Monster Rancher Fan Fiction ❯ When Destiny Calls ❯ Problems with Children ( Chapter 7 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

ÐÏࡱá>þÿ þÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿý ÿÿÿ_þÿÿÿ`
� !"#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]^a&t horn;ÿÿÿþÿÿÿbcdefghijkþÿ&yum l;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ& yuml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&yum l;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ& yuml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&yum l;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ& yuml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&yum l;ÿÿÿÿÿÿRoot Entryÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ÀFົl%Á@CompObjÿÿÿÿ&yu ml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿnWordDocumentÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿ"ÊObjectPoolÿÿÿÿ&# 8364;8€l%Á€8€l%Áþÿÿÿ þÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ;ÿÿþÿ
ÿÿÿÿ ÀFMicrosoft Word 6.0 Document
MSWordDocWord.Document.6ô9²qþÿ_à& #8230;ŸòùOh«'+'³Ù0Œ �˜Ü$H �l´
Øü DhC:\WINWORD\TEMPLATE\NORMAL.DOT �Cale Kuecker �Cale Kuecker@Ì .}Á@À¤YÜ¥e=À e¶µ"ʶ²ÆjÆjjÆjÆjÆj ÆjÆtÇtÇtÇtÇtÇtÇ
~ Ç.tÇÓÉ1¬Ç¬Ç¬Ç& not;ǬǬǬǬÇñ&Cc edil;óÇóÇóÇ ÈÔáÈÔµÉÊTXÊ,&Oacu te;ÉjƬÇ[\¬Ç¬Ç¬Ç&n ot;ÇÓɬÇjÆjƬǬ& Ccedil;¬Ç¬Ç¬Ç¬ÇjƬ&Cc edil;jƬÇñÇ~Æ\ÚÆšj&A Elig;jÆjÆjƬÇñǬÇE&no t;ÇWhen Destiny Calls The Journey Begins: Problems With Children By Cale Kuecker Summary: Golem has always loved plants and furthermore loves children, so his actions are really no surprise when he finds a baby plant monster in the forest. While the rest of the gang goes off to find out whom the baby belongs to, everybody's favorite rock giant has to take care of the babe. Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Monster Rancher, Monster Farmer, or the mainstay character in the series. Tecmo and the anime company that produced the show do. The story itself, however, is mine, so it better not be reproduced for any sort of financial gain. Author's Note: I have decided that, starting last episode, I'm going to begin incorporating guest characters into my stories. This means that in each chapter one of the minor characters will actually come from another series, whether it be anime, cartoon, comic, or video game. The challenge is for you, the reader, to figure out who the character really is. I will of course have the answer in the following episode. Here's a clue for "Choices"'s character: look closely at the description given for Rimulder's village elder. Have fun. ************************************************************************ “Children are the most dangerous of animals. What else can cause a person so much trouble and still be so thoroughly loved?" -Anonymous ************************************************************************ The sun was only barely coming up over the horizon when Golem awoke from his slumber, yawning quietly so as not to arouse his still sleeping comrades. Plus it would probably do wonders for morale if they were allowed to sleep for now. Genki would be up eventually, and he would see to it no one slept in. Golem's eyes soon found their way over to the newly lightened meadow they'd decided to camp near. Morning dew sparkled off the petals of the flowers, creating a very serene atmosphere that never failed to help Golem feel more alive, while at the same time depressing him too. The stone giant had always been envious of other monsters who were able to actually lay among the flowers without crushing them, as Golem's tremendous weight often did. Flowers were the greatest creation ever to arrive on the planet, at least in Golem's opinion. They were the gentlest of life forms, never hurting anyone one. The sound of shifting grass disturbed the rock giant's thoughts as Genki began to Pink Eye began to stir from slumber. This was a surprise in and of itself, as the eyeball seldom work up first, let alone on his own. "(Yawn) Golem, you're awake? Don't you ever sleep in?" "There is no real need for me to. Every time I touch the ground my strength renews itself. But such practices make others nervous and I have always been told it is good for health, so a few hours each night, I sleep." "Don'tcha get lonely being up all by yourself?" "Why would I be lonely? All my friends are right here with me. That you are asleep means you are no less here. Besides, there is always something around to look at. That meadow for instance." "Oh, the flowers. You really loose yourself in them don'tcha," Pink Eye observed. Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Hey I just had a brilliant idea. If you don't mind grabbing some water from the river, I'll check for some of that fish we had last night and some eggs. With any luck, I can make my famous Two Legs Or Less stew for breakfast." "Are you sure the others will want to have fish stew for breakfast?" "Oh sure, Joshua had it plenty of times while we were searching alone. Trust me, this will be a treat." Even with Pink Eye's assurances, it was skeptical Golem that lifted the pot from the dying fire. **************************************************************** The sun glistened off the running water of the river, almost giving it a golden appearance. Such scenes in nature were not hard to see, especially when one wanted to find them, but, in Golem's experience, such serene scenes had a different side to them. The river almost looked inviting, but the stone warrior wasn't about to tempt fate in such a dangerous element as water. Bending down, he quickly filled his pot, barely noticing the additional wait. Just as Golem turned to leave, the soft sound of crying caught his ear. Curious as to who else was out this far, the rock giant moved over to the source of the crying, unprepared for the scene he saw. "Come on kid, you're coming with us," a plant-type monster said. It was