And so, racing for the abandoned factory with the speed of a bull that has been waterboarded with redbull, our heroes managed to reach their destination, and found what they were seeking.
In a room at the top of the factory stood a mechanical beast with many legs and arms.
« What is that?! » Emmy exclaimed.
« That beast…is the infamous spectre. » Layton replied.
« Excellent! Now that we have this spectral individual caught, we will blow it up with a force of 66 nuclear bombs with a side of chilli pepper! » Sam declared.
« Not now. First, I'd like to show the people of Mondstadt the real identity of the spectre. » Layton replied.
« But where's the fun in that? » Max whined.
« Put it this way! If you show it to the foglers, they can also witness your destructive nature, and cower in fear at your unholy powers! » Claptrap proposed.
« Okay I'm sold! » Max grinned.
However, before the group could do anything, a figure raced towards them.
It was one of the Skaven, who looked like he was in a hurry. « Human-things! Problem-issue! »
« What is going on? » Layton asked concerned.
« Dumb human-things with fat-Jakes-thing too-took wrong human-thing! Also captured seal-dino-thing and brought thing to Grand Plaza-thing! Arianna-thing and seal-dino-thing no-no Spectre-thing! If they die-die, Queek mad-angry! » the Skaven explained.
« What!? Professor! We need to save them! » Emmy exclaimed.
« All right, I have an idea. Do exactly as I say. » Layton replied, as he begun to explain his plan.
Xxxxxxx
After a while, Layton, Sam, Max and Charlie raced towards the Grand Plaza, where they saw Arianna and Loosha tied up. A huge crowd was present, which pretty much included every citizen of Mondstadt.
« Let her go! Loosha didn't do anything! » Arianna protested.
« That's what all you monsters say! "I didn't do anything!" I don't see any other monsters who could smash buildings. Do you? » Jakes shot back.
« But…» Arianna tried to protest.
« And you kept it going by playing that cursed flute of yours! » Jakes added.
« No! That's… » Arianna protested.
« Stop right there- » Layton exclaimed, before being interrupted by a very angry voice.
« WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY DAUGHTER!?» It was Barde, now in a physical body, alongside Momma Bosco and Flint.
Everyone looked at Barde shocked.
« What? I-impossible…» Jakes uttered. « YOU'RE DEAD! »
« D-daddy? » Arianna let out tears of joy.
« It's a long story, my dear. » Barde replied, before turning sternly towards Jakes. « Now leave my daughter go! »
« She's the one that brought the spectre here! » Jakes shot back. « After your death, she went mad with grief, and using her powers, she sought to take her revenge against the people who spoke ill of her. »
« Your third eye fails you, Jakes. Loosha was only part of what you perceived to be the specter. It's really too bad this will be your first unsolved case. » Layton replied.
« I'll accept that notion only when you'll bring me proof, Professor! » Jakes shot back.
« And proof you shall have. » Layton declared. « I think it's time we got a full look at the real specter. »
After that, everyone heard the sound of clacking metal malking towards them.
As everyone turned towards the sound, they saw the source of it: it was Luke, piloting the "spectre" alongside Claptrap.
« Did somebody ask for a spectre? » Claptrap asked.
« This is an excavating machine. It's used to dig up artifacts. » Luke explained.
« Very impressive! » Clark exclaimed.
« Meh. I've seen better. » Momma Bosco commented.
« Luke, Claptrap, you've done a fine job. » Layton congratulated the two.
« Thank you, Professor. » Luke thanked the man.
« No problem, my man! » Claptrap added.
« Someone built this machine to dig up the Golden Garden. The rumors of its existence here in Misthallery were too tempting. This machine was searching for the entrance to the Golden Garden as it dug up various parts of town. These repeated excavations slowly weakened the land, resulting in the sinkholes we observed. Loosha wasn't attacking the town; she was trying to stop this machine. The "specter" that everyone saw was Loosha battling the machine. Behind the thick fog, the two appeared to be a single entity rampaging through the town. The fog was a man-made creation… This was key to understanding the true nature of the specter. The perpetrator produced thick fog to hide his tracks and was then able to dig anywhere in town. » Layton explained.
