Fan:The Typhonus Chronicles
| The Typhonus Chronicles | |
|---|---|
| Author: | |
| Completion Status: |
Incomplete |
Chapter 1
LEGO Universe. Because of me it was created, and because of me it may be destroyed. I Thought I could rule Imagination through chaos.
I was a FOOL.
The Typhonus Chronicles: Creation from Destruction.
My name is Baron Typhonus. I was one of the original explorers on the Venture Koi. It was because of my sources the three parts of the map came together, along with my old and new friends. I had known Duke Exeter for some time, after he saved my life, and I returned the favor. I hadn't seen him in over three years. A lot can change while your away. Two days before the maelstrom,
"Hello Duke." Duke turned around at my voice. "Typhon!" He exclaimed, Typhon being my old nickname. "I haven't seen you in three years! Where have you been all this time?" "Here and there. Even though it's good to see you, that's not why I am here.?
"Have you ever heard of the Imagination Nexus?"
"Are you talking about the last source of Pure Imagination?" "Yes. I think I know how to find it." "HA! That's just an old myth! I had just asked Duke about the Imagination Nexus, and apparently he found that amusing. As he mocked me, I started to pull something out of my bag. "I can't believe that you think it exi-...what's that?" "This, is a piece of the map to the Nexus." I said coldly. I could tell Duke was flustered. He started babbling apologies and other unintelligible things.
As he brought himself back together, he asked me,"Have you been looking for that the past three years?" I replied, a little bit warmer now,"Well, the past two and a half. The last five months I have been looking for someone brave enough to come with me to search for the Nexus. It wasn't till four days ago I thought of coming to you." "Is that really part of the map?" "Of course! You don't take me for a fool do you?" "N-No! Never! I... I just can't believe you found it. But where are the other parts?" "I don't know, but the map shard does." And, almost as if on cue, the shard started glowing, and forced my hand in the direction of the other pieces.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Duke asked. "Positive." I replied.
1 day before the launch of the Venture Koi, Three before the Maelstrom.
We had arrived at a bizarre sight. Half built creations were strung all over the place. A large bucket of various parts continually rattled and banged. Three Clocks, each eight hours behind the next. "Can I help you?" I jumped, startled by the new voice, who appeared from inside the bucket. "Excuse me, I was looking for a certain piece. Extraordinary, isn't it?" He said as he approached a model more complete then the rest. It was at that moment we soaked in the detail of the new minifig. He wore orange clothes, with black and yellow stripes on them, a strange vest with two robotic arms on the back, a helmet with goggles attached, and a trailing cloth that I cannot identify. "Hello gentlemen. My name is Doctor overbuild, and I repeat my question, may I help you?" "Uh...", A little dumbstruck at the sight of this, overbuild, I remembered the reason we came. "Yes, you may. Do you believe in the Imagination Nexus?" I asked. "Of course," he said, matter-of-factly, "It is my inspiration." Satisfied, I showed him my piece. Upon seeing my piece he ran into the other room, and brought out a slightly different shard. Seeing an opportunity, I asked "Would you like to accompany us in the search for the Nexus?"
Chapter 2
I had just explained to Overbuild that I thought the Imagimeter may unlock the secrets of the map. He was suprised he didn't think of it before. "Overbuild, bring me the two pieces of the map please." As he fetched them, I readied the imagimeter, and tweaked it just a bit. "There you go." He said as he handed me the shards. I placed both on the Imagimeter and waited for something to happen. We waited several hours, yet nothing happened. "Maybe we should try something else." Duke started to say, when the Imagimeter started beeping and the top started swerving. I had just been thinking how desperately I wanted to find the Nexus, when it happened. Then the Imagimeter started smoking, fizzing, and shaking. This would not end well, I thought, as the base exploded, and parts flew around me. As the smoke cleared, Duke said "Well so much for that." "I thought it would work." I said, depressed at failing at yet another thing in liife. Duke put his hand on my shoulder, and said "We just need to try again. What do you think we should do, Overbuild." He didn't reply, he was just looking at the wreckage. "I'm sorry about your machine." I said to him. Still nothing. Either he was ignoring me or thinking hard. "Um, Overbuild?" Suddenly, he jumped up, grabbed mine and Dukes hands and and started dragging us to the stairs. "Hey!" Me and Duke said in unison. "Where are you taking us?" He drug us up above his office where we could see through a glass floor the wreckage of the base below us. "Then he said one word, "Look." "Alright, but I'm not sure what your trying to sh-" I lost the air from my lungs as I looked at the pieces. They weren't scatterd all over the place, they had formed an arrow, with two words beneath it. "Coral Mines, that's where we'll find the last piece."
The Coral Mines were named after the great amount of sea life in the old flooded caves. Many daredevils would ride the sudden bursts of imagination infused waves, also known as Brainstorms. There are many legends about the old mines, for some say they have seen ancient ruins said to have been built by the Amazing first builders. Few actually believd them, I went in to look myself once, but the caves were at high tide so I didn't have much luck. I suppose the luck I didn't have came with me that day, it was at the lowest point of water level seen in decades. As we entered the caves, it reminded me of that day I found my staff, the feeling of exploring something unknown, which I hadn't felt in a while. I had not seen Duke in a year then, and was planning on a visit, when I came across the legend of an ancient battle between the First Builders and the forces of destruction. I decided to look myself. Rumor was there were still ancient relics and weapons from the battle to be found buried in the battle field that was now Yippy Meadows. Despite the ridiculous, name, I went in to look for aanything. And I found something. Something I wish I hadn't. It was a staff with a purple crystal, buried under the skeleton of an ancient minifig, which strangely had a hammer that seemed fused to the bone at the hand. I touched the crystal, and it started releasing a purple haze that envelped me. I didn't really think much of it, till eight days later, I thought, why go see Duke, what has he done for me? Deep inside, I thought 'He saved my life!'. But for some reason, since that day, I continued changing. "We're ready to go, Typhon." That snapped me back to reality. We couldn't stop to daydream on what may be one of the most important days of our life. Wait...
Chapter 3
The caves were very damp. Just being in the atmosphere of it left my suit feeling wet. We were wearing diving suits just in case a Brainstorm occured, or the need arose to go under water. Which it did. As we were passing the third pool of water (at low tide the one cavern divides it's water into smaller pools), we saw a large steeple poking out of the water. Thrilled at the discovery, Dr. Overbuild plunged into the water almost instantly. 'Looney' I thought to myself. As we were diving underwater, we all realized that it was just a large rock in the water. However, if it weren't for that rock we wouldn't have found the under water cave. Overbuild wasn't the best swimmer, and as he tried to keep himself upright he floundered about. As he did, he ran into the rock, which wasn't very stable, and crashed into the wall. To our amazement, the wall was hollow! As we swam through the opening, we couldn't believe our luck, or our eyes. There was a long stairway leading down, and at the bottom was a shrine, and at it's base was the mark of the first builders! Light was filtering through our hole, and way in the distance, we could see another hole, with a minifig starting to swim to the shrine. As we started approaching the shrine, I could see him better, and better...
