The Tower Journey: Part Two

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH… uhh, AHHHH! Ahh? Aahhhh, oh, hurry up…"

     Toggerneo spun and looked upwards, the wind blowing his ears around his head. Jhudora's Cloud was rapidly becoming smaller and smaller as he continued to fall. The backpack with a direct link to the Hidden Tower was too high up to be of any use, and anyway, the faeries had made it clear he couldn't get through. He spun back around and sighed, before checking his watch. That was when he noticed the dark forest below, growing bigger and bigger.

     "Woah! More screaming, I think! AHHHHHHHHH!"

     The small Blumaroo smiled as he played with the Kass doll, totally unaware of the huge creature creeping up behind him. A huge, slimy, green creature, with a broad grin as it approached the child. A small blob of snot slid down and hit the ground, and Meuka froze. The kid, though, hadn't heard it splatter, and the monster continued forward, reaching the Blumaroo quickly. It reared up and-

     "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHSPLUT!"

     The Blumaroo jumped up and turned to see the large gooey mess that had once been Meuka, and a slimy Toggerneo struggling to get out of the snot. The Gelert slipped and ended up in the gunk again, while the confused floppy-eared child he had saved ran away screaming.

     "Yuck," was all Toggerneo could say as he clambered from the remains and wiped the goo from his eyes. When he looked back and realised what he had managed to squish, his eyes widened.

     "… Oh."

     A thought struck him, and he looked down at the list that had managed to avoid snotification in his pocket.

     MEUKAS SNOT TRAIL

     MEUKA SNOT GLOVES

     By the time his backpack had landed he had gathered enough snot to make at least fifty of each of the items. He grinned and opened the bag, to see a tiny head poke out and stare at him.

     "WHAT HAPPENED?!"

     "Fyora?" Toggerneo was confused. "What- Oh! Boochi, right?"

     "WHAT HAPPENED?!!"

     "Jhudora put Boochi into the bag. Sorry!"

     "Jhudora?! Oh, I'm gonna love getting her back… I'll get the stock, AND revenge…" The Queen cackled evilly, and then turned back to Toggerneo. "What's with the green look?"

     "I landed in Meuka."

     "Ahh, I was hoping something would break your fall. I do prefer you intact, even if you let this sort of thing happen. Did you get some snot?"

     "Here you are. I would step back, it's a little… icky."

     "OK. You're in the Haunted Woods, so I would say Eliv Thade place should be your next stop. Good luck!"

     The head vanished and Toggerneo poured the snot slowly into the bag, before wiping himself down. Finally he was as clean as could be hoped, and looked around him. A huge hill on the distance, with lightning raining around it, looked promising, and he set off.

     "Jhudora?"

     The baby faerie looked up and burst into fits of giggles as she saw the miniature queen. Fyora rolled her eyes and then smiled too.

     "You laugh, Jhudora, for as long as you want. I have other things to do, though." With that she muttered something, and there was a burst of light. When it receded Jhudora was gone, replaced by a lumpy purple potato.

     Fyora grinned and muttered something else, closing her eyes as she did, and when they opened a large doorway was before. The storeroom was very dark, and very damp, but Fyora entered, even with many protests coming from the potato on the throne.

     The castle was pretty small, actually, when Toggerneo reached it. All the evil cackling in the world couldn't make it look less like a stone shed. When the Gelert reached the door it swung open of its own accord, but instead of being spooky it made him laugh.

     "Ha! Is that the best you have, Thade? I have come to claim the items, and then I shall leave you in peace! Now, where is the… Sword of Skardsen?"

     A long blade floated out of the door, pointing straight at Toggerneo, and there came a laugh.

     "Mock me? MOCK ME? FOOOOOLISH GELERT!"

     The sword went flying towards him, and he gulped. Leaping to one side, the glistening metal only just missed him, passing so close to his head that he heard the whoosh.

     "OK, that's your best, and it's very nice!" he said, terrified. "Now, how about some tea… AHH!"

     The sword was hurtling back towards him, handle first, and slammed heavily into his chest. Toggerneo was sent hurtling through the door into the castle, and another laugh came as the sword clattered to the ground, while the Gelert moaned slightly.

     As the blur in his vision faded Toggerneo saw the sword next to him, and struggled to his feet. He desperately snatched it up; the doors slamming shut as his paw closed around the hilt. Before he could even think of using the weapon, though, he felt himself be lifted into the air.

     "Hey! Let me down!"

     "When does it ever help to ask the bad guy to be released?" Thade asked, clearly amused.

     "Uhh..."

     "Exactly. MWHAHAHAHA!"

     The Gelert hit the roof and coughed as dust fluttered around him, and even before it had settled ropes had appeared around his wrists and ankles. He was stuck to the ceiling. The sword was gone, flying out a small door opposite the entrance, but the Gelert wasn't alone. Eliv Thade had floated up beside him.

     "Wait, I kind of have a fear of heights," Toggerneo said desperately to the spirit. "Ever since I fell from a large one a little while ago, I just can't stand them!"

     "Don't worry, you won't fall until my poker night is over. I don't want to have to clean up the mess before my friends get here."

     The Gelert frowned. "Poker? FRIENDS?"

     "I have to do something in between the evil, you know. A break from the madness. Why did you think I'd given up on my anagrams?" A loud knocking noise boomed through the cavernous room, and Eliv Thade smiled. "Ah, there they are."

     The faint outline of the mad Kacheek floated down from the ceiling and opened the doors again, before cackling crazily.

     "Von Roo, so good to see you! How have you been?"

     "Awful!" came a heavily-accented voice from below. "Roo Island is deserted- I have to go miles for a meal. Not only that, it's constantly wet."

     "Really?"