completely blue, with red berries hanging from the flowers on top of its head. Its leaf arms were black as midnight, a small red dot sat on the plant hybrid's face, making where it's nose would be. And around it's roots hung the symbol of Moo. "Yeah, Master Daemon has extended a most generous invitation for you in his castle, you wouldn't want to let him think you're ungrateful," another of the blue plants said, his voice dripping with insincerity. Golem struggled to remember what these monsters were as he also moved to see what it was they were harassing. It turned out to be a small green purebred plant who currently had a death grip on a tree as the two monsters tried to pull it off. "NO! I don't want to go with you. I wanna go back home to my Mommy!" The terrified child yelled. "Well that's tough kid," the third and final baddy said, working on the plant's leafy fingers. "Master Daemon has given us a mission, and nightshades never fail in missions." *So those are nightshades... I'd heard of them, but never saw them. I need to help that kid before who knows what happens,* Golem thought. Finally, the nightshades were able to pull their victim off the tree, and that was when Golem made his move. "Let him go!" The giant bellowed, crashing through the shrubbery, his feet pounding like an earthquake. Of course, with such an entrance, it was child's play for Golem to scoop up the plant from the startled plant/joker hybrids. "Hey, get back here," the lead nightshade said. "He's ours!" "Yeah ya big lumox. Who said you got the brat?" Golem turned around the plant in his hands as he prepared for an attack. "You have no right to attack this child, and I will not permit you to bring him to any harm." "Ha, as if you could stop us... SEED SHOOTER!" All three nightshades yelled this part, as their flowers closed up and took aim, firing seeds in rapid succession like machine guns. The bark of trees flew off as the deadly projectiles hit them, but they had no such effect on Golem's rocky hide. The seeds bounced off, not even making the rock monster flinch. It didn't take the plant/joker hybrids long to figure out this wasn't working, and they began to creep forward. Before they could even mount an attack, however, a kick from Golem sent them flying in three different directions. "This looks like our chance to run," Golem said to the plant child before taking off at top speed, leaving the three spiral-eyed nightshades to their crash landings. ************************************************************************ "Oh come on Joshua, you know you love my Two Legs or Less stew," Pink Eye said as he continued trying to lay out the ingredients for his cooking. These actions were countered by Joshua putting away the same ingredients. "That stew is good, but only as a dinner and possibly lunch. No one eats fish for breakfast Pink." "I think the others would disagree," Pink Eye said, looking over to his compatriots. "I'm not a real big fan of fish in any event Pink," Genki said, as he finished packing his stuff. "I'm a strict vegetarian. Fish is not on my diet so I gotta go with Josh on this one." "I don't really care either way, food is food," Gray Wolf said before putting his head back down. "There, you see. And Golem only eats rocks, so I think the best thing we can do is put this stew on hold for now." "Speaking of which, were is the jolly gray giant... I sent him for water almost an hour ago." "Knowing Golem he may have gotten side-tracked by a pretty flower," Gray Wolf said. His last words were drowned out as Golem came charging into camp, the baby plant still in his hands. Gray Wolf needed no other reason to go directly into battle mode, just in time to meet the three nightshades as they came to a screeching halt in front of him. "Well what do we have here, a breakfast salad..." Gray Wolf bore his teeth as the other searchers moved in as well to block the evil monsters advance. "S...s...stay out of this peasants. This does no concern you..." the lead nightshade said, trying to sound as authoritative as possible. "Th... that's right. Besides, you wimps couldn't stand...." the nightshade's words were cut off as a bolt of lightning exploded in front of them. "No body... calls... me... a WIMP!!" Gray Wolf growled at the trio. "No get out of here before I make stir-fry for my rabbit friend here." The plant/jokers needed no other incentive. Quickly they retreated into the bushes, unwilling to let the tiger hybrid make good on his threat. With the enemy gone, the group began to relax again. "So Golem, mind telling me what you did to get those weed wannabes so upset with you?" Pink Eye asked. In response, the rock giant lowered his hands to reveal the small green plant monster shaking inside. "They were trying to kidnap him," Golem explained. The other five searchers joined Pink Eye in looking at the shivering child. "Hello there little guy," Genki said, a friendly smile on his face. "Are you all right?" At first, the plant seemed not to have heard Genki's question, but soon a soft, sobbing voice was heard. "Y... yes sir," the plant said, still hiding its face behind its leaves. "Don't worry chi, you don't have ta be afraid, we're friends," Mocchi said, joining his trainers efforts to calm the young monster down. "I want my Mommy," the plant began to wail, watery tears rolling down his cheeks from unseen eyes. Immediately, all the searchers save Golem covered their ears to try to lessen the child's cries. "Ah, will someone please make that kid shut up," Gray Wolf yelled as he struggled in vain to close his ears. Golem was quick to respond. "There there little one, there is no need to cry now," the rocky monster said in a deep but gentle voice. Almost immediately, the plant stopped screaming, though tears still appeared on his face. "It's all right. You are safe now, and I promise we'll find your parents..." "Y... You will?" the leafy monster asked, hope appearing in his voice. "Of course little one, but first won't you please stop crying?" With those words, the plant did stop crying. "Oh thank you, thank you , thank you," the plant boy said as he bounced up and down in delight. "Oh great. Now what are we supposed to do with a useless kid a long," Gray Wolf said. This comment immediately elicited a response from both Genki and Mocchi. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING USELESS!!!!" Both children yelled, making the silver wolf back away. "Uh, present company excluded of course..." Gray Wolf sheepishly added. "What is your name little one?" Golem asked the plant, ignoring his friends' yells. "Randall." "All right Randall, what can you tell us about your mommy and daddy." "I don't know my daddy, only Mommy and Grandpa were there when I was, uhm... oh yeah, unlocked they called it. When the bright light faded and I woke up in the strange room, that's what I mean." "Oh, so you're an unlocked monster. Tell me, is your mommy a human?" "Yes. She's two times as taller as me, and Grandpa is a giant. He's almost as tall as you..." "Do you know what village they live in?" The plant shook its whole body in response. "Well, maybe I can help with that," Pink Eye said, hopping up on Golem's palm. "I can read your mind and get some clues as to where you're from." Pink Eye moved his tongue to touch the green plant, who shied away, obviously unsure of what was happening. "It's all right Randall, Pink Eye won't hurt you. He's just going to try to find out where you live so you can see your mommy and grandpa again," Golem said "Well... all right," the plant said, letting the large pink tongue touch his forehead as Pink Eye began to concentrate. Immediately, the plant's memories flooded into the suezo hybrid's mind. As was typical with young children, the memories Pink Eye gained from the plant were more raw and sensory based than an adults, but the pink suezo was not discouraged by that. Images flashed past his mind's eye of the plant child playing with his young master, a cute little girl with black curly hair and a blue dress and bonnet. Always nearby was a tall, thin man in a kind of tuxedo and mustache. His gray hair was done in a pigtail and his face seemed to a once show compassion yet warning. The village they were in was on the banks of a lake with several fishing boats on it, and in the center of the village stood what looked like a fortress or stockade. What was of most interest, however, was the mossy rocks on the ground. "Woah," Pink Eye said as he broke contact with Randall. "Well, did you see anything Pink?" Joshua asked. "Yeah, I did. From what I can tell, his village is either east or west of here. Since the walking rock slide here came from west, I bet that's where the village is." "Okay, then we head we..." Genki started with his usual bravado, but he was cut off as a loud growl came from his friends' and his own collective stomachs. "But first, I guess we should eat." With that, the seven searchers began to prepare breakfast. ************************************************************************ "Damn those peasants.." the nightshade said to his comrades. "If not for them, the brat would have been ours and so would his toy," the second said. "Calm yourself brothers, there is no need to get upset over events that can no longer be changed." "But Master Daemon specifically told us to..." "Master Daemon need not know of or difficulties. We were able to spirit away the child once before, we can do it again." "Yes, but this time, I don't just want that brat. I want to make that golem pay for interfering with us." "Yes, the golem must pay." ************************************************************************ The searchers had been walking for hours, with Randall perched on Golem's shoulder looking around at the passing forest. Ahead of them all walked Gray Wolf, his nose to the ground as he retraced the nightshade's trail. "What's a matter kid, you never seen trees before?" Pink Eye said as he noticed the little monster's actions. "Not this many, Pink Eye sir. Grandpa never let me and Mommy leave the village. He always said it was dangerous." "Then how did those nightshades find you?" Golem asked. "I don't know. The last thing I remember is Mommy tucking me in for the night, and then I found myself in a bag or something. The next thing I know, I was dumped out in front of those blue plants. They kept telling me they were gonna take me to someone, I don't know who." "Why were they so interested in you?" "It had something to do with a present my Mommy gave me. But I don't have it with me. It was a pretty painted feather on a chain Mommy hung on my flowers. It always makes me feel warm to have." Suddenly, tears began to come down the plants cheeks as he began to remember his predicament. "I miss my Mommy!!" "Ah geez, here come the water works again..." Pink Eye said, trying to think of some way to stop Randall's crying. "Don't worry, Randall, you'll be with her soon... Just have patience," Golem said, nudging the plant's cheek. "Ya promise?" "Yes, I promise," Golem said, favoring Randall with a smile. "Well, I hope we're at least going in the right direction. I'd hate to think we're headed in the wrong direction," Hare said. Of course this didn't do well for Randall, who began crying again as the lapine realized what he said. "On the other hand, it's more likely that we are headed the right way and any minute now are gonna run smack into the village." This fell on deaf ears as Randall continued to wail, a fact which caused all the searchers to glare at the brown hare. "Way to go rabbit," Gray Wolf said as he covered his ears. "Not smart, chi." "Sorry sorry," Hare said, trying his best to help calm the plant child down. Golem picked up his little friend and simply