« So it's quite literally a fog generator! » Max exclaimed.
« Creating fog requires quite a bit of water. Our suspect used water from the canals to make the fog. Loosha sensed this disturbance and attacked the machine. The fog completely obscured their battle. » Layton explained. « Luke here noted that the water levels in the canals dropped whenever the specter appeared. I already had a theory when Charlie Ho-Tep here explained to me that the "Spectre's Flute" is the Flute of Summit, a toy of power that some people are able to use. Arianna here used the flute to control Loosha and keep her safe, yet she was unable to control the spectre, therefore it was likely that the spectre wasn't a real creature, but rather a mechanical being. After hearing Luke's observations, I realized that my theory was correct, and that this specter could not be the specter of legend. Someone was clearly taking advantage of the folktale. »
« Well that's all good and dandy, but who the hell is the joker behind this over glorified prank? » Flint asked.
« The final question. It was someone drawn by the lure of the Golden Garden. A person willing to destroy the town to satisfy a lust for personal glory. Someone who now stands among us. This same person is responsible for spreading lies about the specter all over town. » Layton replied, before pointing at Doland. « And that person is you! »
« What!? » Luke exclaimed.
« Are you kidding me!? The BUTLER did it!?» Max exclaimed.
« Indeed. I'm just a butler. How on earth could I have done any of this? » Doland asked.
« You kidnapped Mrs. Triton and threatened to harm her if Clark didn't keep quiet about your plot. With Clark under your thumb, you were free to do as you pleased in town. You hatched this plot hoping to unearth the Golden Garden! » Layton replied.
« Quite amusing, Mr. Layton. However, I'm sorry to say, I have no idea what you're talking about. » Doland replied.
« Neither do I, honestly. And I have been working with the guy for a day or two. » Sam commented.
« Luke noticed the low water levels I mentioned earlier. He recorded all the data in his notebook. But, as it happens, some of his entries turned out to be incorrect. These were mistakes made by his source of information, a certain "informant," we'll call him. However, even when Luke's predictions were wrong, residents were still evacuated from the neighborhoods where the specter appeared. Isn't that odd? I find that odd. Doland, do you find that odd? » Layton asked.
In response, Doland remained silent.
« I will take that as a yes. You see, Doland, even without Luke's predictions, you knew when and where the specter would strike. » Layton replied.
« Well, Mr. "Doland", it looks like your humanity has kept you from completing your plans to fruition. » Sam declared.
« And people think I'm the monster….» "Doland" chuckled.
Suddenly, both Emmy and Sniper raced towards the Plaza. « Professor! Just like you said, I found them in Mr. Triton's cellar! The real Doland and Mrs. Triton were being held captive down there! I freed them from the cellar and took them to safety. »
« Tell us who you bloody are, so we can write your name on a tombstone and drop it in the ocean so no one can mourn your bloody death! » Sniper demanded.
« Very well. It is time to end this charade. » the man replied, as he removed his costume, and revealed his true self.
He was a tall, fair-skinned man who wore a dark grey suit with grey lapels over a white dress shirt with a dark grey tie and dark brown shoes that were white at the toes. The ends of his dress shirt were puffy and stuck out the cuffs of his suit. Over his suit, he wore a grey cape, a dark brown mantle with gold lining, a purple ribbon to fasten them, and a white feather boa around his neck. On his face, he wore a white mask, and on his head, he wore a black hat similar to a tricorn hat but with a higher crown.
« That voice…you're the one that fed me all those information's about Barde's case, didn't you!? To think I ignored my third eye for you! » Jakes exclaimed.
« What an ugly, little man you are…» the man shot back.
« Don't feign ignorance! You killed Mr. Barde, didn't you? » Luke exclaimed.
« No! I just changed the will! He killed Barde! » Jakes pointed at the man. « I just made everything go to Clark! He was the only person Barde knew well! if I didn't do it, his propriety would had been sold off, and the kids would had been placed in an orphanage! I cared about those kids, more than any of you ever did! The only reason I even blamed Arianna was because that bastard showed me that she could use the toys of power, and the fact every sick bastard in this bloody town started speaking behind her back! »
« When you put it that way, I don't bloody blame you, Jakes. » Barde growled angrily.
