Stefan's Stories!
Some Of My Writing...
Sometimes I like to write stories. In Mrs. Kuper's class (8th grade), we read Edgar Allen Poe's "Telltale Heart," and then had to write a short story that was supposed to set a mood like the Poe story. Any question why Mrs. Kuper wasn't my favorite teacher? Here's the story I wrote for Mrs. Kuper's class:
The Storm
The storm made the afternoon dark. The teacher stayed late to grade some homework. Then, she thought she heard a noise in the dark hallway. Was it the door, or just the wind?
Then she thought she heard footsteps outside the classroom. "Who's there?" she asked nervously. She stepped out into the hallway and found a dark figure there.
The figure stepped forward and held out something mysterious. She took it with a trembling hand. "Wh-what is th-this?" she gasped.
"It's my homework. Remember? You wanted me to bring it by." Walking away, the dark figure muttered, "Geez, what a moron!"
Then the bell rings. She wakes up with a start. "Wh-why, it must have been a dream!" she whispers.
A voice behind her says, "Oh, yeah? That's what you think!"
Here's another of my classroom efforts, this one for Mrs. Kuchel (9th grade). We had been studying Mythology (your guess is as good as mine as to why), and she insisted we create a new mythology. Having lately been involved in the Lego Mata Nui mythos, I figured (correctly, it turns out) she wouldn't have a clue, and I wouldn't have to make something up. Here's what I turned in:
Makuta: The Dark God of Evil
Who is Makuta? He is a dark nebulous figure whose home is every shadow. He is a malevolent darkness, a formless Nothing. There is no picture of his true form. He can take on many shapes: bear, eagle, anything you can name - even an octopus! He takes the form that allows him to bring the most evil upon good people. He lives on an island in the middle of a wide sea, on a planet far away.
His evil knows no bounds, and he fights against his good brother Mata Nui. Mata Nui brought joy and light to the islanders, and they named the island in his honor. Makuta became jealous, and he and his brother were soon locked in combat. After a mighty struggle, Makuta cast a spell of Endless Sleep on his good brother. He has begun taking over the island, and soon he will dominate the island of Mata Nui.
Makuta is kept busy terrorizing the islanders, and controlling his evil henchmen, the Rahi. The Rahi were once shy creatures that inhabited Mata Nui, but Makuta's evil has infected them, turning them into foul beasts of horrid wickedness that do his dirty work for him. The Rahi make the islanders' lives miserable by stealing their food, scaring away their animals, and terrorizing them at every opportunity.
Makuta's evil is so powerful that he fears little. Only one thing truly frightens him. His good brother Mata Nui created six wondrous Masks of Power as gifts to the islanders. The masks grant amazing powers to those who wear them, powers that could stop Makuta's evil plans. During the mighty battle between the two brothers, the masks were scattered all over the island of Mata Nui. Makuta has sent his Rahi far and wide to search for the Masks of Power, but so far the masks have not been found, at least by the Rahi.
There is a legend among the islanders that six mighty heroes will emerge to find the masks, defeat Makuta, and free Mata Nui from the grip of the vile shadow god. The good people of the island speak often of these warriors, known as Toa. They whisper that perhaps the Masks of Power have already been found, and that even now, the Toa are battling to free Mata Nui from the sinister clutches of Makuta and his evil Rahi henchmen.
OK, like those so far? Here's one I wrote late last year for Language Arts. They keep insisting I write longer things, so I decided to bury them with this. It's based on Sega's "Phantasy Star Online" game, but the dialog and some of the characters are all mine. I also snuck a few of my online friends in. See if you can find yourself in here:
Phantasy Star
Prologue:
In the near future (in fact, it was on a Doomsday Wednesday), the people on a planet discovered they faced the imminent destruction of their home world. A large-scale evacuation plan called the Pioneer Project was begun in the hope of finding a new home world.
Months later, unmanned probes sent into space by the Pioneer Project discovered a suitable planet for them to live on. They called it “Ragol” and started building the first transport ship, called Pioneer 1. Once the ship was completed, a group of engineers and explorers were sent to begin work on the Central Dome for Ragol.
Seven years later, Pioneer 2 arrived carrying the main wave of refugees. But just as Pioneer 2 entered orbit and opened a communications link with the Central Dome, an enormous explosion rocked the planet. All contact with the crew of Pioneer 1 was lost! Alarms rang throughout Pioneer 2 as they struggled to remain calm and figure out what happened down on the planet.
Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins
A loud voice rang out throughout the ship: “All Hunters, Rangers, and Forces, report to the Principle’s Counter immediately for mission assignment.” As Trunks, a Level 70 Hunter ran toward the teleporter to the Bridge, he saw many unusual people heading in the same direction. The trip on the teleporter was short, but it always felt strange, except to androids, who generally felt strange all the time.
“Glad to see you all here,” said the Principle. “These scientists will tell you what’s happening.”
“Why are we here?” asked one of the Forces.
“You’re here on a very important mission,” one of the scientists said. “Pioneer 1 has just exploded down on Ragol, and it’s your job to find out why.”