held him, letting Randall cry against him all he wanted as he muffled the yells. The group walked on for a little ways before Gray Wolf called a halt. "Uh, we have a problem," the silver wolf said. "What is it?" Genki asked, walking up to see whatever it was Gray Wolf might have found, Mocchi following behind him. "Something's not right here. The trail splits in two directions," Gray Wolf explained. "So what does that mean?" "It means we can either go right, or we can go left. Either way might be wrong. Without something else to go on though there's nothing more we can do." "Pink Eye, any ideas on which way we should go?" Joshua said. "Sorry, the kid's memory doesn't extend to the path he took to get here." "We may have a better chance if we split up," Hare said. "Two teams of three can go in each direction. We could travel for a mile or so and see if we can find something." "But there are eight of us," Golem said. "Yeah, but I don't think it would help if Randall was on the team that didn't find the village. It might be best if he stayed here with you. That way, the team that finds the village can come back and get you quicker." "But..." "That's the first thing you've said that actually makes sense, rabbit," Gray Wolf said. "Yeah, it'd be no sweat for Mocchi to follow the trail, especially with what you taught him Gray," Genki said. "I'll be a bloodhound-chi," Mocchi gleefully said as he hopped around. "I can keep us all linked together. It might be a bit difficult but I can do it," Pink Eye said. "Now hold on a minute. Before we leave him all alone, shouldn't we make sure this is okay with Golem first," Joshua said, turning to the rock monster in question. "I'm not sure... You're sure you'll all be able to get back?" "Of course. We're not exactly helpless, you know." "And you would be the ideal choice to watch Randall. The kid seems to like you," Joshua said as he cleaned away the a spot for a fire. "Hopefully we'll get back before dark, but in case we don't, I need you to light a fire so you're easier to find." ".... Very well. But don't take more time than you have to. Golem worries." "Okay then. Pink Eye, you're with Hare and Gray Wolf." "Ah but Josh..." "No way. I am not traveling with that long eared cheat!" "Big talk coming from a bandit!" "Enough. We don't have time for whining. Genki, you and Mocchi are with me. We'll take the left trail and you three can have the right." With that the two groups parted company. ************************************************************************ Meanwhile, not too far away, three figures watched as the searchers separated, quiet as possible to avoid giving their presence away. "The others are leaving. The brat and the golem are all alone..." "Most excellent, soon we will have our captive and our revenge..." "Wait we should hold for now. Let the others get farther away. It would not do for them to return..." "Yes yes, and then we have only the golem to face... "And a special trick we have for him..." ************************************************************************ Genki, Joshua, and Mocchi moved quickly through the forest, or at least as quickly as they could considering how slowly Mocchi moved when trying to keep track of the trail they'd been following. That was when a sound came to all three's ears, the sound of watery waves. A little searching yielded the existence of a lake, complete with a village on its bank. "You think this is the same village Pink Eye saw?" Genki asked. "Only one way to find out," came Joshua's answer as he started off to the village. Upon entering, the small group saw several small posters of Randall hanging up, each offering a reward of thirty gold for the plants return. All over the place, people and monsters were busy searching all over the place, obviously looking for the missing monster. And no one was looking harder than a little raven-haired girl in a yellow dress and pink bow. "Randall, where are you!!" She cried. "Excuse me," came a voice directed at the three searchers. Its owner was an elder gentleman dressed in a complete tuxedo. He was tall, with a fairly big nose and long gray hair tied in a pony-tail. A thick mustache almost hid his mouth, as busy eyebrows did the same for his eyes. "I am Gre, the village elder. I must apologize for the state of our village. Unfortunately, my daughter, Janet's monster has gone missing and our friends have graciously offered to help find him." "We know..." "We found him-chi." "What?" Gre asked, looking down at Mocchi. "While traveling this morning, we came across a young plant monster who answered to that name. We left him with a friend while we ventured out to find the village." "Ah well, I thank you most..." "Joshua?" Came a voice the large human recognized as Pink Suezo's. The voice came from nowhere, actually sounding off in Joshua's mind. "Yes Pink Eye?" "I think we may have found the village. We just arrived at the lake," Pink Eye said. "Uh... Pink, you're a little late." "Whatcha mean?" "We're already here." "Oh that's just great... We take all the time to explore both trails, and what happens? Both of 'em came straight here." "Excuse me, but I did ask you a question," Gre said, instantly grabbing the big human's attention. "I'm sorry, but my partner was speaking to me through telepathy. If you could repeat your request please." "I asked if you could take us to Randall," Gre said. "Oh, of course, just give us a few minutes. Our other friends should be arriving soon." ************************************************************************ Golem sat quietly as Randall busied himself by using the rock giants body for a jungle-gym, completely content as he climbed on top of Golem's massive shoulders. The smile on Golem's face only encouraged the child's activities. But it wasn't long before Golem noticed how far the sun had sunk in the sky. "It