This minifig had to be some sort of dare devil. He was dressed somewhat piratey, if that's a word, and the only water gear he had was an air tank and goggles. Literally only the air tank. He would take it off his back, put the air release in his mouth for air, then got back to swimming. A little dazed at the strange sight, we realized that he seemed to be heading to the shrine. At that moment, he started swimming full throttle. He had seen us, and was determined to get there first. We were still closer to the shrine, so he did something comepletely unexpected. He slashed off the air tanks air release with his knife. All at once, he was rocketing around the cave, going everywhere except the shrine. While all this had been happening, we had still been swimming, and now we were at what looked like a door. I spoke through my radio. "ZZzz! Where is Exeter?" "I'm going to help him!" He replied. "But what about the piece?!" "That's not important right now! Saving a life is always more important!" And with that, he waited for the dare devil to zoom by, and cut the straps to the air tank with perfect aim. The minifig wasn't breathing.
We were inside the shrine, and it was incredible. The ancient First Builders had made an airtight chamber, so when we stepped in, water came flooding the room. As we closed the door, there was a sucking noise, and all the water was sucked out through a prebuilt system. Incredible! Duke was tending to the Fig. He was now coming around. "Wha... where am I?" "We just saved you from drowning. That was pretty stupid out there." "Aye, it was. I get a bit rash when it comes to me treasure." "Your treasure?" He grimaced,"Well, I reckon it's not mine yet, eh? The names Hael. If you be into those sort of formalities, then Hael Storm is my full name." 'What an odd name.' I thought.
Collecting the last piece was mostly simple after that. Apparently there were a few traps but unlike the automatic water vaccum they had either been sprung already or rusted away. Getting out was a bit trickier. Overbuild improvised and built a new airtank and we each gave some air to him. As exited the cave, Duke had just made himself a very loyal friend. Not so much for Overbuild, because he kept getting his name wrong.
Day of launch of the venture explorer, Three days before the maelstrom.
Duke was very reliable when it comes to two things, firepower, and ships. He has a whole 29 acres of landing strip and space ships. Hael was nearly overjoyed with the sight of "so many Beuties", he asked Duke for the keys to just one, only one, that's all. He gave him the oars to a dingy.
You should know what happened next. We boarded the Venture Koi and searched the universe through space and time for the Nexus. We found it, but by then, I had been so corrupted by the chaos crystal, as I have come to call it, that I turned on my friends. Deep inside, I hated myself. More than anything in the whole universe. Now I am used for my intellect, my cunning, and strategy. The Nexus Force think I rule the Maelstrom, but it rules me.
Chapter 4: A Second Chance
Cold. It was so cold. No light anywhere, just chaos and destruction. For months I was there, and I was slowly losing my mind. Cold. Just one word, floating through my head. No imagination. No mercy. The maelstrom is a cruel thing, and it's my fault it came to being. For so long, I had seen nothing but darkness, so when I saw the light, I didn't think it really existed.
"Typhonus. Typhonus, come here." I could hear. I could see. But what I could see I wasn't sure. There was still darkness, but ahead of me, I could see light. I dismissed it, believing the maelstrom was tricking me. "Come. Here." The voice was getting very persistent. 'Oh well,' I thought 'It's not like things can get any worse.' Like wading through molasses, I slowly approached the light. As I entered the light more and more, I grew warm, and I could think strait. But best of all, my imagination was returning. As I reached the center of the light, I could see the temple of the first builders. And standing in front of it, was a mythran. "Hello Typhonus." He said. It was strange hearing my name again. It was also strange coming from a being with no mouth. The Mythran I saw could be described as Imagination in the form of a minifig. "My name is Spark. I am one of the ancient Mythrans, more powerful than most." "Um..." I wasn't sure if I could talk again. At first I carely could, till I got used to it again. "Elloskk." That was supposed to be Hello. Spark chuckled a bit. "Getting used to the feel of speech again.?" "Es." He laughed a little more. "Excuse me. I really shouldn't laugh. This is a serious matter." "Whath mather?" "You becoming whole again." That sank in for a moment. "You mean, being a real person again? Leaving the Maelstrom? Forever!?" "Well, yes. That's exactly what I meant."
A second chance. A chance to redeem myself. To undo the wrongs I had done. I was nearly overjoyed, when a thought occured. "But, everyone knows and hates me. How will I get through life?" "The Mythrans have already thought of that. We have arranged a new alias for you." "won't they recognize me?" "Has Duke ever seen you in anything but that black cloak and suit?" "No." "Then they won't recognize you." As he finished, he pulled a blue orb out of his own body. "Here. In this Univerese Imagination has taken on physical appearances, mostly as orbs, but then there's me." "Take it," he said as he handed it to me, "and become new." As I took the blue orb, it melted into my hands. "Wha-" I started to say, but I couldn't finish. My different parts started to fly into the sky, out of sight. "Good luck." I heard him say, and then he was gone, or, more like I was gone.
Dark. I couldn't see anything. At first I thought I was still in the maelstrom, but as I started to panic, I began to see fuzzy shapes. As they came into focus, I could see I giant monument above me, and faintly hear yells and the sounds of battle in the distance...
"Ooohh, my head. Where am I?" As I started to stand, I felt weak. I got on all fours, as an attempt to keep myself from falling. And then I saw my clothes. I had a plain blue t-shirt, and white pants. "Whaa..." I faltered, trying to comprehend this. "Hey!" I heard someone. different from the Mythran, and I had heard him too, but it still felt good to hear others again. "Hey, are you all right?" It was a male minifig. he was wearing orange and white, had a helmet, and was holding a giant wrench. He almost reminded me of... "Overbuild?" "Eh?" Now I could see his face. He was'nt Overbuild, but his clothes reminded me of him. He had facial hair, and I doubt Albert would ever be seen with that. "You remind me of someone I know. Your clothes resemble his alot!" "Well, there's alot of Assembly folk 'round. Probably know one o' them. "Um, Assembly?" "Yeah, the Assembly Faction. Of the Nexus Force! C'mon, everyone knows them, don't you?" I paused for a moment. "I have no Idea what your talking about."
Chapter 5
The man was in a state of shock. He just stood there, with his mouth open, drooling a bit. "Um, hello?" Nothing. "Anyone there?" Still nothing. "Hey-Oh bricks the monument is on fire!" "What?!" Now, there is something. "I was just kidding, that was to wake you up." "Hmph, not very nice, but it worked. The name's Rusty Steele." He handed me a little card. "Rusty Steele, Assembly Foreman." "So, you're the foreman. That explains why you were so concerned about the monument." "Pretty much." he said. I looked at the monument again. The minifig looked like someone important. "Is that minifig anyone specific?" "Yeah, It's Bob. May he rest in pieces, where ever he is. he was helping new recruits escape their transport, staying behind to help the last ones. We haven't seen him since. I knew him personally, so that's another reason I am putting my whole heart into this." 'Plop' Some white goop had fallen onto the foremans wrench. "Darn birds!" He exclaimed. "Listen, I got a favor for yeh. See those birds up there?" "Yes." "Chase em off for me will you? They're mucking up my Monument." 'Plop ploop' "Brickin- Especially that one."