“Piece o’ cake!” said one tall android.
“You may think it’s easy,” said another of the scientists, “but think again. Many of the animals have suddenly begun acting in new and dangerous ways.”
The Principle’s voice cut through the buzz of voices. “We’ve sent down a teleporter to start your mission. We also sent down a scout named Red Ring Rico, who has turned out missing. You will be broken down into groups by specializations, and sent to look for Rico and the reason for the explosion. Good luck, and good hunting!”
After listening for his orders, Trunks joined his team for the trip down to Ragol. As they approached the teleporter, a soldier stepped forward to speak to them. “Be careful down there, because if you are hurt or injured, you will have to return to the medical center next door. If you’re far away from the teleporter, you will have to bring along some telepipes to help make the trip back easier. Or if one of the Forces on your team has learned a telepipe technique, please let the others know so they can get back for treatment. Good luck!”
After a brief stomach-twisting trip down to Ragol, the teams formed up on a grassy plain near a forest. “This place is so peaceful,” said a female Hunter named T’Pring, “they must have been joking about the danger.” Just then, a Force named Mortique said, “Really? This thing doesn’t look very peaceful!” He pointed to a large, wolf-like lizard moving toward them quickly. As they jumped out of the way, it lunged at them, barely missing two of them.
A female Ranger android called Dorothy said, “According to Red Ring Rico’s report, it’s called a ‘Savage Wolf.’ She said they appeared to be friendly, but these ones sure aren’t!” From all directions, Savage Wolves seemed to appear out of nowhere. A Hunter android named Kireek said, “Woo-hoo! This is my kind of job – killing things!” Stepping towards the Savage Wolves, he reached back over his shoulder and pulled out a long weapon that looked a lot like the Grim Reaper’s scythe. Taking a fighting stance, he shouted at the Wolves, “I will feast on your souls!”
From the blade of the scythe, a burst of lightning sizzled around the Savage Wolves, frying them where they stood. From behind a huge android Ranger named Robocop, Mortique peeked out at the smoking lizards. “Are they gone yet?” he whimpered. Lady Ashia, a Force female, muttered “Crybaby!” under her breath.
From one of the roasted Savage Wolves came a choked cry, which was echoed from the forest. “Uh oh, “ said Princess Joy, a Force human, “that sounded like a cry for help. We have invaded their lands. More will come.”
“More?” squeaked Mortique. “What do you mean, more?” A human Ranger named Max grinned at him. “More kills, more experience. More experience, better equipment. Better equipment, more kills! I like this!”
“You may like it, “ said Robocop, “but some of us are getting ill from the smell. Let’s get moving!” As they prepared to move into the forest, hundreds of strange mole-like creatures started popping out of the ground all around the group. “They’re called ‘Boomas,’” said Robocop. “They’re friendly unless provoked!” Kireek muttered, “I don’t care how many there are, I’ll reduce that number to zero! I’ll feast on their souls!”
As Kireek tried to attack the Boomas, one of their leaders stepped forward and slashed him with its enormous claws. As the others stepped forward to protect him, he tried to rise to his feet, but fell again. “He’s out for the count!” said Trunks. “T’Pring, Princess Joy, you two take him back to the hospital – we’ll take care of these things!”
“Take him back yourself!” snapped T’Pring. “I signed up for this mission, and I’m going to see it through!” Touching her shoulder, Princess Joy said, “It’s wise to help out your teammates. Trust me, you’ll get your chance to kill things!” Muttering, “Oh, all right, I’ll go along!” she picked up one of Kireek’s arms. As Princess Joy took the other, Mortique moaned, “Why do they get to go, and I have to stay?”
“Let the scaredy-cat go, too” said Lady Ashia. “He’s useless!” Picking up Kireek’s feet, Mortique glared at her. “You’ll see someday, I’ll save your hide!” Grunting under the load, he muttered “Why do I always get the dirty work?”
As the trio disappeared into the transporter, the team geared up for the coming battle. “Step aside, or there will be…trouble!” said Robocop.
Chapter 2: Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch
As the nurse named Jenny turned from the monitor, she muttered, “This is rather peculiar. What happened?” Mortique replied, “Some wolves attacked us, and he killed them all with his DeathScythe.” Nurse Jenny asked to see the weapon, and Mortique held it out in shaking hands, whimpering “Please don’t let it kill me!” Jenny smiled. “Don’t worry, it can’t hurt you as long as it’s not being used by a Hunter. I think I know what happened.”
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense, “ snapped T’Pring. “Tell us!” Nurse Jenny explained, “While Kireek was using this weapon, he used too much power, and it left him weak. When the Booma attacked, he was unable to defend himself. It’s a wonder he could stand up after that first attack. Tell you what, how about I heal him while you three get back down to the planet and help your friends?”
“Can’t I stay and help?” whimpered Mortique. Grabbing his elf-like ear, T’Pring snarled, “You’re coming with us, coward!” “I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go!” whimpered Mortique, as he was dragged back to the teleporter. As they disappeared into the beam, Nurse Jenny heard him yell, “Help! Mommy!” As she went about fixing Kireek’s circuitry, she smiled. “What an odd little man!”