will be dark soon, I wonder where the others are?" Golem said, searching for any sign of his friends. "Do ya think they gotted lost Mr. Golem?" Randall asked, also looking. "I'm not sure... In any event, I need to start the fire." With that, Golem walked over to the wood pile that he and Randall had made just in case. Next to it was large stone Golem had found, perfect for starting the fire. With a mighty swipe of his arm, Golem struck the rock, scraping it and generating huge sparks which landed on the wood, starting a roaring flame. "Wow, that looks pretty," Randall said. "Don't get to close, it's dangerous." "Yes sir. I wish I could do that... Mommy wants to go camping on her birthday, and I bet it would be a cool trick." "That it would Randy, that it would... But it is best for plants not to mess with fire. After all, I don't think your mommy would appreciate you taking up smoking." "Yeah well...," Randall started, only to be silenced by Golem placing a finger to his on his lips. The young plant listened carefully as well and began to notice the faint rustling of leaves. Randall moved closer to Golem, unsure of what was going to happen. "Well, well, well little one..." came voice as three figures began to step out of the brush. "It would seem we meet again, yes it does..." "You and your rocky protector owe us for the bumps..." "And the bruises..." "Yes the bruises..." The campfire glow illuminated the blue faces of the three nightshades from before. "You are not welcome here. Leave now, I don't wish to fight," Golem said, lifting Randall to his shoulder. "Oh isn't that sweet..." "If you didn't wish for a fight..." "You shouldn't have gotten involved." So saying, the three baddies creeped forward at lightning speed, attempting to overwhelm Golem. Not that that did any good as with a single swipe sent the three plant hybrids flying backwards. "All right, now you've forced us to get tough," the nightshades said in unison. They formed a circle, each grabbing their neighbor's leafy arm at the root. With a sudden jerk, the six leaves were pulled off, much to Golem and Randall's horror. The nightshades did not cry out, but simply smiled sinisterly. Their leaf arms grew back almost immediately as the torn appendages each began to sprout a new body. In no time at all, the number of baddies had tripled. The now nine plant hybrids repeated the procedure again, ending up with twenty-seven nightshades in all. "Get him!!!!!!" The horde of baddies charged, swarming like ants over Golem's body. The rock giant swung again, sending three nightshades away only to watch as four more jumped on. From all sides, seeds began to strike him at the joints. Suddenly, two blue blurs went past his face. "Golem!!!" Randall cried as he was carried away by the vicious plants. Golem reached out to grab him, only to fall as two more nightshades crashed into his knees. "NOO! Leave him alone." "Stupid rock-head, what made you think you could stand against us?" the nightshades said in unison. Golem struggled as vines held him to the ground. "The boy is ours, and there's nothing you can do... what?" The plant hybrids were cut off as Golem's eyes went from slate gray to blazing white. Almost effortlessly the stone giant broke the hold the plant/jokers had on him, in several cases actually removing roots and leaves in the process. "ROAR," bellowed the angry Golem, as his massive hands easily cleared the way of the baddies. Nightshades slammed into trees right and left, save for one which avoided the attack by the bark of his teeth. The nightshade gave a sigh of relief, relief that faded in less than a second as he found Golem baring down on him. The baddy could only watch helplessly as Golem's granite foot crushed him. All over the battle field, eight more of the nightshades, including one of the two holding Randall, faded from existence. "Retreat," ordered one of the two remaining original nightshades, and the plants began to scatter. This was to no avail however, as, in his altered form, Golem proved fast enough to chase them down. A nightshade ran over a fallen branch, hoping to evade the enraged giant, only to find the branch catapulting him straight into the air, and right between Golem's hands. Once more, the eight copies originating from the nightshade vanished. Now faced with a significant reduction in numbers, the final nightshade grabbed Randall and did the only thing he could think of. "You want the kid, here he's yours, I don't like kids anyway," said the nightshade as he shoved his captive toward the still rampaging monster. Golem merely ignored the child and continued to close the gap between himself and the baddy. "Oh come on I gave you the kid, what more could you want? I know, I know, I'm sorry... There I said it. I'll even surrender. How's that?" This didn't phase the giant, who continued walking forward, his glowing eyes set on a single goal. The terrified hybrid was quickly running out of ideas. "Please, y... you're one of the good guys... You're not supposed to be ruthless... I said I surrender, you're supposed ta take me into custody or something... Stop!!" Golem raised his hand high into the air. "No please, stop I surrender. Noooo!!" These were the last words of the terrified demon plant as Golem brought his fist down, smashing his hapless victim. Finally, all the copies faded, leaving the not-so-peaceful giant as the uncontested victor. "ROOOAAAAR!!" Golem screamed triumphantly. "Yeah Mister Golem, yeah," Randall said, jumping up and down with a huge smile on his face. The noise and motion drew Golem's full attention back to the small plant, a dangerous fact, considering his eyes still glowed. With steps that shook the earth, Golem walked back to the boy. His hand once more raised into the air, ready to send the child to the same fate as his kidnappers, when all of a sudden, Pink Eye materialized