"Wow cool!" Jenso shouted, as his own name and the fortress appeared on the map. "Looks like we gotta head north of Thoris, through a forest." He responded. "See ya uh...Gagnola..?" He muttered, trying his hardest to pronounce the woman's name but failing yet again. He ran off to the north exit of Thoris, leaving the city as he looked over his shoulder to make sure Ainra was following.

Grezola Coughed a little, cringing at Ainra's attitude, but smiling as Jenso announced their departure. The northern woods? That would be quite the trek! They'd have to exit through the mole tunnels and best the local wild-life! Ah well, Grezola knew they could do it, or rather, that Jenso could do it. She was more keen on Ainra getting eaten alive by a Frighder!

"Good luck, and stay safe!" were Grezola's last words as Jenso and Ainra took off into the mole tunnels and made their way towards Frigher-Forest...



The krunklets surrounding Alexander didn't really care about what he had to ask, and neither did Krink. Everyone one of them (Minus Krink, who slunk away somewhere) immediately proceeded to rush him one at a time, that is, until the entire vehicle came to an abrupt HALT, sending krunklets who weren't braced for impact, flying towards the front of the prisoner bay, and crashing against the smooth, metal wall.

The large collections of krunklets on either side of Zerraf likewise started rolling towards the front of the vehicle, crashing against one another chaotically. The group on his right headed towards him like an avalanche of stupid ball people, while the group on his left fell away from him.

*BING*~*BONG*

"We have arrived at the castle! Please be careful with exiting the vehicle, and have a nice day~~~

*BING*~*BONG*

...With the, the piles of krunklets who were not braced for impact would be unable to leave the vehicle, utterly spun-around by the shitty parking job. Who was even driving this thing anyways?

Dr. Krink was nowhere to be seen, but the prisoner bay door swung wide open. Below it, on the vehicle's exterior, the storage bay's door also swung open. That was where Zerraf would find his weapons, unguarded, along with a ton of other weapons and valuable junk that the Krunk Legion had pillaged.

Alexander almost threw his fireball, until the Krunkmobile went into an abrupt halt, tossing him at a wall as well, although in his case, he managed to right himself as the small orb-people rolled off, out of the prisoner bay. Being the kind person that he was, Alexander then used his precious fireballs to bust open the rest of the cages, before taking a shard of metal from a blown-off cage bar to undo the prisoners tied with ropes.

He then rushed outside the Prisoner Bay, looking for his weapons. On a hunch, he would go down a storey, and keep looking until he found both the Holding Room and the Storage Bay...

"Well, here we are.." Jenso said to Ainra, looking at the giant forest before them. "This is gonna be great!" He shouted cheerfully, and headed into the forest. He did so with extreme caution however, prepared for anything that might come his way.

As Jenso and Ainra made their way into the forest, the thick trees began to grow thicker and thicker, until they were only a few feet from one another off the main path. The path itself, as well as the rest of the forest, was overshadowed by thick branches and leaves, allowing only a few beams of light to pour onto the beaten trail. Several minutes into the forest, and the lights began to fade, to the point where the forest's roof began to emulate midnight.

Further ahead on the trail, the two came across a large set of tire tracks. But it wasn't just two tires, it was... 4, 7, 14, 20... Too many to count! But that wasn't the most peculiar part, on either side of these tracks, the trees were completely collapsed as if something had run them over. The path was at least 15 meters wide! Whatever came through here was... Peculiar, to say the least.

Jenso kneeled on the ground to get a closer look on the strange tracks. "What the heck..?" He muttered, confused by what could have passed through here. He stood up and turned to Ainra. "Hey Ainra, do you have an idea of what left these tire tracks?" He asked.

Ainra seemed to be well at home in the forest, looking around with casual curiosity at the various flora they passed. The lack of light didn't seem to bother her either, as the waning visibility in the forest didn't seem to stop her from looking around. She was well over her tantrum with Grezola, but hadn't said much conversation-wise as they wandered along the beaten path.

Of course, the equivalent of a tank plowing through the trees was a little bit more notable. When Jenso asked her though, she didn't have much of an answer. "Jenso, me seeing anything with wheels is a commodity. When I said I came down for the festival, it was pretty literal; I live in the mountains. Your guess as to whatever might've just rolled through heavy trees like this is automatically better than mine." She knelt down herself, putting her fingers in the turned-up dirt and soil, then looking along the devastated path. "Well, you're the one with the map. What's in that direction?" If anything, this was more interesting than a vague prophecy. Big destructive things are always the most satisfying to destroy, after all.