From the workbench, Kireek muttered “You can say that again!”
Chapter 3: The Battle Rages
As the Boomas surged forward, the team split into twos and threes to meet the attack. As Trunks began to charge his Lavis Cannon sword, he yelled, “You have no chance – give up!” With three swift slashes, five of the Boomas fell away from the group. On the other side, the Booma leader was facing Robocop. “Get along, little doggie!” he shouted, clouting it with his fist. Staggering back, it turned and dug into the soil, escaping. As Max aimed at a Booma with his sniperscope, he muttered, “Who’s your daddy?” As the weapon discharged and the Booma was knocked down, he cheered, “I’m your daddy, that’s who!” As he celebrated, the partially charged weapon discharged again, hitting a tree and knocking it over onto another Booma. Max shrugged. “Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good!” Dorothy looked over as she lined up a shot on another Booma. “You’re not half bad for an android!” smiled Max. “Thanks! You’re not bad yourself,” she replied.
From out of the transporter came T’Pring, screaming her battle cry as she spun through the battle, cutting with her photon daggers. Many Boomas fell as she whipped through their ranks. As Princess Joy emerged from the transport, she said, “I do not like violence, but in this case, I’ll make an exception!” as she unleashed a lightning attack that paralyzed many of the remaining Boomas. Kicking a Booma from his sword, Trunks grinned at her. “Welcome back!” he said, while ducking a Booma attack. “Where’s your buddy Mortique?”
From behind a tree, Mortique sprinted out with a huge Booma chasing him. “Oh man, you guys cheat at tag!” He tripped, and several Boomas surrounded him. While the Boomas were trying to beat him, Mortique snuck out from between their legs and smacked them from behind with a large, wand-like weapon. They disappeared in a puff of smoke! “Well,” said Max, “that’s the last of them.” Robocop said, “Yes, but I’m afraid one got away.” Mortique moaned, “That’s not good news – he’ll tell the others!”
As the team celebrated their victory, Kireek stepped from the transporter, saying “Oh, my aching cyberframe! I’ll try not to use that high-level attack again until I’ve recharged.” He held out several packages. “I got these from the nurse. She asked me to give you all one of these.” Trunks frowned. “What are they?” “They’re ID tags!” came the reply. The team members applied the tags, nursed their wounds, and moved down the trail towards the next waypoint on their maps.
Chapter 4: Defeating The Dragon
“Where are we? “ whined Mortique. “It’s hot in here!” Trunks sighed. “What’s the matter, afraid of the dark?” Mortique replied, “I’m not afraid of the dark! I’m just afraid of what might be hiding in it!” Trunks grinned. “Okay, I’ll use a technique to light the place up!” With a furious blast, Trunks set fire to a nearby rock. The light showed an eerie scene, with the rocks seeming to move around them.”
“Well, that’s better!” said Max. “How can you think this is better? Those rocks are moving because they’ve been melted!” moaned Mortique. Dorothy looked puzzled. “What would melt the rocks?” Suddenly, a vile hissing sound came from the pile of rocks. “Um, that’s not melted rock,” said Lady Ashia. It looks like – a dragon!”
The startled group froze in their tracks. “Now just a darned minute!” said Robocop. “There was nothing in Red Ring Rico’s report about any dragons. Anybody got something that will stop a dragon?” Max muttered, “Sorry, left my rocket launcher in my other jumpsuit.”
Mortique held up his hands in a warding gesture. “Everybody just calm down, “ he intoned. Then he realized he was standing closest to the dragon. “How can I stay calm at a time like this? I’m a coward!” T’Pring rolled her eyes. “You’re not a coward, you just haven’t learned how to fight yet. Remember how well you did with the Boomas?”
Lady Ashia smiled. “I just remembered – I have a freeze spell that will stop his flames!” Trunks shook his head. “Stopping the flames will keep us from being roasted, but we still have to kill him. Perhaps a lightning attack will singe his wings!”
Robocop nodded. “Excellent ideas. To beat this dragon, we need to work together. Lady Ashia will freeze his flames, Trunks will hit him with lightning, and I’ll keep him busy with my mechgun. While we’re doing that, the rest of you can sneak around the other side and hit him where he isn’t looking.” Mortique looked scared. “I don’t know any techniques strong enough to hurt a dragon!” Dorothy reached over and tousled his hair, saying, “your skills would be best used in healing the other team members while we fight!” T’Pring socked him in the arm. “See? I told you that you were good for something!”
Just then, the dragon hissed again, and slithered forward to begin its attack. Trunks snapped his hand back over his shoulder, whipping out his Lavis Cannon sword from its sheath. Holding it across his chest in both hands, he charged the weapon, bringing forth a blast of lightning from deep within the blade. While the dragon writhed in agony, Robocop began firing with his mechgun, looking for a soft spot on the dragon’s scaly hide.