Chapter 6
The mission seemed simple. I just had to find a way up the monument. Now that I had looked at it, it didn't seem simple. There were three paths, all over the site, crisscrossing and meshing at different places. "Ugh." I went with the green path. It looked longest, but less steep, and I couldn't see where the other paths led to anyway. As I walked along, I thought about what had happened. I have these new clothes, new hair (strangely) and, when I saw my reflection, I saw that I didn't have a goatee any more. I was fond of that goatee. With this new look, I needed a new name. The same yet different. As I was pondering this, I bumped into someone. "AAACCCCKKKKK!!!" We both said as we tumbled to the ground. "Excuse me, sorry sir-" I stopped myself as I realized this was a Ma'am, not a sir. "Ma'am." I finished. "Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." She said. "No, it's fine. I wasn't either." "I was just thinking how I could get to the top. I don't see a way up to the shoulder." I looked around a moment, seeing her dilema, when I saw the elevator. "Look Over there!" I pointed and we both watched a minifig build the platform to a construction elevator. "That's how." I said, a little playfully. "Thanks. What's your name?" "Um..." Name, name, name. I needed a name. Right when I thought I was at a blank, it hit. "Exavier Typhonus. With an E at the beginning." "Gwen Octavius. To the top?" "To the top. And along the way, I need to scare some birds."
Chapter 7
Scaring the birds was fairly fun. Some just squawked and flew away, but one was grooming itself, believing it was alone, and we scared the daylights out of it. I swear I saw its feathers turn red. As we came to the elevator, neither of us knew how to build it. So, both of us had to build some of it the way we thought it went. Unfortunately, somehow the platform went past the top, and into the sky. Both of us had to jump for our lives to the platform below. "Ooofff!!!" "That was some ride." Gwen said. "Mm-hm." I agreed. "Umm, what is that?" What I was reffering to was the sight below. I could see past the monument sight, and lots of minifigs seemed to be battling other minifigs with a purple hugh. "Oh, thats the maelstrom. Didn't you come through there?" "No. I actually met a mythran, and he teleported me down at the base." "You met a Mythran!? That's amazing! What did he look like?" I gave her the best explanation I could. "Well, He was blue, Transparent, and he only had eyes, no mouth or facial features. If you ask me, he looked like a physical manifestation of imagination." "Wow. Just, wow. How did you meet him?" "Well-" Luckily I didn't have to tell her, because I was Interuppted by a strange sound. It sounded like a bird being strangled, while gargling milk. And then I saw. A bird was in the air, still flying, but it seemed to be in pain. And it was purple. "What is happening to that bird?" "I don't- Huh! It's been infected with the Maelstrom!" "As she finished, the bird changed. It's wings fell apart, till they were just thin skin and bone. It's beak turned jagged, and it became gray and purple. And large. And, it had seen us. "Kraaaeeee!!" It shrieked as it charged for me and Gwen. I was about to yell run, when she said, "Mech, activate." Out of nowhere, a mechanical set of four arms unfolded and harnessed itself to her back. "For the Nexus!" She yelled, as two of the arms came apart into a set of wings and jump jets(Mini ones), and flew straight at the oncoming, still growing bird.
Chapter 8
She was an amazing fighter. In complete sync with her robotic arms, she battled the maelstrome bird, which I realized was now a dragon. Granted, It was a slightly feathery and stubby tailed dragon, but it was one none the less. In an insane manouver, the arms all converted to katanas, and they began rotating faster and faster. They had become a virtual helicopter rotor. As she fell from the sky in a nose dive, they whipped the dragon with unbelievable force. And I noticed, right before she hit the dragon, the baldes glowed an intense blue. That took a total of five minutes. At the maximum. As she flew back to our ledge on the monument, the dragon fell and hit the ground. Then, it blew up. You could see imagination consuming the maelstrom, turning it back to the inspirational light. "Bricks." She said. "What? Why are you upset gwendolyn." She flinched when I said that. "Because I was testing a prototype function of Mech, that was supposed to turn the bird back to normal. But apparantly, someone had a malfunction." Once she said that, she turned to look at her pack. "Well excuuussse, Me." I jumped at the sudden voice. "Hello there. My name is Mech. M.E.C.H. Muscle-limb Enacted Controllable Harness." The arm extension was talking to me. I could not believe it. "Basically the only acronym he could come up with that spells Mech. Sorry if he startles you, though usually people just have to look at him to be startled." "I'm not sure if that was an insult or complement." Mech said. "Stupid." "That, was an insult." "Duh!" "Alright, alright." Wanting to stop their bickering, I interuppted Mech before he could retort. "Gwen, shouldn't we head back down?" She scowled. "What?" "'Sigh' Please don't call me gwen." "Okay, Gwendolyn." "Blech, even worse. I'd appreciate it if you called me G." "Like a cotton gi?" "No, the letter. I just prefer it." "Well I prefer to call you Gwen." She thought a moment. "Touche. Still, Gwen sounds so drab." "But Gwen means Fair!" "You're gonna fit in great around here." Mech said.
Chapter 9
As we traveled down the monument, I got to know "G", better. While we were walking, I said, "Why didn't we just use Mech to fly up here?" Mech was the one who replied, "I have a limited power supply. If I didn't have enough power to fight that dragon, I doubt we'd be here." G got into our conversation, "Okay, first, I built you and programmed those manuevers. Second, I don't know if Mech could have carried us both." Mech extended a bionic eye that I hadn't noticed before, and said, "I don't know if I could carry him alone! He looks heavy." I self consiously looked at my waist. 'Was it possible for a minifig to get fat?' I thought. "Okay Mech, that's enough. So, where do you live?" She asked. I felt embarrassed as I said,"Umm, nowhere. I just got here." "Oh, right. I'll see if I can get Overbuild to get you a room. He's great like that." That name punched me like a maelstrom ape boxer (Hey, I don't care if it's not real, it's all I could think of.) "Overbuild! Wh-where is he?" "Up in Nexus tower. Say, you look like you've been punched by a maelstrom ape boxer. You okay?" (Ha. See? She said it too.) "It's just... nothing. Later, maybe. So, could you tell me about the Nexus Force?" She didn't seem as surprised as Rusty was when she said, "The Nexus Force is an organization founded by three of the original explorers. There are four factions-" "Wait, who are these explorers?" "Well, each one leads a faction, as I was going to tell you, before you interuppted. The leader of the Sentinels is Duke Exeter, and Assembly is led by Overbuild. I'm an Assembly by the way. Then there's the Venture League, which is led by Hael Storm." I was nearly in shock. I managed to stammer, "Th-then, who leads the f-fourth?" "You mean Paradox? Oh, they're led by the original assistant of the late Baron Typhonus, Vanda Darkflame." "V-Vanda!?" I manged to say, before I blacked out.