« Don't blame me. Blame that rotten third eye of yours, you dullard. » the mysterious man mocked Jakes.
« What did you just call me?! » Jakes exclaimed angrily, before the mechanical arm of another digger struck the man, sending him flying against a house.
« Layton, your intellect is formidable. I have truly enjoyed this. » the man turned to Layton.
« Who the hell even are you!? » Claptrap exclaimed.
« My name is Descole. I am an artistic man of science, with rather lofty goals. » the man, Descole, introduced himself.
« Descole? » Max asked.
« It really is a pity. I had high hopes the Golden Garden was here. 'Twas all such a waste of time. And this meaningless town… I'll have my fun by destroying it! » Descole exclaimed, grinning evilly as he did.
« Descole!? » Max asked again.
« Yes, that's my name. » an annoyed Descole replied.
« …DESCOLE!? » Max exclaimed.
« …I'm gonna burn this city to the bloody ground. » Descole said.
And so, countless other mechanical creatures gathered around the plaza, the people of Misthallery panicking and running off as they did.
Then, against all odds, the machines united as one mechanical abomination.
« …Magnificent! I do believe the townspeople are in for a treat. The specter was but a prologue. Now for the grand finale! » Descole declared.
« Get ready for the tragedy of the bloody century! The Phantom of the Rubbish Opera! » Sniper exclaimed, as he shot at Descole. However, the bullet was blocked by one of the mechanical creature's arms.
« Oh piss…» was all Sniper could say, as the machine was about to strike him.
Thankfully, his strike was blocked by Loosha, who attempted to fight off the machine, and failed miserably.
« Lamest. Monster. Ever. » Max said with a deadpan expression.
« Any idea how to stop this mechanical nightmare from the lands of the Forever Winter? » Sam asked concerned.
« If me and Sniper can take out its legs, we can stop it! We got this hunk of junk! » Emmy declared.
« I'll have Loosha distract it while Emmy and Sniper go for its legs! » Luke exclaimed. « I can't let this happen in my hometown! And Loosha feels the same way! »
« In that case, we just have the tool for the job! » Sam declared.
« Oh yeah I totally forgot we had the thing! » Max grinned.
And so, Emmy and Sniper raced for the legs.
« All we need to do is disable its legs! » Emmy exclaimed. « It's almost like a spider. It gives me chills just looking at it! »
« Chill less, shoot more! Aim at the joints! » Sniper shot back, as he tossed a submachine gun to the woman.
« Not that used to guns, but I can work with this…» Emmy replied, as the two begun to fire at the joints and other weak spots of the creature.
In the meantime, Luke was on Loosha's back, directing the creature to fight the machine.
« Hm. They have yet to give up. Such admirable tenacity. » Descole commented.
« OH DESKYYYYYYYYYYYY!» Sam exclaimed, as he tossed Max at the man at high speed.
« RAMMING SPEED! » Max exclaimed, as he was tossed at high speed against Descole.
Once the lagomorph made contact with Descole, the man simply backhanded him away, sending him flying against the fountain.
« Max! Are you all right? » Arianna asked concerned.
« The pain is almost euphoric, kid…» Max replied.
« You call this resisting your hometown destruction? The Chief made a better effort than you. » Descole mocked the group.
« That was a distraction, meatsack! » Claptrap declared.
In response to that, Descole turned around to see Sam and Layton standing beside a Dutch catapult. « Do I even want to know where you pulled THAT out? »
« Classified information, masky. » Sam replied.
« Shall we? » Layton asked.
« Let's! » Sam replied, as he fired the catapult.
Descole tried to move out of the way, but found himself unable to. Looking down on the machine to see what was wrong, he saw Emmy and Sniper, grinning and mockingly saluting the man whilst they held several parts of the machine. « Touché. »
And so, the catapult made contact, with a mighty direct hit that shattered the machine.
« DOMINATED, YA POSH MASKED FREAKSHOW! » Sniper shouted.
« Did we win? » Claptrap asked.
« I doubt that…» Layton replied.
As he said that, the machine begun to build itself back together, and prepared for round two.