Max and Dorothy scuttled around the dragon to where they could fire at it without being roasted by flames. The dragon, recovering from the lightning attack, aimed a fireball at Trunks. Just in time, Lady Ashia’s magic wand froze the fireball in midair, and Trunks swung his sword like a bat, driving the fireball back down the surprised dragon’s throat. Max, sensing an opportunity, ran forward to shoot the dragon where his tail joined his body. This attack got the dragon’s full attention, and his tail whipped out and hit Max, slamming him into the cavern wall.
As Dorothy dragged Max to safety, she realized that she wasn’t alone. Mortique was pulling Max’s other arm, and using his magic to tend Max’s wounds. Mortique looked scared, but Max was already moving again as he regained strength from Mortique’s magic. Dorothy rejoined the fight just in time to distract the dragon as it tried to step on Robocop.
“Enough is enough!” shouted Princess Joy, as she hit the dragon with another blast of lightning. Lady Ashia froze the flames in the dragon’s throat, and Robocop managed to find a soft spot on the dragon’s belly. As Max staggered back to his feet, Mortique got up and yelled, “All right, that’s it!” He angrily marched over to where the dragon’s tail lay, and stomped the end of it.
The dragon was in pretty bad shape. He’d been fried by lightning blasts, frozen with ice, shot in some very painful places, and this was just too much. He put his head back and howled in pain. Kireek, who had charged up his DeathScythe but hadn’t yet had a chance to use it, dashed in and jammed the blade between two plates on the dragon’s throat before triggering the lightning blast. The whole cave lit up as the dragon glowed like a lantern while lightning crackled through his body. As Kireek pulled the blade free and rolled away from the dragon, it fell forward and moved no more.
Dusting himself off and looking over the rips in his jumpsuit, Max muttered “Well, that sucked!” Dorothy hurried over. “You all right, partner?” she said, taking his arm to support him.
Back on the other side of the dragon’s corpse, Trunks and Lady Ashia were swapping high fives. “Nice work on that ice spell, “ Trunks told her. “Without that, I’d have been a crispy critter!” Lady Ashia grinned. “Nice work yourself. Where did you learn to hit a fireball like that? I’ll bet that dragon never knew what hit him!”
Robocop walked over to where Kireek stood, trying to clean his DeathScythe. “Nice move there, Kireek! That’s one heck of a big soul to feast on, eh?” Kireek smiled sadly. “I can’t help but think that maybe he was just defending his lair.” He glanced up at the blade of his weapon. “And will you look at this? I just got this thing polished! Now it’s going to take weeks to get all the dragon off of here.” Princess Joy patted him on the arm. “You defended your friends, and that’s what matters. Besides, the dragon attacked us first!” she reminded him. She turned to face the rest of the team. “Is everybody all right? Where’s T’Pring?”
“Right here!” called a voice from a dark doorway. T’Pring reappeared, dragging several large and very valuable items. “Where there’s a dragon, there’s treasure! These weapons and armor must be from some of the previous visitors who weren’t so lucky. Anything we can’t use we can always take back up to Pioneer 2 and trade for stuff we need.” Dropping a large and deadly hand weapon, she turned to Max and said, “Dude, that was a nasty knock you took. You okay?”
Max smiled. “Yeah, if it weren’t for Mortique, I’d still be lying over there in a heap. And did you see him go for that dragon? I guess he really did save us all!” Dorothy smiled. “Our hero. Now where did he get off to?” Mortique appeared from behind a pillar. “Um, I’m right here. I found something interesting behind this pillar while I was, uh, observing the fight.” He held out a tapebook recorder. “Something tells me this will be of great importance to finding out what happened down here.” Trunks smiled at him. “Now how can you tell this is an important clue?” Mortique just smiled back, and turned the recorder over. On the bottom was stenciled “Red Ring Rico – Pioneer 1 Expedition”.
“Okay,” grinned Robocop. “That would qualify as an important clue. It would probably be a very good idea to get this back up to the Principle. It will also give us a chance to get Max patched up, and pick up more supplies for the next stage.” Max grimaced. “I can’t argue with that, although I’m not looking forward to walking all the way back to the teleporter.” Mortique slapped his forehead. “I’m sorry, didn’t I mention I know a telepipe technique?” Waving his wand, he created a telepipe, and gestured the others to enter. Carrying the dragon’s hoard and the tapebook recorder, they returned to Pioneer 2.
Chapter 5: The Principle Of The Matter
The Principle turned the tapebook recorder over to look at the stenciled name on the bottom. “Let me be sure I understand this, “ he said. “You landed at the teleporter, fought your way through the forest to the caves, found a dragon that nobody expected to be there, and managed to return in one piece with a priceless piece of information on what may have happened.” He smiled. “Nice piece of work, ladies and gentlemen. You’ve done well. Why don’t you see to your friend’s injuries, have a nice meal, and get some rest? Tomorrow morning, I suspect you’ll want to get an early start. I wish you good luck on your next adventures on Ragol.” As they filed out, he thought to himself, “You may need it.”