beside Randall. "TELEPORT!" the suezo hybrid yelled, moving both himself and the boy out of harm's way. The fist crashed down onto empty ground with a thunderous bang as Pink Eye prepared to do another teleport just in case. Golem stayed in that position for a full minute before he came out of his trance, his eyes once more reverting to their normal gray color. He looked over to where Pink Eye and the still cheering Randall stood, confusion on his face. "What happened?" the stone giant asked. Before Pink Eye could answer, Randall bounded over to Golem, ready to fill him in. "Don'tcha remember Mister Golem. Your eyes went this funny white color, and then you just tossed those bad guys around like they were paper. They didn't stand a chance against you, not a chance. It was so awesome. You crushed one, and nine went down. One even tried to trick you, but he didn't fool you for a second, you just turned him into guacamole," the boy said, brimming over in excitement as he told the tale. "When I grow up I wanna be a golem just like you," Randall concluded, hugging Golem's shine. *The kid doesn't realize how close he came to joining those baddies... If I hadn't gone ahead, he'd be a pancake by now,* Pink Eye thought, staring at the two, *I better keep this under my tongue. It'd break Golem's heart to learn about it.* "Baby!!!" came a high pitched squeal from the bushes as the rest of the searchers plus Gre and Janet. The little girl rushed up to the green plant, hugging him and kissing him all over. "Mommy!" Randall squealed, equally thrilled to see the girl. "Oh I was so worried. Where were you, Randy?" "These bad monsters took me outta my room... But Mister Golem here rescued me. He even taught those baddies a lesson they'll never forget. You should have seen it Mommy." "Thank you for saving my baby, Mister Golem," Janet said, curtsying in front of the giant. "Uh... It was nothing, I guess," Golem replied, still a little unsure of the events that had unfolded. "Nonsense my boy. Heroism such as yours deserves to be rewarded. You have only to ask, and I shall grant you any wish within my power," Gre said, offering his hand for Golem to shake. "That reminds me, Randall. I brought you charm." Janet reached into her pockets, pulling out a flame red feather hanging from a chain. As soon as the feather was out, it began to pulse with light, much to the assembled group's surprise. Joshua reached into his shirt as he felt a tingle against his chest. The Magic stone was also pulsating, in perfect rhythm to the feather. "That's a feather from the Phoenix," Hare stated. "What?" "It was in the book. A way to find the Phoenix. That's why those nightshades wanted it. They were gonna use Randall's charm to find the Phoenix." "What do you mean, rabbit?" "Anything that used to be part of the Phoenix has the capability of finding him. It's not as accurate as the magic stone, but it would work." "So Moo's after the Phoenix as well?" "We can only speculate." "Well, you can be sure this will not happen again," Gre said. "Moo will never get his hands on this feather. But enough of all this seriousness. My daughter's monster has returned, and I have you to thank for it. Let us return to Sig, where we can celebrate this properly." With those words, the group turned to leave, all save Pink Eye, who gave a final look at the three lost disks Golem had created, in addition to the flattened ground. *That's a real meanstreak Golem's got in him, and nothing about it is natural. I don't know what psycho tried to wreck his gentle side, but if I ever do find him, I'm gonna give him a real piece of my mind.* ************************************************************************ Epilogue: Weed's Journey Four: Daemon ************************************************************************ Frightening. That was the only word that came to Weed's mind as he stared at the twinkling lights and listened to the eerie calliope music that formed the atmosphere of Daemon's home. From a distance, the place could be easily mistaken for a normal carnival, until one got close enough to see some of the attractions. Clear, cylindrical tubes abounded the place, and Weed felt himself trying to retch as he saw what occupied each tube. Humans and monster, both young and old, male and female, floated in a dark green liquid in various states of decay. Some were missing limbs, heads, and even skin, there was one old man that was actually cut in half. Two small jars sat on a table, and Weed jumped back as he saw their contents to be the mummified heads of a little boy and a janne. Weed hurried through, intent on leaving the horrifying spectacle behind. Elsewhere he spotted two frilled dinos with whips in their hands, forcing a tiger to jump through three hoops of flame. Above them, two tainted cats swung on the trapeze, tossing a small object between them. Weed finally saw it to be a small human baby. "No please," screamed a women dressed in rags as she tried to climb the poles. Two selketo held her back. "Give me back my baby, please," the women begged. "Take it easy sister..." "Yeah, those two haven't missed in... days." This comment brought laughter from the entire room. Almost reflexively, Weed felt his flowers taking aim at a tainted cat, even as he felt his chlorophyll boil at the sight. Suddenly, he felt a metallic hand grab his shoulder. "This action is not advisable," came the monotone voice of an endbringer. The hengar/joker motioned for Weed to follow him. The plant hybrid obeyed, letting the eerie mechanoid lead him through various halls and rooms before arriving at a very big room with a long staircase leading up to a throne. At the foot of the stairs was an array of lost disks and pieces of lost disks. Sitting on the throne was Daemon himself, in all his glory. Three lilims stood caring for the monster, one seductively