« Brilliant! You want a second go?! » Sniper exclaimed.
« Face it, masky! We're not gonna quit any day now! » Claptrap exclaimed.
« As long as you have free will, you will not cease this futile resistance. » Descole declared, before pulling out a pair of googles. « So how about we get rid of it, shall we? »
« HOLY HYPNOTIZING BIRDS OF THE FRESH SIDE OF ANTARCTICA WITH AN ADDICTION TO HONEY! It's Brady's Culture's hypnotizing googles! » Sam exclaimed.
« I remember now! The man that killed me had those things when he made me jump off that cliff! » Barde exclaimed.
« And now you'll obey me once more. » Descole grinned, as he activated the googles, before turning to Sam and Max. « I trust that you've met these before, have you not? »
« We were actually wondering how the hell did you get these…» Sam noted.
« Found them in my travels. I decided to…tinker a bit with them. » Descole replied.
« Tinker all you want! With Bosco's tools and Max madness, we're immune to your dirty tricks! » Sam declared.
« Faced bloody worse against Merasmus! » Sniper added.
« Wait, this thing hypnotize people? I'm not feeling anything right now! » Flint added.
« Me as well. I guess my past as a ghost makes me immune to hypnosis or something…» Momma Bosco commented.
« That does seem to be the case…» Barde noted.
« And I'm a robot! I'm basically untouchable! » Claptrap added. Loosha also nod in agreement, she too unphased by the googles.
« Maybe you lot are. But what about the townspeople? » Descole grinned, as the entirety of the town was now hypnotised, alongside Layton, Emmy and Luke.
« Well this might be a problem…» Sam commented.
« Now, my minions! Attack those fools! » Descole commanded, as the brainwashed masses attacked our heroes.
Both Loosha, Sniper, Flint, Momma Bosco, Max and Barde attempted to fight off the people without harming them (mostly Loosha and Barde), and as Sam went to help them, Layton, Emmy and Luke stood in his way, attempting to kill him.
Dodging a punch from Layton, Sam remembered how to stop hypnotised people when he had to face Brady Culture.
« Become yourselves! » Sam ordered the trio.
In response, the three said in unison « This reminds me of a puzzle! »
« Puzzle!? Where!? » Descole exclaimed intrigued, before realizing what was going on. « Oh, never mind. Attack the dog! »
In response, Luke attempted to jump on Sam, but was gently swatted away by the dog, who attempted another strategy. « Become me! »
« Holy puzzled tea composition of Lancashire! » Layton exclaimed mimicking Sam voice.
« This fog generator seems more hazardous than the Phillipines! » Emmy also mimicked Sam voice.
« You crack me up, little buddy! » Luke mimicked Sam voice.
« No, you buffoons! ATTACK THE DOG! » Descole commanded.
In response, Emmy roundhouse kicked the dog, who recovered and attempted another strategy. « Become Descole! »
In response, the two begun to laugh maniacally.
« Oh that's bloody funny, all right! ATTACK THE DOG! » Descole commanded.
In response, the three attempted to punch Sam, who dodged and let out one last command. « Become puzzles! »
In response, the three just stood there, motionless.
« How do you function? ATTACK THE BLOODY DOG! » Descole commanded once more.
And so, the three prepared to kick Sam ass.
« Well I'm out of ideas. » Sam shrugged.
« Finally, you're giving up! About bloody time you faced the inevitable! » Descole exclaimed, as all around our heroes were being overwhelmed.
However, before he could deliver the final stroke, a small warpstone dark struck his googles, who well on the ground.
All around, countless warpstone darts struck the people of Misthallery, who came back to their senses.
Then, before Descole could recover the googles, none other than Queek jumped over them, crushing them with his feet. « KILL-STAB SPECTRE-THING! DESCOLE-THING MINE-MINE! »
And so, countless Skavens emerged from underground, charging at the mechanical creature.
« The Skaven are here! The Skaven are here! » Max cheered.
« Wait, what just happened? » Emmy asked confused.
« It's best you don't know. » Max grinned.
And so, the Skaven charged in. But despite their numbers, they were all getting their ass kicked by the machine.