Let me know what you think of my stories! swalls714 @ yahoo.com
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Sometimes I like to write stories. In Mrs. Kuper's class (8th grade), we read Edgar Allen Poe's "Telltale Heart," and then had to write a short story that was supposed to set a mood like the Poe story. Any question why Mrs. Kuper wasn't my favorite teacher? Here's the story I wrote for Mrs. Kuper's class:
The Storm
The storm made the afternoon dark. The teacher stayed late to grade some homework. Then, she thought she heard a noise in the dark hallway. Was it the door, or just the wind?
Then she thought she heard footsteps outside the classroom. "Who's there?" she asked nervously. She stepped out into the hallway and found a dark figure there.
The figure stepped forward and held out something mysterious. She took it with a trembling hand. "Wh-what is th-this?" she gasped.
"It's my homework. Remember? You wanted me to bring it by." Walking away, the dark figure muttered, "Geez, what a moron!"
Then the bell rings. She wakes up with a start. "Wh-why, it must have been a dream!" she whispers.
A voice behind her says, "Oh, yeah? That's what you think!"
Here's another of my classroom efforts, this one for Mrs. Kuchel (9th grade). We had been studying Mythology (your guess is as good as mine as to why), and she insisted we create a new mythology. Having lately been involved in the Lego Mata Nui mythos, I figured (correctly, it turns out) she wouldn't have a clue, and I wouldn't have to make something up. Here's what I turned in:
Makuta: The Dark God of Evil
Who is Makuta? He is a dark nebulous figure whose home is every shadow. He is a malevolent darkness, a formless Nothing. There is no picture of his true form. He can take on many shapes: bear, eagle, anything you can name - even an octopus! He takes the form that allows him to bring the most evil upon good people. He lives on an island in the middle of a wide sea, on a planet far away.
His evil knows no bounds, and he fights against his good brother Mata Nui. Mata Nui brought joy and light to the islanders, and they named the island in his honor. Makuta became jealous, and he and his brother were soon locked in combat. After a mighty struggle, Makuta cast a spell of Endless Sleep on his good brother. He has begun taking over the island, and soon he will dominate the island of Mata Nui.
Makuta is kept busy terrorizing the islanders, and controlling his evil henchmen, the Rahi. The Rahi were once shy creatures that inhabited Mata Nui, but Makuta's evil has infected them, turning them into foul beasts of horrid wickedness that do his dirty work for him. The Rahi make the islanders' lives miserable by stealing their food, scaring away their animals, and terrorizing them at every opportunity.
Makuta's evil is so powerful that he fears little. Only one thing truly frightens him. His good brother Mata Nui created six wondrous Masks of Power as gifts to the islanders. The masks grant amazing powers to those who wear them, powers that could stop Makuta's evil plans. During the mighty battle between the two brothers, the masks were scattered all over the island of Mata Nui. Makuta has sent his Rahi far and wide to search for the Masks of Power, but so far the masks have not been found, at least by the Rahi.
There is a legend among the islanders that six mighty heroes will emerge to find the masks, defeat Makuta, and free Mata Nui from the grip of the vile shadow god. The good people of the island speak often of these warriors, known as Toa. They whisper that perhaps the Masks of Power have already been found, and that even now, the Toa are battling to free Mata Nui from the sinister clutches of Makuta and his evil Rahi henchmen.
OK, like those so far? Here's one I wrote late last year for Language Arts. They keep insisting I write longer things, so I decided to bury them with this. It's based on Sega's "Phantasy Star Online" game, but the dialog and some of the characters are all mine. I also snuck a few of my online friends in. See if you can find yourself in here:
Phantasy Star
Prologue:
In the near future (in fact, it was on a Doomsday Wednesday), the people on a planet discovered they faced the imminent destruction of their home world. A large-scale evacuation plan called the Pioneer Project was begun in the hope of finding a new home world.
Months later, unmanned probes sent into space by the Pioneer Project discovered a suitable planet for them to live on. They called it “Ragol” and started building the first transport ship, called Pioneer 1. Once the ship was completed, a group of engineers and explorers were sent to begin work on the Central Dome for Ragol.
Seven years later, Pioneer 2 arrived carrying the main wave of refugees. But just as Pioneer 2 entered orbit and opened a communications link with the Central Dome, an enormous explosion rocked the planet. All contact with the crew of Pioneer 1 was lost! Alarms rang throughout Pioneer 2 as they struggled to remain calm and figure out what happened down on the planet.
Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins
A loud voice rang out throughout the ship: “All Hunters, Rangers, and Forces, report to the Principle’s Counter immediately for mission assignment.” As Trunks, a Level 70 Hunter ran toward the teleporter to the Bridge, he saw many unusual people heading in the same direction. The trip on the teleporter was short, but it always felt strange, except to androids, who generally felt strange all the time.
“Glad to see you all here,” said the Principle. “These scientists will tell you what’s happening.”
“Why are we here?” asked one of the Forces.
“You’re here on a very important mission,” one of the scientists said. “Pioneer 1 has just exploded down on Ragol, and it’s your job to find out why.”