rubbing his shoulders as another cooed and patted his gloved hands, as the third carefully sharpened the monster's double bladed scythe. The dark monster's red and black horned mask shined as light hit it, and even in his present relaxed state he seemed menacing. Next to the throne, standing still as statues, were two genocider, thier swords drawn and crossed over the stairs, baring entrance. "Away wenches," Daemon said to the lilims attending him. Weed though he could see fear shining in their eyes as they moved away, only to disappear like smoke. The joker/gali grabbed his scythe as he floated down to his guest. "I am told you do not approve of my methods of entertainment," came Daemon's rasping voice. "I get so few visitors, so I haven't heard many comments." "I meant no disrespect Master Daemon," Weed said, wishing he could somehow disappear. The plant hybrid noticed two more monster walk up behind the dark monster. They greatly resembled evil hares, until Weed noticed the copper markings on their bodies and the creepy blue glowing eyes. Tufts of red fur replaced the gray, and one of the rabbits was even missing part of it's left ear. Neither one seemed particularly friendly, a feeling Weed got from all the denizens of this castle. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, little plantling... You know who I am, but I'm afraid I haven't the foggiest as to who you are." "I am Weed, aide de camp and right hand monster to Master Moo himself. He has sent me on a mission to each of the Big Bad Four." "Ah, a lackey, how very nice for you. And what is this mission you've been sent on?" "You are commanded to be at the floating castle in two days time. The master wishes to discuss the problem with the seven who are searching for the Phoenix." "I see... And now I suppose you'd like to leave, despite any hospitality I could give you to stay I suppose." "I am expected back at the castle... And it will take me hours to get back to my iron bird. "That's right, there isn't anyplace nearby where you can land one of those monstrous contraptions is there? Well then, perhaps I can save you the trip." "Oh no there's really no hurry, you don't have to," Weed said as he backed up into the endbringer that had escorted him in. "Oh, but I insist," with a swipe of his scythe the demon created a ring of fire hovering in mid air. In the ring's center Weed could see his iron bird as clear as a bell. The purple plant suddenly found himself being pushed through the portal by Endbringer, which promptly disappeared with his passage. With his guest taken care of, Daemon turned to his two lapine companions. "Well, this is certainly a fine mess." "Master?" Thoren asked. "It would appear Moo believes the searchers to be a problem, a problem, I might remind you, that would no longer exist is a certain party had not intervened on their behalf in Rimulder," the demon said, glaring at the two devil hares. All over the throne room, more blue eyes opened as it filled with the deadly rabbits, all eager for fun. "Well, truth to tell, we weren't doing it for the rebels sir," Thoren said. "Yeah," Strife added. "And it's not like those losers would have been able to finish 'em off." "Then please explain why you still felt you HAD to go there, despite my command not to? Tell me, what was more important to you than obeying my commands?" "Come on boss. We couldn't just sit by while those cheap copies got a crack at the rebels. We're a thousand times better than them, we should be ones Moo sent to kill the rebels," Strife said. With those words, Thoren began back away from his second. "Ah, so now your thinking becomes all too clear," Daemon said, his voice becoming much softer, "So let me see if I have this straight. Because you believe yourselves to be, superior to your cousins the evil hares, that gives you the right to attack them?" "Well... Yeah!" Strife answered defiantly. "I can see how you can come to that idea. After all, the evil hares aren't able to turn themselves into shadows like you can... Oh wait, I'm the one who gave you that power. But then, there's always your magical prowess... Oh yeah, you couldn't pull yourselves out of hats before I came along. Of course, there isn't a warren around that can match the fortifications of yours... But wait, you never would have found that hole in the ground if not for me." "Now wait a minute. I know we owe you a lot Daemon," Strife countered, a fact that caused his leader to back away even more. "But even without you, we're still faster and stronger than any other hare species out there, and we can still use magic, even if it is only basic. There's no reason we couldn't easily replace the evil hares." At his words the room began to fill with the hisses of several devil hares agreeing with him. Daemon didn't make a move in response, much to the dark lapines' amazement. "I see, so you believe that the hundred or LESS devil hares that survive to this day would be able to sufficiently replace the thousands of evil hares that currently work in Moo's army? Forgive me if I think Moo would notice." Daemon came closer to Strife, his eyes beginning glow ever so slightly. "Instead let me give you a more likely scenario. You kill off the evil hares, no one really knows what happened. But then, Moo remembers that you devil hares have a standing grudge against them from the old days. He doesn't go to you though, oh no, he goes to the monster he permitted to keep you under control; ME! The next thing that happens is I find everything I've worked for taken away. Now does that sound a good IDEA TO YOU!!" Daemon yelled as his gloved hand wrapped around the devil hare's throat, lifting him up off his feet. "ACK," Strife choked out. "Listen to me and listen well," Daemon whispered, then he began looking around at the other devil hares. "All of you listen! The only reason you are not