« You did…bring more than just Skaven Slaves, Clan Rats and Storm Vermin's, right? » Claptrap asked.
« Stormvermins best-good vermin's, yes-yes! » Queek declared.
« Against infantry, not bloody machines! » Sniper cursed.
« Let's finish this, shall we? » Descole grinned.
However, as he said that, he saw the glimpse of something dropping towards the Plaza. « SAXTON HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!»
Landing in the middle of the plaza was a muscular man, the hair in his chest resembling Australia. Indeed, the area where the man had landed had became an Australian shaped crater.
« Oh, what's this now!? » Descole groaned annoyed.
« So this is the famed spectre, huh? What a bloody joke! » the muscular man said.
« Boss! » Sniper exclaimed.
« Good ta see ya, mate! Here to kick this "spectre's" ass, huh? » the man asked.
« You know him!? » Emmy exclaimed.
« Saxton Hale. CEO of Mann Co» the man, Saxton Hale, introduced himself.
« Mann. Co ! That was the company that owned the factory that was closed down! » Luke exclaimed.
« Small world, ain't it? » Saxton laughed out loud.
« No matter. Do you really think that you can defeat me? » Descole grinned.
« That's the bloody reason I came here! » Saxton laughed maniacally, as he charged forward the machine.
In response, one of the machine's arms attempted to strike the man. To counter this, Saxton just grabbed the arm and ripped it off, swinging it like a club and hitting the machine, causing it to stumble backwards.
Before Descole could recover, Saxton ran towards the machine still brandishing the arm as a weapon. The machine swung at Saxton, hitting him in the chest. In response, Saxton begun to swordfight the machine with the severed arm, Descole grinning as he parried each attack.
Then, he used the machine to punch Saxton, the force of the attack causing him to slide backward a far few meters.
« Is that all you got? » Descole mocked the man.
« All? I barely got started! » Saxton shot back.
The man then charged once more at the machine, throwing the robotic arm towards Descole, laughing as he did. He then jumped up, using the arm as a platform to propel himself towards the machine, pirouetting in the air, winding up a powerful punch.
« Spectre…PUNCH! » Saxton exclaimed, as his fist collided with the machine's body.
The strength of the punch was so incredible, that the machine was sent flying backwards at high speed, with Descole being sent upward, yelling in panic as he was being sent to the stratosphere.
As Saxton landed, he placed his hands on his hips and laughed heartily. « And THAT, is how it's done! »
Complete silence followed that. Only the occasional gush of wind could be heard.
Saxton Hale had done it. He had broke the entirety of Misthallery.
He had created a puzzle that not even Professor Layton himself could solve: what matter of insanity just occurred?
« …What? » Emmy was the first one to speak. It was all she could utter with a hoarse voice.
« …Wait, where did the spectre go? » Luke asked concerned.
The whole town then noticed a gigantic hole on the dam, caused by the mechanical creature being tossed there.
« …Oh…piss…» was all Sniper could say, as the water begun to overflow the town, nearly dragging everyone.
Thankfully, with so many buildings around, everybody could get to safety.
Once the water had drained, Saxton just stood there, having remained unmoved by the water that hit the town. « Welcome… to Nessie… PAAAAAaaeegghh…» Saxton exclaimed, before a mobile phone rung, cutting him off. « Saxton Hale here!.. Yep, I dealt with the spectre…Yeah, it was a fake…Na, this time I sent it flying towards the dam! Ah, the kids are gonna love it…Anway! I also found the seal, however it looks like it belongs to some kid…What do you mean just take the seal?.. What, do you expect me to beat her up?.. Yeah, I guess I could ask her… »
And so, whilst the entirety of Misthallery remained speechless after…the everything that happened, Saxton turned towards Arianna. « 'Ello, Sheila. Might I borrow that seal of yours for a bit? »
« Uh…no? » Arianna replied, barely able to respond.
« Kid, I'll be square with ya…The only reason I agreed to shoot down the factory was to establish a Nessie. Fighting. Park. If I don't have a Nessie, it's just a fighting park! » Saxton shot back. « What else am I supposed to do with this fog genera-»
« Hey guys the fat seal is telling us to go to the hole! » Max exclaimed, pointing at Loosha, who called the rest of the city towards the hole.