Zerraf slouched over and rolled his shoulder in response to hearing where his weapons were. "Hm, Okay. Thanks Fatty Gold." Just as the red mage batted an eye at the approaching Krunklets, the entire bay gave way before they could play. May-day. While the Krunklets toppled over each other, Zerraf seemed more as if someone had turned off the gravity. Before the Krunks could dog pile him, he maintained his slouched posture as his hunched figure cartwheeled over the rail and down to the first floor, hand still in pocket, gusts of wind placing him down on the floor with a tap against steel. He nodded to the remaining 2nd-floor Krunklets who were still standing before sauntering his way to the opened Storage Bay. He might just get that pillow too. Maybe. If it's not too far. Zerraf took a ten second nap on the way there. He'd think about it later.

Jenso nodded at Ainra. "Yeah...true. I guess I would know more about it. My first thought would be that a large group of vehicles moved through here, but.." He muttered, taking a glance at the tracks again. "ALL the tracks are moving in the same straight line...perfectly straight. I think it was some kind of massive vehicle..probably unlike anything I've ever seen." He finished. "Come on, let's follow it! When we get out of the forest, we should end up running into some kind of fortress." He said, and dashed deeper into the forest, following the tracks. He wasn't afraid of the dark forest, despite what dangers may lurk within.

Jenso and Ainra headed further into Frighder forest, looking to make contact with whatever contraption caused the huge trail of knocked-over trees. Unbeknownst to them, it was caused by the great Krunk-Mobile, which had Eleanor, Zerraf, and Alexander aboard. Where was the mighty vehicle leading them, though? Would Jenso an Ainra be saving anyone anytime soon? Hell, was the prophecy even right? Also, how would the three already at Lord Krunk's castle react? Would Zerraf fall into a fucking coma? Who knows, one thing's for sure though, Lord Krunk won't be very happy about any of this interference...

---

---

Heading across the downed carpet of crushed oaks, Jenso and Ainra could eventually see the Krunk-mobile in the distance, along with Lord Krunk's Fortress, which stood only two stories tall, but seemed to be much wider than the forest itself! At least, it seemed that way. They couldn't exactly see all of it, due to the tall trees on either side blocking their vision. As they headed forward though, something was moving about in the trees, watching them.



Unfortunately, the prisoners untied by Alexander didn't have the strength or will to escape, instead huddling together and waiting for an opportunity to present itself. They would likely be stuck here until the Krunk Legion was defeated. Yea, like that was gunna happen anytime this year, ahahaha...

Due to plot convenience, or perhaps just fate itself (So basically just plot convenience) Alexand and Zerraf both arrived at the top of the storage bay's main ramp around the same time. Looking inside, their equipment would be in clear view, placed atop a small hill of treasures and weapons. Outside of the Krunk-mobile, on the opposite entrance, many krunklets were on their way to the prisoner bay, heading down the ramp and around the vehicle. The sound of hundreds of little footsteps echoed from Krunklets and Krunklites alike, Dr. Krink being among them, as he had snuck away earlier to alert his troops. If Zerraf and Alexander didn't act quickly, they would likely be fighting an entire army. I don't know about you, but I'd avoid fighting an entire army, personally.

"Holy shit! It's huge!" Jenso shouted as he gazed at the massive fortress. "Wow, and there's the vehicle.." He added, being rather confused about how it looked. It was quite the unusual machine, certainly not something he'd ever seen before. And then he saw Krunklets in the distance as well. "Right...I guess this is Lord Krunk's fortress...let's kick their asses!" He shouted, not having noticed whatever was watching them yet.

"Hello there, Good Wind Mage; you a prisoner too?" spoke Alexander as he multitasked, taking his Jian, Pistols, First Aid Kit and other equipment he forgot. "My name is Alexander Sky, Gyrocopter Stunt Pilot."

A smile.

"Anyway, enemies are approaching us and surrounding the vehicle. What about taking control of said vehicle and what weapons it has and blasting the foe with it?"

@Letter Bee@Whimsley


Out of nowhere, Eleanor blows a hole in the side of the krunk mobile with her dark ball. She was injured by it and her hands were bleeding from holding on to the wire so hard. She collapses to the ground in front of both Zerraf and Alexander. She lies there groaning "FINALLY! I'm in the vehicle.

@Letter Bee @Lady Athena



Zerraf hunched his back and leaned forward to be at eye level with Alexander as he spoke, his face just close enough to be uncomfortable. He had a dazed look to his eyes as if they had painted over with gloss, and he swayed to and from Alexander as if he were about to fall at any moment. Each time the red mage leaned forward, the brim of his wide hat would scrape against Alexander's hair, again, and again, and again. An observant person would note small cuts focused around Zerraf's half-mask.

When Alexander was finished speaking, the red mage squinted and looked up and down Alexander's body, face, arms. He'd repeat this numerous times, assessing his form with scrutiny. As if he were to remember each detail at some later date. Standing tall once again, Zerraf shrugged. "Ey-eh? You're not round like the other ones." With this, Zerraf turned toward the pile of supplies and found his belongings as Alex discussed their situation. He picked everything up with his left hand, oddly enough, before sheathing his rapier in its desired place. Amidst the junk there was one holy grail: a 1200 thread-count pillow with periwinkle covering and golden tinge. He carried the pillow with his left arm and cradled it on his shoulder, as someone may a wooden beam, before gently laying his head down. Paradise. He began to walk back toward Alexander. "Nah. They're already inside, you can't fool me ball man." Zerraf said with a soft exhale, in the tone of a sleeping man.