all still mystery disks is because of me. You all swore loyalty to me, loyalty I have repaid by increasing your powers. I give you a tremendous amount of leeway in your own affairs, don't I. I rarely meddle in how you govern yourselves." Daemon's eyes once more fell on Strife. "But every so often, you decide that my edicts are not worthy of your attention. That you know better. That, perhaps, your desires should supersede my own... And now, it would seem you've brought this belief to me in person. Perhaps it is time I taught you just how dangerous such thoughts can BE..." Daemon's eyes shined brighter and brighter as he forced the struggling Strife to look into them. "Please, no master, I beg you, I'm sorry please no!" the hapless rabbit said as he tried everything he could think of to avoid his master's gaze. "Now little one, you shall learn why they call this attack... SOUL REAVER!" With those words dark blue energy began to flow freely into Strife. Inside the Strife's mind, he could feel it as Daemon's power viciously broke through each and every defense he could muster, cutting to the very core of his being. In an instant, all that was Strife was laid to bare for Daemon's pleasure. The devil hare screamed as he felt the thoughts and memories that composed himself being destroyed, ripped apart as easily as paper under Daemon's influence. The dark monster laughed maniacally as he tortured Strife's very soul, tearing and scratching it like a plaything. Finally, after what seemed like hours to the rabbit, Daemon let go, allowing his victim to drop to the ground, landing in a whimpering, quivering heap. Daemon turned from the site, almost in disgust, and floated away as many of the devil hares backed away, terrified of what they had seen. The ones that had hissed in agreement with Strife especially tried to hide from the demon's view. "Let this serve as a lesson to all of you. You are mine, and so will you always be..." With that Daemon left the hares alone. Immediately several of the devil hares jumped over to check on their fallen comrade, only to be stopped by Thoren. "Get back, get back!!!" The rabbit commanded. "But... but we need to help him," one of the black rabbits said. "How? Daemon's soul reaver doesn't leave a single mark of physical damage. Leave him. If he survives the night, maybe he can still be of use to us..." "But.." "Nite." "Yes Lord Thoren," said a devil hare that stood a head above the rest. A scar rested on his cheek and if one looked closely enough one would notice a fang to be chipped. His head fur was shaved in a mohawk, and both his ears lay down on his head, giving him a rather odd appearance, even for a devil hare. "You're my new second since Strife can no longer fill the position. If anyone dares to touch him, you make sure they report for latrine duty. I'll have them cleaning the hraka out of our home for a full year as punishment." "Yes sir." With that, Thoren too left, as Nite took up a post beside the still weeping former second. The end. ************************************************************************ Nightshade (Plant/Joker) - Nightshades are a deadly attempt at creating a spy and assassin. As such they are far more suited to indirect combat than anything else. They are cowards, possessing none of the fearsome attributes normally attributed to those of joker blood. Often, they will only attack if they vastly outnumber their targets. Frilled Dinos (Dino/Joker) - Dinos by nature are dangerous, but a dino that uses magic is even more dangerous. These deadly saurians prefer to inhabit swamps and rarely venture out of their humid homes. They are said to be fond of humans and other monsters though, often dragging one back to their lair for light conversation, which never fails to stimulate their appetites. ************************************************************************ Well there you go. Read and review. Hopefully you liked this last installment of The Journey begins. Be here next time for the start of a new section: The Western Continent: Crossing Heaven's Canyon. See ya. SummaryInformation(ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&y uml;ÿÿ¼ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&yu ml;ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ&yu ml;ÿÿ‹·Þ@`ó€Á@%Microsoft Word 6.02ÛYõyoz-zèz£ƒs"¶µý&uacu te;ýúýúýúýVcc >NOwx'ƒ¡¢ë6izÃÄø Y9 �x �UŒW³ÿËÌ ¨î¹#ÚÛÈŽó ;Hïð9: þþþþþþþþþþ&thor n;þþþþþþþþþþ&th orn;þþþþþþþþþþ& thorn;þþþþþþþþþþ ;þþ- ‰ å N!­!"'"ö"ñ$'%&u'J(Ñ(›)ë){*G+Ø+ ó,A-¶-.Å.&/u/Ð/â//0ú0G1®1
23 ¶3`7Ÿ7×7†8"9…9Î9Ï9:r:¶:þ& thorn;þþþþþþþþþþ ;þþþþþþþþþþ&tho rn;þþþþþþþþþþ&t horn;þþþþþþþþþþ þ-¶:Ü:;U;";<"<#<l<m<P=Å=@>> ;š?Ç?AA÷ABPB7DyD'D¬EâE_F¾FßF̈́ 4;GÅGHÊHúHÞIîIMJÃJKzK%LkL¦L&um l;MýMRNþþþþþþþþ&thor n;þþþþþþþþþþ&th orn;þþþþþþþþþþ& thorn;þþþþþþþþþþ ;þþþþ-RN"N»NqOrO»O¼OIP"PÝ P#QMQ‰Q³Q´QýQþQnSµSxU¥UW£W&fr ac34;WðWXÃXSYjYÇYòY Z&Z§Z["[À[\\d\e\Ÿ]^^^Ù_`þþ&tho rn;þþþþþþþþþþ&t horn;þþþþþþþþþþ þþþþþþþþþþ&thor n;þþþþþþþþþþ-`5 `²`_akbÏbcBc^cÎcdAdadŒd¾gäh­irkƒm Ço¯sás¤ugwêwôyïz±{õ ;{+|à|B}°}p~ô-€<€Ø€&ucir c;€'¾Þ¢ƒt"u"¾"þþþ&tho rn;þþþþþþþþþþ&t horn;þþþþþþþþþþ þþþþþþþþþþ&thor n;þþþþþþþþþ-¾" ä"-….…B…Qˆ¡‰FŠfŠ 249;
õ"ƒ'"Ÿ"ü"¡"•z•-ž -I˜h˜Ä™šš}š ›%œ,^0Ÿ4¡…¤¦¤ô§ ¨1­«­à­(®É®Ø®ç ;®"°þþþþþþþþþ þþþþþþþþþþ&thor n;þþþþþþþþþþ&th orn;À!þÀ!þÀ!þ
&Ag rave;!þÀ!þ
À!þÀ!& #27;þÀ!þÀ!þÀ!þ& Agrave;!þÀ!þÀ!þÀ! ;þÀ!-"° ±z±{±Ä±Å±³³ 226;´-´ß´à´µµ¶µ þÀ!þÀ!þÀ!þ&Agra ve;!þÀ!þÀ!þÀ!&th orn;À!þÀ!þÀ!þÀ !þÀ!þÀ! K@ñÿNormala "A@òÿ¡"Default Paragraph Font¶²ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ!ÿ&yum l;!ÿÿ!ÿÿ!ÿÿ!ÿÿ!ÿÿ!ÿ& yuml;!ÿÿ!ÿÿ !ÿÿ
!ÿÿ!ÿÿ!ÿÿ �!ÿÿ ÿÿUÊ#²/Å:úEµPŸZ­fgtê õŒÁ™ñ§¶²7'«_{&au ml;ÃqÅ ƒ
¸Ÿk �@¶µ[ ¶:RN`¾""°¶µ\]^_`abECale Kuecker5C:\AMERIC~1.0\DOWNLOAD\READY\HARE\CALE'S\7CHILD~1.DOCÿ@HP DeskJetLPT1:HPDSKJETHP DeskJet"@fþþ,,@MSUDHP DeskJet"dHP DeskJet"@fþþ,,@MSUDHP DeskJet"d€m²m²JJm²m²1Times New RomanSymbol&Arial"ŒÐhv%\2M\,ƒ$,Cale KueckerCale Kuecker