“Piece o’ cake!” said one tall android.
“You may think it’s easy,” said another of the scientists, “but think again. Many of the animals have suddenly begun acting in new and dangerous ways.”
The Principle’s voice cut through the buzz of voices. “We’ve sent down a teleporter to start your mission. We also sent down a scout named Red Ring Rico, who has turned out missing. You will be broken down into groups by specializations, and sent to look for Rico and the reason for the explosion. Good luck, and good hunting!”
After listening for his orders, Trunks joined his team for the trip down to Ragol. As they approached the teleporter, a soldier stepped forward to speak to them. “Be careful down there, because if you are hurt or injured, you will have to return to the medical center next door. If you’re far away from the teleporter, you will have to bring along some telepipes to help make the trip back easier. Or if one of the Forces on your team has learned a telepipe technique, please let the others know so they can get back for treatment. Good luck!”
After a brief stomach-twisting trip down to Ragol, the teams formed up on a grassy plain near a forest. “This place is so peaceful,” said a female Hunter named T’Pring, “they must have been joking about the danger.” Just then, a Force named Mortique said, “Really? This thing doesn’t look very peaceful!” He pointed to a large, wolf-like lizard moving toward them quickly. As they jumped out of the way, it lunged at them, barely missing two of them.
A female Ranger android called Dorothy said, “According to Red Ring Rico’s report, it’s called a ‘Savage Wolf.’ She said they appeared to be friendly, but these ones sure aren’t!” From all directions, Savage Wolves seemed to appear out of nowhere. A Hunter android named Kireek said, “Woo-hoo! This is my kind of job – killing things!” Stepping towards the Savage Wolves, he reached back over his shoulder and pulled out a long weapon that looked a lot like the Grim Reaper’s scythe. Taking a fighting stance, he shouted at the Wolves, “I will feast on your souls!”
From the blade of the scythe, a burst of lightning sizzled around the Savage Wolves, frying them where they stood. From behind a huge android Ranger named Robocop, Mortique peeked out at the smoking lizards. “Are they gone yet?” he whimpered. Lady Ashia, a Force female, muttered “Crybaby!” under her breath.
From one of the roasted Savage Wolves came a choked cry, which was echoed from the forest. “Uh oh, “ said Princess Joy, a Force human, “that sounded like a cry for help. We have invaded their lands. More will come.”
“More?” squeaked Mortique. “What do you mean, more?” A human Ranger named Max grinned at him. “More kills, more experience. More experience, better equipment. Better equipment, more kills! I like this!”
“You may like it, “ said Robocop, “but some of us are getting ill from the smell. Let’s get moving!” As they prepared to move into the forest, hundreds of strange mole-like creatures started popping out of the ground all around the group. “They’re called ‘Boomas,’” said Robocop. “They’re friendly unless provoked!” Kireek muttered, “I don’t care how many there are, I’ll reduce that number to zero! I’ll feast on their souls!”
As Kireek tried to attack the Boomas, one of their leaders stepped forward and slashed him with its enormous claws. As the others stepped forward to protect him, he tried to rise to his feet, but fell again. “He’s out for the count!” said Trunks. “T’Pring, Princess Joy, you two take him back to the hospital – we’ll take care of these things!”
“Take him back yourself!” snapped T’Pring. “I signed up for this mission, and I’m going to see it through!” Touching her shoulder, Princess Joy said, “It’s wise to help out your teammates. Trust me, you’ll get your chance to kill things!” Muttering, “Oh, all right, I’ll go along!” she picked up one of Kireek’s arms. As Princess Joy took the other, Mortique moaned, “Why do they get to go, and I have to stay?”
“Let the scaredy-cat go, too” said Lady Ashia. “He’s useless!” Picking up Kireek’s feet, Mortique glared at her. “You’ll see someday, I’ll save your hide!” Grunting under the load, he muttered “Why do I always get the dirty work?”
As the trio disappeared into the transporter, the team geared up for the coming battle. “Step aside, or there will be…trouble!” said Robocop.
Chapter 2: Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch
As the nurse named Jenny turned from the monitor, she muttered, “This is rather peculiar. What happened?” Mortique replied, “Some wolves attacked us, and he killed them all with his DeathScythe.” Nurse Jenny asked to see the weapon, and Mortique held it out in shaking hands, whimpering “Please don’t let it kill me!” Jenny smiled. “Don’t worry, it can’t hurt you as long as it’s not being used by a Hunter. I think I know what happened.”
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense, “ snapped T’Pring. “Tell us!” Nurse Jenny explained, “While Kireek was using this weapon, he used too much power, and it left him weak. When the Booma attacked, he was unable to defend himself. It’s a wonder he could stand up after that first attack. Tell you what, how about I heal him while you three get back down to the planet and help your friends?”
“Can’t I stay and help?” whimpered Mortique. Grabbing his elf-like ear, T’Pring snarled, “You’re coming with us, coward!” “I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go!” whimpered Mortique, as he was dragged back to the teleporter. As they disappeared into the beam, Nurse Jenny heard him yell, “Help! Mommy!” As she went about fixing Kireek’s circuitry, she smiled. “What an odd little man!”
