well, you don’t need to confirm or deny it because we already know it is true.
1 Like
I can neither confirm or deny allegations that the allegations are true
3 Likes
I would reply but then it would get too convoluted
1 Like
I would clarify my inability to confirm or deny allegations which would be purported in your reply but it would further clutter things
2 Likes
For a second I thought it was a HEX color code and I was thoroughly disappointed when I saw the most ugly and revolting color in existence.
4 Likes
–
Chapter 26
–
“Wait, do you mean Cordax or Winger?” Diero blurted out.
“Wait, you mean the Sun?” Sonus immediately followed suit.
“Wait, you have a kid?” Renner’s mostly dead head suddenly asked.
I gripped what equated the nose bridge on my wooden Akaku and tried not to scream. “How… How are you talking?”
“How did you have a kid?” Renner asked, still extremely confused. “Diero, being upside down isn’t very- thank you. And please tell me your son is somewhere far away and isn’t that yellow-faced turd ball who stabbed you in the stomach.”
“It was the chest, boss.” Diero murmured.
“I, uh, hate to break up the mood like this,” Sonus interjected. “But I found something you all should see. It could be important to us. Also,” He continued, “I was far more interested in the prospect when I was under the impression you had your own personal Sun, but since that isn’t the case I don’t care anymore.”
The resulting silence was so incredibly awkward nobody else felt like talking.
It was a very short walk to the spot were Sonus had first fallen, and a stone’s throw from there brought us to the base of an elevator shaft. In front of it was a brownish pile of powder, sand-like in consistency, with a shock of white hair above it. Diero scraped his hand through it and dragged a small child’s coat from under the pile. I visibly jumped.
“You want to tell us what that’s about now?” Renner glared, upside-down, dangling from his synthetic spine.
“Your voice…” I began, looking for an easy way to change the subject.
“Oh crap,” Renner looked about suddenly. “Diero, get me to a power source fast - I could die if my temporary supply drains without any self-regulating capability! Do whatever you have to, just-- GO!!”
Grabbing me with one hand and Sonus with the other, wearing his master’s spine like a necklace, Diero vaulted over debris in the direction of the orange lights from before. He followed them at a rapid pace until a wall of heat convinced him to slow his endeavors.
“Yikearoni, that’s hot.” He peered over the edge of a large container of molten rock, flowing constantly as if guided along. “You telling me that Ghid’s evil nuclear reactor is also a stereotypical villain base with a lava river? This is so cliché.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t look remotely cool.” I sent an ineffective elbow towards Diero which either prompted or added to the prompting of a horrible joke to glare at me.
“POWER SOURCE, MORONS!!” Renner snapped.
“Aha, here’s something.” Diero vaulted across the gap of lava like he was simply jumping a crack in the sidewalk, but it thoroughly scared me to pieces. I was clawing at his arm in desperation when he landed on the other side, setting me down as he approached his target: a small pillar centralized atop a large cylindrical platform. Unlike the rest of the technology present in the room it appeared to have electricity running through it, which was strange because it definitely did not the last time I was here.
Of course, this was all realized later; I was too busy backpedaling away from the edge of the platform in shock. My body was violently shaking again and I was really wanting to punch Sonus for just giving me a confused stare with that big creepy head of his instead of doing something useful, like jumping in the lava so I didn’t have to think about him. Diero was mumbling out non-words as the central pillar did not appear to have a port of any kind present, and Renner’s lights were waning.
“This stupid thing!” Diero suddenly yelled, kicking at the pillar. “We are this close to fixing things and the stupid thing doesn’t even have an outlet! What the heck do I do?!”
But my mind was not reveling on the things of the present, but those of the past. A realization had crossed my mind that this Sonus fellow had his name written on the wall during that ghastly confrontation with what turned out to be Monopoly, and if one thing managed to come about from that, perhaps others…
“Sonus,” I began, looking at the disfigured Dreamer and trying to fight off the need to glare at him. “Who is the story departed?”
