « Wait a minute…of course! It's not the spectre! »
« Not the spectre what? » Sam asked.
« My father is not acting like himself in this period of crisis! I originally thought it was the spectre that changed him! But he was hypnotized! » Luke explained.
« Now that you mention, he was acting rather suspicious. » Sam noted.
« He did say that it was his fault if you're the weirdest kid I've ever seen in my life, but when the Professor asked what he meant, he scurried off with an excuse. » Max added.
« It would also explain why he hasn't asked help from the British government. I mean, other than Greppe, no one is supporting this god forsaken fog generator. » Claptrap also added.
« But why doing….all of this? Why hypnotizing the mayor? Why turning Arianna in a feared figure? Why the bloody spectre? » Emmy asked confused.
« I think that Barde is the key piece of this puzzle. » Claptrap then said.
« What do you mean? » Sam asked.
« Everyone here believes that Barde died about a year ago. I scanned some files from my superior A.I. intelligence and found out some more information's. Apparently he killed himself by throwing himself out of his manor garden, but come. On! Did he really look like the guy who could commit suicide? He was the richest guy around! » Claptrap exclaimed.
« I see….in short, his wasn't a suicide, but rather an omicide. » Layton noted.
« Killed, hypnotized to jump off a cliff like a fu*king lemming? Who cares! He must be the bastard behind all this mess! » Claptrap exclaimed.
« But who in the bloody hell would kill this rich folk and terrorize this bloody fog generator!? » Sniper asked annoyed.
« The only person that can answer these questions would be no-other than Barde himself! » Sam exclaimed.
« But…daddy's dead…. » Arianna sadly said.
« Not a problem. We can bring him back. » Sam responded. Both Tony and Arianna eyes glammed with hope, while Luke, Emmy and Layton eyes widened in shock.
« You…you can bring daddy back!? » Arianna and Tony exclaimed happily.
« Nope. But we know a woman that can. And she's no-other than Momma Bosco! » Sam exclaimed again.
« Another one of your crazy characters? » Emmy asked exasperated.
« You bet! She managed to clone hundreds versions of me to work for Charlie Hotep in his plan for resurrecting Junior! » Sam explained.
« Did I suffer Stockholm syndrome in this timeline? » Charlie asked confused.
« So here's what we will do. We will take Mr. Barde corpse, ask the help of Harry Moleman to summon his spirit, pluck that sucker in Momma Bosco's created clone, and he'll answer all our questions regarding the fiend terrorizing this town! » Sam explained the plan.
« And we can also find out what happened to my mum! » Luke exclaimed.
« Didn't she go to travel? » Max asked.
« She wouldn't just go on a trip without telling me. I know her. » Luke explained. « My father has been hypnotized to lie to me! The jerk that killed Arianna and Tony's father is also controlling my father and hiding my mother somewhere! »
« I sensed Clark's unease as soon as we arrived. He certainly isn't acting like himself. » Layton noted.
« So do we pay him a visit? » Sam asked as he was holding a boxing glove.
« Not now. For now, I do believe that its best to contact this Momma Bosco you speak of. » Layton said.
« Not to worry. The freelance police can get her and her in a jim! » Sam proclaimed.
« Where does she live, anyway? » Luke asked curious.
« She lives in The Street on an apartment above our friend Bosco's Inconvenience Shop in the States. » Sam responded.
« Wait…she's in the United States!? We need her help now! And god knows when you can get a plane to America! » Emmy exclaimed.
« Not to worry. The Desoto should be able to get us there in half an hour or so. » Sam responded.
« Unless we take the wrong road and we go all the way back to Colonial America. » Max added.
« Not to worry. We didn't eat any human beings, didn't inhale any funny gasses nor did we have delusions of being followed by people we failed to save in the past. Unless you are actually an hallucination caused by my grief and I'm actually on a murder spree in Britain. » Sam responded.
« Nah. I mean I was scratching your head like I was a cat last night. Pretty sure you were bleeding. » Max reassured the dog.
« Speaking of which, could you kindly stop doing that every Sunday? » Sam asked annoyed.
« It's just how I show affection! » Max justified himself.
« Then could you stop loving me so damn much? » Sam pleaded.
« No way! I'll never stop loving you! » Max hugged the canine leg.
« I don't know whenever to find this wholesome or disturbing… » Emmy commented.
« And that's Max in a nutshell! » Sam exclaimed.
« So where should we meet after you pick up Momma Bosco? » Sniper asked.
« Maybe the library? » Layton proposed.
« Sounds like a good idea. » Sam responded.
« In the meantime, we will continue our investigation here. There are some details I want to clarify. » Layton said.
Sniper then turned to Emmy. « If I promise to not shoot the bloody seal, can I have my rifle back? » he asked annoyed.
Emmy glared at the Australian, but decided to hand him the rifle. « As long as you don't shoot anyone. »
« Deal. Unless I really want to or we're under danger. » Sniper shot back.
« Truly we make the best team! » Max exclaimed.
« Like a dysfunctional family high on moose piss. » Sam responded.
« The best kind! » Max shot back.
Xxxxxxx
If you want to give me any suggestions for quotes and scenarios, just tell me in the reviews. I will also include characters both from the Sam and Max universe (Hit the Road, animated Series Telltale Episodes), alongside the universes of the chumps who participated in the Poker Night at the Inventory 1 and 2. Just tell me when you want them introduced!
In the meantime, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review so I can learn your opinion. I'm willing to accept suggestions, so stay tuned. Also remember to like and follow. I would also appreciate if you also supported my other Fanfictions!
See you on the next chapter!