From the workbench, Kireek muttered “You can say that again!”
Chapter 3: The Battle Rages
As the Boomas surged forward, the team split into twos and threes to meet the attack. As Trunks began to charge his Lavis Cannon sword, he yelled, “You have no chance – give up!” With three swift slashes, five of the Boomas fell away from the group. On the other side, the Booma leader was facing Robocop. “Get along, little doggie!” he shouted, clouting it with his fist. Staggering back, it turned and dug into the soil, escaping. As Max aimed at a Booma with his sniperscope, he muttered, “Who’s your daddy?” As the weapon discharged and the Booma was knocked down, he cheered, “I’m your daddy, that’s who!” As he celebrated, the partially charged weapon discharged again, hitting a tree and knocking it over onto another Booma. Max shrugged. “Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good!” Dorothy looked over as she lined up a shot on another Booma. “You’re not half bad for an android!” smiled Max. “Thanks! You’re not bad yourself,” she replied.
From out of the transporter came T’Pring, screaming her battle cry as she spun through the battle, cutting with her photon daggers. Many Boomas fell as she whipped through their ranks. As Princess Joy emerged from the transport, she said, “I do not like violence, but in this case, I’ll make an exception!” as she unleashed a lightning attack that paralyzed many of the remaining Boomas. Kicking a Booma from his sword, Trunks grinned at her. “Welcome back!” he said, while ducking a Booma attack. “Where’s your buddy Mortique?”
From behind a tree, Mortique sprinted out with a huge Booma chasing him. “Oh man, you guys cheat at tag!” He tripped, and several Boomas surrounded him. While the Boomas were trying to beat him, Mortique snuck out from between their legs and smacked them from behind with a large, wand-like weapon. They disappeared in a puff of smoke! “Well,” said Max, “that’s the last of them.” Robocop said, “Yes, but I’m afraid one got away.” Mortique moaned, “That’s not good news – he’ll tell the others!”
As the team celebrated their victory, Kireek stepped from the transporter, saying “Oh, my aching cyberframe! I’ll try not to use that high-level attack again until I’ve recharged.” He held out several packages. “I got these from the nurse. She asked me to give you all one of these.” Trunks frowned. “What are they?” “They’re ID tags!” came the reply. The team members applied the tags, nursed their wounds, and moved down the trail towards the next waypoint on their maps.
Chapter 4: Defeating The Dragon
“Where are we? “ whined Mortique. “It’s hot in here!” Trunks sighed. “What’s the matter, afraid of the dark?” Mortique replied, “I’m not afraid of the dark! I’m just afraid of what might be hiding in it!” Trunks grinned. “Okay, I’ll use a technique to light the place up!” With a furious blast, Trunks set fire to a nearby rock. The light showed an eerie scene, with the rocks seeming to move around them.”
“Well, that’s better!” said Max. “How can you think this is better? Those rocks are moving because they’ve been melted!” moaned Mortique. Dorothy looked puzzled. “What would melt the rocks?” Suddenly, a vile hissing sound came from the pile of rocks. “Um, that’s not melted rock,” said Lady Ashia. It looks like – a dragon!”
The startled group froze in their tracks. “Now just a darned minute!” said Robocop. “There was nothing in Red Ring Rico’s report about any dragons. Anybody got something that will stop a dragon?” Max muttered, “Sorry, left my rocket launcher in my other jumpsuit.”
Mortique held up his hands in a warding gesture. “Everybody just calm down, “ he intoned. Then he realized he was standing closest to the dragon. “How can I stay calm at a time like this? I’m a coward!” T’Pring rolled her eyes. “You’re not a coward, you just haven’t learned how to fight yet. Remember how well you did with the Boomas?”
Lady Ashia smiled. “I just remembered – I have a freeze spell that will stop his flames!” Trunks shook his head. “Stopping the flames will keep us from being roasted, but we still have to kill him. Perhaps a lightning attack will singe his wings!”
Robocop nodded. “Excellent ideas. To beat this dragon, we need to work together. Lady Ashia will freeze his flames, Trunks will hit him with lightning, and I’ll keep him busy with my mechgun. While we’re doing that, the rest of you can sneak around the other side and hit him where he isn’t looking.” Mortique looked scared. “I don’t know any techniques strong enough to hurt a dragon!” Dorothy reached over and tousled his hair, saying, “your skills would be best used in healing the other team members while we fight!” T’Pring socked him in the arm. “See? I told you that you were good for something!”
Just then, the dragon hissed again, and slithered forward to begin its attack. Trunks snapped his hand back over his shoulder, whipping out his Lavis Cannon sword from its sheath. Holding it across his chest in both hands, he charged the weapon, bringing forth a blast of lightning from deep within the blade. While the dragon writhed in agony, Robocop began firing with his mechgun, looking for a soft spot on the dragon’s scaly hide.