Chapter 10
As I fell into deep subconciousness, I had strange dreams. Dreams that threatened sanity. Thankfully, I remember only one, but it still haunts me in my sleep. I was standing on the shore of a dark island. Dead plants were everywhere, the sky was dark, and thunder boomed with each bolt of lightning. On the island, a massive lighthouse stood before me, and its light was the only one. I walked toward the lighthouse, continually being pelted with freezing rain. The Lighthouse had no windows, just a door. I walked in hoping to find shelter. As soon as I did, the door shut, and the light turned purple. I walked up the stairs, like being in a trance, while my insides screamed 'NO!!! LEAVE!!! This place is EVIL!!!' Disembodied shadows crawled the walls, and every time one passed through my shadow, I felt colder than I was. At the top of the stairs, there was the lighthouse light. It shined purple through the night.At the top of the stairs, my shadow peeled from the wall. It had my old suit on, and the top hat, and crystal staff. It had a wicked smile, and eyes that were black holes. I screamed, though I made no sound, as it lunged for me. "AAAAUUUUUGHHHH!!!!!!" I screamed as I woke from the nightmare. G practically jumped out of her hair at my sudden scream. "Exavier!!! What the brick was that!!??" I couldn't speak as I breathed, trying to calm down. "Why did you faint? Mech scanned you but didn't find anything unusual. What's brickin' wrong?" I held up a hand, signalling I still needed a moment. After a few more breaths I answered her question. "First, there is no need to swear. I.. am fine. Second, I don't know why I fainted, maybe because I just realized how high up we were. Speaking of which, where are we?" "We are at the Sentinel Camp. Near the site of the maelstrom explosion at the Paradox Research Facility." Mech said. By this time, I had completely calmed down. "Right. So did I miss anything while i was out?" "No. But I'm still wondering why you even went out. I highly doubt that 'hights' story. And, you didn't explain to me where you came from earlier, either." G said. "'Sigh'. We were being attacked by a dragon." "True. But you still have some explaining to do." "I'll... I'll tell you later." "NOW." I thought for a moment, then came to a decision. "Fine. But I wan't to see this maelstrom accident first. Then I'll tell you everything." "Agreed. But if we're going over there, you'll need your own weapon. I'm do bodyguard." When she finished, she tossed me a sword. "Not a very strong weapon." "Well, the stromlings out there aren't very strong either."
Chapter 11
"What are Strom- Oh." I said. We had arrived at the battlefield, and it wasn't pretty. Purple minifigs, that I established were stromlings, were running amok in the gardens. I could see smoke in the distance over the numerous hills. "Wow. This is bad, isn't it?" I asked. "Yeah. This used to be a war free zone, 'til Paradox goofed and blew up their facility." G said sadly. "I'm going to go and do what Overbuild sent me here for in the first place." She started to walk towards the smoke. "Wait, you work for Overbuild?" She turned to face me. "Yeah, I thought I told you that." "Well, you may have and I just don't remember. What do you need to do?" "I'm supposed to meet Wisp Lee and get something that has to do with the Maelstrom." 'Wisp? Does everyone I know live here now?' I thought.
As we walked, Mech battled the maelstrom on his own with several katana swipes and electro-shocks. "So what are you supposed to get from Wisp?" "A cube or something." As we came around a bend, I could see the building clearly. It was gray and deep red, and had two cages, one blown open, the other containing a Maelstrom Spider. Wisp stood in front of the building. He had clothes that matched the building, and I couldn't see his face, but I recognized his spiky red hair. I had known Wisp longer than Duke, and I could recognize him anywhere. The problem was, he could probably do the same with me.
Chapter 12
"Hi Wisp." G said as she approached Wisp Lee. "Ah, you must be G. Overbuild told me he'd send you to get a Maelstrom Cube. I would shake your hand but," He showed G his hands glowing with the Maelstrom,"That wouldn't be a good idea." Then he saw me. It felt like his eyes were boring into my skull, as he searched my face. "Who is this?" "Oh, this is Exavier Typhonus. With an E at the beginning." G said. "Typhonus. A very well known name here. Any relation to Baron Typhonus?" I felt sweaty. Wisp could always tell if I was lying. I needed to be very careful with my words. "Ah, no. No I'm not even sure who you are talking about." "You know, I meant to ask you that up on the monument before you fainted." G said. Wisp looked at me a while longer before he said, "Right. Back on subject. I Don't have a complete cube, and I would appreciate if you would get the remaining four Maelstrom brick. They aren't hard to find, they all float in a path." "Sure, as long as I get that cube. I'll be just a sec." G said. As she raced off to get them, I stood awkwardly in front of my forgotten friend. "So what faction do you intend to join?" He asked. "Hm?" "Well, anyone who comes here is here to join the Nexus Force and fight the Maelstrom. Isn't that why you came here?" "Well, I don't know. I don't know why-" Just then G got back, interrupting my explanation. "I got the bricks. Here ya go." She said. "Where did they come from anyway?" "The Spider Queen. She escaped her cell awhile ago and left a trail of intense Maelstrom concentration." Wisp said. G's expression went dark. "The Spider Queen?" She said through gritted teeth and clenched fists. "Which way did she go?" G demanded. "Just follow the bricks, they will show you where to go." "Come on Exavier, I have a score to settle." She said as she dragged me along the path of bricks. And right before we left, Wisp Lee said,"Oh, and one more thing Exavier. You would look good with sideburns and a goatee." I thought about that all along the way.
Chapter 13
The Maelstrom Mines were extremely large. You could hear echoes of sounds for minutes. Everywhere there were Dark Spiderlings, Coming from nowhere. G fought ferociously, and any and every spider in her way was crushed uderfoot just like their non-maelstrom cousins. By the time we reached the rocket launcher to get to the queen, nearly all the spiders were cowering in a corner. "Excuse me, could you help us?" I asked a girl with blue hair and a bag over her shoulder. "Sure! What is it?" "This rocket launcher isn't opperable, and we need to know how to get to the Spider Queen." I looked at G, who was frustratedly kicking the rocket pad. Eventually she hopped over to us while holding her left foot. "I need to get to that crummy Spider Queen. Do you know how to get there?" "Uh, yeah. Yeah I do. Use the one with the broken rocket on it. It operates better than the other." "Thanks," G said, "What's your name kid?" "Diana. Diana Exeter." And with that we rushed to the rocket pad, launching ourselves to the Queen.