Sonus gave me the wildest look. “How do you know about that?!”
“Before you… Appeared,” I carefully refrained from saying possessed the talking butt of a half-wit, “There was some writing done by that Monopoly fellow. It mentioned you and a few other things, but only you by name. Something about a story departed and chronicler gone, he who swallowed the sun… Mostly nonsense.”
Sonus gave me an even wilder stare, which slowly contorted itself into one of concentrated hate. “I don’t know anything about any writing. But I think you’re just lying to see how much I know. You’re with him, aren’t you?”
His body suddenly glowed a fiery white. “You’re with the one to trust.”
Diero saw this and quickly dropped his boss, whipping out his revolvers. “Hey, boss says he survives for now. Okay? We need this ragamuffin despite how much of an annoying, braindead, cuckoo, dimwitted, egocentric, foolhardy, gabby, horrid, idiotic-”
“Is this a distraction?” Sonus growled.
“Yes.”
Diero tossed one revolver towards me as he sent three shots into Sonus’ eyes, but they all sank into his white-hot skull and dissipated. Smashing the butt end of his revolver into the figure only slightly staggered him, and thoroughly ruined the gun. Ticked off at the sight of his second favorite revolver being ruined, Diero yelled some noise and slammed into the tiny figure, his body immediately beginning to melt and bubble on contact.
“I have to kill him. Don’t you see?” Sonus grabbed Diero by the arm and pinched it right off. “He knows about the world I came from. The world He died trying to redeem… He clearly works with the one to trust, the one you call Ghid. He-”
“Do me a favor.” Diero said, grabbing the figure by the eye sockets with his remaining hand and holding him over the brink. “When you get back to wherever morons come from, tell them to stop coming.”
His hand melted through and Sonus plummeted - for a brief moment he sammed his hand into the lip of the structure, but his white-hot fingers ate right through it all the way to the bottom. He only thrashed for a moment; the molten rock bubbled over his eyes and extinguished the flame. Unconscious, the little figure statically drifted to a fiery sleep submerged in heat and darkness.
“Tott,” Diero murmured wearily, turning around and staring at me with those needle-like eyes. “If you ever betray me, I’m so going to kill you to pieces.”
“Cool.” I murmured back. “Your boss’ battery is looking really low, though - perhaps we should get this pillar figured out and then try to, I dunno, revive him or-”
Diero had stopped moving. The lights were gone. Looking back, I saw the last sign of life leave the already fairly destroyed mechanical head. They were both gone, possibly forever. Monopoly had managed to eliminate them all.
“It’s just you, then?”
The voice seemed to sound from the room itself. I jumped in reply, thoroughly spooked - last I had checked, there was no ominous room voice installed down here. Then again, I hadn’t been this deep in Uncle Ghid’s Cider Factory in a long time.
“Good.” The room said, seemingly pleased with my being alone. “Let’s get this over with, Tott.”
Well that wasn’t ominous at all. Neither was the center planform suddenly lowering down in the middle, the lifeless body of Diero tipping forward and falling on top of me as it descended. Not ominous in the slightest bit.
If you can’t tell, I’m being overly sarcastic.
–
5 Likes
I can neither confirm or deny allegations that I changed my mind and pushed it to the next chapter because I really wanted to do the lava dunkin donuts sequence first which is one thing I actually had planned at the start of the story
also I CAN’T BELIEVE SONUS IS DEAD 
AND DIERO Renner nah he’s a chump
but who could this new person be? it couldn’t be that Tott gave some unintentional foreshadowing… could it?
Now now, there is no such thing as a [insert joke] color.
6 Likes
I’ve just realised that I’m like ten chapters behind for absolutely no good reason…
Uh… how do I solve this?