Max and Dorothy scuttled around the dragon to where they could fire at it without being roasted by flames. The dragon, recovering from the lightning attack, aimed a fireball at Trunks. Just in time, Lady Ashia’s magic wand froze the fireball in midair, and Trunks swung his sword like a bat, driving the fireball back down the surprised dragon’s throat. Max, sensing an opportunity, ran forward to shoot the dragon where his tail joined his body. This attack got the dragon’s full attention, and his tail whipped out and hit Max, slamming him into the cavern wall.
As Dorothy dragged Max to safety, she realized that she wasn’t alone. Mortique was pulling Max’s other arm, and using his magic to tend Max’s wounds. Mortique looked scared, but Max was already moving again as he regained strength from Mortique’s magic. Dorothy rejoined the fight just in time to distract the dragon as it tried to step on Robocop.
“Enough is enough!” shouted Princess Joy, as she hit the dragon with another blast of lightning. Lady Ashia froze the flames in the dragon’s throat, and Robocop managed to find a soft spot on the dragon’s belly. As Max staggered back to his feet, Mortique got up and yelled, “All right, that’s it!” He angrily marched over to where the dragon’s tail lay, and stomped the end of it.
The dragon was in pretty bad shape. He’d been fried by lightning blasts, frozen with ice, shot in some very painful places, and this was just too much. He put his head back and howled in pain. Kireek, who had charged up his DeathScythe but hadn’t yet had a chance to use it, dashed in and jammed the blade between two plates on the dragon’s throat before triggering the lightning blast. The whole cave lit up as the dragon glowed like a lantern while lightning crackled through his body. As Kireek pulled the blade free and rolled away from the dragon, it fell forward and moved no more.
Dusting himself off and looking over the rips in his jumpsuit, Max muttered “Well, that sucked!” Dorothy hurried over. “You all right, partner?” she said, taking his arm to support him.
Back on the other side of the dragon’s corpse, Trunks and Lady Ashia were swapping high fives. “Nice work on that ice spell, “ Trunks told her. “Without that, I’d have been a crispy critter!” Lady Ashia grinned. “Nice work yourself. Where did you learn to hit a fireball like that? I’ll bet that dragon never knew what hit him!”
Robocop walked over to where Kireek stood, trying to clean his DeathScythe. “Nice move there, Kireek! That’s one heck of a big soul to feast on, eh?” Kireek smiled sadly. “I can’t help but think that maybe he was just defending his lair.” He glanced up at the blade of his weapon. “And will you look at this? I just got this thing polished! Now it’s going to take weeks to get all the dragon off of here.” Princess Joy patted him on the arm. “You defended your friends, and that’s what matters. Besides, the dragon attacked us first!” she reminded him. She turned to face the rest of the team. “Is everybody all right? Where’s T’Pring?”
“Right here!” called a voice from a dark doorway. T’Pring reappeared, dragging several large and very valuable items. “Where there’s a dragon, there’s treasure! These weapons and armor must be from some of the previous visitors who weren’t so lucky. Anything we can’t use we can always take back up to Pioneer 2 and trade for stuff we need.” Dropping a large and deadly hand weapon, she turned to Max and said, “Dude, that was a nasty knock you took. You okay?”
Max smiled. “Yeah, if it weren’t for Mortique, I’d still be lying over there in a heap. And did you see him go for that dragon? I guess he really did save us all!” Dorothy smiled. “Our hero. Now where did he get off to?” Mortique appeared from behind a pillar. “Um, I’m right here. I found something interesting behind this pillar while I was, uh, observing the fight.” He held out a tapebook recorder. “Something tells me this will be of great importance to finding out what happened down here.” Trunks smiled at him. “Now how can you tell this is an important clue?” Mortique just smiled back, and turned the recorder over. On the bottom was stenciled “Red Ring Rico – Pioneer 1 Expedition”.
“Okay,” grinned Robocop. “That would qualify as an important clue. It would probably be a very good idea to get this back up to the Principle. It will also give us a chance to get Max patched up, and pick up more supplies for the next stage.” Max grimaced. “I can’t argue with that, although I’m not looking forward to walking all the way back to the teleporter.” Mortique slapped his forehead. “I’m sorry, didn’t I mention I know a telepipe technique?” Waving his wand, he created a telepipe, and gestured the others to enter. Carrying the dragon’s hoard and the tapebook recorder, they returned to Pioneer 2.
Chapter 5: The Principle Of The Matter
The Principle turned the tapebook recorder over to look at the stenciled name on the bottom. “Let me be sure I understand this, “ he said. “You landed at the teleporter, fought your way through the forest to the caves, found a dragon that nobody expected to be there, and managed to return in one piece with a priceless piece of information on what may have happened.” He smiled. “Nice piece of work, ladies and gentlemen. You’ve done well. Why don’t you see to your friend’s injuries, have a nice meal, and get some rest? Tomorrow morning, I suspect you’ll want to get an early start. I wish you good luck on your next adventures on Ragol.” As they filed out, he thought to himself, “You may need it.”
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