As we touched down in the Spider Queens lair, their was Maelstrom everywhere. As I looked for the Queen, I asked G,"Why do you want to destroy the Queen so much?" "I think she did something to my Uncle Otto. I want to beat her senseless for that." G was beginning to scare me a bit. "What shoud I do?" "Help if you want and can, but leave the last blow to me." She said as she put some new equipment on. "Where-" I started to ask where the Queen was, when we heard a loud thud. Behind us, a gigantic Spider had landed in the middle of her lair. She was heavily armed, and radiated chaos energy. "Time to get started." G said as she put her helmet. We both ducked into the shadows. "What now?" I asked. "We get the drop on her. Follow me." Right before we reached the queen, G handed me something. "Use this. You might need it." Mech spoke up for the first time in a while. "This shield can make a protective bubble around you for about ten seconds, and the helmet can summon a bowling ball launcher." Then G started talking. "Take care of these. They were some of my first weapons. Now, CHARGE!" We both jumped out from the shadows and charged the Queen. I had never seen anyone fight so hard. She retaliated to every move. The queen launched fire balls, Mech made a spinning motion and flung them back. It made new spiderlings, G threw them at her. "G! Over here!" I had my hands out in front of me, and she got the message. I launched her into the air, where she did the same katana move as she did to the dragon. The Queen had had enough. She colapsed on the ground, as G walked up to deliver the last blow. Then, it shrieked, extremely loud, before it was silenced forever. "Wow. You beat it easy." "Too easy. Uncle Otto wouldn't have fallen to that." "Then, your saying-" "That wasn't the Spider who took him." "Then what was?" I wished I hadn't asked.
Chapter 14
We had let our guard down. We shouldn't have. As we prepared to leave the place, there was a shudder. That shudder turned into a shake, and finally into a booming tremor. Mech screeched, "What's happening?!" There was fear in his voice, as there was in mine when I shouted, "The Maelstrom is getting restless! Something is coming!" That was when I saw the shadow. "Look!" I shouted. As it fell G launched herself into the air and sliced the thing in half. And when it hit the ground I saw what it really was. It was a sign, and it read, "Ha, suckers." And then a spider shot up from the ground, chaos in its wake. Even bigger than the Queen, it radiated Maelstrom. It was when it turned its ugly head at me I recognized it. It was the Spider Boss, my own creation.
As soon as G saw that it was the Boss, she charged it with renewed rage. She and Mech both jumped up to battle it from above when something happened. Mechs optical sensor went black. He was out of power. The Boss chuckled its own hideous laugh, and rolled over, nearly smashing G. 'I didn't know it could do that.' I thought. "Ugh," G mumbled. That was my creation. My responsibility. My fault. I felt ashamed, and then angry. I wouldn't let my messes hurt anyone anymore. And then, I started glowing abright blue, and my eyes sparked with imagination. And then I attacked. In a flurry of swipes and slashes, my sword, which now glowed blue at the blade, beated the Boss over and over again. Enraged from what I had done and created, I continued this process again. Then I delivered the final blow.
Chapter 15
My sword went strait through the spiders head. It screamed so loud my ears hurt. Finally, the scream faded, leaving nothing but a still carcass. And then, the body twitched. It started to glow a brilliant blue, like I had a few moments ago. It lifted itself off the ground a bit, and its once orange eyes opened gold. It looked around, confused at what was happening. And then it started to shake, like a million volts of electricity ran through its body. The shaking began to grow as it stood up completely. As it reached its full height, maelstrom exploded out of the beast, and transformed into imagination. It was a darker imagination, but it grew brighter as it floated through the air. Finally, scared and confused, it creeped away. Amazed by this strange event, I remembered G. I rushed over to the small crater where the Boss had rolled over her. She was still unconcious. I carried her to the launch pad. As I pulled out a rocket, I realized I had no idea how to drive a rocket. I just needed to make it back to the mines.
As I landed in the wreckage of the Mines, I could see Diana still battling with the spiders. "Hello! I need help!" She hadn't noticed. "Diana!" That time she responded. She turned around and saw us. Almost instantly she smashed an annoying spider and rushed up to us. "Is she all right?" She asked. "I think she just needs some rest. The Boss rolled over her, and she hasn't woken up since." She looked at her for a minute. "I think we need to take her to Nimbus Station. Follow me."
Chapter 16
"Where and what is Nimbus Station?" I asked. "It used to be the main base of operation for the nexus force, now its a recruit center. Partially anyway." Diana looked at me. "I thought you knew what Nimbus Station was." I shrugged. "Im new here."
Before we left for the launch pad to Nimbus Station, I remembered I needed to do something. So I asked Diana to wait while I got Wisp his cube. "Hello Wisp. I got the Maelstrom Cube for G, she isn't feeling well." "What happened?" "We were ambushed by the Spider Boss." Wisps eyebrows rose in amazement. "How did you get away?" "Oh. Umm, I-" "Hey, Exavier! We got to go!" Diana called. "I'll tell you another time. Goodbye Lee." I suddenly realized my mistake of calling him Lee. That was what I would call him back before I found the crystal. "I, uh, hope you don't mind me calling you that." "Of course not..." "...As long as I can call you Baron." 'He knows.' I thought as I walked away.
"What took you?" Diana looked annoyed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take too long." Her expression softened. "Oh, thats o- Look out!" I turned around as a Dark Spiderling fired a laser bolt at me. I cried out, and right as it was about to hit me, a minifig jumped in front of me and deflected the laser with his shield. I caught a glimpse of his green hair before he put on purple and red gear. With it, he jumped into the air, and launched grenades around us. They exploded around us, doing nothing to us but destroying the spiderling almost instantly. The minifig turned around and took of his helmet. "Are you okay?" His green hair had alot of spikes, he had a worried smile on his face, and he had little lightning bolt shaped dimples. His eyes had a king look in them. I looked at Diana, and she was blushing. "Um, yeah. Thanks." "My names Clay Rando. You can call me Clay." He said as he put on sunglasses and a fedora. "My name is Exavier Typhonus. With an E at the beginning of Exavier. I appreciate the help, and I'm sure Diana does too." She was still blushing, while she lowered her head. "Right. Y-yeah, thanks. My names Diana Exeter." Clay looked at me. "You related to Baron Typhonus." "No. I only found out about him when I got here in fact." He looked at G slumped on the ground next to Diana. "Who's that?" "That's G. She was attacked by the Spider Boss. We were just on our way to Nimbus Station to get her some help." "Well, I'm heading that way myself, maybe I could come with you." Diana looked up and said, "That would be great! Uh, I mean, sure, no problem. Yeah." I raised one of my eyebrows. This was going to be interesting.
Chapter 17
Blasting through the space between worlds, I never felt more exhilarated, this being my first time in an open cockpit rocket. I marveled as a bit of atmosphere lingering around space whipped at my head. It wasn't until Clay told me that if I kept standing up I would get sucked out that I sat down. "How long have you been in the Lego Universe?" Clay yelled over the whipping of the wind. "Me?" I asked. "Yeah. How long have you been here." "Since, well, actually this morning." "Hmm. You probably haven't joined a faction yet then. Am I right?" "Yes." "Are you going to?" "I don't know. What is the Nexus Force's main goal?" "To defeat the Maelstrom, and save Imaginatiion." 'A good cause.' I thought. "What faction are you?" "I'm a Paradox. We study the Maelstrom, find it's weakness, and learn how to use its own power against itself." "What do the others do?" "The Sentinels use force to push back the forces of the Maelstrom. Assembly uses imagination and creativity to deplete the power of the Maelstrom, and then attack wtih their creations. Venture League travel through Lego Universe, finding new paths and discovering new ways to beat the Maelstrom to pulp. And then there are sub-factions for each faction." Should I join the Nexus Force? I didn't know. Assembly sounded promising, although Sentinels would provide the force for me to get my revenge on the Maelstrom for using me. And then there was Paradox. If they used the Maelstrom against itself, and tried to learn its secrets, then wouldn't that be right for me? "Um, guys," Diana tapped my shoulder. "Something is following us." I turned around and looked at several purple objects rocketing toward us, growing bigger and bigger. Deciding which faction to join would have to wait. "Activate weapons and EMRs." Clay told his ship's computers. "What are EMRs?" I asked. "Emergency Maelstrom Repulsors. They're a new prototype of mine that should deflect the Maelstrom like we were inside a glob of gelatin." "So we're safe?" "I don't know," he turned around and looked at me, "I haven't tested them yet."