Okay, here’s the deal: if I don’t catch up today, I’ll give away my entire Bionicle collection to N01InParticular
10 Likes
The stakes are high
5 Likes
If I don’t catch up today, I will inherit N01inparticular’s entire bionicle collection. The stakes are in the clouds
10 Likes
Aha so I knew it!
hey look it’s n01
welp Diero, Renner, and Sonus are dead
OoOoh spooky voice
1 Like
–
Chapter 27
–
The descent occurred far faster than I would have liked.
The circle of light above me quickly tapered into a point amid the swirling mist of the void below. My heart raced, furious at something, some unseen factor, pulling events beyond my control. Down into the darkness I plunged, not only literal but metaphorical, destined to meet whatever horrors lied under the veil of black.
A glow met my eyes, an orange glow centralized in some tangible form. Deep in the shadow there was an infernal engine, a monstrous bespattering heart throwing its vial contents about in noiseless wickedness. Every bolt was groaning and creaking as if each metal plate desired to spring to life and dig its way into my wooden body in an act of defiance against its existence, which must be unfiltered agony.
“Well, it’s good to see you mostly well.”
I swung the revolver around and aimed it at the sinister glow. Whoever this was, I imagined it wouldn’t like the taste of lead as much as Diero’s cousins seemed to.
“I have a challenge for you.” The voice continued. “As you may have recalled, the writing on the wall you mentioned… I am the story departed. I am Lesnichiy. Here, deep in the heart of this malicious machine, I have been written to resign.”
“And?” I asked impatiently.
“That Chronicler specified we are not of our own power here.” Lesnichiy continued. “That means every one of us has a master. Mine is those who choose to gamble with fate. I’m willing to exercise my influence over this world to revive all those lost to fate in this whole area, if you…”
“If I what.”
Lesnichiy implied a smile… somehow. “Grant me a wish of my own. All of us carried over, we have dreams. Ambitions. In order to accomplish mine, I must be able to move freely, think freely. I cannot be confined to this monstrous contraption’s purpose of the manufacturing of cider or whatever else the one to trust plans to do with it. I seek freedom.”
“Yes. Fine. Whatever.” I mumbled, looking about for some way to leave. “Do whatever the heck you want. I don’t care.”
“What about you?”
That was a bit too personal of a question. To be restored once again, possibly, but… The ones that had put their faith and trust in me who had seen it fail and falter- No. I would never be accepted again. The path the world saw me taking was the one I had to fulfill; there are a finite number of positions in this world, and mine had to be fulfilled.
“No.” I responded. “But give me my arm back. The one for this body; I don’t… We all have to live with our mistakes. I’m going to find a way to live with mine. If I can’t, then… That’s my fate. But no matter the turn of the cloth I’ll keep my errors and poor judgement. No second chances now.”
There was a deep and incredibly violent rumbling which seemed to shake the air itself. “Thank you, stranger. Might I inquire of your name before I depart?”
I pulled the collar of my coat closer to my neck as I returned to my feet. “No one in particular. Just a friend, I suppose.”
“A friend to me, indeed. You know that dream I possess?” The voice replied as the platform I and the decrepit deadsperado shared began to rise again. “All of us share it, friend. We will avenge our hero, our Yuo.”
“We will kill the one to trust.”
As the construction disappeared from view, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Diero’s beady eyes gleamed across the darkness, and a vague form gestured for the gun. Somewhat reluctantly, I returned it.
“Don’t know what happened just now, but I see the light approaching up top.” Diero hissed. “If you see that Sonus fellow again, tell him to save us the trouble and throw himself in.”
As the platform returned to its proper place, Diero spun about wildly. “Renner’s gone! Where could he had got off to? He’s just a spine and skull now, and that isn’t known for traveling very comfortab-”
Another massive shudder shook the building followed by the roar of metal. Without another word, Diero snatched me by the collar and bounded over the lava river - doing it a second time wasn’t so bad. Although I can only imagine how horrible my coat must feel right now with the way this neanderthal is clutching it, all crumpled together in his fist.