And so, everyone reached the dam.
On the other side, behind the dam and a once proud mechanism shattered by the impact with the machine, was a lush garden.
« Amazing! » Luke exclaimed.
« The Golden Garden...» Layton said in awe.
« Well ain't this a sight…» Sniper commented.
« Light comes in through the earthen ceiling and reflects off of these crystals. Hm. » Layton noted. « That sunlight has supported the vegetation here and turned it into a verdant paradise. »
« So this is… the Golden Garden?! » Emmy exclaimed. « It's an entirely untouched world… I pictured it so differently, with ancient ruins and gold everywhere! »
« Such a paradise has more value than any amount of gold. It certainly means more to Arianna. » Layton replied.
« What do you mean? » Arianna asked.
« The air here is untouched. As Emmy said, it is pure. Its proprieties may be able to cure your illness. » Layton explained.
« Yeah…I could work with that…» Saxton smirked.
« I think Loosha knew this. She led us here in order to cure you, Arianna. Had Descole found this place first, that would not have been possible. » Layton explained. « And so Loosha opposed Descole at every turn, trying to stop him from discovering this paradise. And she did it all to help cure Arianna of her illness. »
« Well, good to see that all things have a happy ending, I suppose…» Max grinned.
« Time stands still down here in this ancient paradise. Loosha must have been born here. I imagine she lost her parents while still young. It must have been lonely being the last of her kind. So she ventured out through the tunnels into the lake where she met Arianna and Tony. » Layton commented.
« She needed friends after her parents died… So did we. » Tony replied.
« It's true… Loosha came to visit us often. We were lonely, as well. We only had each other… » Arianna added.
« But not anymore. » Barde hugged his two children, before turning to the people of Misthallery. « When I was alive, I made a fortune on the backs of the townspeople. Now that I've returned…I wish to redeem myself…please give me a chance…»
« We will! » Luke replied.
« I used my illness as an excuse to close myself off from the world. I see that now. The people in town didn't push me away. It was my own doing. » Arianna said.
« When you feel better, you can open up to people again. The whole town will be waiting for you. » Luke replied.
« Keep Queek-Queek out of feeling-emotions, dumb-human-Luke-thing! » Queek protested, before storming off. « Queek-Queek kill-stab Descole-human-thing! Clan Mors off-off! »
« Perfect. That way Mann. Co won't have ta deal with some pesky rats. Anyway, looks like yer getting famous, professor! » Saxton commented.
« If I may, I would prefer if we keep this place a secret. » Layton requested. « At least, until Arianna recovers. »
« That's a bit of a shame. Clearly, something like this…this could launch your career! You'll be in all the newspapers! Wouldn't that be great, Professor? » Emmy noted.
« Ha ha. I suppose so. But don't worry, Emmy. I doubt this will be the last mystery we solve. There are countless puzzles out there in the world, and I will solve as many of them as I can. Someday I will solve that great puzzle meant only for me. » Layton replied.
« And we will aid you in your puzzle quests to the best of our capabilities! » Sam declared.
« You don't…have to…» Emmy said in despair.
« Yeah, but if we do we cause you pain and suffering! » Max grinned.
« Professor? Please, sir, let me go with you! I can learn from you! Please! I could be Professor Layton's apprentice! » Luke requested.
« Well, I…» Layton was left speechless at the request.
« Don't worry, Prof! if anyone makes any funny questions, we'll just blast them to hell! And then we'll recover their soul, clone their bodies and pluck those suckers back in so that it's technically not murder! » Sam declared.
« Oh…that…sounds fun…» Emmy replied. « However, if you don't mind…I think I need to lay down for a while. This adventure has taken a toll on me…»
« …Do you want to stay in the garden for a while? » Arianna asked.
« Nono, just…a bench would be lovely…» Emmy replied.
Xxxxxxx
The end of the Last Spectre Arc!
That wasn't so bad, it only took me…five…years….
Jesus Fucking Christ, I'm so sorry, I had to deal with things….mostly University.
Anyway, 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!