Chapter 18
"What?!" Diana and I both shouted at once, "You haven't tested it yet?" "That's what I said." Clay replied while fidgeting with the controls. "And yet you put it on your rocket, why!?" Diana yelled. "I, uuhhh," he started to blush, and muttered to himself. "You know, forget it. Lets just live through this, okay?" "Fine." While they had been squablling, I dragged out G's backpack. It was an incredible design, bending space to make an almost unlimited storage. In one section I found her bricks. These could be useful. I took a 2x4 brick out and threw it at one of the Maelstrom ships. About halfway there, it turned maelstrom purple, changed trajectory, and locked on to us. 'Great Idea' I thought sarcastically. So I tried a new strategy. I took several bricks out of the bag, and my imagination started flowing. All I saw were the bricks and my hands. With incredible speed, I grabbed two pieces and connected them. Already forming new ideas I picked my way through them. A river of imagination flowed through me, and I constructed something that would hopefully help. When the last brick was placed, I came back to reality. In front of me was a blue, white and transparent green... thing. I looked back over at the others, and Diana was still pestering Clay. "Seriously, if this doesn't work, I'm going to kill you before the Maelstrom gets to. No, I'll let the Maelstrom get you, and then I'll have a better excuse to pummel you once your a wimpy stromling!" "Yeah, like you won't be a Stromling either!" Clay snapped back at her. "Hey!" They both turned to look at me. "Clay, if you don't mind, will you turn the shield on?" He looked at me for a moment and then said, "Right. Computer, are the shields online?" "Yes." It replied in its computer voice. "Alright, lets see if this wor-" A shudder passed through the rocket as the brick I threw earlier bounced against the barrier, and then came back at it, again and again... "So it half works." "Lets hope mine works better," I said to myself as I brought Tripod, my newest creation, to life.
Chapter 19
If Tripod had a voice box, his first word would be EXPLOSION. As soon as he came online for the first time of his AI life, he knew what he was built to do. Destroy the maelstrom.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This small, insignificant robot, was annihilating every single piece of maelstrom in sight. As the missles and ships were blown to pieces left and right, Diana looked on speechless. Clay would've looked too, but he needed to steer. The onslaught came to a close as we got out of the line of fire. "Tripod, you're done. You don't need to look anymore." Tripod was still determinedly scanning the sky. Out of nowhere he started to let out a small whine. "Tripod, what's-- Oow, Tripod stop!" Tripod was screeching now, horribly loud and painful. "Ahh! Tripod, will you..." Me and Diana Gasped, as Clay was left clueless of what had happened. Where there was nothing in the dark sky, a huge ship had appeared, fuzzing in and out of sight. We gaped at the sight. "Mother of Imagination..." Clay said, as he finally turned around to see what happened. "Get us out of here!" Diana yelled at the top of her lungs. "GO!!" We darted left and right as lasers fired down from above us. The ship followed us, intent on capturing us. ."Computer, get those shields up!" Clay yelled, but his rocket did nothing. Stromlings in rocket packs gathered in the air around us as they all tried to grab us, but Tripod shot them before they could. And then I realized, they didn't reach for the others, only me. They wanted me back. They wanted to use me again.
Chapter 20
"Back off!" Diana yelled as she smashed a stromling with the ships firehydrant. We were reduced to throwing what was in the ship at the Stromlings at this point, which explains the hydrant, and I was sure G was going to wake up very unhappy about how her backpacks contents had been reduced by half. Reaching into her bag, I clutched a round, smooth object. When I removed my hand, I saw a label that said, "Notion Potion". "What's this?" I yelled over to Diana. She looked at it and said, "Just throw it!". So I did, and as it colided with a Stromlings ribcage, it broke, spewing the substaance over its body. It looked curiously at it, and then its eyes widened. Shrieking like mad, it careened into its allies, getting the Stromling poison on them too. This gave me an idea. I grabbed Tripod, who was rapidly running out of energy, and filled his ammunition slot with a Super Notion Potion. I then quickly gave a jolt to his battery with an electrified trident (Also from G's bag.) and he sprang up to continue his work. But as he spit his bolts, they came out covered in notion potion. The imagination charged shots zipped through the air, exploding on contact with an enemy, getting fifteen birds with one stone. Tripod fired over and over again, destroying everything behind us. Finally, they withdrew, and the giant ship flew out of sight, leaving us fast approaching the landing area in Nimbus Station. And thats when I realized there was a beeping noise coming from the front. "Clay, whats that?" "One of the Stromlings punctured our fuel system!" He frantically called back, " Were going down!"
Chapter 21
Nexus Jay had a fairly quiet life. He recruited new faction members, kept records, occasionally got a drink out of it all. So he wasn't prepared when a giant fireball came crashing down on him, knocking him aside. When he came to he saw, through starry vision, three figures emerging from the wreckage of what looked like a rocket, two carrying something between them. They were minifigs. Us. "Oww," G said faintly. "That stank. At least it knocked G back to conciousness." Diana said. "I think my shirt ripped." I said, as I looked at my dark red shirt. "It was ripped when I saw you first." "Oh... strange." G looked around as Mech started to come to life as well. "Where am I? Exavier, what the brick happened? Ohhh, my head..." G said, while wearing a puzzled look on her face. Thats when a man in rugged clothes and a purple face stormed up to us and shouted, "WHAT THE-" Ba-ba-boom! A loud explosion from the rocket blocked out his string of rather impolite words,"-DID YOU DO TO MY BIKE!!!!!" "Your what?" I said, confused. "MY BIKE! YOU BOX-HEADED NINCOMPOOPS CRASHED ON MY BRAND NEW BIKE!!!!" "Where? I don't see any bike?" "IT'S RIGHT THERE YOU NO-BRAINED CORK BRAINS!" "Wait, you just said we didn't have a brain, and then said we were cork brains. What does that even mean? Are you talking about a Motorcycle or-" "NO!! IT WAS A BRICKIN BICYCLE!!! MY PARENTS GAVE THAT TO ME WHEN I TURNED FIFTEEN!" "You mean that bicycle?" I said as I pointed to a bright green bicycle. "NO!! NOT THAT- oh, wait. Yeah. Sorry. No offense." "None taken. My name is Exavier. This is Clay, Diana, and G." "What about me?" Mech shrieked. "What the brick?!" The man said, startled. "Sorry about Mech. People tend to get startled by his, uh, personality." "Right. Anyway, my name is Daniel Freeze. Friends call me Defreeze." "Why do they call you that?" "You got anything frozen on you?" "Uh..." We all said in unison, pointing back at the burning wreckage behind us. "Right. Anyone got anything frozen in this dump?" Most of the minifigs looked at themselves, emptying their pockets, looking for anything helpful. "I got something." A quiet voice said behind me. I turned around to see a man in a blue uniform, handing a frozen fruit to me. "Thank you." I said. "Righty, put it on the ground." "Alright." I tossed the fruit to the ground in front of Daniel, but before it even hit the ground, he wipped out a strange looking gun and a burst of flame erupted from its nozzle, melting and then evaporating the fruit into oblivion. "Thats why." He said, with a wicked smile.