Just at that moment, Eleanor burst through the wall. Zerraf opened an eye to investigate. "Yo-oy yo. Sis. Let's get out of here." Sis? That was odd. Eleanor had never seen and likely never heard of Zerraf before. Maybe he was confusing you with someone else? You both did have the white hair and rapier. In any case, true to his word, Zerraf dropped his pillow as if it were not the latest, greatest discovery in recent history. Thud. He extended his left hand to your bloody right, his normally glazed eyes now shining. Arcing and crinkling, smiling even.

"What?" spoke Alexander. "I'm not -" he then said:

"Look, we three," he was now addressing Eleanor, "are people who don't want to be attacked by those...ball-people. So we should think up a plan of action before we are surrounded and overwhelmed, which is a little hard, because we don't know anything about them. Or do we?" that last question was aimed at his compatriots.

"All I know is, we got taken prisoner, put abroard a large vehicle, and are now at a fortress run by...some Generic Dark Lord. So we should probably do something!"

@Whimsley, @Lady Athena

Ainra grinned the moment she saw the ball-men in the distance. Revenge was within her grasp, and the prospect of cracking them open like so many metal eggs would be most enjoyable. She slammed her fists together as well, laughing. "Yeah! I hope I find the group that jumped me...When I get my hands on them..." Ainra paused, her nostrils flaring, and she turned her curious gaze to the trees above her. Her eyes adjusted easily to the dark, and she pulled her hands apart, tapping Jenso on the shoulder with one hand and pointing up with another.

"Uh... Jenso? I think we've got something else to worry about first..." Unfortunately, it didn't smell like proper meat. She could have gone for some lunch.

As the troop of nearly 100 Krunklets (spotted with a few Krunlites, who were marked by their black, bladed armor) made their way around the Krunk-mobile, they noted a few faint voices.

"Do you hear that?!" Tommy murmured.
"Sounds like trouble!" Billy Whimpered.
"Are they humans?" Johnny mumbled.
"No way!" Jimmy hissed.

"STOP WHISPERING YOU BLITHERING IDIOTS!" Dr Krink shouted, giving away their position rather abruptly, "IT'S THAT WIND MAGE AND HIS LITTLE FRIEND! MOVE FASTER!"



Before Ainra or Jenso could get anywhere near the Krunk-mobile, two giant spiders lurched from the thickness of the forest, one from either side of the ruined pathway. Their abdomens were at least 2 meters thick, and they held themselves up with 8 equally sturdy legs, and were covered in thick bristled fur that stood on end like little tightly-packed needles. They bared their fangs, massive green claw-like appendages, and attempted to grab and bite into Jenso and Ainra in total synchronization.

"Huh? What do you mea-" Was all Jenso could say to Ainra before two giant spiders leaped at them. "Wow!" He screamed, as a hammer made out of flames appeared, which he held in both hands. He jumped further to the left to avoid being bitten by the spiders, and swung his hammer at the right side of the spider's head that was closest to him. "Looks like we gotta whack these first!!" He added.

Eleanor was groaning on the floor, when a stranger came out of no where and called her sister! She weakly got to her feet and glared at Zerraf, she drew her rapier and put it to his neck "Dont you dare get comfortable with me! I dont care who you are, Do not call me sister!" Her eyes had gone dark and soulless. She seemed serious.

Eleanor looked to the other person in the room with them "You have a point, after all they are pretty much below us. We probably should keep it down. "Do you know all the entrances and exits of this room?... Besides my hole I just blew in the wall?"

Spiders! Or...Frighders, in this case. Ainra wasn't exactly a fan of two-meter long venomous spider monsters. But, she was a brave person. She had seen hideous beasts before, and these were no different.

[color=forestgreen]"KILL THEM KILL THEM KILL THEM FUCK THIS DISGUSTING AS HELL TINY SPIDERS ARE FINE BUT NOPENOPENOPE I AIN'T HAVING NONE OF THIS SHIT DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!" She jumped back away from them a fairly good distance, and grabbed her bow. As she drew the cord, she exhaled a stream of green flames, which spiraled around into the vague shape of an arrow. "I'M GONNA NAIL ONE OF YOUR EIGHT DISGUSTING EYES AND THEN SQUISH YOU AND THEN YOU'LL BE DEAD!" With her vigorous shouting done, she loosed the arrow, aiming right at the spider which had tried to attack her. Hopefully, it would hit an eye, and then burn the inside of it's stupid bodythings and kill its brain.

_{Fuck spiders.}