     "Well, in the sea. I hate wet. And dry, as well. Too dry on the land… bleh."

     "Lovely. Wait a sec." The ghost turned and stared at a nearby door, which rumbled and swung open. A large circular table floated out, along with a few chairs, and set themselves out perfectly. Thade's spirit nodded to a seat, and the vampire Blumaroo sat down slowly. Another figure came through the door before the ghost could close it, and spread his arms wide in excitement.

     "Eliv! So good to see you! You look well!"

     "I'm a ghost."

     "Well, happens to the best of us. And Roo's here! Splendid! How jolly nice!"

     "You act different when you aren't being evil, Hubrid."

     Hubrid Nox grinned widely. "Do I? How funny!"

     "I have a prisoner above us, you know," Thade said with a sigh.

     "What? I mean, hahaha! I am, uhh, going to eat you!" The maniac paused for a moment, before asking in a hushed tone, "Do you think it worked?"

     "Sit down, Nox."

     "So, did you hear the one about the Grarrl and the seven turnips?" the squat Chia asked as he slid into the seat.

     "No? Go on!"

     Toggerneo was asleep when the poker finally finished, and was only woken up when he heard von Roo moan.

     "I'm SOOOO hungry, Thade. Let me eat him, go on. Please?"

     "But that's so dull! I think we should put him in a pit of doom! Or a room of doom! Probably the room, because it rhymes."

     Toggerneo felt the ropes around him loosen, and suddenly he was falling towards the ground.

     "What- AHHHHHHHOOOF!"

     "Hehehe."

     Toggerneo coughed and rolled onto his back, rubbing his nose. When he opened his eyes he realised the three evil figures were stood over him, cackling.

     "Hello there. We're going to eat you."

     "No we are NOT, Roo!"

     "Pleeeeease?"

     The three were squabbling again, and it gave Toggerneo time to get to his feet and look around. Only one door was open nearby, but it wasn't the two main doors. It was the door from which Thade had brought the poker table, but Toggerneo darted for it without realising he was going deeper into the castle.

     "Stop him!" yelled Eliv Thade, and the trio shot after the terrified Gelert, only to slam into the door he'd shut. Well, Hubrid and Roo slammed into it, Thade slid through, but had to return to see what had happened to his poker friends. Roo's teeth were stuck in the wood, while Nox was unconscious on the stone floor.

     "Really smooth, guys."

     Toggerneo finally slid to a halt, panting, and looked around. He was in some sort of crypt, but along all the walls were weapons of every shape and size. On the actual tomb lay four items- a sword, a shield, an amulet and a book. The sword was the one that had attacked him.

     "The four items I'm meant to get here. How convenient."

     He grinned and then approached slowly, looking around for traps. Then, realising that he wasn't any good at looking for traps, the red Pet started jogging, reaching the sword first and stuffing it in the backpack. Next went the shield, and then the amulet, and then-

     The door behind burst open and the vampire swept in first, seeming to glide across the cobbles towards Toggerneo. The Gelert, startled, swung the first thing that came to hand down onto the Blumaroo's head. Unfortunately, this turned out to be the Grimoire of Thade, which hit heavily, knocking Roo to the ground, but then went flying from his hands into Eliv Thade's pale hands.

     "Haha! Get him, Hubrid!"

     The squat Chia nodded and ran forwards, while Toggerneo struggled to unsheathe the sword given to him by Fyora. The hilt was stuck, and as a fist flew towards him he gave up and leapt to one side. Before Hubrid Nox could lunge again, Toggerneo had swung his hand down.

     And in his hand was the backpack, which swallowed Nox entirely.

     In the Hidden Tower there came a popping noise, and the work faeries looked at each other. With the Queen gone after Jhudora, it was their job to check the stock, so they quickly stopped whatever they were doing and raced to the store.

     Inside was a confused Chia, whom the faeries didn't know. One gasped.

     "Ooh, he's so CUTE! Look at those tiny little eyes!"

     "Ahh, can we keep him?"

     "But look at those clothes! We need to get you some jeans, little Chia-pie!"

     "Oooh, oh! And a bandana! That would look great with the cute little moustache thing!"

     Before he knew what had happened, Hubrid Nox was dressed in the most stylish clothes he'd ever seen, and the bright colours made him look five-hundred years younger.

     "Wow! I look… fantastic!" he exclaimed with a broad smile.

     "Hehe!" the faeries burst out giggling, and then grabbed him. "We haven't STARTED yet! Manicure time!"

     As he was rushed from the Tower one faerie noticed something glitter nearby, on the floor. A box was poking out of the discarded cape, as was a strange metallic blade. The work faerie clapped her hands and a long piece of parchment appeared before her, glowing slightly. She glanced down and saw a few words glittering.

     HUBRIDS NOXIOUS BLADE

     HUBRIDS PUZZLE BOX

     "Oooh, splendid!" the faerie giggled, before tapping the words, making lines cross through them.

     "NOX! ROO!"

     Count von Roo moaned, looking around in a daze but seeing no trace of Hubrid Nox. The spirit by the door glared at the offending Gelert, who was staring straight back. It was a stand-off.

     Suddenly the ghostly figure gulped, seemingly struck by a wave of fear.

     "How… what did you… uhh, you know what?" He smiled apologetically at the Gelert. "Have the book. I never really liked it, never could finish it, very poor plot, you know? Here you are!" The book went flying across to Toggerneo, who frowned, confused.

     "What? Why are you-"

     "Gotta go!"

     The ghost faded out of sight quickly and, still baffled, Toggerneo turned to pick up his backpack. Stood in front of the backpack was the reason Eliv had fled.

     A tall blue Lupe, dressed in pale white armour and pointing a huge sword straight at Toggerneo…

To be continued...