Chapter 22
Diana and the others had decided to show me around Nimbus Station, since it was my first time being there. Daniel, Clay and Diana had immediately wanted to take me to the Red Blocks Concert center. "YAHH!! What is thaat noise!?" As soon as I entered the auditorium, I was hit by a wave of sound. "Why are we here?!" I shouted over the noise. "What!!?" Diana shouted back. "I SAID WHY ARE WE HERE!!!!" "WE WANTED TO SHOW YOU IT! APPARENTLY THEY DON'T HAVE ANY GOOD TALENT TODAY!" I looked at the stage, to see who was playing the awful music. My jaw dropped when I saw who was playing. "Overbuild!" At that same moment G saw the stage as well. "ALBERT!" She shouted. Of course he didn't hear her, as his robotic arms were currently bashing away on a set of drums, while his normal ones were playing the guitar. He bashed the drums and strung the guitar violently one more time before they broke apart. "Brick." He said in disapointment, whereas everyone in the auditorium thankfully removed their hands from their ears. "Albert!" She yelled, much more audible this time. He looked up from the pile of bricks with a look of surprise. "G! What are you doing here!?" "Wait, you know Overbuild? Personally?" Clay asked. "Yeah. I, uh, yeah." G said, blushing. My eyebrows went so high I thought they might fall off. 'Albert and G? That was unexpected.' I thought.
Chapter 23
Albert started running up to us as a few onlookers decided to try out the instruments. When Albert reached us, he didn't stop, and kept running till he hugged G. Daniel started to hum that ridiculous "sittin'-in-a-tree" tune. Clay and Diana had a different reaction, looking at each other and blushing again. "G! Your back!" He said as he released her from the hug. "Did you get the cube?" "Of course. I wouldn't have come back without it, and you know it." He laughed. "Yes, thats true. You never give up." "That is Gwendolyn Octavius for you. On the way I also got to take care of some of my own business." "Really? What?" "Me and Exavier here defeated the Spider Boss!" Alberts mouth dropped open, as well as Dianas, Clays, and Daniels, because I had neglected to tell them that minor detail. "Well, technically I didn't really get to help defeat him. Mech ran out of power-" "Because she didn't think to charge my battery!" Mech said quickly. "-and the Spider Boss rolled over me. But I doubt Exavier would've left without taking It out. He is gone, right?" I thought back to the strange transformation of the Spider Boss. "Absolutely. He won't be a threat any longer." Overbuild started to look at me in a different way. A curious one, at least I hoped at the time. "Do I know you?" "Ah, no. But I'm sure I know you. You're Dr. Overbuild, right?" "In the Plasti-Carbon flesh."
Albert took us to the Assembly building in Nimbus Plaza where he was staying temporarily. "My room in Nexus tower is being refurbished," He said. "I'm getting some stuff removed, and some new stuff, like a poster with the Assembly logo and words that say "Keep it together!" I chuckled lightly at this. Albert was the usual slightly eccentric genius I had known him to be. I turned around to see some pictures on top of the fireplace shelf. I picked two up and examined them. I smiled as I saw me, Albert and Vanda back in our old office we had worked in together. In the other I saw us Four Explorers aboard the Venture Koi. My smile faded when I looked at my staff and I realized, I didn't know where it was. "Albert, you knew Typhonus right?" Overbuilds happy demeanor quickly vanished. "Yes. He was my partner once." "Do you know what happened to his staff?" He gave me a curious look. "Yes, we have it in a display case at the Tower. It uses an imagination fused glass to protect it from the Maelstrom, in case they came for it." 'How ironic.' I thought. "Why do you ask?" "Just curious." I quickly replied. He looked at the picture in my hands. "He never let that staff out of his sight. Not even when he went to bed." He went over to a picture with just me and him in it, back when we were very young. And then he said with a very quiet voice, so quiet that I could barely hear him, "I miss you Vernon. What happened to you?"
Chapter 24
Overbuild stood there for a long time, just looking at the picture. He trembled occasionaly, and once, I thought I saw a tear. After this long period of silence, a minifg burst into the room. "Dr. Overbuild!" "Wha-? Oh, what is it Meldric. Everyone, this is Meldric-" "-Steamvalve," He finished for him, "But no time for any more of an introduction. There's a situation at the tower!" "And?" Albert said, not too concerned, "Won't Duke take care of it?" "No, it's not that kind of problem! It's the Nexus!" At this Overbuilds expression quickly changed. "What? What happened!?" "There has been some sort of build-up of enegy in the Imagination Nexus. The MRS-Mark II is FAILING!!!" The color completely drained from Alberts face. "Well, why are you standing there!! Get a Nexus Tower Emergency Rocket ready! Now!" He turned to look at G and Diana. "G, come with me, I may need your help with this. Diana, you too. Duke is going to want you there with him." "Why does he want Diana specifically?" I asked him. "She's his daughter. Now come on!!" All men present (excluding Albert), and G, dropped their mouths open like a frog about to catch a fly. "Your what?!" We all exclaimed. "Yeah, I get it. Nobody knows about the leader of the Sentinels daughter but the other leaders. Really I half expected you two to put it together," She said to me and G, "I already told you my last name when I met you." "Hmm. I actually never gave any thought about it." Through this whole exchange Overbuilds was tapping his foot impatiently, and looked very agitated. "Alright!!" He shouted. "We get it! Everyone is surprised that your the daughter of Exeter, Capishe?!" I looked at him, startled by this outburst. I had never seen him get this worked up in all my life. "Good. Now, you three, it was a pleasure meeting you. You can stay the night here if you want, but you will need to get going before the afternoon. Some new special forces recruits are going to be arriving tomorrow, and I don't think you want to get in there way." "Overbuild? The rockets ready." Meldric said from outside the door. "Good, come on G, Diana." With that, they entered the rocket outside, said several goodbyes, and blasted into the night sky.
Chapter 25
We slept the night at the Assembly building. There were more then enough beds, but Daniel decided to sleep on the floor. "It builds character," he said. That night, sleeping in a bed for the first time in forever, I had a strange dream.