Suddenly Diero stopped and roared, flames spilling out of his eyes as another shudder racked the building. There was a cry back by the area Sonus had shown us to, and racing out there Diero flipped out another card, sticking it in his teeth as be lifted me higher. The blue flames danced about and when they cleared, I was back in the hallway again.
“Come on, Diero, we’ve got to get the heck out of here!” Renner barked at him, and after sharing a quick and extremely confused glance with me, we- yes, this time I actually mean it - we shrugged our shoulders and the vigilante flew into action, bolting to Winger and Cordax and scooping them up.
So, you’re probably wondering how Cordax and Winger are alive if they both died violently. Well reread the chapter again; I’m not paraphrasing and you can figure it out on your own without the narrator explaining it to you. Sheesh.
Renner tried scooping me up, but I slapped him away. I was so done with being carried around like a canvas bag, and staining my dignity with disgusting empathy just to keep these cretins alive was enough of a sacrifice on my part. As we all rushed down the hall I threw my hand out and gripped the digits of a very confused girl meandering about in the darkness… Had she been the one Eilrach controlled?
“REUNION!!”
why why why WHY WHY WHY
Out of a ruined observatory deck tore a massive skeletal figure, thunderous booming sounding around him. “FREE!! EILRACH IS ONCE AGAIN FREE! WE ARE… NO WAIT, I AM… CRAP NOT THIS AGAIN.”
“MOVE IT, Bonehead!!” Diero snapped at him as he tore his heel into the carpet, gaining enough leverage to sharply round the corner. “This place is coming down on top of us, so if you like being alive then MOVE!!”
“NO ONE COMMANDS EILRACH!!!” The figure bellowed, then, slightly quieter, “BUT BEING ENTOMBED IN THIS PLACE SOUNDS BAD AND CLAUSTROPHOBIC. WE WILL GO. BUT DO NOT CONSIDER THIS AN HONOR ON YOUR PART - WE OBEY NO ONE!!”
The entrance was in sight. I noticed the strong scent of decay as we passed, and turning about I noticed an empty closet that seemed to be the source. I wonder what might have been there.
As the revolting band of miscreants burst forth from the front door, it became very obvious that the ground was no longer there. Half the party went into freefall while I managed to barely hold on, forgetting that I was supposed to be holding that one girl’s hand and keeping her from, y’know, falling to her death. Whoopsie daisy.
Diero and Eilrach sprung into action, the former being commanded to use his wild cards and the latter swooping about and snatching people out of the air. One of the people he collected was one wearing a yellow hazmat suit that looked awfully familiar…
Diero suddenly threw out wild cards at everyone present, including myself. Before I disappeared, I crawled back up into the hall just in time to make eye contact with a violently glowing figure - I have no idea who he could have been.
The next minute I was tasting dirt. High in the sky, making good speed, was the entirety of the nuclear facility and cider factory heading for the dark wall. Somehow my collection of morons had grown notably larger, and all eyes were on the moving target.
I could only hope things had reached their stupidest point, but what do I know?
–
6 Likes
Here we go again.
Absolutely incredible
However if I don’t finish the story by the end of the book I will inherit everyone’s Bionicle collections across the entire world
He just keeps turning up, doesn’t he? Like a bad penny or a main character or something.
sike
4 Likes
Yeah
ARGH WHY
I still think tott is ghid, however
Yeah, somehow they and fifty and racie and winger and cordax and eilrach came back
Intriguing
1 Like
You sound disappointed. Did your theory get ruined?
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Well my original theory was that tott was n01:
so uh
sort of but not really
Haven’t read the chapter yet, but once I get a chance I’ll post my thoughts on the promised bombshells
3 Likes
I CAN’T BELIEVE CORDAX IS ALIVE 
I wonder, was tott originally planned to be [REDACTED] or was the fact that [REDACTED] just a red herring? Or is the implication that [REDACTED] is [REDACTED] a red herring and he actually is [REDACTED] after all??
5 Likes
sure let’s just go with that