I could see myself, wearing my old clothes, standing on a crooked and dark path, surrounded by maelstrom. In front of me, I saw me, the Darkitect. I couldn't see my non-maelstrom face, so as my vision floated around to the other side, I gasped. I still had my face, but my head was Transparent Blue, like the mythran I met.
The two me's raised their staffs for battle, and maelstrom and imagination battled in the dark. Myth-me was launching blue balls and building creatures to assist him, while The Darkitect threw dark lasers at Myth-me and summoned maelstrom beasts. They both raised their hands into the air, and a giant blue ball of sparking imagination, and another of Maelstrom energy. And as they both threw their balls, I woke up.
"Wah!" I sat bolt upright in bed. Already the details of the dream were fading, until all I could remember was the color blue and darkness. Although I couldn't remember it, I felt like I would be having that fream again soon.
"What the brick are you yelling about?" Daniel yawned.
His face was pressed with lines from his pillow, and he looked like he hadn't slept at all. Clay sat up in bed and yawned. "Sleep well?" "Yeah. Like a brick." Clay looked at the clock. "Well, we better get going."
Chapter 26
Clay fixed us breakfast, and we left the building. He saw the wreckage of his rocket, and winced. Daniel wandered off to the paradox area for some unknown reason. "Man. The maelstrom SUCKS!" "I know what you mean." I said. He looked at me. "Why?" "Oh. Uh, I was almost turned into a stromling." "Okay." He paused for a while, and then said, "You know, if you have a grudge against the maelstrom, you should join the Nexus Force." There was another moment of silence before I said, "Actually, I think I will."
We looked around for a while before we found Nexus Jay, the Nexus Force Recruiter. He was in an area called Brick Annex, talking to a minifig with a long gray beard and orange robes. "Excuse me, are you Nexus Jay?" I asked. He turned around from his conversation. "Yes, that's me. What is it?" "I'd like to join the Nexus Force." He frowned aand said, "Well of course you do. It's not like anyone just wants to talk anymore." He coughed a bit, then continued. "Right. Since we're already in Brick Annex, we can get you the Assembly approval."
Chapter 27
The orange-robed minifig walked closer to me. "My name is Mardolf the Orange, I will be your observer and, if you are good enough, Assembly Approver." He said. "For this test, we are going to stray off the beaten path. I want you to build, a car." Nexus Jay turned to looke at him. "Huh? You, want him to build a CAR?" "Yes. We were just talking about a lack of imagination with the most recent additions, so maybe we need to try something new." Jay thought about this for a moment before saying, "Alright, if that's what you think best. Carry on." Mardolf continued, "Use the models in your bag to build yourself a nice looking car. If you put enough imagination into it, you get my approval." I turned around and began to walk towards the circle, but then spun on my heel and returned to Mardolf. "What is it?" He sighed. "Sir, I don't have any models. Or bricks. In fact the only weapons I have are a helmet and a sword." "Oh. Well, then, just borrow mine, it's not as if I'm going to be using it for awhile." "Thank you."
At the building area, I was pondering on what to make. He had some decent models in the bag, but I just didn't feel like using them. And then, a large blue lightbulb lit up. Again, just like when I had built Tripod (who had been sitting dormant in my bag), a strange sensation came over me. The Bricks inside the bag started to vibrate, and they became blue. My eyes opened, once more sparking the blue imagination. Instantaniously, I lept, jumped, and ran around the build area, throwing bricks, adjusting them, building. Sometimes, the bricks never touched me, they just did what I wanted. After what seemed like only a moment, I skidded to a halt. Clay, Mardolf, Jay, and everyone else in Brick Annex was watching me, mouths gaping. "So, did I pass?" I asked. Mardolf quickly nodded his head, mouth never closing.
Chapter 28
Clay was anything but speechless on the way back to the Red Blocks theater. "Wow! Saying that you were utterly amazing would be an understatement!!" There was a minifig hiding in a bush, repeatedly asking if anyone had some spare "party pants". I felt inclined to help him, but I didn't have any. "Hmm. That guy is always losing his pants. He can't ever hold onto them. Oh wait! There's the Venture League Rep! He's the one-" His voice was cut off by a loud explosion, coming from the stage. "Whoa, those were some pretty powerful fireworks. They're not normally... oh no." There was a fire coming from the stage, and it was purple. And there were Stromlings emerging. "No, they can't attack here! This can't happen!" His voice cracked at the end." A bunch of Minifigs came rushing in to see what the noise was for, including Daniel. "What the Schnoz is goin' on?!" He shouted. "The Maelstrom! They're here!" I yelled back. He put on a hard stare, and put on some strange gear. "Hey! That gear is tampered with! You're not supposed to do that!" "I have special permission. And frankly, I don't give a brick." He charged into battle, his weapon burning the maelstrom in his path. "Armor or not, I need to be in there." I said. I put on my only two pieces of gear, and barreled into the onslaught.
Chapter 29
It came from all around me, the Maelstrom, but I ahd a bloodlust for the thing that ruined my life. So I was going to obliterate every bit I saw. I swung my sword, back and forth, cutting the maelstrom apart. Left, right, up, down, nothing escaped my sword. Then my sword hit a particularly hard metal maelstrom arm, and my sword fell in half.
"Typhonus, get back here!" Clay shouted. "Oh, brick! What in the name of all imagination was he thinking!" He paced back in forth, wondering what to do, when he heard something strange. Something clanging.
I was cornered. Four stromlings surrounded me, prodding me with their claws. There was no way out. As I walked back, keeping my distance, I bumped into something. A crate of bricks. A smile started to creep from my lips, as I turned around and smashed the crate.
'What is that?' Clay thought. There was a lot of shouting, banging, and other various battle noises, but amidst them was the sound of machines. Not dinky ones like stromling mechs, but huge sounds, like a giant, very noisy car... He stared as something rose from the mist of maelstrom. And then he saw me, in the pilot seat of a giant walker robot. He laughed, as a huge fist came crashing down on a spiderling. MY, fist.
Chapter 30
The crowd around me looked on in awe, as i pummeled the maelstrom with my iron fists. I felt good. Revenge on the maelstrom. Sweet, sweet revenge. And then a Stromling admiral had the courage (or nerve) to fire his cannon at me. I caught it, and threw it back at him. It sailed right into his cannon barrel, and he blew up, taking a few other stromlings with him. " Typhonus!!" I heard Clay shouting, so I put the walker on auto-pilot. "Clay! Come on and help!" I shouted back. " It... doesn't really look like you need any! Where on Crux did you get that!?" " I Just built it!" Clay eyes looked like they were about to fall out of their sockets. " WHAT!?!? You just BARELY made it?" I shrugged, and said, " Well, yes. Yes I-" The walker stumbled forward, and I turned around to see a Stromling Ape throwing boulders at me, and it actually hurt the walker. but that wasn't the only problem, more dragons and apes were arriving. " I think we all could use some help now Clay!" I yelled, but when I looked back, he wasn't there. He was tearing apart a Stromling from the arms. I smiled. This was one brick of a battle.
